Get a clear picture of where instruction stands and what to do next.
The Instructional Snapshot is a free app that helps school leaders and teachers reflect honestly on instructional practices using our instructional focus and high yield strategy implementation continuums.
It’s designed for leaders and teachers who know there is always room for instructional practice improvement and want clarity about where practice may be stalling and how to move to the next level.
In just 5-10 minutes this app will provide you with clarity and specific action steps to move implementation to the next level. Learn more about implmentation continuums below.
This snapshot will help you:
- Identify where instructional practice most needs strengthening
- Understand why current practices aren’t driving learning as intended
- Clarify next steps that deepen implementation
This is not:
- An evaluation of individual teachers
- A compliance checklist
- A judgment of effort
- A sales pitch
Implementation Continuums
The Game Changer for Quality Instruction
Implementation of High Yield Instructional Strategies falls along a developmental continuum. Simply knowing a strategy is not enough to produce the gains associated with its reported effect size. The highest impact on student learning is achieved only when a strategy is implemented skillfully and intentionally - which takes time and practice.
Educators must understand what a strategy is designed to do, when it is most effective, and how to implement it in ways that align with lesson goals and other instructional strategies and practices. As teachers develop this understanding, the impact of the strategy increases. This growth is best described as a continuum that reflects increasing levels of precision, coherence, and instructional decision-making.
The purpose of the Strategy Implementation Continuum is to move practice from compliance to quality. Each level represents deeper understanding and more effective use of the strategy. Progression along the continuum is cumulative: teachers are expected to consistently implement the expectations of earlier levels while working toward the next level. Mastery is demonstrated not by isolated actions, but by sustained, connected practice.
For Example: The Collaborative Pairs Implementation Continuum
Students working together in pairs throughout lessons increases engagement and focus. Pairs activities should be planned to get the most out of these student engagements. Having students engage in pairs activities also promotes individual accountability.
