District Information
Updated 1/23/2016 ~Erin Warham DCE Instructional Coach
Elementary Curriculum Team Meetings
Each month I attend the Elementary Curriculum Team meeting for our district. Sometimes the learning is very specific to content areas and sometimes it is more general. In an effort to keep you informed without taking time away from schedules or your team planning, I thought it might be helpful if I send you a list of what we discussed.
Thanks~ Erin
ECT Meeting- January 22
Power of Tutoring Strips in Aware: Gr. 3-5, Allow to use data to create flexible groups based on weaknesses.
Team Building: Used The Game of Things- created discourse
District Assessment Improvement Team: Focusing on Data, Parents, Time spent on testing, purpose of testing, end goal, validity, and fidelity. We then by grade level had time to post suggested concerns and changes and then hot dot results.
Instructional Coach Meeting - January 15
- Warm-up: Ask a question, turn-n-talk, reflect Total 3 min.
- Big Ideas: Labels, Words, equations; Verbalize and teach mini-lesson; This is not always for MASTERY!; Keep pace of the lesson; Can't let everyone share.
- Sharing/grouping
- Assessment
ECT Meeting - December 18
LISD Realignment- Dr. Champion provided his vision of 10 Years from Now and how we can achieve this vision. Items included but are not limited to the following:
- Students will exit system with the same passion/joy for learning they had when they entered, having achieved high academics and built strong character, without economics determining success.
- We will focus on the whole student, ensuring every student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
- All interactions will be guided by a commitment to do right and good by all.
- Teaching will be personalized for students through differentiated instruction.
- Strong and consistent strategies partnerships, communications, and feedback loops with parents, community members, social services, and others.
- Technology will be the pencil of our times: integrated, attainable, and functional.
- System-wide, improvements will be aligned; decisions based on precise data, and processes will be efficient and effective.
New Deputy Superintendent--> Malinda Golden
New Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning --> Matt Smith
Other re-structuring movements were made and a chart is available.
Big Rocks from this meeting:
- Student 2 Student Discourse- critical for learning, more purposeful and quality needed, teacher guides, will be observed
- Years Growth- We, teachers, must strive, push, and challenge to ensure ALL students make a years worth of growth.
- Professional Development Planning- Key piece missing --> follow-up and implementation of PD.
- PLC, GVC, and Assessment/Data- These are all needing to be in place, utilized effectively and efficiently in order to meet the needs of our students.
ECT Meeting - December 4
Challenges still are Writing and Math for Elementary.
Changes to STAAR-
- Reduction of the number of questions for 3-8 grades
- 4th & 7th STAAR Writing changes back to 1 composition- Expository
- Proposed change to Phase-in Scores
WRITING: We discussed and identified the CRITICAL difference sin Writing between various grade levels. That information is being summarized for distribution.
ECT Meeting - November 6
SeeSaw App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seesaw-the-learning-journal/id930565184?mt=8 This free app allows teachers/students to document their learning throughout the day. Teachers can set up to have the app email parents directly the different things their child does throughout the day. For example, have a student struggling with reading? Did they read fantastically during reading group? Want to share that memory with their parents? Record them and send the file directly to the parents email! This app has so many amazing possibilities!
Google Sites is now open for students to use! This is a great tool to use for student ePortfolios!
STAAR Writing - it's not just for 4th grade! We looked through data that shows how important it is for every grade level to teach writing. Spelling is part of Revising and Editing on the STAAR test and there are some very specific TEKS that need to be explicitly taught in 3rd and 4th grades to make sure we give our students the necessary tools for success. I'll meet with 3rd and 4th grades sometime in November to share this document with you. I also have a new writing document to share with each team that highlights the genres for writing across the TEKS for K-5! It's a one pager and has great information.
Classroom Look-Fors: We are continuing the work of outlining those things that principals should see and hear in your classroom when they do an observation or walk-through. You have a content specific page for "What to Look for in the Teaching of Writing K-5" that was shared at our Writing Training in October. Let me know if you would like to talk about this document or need help identifying areas in lessons that need tweaking.
Take care and have a wonderful week!
ECT Meeting- October 16
I went to my monthly curriculum team meeting on Friday and I wanted to share the important items we discussed. Here they are:
- Non-Negotiables and Classroom Look-Fors - The district Non-Negotiables were rewritten this summer and Tol shared them with us at the beginning of the year. As a curriculum team we discussed how these would look if someone came into your classroom. What would be the proof that these things were happening? The team took time to create a list of things that you would see the student doing, the teacher doing, and the classroom environment. As we continue to work on this list I will share them with you throughout the year. One example was small group instruction. The students would be in a small group being guided by the teacher, or the other students might be in literacy centers or math centers, the classroom environment would look and sound like children involved in centers that support literacy development and/or math centers that support Bridges Math Work Places. This could look very different from K-5, but all students would be involved in meaningful tasks.
- Data Analysis - What kind of reports do you need from me? What data is meaningful to your team? Do you want to learn more about analyzing your data from DRA and TPRI? Could I help you determine next steps with your team? The purpose of data is to help us make good instructional decisions. If we don't use the data that we collect then it is meaningless work for you and your students.
- Apps for your iPad in Kinder and 1st grade - currently we have some apps that are available to you. The technology team is determining apps that could be utilized by many students. I've put a list in your box (Elizabeth & Shannon) to share with your team. Please let me know which apps you currently use, and new ones that you would like to have. Also, would you prefer to have the apps pushed out through Self Service (you could pick and choose which ones you want) or have them pushed out onto your iPad automatically? I need your feedback to take back and share with the Tech Team at our next meeting.
- Math - There are so many resources available to us on the Bridges Educator Site. I'm still learning about changes to the site and new resources that are coming online throughout the school year. The Intervention Guides are available online as well as in the Copy Room. There are also parent resources, letters, and blogs that can help us with organizing and answering many of our most common questions. It's fantastic!
There are so many things that we could work on together! Please let me know if any of these items are something that you would like me to come and discuss with your team. I'm here to help.
ECT Meeting September 4 2015
Here's what we discussed
1. Tell me a story - Technology Integration
- How are your teachers using technology in the classroom?
- We are looking for stories of the use of technology as part of the curriculum (not an add on). Please email or share with me anything you are doing. PLEASE contact me if you need an idea!!!
- Teachers and parents can sign up for a free account.
- You received a copy of "5 Ways to Use GoNoodle" at our retreat.
- I will be placing copies in your box to parents on setting up accounts at home.
- This can be accessed through the Elementary Curriculum Home Page.
- I put a copy of the Assessment Calendar in Team Leads box earlier this year.
- Some changes have occurred because of the later testing date for STAAR in May.
- THERE ARE CHANGES- Take a look at the following pages:
- pg. 3 LISD Elementary Assessments: 1st and 2nd bullet
- pg. 3 Elementary Assessment Guidelines : 1st bullet
- pg. 4 ELLs : 3rd from bottom
- pg. 6 Under Classroom Teachers: Print all answer documents to PDF in case a paper copy os needed......
- pg. 8 FAQs : 2nd ? and last ? on page
4. LISD Spelling Matters Guidelines -
- Please make sure that student work posted in hallways is error free ( K-2 - See Exceptions)
- We want our student work to reflect a thoughtful process and pay attention to "No Excuse Words" and "Core Words" for your grade level.
- Remember Rebecca Sitton is our spelling resource in Leander ISD.
- Please make sure your teacher webpages are updated and easy for parents to access.
- RAMP UP date for this is Sept. 21.
- 3rd - 5th: We will meet for a refresher and discussion of the timeline for this year. Date TBD.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for all you do! Take care and have a great day :)