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Empowering Learners

Implement instructional practices that engage students in developing and demonstrating their knowledge and skills through rigorous, innovative, and relevant learning experiences.

1.1 Cultivate a shared understanding and common vision of high-quality instructional practices that develop all students toward the profile of our ideal graduate.

1.2 Collaborate within and across schools to ensure consistent implementation of high-quality instructional practices.

1.3 Systematically promote opportunities for innovation in learning and teaching.

1.4 Provide opportunities for students and educators to use technology to solve problems, learn and communicate.

 

1.1 Cultivate a shared understanding and common vision of high-quality instructional practices that develop all students toward the profile of our ideal graduate

  • Identify a committee to lead this initiative.
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Northborough, Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA)
    • Date: September, 2020
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Inventory and assess the curricular tools and resources including technology that are used to support high-quality learning and teaching
    • Person Responsible: Assistant Superintendent, building principals, and curriculum leaders (PreK-12)
    • Date: December, 2020
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Agree upon a framework, grounded in current learning theory, to define the District’s definition of high-quality instructional practices
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Northborough, Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA) and curriculum leaders (PreK-12)
    • Date: March, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Identify a committee to lead this initiative.
    • Person Responsible: Assistant Superintendent, and Northborough, Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA), and curriculum leaders (PreK-12)
    • Date: May, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: Yes (Resources, substitutes, and design work)

1.2 Collaborate within and across schools to ensure consistent implementation of high-quality instructional practices

  • Administer a baseline assessment of District and school-based opportunities for faculty and staff to engage in professional collaboration
    • Person Responsible: Assistant Superintendent, building principals, and curriculum leaders (PreK-12)
    • Date: January, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Further develop systems for professional collaboration to support consistent implementation including: enhancing structures and processes for high-performing collaborative teams and providing opportunities for peer-to-peer observational practices such as instructional rounds
    • Person Responsible: Assistant Superintendent, building principals, and curriculum leaders (PreK-12)
    • Date: May, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Build upon current systems of feedback for educators and administrators that support improvement and growth
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Northborough, Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA)
    • Date: October-May, 2020-2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Develop systems for the common use of digital learning platforms and tools for in-person and remote learning environments
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant, Director of  Instructional Technology and Digital Learning, and Instructional Technology Specialists
    • Date: October-May, 2020-2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: Yes (Resources, substitutes, and design work)

1.3 Systematically promote innovation in learning and teaching

  • Create a District Innovation Committee to inventory and assess innovative learning opportunities throughout the District
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Northborough, Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA)
    • Date: November, 2020
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Create a District webpage that highlights Innovation
    • Person Responsible: Innovation Committee and Director of  Instructional Technology and Digital Learning
    • Date: April, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Provide professional learning opportunities, through District professional development day, to support educators in developing innovative approaches to learning and teaching
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Instructional Technology and Digital Learning, Northborough, Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA), and curriculum leaders (PreK-12)
    • Date: September,2020 - June, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: Yes (Resources, substitutes, and design work) Estimate: $30,000 (Included in FY21 Budgets)

1.4 Provide opportunities for students and educators to use technology to solve problems, learn and communicate

  • Reconvene committee to develop and implement a baseline assessment of how technology is being used and the degree to which Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) standards are integrated into curricula. Committee will also introduce a long term plan for how all students K-12 will engage in meaningful, high-quality. digital literacy and computer science curriculum and instruction.
    • Person Responsible: Director of Instructional Technology and Digital Learning, Digital Literacy Leaders (DLL), and building principals
    • Date: September 2020 - December, 2020
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: No predicted budget impact
  • Create and launch professional learning pathways for administrators, faculty, and staff that can build upon their understanding of how to integrate technology, use learning platforms to support student learning, and build digital literacy into high-quality instruction including through a District professional development day
    • Person Responsible: Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Instructional Technology and Digital Learning, and Northborough,
      Algonquin, and Southborough Administrators leadership team (NASA)
    • Date: January - June, 2021
    • Status [future work, in process, completed]: 
    • Budget Impact: Yes (Resources, substitutes, and design work) Estimate: $30,000