As part of the Achieve 180 program, it takes an all-hands-on deck approach from the district to ensure a campus yields positive results. Whether it’s members from Special Education or Interventions, support is needed from nearly all district-level departments for a school to experience a complete turnaround.
Two roles in particular—Teacher Development Specialists (TDS) and Data Driven Instructional Specialists (DDIS) play a significant role in helping transform student achievement outcomes within the classroom at Achieve 180 campuses.
“it’s important that we have both a TDS and DDIS at each of our Achieve 180 campuses as they build capacity inside and outside the classroom with teachers and campus administrators,” Assistant Superintendent Felicia Adams said.
On a typical day for a TDS, they might visit multiple classrooms to coach and assist teachers in specific content areas or monitor the progress of action steps and the consistency of quality instruction—all of which help push the needle for student outcomes and equip teachers.
“As a TDS, we build teacher capacity in many ways including: modeling effective instruction, conducting PLCs to address department needs, working alongside campus leaders, and partnering with SSOs to provide necessary support to move the program forward that essentially improves a campus’ accountability ratings,” TDS Arna Sanders said.
In addition to direct coaching on Achieve 180 campuses, TDS also create district curriculum based on best practices, develop TEKS-aligned assessments to monitor student progress, and design and deliver effective professional development to ensure quality instruction.
Working alongside the TDS are the DDIS, who are also there to support the campus in the same capacity, but with an emphasized focus on teacher and student performance utilizing the campus’ data to identify areas of focus that need improvement.
“When it comes to a campus’ data, it is one thing to find the data and it is entirely different to utilize the data that produces results and effect changes in the classroom,” DDIS Nikki Nnadi said. “We remove the tedious work of teachers and campus administrators by dissecting the data, which reveals the root of an academic issue.”
It’s the DDIS’s job to build a data-driven culture at campuses to ensure teachers use data when backward planning instruction assessments. They can show teachers how to use data analysis to benefit their students and make action plans for intervention and enrichment.
Collectively, there’s no denying that these roles make an impact at the campus-level for Achieve 180 campuses, ensuring that teachers and campus administrators have the chance for a complete turnaround.