DoDEA Learning Walkthrough Tool

The DoDEA Learning Walkthrough was established as a method of providing timely and relevant feedback to teachers, and collect trend data about teaching and learning. It is a systematic and coordinated data-collecting method for monitoring instructional practices to gauge the level of student engagement within classrooms. The DoDEA Learning Walkthrough 1.0 was first released in SY 18-19. After being revised and improved, the DoDEA Learning Walkthrough 2.0 was released in SY 19-20. The Pacific East District created a Learning Walkthrough committee in SY 19-20 , which evolved into the Learning Walkthrough Critical Initiative Working Group SY 20-21. These team developed long-term action plans for implementing and using the Learning Walkthrough Tool, adding Instructional Rounds, determining annual focus indicators, and utilizing the data from the Learning Walkthrough.

The Learning Walkthrough Critical Initiative Working Group strives to:

• Communicate in ways that build transparency and trust for all stakeholders

• Establish district-wise expectations for use of the DoDEA Learning Walkthrough Tool

• Co-plan with CIL for the professional learning, implementation and support of the Learning Walkthrough

• Provide subject-matter/instructional expertise in instructional shifts

• Provide professional learning on instructional shifts and DoDEA’s College and Career Ready Standards implementation

• Engage in data analysis to inform decisions and resource allocation

• Provide support for school-level leaders and their leadership for Focused Collaboration/PLCs in schools

The Pacific East has been positively impacted by the Learning Walkthrough as evidence by:

• • Increasing the number of administrator walkthroughs completed

  • Increasing the percentage observed in the focused indicators 3, 10, 13

  • Improving the quality and understanding of the Learning Walkthrough process for administrators and teachers

From SY 17-18, to present, the district has collected learning walkthrough evidence and collected trend data. This data has driven professional learning and greater understanding of the Learning Walkthrough Tool and its role in informing instructional practices. The total number of walkthroughs completed each school year has increased as the Pacific East District has improved and implemented expectations regarding the completion of the walkthroughs. With the emphasis on engaging administrators and ISS in walkthrough calibrations, an increase in understanding regarding the focus indicators has emerged.

Indicator 3, Digital/Multimedia has shown the largest implementation dips. With a greater understanding through professional learning, we have become more proficient in marking what we are actually observing. A more focused professional learning effort since the school year 2019-2020 of the rich description has increased the understanding of the SAMR model and learning environment expectations, including uses of digital and multimedia tools for modification and redefining traditional tasks. While a decrease has been noted in the number of times the indicator has been observed, increase in calibrations and collaborative discussions have led to an understanding that technology integration should be noted beyond the substitution level of SAMR and has led to a greater understanding in the district regarding the indicator.

Indicator 10, Domain Vocabulary, has been consistently observed since the school year 2019-2020 and is the most evident of the three indicators we are monitoring. Beginning in school year 2019-2020 we led a focused professional learning effort to help stakeholders understand the role of domain specific vocabulary in student led discourse. Our understanding and expectation regarding domain specific vocabulary has changed with the increased understanding of the differences in tiered language and how domain specific language is part of student-led discourse.

Over time, indicator 13 has shown greater reliability as a result of the district’s focused professional learning for teachers and administrators regarding how students cite evidence to support efforts to increase student achievement in evidence-based reading and writing tasks.

The data shows evidence that prior to theSY 19-20 there was a lack of consensus on which indicators should be a district-wide focused initiative as well as a consensus on what constitutes observed or not observed. These trends are seen more clearly through the historical data provided that demonstrate corresponding implementation dips as professional learning focused more on the learning environment as described in the DoDEA LWT.

The DoDEA LWT is an embedded practice and instructional assessment tool providing valuable data and feedback that guides the work of the district Critical Initiative Working Groups. The working groups engage teachers, administrators, and ISSs in focused collaborations on data. The groups use this data to make evidence-based decisions impacting instructional practices at the classroom level. For example, data from the SY 19-20 and the first semester of SY 20-21 indicated the need for district-wide professional learning on student-led discourse. This led to the development and implementation of discourse training on the March 4, district-wide professional development day.

The impact of the implementation and embeddedness of the DoDEA LWT has been to see an increase in students meeting math and literacy benchmark expectations, an increase in AP exams taken, an improvement in every discourse-related indicator in eleot data. The DoDEA LWT is a critical tool in consistently assessing the learning environment as it relates to district’s focus areas and provides evidence for data-driven professional learning; the results of which can be seen in a wide array of student achievement data as seen here: Student Impact Data.

Results and Monitoring Progress - Instructional Impact Data:

• Student Impact Data - eleot, AP, PSAT metrics directly correlated to D-LWT focus indicators

• Pacific East LWT in Power Bi - Houses district-wide data for D-LWT accomplished and observed

• Learning Walkthrough Sharepoint - DoDEA-wide Research, Accountability, & Evaluation platform; narrow and wide data-dives, greater filter options, historical data

• Pacific East IRV Data - channel three, tab five, shows student impacts in 11 eleot indicators correlated to D-LWT focus indicators

• Pacific East AP Scores Data - shows an increase in AP exams taken over the same time as D-LWT implementation

• Pacific East PSAT Data - % meeting benchmarks, EBRW and Math specific, subscores in command of evidence, words in context, etc. correlate to D-LWT focused indicators

• Pacific East DCAS Interim Assessment Data - more metrics for comparing data and providing contextual evidence for results and monitoring progress of implementation strategies

Organizational Policy and Implementation Guides:

• Learning Walkthrough Implementation Guide 2.0 - Professional practice and initial implementation instructions, including: roles, responsibilities, rich descriptions, job aides, guiding questions, and more

• DoDEA Learning Walkthrough 2.0 Training and Facilitator’s Guide - DoDEA-wide PL from the CIL

• Blueprint for Continuous Improvement - Overarching mission, vision, and goals for the organization

• LWT Indicator 13 - Job aide; rich description, looks like/sounds like, questions to students/teachers

• LWT Indicator 3 - Job aide; rich description, looks like/sounds like, questions to students/teachers

Pacific East District Professional Learning Tools and Implementation:

• Classroom Environment Walkthroughs (2016-2018) - Administrators professional practice and coaching for implementation

• Look-Fors in Physical Education - Job aide; rich description, looks like/sounds like, questions to students/teachers for Physical Education; developed by Regional ISS team

• Training Options for Schools on Indicator 3 - interactive PL on implementation, integration with calibration

• Training Options for Schools on Indicator 10 - interactive PL on implementation, integration with calibration

• Training Options for Schools on Indicator 13 - interactive PL on implementation, integration with calibration

• Monthly Data Discussions from 2020-2021 with Administrators and ISS - documentation for data usage, results and monitoring, with feedback and next steps

• Learning Walkthrough Committee Action Plan - three year action plan for introducing and implementing Instructional Rounds using the D-LWT focus indicators as an improvement focus area

• Learning Walkthrough Indicator Selection Process - Evidence/documentation on selecting LWT indicator cluster

• Pacific East Learning Walkthrough Website - District-wide collaboration and PL opportunity through google site with google classroom link

• Learning Walkthrough Sharepoint - DoDEA-wide Research, Accountability, & Evaluation platform; narrow and wide data-dives, greater filter options, historical data