Get the Newest Teaching Strategies to Improve Classroom Management

18 New Video Segments by School Improvement Network Show Newest Practices to Improve Classroom Management in K-12

checkout our new series of 18 video segments filmed in classrooms around the nation, documenting the best practices to improve classroom management in any school or classroom. These videos are part of School Improvement Network’s PD 360 video library.

“After decades of research and capturing master teachers and best practices in classrooms across the nation and the world, we have compiled the best teaching strategies to improve classroom management into a scalable platform that educators in any school or system can access,” said Chet D. Linton, CEO and president of School Improvement Network. “With these classroom management segments, educators everywhere can find readily applicable strategies and resources that improve classroom management in any classroom to help improve student engagement as they master the skills they need to graduate ready to start college or a meaningful career.”

The new segments show a holistic framework to improve classroom management called the Classroom Management Framework. These segments outline numerous classroom management strategies to reinforce any classroom management framework.

This classroom management series is available to educators through PD 360, the most widely used online, subscription-based professional development solution in the US. It offers a library of more than 3,000 expert-produced training videos, powerful support tools and resources, and an online professional learning community of nearly one million educators.

Click here to see one of the classroom management segments.

Click here to access the classroom management series through a free 30-day trial of PD 360.

Sixth Grade Common Core ELA-Aligned Literacy Lesson Plans for Using Technology

School Improvement Network Blog Post Features Sixth Grade ELA Common Core Literacy Lesson Plan with Shadow Puppet App

new blog post outlining a sixth grade Common Core ELA literacy lesson plan using digital technology to increase student literacy. The blog post is available to all educators on School Improvement Network’s Common Core Blog.

“If taught effectively, the Common Core State Standards will help students master the skills they need to be successful in college or a meaningful career,” said Chet D. Linton, CEO and president of School Improvement Network. “Resources like this sixth grade Common Core ELA lesson plan show how the Standards build towards real work and education skills such as collaboration, strategically using digital media and visual displays and use data to express information.”

The sixth grade Common Core ELA lesson plan aligns to standards CCRA.W.6 and CCRA.SL.5. The lesson plan outlines an activity for students to write an original story and present it using an app that makes shadow puppets to help them incorporate digital technology.

Click here to see the blog post with the sixth grade Common Core ELA lesson plan.

Click here to see a sixth grade Common Core ELA writing lesson plan based on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

Click here to see a Common Core math lesson plan for teaching the Pythagorean Theorem.

See How to Write Standards-Based and Common Core Assessments to Measure Student Mastery and Learning

School Improvement Network Webinar with Jay McTighe Shows Essentials of Writing Standards-Based and Common Core Assessments

We are excited to release new webinar recording with education expert Jay McTighe that outlines how to write standards-based and Common Core assessments to measure student mastery and learning.

“Whether aligned to state-specific standards or the Common Core, effective educators use assessments to measure student mastery and learning in students’ progression towards college and career readiness,” said Chet D. Linton, CEO and president of School Improvement Network. “Jay McTighe’s insights in this webinar can help any educator write more effective standards-based or Common Core assessments to accurately measure the needs and progress of each student and differentiate learning to help every student.”

In this webinar recording, participants will:

• Get an outline of the Assessment Framework for helping educators plan effective standards-based or Common Core assessments
• Explore the assessment implications of the Common Core and Next Generation Standards, as well as for 21st century skills
• Get resources (rubrics, “how-to” videos, etc.) to guide educators through the test creation process for measuring student mastery and learning

Click here to see the webinar recording.

Click here for information about Jay McTighe’s LumiBook, “Core Learning: Assessing What Matters Most.”

Schools with On-Demand Professional Learning Outperform Respective Districts, Neighboring Schools

New Research Shows 18.9 Percent Gains in Math Proficiency, 15.3 Percent Gains in Reading Proficiency

We recently published an independent research study showing schools that were highly engaged in on-demand professional learning experienced greater gains in student proficiency scores than neighboring schools or districts. The results indicate that educators’ use of on-demand professional learning can have a statistically significant impact on student achievement scores for all schools regardless of type or settings and give schools an advantage over neighboring schools or districts with comparable student populations.

This study published in the International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IAES publication) is among the first research to demonstrate a link between professional learning and student achievement. The results are revolutionary for public education as they provide a framework for systematically helping educators improve in effectiveness and positively impact student achievement in a model that is scalable across all schools and systems and to all student populations.

“For the first time, the education community has access to research that shows how to solve an identifiable, measurable, overarching problem in education that is responsible for the other symptoms of education failure,” said Chet D. Linton, CEO and president of School Improvement Network. “It also demonstrates the solution—high-engagement with on-demand professional learning resources delivers dramatic improvement in student achievement in any school environment or type.”

The study measured student proficiency scores in 169 schools in 73 districts across 19 states and found the following:

Math - Schools whose educators were highly-engaged in on-demand professional learning experienced a 18.9 percent gain in the number of students who tested advanced or proficient in math Neighboring schools and districts without the professional learning experienced only a 4.2 percent increase in math

Reading - Schools whose educators were highly-engaged in on-demand professional learning experienced a 15.3 percent gain in the number of students who tested advanced or proficient in reading Neighboring schools and districts without the professional learning experienced only a 2.5 percent increase in reading

This is the eighth study commissioned by School Improvement Network that positively correlates on-demand professional learning with increased student achievement and educator effectiveness, and quantifies how to systematically increase both.

Click here to see the full study.

Click here to see the on-demand professional learning used by educators in this study.

Should Teachers Get Bonuses for Student Performance?

National Survey by School Improvement Network Reveals Educator Opinions about Pay, Bonuses for Student Performance

School Improvement Network released results of a national survey of educators showing educator perceptions of their pay, and opinions about possible bonuses for student performance. As part of their commitment to give educators a voice on issues impacting education, School Improvement Network regularly conducts educator surveys as part of the “Voices of Education” survey series.

“Educators are an invaluable and significantly underemphasized part of developing a strong workforce and stable economy through their impact on students,” said Chet D. Linton, School Improvement Network CEO and president. “It is vital that we invest in teacher growth and development to help them become as effective as possible and increase their ability to impact student performance and help students master the skills they need to graduate ready for college and career.”

The Educator Pay Survey revealed that 70 percent of educators nationwide feel they are fairly compensated in their work, and 81 percent have pursued additional training or certification to increase salary. Only 23 percent of educators said they would alter their teaching methods if a bonus were given for improved student performance.

Click here to see the full results of the Educator Pay Survey.

Click here to see the results of the Teacher Evaluation and High-Stakes Testing survey, including insight on high-stakes testing and student performance.

Click here to see other “Voices of Education” surveys.

School Improvement Network Develops Teacher Effectiveness Framework for Teacher Observations Aligned to InTASC Teaching Standards

New Framework Aligns Teacher Observations to Model Core Teaching Standards

School Improvement Network is pleased to announce a new teacher evaluation framework aligned to the new Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards that drives educators towards effectiveness and increased student achievement. The Teacher Effectiveness Framework simplifies and aligns teacher observation feedback to the learning progression for educator skills in the InTASC Standards, making observation feedback part of a continuum of educator growth.

“To truly have impact in an educator’s career and a student’s learning experience, teacher observations and evaluations must move beyond mere compliance towards meaningful conversations about educator growth and needs,” said Chet D. Linton, CEO and president of School Improvement Network. “The Teacher Effectiveness Framework has the potential to move educators through a continuum of professional growth by tailoring feedback to the model teaching standards outlined by InTASC and putting all educators on a continuous route towards effectiveness from their first day of school until all of their students graduate college and career ready.”

The Teacher Effectiveness Framework includes 24 quality indicators to measure effective teaching based on the definitions outlined in the InTASC Standards that can be aligned to the Common Core Standards or other state-specific standards, making it both simpler and more powerful than other frameworks. The framework can also be modified further to include additional state or district objectives, and includes a calibration system to ensure inter-rater reliability among observers.

The Teacher Effectiveness Framework works in conjunction with School Improvement Network’s Educator Effectiveness System (EES) suite of resources. Together, the Teacher Effectiveness Framework and EES give educators actionable observation feedback and resources to implement that feedback, including a video library of thousands of grade, subject, and Common Core Standard-specific content. Districts and systems that do not have EES can still use the Teacher Effectiveness Framework through School Improvement Network’s Observation 360, an on-demand observation platform.

The InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards were developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in 2013, and are available to all educators for free in the “InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards” LumiBook, the first ever collaborative and interactive e-reader platform for educational resources. Schools and districts using the Teacher Effectiveness Framework also receive an in-depth guidebook on the InTASC Standards.

Click here for more information about the Teacher Effectiveness Framework.

Click here for free access to the InTASC Lumibook.