Process for Developing a Writing Framework

Suggested Steps for Building Level Leadership Cohort

Similar to the process that district and BOCES leaders undergo in developing a framework for writing, school leadership should mirror to ensure that their current academic infrastructure does or will support the same commitment to, value of, and belief in writing and the teaching of writing. Central to the development of a framework for writing instruction is the collaboration between teachers from all content areas, building instructional coaches, department chairs, interventionists, paraprofessionals, and school administration. The process broadly outlined below is deceptive in its neat columns. The conversations created along the way will be messy and may take time. They will, however, surface diverse voices from all educators and leaders, generate new thinking, and drive the vision toward high quality writing instruction.  To aid district cohorts in the process, the Colorado Framework for Writing Instruction Committee has include the planning documents which can be found using the following links: Writing Framework for K-12 Team Planning (Example) and Writing Framework for K-12 Team Planning (Blank Copy). 

1. ​Brainstorm “Writing” and/or “the teaching of writing”.
2. Create Belief Statements / Guiding Principles.
3. Examine “Current State of Writing Instruction”.
4. Examine “Desired State of Writing Instruction”.
5. Align Belief statements to “Desired State”. 
6. Identify observable Success Indicators of the Desired State.
7. Identify professional development and instructional materials needed to move from current state to desired state.

Key Questions for Building Level leadership Cohort

1. What do you (individually and collectively as a team) believe about writing and writing instruction?
2. What belief statements about teaching writing, or about writing, emerged from your team's discussion and/or brainstorming about writing across the curriculum?
3. How does your individual and collective beliefs impact how writing is taught and used in classrooms in your school?
4. What big ideas anchor your school's approach to writing? Are these ideas reflected in your school's curricula and instructional practices? 
5. How does your school curricula support, talk about, and teach writing? What is the current state of writing in your school?
6. If you took a snapshot or video of writing instruction in your school, what would be in the photo/video?
7. What would be in the photo/video when your school reaches your desired state of teaching writing?
8. What observable teaching actions and student behaviors exist in the desired state?
9. What connections can the team draw between “beliefs” and “desired state”?
10. What professional development will help teachers achieve the desired state? What curricula/materials do teachers need to effectively teach writing?
11. How will school leadership sustain the support teachers need to effectively teach writing?

Other Considerations

As principals assemble their school team, they may want to consider the following factors:

• What representation is present on the team?
  • Teacher representatives from each content area?
  • Teacher representative from each grade level?
  • Department chairs?
  • Instructional coaches?
  • Interventionists? 
  • Paraprofessionals?
  • Student leaders?
• What data will leaders have available during the conversation on the Framework?
  • Classroom formative, interim/benchmark, diagnostic, authentic, and summative assessment data?
  • District/school local assessment data?
  • State assessment data (CMAS)?
  • IB/AP assessment data?
  • Other data pertinent to student learning and school culture/climate
• In what ways will facilitation surface needs such as social/emotional learning as it pertains to writing?
• In what ways will facilitation surface needs such as culturally responsive teaching as it pertains to writing?

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