OSP Connected
November, 2017-Office for School Performance-Volume 13
Message from Dayle
There are no handbooks that will tell you how to be a great parent. When my children were born I certainly went looking for one and although there is a lot of advice- there are no simple answers. Being a parent involves a relationship with a child made up of a lot of nature and a little nurture. And as a parent of biological children and also foster children, I can tell you something that works with one may not work with another, and just because it worked last week doesn't mean it will this week. Parenting- like teaching- is an ever evolving role that deserves our respect and support.
This month we have parent conferences. Although I know you are always talking and reaching out to parents, pausing at the quarter mark and connecting to parents is important. Teacher/school- parent and student work as a team for student success. Please reflect on the key messages you want to share with parents of the kids you serve. I approach meetings with parents with the belief that each are doing the best they can with the skills, resources and strategies they have. How can we support? What do they need? What can we celebrate together?
Thank you for partnering with parents this month and for reaching out to the ones who couldn't make the time slots offered and for your continued partnership on behalf of our students.
HSD Focus 2017-2018
INSTRUCTION: Start with the End
Once you and your PLC have created the student end task, consider developing an exemplar in order to determine the cognitive skills and language demands students will need to exhibit. From this point, you should be able to identify the content you will need to cover in addition to the language functions necessitated by the end task. Now it's just a matter of developing the daily lessons to support this learning.
To learn more about backwards design, check out this article by Wiggin and McTighe. Also, here's a template to support you and your PLC in this work.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS: Welcome Me Back
- Do you contact the student/family if you notice they have been absent two or more days in a row, or see a trend beginning? Contact from a place of concern: "We really miss seeing you and want to see if everything is all right."
- Welcome the student back after they've been absent: "I'm so happy to see you back at school. I think you're really going to enjoy some of our activities today."
- Do you have a clear and predictable system in place for students to get caught up on the material and learning they missed while absent? Consider a "welcome back crew" of students who can buddy up with a student who has been absent to fill them in on anything they missed.
CAREER & COLLEGE READY: Freshman On-Track
We are hearing more and more in education about 9th grade on track rates and seeing districts and states invest time and resources into tracking and responding to struggling freshman. According to University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR), a student’s freshman on-track status “...is more predictive of high school graduation than their race/ethnicity, level of poverty, or test scores.” By shifting our focus from a reactive approach like credit recovery, to a proactive approach to support our students as they transition from 8th grade to 9th grade, we are creating a culture where every students is known and valued as an individual.
This summer, over 200 students transitioning from eighth grade to ninth grade participated in 8.5 Summer Bridge. The program was held at all four high schools during the first two weeks of August. Instruction focused on 9th grade student success and career and college readiness. Hillsboro School District continues to grow programs like this in order to support our student from the very beginning of their high school experience in preparing for career and college readiness.
In HSD, we define freshman on track as a student with 90% or higher daily attendance and has completed or is on track to complete six credits in core classes with a C or higher by the end of ninth grade; there are tools in DCA to assist teams monitoring student progress and more are being developed this year.
Amplify Science K-8
K-8 Amplify Science implementation has gotten off to a great start! We are hearing feedback from teachers about how students are highly engaged by the Amplify lessons and how students are being asked to think critically in ways that support language development at all levels. As with any new curriculum materials implementation, it will take time to fully transition to the 3-Dimensional learning of the Next Generation Science Standards that is supported by Amplify. As a result, we will continue to provide opportunities for professional learning and collaboration through our existing district-wide professional development structures. For more information about the many details relating to Amplify Science implementation (e.g., kit sharing, split classrooms, troubleshooting login issues), please refer to our frequently-updated FAQ document linked here. To request specific support with Amplify implementation (including planning, co-teaching, PLC support), please contact Sandie Grinnell (grinnels@hsd.k12.or.us or 928-310-6113). Also, check out the Wonderful Third Wednesday sessions in November to support teachers with implementing Amplify in their classroom.