Page 18 - EdViewptsSpring2020

The Year of the Learner

By Kelly Weldon, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning and
Michelle Shappirio, Supervisor of English Language Arts Literacy, K-5,
Township of Ocean School District

Our story begins like while rarely measuring and responding purest form, we set out to shift our
most educational reform to the pulse of our learners. efforts from delivery of content to a
laser focus on student outcomes.
stories do, with the It is true that our teachers have always With any monumental shift like this
exerted a great deal of effort; they’ve
acknowledgement that consistently put an incredible amount one, we needed to attack it from many
we were not meeting of time and energy into preparing and angles and we needed to move at a
pace that both propelled us forward
executing daily lessons. But for all that
the various needs of our expenditure, we still were not yielding but also did not create an uproar that
tremendous results. Evidence of this would set us back. The leadership
learners. It was becoming was coming in all forms. In some team began identifying actionable steps
increasingly clear that our instructional cases, parents were dismayed at the and key stakeholders who would have
approach was not working, and we struggles their children were facing. In tremendous influence on embracing
needed to make a change. While we other instances, teachers recognized meaningful change. Those individuals
could point to a number of outside that their instructional techniques were presented themselves rather quickly and
factors to place our blame (changing no longer successful. In addition, our came from both administration and the
demographics and loss of state administrative team had experienced teaching ranks. Elementary principals, a
aid), we also recognized it was time significant turnover resulting in fresh few classroom teachers, and a reading
to take ownership of our collective eyes and a desire to take a look at specialist/instructional coach quickly
responsibility as leaders. Our honest things from a new perspective. joined the team. This was a critical point
and candid reflection uncovered Once we clearly defined our problem, in the process - a group of people from
an alarming revelation: we placed we set out to redesign the way we all areas of our district coming together
extraordinary emphasis on programs deliver instruction and assess its for a meeting of the minds.
and curricula, marching to the beat of effectiveness in terms of student We immediately realized how
teachers’ manuals and pacing guides, outcomes. If you boil it all down to its daunting the task ahead would be,

Educational Viewpoints -16- Spring 2020