Page 50 - EdViewptsSpring2021

instructional reform and improved introduced and had not met in person.
student equity. The “Strengthening There was no release time possible Excitement for a new
Teaching, Leading, and Learning” during the pivot to remote instruction. challenge was mixed
grant opportunity entered this complex The teachers couldn’t be expected
landscape, coming into focus as the to simultaneously juggle present and with the inevitable so-
accelerator to manage instructional future instructional obligations given cial-emotional aspects
change for a new team of teachers the emergent landscape. of the change process
convened from across the district at a Eyes on the calendar, our journey had
reinvented school. now become a race. The need for that were magnified by
The “STL&L” grant is centered around September-readiness loomed in front the crisis, such as mourn-
the framework of the Connected of our race team. As school closed, ing the missed good-
Action Roadmap and the New Jersey what had been planned as a six month
Department of Education-Connected ramp-up became a steep course. The byes to students, as well
Action Roadmap Instructional Units. temptation to “push through the pain” in as to their elementary
The instructional units exist in a a mad dash to the finish line was real. colleagues and schools
template format and provide unpacked But at what cost? Even a race against
student-friendly learning objectives, time requires strategic readiness. left behind.
enabling professional learning Two questions loomed largely in front
communities to begin collaborative of us: These important conversations with
unit design for a viable, standards- the supervisor led to the introduction
based curriculum. Our application and • “How could we authentically of the project coach, training in CAR,
selection to participate in the grant engage teachers in remote future an examination of pertinent research
project afforded our district an assigned planning and unit preparation on instruction in the land of COVID,
FEA Coach to support the fifth grade for school opening given the and establishment of a virtual PLC.
PLC in applying the CAR approach to significant barriers?” Building the capacity for working
fifth grade math curricular design work. • “How could we build our teacher’s together came next with an overview
The engagement of math content capacity and comfortability to of the project and the teachers’ role in
specialists in this rigorous and come together as a new team, the work. Several days of unexpected
research-founded process with not having met face-to-face?” PLC time were scheduled at the end
coach support addressed four key In any race, there are times you look of the school year, providing critical
needs of our second order change: to lead and there are times you look to time to shift the pace from neutral to
(1) the redesign of the fifth grade keep pace. Our preparation consisted zooming ahead.
math curriculum to improve student of a plan for pacing that acknowledged We abandoned our pre-COVID,
achievement; (2) successful transition the current landscape, the support in-person project roll-out. At the
of teacher roles from elementary team of the Math Supervisor and the forefront was intentional planning to
generalists to middle level specialists; grant project coach, the CAR process, re-shape how to move forward in the
(3) capacity-building for the new and the DOE-CAR units. virtual landscape with this intensive
team as they transitioned to their new Zoom Coffee-talks with their new time that was found. In lieu of chalk
setting; (4) establishment of a culture Supervisor, not workshops, were a talk, coach-led sessions provided
of teacher leadership for the new PLC. critical first step that allowed the team time to explore resources created to
to engage with each other. Teachers support designing the instructional
The PLC Journey were provided an opportunity to units. The use of jigsawed BreakOut

The CAR framework is often explained openly dialogue with the supervisor Rooms gave the team members
via the metaphor of a journey. Our and a current teacher leader from an opportunity to get to know one
journey began with careful planning their new building about the change another. Guided-practice to build-out
that led us to our teacher launch date in their assignment, the transition an SLO and design a unit module
of March 13, 2020. Departmentaliza- to a new building, and expectations followed, with work initially in pairs and
tion and grant convergence had made for their new role. This conversation then small groups. Teachers quickly
time appear on our side, but CO- acknowledged the roller coaster requested to work together as a full
VID-19 school closure intervened. Our of emotions about these changes. PLC team. The new team began to
structured action plan was scrapped. Excitement for a new challenge was take shape.
As the pandemic and education mixed with the inevitable social- Respect and trust were key
crisis unfolded, we re-visited the plan emotional aspects of the change components of the structure of
repeatedly. The initial months of the process that were magnified by the PLC work sessions that modeled
shut-down left us uncertain about how crisis, such as mourning the missed our norms. Once we completed
to move forward. Our team of teach- goodbyes to students, as well as the ground work with the teachers,
ers and supervisor had not yet been to their elementary colleagues and we released them to move forward
schools left behind.

Educational Viewpoints -48- Spring 2021