Essential Conditions in Action
Recognizing the rich diversity that exists within school communities and student populations, A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions suggests an approach that can be used for implementation planning that encompasses a culture of learning and shared responsibility, in addition to guiding questions that intentionally address each of the seven essential conditions. It offers suggestions for what might be used as evidence that the essential conditions are being addressed. And finally, it provides space to record specific implementation support activities that might be undertaken.
Click each tab on this page to find illustrative examples and implementation supports that have been developed with and influenced by the essential conditions model.
Action on Inclusion: Implementing Inclusive Education Frameworks
Parkland School Division
This resource was developed by Parkland School Division, based on A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions. The essential conditions were adapted to support collaborative frameworks as well as the planning and implementation of strategies for high quality learning environments that support and honour diversity, equity and respect for all learners.
A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions for Literacy and Numeracy Programming
ERLC Jurisdictions
This document supports district literacy and numeracy leaders in implementing effective literacy and numeracy programming for all students. Leaders can use this document to plan their implementation of effective literacy and/or numeracy programming, to support and sustain the effectiveness of literacy and numeracy programming, and as a self-evaluation and reflective tool.
Building a Culture of Formative Assessment Through Professional Development
Educational Designer: Journal of the International Society for Design and Development in Education
A Virginia School District used the seven design principles for successful implementation of formative assessment as described in A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions (Alberta Education, September, 2010)
Learning Services 2016-19 Action Plan
Grande Yellowhead Public School Division
Grande Yellowhead Public School Division believes in supporting every student to reach their full potential. The Learning Services Action Plan demonstrates the divisions’ commitment to supporting the implementation of effective interventions to affect student learning for ALL students. The plan is aligned to A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions.
Team Member Implementation Plans:
Assessment Mentorship Lead Teacher
Library to Learning Commons Implementation Guide
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary Board of Education (CBE) has embraced the Learning Commons philosophy as a way to access high quality learning and teaching opportunities. Eleven schools within the CBE are developing and living the Learning Commons philosophy within their own buildings, in addition to schools within the CBE who have already established the essential conditions and are setting the stage for their own Learning Commons. This document shares models and exemplars of the Learning Commons philosophy and implementation processes.
Maximizing Student Learning Model
Buffalo Trail Public Schools
Buffalo Trail Public Schools adapted the essential conditions to fit their vision and create their Maximizing Student Learning Model.
Professional Growth Plan for School Improvement
Community Stakeholder Adapted Questions for Dialogue
Leadership Adapted Questions for Dialogue
Research and Evidence Adapted Questions for Dialogue
Resources Adapted Questions for Dialogue
Staff Professional Growth Adapted Questions for Dialogue
Support Services Adapted Questions for Dialogue
Time Adapted Questions for Dialogue
K-12 Literacy and Numeracy Framework (in Collaboration with Calgary Regional Consortium)
Rocky View Schools
Rocky View School Division has literacy and numeracy as foundational for all students. The K-12 Literacy and Numeracy Framework was developed to support these beliefs and to deliver on its Four Year Plan’s Goal One, Outcome One – Learners are Literate and Numerate. The plan is aligned to A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions.
Moving Forward with High School Redesign Implementation Tools
Successful implementation is complex work; it requires the intentional efforts of school leaders in an environment in which stakeholders are committed to doing what is best for student learning.
Implementation fidelity (doing what you planned to do) ensures that the results are worth the resources and effort. It allows for reflection on current pedagogy (the principles, practice or profession of teaching) to help support and refine efforts to achieve positive effects on student learning and engagement. Structured reflection on current implementation practices nurtures a culture of learning that supports shared responsibility for implementation.
The following tools have been developed to enhance the utilization of A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions, and support district and school leaders with implementation of Moving Forward with High School Redesign (MFWHSR). These tools can be adapted for other initiatives.
Part 1: Self-reflection: Shared Responsibility and Culture of Learning
Part 2: Self-reflection: Essential Conditions
Facilitated Reflection: Teacher
Facilitated Reflection: Student
Facilitated Reflection: School Leaders and Other Stakeholders
Moving Forward with High School Redesign: A Guide to Support Implementation
This guide provides a range of suggested actions to support implementation of High School Redesign, based on the seven essential conditions. The actions in this guide can be adapted for other implementation initiatives.
Alberta Unites on Teaching Quality
Tracy Crow, Journal of Staff Development (JSD), December 2010. Reprinted with permission from Learning Forward, www.learningforward.org. All rights reserved.
Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council) has written an article about A Guide to Support Implementation – Essential Conditions. The focus of the article is to share how the guide has the potential to support the capacity of the system through implementation planning.
Leveraging Technology Systemically Learning Guides
Alberta Technology Leaders in Education, or ATLE (http://www.atle.ca/ ) and CASS (http://www.cassalberta.ca) have collaborated to set the stage for system work in leveraging technology purpose, policy and practice in support of student- centred learning. Based on school authority involvement and project leads Learning Guides were created to support implementation of the intent of the Ministerial Order on Student Learning and your own school authority’ s journey in providing optimum learning for all students.
Moving Forward: Implementing FNMI Collaborative Frameworks
This resource provides supports and templates for implementation and measurement of the FMNI education initiatives, based on the essential conditions.
Planning for All Alberta Learners
This document provides a planning format for learning experiences that meet the needs of all learners, based on a Universal Design for Learning approach.
Report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Inclusive Education in Alberta Schools
Alberta Teachers’ Association
This report provides specific recommendations to various stakeholder groups within each of the essential conditions to outline steps that can be taken to ensure that inclusion works effectively in Alberta’s classrooms.
Response to Intervention (RTI) in the Alberta Context Team Action Plan
This document applies the essential conditions in a planning template for implementation of an RTI approach in Alberta classroom.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Team Action Plan
This document provides a template for the development of a team action plan for systemic implementation of a Universal Design for Learning approach.