The Oskaloosa "Syllabus"
February, 2014 - "News YOU Can use"
Important Assessment Decisions Made!!
- Fountas and Pinnell Benchmarking System for K-2 and 3-6 have been purchased for implementation NEXT year (2014-2015 school year). What does that mean? It means all grade level classroom teachers and PULL OUT Special Education teachers will use the Benchmarking kit to identify the reading level and comprehension skill level of their students three times during the school year. The dates will appear on the district assessment calendar and be part of the district's assessment plan. Training is scheduled for next August 13th.
- Accelerated Reader will no longer be supported or used across the district. WHY? The information/data we get from the F & P Benchmarking System is redundant information. We will get consistent data across grade levels by using the same method of determining reading level. In addition, very few classrooms are using A.R. so it is not cost effective to maintain in the future.
- Reading A-Z will no longer be supported or used across the district AS AN ASSESSMENT TOOL. WHY? Again, we will use the F & P Benchmarking System as a consistent way to identify a students reading level.
- The Reading A-Z subscription used for other resources will continue to be supported as this is a valued resource for Elementary teachers.
- Grade 6 will be using the F & P Benchmarking System to provide consistency during the transition to Middle School. Again, training will take place next fall on August 13th.
- Aimsweb - The Elementary will NOT be giving the Math Universal Screener next year. We need to have a plan for support in place before we do. We will look at the possibility for 2015-2016. MS will continue to give the Math and CBM screener as they did this year.
Aimsweb APPROVED by the DE for Use in Schools
Aimsweb made the list!!! They have not determined any tools for Math at this time.
At this time, assessments not included in this list have not been approved by the Iowa Department of Education as meeting the minimum standards for use to comply with Chapter 62 requirements for universal screening and progress monitoring
The list contained the following assessments:
- FAST
- Aimsweb Letter Sound,
- Aimsweb Letter Naming
- Aimsweb Reading CBM
- Aimsweb MAZE
- Easy CBM
- EdCheckup Reading MAZE Passages
- EdCheckup Standard Reading Passages
- Gates MacGintre Reading Tests
- mCLASS: DIBELS Next
- mCLASS: Reading 3D
- Observation Survey of Early Literacy Screening
- Phonological Screening of Early Literacy
- STAR Early Literacy
- STAR Reading
- Texas Primary Reading Inventory
PLC To Watch in February
February PLC to Watch is the 4th Grade PLC!
4th Grade PLC SMART Goal for 2013-2014
100% of 4th grade students will earn an 80% or better on a multi-step story problem assessment, using the four operations, by the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
Action Plan:
We will use anchor charts to assist teaching problem solving. We will teach story problem key words daily. We will use the data from our data wall to help formulate small group instruction during class time in order to better meet the needs of all students. Assessments will be teacher created.
If you see a 4th Grade PLC member - let them know they are doing great work!
The question confronting most schools and districts is not, 'What do we need to know in order to improve?' but rather, 'Will we turn what we already know into action?"
January DAC Update
- The approved Vision statement was reviewed: "Believe, Achieve and Create with Pride"
- A draft mission statement was developed: "Engage All Students [to] Embrace the Power of Learning" The group is still fussing with the word in brackets. Some other suggestions are to replace it with [and] or [so they will]. If you have ideas, please share them with a DAC representative!
- Student Learning Goals will be reviewed at the February meeting.
NO DLT Update for January - Cancelled due to Weather :-)
Standards-Based Grading - or SBG
Upcoming Conferences
Rick Wormeli
DLT members will be attending this conference on Differentiated Instruction and Grading on January 29th and 30th.
"Destination Common Core"
Kindergarten and 1st Grade teachers are attending this conference on February 3rd and 4th.
Iowa 1:1 Conference
Members from MS and HS will attend this conference on April 10th. If you are interested in attending, please see Mr. Hotek or Mr. Bandy!
TLC Update (Teacher Leadership Compensation Grant)
The plan is to add the following number of Instructional Coaches
- Elementary will add 3 coaches for a total of 5 coaches
- MS will add 1.5 coaches for a total of 2 coaches
- HS will add 2 coaches
The coaches would support the initiatives at each building.
Teacher Leadership is the other prong of this plan
- PLC Facilitators would have an increased stipend in the future
- Vertical Team Facilitators would receive a stipend in the future
If you want additional details please contact a TLC Planning Committee member at your building.
- Elementary - Amy Blythe and Carolyn Pederson
- MS - Bret Doud
- HS - Amanda Reynolds and Mike Goudy
Teaching Tools You Can Use!
Elementary SINA Update
- Identified Barriers to Success and Bridges to address those Barriers
- Read articles on 2nd Order change and shared meaningful quotes and discussed how the information aligns with the work at the Elementary
- Took the ideas from 2nd order change and the Bridges and developed some Action Steps to address some of the Barriers. Some steps are: 1)Celebrate Successes - starting in January a time will be allotted to sharing student successes, 2)Continue to Educator the BOE on the work of SINA (they will present in February), 3)Increased Professional Development around Iowa Core 4) Visit some other schools yet this year doing Workshop
- Reviewed our data collection of Extended Shares and Data Collection
- Used our Action Plan to work on #6
- Began to develop a timeline of work and expectations for the Elementary - this will be completed in April at the next full day meeting.
- Will also develop guidelines for the 1st 20 days in April
A Strong Learning Community: Product, Process, and People - Let's Focus on PEOPLE
Process = teaching strategies and pedagogy
People = all those involved with the product and process
Focus on PEOPLE
What kind of relationships lead to school and student success? How are our schools fairing in this arena?
Relational Trust
Schools reporting strong positive trust levels were three times more likely to eventually as improving both reading and math than those that were weak in this area. In fact, those schools with weak trust had virtually "no chance" of showing improvement in either reading or math" (Byrk and Schnieider, 2002).
4 Components of Relational Trust
- Respect
- Competence
- Personal Regard for Others
- Integrity
When these beliefs or attitudes are not developed, present, or sustained there is little chance the students will benefit. Reflect on your purpose, behaviors and attitudes. Do your purpose, behaviors and attitudes creating conditions to increase student learning and student performance or are they creating conditions for lack of student learning and achievement?
Purpose can be defined as "sustaining student success where failure is not an option" (Blankstein, 2004).
If we want to be a true Learning Community all three must be strong and sustained - Oskaloosa is on its way - let's continue to work together as a team for a common purpose!!!
A-Team Data Wall Observation - Questioning Techniques
- How do open-ended questions lead to more rigorous discussion?
- How do you balance what you let students discover themselves and what you draw their attention to in your questioning?
- What strategies does Ms. Kosoff use to encourage multiple interpretations?
Iowa Core and Genre Study - Did You Know?
Appendix A provides more detail on expectations. Page 6 of the Appendix tells us that we need to be moving from simple text to more complex texts. In fact, they list what Lexile level students should be able to read and comprehend by starting in 1st grade. They also tell us students need to be able to identify "the traits of a common genre or subgenre [in all literature] and the traits specific to a particular discipline for informational text". We need to move from "simple themes to more complex themes" and "single perspectives to multiple perspectives" across genres and themes.
What this means is a shift in how we teach. The new term being used in the Common Core, the Iowa Core, and by leaders in the field is "intertexuality" which means that an "everyday knowledge and familiarity with genre conventions is required using many referrences and allusions to other texts".
Take some time to review the Iowa Core and Appendix A. There is a link on the staff resource page!
Genre's and Workshop - the Connection to Each Other and the Core
"Reading and Writing Workshop
Genre Studies are built on the Common Core State Standards and are intended as an immersion in those literary genres that students are expected to master for college readiness.
Text Complexity and Genre Exposure
Students read from one targeted genre in literature and from a nonfiction companion collection, as they research and build the background knowledge required to write both an original story in the literary genre and a persuasive essay about the genre.
February Meetings to Note
February 4th - Middle School LA reps meet
February 5th - PLC - Extended PLC
February 10th - Building PLC Facilitators meet
February 11th - District Technology Team meets
February 12th - PLC - Extended Vertical
February 18th - DAC
February 19th - PLC - Extended PLC
February 21 - Work Day/PD - LETRS Trainiing
February 26 - PLC - Extended PLC
"Tool for Improvement" and Bonus Question for February
Continuous learning is the goal of this question - using the "Tool for Improvement" I want you to read the scenario I have placed on the PLC Wiki under. Using the "Tool for Improvement" provide a reflective question or feedback statement you would send to that teacher to improve their classroom practice in one area the "tool" details. Post that comment on the Wiki - click on the button below to get to the PLC Wiki page