Key Action II.1

Set Goals, Roles, And Monitoring Plan

What is the goal?

The goal of this key action is to identify the people in your school system who will lead implementation work and build their capacity to do so. This includes identifying members of the Implementation Support Team and clarifying the roles of the overall team and its individual members.

Why this key action is important

Naming the team that is responsible for supporting implementation and the goals creates focus and a clear aim for the implementation effort. This key action is important because it sets the conditions for all the planning and implementation support to follow.

Explanation of language

We use the phrase Implementation Support Team to refer to the team that will work together to plan for curriculum implementation. Implementation includes all plans for use and instructional support.

steps

guiding questions

notes & resources

  • 1.
    What perspectives do we need on the Implementation Support Team?
  • 2.
    How can we make sure the vision and learning from the materials selection process are represented on the Implementation Support Team?
  • 3.
    Who will serve on the Implementation Support Team?
  • The Implementation Support Team will engage across all implementation work (Phases II and III). This team will ultimately be accountable for the success of the implementation effort.
  • Some of the decisions in Phase II are system-level decisions, but many are school-level decisions. This team will vary based on the size of the system, but it should always include school perspectives and teacher perspectives in addition to those of system leaders.
  • Though continuity across selection and implementation is important, the process of implementing new materials is complex and may call for new or additional leadership.
  • The resource Implementation Support Team Roles and Responsibilities contains notes on how you might think about this team. It includes the types of roles that should have representation on the team, as well as some specific responsibilities for the members.
  • 4.
    Who will lead the Implementation Support Team?
  • The work of this phase will include assessment implications, grading, pacing, scheduling, coaching, planning support, and training. The person leading this team should have the scope of authority to navigate decisions across these instructional systems.
  • The document Implementation Support Team Leader Roles and Responsibilities outlines things to consider in the selection of the team leader.
  • 1.
    What is our charge as an Implementation Support Team? What are we all accountable to?
  • 2.
    What strengths (e.g., knowledge, skills, prior experiences, relationships) do team members bring that can help fulfill this charge?
  • 3.
    What’s the right role for each individual team member, given their strengths and scopes of work? What is each individual member of the team accountable to?
  • Some Implementation Support Team Members should be involved in decision making across the board, while others may only be needed to make direct decisions on certain topics, such as assessment and grading or the coaching plan. Keep track of each team member’s responsibilities in the Implementation Plan—you will add to and revise the responsibilities list as you move through Phase II.
  • 1.
    What gaps do we have in terms of our capacity to meet our charge?
  • 2.
    What training, resources, or support might we need to meet our charge?
  • 3.
    Do we need to bring anyone else on board?
  • Go back to Step 1.2.B: Articulate the Vision of Instruction and Core Beliefs for any members of the Implementation Support Team who were not part of the materials selection process to ensure they understand the standards and vision.
  • Add your training, resource, and support needs to your Implementation Plan.
  • 4.
    What systems do we already have in place to communicate decisions and information with key stakeholder groups?
  • 5.
    Do we need to establish any new communication systems to ensure information gets out quickly to everyone who needs it?
  • Communicating implementation decisions and information clearly and promptly is essential for a strong start. Several steps in Phase II will prompt you to communicate with key stakeholder groups, so reviewing your communication systems now will prepare you for those future steps.
  • 6.
    What systems do we already have in place to get quick ideas, suggestions, or feedback from key stakeholder groups?
  • 7.
    Do we need to brainstorm new ways to get quick ideas, suggestions, and feedback from stakeholders in ways that suit our community?
  • Input from key stakeholders, especially teachers, will help ensure the plans you make are workable in practice.
  • 8.
    What systems do we already have in place to train teachers and leaders? What about our current system works? What might we need to improve?
  • 9.
    What opportunities can we brainstorm for new ways to train teachers and leaders that fit the culture and logistics of our system/school?
  • You will need to provide a lot of training to teachers and leaders in your school and system, not just around how to teach well with the new materials, but also around how the materials fit with other expectations and systems like grading, assessment, and planning. Taking the time now to think about your current approaches to training will help prepare you for future decisions.
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Workbook

This workbook is designed to help a school or system leadership team work through the implementation process together. Assemble your team, print or download the workbook, find your starting point, and dig in together.

Download Workbook