In an effort to support districts in their Connecticut Core Standards (CCS) implementation, CAS and the CSDE are piloting this electronic Toolkit. It is intended to go beyond the physical boundaries of a workshop and serve as an online resource companion to the CCS leadership series that has been offered at CAS since 2013. The Toolkit is designed to empower instructional leaders to dig deeper into a CCS Leadership series topic following a presentation. We are looking for practical turnkey resources that target the best tools and strategies for CCS implementation. The tools included in the Toolkit will include all the workshop materials provided by the presenters, supplemental resources, and presenter’s additional resources submitted following a workshop.

The Toolkit is a work in progress, and we will introduce additional topics once we have assessed the success of the pilot. It is our hope that the CAS-CSDE Connecticut Core Leadership of Practice series and Toolkit will serve as valuable new resources to Connecticut’s instructional leaders.

The CCS Leadership Community of Practice, sponsored by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), is designed to help school and district leaders:

• gauge the CCS implementation progress of their schools and districts;
• share best implementation practices;
• update their plans for informing teachers and parents;
• identify the supports needed for successful implementation; and,
• create a peer support network.

The parameters of the program design are as follows:

• monthly sessions from September to May;
• enrollment for building and district leaders at no cost;
• facilitated cohort discussion groups following topical presentations;
• flexible structure responsive to the needs of district participants;
• initial session focusing on understanding the requirements, assessing the status and needs of the districts, and identifying the leadership actions required for successful implementation; and,
• regular reporting out of effective/best practices so others may incorporate them.