Conversation #44 with Steven Morrone, Assistant Superintendent of Westerly Public Schools has some great examples of a district braiding its professional learning funding to increase coaching capacity. It was also a chance to reminisce and remember legendary Rhode Island Superintendent, Barry Ricci, who passed way too early, but whose sage advice still lives on.

"I feel like I’m a system level project manager at a time when our district is attempting to reinvent the system! We're refining our grading policy to ensure greater alignment across courses and grade levels, giving more weight to the policy as a driver of practice.

For example, when we realized we couldn’t hit our goal for instructional minutes within a departmentalized K-5 model, we addressed this at the system level, shifting our elementary teachers back to a model where they deliver all content to their students. We are also revisiting our policies for social promotion and retention and our standards-based report card system. Setting high level policies to bring about transformational change goes back to the late Barry Ricci, one of my mentors from my time in the Chariho Regional School District. He is always in the back of mind, and this approach feels super urgent right now.

A full-court press strategy is underway to support teachers in effectively using High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM), aiming to ensure the success of this adoption. We have partnered with SchoolKit through Title II funding, and their team is working closely with our Math and ELA coordinators. We've also conducted a professional learning series for building and teacher leaders, clarifying expectations for HQIM implementation in both subjects.

Coaching is a significant focus. Elementary teachers receive coaching on EL Education implementation, grounded in analyzing early reading data with second-grade teachers through co-planning, demonstration lessons, observation, and feedback. This is a collaborative effort to ensure all second graders achieve proficiency. We have also implemented a near-induction coaching model for our new teachers. A middle school math coach from SchoolKit supports math teachers with pacing and curriculum understanding, focusing on making informed choices within the curriculum. Through a state instructional coaches grant, we have appointed a middle school math coach and an elementary ELA coach. To address a math coach vacancy, we've extended our SchoolKit contract, primarily utilizing a Professional Learning Community (PLC) model for reviewing materials and planning with the 8th grade team. With another cohort, we're refining materials for greater coherence, grounding everyone in HQIM. Our focus has shifted from initial fidelity to deeper lesson internalization.

Regarding AI, we are aligning with the state's lead and awaiting official policy before implementation. Teachers seem well-informed, and we've included a general statement in our handbook as an interim measure. Some teachers are also independently engaging in professional learning around AI."