Professional Learning Opportunities

Data and Assessment Literacy (MnDAL) Professional Learning Opportunities

The professional learning opportunities below are offered as COMPASS Pathways, various levels of support for educators and leaders interested in furthering their learning about assessment and data use. 

Three MnDAL Pathways

1. On-Demand Learning (MnDAL Course for Educators and Leaders)
2. Hybrid Learning (Community of Practice Meetings)
3. Year-long Cohort (SAIL)

1. On-Demand Learning: MnDAL for Educators and Leaders Online Course

MDE is excited to partner with the WestEd's Formative Insights Team to provide educators and school leaders with a growing library of professional learning resources. Each module outlined on the On-Demand Learning page will be available for educators and Leaders to use in Canvas throughout the 2022-23 school year, divided into four strands of learning. 

Each module:

• Builds understanding of assessment and data use practices in the context of standards-based instruction and school improvement efforts
• Supports a coherent sequence of learning for both educators and school/district leaders by offering coherent yet separate learning sequences
• Provides differentiated learning experiences through application and reflection tailored to the specific needs of school leaders and teachers
• Uses examples that are inclusive of grade levels and discipline areas
• Applies an asset-based approach to centers equity and culturally responsive, sustaining practices
• Provides content that can reasonably be completed within an approximately 60-90-minute interval
• Provides 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.

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.

For more information and to see a list of topics, visit the On-Demand Learning page.

2. MnDAL Community of Practice Meetings

The communities of practice virtual meetings 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 as a framework for PLC or team work. Supports for building this infrastructure is available through MnMTSS COMPASS cohorts.

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. Meetings will coordinate with the release of each strand of modules.

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. Year-Long Cohort: Student Agency in Learning (SAIL) 

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. 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 leader, a site facilitator, and three to seven teachers.

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

 Commitment

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

Additional Resources

COMPASS

Collaborative Minnesota Partnerships to Advance Student Success, COMPASS, is a statewide education system created through a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Minnesota Service Cooperatives and Regional Centers for Excellence. COMPASS is designed to meet schools and districts where they are in the work to accelerate student learning and match the state's response to those needs. Throughout the 2021-22 school year and beyond, educators, school staff and school leaders will have new opportunities for professional learning and coaching, along with coordinated support from experts. Learn more about COMPASS here.

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