CIS Update
Week of 2/27/17
This Week @ CIS
- 3:30 girls volleyball, girls on the run, art with a heart, CIS dance
- 6:00 Skating party
- 7:45 Grade level / department meetings
- 3:30 5th grade girls vball, Show Choir, book club
- 6:00 Parent Focus Group Meeting
- 7:45 CORE
- 10:00 Mickey S2S Meeting with Mr. Trout
- 3:30 girls vball, girls on the run
- 7:45 STRATEGIES
- 9:30 Elem Admin meeting
- 12:30 Formative Exploration Committee meeting (Mickey out in PM)
- 3:30 Girls vball
- 7:45 CIS Leadership Team Meeting
- 3:30 5th grade girls vball
ISTEP!
Year 1 - Standards-based instruction - redo instructional maps, implement common assessments, launch success
Year 2 - Implement specific instructional strategies and processes such as "Close Reading", "Academic Vocabulary", and math standards review. Refine curriculum maps, common assessments and success period. Develop distributed leadership structure within the building. build bank of resources, CCS Strategic Plan
Year 3 - Refine processes from years 1 and 2, continue implementation of CCS Strategic Plan
About that lockout...
The office staff collaborated after the fact to review what went well and what we could improve. We are working on protocols for distributing info as fast as possible including phrasing on the PA, Remind app, and email. We also recognize the importance of our students fully understanding what the Public Address announcements mean so we'll spend some time teaching them. Stay tuned for that...
This Week @ CIS - Standards Focus - ELA
5th Grade
ISTEP - Review week. No homework this week.
6th Grade
ISTEP - Review week. No homework this week.
Grading
Here is how Effort Grades should work:
From the student handbook:
Concord's elementary schools use a grading system that shares with parents the student's skills compared to the state standards with a separate grade to show how much effort the students put into their schoolwork in a particular subject. Examples of skills grades include quizzes, tests, and final drafts of writing; skills grades reflect whether students are right or wrong with on-grade-level material, not homework and practice work. Effort grades reflect practice and should be scored for completion, which reflects effort, regardless of how the student performs; effort grades may also include participation grades. Teachers can answer specifics of how they enter grades.
From the grading policy sheet:
"Effort Marks are based on assignments designed for practice or which measure effort, responsibility, initiative and improvement but are NOT for items which are scored as "right or wrong". Homework falls into this category. Effort scores must be documented, objectively determined and defensible. Teachers can use professional judgment to raise a students' score."
Here is how Skills Grades should work:
From the grading policy sheet:
Skills marks are based on assessments which measure student mastery of skills compared to grade-level expectations. Skills marks include anything used to determine mastery - anything scored as "right or wrong"' homework does NOT fall into skills marks as it is intended to be for practice. Grades will appear on the report card as percentages with letter grades.
Reading Skills Grades:
Common Assessments = 40% overall grade
Teacher-selected assessments = 20% overall grade
- end of week assessments
- quizzes
- AR goal
- reader response notebooks
Reading Level = 40% overall grade
- STAR/ Running Record
Math Skills Grades:
EM Unit Assessments = 40%
Teacher-Selected Assessments = 40%
Quizzes = 20%
****Aim to have 2 grades per week per subject.****
***Update grades weekly by Tuesday of the following week.***
**Proactively monitor grades and contact parents with concerns.**
Around the District
- A committee has been formed with representatives from across the district to explore whether or not to continue with Renaissance Learning (STAR) as our formative assessment vendor. Subcommittee meetings are being held to gather more information about each potential vendor and product with monthly reports to the full committee.
- District wide tech is nearing implementation of the pilot program. CIS is projected to get student devices in 2.5 years.
- Specials exploration committee is looking at the makeup of specials. This coincides with the districts evaluation into the equity of prep time at the various levels and length of school day conversations.
- CCS Strategic Plan has been approved and will be disseminated to all staff soon. A more in depth look will occur at our March 7th faculty meeting.
- Math curriculum representatives are working on creating math mastery assessments that would work similar to our ELA common assessments.
Upcoming Dates of Interest
Feb. 27th - ISTEP+ Round 1 ISTEP Window (paper pencil)
Mar. 3 - Family Fun Night 6 - 8pm
Mar 17 - End of GP 3
Tuesday Morning Schedule
Here's the template for Tuesday mornings:
1st - Faculty
2nd - SLO teams / Strategic Planning Implementation
3rd - Professional development
4th - Grade levels/department meetings
Remember, we start at 7:45 and end at 8:35.