What Services Do We Offer?

Accreditation Support
NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) CPSS (Commission on Public Secondary Schools) Accreditation Support Learning Solutions supports schools as they work towards meeting the NEASC CPSS Standards for Accreditation. Services include coaching for the steering committee as schools prepare their self-study for their accreditation visit, as well as addressing recommendations for the four teaching and learning standards and the three support standards. Support includes development of the school's mission and expectations for student learning, rubric development and implementation, reporting systems that include individual student and school-wide progress on meeting school-wide academic expectations, alignment of curriculum and assessment with the school-wide expectations for student learning, and development and implementation of advisory or other programs that personalize a student's high school experience.

Learning Solutions also supports schools as they prepare for follow-up reports and deepen their implementation of the NEASC Standards. An annual conference for schools that will be embarking upon their self-study is offered each spring. Learning Solutions is endorsed by the CPSS as a professional service provider, and develops and facilitates annual training programs for visiting team chairs each summer.

Consider:
1. Presentations to faculty, et al. on meeting the new accreditation standards
2. 1-3 day visit(s) by an individual or a team to assess the readiness of the school to meet the new standards
3. Short or long-term consulting support to prepare the school for meeting the accreditation standards

Literacy Across the Curriculum
Learning Solutions understands the need for schools to embed literacy into the curriculum in order for all students to be successful. To that end Learning Solutions assists in developing school literacy plans and offers embedded literacy coaching for individual teachers and/or teams. Literacy plans may include the development of a Writing Across the Curriculum program, motivational reading such as Sustained Silent Reading programs, and/or the use of explicitly taught reading strategies in all disciplines.

Analysis of Student Work
Learning Solutions assists schools in developing collaborative cultures through a process of analyzing student work to inform teacher planning, instruction, and assessment practices. Through the use of protocols that ensure a productive and safe environment for conversation, teachers will use student work to analyze which teaching techniques are working well for students and the ways in which instruction might be tailored to better meet student needs. (See also Critical Friends Group training)

Professional Learning Community Development and Teacher Learning Communities
Learning Solutions works with schools to implement Professional Learning Community practices that will enhance the professional culture of the school. Development of a shared vision that expresses the school's values and beliefs, and the norms by which the school operates is the foundation for PLC work. Learning Solutions also assists with the development and implementation of PLC structures such as mentoring, effective teaming practices, incorporating CFG protocols, team literacy planning, and personalized learning experiences for students (e.g. advisory programs) in order to embed the school's mission into the daily life of the school.

Learning Solutions consultants are also nationally certified trainers for ETS (Educational Testing Service) KLT (Keeping Learning on Track) AfL (Assessment for Learning) programs. Key components of these programs are the establishment of Teacher Learning Communities; faculty teams that meet monthly to build understanding of formative assessment practices and instructional techniques to support the five key strategies of the KLT program. Visit www.ets.org for more information on the KLT program.

Critical Friends Group Training
Learning Solutions works with schools to establish and sustain CFGs by training faculty members to facilitate a variety of protocols to use for the analysis of student work as well as for other school initiatives. This training provides participants with a structure for conversations that provide equity of voice, effective use of meeting time, and productive outcomes. Examples of protocols include the text-based seminar, tuning protocol, success protocol, descriptive consultancy, micro-lab, and others.

Coaching: Teachers/Administrators
Learning Solutions provides coaching for teachers and/or administrators as a means of support and to build capacity in schools. Coaching design depends on the needs of the school and may include support for new teachers and/or administrators, for teacher leaders, for groups of teachers and/or administrators as they embark on new initiatives such as literacy across the curriculum or interdisciplinary teams.

Teaming
Learning Solutions supports schools in the implementation of grade level, interdisciplinary or content specific teams. Effective teams must be focused on student learning; we can assist with the design, scheduling and composition of teams as well as the training of successful components of teaming. Teams, once structured, will understand the importance of roles and responsibilities, setting agendas, keeping minutes, creating a calendar for meetings with those outside of the team, and how to effectively use team time to balance student issues with collaborative planning that will support and enhance student learning.

Systems Thinking
Effective schools must have systems in place that streamline the day to day management of the school and work in alignment with the school's mission to support student learning. Learning Solutions assists schools in analyzing their current systems, redesigning or developing new systems, and implementing those systems smoothly into the school community. As well, Learning Solutions will assist schools in the review of policies, practices and procedures to ensure that they are student-centered and support systemic thinking.

High School Reform
Learning Solutions works with high schools to develop and implement reform practices that are recommended in Breaking Ranks II and supported by research and best practices. Such work might include small school or school-within-a-school design, scheduling to include longer blocks of learning for students, heterogeneity in all disciplines, rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning for all students, personalized learning environments for students, graduation exhibitions, and re-culturing a school to be an adult and student learning community.

Advisory
Personalized learning environments are proven to promote student success at all grade levels. Learning Solutions assists schools in developing and implementing programs that ensure all students are known well by at least one adult in the school. Widely known as "advisory", "home-base", or "round table" programs, we work with schools to schedule this time into the regular school day, and to develop themes and/or a curricular framework around which this dedicated time will revolve. We also provide training for school personnel to understand the purpose of the program and their role and responsibilities in implementing the program successfully.

On-sight Grad Level Courses
In conjunction with a school or district's partnership with local colleges and universities Learning Solutions offers on-sight graduate level courses. Course work is usually offered for 3-5 days during the summer with 2 follow-up days during the school year, although other formats may be arranged. Topics of study might include: Supervision and Evaluation for School Leaders, Goal Setting to Inform Professional Practice, Data Analysis to Inform Instruction, Formative Assessment Strategies and Techniques, Rubric Design and Implementation, and Learning with the Brain in Mind.

Supervision and Evaluation
Learning Solutions uses the work of Charlotte Danielson to design and implement teacher and/or administrator supervision and evaluation systems. As well, we work with groups to understand Danielson's Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching and use its criteria to focus teacher self-assessment, reflection and goal-setting, and to train supervisors to use the criteria as a means for evidence and data collection in the observation/evaluation process. Visit www.danielsongroup.org for more information.

Data Analysis to Inform Instruction
Learning Solutions assists schools in the analysis of data and in how to use the information to tailor instruction to meet identified student needs. In this age of high stakes testing and meeting AYP, it is important for schools to understand the data that is available to them. Along with the understanding is the need to use the information that the data provides to effect change in classroom instruction and in programming for students. Data analysis will also include formative measures such as student portfolios or other assessments particular to schools to ensure a balanced assessment practices.

Formative Assessment
Learning Solutions works with schools to develop the use of formative assessment strategies and techniques to inform instruction and improve student learning. Training is provided to assist teachers in understanding how formative assessments are used as instructional tools to lead to successful understanding of the content. Formative assessment allows teachers to differentiate instruction and meet the needs of all learners.

Graduation Exhibitions / Senior Projects
Learning Solutions provides schools with training in the development and implementation of graduation projects/exhibitions that serve as a vehicle for student demonstration of proficient understanding of a school's expectations for student learning. Graduation projects are designed to reflect student responsibility for their own learning, to be presented to a wide audience, and to demonstrate student readiness to face the challenges of post-high school learning.

Grant Writing
Learning Solutions works with schools and/or districts to write grants for programs such as Small Learning Communities, Teacher Incentives, and School Reform.

The Work of Charlotte Danielson
Learning Solutions personnel are also members of the Danielson Group, a group of educators who have been trained by and continue to work closely with Charlotte Danielson. Using Danielson's Framework for Teaching, we train in the areas of teacher preparation, recruitment and hiring, supervision and evaluation, mentoring, coaching, professional collaboration, and classroom observation. For more specific information see: www.danielsongroup.org.

The Framework for Teaching
The Danielson Group offers both customized consulting and training (both introductory and in-depth sessions) for teachers and administrators to assist them in their applications of the framework for observation and feedback, reflective conversations and mentoring.

Danielson Group members can provide a one-hour overview of the framework, a half-day or full-day introduction to the framework, for teachers and administrators in groups ranging from 15-150. Presentations for small groups are conversational in nature, while those for larger groups are in an interactive workshop format. In addition, refresher sessions are offered for experienced users highlighting Danielson's latest changes and improvements.

All of the Danielson Group's offerings may be tailored to meet local needs and priorities. Members of the Danielson Group can offer an introductory workshop, followed by in-depth sessions in which participants explore the nuances and implications of the framework for teaching in different disciplines and at different levels.

Teacher Preparation
Members of the Danielson Group work as consultants to colleges of education to assist them in examining their programs to ensure that those programs prepare students for the complex and demanding work of teaching. Such consultations include an "audit" of a program's course offerings, and an analysis of students' clinical experience.

Danielson Group consultations for institutions of higher education are not a "canned program" or workshop; instead, they are tailored to the needs of the institution. The offerings can include presentations on the framework for teaching, an analysis of a program's course offerings and clinical practice, training on observation skills, or assistance on compiling professional portfolios.

Teacher Recruitment and Hiring
Members of the Danielson Group can assist schools and districts in creating an approach to teacher recruitment and hiring to ensure a staff with the knowledge and skills described in The Framework for Teaching. This includes, initially, sufficient understanding of the framework that enables educators to identify the aspects of the framework that are most critical to the priorities of their local district.

Danielson Group consultants work with local educators to write interview questions based on the framework, suitable for teachers in different disciplines and grade levels. In addition, they can assist educators in clarifying the responses for which they will be listening as candidates answer the interview questions, the "listen-for's" they can agree are important. Furthermore, members of the Danielson Group can help educators assess the quality of teaching demonstrated in videos submitted by teaching candidates as part of the selection process.

New Teacher Mentoring and Induction
With The Framework for Teaching as its foundation the Danielson Group provides customized consultation, training and facilitation for schools and districts to develop a structured mentoring program focused on identified needs of novice teachers and mentors.

Consultation and training in new teacher mentoring and induction includes customized planning to develop a comprehensive approach to new teacher support, initial training and ongoing support for mentors, and turn-key training-of-trainers sessions. Sessions vary in size from small teams of administrators and teacher leaders, to larger multi-day workshops for mentors and mentor trainers.

As of January, 2007, The Framework for Teaching has been incorporated into the New Teacher Center's Formative Assessment mentoring program. It provides the standards of professional practice on which the mentoring activities are based

Coaching
The skills of coaching are valuable for respectful interactions among teachers and between teachers and administrators. The framework for teaching adds important conceptual content to those interactions, and enables educators to structure their conversations around an agreed-upon definition of good teaching.

Using the framework for teaching, members of the Danielson Group offer training and facilitation for educators to develop the complex skills of coaching. While grounded in well-known models of coaching, a district's plan may be customized to local needs to provide ongoing support of professional growth and development.

Professional Collaboration
Educators, as described in the framework, participate in a professional community to advance the learning of their students; members of the Danielson Group provide customized consultation services to assist in this process.

Using the Framework For Teaching the Danielson Group focuses on helping educators understand the benefits of collaboration, assessing the level of collaboration that exists in their environment, and planning for how they can use this powerful tool to increase the level of collaboration within their setting. The Framework provides the conceptual structure for professional collaboration and the enhancement of student learning.

Teacher Evaluation
Members of the Danielson Group's offer many services in the area of teacher evaluation. These offerings range from providing an overview of teacher appraisal to a central team of administrators and teacher leaders, customized planning with a joint union/district evaluation committee, training of teachers and evaluators in implementing a teacher evaluation system. The Danielson Group's approach to helping school districts revise their systems of teacher evaluation is highly customized, tailored to the specific needs of individual schools and districts, consisting of consultation and planning with an evaluation committee, training for teachers and administrators in observation of practice, the development of teacher portfolios that demonstrate teacher skills in non-observable aspects of practice, and the development of professional growth plans.

Classroom Observation
The Danielson Group offers customized training for classroom observation, for both teachers and administrators. These range from brief awareness sessions, through multi-day in-depth skill development. Topics included in observation skills training include understanding the difference between evidence and opinion, collecting evidence of practice based the framework for teaching, analyzing the evidence against the components of the framework. providing effective feedback, and engaging in professional conversations that promote reflective practice.

As with other topics, Danielson Group offerings are highly customized to the needs and priorities of local schools and school districts. Members of the Danielson Group plan for the specific requirements of each school to develop an approach that will meet the specific requirements of the school, and be compatible with its culture.