Primary Grant Focus
New Tech Network is focused on accelerating and deepening use of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), especially in the context of project-based learning, across its national network of more than 160 schools.
Strategies for Supporting Common Core Success
New Tech Network (NTN) coaches support teacher implementation of NTN’s redesigned Project Planning Toolkit, used to implement project-based learning in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, and its College Ready Assessment system, formative assessments that are adapted to and embedded in project-based learning.
- The Project Planning Toolkit is a resource redesigned to help NTN teachers plan for CCSS-aligned project-based learning, specifically through the use of the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) instructional modules. LDC modules promote critical thinking and literacy across all content areas, while MDC modules promote problem solving in math. The toolkit supports teachers in integrating the literacy and math tasks into project-based learning.
- To support remote coaching focused on teaching practice, NTN is building coach capacity through additional professional development focused on supporting integration of literacy and math tasks, and use of the College Ready Assessments. With the use of videos specifically developed for professional learning, coaches are able to demonstrate effective teaching practices of the LDC and MDC modules in project-based learning environments. A long-term goal is to make these professional learning videos available to other online sites that support project-based learning beyond the NTN community.
- Over the next two years, NTN aims to provide coaching at 85 NTN high schools that are implementing the new College Ready Assessment system. The College Ready Assessments are formative assessments designed and developed by NTN that can be adapted to and embedded in project-based learning activities in high school core subject areas. Coaching is both in person and remote, requiring teachers to provide short videos of their instruction to the coaches between site visits.
General Information
New Tech Network
1250 Main Street, Suite 100, Napa, CA 94559
Contact Person: Megan Pacheco
Email: mpacheco@newtechnetwork.org
Phone: (707) 259-5961
Website: www.newtechnetwork.org
Term of Grant: July 2013 – June 2015
Grantee Initiative: College and Career Readiness, CCSS, and the New Tech Network
Region: National
Subject Area: Literacy and Mathematics
Education Levels: K-12
