A Small Dose, A Big Shift: What the Right Professional Learning Can Do

Can a small dose of professional learning create a big shift in teacher practice? The data says yes, but the design has to be right.

There's a pattern we see everywhere. Districts adopt high-quality instructional materials, do the work of rolling them out, and start to see student outcomes shift. But that shift is often happening for general education students; not for students with disabilities. 

This isn't a curriculum problem or an educator problem. It's a professional learning gap. And it's exactly what we set out to address when the Nebraska Department of Education brought us in to design and pilot their Materials Matter for All professional learning series, building and testing the materials in classrooms to learn what works.

‍About the Pilot

In partnership with the Nebraska Department of Education, our team designed and facilitated a three-day professional learning series for 31 educators across six schools and six districts in ESU 8. The series served two cohorts: one using Amplify's CKLA (grades K–2), the other using HMH's Into Reading (grades 4–5). Sessions were spaced no more than two to three weeks apart.

Two design principles were non-negotiables from the start. First, the professional learning had to be curriculum-embedded. The sessions would not be broad theory, but practical application rooted in the specific pages, lessons, and embedded supports of the materials educators were already using. The goal was that teachers could apply what they learned that same week, in their own classrooms.

Second, participants had to be in their second year of HQIM adoption or later. Educators still getting their footing with a new curriculum don't have the bandwidth to simultaneously work through how to adapt or flexibly use the materials for students with disabilities. That foundation had to come first, so this series could build on it.

‍What We Found Going In

Baseline surveys administered to the pilot educator participants revealed that readiness to use HQIM for students with disabilities across all three tiers of MTSS was between 19–48%. The lowest areas were telling: only 19% felt equipped to use embedded HQIM supports for students with disabilities in Tier 1. Only 26% knew where to find resources and options for adapting HQIM, and 29% felt prepared to adapt HQIM to meet the needs of students with disabilities.39% felt prepared to deliver small group instruction and intervention using HQIM, and 48% knew different ways HQIM could be used to support small group instruction and intervention beyond Tier 1.

What We Built and Why 

Facilitators walked through real lessons within the curriculum, showing educators what effective instruction looks like in practice. Mornings introduced key concepts and material-specific protocols; afternoons were spent applying both to upcoming lessons. Educators left each day with plans ready to implement.

At the close of the series, we administered an endline survey to measure the impact of these intentional choices. 

Next week we'll share the full results. But here's a preview: educator readiness to use HQIM for students with disabilities in Tier 1, which was their weakest area coming into the pilot, increased by 58 percentage points.

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‍If your district is two or more years into HQIM adoption and students with disabilities aren't moving, that's the signal. Let us help you build a solution customized to your community. Click here to schedule a time to meet with someone from our team.