Professional Development

Responsive Education Framework

The Responsive Education Framework was developed in response to the Arlington Public Schools 2005-2011 Strategic Plan, GOAL 3: RESPONSIVE EDUCATION--Prepare each student to succeed in a diverse, changing world through instruction and other school experiences responsive to each student’s talents, interests, and challenges.

APS Strategic Plan, GOAL 3: RESPONSIVE EDUCATION

Objective 3.1: Inventory instructional approaches (e.g., differentiated instruction, Understanding by Design, teaching for meaning) that are responsive to students’ talents, interests, and challenges, and create a framework that systematically expands opportunities.
Indicator: 2005-2006--Inventory completed, 2006-2007-- Framework developed
What is a framework? A framework is a theoretical construct or perspective that forms the basis of a theory in science, politics or philosophy. It provides a structure on which ideas can be linked. The APS Responsive Education Framework is the conceptualization of the connections of the important components of instruction and learning.

The framework was developed with two Enduring Understandings in mind:

The APS community will understand that:

responsive teaching is an art focusing on teaching for meaning through a blend of instructional domains, instructional approaches, curriculum and assessment.
responsive teachers select specific instructional approaches to activate student's talents and interests in order to enhance student achievement.

Below is the APS Responsive Education Framework collaboratively created by the Department of Instruction. In the framework, the foundation of APS instruction is based in teaching for meaning. The four pillars are the fundamental guiding principles to our work in supporting all student challenges so that every student can be successful.

For more information on the parts of the Responsive Education Framework, click on the following links:

APS Responsive Education Framework

Last Modified on July 11, 2012