Full day session for Manitoba CEC. Using strength-based class reviews/profiles to build toward school and division profiles. Included is a pilot from Louis Riel School Division as they work with 8 schools to transform practice toward needs-based support.

1. New Directions: using the
class review/school review
process to guide our planning
and teaching
Manitoba CEC
February 23rd, 2017
Faye Brownlie
lideshare.net/fayebrownlie/
classreviews

2. Learning Intentions
• I understand why and how to conduct a
strengths-based class review.
• I know how to plan ‘what’s next?’ as a result of
my class review and an understanding of
effecLve, research-based literacy pracLces.
• I have a plan of how to increase collaboraLon and
co-teaching in my building/district.
• I have an idea of how to use our class reviews as
a school or district review and planning process.
• I have a plan of how to put my work today into
acLon☺

3. The Plan and the Big Ideas
• Inclusion and class reviews
• CollaboraLon and in-class support
• What does this look like in a literacy
classroom?
• School and district stories, including Marlene
Murray, Luis Riel SD
• Your acLon plan

5. A Street Corner Scene

6. • How is this street crossing a metaphor
– for inclusion?
– for a strengths-based approach?

7. Inclusion
• Shared goals
• Everyone is included, expects to succeed, and
belongs
• MulLple pathways
• Different rates
• Various levels of support

8. • Move from CONFUSION and FEAR to
POSSIBLITIES and POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS.
• Inclusion requires TRUST and
COLLABORATION. You can’t do it alone!

9. • Inclusion is not a special educaLon iniLaLve,
rather it belongs to general educaLon and is a
reflecLon of the society we want.

10. McKinsey Report, 2007
• The top-performing school systems recognize
that the only way to improve outcomes is to
improve instrucLon: learning occurs when
students and teachers interact, and thus to
improve learning implies improving the quality
of that interacLon.

11. How the world’s most improved
school systems keep getting better
–McKinsey, 2010
Three changes collaboraLve pracLce brought about:
1. Teachers moved from being private emperors to
making their pracLce public and the enLre teaching
populaLon sharing responsibility for student learning.
2. Focus shiaed from what teachers teach to what
students learn.
3. Systems developed a model of ‘good instrucLon’ and
teachers became custodians of the model. (p. 79-81)

12. The teeter totter
kids
kids curriculum

13. Goal
to support students in working
effecLvely in the classroom
environment

14. Goal
to work together to befer meet
the needs of all students

15. Rationale
By sharing our collecLve
knowledge about our classes of
students and developing a plan of
acLon based on this, we can
befer meet the needs of all
students.

16. A Key Belief
IntervenLon is focused on classroom support.
Classroom-based intervenLon does NOT mean
that all specialists have to be in the classroom
all the Lme. Instead, the RESULTS of their
work have to show up in the classroom.

17. “You can see what the
teachers, teams, and
schools value by what
actually goes on in the
classrooms.”
(Brownlie, Fullerton, Schnellert,
2011, p25)
“Pedagogy trumps curriculum.”
(Dylan Wiliam)

18. The Vision
A Remedial Model
(Deficit Model)
‘Fixing’ the student
Outside the classroom/
curriculum
A Shia from….. to
An Inclusive Model
(Strengths Based)
‘Fixing’ the curriculum
Within the classroom/
curriculum
to

19. Transforma)ons within the
Inclusive Model
Pull-out Support / Physical Inclusion
• sLll a remedial model – to make kids fit
• In the class, but oaen on a different plan
Inclusion
• Classroom Teacher as central support
• Resource Teacher – working together in a
co-teaching model

20. No plan, No point

21. The Class Review Process

22. Class Review
• Strengths-based approach
• CollaboraLve
• The classroom teacher is the heart of the
process
• Goal: support a community of learners
• Goal: create a plan

23. • Meet as a school-based team, with the
administrator
• Each classroom teacher (CT) joins the team
for 45 minutes to speak of her class
• TOC’s provide coverage for CTs
• Follow the order of strengths, needs, goals,
individuals
• The CT does not do the recording or the
chairing

24. The Class Review
What are the strengths
of the class?
What are your concerns
about the class as a whole?
What are your main goals
for the class this year?
What are the individual
needs in your class?

25. Class Review
Learning in Safe Schools
(Brownlie & King, 2000)
Teacher:
Class:
Classroom Strengths Classroom Needs
Other
Socio-EmotionalLearningLanguageMedical
Goals Decisions
Individual Concerns
Class Review Recording Form

26. Gr. 5/6
Classroom Strengths
• Lots of energy; acLve
• CreaLve – good at expressing themselves in a
non-tradiLonal way
• A small, mellow and reflecLve group that
needs quiet Lmes – quiet wriLng
• Visual learners
• Open minded – willing to try new ideas

27. Classroom Stretches
• Self-regulaLon – noise level, learning to use
headphones
• PerspecLve taking, reading social cues,
working together
• CriLcal thinking
• Vocabulary – funcLonal, basic

28. Goals
• Self-regulaLon strategies
• Developing metacogniLon and being reflecLve
• CriLcal thinking skills
• Developing individual strengths
• Making thinking visible
• Building vocabulary to express thinking and
strengths

29. Decisions

30. Decisions
• Provide in-class support as much as possible
• Co-plan with Joanne, also 5/6, and Eleanor, LRT
• Focus on visual literacy, alternaLve strategies to
make thinking visible
• Brian – check-in Lme each day
• Counseling group – Fal, Ethan, Taylor, Leo?
• Mackenzie – pediatrician referral for Level B
assessment

31. • Medical
– Brian – parents refuse ADHD medicaLon
– Ethan – ADHD, on med
• Language
– Mackenzie – vocal Lck
• Learning
– Lance – ELL 2 – plateau, output challenges, street
smart
– Fal – math
– Mackenzie – fine motor skills
– Ethan – output is minimal
– Arly – needs challenge

32. • Social-EmoLonal
– Brian - counseling, self reg, self talk, anxious
– Lance – self reg
– Fal – self reg, posiLve self image, self talk, anxious
– Mackenzie – young
– Gerald – social issues with classmates, young
– Ethan – tacLle learner, keeps to self, anxious
– Brian Y – young, anxious
– Taylor – sad, anxious
– Leo - anxious
• Other
– Mackenzie – Ab Ed

33. Reviewing our reviews☺
• What worked?
• What didn’t work as well? How did you make
it befer?
• What’s next? What do you wonder?

35. Grade 9 Humanities, 2 classes
Catriona Misfeldt,Class Profiles…
– Strengths:
• supporLve of each other
• willing to take risks in learning
• invested in doing well
• understand themselves as learners
• enjoy talking about ‘ideas’ in pairs/small groups
– Stretches:
• reading comprehension (high ELL in one block; significant learning needs in the other)
• limited ‘toolbox’ of strategies
• not confident in their thinking; many are reluctant to share thinking in whole class
discussions
• supporLng thinking with evidence
• collaboraLve skills
• Needs:
– visual supports (e.g., images, models, checklists)
– ‘safe ways’ to share/rehearse thinking (e.g, A/B partner talk)
– explicit strategies for working together

36. Humanities 9 Curricular Foci…
Content:
– SS: early contact and the conLnuing effect of
colonizaLon on indigenous peoples
– ELA: wriLng process & presentaLon techniques
Curricular Competencies:
– SS: cause & consequence, perspecLve
– ELA: synthesizing ideas from a variety of sources;
use the wriLng process to plan, develop, and
create engaging meaningful texts

37. Lesson Sequence
DAY 1:
• 4 Quadrant Thinking + Encounter by Jane
Yolen

39. HOMEWORK:
• On-line research about Christopher Columbus
and the Taino people to learn about the goals,
moLvaLon & consequences of each as a result of
Christopher Columbus’ discovery of ‘India’
– Videos
– InformaLonal texts
– Historical maps
– MacNeill Library Website Links

41. DAY 2:
• Introduce the cri)cal task:
– Write a postcard from the perspecLve of a Spanish sailor to his
family describing his first encounter with the Taino people.
• Introduce the criteria for an effec)ve historical diary
– Take into account both perspecLves to paint a plausible (likely
to be true), historically accurate and believable account
(conveys the thoughts, feelings, acLons and reacLons to the
sailor).
• Complete draa using their 4 Quadrant paper, videos and
research organizer as reference.

42. DAY 3:
• Peer Review (checklist)
• Examine postcards to determine features &
layout
• Revise draa #1 incorporaLng feedback
• Complete good copy

46. A Journey Towards
Needs-Based Service Delivery
Special Needs Ini)a)ve
2016-2017

47. Collabora)on - people working together toward shared goals.

48. • LRSD benefifed from the support of MTS and LRTA
as partners.
• Principals were criLcal to address the needs they
bring forward specific to their school.
• Parents of students with addiLonal need provide
insight into soluLons from a different perspecLve.
Collabora)on

49. • Desire to have a more strength-based perspecLve
for Student Services Planning
• More flexibility in determining appropriate
supports
Staff Consulta)ons – some of what we heard

50. • Less Lme focussed on securing addiLonal support
and more Lme for communicaLon and planning
regarding their child.
Parent Consulta)ons – some of what we heard

51. Iden)fying the Desired Future:
• School Division will allocate resources to support
student needs.
• Support based on student need within the context of
the classroom and the school rather than based on a
category or label.

52. School Implementa)on Teams
LRSD established school teams as a working group to lead school implementa)on
• Each parLcipaLng school team is comprised of a principal, student
services teacher and 2 classroom teachers.
• Staff in each school developed a profile of needs and intervenLons
- Student Profile
- Classroom Profile
- School Profile
This informaLon as a basis for a Student Services Plan that informs
decisions around staffing and supports.
• The school team parLcipates in the collaboraLon and professional
learning sessions planned for the implementaLon year.

53. What have we been doing?
• Redefined our Student Services Planning process
- Student Profile
- Class Profile
- School Profile

54. Planning for Student Services: Student Profile to School Plan
Class Profile
All the students needs,
strengths, and goals in a class
School Profile
Analyze the data from the class
profiles to iden)fy needs,
strengths and goals
Student Services Plan
Iden)fy needs and resources
Develop an ac)on plan
Student Specific Needs
Student Profile
(iden)fy the needs)
Student Specific Plan
(plan for individualized goals)

55. Tiers of Student Support IntervenLons

56. Student Support Profile

57. Class Profile

58. Class Profile

59. School Profile

60. School Student Services Plan

61. We have learned…
• Teachers want more Lme to work together and
collaborate to support student needs.
• Systemic changes take Lme.
• There is never too much communicaLon.
Teachers are now focused on what they can
do with support and collaboraLon!

63. Qualicum School District #69
Gillian Wilson, Assistant Superintendent,
Rollie Koop , Superintendent
• 3600 students
• Using school profiles since 2011
• Class reviews in schools (forms sent out in
advance)
– Fall – immediate acLon plan and supports
– February – can re-assign supports at school level,
leads to school and district review
– May/June – planning for next year

64. • Fall school review (aaer the school review)
– With superintendent and assistant superintendent
– Tell us about your
• School
• Your goals for the school
• How are you working with your staff?
• What do you know about your learners?
• What evidence do you have behind your story?
– i.e., making progress in numeracy
– i.e., kids are happy

65. • February school review
– 2 hours with Asst, Superintendent, District Principal for
Learning Services, school-based administrator, and
Learning Services Teacher
– Talk about students with designaLons and all students, i.e.,
the community of learners
– Talk about the teaching and learning support
• Strengths and skills of your staff
• Challenges and needs in the school
• IniLaLves in the school
• EA Lme – focus on learning environment
• Designated students
• Special cohorts of learners
– Grade 2 group at one school, tracked since K re: behavior and social skills
» Where do we sLll need support?
– Lost boys in grade 11 and 12 at a high school
» How do we keep them in school?

66. • May school review (aaer school review)
– With superintendent and assistant superintendent
– Tell us about
• Your journey
• Your successes
• Your challenges

67. ReflecLons, Successes, Challenges
• Administrators see their role as one of educaLonal
leaders
• School reviews have become rouLne
• Board supporLve of this way of allocaLng resources
and mulL-year planning
• Able to be nimble mid-year
– Moved counsellor, OT, PT and LST with auLsm specialty
from one area to another
– Added on half Lme mentor teacher (so many new hires)
• Rich dialogue
– Who are we?
– Who do we want to be?

68. • Focus on learners and learning
• Fabulous district picture
• Leads into budget process
• Do not need to have a designaLon in order to
get support
• Labour intensive
• Work to do in grades 10-12 individual classes –
tend to be grade cohorts
• Some in-class support at secondary

69. InteresLng
• Nothing is mandated in the district
• Administrators trust the process
• Some administrators bring an LST to their fall
or spring meeLng
• The union recognizes the power of the process
• 1st year specific students with designaLons
have been included on the template

70. Gulf Islands School District #64
Lisa Halstead, Superintendent
• Fall of 2012: Class review process is working so well,
how can we move this strengths-based conversaLon to
a district level?
• Process
– 3-4 staff per school
– Full day – present your school: strengths, stretches, needs,
goals
– Include trustees
– How do best support the district? Puzng plans in place.
– Sharing, not compeLng
– Frameworks for enhancing student learning
– October and May

71. • October 2012 district quesLons
– Why are students behaving in ways we don’t expect?
– How do we help all students to read and write at
grade level?
• May 2013 district quesLons
– Why are our kids so anxious?
– What areas do we need to target to help support
students reading and wriLng at grade level?

72. ReflecLons, Surprises, Learnings
• Changing Results for Young Readers carries on
– Inquiry process
– Teachers choose their own inquiry quesLon and
student on whom to focus
– Meet in teams to pursue their inquiry
• DART
– No longer compliance
– Focus on instrucLonal strategies
– Part of the district conversaLon

73. • Class Review process at Gulf Island Secondary
– Learning Services Team meets with each teacher
to talk about their classes
– Meet in October and May
– Opens doors into classes

74. Challenges
• LIF (Learning Improvement Fund)
– How do we work together with less money?
• Sharing of schools, not a compeLLon
– ConLnue to build the community

75. • 2016 district quesLon
– How do promote wellness for all?
• Added staffing for inquiry teachers for 2016-17
• K-12 InnovaLon Project on CommunicaLng
Student Learning

76. Bulkley Valley School District #54
District Principal, Learning Support
Services, Cathy Vandermark
• 2555 students
• In place but purpose had eroded over the last few
years (focus on individual needs and lobbying for more
SEA Lme)
• Created 1 hour sessions for all administrators and
learning support teachers
– The importance of a plan
– Purpose and process of class review
– Make personal plan for changes/improvements to class
review process

77. Importance of a plan in place to
ensure everyone is working toward the
same goals
(House acLvity)
– Everyone can be working hard but not necessarily
toward the same goals
– Without starLng with the same informaLon, the
end result can be very different for everyone
involved
– If we don’t create a plan together, everyone
creates their own plan for support

78. Purpose and Process of Class Review
• www.udlresource.ca/?p=3090
• Class Review with Dr. Leyton Schnellert
• Class Review Video Response Sheet
• Divided video into 4 chunks
• 2 quesLons aaer each chunk
– How is it the same as what is currently happening
in your school?
– How is it different from what is currently
happening in your school?

79. Personal plan for changes/
improvements
• Look at your class review and consider one
change/improvement that could be made
• Whip around and share
• Consider having the teacher fill in the
individual student needs at the bofom
BEFORE the meeLng to have more Lme to
focus on class strengths, stretches, needs and
goals

80. Results
• Learning support teachers reporLng more
planning in all their acLviLes
• Houston middle school principal is designing
grade group meeLngs rather than individual
classes
• Smithers Secondary adapted class review
template for departments and learning
services team planning

81. Smithers Secondary School
Learner Support Program/Department
Review
• What are the strengths of the current program/
department?
• What are the stretches of the current program/
department?
• What are your goals for the department?
– This year:
– Two years:
– Five years:
• What are the individual needs?
– Staff (Teaching and SupporLng):
– FaciliLes:
– Technology:
– Other:
• What decisions can be made?

82. Westview Secondary, Coquitlam
• Patricia GieSinger, Principal
• Kate Easby, Learning Services Support Teacher
and Department Head
• 765 students
• 3 academies: basketball, microsoa, soccer

83. 2016-17 School Goal:
full inclusion of grade 8’s
– No class for students with behavior challenges
(internal or external)
– All students are now on class lists
– Began with class reviews
• Shiaing ownership to the teacher
– Strengths, stretches, co-plan
– Each learning services support teacher (non
categorical) has 3 teachers/block

84. • School Review with learning services support
team, counselors and administrators
– Examined RTI
– What are levels of support needed?
– How are we currently targeLng these levels?
• What’s working?
• What’s not?
• What’s next?
– Supports are not people. People can provide
support.

85. PAGE 1 of 2
Need predictable learning environment
Need alternative to mainstream classes
Working on academics provided by classroom
teachers
Connected to community services and/or KKIS
Need consistent positive adult contact
Mental health challenges
Intensive EA support needs
Functional academics
Functional life skills
Intensive cognitive, social and
behavioural challenges
Collaborating and co-planning with curriculum
teachers
Pull out supports for defined durations
Daily contact (during FLEX)
Consistent connection with staff
Ongoing parent/staff support and
collaboration
All grade 8 students
Require alternative approach to learning
Require alternative pacing of content
Have learning support needs
Attendance tracking/communication
support needs
Work assignment adaptation support
Co-teaching/Class reviews/individualized student goal
planning with teachers
Consistent connection with staff
Ongoing parent/staff support collaboration
Collaborating/problem-solving student or group needs
with classroom teachers
Support students requiring short-term or infrequent
learning assistance
Resource support for classroom teachers
Social supports: bridging connections in the school and
community
Planning, organization & goal setting
Part-time attendance support, tracking and monitoring
Collaboration with KKIS staff
Curriculum support
Support students in accessing a quiet
space or in-class adaptations
Small group contact/pull out for defined
durations
Co-teaching
Collaboratively problem-solving student
or group needs with classroom teachers
Resource support for classroom teachers
Coordination of initial or short-term
supports with counselling
Ministry identified students in addition to
general support
Need daily academic support contact
(accessed through FLEX time)
Capable of self-adjusting behaviour
W.S.S.
2015-16
Learning
Services
Descriptions
INTENSIVE NEEDs PROGRAM
(KATE EASBY)
(Multiple EAs)
Intensive Support for Students with
developmental disabilities; (cognitive,
physical, behavioural and emotional
challenges)
LIFE SKILLS/FUNCTIONAL ACADEMIC
SUPPORTS
(ALIX IUS/SARAH MACDONALD)
(Multiple EAs)
Targeted life skills supports and functional
academics support & coordination
TARGETED GRADE 8 SUPPORT
(AMY LAIDLAW)
Adapted Delivery/Academic Support
GENERAL SUPPORT
( COREY WOOD & JEFF PINCK )
General support contact
Typical characteristics of students supported: Typical supports provided:
TARGETED SUPPORTS for
EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIOUR
(KATE EASBY)
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL & MENTAL HEALTH
SUPPORTS
(KATIE MacLEOD)
(GLEN WHINCUP - YCW)
Social-emotional & mental health focus; Encouraging
personal and social success and responsibility through
positive adult relationships.
EA supported needs
Functional academics skill level
Functional life skills needs
Cognitive and Social/Emotional
challenges
Modified curriculum programming support
Modified EA support in subject/elective classes
Emotional and behaviour support
Social skill building opportunities
Work experience collaboration during senior grades
Community awareness learning & independence
skill building
CLBC transition support
Struggling with self-regulation
and self-correcting behaviour
Modified curriculum
CLBC transition support
Work Experience coordination (WEX)
Community skill programming and support
Collaborating and co-planning with curriculum
teachers

86. • 6 Grade 8 learning services support teachers
and administrator
– Meet as a team once a month for the aaernoon to
learn from and support each other
– What’s working? What’s not? What’s next?
– Class Review in September and again in January
– Kate conducts her CR with 3 new support teachers

87. • Grades 9-12
– 1 learning services support teacher for grades 10
& 11
– 1 LSS teacher for each of grades 9 & 12
– Let’s do a class review: LSS, classroom, EA
• 30 minutes and a plan

88. In the classroom…
• The acLon plan, in acLon, aaer the class
review.
• NoLce the decisions made, based on the
strengths of the students, the areas to
strengthen and the goals for the class.

89. Gr 5/6 – Fournier & Rollo
Sample Provocations
❖ What possibilities live in these materials?
❖ How do the materials inspire you to tell stories about
yourself?
❖ What gifts do you bring to the classroom?
❖ How do the materials inspire you to tell stories about a time
you’ve been “Stuck”?
❖ What stories are inspired by your problems?
(What Do You Do With a Problem?)

90. Sample Provocations
❖ What makes a community?
❖ How does a community grow stronger as it changes?
(How does the Night Gardener help us think about community?)
❖ What stories are inspired by your communities? (Pax)
❖ What gifts do you receive from your community? (Sweetest Kulu)
❖ What possibilities live in black and white? (Flashlight)
❖ How do the materials inspire you to create an image
that represents you?

92. Japanese Internment
❖ What stories are inspired by war, fear, oceans,
mountains, family, seeking a better life?
❖ Is it ever necessary to take away personal rights for the
safety of all?
❖ How would you live and feel separated from your
family? Your connection to home?

94. Japanese Internment

95. Feedback Frames
From Brooke Douglas

96. Self Reflection

97. Resources
• Student Diversity, 3rd ed. – Brownlie, Feniak & Schnellert,
2016
• Learning in Safe Schools, 2nd ed – Brownlie & King, Oct., 2011
• It’s All about Thinking – collaboraCng to support all learners
(in Math and Science) - Brownlie, Fullerton & Schnellert, 2011
• It’s All about Thinking – collaboraCng to support all learners
(in English, Social Studies and HumaniCes) – Brownlie &
Schnellert, 2009
• Grand ConversaCons, ThoughMul Responses – a unique
approach to literature circles – Brownlie, 2005
• Assessment & InstrucCon of ESL Learners – Brownlie, Feniak,
& McCarthy, 2004
• Reading and Responding, gr. 4,5,&6 – Brownlie & Jeroski,
2006

98. What’s Next?
• What is your plan to conduct a class review?
• Who will be involved?
• Who will work with you to build a plan for
your class?
• What is something that you are adding on to
your pracLce as a result of today?
• What is something you are lezng go of?