Mastery of Knowledge & Skills
Claim #4 Evidence
The Fox Creek staff sets measurable goals, develops learning opportunities, and continually monitors our progress to cultivate a powerful learning environment for ourselves, our students, and our families.
Work Plans
"Our work plan symbolizes our belief in a collaborative vision and shared leadership. We create each plan together, track our progress, and make adjustments that reflect the unique twists and turns of each school year."
Brian Rodda, principal
Our Work Plan is created to serve as our guide and keeps us focused on the necessary and worthwhile work that we need to do. Given the scope and depth of these work plans, we continually revise and edit to ensure that our goals remain relevant and realistic. Our work plan is a living document in the school!
Learning Walks
Learning walks are very efficacious because they allow me to see that the activities and structures in my classroom are much like the activities and structures in my colleagues' classrooms. Paul Thomas, teacher
At Fox Creek our goal is to provide every teacher with the opportunity to visit other classrooms beyond their grade level team through their participation in learning walks. The purpose of these learning walks is to:
- Gather feedback on our progress towards work plan goals;
- To highlight student progress in the area of mastery of knowledge and skills, application of our habits of character, and growth in producing high quality work, and
- To inspire teachers with greater perspective on the wonderful teaching and learning occurring at Fox Creek.
Teachers are encouraged to participate in learning walks during a plan time or during their lunch times. Most importantly, learning walks are not evaluative, instead providing a snapshot of the tremendous work accomplished daily by both the students and staff of Fox Creek.
Highlights of our learning walks during the 2015-16 school year include:
While learning walks at Fox Creek provide only a snapshot of the daily activities occurring throughout the school, they have become a powerful tool in creating a holistic view of the tremendous work accomplished daily by both the students and staff of Fox Creek.
Highlights of our learning walks during the 2015-16 school year include:
- Mastery of Knowledge and Skills
- 59% of observations noted evidence of students using structures to analyze data;
- 76% of observations noted evidence of students reflecting on their thinking, their learning, or their work, and
- 74% of observations noted evidence of students articulating the daily or short-term learning target on which they were working.
- High Quality Work
- 65% of observation noted evidence of models, critiques, and revision used or discussed;
- 100% of observation noted evidence of authentic, real-world applicable work being done, and
- 60% of observations noted evidence of teachers collaborating with students using criteria lists and rubrics.
- Character
- 96% of observations noted evidence of habits of character being demonstrated on the playground, in the cafeteria, in the hallways, and in classrooms;
- 85% of observations noted evidence of the habits of character being demonstrated in interactions between peers or between students and adults, and
- 81% of observations noted evidence of no conflicts between peers.
While learning walks at Fox Creek provide only a snapshot of the daily activities occurring throughout the school, they have become a powerful tool in creating a holistic view of the tremendous work accomplished daily by both the students and staff of Fox Creek.
Professional Development
Being a member of our Staff Development team has been one of the most inspiring and empowering experiences. Just to be able to collaborate with other teachers to support our staff in creating meaningful and authentic experiences for our students has helped me grow professionally and personally. Jamie Kolb, teacher
Here at Fox Creek we recognize that better teaching leads to better student learning and improved student outcomes. In order to achieve this we have focused our efforts on creating time and space for our teachers to engage in professional development that is in response to the needs of our students and our staff. Our Staff Development team and our Leadership team work closely together to develop professional learning opportunities for our staff that allows them to dive deeply into the practices that we believe will strengthen the connection between their learning, student learning, instruction and assessment. |
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DATA Inquiry Team Meetings:
It is so important that the teachers and the interventionists have the opportunity to use various data and collaborate on the needs of our students. We can then set relevant goals for our students, knowing that our instruction will match their needs." Kim Eikenberg, teacher
Fox Creek Teachers and Staff make it a priority to collaborate and reflect upon instructional practice, planning, and student learning. Through the use of funds taken from our “Strategic Planning Time Grant Project”, grade level teams are able to take four full days throughout the school year, to collaborate on the needs of students based on various data points. During these targeted discussions, teachers meet with the school’s Assessment Coordinator, Instructional Coach and RtI Interventionist. Protocols and structured processes are outlined beforehand to ensure productive and relevant content.The School Assessment Coordinator meets to review formal assessment measures which include PARCC, Colorado’s State assessment, MAP or (NWEA), and Istation (reading program and assessment data). The Instructional Coach meets with grade-level teams to support expedition planning, utilization of the workshop model, connections to PD topics such as differentiation and conferring, while the RtI Interventionist dialogues with teams to discuss progress that students are making. These team meetings are a collaborative opportunity to align student success and potential carry over into the classroom.
Data Instruction Assessment Team:
"Digging into data as a team is such a powerful experience. You are able to go a little deeper into the data and pair it with the thoughts and noticings of others. This, in turn, allows you to see teaching and learning in new ways and brainstorm new angles of approach for students. The data becomes a little less scary and a lot more meaningful." Becky Ford, Teacher
The Data Instruction Assessment Team, otherwise known as the DIA Team, has been in existence since the 2015/2016 school year and is comprised of grade level teacher representatives, administration, interventionists as well as our technology specialist. Meeting monthly, this group has grown in its scope and function over the last two years as it strives to develop teacher and student application of assessment in order to alter instructional outcomes and practices. The team continues to collectively explore and analyze assessment data on their quest to make a positive difference through the use of instructional outcomes and high leverage practices.
This dedicated team has worked to build trust and honest review of strengths and weaknesses within current instructional practices. Teachers continue to become more adept and comfortable with various forms of data, whether it be classroom assessments, Istation, MAPS or the state PARCC assessment. Members are eager to collaborate to gain understanding and accomplish what is best for students. Through dialogue, discussions, presentations, action plans and surveys, this team has supported Fox Creek along the journey of making assessment data relevant to student and teacher alike. This allows both stakeholders to take action on data as they collaborate to plan next steps.
This team is in the beginning stages of identifying content taken from professional development training and aligning it with relevant data. Topics such as conferring and differentiation have been on the forefront of this year’s plan.
This dedicated team has worked to build trust and honest review of strengths and weaknesses within current instructional practices. Teachers continue to become more adept and comfortable with various forms of data, whether it be classroom assessments, Istation, MAPS or the state PARCC assessment. Members are eager to collaborate to gain understanding and accomplish what is best for students. Through dialogue, discussions, presentations, action plans and surveys, this team has supported Fox Creek along the journey of making assessment data relevant to student and teacher alike. This allows both stakeholders to take action on data as they collaborate to plan next steps.
This team is in the beginning stages of identifying content taken from professional development training and aligning it with relevant data. Topics such as conferring and differentiation have been on the forefront of this year’s plan.