ToolsAndResourcesTOOLS & RESOURCES
GRADUATE PROFILES 

Here are three graduate profiles, from Envision Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Sacramento City Unified School District.  These show the range and possibilities of creating your own: 
 
Envision Schools 
Grad Profile

Los Angeles USD
Grad Profile
  
Sacramento City USD
Grad Profile




ASSESSMENT RESOURCES

Stanford paper on Creating DL Assessment Systems


Innovative CCSS maps, from Learning Forward


An Assessment Inventory, from Achieve

August 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
In the Spotlight: Partnerships with the Los Angeles USD and the Sacramento City USD
Tools & Resources: Great links for educators
Vote for Transforming Schools: Help Bob Lenz get to SXSWEdu 2015!
Good Reads: Envisioners have been writing up a storm...
Partnering for Success: Ways to get involved with ELP and Envision Education

ELP's WORK WITH LAUSD and SCUSD 

Envision Learning Partners (ELP) is currently on a two-year journey in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), thanks to a generous gift from the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, along with matching funds from each of the districts.  ELP is leading these two districts in the design, development, and implementation of Envision's Deeper Learning Student Assessment System (DLSAS).ELP is leading professional development for 37 teachers in 9 Linked Learning pathway teams in collaboration with ConnectEd, to help these districts in their mission to graduate students who are college and career ready and to ensure conceptual and implementation coherence between their Linked Learning Initiative and the DLSAS.  The goal is for graduating seniors in the 9 pathways to defend their college and career readiness in June 2015.  This will be a tremendous accomplishment, having an immediate impact on over 970 students and 37 teachers and a potential long-term impact on the 710,079 students enrolled in these districts (LAUSD = 662,140 and SCUSD = 47,939).

 

LAUSD and SCUSD are working in partnership with ELP to implement the key components of Envision's deeper learning student assessment system, as shown in the Grant Outcomes chart below.

 

Grant Outcomes

1. Create a shared vision of district partnership with Envision Learning Partners

2. Refine the vision of senior projects to serve as a culminating project

3. Design a graduate profile to drive assessment, instruction, and curriculum

4. Develop rubrics and performance assessments to measure progress on the graduate profile

5. Score student work products to ensure that they are relevant to the rubrics

6. Identify exemplary projects and student anchor products

7. Hold calibrated defenses of student learning

 

 

As part of this work, ELP has developed a strong partnership with ConnectEd, which had established a strong collaborative working relationship with LAUSD and SCUSDS prior to ELP's engagement with the districts.  Together, ELP and ConnectEd have committed to working together to promote and support coherence in these districts as well as Oakland Unified School District where they are also collaborating.  They have done this by co-designing and co-leading professional development sessions, offering teachers and school and district leaders a "framework" to integrate ConnectEd's Linked Learning approach and ELP's DLSAS.  ELP also includes ConnectEd in the assessment design teams and in ongoing communication with the districts.  As a result of this successful partnership, ELP is developing a new partnership with ConnectEd in Detroit, providing professional development to principals and teachers in 5 schools where Linked Learning is being implemented.  This strong partnership between ELP and ConnectEd serves as an emerging model approach for working with districts, which will continue to serve LAUSD and SCUSD in next year's implementation of the DLSAS as well as other districts in the future.

 

In the upcoming school year, both LAUSD and SCUSD are working on plans to institutionalize their versions of Envision's deeper learning student assessment system (DLSAS), including:

  • LAUSD: During the renewal grant period, LAUSD plans to "onboard" 5 new pathway teams by pairing them up with the 5 pathways currently piloting the DLSAS who will act as mentors to the new pathway teams.  LAUSD district leaders are creating a strategic plan for professional development and defense visits to onboard the additional 21 Linked Learning pathways that are not part of the 10 pathways working with Envision in the previous and renewal grant periods. 
  • SCUSD:  Currently, SCUSD is building in-house capacity to sustain and scale up the implementation by having the four participating teams mentor four more teams and serve as members of the District Design Committee utilizing combined funding (i.e. Linked Learning and CCPT funds).

Envision Learning Partners (ELP) will provide ongoing technical assistance throughout the renewal grant period to support LAUSD and SCUSD in their efforts to scale and lead the word internally. Additionally, in June 2015, ELP staff members will work with each district design team to review, analyze, and interpret data collected for the key progress indicators, reflect on lessons learned, and assist, as needed, in the revision of district sustainability plans


ELPHappeningsVOTE FOR TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS

SXSWEdu Panel Picker: Voting Open August 11-September 5 

Bob Lenz has submitted a presentation proposal for consideration for the SXSWEdu 2015 conference happening in March 2015 -- and your vote can help him get there! 

His presentation -- Transforming Schools, Transforming Lives -- will share stories and data from schools around the country that are transforming the lives of diverse students by fostering deeper learning and equipping them with 21st century competencies.  He is inviting a student panel, via a Google Hangout, to share their voices on how student-centered practices can change lives.

VOTE for this presentation by clicking on the image to the right, creating an account on the PanelPicker site (required) and clicking the thumbs up icon on Bob's presentation page.  Thank you!

LearningCornerGOOD READS
This summer has been a busy writing time for Envision Education and Envision Learning Partners.  Here is a selection of posts and articles for your browsing pleasure:

On EdWeek's Learning Deeply blog:
 
Call to Action: Engage & Motivate Students, by Bob Lenz | June 30, 2014 --  highlighting networks and schools across the country that are successfully meeting the "Engagement Challenge."

Educators Can Combat the Deeper Learning Race Problem, by Gia Truong | July 1, 2014 -- Gia shares her personal and professional insights about deeper learning, race, and educational equity.

Defense: Where a Student Makes Her Case, by Justin Wells (Director of Partnerships for Envision Learning Partners) | August 10, 2014 -- exploring how defenses of learning are transformative for both students and schools. 

Jobs Report: An Education Imperative, by Ben Kornell (Chief Operations Officer) | August 14, 2014 -- highlighting the critical need for stronger alignment between schools and the 21st century "Leadership Economy"

* * *

Bob Lenz, in his regular Edutopia blog, is in the middle of a series about The Teaching's Channels new Deeper Learning video resources.  Each post looks at one of Envision Education's videos and poses engaging questions for educators to join the conversation.  Read the fourth and latest in the series, 
Calibration: Assessing Portfolio Defenses (July 24, 2014) and explore Bob's blog for the others

* * *

The latest Envision contribution to the P21 Blogazine comes from Jesse Bean, Envision Learning Partners' consultant based in Detroit.  He posted Deeper Learning and High Expectations in the Secondary Classroom on June 6, 2014.

PartneringPARTNERING FOR SUCCESS
INSPIRE: Capture and share student and teacher success!   Email your stories, photos and videos and we will share them in a future newsletter.  Email Rachel Maida, Program Manager.

INFORM: Learn more about Envision Learning Partners (ELP), our partnership opportunities and our events.  Contact Rachel Maida, Program Manager.

INVOLVE: Join us!  Visit the Envision Education Careers page for opportunities to join our teams.

INFLUENCE: Spread the word about ELP.  Forward this newsletter to your colleagues and friends, and encourage them to subscribe to Reflections.

INVEST: Support Envision Education! Invest in our programs to make a difference in the lives of American students. Contact Kate Schwass, Development Director to learn more.

Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved.