Literacy coaches, administrators, and teaching team leaders need to be savvy about how to connect the Common Core and classroom instruction.  This workshop will help school and district leaders develop plans for helping teachers understand and use the Common Core, aligning curriculum with an eye toward shared beliefs and systemic change.

We'll use a four-step process with many practical tips and tools along the way to help you:

Collect Data - We'll provide organizers to help teachers and assessment teams sort through what's being collected and how it's being used, with an eye toward streamlining and reducing some of the evaluation of individual students when possible.

Display Data - We'll show how a team approach to data analysis and display can reduce the workload for many teachers, allowing them to focus more on making changes in instruction. Useful low-cost software programs and strategies for sharing data, as well as protocols for discussions around data displays will be highlighted.
 

Analyze Data - Once information is displayed, teachers need structures for discussing and interpreting displays. We'll present examples from numerous districts (from low-income, high- need to wealthier surburban sites) of how different instructional needs emerged from analysis, and how resources and planning followed these results.
 

Lift the Quality of Instruction - This is the end goal of any data collection and analysis, but too often the overwhelming amount of data and time pressures don't allow teaching communities to make the leap from data analysis to changes in teaching practice. In this final part of the workshop, we'll show how individual teachers working as part of grade-level teams with shared goals made changes to their instruction based upon what was learned from assessment data. We'll include a range of grade levels and teaching adaptations, to show how common goals translate to diverse instructional strategies based on the needs of students.

Developing the skills necessary to bridge assessment and instruction is all about confidence - helping teachers learn that the skills they bring in making thoughtful decisions about teaching and learning every day can be used in poring over data. This workshop will give school leaders the tools they need to help their colleagues develop the confidence and can-do attitude that is essential for success in making use of evaluation data.

All participants will receive a resource binder with a wide array of print materials to support data collection and analysis, include templates, work samples, and meeting protocols. Participants will also receive a copy of the DVD Making Assessments Work for You, a $199 value. You can preview footage from the DVD here:

Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan met fourteen years ago and knew right away they were a match made in professional heaven. They taught together at a laboratory school at Tufts University in Boston and moved on to work as curriculum coordinators at a large public school district. They realized they loved teaching adults and having dialogues with other practitioners. In their current consultation work, they work with a half dozen districts in New England on long-term assessment and curriculum develop projects, building internal expertise and collaboration at each site. Their forthcoming book on assessment will be published by Stenhouse later this year.

Testimonials from participants in previous workshops by Tammy and Clare:

This is the highest quality of presenters - the day is packed with information to take immediately back to the classroom. There is a true appreciation of teachers in this workshop.

                                                                 Geri Williams

In a time when assessment is all over the page, it is refreshing to participate in a day where informal assessments are deemed valuable as well as formal assessments. I enjoyed the relaxed, small-group atmosphere.

                                                                 Leslie Paul

This workshop is wonderful and would be great for a school team to attend. We are all facing the same issues no matter where we are from - the information is valuable and applicable.

                                                                   Jeanne Wood

I now have several "how tos" that I can use with my faculty. Even though the participants were from several states, the material presented was timely for us all. It was so relevant.

                                                                   Sharon Cantrell

As a literacy coach, the ideas for protocols in meetings and jointly planning a lesson were the most helpful to me. I wish others from my district had the opportunity to attend.

                                                                    Teresa Williams

Presenters modeled good pedagogy - much of the day was totally at my district's point of need, even as I made connections to other districts from so many far-flung places! Thank you!

                                                                       Ann Hengen

It was all very helpful - the protocols for lifting the quality of instruction and the information really got me thinking and probably will be where I begin.

                                                                       Debbie Andrews

I loved the video clips and the follow-up discussion right after. It was a nice, small group of people. You made the work seem doable and not frightening - thanks, Clare and Tammy!

                                                                        Jeannie Ferguson

It was so helpful how you interacted with the group and kept the day moving along with lots of great dialogue. The content was "easy" to transfer to our schools on Monday. The materials you provided will help.

                                                                        Jennifer Ward