kds online professional development...online professional development program ... b. user management...

KDS Online Professional Development

Program Design & Implementation Planning Guide

Strategic PD District Partner Online Professional Development Program

Program Design & Implementation Planning Guide July, 2014

Confidential. For use by KDS District Partner only.

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Strategic PD District Partner Online Professional Development Program

Program Design & Implementation Planning Guide

This Program Design & Implementation Planning Guide identifies key areas that the District Partner and KDS must address in order to develop, deliver and assess a successful intervention and PD program in targeted schools across the state. This is a living document that District Partner and KDS will complete collaboratively. Objectives and Outcomes of the Program Design and Implementation Planning Process:

1. Design a program implementation that meets the needs and requirements of the District Partner

2. Establish program goals, outcomes and key performance indicators 3. Align program design, delivery and assessment with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 4. Establish District Partner expectations for school administrators and teachers who participate in

program 5. Create a plan for giving program school-wide visibility and creating excitement and urgency

around the program within the school 6. Identify stakeholder groups within and outside the schools that can support the program, and

create a plan for connecting with each group 7. Identify all roles necessary for effective implementation and assign roles to individuals at District

Partner, targeted schools and KDS 8. Create a plan for ongoing program communication with all stakeholders 9. Create a plan for capturing and reporting program data, including formative and summative

reports 10. Identify and align motivators and incentives for participants 11. Establish key processes that District Partner, targeted schools and KDS will follow in order to

ensure strong execution with fidelity to program design and goals PD Program Areas of Focus

A. Program Foundation B. User Management and Course Registration C. Program Design and Delivery D. Program Roles for District Partner, targeted schools and KDS E. Data Collection and Reporting F. Motivators and Incentives G. Academic Credit and Course Configuration H. Messaging and Communications I. Program Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) J. Program Operations and Key Processes K. User Support


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A. Program Foundation

Goals To ensure that District Partner Facilitators are prepared to support principals and school-based coaches as

they implement online professional learning in their schools To ensure that Principals and School-Based Coaches are prepared to facilitate the learning of teachers in

their schools. To prepare Principals to have strategic conversations with teachers in order to improve teaching practice. To ensure Teachers improve their ability to support struggling students and maximize their ability to be

culturally responsive to all students. To improve student achievement.

Timeline

District Partner PD Program Planning Guide completed: XXXX, 2014 Select and announce program to schools targeted for by District Partner through webinars targeted to each

participating region: XXXX, 2014 Detailed program plan including information about the launch for school year implementation is

communicated to participating principals and teachers: XXXX, 2014 Principals and School-based Coaches participate in XX days of Leadership Support Training: Principals take Selected KDS Online Course : XXXX, 2014 Principals and School-based Coaches have access to Selected KDS Online Course: XXXX 2014 – XXXX 2015. Teachers’ access course Selected KDS Online Course: XXXX 2014. Specific timeline defined by Facilitator’s

guide and in accordance with the start. Teachers’ access course Selected KDS Online Course: XXXX 2014. Specific timeline defined by Facilitator’s

guide and in accordance with the start. Summative program report delivered to District Partner: XXXX 2015 Planning for Summer and School- Year 2015-2016: XXXX 2015 (Optional) Analysis of teacher evaluation metrics and student achievement data in schools demonstrating

fidelity to the project. XXXX 2015 (depending on access to data)

Participants District Partner will identify: Schools for participation in the PD Program. Each targeted school will have the following participants:

o X school leader (either principal or school-based coach) o XX teachers

Total participating educators: X Administrators XXX School Leaders (either principal or school-based coach) XXXX Teachers

Coursework Teachers will enroll in the following KDS online courses: Selected KDS Online Course

Principals will enroll in the following KDS online course: Selected KDS Online Course

State-level Facilitators will receive audit-enrollment access to Selected KDS Online Course


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KDS Professional Learning Platform (PLP) customized for District Partner and targeted schools KDS will provide a customized version of the Professional Learning Platform, which includes: An online learning platform and community that is open to all participating educators in targeted schools

and District Partner personnel Libraries of curated professional learning content, primarily video, which is tagged to leading teaching and

learning frameworks Tools to foster and support collaboration amongst educators, including resource sharing tools, tools for

establishing virtual groups and workspaces, communication tools (chat, boards, commenting, webinars) Educator profiles and portfolios Tools to support online and in-person coaching Compliance Courses


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B. Course Registration & Enrollment

Overview

There are multiple methods for registering and enrolling educators in the KDS platform and online courses. As part of this process, KDS and District Partner agree to the following:

Each participating Virginia teacher, principal or administrator (“program participant”) will be assigned to one or two KDS courses

Knowledge Delivery Systems will register and enroll all participants into their KDS courses

District Partner will clearly identify which KDS course each program participant will be enrolled in

District Partner will provide directions for how participants will be grouped for reporting purposes

Process for Registration & Enrollment

KDS assumes the responsibility for registering program participants and enrolling them in their KDS courses. We estimate this registration and enrollment process to take two weeks, provided the user information sent to KDS adheres to our Enrollment & Registration Data File specifications (see below).

2-week registration and enrollment period process:

1. District Partner sends registration and enrollment data file to KDS

2. KDS checks that the data file conforms to the data file requirements

3. KDS registers and enrolls all participants in their courses

4. KDS assigns each participant to a course learning group (“Classroom”)

5. KDS sends all participants a Welcome Email with clear instructions for accessing their courses

6. KDS online coach sends all participants a personal introduction email

User Registration & Enrollment Data File

District Partner will provide KDS a User Registration & Enrollment Data File containing the following information for each program participant (Final requirements TBD)

1. First Name

2. Last Name

3. Email

4. District Employee ID

5. School Name

6. Grade Taught

7. Subject Taught

8. Position

9. Other relevant data that is identified during the planning process


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C. Program Design and Delivery XX Days of On-site School Leader (either principal or school-based coach) Training for up to XXX

participants. XX sessions (each of which includes 2 days of on-site professional development) of up to

XXX participants each to be delivered collaboratively by KDS and District Partner.

Day 1: Begin Building Deep School-Level Shared Understanding of Research-Based Best Practices for

Online Communities of Practice

o Each participating Principal and School-based Coach (School-Based Leaders) will begin to build deep-level shared understanding of course content through unpacking of the course syllabus and alignment to ______________Standards of performance. School-based leaders will also receive audit enrollment access to each of these courses:

Selected KDS Online Courses o The teams of participating Principals and School-based Coaches will review the “School-Based Leader

Facilitators Guide” developed in partnership with KDS and District Partner to be used by principals in support of teachers completing the course work.

Day 2: Actively engage in Collaborative Work Sessions to Plan for Successful Implementation and Build Effective Online Communities of Practice

o Principals and School-based coaches will actively engage with the “School-based Leaders Facilitators Guide” including:

Customized pacing according to individual school needs for staggered start dates through the completion of each unit in these courses:

o Selected KDS Online Courses Clear alignment of the coursework to _______________ Standards Clear examples of how to observe improved teacher practice related to the course content Guidance on how to document evidence of teacher practice related to the course content Guidance on how to anticipate potential challenges and plan for proactive support Support for lesson planning to implement practices introduced by course content Optional face-to-face cohort activities to support the online learning at each participating school Suggested incentives to encourage teacher participation and engagement in online coursework

o Principals and School-based coaches will use the Professional Learning Platform (PLP) to build online communities of practice. They will plan for effective implementation of the PLP to support online communities of practice at their schools and connect with other participating principals.

Outcomes From Two-day On-site School-Based Leader Facilitator Training include: o Measurably-improved capacity at the school level to ensure successful implementation of online-

blended Professional Development and online communities of practice in all participating schools. o Deep-level shared understanding of the Content and Implementation Plan for School-year blended

professional development. o Deep-level shared understanding of the District Partner customized and detailed Facilitators Guides to

build engagement and ownership of work ensuring successful implementation. o Defined Communication strategy to successfully launch the School-Year program o Increased school-level capacity for ongoing team collaboration in an online community of practice.

Teacher and principal individualized learning and support

Each participating teacher and principal will enroll in the designated online courses and be expected to complete the coursework by the identified program completion date


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Program participants will take a pre-assessment of their knowledge and efficacy in the course content and competencies before the start of the coursework, and they will take a post-assessment at the completion of the course that measures gains in knowledge and efficacy

Program participants will complete a “check for understanding” quiz at the end of each course unit and receive a grade on each quiz

Program participants will be prompted to reflect on their learning and post reflection responses in every unit of the course

Each teacher and principal will be paired with a KDS Online Coach who will facilitate progress through the course Online Coaches will provide each program participant personalized feedback to his/her responses to “Key

Reflections” throughout the course Online Coaches will moderate online discussion boards accessible to all program participants Program participants will be organized into course “classrooms.” Each classroom is led by an online coach. Program participants’ assignments (mid-course and end-of-course projects) will be assessed and graded by the

KDS Online Coach Program participants will complete an end-of-course survey

Teacher and principal collaboration and application of learning District Partner will communicate clear expectations to all stakeholders participating in the PD program. KDS recommends that District Partner establish an explicit role for a “School-based Facilitator,” who will provide supports to program participants, encourage and facilitate teacher and principal collaboration around their coursework and support teacher application of their learning. District Partner and KDS will create a plan for supporting the “Program Facilitators”, which can include:

Communication structures and processes Resources for carrying out their facilitation roles KDS point of contact and liaison Program Facilitators virtual community on the KDS Professional Learning Platform (PLP) for collaboration,

resource sharing and problem solving


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D. Program Roles: District Partner, Targeted Schools and KDS Partnership The following section on District Partner, targeted schools and KDS roles describes a “cascading” system for setting expectations for the program, holding all stakeholders accountable and providing proper supports to program participants. The “cascading” system will encourage high online course completion rates and effective application of learning to impact student learning and achievement. Virginia School-based Program Participants and Roles

Participating Teachers

Enroll in and complete two selected KDS online courses, including all collaborative activities and course assessments

Complete course pre and post-assessment Achieve a passing grade on both courses Participate in all scheduled school-based in-person PD events or sessions related to the online

coursework Participate in all scheduled virtual/online PD events or sessions related to the online coursework

Participating Principals

Enroll in and complete selected KDS online course, including all collaborative activities and course assessments

Complete course pre and post-assessment Achieve a passing grade on the course Set clear building-wide program expectations with teachers Create structures and opportunities for teachers to apply their learning Hold teachers accountable for their learning and to course pacing guide (KDS provides) Use KDS-provided “look-fors” when observing teacher practice

School-based “Program Facilitator”

Serve as a local support for teachers and principal enrolled in the courses Facilitate teacher collaboration around course content and application of learning For this role, District Partner will determine the following:

Who How identified and recruited Incentives

District-level Facilitator

Review and become familiar with selected KDS online courses Set expectations for all program participants Hold principals and teachers accountable to program-wide course pacing guide (KDS provides) Generate excitement and urgency around the program Monitor program participant data and reports and meet regularly with KDS to review progress on a

program, school and participant level Own program deliverables and KPIs from the District Partner side

District Partner Program Manager & Point of Contact

Mange all District Partner implementation work streams


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Manage communication with KDS and District Partner stakeholders to meet District Partner deliverables Trouble-shoot program implementation on District Partner end Maintain understanding of program implementation plan Maintain up-to-date knowledge of who is fulfilling all District Partner program roles Route KDS and Virginia educators’ questions and issues to proper District Partner personnel

District Partner Technology Lead

Partner with KDS on system integration Partner with KDS on participant registration and enrollment Partner with KDS on all learner data collection and reporting

KDS Program Roles

Implementation Executive Lead KDS point of contact for District Partner team Own KDS program deliverables and KPIs from the KDS side

Implementation Manager

Day-to-day manager of all implementation work streams and communication with District Partner and principals

Manage the deployment of KDS resources to meet program deliverables Trouble shoots program implementation Support District Partner “Program Facilitators”

Implementation Technology Manager

Partner with District Partner on system integration Partner with District Partner on participant registration and enrollment Partner with District Partner on all participant data collection and reporting

Online Coach Manager

Recruit, train, support and manage KDS online coaches Support District Partner personnel in accessing online coaching dashboards as a means to track

participant course progress and learning

Program Project Manager Schedule all program activities and deliverables Produce tracking reports and support Implementation Manager in managing all stakeholders to meet

program deliverables


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E. Data Collection and Reporting During the course of the program, KDS will capture extensive participant progress and performance data as well as general platform usage information. These data are available through reports that offer real-time views of individual and group course activity, performance, usage and progress. KDS reports are available to designated District Partner personnel, who will be identified and trained during the program implementation. Reports available through the KDS user interface (user generated reports) include:

Learner usage report (number of logins and time spent in course) Learner course progress report (percentage of course completed, course grades) Course summary report (enrollments, aggregate progress and completion)

During the course of the program, KDS will also provide District Partner weekly program dashboard reports emailed to designated district and program leadership including the following elements:

Total program engagement including participant activity Course engagement including participant activity and weekly trends Building-level engagement including the leading and lagging schools by activity

District Partner and KDS will determine what level of system access principals should be granted and the reports they need to manage the program at the school level.

In addition to the user-generated reports, and weekly dashboard reports - at the conclusion of the program, KDS will send District Partner a program-closing data file including all key course registration, completion, and performance data. These data can be used by District Partner to import results to the state’s data warehouse and performance management systems.


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F. Motivators and Incentives Incentives and motivators for participants are a key component of the District Partner PD program. While recognizing that VA educators are intrinsically motivated to continually improve their practice and effectiveness to better serve students and to improve their school rating with the state, it’s important that principals in each school consider extrinsic incentives that will motivate teachers and administrators to fully engage in the program, collaborate with peers and complete their online coursework. Academic credit (see next section for detail)

KDS courses are approved in many states and districts for continuing education credit Graduate Academic Credit and Graduate Professional Development Credit. District Partner will decide how the

district will recognize graduate credit for advancement on the teacher and administrator salary scales.

Other incentives for consideration Virtual badges that are added to District Partner educators’ PLP Profiles, signifying knowledge, accomplishments

and skills, based on coursework completed Individual teacher stipends for full course completion or for pre-determined number of course badges Individual certificates of completion Special recognition by principal and/or state of individuals who achieve pre-determined number of badges Special recognition by state of principals and schools with high levels of full course completion, or pre-

determined number of coursework badges


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G. Academic Credit and Course Configuration KDS online courses are approved for continuing education credit by many states and districts. If District Partner would like the KDS courses approved by a ____________ state accrediting body or any other accrediting agency, KDS will submit all courses in this program for review and approval. Graduate Credit and Graduate Professional Development Credit All KDS courses are approved for graduate academic credit or graduate professional development credit by several universities, including Brandman University and Capella University. Brandman University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The Professional Education Unit at Capella University is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Each KDS course has been approved for graduate professional development credit by Brandman University. Capella University faculty have mapped KDS courses to a corresponding Capella graduate level course. The credit that Virginia educators earn from taking a KDS course can apply to a Capella master’s degree. Whether the credit offered by either Brandman or Capella is transferrable to another university is up to the receiving institution. When graduate credit and/or graduate professional development credit is offered in a KDS implementation, program participants typically have the option to “upgrade” their course enrollment for an additional fee. Program participants will need to pay a $199.00 graduate credit or graduate professional development credit fee at the time of choosing this option and provide additional information, such as legal name and social security number. Virginia educators who take the KDS course for Capella graduate credit will earn prior learning assessment credit (PLA). PLA is recognition of a learner’s college level knowledge based on training, experience, and other non-formal learning.

Capella’s calendar is on a quarter system meaning the academic year is divided into four 10-week sessions. Many schools use semesters, which divide the year into two or three sessions, each typically 15-18 weeks. Thus, 1 Capella credit is translated as 0.67 semester (calendar) credits. A 4-credit Capella University course is equivalent to 2.67 semester credits (or hours/units). Transcripts will be received by successful completers within 4-6 weeks of the completion of their KDS course. Graduate credit course configuration includes the following components:

45 hours of online learning time Pre and post course assessment of knowledge and efficacy All course videos All course professional readings All “Checks for Understanding” Reflection questions and “Key Reflection Questions”, which a KDS online coach responds to Mid-course project End-of-course project


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KDS courses and Capella Degree Programs Virginia educators who successfully complete KDS courses may apply their earned graduate credit to degree requirements in Capella’s education master’s degree – saving a master’s student both time and money. Up to 12 credits earned in this manner can be applied to a degree program at Capella University.


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H. Messaging and Communications Assumptions & Questions: To be co-developed by District Partner and KDS Successful implementation of KDS strategic PD programs depends on our ability to communicate with participating educators and stakeholders who are accountable for various components of the program. Below are assumptions and questions that require District Partner review and approval.

Communication Activity & Purpose District Partner Approval (Yes/No)

1 KDS and District Partner will partner to deliver informative webinars to all relevant stakeholders in District Partner

2 KDS will send all learners emails and system notifications (approximately 1/week) to ensure engagement with the content and to support each participant’s progress through his/her online course

3 District Partner will provide lists of program stakeholders who should receive updates on the program

4 District Partner will “white list” KDS IP’s to help ensure that email communication is delivered

5 KDS will communicate with program participants about how to obtain credit for completed course work as well as how to upgrade for graduate credit (if applicable)

6 KDS will provide flyers and other in-building materials to communicate key program information to learners

7 District Partner will partner with KDS on writing and issuing press releases about the program

8 A District Partner representative will be available as a spokesperson for press, as a possible co-presenter with KDS, as a reference

9 1. KDS and District Partner will determine which communications need to be approved by District Partner before being sent. KDS and District Partner will create a communication approval process

10 KDS and District Partner will jointly identify the key stakeholders who should receive program communication, the content they should receive, and frequency

11 KDS and District Partner will create communication plans for each of the following stakeholder groups: - District Partner stakeholders - District stakeholders - Principals - Teachers

12 District Partner will identify other potential stakeholders that need program communications plans: Unions? Parents? Community Organizations? Non-profits?


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I. Program Success Metrics and Key Performance Indicators District Partner and KDS will collaborate on establishing KPIs for the program, including Output Metrics, Outcome Metrics and Impact Metrics. Focus areas to consider creating explicit performance measures for, include the following: Program Participation (data captured through KDS platform)

Number and percentage of Virginia teachers and principals who: o Activate their online course o Complete course reflection responses o Complete the “Key Reflections” and receive Online Coach feedback o Achieve full course completion

Aggregate numbers and percentages of educators in individual school buildings who reach the online course performance measures listed above

Knowledge Acquisition (data captured through KDS platform.) Number and percentage of teachers and administrators who:

o Achieve a targeted score on end-of-unit checks for understanding o Achieve a targeted score on the course post assessment o Achieve a passing grade for the course

Program Quality and District Partner Leadership Satisfaction (data captured through online surveys)

Teacher, principal and administrator feedback on: o Online course content o Online course design o Overall online course experience o Online coaching o Program implementation o Program communication

District Partner leadership feedback on: o KDS program management o Participant data o Program outcomes


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J. Program Operations and Key Processes District Partner and KDS will identify people to take on the following program operational roles, which is a key requirement for successful implementation:

KDS Program Implementation Manager KDS Program Project Manager KDS Program Technology Lead KDS Online Coach Manager District Partner Program Manager and Point of Contact District Partner Program Technology Lead

KDS will appoint people for the operation roles stated above. Together, these teams will establish structures and processes to effectively manage the following: Scheduling and tracking

Scheduling of all program work streams, events, deliverables, deadlines, communication Maintenance and dissemination of program trackers Scheduling of regular District Partner /KDS meetings and ad hoc meetings to track program progress and

address issues Communications Approvals of all program communication Coordination of all communication vehicles and channels Tracking delivery of all communications and logging responses

Online course registration and course work Setting up online cohorts/groups of teachers and principals Establishing and communicating online course schedule and pacing guide Participant registration and enrollment in the proper course Assignment of online coaches to teacher cohorts Tracking and reporting of learner usage and course progress


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K. Customer Support Live Support KDS will provide live customer support to program participants between the hours of 8am and 8pm ET, seven days a week:

We respond to phone calls to (800) 728-0032 (8:00AM to 8:00PM ET) immediately We respond to e-mails to [email protected] (8:00AM to 8:00PM ET) within 30 minutes to one hour Situations that cannot be resolved immediately are researched and resolved within 1 to 2 business days

(Monday – Friday) System outages reported between 8:00AM and 8:00PM ET are escalated and addressed immediately

After Hours Support KDS uses a telephone answering service to take messages after hours – 8:00PM to 8:00AM ET daily.

Telephone messages are returned by 9:00AM ET the following day System outage messages are escalated to the appropriate person at KDS

E-mails received between 8:00PM and 8:00AM ET are responded to no later than 10:00AM ET the following day. KDS Customer Service Representative Capabilities and Processes KDS CSRs are trained to directly assist customers with:

Online course access Usernames and passwords Course navigation End user technology Basic course content CEU and Graduate Credit

KDS CSRs are trained to identify complex issues/problems and follow explicit escalation processes to resolve issues.

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