Professional Development
 We provide a highly experienced team of professional development consultants who partner with your school and/or district to implement a highly successful curriculum improvement program. Our consultants are all former educators with extensive experience in curriculum, mapping, and assessment. We provide flexible onsite and online resources to support your needs and work within your budget.
We have the broadest, deepest catalog of professional development courses on instructional planning, explaining the standards, and curriculum alignment and improvement. View our Professional Development offering below by clicking on the path in which you are interested.
Session: IP001-D Foundation for Successful Implementation - District Leaders
Overview: District leaders and key decision makers establish a plan for the successful implementation of Instruction
Planner. Session addresses integrating school improvement items, establishing a timeline, designating overseers of
specific tasks, clarifying the district’s vision for success, as well as creating a process for developing, sharing, and
publishing instructional plans.
Focus: Customize and set various options in Instruction Planner to be accessible by all users.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session: IP001-B Foundation for Successful Implementation - Building Leaders
Overview: Building-level administrators define how Instruction Planner is to be implemented: using reports
operationally, developing a communication plan, establishing timelines, as well as creating feedback to balance
instructional design with the needs of the students.
Focus: Design a plan to support teachers as they develop instruction, as well as to correlate the district’s nonnegotiables
with the needs of the students.
Expected Participants: Principals and building administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session: IP101 Getting Started Part 1: Developing Units of Study
Overview: Participants develop units of study by translating instruction into content, skills, and assessment
statements that can be effectively and efficiently used to analyze and refine curricula, instruction, and assessments.
Instruction Planner users are introduced to the templates and curriculum guidelines used to create Unit and Daily Plans
as well as to the correlation of those plans to Curriculum Mapper 2010.
Focus: Begin the designing of Unit Plans, using content, skills, and assessment statements that follow specific
guidelines.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session IP102: Getting Started Part 2: Functions and Features
Overview: Participants develop a comprehensive understanding of the essential functions and features needed to
begin using Instruction Planner as a design and management system. Session includes how elements, blocks, and
templates are used in Unit and Daily Plans to monitor and track instruction, how the Reality Check is used, and how
to populate Curriculum Mapper 2010.
Focus: Learn Instruction Planner terminology and how to navigate the system.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session IP103: Deconstructing Standards
Overview: Instruction Planner users learn to identify targets within the standards used (state, local, Common Core
State Standards, etc.). They classify those targets according to learning outcomes, as they develop a common
understanding of the expectations, translating the targets into specific skill statements. Teachers and administrators
learn to transform skill targets into quality, day-to-day indicators of achievement.
Focus: Develop specific standards statements in a way that makes instruction easily correlated to state standards.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session IP104: Understanding and Deconstructing Common Core State Standards
Overview: Understanding the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) requires becoming familiar with the
embedded learning targets, the levels of rigor associated with the standards, and the transferring of those learning
targets into appropriate types of skills and assessments. This session helps participants understand the process of
deconstructing the CCSS to formulate specific skills from the general statements of the standards.
Focus: Identify the CCSS learning targets and levels of expected learning, categorize the types of learning, and
create specific skill statements to build mastery.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session IP201: Standardizing Instructional Plans through Improved Clarity, Consistency, and RelIability
Overview: Instruction Planner users are introduced to a process for standardizing the information placed in instructional plans
to ensure consistency across grade levels and subject areas. Teachers and administrators learn to analyze plans, share units,
and provide constructive feedback.
Focus: Develop guidelines for developing clear, consistent, and reliable instructional plans.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session IP202: Skills and Standards: Using Data to Analyze Instruction
Overview: Daily Plans and Standards Analysis Reports are used to determine which standards have been addressed and
how much emphasis on skill development is associated with those standards. Teachers and administrators use reporting
features to determine the frequency and duration of standards coverage.
Focus: Develop an understanding of how to use reports to provide evidence of standards coverage and plan for continuing
instruction.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session IP203: Skills and Assessments: Using Data to Analyze Instruction
Session
Overview: As an instructional management system, Instruction Planner provides a mechanism for
collecting, tracking, and analyzing information. This session focuses on two major components of
instruction: skills and assessments.
Focus: Develop an understanding of how assessments can be aligned to skills in order to collect
usable data, and to assessments that accurately measure the proper level of rigor of the skills being taught.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session IP204: Using Instructional Data to Drive Teaching and Learning
Overview: Instruction Planner has the ability to collect real-time data on various elements of instruction. It allows
teachers and administrators to use that information as formative instructional data. The session focuses on the variety
of reports available and how to use those reports to make important decisions.
Focus: Investigate and create Instruction Planner reports as well as determine what the data means and what types
of decisions can be made to drive teaching and learning.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session IP205: Using Instructional Data to Support Curriculum Refinement
Overview: This session is a follow-up to the Foundation for Successful Implementations. Teachers and administrators
continue the process of curricular refinement to ensure consistent use of data. Materials are generated for finding
specific documents as well as for communicating and the monitoring of the next steps in the refinement of curricula,
instruction, and assessment.
Focus: Improve refinement practices to the enacted curricula to support the development of instructional units.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM0001-D: Foundation for Successful Implementation – District Leaders
Overview: District leaders and key decision makers establish a plan for the successful implementation of Curriculum
Mapper. Session addresses integrating school improvement items, establishing a timeline, designating overseers of
specific tasks, clarifying what teachers and administrators need to know and do to ensure success, as well as
creating a process for developing, sharing, and publishing curriculum maps. Participants collaborate on ways to
build capacity and ensure sustainability.
Focus: Establish map formats, learn reporting features, and set administrative features.
Expected Participants: District leaders and key decision makers
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM001-B: Foundation for Successful Implementation - Building Leaders
Overview: Building-level administrators define how Curriculum Mapper is to be implemented: using reports
operationally, developing a communication plan, establishing timelines, as well as creating a feedback system to
balance instructional design with the needs of the students.
Focus: Design a plan to support teachers as they map the curricula, as well as to correlate the district’s nonnegotiables
with the needs of the students.
Expected Participants: Principals and building administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM101: Getting Started Part 1: Developing Curriculum Maps
Overview: Session is an introduction to the Style Guide and Curriculum Guidelines used to analyze and refine
curricula. The Read-Through Protocol, a formal process for providing constructive feedback, is applied.
Focus: Translate the enacted instruction into Content, Skills, and Assessment statements that can effectively and
efficiently be used to analyze and refine what happens in classrooms.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM102: Getting Started Part 2: Functions and Features
Overview: Teachers and administrators are introduced to the web-based curriculum mapping process with
Curriculum Mapper. Using their own logins and passwords, they start the process of mapping the enacted curriculum,
documenting what actually took place in their classrooms.
Focus: Understand the essential functions and features of Curriculum Mapper.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM103: Deconstructing Standards
Overview: Curriculum Mapper users learn to identify targets within the standards used (state, local, Common Core
State Standards, etc.), classifying those targets according to learning outcomes. They develop a common
understanding of the expectations, translating the targets into specific skill statements. Teachers and administrators
learn to transform skill targets into quality, day-to-day indicators of achievement.
Focus: Develop specific standards statements in a way that makes instruction easily correlated to state standards.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session CM104: Understanding and Deconstructing Common Core State Standards
Overview: Understanding the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) requires becoming familiar with the
embedded learning targets, the levels of rigor associated with the standards, and the transferring of those learning
targets into appropriate types of skills and assessments. This session helps participants understand the process of
deconstructing the CCSS to formulate specific skills from the general statements of the standards.
Focus: Identify the CCSS learning targets and levels of expected learning, categorize the types of learning, and
create specific skill statements to build mastery.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session CM105: Standardizing Curriculum Maps through Improved Clarity, Consistency, and
Reliability
Overview: In order to examine and improve curricula, it is imperative that the data going into curriculum maps is
consistent in how it is entered, how reliable the maintenance is, and how clearly it is written. This session involves
examining specific aspects of created maps using a common rubric, and then editing maps to improve the quality.
Focus: Examine maps in place to ensure the quality, dependability, and consistency of map data.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session CM201: Documenting and Analyzing the Operational Curriculum
Overview: Addresses the process for documenting and reflecting on the enacted (operational) curricula, regardless
of who teaches what and when. Teachers and administrators can then use the curriculum maps to make critical
decisions about the essential elements of their teaching practices to improve student learning.
Focus: Continue the understanding of the essential functions and features of Curriculum Mapper.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
Session CM202: Skills and Standards: Using Map Data for Collective Analysis
Overview: Teachers and administrators use curricular map data to collaboratively analyze student strengths and
weaknesses through professional dialogue, planning units of instruction according to the results found. They use
specific reports to learn how to interpret data within the reports and how to use that data to drive the instructional
process.
Focus: Encourage ongoing dialogue across grade levels and subject areas to vertically align the curricula, improving
teaching and learning.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM203: Skills and Assessments: Using Enacted Curriculum to Develop Assessments
Overview: Assessments are the key indicators of instructional rigor. They should be directly related to the types and
levels of skills found in the curricula. Teachers and administrators examine their enacted curricula as well as the skills
associated. They learn to develop assessments that match the rigor of those skills.
Focus: Develop assessment types and categories of questions based on the curricula and what was taught.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM204: Using Curriculum Data to Drive Teaching and Learning
Overview: Teachers and administrators are introduced to the process of curriculum refinement. They
identify revision points (relevance, gaps, redundancies, etc.), investigate the data, as well as make
adjustments to the curricula, the instruction, and the assessments. Best practice guidelines help
determine a focus of the investigation, review, and subsequent decisions.
Focus: Revise enacted curricula to support the ongoing development of instructional units of study.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session CM205: Using Data to Support Curriculum Refinement
Overview: This session is a follow-up to the Foundation for Successful Implementations. Teachers and administrators
continue the process of curricular refinement to ensure consistent use of data. Materials are generated for finding
specific documents as well as for communication and the monitoring of the next steps in the refinement of curricula,
instruction, and assessment.
Focus: Improve refinement practices to the enacted curricula to support the development of instructional units of study.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
Session: SS001-D: Foundation for Successful Implementation – District Leaders
Overview: District leaders and key decision makers establish a plan for the successful implementation of
StandardsScore. Session addresses integrating school improvement items, establishing a timeline, designating
overseers of specific tasks, clarifying what teachers and administrators need to know and do to ensure success.
They create a process for developing and publishing standards-based grading reports. Participants collaborate on
ways to build capacity and ensure sustainability.
Focus: Develop ways to implement the StandardsScore initiative, build capacity, and attain sustainability.
Expected Participants: District leaders and key decision makers
Session Length: Full day
SS001-B: Foundation for Successful Implementation - Building Leaders
Overview: Building administrators define how StandardsScore is to be implemented: using reports operationally,
developing a communication plan, establishing building timelines, as well as creating a feedback system to balance
instructional design with the needs of the students.
Focus: Design a plan to support teachers as they move to standards-based assessments, as well as to correlate the
district’s non-negotiables with the needs of the students.
Expected Participants: Principals and building administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS101: Getting Started Part 1: Measuring and Reporting Consistent Grading Practices
Overview: Teachers and administrators begin the development and implementation of fair grading policies that will
be consistent across the district and school, grade levels, and subject areas, as well as determining the flexibility
allocated to the classrooms. They make critical decisions to reflect what is truly being measured and reported – in
fairness to all students.
Focus: Develop a consistent grading protocol as promoted through research.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
SS102: Getting Started Part 2: Functions and Features
Overview: Teachers and administrators are introduced to the steps needed to begin using StandardsScore as a
standards-based data method. They learn how StandardsScore is a comprehensive data management and
communication system that provides parents, teachers, administrators, and students with real-time formative data used
to enhance the teaching and learning processes. District and Building users will receive full administrative training.
Focus: Explore data analysis features used to examine student learning data.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Half or full day
SS103: Deconstructing Standards
Overview: StandardsScore users learn to identify targets within the standards used (state, local, Common Core State
Standards, etc.), classifying those targets according to learning outcomes. They develop a common understanding
of the expectations, translating the targets into specific skill statements. Teachers and administrators learn to transform
skill targets into quality, day-to-day indicators of achievement.
Focus: Develop specific standards statements in a way that makes instruction easily correlated to state
standards.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS104: Understanding and Deconstructing Common Core State Standards
Overview: Understanding the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) requires becoming familiar with the
embedded learning targets, the levels of rigor associated with the standards, and the transferring of those learning
targets into appropriate types of skills and assessments. This session helps participants understand the process of
deconstructing the CCSS to formulate specific skills from the general statements of the standards.
Focus: Identify the CCSS learning targets and levels of expected learning, categorize the types of learning, and
create specific skill statements to build mastery.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS105: Developing Standards-Based Assessments
Overview: Teachers and administrators are introduced to the steps necessary to use StandardsScore as a standardsbased,
comprehensive data management/communication system. It provides parents, teachers, administrators, and
students with formative data in real time.
Focus: Explore data analysis features to enhance the teaching and learning processes.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS201: Grading Practices that Support Teaching and Learning
Overview: Teachers need to ensure that grades are a true reflection of student learning and that report cards
accurately reflect learning. In this session, teachers learn how to establish norms in their grading practices.
Standardizing grading practices establishes a system all teachers can understand, as well as makes grading more
consistent across grade levels and subject areas.
Focus: Develop systematic grading practices based on current research and best practices.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS202: Standards Mastery: Tracking Progress and Providing Feedback
Overview: Standards are learning targets that students are expected to master. StandardsScore has the tools that
teachers and students need to track the progress toward specific standards mastery. Teachers and administrators
learn about the research that indicates the importance of teachers providing feedback to their students so that the
students can see their growth and what they need to do to master a standard.
Focus: Create teacher and student reports. Develop response statements that provide specific feedback to students’
strengths and weaknesses.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS203: Skills and Assessments: Using Student Performance Data to Support Effective
Teaching
Overview: Teachers use formative assessment data to monitor progress as it relates to instruction. They learn to use
data to “inform” instruction, a critical step to improving teaching and learning.
Focus: Use StandardsScore reports to identify strengths and weaknesses in student learning in order to adjust
teaching methods and strategies.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS204: Using Data to Inform: Analyzing Communication within a Learning Community
Session
Overview: Teachers and administrators learn how various modes of communication are used to provide informative
data to parents and students, eliminating the report card as the sole means of communicating student progress.
Focus: Develop a communication system that ensures all stakeholders have access to time-sensitive information
about a student’s progress -- information that is needed to help that student achieve specific learning goals.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
SS205: Using Assessment Data to Support Curriculum Refinement
Session
Overview: This session is a follow-up to the Foundation for Successful Implementations. Teachers and administrators
continue the process of assessment refinement to ensure consistent use of data. Materials are generated for finding
documents as well as for communication and the monitoring of the next steps in the refinement of curricula,
instruction, and assessment.
Focus: Improve assessment refinement practices to the enacted curricula to support the development of instructional
units of study.
Expected Participants: Teachers and Administrators
Session Length: Full day
To download our complete catalog as a PDF, click here.
Take advantage of our free Webinars designed for school and district leaders who want to successfully implement curriculum improvement, curriculum mapping, and/or standards-based grading. To view our current Webinar schedule, click here.
Click here to request more information or to schedule a session!
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