Mesa County Valley School District 51

Teaching & Learning Framework

This Frame work is available to download as a PDF

Dimension	Sub-Dimension	Purpose	Guiding Questions
PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT	Reflective Practitioner (Myself)	I reflect and monitor my professional practices by setting and refining goals over time. I seek opportunities for professional growth. I respond to the growth and needs of my learners.	In what ways do I gather information about each learner's growth and needs and then make instructional changes? How will I measure the impact of the instructional changes I implemented? What support do I need to grow as a practitioner? How do I employ my growth mindset to support continuous improvement? In what ways do I use student, peer, and evaluator feedback to improve my practice?
	Learning Communities (My Team and I)	Our Learning Community values collaboration and offers support for growth within our team. Our Learning Community develops a goal focus and action plans to impact student and teacher learning.	How do we interact within our Learning Communities? How do we develop and monitor our action plans? In what ways do we reach out for support? How do we influence one another's thinking, learning, and practice?
	Learning System Practitioner (Our Commitment to Each Other)	We value adult learning as much as student learning. We pursue our vision and goals through continuous improvement of people and processes guided by the Teaching and Learning Framework. We honor, value, and celebrate risk-taking.	What are the contributions I make to our learning system? How do I conduct myself as a professional? How do I remain open to continuous learning for myself and others?

Dimension	Sub-Dimension	Purpose	Guiding Questions
DESIGN for LEARNING	Standards	Standards are the fundamental elements of lesson design, defining the expectation for learning. Standards are purposefully connected/linked to provide a broader purpose or context. Lessons are designed with the end in mind so that standards-based criteria for success are clear for students.	What are the connections between the standards and learner needs? How are standards strategically selected to provide a broad purpose or context for learning? Do I have a clear understanding of evidence of learning for selected standards? How do the learning expectations (D51 standards, D51 rubrics, etc.) clearly communicate what learners need to know and be able to do? What will be acceptable evidence of learning?
	Planning	Planning is the intentional organization of the what (resources) and the how (instructional approaches) that engages learners in mastering the why (D51 standards). Learning experiences and resources are not taught in isolation but are related to a broader purpose. Instructional approaches scaffold the development of the targeted concepts and skills and gradually release responsibility, leading to learner agency and ownership.	How do I plan with the end in mind (backward design/planning, essential questions, D51 standards, D51 rubrics, competencies and relevance)? How do the resources and learning experiences chosen engage learners in rigorous learning aligned to the standard(s)? Are learners given opportunities to make important decisions about their learning, which include contributing to the design of learning experiences and learning pathways? What is the level and quality of the intellectual work in which learners are engaged (factual recall, procedure, inference, analysis, and meta-cognition)?
	Delivery	Instructional delivery is the implementation of instructional approaches supporting learning. Instructional delivery provides learner-centered, standards-based learning. Instructional delivery fosters learner agency and ownership.	How do I scaffold to provide each learner with access to rigorous and relevant work? What strategies and structures have I put in place to facilitate differentiation and learner engagement (workshop model, small group work, partner talk, etc.)? How do I facilitate, encourage and assess learners' thinking to build on one another's ideas and understandings? What strategies and structures (workshop model, small group work, partner talk, etc.) do I put in place to help learners engage in productive struggle and foster teamwork? How does the learning in the classroom reflect authentic ways of reading, writing, thinking and reasoning in the discipline under study (How does the work reflect what mathematicians do and how they think)? How do I use technology in service of learning?

Dimension	Sub-Dimension	Purpose	Guiding Questions
LEARNER CENTERED ENVIRONMENT	Systems and Structures	Learners are at the center of a responsive learning environment that promotes continuous improvement. The routines, procedures, and systems work together to create the learning environment.	How does the environment support trust, equity, and inclusivity? How is the learning environment responsive to focusing on the whole child? How do the routines/Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the learning environment facilitate student agency and ownership? How do physical environment, resources, and space support and scaffold learning? How do learners contribute to the design of learning experiences and learning pathways? How do mindsets get deeply embedded in the structure/culture of the classroom?
	Culture and Climate	Learners take ownership of their learning through combining habits with tools (goal setting, rubrics, etc.). Learners monitor and adjust their own learning interactions.	What opportunities are provided for learners to take ownership of their learning, creating learner agency and ownership? How do learners engage in deliberate practice to develop expertise? To what extent do learners engage in quality work in order to produce meaning (individual, small group, writing, etc.)? What habits do learners consistently employ to guide their success? In what ways do the culture and climate support the social and emotional needs of the whole child?
	Practices	The teacher facilitates multiple and flexible pathways for learners to engage and demonstrate their learning. By using their body of evidence, learners articulate what they need to know and be able to do within the learning system.	How do learners reflect, pursue, and improve their process of learning? What opportunities for learners are in place to self-assess, adjust, and set goals in order to deepen learning? How are learner interests, background, and learning styles honored? How do learners communicate their understanding about what they are learning and why they are learning it?

Dimension	Sub-Dimension	Purpose	Guiding Questions
MONITORING LEARNING	Assessment	Assessment criteria, methods, and purposes are transparent and match the learning standard. Multiple opportunities are provided for learners to demonstrate their learning. A variety of assessment tools and approaches (anecdotal notes, conferring, student work samples) are used to gather comprehensive information about learners.	How do I use multiple forms of assessment to inform instruction and decision-making? 2. How is evidence of learning gathered? How comprehensive and varied are the sources of data (bodies of evidence)? How do I make learning expectations, standards, and the assessment, transparent to all learners? How do learners use rubrics to self-assess and monitor their learning?
	Feedback Cycle	Formative assessment data is used to make adjustments to teaching and learning. Reflective learners participate in a feedback cycle. Actionable feedback is provided by multiple stakeholders.	How are assessment results used by learners and staff to set goals and gauge progress in order to increase ownership of learning? How do I adjust instruction based on assessment of learning? What opportunities do I provide for learners to participate in the feedback cycle? How is feedback offered by and gathered from multiple stakeholders? How do learners employ growth mindset as they navigate their learning?
	Recording and Reporting	Progress and movement towards mastery is clearly defined and reported in a timely manner. Content Standards and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) are reported separately.	How do I make learning expectations, standards, and the way in which they are measured, transparent to all stakeholders? How do I engage all stakeholders to support the learner?