California Department of Education
Taking Center Stage – Act II

Professional Learning Activities

Use the TCSII Initiatives Crosswalks to enhance your existing planning efforts

The TCSII Initiatives Crosswalks are designed to help school teams better understand how each of the California Department of Education's (CDE) 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success connect with and relate to key components of state, federal, and national initiatives that support student achievement.

Three professional learning activities are presented in relation to using each of the 12 TCSII Initiatives Crosswalks. The following suggested professional learning activities are designed as a guide to assist school teams with:

  • Activity A: Reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses associated with current practices in relation to the implementation of the CDE's 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success and a variety of initiatives including the Nine Essential Program Components (EPCs).
  • Activity B: Using the areas of strength and weakness identified in the first activity to develop effective improvement strategies, revise school goals and monitor implementation of the Single School Plan for Student Achievement.  
  • Activity C: Completing the Schools to Watch™ –Taking Center Stage (STW™–TCS) School Self-Study and Rating Rubric.

Although the activities described below specifically address Recommendation 1—Rigor, these sample activities can be similarly used to explore each one of CDE’s 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success and key components of the initiatives identified.

TCSII Initiatives Crosswalk Activity A—Professional Learning Activity

Recommendation 1—Rigor and Essential Program Component 1

  • Review the TCSII Initiatives Crosswalk for Recommendation 1—Rigor.
  • Start with the first initiative — Essential Program Component (EPC) 1: Use of SBE-adopted English/reading/language arts and mathematics instructional and intervention materials.
    • Reflect on how current practices at your school effectively address the use of these instructional materials.
    • Which cornerstone strategies are done well at your school in relation to the recommendation?
  • Summarize your findings by highlighting at least four major strengths and four major weaknesses in current practices in relation to Recommendation — Rigor. Report findings to the schoolwide team.
  • Next, as a schoolwide team, prioritize the list of weaknesses and establish a timeline with benchmarks for developing and implementing strategies and/or solutions to address each area of weakness.
  • Assign teams to focus on the identified weaknesses in relation to subject areas and explore the TCSII portal to locate information and resources to address those weaknesses. (On the TCSII Home Page, enter key words in the Search Box located at the top left corner.)
  • Review each of the items presented in the search results.
  • Next Steps: Using the steps described above,
    • Continue team analysis of Recommendation —Rigor in relation to the remaining Essential Program Components or select another one of the other 12 Recommendations.
    • Continue team analysis of Recommendation 1—Rigor in relation to other site-specific initiatives and then, following the same steps complete this process for each of the other 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success.
    • Select another one of the California Department of Education's 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success to analyze the same steps for each of the initiatives in the Crosswalk.

TCSII Initiatives Crosswalk Activity B—Professional Learning Activity

Rigor and the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

  • Review the Seven Recommended Steps for Developing the Single Plan for Student Achievement
  • Use the strengths and weaknesses identified in Activity 1 above based on review of each of the CDE's 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success as a springboard for developing or modifying the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) according to the seven steps listed below:
    • Step One: Analyze Student Achievement Data
    • Step Two: Measure Effectiveness of Current Improvement Strategies Using State Tools to Determine Critical Causes of Student Underachievement
    • Step Three: Identify Achievement Goals and Key Program/Improvement Strategies that Align with the District LEA Plan
    • Step Four: Define Timelines, Personnel Responsible, Proposed Expenditures, and Funding Sources to Implement the Plan
    • Step Five: Recommend the SPSA to the Local Governing Board
    • Step Six: Implement the Plan
    • Step Seven: Monitor Implementation

TCSII Initiatives Crosswalk Activity C—Professional Learning Activity

Recommendation 1—Rigor and the California Schools to Watch™-Taking Center Stage (STW™-TCS) program

  • Review the California Schools to Watch™–Taking Center Stage (STW™-TCS) program School Self-Study and Rating Rubric (DOC: 574 KB; 9 pp.) (SSRR)
  • Use the information–identified strengths and weaknesses based on review of each of the CDE's 12 Recommendations for Middle Grades Success –from Activity A to complete the California Schools to Watch™–Taking Center Stage (STW™-TCS) School Self-Study and Rating Rubric.
  • The STW™-TCS initiative appears in the fifth row of the Initiatives Crosswalk chart under the heading, National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
    • Complete the (STW™-TCS) School Self-Study and Rating Rubric in preparation for completing the STW™-TCS application.
    • The STW™-TCS School Self-Study and Rating Rubric can also be used as a continuous improvement tool.

Initiatives Crosswalk Index

Professional Learning Activities Index

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