Center for School and District Partnership (CSDP)

Acceleration Roadmap

The Acceleration Roadmap is a tool for teachers and leaders in Massachusetts to support acceleration of student learning. This roadmap is designed to provide a focused and phased approach to ensuring all students have access to grade-appropriate instruction and experience a sense of belonging throughout the year. Below you will find two versions, one designed specifically for classroom educators and one for building administrators. Learning acceleration should not be viewed as a standalone initiative, but rather as part of a school system's comprehensive, long-term continuous improvement plan. To learn more about how to plan coherently around learning acceleration, visit the Coherence Guidebook page.

Implementation Support

School Leader Drop-In Professional Development: Learning Acceleration

The Drop-in Professional Development sessions for school leaders builds off of the professional learning sessions DESE and TNTP provided over the Summer of 2021. Prior to attending your first session, you may wish to familiarize yourself with the "Introductory Materials for Building Leaders or Classroom Educators" included below.

During the first 90 minutes of each session, school leaders will alternate between experiencing the new learning as a teacher and as a building leader. This time will be spent focused on the instructional topic, along with interwoven themes such as key conditions for accelerated learning, mindsets, and making connections to how the learning will best serve diverse student groups and their unique needs. The final 30 minutes of each session will be spent processing the learning experience in small groups and brainstorming with peers (by grade band) how they will take the learnings back to their schools. During this processing period, participants will plan for how they can begin to apply and cultivate new practices in their own school, discuss the implications of these practices, and brainstorm how to monitor and track teachers' growth and improved student outcomes.

Session Title	Objectives	Register to Attend or View Recording
Session 1A (Focus on Math) Ensuring access to high-quality, grade appropriate assignments.	Explain the importance of high-quality grade appropriate assignments for learning acceleration and student growth Evaluate the quality of assignments to ensure all students have access to high-quality grade appropriate content. Determine how to identify the most critical prerequisite skills and knowledge for each grade level and subject area.	Tuesday, October 11, 2022 10am–12pm (Session 1A Focus on Math) Recording coming soon
Session 1B (Focus on Literacy) Ensuring access to high-quality, grade appropriate assignments.	Explain the importance of high-quality grade appropriate assignments for learning acceleration and student growth Evaluate the quality of assignments to ensure all students have access to high-quality grade appropriate content. Determine how to identify the most critical prerequisite skills and knowledge for each grade level and subject area.	Wednesday, October 26, 2022 12pm–2pm *(Session 1B Focus on Literacy)* Recording coming soon
Session 2 Sparking student success: How to build and fortify background knowledge to accelerate learning.	Clarify the role and importance of schema building to accelerate learning. Identify criteria for effective "success starter" strategies Apply new learning to analyze sample lessons and design effective schema building strategies	Tuesday, November 8, 2022 10am–12pm Or Wednesday, November 16, 2022 12pm–2pm Recording coming soon
Session 3 Designing Strong Instructional Scaffolds for Tier 1 Instruction	Explain how learning acceleration supports students with diverse learning needs Analyze an approach for intentionally planning scaffolding strategies according to content area, learning context, and students' needs. Examine how to anticipate and plan for potential barriers to learning by designing flexible lessons and learning environments that address the needs of historically marginalized students.	Tuesday, December 6, 2022 10am–12pm Or Wednesday, December 14, 2022 12pm–2pm Recording coming soon
Session 4 Developing Academic Vocabulary and Discourse to Accelerate Learning	Examine effective strategies for authentic and meaningful academic language development Identify the conditions necessary to prepare students to engage in effective classroom conversations Analyze examples of collaborative conversations that bridge language development and knowledge building.	Tuesday, January 10, 2023 10am–12pm Registration Link Or Wednesday, January 25, 2023 12pm–2pm Registration Link
Session 5 Ensuring Students have Access to Strong Instruction (Part 1- Literacy)	Engage with TNTP's Instructional Walk-through tool Analyze examples of strong instruction	Tuesday, February 14, 2023 10am–12pm Registration Link Or Wednesday, March 1, 2023 12pm–2pm Registration Link
Session 6 Ensuring Students have Access to Strong Instruction (Part 2- Math)	Engage with TNTP's Instructional Walk-through tool Analyze examples of strong instruction	Tuesday, March 14, 2023 10am–12pm Registration Link Or Wednesday, March 29, 2023 12pm–2pm Registration Link
Session 7 Formative Assessments and Feedback: Implementing Strong Instructional Feedback to Accelerate Learning	Clarify the role of formative assessments in improving student learning outcomes Examine effective strategies for providing instructional feedback Plan for how you can begin to apply and cultivate these practices in your own school.	Tuesday, April 11, 2023 10am–12pm Registration Link Or Wednesday, April 26, 2023 12pm–2pm Registration Link
Session 8 Student Motivation: Giving Students Valuable Work and Greater Responsibility	Describe the connection between a student's confidence, perceived value of a task and the impact on motivation. Examine shifts and strategies for effective collaborative student work opportunities	Tuesday, May 23, 2023 10am–12pm Registration Link Or Wednesday, May 31, 2023 12pm–2pm Registration Link

Implementation Resources / Quick Links

Related Research

Introductory Materials for Building Leaders

Introductory Materials for Classroom Educators

2021-2022 School Leader Drop-In PD Recordings

Last Updated: December 16, 2022