Resources

Implementation Observation Log

This resource has four tabs for organizing notes on implementation observation.

Phase II Decision-Making Map

This resource outlines all of the significant decisions that need to be made throughout Phase II and provides guidance for a decision-making structure. An example is included below for small districts, in [...]

Email for External Trainers

This resource is a sample email for any external trainer to provide context around your district’s/school’s staff, needs, and priorities.

Groups Who Will Need Training

This document contains a list of individuals who should be trained on the curriculum.

Common Materials and Vision Training Needs

This resource lists common needs for teacher and leader training. Some systems opt to have teachers and leaders together for these trainings so that they can learn side by side through digging [...]

Materials Training Options

This resource identifies options for curriculum implementation training as well as the pros and cons for each option.

Training Supports

Email Communicating Support Plan: Training, Planning, and Coaching

These sample emails—one to the school leader/coach from a district leader, one to teachers from the school leader, and one example from a superintendent in a small school district—outline the training supports [...]

Coaching Support

This resource includes ideas and resources for leveraging materials as part of coaching practice.

Coach Curriculum Training

This resource is an overview of how to support and train coaches in utilizing the curriculum in their coaching process. This is not an exhaustive list for coach training, but rather a [...]

Aligning Evaluation and Curriculum

This resource describes different options for addressing the potential tension that could arise between a required evaluation tool and the content-specific and/or curriculum-specific walkthrough tool you have adopted or constructed through your [...]

Coaching Model Overview

This resource is a high-level overview of a sample coaching model and process. This model could be used with formal instructional coaches or a teacher leader coaching structure. Whether formal coaching or [...]

Teacher Survey on Coaching

This resource includes sample survey questions for teachers to share their experience with coaching.

Support Roles for Teacher Planning

This resource outlines potential roles and responsibilities for supporting planning and supporting those who support planning.

Lesson Planning Structures

This resource gives an overview of individual planning structures that early implementers used to ensure effective lesson preparation. Early implementers found that “doing the work” of the lesson was the most helpful [...]

Teacher Focus Group on Planning Support

This resource provides sample questions for a teacher focus group to understand current supports for planning. Capture these insights during contract hours is recommended. Insights can be completed formally in a focus [...]

Example Curriculum Use Guidance

This resource is a sample of what a Use Guidance document could look like. This example is for ELA based on Core Knowledge materials.

Guidance on Curriculum Use

This resource outlines some considerations to think through when determining the expectations for use of the new curriculum. For more information about what this looks like in practice, refer to the Sample [...]

Agenda for Determining Pacing

This resource is a sample agenda that can be used to support teacher leaders in determining pacing guidance for the new materials. The email includes goals and an agenda for a meeting [...]

Pacing Guidance

This resource provides considerations and guidance for setting pacing across the school year. The underlying consideration is figuring out how shared the expectations will be (e.g., which groups are expected to be [...]

Scheduling Considerations

This resource provides examples, with embedded guidance, on how to think about scheduling classes and lessons so that teachers have the time they need to meet the goals of the curriculum. There [...]

Curriculum Study

This resource provides guidance for preparation, an agenda, and a prep email for studying the curriculum to better understand the design and to make informed decisions about implementation. By studying the curriculum, [...]

Slide Deck Communicating Assessment Choices

Email Communicating Assessment Choices

This resource provides a sample email that can be shared with leaders and teachers about the assessment plan that will be adopted to support the implementation of the new curriculum.

Common Grading Challenges

This resource outlines some of the challenges and considerations around grading during the implementation process. These are some of the more common challenges that arise, but please note that this is not [...]

Resources on Grading

This resource outlines the considerations that should be taken prior to finalizing or adjusting a grading policy. It also provides example grading policies and links to relevant resources about grading research, guidelines, [...]

Assessment Purpose Template

This resource provides a template for you to organize your analysis of current assessments and their purposes. It can be helpful to use your Assessment Inventory as a starting place. This template [...]

Assessment Review Tools

This resource provides tools and guidance for reviewing assessments.

Completed Assessment Inventory

This resource provides a completed example of the Assessment Inventory Template for a school from our early implementer group. These use notes are not intended to be an evaluation of this assessment [...]

Assessment Inventory Template

This resource provides a template you can use for taking stock of all of the assessments happening in your system. The results from this inventory can inform valuable conversations and decisions regarding [...]

Assessment Purposes

This resource shares purpose, frequency, and examples of the various types of assessments.

Guide for Discussing Assessment

This resource provides a guide to managing emotions around assessment. It outlines key messages that can help clarify the importance of assessment in teaching and learning as well as specific ideas about [...]

Agenda for Assessment Study

This resource is an agenda for studying the assessments within the curriculum to make decisions about how to effectively utilize the curriculum-embedded assessments in alignment with the overall assessment vision.

Celebration Ideas

This resource outlines fun ways to celebrate teamwork.

Three Pillars of Teacher Support

This resource provides an overview of the Three Pillars of Teacher Support—Train, Plan, and Coach—including their key components and how they work together.

Challenge Solving Protocols

This resource outlines reactive systems and protocols for unpacking and solving challenges. The first chart gives an example of how to capture and log challenges. Under “Example Protocols,” you can see systems [...]

Progress Monitoring Practices

This resource outlines best practices in progress monitoring as well as gives guidance on how often data is collected and analyzed.

Stakeholder Feedback Survey

This resource provides sample survey questions to gather feedback from teachers, students, and leaders.

Roles and Responsibilities Matrix

This resource provides a template and examples for outlining the roles and responsibilities in implementation.

Progress Monitoring Plan and Approaches

This resource includes guidance on progress monitoring as well as a sample plan.

Goals for Implementation

This resource shares considerations about setting specific goals in the following areas: teacher practice, student and staff investment, and student growth, as well as sample goals and outcomes for each area.

Implementation Team Charge

This resource is a draft charge that you can provide to the Implementation Support Team. It outlines the rationale for the work and team norms.

Agenda for Phase II Launch Meeting

This resource is a sample meeting agenda for the launch of the Implementation Support Team. During the meeting, the team defines team norms, roles and responsibilities, and decision-making, and it creates the [...]

End of Year Celebration Ideas

This resource outlines different ways to celebrate with your team at the end of a big year.

Email for End-of-Year Communication

This resource contains a sample email communicating successes, progress, and plans for next year.

Considerations When Changing Materials

This resource provides guidance for those considering changing instructional materials at the end of the school year.

End-of-Year Stepback Agenda

This resource provides a sample agenda for a three-hour, end-of-year stepback meeting. This meeting can be completed in two parts—one part focused on data review (Key Action III.3.B) and one part focused [...]

End-of-Year Stepback Considerations for Staffing

This resource supports planning for your End-of-Year Stepback. The End-of-Year Stepback has new dimensions to consider around staffing changes for the following year. This resource is a starting place for what you [...]

End-of-Year Stepback Data Gathering Template

This resource provides a template for assembling all end-of-year data and feedback.

End-of-Year Stepback Guidance and Materials

This resource provides an overview of options for stepping back with a range of stakeholders at the end of the year.

Email Communicating Adjustments After a Stepback

This resource provides a sample email from a school leader to their staff explaining the key takeaways and changes from a quarterly stepback meeting.

Examples of Mid-Year Adjustments

This resource provides examples of mid-year adjustments a system might make when implementing new materials. This can help give you an idea for how to make changes to improve implementation during the [...]

Quarterly Stepback Meeting Norms

This resource provides sample meeting norms. Setting norms are essential for discussing data and productive meetings.

Quarterly Stepback Data Gathering Template

This resource provides a template for organizing data and feedback for quarterly stepbacks.

Quarterly Stepback Agenda and Email

This resource provides goals, a sample agenda, and a sample email for a Quarterly Stepback Meeting.

Implementation Observation Guidance

This resource is a list of the key interactions that early implementers benefitted from observing in order to understand how things were going. Some early implementers created shared documents to pool observations [...]

Project Planning Check-In Agenda

This check-in agenda can be used for regular but brief meetings of the Implementation Team to assess progress on the implementation plan and progress toward goals, with opportunities to synthesize learnings and [...]

Implementation Support Team Leader Role and Responsibilities

This resource outlines the role and responsibilities for the Implementation Support Team Leader. It can be used to support leader selection and management.

Implementation Support Team Role and Responsibilities

This resource outlines the role of the Implementation Support Team and the responsibilities for the members of this team.

Guidance on Pilots and Selection

This resource provides an overview of the different options for piloting materials, as well as the design considerations for pilots.

Email Communicating Materials Ordering and Distribution

This resource contains sample emails communicating distribution information for the school-based point person and teachers.

Tracking Materials Orders

This resource provides a tracking template for all materials, along with a sample calendar for key action items.

Materials Procurement Organization Template

This resource provides a template for organizing all materials.

Procurement Responsibilities

This resource outlines the different procurement responsibilities and provides a template that you can use for assigning those responsibilities. It also gives a sample procurement timeline.

Curriculum Talking Points and FAQ on Selection

This resource outlines the frequently asked questions that systems encounter from stakeholders at this stage, including talking points and relevant research.

Email Sharing Selection Decision and Rationale

These sample emails—one to the superintendent and one to teachers—outline the rationale for why specific materials were chosen after the selection process.

Agenda for Materials Review and Discussion

This resource provides a possible agenda for leading a selection committee meeting to review materials and debrief their review.

Review Committee Training Agenda, Email, and Survey

This resource provides an agenda for training the Review Committee on the rubric and procedures for curriculum review.

Curriculum Criteria

This resource is a list of questions for a system to consider to generate curriculum criteria, as well as a list of sample curriculum criteria for middle school ELA.

Questions for Naming Curriculum Criteria

This resource is a starting point for the kinds of questions you can ask stakeholders in a survey or focus group. The responses to these questions should help generate curriculum criteria.

Key Messages for Maintaining High Expectations for Students

This resource provides ideas to support conversations about high expectations for students. It includes key messages to highlight, tips on facilitating difficult conversations, and resources to lead the group to shared understandings [...]

Core Beliefs

This resource provides sample core beliefs for guiding selection and implementation.

Email for Communicating Standards Training to the Review Committee

This resource is a sample email communicating the goals and agenda for the training to the team.

Slide Deck for Communicating About the Selection Process

This resource provides a sample slide deck that overviews why a district decided to select a new curriculum and how the selection process will work.

Key Messages on the Selection Process

This resource outlines criteria for key messages and sample language to reinforce about the selection and implementation process. Your key messages should include the why of selection and how this decision impacts [...]

Email for Communicating About the Selection Process

This resource provides sample emails—one to teachers and one to families—that can be shared to communicate how the selection process will go.

Stakeholders for Selection

This is a list of common potential stakeholders for the selection process.

Equitable Committee Recruitment Guidance

This resource includes a set of key questions and considerations to think through in order to ensure a fair recruitment process.

Review Committee Job Description

This resource outlines a potential job description to be shared with people interested in becoming members of the Review Committee.

Description of Selection Events

This resource describes events related to selecting materials. This can serve as a starting place as you consider your planning and timeline.

Selection Plan

This template is a place to record projects and tasks that your team will take on during selection. Modify this to a format that works for your team. At the bottom of [...]

Selection Decision-Making Approaches

This resource outlines different approaches for making the final materials selection.

Guidance on Pilots and Selection

This resource provides an overview of the different options for piloting materials, as well as the design considerations for pilots.

Description of Selection Events

This resource describes events related to selecting materials. This can serve as a starting place as you consider your planning and timeline.

Agenda for Planning the Selection Process

This resource outlines a sample agenda to guide the first meeting of the Selection Team.

Sample Email for Launching the Work of the Selection Team

This resource provides a sample email to be sent to the Selection Team from the Selection Team Leader. The email should set the tone for the work ahead and clearly outline the [...]

Selection Leader Competencies

This resource outlines many of the key characteristics of a Selection Team Leader.

Selection Timelines

This resource provides some sample timelines for schools or systems to use as a starting point for the selection process.

Selection Team Process and Team Member Criteria

This resource shares the purpose and composition of the Selection Team and Review Committee. It outlines processes, competencies, and application considerations for assembling the teams.

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.

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