OSP Connected
October 2020-Office for School Performance-Volume 42
Message from Dayle
I wanted to take a minute and talk about Wednesdays. Wednesdays are school days and we count them as instructional days for students to continue learning. Most of this instruction is through asynchronous lessons but there are times students and teachers connect synchronously. Wednesdays are flexible and are designed for one purpose- supporting student learning in a flexible day.
In CDL staff use that day for supporting student specific needs- like connecting with non attenders, small group instruction and answering individual questions- and other work that will support student needs. These other things may include planning with colleagues, reaching out to the ESL or instructional coach for support, crunching data to make instructional groups or learning new ways to engage more students in lessons. It is assumed that teachers will use this time to focus on what students need and that no Wednesday will look exactly the same. It is probable that one week you may see two students and one group for reteaching and the next week spend those hours planning with collegues to meet students differentiated needs and the following learn about some tech tools that will help engage your students experiencing disabilities.
Hopefully staff understand that we trust them as professionals and expect, in this CDL format, that staff are maximizing thier time, putting student needs first and also taking care of themselves. We also are responsible to the state and making sure we follow the expectations set forth for school districts. It's been a puzzle and we are thankful for HEA's partnership in the process of finding solutions.
As always, please ask questions of your principals or any of us here in OSP! Take care!
HSD Focus 2020-2021
INSTRUCTION: Student Engagement
Student engagement is the second of the 5 Dimensions of HSD’s instructional framework and plays a critical role in CDL. In module 6 of The Distance Learning Playbook, the authors invite us to think about student engagement beyond just cataloging who is submitting assignments or who is turning on their cameras. These examples fall under the first of the three historical dimensions of engagement: Behavioral engagement, cognitive engagement and emotional engagement. The goal is to get students to emotional engagement where they are engaging in discussions, posing questions, seeking help needed and exhibiting curiosity about a subject. As you plan for instruction, think about the tools you are using to engage students in each dimension. Each tool you use must be thought of as a function of engagement rather than just another digital tool. The author’s also recommend that you keep the number of digital tools limited to no more than 5 and to make sure your students learn how to use the tools.
CLIMATE AND CULTURE:
The shift to working online requires us to think a little differently about how to build the culture we want with our students. In our traditional brick and mortar classrooms, there are standard practices that most teachers use to build the desired culture. In shifting to online learning, these strategies rarely transfer perfectly. Culture can be built in the online setting, but it requires different strategies based on trust, respect, and responsibility. Consistent routines, clear expectations, the scaffolded release of responsibility, and genuine trust and care can go a long way in creating a nurturing environment where students thrive. To learn about specific strategies you can apply right away, check out the resources below.
Edutopia Article-Fostering a Strong Community in a Virtual Classroom
CASEL - 3 Signature Practices Structured framework to establish routine, connection, and predictability in your classroom on a daily basis.
CAREER & COLLEGE READY: College Virtual Visitations
It is that time of year, FAFSA and College Visitations! Please help to connect students to their School To Career Counselor, so that students and families are able to access all the support and information that is available to them. Please click here to view the College Rep Virtual Visit Calendar for Fall 2020.
In a normal school year the Hillsboro Chamber works collaboratively with community partners to put on Career Related Learning events as well as Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) to help students explore the vast array of careers in our community and practice professional skills. COVID-19 has not stopped this work, just modified what it looks like. Events and placements will still occur this year, but rather than be in person and individualized by student, the Chamber is organizing group virtual events for students to participate in. All events and guest speakers will be recorded so that students can access the information even if they were unable to attend the “live” event. Please click here for a mini presentation the Chamber put together for our teachers regarding the services they offer this year. In addition please check out their site for events, and as always connect with your School to Career Counselors as they are incredible resources.
Leading Change in HSD: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
As you know, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) journey continues this year as we center our work on three focus areas: Foundations, Support and Connections. Tied to our HSD goals is the belief that if we build a strong phase I based on our focused work, then we will achieve successful outcomes for ALL our students and community stakeholders.
Theory of Action
IF…
We build capacity, accountability and consistency for all stakeholders within our HSD community.
We gain a greater understanding of the needs of our staff while supporting and addressing the needs of our students.
We gain a greater understanding of the needs of our community while elevating the voices of all stakeholders within our HSD community
AND…AS A DISTRICT WE WILL
Allow teachers time to connect with the community they serve.
Identify equity partners, invite them to join the work, give them the power to make building changes, and enable them with social capital and freedom to establish allyship with other teachers.
Examine how the local community has been marginalized, and will actively work to educate staff.
Find spaces and times for parents and community members to have regular access to school facilities with equitable input into policy making and reforms.
THEN…
Our phase I goal will be achieved and we will build strong foundations as we lead change in HSD.
WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS BY
Explicitly creating and teaching shared and common vocabulary terms tied to key concepts tied on race, culture, diversity, inclusion and culturally responsiveness.
Creating one equity based school goal with actionable steps for success.
Encouraging teachers to create classroom goals based while focusing on your school equity goal.
Involvement in on-going, monthly professional development in order to have the skills, experience and resources to move towards a culturally responsive system.
Resources that can provide support and insight are listed below.
Equity Website (under construction)
Please reach out to Saideh Haghighi or Francesca Sinapi if you have any questions.
Coffee Conversations: Supporting in CDL
Please watch this edition of Coffee Conversations from Student Services to hear some of the easy supports you can provide students during Comprehensive Distance Learning. THANK YOU for the work you are doing to support all your students, including those experiencing disability! Reach out any time if you need additional ideas or just want to brainstorm.
New to the district or need a refresher? You can see all the Coffee Conversations here.
Tech Teach Grow
Our Purpose
This digital magazine is intended to support educators with technology integration in the classroom. Our hope is to provide HSD staff with tech integration ideas, info and updates via quick digital media easily accessible at your convenience. Everything we share works with current HSD tech.
Want a different result? Try something new!
Learn What’s Next…
Follow this link to a new (2.2) #TechForward>> digital magazine focused on the new Google Meet frustrations, features and updates…
Elementary Language Arts Adoption
Attendance in CDL: Attendance Tracking Tip
Here are some tips for teachers taking attendance:
· TeacherVUE is a cached based website. Periodically clearing browser history and cache will help all features work correctly
· Moving too quickly between screens can cause data to not save
· The green check mark to show attendance taken will appear when attendance is saved, regardless of the entry of data
o The save action is connected to the check mark
o This means if the attendance screen is opened, saved without entry or updating a prior days attendance and saved, the green check mark will show as taken attendance for today even though nothing was entered for the current day
· Don’t use the green check mark as a guide
· After attendance has been saved, look at the seating chart photos to see the attendance codes in the lower right corner Or after attendance has been saved, use the List view (see below) to verify attendance entry for current day:
Coming soon! Attendance Tracking in Google Meet!
What’s Changing?
Organizers of G Suite Enterprise for Education Google Meet sessions will now receive an attendance report via email once the meeting is over. This report can be used as a tool to help you complete your attendance in Synergy. Attendance reports will be generated for web or mobile meetings with at least five (and no more than 250) participants and will contain the following information for each:
- Participant’s name
- Participant’s email
- Length of time a participant was on the call, including when they joined and exited
Click here for more information!
Teaching & Learning Office Hours
In order to support the needs and questions of educators across the district, the small team of TOSAs in our Teaching & Learning department are hosting office hour options throughout the week. These office hours are intended for educators to receive support as issues and questions pop up. You can drop in and out during any designated office hours time. Before you join an office hour, we encourage you to check the FAQ documents, linked in the document below, to see if it can quickly answer your question(s).
If by the end of this week the number of participants no longer necessitates a daily General Elementary and daily General Secondary Office hours, then we will be scaling back the frequency of these opportunities and supporting educators one on one as needs arise.
Teaching & Learning Office Hours
Google Professional Development Opportunity
G Suite Fundamentals - Fast Track PD
We are excited to announce our district’s participation in Google for Education’s new PD initiative: G Suite Fundamentals - Fast Track PD. If you’re interested in learning how to use Google tools in the classroom, and/or if you want to become a Google Certified Educator Level 1, sign up for the program here.
What can you expect if you register?
Over the course of 6 weeks, you’ll receive an email each Monday morning from the Google for Education team highlighting content from the Teacher Center, and sharing exam preparation tips and hints.
This condensed PD program will help you:
- get familiar with G Suite for Education tools and their classroom application
- understand how Google tools can make your life easier
- prepare for the Google Certified Educator Level 1 exam