DETAILS
Who: Wake County Public School System
When: 2021 – 2023
Where: Raleigh, NC
What: PPL systems design, PPL system pilot implementation, Micro-credential development, MC assessor training
WHY
Wake Co. Public School System spent years exploring micro-credentials as a way to personalize professional learning, identify expertise among educators, and develop capacity among instructional assistants and other support professionals. Such a strategy could create the basis of a “grow your own” approach as new teachers and support professionals had opportunities to build their skills and leadership – and could provide incentives to remain in the district. But while district staff had achieved consensus on the approach, they needed a way to turn ideas into action.
WHAT
The opportunity that Wake County saw was with Instructional Assistants and 4th and 5th year teachers who were often less fully engaged with regular professional learning than certified early-career educators. The district assembled a design team including representatives of several departments. Mira Education facilitated their efforts to develop systems that would not only produce high-quality micro-credentials for the initial pilot but that could supply a replicable template for launching competency-based professional learning across their complex, large district.
Our team knew a lot about micro-credentials and what we wanted to accomplish. But [Mira Education’s] facilitation and expertise was still helpful. …Having a partnership that structured our work made a difference.
– Sonya Stephens, Senior Director of Data, Research, and Accountability, WCPSS
HOW
Mira Education facilitated a series of virtual design sessions that laid essential groundwork for the pilot: specifying a clear theory of action, naming meaningful metrics for learning and success, and framing clear language to communicate about the pilot. A series of online retreats focused not only on building the development skills of the design team, but also with an eye on equipping the team to lead this work with other departments.
By providing personalized tools and focused small-group coaching, Mira Education was able to guide the design team to create development systems that reflected the best practices cultivated by Mira and the specific needs of the Wake County Public School System. Mira Education also led members of the team through an experiential assessment training that compelled the team to think about the full micro-credential ecosystem they were creating and how they could streamline roles and responsibilities across the team.
In addition to the technical aspects of the work, Mira Education provided support and feedback to the design team as they navigated the adaptive challenges. This support led to streamlined tools that were embedded in district practices already in place, and clear communication strategies that fostered collaboration. With this support, the design team was able to enlist other departments in the effort to support instructional assistants and fourth and fifth year teachers through personalized learning.
OUTCOME
As a result of this work, Wake Co. has created comprehensive systems of micro-credential development and assessment that are embedded in the practices of a team within the district office. That team has developed several micro-credentials, consistent communications about their intended audiences, and the role that they can play in professional learning and staff retention across the district. As a result, the team that designed the initial pilot is now in deeper partnerships with two other departments, preparing for sustainability and scale in supporting instructional assistants and 4th and 5th year teachers. Additionally, Wake County is positioned to lead up to a dozen other North Carolina districts in similar efforts as the state works to retain educators.
The information presented by [Mira Education] unlocked the power of the group work time by providing us with useful context and framing so we could successfully create our micro-credentials.
– Spencer Ziegler, Performance Assessment Administrator, Data, Research, & Accountability Department, WCPSS
IMPACT
The pilot enrolled 75% of invited instructional assistants and early-career educators in 2020-21, allowing the district to identify specific knowledge and skills held by nearly 200 educators that could be leveraged to support instructional improvement and equity.