Strategic Teaching

During our 5-year relationship with Cleveland we guided their transition into a standards-based system. We began by facilitating the development of content standards for all core subjects. As part of this process, we held focus groups of teachers and of community stakeholders, analyzed survey data and developed explanatory print and media based on the results. Later, when Ohio's released the State Academic Standards, we oversaw the work of aligning Cleveland's standards to both the state standards and the state assessment.

 We supported Cleveland's implementation of standards using a variety of methods. We conducted monthly trainings with building representatives, extended summer trainings with groups of key personal including administrators, and supported the revision of school improvement plans by working with school teams.

To further push the implementation of standards into classrooms, we assisted in the creation of a standards-based, on-line report card for grades k-8. This system requires teachers to electronically input both letter and rubrics-type grades for every student. The technology allows the marriage of all input, making possible that a unique, individualized report card be printed for each student. After the system was in place we helped teachers implement the system with multiple trainings scaffold by video and text materials.