INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

KNOX COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

The purpose of the Knox County School District

Instructional Plan is to present a clear and concise

framework for instruction to students in the district.

This plan will provide public understanding and

awareness of the instructional framework and

strategies provided for students and learners of all

ages in the Knox County School District. The plan

primarily addresses two types of school district

audiences: internal (students, teachers, staff,

administration, and Board of Education) and

external (parents, businesses, civic groups, religious

groups, and other members of the Knox County

community).

Objective Our objective is to improve instruction at all grade levels. The

Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) requires that Knox

County Public Schools (KCPS) develop, implement, and monitor

a district-wide instructional plan and process that ensures

teachers develop lesson plans and instructional strategies that:

1. clearly inform students of learning expectations and

standards of performance,

2. informs students of how they will demonstrate learning

and provide students examples of how they will

demonstrate learning,

3. formatively assess student learning to guide and modify

instruction and provide o-going student performance

feedback,

4. provide students with exemplars of high quality work,

5. require student collaboration and self-reflection,

6. address student development of critical thinking skills,

and

7. are individualized to meet unique student learning needs.

Strategies 1. Create and maintain a district instructional plan and

process work group made up of various stakeholders that

include but are not limited to:

a. Parents

b. Teachers

c. Principals

d. Classified Staff

e. District Administrators

f. Community Members

2. The team will create a district instructional plan with

lesson plan and instruction essential components as

approved by the KCPS leadership team.

3. KCPS will monitor the plan through walkthroughs and

principal or designee submission of lesson plan monitoring

form to be submitted to the superintendent or designee

on a monthly basis.

4. The district instructional plan will include the following

essential criteria as referenced through Appendix A:

Crosswalk of KDE Requirements and KCPS Lesson Plan

essential Criteria.

A. Standards/Learning Targets

B. How Students Will Demonstrate Learning

(examples: writing, research, collaboration, project,

etc.)

C. Instructional Strategies which include Higher Order

Thinking Skills (HOTS)

D. Exemplars, rubrics, models, or scoring guides

E. Formative Assessments

F. Student Self-Reflection

G. Differentiation

5. The district will share the instructional plan and lesson

plan essential components prior to the first day for

students to staff annually and to all newly hired teachers

through the New Teacher Academy.

6. The district leadership team will review principal

monitoring forms monthly and walkthrough data after

each walkthrough to determine professional needs of staff

for lesson planning and instruction. Recommendations will

be made to the principal for professional development for

teachers who are not adequately using the seven essential

components for lesson plans.

Procedures 1. The district will develop and maintain an instructional committee

who will be made up of stakeholders including teachers,

principals, central office leadership, parents, classified staff, and

others as determined by the committee.

a. The committee will determine the essential components

that should be included in all instruction as evidenced

through lesson plans and classroom observations.

b. The committee will meet quarterly to review

implementation and effectiveness of policies, procedures,

and any needed revisions.

2. Teachers will develop and implement instructional lessons that

include the seven district essential components.

a. Lesson plans will be monitored weekly by principals using

the district monitoring tool. Principals will submit monthly

lesson plan monitoring reports to the superintendent or

designee by the 5th of each month.

b. District Leadership team will review lesson plan reports at

the first leadership team meeting following the 5th of each

month. Feedback will be provided on any critical issues or

concerns. Principals will then send a plan of action for those

areas within two weeks.

c. District Leadership team will review lesson plans prior to

walkthroughs for essential components and congruency to

instruction and curriculum map.

Timeline June – August

o Instructional team makes recommendations to the Knox district leadership team

(KDLT).

o DLT reviews essential criteria and approves or makes necessary revisions.

o DLT shares with principals.

o Principals/schools review or develop lesson plan template to use based upon

district essential criteria.

o Principals will submit lesson plan template back to district leadership team for

approval.

o Within two weeks, the district leadership team will submit feedback to the

principals on lesson plan template.

o Upon approval, the principals will communicate with staff about the use of the

lesson plan template.

By the end of the first nine weeks

o DLT will meet to review monthly monitoring of district lesson plans and

instruction from walkthroughs to determine implementation and effectiveness of

lesson plans and instruction.

By the end of the first nine weeks – through remainder of school year

o Lesson plans should include the district essential criteria.

o Lesson Plans will be monitored by the principal and during walk-throughs by

district and school leadership to determine the use of district essential criteria.

o Principals/designee will submit monthly lesson plan monitoring reports to the

superintendent or designee.

o Leadership team will monitor principals’ lesson plan monitoring reports monthly

to look for any systemic issues or individual teacher issues. Leadership will

notify the principals of any concerns on feedback form.

End of first semester

o District Instructional Planning Work Committee will meet to review/evaluate

implementation of the process and any necessary changes.

June – July

o The district instructional plan and process Work Group will meet to

review/evaluate implementation of the process and essential criteria.

Appendix A

Crosswalk of KDE Requirements and KCPS Lesson Plan essential Criteria

KDE Requirements KCPS Lesson Plan Essential Criteria

1. clearly inform students of learning expectations and standards of performance,

A. Standards/Learning Targets

2. informs students of how they will demonstrate learning and provide students examples of how they will demonstrate learning,

B. How Students will demonstrate learning

3. formatively assess student learning to guide and modify instruction and provide o-going student performance feedback,

C. Formative Assessments

4. provide students with exemplars of high quality work,

D. Exemplars (Identify the type such as rubric, model, scoring guide not the actual rubric.

5. require student collaboration and self-reflection,

E. Student Self-Reflection

6. address student development of critical thinking skills, and ,

Strategies/Higher Order Thinking skills

7. are individualized to meet unique student learning needs.

F. Differentiation/Modifications

Appendix B

KNOX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

KCPS LESSON PLAN ESSENTIALS

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LESSON PROCEDURES

VOCABULARY TECH AND RESOURCES NOTES

Appendix C

Week of _____________ School ______________________

Write the name of your teachers and check if the component is found in the lesson plan.

Teacher Learning

Targets

Students

Demonstrat

e Learning

Critical

Thinking

Skills

Exemplars Differentiati

on

Formative

Assessments

Student Self

Reflection

Principal’s Signature: _______________________________ Date: ___

Appendix D

Lesson Plan Feedback Form

School: _______________________ Date: ________

All district criteria met Concerns for the following areas

Appendix E: Lesson Plan Monitoring Next Steps

School Missing Components / Big Rocks /

Next Steps

Central Elementary

Dewitt Elementary

Flat Lick Elementary

Girdler Elementary

GR Hampton Elementary

Jesse D Lay Elementary

Lynn Camp Elementary

Knox County Middle

Knox Central High

Lynn Camp Middle/High