Agenda Item
a. Modern Classroom Project Training & Support Agreement (Not to exceed $150,000)
Summary: Presented by: Champion Michelle Dillard, Chief of Schools, Division of Schools & Leadership
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the contract with The Modern Classrooms Project to provide professional learning and mentorship to DeKalb County School District (DCSD) teachers for an amount not to exceed $150,000.
Why: To further build our instructional staff's capacity and meet our students' unique needs in the classroom, the district seeks to partner with the Modern Classroom Project. The partnership will allow for up to 100 DCSD teachers to engage in a year-long professional learning and mentorship program to improve their instructional practice. The participating teachers will then be able to serve as model classrooms to further expand practices within their building and the district.
Details: The goal of The Modern Classroom Project is to empower educators to build classrooms that respond to every student’s needs. The Modern Classroom Project provides professional learning and mentoring so teachers can build self-paced, mastery-based instructional units leveraging technology to foster responsive, authentic learning based on student needs.
Expected outcomes include:
Teacher Impact:
• Teachers eliminate lectures by creating instructional videos
• Teachers replace one-size-fits-all pacing with flexible structures
• Teachers to assess students on mastery and not completion of tasks
• Teachers have more structure to support Independent Learning Days
Student Impact:
• Students to learn at their own pace with teacher support and guidance
• Students have the time they need to learn while always being challenged
• Students can progress to more advanced material when they are ready
• Students have access to review or make-up lessons as needed
Financial impact: The cost of the Modern Classroom Project will not exceed $150,000 to be paid from 100.1000.530000.00011.7150.9990.8010.020.0000
Contact: Mrs. Michelle Dillard, Chief of Schools, Division of Schools & Leadership, (678) 676-0542
Effective: Upon Board Approval
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
CHRONOLOGY OF THE AGENDA ITEM
The implementation of the Modern Classroom will build the capacity of
DeKalb County School teachers by building their practice on how to utilize
district technology and resources to individualize student instruction. This
will allow teachers to better meet the needs of students during the school
day, provide a structure to better utilize independent learner days, and to
better organize instructional resources for absent students or when they
return from absences.
The request is to enter into this contract with Modern Classroom to train a
cohort of teachers who volunteered to engage in this training with the
support of their administration. Teachers will complete professional learning
and work with a Modern Classroom mentor to implement practices. The
teachers are then expected to share their learning and strategies with their
peers by opening up their classrooms and sharing during professional
learning communities. If approved, teachers will have the opportunity to
begin the project in either July or October.