Friday, June 16, 2017
The Gateway to Extraordinary Possibilities
WUSD Teachers Kick Off DREAM Team
The Washington Unified School District (WUSD) is proud to announce the formation and first official convening of the WUSD DREAM Team (Developing Resources for Engagement and taking Action to Make a difference). This team of change makers consists of educators and administrators charged with the purpose of leading our district into the next phase of our evolution becoming a true gateway to extraordinary possibilities for all students.

Our district is committed to increasing student achievement through rigorous instruction that is based on the adopted Common Core State Standards (CCSS). A deeper understanding of the CCSS, and the student actions and outcomes associated with them, will help to align the instructional focus and identity of our district across grade levels and subject areas, creating a strong foundation upon which to build a comprehensive Multi-tiered System of Supports. The DREAM Team will lead this critical work.
Background

During the March 9, 2017 regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting the WUSD Trustees approved the Educator Effectiveness Funding (EFF) Plan. The EFF plan requires one-time grant funds to support professional development of certificated teachers, administrators, and paraprofessional educators for coaching and support for improvement, standards based professional development and/or promoting the quality and effectiveness. Specifically, the WUSD EFF Plan outlines a Rigorous Curriculum Design (RCD) process. RCD is a process for developing an effective, engaging curriculum that increases student achievement for all students.

In April, The Sacramento Bee published a Request for Proposal (RFP) requesting consulting and curriculum development and delivery services for transforming instruction for all students. Through the utilization of an evaluation rubric, the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE) was chosen to support WUSD in the RCD process. In May, the Board of Trustees approved a consulting agreement with ICLE to be thought partners with WUSD to implement the RCD process.  

Through the RCD process, WUSD teacher leaders and administration will learn how to:

  • Design grade or course specific units of study
  • Lay the foundation for designing a connected K-12 curriculum
  • Use formative assessment, performance tasks, and data analysis to guide instruction
  • Implement a collaborative, problem solving approach to analyze student data and work together in the intervention and enrichment process
  • Organize, implement and sustain the model system wide

To implement the RCD process the WUSD Educational Services Department created the DREAM Team. A request went out to all certificated staff members to apply to be part of this team. Over 60 certificated educators applied. After an informational interview session, 43 K-8th and 19 9-12th grade educators joined the DREAM Team. The team includes general education and Special Education classroom teachers as well as English Learner and Reading Intervention. 
930 Westacre Road, West Sacramento | (9160 375-7600 | www.wusd.k12.ca.us