Professional Learning Opportunities

COMPASS Pathways: Data and Assessment Literacy (DAL)

COMPASS Pathways are professional development opportunities with various levels of support. Learn more about COMPASS.

Review the options below for pathways related to DAL. School districts interested in being a part of the community of practice meetings or year-long cohort will be asked to complete an interest form.

When engaging in each pathway, it is recommended schools have pre-established team structures in place for professional learning (MnMTSS linked teams, PLCs, co-planning or grade-level teams of teachers, etc.) that meet weekly or bi-weekly. In order to participate in the community of practice meetings or year-long cohort, this infrastructure is essential to success. 

Three DAL Pathways

1. On-Demand Learning
2. Hybrid Learning (Bi-monthly Community of Practice Meetings)
3. Year-long Cohort (SAIL)

1. On-Demand Learning

MDE is excited to partner with the WestEd's Formative Insights and Assessment Literacy Team to provide educators and school leaders with a growing library of professional learning resources. Each module outlined below will be available on MDE's Canvas page throughout the 2022-23 school year, starting with Strand 1 coming in August 2022.

Each module will:

• Build understanding of assessment and data use practices in the context of standards-based instruction and school improvement efforts
• Support a coherent sequence of learning at the leader and educator strand level
• Provide differentiated learning experiences through application and reflection tailored to the specific needs of school leaders and teachers
• Use examples that are inclusive of grade levels and discipline areas
• Take an asset-based stance that centers equity and culturally responsive, sustaining practices
• Provide content that can reasonably be completed within an approximately 60-90-minute interval
• Provide tools and community of practice activities that can be used to scale the work at district and school sites through professional development and communities of practice.

Modules for Teachers

Each strand will include slides, recordings, community of practice activities, and tools to be used for application in instructional and leadership contexts.

Modules indicated with a * represent content that will be offered in both the educator and lead sequences, with role-specific reflection and application activities.

Modules for Leaders 

Each strand will include slides, recordings, community of practice activities, and tools to be used for application in instructional and leadership contexts.

Commitment

Work through the asynchronous learning opportunities and resources available throughout this summer and school year 2022-23.

Outcomes

• Participants will become familiar with each topic and will be able to explain and use the tools with their local staff or team.
• Participants can earn educator CEUs for each module completed.
• Leaders can earn administrative CEUs for completing an entire strand of modules.

2. DAL Community of Practice - Hybrid Learning 

The communities of practice are intended for educators and school leaders who have a collaborative team structure in place and would like support in implementing the tools and content from the Data and Assessment Literacy Modules to use as a framework for professional learning in their school or district. During each meeting, participants will be expected to have reviewed the modules before attending the session, and be willing to implement the provided tools and discuss with others. This works best under a larger umbrella of existing school/district MnMTSS infrastructure work as a framework for PLC or team work.

This pathway is for instructional coaches, school/district leaders and/or district/school teams who want to sharpen their data and assessment literacy skills and use assessment concepts and data inquiry processes for leading teacher or leadership team meetings, or for structuring PLC work. 

Commitment

Attendance at all meetings in the series is encouraged (5-6 virtual meetings). Dates will be posted here when available.

Outcomes 

Participants will become familiar with collaborative data-based decision making and assessment literacy concepts. Participants will receive a curriculum framework and tools to use for structuring professional learning at their own sites.

• Participants can earn educator CEUs for each module completed.
• Leaders can earn administrative CEUs for completing an entire strand of modules. 

3. Cohort 

In the 2022-23 school year, up to 20 teams of educators and leaders from across the state will have the opportunity to join Minnesota’s first Student Agency in Learning (SAIL) cohort pilot. SAIL content integrates principles of formative assessment with student identity, and classroom culture - to enrich and deepen instructional practice in support of student agency. Teachers will participate in continuous learning cycles of new content, the application of formative assessment skills in the classroom, community of practice meetings, and self-reflection on progress within a blended, digital and in-person learning design. The blended learning design encourages teachers to take risks and integrate new content with existing expertise, while also developing an awareness of where they will lean in to improve student outcomes.

Leaders play a significant role in supporting the opportunities, culture and conditions that advance teacher learning. Schools that are most successful in SAIL have teachers and leaders working alongside one another to learn about and support the changing roles of students, through formative assessment. Each school-based team should include one school system leader, one school leader, and three to five teachers.

MDE and WestEd will host an informational meeting for district and school leaders who would like to learn more about this opportunity on Tuesday, May 24 from 10–11:30 a.m. Please register for this information meeting if you would like to attend. 

Commitment

This course requires a more time-intensive commitment for the 2022-23 school year to complete online learning experiences and site-based community of practice meetings that explore formative assessment in context to transform teaching and learning in classrooms, schools and districts. The school should already have pre-established team structures for learning (PLCs or grade/content-based teams of teachers; MnMTSS linked teams) that meet weekly in order to participate. All materials and training on how to facilitate professional learning meetings will be provided. The cohort will consist of a kickoff meeting in August and six 3-hour professional learning sessions hosted by WestEd and MDE, along with monthly meetings at each site facilitated by a site facilitator on your team. There will be independent learning and application activities between sessions. Participants must engage in every session, complete practice activities to share and apply new learning using the professional learning structure, provide feedback on each session to inform their ongoing development and improvement, and agree to share their learning with others.

Commitment for participation will be outlined at the informational meeting and includes:

1. Designating a site leader who will develop a course calendar that aligns to the school and district calendar (WestEd and MDE will provide sample resources);
2. Attendance at the virtual SAIL Leadership Launch in August for all site leaders and Community of Practice facilitators;
3. Attendance at the virtual SAIL Teacher Launch in September;
4. Asynchronous online learning throughout the school year via Canvas (roughly 2 hours per 2 weeks);
5. Implementation of the tools and practices learned in the asynchronous modules;
6. Attendance at all synchronous virtual meetings for site facilitators (bi-monthly; 6 total).

Outcomes

• Use success criteria to guide their learning
• Talk about evidence of their learning
• Persevere in their learning
• Give more thoughtful and extended answers during classroom dialogue
• Engage with feedback to further their own, and peers, learning
• Set academic and personal goals
• Ask questions of themselves and others
• Reflect on and learn from mistakes

Additional Resources

Resources and Recordings from Teaching and Learning Led by Evidence Webinar Series, 2020-21 School Year