Alice ISD - ISC Curriculum Gazette
January 2018
In this issue...
It's easy to share negative things. All you have to do is look to social media.
We believe it is time to step up and share the positive! Let's remember to celebrate all the GOOD things happening in our district. We have great students and great staff! Let's start owning that.
Districts of Innovation
Districts of Innovation came from the 84th Legislature in 2015. Becoming a District of Innovation allows a traditional school district that is rated acceptable or better to create a district level innovation plan which seeks exemptions from certain aspects of Texas Education Code.
Districts of Innovation give more local control and flexibility to the district. While there are many things that are allowed, and many that are not allowed by this provision, one thing the district WILL be looking at is the school calendar. Currently Texas Education Code states that students cannot begin school before the 4th Monday in August. If we keep to this calendar and try to maintain the same vacation/holidays, we would have to front load all staff development before school or go later into June. If we could start a bit earlier it would allow us to spread staff development through the year in order to be supportive to the instructional needs of staff. It is also possible that the semester could end in December. It would NOT affect teacher work days as they currently work 187 and that will not be an exemption sought.
The district will NOT be looking at anything that reduces teacher benefits or increases teacher work days.
So far the district has only moved to appoint a committee to develop a plan. There will be representation from each campus and will include members of DEIC and parents/community members in addition to AISD staff. The information will be presented to DEIC in February and then the committee will be formed.
After that, the plan will be developed and posted on the district’s website. The DEIC must approve the final version and it then goes to the board for approval. The Commissioner of Education is notified before the board votes and the plan is submitted to the state once approved.
To read more about Districts of Innovation go to https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Schools/District_Initiatives/Districts_of_Innovation/
2017-2018 District Science Fair Winners!
Kinder
- Jayla Cavazos - Schallert Elementary - True Colors
- Addison Escobar - Salazar Elementary - Blast Off!
- Kristopher Ortiz - Mary R. Garcia Elementary - Egg Soak
First Grade
- Gavin Garza - Schallert Elementary - Hovercraft Racers
- Ricardo Gonzalez - Hillcrest Elementary - Do Chickens See Color
- Alexa Vera - Saenz Elementary - Ice Freeze
Second Grade
- Nicholas Casso - Saenz Elementary - Which chip is the greatest
- Julius Cavazos - Schallert Elementary - Stick Around
- Jasmin Chavera - Noonan Elementary - Chilling Soda
- Aiden Diaz - Noonan Elementary - Flame Out
- Jose Gutierrez - Saenz Elementary - Car Friction
- Manny Ramos - Saenz Elementary - Batter Up!
Third Grade
- Isaac Gonzalez - Schallert Elementary - Eggnormous
- London Hernandez - Noonan Elementary - Goo-Be-Gone
- June McCarty - Noonan Elementary - Melting Ice
- Damaris Rodriguez - Saenz Elementary - Love what you have been drinking
- Pedro Salinas - Noonan Elementary - Eggspearment
- Micah Torres - Salazar Elementary - Meow Time II
Fourth Grade
- Naiema Almaraz - Hillcrest Elementary - The Great Absorbation
- Jacob Arrellano - Saenz Elementary - Magnet-ficent Strength
- Caleb Flores - Saenz Elementary - Spinning Science
- Olivia Garza - Salazar Elementary - Struck by Whitening
- Michaela Ramirez - Mary R. Garcia Elementary - Where should you store your popcorn?
- Jose Ramirez and Jaydn Rios - Saenz Elementary - Zooming Plane
Fifth Grade
- Matthew Gonzalez - Dubose Intermediate - Eggstra Production
- Desirae Hughes - Memorial Intermediate - Yummy Gummy Bears
- Andres Perez - Dubose Intermediate - Minty Brain Power...Gum!
- Ayden Ramos - Memorial Intermediate - Beat It!
- Ciara Valadez - memorial Intermediate - Electromagnet Strength
- Sonrisa Zertuche - Dubose Intermediate - Who Smells Best?
Sixth Grade
- Kaiden Fernandez - Memorial Intermediate - Making a solid flow
- Aubree Gomez - Memorial Intermediate - Dangers that smoking has on lungs
- Arazelie Jimenez - Memorial Intermediate - Glowing Stronger
- Lucas Walker - Dubose Intermediate - The Chess Challenge
Seventh Grade
- Ashley Alaniz - William Adams Middle School - Worm Power
- Iseia Torres - William Adams Middle School - The Heat is On
- Deandra Ybarra - William Adams Middle School - Growing Pains
Eighth Grade
- Aileen Flores and Alejandra Flores - William Adams Middle School - Forensic Science Building Your Own Tool for Identifying DNA
- Allyson Cantu - William Adams Middle School - Sunny with a chance of cancer
- Ally Rodriguez and Mercedes Benavides - William Adams Middle School - Ground Water Pollution
Hurricane Harvey Implications
There have been many communications from TEA regarding issues such as PEIMS info, support for students impacted from storm, transportation for displaced students, etc. I have heard some interesting rumors. One dealt with the possibility that testing would not count. At this point that is NOT TRUE. As you will see from the statement below, we will not know about accountability for 2018 until March, April or possibly even May. (Read more about District and Campus Accountability in this Smore.)
In December the Commissioner released the following statement:
"The Agency has not made any decisions related to district & campus accountability ratings. However, I have taken steps to collect information on the number of students impacted by the storm as well as information on facility damages. We will soon ask for information about staff who have been impacted by the storm. We will use all of this data to inform decisions as we adopt accountability rules in the spring."
Recent conversations with colleagues indicate that the scores will indeed count, but we won't know for sure until much later.
If you continue to hear rumors about testing not counting, please help set the record straight. Every day-every minute counts!
State Accountability
2018 is a whole new game! Instead of four indexes, there will be three domains. Those domains are: Student Achievement, School Progress and Closing the Gaps.
Student Achievement includes academic achievement, graduation rates, and school quality indicators for high school campuses.
The School Progress Domain includes the other academic indicators for public elementary and secondary schools that are not high schools as well as a comparison of student achievement relative to other schools with similar student demographics.
Closing the Gaps Domain ensures students are doing well regardless of racial group, special education status and socioeconomic status for all indicators required by state law.
One of the biggest changes involves the difference in the Student Achievement domain. Previously the Student Achievement looked at students who met the Approaches Grade Level status. Now that domain will be looking at the average of students across the levels: Approaches, Meets, and Masters. (TEA currently says Approaches and Meets, but the commissioner is proposing the average of all three.)
Campuses will receive an A, B, C, D or F rating for each domain, but the overall campus rating will be either Met Standard or Improvement Required. Districts will be rated by a letter grade.
The overall campus/district A‐F grade is weighted by taking the better score of the Student Achievement domain or School Progress domain, which will account for 70% of the overall rating. The additional 30% will be comprised from the Closing the Gaps domain.
Anna Holmgreen will be presenting information on the new system to campuses soon.
Bad Weather Days
Just wanted to give everyone updates:
The snow day, December 8th, was a late start to the day. Temperatures warmed up to the 50s and it just didn't seem a good idea to cancel the day. That would also require us to consider a make-up day. As it turned out we had very low attendance and were able to file for a low-attendance day waiver.
Just last week we had reports of icy weather approaching. Folks in south Texas just are not used to cold temps and as you all know, we often see low numbers in attendance. We must have attendance at least 10% below the previous year's attendance average in order to qualify for the low-attendance waiver. While campus attendance may be in the high 80s (which is low) it is just not low enough to earn the waiver. On Jan. 16th we released early. That WAS a low attendance day, so we will be going to the board and asking to file a waiver. We will be looking at our instructional minutes and seeing if we have enough minutes in the calendar to not have to make up the missed minutes on that day.
Have You Checked Out Professional Materials on Your Campus?
Lead4ward U
Brad Gibson leads the group
Teachers discuss instructional strategies
High Five--We've Got This!
Supporting Our Students with Special Needs
MATH MIDDLE OF THE YEAR TESTING DATES
- Estar/Mstar testing window for Winter (MOY) is January 6th –February 16th. After students are administered the screener you may go in and assign them diagnostic assessments. Students are only able to take the diagnostic assessments during the testing window.
- Mclass testing window for MOY is January 6th- February 16th.
Contact Vanessa Snyder with questions or concerns with testing.
Math Fourth Six Weeks Assessments are available on google drive. ✅
Department of Federal and Special Programs
PEG Letter
Texas Academic Performance Reports
School Report Cards
https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/perfreport/src/2017/campus.srch.html
Bilingual/ESL Education
Engage Every Family: Five Simple Principles
Dr. Steve Constantino is one of the nation’s most sought-after speakers and top leaders in the field of engaging families in education due to his unique success in the practical application of family engagement research. His work is well documented in magazines, periodicals, journals and in his three books devoted to the practice of family engagement. Alice ISD Federal Programs department was fortunate to attend training with Dr. Constantino on February 8th in Austin, Texas. His book Engage Every Family – Five Simple Principles was the foundation for his presentation. A brief overview of the principles are mentioned below along with the reasons why they are important in the overall scheme of connecting family engagement to learning.
In reading each principle it is evident that Alice ISD is on the right track in moving our school district and the Alice community to align with the five principles stated below. As each year passes we are building capacity for more parent/student/community engagement via the following avenues: The Annual Parental Involvement Conference, the HB 5 Student and Community Engagement Evaluation process conducted each spring, the We Believe in Alice Initiative, and the addition of new members on our Parental Advisory Committee, campus Parent-Teacher Organizations, District-wide Educational Improvement Council, and campus Side-Based Decision Making Committees.
Principle #1: A Culture That Engages Every Family
- More often than not, desired change in an organization is often temporary, sporadic or fleeting. This happens because the change never permeates and alters the culture of the organization. Therefore, the notion of culture as the leading standard is essential for long-term success and growth.
Principle #2: Communicate Effectively and Build Relationships
- Relationships with every family are absolutely essential in the consistent engagement of families from grade level to grade level and school to school. Relationships and trust are born out of distinct, meaningful and thoughtful systems of communication that relate a value in reaching out and connecting with every family. Communication, for purposes of this principle, also includes the important concept of welcoming environments in schools.
Principle #3: Empower Every Family
- In simple terms, one definition of efficacy is the power of one (or some) to produce an effect. Establishing instructional and curricular processes that are inclusive of families begins to allow families to become immersed in school learning and to enhance and support learning at home.
Principle #4: Engage Every Family in Decision Making
- Every family needs a voice in certain school decisions, and school leaders must put into place mechanisms that ensure every voice will be heard. Family engagement in decision making ensures that policies, procedures, and practices have at their core a support for engaging every family.
Principle #5: Engage the Greater Community
- The key to effective community engagement is to first conceptualize what that engagement should look like, with a clear delineation of desired outcomes. There are rich and deep resources in most communities; however, many schools and districts struggle in leveraging those resources.
To learn more about Dr. Constantino click the links below for more information:
TELPAS
English Language Arts & Reading: Taking Running Records
Running records are taken most often at the earlier stages of reading. Taking a running record takes practice. The only way we are going to move students up in their reading levels is if we are listening to them read and planning instruction according to their needs. This is not something that is done once a month or every other week - for those students that are your main priority you should be meeting with them at least 3-4 days a week.
Listed below are some basic reminders on how to conduct a running record.
- Select a benchmark book that is at the student's instructional reading level. Explain that she/he will read out loud as you observe and record her/his reading skills.
- With the Running Record form in hand, sit next to the student so that you can see the text and the student's finger and eye movements as she/he reads the text.
- As the student reads, mark each word on the running record form by using the appropriate Running Record Symbols and Marking Conventions that is in your Guided Reading book or in the F&P Testing Kit. If possible place a check mark above each word that is read correctly.
- If the student reads incorrectly, record above the word what the student reads.
- If the student is reading too fast for you to record the running record, ask her/him to pause until you catch up.
- Be sure to pay attention to the reader's behavior. Is the student using meaning (M), structural (S), and visual (V) cues to read words and gather meaning?
- Do not prompt the student.
- If the student gets stuck on a word first wait 5-10 seconds. Then tell him/her “try something”. If the student still does not make an attempt to say the word, tell it to him/her, instruct the student to “go on” and mark the error with a “T.
If you are in need of guidance or modeling always remember you can reach out to your campus literacy coach or reading specialist to help. You can also give me (Marta Salazar) a call and I will find you the help that you need - 664-0981 ext. 1082
Guided Reading: Introducing Books
You may want to do the following when planning your book introductions:
- Write down one or two sentences about the main idea of the book.
- Jot down the page numbers of the illustrations that you can use to discuss concepts.
- Pick vocabulary that you want to use in conversation and/or explicitly define as you provide the introduction.
- Write down words that might be difficult for readers to solve that you might want to call attention to in the text or write on the board.
- Jot down information about the author, illustrator, or genre.
- Write down processing strategies that you want to reinforce.
- Note something special about the text features or book layout.
- Note unusual language structures that you want to make accessible to readers.
- Decide on the number of pages you want the students to read in this time period.
- Decide what you want readers to do when they finish the assigned reading.
from Guiding Readers and Writers p. 231
AHS Academic Decathlon State Bound
Congratulations to our AHS Academic Decathlon team that placed 2nd in the highly competitive medium school division at the regional tournament held on January 19-20 at Tuloso-Midway High School. Their cumulative scores earned them a spot in state competition, to be held in Frisco, Texas on February 22-25.
Individual winners at the regional meet are as follows:
Interview—Rose Torres, 1st (Honors Division)
Essay—Andrew Juarez,2nd (Varsity Division)
Music—Nicole Cuadra, 1st (Honors); Javi Martinez—3rd (Scholastic Division)
Science—Nicole Cuadra, 2nd (Honors); Javi Martinez, 2nd (Scholastic); Trent Rodriguez, 3rd (Scholastic); Andrew Juarez and Carlos Chavarria, tied for 3rd (Varsity)
Language and Literature—Nicole Cuadra, 1st (Honors); Andrew Juarez, 1st (Varsity)
Art—Rose Torres, 1st (Honors); Javi Martinez, 2nd (Scholastic); Trent Rodriguez, 3rd (Scholastic)
Social Science—Nicole Cuadra, 1st (Honors); Trent Rodriguez, 1st (Scholastic); Javi Martinez, 2nd (Scholastic); Andrew Juarez, 1st (Varsity); Carlos Chavarria, 3rd (Varsity)
Top Score on Team—Nicole Cuadra (Honors); Javi Martinez (Scholastic); Andrew Juarez (Varsity)
Individual Overall Winner (Highest Cumulative Score)—Nicole Cuadra, 4th (Honors); Javi Martinez, 3rd (Scholastic); Andrew Juarez, 4th (Varsity)
Congratulations to all team members and sponsor George Beltran. Your countless hours of intense after school and weekend practices have paid off. Good luck at state!
Spelling Bee
For the past several years Alice ISD has partnered with the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Unfortunately for the 2018 season, the Caller-Times is no longer participating as our regional sponsor. Spelling Bee will continue at Alice ISD, however. Campuses (elementary and intermediate) are to have their campuses bees complete by Friday, February 16th. We have a district bee scheduled for March 20th. For more information, you may contact Laurie Lerma, 664-0981 ext. 1063 or laurie.lerma@aliceisd.net.
Updates to 2018 STAAR Designated Supports (Accommodations)
2018 STAAR Designated supports (accommodations) are now available on the Texas Education Agency website. Click on the following link to access: https://tea.texas.gov/accommodations/
Policy changes to dictionary use for grades 3-5 have also been updated this year, as well as calculators for 8th grade Science. The following links are available for more information:
https://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/reading/ (Dictionary Policy)
https://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/math/ (Calculator Policy)
Lead4Ward is an excellent resource for designated supports as well. They offer an easy-to-read document on their website under the “test accessibility” tab: http://lead4ward.com/resources/
Alice ISD
Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction - Anna Holmgreen
Curriculum and Program Directors:
Erika Vasquez - DCSI, RtI Coordinator, Director of Science
Marta Salazar - Director of ELA, Dyslexia Coordinator, Coordinator for Parental Involvement
Laurie Lerma - Director of Advanced Academics, Social Studies and Testing Coordinator
Vanessa Snyder - Director of Math K-6 and PreK
Dr. Alma Garcia- Director of Federal Programs/Special Programs
Gracie Garcia- Director of Special Education
Bobbye Schanen - Technology
Email: anna.holmgreen@aliceisd.net
Website: www.aliceisd.net
Location: 2 Coyote Trail, Alice, TX, United States
Phone: 361-664-0981