On the Road to Oz, 3| Professional Development

An after-school training session designed to help improve art instruction draws teachers from throughout the district.

The four travelers passed through the rest of the forest in safety, and when they came out from its gloom saw before them a steep hill, covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock.
"That will be a hard climb," said the Scarecrow, "but we must get over the hill, nevertheless."
So he led the way and the others followed.

With a high population of English-language learners and a mobility rate of 40 percent, College Place Elementary is one of the most socioeconomically challenged schools in the district. Even so, it is a school where professional development efforts — specifically, learning teams — are making a visible difference in student performance. While grade-level test scores still have room to grow, the rate of improvement in recent years has been impressive. "We've come a long way," says Principal Sue Venable.

Four years ago, College Place began working with a staff learning team. The first year was devoted to the district math project. The next year, the learning team turned the focus to the complexities of instituting state standards. A three-day summer seminar provided an intensive introduction to the subject.

"It was the first time I was exposed to what it really means to have a standards-based system," says sixth-grade teacher Emily Lauderback, "and what elements are crucial to make it work." They tackled such topics as standards, instruction and assessment, student learning, and reflection. The training, she says, "really helped us buy into the standards movement. We could see how phenomenal it would be for the kids."

As the team came to understand what was necessary to make standards work, and as they examined current practices at College Place Elementary, they came up with recommendations for some big shifts in the classroom. Among these were aligning the curriculum and developing appropriate assessments. To assist them in this endeavor, two more learning teams were formed, one specializing in literacy and one in math.

In addition to their work on alignment and assessment, the teams learned to analyze test data and identify areas where instruction needed improvement, then make recommendations for change. For example, to address the unique needs of their students who are learning English, the literacy team recommended that the staff make a shift in reading instruction, adopting a flexible grouping approach where smaller groups of students would receive more intense instruction with the help of both teachers and educational assistants. The rest of the staff agreed.

Today, both reading scores and teacher observations provide evidence of success.

Kathleen Seymour, a first-grade teacher, says, "I've already had to retool my program since the kids are so much further ahead this year than last."

Meanwhile, the original learning team has continued its focus on whole-school issues such as developing a portfolio system to chronicle student progress and help with assessment. These portfolios stay with children throughout their years at CPE, providing tangible evidence of improvement.

Without a doubt, CPE teamwork has helped to create a more cohesive and effective staff.

"Communication is so strong, not just at grade level, but throughout the school," says teacher Taylor Frazier. "We're a team."

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