Year One Goal: To

develop an understanding
of the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) in
English/Language Arts.
Year Two Goal: To
develop a deeper
understanding and level
of implementation.

Short term needs (Year One / Semester One): Unpack Common Core State
Standards (CCSS) by grade level, digging deeper into non-fiction and literary
texts.
Short term needs (Year One / Semester Two): Continue to unpack CCSS by
grade level, digging deeper into writing, speaking/listening, and language
standards.
Short term needs (Year Two / Semester One): Refinement of reading
informational and literary text through alignment of CCSS to curriculum,
assessments, and levels of classroom rigor.
Short term needs (Year Two / Semester Two): Refinement of writing,
speaking/listening, and language standards through alignment of CCSS to
curriculum, assessments, and levels of classroom rigor.

Professional Development Calendar

Professional Development
(Practices and policies,
technology, staff buy-in, role of
teachers, etc.)
July/
Augus
t
2015
BOY
Survey

Require staff to take a

quick 8 question survey
(Surveymonkey.com), to
gauge the depth of
knowledge that staff
members possess
regarding the Common
Core State Standards
(specifically for English
Language Arts).

Resources Needed
(materials, time,
partnerships)
1. Computer/Laptop,
Surveymonkey.com, or
paper copy of staff
survey.

Timeline

Person(s)
Responsible

Summer PD Administration
Team

Evidence of
Success

Completed
surveys

July/
ISBE Unpacking CCSS
Augus Activity (Initial) Teachers
t
will complete six activities
2015 found on the ISBE website.
CCSS
Nonfiction
& Lit.

Sept./
Octob
er
2015
CCSS
Nonfiction
& Lit.

ISBE PowerPoint,
Small
handouts, Laptops, and
Schools - 3
website listed below:
hour PD
http://www.isbe.net/comm prior to the
on_core/pls/level1/html/u
start of
npack.htm
school.

Administrative
Team,
Department
Leads, and
Interventionist

1. Completed
activities/hand
outs

Administrative
Team,
Department
Leads, and
Interventionist

1. Paraphrase
the
standard.
Explain the
standard on
a literal
level.
2. Determine
and explain
the
importance
of this
standard.
3. Identify all
the skills
that
students will
need in
order to

Large
Schools PDs spread
out over
the
summer.
ISBE Unpacking CCSS
Activity (Continued)
Teachers will identify and
define the Non-fiction and
literary strands of the
CCSS.

ELA Common Core State

Standards, Laptops, Blooms
Taxonomy, Webbs Depth of
Knowledge,

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)
Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

meet this
standard.
4. Collaborate
and share
ideas by
department.

Nov./
Dec.
2015
CCSS
Nonfiction
& Lit.

1: Assessing/evaluating
students current mastery
of the standards (nonfiction and literary text
CCSS).
2: Best Practices Strategies for
implementing the nonfiction and literary CCSS in
the classroom. Once
teachers assess the
standard, what are next

Common Core State

Standards - ELA (non-fiction
and literary strands), district
pacing guide, district
curriculum guide, Laptops
CCSS - ELA (non-fiction and
literary strands), lesson
plans, Laptops

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)
Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Continue
during
weekly
PLC time

Administrative
Team
Department
Leads

1. Create
criteria for
assessing
non-fiction
and literary
text CCSS.

Interventionist
2. Generated
lesson plans
addressing
strategies for
teaching ELA
CCSS.

steps for implementation?

Addressing necessary
skills for mastering the
standards.
Week 3: Teachers will
design RPM (Rigorous,
Purposeful, and
Measurable) Objectives
addressing the critical
skills necessary to achieve
mastery of CCSS.

(M-W-F)
3. RPM
Objectives
addressing
specific skill
sets. Creating
intervention for
deficit skills
when
necessary.

CCSS - ELA (non-fiction and

literary stands), lesson
plans, Laptops,

Jan./
Feb.
2016

1: Introduce/Examine the Lessons plans, Writing CCSS,

writing Common Core
district pacing guide, district
State Standards Teachers
curriculum guide
will develop a deeper
CCSS understanding of the CCSS
Writin
writing strands. Teachers
g
will be able to define and
explain the strands and
where they are addressed
in the district pacing and
curriculum guides.
Workshop materials, Lesson
2: Workshop Writing and
Plans, CCSS
Beyond Providing
teachers with instruction
on how to align their
writing instruction to the
CCSS.
CCSS writing rubric ( to

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)
Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

Administrative 1. Teachers will

Team
be able to
define all
components of
the CCSS
writing strands.

Melba
Writing and
Beyond
Consultant

2. Teachers will
gain teaching
strategies and
techniques to
teach writing
components of
the CCSS.

guide discussion)

Gail Capps 3. Teachers will

CEC
produce a
Representative
common
writing rubric

3: Creating a rigorous
common writing rubric
March
/
April
2016
CCSS
Speaki
ng and
Listeni
ng

1: Unpack Speaking and

Listening standards.
Teachers will be able to
define the critical
components of this
standard.

2: Making connections
between the speaking and
listening components of
the CCSS and PARCC
assessment. How can we
use speaking and listening
components to enhance
our non-fiction or literary
text?

CCSS (Speaking and

Listening), district pacing
guide, district curriculum
guide

Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Workshop materials,
Laptops,

Hand-outs, Lessons, CCSS,

teacher videos
3: Vertical planning to
incorporate speaking and
listening strands into

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)

Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

Interventionist 1. Teachers will

be able to
identify the
speaking and
listening
components
within the
district pacing
and curriculum
Cindy Dollman
guide.
PROE Center
2. Teachers will
brainstorm
ideas for
incorporating
speaking and
listening
components
into
daily/weekly
Department
instruction with
Chair
non-fiction
and/or literary
text.
3. Teachers will
video tape a

instruction across grade

levels and across
departments.

lesson
(teaching
speaking and
listening
strands of
CCSS) to show
during PLC
time.

May/
June
2016

1: Teachers will unpack

Lesson plans, CCSS,
the language strand of the
common writing rubric,
CCSS. Teachers will define district pacing guide, district
the strands and identify
curriculum guide
CCSS
where they are located
Langu
within the district pacing
age
and curriculum guides.

2: Identifying Greatest
Area of Need (GAN), where
are academic gaps? What
skills do students need
more instruction on?

3: Creating rigorous
lessons incorporating:
writing, speaking/listening,
and language components
of CCSS. How can we

Student writing samples,

writing rubric, assessment
data, district pacing guide,
district curriculum guide

Lessons, Plans, CCSS, writing

rubric, district pacing guide,
district curriculum guide,
Webbs Depth of Knowledge

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)

Interventionist

Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

1. Identify key
language
components
that are not
addressed or
not addressed
adequately in
district guides.

Cindy Dollman
PROE Center 2. Teachers will
create
interventions to
address these
Greatest Areas
of Need
Gail Capps
CEC

3. Teachers will
produce
lessons with
the assessed
Depth of
Knowledge

group these three strands

together, and make sure
that our instruction is
rigorous?

July/
Aug.
2016
MOY
Surve
y

Sept./
Oct.
2016

Require staff to take a

quick 8 question survey
(same survey that they
completed in July at
Surveymonkey.com), to
gauge the depth of
knowledge that staff
members have gained
over the past year
regarding the Common
Core State Standards
(specifically for English
Language Arts).

(DOK) level for

each skill being
taught/address
ed.

Computer/Laptop,
Surveymonkey.com, or
paper copy of staff
survey.

1. Introduction to task:
CCSS, RI and L rubrics,
Departmental breakouts 36 week plans/district pacing
divided into specific
guide,
classes for teachers- align
Computers/laptops, SelfCCSS
standards to a 36 week
assessment and audit
Nonplans (developed in
fiction
previous years and aligned
& Lit.
to IL state standards),
choosing specific skills to
address in each unit.
Have teachers complete
posters aligning specific

June PD or
SIP Day

Administration
Team

Completed
surveys

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)

Administration
&
Department
Leads

Evidence
presented in
lesson plans
submitted bimonthly

Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Continue
during

Teacher and
department
review July MOY
survey data.
Decisions for
future PD will

CCSS to activities done in

class. Teachers should
conduct a Gallery Walk to
see other ideas and post a
positive on at least two
CCSS, RI and L rubrics,
posters.
36 week plans/district pacing
guide/curriculum guide,
2. Continue departmental
computers/laptops,
breakouts divided into
Chromespecific classes for
extension://bpmcpldpdmajfig
teachers. Align standards pchkicefoigmkfalc/views/app
to a 36 week plans,
.html
choosing specific skills to
address in each unit using
district curriculum guide
as a resource. Teachers
should share out in
departments (including an
explanation of the unit,
CCSS, RI and L rubrics,
CCSS, activities and key 36 week plans/district pacing
concepts) Use Bobb
guides,
Darnells unit plan design.
computers
3. Departmental breakouts
divided into specific
classes- modify and adapt
original units in backwards
design fashion. Teachers
should continue to align
units to CCSS, and
continue throughout PLCs
working to align 3rd and

weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

be based off of
teachers
needs and
input.
Bobb Darnell
Common
Lessons/Units
of Instructions

Administration
&
Department
Leads

Common
Lessons/Units
for 3rd and 4th
Quarter
transformed
into Backwards
Design.

4th quarter unit plans to

CCSS. 1st and 2nd
quarters completed during
summer sessions.

Nov./
Dec.
2016
CCSS
Nonfiction
& Lit.

1. Introduction into
creating/revising Common
Assessments- in specific
classes based up CCSS
-Using district pacing and
curriculum guides, along
with formative
assessments.
2. Creation of common
assessments- each
department should have
quarterly common
assessments for each
subject.
3. Evaluating the level of
rigor our Common
Assessments possess
(using Webbs Depth of
Knowledge) and
determining a common
grading scale as well.

Classrooms, laptop
computers, district pacing
guide, district curriculum
guide, CCSS standards
accessible for each
department and group

Classrooms, laptop
computers, district pacing
guide, district curriculum
guide, CCSS standards
accessible for each
department and group
Classrooms, laptop
computers, CCSS standards
accessible for each
department, Webbs Depth
of Knowledge

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)

Administration
,
Department
Leads,

Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs
Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

Administration
,
Department
Leads,

Gail Capps
CEC
Consortium for
Education
Change

Common
Assessments

Common
Assessments

Depth of
Knowledge
Matrix/Rubric

Jan./
Feb.
2017

1. Planning for Non-fiction

text cross-curricular.
English teachers will
collaborate with Social
CCSS Studies, Science, and Math
Nonteachers to teach nonfiction
fiction text across all
& Lit.
subject areas. All
departments will find a
way to address and
incorporate a non-fiction
lesson into their lessons
on a weekly basis.
Teachers will share
strategies with one
another for teaching
comprehension of nonfiction text.

CCSS, district pacing guides

by department, district
curriculum guides by
department, teacher videos

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)

Administration
,
Department
Leads

Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs

CCSS, district pacing guides

by department, district
curriculum guides by
department, teacher videos

Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

Department
Leads

2. Teachers will
collaborate vertically by
departments to share
strategies that work for
teaching non-fiction and
literary text to students.
CCSS, district pacing guides
by department, district
curriculum guides by
department, department
Common Assessments.

Teachers will
create and
video tape a
lesson on nonfiction text
(using a
recommended
teaching
strategy) to
share with
other
departments
during PLC
time.

Department
Leads

Teachers will
create and
video tape a
lesson on nonfiction or
literary text
(using a
recommended
teaching
strategy) to
share vertically
within their
departments

3. After sharing their

instructional strategies
with one another vertically
and cross-curricularly,
teachers will share and
discuss Common
Assessments by
departments (including
their common
scoring/grading).

March
/
April
2017

1: Writing and Beyond

Workshop focusing on
incorporating evidence
into your writing.

during PLC
time.
Teachers will
share Common
Assessments
(along with
grading
criteria) and
identify how to
collaboratively
teach Nonfiction and
literary text to
students
(regardless of
subject area).
Writing CCSS, student
writing samples, Workshop
handouts,

CCSS
Writin
g

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)
Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs

2: Quick Writes
Professional Development
on incorporating quick
wriitng experiences
throughout your

Lesson plans, Writing CCSS,

student writing samples

Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

Melba Johnson 1. Teachers will

Thinking
learn new
Maps
strategies for
teaching
students how
to support their
writing with
evidence.

Interventionist 2. Teachers will

be able to
incorporate at
least one quick

instruction. Giving
students exposure to
different types of writing
through writing mini
lessons.

3: Perfecting the scoring

of our common rubric.
Now that a CCSS common
writing rubric has been
established, discuss
common grading and
interpretation of the
rubric. By department,
teachers will bring in
student samples and
practice scoring as a
group (to determine a
common theme for
grading).
May/
June
2017

1: Collaborate by
departments on way to
utilize fishbowl discussions
in your classrooms.
CCSS
Brainstorm topics for
Speaki discussion. Teachers can
ng and
choose to have an outer
Listeni
circle
or not. Teachers will
ng
video tape a Socratic
seminar in their

write per week

into their
instruction,
regardless of
their content
area.
CCSS writing rubric, CCSS,
common writing rubric,
student writing samples,

Cindy Dollman
PROE Center
3. Teachers will
identify/determ
ine a common
scoring/
grading for the
rubric.

CCSS (Speaking and

Listening), district pacing
guide, district curriculum
guide, lesson plans

Small
Schools - 3
hour PD
(SIP Days)
Large
Schools
Weekly 1
hour PDs

Interventionist 1. Teachers will

share their
video lesson of
a fishbowl
discussion/Socr
atic seminar to
share during
their daily PLC
time.

classroom.
2: Collaborate by
departments on way to
utilize cooperative
learning strategies (Kagan
Strategies) in your
classroom, focusing on
speaking and listening
skills. Brainstorm topics
for discussion. Teachers
can choose to have small
or large groups working
together. Teachers will
video tape a cooperative
learning lesson, in which
speaking and listening are
necessary for success.

CCSS, Lesson Plans,

computer/laptops, Kagan
Strategies

Continue
during
weekly
PLC time
(M-W-F)

Interventionist
2. Teachers will
video tape on
cooperative
learning lesson
to share by
department
during PLC
time.

Department
Chair
CCSS, district pacing guide,
district curriculum guide,

3. Teachers will
share ideas for
combining and
instructing on
multiple
strands/standar
ds at one time.

3: Vertical planning to
combine writing, speaking
and listening, and
language strands into
instruction across grade
levels and across
departments.
June
2017

Require staff to take a

quick 8 question survey
(same survey that they
EOY completed last summer at
Surve
Surveymonkey.com), to

2. Computer/Laptop,
Surveymonkey.com, or
paper copy of staff
survey.

June PD or
SIP Day

Administration
Team

Completed
surveys
Discuss data
with staff and
ULT then

gauge the depth of

knowledge that staff
members possess
regarding the Common
Core State Standards
(specifically for English
Language Arts).

JuneJuly
2017

District offers CCSS review

training for all new staff
members.

New
Staf
Plan

decide what
the next steps
should be
regarding
Professional
Development
and the
Common Core
State
Standards.
CCSS, district pacing guide,
district curriculum guide,
PowerPoint from ISBE
website, Training materials

1 training
per month
for new
hires

District Staff/
Curriculum
Director
Department
Leads

New teachers
will get a
review training
regarding
implementation
of the ELA
CCSS.