As part of the district’s strategic plan to improve academic performance throughout the parish, instruction team leaders are collaborating with teaching consultants with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) to identify ways to improve learning in the classroom.

NIET Senior Specialist Amy Gayle is working with instructional leaders on how to utilize student work samples to grow analytical and reasoning skills. Also, teachers are improving their professional practice by analyzing student work that is connected to grade level standards. The benefits of analyzing student work will help teachers understand the “why” behind student responses, rather than the answer being right or wrong. This strategy is essential in identifying learning gaps and will be used by teachers so they can make better instructional decisions to improve outcomes for students on a daily basis.

“We are showing teachers how to use their student work to gather the data they need to identify individual learning issues,” Gayle said.

“These exercises give us real time data and serve as real time checkpoints to know where our students are.  By incorporating more student-centered activities in the daily lesson plans, teachers should have no surprises when it comes to what results are received at test time,” Gayle said.

Napoleonville Middle School Principal Kathi Aucoin said the information gained in the instructional team leadership sessions is critical to growing the district’s schools.

“We have to develop a growth mindset culture in all our schools. We have to know that as educators, our learning never stops. There is always a way to review what we are doing and make it better,” Aucoin said.

Aucoin noted that her leadership team routinely observes classroom teachers to identify ways they are effectively utilizing student data in their instruction and how to adjust to address learning deficits. Gayle often participates in those exercises to walk leaders through the process of what to look for.

Superintendent Dr. John Barthelemy said many schools began working with teachers to better utilize student work during the second half of last year. That effort has continued this school year and gained traction with more teachers, he said.

“Our plan is to build upon key elements, so we can properly grow and understand the ‘why’ behind student responses to appropriate standard-based questions. That’s the only way we can truly evolve as better educators,” Barthelemy said.