Clustering PLC

Meeting 7Evaluating the Cluster Grouping Model in American Studies

Monday, April 15, 2013, 2:15-3:35

SSHS’s Vision: Utilizing the best teaching practices, we will ensure that our students have the essential academic, ethical and workplace skills and knowledge to be successful in an ever-changing world.

Goals for PLC

Identify, utilize and share pre- and post- assessment tools in order to gauge what students know and can do.
Provide targeted, differentiation strategies to use with our ELL and GT clusters in the American Studies and English 9 classrooms.
Use common language to use when discussing and making decisions around clusters, differentiated instruction, and other aspects of our courses.

Grounding: What is something you’d like to share about your successes with clustering during second semester so far?

Review: Goals and meetings so far this year

Successes & Struggles: Cluster Grouping Model (CGM) in American Studies

Break into Language Arts and Social Studies teams to discuss the following:
1. What are some things that went well with the Cluster Grouping Model (CGM) as specifically related to American History/American Literature content and instructional practices?
  1. Identify specific instructional strategies that you used that supported the needs of students in your class.
2. What was your greatest success with the CGM?
  1. What evidence do you have that supports increased student achievement/engagement due to CGM?
3. What are some struggles with the CGM as specifically related to American History/American Literature content and instructional practices?
  1. What would eliminate these struggles? What can you do to prevent these struggles in the future?
4. What do we need to make the CGM more effective?
  1. To what extent did we meet our goals (above)? What would you do differently if we are to use the CGM again?
  2. What should our leadership do differently if we are to use the CGM again?
  3. What kind of professional development would we need?
5. Collectively, as a Language Arts/Social Studies team, what patterns do we see in our responses?

Report out to large group.

Large group discussion:
1. What are your take-aways about the CGM?
2. If we do this again next year, what are our goals for the CGM?
3. What commitments can you make or suggestions for future implementation?

Survey to gauge what our students think of the CGM
1. What kind of feedback would be helpful? What do we want to know from our students?
2. Brainstorm two questions you would like to see included on a survey of students. See pages 191 and 195 in The Cluster Grouping Handbook for ideas if necessary.

Meeting 7 April 2013