AIM at Middle Grades Results: About Aim

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About AIM > What Is AIM? > Scope and Sequence

WHAT SCHOOLS DO:
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE OF
AIM IMPLEMENTATION

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

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YEAR ONE

Initial Meeting
The site developer meets with the principal, other administrators in the district, and lead teachers to assess whether the structures needed to implement AIM are currently in place in the school and to recommend any restructuring that needs to occur before school begins. Some structures might include: time for professional development included in the school/district calendar for the year, interdisciplinary teaming, common planning times, block or flexible scheduling, etc. Of these, the site developer assists the school leaders in implementing teaming and identifying common planning times for teachers. Time for Faculty Inquiry Team meetings must be available. The site developer works closely with the principal to assure effective implementation of these structures.

The site developer assists the principal and lead teachers who attended the initial meeting in identifying the Leadership Team. The Central Office should also be represented at this stage of planning. The Leadership Team should consist of at least ten people and include the principal, a central office representative, parents, and teachers.

Introduction to AIM
During August or at the beginning of the school year, the site developer presents a half-day introduction of AIM to the entire faculty. If the school is implementing teaming for the first time, the site developer may assist in the implementation of interdisciplinary teaming. This may be done by providing professional development, connecting teams to effective interdisciplinary teams at other AIM schools, and/or providing a list of resources for the teachers to use.

Creating Tomorrow
Creating Tomorrow is a set of learning, assessment, and reflection activities designed to help AIM schools during the exploration or initial implementation phase of AIM at Middle Grades Results. It is structured as a five-day experience, implemented in five modules spread over the course of several months. During Module One, members from the entire school community, including administrators, teachers, and representative parents, engage in activities that provide a deeper understanding of high-performing middle schools. Modules Two through Four engage the Leadership Team in data analysis in relation to each of the six AIM elements. The final day is used to identify needs, priorities, and goals, and to develop an action plan for school improvement.

The five Creating Tomorrow dates are established by the site developer and the principal of the school. Typically the first module is conducted before the first day of school in the fall. The other dates are spaced throughout the fall and early spring, preferably once per month.

Leadership Team Meetings
The Leadership Team that completes Creating Tomorrow continues to meet regularly, sometimes twice per month, to lead the school reform movement in the school.

Faculty Inquiry Team Training
After completion of Creating Tomorrow a whole day of professional development for the entire faculty is used to introduce and implement Faculty Inquiry Teams. After this training, teams meet once a week to engage in active learning and planning focused on curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The size of the team depends on the schedule and organization of teams at the school, but needs to include at least five people and no more than ten people. (See the Program Components section for more information on the "What, Why, and How" of Faculty Inquiry Teams.)

Leadership Symposium
Each year all AIM schools are invited to send representatives to AIM's national Leadership Symposium. School representatives should include the principal, a central office representative, and two teachers. During the first three years of implementation, AIM schools receive registration for Symposium, lodging, and breakfast and lunch. The purpose of the Symposium is to increase the leadership capacity in the school to support and maintain the elements of the AIM model. The Symposium provides individuals and teams an opportunity to increase their knowledge about effective middle school practices and leadership skills and to learn from the experiences of others who are implementing the AIM model.

YEAR TWO

Teaching for Understanding
A three-day Teaching for Understanding (TFU) Institute is held during the summer for the entire faculty of each school. Ideally it is conducted when the teachers are under contract at the beginning of the school year. The TFU Institute is presented by the site developer and other AIM staff, as determined by the expertise of the site developer, the size of the school, and time constraints.

Leadership Team Meetings
The Leadership Team continues to meet monthly to lead the improvement effort in the school, set goals, analyze data to determine progress, and continue to nurture the development of the learning community in the school.

Faculty Inquiry Teams
Faculty Inquiry Teams continue to meet weekly to conduct inquiries concerning curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Protocols are used to discuss professional readings, look at student work, and look at teacher work. Action research is conducted by many Faculty Inquiry Teams. Some schools also implement critical friends groups where groups of teachers work together on issues of personal concern. These groups may meet for longer periods of time than possible at the weekly Faculty Inquiry Team meetings during the group's common planning time.

Leadership Symposium
The Leadership Symposium is a yearly national gathering

YEAR THREE

Year Three continues the format of Year Two components but helps participants refine their understanding and build on the strategies and processes begun earlier. Year Three focuses on developing the capacity of individuals within the school to continue the improvement process independently.

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See the Services section for more details on the how AIM helps to implement the aforementioned structures and strategies.

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Click here to view AIM's Implementation Benchmarks.

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