Our First, Region-Wide Priority for the 2014-2015 School Year is:Cultivating Academically-Accomplished, Culturally Competent, and Critically Conscious Student Leaders :

“Mississippi students are mastering rigorous content, building critical consciousness and cultural competence and developing their leaderships skills in and out of their culturally responsive classrooms.”

In the Humanities, we are uniquely poised to ensure this priority is met in service of our teachers and our students acting as forces for social justice and equity. In fact, we hold the following vision for our Humanities classrooms:

The following document analyzes our progress towards this vision and our first regional priority in the Humanities during Quarter 3 of the 2014-2015 school year, and proposes our next set of priorities, measures, and strategies for Quarter 4.

This document contains:

Part 1: Goals and Progress to GoalsPart 2: Quarter 4 Priorities and Strategies

Part 3: Quarter 4 Pacing and Other Strategic Levers

THE HUMANITIES VISION FOR CONTENT

We believe that the Humanities are critical contents in the actualization of Social Justice and Equity in students’ lives. We thus move students towards Humanities Achievement, Leadership, Critical Consciousness, and Cultural Competence.

As such, we act with the knowledge that every Humanities classroom must aggressively pursue the dismantling of systems of

oppression through the provision of rigorous Humanities content and Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Part 1: Goals and Progress to GoalsPriority 1: Engagement With Rigorous Content

Students are engaged in the content because it is rigorous, compelling, and focused around essential questions that bring to light social justice issues. Because teachers are planning units and lessons that have strong visions of mastery, and that are propelled by essential questions and meaningful texts.

Measures80% ERC Application Analysis OR Evaluation Synthesis 100% Teachers have EOY Assessment Determined

ProgressBeginning of Quarter 3 End of Quarter 3 (02/25)

Engagement with Rigorous Content

Social Studies

The Arts

World Languages

All Humanities

Not challenged; no learning 0% 14% 14% 10%

Passive or confused re: new content 25% 21% 7% 18%

Factual recall 42% 36% 71% 50%

Analysis / application 25% 29% 7% 20%

Evaluation / synthesis / creation 0% 0% 0% 3%

EOY Assessment Determined: 0%

Engagement with Rigorous Content

Social Studies

The Arts

World Language

s

All Humanitie

sNot challenged; no

learning 0% 6% 7% 5%

Passive or confused re: new content 8% 6% 0% 5%

Factual recall 50% 63% 79% 64%

Analysis / application 33% 25% 14% 24%

Evaluation / synthesis / creation 8% 0% 0% 2%

EOY Assessment Determined: 79%

Potential CausesStrengths Areas For Growth

- A focus on EOY Assessments in coaching, sessions, etc.- Increased collaboration through Extravaganzas, community visits (in

collaboration with TLD Coaches), coaching, and Field Days- Specialized PD around scaffolding, rigor, literacy and writing strategies,

mirrored by rigor emphasis in blog posts – strong HumLeader involvement.- Some CMs embracing Common Core Standards and working with school-

level colleagues to increase rigor.- Observations of experienced and veteran (non-TFA) teachers in Field Days.

- Need consistent, data-driven, EOY-aligned UPs and LPs. Need HumLeaders to be more explicit when doing this.

- LPs not always based in social justice EQs and high-rigor execution.- Peer video coaching under-attended.- Potential misalignment with coaches on rigor and what content

coaching should look like on the cohort level.- SS: Difficulty of DBQs and Primary Sources, especially in US History.- WL: Struggle/lack of clarity to move beyond factual/recall.

- Strategic use of face time with Coaches and CMs (emphasis on planning)

Priority 2: Culture of AchievementStudents are “on the hook” for their learning because they are collectively, collaboratively, and fully owning the outcomes of the lesson. Because teachers are ensuring students are being given ownership of their own learning by facilitating strong collaborative structures around rigorous content.

Measures70 % COA Interested and Hard-working OR Passionate 100% Classrooms have daily collaborative routines

ProgressBeginning of Quarter 3 End of Quarter 3 (02/25)

Culture of Achievement

Social Studies

The Arts

World Languages

All Humanities

Destructive 0% 14% 7% 8%

Apathetic or unruly 33% 29% 21% 28%

Compliant and on-task 58% 21% 57% 45%

Interested / hard-working 8% 36% 14% 20%

Passionate / urgent / joyful 8% 0% 0% 2%

Collaborative Structures: 4 out of 13 classrooms observed using daily collaborative structures.

Collaborative Structures: TBD – not enough classrooms observed to draw out comparable data

Trends and Potential CausesStrengths Areas For Growth

Culture of Achievement

Social Studies

The Arts

World Languages

All Humanities

Destructive 0% 6% 7% 5%

Apathetic or unruly 17% 25% 0% 14%

Compliant and on-task 50% 31% 57% 45%

Interested / hard-working 25% 38% 36% 33%

Passionate / urgent / joyful 8% 0% 0% 2%

- Increased collaboration through Extravaganzas, community visits, coaching, and Field Days – strong HumLeader involvement.

- Observations of experienced and veteran (non-TFA) teachers in Field Days.- Innovation Fair at Q3 Extravaganza focused on “Humanizing Humanities

Classrooms” and feedback shared indicates a lot of learning took place – may not be reflected in current data.

- Increased attendance to in-person PDs improving support networks.- Strategic use of face time with Coaches and CMs (emphasis on planning)

- Careful analysis and use of data to plan high-rigor lessons that include scaffolding and differentiation.

- Little attendance of peer-to-peer video coaching- Lack of emphasis in P2-aligned Humanities PD in Q3.- Potential mindsets around student ability to collaborate.- Content and CoA still viewed as separate by some CMs – thus

procedures are not in service of learning.- Classrooms Apathetic/Unruly and below correlated with PD attendance

Priority 3: Using Data to Drive Student Leadership and Teacher PlanningStudents are invested in their Humanities-content goals because they see their success as critical to their future leadership, and because they are aware of their progress. Because teachers are invested in their end-of-year goals and what they represent for students, and thus measuring and sharing progress towards goals with students and stakeholders.

Measures100% Progress Known

70% Benchmark Achieved100% of teachers are sharing data explicitly in their classrooms.

ProgressBeginning of Quarter 3 End of Quarter 3 (02/25)

%BA not being

measured yet. Teachers Sharing Data: 4 out of 13 classrooms observed were sharing

data with students.

%BA 44.3% Teachers Sharing Data: TBD – not enough classrooms observed to

draw out comparable data

Trends and Potential Causes- Investment in data increased because of transparency, step-backs, and

Leader Summits by both Humleaders and Jacob.- No attendees for “Making Goals Matter” in early January means few

teachers have a sense of how to share data with students in complex,

Progress Known?

Social Studie

sThe Arts

World Languages

All Humanitie

s

YES 67% 60% 71% 66%

NO 33% 40% 29% 34%

Progress Known?

Social Studie

sThe Arts

World Languages

All Humanities

YES 83% 81% 93% 86%

NO 17% 19% 7% 14%

- Increase in teachers stepping forward with testimonies to the value of data in planning and student relationships.

- Jacob community visits focused on working with teachers and TLD Coaches around data, specifically logistics and sharing with students.

- Innovation Fair at Q3 Extravaganza had strong emphasis on data as humanizing for students – strong HumLeader involvement.

- Blog posts and PDs emphasized current data to explain “Why this? Why now?” and invest teachers.

motivating, and empowering ways. .- Inconsistent data collected at the beginning of the year is making it

hard to collect data now and have it be accurate.- Data is still not being used to plan and/or work with students and

increase student leadership – HumLeaders need to emphasize.- CMs not confident using rubrics to conference with students and invest

them in the goals – skills not built at the beginning of the year.

Humanities Team PriorityAs we approach the second half of the year, we want to encourage more teachers to lead, collaborate, and support in service of our efforts in the Humanities. Our vision for the Humanities team is that we are all valuing one another and one another’s content because we can all learn from the unique skills and assets we bring to this work. We are motivated to work together because we know that teamwork is the only way to bring educational equity to our students.

MeasuresCSI and CALI above regional average on Mid-Year Survey

100% teachers share a resource in their content’s resource exchange.100% participant teachers select “Another teacher (within the TFA

Humanities Team)” as key collaborator in the Humanities Quarter Survey.Progress

Beginning of Quarter 3 End of Quarter 3 (02/25)

Overall Net (%Strong - %Weak)

Mississippi Social Studies

World Languages

The Arts

CALI 44% 33% 34% 72%CSI 7% -10% -13% 19%

47% of participant teachers selected “Another teacher (within the TFA Humanities Team)” as a key resource in the Q2 Survey.

3 teachers had shared resources in their content’s resource exchange at this point in the year.

Overall Net (%Strong - %Weak)

Mississippi Social Studies

World Languages

The Arts

CALI 48% 57% 41% 46%CSI 10% -25% 5% 19%

83% of participant teachers selected “Another teacher (within the TFA Humanities Team)” as a key resource in the Q3 Survey.

10+ teachers lead at Q3 Extravaganza, 30+ attended the collaborative work time, 4 volunteered to lead Specialized

sessions, 11 teachers shared resources in their content folders.

Trends and Potential Causes- Humanities Extravaganzas and Leader Summits have shown huge increase

in morale, collaboration, and investment in collective outcomes.- More teachers expressing the value of collaboration to each other, explicitly

- Regional vision for Social Studies is not aligned to US History assessment and curriculum, especially for first year needs.

- Just hired Heather as new Music leader – while very successful already,

sharing resources and communicating needs/collaboration opportunities.- HumLeaders building relationships and showing consistent support.- HumLeaders modeling resource sharing, collaborating, and learning from

others, as well as stepping up their facilitation and design of skill-building experiences for teachers.

- Coaches asking for more specific support from exemplar teachers and HumLeaders.

- Blog posts highlight resources being shared by others, as well as the work others are doing towards the outcomes.

there is much time to make up for in terms of team-building.- Art teachers are geographically spread out and seem to have many

external commitments that are prioritized above collaboration.- Many teachers still mention institute as not building the necessary skills

for the fall (true across QCES as well as outside).- Teachers feel there was not a prior legacy of resources and mentorship

established to assist with their beginning-of-year development.

Part 2: Quarter 4 Priorities and StrategiesSOLUTIONS:

Q4 PrioritiesMeasures by June 5th, 2015Students are… Because teachers are…

1 - E

RC

…Engaged in the content because it is rigorous, compelling, aligned to a meaningful EOY assessment, and focused around essential questions that bring to light social justice issues.

…Planning units and lessons that have strong visions of mastery, are aligned to a meaningful EOY summative, and that are propelled by essential questions and meaningful texts.

Cultu

re 70 % COA Interested and Hard-working OR Passionate100% Classrooms have daily collaborative routines

Rigo

r 80% ERC Application Analysis OR Evaluation Synthesis100% Teachers have EOY Assessment Determined

2 - C

OA

…”On the hook” for their learning because they believe that the Humanities matter for their education, are working towards meaningful EOY goals, and have the opportunity to do so in collaboration with their peers.

…Ensuring students are advocating for their content, are motivated by a meaningful EOY goal, and are being given ownership of their own learning by facilitating strong collaborative structures around rigorous content.

Same as above

3 - G

OAL

S

…Invested in their Humanities-content EOY goals because they see their success as critical to their future leadership, and because they are aware of their progress towards those goals.

…Are invested in their end-of-year goals and what they represent for students, and thus measuring and sharing progress towards goals with students and stakeholders.

Program tracker data : overall 100% PK, and 100% BA Teacher-evidence: 100% of teachers are sharing data explicitly in their

classrooms. Student-evidence : overall 80% of students can express what their EOY

goal is, and why it matters not only to their future, but to their current role in the world.

Student-evidence: overall 80% of students can talk about concrete ways in which their skills have improved

Team

Cul

ture

As we approach the end of the year, we want to encourage more teachers to lead, collaborate, and support in service of our collective efforts in the Humanities. In particular, we want to ensure that our learning over this past year is continued and transmitted to our incoming peers. Our vision for the Humanities team is that we are all valuing one another and one another’s content because we can all learn from the unique skills and assets we bring to this work. We are motivated to work together because we know that teamwork is the only way to bring educational equity to our students.

All content groups show a CSI and CALI above the regional average. 100% participant teachers select “Another teacher (within TFA)” as a key collaborator in the final Humanities Quarter Survey. 100% teachers share at least one resource in their content’s resource exchange.

ALIGNED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:Note: As we design and facilitate this next round of sessions, we should keep in mind the following:- By far, our most successful PD has been the Humanities Extravaganza because it provided concrete examples derived directly from our classrooms as well

as ample time to collaborate and share resources. - Our Field Days received very high ratings because they exposed teachers to experienced and/or veteran teachers’ classrooms, as well as the extensive

collaborative time they allowed for. - Our most successful sessions allowed for our teachers to see clear and concrete examples of curriculum and/or pedagogy in action- Our most successful sessions encouraged collaboration among teachers, and a free exchange of ideas.- We now have more volunteers and willing teammates than ever before. Let’s take advantage of it!!!- Teachers are asking for a better beginning-of-year structure for our team, better guidance on cross-curricular collaboration, and advocating for Humanities

content in the age of the Common Core.

Music/Dance World Languages Art Social Studies

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Humanities ExtravaganzaMay 2nd: A multi-credit experience that will include a “Humanities Innovation Fair” as well as collaborative time

and a sample lesson workshop!Voices of Social Justice: Unit Initiative in the Humanities

(for 2014 CMs) Planning for Next Year: Vision and Curriculum in the HumanitiesWorking Towards an End: Using Your Summative to Plan

Celebrating Progress in the Humanities with your StudentsMUSIC/DANCE: Field Day

HELPFUL Book Club: The New Jim Crow and Humanities Instruction (application required)Culture and the Humanities: Planning for Rigor and Joy in the Humanities

Helping Other Contents: Meaningful Test PrepInvesting Students and Stakeholders in Humanities Goals and Data

PACING:

◄ Feb 2015 ~ March 2015 ~ Apr 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2HEATHER - Music/Dance: Making Performance Assessments Fun (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

3NELS - World Languages: Increasing Writing in World Languages (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

4

Catalog UploadedHumanities Blast

5CAT – Art: Who Are They? (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

6

END OF QUARTER 3

7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16JACOB – Investing Students in Humanities Goals and Data (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

17ALI – Writing in Social Studies (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

18 19JACOB – Working Towards an End: Using Your Summative to Plan (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

20 21

◄ Feb 2015 ~ March 2015 ~ Apr 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

22 23JACOB & SARAH B. – Planning for Rigor and Joy in the Humanities (6:00-7:30PM WebEx)

24JACOB – Helping Other Contents: Meaningful Test Prep (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

25Jacob @ Whole-Team Meeting

26Jacob @ TLD Meeting

DIGNA – WORLD LANGUAGES: Pop-Up Grammar (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

27 28

REGIONAL SUMMIT

29 30JACOB – Multicultural Unit Planning (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

31JACOB – Working Towards an End: Using Your Summative to Plan (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

Notes:

◄ Mar 2015 ~ April 2015 ~ May 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1DIGNA – Helping Other Contents: Meaningful Test Prep (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

2 3 4

5 6 7JACOB - Multicultural Unit Planning (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15Jacob @ Whole-Team Meeting

16Jacob @ TLD Meeting

DIGNA – Multicultural Unit Planning (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

17HEATHER – Music Field Day (Clarksdale)

18

◄ Mar 2015 ~ April 2015 ~ May 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

19 20JACOB – Celebrating Progress in the Humanities with your Students (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

21ALL – Humanities Content Leaders call and Extravaganza Planning (TIME TBD)

22JACOB & GABRIELLA – The New Jim Crow and Humanities Instruction (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

23 24 25

26 27 28 29JACOB & GABRIELLA – The New Jim Crow and Humanities Instruction (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

30 Notes:

◄ Apr 2015 ~ May 2015 ~ Jun 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2HUMANITIES EXTRAVAGANZA and LEADER SUMMIT

Dinner as a Humanities Leader Team TBD.

3 4 5JACOB – Planning for Next Year: Vision and Curriculum in the Humanities (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

6JACOB & GABRIELLA – The New Jim Crow and Humanities Instruction (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

7JACOB – Celebrating Progress in the Humanities with your Students (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

8 9

◄ Apr 2015 ~ May 2015 ~ Jun 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

10 11 12 13Jacob @ Whole-Team Meeting

14Jacob @ TLD Meeting

ALI – Planning for Next Year: Vision and Curriculum in the Humanities (6:00-7:30PM – WebEx)

15 16ALUMNI INDUCTION

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25MEMORIAL DAY

26 27 28 29 30

31 Notes:

◄ May 2015 ~ June 2015 ~ Jul 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5LICENSURE POLICY: Deadline for PD Completion

6

7

INSTITUTE MOVE-IN DAY!

8 9 10 11 12 13

◄ May 2015 ~ June 2015 ~ Jul 2015 ►Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 Notes:

BIG DATESWhat Who When Additional NotesSession Drafts Due

NOTE: Please make sure to include the PRE-WORK assignments for the session in your session drafts! This is

Digna (in collaboration with Jacob)

March 16th Draft of “Meaningful Test Prep”

Fear not this close deadline! Jacob will take care of most of the planning, but will call you in for feedback and ideas.

If you want to observe Jacob facilitating it before you do, please attend on 03/24, or

an essential and REQUIRED part of your participants’ engagement with the session.

ask him for a recording.Digna (in collaboration with Jacob)

March 23rd Draft of “Multicultural Unit Plans”

Fear not this close deadline! Jacob will take care of most of the planning, but will call you in for feedback and ideas.

If you want to observe Jacob facilitating it before you do, please attend on 03/30, or ask him for a recording.

Ali&Heather (in collaboration with Jacob)

March 27th Draft of “Vision and Curriculum Planning”

Please call one another to collaborate on the design of this session – let Jacob know when so that he can set up a call line and support you!

If you want to observe Jacob facilitating it before you do, Ali, please attend on 05/05, or ask him for a recording.

Heather (in collaboration with Jacob

March 30th Draft of “Music: Field Day”

Facilitate Sessions ALL Variable See Calendar in Q4 Priorities, attached!Blasts ALL Humanities

Content Leaders

Drafts to Jacob – March 16th

Sent to CMs – March 23rdPlease include:- An update on your classroom, with a

problem you are solving by thinking through the new priorities

- Resources/photos/video aligned to that problem-solving and priority

- Request to upload resources to the document bucket(s)

- Updates on upcoming PDsOne-By-One ALL Humanities

Content Leaders

Complete by March 23rd After you have submitted, Jacob will follow up for debrief dates

Humanities Extravaganza

ALL Humanities Content Leaders

Jacob will host a team-building and planning call on April 21st… PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ATTEND!

Attend on May 2nd

Jacob will send out details and logistics closer to the date.

Humanities Leader Summit

ALL Humanities Content Leaders

Start Planning and Recruiting on April 21st

Attend on May 2nd

Jacob will also be hosting a dinner out after the Extravaganza for us all to celebrate!

Jacob will send out details and logistics closer to the date.

OTHER LEVERS AND STRATEGIES

- Humanities Extravaganza and Leadership Summito Purpose: Since this was the highest rated and most successful of our professional development offerings this quarter, we hope to

continue fostering in-person collaboration and teamwork among our Humanities teachers, and to do so with a clear focus around our Quarter 4 Priorities.

o Strategies/Changes: The Extravaganza will again feature and innovation fair targeted towards starting off the next year right. We will then have various working protocols to refine vision and build a beginning-of-year toolkit for our contents. We will also have more active (but specific – this will not be “open doors” this time) recruitment for the Humanities Leadership Summit; we will also host an Innovation

Fair in order to foster cross-content collaboration. This time, it will be more focused on planning for next year, and may include some work time to start implementing strategies we have already discussed.

- TLD Coacheso Purpose: At the end of the day, our TLD Coaches are the most significant and consistent lever for progress in the Humanities: they can

observe classrooms and provide feedback most consistently, and are the ones that can ultimately partner with our teachers and students towards a broader vision.

o Strategies/Changes: I am going to make a more significant effort to ensure that our TLD Coaches feel included in our PDs, and want to attend them so they can become familiar with our vision and with the skills our teachers are growing in. I will also ask specific TLD Coaches if they would like me to attend and support the EOY conversations with Humanities teachers. In addition, I hope to work with coaches to help their teachers plan for next year, doing small-group work. I hope, also, to attend more coaching conversations and quarterly conversations with our teachers.

- Other teacher-leaders within our contento Purpose: Since opening up our Leadership Summit as well as our Quarter Planning to our teachers and their voices, we have had several

teachers express an interest in supporting and leading our professional development. o Strategies/Changes: Depending on the focus, the level of interest and commitment, as well as alignment to our priorities, we will be

asking these leaders to step up in a variety of formats: from designing and/or facilitating PDs to leading Innovation Fair Tables or generating other informal opportunities for collaboration. For instance, we have one teacher who is interested in starting a Humanities Resource Library, and to set that system up for us. We have a “if you want to help, we’ll ask you to!” policy, and we are so happy to welcome this enthusiasm.

- Jacob’s Learningo Purpose: To constantly increase the scope and quality of our professional development, I need to make sure that I am learning and

developing my own thinking and skills in the Humanities. o Strategies/Changes: I will be working this quarter to think more about strategic and human-centric design. My current HCD course is

helping me in this, but I hope to increase my efforts towards it as we head into summer development planning and programming as well as creating a scope-and-sequence for our teachers next year (MUST do).

- Humanities Blog

o Purpose: To have a consistent place to communicate updates, share resources, and write about thoughts that are directly related to classrooms in real time. I

o Strategies/Changes: During this quarter, I would like to have 3 guest bloggers to share their thoughts, resources, and current innovations on the blog. I want to continue using the blog strategically, and in fact increase its importance for Humanities sessions.