Plan Ahead and Raise Sights

What it means:

Pre-plan high standards for each grade/course—with schoolwide curriculum, lessons, and useful assessments up to and beyond standards—to support achievement and growth.

More Detail

Raising sights, quality, and consistency by planning ahead includes the following:

Articulate the vision for teachers, students, and families
Choose high annual standards and growth goals
Choose and/or develop high-standards curricula aligned with goals, across grades and subjects
Develop engaging lesson plans that align with curriculum and include frequent checks for understanding, personalization/differentiation, re-teaching, and acceleration
Systematize schoolwide procedures and routines
Select or develop interim assessments aligned to high standards and growth goals
Establish an assessment calendar
Determine data systems to share progress with teachers, students, and families
Schedule time to analyze data and adjust teaching
Plan for students to set and track goals

See a one-page Instructional Excellence Summary covering all the key elements.

Tools

Use these tools to help you choose and/or develop high-standards curricula:

Videos—For Teachers & Multi-Classroom Leaders

Watch these short videos of educators discussing the elements of Plan Ahead and Raise Sights, organized by action:

General

Use Summer Planning to Set Goals
That Close Gaps

MCL Kristin Cubbage explains how she sets
high goals during summer planning and
professional development for her teaching team
to achieve success with students.

Set Pacing Calendar Before School
Begins

Summer instructional and assessment planning
is crucial to ensure student growth, MCL Sean
Carberry says.

Summer Planning Enables Quick
Start

Use summer planning time for vision-setting
and reflecting on instruction to give students
a quick start each year, MCL Ellen Rayburn says.

Summer Planning Means More
Time to Help Students Individually

Do most lesson planning over the summer,
Blended-Learning Teacher Lori Treiber says,
to free schoolyear time to focus on each
student’s needs.

Choose high annual standards, growth goals, and matching curriculum

Lead Team to Set Ambitious Goals

MCL Erin Williams describes how to lead a
teaching team to set high goals and see what
students are truly capable of, leading to
empowered students.

Use Available Data to Plan Ahead
and Set and Impart High Goals

Master Reach Teacher Jimmel Williams explains
his process for thoroughly reviewing all available
data ahead of the school year to set goals for
each student.

Set High but Attainable Individualized
Goals

MCL Erin Burns explains her process of reviewing
students’ data to set very high goals that students
can reach without burning out.

Develop engaging lesson plans

Engage Students in Learning and
High Goals

MCL Tonya Reaves explains how she works to
engage students in lessons that help them track
and reach their high goals.

Plan Engaging Lessons Focused on
Critical Standards

Focus on critical standards and rigorous, engaging
texts to challenge all students, MCL Hadley Moore says.

Videos—For Principals & Multi-School Leaders

Watch these short videos of educators discussing the elements of Plan Ahead and Raise Sights, organized by action:

General

Use Summer Planning to Prepare
Instructional Leadership Team

Set a vision and prepare for challenges
that will arise before school begins,
Principal Christian Sawyer says.

Choose high annual standards, growth goals, and matching curriculum

MCLs Must Plan Curriculum
in Summer

Paid summer planning time is vital for the
success of multi-classroom leaders, says
Principal Janet Moss.

Discussion Questions

Use these discussion questions to help guide your team through the elements of Plan Ahead and Raise Sights:

Which actions in this element of instructional excellence are strengths for you or your team?
Which actions in this element of instructional excellence are weaknesses for you or your team? Think about actions you never take, fail to take as often as needed, or do not take as well as needed to achieve strong learning growth consistently.
What one to three specific changes will you or your team make to use your strengths more often or more consistently and improve weaknesses in the coming months?
Make a brief action plan with specific goals, roles, and time by which you will make specific changes!
Did your changes produce better learning results? If so, keep them. If not, think again about what other changes to make!