Common Assignment Study

By:  Renee Boss

The Common Assignment Study is a research study bringing together teachers from Kentucky and Colorado with a mission of creating units of study that will meet the demands of learning needed to ensure College and Career Readiness. English language arts, science, and social studies teachers from both states gathered recently in Seattle to begin creating the first unit they will teach this fall.  Based on recent successes with Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) in our state and across the nation, the research study extends the use of LDC as it was always intended to be a module within a larger unit of study.  Though the units being designed include embedded LDC modules within a context of Understanding by Design (UbD), they also leave room for some teacher flexibility to meet the needs of individual students in each classroom.

With support from content experts at Stanford Center for Assessment Learning and Equity (SCALE), the teachers are emerging as teacher leaders who know what good teaching looks like.  With Kentucky’s new Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES) emphasizing the importance of every student being taught by an effective teacher and every school being led by an effective principal, one hope is that the Common Assignment Study (CAS) is in a unique position to inform the various measures.

In addition to the teachers working collaboratively with one another, there are numerous organizations collaborating to support the work.  Already mentioned is the support of SCALE; the Kentucky Department of Education serves as a thought partner on the project, and The Fund continues to learn from the Colorado Legacy Foundation (an organization similar to The Fund that was established several years ago).  Of course, a research study would not be complete without researchers (Center for Assessment and Research for Action), and none of the work would be happening without the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

U.S. History teachers share their unit overview

In an upcoming post we will share more details about the project partners.  If you have questions about the Common Assignment Study, please contact Renee Boss at renee.boss@thefundky.org.

Teacher Engagement Project

 By:  Karen Handlos

Kentucky has consistently been a leader, from being the first state to adopt the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to establishing systems through the state’s Leadership Networks that engage accomplished teachers to help their colleagues understand the standards and to design and implement instruction aligned to the standards. In order for CCSS implementation to be realized in Kentucky schools, teachers must develop instructional tools and assessment strategies to deliver the new types of knowledge and skills represented by these standards.  These efforts must be coordinated to ensure that CCSS implementation is rigorous and teacher-led.

The Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky (The Fund) Teacher Engagement Project will work with national and local partners to develop and engage teachers as leaders in implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)/Kentucky Core Academic Standards (KCAS) and the new Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES). The Fund will partner with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) as well as other national and state partners to coordinate all aspects of teacher engagement work across the state. In doing so, The Fund will work to establish teacher networks and forums so innovative teachers can more easily “connect” with other teachers around the state and share promising new ideas for improving student outcomes. 

As part of The Fund’s Teacher Engagement Project, The Fund will work to oversee development of a Teacher Leadership Network—a cohort of deeply knowledgeable teacher leaders on key issues of practice and policy (e.g., the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System (PGES), the Literacy/Mathematics Design Collaborative (LDC/MDC) frameworks, Common Core State Standards implementation)—who will work to serve as leaders by:

·       (1) continuing a Teachers as Leaders Conference (TALK Conference) to engage and place teachers in the lead on sharing best practices and engaging in professional learning (by, for, and about teachers);

·       (2) establishing and supporting a Teacher Leadership Network (TLN), building on advocacy efforts through partnerships to develop a network of teachers to lead teacher voice efforts

The work of The Fund is consistent with Kentucky’s goals in the service of college and career readiness for students.

1. Teachers leading teachers
2. Teachers connecting around content
3. Using technology-enabled as well as face-to-face interaction
4. Connecting new and existing networks
5. Developing corporate support for teacher communities and practice improvement