MILE GuideMilestones for Improving Learning in Education

Valerie GreenhillPartnership for 21st Century Skills

November 23, 2009, 4pm Eastern

• Audio: 866-625-9936• Web:

http://www.atconference.com/web-conferencing/login.php/?schedid=1534263

• Code: 1534263

Technical Details:• Audio:

– Call-in: 866-625-9936– Code: 1534263

• Web: – Click http://www.atconference.com/web-conferencing/login.php/?schedid

=1534263– Code: 1534263

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Questions:• Since you will be muted, please submit comments and questions via

chat to Paul Tumarkin.

Getting Started

• Opening Comments• MILE Guide Presentation• Questions and Answers

• Running time: ~1 hour

Agenda

Valerie GreenhillDirector of Strategic InitiativesPartnership for 21st Century Skills

Welcome

Opening Comments

Bernie Trilling, Senior DirectorThink.com & ThinkQuest,Oracle Education Initiatives, Oracle Corporation

Blake West, PresidentKansas National Education Association

MILE Guide: Overview

Purpose:1. Identify where the

district sits on the continuum of 21st century learning

2. Plan future progress

21st Century Skills Framework

Standards & Assessment

Curriculum & Instruction

Professional Development

Learning Environments

MILE Guide: Overview

For who?1. District and school

leaders2. Educators3. Policymakers

MILE Guide: Overview

Contains:1. Self-Assessment

Tool2. Recommendations3. Examples4. Link to online tool

(coming January 2010)

MILE Guide: Important Note• Core academic subjects are a bedrock component of the MILE

Guide self-assessment tool. • The MILE Guide also encourages each school district to ask – are

your students: • Critical thinkers?• Problem solvers?• Good communicators?• Good collaborators?• Information and technology literate?• Flexible and adaptable?• Innovative and creative?• Globally competent?• Financially literate?

MILE Guide: Overview

Self-Assessment Tool

MILE Guide: How to Use

The MILE Guide Self-Assessment allows schools and districts to review:

• Student Knowledge and Skills • Educational Support Systems (e.g., curriculum,

assessment, etc.)• Leading and Teaching• Policymaking• Partnering• Continuous Improvement

MILE Guide: How to Use

Allows districts and schools to identify efforts as:

• Early

• Transitional

• 21st Century

MILE Guide: How to Use

Steps for use:

1. Complete the MILE Guide self-assessment tool2. Use results to generate a shared vision3. Develop a comprehensive, aligned plan of action 4. Implement your plan5. Track and monitor progress; revise plan as needed6. Communicate progress

Implementation Recommendations for:

1. Assessment2. Professional development3. Curriculum and instruction4. Learning environments5. Standards

Guiding Recommendations

Guiding RecommendationsAssessment:

1. Build 21st century skills into formative assessment strategies.

2. Create an aligned accountability system: all assessment strategies should align with 21st century skills standards, professional development and curriculum and instruction.

3. Consider ICT literacy assessment as a starting point.

4. Create open repositories for assessment items and rubrics that help measure 21st century skills.

Promising Examples

Guiding Recommendations

Professional Development:1. Develop intensive teacher professional development

programs that focus intentionally on 21st century skills instruction.

2. Build capacity.3. Develop district leadership teams to infuse 21st

century skills throughout the school district. 4. Invest in ICT (information communications

technologies) excellence. 5. Develop professional learning communities around

specific 21st century skills. Train administrators around how to lead 21st century skills initiatives.

Promising Examples

Guiding Recommendations

Curricula:1. Develop Curricula for Understanding.2. Unpack the Standards to Articulate Essential

Concepts and Skills. 3. Build Widespread Consensus Around the Big

Ideas and Essential Questions. 4. Use Curriculum-Embedded Performance-Based

Assessments. 5. Commit to Continuous Improvement in 21st

Century Curriculum Design Processes6. Collaborate

Promising Examples

Guiding Recommendations

Instruction:

1. Use “Teach for Understanding” Principles 2. Create Meaningful Opportunities for Student

Demonstration/Mastery of 21st Century Skills 3. Deliver Learner-Centered Instruction that Enables

21st Century Skills4. Reflect, Refine, and Improve 21st Century Skills

Instruction

Promising Examples

Guiding Recommendations

Learning Environments:

1. Establish a 21st century vision for learning environments in your district.

2. Ensure educational structures enable 21st century skills.

3. Move toward flexible units of time that enable project-based work, interdisciplinary themes and competency-based measures of student progress.

4. Ensure technical infrastructure sufficiently supports student learning.

5. Empower the “People Network” in learning environments.

Promising Examples

Guiding Recommendations

Standards:

1. Integrate 21st century skills into core academic subject standards.

2. Integrate 21st century themes into core subject area standards, where appropriate.

3. Incorporate 21st century technology literacy and tools where appropriate into standards.

4. Ensure standards are an integrated component of curriculum, assessments, and professional development.

Promising Examples

MILE Guide: Benefits

“Kansas educators are anxious to put the revised MILE Guide to work.  As we create professional development for our staff and as we share “exemplary practices” among colleagues, the MILE Guide will be exactly that – a guide to plan our work and a benchmark to better assess how we are doing. Quite simply, the MILE Guide provides teachers and education leaders with meaningful, practical guidance as we plan the kind of learning experiences that will help our students apply 21st century skills to solving real world problems.”

-Blake West, ED.D., president, Kansas National Education Association

Q & A

Question and Answer SessionReminder:

Chat your questions to Paul Tumarkin

For the free PDF and to order additional print copies, visithttp://www.21stcenturyskills.org/mileguide

For further questions and answers, contact Valerie Greenhill, vgreenhill@eluminategroup.com.

Thank you!

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