Non-Negotiable Instructional Practices

The faculty and staff of the Greene County Schools are committed to providing our students with quality learning experiences.   Our goal is to improve teaching and learning, which results in increased student achievement for all students Pre-K – 12.  To achieve this goal:

1. (Curriculum) We will teach curriculum with fidelity and high expectations by:

• Designing lessons aligned to state and national Pre-K – 12 standards and curriculum frameworks;
• Using essential questions to connect instruction to the standards;
• Including literacy strategies and graphic organizers in our weekly lesson planning and implementation;
  • Suzy Pepper strategies
  • John Hattie/Visible Learning
• Requiring verbal and written student responses using the language of standards;
  • Verbal responses observed during classroom observations
  • Written responses should be observed by the teacher on student writing samples; responses to open ended questions on exams; etc.
• Using higher-order thinking questions to gauge and deepen students’ understanding.
  • Learning activities (including assessments) that are at least at a Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Level 3
  • Strategies that require students to ask questions

2. (Assessment) We will monitor the progress of our students by:

• Developing common formative assessments that are explicitly aligned to standards;
  • Quarterly benchmark assessments using Mastery Connect in grades 3-12
  • Cycle tests at the primary level
• Regularly collecting and analyzing student work and providing teacher commentary;
• Identifying students who are not meeting standards, meeting standards, or exceeding standards;
• Adjusting instruction based on assessment results (differentiation); and
  • Multiple approaches to content, process and product
• Collaboratively analyzing student data.

3)   (Instruction) All teaching and learning activities will reflect a shared understanding of what students should know, do, and understand and will be built around a common framework for instruction.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-EY_m9zJVNIcerklyS88N98sCs_thUdJ/view?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1-EY_m9zJVNIcerklyS88N98sCs_thUdJ/view?usp=sharing 

• Each lesson will have a/an:
  • Opening - Activating strategies centered on the standard, element(s), and essential question;
  • Work Period - Engaging students using performance tasks; modeling expectations and helping students to work both individually and cooperatively; and
  • Closing - Summarizing strategies to check for understanding.
• Weekly lesson plans will consist of the elements listed on the district’s lesson plan template/guide.
  • Each school’s leadership team may determine the specific layout of their school’s template.
  • Lesson plans will align to the pacing guide developed by instructional coaches.
• The vocabulary/language of the Georgia Standards of Excellence will be used.
  • Standards should be displayed prominently for students to access them.
  • Students should be able to speak the language of the standards.

4)   Our communication with students and parents will include:

• Goal setting with students;
• Having student conferences, including student-led conferences;
  • Explaining individual student data (NWEA, Lexile scores, benchmarks), especially on grade-level standards;
• Listening to student input about learning;
• Utilization of the district’s selected two-way communication tool;
  • All schools will fully implement School Status
• Current/up-to-date websites for each school; and
• Frequent communication with parents about students’ progress, growth, and achievement.
  • Grades Regulation:
    https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Policy/ViewPolicy.aspx?S=4078&revid=ZzvplusXY5wnEKZTZY3lP9pluskw==&ptid=amIgTZiB9plushNjl6WXhfiOQ==&secid=qo79RxbUbdO3GjATNVIJ7Q==&PG=6&IRP=0
  • Deficiency reports

5)  We will build positive school and classroom culture by:

• Systematically teaching a social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum during designated/protected time for all students;
• Implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports at every grade level;
  • Incentives and positive feedback for students who are meeting expectations for behavior
• Ensuring that every child has an advocate/caring adult; and
  • Teachers As Advisors (TAA)
  • Mentors
  • Check-in/check-out (CICO)
• Communicating student success (academics and behavior) to parents.

Distance Learning

In the event that distance learning becomes necessary, then we will follow the practices described below and that are detailed in our Expectations for Distance Learning.

Instruction in distance learning:

• Includes a balance of synchronous and asynchronous instruction;
• Includes personalized learning experiences and projects for students;
• Provides learning experiences that give students multiple opportunities and ways to master concepts (small group, whole group, and independent settings);
• Provides multiple opportunities for students to participate in a community of learners, building relationships with both their peers and their teachers;
• Utilizes feedback to help students grow academically and meet their learning goals.

Revised 07-13-2021