EVIDENCE: SCHOOLWIDE INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE HIGH-QUALITY WORK

WORK PLAN / LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

Harborside Academy has a work plan goal and a leadership team sub-committee dedicated specifically to the promotion of high-quality work and beautiful spaces. The committee, headed by Sixth Grade Humanities teacher Susanna Miller and Intervention Coordinator Lisa Cline, oversees the development of building goals and the professional development plan relating to high-quality work.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Recent professional development has been done specifically to support teachers in the development of high-quality work, focusing on the creation of product task descriptors and rubrics aligned with essential learning standards.

HIGH-QUALITY WORK TRENDS OVER TIME

Years ago, Harborside adjusted the EL High-Quality Work Protocol in order to address more teacher's products at the same time. This change in protocol was hugely popular, but it complicated the collection of data trends in relation to the production of student high-quality work.

In its early years, the school celebrated many projects that exemplified amazing craftsmanship and authenticity, but over time test score gaps began to indicate that there needed to be significant work done within the area of complexity.

Over the past several years, Harborside's staff has maintained a strong commitment to improving the complexity of both student daily work and high-quality products. Led by the High-Quality Work, Grading and Reporting, Literacy, and Numeracy leadership teams, the school has reconstituted a standard-based grading system and all curriculum maps and assessment structures, which has significantly improved the rigor and complexity of all student work.

Therefore, the staff at Harborside believes that they are now producing the best high-quality and college preparatory levels of work. It is now time to return to a balanced focus on all three indicators of high quality.

CONSULTANCY PROTOCOLS / TRIAD DISCUSSIONS

The Harborside High-Quality Work leadership team also facilitates two different high-quality work protocol sessions annually. These sessions are conducted in triad pairings that operate within staff crews. The triad groups meet periodically to discuss and learn about each other’s professional learning goals. Triads are also used during both high-quality work protocol sessions. 

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The sessions are guided by a consultancy protocol created by the high-quality work leadership team. This protocol was created using the EL descriptor of high-quality work. 

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​During the protocol, staff in each triad take turns bringing forward a summative product that they would like to discuss and get feedback on. They discuss the product’s learning targets and standards as well as its craftsmanship, authenticity, and complexity. The rubric and task descriptor for the product are also discussed in detail.

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In the end, the presenter in the group takes notes as members of the triad give both warm and cool feedback as to how to improve the quality of the product and its assessment tools.

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Staff members are aware of the rotation of who is sharing a product well in advance. They are encouraged to bring forward a product that they are proud of and believe might be ready to be submitted to the Harborside Academy Wall of Fame, the Harborside High-Quality Work website, and maybe even the EL Models of Excellence website. The staff know that it is also perfectly reasonable to bring forward a product that they are struggling with in order to simply get some help to make it better. 

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At the end of each consultancy protocol discussion, the members of that triad discuss if they believe the product is ready to be submitted to the Harborside or EL website. If the triad believes the product is ready, the high-quality work leadership team meets to discuss the product and makes a final determination of whether the product is ready for website submission.

Feedback is given to the teacher who created the product through this form.