Workshops
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“TIMELESS ESSENTIALS” TO INTEGRATE TEACHING AND LEARNING
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
Larry is available to present all the following ITLS virtual workshops via Zoom. Click on workshop(s) of interest for description of the workshop, what you will learn and create, length of workshop, who should attend, links to ITLS Book Series, related blog posts, and what participants are saying about the workshop. Click on “Request Workshop Quote” button to provide your contact information and receive an all-inclusive pricing quote for each workshop that includes:
Planning calls to fully prepare for professional learning workshop
Customized preparation and delivery of virtual workshop
Electronic PDFs of copyrighted PowerPoint participant handouts
Electronic, copyrighted Word or Google templates provided for session topic and assignment
ONSITE WORKSHOPS
We are currently accepting requests for onsite workshops beginning in January 2025, available to schools and districts throughout the United States. Our onsite ITLS workshops will be conducted by a certified professional learning consultant personally trained by Larry.
WORKSHOPS MENU
Below you will find the Workshops we have available that correspond to the chapters in the Integrating Teaching and Learning: “Timeless Essentials” for Creating Integrated Units of Study book series. Workshops can be attended in the listed sequence or “a la carte” to best fit your needs.
Building the Standards Foundation
IDENTIFY AND ALIGN ESSENTIAL STANDARDS, PK-12—FOUNDATION OF THE INTEGRATED TEACHING AND LEARNING SYSTEM©. +
About the Essential Standards Workshops:
Essential to developing high-quality units of study is understanding the vital role that Essential Standards play in that development. Participants will learn the “why” and “how” of Essential Standards and how teams of educators use established criteria for selecting and aligning Essential Standards across the grades, PK-12, to lay a strong foundation for the subsequent creation of standards-aligned units of study.
Prioritizing the standards is an interactive series of ITLS workshops that are highly relevant for school systems with educators and leaders new to their district who may not be familiar with the rationale and process of prioritizing and/or that need to prioritize:
Recently revised state standards
Entirely new state standards
Existing standards not prioritized or reprioritized in several years
What You Will Experience and Create
During the workshops, participants will first learn and engage in Steps 1-4 of the six-step Essential Standards process and then how to effectively implement Steps 5 and 6. This will enable participants to replicate the same six steps in their own schools and districts.
Essential Standards Process Steps
Step 1
Make initial selections using the four selection criteria. Reach initial consensus.
Step 2
Bold selections for each grade or course on Google sheets or Excel spreadsheets.
Step 3
Align Essential Standards PK-12. Resolve uncertainties. Reach group consensus.
Step 4
Look for connections to external assessments (i.e., state tests).
Step 5
Acquire feedback from all school district educators.
Step 6
Revise, publish, distribute. Review annually to make changes or adjustments as needed.
Virtual Workshops: Five Workshops, Two Hours Each
Workshop 1
The Why and How of Essential Standards
Learn the Rationale and Process Steps for Prioritizing State Standards in All Grades and All Content Areas
See the Relationship Between Essential Standards and Supporting Standards
Learn How to Use Established Criteria to Select and Align Essential Standards, PK-12
Workshop 2
Select the Essential Standards Using Established Criteria
- Apply the Essential Standards Selection Criteria
- Step 1 Activity: Select Essential Standards for Each Grade, PK-12
- Step 2 Activity: Reach Initial Group Consensus and BOLD Selections on Spreadsheets
Workshop 3
Align the Essential Standards, PK-12 (Part 1)
- How to Identify “Gaps, Overlaps, and Omissions”
- Step 3 Activity, Part 1: Align Selected Priority Standards Within PK-5 and 6-12 Grade Bands
- Step 3 Activity, Part 2: Align Selected Priority Standards Between PK-5 and 6-12 Grade Bands
Workshop 4
Align the Essential Standards, PK-12 (Part 2)
Step 4 Activity: Look for Connections to External Assessments (i.e., State Tests).
Learn How to Prioritize Standards in Different Content Areas
Discuss Frequently Asked Questions About Essential Standards
Workshop 5
Essential Standards—Foundation of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
Steps 5 & 6: Learn How to Involve All School and District Educators in the Process
Learn Effective Implementation Strategies
Essential Standards—Foundation of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
Additional Essential Standards Resources
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, PK-12 Classroom Educators, Curriculum Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME ONE: BUILDING THE STANDARDS FOUNDATION
CHAPTER 1: Identify the Essential Standards
CHAPTER 2: Align Essential Standards Across the Grades, PK-12
What Virtual Participants Are Saying About the Essential Standards Virtual Workshops
“The vertical alignment conversation that our teachers have will be very powerful for many reasons.”
“Vertical articulation across the grades is a key step in the process. It is important for teachers to have a cross-grade dialogue in our K-8 district.”
“Larry, your Google sheets are going to be a huge jump start to our alignment - I also took away the questioning you used when making decisions.”
“Listening to insights from other perspectives allows for building a deeper understanding of the standards and what skills are addressed at each level.”
“It was extremely helpful to see all the standards K-8 as well as have meaningful discussion with K-8 educators. It gives me an idea of what to bring back to our admin team to start this process.”
“We had a great conversation and started me thinking about how I can bring this to my building and how to find the time to have the teachers do this.”
“The importance of looking at standards across the grades to be sure we are spending our time wisely!”
“The same standard might not need to be a priority in every grade. Good thing to look at across the grade levels.”
“Key idea for me is minding the gaps and watching for ‘omissions’ as we vertically align the work.”
“I would imagine after spotting an overlap, an additional conversation would be a good idea. I am sure that the group would be able to adjust after seeing this. I say this because just last week, we had some great discussions and some back and forth.”
"Our Danville Public Schools curricular units of study are built on a set of prioritized standards, upon which the entire effort is dependent. If those standards are not selected correctly, then students may end up lacking the academic strength necessary to be successful in math. Mr. Ainsworth has walked alongside me in developing processes of prioritizing content that fit with my state’s standards, my district, and my team."
Jack Faughn, District Math Coordinator, Danville, Virginia
“In addition, looking at the standards yearly, or something close to that, would be important, especially if overlap, gaps, omissions are evident in the final product. Having those discussions after implementation is underway will be important.”
Click on the links to the following three videos to see what Tacoma, Washington educators had to say about their experience prioritizing the Washington State Learning Standards:
BEGINNING THE UNIT STRUCTURE
“UNWRAP” THE ESSENTIAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHER CLARITY +
About the “Unwrapping” Essential Standards Workshop:
When educators have clarity about what their students are to learn, John Hattie’s research reveals this produces an approximate effect size of 0.75—equivalent to almost two years of student growth in one school year.
The “unwrapping” process is a powerful technique all PK-12 educators use to gain that precise clarity of the Essential Standards. When educators “unwrap” standards prior to any instructional planning or assessment writing, they clearly understand the specific concepts and skills their students need to learn—and at the corresponding levels of rigor. They can then create formative and summative assessments that align with that rigor and plan instruction to help all students achieve the identified learning goals.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice:
Part 1: “Unwrapping” the Essential Standards
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Learn How “Unwrapping” Essential Standards Provides the Unit of Study Foundation
- Connect Importance of Clarity to the “Unwrapping” Process
- See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of “Unwrapping” Across Content Areas
- Activity 1: Select and “Unwrap” Essential Standard of Choice in Any Content Area
- Activity 2: Create a Graphic Organizer of “Unwrapped” Concepts and Skills
Part 2: Identifying the Levels of Rigor and Connections
See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Rigor in Multiple Content Areas
Activity 3: Identify Levels of Cognitive Rigor—Bloom’s and Depth of Knowledge (DOK)—For “Unwrapped” Essential Standard of Choice
See How “Unwrapping” Essential Standards and Levels of Rigor Connect to Student Learning Targets, Success Criteria, and Unit Assessments
Virtual Workshop: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, PK-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME ONE: BEGINNING THE UNIT STRUCTURE
CHAPTER 4: “Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
What Participants Are Saying About the “Unwrapping” Standards Virtual Workshop
“’Unwrapping’ standards is an important step for teachers to deeply understand the standards and create appropriate assessments.”
“The process is good—I like the separation of the skills (verbs) and concepts (nouns) for clarity.”
“Hearing the process colleagues went through and the clarity they established with that process together was very helpful.”
“This process is the key to connecting the standards to everything else that comes after: instruction, activities, projects, and assessments. Well worth the time to get to the clarity for the whole journey!”
“Stopping to think and discuss the standards helps to establish them in my mind and understand them better.”
“Awesome information. Thank you!”
“Teacher training programs (should) make this a part of their curriculum.”
“We’ve worked with my teachers on ‘unpacking’ the standards, but identifying the level of rigor and creating assessment tasks that match the rigor of the standard is an area of growth for my teachers.”
LEARNING TARGETS AND SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR STUDENT CLARITY +
About the Learning Targets and Success Criteria Workshop
Student Learning Targets: After the Essential Standards are “unwrapped,” the next step is to write Student Learning Targets by rewording the standards into “kidspeak,” using age-appropriate student language, without losing the rigor and intent of the actual standard so that nothing is “lost in translation.”
Success Criteria: After identifying the student-worded Learning Targets, educators look again at both the “unwrapped” Essential Standard(s) and the student-worded Learning Target(s) and think: “What would students need to show or provide as credible evidence that they had ‘hit’ the Learning Target?” They then write these Success Criteria in specific verb-noun phrases.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Learning Targets and Success Criteria Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for writing standards-aligned Student Learning Targets and Success Criteria.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
Part 1: Write Student Learning Targets
See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
Learn How “Unwrapping” Essential Standards, Learning Targets, and Success Criteria Together Build the Unit of Study Foundation
See the Teacher Clarity Research Related to Learning Targets
See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Student Learning Targets in Multiple Content Areas
Activity 1: Write a Standards-Aligned Student Learning Target of Choice in Any Content Area
Part 2: Align Success Criteria to Student Learning Targets
- What Success Criteria Are and Why They Are Essential in Communicating to Students How to “Hit” the Learning Target
- See Hattie’s Dramatic Research Related to Success Criteria
- See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Success Criteria in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity 2: Write Objectively Worded Success Criteria to Match Student Learning Target
Virtual Workshop: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, PK-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME ONE: BEGINNING THE UNIT STRUCTURE
CHAPTER 5: Write Learning Targets for Student Clarity
CHAPTER 6: Align Success Criteria to Student Learning Targets
Related Blog Post
What Participants Are Saying About the Learning Targets and Success Criteria Virtual Workshop
“Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and strategies with us! We are super excited about using our new learning targets and success criteria!”
“It really struck me that the teacher and learner are involved. It puts them on the same page. That is very important”.
“Writing standards in ‘kidspeak’ so that student, and teachers, have clarity really resonated with me.”
“I think rewording the standard to a 'kid friendly' version without losing the rigor is very powerful. This was a great training.”
“I liked how, as an Environmental Science teacher, I can combine Bio and Earth Science to help my success criteria really focus on learning to help move students ahead.”
“My biggest take away is that alignment and intention (of standards, learning targets, and success criteria) is hugely important in helping our students achieve.”
“The final implementation of all this should definitely make the classroom instruction flow easier.”
“Creating the success criteria gave us another opportunity to look at the learning targets to make sure we are on point with them.”
“I feel like I'm about to be obsessed with learning targets! Even for ME, it is super clarifying. Clarity is key and I think this will make for a super focused classroom!”
“I feel like it makes me really focus on the important concepts and skills I want to see in the lesson or unit I'm teaching.”
“With a clear understanding of a standard, how to ‘unwrap’ it or break it down, identifying the specific learning targets and success criteria, teachers can better help students take agency over their own learning and achieve greater levels of understanding and mastery.”
“Yes! The clarity in learning targets is fabulous!”
COMPOSE BIG IDEAS AND CREATE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS +
About the Big Ideas and Essential Questions Workshop
Big Ideas: “Unwrapped” Essential Standards and Student Learning Targets focus on what students are to learn, and Success Criteria focus on how students will show they have learned it. The reasons why the “unwrapped” concepts and skills in Essential Standards are important for students to understand and be able to express in their own words are known as the Big Ideas. Big Ideas are one of the most powerful instructional strategies educators can use to help students retain what they have been taught—and what they have learned—long after instruction ends.
Essential Questions are engaging, open-ended questions that educators use to spark student interest in learning the content of the unit about to begin and use throughout the unit to sharply focus curriculum, instruction, and assessments. Like their corresponding Big Ideas, they are “timeless essentials” to include in the creation of integrated units of study. Together, they characterize the reciprocal relationship between teaching and learning—Big Ideas are the students’ responses to the teacher’s Essential Questions.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Big Ideas and Essential Questions Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for composing standards-aligned Big Ideas and Essential Questions that frame each unit of study.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
Part 1: Compose the Big Ideas
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Learn How “Unwrapped” Essential Standards, Student Learning Targets, Success Criteria, and Big Ideas All Intentionally Connect
- Reflect on the “Timeless” Rationale for Big Ideas
- See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Big Ideas in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity 1: Compose Big Ideas Derived From “Unwrapped” Essential Standards
Part 2: Create Essential Questions that Correspond to Big Ideas
- Learn the “Timeless” Rationale for Essential Questions
- See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Essential Questions in Multiple Content Areas
- Learn How to Write “One-Two Punch” Essential Questions
- Activity 2: Write Creative Essential Questions that Correspond to Big Ideas
- Learn Key Benefits to Integrating Big Ideas and Essential Questions into Units of Study* (See List Below)
Virtual Workshop: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME ONE: BEGINNING THE UNIT STRUCTURE
CHAPTER 7: Compose the Big Ideas
VOLUME TWO: CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
Related Blog Post
What Participants Are Saying About the Selected-Response Assessment Virtual Workshop
“Thank you for the insight on how the Essential Question and the Big Idea relate to one another. This understanding will help me better make lessons more meaningful for students by giving an enduring purpose with an end goal in mind.”
“I love that idea of having the Essential Questions around the room and referencing them every day. That is something I really want to implement. That kind of helps answer my question about having room to put all of this in my limited board space because I could hang up posters around the room with the EQs on them and wouldn't have to use my board space. Thank you!”
Autumn W.
“I have used unit questions for years, and they are very useful. Including the Essential Questions will be very useful to help students focus throughout the units.”
Colleen W.
“I see the importance of Essential Questions. It was very helpful, and my colleague and I enjoyed creating our own. Many times, EQs are provided (in curricular programs), but the programs don’t ask what we would like (those questions to be).”
Dana H.
“I love Big Ideas, I think that it's very helpful to “chunk” standards. I appreciate the use of Essential Questions; it is a goal of mine for this upcoming school year to use this more deliberately.”
Julie S.
“I love the idea of posting the Essential Questions around the room and having students reference them as we work through a unit.”
Tracy M.
“I really like the idea of using Essential Questions as a wrap-up for the day, as well as using them to assess learning. I found this really helpful, the order of everything, and the way the Big Ideas flow into the Essential Questions.”
Robyn P.
“We like the Big Ideas and Essential Questions as guides as we go through our daily lessons, and it is great to have Success Criteria to know that we are on track.”
Jessica & Rachel
“Already starting to think about where and how I can have my Essential Questions posted in the classroom. Love that idea”!
KrisAnn
Key Benefits to Integrating Big Ideas and Essential Questions in Units of Study
Increased Student Engagement
Teachers report that students seem more engaged when lessons are framed around Big Ideas and Essential Questions.
Deeper Learning
Teachers observe that students develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Improved Critical Thinking
The use of Essential Questions encourages more critical thinking and discussion in the classroom.
Cross-Curricular Connections
Teachers find it easier to make connections between different subjects and real-world applications.
Long-Term Retention
Teachers notice that students tend to remember the Big Ideas long after the unit is completed.
Professional Growth
Teachers often report feeling more confident and purposeful in their teaching approach.
Enhanced Student Inquiry
Teachers notice an increase in student-driven questions and exploration of topics.
CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
ASSESSMENT LITERACY TO CREATE QUALITY ASSESSMENTS +
About the Assessment Literacy Introductory Session
Improving assessment literacy is crucial for educators to effectively gauge student learning, inform instruction, and ultimately improve educational outcomes for all students.
The foundation of assessment literacy is knowing the various types of assessments to determine which assessment type is most appropriate for a particular assessment need. Individual educators and/or collaborative grade- and course-level teams design the end-of-unit assessment to directly align with the “unwrapped” Essential Standards and their corresponding levels of rigor. They create questions themselves, select questions from district program assessment resources, and/or questions generated by A.I. apps. In this way, students’ responses will provide educators with reliable evidence as to the degree that students have achieved the full intent and rigor of the Essential Standards.
By blending assessment questions from both the selected-response and constructed-response formats—multiple-choice, short-response, and extended-response questions, respectively, along with the unit Essential Questions that students will respond to with their own Big Ideas—educators will create an assessment “photo album” that will capture all that students have learned during a unit of study.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Assessment Literacy Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for creating or selecting quality assessment questions directly aligned to the rigor, concepts, and skills of “unwrapped” Essential Standards.
What You Will Learn in This Introduction to Quality Assessment Design:
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Why Educators Need Quality Assessment Questions
- Attributes of Quality End-of-Unit Assessments
- Foundations of Assessment Literacy
- Assessment For, Of, and As Learning
- Writing Assessment Questions in Multiple Formats
- Why Alignment of Questions to Rigor of Standards Is Critical
- Characteristics of and Roadblocks Effective Assessment Questions
- 10 Benefits to Improving Educators’ Assessment Literacy Skills* (See List Below)
10 Benefits to Improving Educators’ Assessment Literacy Skills
Enhanced Instructional Decision-Making
Better assessment literacy allows teachers to make more informed decisions about instruction based on accurate interpretations of student data.
Fairer and Accurate Evaluations
Increased assessment literacy helps ensure that student evaluations are fair, valid, and reliable.
Better Communication
Teachers can more effectively communicate student progress to students, parents, and administrators when they have strong assessment literacy.
Alignment With Standards
Improved assessment literacy helps teachers better align their assessments with standards and learning objectives.
Increased Ability to Provide Meaningful Feedback
Teachers with strong assessment literacy can provide more specific, actionable feedback to students.
Improved Unit Design
Strong assessment literacy skills help teachers create quality units of study that integrate assessment throughout the teaching and learning process.
Professional Growth
Improving assessment literacy contributes to overall professional development and can lead to more confident, effective teaching.
Increased Student Motivation
When assessments are well-designed and clearly communicated, students often feel more motivated and engaged in their learning.
Adaptation to Diverse Learning Needs
Improved assessment literacy helps teachers better adapt their methods to diverse student populations and learning styles.
Enhanced Ability to Use Technology in Assessment
As educational technology advances, assessment literacy helps teachers effectively integrate and use new assessment tools.
Virtual Session: One Hour Introduction
Can be Combined with Selected-Response Assessment Workshop and/or Constructed-Response Workshop
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME TWO: CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 9: Improve Assessment Literacy to Create Quality Assessments
SELECTED-RESPONSE QUESTIONS WITH DISTRACTOR ANALYSES +
About the Selected-Response Assessment Questions Workshop
Selected-Response Questions (multiple-choice; multiple-select) are deliberately matched to the “unwrapped” Essential Standards and their pre-determined levels of rigor. Selected-response questions include these key components: a question stem, the correct or best answer, three or more distractors (incorrect responses), and a distractor analysis for each question that indicates why an incorrectly selected answer choice is incorrect. Writing a distractor analysis for each selected-response question enables educators to determine correctly and quickly, from incorrect student responses, what instructional adjustments they need to make to close individual students’ learning gaps.
Prerequisite Informational Session:
Assessment Literacy to Create Quality Assessments
Participants need to attend the Assessment Literacy one-hour informational session as necessary preparation for attending either the Selected-Response Assessment workshop and/or the Constructed-Response Assessment workshop. The introductory session can be combined with either of these two workshops.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Selected-Response Assessment Questions Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for creating or selecting quality assessment questions directly aligned to the rigor, concepts, and skills of “unwrapped” Essential Standards.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- How to Write Selected-Response (Multiple-Choice) Questions:
- Match to Rigor of “Unwrapped” Essential Standards
- Include Key Elements of Quality
- The Selected-Response Format: Benefits and Drawbacks
- Roadblocks To Effective Item Writing
- Guidelines For Writing Multiple-Choice Questions
- See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Selected-Response Assessment Questions with Distractor Analyses in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity: Write Multiple-Choice Question(s) Aligned to Standard and Rigor with Distractor Analysis
- Align Selected-Response Questions to Formats (Multiple-Select, “Drag and Drop”) and Vocabulary of State Assessments
Virtual Session: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, Grades 2-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME TWO: CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 10: Develop Selected-Response Questions with Distractor Analyses
What Participants Are Saying About the Selected-Response Assessment Virtual Workshop
“Even if teachers cannot create assessment questions (and only select them), the distractor analysis would be very beneficial in helping them choose questions aligned to the standard in rigor and content.”
“(The distractor analysis) will help me catch students’ misconceptions.”
“Helpful process.”
“Not just what the student needs to do differently but what should the teacher instruct differently based on data from the assessment.”
CONSTRUCTED-RESPONSE QUESTIONS WITH ELEMENTS OF CORRECT RESPONSES +
About the Constructed-Response Assessment Questions Workshop
Constructed-response questions (short and extended) require students to “show what they know” in their written responses. Each short and extended constructed-response question is also directly aligned to an “unwrapped” Essential Standard and its pre-determined level of rigor so that students will need to respond at that same level. When crafting constructed-response assessment questions, educators prepare an accompanying commentary or solution statement that includes the key elements of a correct response. Referring to this solution statement while in the process of scoring assessments will enable them to quickly identify misconceptions in students’ incorrect responses and then determine what follow-up, instructional adjustments they can provide to help students correct those misconceptions.
Prerequisite Informational Session:
Assessment Literacy to Create Quality Assessments
Participants need to attend the Assessment Literacy one-hour informational session as necessary preparation for attending either the Selected-Response Assessment workshop and/or the Constructed-Response Assessment workshop. The introductory session can be combined with this workshop.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Constructed-Response Assessment Questions Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for creating or selecting quality assessment questions directly aligned to the rigor, concepts, and skills of “unwrapped” Essential Standards.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice:
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- How to Write Constructed-Response Questions (Short and Extended):
- Match to Rigor of “Unwrapped” Essential Standards
- Include Key Elements of Quality
- The Constructed-Response Format: Benefits and Drawbacks
- See Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Constructed-Response Assessment Questions in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity 1: Write Short Constructed-Response Questions Aligned to Standard and Rigor with Commentary or Solution Statement
- Activity 2: Write Extended Constructed-Response Question Aligned to Standard and Rigor with Commentary or Solution Statement
- Align Constructed-Response Questions to Formats, Language, and Vocabulary of State Assessments
Virtual Session: One Hour
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, Grades 2-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME TWO: CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 11: Develop Constructed-Response Questions with Elements of Correct Responses
SIMPLE SCORING GUIDES TO EVALUATE STUDENT RESPONSES +
About the Scoring Guides Workshop
Each constructed-response question is accompanied by a correctly written scoring guide (rubric) so that educators can accurately and quickly score/grade student responses. An objectively worded scoring guide (containing no vague, subjective language that students may interpret differently from the intended wording) will assist students by referring to it as they complete their assessment responses and assist educators in quickly and correctly evaluating student responses. Instructions and guidance for creating this type of objectively worded scoring guide in a simple but highly effective format is a key component of this workshop session.
Prerequisite Informational Session:
Constructed-Response Assessment Questions Workshop
Participants need to attend the one-hour Constructed-Response Assessment workshop as necessary preparation for attending the Scoring Guides workshop. The Constructed-Response Assessment workshop can be combined with this workshop.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Scoring Guides, Success Criteria, and Proficiency Scales
- Avoid Subjective Language
- Match Scoring Guide to Constructed-Response Directions
- Educator-Created Examples of Scoring Guides for Constructed-Response Assessment Questions in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity 1: Write 3-2-1 Scoring Guide for Short Constructed-Response Questions
- Activity 2: Write 4-3-2-1 Scoring Guide for Extended-Response Question
- Generic Scoring Guides
- Suggested Grading Resources
Virtual Session: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME TWO: CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 12: Format Simple Scoring Guides to Evaluate Student Responses
CRITIQUE ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS WITH QUALITY CONTROL CHECKS +
About the Quality Control Checks Workshop
Quality control checks from assessment experts describe and illustrate how to evaluate the quality of assessment questions before administering them to students. These quality control checks include validity, reliability, freedom from bias, standards alignment, thinking-skill rigor, academic vocabulary, and formatting. Educators are encouraged to occasionally include in their end-of-unit assessments questions that reflect the formats of state assessments so that students become familiar with, and have ongoing opportunities to demonstrate, their learning in the ways they will be expected to respond on external (state) achievement tests.
Quality control checks pinpoint any needed revisions that educators need to make to their assessment questions prior to administering the assessment to their students. These revisions will ensure that the inferences educators will make about students’ understanding from their assessment responses will be accurate.
Prerequisite Workshops:
Selected-Response and Constructed-Response Assessment Workshops
Constructed-Response Questions With Elements of Correct Responses
Participants need to attend the two assessment design workshops before they can effectively critique their selected-response and constructed-response assessment questions that are designed with specific ITLS elements.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice:
Part 1
- Write First, Refine Later
- Fairness, Validity, and Reliability
- The Quality Control Checks with Examples
- Activity 1: Check for Alignment
- Examples of Critiqued Multiple-Choice Questions
- Activity 2: Critique Multiple-Choice Questions
- Examples of Critiqued Short Constructed-Response Questions
- Activity 3: Critique Short Constructed-Response Questions
- Examples of Critiqued Extended-Response Questions
- Activity 4: Critique Extended-Response Question
Part 2
How to Create the Pre-Assessment
Pre-Assessing Students in Social Sciences
Virtual Session: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, Grades 2-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME TWO: CREATING THE END-OF-UNIT ASSESSMENT
CHAPTER 13: Critique Assessment Questions with Quality Control Checks
PLANNING THE UNIT INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING TASKS
LEARNING PROGRESSIONS: THE “BUILDING BLOCKS” OF DAILY INSTRUCTION +
About the Learning Progressions Workshop
Learning Progressions are the instructional “ladder” that educators will build and then use to teach their students the prerequisite concepts and skills in the “unwrapped” Essential Standards. When educators plan their Learning Progressions, they begin “with the end in mind”, deciding what concepts and skills—from simple to complex—that students must progressively acquire so they can ultimately demonstrate their understanding of the more rigorous concepts and skills on the end-of-unit assessment. The unit’s less rigorous supporting standards often provide the first “rungs” of this instructional ladder. Learning Progressions are arranged in a logical order, or “instructionally defensible sequence” (W. James Popham, 2008), to serve as Lesson-Specific Learning Targets throughout the unit of study.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Learning Progressions Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for designing the sequenced pathway of learning to the rigor, concepts, and skills of “unwrapped” Essential Standards.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Learning Progressions Research
- “Go-To” Experts on Learning Progressions
- Learning Progressions Ensure Instructional Equity
- Steps To Determine the Learning Progressions
- Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Learning Progressions in Multiple Content Areas
- Activity: Plan Learning Progressions—From Simple to Complex—for Single and Multiple “Unwrapped” Essential Standards
Virtual Session: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME THREE: PLANNING THE UNIT INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING TASKS
CHAPTER 14: Detail the Learning Progressions: “Building Blocks” of Daily Instruction
What Participants Are Saying About the Learning Progressions Virtual Workshop
“The Learning Progressions help to narrow down what part of the unit I will want to focus on that day and the Quick Progress Checks are very helpful.”
Autumn W.
“I found mapping out the progressions of learning beneficial as well because it shows how you make sure to go through all the stages of learning and reach your ultimate goal of the learning target. This works well with all the other topics we have covered!”
Robyn P.
“I love that Learning Progressions really helps you to see the exact steps you need to get your students where they need to get, step by step. I used to have a math curriculum that would focus on working from concrete to abstract which is exactly this, and it is so important!”
Julie S.
“I appreciated creating the Learning Progressions to make content learning more successful for the students.”
“I like the analogy of breaking standards into building blocks of learning progressions--that was a big help.”
“I now see learning progressions as a great way to formalize the progression of what kids need to learn, and then we can identify how to assess each of those steps, so kids move along and have less chance of getting lost.”
“It was helpful to go over the learning progressions to map out what students will need to learn in order to get to the essential standard.”
“This helped solidify what we have explored thus far! Great reminders of how to coordinate curriculum and learning.”
“Thank you, Larry. I appreciated the workshop. Will definitely keep learning progressions in mind as I develop units in the future.”
“You're right. Standards only provide the ‘what’ that students need to know/be able to do. When teachers collaboratively do these different steps, it ‘levels the playing field’ (instructional equity). In other words, experienced teachers can discuss with newer teachers what the progression of daily instruction needs to be so that students can scaffold their understanding step by step. Newer teachers will often say they don't know what the learning progressions will be. When teachers do this work collaboratively, it provides helpful support for one another.”
QUICK PROGRESS CHECKS AND FEEDBACK TO ADJUST INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING +
About the Quick Progress Checks and Feedback Workshop
After educators identify and scaffold the Learning Progressions for one or more “unwrapped” Essential Standards, the next step in the ITLS unit-creation process is to plan Quick Progress Checks. Quick Progress Checks are short, in-the-moment, formative assessments that students complete at or near the close of daily instruction. When well-constructed, (i.e. intentionally aligned to the rigor of one or more Learning Progressions in focus for a lesson), Quick Progress Checks provide valuable feedback that both educators and students can use to move forward. At or near the close of daily instruction based on a Lesson-Specific Learning Target (Learning Progression), educators ask students to respond to a short, formative “check for understanding” to gain authentic feedback of their understanding of that lesson’s Learning Target.
Quick Progress Checks provide educators with authentic feedback from students’ responses so they can adjust their follow-up instruction appropriately and “close” any identified student learning gaps. When the results of these Quick Progress Checks are also shared with students, they too can use the feedback to adjust their own learning strategies to achieve the lesson-specific Learning Progressions.
Required Prerequisite Workshop
Learning Progressions Workshop
Participants will need to attend the Learning Progressions workshop as necessary preparation for attending the related Quick Progress Checks and Feedback workshop.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
Part 1
See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
Quick Progress Checks Defined
Educator-Created and A.I.-Generated Examples of Quick Progress Checks in Multiple Content Areas
Activity: Plan Quick Progress Check(s) for Related Learning Progressions
Aligning Learning Progressions and Quick Progress Checks to End-of-Unit Assessments
Part 2
Feedback: A Reciprocal Communication Exchange
Range of Effect Sizes for Feedback
Interpreting Feedback Results
Adjusting Instruction Based on Feedback from Student Responses
Examples of Quick Progress Checks with Accompanying Instructional Adjustments
Virtual Session: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME THREE: PLANNING THE UNIT INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING TASKS
What Participants Are Saying About The Quick Progress Checks Virtual Workshop
“The Learning Progressions and Quick Progress Checks really help to create a focused outline and set up a clear path for the unit.”
Colleen W.
“We think that Learning Progressions and Quick Progress Checks provide good indicators to show if students are progressing towards end of unit expectations.”
Jessica & Rachel
“I just went through a licensure program, and they kept saying to implement “exit tickets” but never really gave me the tools to know how, so knowing how to plan Quick Progress Checks is very beneficial.”
Autumn W.
“I struggled last year to implement quick check-ins and now feel more confident to use them in every subject. It was a good reminder how simple and quick they can be. I loved the idea of the different color buckets (for students to self-sort how they think they did) and want to use it in my classroom this year.”
KrisAnn
“I think that using the Quick Progress Checks will be very beneficial to my understanding of my students learning!”
Robyn P.
“Quick Checks can be so simple and sometimes I feel like I overdo it, but I do really like all these ideas and guidelines for using them.”
Julie S.
“I too struggled with well-structured Quick Checks (exit tickets) because I don’t think that I ever knew how. I feel like I now have proper tools to move forward with building better quick checks.”
Stacey
“I appreciate this workshop! It has been so insightful! Having everything in steps has made Quick Progress Checks easier and more beneficial. I have used exit tickets/quick checks before, but I feel more confident and want to challenge myself to ‘up’ their quality, and especially to improve my evaluation of the Quick Progress Checks.”
Dana H.
STANDARDS-ALIGNED STUDENT LEARNING TASKS +
About the Standards-Aligned Student Learning Tasks Workshop
Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks, “hands-on, minds-on” learning experiences, distributed throughout a unit of study, progressively develop and reveal students’ understanding of the Essential Standards’ “unwrapped” concepts, skills, and Big Ideas that form the foundation of each unit of study. These interdisciplinary tasks enable students to simulate and take part in real-life or imaginary situations that both challenge and engage them while developing their critical and creative thinking, communication, collaboration, problem-solving skills, and the other attributes that are so necessary for all students to use daily in the real world. Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks are truly “timeless” in both their relevancy and their positive impact on student learning.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop #1:
“Unwrap” the Essential Standards for Teacher Clarity
Participants in this Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to “unwrap” Essential Standards as preparation for creating Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks directly aligned to the rigor, concepts, and skills of “unwrapped” Essential Standards.
Recommended Preparatory Workshop #2:
Big Ideas and Essential Questions
Participants in this Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks Workshop will benefit from first experiencing how to compose Big Ideas derived from “Unwrapped” Essential Standards and write creative Essential Questions that correspond to the Big Ideas.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice:
- See the “Big Picture” of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks: A Comprehensive Teaching and Learning Model
- “Timeless” Research Findings in Support of Performance Assessment
- Educator-Created Examples of Tasks: Challenging Students to Utilize Deep Thought, Investigation, and Communication
- Activities to Experience the Eight-Step Process:
Steps 1-3: Build the Standards Foundation (“Unwrap” Essential Standards, Big Ideas, Essential Questions)
Step 4: Design Standards-Aligned Tasks to Scaffold in Rigor
Step 5: Develop Tasks with Detailed Instructions
Step 6: Include Interdisciplinary Connections
Step 7: Create a Motivational Purpose
Step 8: Write Task-Specific Scoring Guides
- Time-Saving Example: A.I.-Generated Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks
Virtual Workshop: Three Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
For More Information
VOLUME THREE: PLANNING THE UNIT INSTRUCTION AND LEARNING TASKS
CHAPTER 17: Design Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks
CHAPTER 18: Explore Collections of Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks
One Participant’s Detailed Feedback About the Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks Virtual Workshop
“I love, love, love performance tasks (Standards-Aligned Learning Tasks) and how you taught us to embed them within our units of study. Rather than seeing them as an additional instruction and assessment burden for educators, I now understand how they will enhance students’ learning experiences while providing additional opportunities for educators to assess student mastery of the standards in focus. Regarding end-of-unit assessments, you demonstrated time-saving options for utilizing A.I. to create multiple-choice assessment questions. We both agreed that the information received from any online A.I. platform must be vetted for quality.”
- Annastasia Broomell
- District English Language Arts Coordinator
- Danville Public Schools, Danville, Virginia
- April 21, 2024
APPLYING THE ITLS PROCESS TO EXISTING UNITS OF STUDY
RETROFIT CURRENT UNITS OF STUDY WITH “TIMELESS ESSENTIALS” +
About the Retrofit Current Units Workshop
Are your core curriculum units of study as comprehensive as they could be? The purpose of this workshop is to audit one of your current units of study to determine if it includes all the ITLS “timeless” essential elements, identify any missing or partially completed essential elements, and then retrofit the unit by adding those identified ITLS elements to the unit.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice
See the Big Picture of the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
See Brief Description and Example of Each ITLS Essential Element
Select One Curricular Unit of Choice to Audit for Inclusion of All ITLS "Timeless Elements"
Use The ITLS Audit Form to Check Unit for Each Element, as Being Complete (C), Partially Complete (P), or Missing (M)
Retrofit the Unit to Include Any Partially Complete or Missing ITLS Elements
Receive ITLS Inventory Form to Identify Inclusion or Absence of "Timeless Elements" in All Other Units of Study
Virtual Workshop: Two Hours
Who Should Attend
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
PARTNERING WITH STUDENTS
STUDENT-GENERATED SUCCESS CRITERIA+
About the Student-Generated Success Criteria Workshop:
Educators can show students in all grades and content areas how to become active participants in creating their own Success Criteria for a variety of classroom tasks and activities. In this workshop, educators will learn how to involve students in writing three different kinds of Success Criteria: procedural (behavioral) tasks, academic (content) tasks, and frequently used generic (generalized) tasks. When students have a real voice in generating their own Success Criteria, there is no mystery in their minds about how to succeed on all classroom expectations and assignments. They are now able to take full ownership of their learning!
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice:
- Student-Generated Success Criteria and the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- How to Involve Students in Co-Creating and Then Independently Generating Success Criteria
- Learn and Create Three Kinds of Success Criteria for Students to Generate
- Activity #1: Classroom Procedure
- Activity #2: Academic Assignment
- Activity #3: Generic Tasks
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Guidelines for Getting Started
Virtual Workshop: Two Hours
Who Should Attend:
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches
STUDENT-DIRECTED ASSESSMENT +
About the Student-Generated Success Criteria Workshop:
This workshop will show educators how they can shift the central focus of the assessment process to their students, enabling them to become self-directed learners. Student-directed assessment puts students in charge of their assessment goals and products. It is a practical, step-by-step process for maximizing student involvement in peer- and self-assessment prior to teacher-assessment.
Required Prerequisite Workshop:
Student-Generated Success Criteria
Participants will need to attend the Student-Generated Success Criteria workshop as necessary preparation for the related Student-Directed workshop.
What You Will Experience and Create Through Explanation, Examples, and Practice:
- Student-Directed Assessment and the Integrated Teaching & Learning System©
- What Is Student-Directed Assessment?
- Revising Work Products Prior to Assessment Process Using Student-Generated Success Criteria
- Showing Students How to Objectively Evaluate Collaborative Team Projects
- Guiding Students Through the “Anchoring” Process
- Peer-Assessment and Paper-Flow Procedures
- Self-Assessment and the “Appeal” Process
- Teacher-Assessment: The Final Word
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Guidelines for Getting Started
Virtual Workshop: Two Hours
Who Should Attend:
District and School Leaders, K-12 Classroom Educators, Content Area Coordinators and Specialists, Instructional Coaches