the RAH
Feb 27 - Mar 3, 2017
from AAA
i-Ready MOY Parent Reports are now available for teachers to print and send home. These reports give parents a snapshot of student progress and growth between the BOY and MOY assessment, for both reading and math.
With MAP testing quickly approaching, please make sure your students are practicing the Online Tools Training. Here is the link to the tools: https://wbte.drcedirect.com/MO/portals/mo Please note, this link must be opened using the Google Chrome web browser.
Thanks for all you do. If you have any assessment questions, please contact Dave Whitham,
Coordinator of Assessment, at dlwhitham@spsmail.org
We need to know!
Drills
Spring Break
from Brady Quirk-
What are the deadlines for certified staff summatives and classified staff annual evaluations?
- · Last year we moved the deadline back to May 1st for both certified and classified staff. The exception would be a performance concern, which by this time you would have alerted your executive director
What do I need to do with Certified staff?
- · For probationary teachers and tenured on-cycle, first close out/sign off on the growth plans so that data will flow into the summative report.
- · Complete the summative report, culminating with an overall rating. Utilize the descriptors on the Overall Rating Grid to make that determination.
- · For tenured off-cycle teachers, please close out/sign off on the growth plan prior to the end of the year.
What do I need to do with Classified staff?
- · This year we added Learning Division-based classified staff evaluation forms into Tower. There is a self-evaluation and/or reflection section to be completed by the staff member and a site administrator section that evaluates performance.
- · These forms are signed off by the staff member and the site administrator using the four-digit PIN. Staff members may locate their PIN under User Settings in the drop down menu next to his/her name.
- · Some classified staff evaluations may require feedback from teachers, librarians, process coordinators, etc. that work closely with the classified staff member. Seek out the required feedback and/or request the feedback be emailed to the site administrator – it is not possible to provide teachers, librarians, process coordinators, etc. with access to classified staff profiles.
The F+ Rule
In school, my kids feel if they don’t get an A+ all of the time then they are doing poorly.
Schools try to get kids to get A+ scores because their funding depends on it. This is ruining kids.
In real life, if 51% of your decisions are mostly good, then you will be a massive success in life (in Baseball, of course, if only 30% of the time you hit safely to base then you are an all-star).
If more than 70% of your decisions are good then you are probably a failure. You aren’t taking enough risks.
50–60% seems to be the right mix. Practice being wrong.
Springfield Council of PTAs
Wednesday, Mar 1, 2017, 09:00 AM
Sunshine Elementary School, East Sunshine Street, Springfield, MO, United States
from the Mayor-
Regarding my goal of providing Tower data on 4 principals each week, this week I met my goal and provided 6 principals with data.
I’ve reflected on my weaknesses of trust and empathy. In doing so, I realized that I don’t know the background of many of my colleagues. As a result, I’m asking for your voluntary participation in providing me more information about yourself. To participate, please click here. The information collected will only by accessible to me.
Here is the link to the Writer’s Workshop Fidelity Check Teacher Observation Form with directions from Brian. https://goo.gl/forms/oZ6APC2lzqLSUIXx2
- Click on the link to the form when you are ready to observe a teacher.
- Enter the score for each component, and be sure to click “Submit” after each teacher observation.
- Your responses for each observation will be saved in a Google Sheet. Once your observations are completed, I will send you your spreadsheet with charts for your building.
- If you need a summary/reminder of teachers you observed at any time, just let me know.
- The fidelity check window will open Monday, February 13th and will go through the last day of school.
- Please observe each teacher that does Writer’s Workshop, including SPED teachers if they are expected to do Writer’s Workshop.
- If you have student teachers or permanent subs, feel free to observe them and give them a score using the paper IC if you’d like to. However, you should not include their scores on the Google Form since they are not a permanent certificated teacher at your site.
- Please call or email Bret or Brian if you have questions or need assistance.
from J-
So much good work going on! I know 3rd quarter grind is in full swing. But just don't be exhausted, be wonderfully exhausted. Know and consider it a blessing that you get to make a difference every day for so many. How did you get to be so lucky?
Thanks for putting students first. Please accept the challenge and opportunity to acknowledge your students, by their name, this week :)