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Creating Implementation Plans for RTT-D

By: Neil Campbell on September 11th, 2012

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Creating Implementation Plans for RTT-D

Personalized Learning  |  Education Elements  |  School Districts  |  Innovative Leadership

Race_to_the_top

The Race to the Top District Competition’s (RTT-D) absolute priority focused on personalized learning environments is exciting for us here at Education Elements. We’ve worked with schools and districts all over the country to help them personalize learning as they create Blended Classrooms.

Rather than summarizing the competition, over the next few weeks we’ll be using this space to highlight how the work we’ve done on instructional model design, digital content curation, and project implementation can help districts as they develop their RTT-D applications.

Each phase of RTT has awarded points to applicants that have already demonstrated success and that have aggressive reform plans. But the amendments many RTT winning States have filed make it clear that implementing those plans is a major challenge.

That could be why RTT-D has an emphasis on evidence that districts will be able to successfully implement their plans.

This focus on implementation becomes apparent throughout the selection criteria.

Criteria (A)(2) Applicant’s Approach to Implementation shows that:

  • The Department expects districts to describe their process to select participating schools and how they will support high-quality implementations.

Our experience with schools suggests:

  • Schools are often best served by thoughtfully phasing the introduction of new processes and tools because blended learning requires significant shifts in practices (e.g. managing rotations in the classroom). This phasing allows teachers - and students - to build confidence as they move from “beginning” to “advanced” practices.
  • As you write your application, keep your end vision in mind and develop a roadmap for how to get there. Don’t be afraid to dream big but start small. Pick elements of your plan that can be rapidly deployed to serve the required number of students (see FAQ C-1e for more on that), and scale the more complicated elements throughout the grant period. The first schools transforming their instructional models will be the hardest to do. Consider how many schools you will select, and what elements of the model you will roll out in them in year one, how you will learn from them, and how to grow in future years.

Criteria (C)(1) and (C)(2) Preparing Students for College and Careers shows that:

  • The Department expects applicants to provide training, support, and resources for students and educators to support implementation of personalized learning.

Our experience with schools suggests:

  • It is important to make sure the training for teachers is phased to prioritize what they need on Day 1 (e.g. logging in, training students, and assigning content to students) with follow ups to analyze actual data and introduce additional features and expectations.
  • Including a comprehensive plan that lays out your professional development goals and objectives will strengthen your application. You should also be sure to think through the cost of providing PD and include that in your budget.

Criteria (E)(1) Continuous Improvement Process shows that:

  • The Department expects districts to articulate a process to provide regular feedback on progress toward project goals.

Our experience with schools suggests:

  • It is important for schools to proactively build processes such as common planning time for teachers to share successes and challenges, having a blended learning lead to collect technical questions and problems, and scheduling recurring “data days” to adjust content, intervention, or other strategies.
  • Developing and spelling out a plan for how you will ensure learning and improvement over the grant period will be key in your application. Think about what stakeholders you will need to engage, and any costs that might be associated with their time in this effort. Show that you have thought through not only how you will collect data, but also how you will use it to improve your programs and practices.

Being thoughtful about implementation now will not only make your application stronger, but also make your transformation more successful.

If you are interested in learning more, we are hosting a webinar on Thursday September 13 at 9 am PST/12 pm EST on creating credible implementation plans. Register here.

In addition, more information about Education Elements’ approach to implementation of blended learning can be found in our RTT-D Toolkit or by emailing RTT@edelements.com.

 

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