The Collegiate Education Network (CEN) recently hosted a Virtual Professional Learning Community (VPLC) session titled SWAP It Up: Fast Moves, Real Impact, led by Dr. Chantel Schulz. The session focused on helping educators rethink reteaching—showing that effective instructional adjustments don’t require starting over, slowing down, or redesigning lessons from scratch.
The VPLC challenged a common assumption in classrooms: that reteaching must be time-consuming or complex to be effective. Instead, participants explored how small, intentional instructional moves—such as a 1–3 minute micro-lesson, a single clear model, a brief guided practice, and a quick check for understanding—can lead to meaningful gains in student learning.
At the core of the session was SWAP, the Student Work Analysis Protocol, a practical and repeatable system that helps teachers quickly move from collecting student work to making precise instructional decisions. Through SWAP, educators learned how to identify essential learning, align tight success criteria to exit tickets, and efficiently sort student work to determine next steps—without added overwhelm.
A key highlight of the session was the introduction of the 1-1-1 method for unpacking TEKS and establishing clear success criteria:
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One verb – what students must do
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One big idea – what students must understand
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One product – how mastery is demonstrated
This streamlined approach, when paired with real-time performance tracking and short reteach cycles, helps shorten the turnaround time for instruction and accelerates students’ progress toward mastering the TEKS.
The SWAP It Up session is part of CEN’s ongoing Virtual PLC offerings facilitated by the organization’s School Impact Team. CEN provides monthly VPLCs twice each month, designed as 30-minute sessions that deliver practical, immediately applicable learning. Topics focus on high-impact instructional strategies as well as deeper dives into all things P-TECH, supporting educators and leaders in strengthening college and career pathways for students.
Dr. Schulz developed the Virtual PLC and accompanying leader handout to ensure the strategies could be immediately applied in classrooms and shared across campuses. The printable handout is available as a resource for instructional leaders to support consistent, high-impact reteaching practices.
Interested in joining these conversations and learning opportunities? Educators, instructional leaders, and district teams are invited to participate in CEN’s Virtual PLCs and engage in collaborative learning focused on what works—right now, in real classrooms. Learn how to join upcoming sessions and access the SWAP It Up handout by connecting with Dr. Schulz at cschulz@edu-nation.org.
How to Connect:
Chief of Schools: Michelle Carroll Smith – msmith@edu-nation.org
CTE Specialist: Dr. Chantel Schulz – cschulz@edu-nation.org
P-TECH Director: Kelly Springfield – kspringfield@edu-nation.org
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