Senior High School (SHS) Assistant Principal Alicia Beighley shared that the Consortium’s HCD expertise directly supported their district’s focus on two Portrait of a Graduate competencies, helping teachers to create lessons that increased both student engagement and preparedness.
In addition to trainings and check-ins with Consortium staff Beighley created a Professional (Personalized) Learning Community (PLC) focused on HCD, which had 52% teacher participation. Educators chose between Action Research or Peer Coaching Differentiated Observation as part of the PLC, and had the opportunity to tailor their Student Performance Measure (SPM) based on their HCD implementation. In every application, teachers were encouraged to prototype and test a method more than once to continue to practice their use of various strategies with students. With these additional supports and alignment of priorities, teachers made changes to their instruction that might otherwise have been thwarted.
As Beighley stated, “The PLC increased collaboration with colleagues and encouraged student engagement. Teachers communicated more frequently, planned together, observed each other during HCD lessons, and reflected on the strengths and weaknesses of the lessons…Most importantly, they started thinking and planning for “How might we…” for next year!”
The sense of collaboration was again noted by SHS Social Studies Department Chair, Martin Rubio.
“There have been some excellent conversations between staff members. I noticed an uptick in collaboration. Teachers are asking better questions about what their students need, and they’re using what they learn to make more intentional decisions. That shift alone has made classrooms feel more thoughtful and responsive. On the student side, they’re getting more chances to wrestle with real-life problems that mean something to them.”
The impact wasn’t limited to one teacher or one department. When asked about the impact on student engagement Anna Kasicky, a SHS Science Teacher said,
“Throughout this academic year, I observed notable progress in student engagement and participation, particularly during targeted activities that incorporated high cognitive demand (HCD) strategies such as collaborative problem-solving and student-led discussions. Implementing these practices resulted in improved student confidence and a stronger sense of classroom ownership. I also saw positive gains in formative assessments aligned to the STEELS standards, indicating deeper conceptual understanding.”
Personalized Learning Facilitator, Kait Reges, who worked with teachers with the implementation of HCD, offered this advice to educators looking to embed HCD in their practice:
- “Be open to taking risks and understand that failure is part of the process. What matters most is reflecting on your experiences and making thoughtful adjustments along the way.
- “Give students space to be creative and develop their independence as thinkers and problem-solvers.
- “Most importantly, listen to your students. They can offer valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t—and can even become partners in co-planning more personalized, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences.”
