Planning & Instruction

How do we teach effectively to ensure all students are learning?

1. Curriculum is taught to mastery of standards and skills - not just an "end" of a unit
2. Instructional framework with research-based instructional methods
3. Planning through teacher collaboration, sharing of ideas, and aligning common courses
4. Pre-assessment informs instruction; formative assessment continues throughout instruction
5. Planning with a backwards design process (using Course Measurement Standards)
6. Students engaged in learning and process
7. Instruction informed by a variety of assessments
8. Feedback and guidance regularly provided to students
9. Multiple opportunities to learn through differentiation within the classroom
10. Ongoing training, coaching, monitoring, and feedback for instructional staff

Continuous improvement for student learning, which is the central focus of this model, revolves around four primary questions:

1. What do students need to know, understand, and be able to do? (Plan)

2. How do we teach effectively to ensure students are learning? (Do)

3. How do we know students are learning? (Reflect)

4. What do we do when students are not learning or are reaching mastery before expectation? (Revise)

What is Planning Backwards (Understanding by Design)?

Starting from the finish line requires a teacher to recalculate how he or she thinks about lesson planning. The backward design model asks teachers to think about overall purposes, goals, and objectives from the start. This model moves away from following a textbook that lays out information in favor of exploring content via goals and set to create experience for students. Moving away from textbooks is constructivist teaching at its core, designed to teach students to build their own connections with knowledge. The concept of backwards design makes sense – you cannot define what your students are going to learn until you know what you are going to teach.

Use the Course Measurement Standards to drive your planning & instruction.