It’s About Time: A Model forTransformative Professional

Development

Presented byIvan Cheng

Collaboration and Student Success ConferenceJune 20, 2006

Welcome

• Background• The SITTE model

What we did What we found How we did it What we must do Where do we go next?

• The DREAMS Collaborative

Agenda

Problem

• Algebra success rate in high schools is low in Los Angeles Unified School District.

• Failure in algebra “triggers dropouts more than any single subject” according to Superintendent Roy Romer.

• Teachers need time to rethink and revise their teaching strategies.

Background

What Teachers Need

“To improve their mathematics instruction, teachers must be able to analyze what they and their students are doing and consider how those actions are affecting students’ learning.” NCTM Principles and Standards, p. 18

Background

What Teachers Experience

“The environments in which most teachers work have been structured in ways that actually work against the kind of sustained collaboration that we have suggested is needed for significant and steady improvement.” Stigler and Hiebert, 1999, p. 172

Background

ARCHES Collaborative

• Los Angeles Unified School District

• California State University Northridge

• Los Angeles Mission College• Project GRAD Los Angeles• Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• Los Angeles Unified School District– District 2 serves over 106,000 students

– Provides extensive professional development for teachers

– Provides paid time for teachers for teachers to engage in SITTE

– Provides training for math coaches

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• California State University Northridge– Engaged in Teachers for a New Era project sponsored by Carnegie Corp.

– Provides resources through Center for Teaching and Learning

– Provides personnel and knowledge for research and evaluation

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• Los Angeles Mission College– Provides access to higher education for local community

– Provides engaging programs such as culinary arts and robotics

– Provides concurrent enrollment and college credit for high school students

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• Project GRAD Los Angeles– National non-profit organization to promote college readiness and success

– Provides tutoring, summer institutes, field trips for students

– Provides training and resources for teachers and parents

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley– Networks local businesses to support education

– Provides internship opportunities for students

– Hosts education summits and meetings

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• “Fix” the teachers to improve student achievement.

• Focus on student learning to foster teacher learning.

What We Did

ARCHES Collaborative

• Designed a pilot project based on research from the Inter-session Teaching and Training (ITT) project in 2004

• Implemented Student Improvement Through Teacher Empowerment (SITTE) pilot project in 2006

What We Did

What We Found

How did ITT affect what teachers know about what their students know or don’t know?

• Teachers increased their awareness of student thinking:– Acquaintance with alternative

solutions– Watchfulness of student misconceptions– Attentiveness to student attitudes– Responsiveness to student reasoning– Expectation of trajectories in student

thinking• Teachers increased the application of

their knowledge of student thinking:– Guiding principles for lesson design

How did the ITT professional development experience affect teacher beliefs and practices?

• Teachers increased their flexibility and resourcefulness– Departing from the textbook– Designing lessons based on student

learning needs• Teachers increased in their sense of

efficacy and confidence to find instructional solutions– Attitudes about students– Attitudes about self

• Teachers increased their interdependence and teamwork– During ITT– After ITT

What We Found

How did the ITT professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

What We Found

How did the ITT professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

0102030405060708090

100

Fail D C B A

Spring 2004 Inter-session 2003/2004 ITT Algebra 1A

What We Found

How did the ITT professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

Spring 2004

75%

25%

Fail Pass

What We Found

How did the ITT professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

Inter-session '03/'04

61%

39%

Fail Pass

What We Found

How did the ITT professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

ITT Algebra 1A

40%

60%

Fail Pass

What We Found

How did the ITT professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Spring 2004

Inter-session'03/'04

ITT Algebra 1A

Comparison of Pass Rates

What We Found

Comparison of Pass Rates

How did the SITTE professional development experience affect student achievement?

• Test scores improved– Significant improvement in MDTP– Small gains in District Quarterly

Assessment• Grades improved

– Pass rate increased (60.4%)– Perceptions of teachers improved

• In-class performance and dispositions improved– Greater participation and higher

engagement– Increased sense of efficacy and

perseverance

What We Found

70.53%

47.62%

29.47%

52.38%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Comparison of Pass/Fail Rates

SITTE 2006Inter-session 2005

SITTE 2006Inter-session 2005

Pass

Fail

Discussion

• What are some ways that schools can foster teacher learning?

How We Did It

Ways to Foster Teacher Learning

Going to workshops--come back to share Anchor teachers to mentor colleagues Intensive training in Math Matters Formalizing professional development in teacher training

in technology Website available, EdGate Alternative assignments Summer algebra flagship institute Professional learning communities, master schedule with

common preps Sponsor teacher to go into industry

Deficit “Empty Vessel” Model

PD

How We Did It

Focus on student learning to foster teacher learning

Student Learning

How We Did It

Professional Development as a Lever

Knowledge

StudentLearning &Achievement

How We Did It

Method

• Professional development aligned with district instructional guidance systems

• Professional development situated in the context of actual classroom teaching

• Daily collaborative lesson planning• Reflecting and refining lessons based on ongoing recognition of student thinking

How We Did It

Activity

• “Scrambled Numbers”

• Cover-Up Equations

• Fraction Boxes

How We Did It

10 – = 72x + 1

3

How We Did It

Cover-Up Equations

1. Understand local context and teacher needs

2. Use teacher knowledge to build new knowledge

3. Focus on student improvement rather than teacher development

4. Provide tools and resources

5. Focus on what works, but ask tough questions

6. Create the environment that promotes engagement through empowerment

What We Must Do

Discussion

• What elements of this model did you like?

• What elements have we not considered?

• What would it take to make this work in your setting?

Where Do We Go Next?

What Elements Did You Like?

Identify the problem and come up with solutions “It’s the student’s fault” Focus on what teachers already know Teacher dialogue Sharing strategies Focused on structuring information rather than clinging

to book Attention to patterns and student understanding

What Have We Not Considered?

What about kids who don’t come prepared Who decides the curriculum? Or structure at the start? Future tracking of student achievement Intervention for support class during class? Survey students at the end of the course Return on investment based on numbers of students and

cost savings

The Challenge

Leadership needs to shift “from one of bureaucratic authority, where change is led by telling and selling, to a leadership style of protecting commitment to shared values determined by teachers engaged in a collaborative and co-creative process.”

Dr. Timothy Kanold NCSM

President

Where Do We Go Next?

A New Vision

Developing Resources and Empowering Activities to Motivate Students (DREAMS)

Where Do We Go Next?

• Scale up effort for SITTE• Technology support for collaboration

• Robotics pipeline for students

• Internship opportunities with RWCs

• DREAMS Summit to create new solutions

The DREAMS Collaborative

A New Vision

• Based on SITTE process of empowerment

• Focused on student achievement

• Aimed at changing systems• Structured to provide room to grow

• Energized by innovation and creativity

• Designed to benefit all stakeholders

• Sustained by ongoing collaboration

Thank You

It’s About Time: A Model forTransformative Professional

Development

Ivan Cheng icheng@csun.eduwww.csun.edu/~icheng

Joe Morgan joemorgan@earthlink.net

Collaboration and Student Success ConferenceJune 20, 2006

What Would It Take to Work?

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