Where Success Means More
Academic Rigor through Professional Development
As part of its focus on academic rigor, WLHS has created a professional development program for teachers. “This school year, we implemented a series of faculty development activities that are intended to foster increased academic success among our students,” says Academic Dean Jim Brandt. “Our approach is multilayered and is designed to foster a culture of continuous improvement among our teachers through a learning, observation, and feedback model. In conjunction, we’re incorporating more data-driven instruction with a concentration on creating student-centered classrooms.” The PD elements include: •
A partnership with Learning Sciences International (LSI) to provide full-day professional development sessions, conduct classroom walkthroughs, lead faculty peer coaching sessions, and help implement diagnostics to measure academic rigor
• Cross disciplinary peer collaboration teams that meet weekly to discuss, share, and design lesson plans that incorporate instructional strategies introduced by LSI and support academic rigor in the classroom • Monthly peer classroom observations that include a feedback loop for comments and questions • Weekly classroom visits by an internal WLHS team to gather data that measures and tracks key indicators of academic rigor 6
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL || Fall 2021
“We’ve engaged outside experts to provide training to our faculty and are giving teachers regular opportunities to collaborate and apply what they’ve learned. We’re then conducting followup visits to see how that’s taking root in our classrooms and gathering data to track and monitor progress,” — Jim Brandt, academic dean
“Each month, a new group of teachers observe several of their peers as they teach a lesson,” says Brandt. “It’s an excellent opportunity to learn from each other and see ‘in action’ the methods LSI introduced that encourage engaged student learning.”
Through professional development, WLHS is also accelerating its shift toward a student-centered classroom model. Instead of students “sitting and getting,” teachers are designing lessons that encourage student interaction, collaboration, and group problem solving. “With lesson plans that have a clear learning target and incorporate active student learning, we’re working to raise the complexity of thought processes,” explains Brandt. “Teachers are setting the course and guiding the lesson, but students are increasingly contributing their own voice to the learning process.”
