KnowledgeWorks District conditions toolkit by Wendy Espinoza Cotta

Strategic Planning and Communications

Toolkit

July 2015

Dear District Leader: At KnowledgeWorks, we know education can only improve when sound policy is grounded in practice. Creating policy without considering practice often results in policies that do not translate to effective practice in the classroom. Without policy, practice quickly encounters barriers to its effectiveness. With this in mind, KnowledgeWorks began research to understand the necessary conditions for school districts to scale personalized learning. Through research that included interviews with district leaders currently implementing various forms of personalized learning, we found that while certain policy conditions must be in place to support personalized learning, district-level conditions also must be in place that can turn a personalized learning vision into successful implementation. We wrote about our findings in District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning. To address policy barriers to personalized learning systems, KnowledgeWorks used the District Conditions for Scale as a foundation to create a state policy framework. To understand district barriers, we conducted follow-up interviews that surfaced two areas where districts need to invest time and energy to be successful. First, districts need a clear vision and guiding principles to build a foundation for the future of their district. Second, broad stakeholder understanding and buy-in must occur for a successful move to personalized learning. These two areas led to the creation of this Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit. Included in this toolkit, you will find six elements: 1. The Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit includes the tools a district leader will need to form a core planning committee, set a vision, create an action plan, and engage stakeholders. 2. The Process Map is a visual guide that outlines the different phases and corresponding tools. It also offers guidance on when stakeholder engagement should occur. 3. The Facilitator Guide is for new or experienced facilitators. It describes phases that newly-formed committees often go through and recommends how to effectively managing conflict. 4. The Case Study is an example of how a made-up district and core planning committee use the toolkit to go through a strategic planning and communications process. 5. The District Conditions Assessment is a self-evaluation for districts against the ten district conditions and three meta themes described in District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning. Directions are included in first tool in the toolkit. 6. Personalized Learning Resources is a list of schools, districts, and organizations that support personalized learning. It also includes resources for different areas of personalized learning.

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Whether your district is looking to refine or initiate a personalized learning approach, we hope that this toolkit will be of use. As an organization we are committed to assisting districts and states in scaling personalized learning. With that in mind, do not hesitate to contact KnowledgeWorks if we can offer further support as you work to bring personalized learning to scale in your district. Sincerely,

Matt Williams Vice President, Policy and Advocacy KnowledgeWorks

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Table of Contents STRATEGIC PLANNING AND COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT................................................................... 6

Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Pre-Planning............................................................................................................................................................................................ 7

Current District Data Analysis..................................................................................................................................15 Future Metrics Worksheet..........................................................................................................................................17 Environmental Scan Worksheet...............................................................................................................................18 Visioning Process.............................................................................................................................................................23 Vision Creation Worksheets.......................................................................................................................................25 Mission, Vision, and Values Utilization Assessment Worksheet...............................................................28 Instructions for Stakeholder Engagement between Core Committee Meetings.............................29 Stakeholder Engagement Worksheet....................................................................................................................30 Potential Stakeholder Groups....................................................................................................................................31 Stakeholder Analysis Template..................................................................................................................................32 Stakeholder Segmentation Worksheet.................................................................................................................34 Partnerships Worksheet...............................................................................................................................................35 Prioritize Contacts...........................................................................................................................................................37 Partnership Proposal Worksheet.............................................................................................................................38

19. Message Development..................................................................................................................................................39 20. Examples of Key Message Construction..............................................................................................................41 21. Message Development Worksheet.........................................................................................................................43

Communication Outreach Documents....................................................................................................................................44

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Message Development Documents..........................................................................................................................................39

Introduction to District Conditions Assessment................................................................................................ 7 Core Planning Committee Development Worksheet...................................................................................... 7 Introduction to Strategic Planning...........................................................................................................................10 Sample Agendas and Timelines.................................................................................................................................13

Situational Analysis............................................................................................................................................................................15

1. 2. 3. 4.

22. Communication Outreach...........................................................................................................................................44 23. Communication Worksheet........................................................................................................................................47 24. Feedback Worksheet.....................................................................................................................................................48

Evaluation of Communication.......................................................................................................................................................49

25. Activity Tracker..................................................................................................................................................................50 26. Conversion Tracker.........................................................................................................................................................51

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Strategy Formulation........................................................................................................................................................................52

SWOT Analysis Worksheet.........................................................................................................................................52 Issue Prioritization Worksheet..................................................................................................................................58 Prioritization by Two-Dimensional Matrix Worksheet.................................................................................59 Translating Priorities into Strategic Initiatives Worksheet..........................................................................61

Goal and Action Plan Development...........................................................................................................................................63

27. 28. 29. 30.

31. Gap Analysis for Strategic Initiatives Worksheet.............................................................................................63 32. Goal Development Worksheet..................................................................................................................................66 33. Action Plan Worksheet..................................................................................................................................................68

Post-Planning Implementation.....................................................................................................................................................70

34. Primer on Implementation and Creating a Culture of Strategic Management and Continuous Improvement............................................................................................................................................70 35. District Policy Change Worksheet..........................................................................................................................72

APPENDIX A: PROCESS MAP................................................................................................................................... 73 APPENDIX B: FACILITATOR GUIDE...................................................................................................................... 74 APPENDIX C: CASE STUDY....................................................................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX D: DISTRICT CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT............................................................................... 89 APPENDIX E: PERSONALIZED LEARNING RESOURCES.........................................................................103 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................................................................................110

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STRATEGIC PLANNING AND COMMUNICATIONS TOOLKIT

Introduction As your school district plans to implement personalized learning, you will be faced with decisions, successes, setbacks, supporters, and opposition. It is important that school district leaders, planning committee members, and stakeholders are engaged and focus on the mission and vision. The Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit and District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning are resources for you to use throughout this process that is a part of multiple efforts to continually improve your district to meet the needs of students and their families. In order to manage expectations and perceived outcomes, it is important to consider the following guiding precepts for this planning process. Investment of Time. The planning process itself should take your district anywhere between three to six months to complete. In order to complete this process in that time frame, school district leaders, planning committee members, and community stakeholders must be dedicated to thoroughly and exhaustively completing the planning process. If this process is done haphazardly, the outcomes will not meet your district’s expectations. Diligent Implementation. Your district’s implementation process will be a product of the effort put into the planning process. Full results and impact will likely take more than one school year to achieve. Some aspects will improve quickly across schools, but others could take longer. If you complete this planning process diligently and hold individuals accountable for carrying out their tasks, then this should not be alarming. As with any major changes to processes and policies that have been practiced for decades, there will be some bumps and glitches along the way. Participatory Design. To ensure a successful planning process, inclusive stakeholder engagement or participatory design is crucial. This approach actively involves all stakeholders in the design or planning process to help ensure the result meets their needs and is usable. By providing stakeholders many opportunities to participate in your planning process, you will encourage and foster their buy-in and acceptance of future changes. Although the planning process will begin on the district level, this process should not take a “topdown” approach. Teachers and school building leadership should also have autonomy in action planning and implementing personalized learning for their students. Fluid Transformation. Planning to implement personalized learning should be a transformational process that goes beyond managing day-to-day operations to take your school district to the next level. Leadership should focus on team-building, motivation, and collaboration with school buildings and other stakeholders at different levels of the district to accomplish change for the better. Transformational processes set goals and incentives to push the district to higher performance levels, while providing opportunities for personal and professional growth for faculty and stakeholders. Although this toolkit is structured with step-by-step instructions, the planning process and discussions are not expected to be restricted by the structure. Backed by Data. This planning process is an opportunity for your district to utilize data you have been collecting over the years to develop a case for change, track progress, and refine implementation. A good plan must be data driven. Continuous improvement requires data and intelligence on performance to make adjustments.

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Pre-Planning 1. Introduction to District Conditions Assessment KnowledgeWorks’ (KW) District Conditions for Scale Assessment (Appendix D) offers districts an opportunity to evaluate current level of implementation of the ten district conditions and three meta themes explored in District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning. The 13 sections of the assessment represent the crucial elements that district leaders must consider when scaling personalized learning in their districts. Purpose: The term “personalized learning” has become increasingly common in the education space without the level of clarity to truly take root and flourish and without the practical direction for districts to understand the actions that will result in quality personalized learning environments. On the most fundamental level, this assessment describes the critical elements that must be considered as districts work to bring best practices to scale. As they complete the assessment, districts will be able to have a clearer inventory of their own status in relation to the ideal situation for scaling personalized learning. Upon completing the assessment, districts will have evidence in order to tailor recommended next steps to their own situation and to create a communications and strategic plan that is targeted to their needs. Generally, the assessment serves as an indicator to districts of how much work is and will continue to be involved in scaling a high-quality personalized learning system. By understanding this ahead of time, districts will be better able to create and sustain an effective communications plan and strategic plan. Instructions: The assessment should be completed by a small group of district leaders. While this process does not include the wide range of stakeholders impacted by this work, future steps in the planning process will include students, parents, teachers, school leaders, district administrators, and community members. Prior to starting the Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit, conduct the District Conditions Assessment. 2. Core Planning Committee Development Worksheet After completing the District Conditions Assessment, your district is now ready to begin a strategic planning process supplemented by a toolkit for communicating the progress your district is making toward implementing personalized learning practices. In order to complete this process successfully, it is necessary to create a Core Planning Committee. The committee should be diverse, cross functional, multi-dimensional, representative of the district, and autonomous so that various points of view are considered throughout the process. The Core Planning Committee will be responsible for conducting the strategic planning process but also engaging other community stakeholders that may be influenced or interested in personalized learning. The Core Planning Committee may include about 8 to 15 people. The size of the committee is not as important as being certain that the committee is diverse and representative of your district. Use the following table to create your school district’s core planning team.

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School Board

Administration

Teachers

Staff

Students

Parents

Alumni

Post- Secondary Professionals

Use this table to identify individuals who may be good Core Planning Committee members. List names in each cell who are part of the particular group (columns) and bring appropriate skill sets of characterization (rows). Additional space is provided for other groups and skills that are important to you and your district. As you think about potential Core Planning Committee members, consult the Twelve Characteristics of Effective Teams on the next page.

Technical expertise Community Influencers Political Influencers Interaction with students Awareness of policy/ regulations

From this point forward, the Core Planning Committee will be responsible for the communications toolkit and strategic planning efforts. The facilitator or â&#x20AC;&#x153;chairpersonâ&#x20AC;? will be responsible for leading meetings, delegating tasks, and sharing documents in the plan with other members of the Core Planning Committee. Assigning responsibility for various documents to individuals on the committee will ensure that one person is not in full control of, or overburdened with, the planning efforts.

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Twelve Characteristics of Effective Teams1 1. Clear purpose: Each member of the team understands the mission or objective, and the team has a plan of action. 2. Informality: The working environment is informal. Team members feel comfortable with the project and with each other. No one is either tense or bored. 3. Participation: Discussions are lively and each member of the team has a chance to participate. 4. Listening: Team members listen to each other. They summarize, paraphrase, or ask questions in order to encourage explanation or elaboration. 5. Civilized disagreement: Team members feel comfortable disagreeing with each other. Disagreements are polite and friendly. 6. Consensus decisions: The team arrives at its decisions through discussion of each member’s ideas. Team members avoid both formal voting and easy compromises. 7. Open communication: Team members tell each other how they feel about the team’s project and the team’s operation. They have no secrets or ulterior motives. 8. Clear roles and work assignments: Each member of the team understands the job that he or she is expected to do. Work assignments are fairly distributed and promptly completed. 9. Shared leadership: The responsibilities of leadership rotate periodically among the members of the team. 10. External relations: The team develops a working relationship with the supervisor and with other teams. It displays to those outside the team a distinct identity. 11. Diverse responsibilities: Each member of the team has a special emphasis. The team includes members who emphasize the quality of the document, the setting of objectives, the process of investigating alternatives and building consensus, and the administration of the team. 12. Self-assessment: The team does periodic self-examinations. Each member of the team evaluates how effectively the team is functioning and recommends how it might improve.

Adapted from Glenn Parker’s Team Players and Teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990. 33.

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3. Introduction to Strategic Planning2 Strategic planning is a powerful management tool designed to help the organization adapt to anticipated environmental changes. It provides an overview and analysis of the organization and its relevant environment – describing the organization’s capabilities and recognizing key external factors affecting its success. The strategic planning process prescribes an outline or action plan of how the organization will capitalize on its strengths and minimize or mitigate its weaknesses or threats in the context of the needs and expectations of its industry and targeted consumers. The focus of a strategic plan is on the future. An effective strategic plan is regularly used and frequently revised to reflect new trends or developments in the marketplace. The strategic plan is both an analytical tool and a working document that guides action over a specified period of time. A good strategic plan: 1. Helps focus on the distinctive capabilities of the organization in the context of its environment; 2. Sets a formal direction for the organization with a proactive orientation – looking into the future, anticipating, and planning for change; 3. Creates an environment (of team work) where all organizational participants can make more effective decisions and utilize their skills more fully; 4. Provides external audiences with a concise basis for analysis, evaluation, and input. Why plan strategically: • • • • • • •

To enable you to fully understand why your organization is in existence and its purpose To force you to take a holistic look at your organization To demonstrate your goals and objectives To direct an organization’s resources through a long-range process to increase the probability of success To create a yardstick by which you can measure and evaluate your objectives To develop an organizational commitment To institute an ongoing management and evaluation process in an organization

© 2015 The Hill Group, Inc. ™ All rights reserved. This document contains proprietary information that is owned by The Hill Group, Inc. and may not be copied, disclosed or otherwise used without the express written consent of The Hill Group, Inc.

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Most strategic planning models have three basic phases: 1. Situational Analysis 2. Strategy Formulation 3. Strategy Implementation For this personalized planning process, the documents in this planning toolkit will refer to strategy implementation as goal and action plan development. Goal and action plan development are traditionally components of strategy implementation, but for personalized learning planning for your district it is important that goal and action plan development is its own step in the process and given much attention. Here is a typical strategic planning model:3 Figure 1: Strategic Planning Model

Situational Analysis Environmental Scan

Visions, Values, and Mission

Strategy Formulation SWOT Analysis

Issue Priortization

Strategic Initiatives

TOWS and Gap Analyses

Strategy Implementation Goals and Objectives

Action Steps

Evaluation and Improvement

ÂŠ 2015 The Hill Group, Inc. â&#x201E;˘ All rights reserved. This document contains proprietary information that is owned by The Hill Group, Inc. and may not be copied, disclosed or otherwise used without the express written consent of The Hill Group, Inc.

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Definitions Environmental Scan — made up of those factors specific to the organization’s outside influences, industry, competitors, and internal organization Vision — a future desired end state; long-term target and foundation for planning process Values Scan — a process of identifying and affirming basic personal and organizational values, philosophies, and competencies that drive business decisions and plans Mission — a brief, clear statement expressing the purpose of an organization; it includes what the organization intends to accomplish, for whom, and how SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis — a performance audit that involves an in-depth, simultaneous study of both the organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses and those significant factors outside the organization that may positively or negatively impact its future, the external opportunities and threats Internal Analysis — an assessment of the organization, typically identifies organizational strengths and weaknesses Strength — any resource or occurrence that helps the organization realize its Objectives and Strategies, capitalize on its opportunities, or defend against threats Weakness — any factor that hinders the organization in realizing its Objectives and Strategies, capitalizing on its opportunities, or defending against threats External Analysis — an assessment of the environment outside of the organization, typically identifies opportunities and threats Opportunity — any factor that offers promise or potential for moving closer or more quickly toward the organization’s Goals Threat — any factor that may limit, restrict, or impede the organization in pursuit of its Goals Strategic Initiative — major strategy thrust expressed as a desired end state Gap Analysis — the differences identified between the current situation and the desired end state Goal — broadly worded end state about what we desire to achieve Objective — a focused and measurable statement about what we desire to achieve; SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based), often derived from strategies Actions — highly specific tasks or tactics that are derived from Goals

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4. Sample Agendas and Timelines The Core Planning Committee should be able to accomplish the three basic steps of strategic planning in three to six sessions. However, there will be additional meetings after the three phases are complete to review and finalize objectives and update progress periodically. The following agendas show the content of each meeting and the approximate time that should be spent on each segment.

School District Sample Agenda #1 First Planning Meeting: Situational Analysis Duration: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (or any 5 hour period) 10:00 AM Introductions — Introduce core planning team and set ground rules for sessions, such as cell phones on silent, step out to take calls, etc. 10:15 Market Analysis — This time will be used to review literature on personalized learning, KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions for Scale, and any current reports or data about the school district performance (See Appendix E) 11:00

Environmental Scan — Process will be detailed in Document 7

12:30 PM

Lunch Break

1:30

Vision and Values — Detailed in Documents 8, 9, and 10

3:00 Adjourn — Wrap up meeting, remind group of next meeting, assign person responsible for producing notes and sending them out to the team

Before your next committee meeting be sure to discuss community outreach and messaging, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, and message activity tracking using the following documents: l Document 11: Instructions for Stakeholder Engagement l Document 12: Stakeholder Engagement Worksheet l Document 13: Potential Stakeholder Groups

l Document 14: Stakeholder Analysis Template

l Document 15: Stakeholder Segmentation Worksheet l Document 16: Partnerships Worksheet l Document 17: Prioritize Contacts

l Document 18: Partnership Proposal Worksheet l Document 19: Message Development

l Document 20: Examples of Key Message Construction l Document 21: Message Development Worksheet l Document 22: Communication Outreach

l Document 23: Communication Worksheet l Document 24: Feedback Worksheet l Document 25: Activity Tracker

l Document 26: Conversion Tracker

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School District Sample Agenda #2 Second Planning Meeting: Strategy Formulation Duration: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (or any 5 hour period) 10:00 AM Recap first meeting – Discuss notes from last meeting and take any comments 10:15

SWOT Analysis – Further detailed in Document 27

11:15

Issue Prioritization – Detailed in Documents 28 and 29

12:15 PM Lunch Break 1:15

Strategic Initiatives – Detailed in Document 30

3:00 Adjourn – Wrap up meeting, remind group of next meeting, assign person responsible for producing notes and sending them out to the team

Before your next meeting review community outreach and messaging, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, and message activity tracking documents.

School District Sample Agenda #3 Third Planning Meeting: Goal and Action Plan Development Duration: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (or any 6 hour period) 10:00 AM Recap first meeting – Discuss notes from last meeting and take any comments 10:15

Gap Analysis – Detailed in Document 31

12:15 PM Lunch Break 1:15

Goals and Objectives – Further detailed in Document 32

2:15

Action Plan – Detailed in Document 33

3:15

Post-Planning Discussion – Detailed in Document 34

4:00 Adjourn – Wrap up meeting, assign person responsible for producing notes and sending them out to the team

Remember to continue messaging and tracking progress after this meeting and throughout implementation. Also consider using the District Policy Change Worksheet in Document 35.

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Situational Analysis 5. Current District Data Analysis In order to build your district’s case for change to stakeholders and the community, it is important to take an inventory of relevant data. As you go through the planning process and implementation process, you will begin to notice changes in your school district’s performance. It is important to track data to monitor progress and also strengthen your messaging to stakeholders. The worksheet below includes example measures that are common indicators of performance in a school district. This list is not exhaustive. You may have other measures you would like to track. Use the table below to assess your district’s performance and create a benchmark to compare to over the course of personalized learning implementation. The last two rows are blank for your school district to enter other data that may be important to capture. District Performance Data Measures

Data from Two Years Ago

Data from Last Year

Most Recent Data

Goal

Variance

Attendance 9th Grade Attendance for first 30 days Behavior

(disciplinary, suspension, and expulsion rates)

Kindergarten Readiness 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency 3rd Grade Math Proficiency 8th Grade Reading Proficiency 8th Grade Math Proficiency Annual Test Scores and Growth

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Grade Completion: Kindergarten Grade Completion: 3rd Grade Grade Completion: 8th Grade 9th to 10th Grade Drop Out Rate Graduation Rate Drop Out Rate College Enrollment Rates (2 year and 4 year) College Remediation Rates

District Demographic Data Measures

Data from Two Years Ago

Data from Last Year

Most Recent Data

Notable trends

Race Free and Reduced Lunch Students with Disabilities English Language Learners

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6. Future Metrics Worksheet As your district progresses in implementing personalized learning, consider measuring the following indicators to gauge the success and progress of your school district’s transformation: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Social and emotional skills (grit, growth mindset, communication skills, etc.) Students participating in and/or earning credit through external learning opportunities Student engagement Teacher engagement Parent satisfaction Students advancing on teacher pace Students slower than teacher pace Students faster than teacher pace 3, 4, and 5 year high school graduation rate Higher education completion (after 2, 4, and 6 years) Type of higher education credential Employment rates after graduating (after high school, 2 years, and 4 years) Workforce satisfaction

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7. Environmental Scan Worksheet4 The environmental scanning process is your planning committee’s first opportunity to assess your school district’s operating environment. The information produced through this process influences objective setting and strategy formulation. The planning committee will interpret environmental influence in the light of its own perceptions, expectations, and values in relation to your school district. Environmental scanning is the process of gathering information about events and their relationships within an organization’s internal and external environments. The environmental scan helps you to understand the broader context in which you are operating. By investing the time to identify key trends and environmental factors that impact your district, you can begin to think through the implications and, where appropriate, plan a course of action. As you work through this process, consider referencing KnowledgeWorks’ forecasting tools: www.knowledgeworks.org/strategic-foresight Use the following questions to guide the environmental scanning process. Scan four basic environments which could impact your school district 1. Macro Environment — economy, technology, politics, society. How will political events impact your district’s personalized learning ecosystem? 2. Industry Environment — structure, finance, regulation, products, students and families, and needs. What events in education will positively or negatively impact your school district? 3. Competitive Environment — who are our competitors (others who may provide the same services), how do they compete with you. How is your competition performing and how can you stay relevant? 4. Internal Organizational Environment — organizational structure, culture, climate, productivity, work environment, service, distinctive strengths and weaknesses. What are the most pressing issues in your district?

Figure 2: Environments to be Monitored

Macro

Industry

Competitive

Internal

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Macro Environment Use the Macro Environment table to answer the following questions and statements: 1. List some major issues in the Macro Environment that could impact your organization. 2. Are there any changes in these Macro Environment areas or issues that could impact your organization? Macro Environment

Major Issues

Impact on your District

Potential Importance

Potential Probability

High

Low

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Industry Environment Use the Industry Environment table to answer the following questions and statements: 1. List some major issues in the Industry Environment that could impact your organization. 2. Are there any changes in these Industry Environment areas or issues that could impact your organization? Industry Environment

Major Issues

Impact on your District

Potential Importance

Potential Probability

High

Low

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Competitive Environment Use the Competitive Environment table to answer the following questions and statements: 1. List some major issues in the Competitive Environment that could impact your organization. 2. Are there any changes in these Competitive Environment areas or issues that could impact your organization? Competitive Environment

Major Issues

Impact on your District

Potential Importance

Potential Probability

High

Low

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Internal Environment Use the Internal Environment table to answer the following questions and statements: 1. List some major issues in the Internal Environment that could impact your organization. 2. Are there any changes in these Internal Environment areas or issues that could impact your organization? Internal Environment

Major Issues

Impact on your District

Potential Importance

Potential Probability

High

Low

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8. Visioning Process As the school district and Core Planning Committee move forward with strategy development and communications efforts about personalized learning, it is important to establish mission, vision, and values statements related to personalized learning. Review personalized learning definition and KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions for Scale. What is personalized learning?

According to KnowledgeWorks, personalized learning requires the following elements: • Instruction is aligned to rigorous college-and career-ready standards and the social and emotional skills students need to be successful in college and career; • Instruction is customized, allowing each student to design learning experiences aligned to his or her interests; • The pace of instruction is varied based on individual student needs, allowing students to accelerate or take additional time based on their level of mastery; • Educators use data from formative assessments and student feedback in real-time to differentiate instruction and provide robust supports and interventions so that every student remains on track to graduation; and • Students and parents have access to clear, transferable learning objectives and assessment results so they understand what is expected for mastery and advancement.

KW District Conditions for Scale may also inform Vision and Values development. 1. Curriculum: Curriculum must be aligned to the district’s vision for teaching and learning and should be reviewed regularly to ensure alignment. The standards and learning targets contained in the curriculum should be consistent and easily understood for every student, although the ways in which students meet those standards may differ in order to provide a personalized learning experience for each student. These multiple pathways to meeting standards should be informed by real-time data on student performance and engagement, students’ learning styles and interests, and the goals of the student and parents. 2. Instruction: Instructional practices must be aligned with the district’s vision for teaching and learning. Instruction should be focused on teaching students how to learn, shifting from a teacher-led to student-led model incorporating differentiated instruction (incorporating direct instruction, mastery learning, blended and project-based learning, flipped models, etc.). Finally, instruction should be rigorous and relevant to students’ needs and interests, and progression should be based on mastery, avoiding the “mile-wide, inch deep” phenomenon. 3. Comprehensive Assessment System: Each district should implement a comprehensive assessment system that is aligned with the district’s vision for teaching and learning. Assessments should include formative, interim, and summative assessments. Instant feedback from ongoing embedded assessments — including, but not limited to portfolios, capstone projects, performance-based assessments, curriculumembedded assessments — should be used to monitor student progress and adjust day-to-day learning activities. Summative assessments should be offered multiple times a year, when students are ready to take the exam, and students should have multiple opportunities to show mastery of the assessment. Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit | Page 23

4. Learning Environments: Districts should cultivate learning environments, both inside and outside the school walls that support high expectations for all students while fostering a culture of trust, support, equity, and inclusiveness. Continuous improvement should be embedded in the culture of the district and driven by student achievement data and other success indicators. Lastly, real efforts should be made to celebrate district and school successes. 5. Student Supports: Students should get the supports and interventions they need to be successful when they need them, not after they’ve taken a summative assessment at the end of the year. These supports should be informed by instant feedback based on frequent formative assessments and, to the extent possible, be embedded in learning. Schools should be given the flexibility to use the time in the school day/ year as they see fit in order to provide these supports. 6. Professional Development: Each district should offer a job-embedded professional development program that aligns with the district’s vision for teaching and learning and to student needs. The professional development program should foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement while leveraging technology that creates a customized experience for each teacher that is available at any place and time. 7. Leadership Development: A district should have a leadership development program that identifies and trains leaders at the classroom, school, and district level. This includes involving educators and other staff members in the visioning process, strategic planning, partnership cultivation, and curriculum review. 8. Technology Policy: Districts must have a technology policy that allows for ubiquitous, safe access to the internet at all times of the school day. Districts should also address deficiencies in infrastructure in order to support a more connected student population at scale. 9. Comprehensive Data Systems: Districts should maintain a comprehensive data system consisting of learning management, assessment, and student information systems. These systems should be able to track student achievement history, teacher comments, supports and interventions, and other indicators while protecting student-level privacy. 10. Partnerships: Each district should cultivate partnerships with business, community, and higher education constituents in their communities (including local and county government, recreation, juvenile justice, faithbased, etc.). These entities should be involved in creating a district vision and strategic plan that is aligned with a broader economic and workforce development plan for the community. All aspects of teaching and learning within the district (curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, etc.) should be aligned to this vision. In addition, these partners should assist with creating various learning opportunities (internships, mentor programs, work-based experiences, service learning, etc.) and publish a list of these opportunities for all learners. Review your District Conditions for Scale Assessment results. If you have scored “exemplary” on the meta theme Vision, the following vision creation exercises will be an opportunity to review and tweak current vision. This may be an opportunity to tweak or hone your vision to reflect your personalized learning goals. If you scored “poor” or “average” on any of the questions in Vision, this process may take more time. Regardless of your assessment score, the following exercises play a critical role for personalized learning in your district.

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9. Vision Creation Worksheets Use the results of the discussion about personalized learning in your district inspired by the Visioning Process and the District Conditions Assessment to think about your vision. Be certain that your vision and values related to personalized learning effectively represent your desired outcomes for your district. As a Committee, answer the following questions. Vision Statement Questions Think of the school district about 5 to 10 years in the future. Picture yourself making a report to the community on the state of the school district. Be imaginative and address the following questions. Do not limit yourself. 1. What are the characteristics of the communities the school district serves?

2. How have the community and the school district changed over the last 5 to 10 years?

3. How has personalized learning impacted students? In what ways has this style of learning helped students reach their goals more efficiently and effectively?

4. What skills and capabilities have made us unique over the last 5 to 10 years?

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Beliefs/Values Statement Questions 1. What are the specific attributes about our school district that make us unique?

2. What characteristics about ourselves are we unwilling to compromise?

3. How do we expect our board and staff to act when representing our organization?

4. What do we believe in our “heart of hearts” about what we’re doing and why it makes a significant difference?

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Use answers from the previous questions to craft new statements, if necessary. Insert your school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personalized learning vision statement:

Insert school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personalized learning values:

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10. Mission, Vision, and Values Utilization Assessment Worksheet To initiate a successful and effective communications and strategic planning effort, start with an assessment of current organizational mission, vision, and values. Examine what the school district stands for, its vision, and values. Look closely at who the school district is serving. This process will help narrow and sharpen the focus of communication initiatives. With the planning committee, discuss and answer the following questions: 1. How do the mission, vision, and values impact decisions made by the school district on a regular basis?

2. How often do school district leaders refer to the mission, vision, and values as the cornerstone for decision making?

3. Is the school district any closer to achieving the current vision since the time it was created?

4. Do the culture and values help the school district operate effectively towards fulfilling the mission and vision?

5. What issue is most important to your school district right now?

6. What is the overall desired outcome to be achieved? (i.e., What change would you be able to observe?)

7. In order to review your current mission and vision, did you have to consult a reference? Or did you know it from memory?

Plot on the scale below how much mission, vision, and values have impacted decision-making over the past several years.

Zero indicates that your school district does not have or has never used mission, vision, and values for decisionmaking purposes. Five indicates that your school district has a mission, vision, and values but has only used them once or twice. Ten indicates that your school district can recite the mission, vision, and values and uses them every day.

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11. Instructions for Stakeholder Engagement between Core Committee Meetings The following graphic5 depicts a stakeholder engagement framework for this planning process. Opportunities are provided for additional stakeholders to review the committee’s work and provide feedback throughout the process. Figure 3: Stakeholder Engagement Process

Core Planning Committee

Additional Stakeholders and Stakeholder Groups, if desired

Cursory Market Research Review & Message Creation

Situational Analysis

Strategy Formation

Goal & Action Plan Development

Planning Session 1

Planning Session 2

Planning Session 3

Feedback Opportunities

Throughout the planning process, the planning committee will come up with many ideas to move forward with personalized learning in the school district. In order to validate these ideas and findings, the committee may consider opportunities for additional stakeholders to provide feedback to shape the plan for your school district. Your committee can conduct an online, paper, or telephone survey of specific stakeholders that may not participate in the actual planning process. An example of this could be a survey of recent high school graduates from your district about their experience with the curriculum or teachers, etc. Other tools for feedback include phone or in-person interviews and focus groups. After each phase of feedback, the committee member organizing the feedback stages should compile a document or short report of feedback for the committee to review at the next meeting. At the meeting, the group should review the feedback and be sure it is similarly aligned with the committee’s work product. If there are points of disconnect, the committee may need to think through those issues more critically and keep them in mind to address in strategy formulation. The worst thing you can do is neglect to use feedback from stakeholders. Be sure to keep any participating stakeholders up-to-date on the progress of the plan.

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12. Stakeholder Engagement Worksheet Once the vision has been established, it is time to identify and profile specific audiences to target and communicate your progress with the community. The reason for taking time to look closely at potential audiences is because this background information is essential to choose the most effective ways to communicate with the audience. Identifying target stakeholders is a crucial step. By establishing which audiences will be most interested in, and affected by, personalized learning, the school district will be able to tailor the communications efforts to maximize impact. Successful communication plans include an assessment that identifies key audiences/stakeholders and gauges their awareness of, and support for, identified goals and efforts. This is especially important for a successful implementation of personalized learning. In order to get the message out about personalized learning, the communications efforts should include tactics that specifically reach out to stakeholders with the appropriate messages. Changing mindsets and behaviors takes time and effort. As a committee, answer the following questions about stakeholders: 1. Who is the primary group of people whose knowledge, attitudes, and behavior must be changed in order to meet goals?

2. Who else is affected if personalized learning goals are met? (secondary audience)

3. Are there others who may influence primary and secondary audiences? (tertiary audiences)

Once stakeholders are determined, think through their frame of reference. Review these questions about the communication needs of your stakeholder groups and, as you answer them for each stakeholder group, complete the Stakeholder Analysis Template, Document 14. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Is this group aware of personalized learning? If yes, how have they been made aware? Is their perception of personalized learning positive or negative? Do they understand how personalized learning connects with broader goals of the district? Do they believe that the changes can be made? Do they believe that the organization/leaders support personalized learning?

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13. Potential Stakeholder Groups The following are example audiences that may be involved or influence personalized learning throughout the school district and community. This list is not exclusive or exhaustive. There may be more stakeholders you identify for your district.

Media

Higher Education Audiences

Mainstream, Traditional, and Web-based

Higher Education System Leaders

Other

Local College Leadership

State Policymakers

Faculty Other

State Board of Education State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Business and Community Audiences

Legislators

Parents

Other

Local Teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union Community Organizations

K-12 Audiences

Local Board Members District Office/County Staff Principals Teachers Parents, Students Other

Civil Rights Organizations Philanthropic Organizations (e.g., Rotary) Business Leaders/Executives Local Business Coalitions Chambers of Commerce Military Families Faith-based Organizations Other

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14. Stakeholder Analysis Template The following is an explanation of what is included in each of the columns for the stakeholder analysis template on the next page. Insert your answers to the questions below in the table on the next page. Group: • Who are your stakeholders? Awareness Level: • Do they know about the personalized learning initiative? •

How were they made aware?

•

Rank their familiarity: not familiar, moderately familiar, or very familiar?

How They Will Be Impacted: • What is in it for them? •

What specifically are they doing now that will be different as a result of the change?

•

What skills, knowledge, and abilities do they have now that will be useful in adopting the changes?

•

What skill or knowledge gaps will have to be addressed?

•

How will the change be perceived? Why?

Communication/Change Goals: • What do they need to know? •

What do you want them to do?

•

How do you want them to feel?

Key Messages: • Looking at what the group knows and needs to know about the initiative, what will be the key messages for that group?

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Awareness Level

Stakeholder Analysis Template Stakeholder Group (Audience)

How They Will Be Impacted

Communication/Change Goals

Key Messages

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15. Stakeholder Segmentation Worksheet The following questions will further analyze the information organized in the stakeholder template. Complete this document for each stakeholder group you would like to communicate with throughout the planning and implementation processes. You will need multiple copies of this document. Stakeholder group (audience): 1. Describe what you know about this groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge, attitude, and behaviors as they relate to personalized learning.

2. What are the barriers to this group fully supporting or participating in reaching school district goals?

3. What are the characteristics of this group? How do they spend their time?

4. What are the language considerations?

5. What or who are they influenced by?

6. What makes new information credible for them?

7. What or who could motivate change or action?

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16. Partnerships Worksheet There may be groups, organizations, or businesses that exist who can aid in reaching the vision by providing funds, expertise, support, or other resources. In the field below list partners who support or work with your stakeholders or share common interests.

When thinking about potential partnerships, consider the following examples of state and national organizations as well as any other organization with an interest in local educational outcomes. State and National Organizations Local/State • Superintendent/administrator organizations • Principal organizations • Teacher organizations • Unions • School counselor and curriculum specialist groups • Parent associations • Chamber of commerce organizations/local businesses • State Education Agencies • Institutions of higher education • Policymakers • Boards of education National • Technical assistance and professional development providers • Non-profit and foundation leaders • Policymakers • U.S. Department of Education

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Before asking for help, it is important to identify what the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs are. In the table below, make a Wish List of items or services that may be needed. The list may include equipment (computers, supplies, data systems), services (educational activities, materials), and specific products that can be donated. Needs should be listed in order of importance and how urgently they are needed. This list will help set priorities and will guide who you need to contact. Needs

Potential Partner

By using the Wish List to identify categories of need, you can narrow types of organizations that can help you. Do not rush through this process, it is important to be exhaustive when creating the list. There may be an organization that does not have an obvious link. For example, a local pizza restaurant may not seem like an adequate partner for personalized learning initiatives, but if it is a popular hang-out for students and their families, the restaurant might host a pizza party and allow you to hand out information about personalized learning.

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17. Prioritize Contacts When you have a list of external needs and a list of possible contacts, you can begin to prioritize your partnerships. One way to prioritize and organize contacts you may already have is to think of them as “partnership circles.” Use the following target graphic to visualize the circles.6 This graphic can be used as a visual aid to help you rank your level of access to contacts you may need. Figure 4: Prioritize Contacts

No Established Contacts Other Partners

Perfect Partners

Personal Contacts

1. S tart by thinking of organizations or individuals that have helped in the past. They will be in the very center of the circle. Place all of the personal contacts of each member of the planning committee in the center of the circle, making them highest priority contacts. 2. A fter examining personal contacts, look for organizations or individuals that would be “perfect partners” (i.e. organizations that supported educational initiatives like personalized learning in the past). 3. N ext, consider those that may not be the ideal partner at first pass or that don’t have a similar mission but can meet some of the other needs on the wish list, such as providing space to host meetings or materials. 4. F inally, think of partnerships that are essential to meet the goals established by the school district but where there are no current connections or personal contacts.

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18. Partnership Proposal Worksheet Most organizations tend to contribute to initiatives or support causes in strategic ways. Therefore the school district must approach them in strategic fashion as well. Most organizations consider where they have an interest, want to influence someone or something, or stand to gain something. Create a proposal that is mutually beneficial, and consider that just as you are asking for something from them, they may ask for something in return. Consider rewarding the organization with positive community exposure and recognition for their support. Create a proposal kit that includes: • A one-page letter describing personalized learning and the school district goals. • An information kit that includes brochures and white papers related to personalized learning outcomes. • Any recent, positive media coverage about how personalized learning has positively impacted students. • Always demonstrate the importance of personalized learning, the positive impact it will have on the community, and be specific about how the organization can help the school district move forward with this initiative. Follow-Up: • Call the organization a week after sending the information and confirm they have received it. Answer questions or send more information. • Ask about a good time to call back to schedule a meeting to further discuss the organization’s involvement in the personalized learning initiative for your school district. Make your partners part of your team: • •

Keep a database of all partners and recognize them periodically. Keep them informed on progress and continually offer opportunities for participation.

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Message Development Documents 19. Message Development This document will be useful throughout the pre-planning, planning, and post-planning processes. Your messages must be closely tied to the vision and goals. The messages will deliver important information about personalized learning and should compel the targeted audience to think, feel, or act. There will be various types of messages in terms of length, target audience, and channel, but there should only be three or four central key messages developed about personalized learning. Key messages are the three or four most important ideas or statements about the current state of education and what the implementation of personalized learning means for students, parents and guardians, and community stakeholders. Messages communicate key facts, motives, and reasons for the personalized learning initiative. They can be tailored to the specific plans and implementation goals identified in KnowledgeWorksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning but should be tailored to each school districts needs and priorities. When considering messages over the next few years of educational policy changes, the school district may want to consider making the case for change, identifying expected benefits to students and families, outlining district timelines and expectations, and defining measures of progress along the way. The messages developed by using the worksheet provided in this section can be used in many ways. First, they are a set of statements that the planning committee should agree upon to convey key information about personalized learning. They will not include all the detailed and supporting ideas and data that you may use in printed materials or longer-form communications. The messages developed in the following worksheets will become the underlying themes for your materials and activities. The following table provides some quick tips for message development. Message Tips

1. Anticipate audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s questions and concerns before they are raised 2. Develop messages rooted in shared values 3. Stick to a few (3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4) key messages 4. Avoid jargon and break messages down into plain terms 5. Maintain a sincere tone and be authentic 6. Create a central repository of consistent messages 7. Cite credible third party sources

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The method used to deliver messages to target audiences and the purpose of communicating the information influences message design. Information may be created to convey new facts, change attitudes, change behavior, or encourage participation in decision-making. For the messages to be successful, the community must first receive information, understand it, believe it, agree with it, and act upon it or participate in supporting it. Regardless of the purpose, messages must be developed in view of the desired outcome. When constructing messages consider the following:

Clarity

•M essages must clearly convey information to assure the audience’s understanding and to limit chances for misunderstanding or inappropriate action. •C lear messages have limited technical/scientific/bureaucratic language and are short and concise.

Consistency

•P ay close attention to the information that goes into all communications, be certain that it is accurate.

Key Messages

•T he most essential messages and main points should be stressed, repeated, and pointed out easily.

Tone and Appeal

•D epending on desired impact, a message should be reassuring, alarming, challenging, or straightforward. • Messages should be truthful, honest, and complete.

Audience Need

•C raft messages that are based on what the target audience perceives as most important to them and what they might care about. •B efore distributing messages, pretest them with a member of the target audience to assure public understanding and other intended responses.

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20. Examples of Key Message Construction The following table displays examples of how to construct personalized learning messages for stakeholders. Stakeholder Groups

Possible Areas of Interest

Possible Areas of Concern

General

•S tudents are better prepared for college/ current and future workforce

•C onfusion that personalized learning simply means each student learns through technology

•E ducation matches actual economic and business needs

•A ttachment to traditional/fear of the new (particularly in high performing districts)

• Better performance, attendance, discipline data • N ot knowing what the community really wants and needs • Wide community involvement and buy-in • I ncreased student engagement due to learning based on interests

• Will this actually improve outcomes for students • Ensuring equity •T ranslation of K-12 to higher education (transcripts, etc.)

Board Members

• I mproved implementation of interventions for students with special needs •M ore targeted spending when specific student needs are known • I f student achievement data improves, more votes in the next school board election.

District Leaders

• I mproved outcomes leads to greater job security

• Not sure how to measure success •U naware of other districts’ work in personalized learning •U nknown budgetary implications and whether more money with be needed •D ifference in effectiveness of personalized learning versus traditional education •F lexibility from state to actually implement this work (need to understand what they can and can’t do) • Balancing variety of interests and public input •M atching extended learning opportunities to in-school experiences/credits •G etting and maintaining high quality data systems

School Leaders

• Increased autonomy over school operation • I mproved school culture when teachers and students feel their interests are driving education

•B alancing safety/structure with flexible schedule •N eed training in running/managing school and being educational leader •C oncerns about having to re-staff a school depending on teachers unwillingness to make the transition

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Stakeholder Groups

Possible Areas of Interest

Possible Areas of Concern

Teachers

•D ifferentiation is made systemic rather than wholly dependent on teacher

• Frustration around “another new thing”

•P ersonalized Professional Development (PD) that isn’t a waste of time

•H ow to give equitable support to learners who are behind

• Revising/rewriting curriculum

• Positive relationship with students •B etter able to support struggling and advanced learners • Shared responsibility in educating students • Meaningful assessment

Parents

• Decrease in remediation in higher education • Increased investment from students • Better understanding of student performance

•C omparison with traditional/how other districts operate •P otentially negative response to sudden granular transparency in student achievement •C oncerns when students receive supports different from others (if students receive what they need, some may receive less attention from teachers) •C oncerns about how data will be used/who has access • Too much testing •C oncern about the balance between instruction and technology—don’t want time in front of a screen to outpace interaction with others

Students

• I ncreased voice in creating learning opportunities

•C omparison with other students in other districts

•L earning opportunities tailored to individual interests

•L earning to be proactive in learning rather than responding to teacher directions

• Able to maximize learning style •O pportunities to learn outside of the classroom and gain real world understanding of and application of learning •M ore choice in how to learn and how to show evidence of learning •A ssessment and data as driver of improvement rather than final evidence of success/failure •B etter understanding of proficiency in different areas

Community/ Business Leaders

• Opportunity to contribute to education •E ducation outcome alignment to workforce needs

•T raining to deliver high-quality education experiences to students

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21. Message Development Worksheet Answer the following questions about each stakeholder group (audience). You will need multiple copies of this worksheet. Audience: 1. What are the benefits and drawbacks to your audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thinking, feeling, or action related to personalized learning or the education system in general?

2. What change in attitude do you want to motivate in this audience to meet your goals for personalized learning in the school district?

3. What change in behavior (day-to-day actions) of this audience are you trying to achieve?

4. Based on the answers above, what are the three or four most compelling sentences you could use to motivate this audience? These will be your key messages for this audience.

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Communication Outreach Documents 22. Communication Outreach After each audience’s key messages are developed, the Core Planning Committee now has to analyze the communications channels for each group. Channels are the methods used to deliver messages to the target audiences. There are various types and an infinite list of possibilities. Examples of channels include traditional television, radio, newspapers, websites, social media, town hall meetings, school board meetings, community centers, and city government offices. Anywhere or anyway that people can access information is considered a communications channel. In the matrix below are some examples of the positives, negatives, and additional notes about communication channels.

Channel

Positives

Negatives

Recommendations

Audio

• Reaches people who travel.

•R elies on people choosing to play it.

• I nclude a hook that will make people listen.

•M ake communication personal and relevant.

•D epend on the skill of a leader to be successful.

•M ake the best possible use of this time — it’s valuable.

•P rovide opportunity for discussion, feedback, questioning, and ideas.

•R equire a time commitment for both leader of meeting and audience.

•U phold meeting discipline if you want these meetings to be productive.

•B uild understanding and involvement.

•C an lead to content overload; other channels are more effective for information delivery.

•R eaches mass audiences quickly.

•M ay not be accessible by everyone.

•C ontrol access to mass distribution lists.

• I s cost effective and simple to use.

•C an be impersonal and open to misinterpretation.

•U se the subject box to get across your key message.

•A llows for consistent and controlled messaging.

•C an result quickly in information overload.

•K eep it short and simple.

•R eaches the recipient directly.

•D oes not guarantee that messages are read.

•P rovides information, awareness, or instruction.

•D oesn’t prioritize messages.

• I nforms and instructs effectively.

Community Meetings

•U se headings and bullet points for key messages and to break up the text.

•C an’t generate dialogue or discussion.

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Channel

Positives

Negatives

Recommendations

Events

• Allow key people to reach mass audiences face-to-face.

•C an be one way “tell” sessions.

• I nvolve personnel in setting the agenda and format.

•C an be flexible and responsive.

•M ay be expensive.

• I nvolve personnel as hosts or facilitators.

•C an include Q&A sessions and break-out groups and involve people.

•A re time consuming for organizers, presenters, and audience.

•C an build team spirit and motivate. •C an be used to address controversial issues.

Open Forum

•G ives opportunity to raise and discuss the real issues. •E ncourages genuine open dialogue.

Print Magazine

•C an give space for dismissive or aggressive response to questions that can close down dialogue.

•E nables people to feel heard.

•C an lead to quiet attendees feeling disempowered if their decisions are overruled or contradicted.

•C an address/reflect feedback and respond.

•C an be seen as biased and not credible.

•C an show how everything fits together.

•L ead to out-of-date information that could mislead readers.

• I ssue a summary of discussion for everyone to see. •R aise difficult issues proactively, or ask for questions in advance to prompt the real debate.

•P lan how to encourage people to look at it.

• I s not relevant to all audiences. •D oes not allow for opportunity for discussing or checking understanding.

Site Visits

•S how leaders are listening and want to see what the real issues are. •K eep leaders in touch with the real issues. •P romote dialogue and understanding.

•D o not convey the real issues if leaders are given out-of-the-ordinary treatment.

• I nclude work shadowing/call listening. •T rack issues raised and report back on actions.

•C onsume a significant amount of time for leaders to visit multiple sites.

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Channel

Positives

Negatives

Recommendations

Text Messaging

•R eaches people more easily and is mobile.

•W ill annoy people quickly if overused.

•M ake sure you have mobile contact details.

•A llows for creative and entertaining information sharing.

• I s potentially expensive.

•U se as part of a briefing session to stimulate debate.

•S hows real people talking about their experiences.

•C an be seen as glossy corporate propaganda.

•M akes people and places accessible for a mass audience.

•E ngagement is unlikely with talking heads alone.

•A llows for crisis communication. •C an be used to direct people to further sources of information.

Video

•D oes not allow for interaction on its own.

•U se “real people” to talk about their experiences.

•P rovides a consistent, controlled message

WebCasting and Similar

•R each mass audiences with a consistent message in real time.

•M ay be expensive. •R equires the right technology in place.

•S tay up to date on new technology emerging in this area.

• Can involve Q&A sessions.

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23. Communication Worksheet Answer the following questions for each audience. You will need a copy of this worksheet for each audience. Audience: 1. Where or from whom does this audience get its information?

2. Who do they find credible?

3. Where does this audience spend most of their time? Where are they mostly likely to give you their attention?

4. List channels to use to reach this audience:

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24. Feedback Worksheet Two-way communication promotes dialogue and enables the school district to gather ideas, suggestions, and feedback from stakeholder groups. This can be beneficial for adjusting communications efforts to better fit stakeholder needs. Some examples include formal community meetings, creating a feedback email or hotline, or simply commenting on social media posts. Answer the following questions to inform how the planning committee prefers to get feedback. 1. How does the planning committee prefer to receive feedback? Email? In-person? Phone?

2. Do any of the communications channels have the possibility for built-in feedback? (i.e. social media posts, email blasts, community meetings)

3. How often will the planning committee address suggestions or feedback?

4. How will the planning committee communicate responses to the community?

Figure 5: Feedback Cycle

Committee receives feedback from stakeholders (e.g. via regular community meetings, hotline, or email)

Committee communicates response back to the stakeholder (e.g. community meeting, posters, soical media, etc)

Whole Committee discussion about modification to the plan

Committee documents feedback (e.g. feedback form, log, or dashbaord)

Committee lead shares feedback with whole committee (e.g. weekly reports, meetings, or online dashboard)

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Evaluation of Communication For each step of the toolkit, benchmarks and measures should be established to evaluate progress toward meeting goals. The benchmarks should measure incremental change but also determine how success will be defined. The measures should also include timelines and deadlines. By measuring progress throughout the process, school district leaders can be sure that they are on track and if not, pinpoint and modify the steps or messages that are not effective. Whether distributing a newsletter or sending an e-mail blast, there is a need for accurate stakeholder contact information. Maintaining a database with complete contact information for everyone that expresses an interest in the personalized learning initiative is an important first step when trying to gain support. Organize the database by stakeholder audiences that can be easily sent relevant news about achievements and successes. As new potential supporters of personalized learning come into play, set up a system to add them to the contact list. The database should also include a checklist for marketing materials made, amount distributed, feedback received, and date and frequency of distribution, among other things. Documents 25 and 26 display examples of a data dashboard that can be used to track activities.

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25. Activity Tracker Use the following Activity Tracker to keep track of outreach to an audience about the progress of your planning process or simply to inform them about personalized learning. You will need multiple copies of this document; it will be continually updated throughout the planning process and during implementation. Date

Audience

Action

Channel

Materials Used or Location

Number of Times Contacted

Feedback

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26. Conversion Tracker Use the Conversion Tracker to show messaging progress with stakeholder audiences that may need time to fully support personalized leaning initiatives. The table indicates points throughout the process when you should check-in with stakeholders. Place a check mark in the red column if that audience still doesn’t support your initiative, yellow if they are in the middle, and green if they are supporters and want to engage. This table will show the effectiveness of your messaging over time.7 Initial Contact

Audience

PrePlanning Check-In

Post Vision Creation Check-In

Post SWOT Check-In

Post Gap Analysis Check-In

Post Goal and Action Plan Check-In

Implementation Check-In

Post Planning 6 month Check-In

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Strategy Formulation 27. SWOT Analysis Worksheet Assessing your school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats through a SWOT analysis is a very simple process that can offer powerful insight into the potential and critical issues affecting your school district and its capacity to facilitate personalized learning. The SWOT analysis begins by conducting an inventory of internal strengths and weaknesses in your district related to personalized learning. You will then consider the external opportunities and threats that may affect the district, based on your market and the overall environment. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be concerned about elaborating on these topics at this stage; bullet points may be the best way to begin. Capture the factors you believe are relevant in each of the four areas. The primary purpose of the SWOT analysis is to identify and assign each significant issue, positive and negative, to one of the four categories, allowing you to take an objective look at your school district. SWOT analysis will be a useful tool in developing and confirming your goals related to personalized learning. The internal strengths and weaknesses compared to the external opportunities and threats can offer additional insight into the condition and potential of the school district. How can you use the strengths to better take advantage of the opportunities ahead and minimize the harm that threats may introduce if they become a reality? How can weaknesses be minimized or eliminated? The true value of SWOT analysis is in bringing this information together to assess the most promising opportunities and the most crucial issues. For the SWOT analysis, you will need the following materials: Copies of the tables below (or hand drawn versions) written or printed on large easel pad-sized paper, markers to write the issues, and wall space to hang each page for everyone to view. You might want to review the District Conditions Assessment and Environmental Scan outcomes for this process. Use those results as you think through your districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SWOT.

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SWOT Analysis — School District Strengths In the following table, list your school district’s internal strengths in the column labeled strengths. After listing the strengths, note impact on vision, and in the “rank” column, go back and rank the top 10 strengths. Use the following questions to begin brainstorming strengths. Strengths describe the positive attributes, tangible and intangible, internal to your school district. They are normally within your control. • • •

What do you do well? What resources do you have? What advantages do you have over your competition?

You may want to evaluate your strengths by area, such as marketing, finance, curriculum, student outcomes, teachers and staff, and organizational structure. Strengths include the positive attributes of the people involved in the school district, including their knowledge, backgrounds, education, credentials, contacts, reputations, or the skills they bring. Strengths also include tangible assets such as available capital, equipment, credit, patents, assessment and processing systems, and other valuable resources within the school district. Strengths capture the positive aspects that add value. This is your opportunity to remind yourself of the value existing within your school district. Internal Strengths Rank 1-10

Strengths

Impact on Vision

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SWOT Analysis — School District Weaknesses In the following table, list your school district’s internal weaknesses in the column labeled weaknesses. After listing the weaknesses, note impact on vision, and in the “rank” column, go back and rank the top 10 weaknesses. Use the following questions to begin brainstorming weaknesses. Weaknesses are factors that are within your control that detract from your ability to obtain or maintain a competitive edge. Which areas might you improve? Weaknesses might include lack of expertise, limited resources, lack of access to skills or technology, inferior service offerings, etc. These are factors that are under your control, but for a variety of reasons, are in need of improvement to effectively accomplish your goals and objectives. Weaknesses capture the negative aspects internal to your school district that detract from the value you offer or place you at a competitive disadvantage. These are areas you need to enhance in order to compete with your best competitor. The more accurately you identify your weaknesses, the more valuable the SWOT will be for your assessment. Internal Weaknessess Rank 1-10

Weakness

Impact on Vision

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SWOT Analysis — School District Opportunities In the following table, list your school district’s external opportunities in the column labeled opportunities. After listing the potential opportunities, note impact on vision, and in the “rank” column, go back and rank the top 10 opportunities. Use the following questions to begin brainstorming opportunities. Opportunities are external to your school district. What opportunities exist in your market, or in the environment, from which you hope to benefit? These opportunities reflect the potential you can realize through implementing your personalized learning strategies. Opportunities may be the result of new reading programs at the local library, new educational programs at the museum, or businesses interested in volunteering within the district. If relevant, place timeframes around the opportunities. • •

Does it represent an ongoing opportunity, or is it a window of opportunity? How critical is your timing?

If you have identified “opportunities” that are internal to the school district and within your control, you will want to classify them as strengths. External Opportunities Rank 1-10

Opportunities

Impact on Vision

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SWOT — School District Threats In the following table, list your school district’s external threats in the column labeled “threats.” After listing the potential threats, note impact on the vision, and in the “rank” column, go back and rank the top 10 threats. Use the following questions to begin brainstorming threats. What factors are potential threats to your school district? Threats include factors beyond your control that could place your marketing strategy, or the business itself, at risk. These are also external – you have no control over them, but you may benefit by having contingency plans to address them if they should occur. A threat is a challenge created by an unfavorable trend or development. What situations might threaten your personalized learning efforts? Get your worst fears on the table. Part of this list may be speculative in nature and still add value to your SWOT analysis. It may be valuable to rank your threats according to probability of occurrence. The better you are at identifying potential threats, the more likely you can position yourself to proactively plan for and respond to them. External Threats Rank 1-10

Threats

Impact on Vision

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Check Point!

You have reached a critical point in the planning process. Your Core Planning Committee has developed a personalized learning vision, conducted an environmental scan and SWOT Analysis, and has been engaging stakeholders and communicating with the community. Before you begin the next steps, take time to review the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and consider the following questions: • Do the results of your SWOT analysis align with the vision created for implementing personalized learning? • Do the strengths listed empower your district toward personalized learning? • Does the vision enable your district to address weaknesses or allocate resources to other goals to better your school district? • Will the opportunities proposed set your school district up for success when implementing personalized learning? • How will potential threats be mitigated to support vision attainment? • How has stakeholder feedback been incorporated into this process? If you find that the answers are negative or do not align with your vision, this is an indication that you may need to reconsider certain elements developed thus far. Throughout this planning process, the vision you have created should be your guide. Strengths and opportunities should help you attain your vision. Weaknesses should be addressed and threats should be mitigated in order to work toward your vision. If your committee believes the SWOT results are not setting your district up for success, you may need to revisit the SWOT exercise and focus the conversation more. Consult the District Conditions for Scale Assessment again, and be sure that your vision aligns with the objectives of personalized learning. If your results and outcomes thus far are logical and aligned and there is a consensus about your district’s future direction, move on to the next worksheet.

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28. Issue Prioritization Worksheet As you go through the SWOT analysis process, many issues are going to arise. More than likely, your committee will come up with more issues than can be addressed in the period of time that this strategic plan will cover. Therefore, you must decide which issues have the highest priority. Prioritization is the essential skill that you need to make the very best use of your teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts. For the prioritization exercises, you will need the lists from the SWOT analysis hanging on the wall for everyone to see and color coded dots for committee members to vote for priority issues, one color (e.g. red) for the single highest priority issue and another color (e.g. yellow) for four additional priority issues the school district should address. The planning committee and other stakeholders will be instructed to place their red dot on their most important issue (any strength to leverage, weakness to mitigate, opportunities to seize, or threat to address) on the large sheets hanging on the wall. After everyone votes, each person will have the opportunity to â&#x20AC;&#x153;soap-boxâ&#x20AC;? or share why they selected their issue as the most important. The same voting process will occur with the four yellow dots. After everyone has had time to vote, the facilitator or committee member assigned to manage this portion of the planning process will count the votes and share the results with the committee in the notes or minutes for that meeting and discuss them at the next meeting. This can be done in Excel or similar program by creating a stacked bar chart or column chart that lists all of the SWOT issues that received votes. This data should be organized in order of greatest number of votes to least. For example, an identified strength may have four red dots and three yellow dots, but an identified weakness has seven yellow dots. Although both issues have seven votes, the strength would be ranked above the weakness because it received four highest priority votes. The following image is an example of how the Pareto Analysis results may look: Pareto Analysis and Issue Prioritization (Sample)

(S) Location of Facility

(W) Lack of long-term stability of management positions

(S) Relationship with vendors (wrap around services)

(O) Increase building use on weekends, summer

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29. Prioritization by Two-Dimensional Matrix Worksheet Now that you have your list of priority issues, you can use a two-dimensional matrix to compare the issues and to shortlist the most important ones. This will push the committee to take prioritization one step further and generate a consensus among the committee. You will need a large piece of blank paper big enough to put on the wall for everyone to stand around and see, sticky notes, and markers. The facilitator writes top vote-receiving issues (can be strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, or threats) on a sticky note and draws quadrants on the big white sheet. The Y axis will show “impact” of the issue, the minus symbol (-) indicates low impact and the plus symbol (+) indicates high impact. The X axis will show “ease of implementation” of the issues; the minus symbol (-) indicates difficult to implement; and the plus symbol (+) indicates easy to implement. When placing the sticky notes on the matrix, the committee should consider: • Impact: if we addressed this, what favorable impact would it have on fulfilling our vision and goals? • Ease of implementation: how easy would this be to implement?

High impact but hard to implement

High impact and easy to implement

Low impact and hard to implement

Low impact but easy to implement

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Figure 6: Two-Dimensional Matrix

Impact of Vision

+ High impact

– Low impact

– Difficult to do

+ Easy to do

Ease of Implementation

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30. Translating Priorities into Strategic Initiatives Worksheet After prioritizing your issues with the Pareto Analysis and the matrix, you will begin to notice clusters or major themes. You are now ready to start creating your school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four to seven strategic initiatives related to personalized learning. Strategic initiatives are statements of what you wish to achieve over the period of the strategic plan (e.g. over three to five years). They reflect the analysis you have already done with creating a vision, situational analysis, SWOT, and issue prioritizations. Strategic initiatives are high-level statements in each area that you want to focus on during this plan, the next level are goals (more focused statements), followed by action plan objectives (specific steps that need to be taken to achieve the goal and overarching strategic initiative). The following is an example of the structure of strategic initiatives, goals, and action plans. I. Initiative A. Goal 1 i. Action 1 B. Goal 2 i. Action 1 ii. Action 2 The major themes (e.g. curriculum needs, teacher quality, etc.) you have identified will be honed into strategic initiatives. A manageable strategic plan has about four to seven strategic initiatives. Typically, a strategic initiative is one word or a short phrase that describes an area an organization would like to focus on followed by a brief statement that describes that area. The following is an example of six strategic initiatives with a brief description statement. Example Strategic Initiatives Continuously Improve Academics

We will continue to invest in our curriculum, technology, and faculty to maximize student outcomes.

Grow Enrollment

We will recruit throughout the state to spread our mission and improve the lives of as many students as possible.

Enrich Extracurricular Experiences

We will provide a full, home-like experience that engages and supports all students.

Promote our Value

We will actively promote our message to all constituents.

Enhance our Capacity

We will build our internal infrastructure to better serve ourstudents, and staff. faculty,

This is an incredibly important step. Strategic Initiatives guide development and organization of all of the goals, objectives, and action plans for your districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic plan. They will be used for the communication of the strategic plan with the community and other stakeholders about how your school district will implement personalized learning. Typically, strategic initiatives are the external-facing elements of the strategic plan. For example, most organizations communicate their plan to the public by sharing their mission, vison, values, and strategic initiatives. Few organizations share details beyond that like goals, specific strategies, objectives, or actions plans.

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Use the following questions and statements to guide your Strategic Initiative identification process. 1. What were the highest priority issues as a result of issue prioritization voting?

2. What issues on the matrix were identified as impactful and relatively easy to accomplish?

3. What issues are similar that can be categorized under a common theme or cluster? Can you combine similar issues to form one initiative?

4. List four to seven strategic initiatives for your school district:

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Goal and Action Plan Development 31. Gap Analysis for Strategic Initiatives Worksheet This tool helps you identify the gap between your current situation and the future state or targeted situation that you want to reach, as well as the tasks that you need to complete to close this gap. Gap Analysis is essential when you are identifying the tasks that you need to complete to reach your goals and satisfy your strategic initiatives. Using Gap Analysis To conduct a Gap Analysis for your project, follow these three steps: 1. Identify Your Future State First, identify desired outcomes that you need to achieve. Describe the future related to each strategic initiative. List all of the attributes or things you would like to achieve related to each initiative. This gives you your future state – the “place” where you want to be once you have completed your personalized learning initiative. 2. Analyze Your Current State For each of your desired outcomes, analyze your current situation. Look back on your SWOT analysis to inform the current situation. Describe how your district currently performs related to each future statement. 3. Identify How to Bridge the Gap Once you know your desired future situation and your current situation, you can think about what you need to do to bridge the gap and reach your goals. When you analyze your future situation and current state, use metrics where information can be quantified and general statements when metrics aren’t available. Also remember that your assessment of the current situation and the desired future situation can be both quantitative and qualitative. For example: Current State

Gap

Future State

Quantitative

Total cost of 6th grade math books are $100 per unit

Total costs will be $80 per unit

Qualitative

Students always work on projects individually

Students will do more inschool group projects

Gap Analysis compares your current situation with the future state that you want to achieve once your personalized learning initiative is complete. By conducting a Gap Analysis, you can identify what you need to do to “bridge the gap” and make your steps to personalized learning successful.

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Use the following worksheet for your gap analysis,8 you may want to create a larger version of this for the whole committee to see. You will need to conduct a Gap Analysis for each of your strategic initiatives. Multiple copies of this document will be necessary. Strategic Initiative: Consider the current environment, where you want to be, and identify the gaps that exist Current State

Gap

Future State

For example: List current competencies, resources, organization, competition, technology, customer needs, strategy, etc.

For example: List deficiencies between the present situation and the targeted or desired situation. What do you need more of or less of to get to targeted situation?

For example: List desired competencies, resources, organization, technology, customer needs, probable competition, etc.

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Check Point!

You have reached a critical point in the planning process; your planning committee has established strategic initiatives that enable the vision and you have identified the gap between your district’s current state and future personalized learning state. Before you begin the next steps, take time to review the outcomes of your Gap Analysis. • Do the results of your Gap Analysis align with the vision created for implementing personalized learning? • Do the outcomes listed empower your district toward personalized learning? • Does the vision enable your district to address the gap or allocate resources to other goals to better your school district? If you find that the answers are negative or do not align with your vision, this is an indication that you may need to reconsider certain elements developed thus far. Throughout this planning process, the vision you have created should be your guide. If your committee believes the Gap Analysis outcomes are not setting your district up for success, you may need to revisit the SWOT exercise and focus the conversation more. Consult KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions for Scale Assessment again; be sure that your vision aligns with the objectives of personalized learning. If your results and outcomes thus far are logical, aligned, and there is a consensus about your district’s future direction, move on to the next worksheet.

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32. Goal Development Worksheet By identifying your current and future situations for each strategic initiative, you will have the information you need to develop goals. Goals are broadly worded statements that describe each initiative. Create 5 to 10 goals for each initiative. The purpose of this process is to translate gap analysis output into goal statements. The following is an example of a strategic initiative with goal statement. Strategic Initiative: Personalized Learning Goal: Our district will be recognized nationally for our successful implementation of personalized learning. Use the following template on the next page to create goals for each strategic initiative based on the gap analysis. You will need multiple copies of this worksheet. This worksheet provides the opportunity to create goals and organize them in order of importance, urgency, and time/cost.

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Strategic Initiative: Goal

Importance Rank 1-10

Urgency Rank 1-10

Time/Cost Rank 1-10

10.

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33. Action Plan Worksheet In order to implement your strategic plan, you will need to go one step further from goal statements to action plans, commonly referred to as objectives. This means going through the process of translating the multi-year, high-level strategic initiatives articulated in your plan into specific goals that your school district will undertake in the coming 12-to 18-month period and breaking those down even further to day-to-day, week-to-week, or month-to-month steps that must be taken to achieve each initiative. In order for personalized learning to be implemented successfully, it is important to cascade action planning out to every building within your district. Teachers and building administrators have the everyday interaction with students and know what is necessary to make changes in the classroom. By encouraging participatory design through the district on the individual school building level, your personalized learning effort will transition in a more fluid and cohesive way. Schools will be responsible for creating their action plans, and the district leaders and strategic planning committee will provide schools with resources needed and hold them accountable. Schools will be held accountable for their ability to implement action plans and to monitor their progress. Breaking down your long-term strategic initiatives and goal statements into timely, digestible, and definable objectives will help create a detailed roadmap that aligns the day-to-day activities of your school district with the overarching vision of your personalized learning strategy. Deploy the following worksheet to school buildings to develop objectives for each initiative and goal. You will need at least one worksheet for every goal.

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To move from Strategic Initiatives to Goals to Action Plans (Objectives), think about what must be accomplished to fulfill the stated Goal. Objectives are:

Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-based

Strategic Initiative: Goal: Action Plans

Performance Measure

Start Date

Finish Date

Resources

Lead

Support

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Post-Planning Implementation 34. Primer on Implementation and Creating a Culture of Strategic Management and Continuous Improvement Now that you’ve completed the planning process, the planning committee must work on implementing the plan and start working on objectives. Consider the following as you begin implementing your personalized learning plan.9 1. Implement Successful strategies must be put into action – a commitment that requires time and energy on the part of every stakeholder, from staff and volunteers to the school board. Operationalizing a strategy requires gaining thoughtful stakeholder buy-in within the strategic framework through solid communication plans. Stakeholders must be onboard and operating with the same understanding for the strategy to be successful. Strategy implementation is also an extension of the foundation built through situational analysis and strategy development phases. Using the tactical implementation plan developed in the action planning template, people and resources can be held accountable to accomplish strategic goals and initiatives. 2. Evaluate It is difficult-to-impossible to manage what you do not measure. SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-sensitive) objectives developed during the strategy development phase become the metrics for evaluation and strategic control. Ensuring your school district’s strategy is current and successful through objective and formative evaluation enables the school district to be dynamic and responsive to changing conditions. Keeping internal and external stakeholders involved throughout the implementation and evaluation process will inform how each specific strategic initiative is working. By systematically evaluating strategy at predetermined milestones, using measurable goals and objectives, your committee can gauge the success or failure of the strategy and make justifiable and evidence-based changes. Retrospective analysis will assist in future planning endeavors. 3. Continuous Improvement The data and information collected and analyzed through a systematic evaluation process can be leveraged to identify areas for continuous improvement. To continually improve, your school district must assess how stakeholders value specific elements of their plan or initiative against stakeholder perceptions of the school district’s ability to perform or deliver on those elements. This knowledge enables the school district to shift attention to areas of high importance or relevance to stakeholders. Evaluation data will reveal the success or failure of a strategy. Even failure is not failure if it is identified early enough to enable improvement. Evaluation and continuous improvement are important as they ensure that a bad strategy does not become worse and a good strategy continues to be a success.

Brussalis, C., Nonprofits Can Survive and Thrive, Pennsylvania CPA Journal, vol. 80.1, 2009

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Next Steps: 1. Be sure that all of the documents of the strategic plan are centrally located and that each champion has a copy of the plan so they are able to track the progress they have made on their objectives. 2. Convene the planning committee every six months to catch everyone up to speed on progress and modify plan if needed. Consider the following questions:

• • • •

How are objective champions making progress? Are there any new challenges? Are individuals meeting deadlines? What changes, if any, should be made to the plan?

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35. District Policy Change Worksheet As your school district begins to work toward implementing the strategic initiatives you have just brainstormed, you might consider how they will impact your current policies district wide. Some of the initiatives and goals you are developing may be translated into policies that can be officially adopted by the school board. District policies will support sustainability and commitment to the transition to personalized learning. Use the following table to brainstorm how your personalized learning strategic initiatives may be translated in school district policies. In the left column insert your strategic initiatives. In the right column insert ideas for potential future policy changes. Strategic Initiatives

Potential Policy Changes

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APPENDIX A: PROCESS MAP

- District Conditions Assessment - Communication - Select Planning Committee

Corresponding Documents:

- Environmental Scan and Visioning - Stakeholder Analysis - Message Development - Communication Outreach - Evaluation

Step 2: Situational Analysis

Corresponding Documents:

Step 1: Pre-Planning

1: Introduction to District Conditions Assessment 2: Core Planning Committee Worksheet 3: Introduction to Strategic Planning 4: Sample Agendas Appendix B: Facilitator Guide Appendix C: Case Study

5: Current District Data Analysis 6: Future Metrics Worksheet 7: Environmental Scan Worksheet 8: Visioning Process Worksheet 9: Vision Creation Worksheet 10: Mission, Vision, and Values Utilization Assessment 11-18: Stakeholder Analysis Documents 19-21: Message Development Documents 22-24: Communication Outreach Documents 25: Activity Tracker 26: Conversion Tracker

S TA K E H O L D E R F E E D B A C K

Step 3: Strategy Formulation - SWOT Analysis - Issue Prioritization - Strategic Initiatives - Communication Outreach - Evaluation

Corresponding Documents: 27: SWOT Analysis Worksheet 28: Issue Prioritization Worksheet 29: Two-Dimensional Matrix 30: Strategic Initiatives Worksheet 19-21: Message Development Documents 22-24: Communication Outreach Documents 25: Activity Tracker 26: Conversion Tracker

S TA K E H O L D E R F E E D B A C K

Step 4: Goal and Action Plan Development - Gap Analysis - Communication Outreach - Goal Development - Evaluation - Action Planning

Corresponding Documents: 19-21: Message Development Documents 22-24: Communication Outreach Documents 25: Activity Tracker 26: Conversion Tracker 31: Gap Analysis Worksheet 32: Goal Development Worksheets 33: Action Plan Worksheet

S TA K E H O L D E R F E E D B A C K

Step 5: Post Planning Implementation

- Implementation - Communication Outreach - Evaluation - Continuous Improvement

Corresponding Documents:

19-21: Message Development Documents 22-24: Communication Outreach Documents 25: Activity Tracker 26: Conversion Tracker 34: Implementation, Strategic Management, and Continuous Improvement 35: District Policy Change Worksheet

Appendix A: Process Map | Page 73

APPENDIX B: FACILITATOR GUIDE

Introduction The facilitator guide for the Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit is an easy-to-use guide to methods and techniques for leading a strategic planning process and communicating with stakeholders. Reference this guide as you need or read it all prior to your planning process. This guide is meant to help facilitators who have never lead a planning process to learn how to deal with various situations or to refresh the mind of experienced facilitators. This guide will help you lead your team towards creating a strategic plan, as well as gain the buy-in needed from the team in order to ensure the success of the plan. The Role of the Facilitator The personalized learning planning process you are about to embark on requires a strong facilitator who is able to direct and lead the process while maintaining a sharp focus on the school district’s vision. Commonly in group situations, and particularly in complex discussions, good facilitation can make the difference between success and failure. As the facilitator it may be necessary for you to seek out a wide range of tools, from problem solving and decision making, to team management and communications. It is the role of the facilitator to create an environment where the planning committee can be productive and effective in achieving their goals. You will manage the flow and progress of the meeting. In this particular situation the facilitator will have to be up-to-date on the personalized learning field and the performance of the school district, as well as courageous enough to direct committee members to focus on the vision and set aside personal biases. Facilitator Responsibilities Consider the following responsibilities as a part of your role as facilitator: • • • • • • • •

Maintain objectivity in discussions. Understand the main idea of the discussions, and effectively summarize it. Reach actionable results or conclusions while bringing closure to meetings and discussions. Encourage participation and creativity while preventing a single dominant voice. Honor the group by affirming contributions. Read the underlying dynamics of the group. Address bottlenecks and blocks to the process. Model professionalism, authenticity, self-confidence, and personal integrity.

Facilitation Challenges Facilitating, no matter the size of the group or the organization, can be difficult. To be an effective facilitator, you should be aware of obstacles to success that you may face and know how to handle them. Some of the common challenges facilitators may encounter are: • • • • • • •

Coordinating activities when the level of participation is very low / very high. Motivating the group to focus on specific issues with attention to the vision. Mediating conflicts. Dealing with ambiguity and insufficient, or excess, information. Responding to misunderstanding of individuals in the group. Recognizing the emotional responses of the individuals in the group. Attending to both the process (How) and content (What) of the activity or discussion.

Appendix B: Facilitator Guide | Page 74

• Identifying / developing ways to streamline the process and make it sustainable without facilitation in the future, advocating for group independence in decision making. • Promoting ownership, and encouraging group responsibility. • Encouraging multiple perspectives.

Group Dynamics Individuals, as part a team or a group, often go through stages as they change from being one part of a collection of diverse perspectives to being integrated into a group with common goals. As a facilitator, by understanding the stages of group development, you can effectively gauge the dynamics of the individuals in the group. You can help your new team become effective more quickly. 1. Forming: Am I a member of this group? In this stage, most team members are positive and polite. Some are anxious, as they haven’t fully understood what work the team will do. Others are simply excited about the task ahead. Their main concern is their inclusion into the functioning of the group. As the facilitator, you play a dominant role at this stage because team members’ roles and responsibilities aren’t clear. This stage can last for some time as people start to work together and make an effort to get to know their new colleagues. 2. Storming: Who controls the group? Next, the team moves into the storming phase. Storming often starts when there is a conflict between team members’ natural working styles. People work in different ways for all sorts of reasons, but if differing work styles cause unforeseen problems, group members may become frustrated. Their main concern now is who gets the control. Good organizational policies and leadership of the facilitator can mitigate this. During this stage, the facilitator’s role is to reduce conflict by hearing all points of view; acknowledging conflict as an opportunity for improvement; adhering to core values such as truth, trust, and respect; and maintaining a democratic system. The facilitator has an important role of ensuring that the group can work through issues. 3. Norming: What are the rules of this group? Gradually, the team moves into the norming stage. This is when people start to resolve their differences, appreciate colleagues’ strengths, and respect your authority as a leader. Now that your team members know one another better, they may socialize together, and they are able to ask each other for help and provide constructive feedback. People develop a stronger commitment to the team goal, and you start to see progress towards it. The facilitator’s role here is to set expectations through words and actions. You should model good listening skills, foster an atmosphere of trust, work for a consensus, and provide team-centered learning. Your role is integral in this stage because you must guide your group to stay focused on the goals and objectives of the planning process. 4. Performing: How successful can this group be? The team reaches the performing stage when hard work leads to achieving the team’s goal. The structures and processes that you have implemented support this well. Collaboration among workers is evident here. Your role as facilitator in this stage is to oversee the group’s progress. You will be leading your group through each phase of the planning process, but you must also take a holistic look at your committee’s progress overall. It is ultimately your call to advance or slow progress as needed. Appendix B: Facilitator Guide | Page 75

Group Conflict It is healthy to have an active debate and conflict of ideas inside a group. These indicate that members are invested in the process and in sharing their ideas. Problems arise when the conflict becomes personal. It is important to address the situation before it becomes unhealthy. Emotions leading to conflicts tend to intensify over time, so early intervention is very important to prevent escalation. Team Behaviors During the course of time in a group, team members will exhibit different behaviors at different times. As a facilitator, it is important to understand what makes a team productive and identify who exhibits those characteristics of success and what can be done or modeled to prevent unhealthy conflict. A good tool to assess the camaraderie of the team members is the Team Assessment Survey by Darcy Hitchcock and Marsha Willard. It is used to measure teams based on “The 8 Team S’s”: 1. Strategy: set and commit to clearly defined, achievable goals. 2. Structure: establish clear roles, communication, decision making, and evaluation. 3. Skills: practice technical and interpersonal skills. 4. Staff: commit to participate and work together toward goals. 5. Style: create an open, collaborative climate that works through conflict while demonstrating trust and respect. 6. Shared values: establish high standards and commitment to excellence. 7. Symbols: lead by meaningful support and inspiration. 8. Systems: support team behaviors through business and human resource systems. Destructive Team Behaviors Unfortunately, you may find either yourself or other team members taking on roles that prevent team effectiveness. Some of these roles include:

• • • • • •

Blocking or nit-picking the group’s ideas and suggestions. Being aggressive and dominating, and trying to take control of power, time, etc. Withdrawing and refraining from participating in group work and activities. Blaming and denying responsibility for individual actions. Taking full credit when the work was collaborative. Digressing from the group’s primary mission.

When group members take on dysfunctional roles, this can lead to an ineffective team. Such behaviors inevitably cause unhealthy conflict. As a facilitator, it is important to intervene and address the issue quickly to refocus the group on high quality, collaborative work.

Appendix B: Facilitator Guide | Page 76

Managing Conflict As mentioned earlier, intervention at the right time can save the group from loss of time and valuable resources. A conflict can arise due to real professional differences, power struggles, or personality disputes. Conflict is inevitable and often necessary when forming high-performing teams as they evolve through the Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing periods. Maximizing on a team’s diversity often means addressing conflicting values, perspectives, and opinions. Conflict is not the problem, poor management of conflict is the problem. Conflict becomes a problem when it:

• • • •

Hampers productivity. Lowers morale. Causes more and continued conflicts. Causes inappropriate behaviors.

The ultimate goal of intervention is to develop and maintain long-term effectiveness of the group whilst creating independent solutions for the problems and decrease the reliance on facilitation. The most important aspect of intervention is sensing the scope of a conflict and deciding whether immediate intervention is required. Intervention approaches It is important to understand the needs and interests of team members individually and collectively. Various activities like surveying the members about the potential impact of a conflict and establishing ground rules on work dynamics could serve as a basis for members to formulate individual expectations and work towards resolving issues. However, if a facilitator decides to intervene, the following table represents varying levels of intervention to assess the situation and take appropriate steps to solve it.

Non-intervention

Level

Action

Level 1

Do nothing •D istinguish if the conflict and resulting loss in productivity is systemic or a momentary lapse, and make an intentional decision to take no action. — This allows the group to act independently and take ownership in handling its own dilemmas. — This approach provides a work environment that helps the group solve the problem and prioritize based on agreed objectives.

Appendix B: Facilitator Guide | Page 77

Low-level intervention

Level

Action

Level 2

Present observations •D escribe what you are observing simply, in concrete terms, and without judgment. • Listen intently, and ask questions to test assumptions and uncover biases. — Once you make the observation, the intervention is over. The group may ignore the comment or change the behavior. No further judgment or explanation is given. •F acilitate the team to adjust course after the conflict. (Revise vision if necessary; review the tips for highly effective teams; remind team of the “greater good.” You may also review progress thus far and tweak results of Environmental Scan, SWOT, or whatever the point of contention is.)

Level 3

Describe the problem •D escribe the behavior(s) of the group and how the conflict affects your ability to facilitate the group. — Always think of the problem as the group’s concern, but be careful not to project your feelings or make assumptions about how group members are impacted. — This intervention should help group members understand the impact of their behaviors and change and monitor the behaviors. •F acilitate the team to adjust course after the conflict. (Revise vision if necessary; review the tips for highly effective teams; remind team of the “greater good.” You may also review progress thus far and tweak results of Environmental Scan, SWOT, or whatever the point of contention is.)

Mid-level intervention

Level 4

Establish the problem •S hare your observations on the impact the conflict is having on the group and its objectives. • Break the issue into small fragments to be more efficient. • Remind team members of the vision and relate it to the issue in hand. • I nvite individual opinions, and provide a chance for group members to address their individual concerns. • Gain consensus on the existence of the conflict. • Agree on next steps based on the collective response. • Focus on alleviating the tension to avoid group disintegration. •F acilitate the team to adjust course after the conflict. (Revise vision if necessary; review the tips for highly effective teams; remind team of the “greater good.” You may also review progress thus far and tweak results of Environmental Scan, SWOT, or whatever the point of contention is.)

High-level intervention

Level 5

Direct the Process • Impose a process to solve the conflict. •E stablish buy-in and consensus to that process. Analyze the conflict deeply to understand its impact and find solutions. — This event is rare, so anticipate some amount of unrest inside the team/group. Appendix B: Facilitator Guide | Page 78

Consensus Building You can create a better environment for the group by building consensus through listening to the concerns of the team members and establishing the importance of the shift to personalized learning using factual evidence and verbal persuasion. It is important for a facilitator to listen to the concerns of team members, as well as help them listen to each other, so that the group can find common ground and manage conflicts in the future. Behaviors and Techniques for Consensus Building Behavior / Technique

Activities

Pay attention

• Give undivided attention to the speaker. • Look at the speaker directly. •U se the “soft eyes and soft ears” approach – listening without judgment and portraying compassion and interest. • Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal. • Avoid distractions and listen to the speaker’s body language.

Show that you are listening

• Use your own body language to convey attention.

Pauses in between conversations

•P ause and slow down when dealing with emotionally-charged issues, allowing space between thoughts for deeper analysis

Providing feedback

• Demonstrate understanding of what has been said by paraphrasing.

Avoid deferring judgments

• Remain objective to avoid jumping to conclusions and judgments too soon.

• Have an open and inviting expression and posture.

•U se active listening techniques like encouraging, restating, reflecting, and summarizing in order to check assumptions, clarify thinking, and understand others.

Effective Meeting Practices Attention to meeting preparation, facilitation, participation, and evaluation processes is the recommended approach for ensuring productive outcomes. The following meeting practices support productive team processes:

• • • • • • • • •

Organize meeting logistics Distribute an agenda before the meeting Start and end on time Open with member check-in Establish and review ground rules Assign administrative roles Summarize decisions and assign action items Debrief by evaluating and planning for improvement Distribute meeting minutes promptly

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Prior to the meeting, logistics such as meeting location, date and time, space set-up, and technology support need to be organized. Advance notice: • Has adequate notice been given to all those asked to attend, including directions to the meeting space? • If the meeting is being held over a meal, do committee members know that food and beverages are being served? Meeting space: • Does the meeting space encourage the facilitator and the participants to effectively see, hear, and communicate with everyone present? • Is the space comfortable? (Consider temperature, refreshments, seating, etc.) Technical issues: • Have remote connections, teleconference equipment, and computer setup been tested? • Do you have contact numbers or a team member (including yourself) on hand in case of technological glitches? • If teleconferencing, do the teleconferenced members have clear directions on when to contribute so as not to be “left in the dark”? Stick to the time: • Does the meeting have a non-negotiable end time? • Is the agenda arranged in order of importance so that if the group is short on time, the important topics have been discussed? • Is there an established system to address unfinished business? (Placed on next meeting’s agenda, assigned to a sub-committee, etc.) Once the above logistics have been finalized and shared with the group, ground rules must be established and reviewed during each meeting. A group sets ground rules for what it expects in terms of general courtesy and responsibility for behavior. This will also serve as a basis to ensure participation. These set a foundation for future group meeting interactions and should be reviewed periodically (preferably at each meeting). Some examples of ground rules are:

• Attendance: Who gets notified if a member is unable to attend? • Promptness: When will the meeting start and end? • Participation: How will the group ensure that all views are heard and built upon? • Interruptions: How will members handle phone calls? • Conversational Courtesy: What are the discussion expectations? (Listen attentively, don’t interrupt, hold one conversation at a time, etc.) • Confidentiality: What information must stay within the group, and what information is published in a public record?

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Final Notes While this guide does not include every possible hurdle you may encounter as a facilitator, the different elements are applicable in many different situations. Reference this guide as much as you need while leading the strategic planning process and communicating with stakeholders. Whether you are an experienced or brand new facilitator, this guide will help your team work together to ensure the success of your plan and district.

References armston, R. (1997). The Presenterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fieldbook: A Practical Guide. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon G Publishers, Inc. Garmston, R.J. & Wellman, B. (1999). The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc. Katzenbach, J. & Smith, D. (1999). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Killion, J. (Winter 1999). Knowing When and How Much to Steer the Ship. Journal of Staff Development. Scholtes, P., Joiner, B., & Streibel, B. (2003). The Team Handbook. Madison, Wisconsin: Oriel Incorporated. Suchman AL & Williams P. (2007). Principles and Practices of Relationship-centered Meetings. http://www.thegiin.org/binary-data/GIIN_impact_measurement_guidelines.pdf http://web.ewu.edu/groups/studentlife/Effective_Meeting_Strat.pdf

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APPENDIX C: CASE STUDY

Introduction Barrett Lake School District in Minnesota is representative of many suburban school districts across the country. The district serves just under 9,000 students; 21.5 percent identify as minorities, and 31 percent receive free and reduced lunch. Families and district employees have always been proud to be a part of their district with its 93.7 percent graduation rate and 83.5 percent proficiency on annual assessments. Parents are comfortable sending their children to school knowing that many of the teachers they had when they were children continue to invest in the lives of their students. Parents value the education that their children receive, and teachers take pride in their work. Mr. Jordan, the superintendent of Barrett Lake School District, has noticed that certain data points and anecdotes have been rising to the surface in recent conversations. Mr. Jordan has become concerned that the data indicating the district’s past and current success may actually be masking deeper issues. Three primary concerns have started to emerge.

First, in the past year, more and more parents and teachers of gifted students have voiced concerns around their students’ lack of engagement in and enthusiasm for school. Parents want to see their children pushed to their full potential and not be held back by the class’s pace. Teachers want to provide for the needs of their gifted students, but with 25 other students in the class, the students who are behind often get the most attention. Second, the state has been encouraging districts to be more intentional about disaggregating student data and creating strategic plans with an eye towards equity. Barrett Lake School District’s community has taken pride in their performance, but as the disaggregated data has shown, a disproportionate number of low-income

and minority students are represented among students not graduating and not demonstrating proficiency on annual assessments. Third, as the economy has been recovering from the Great Recession, Mr. Jordan has noticed that conversations with community businesses have taken a different tone. Businesses are struggling to find graduates of Barrett Lake School District who are able to thrive in their fast-paced, constantly adapting environments. Businesses used to expect successful graduates to be successful employees. The current reality is that businesses are challenged to find the right mix of skills and dispositions to fit into their culture. Barrett Lake School District’s superintendent has started to have exploratory conversations with a wide range of stakeholders to understand their impressions of these three issues. Many are wary of massive changes that would turn their beloved school district into an unfamiliar environment, but they are also intrigued about how the district could even better educate its students. Through attending conferences and meetings with superintendents across the country and state, Mr. Jordan has started to learn more about technologies that could support students, but he is even more intrigued by the potential benefits of a personalized learning system. Through a series of connections and phone calls, the superintendent learned about KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning.

Initial Assessment Reading the initial white paper, Mr. Jordan was drawn to the ten conditions as mechanisms for driving change in the district. He knew that he wanted to pursue this change in his district but also knew that the road would be long and challenging to strategically implement these changes while bringing on mass community support. The superintendent decided that the first step would be to take

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KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions Assessment to better understand Barrett Lake School District’s current standing and the path that lay ahead. After taking the assessment, the superintendent felt slightly defeated. There were a significant number of areas where the district needed to improve to make a shift to personalized learning, and it wasn’t clear where to start. Additionally, he still didn’t have a team to pull this work along. Knowing the challenge of the task ahead, the superintendent contacted KnowledgeWorks, knowing that the Mr. Jordan was committed district toolkit for to successfully implementing strategic planning personalized learning in and communications all grades throughout the would be able to district. clarify the steps and build a solid foundation for personalized learning to thrive in the Barrett Lake School District community. Mr. Jordan was committed to successfully implementing personalized learning in all grades throughout the district. He had the results of KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions Assessment and the strategic planning toolkit to use to implement personalized learning in a way that meaningfully included school, district, and community stakeholders. Mr. Jordan had decades of experience with leading meetings, implementing curriculum changes, and guiding other expansive changes, but he had never led a strategic planning process without external facilitation. Luckily, the Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit had all the tools for him to use to develop a core planning team, facilitate the planning process, and implement the objectives on a building level. Mr. Jordan knew going into the process that it would take a lot of his time and energy, that he might have to let go of initiatives not central to district improvement, and that he would need buy-in from many different stakeholders, but because he believed that personalized learning could fundamentally transform learning for the good of the district, he decided it was worth the effort.

Planning for the Future To begin the process in late September, Mr. Jordan first had to not only assemble the Core Planning Committee that would work with him over the next six months to lead the planning and communications process but also to allocate resources for schoollevel implementation and progress monitoring. In the past, Mr. Jordan recruited teams for many different district initiatives, but realizing that this was going to be a fundamental transformation for the district, he consulted Document 2 in the Toolkit to learn more about how to select the best possible Core Planning Committee. The table in the document as well as the Twelve Characteristics for Effective Teams challenged Mr. Jordan to develop a team that was diverse, cross-functional, multi-dimensional, representative of the district, and autonomous to ensure that various points of view were considered throughout the process. The Planning Committee was made up of ten people of various ethnicities, professions, ages, and links to the district. The committee did not just include school board leaders, teachers, and administrators, but also a woman-owned small business executive, two students from different grades and schools, a stay-at-home mother of five children in the district, an executive director from a local non-profit organization for fair-housing, an IT Analyst, a career services professional from the local university, and a Barrett Lake councilman. Mr. Jordan realized that although this was a great group, there were many other points of view that would not be a part of the committee, so he made note of others that should be engaged through surveys, focus groups, telephone interviews, and other stakeholder engagement opportunities. When the Core Planning Committee was finally assembled, Mr. Jordan convened a brief introductory meeting to share the results of KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions Assessment, Document 3 that describes the strategic planning process, and Document 4 that showed sample agendas. Mr. Jordan requested a full commitment from the Core Planning Committee and made a point to inform

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them that although there were only three to four major committee meetings, additional work would have to be done in between. All of the committee members were ready to commit and intrigued by the opportunities personalized learning might hold for their district. When every committee member was fully committed to using the personalized learning strategic planning process, the committee used Documents 5 and 6 of the toolkit to assess the current data of their district as well as some new indicators they wanted to start measuring. Unfortunately for Barrett Lake School District, the district data website was not easily accessible or understandable. Although their graduation and attendance data were clearly presented, reading and math proficiency rates were a challenge to find and understand. The committee also spent an hour or so analyzing data in order to see important trends in behavior and achievement. Mr. Jordan and the Planning Committee were excited to see that the toolkit gave suggestions on future metrics to measure throughout the implementation of personalized learning, such as teacher and student engagement and student pace. After the Committee felt comfortable with the data, they decided to make their first public announcement to the community about the strategic planning process they were about to begin. Sarah, the local business owner, stepped up to maintain the communications with the community and track feedback. But first, the whole Committee reviewed Documents 19-26. These documents provided information and brainstorming ideas of how to effectively communicate to the community, channels to do so, and how to track progress. The Committee decided that the initial contact would be brief. The key message to the community was “planning for the future of Barrett Lake School District,” inviting all those interested in learning more, providing feedback, or expressing concerns to contact Sarah. The Committee made an announcement about the process in December before the winter break at the last school board meeting and via email to families in the district. They also disclosed who was selected for the Committee and that there would

be vast opportunity to be involved in the coming months. The initial contact had mixed reviews, for example families were concerned about how this might impact their 11th grader preparing for college applications or 7th grader thinking about future high school options. Local politicians were supportive as well as families with advanced children. The Committee addressed concerns by inviting ongoing involvement in this process, pointing stakeholders to KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions for Scale paper, and adding stakeholders to the email list for future focus groups and surveys. In the second week of January, the Committee met for their first full-day meeting. They first reviewed KnowledgeWorks’ District Conditions for Scale paper and assessment results and other literature that seemed relevant to the district. They then started the Environmental Scan covering the macro, industry, Mr. Jordan explained the competitive, and importance and impact of a internal environments, new personalized learning filling in all of the vision on aligning district ideas and comments activities to the new direction into the tables in for the district. Document 7. The committee spent about 45 minutes talking about the past three years of a new manufacturing industry bringing in new middle and working class families to the community as well as the new branch of a major consulting firm moving into a nearby city and the type of families moving into Barrett Lake as a result. They grappled with how this impacted their competitive environment with neighboring districts, charter schools, and private schools. The Committee then took a break for lunch and returned to begin the visioning process, Document 8. There was initial confusion about the purpose of creating a new vision when the district already had one. However Mr. Jordan, relying on tips from the facilitator guide, explained the importance and impact of a new personalized learning vision on aligning district activities to the new direction for the district. The Committee spent one hour and a half working to understand how personalized learning would look in their district. The questions in Document 9 guided

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that process for vision creation as well as the values that were important to stay true to throughout this process. The Committee ran into a few emotional moments throughout this process because of the diverse perspectives around what was important to educating the district’s students. For example, some were heavily focusing on college readiness while others wanted a more holistic approach, mentioning that college isn’t the only path for students to take. Mr. Jordan did a The Committee ran into a fantastic job of setting few emotional moments ground rules about throughout this process respectful but candid because of the diverse discussions so none perspectives around what of the Committee was important to educating members felt the district’s students. personally attacked by another. After deliberations, the Committee performed a review of KnowledgeWorks’ definition of personalized learning and contrasted this to that definition’s desired outcomes for districts. This process resulted in a one sentence vision statement and five values with belief statements. The Committee then completed Document 10, knowing that they scored low on the assessment meta theme Vision. They again realized with the Mission, Vision, and Values Utilization Worksheet that their district hardly referred to their mission, vision, and values for any decisions. In fact, Mr. Jordan did not remember them and had to look them up every time they were referred to. The Committee decided that they score about a four on the scale in Document 10. They all committed then to using the new personalized learning vision during every meeting going forth. The meeting adjourned about 30 minutes later than planned due to the passionate vision conversation running slightly over time. The Committee planned their stakeholder engagement process as a whole via email communication and conference calls several days after the first meeting. The local councilman, Matt and two students, Jesse and Stephanie, decided to lead those processes. Using Documents 11-15, the Committee invited community stakeholders to attend the first focus groups at an elementary school

cafeteria. They held two different evening meetings and relied on the table in Document 13 for ideas of who to invite. The focus groups were held two weeks after the first Committee meeting and were a great success because the Stakeholder Engagement Leads from the Committee were diligent about contacting everyone that wanted to be included. They called, emailed, and sent fliers home with students to be sure everyone had an opportunity to be heard. The focus groups were very beneficial for the Committee because the community feedback deepened their understanding of the environment. The diverse participation provided new points of view about the different changes occurring and ideologies existing in the community. There was not significant push back on the vision statement, except for minor The diverse participation syntax comments. provided new points of view Matt, Jesse, and about the different changes Stephanie explained occurring and ideologies that all feedback from existing in the community. the community would be reported back to the Planning Committee and incorporated into the overall planning process. During the first week of February, the Committee met for a brief, one-hour meeting to discuss community partnerships. They used Documents 16-18 to identify partners, inventory their contacts, and develop partnership proposals to present to the potential partners. The fair-housing executive director, Chris, stepped up to lead this portion and maintain communication with partners. Then the Committee was ready to have their second planning meeting during the last week of February. For the pre-planning check-in indicated on the process map, Sarah developed the next messages to update the community. The key message was still the same, but she added information about progress thus far and the finalized vision statement. Sarah tracked her communications in Document 25 and 26. The Committee still faced the same amount of opposition that they did during the Initial Contact, but the positive feedback was also still the same.

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The second meeting was held during the last week of February. Mr. Jordan started the meeting by reviewing the notes, vision and values, and stakeholder feedback from the last session. The Committee then dove into the SWOT Analysis detailed in Document 27 of the toolkit. Mr. Jordan was most concerned about this portion because he had read a lot about the importance of a thorough but focused SWOT and how it would impact his district for many years. He had never done the process before, but he followed the toolkit and took tips from the facilitator guide. The Committee spent over an hour working through the SWOT. As the Committee worked through the Strengths portion of SWOT, committee members sometimes offered ideas that were not aligned with the mission. The teachers on the Committee mentioned the quality of the cafeteria food and how fantastic pasta and meatballs Mondays are for student enthusiasm. They continued this discussion about the food for nearly four minutes. Mr. Jordan had to cut in and remind them that the food was not something that was going to enhance the school district’s ability to carry out their vision related to personalized learning. The students on the committee mentioned a lack of tablet computers for every student as a Weakness along with other non-vision-focused comments made. Mr. Jordan had to reel the Committee back in several times to keep them on target. The SWOT analysis ended up running several hours overtime. Mr. Jordan and the Committee members realized that the SWOT analysis was too important to do hastily. They decided to break from this meeting, get stakeholder input, and then add another Committee meeting to hone their master SWOT list. Councilman Matt and students Stephanie and Jesse immediately began working on the stakeholder engagement for the SWOT portion. Holding four focus groups and segmenting the groups into two K-12 audiences, one business community audience, and one higher education audience, as detailed in Document 13. Additionally, the students created an online survey taken by about 600 people in the community. The three committee members synthesized the feedback and created notes for

the Planning Committee. The Committee was shocked to see that the community’s view of the district’s strengths, The Committee was shocked weaknesses, to see that the community’s opportunities, and view of the district’s threats were vastly strengths, weaknesses, different than what opportunities, and threats they had come up were vastly different than with. The glaring what they had come up with. differences were about opportunities and threats related to the quality of special education within the district. Sarah decided to send out messages updating the community and applauding them for their help. The Committee reconvened in late March to refine their SWOT analysis. They finalized their master list to include many of the issues raised by the community and were ready to move to Issue Prioritization. But first they doubled-checked to ensure the outcomes of the SWOT were aligned with the vision. They were confident, so they moved on to Issue Prioritization. This portion of the planning was the most complex for the Planning Committee overall. They had come up with a lot of information through the SWOT process and were uncertain how they would narrow the results to four to seven major areas of focus. This was difficult for the Committee because they realized that the district would have to temporarily put a hold on current initiatives or completely shift away from them all together. This portion of the planning process was the most controversial for the Barret Lake Planning Committee. The diverse opinions of the students, parents, teachers, and others on the Committee created a well-rounded point of view but also provided for some areas of contention. Following the direction in Document 28 helped the Committee work through it. They put the master list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (each on separate pieces of big paper) on the walls around the room. Mr. Jordan distributed one red dot for everyone to place on the single highest priority issue that would help

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the district work toward its vision. After the red dots were placed, everyone had the opportunity to talk about why they made their selection. In fact, six of the ten committee members placed their red dot on the same weakness about flexible curriculum for advanced students. Next, everyone used four additional yellow dots on other issues that must be addressed to achieve the vision. These were more scattered than the red dots; however, Mr. Jordan felt confident by some obvious clustering to move forward to the Prioritization by two-dimensional matrix in Document 29. He had a large piece of paper prepared with the four quadrants that would show Impact on Vision and Ease of Implementation. He wrote all of the red-dot-receiving issues on small sticky-notes plus the top ten issues receiving the most yellow dots. In total, he had 15 comments written on sticky notes to plot. He then asked the Committee which quadrant each would fall into. In the end, only five issues landed in the high impact/ high ease quadrant, the first place where the committee would focus their energies. They then used Document 30 to develop the Strategic Initiative areas that the district would focus on for the next several years district-wide. Their strategic initiatives fell into categories related to curriculum, learning environments, professional development, comprehensive data system, and student supports. After that meeting, Mr. Jordan felt that he was the savviest with spreadsheet programs and making sophisticated-looking charts, so he was able Some community to create the Pareto stakeholders who had Analysis. He recorded been adamantly against all of the comments personalized learning that had red votes and changes were beginning to their number of votes see the bigger picture and understand the process more. in one column, and did the same for the yellow votes. Then he created a stacked bar chart. This was a good way to visually display the voting results. He also typed up the Strategic Initiatives with a short phrase describing what each was

intended to accomplish. Sarah then took the strategic initiatives and launched a few messages out to the community and invited feedback via email and social media. The feedback was fantastic! Some community stakeholders who had been adamantly against personalized learning changes were beginning to see the bigger picture and understand the process more. Matt and the students also held three focus groups through the month of April for people to give feedback. The community was generally receptive to most of the initiatives except for the curriculum changes. Many teachers and parents were concerned that students would fall behind or that the changes would be too drastic for students to adjust to in a timely manner. The Committee considered the feedback and tweaked the language to explain that controls and monitoring systems would be in place to make sure students were progressing, not regressing. In early May, the Committee held its final planning meeting. After establishing their Strategic Initiatives, they were ready for the Gap Analysis using Document 31. Placing each Strategic Initiative at the top of the worksheet the Committee identified the desired future state, current state, and ideas to move from the current state to the desired future state for each. This process was the Committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite exercise because it provided them with a broad idea of the resources, time, and effort it would take the district to accomplish its vision for personalized learning. Finally their months of effort was yielding tangible and actionable ideas! After completing the Gap Analysis, the Committee double checked alignment with the vision and moved onto Goal Development in Document 32. The Committee developed between five and eight goals for each Strategic Initiative, leaving room for teachers and principals to add more if they felt inclined to do so during their building-level planning processes. At this point, the Committee thought it would be a good idea to do some district-wide messaging and make a call for those that wanted to be a part of action planning. They adjourned their final planning meeting and set a date for mid-May to get a large group together.

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Empowering Buildings and Teachers to Create Action Plans The committee called upon teachers, staff, and administrators from each of the schools in the district to come to a meeting and discuss the goals the Committee had come up with. They separated by building into small groups and vetted the goals. After that, there was a large group report back. The feedback was exciting for the Committee, but they realized that each school building would have different needs. In order to preserve consistency, the Committee decided that each school would have the same Strategic Initiatives and goals, but would be given the flexibility and autonomy to create their own action plans. After the large group meeting, the Committee finalized the goals. They created a one-page placemat that showed the Vision, Values, Strategic Initiatives, and Goals. They distributed them to the administrators at each school and gave them the autonomy to create their own action plans. The committee also distributed Document 33 for people to use as a template for action planning. The Committee requested that all action plans be completed by the end of June so that the school buildings could report back to the district about the resources they would need. The Committee decided that the school buildings could manage and implement their own action plans with the district monitoring progress and continuous improvement, while the Committee would hold bi-annual check-in meetings. They also made it clear that they were a resource to the schools as well, that if they needed guidance, resources, or if they hit a roadblock, the Committee would be available to help deal with those issues. After the schools received all of the tools that they needed to begin, Sarah created community wide messaging, tailoring each message to specific audiences as described in Documents 20-21. Over the subsequent months, Sarah received a lot of feedback, mostly positive, but some negative. She was responsible for addressing issues and logging all feedback. Over the next six months, the school district was

working hard and most of the buildings were following and monitoring their action plans. School administrators worked closely with the Planning Committee and district leadership to secure resources and often asked for feedback about how to implement certain things. However, the elementary school building was struggling for a few months initially. They did not follow the action plan they created, monitor progress, communicate with the district, or begin to track new data. At the six-month district wide checkin convening, the Committee realized the elementary school needed more support. They set up monthly meetings with Mr. Jordan and elementary school leadership to monitor implementation efforts. The elementary school also had to shift some teachers that volunteered to lead action planning to more supportive roles because they had too much going on to sustain the implementation needs.

Post-Planning Implementation It has been a year since Barrett Lake School District took on strategic planning for personalized learning. The Committee set bi-annual meetings to discuss progress and make tweaks, but Committee members remain intimately involved with progress on a monthly basis. School leaders have open communication with the Committee members, Superintendent, and other district leaders and know they are willing to provide support within their capacity. Sarah sends out progress report messages in the quarterly school district newsletter and provides updates at all school board, teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union, and community council meetings. Mr. Jordan is pleased with the progress thus far. He also realizes that some people in the district might never support the changes, but he is pleased with the great opportunity personalized learning is able to provide for his district. Over the next few years, Mr. Jordan assumes that some policies may be changed based on the Strategic Initiatives of this plan, and he has already drafted some potential changes using Document 35 of the toolkit. One of the greatest successes thus far for Barrett Lake is the increase of data analysis; because of the data points suggested in Document 6 of the Toolkit, the school district is able to track and share the talent of the student, teachers, and administrators within Barrett Lake.

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APPENDIX D: DISTRICT CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT As indicated in Document 1, complete each section of the assessment and take note of the number of points for each responseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one point for poor, two points for average, three points for good, and four points for exemplary. Record the total points for each section in the chart below and include any relevant notes. Use the results of this assessment to support conversation around Strategy Formulation and Goal and Action Plan Development. Score

Notes

Vision Culture Transparency Curriculum Instruction Comprehensive Assessment System Learning Environments Student Supports Professional Development Leadership Development Technology Policy Comprehensive Data System Partnerships

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Meta Theme – Vision

Does your district currently have a vision statement? Is the vision statement widely shared and easily accessible to stakeholders inside and outside the district? Were various stakeholders from the education community, inside and outside of the district, involved in creating the vision? Does the vision speak to different stakeholders’ roles in student learning? Does the district use its vision statement when making decisions?

District has no vision statement.

Poor (1)

Average (2)

District does not have a vision statement, but there is a shared understanding of district goals.

Good (3)

District has a vision statement aligned to personalized learning, and district activities are aligned to it.

Exemplary (4)

District has a vision statement aligned to personalized learning, and the education community was involved in its creation.

District has a vision statement, but it is not used or referenced.

District has a vision statement, and the education community was involved in its approval but not its creation.

District has a vision statement that speaks to internal and external stakeholders’ roles and does inspire action.

District has a vision statement, and it is shared internally and externally.

District has a vision statement that was presented to stakeholders.

District has a vision statement that speaks to internal and/or external stakeholders’ roles but does not inspire action.

District has a vision statement that is used at all levels of the district during the decision-making process.

District has a vision statement, and it is shared internally.

District has no vision statement.

District has a vision statement that does not speak to anyone’s role.

District has a vision statement that is used by district leaders during the decision-making process.

District has a vision statement, but it is not widely shared.

District has no vision statement.

District has a vision statement that is not used during the decision-making processes.

District has no vision statement.

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The culture and vision demotivate.

Poor (1)

The culture demotivates and the vision motivates.

Average (2)

The culture and vision motivate but are not related.

Good (3)

The culture and vision motivate but are not related.

Exemplary (4)

Meta Theme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Culture

Is the culture informed by the vision?

Is risk-taking encouraged?

The culture does not incorporate continuous improvement.

Risk-taking may occur, but failure is punished.

Failure occurs but it is hidden and/or not discussed.

The culture incorporates continuous improvement, but it is ineffective.

Risk-taking is not allowed or is discouraged.

The culture incorporates continuous improvement, but it is inconsistently effective.

Risk-taking is informally recognized and encouraged.

The culture incorporates continuous improvement, but it is inconsistently effective.

Risk-taking is informally recognized and encouraged.

Innovation is informally recognized and rewarded.

Innovation is stifled.

Does the culture incorporate continuous improvement systems? Failure is punished.

Innovation is informally recognized and rewarded.

Is innovation rewarded? Innovation occurs by chance and is not recognized, rewarded, or penalized.

How do you approach/ embrace failure?

Failure is recognized as a productive learning opportunity, and an informal process is in place to learn from failure and promote improvement. Failure is recognized as a productive learning opportunity, and an informal process is in place to learn from failure and promote improvement.

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Information is hidden.

Poor (1)

Transparency flows from district leaders to building leaders.

Average (2)

Transparency flows from district leaders to all levels of the district.

Good (3)

Transparency flows in all directions to all levels of the district, including students.

Exemplary (4)

Information is available to external partners, and they receive personalized support to access it.

Information is available to parents, and they receive personalized support to access it. Information is available to external partners, and they receive general support to access it.

Information is available to parents, and they receive general support to access it.

Information is hidden.

Information is available to external partners, but they do not receive support to access it.

Learners are able to state learning objectives and standards aligned to their work.

Information is available and is pushed to constituents.

Learners are able to state learning objectives, but they are unable to state the standard aligned to their work.

Information is accessible, but constituents have to find it.

Learners are unable to state learning objectives or standards aligned to their work.

Information is not accessible.

Information is available, is pushed to constituents, including students, and there is opportunity for feedback and discussion.

Learners are able to state learning objectives and standards aligned to their work. Learners can also discuss progress towards goal, appropriate demonstrations of learning, and the relevance and purpose of their work.

Information is available to parents, but they do not receive support to access it.

Meta Theme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Transparency

Is transparency valued at all levels of the district? Does the district encourage transparency with parents? Does the district encourage transparency with external partners? Are learners and educators aligned around learning objectives?

Is information about the district, i.e. accountability data, easily accessible to anyone interested?

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Is the district’s curriculum reviewed regularly to ensure alignment and effectiveness?

Is the district’s curriculum aligned to the district’s vision?

Learners are unable to state learning objectives or standards.

The district reviews curriculum to keep up with education trends rather than to meet students’ needs.

The district purchases curriculum that is not aligned to vision.

Poor (1)

Students progress through the curriculum based on the needs of the class, not those of individuals.

Learners are able to state learning objectives and standards, but they are unable to discuss independently the purpose or relevance of their work.

The district informally involves some teachers in curriculum review but does not seek a wide perspective on teachers’ thoughts.

The district purchases visionaligned curriculum.

Average (2)

Students progress through the curriculum along individual pathways. Learning resources are available from inside the district.

Learners are able to state learning objectives and standards. They are able to discuss independently the purpose of their work.

The district formally gathers teachers on a yearly basis to collect feedback for curriculum review.

The district creates a vision-aligned curriculum.

Good (3)

Learners are able to state learning objectives and standards. They are able to discuss independently the purpose and real-world relevance of their work.

The district continually works with teachers to formally gather feedback on curriculum. Teachers are encouraged to submit regular feedback and data to refine curriculum.

The district creates vision-aligned curriculum, and teachers have freedom to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of their students.

Exemplary (4)

District Condition for Scale – Curriculum

Are standards and learning targets easily understood by students?

Students progress through the curriculum through single pathway based on pacing guides.

Real-time, student-level data informs daily learning plans. Plans may change from one day to the next.

Real-time, student-level data informs daily learning plans. Plans typically change from one day to the next. External partners contribute to creating and adapting learning plans.

Students progress through the curriculum along pathways based on their individual needs and interests. Learning resources are available from inside and outside the district.

Are there multiple pathways to meeting standards and learning targets tailored to each student’s personalized learning experience? Are pathways informed by real-time, student-level data?

Real-time, student-level data Real-time, student-level may or may not be available, data is available, but it is not used immediately to inform and it is not used to inform instruction and/or teachers are instruction. not equipped to use it.

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 93

Instruction focuses solely on knowledge through rote memorization with the goal of high test scores.

Instructional practices are aligned to the comfort of school leaders and teachers, who may or may not be aware of the district’s vision.

Poor (1)

Instruction focuses on knowledge and some skills but lacks focus on the transferability of learning.

Instructional practices are aligned to the comfort of school leaders and teachers, who are aware of the district’s vision but do not adapt instructional practices to lead towards attainment of the vision.

Average (2)

Students and teachers work together to coordinate students’ learning experiences.

Instruction focuses on knowledge and skills but lacks focus on the transferability of learning.

Instructional practices are aligned to the district’s vision. School leaders and teachers intentionally select instructional practices that lead towards attainment of the vision.

Good (3)

Students create plans that include a variety of instructional methods, inside or outside the district, to meet his or her individual needs and interests.

Students are responsible for coordinating their own learning and for advocating for instructional needs inside and outside the district.

Instruction focuses on knowledge, skills, and the transferability of learning.

Instructional practices are aligned to the district’s vision. School leaders and teachers intentionally select instructional practices that lead towards attainment of the vision and that create a positive environment in which students are also motivated by the vision.

Exemplary (4)

District Condition for Scale – Instruction

Does instruction focus on teaching students how to learn? Instruction is entirely centered on and led by the teacher.

Teachers coordinate students’ learning experiences and present plans to students with no opportunity for student feedback.

Students create plans that include a variety of instructional methods inside the district to meet his or her individual needs and interests.

Are instructional practices aligned to the district’s vision?

Is instruction studentcentered?

Students have no choice in instructional options.

Students have some choice in instructional methods, but there is little fluidity based on shifting needs.

Progression is based on mastery. Students choose how they demonstrate mastery. Opportunities to demonstrate mastery can be inside or outside the district.

Is progression based on mastery?

Is instruction relevant to individual students’ needs?

Progression is based on seat time.

Progression is based on mastery. Teachers choose how students can demonstrate mastery.

Progression is based on mastery. Students choose how they demonstrate mastery. Opportunities to demonstrate mastery can only be inside the district.

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 94

Poor (1) District purchases a vision-aligned assessment.

Average (2)

District creates a vision-aligned assessment.

Good (3)

Exemplary (4)

Formative assessments are frequent and embedded. Interim assessments happen as needed. Summative assessments are used solely to confirm results of formative and interim assessments. Assessments are valuable tools for teachers and students.

District purchases an assessment that is not aligned to the vision.

All three types of assessments exist and have distinct purposes. Teachers use assessments to create interventions for struggling students.

Ongoing, embedded assessments provide real-time data that support students and teachers to adjust daily learning goals and activities. Students share evolving needs with external partners support in adapting learning plans.

All three types of assessments exist. Teachers use assessments to grade students but not to support student learning.

Ongoing, embedded assessments provide real-time data that support teachers to adjust learning goals and activities that may or may not change from one day to the next.

Students and teachers work together to know when a student is ready to show mastery. Students may take an assessment at any time, with multiple opportunities to show mastery.

All three types of assessments exist. They are not used to drive instruction or to create learning plans.

Students and teachers do not work together to determine the best time for a student to show mastery. Students may take an assessment at any time within testing windows, with multiple opportunities to show mastery.

Each assessment has a distinct purpose that is understood by district leaders, school leaders, teachers, parents, and students. Assessments are only used for their purpose, completely avoiding redundancy and overlap.

Assessments provide some realtime data that does not lead to daily review of learning goals and activities.

Course-level summative assessments are offered once per year with no option to retake.

Course-level summative assessments are offered within a window not chosen by teachers or students. Students have the option to retake an assessment within that window.

Each assessment has a distinct purpose, that purpose may not be understood by district leaders, school leaders, teachers, parents, and students. Assessments are generally only used for their purpose, avoiding most redundancy and overlap.

Ongoing, embedded assessments do not occur; data from assessments is not used to inform instruction.

Assessments have an unclear purpose, leading to redundancy and overlap.

Each assessment has a distinct purpose, but they are used for multiple purposes, leading to redundancy, overlap, and confusion between district leaders, school leaders, teachers, parents, and students.

District creates vision-aligned assessment and has tools to ensure that teachers can adapt assessment to meet the needs of their students while maintaining comparability across the district.

District Condition for Scale – Comprehensive Assessment System

Is the district’s assessment system aligned with the district’s vision? Does the district’s assessment system incorporate formative, interim, and summative assessments? Are real-time data from ongoing, embedded assessments used to adjust day-to-day learning activities? Are course-level summative assessments offered multiple times per year? Is the district’s assessment system free of redundancy and overlap to avoid over-testing of students?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 95

Learning environments are created with no consideration of the vision.

Poor (1)

Average (2)

Learning environments are intentionally created inside the district in alignment to the vision. School leaders and teachers receive training in creating a vision-aligned learning environment.

Good (3)

Learning environments are intentionally created inside and outside the district in alignment to vision. School leaders, teachers, and external partners receive training in creating vision-aligned learning environments.

Exemplary (4)

District Condition for Scale – Learning Environments

Are the district’s learning environments aligned with the district’s vision? Learning environments are created inside the district with the hopes of vision alignment but school leaders and teachers are not trained in creating a vision-aligned learning environment.

Students receive support to find external learning experiences if they seek it.

All students receive support to find external learning experiences.

Students receive no support to find external learning experiences.

Data is gathered continually to understand completion and effectiveness. It is used to suport external partners and to guide students into appropriate learning experiences.

Students are discouraged from seeking external learning experiences.

District has a master building plan that is informed by the district’s vision and is executing on it.

All students are encouraged to seek learning experiences outside of school?

District has a master building plan informed by the district’s vision but is not executing on it.

Data is gathered to understand completion of external learning experiences but not for effectiveness.

District has a master building plan but it is not informed by the district’s vision.

Student success is clearly defined and regularly celebrated at all levels, internally and externally.

Data is not gathered on external learning experiences.

District does not have a master building plan.

Student success is randomly defined but regularly celebrated at the school and classroom level.

Is data used to continually monitor the effectiveness of external learning experiences?

Is the district’s master building plan informed by the district’s vision?

Student success is neither defined nor celebrated.

Student success is randomly defined and irregularly celebrated at the school and classroom level.

Data is gathered once per year to understand completion and effectiveness of external learning experiences. External partners gather with the school to discuss improvement strategies.

Are efforts made to celebrate student successes?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 96

Are student supports driven by real-time data for all students?

Are student supports aligned with the district’s vision?

Districts do what is required Districts are out of compliance with federal and/ by federal and state law. or state law.

Districts are out of compliance.

Student supports are not aligned to the vision. Student supports are not seen as meaningful to attain the vision.

Poor (1)

Districts do what is required by federal and state law.

Student supports are somewhat aligned to the vision and include only significantly off-pace students.

Average (2)

Supports are available at any time, separate from a student’s learning plan.

Supports are available after interim assessments for students who have failed.

Districts do what is required by federal and state law. Supports are offered in any content area and are sometimes data-driven and available to some students. Data is gathered periodically.

Student supports are mostly aligned to the vision and include significantly off-pace students and high-achieving student.

Good (3)

Supports are always available to all students based on real-time data for all students.

Districts do what is required by federal and state law. Supports are offered to all students in any content area and are driven by realtime data so that all students have access to supports

Student supports are entirely aligned to the vision and include all students.

Exemplary (4)

District Condition for Scale – Student Supports

Are student supports available immediately, not after end-of-year, summative assessments?

Supports are only available Supports are available after outside of instructional time. assessments, separate from a student’s learning plan.

Students and teachers work together to set flexible schedules for students.

Are student supports embedded in learning?

District sets the schedule that schools must follow.

School sets the schedule inside School sets the schedule with no parameters set by the district. flexibility for students. Flexibility is only allowed if pre-approved by the district.

Supports and interventions are available to all students at any time and embedded in learning so that students can easily see connection between existing knowledge and skills and what they are trying to learn.

Are schools given flexibility around using time to better enable student support?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 97

Teachers only have access to general, state-required professional development.

Professional development is general and follows state requirements.

Poor (1)

Teachers are required to participate in whole-group development opportunities that may or may not align to individual needs.

Professional development is determined by school leaders and not reviewed for vision alignment.

Average (2)

Professional development includes placing teachers in professional learning communities that facilitate peer to peer learning.

Teachers have personalized professional development plans with clearly articulated goals and paths towards meeting those goals that include only whole-group development opportunities.

Professional development is reviewed frequently by classroom, school, and district leadership to ensure alignment to the vision.

Good (3)

Teachers have personalized professional development plans with clearly articulated goals and paths towards meeting those goals that include individualized coaching and whole-group development opportunities that are competencybased.

Professional development is reviewed frequently by classroom, school, and district leadership to ensure alignment to the vision and teachers’ individual needs.

Exemplary (4)

Professional development activities do not include collaboration.

Professional development includes allowing teachers to choose professional learning communities that address their individual needs while facilitating peer to peer learning. Professional development includes grade level and content area collaborative activities that are limited to in-person sessions.

Professional development includes formal discussions on failure and learning from failure as well as time frames for meeting goals on personalized professional development plan. Improvement is expected on a teacher and school level. Professional development is only available in person.

Professional development program does not focus on improvement.

Professional development focuses on general areas of need with informal tracking of improvement. Sessions include informal discussions on failure.

Professional development is available online and in person at any time and in any place, and it allows for teachers to share best practices. Professional development is available in person with limited online options.

Professional development focuses on general practices that may or may not address teachers’ needs, and it does not include follow up.

Professional development is available online and in person at any time and in any place, but it doesn’t allow teachers to contribute.

District Condition for Scale – Professional Development

Are professional development activities aligned to the district’s vision? Is professional development jobembedded, personalized and competency-based?

Do professional development activities encourage collaboration?

Does the professional development program foster continuous improvement?

Is professional development available via the use of technology?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 98

Average (2)

Good (3)

Exemplary (4)

District Condition for Scale – Leadership Development Poor (1)

Leadership development includes Leadership development Leadership development includes informal identification formal identification and training of includes general, stateof potential leaders and formal potential school leaders. required leadership trainings for existing leaders. trainings to prepare for future positions.

Leadership development program involves creation of strategic plan and vision in addition to monitoring and measuring progress.

Leadership development is reviewed frequently by classroom, school, and district leadership to ensure alignment to the vision.

Leadership development program includes training in monitoring and measuring progress towards vision and completion of strategic plan.

Leadership development activities include technical skills trainings and leadership skills trainings in a competency-based environment.

Leadership development is determined by the district and not reviewed for vision alignment.

Leadership development program includes studying strategic plan and vision for familiarity.

Leadership development activities include many technical skills trainings and informal leadership skills trainings.

Leadership development is general and follows state requirements.

Does the leadership development program identify and train leaders at all levels of the district?

Leadership development program does not include strategic planning or visioning activities.

Leadership development activities include much technical skills training and few leadership skills trainings.

Leadership selection welcomes wide input and includes community, staff, and students.

Is the district’s leadership development program aligned to the district’s vision?

Does the leadership development program involve visioning and strategic planning activities? Leadership development activities include only technical skills.

Leadership selection is done by Leadership selection is done by a selection committee that is led by a selection committee that is the school. led by the district.

Leadership development is reviewed frequently by community, classroom, school, and district leadership to ensure alignment to the vision and leaders’ individual needs.

Do leadership development activities focus on developing leadership abilities in addition to technical skills in a competency-based environment?

Leadership selection is done by the district.

Leadership development includes formal identification and training for leadership positions at every level. District, school, and classroom level leaders are included.

Are leaders identified at the school level to ensure a leader fits with their school?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 99

Poor (1)

The district has formal technology policies that do not align with its vision.

Average (2)

The district has informal technology The district has formal technology policies that align with its vision. policies that align with its vision.

Good (3)

District Condition for Scale – Technology Policy

The district has informal technology policies that do not align with its vision.

The technology policies allow for internet access for all students in some situations.

Exemplary (4)

Does the technology policy align with the district’s vision? The technology policies do The technology policies allow not allow for internet access. for internet access for some students in some situations.

Is infrastructure addressed within the district’s technology policy?

Are measures to provide safe internet access part of the technology policy?

Students have no access to connectable devices during school hours.

Infrastructure is not included in the district’s strategic plan.

Students have access to school-owned connectable devices during school hours.

Infrastructure upgrades were included in the district’s strategic plan in the past but not currently.

The technology policies do The technology policies allow not allow for internet access. for hyper-restricted access to the internet.

Students have access to schoolowned and student-owned connectable devices during school hours.

Infrastructure upgrades are currently included in the district’s strategic plan.

The technology policies allow for internet access that provides a safe environment for students.

Students have access to schoolowned connectable devices during school hours and outside of school.

Infrastructure upgrades are, and will continue to be, included in the district’s strategic plan.

The technology policies are flexible to adapt to students’ changing needs to allow for a safe environment for students.

The technology policies allow for internet access for all students in all situations.

Does the technology policy allow for universal access to the internet?

Is technology a key tool used to meet students’ individualized student needs?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 100

Average (2)

Good (3)

Exemplary (4)

District uses a student-level data system to track student achievement data throughout students’ academic careers and every teacher responsible for student learning has access to this data.

Poor (1)

District uses a student-level data system to track student achievement data throughout students’ academic careers.

District uses a student-level data system to track whole-school and student-level supports and interventions that students participate in and every teacher responsible for student learning has access to this data.

District uses technological platforms for student-level data, assessment, and learning management, and systems are connected and protect student privacy.

District uses a student-level data system to track whole-school and student-level supports and interventions that students participate in.

Parents have access to studentlevel data systems, support is provided to access information and information is “pushed” to parents for review.

District uses a technological platform containing studentlevel data.

District uses a student-level data system to track student achievement data throughout the year.

Parents have access to studentlevel data systems and support is provided to access information.

Teachers input student-level data into data systems and teachers and students review regularly to guide instruction.

District does not utilize a data system of any sort.

Parents have access to student-level data systems but no support is provided to access information.

District uses a student-level data system to track wholeschool interventions that students participate in.

District does not utilize a data system of any sort.

Teachers input student-level data into data systems but it is not used to drive instruction.

Teachers input student-level data into data systems and teachers review regularly to drive instruction.

District uses technological platforms for student-level data, assessment, and learning management but systems are disconnected.

District Condition for Scale – Comprehensive Data System

Does the data system include elements for student-level data, assessments, and learning management that protect student privacy? Is a student’s achievement history tracked in the data system?

Are student supports tracked in the data system?

Do parents have access to the data system?

Do teachers actively use the system to drive daily instruction?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 101

Are these partners involved in creating learning opportunities for students?

Are these partnerships aligned with the economic needs of the community?

Are district partners involved in visioning and strategic planning?

Are vision-aligned partnerships cultivated throughout the community?

Partnerships serve as onetime, isolated activities.

Partners are not involved in student learning activities.

Partnerships are unintentional in showing students how they can play a role in meeting the community’s economic needs.

Strategic plan and vision are not shared with partners.

The district does not consider the vision when cultivating partnerships.

Poor (1)

Learning opportunities are published and open to some students.

Partnerships are undefined in role and time frame but extend for more than one school year.

Partners support student learning, but they do not actively and intentionally create learning opportunities that meet students’ needs and interests.

Partnerships give students exposure to as many career options as possible without considering local economic needs.

Strategic plan and vision are given to partners for familiarity.

District gives vision to partners but does not expect partners to share it.

Average (2)

Learning opportunities are published and available to all students.

Partnerships are defined in how they should contribute to students’ learning experiences.

Partners support student learning, and they actively and intentionally create learning opportunities, but these do not necessarily meet students’ needs and interests.

Partnerships introduce students to the economic needs of the community but do not connect students’ interests or needs or potential to fill needed roles.

Strategic plan and vision are used to measure effectiveness of partnerships.

Partnerships are an integral part of the success of the district and driving student learning.

Partners work closely with the district to actively and intentionally create learning opportunities that meet students’ needs and interests, and partners review and adapt learning opportunities to ensure their continued effectiveness.

Partnerships are rooted in meeting the economic needs of the community and are aligned with students’ individual needs and interests. Students are able to see how they can individually contribute to their communities.

Strategic plan and vision are cocreated by partners who also support in monitoring progress.

Partners share the district’s vision Partners share the district’s vision but they are not actively or formally and they are essential to achieving it. involved in helping the district to achieve it.

Good (3)

Learning opportunities are published, available to all students, and support is given to help students find their best fit.

District Condition for Scale – Partnerships

Are these partnerships long-term and sustainable?

Learning opportunities are not published and only available to students who pursue them.

Exemplary (4)

Are these learning opportunities published and available to all students?

Appendix D: District Conditions Assessment | Page 102

APPENDIX E: PERSONALIZED LEARNING RESOURCES The following list of resources is meant to support your district and community deepen their understanding of personalized learning and the leaders in the field. This list is meant to be a launching point for learning about the personalized learning landscape, not an exhaustive list of resources on the topic. Most districts and organizations referenced are ones that KnowledgeWorks has worked with and learned from, and the resources have supported our own research and writing on personalized learning. It is not mandatory for your district to consult this list while developing personalized learning in your district, but you may if there are specific areas of interest. Schools Individual schools using a personalized learning approach. Boston Day and Evening Academy. http://www.bacademy.org/ Networks Groups of schools within a network that provides support to implement a personalized approach. • Diploma Plus. Model. http://www.diplomaplus.net/model.html • EDWorks. Fast Track. http://edworkspartners.org/fast-track • Expeditionary Learning. School Network. http://elschools.org/about-us/school-network • Re-Inventing Schools Coalition. RISC Coalition Schools. http://www.reinventingschools.org/about/risc-in-action/ • Sturgis, C. (2013). Ingenium Schools: A Big City Competency-Based School [Blog post]. CompetencyWorks. http://www.competencyworks.org/case-study/ingenium-schools-a-big-city-competency-based-school/ Districts School districts that have scaled or are currently scaling personalized learning in their districts. • • •

Adams County School District 50. http://www.adams50.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/Pages/default.aspx Concord School District. http://www.concordnhschools.net/ • Concord High School. (2011). CHS – VLACS Competency Recovery Opportunity Overview. http://chs. concordnhschools.net/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/498192/File/Protocols%20for%20VLACS%20 recovery%202011%2006%2016.pdf • Douglas County School District. https://www.dcsdk12.org/ • Kettle Moraine School District. http://www.kmsd.edu/ • Piedmont City School District. http://www.piedmont.k12.al.us/ • Pittsfield School District. http://pittsfield-nh.com/sau/ • Reynoldsburg City Schools. http://www.reyn.org/ • Sanborn Regional School District. http://web.sau17.org/ • Sturgis, C. (2014). Raising the Bar at Sanborn Regional High School [Blog post]. http://www. competencyworks.org/understandingcompetency-education/6269/ • School District of Menomonee Falls. http://www.sdmf.k12.wi.us/ • Yellow Springs Schools. http://www.yellow-springs.k12.oh.us/ • Kentucky Department of Education. Districts of Innovation. http://education.ky.gov/school/innov/Pages/ Districts-of-Innovation.aspx • Levin, B., Datnow, A., & Carrier, N. (2012). Changing School District Practices. Jobs for the Future: Students at the Center. http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/sites/scl.dl-dev.com/files/Changing%20School%20 District%20Practices.pdf

Appendix E: Personalized Learning Resources | Page 103

States State-level efforts to make way for personalized learning. • Alliance for Excellent Education. (2013). Strengthening High School Teaching and Learning in New Hampshire’s Competency-Based System. http://all4ed.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ StrengtheningHSTeachingLearningNH.pdf • Business Education Compact. Proficiency Training. http://www.becpdx.org/proficiency/training.aspx • Cavanagh, S. (2012). States Loosening “Seat Time” Requirements. Education Week. http://www.edweek.org/ ew/articles/2012/03/07/23biz-state.h31.html • Fleming, N. (2013). R.I. Students Gaining “Badges,” Credits Outside School. Education Week. http://www. edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/02/06/20credits.h32.html • iNACOL. (2015). A Snapshot of Competency Education State Policy Across the United States. http://www. competencyworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Carnegie_CBE_v5.4.png • Maine Department of Education. Case Studies. http://maine.gov/doe/cbp/case-studies/ • New England Secondary School Consortium. Leadership in Action. http://newenglandssc.org/Leadership_In_ Action • New Hampshire Department of Education. (2011). New Hampshire Task Force on Effective Teaching: Phase 1 Report. http://www.education.nh.gov/teaching/documents/phase1report.pdf • New Hampshire Department of Education. (2012). Executive Summary: Enriching New Hampshire’s Assessment and Accountability Systems through Quality Performance Assessment. http://www.education. nh.gov/assessment-systems/documents/executive-summary.pdf • New Hampshire Department of Education. Course-Level and Statewide Competencies. http://education. nh.gov/innovations/hs_redesign/competencies.htm • New Hampshire Summit. Redefining Educator Development for 21st Century Learners. http://www. nhsummit.org/ • North Carolina New Schools. Stem Education in North Carolina. http://ncnewschools.org/uploads/resources/ ncnsp-report-stem-education-in-north-carolina.pdf • Rhode Island Department of Education. Office of Multiple Pathways. http://www.ride.ri.gov/InsideRIDE/ RIDEOffices/MultiplePathways.aspx • State of New Jersey Department of Education. A Guide for Implementing Personalized Student Learning Plan (PSLP) Programs. http://www.state.nj.us/education/cte/pslp/PSLPGuide.pdf • The New England Network for Personalization and Performance (NENPP). Project Summary. http://www. thenewenglandnetwork.net/project-summary • White, T. (2013). Giving Credit Where Credit’s Due: A 50-State Scan of Course Credit Policies. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. http://cdn.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-content/ uploads/2013/08/CUP_Policy_MayUpdate1.pdf • Wyoming Department of Education. District Assessment System. http://edu.wyoming.gov/educators/ accountability/district-assessment/ Organizations Organizations interested in expanding the presence of personalized learning. • Achieve. http://www.achieve.org/ • American Youth Policy Forum. http://www.aypf.org/ • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ • CCSSO. Innovation Lab Network. http://www.ccsso.org/What_We_Do/Innovation_Lab_Network.html • CELL at University of Indianapolis. http://www.reyn.org/

Appendix E: Personalized Learning Resources | Page 104

• CompetencyWorks. http://www.competencyworks.org/ • Education Cities. http://education-cities.org/ • Forum for Youth Investment. http://forumfyi.org/ • Great Schools Partnership. http://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/ • iNACOL. http://www.inacol.org/ • KnowledgeWorks. http://knowledgeworks.org/ • Nellie Mae Education Foundation. http://www.nmefoundation.org/ • Next Generation Learning Challenges. http://nextgenlearning.org/ • Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.smarterbalanced.org/ resources-events/faqs/ • Students at the Center: A Jobs for the Future Project. http://www.studentsatthecenter.org/ • The Institute @ CESA #1. http://www.cesa1.k12.wi.us/institute/#.VV9BrPlViko KnowledgeWorks Papers KnowledgeWorks publications focused on personalized learning. • Knowledgeworks. (2012). Recombinant Education: Regenerating the Learning Ecosystem. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/download/file/fid/793 • Pace, L. (2013). Competency Education Series: Policy Brief One: An Emerging Federal Role for Competency Education. KnowledgeWorks. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/sites/default/files/CompetencyEducation-Series%20-Policy-Brief-One.pdf • Pace, L. (2013). Competency Education Series: Policy Brief Two: Federal Innovations Competitions: A Catalyst for Competency Education. KnowledgeWorks. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/sites/default/files/ Competency-based-education-policy-brief-two.pdf • Pace, L. (2013). High School Race to the Top: 10 Essential Elements for High School Reform and College and Career Ready Success. KnowledgeWorks. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/sites/default/files/High%20 School%20Race%20to%20the%20Top.pdf • Pace, L., Moyer, J., & Williams, M. (2015). Building Consensus and Momentum: A Policy and Political Landscape for K-12 Competency Education. KnowledgeWorks. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/sites/ default/files/policy-political-landscape-k12-competency-education.PDF • Pace, L. & Worthen, M. (2014). A K-12 Federal Policy Framework for Competency Education: Building Capacity for Systems Change. CompetencyWorks, iNACOL, & KnowledgeWorks. http://www. knowledgeworks.org/sites/default/files/CompetencyWorks_A_K-12_Federal_Policy_Framework_for_Competency_ Education_February_2014.pdf • Pace, L. & Worthen, M. (2014). Laying the Foundation for Competency Education: A Policy Guide for the Next Generation Educator Workforce. KnowledgeWorks & iNACOL. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/sites/ default/files/laying-foundation-competency-education-policy-guide.pdf • Williams, M., Moyer, J., & Jenkins, S. (2014). District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide to Scaling Personalized Learning. KnowledgeWorks. http://www.knowledgeworks.org/sites/default/files/districtconditions-scaling-personalized-learning.pdf Other Toolkits Tools from other organizations to encourage the development and expansion of personalized learning approaches. • Achieve. Competency-Based Pathways Communications Toolkit. http://www.achieve.org/ CBPCommunicationsToolkit • Achieve. Assessment to Support Competency-Based Pathways. http://www.achieve.org/publications/ assessment-support-competency-based-pathways Appendix E: Personalized Learning Resources | Page 105

• Calkins, A. & Vogt, K. (2015). Looking to Personalize Learning? Yes! Now What?? [Blog post]. edSurge. https://www.edsurge.com/n/2015-04-12-personalized-learning-yes-now-what • Edwards, D. (2013). Rethink: Planning and Designing for K-12 Next Generation Learning. iNACOL & NGLC. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NGT1303.pdf • Students at the Center. Resources. http://studentsatthecenter.org/resources?field_resource_type_tid=101 Policy Papers Research and recommendations on what it will take to create policies that encourage personalized learning. • Achieve. (2013). Advancing Competency-Based Pathways to College and Career Readiness: A State Policy Framework for Graduation Requirements, Assessment and Accountability. http://achieve.org/ files/13-195%20Achieve_CBP_07018.pdf • American Youth Policy Forum. (2013). Moving to Mastery: A National Policy Forum on Competency-Based Education. http://www.aypf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mar-1-2013-AYPF-Forum-Brief.pdf • Barrick, D. & Norton, S. (2012). Student-Centered Learning in New Hampshire: An Overview and Analysis. New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies. http://www.nhpolicy.org/UploadedFiles/Reports/nelliemae_ final1a.pdf • Freeland, J. (2014). From policy to practice: How competency-based education is evolving in New Hampshire. Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. http://www.christenseninstitute.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/05/From-policy-to-practice.pdf • Martinez, A. & Davis Poon, J. (2015). Innovation in Action: State Pathways for Advancing Student-Centered Learning. CCSSO. http://www.ccsso.org/Documents/ILN%20Logic%20Model%20White%20Paper-online%20 file.pdf • National Governors Association. (2012). State Strategies for Awarding Credit to Support Student Learning. http://www.nga.org/cms/home/nga-center-for-best-practices/center-publications/page-edu-publications/col2content/main-content-list/state-strategies-for-awarding-cr.html • Patrick, S. & Sturgis, C. (2011). Cracking the Code: Synchronizing Policy and Practice for PerformanceBased Learning. iNACOL. http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/iNACOL_CrackingCode_full_ report.pdf • Patrick, S. & Sturgis, C. (2013). Necessary for Success: Building Mastery of World-Class Skills. A CompetencyWorks Issue Brief, International Association for K-12 Online Learning. http://www. competencyworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/inacol_cw_issuebrief_building_mastery_final.pdf • Shubilla, L. & Sturgis, C. (2012). The Learning Edge: Supporting Student Success in a Competency-Based Learning Environment. iNACOL & CompetencyWorks. http://www.competencyworks.org/wp-content/ uploads/2012/12/iNACOL_CW_IssueBrief_LearningEdge_full.pdf • Sturgis, C., Patrick, S., & Pittenger, L. (2011). It’s Not a Matter of Time: Highlights from the 2011 Competency-Based Learning Summit. iNACOL & CCSSO. http://www.competencyworks.org/wp-content/ uploads/2012/04/iNACOL_Its_Not_A_Matter_of_Time_full_report.pdf • Sturgis, S. & Patrick, S. (2012). When Success is the Only Option: Designing Competency-Based Pathways for Next Generation Learning. iNACOL & CompetencyWorks. http://www.competencyworks.org/wp-content/ uploads/2012/04/iNACOL_SuccessOnlyOptn.pdf Assessing Student Engagement and Non-Cognitive Skills Approaches to understanding and assessing growth and performance beyond academics. • Gallup Student Poll. http://www.gallupstudentpoll.com/home.aspx • KIPP. Character Counts. http://www.kipp.org/our-approach/character

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• Kyllonen, P. (2013). Getting Serious about Testing Non-Cognitive Skills in Schools: From Accountability to Admissions [PowerPoint slides]. http://www.ceppe.cl/images/stories/recursos/presentaciones/nov/kyllonensantiago-december-2013.pdf • Mindset. Test Your Mindset. http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php • Montgomery County Public Schools. Gallup Student and Staff Engagement Survey. http://www. montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/gallup/ • Panorama Education. https://www.panoramaed.com/ • State of New Mexico Public Education Department. (2012). Opportunity to Learn Survey Items Released [Memorandum]. http://www.ped.state.nm.us/AssessmentAccountability/AssessmentEvaluation/dl12/ OPPORTUNITYTOLEARNSURVEYITEMSRELEASED001.pdf • StriveTogether. Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning Competencies. http://www.strivetogether.org/ resources/introduction-social-and-emotional-learning-competencies • The Duckworth Lab: University of Pennsylvania. Research & Measures. https://sites.sas.upenn.edu/ duckworth/pages/research • The Hope Survey. http://www.hopesurvey.org/ • The University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Education, BEAR Center. Assessment of Noncognitive Skills: Substantive Interpretations, Technical Challenges and Future Directions. http://bearcenter.berkeley.edu/seminar/assessment-noncognitive-skills-substantive-interpretations-technicalchallenges-and-future Alternative Assessment/Accountability Assessment and accountability systems that better support personalized learning. • Adamson, F. & Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). Beyond Basic Skills: The Role of Performance Assessment in Achieving 21st Century Standards of Living. Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education, Stanford University. https://scale.stanford.edu/system/files/beyond-basic-skills-role-performance-assessment-achieving21st-century-standards-learning.pdf • Center on Education Policy. (2012). Oregon Profile of State High School Exit Exam Policies. http://www.cepdc.org/documents/HSEE2012Profiles/OregonHSEE2012.pdf • ETS. The CBAL™ Initiative: Innovation in K-12 Assessment. https://www.ets.org/research/topics/cbal/ initiative/ • Jerald, C. D. (2012). On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service. Education Sector Reports. Washington, D.C. http://www.stuartfoundation.org/Files/UKInspections-RELEASED.pdf • Leather, P. & Ruff, D. (2012). Proficiency-Based Learning Task Force: Final Report Draft 3.0. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. http://newenglandssc.s3.amazonaws.com/4/ee/1/1424/ProfBTK_ Report_v_3.0.pdf • Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. (2013). NCLB Waiver for CORE Districts [PowerPoint slides]. http://laschoolboard.org/sites/default/files/CORE%20Waiver%20Overview%209%204%20 13.pdf • Stack, B. (2014). Quality Performance Assessments Are Trending at Sanborn and in NH [Blog post]. http:// srhsprincipalsblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/quality-performance-assessments-are.html

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Technology and Data The unique roles and uses of technology and data in personalized learning. • Ash, K. (2012). Competency-Based School Embrace Digital Learning. Education Week: Digital Directions. http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/10/17/01competency.h06.html • Ash, K. (2013). Fragmented Data Systems a Barrier to Better Schools, Experts Say. Education Week. http:// www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/03/14/25datadelivery.h32.html • Cincinnati Public Schools & StrivePartnership. Cincinnati Learning Partner Dashboard. https:// partnerdashboard.cps-k12.org/strive/ • Exit Ticket. Empowering Personalized Learning through Just-in-Time Data. http://exitticket.org/ • Glowa, L. (2013). Re-Engineering Information Technology: Design Considerations for Competency Education. iNACOL & CompetencyWorks. http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/reengineering-information.pdf • Horn, M. & Staker, H. (2012). Classifying K-12 Blended Learning. Innosight Institute. http://www. innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Classifying-K-12-blended-learning2.pdf • Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/ • Mieles, T. & Foley, E. (2005). From Data to Decisions: Lessons from School Districts Using Data Warehousing. Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. http://annenberginstitute.org/pdf/ DataWarehousing.pdf • StriveTogether. Strive Student Success Dashboard. http://www.strivetogether.org/sites/default/files/images/ SSD%2520Feature%2520Sheet%2520Rev.pdf Higher Ed and Workforce Readiness Building college and career readiness. • America’s Promise Alliance. Building a Grad Nation Report. http://www.americaspromise.org/building-gradnation-report • Business Roundtable. (2009). Lifelong Learning: An Essential Factor in Workforce Success and Global Competitiveness [PowerPoint slides]. http://businessroundtable.org/sites/default/files/20091008_American_ Worker_Survey_Telebriefing_Presentation.pdf • Complete College America. (2012). Remediation: Higher Education’s Bridge to Nowhere. https://www. insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/files/CCA%20Remediation%20ES%20FINAL.pdf • Fain, P. (2013). Beyond the Credit Hour. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/ news/2013/03/19/feds-give-nudge-competency-based-education • Oldham, C. (2013). Answering the Call to Fix the Skills Gap [Blog post]. Institute for a Competitive Workforce, A Program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. http://www.uschamberfoundation.org/blog/ answering-call-fix-skills-gap • Porter, C. (2013). College Degree, No Class Time Required. The Wall Street Journal. http://www.wsj.com/ articles/SB10001424127887323301104578255992379228564 • The William and Flora Hewlitt Foundation. (2013). Deeper Learning Competencies. http://www.hewlett.org/ uploads/documents/Deeper_Learning_Defined__April_2013.pdf

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Innovation Funds Grants that can encourage personalized learning approaches. • The White House. (2011). A Strategy for American Innovation: Securing Our Economic Growth and Prosperity. http://www.slideshare.net/whitehouse/a-strategy-for-american-innovation • U.S. Department of Education. Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/ index.html • U.S. Department of Education. Race to the Top District (RTTT-D). http://www2.ed.gov/programs/ racetothetop-district/index.html • U.S. Department of Education. Race to the Top Fund. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html Miscellaneous Other interesting and useful personalized learning resources. • American Youth Policy Forum. (2013). The Role of Expanded Learning Opportunities in CompetencyBased Education Systems [Discussion Group Summary]. http://www.aypf.org/resources/the-role-of-expandedlearning-opportunities-in-competency-based-education-systems/ • Coleman, C. (2014, August 19). Taking the Risk [Blog post]. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning_ deeply/2014/08/taking_the_risk.html • Devaney, L. (2014). Transforming Learning with Physical Spaces. eSchool News. http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/09/24/transforming-learning-spaces-034/ • Patrick, S., Kennedy, K., & Powell, A. (2013). Mean What You Say: Defining and Integrating Personalized, Blended and Competency Education. iNACOL. http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/meanwhat-you-say.pdf • Sturgis, C. (2012). The Art and Science of Designing Competencies. iNACOL & CompetencyWorks. http:// www.competencyworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/CompetencyWorks_IssueBrief_DesignCompetenciesAug-2012.pdf • Sturgis, C. (2014). Progress and Proficiency: Redesigning Grading for Competency Education. iNACOL & CompetencyWorks. http://www.competencyworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CW-Progress-andProficiency-January-2014.pdf • Sturgis, C., Rath, B., Weisstein, E., & Patrick, S. (2010). Clearing the Path: Creating Innovation Space for Serving Over-Age, Under-Credited Students in Competency-Based Pathways. iNACOL. http://www.inacol. org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/clearing-the-path.pdf • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Public Housing Investments. Connecting to Success: Neighborhood Networks Asset Mapping Guide. http://lnshhq05w.hud.gov/NN/websites.nsf/ AttachmentsA/456E7EEFD772500C8525703F00614E6A/$File/assetmapping.pdf?OpenElement Books • Hess, R. M. (2010). The Same Thing Over and Over: How School Reformers get Stuck in Yesterday’s Ideas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. • Kay, K. & Greenhill, V. (2013). The Leader’s Guide to 21st Century Education: 7 Steps for Schools and Districts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We owe thanks to many in the creation of this Strategic Planning and Communications Toolkit: The Nellie Mae Education Foundation which generously funded this phase of our District Conditions work and Charlie Toulmin and Eve Goldberg for their support and sage advice. The Hill Group, particularly Jordan Pallitto and Stephanie Mancine, for their facilitation, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement expertise that was critical to the creation of the toolkit. The staff at KnowledgeWorks for their support and advice in this work, particularly Judy Peppler, Nancy Arnold, Lillian Pace, Robin Kanaan, Mary Kenkel, Carly Rospert (StriveTogether), and Parvathi Santhosh-Kumar (StriveTogether). The thoughtful participants in our convening in Dallas for their encouragement and constructive comments on our draft toolkit: Mario Basora* of Yellow Springs Schools in Ohio. Bruce Atchison of the Education Commission of the States. Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey of Personalize Learning. Gary Chapin of the Center for Collaborative Education. Carmen Coleman of the University of Kentucky. David Cook of the Kentucky Department of Education. Theresa Ewald* of Kettle Moraine School District in Wisconsin. Mindy Faber of the Convergence Academies, an initiative of the Center for Community Arts Partnerships at Columbia College Chicago. Melinda George of the National Commission on Teaching & Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Future. Lizzette Gonzalez-Reynolds of the Texas Education Agency and the KnowledgeWorks Board of Directors. Virgel Hammonds* formerly of RSU2 in Maine. Eileen Harrity of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Alison Hramiec and Andrea Kunst of Boston Day and Evening Academy. Mark Kostin of the Great Schools Partnership. Bonnie Latham of Getting Smart. Gretchen Morgan of the Colorado Department of Education. Karla Phillips of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Jennifer Poon of the Council of Chief State School Officers. Jim Rickabaugh* and Jean Garrity* of The Institute @ CESA #1 in Wisconsin. Stephen Saunders of Adams County School District 50 in Colorado. Rebecca Wolfe of Jobs for the Future. Maria Worthen of iNACOL. *District leaders and their supporters who shared their experiences in personalized learning implementation through interviews, including those marked above with an asterisk and those listed below: Allen Bourff and Dawn McGrath of Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Indiana. David Dresslar, Janet Boyle, and Kyleigh Gerlach of the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis. Elizabeth Fagen and Jason Germain of Douglas County School District in Colorado.

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Jason Glass of Eagle County Schools in Colorado. Oliver Grenham of Adams County School District 50 in Colorado. Mark Morrison of Napa Valley Unified School District in California. Shawn Smith of Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township in Indiana. Marcy Szostak of Center Grove Community School Corporation in Indiana. John Taylor of Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indiana. Valerie Truesdale of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina.

About KnowledgeWorks KnowledgeWorks is an Ohio-based nonprofit social enterprise that works to foster meaningful personalized learning that enables every student to thrive in college, career and civic life. KnowledgeWorks works on the ground with schools and communities through a portfolio of innovative education approaches, helps state and federal leaders establish policy conditions necessary to prepare all students for success, and provide national thought leadership around the future of learning. www.knowledgeworks.org

About The Hill Group Founded in 1953, The Hill Group, Inc. is a premier provider of management counsel, specializing in strategy, operations, and measurement. Our firm serves a wide range of private and public sector clients, including large corporations, institutions, nonprofits, and governments. Our efforts in PreK-12 and higher education include strategy development and assessment to help schools, universities, and advocacy organizations more effectively and efficiently achieve results. Our consultants have deep experience across several industries allowing our team to draw on best practices from a variety of sectors to help our clients grow, innovate, and achieve maximum potential. www.thehillgroupinc.com. The Hill Group’s work in education and experience in the business sector were invaluable in executing our vision for this toolkit.

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