"Oskaloosa Syllabus"
September, 2014 - News You Can Use!
Site Visit October 21st - 23rd
Oskaloosa will be celebrating our success and showcasing the great things we have accomplished in our schools in the last five years on October 21st - 23rd to the Department of Education.
The site visit team consists of the following folks from around the state of Iowa:
Interview schedules have been created and hopefully shared with members. If not, it will be forthcoming! The following are teams who will be interviewed over the three days.
The site visit team consists of the following folks from around the state of Iowa:
- Barb Byrd - DE Lead School Improvement/Site Visit Coordinator
- Steve Blake (Special Ed Cadre)
- Jeannette Thomas (DE Career/Tech Education/Equity)
- Sandy Johnson (DE – Title I)
- Mike Stiemsma (GPAEA, School Improvement, Special Education)
- Jen Adams (GPAEA – School Improvement)
- Buffy Campbell (Central City CSD – Elementary Principal)
Interview schedules have been created and hopefully shared with members. If not, it will be forthcoming! The following are teams who will be interviewed over the three days.
- HS Students
- MS Students
- Learning Supports Staff - Guidance, At-Risk, Nurse, Homeless Coordinator, Alternative Program
- Principals
- Curriculum Director
- Superintendent
- Instructional Support Staff - Para-Educators
- Learning Support Staff - Media, ESL, Title I, Technology)
- CTE (Career and Technical Ed.)
- General Education Teachers
- Special Education Teachers
- CTE Advisory Group
- DAC
- School Board
There will also be tours of each building during the site visit!
The district begins with a presentation around the following categories:
- Vision, Mission, and Goals
- Leadership
- Collaborative Relationships
- Learning Environment
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Professional Development
- Monitoring and Accountability
At the end of Day 3 the DE team lead will provide an exit discussion on our strengths and areas of improvement. Any, and all, are invited to attend if you are free!
Oskaloosa is OFF of DINA List - Delayed SINA!!!
SINA - School in Need of Assistance
DINA - District in Need of Assistance
SINA - When we do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for either Reading and/or Math for two years in a row, district are placed on this "list". It takes two years of meeting AYP to be removed from the list. Oskaloosa Elementary is SINA for both reading and math in the subgroups of Low SES and IEP.
DINA - When all of your school buildings do not meet AYP in reading and/or Math your district is on the "list". We were on the DINA list for Math and Reading.
DINA - District in Need of Assistance
SINA - When we do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for either Reading and/or Math for two years in a row, district are placed on this "list". It takes two years of meeting AYP to be removed from the list. Oskaloosa Elementary is SINA for both reading and math in the subgroups of Low SES and IEP.
DINA - When all of your school buildings do not meet AYP in reading and/or Math your district is on the "list". We were on the DINA list for Math and Reading.
- This year we have been removed from the DINA list because we made AYP in at the Elementary and the HS for the 2nd year in a row!!!!!!!!
- This year we are on SINA 3 Delay because the Elementary made AYP in Math and Reading for Low SES and IEP. Basically, our plan is "on hold" for the year - if we make AYP this school year, we will be removed from the SINA list all together!
Thank you to the entire staff for their hard work. The SINA Team at the Elementary should be especially thanked for their hard work creating the plan and monitoring the implementation.
What is the purpose of Grading and Report Cards?
The DLT brainstormed some possible statements to guide our professional practice around grading and report cards. This statement will eventually be put on the front of all report cards and be our guiding statement for WHY and HOW we provide feedback to students and parents about learning. Here is one the group is refining....
We will approve a statement at the October meeting.
We will approve a statement at the October meeting.
"The purpose of grading and report cards in the Oskaloosa CSD is to provide quality, specific feedback [to students and parents regarding] progress being made toward meeting established Learning Goals"
HS Planning for 2015 SBG Pilot
There is a group of dedicated teachers at the HS planning for a potential Pilot of SBG. They are brainstorming anything and everything required for a successful implementation in the fall. From how to communicate to parents and students to how Infinite Campus will be used, this group is focusing their time and energy to make grading more about learning than "chasing the points or grade". The group will update the DLT in October on their progress toward their goal.
Parent/Teacher Conferences in October
Parent Teacher Conferences are a chance to update parents on the progress of their children.
What to Do/Say: Explain to parents what Learning Targets you have been working on so far this year. What tasks have they been completing in class along the way? Describe what their strengths are and areas for improvement. Let parents know how they can support the work at home. What social/emotional information can you provide? Make deposits before you make a withdrawal - i.e. - tell parents what the student is doing "right" before you tell them what they are doing "wrong"
What NOT to Do/Say: Do not just tell parents test scores, assignment scores or their letter grade they are receiving. Parents can log on to Infinite Campus to get that information.
Ideas for Improved Communication and Ownership: Have students complete a self-assessment of what they have done and what they have learned. Take your student data wall with you to the conference. Students should complete it and reflect on what they are doing well and what they need to do to improve. This one simple thing will focus your conference on the student and not the grade!!!!
What to Do/Say: Explain to parents what Learning Targets you have been working on so far this year. What tasks have they been completing in class along the way? Describe what their strengths are and areas for improvement. Let parents know how they can support the work at home. What social/emotional information can you provide? Make deposits before you make a withdrawal - i.e. - tell parents what the student is doing "right" before you tell them what they are doing "wrong"
What NOT to Do/Say: Do not just tell parents test scores, assignment scores or their letter grade they are receiving. Parents can log on to Infinite Campus to get that information.
Ideas for Improved Communication and Ownership: Have students complete a self-assessment of what they have done and what they have learned. Take your student data wall with you to the conference. Students should complete it and reflect on what they are doing well and what they need to do to improve. This one simple thing will focus your conference on the student and not the grade!!!!
DLT Update
DLT formed their goals at the last DLT meeting. This is the goal and some action steps for this year.
100% of teachers will understand, plan with, and incorporate the Tool for Improvement into instruction during the 2014-2015 school year as part of Oskaloosa’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports
Possible action steps include:
100% of teachers will understand, plan with, and incorporate the Tool for Improvement into instruction during the 2014-2015 school year as part of Oskaloosa’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports
Possible action steps include:
- DLT members will become fluent using the Tool for Improvement
- DLT will review scenarios using the tool
- Make time built into PLC to review the Tool and (CEI)
- Create a protocol for accountability of implementation
- Collect data from walk through observations to determine strengths and areas of improvement – PD?
- DLT will monitor MTSS implementation
- Review data by grade level monthly
- Provide recommended resources to buildings
- Make recommendations for further improvement based on the data
Vision/Mission Posters
All teachers should have the following posters displayed in their classrooms:
- New Vision/Mission
- Oskaloosa Beliefs (Wordle poster)
- Characteristics of Effective Instruction
- Booms Taxonomy
- Style Guide - siting sources
PLEASE TAKE DOWN
- OLD VISION/MISSION
- STUDENT LEARNING GOALS - I see some of these still displayed - the Oskaloosa Beliefs poster take the place of this poster!
PLCs to Watch for October - Kindergarten AND 4th Grade
Each month PLCs will continue to present and discuss what happens during their PLC collaboration. October presentation are both Kindergarten AND 4th Grade
KIndergarten - PLC To Watch in October
Kindergarten SMART Goal and Action Plan
100% of kindergarten students will achieve mastery of the pre-reading skills (as listed in our formative measures/goals) necessary to become a beginning reader by the end of the 2014-2015 school year.
100% of kindergarten students will achieve mastery of the pre-reading skills (as listed in our formative measures/goals) necessary to become a beginning reader by the end of the 2014-2015 school year.
- Fountas & Pinnell Training
- Incorporate Fountas and Pinnell Continuum ideas into lesson planning
- Monthly study of the kindergarten section of Fountas and Pinnell Contimuum
- Further study of Readers' Workshop implementatoin
- Further study of Tier 2 instruction Fine tune small group instruction within the classroom
- Beanie Baby strategies
- Fundations
- Student independent practice
- Student conferencing
- Guided Reading (SGI)
- RTI
- Literary Stations
- Rainbow sight words and letter rings
- Home-School sightword, letter, and sound work
4th Grade - PLC to Watch in October!
100% of fourth graders will achieve a 3 or higher on a monthly problem solving assessment.
The purpose of our SMART goal is for students to analyze math problems and use skills and strategies to solve real world problems. Students will apply the 6 step method to break down and solve the story problem
1. Together, we will create an ongoing anchor chart of the key terms and vocabulary for each operation.
2. We will also include/add to an anchor chart with the 6 step method for solving story problems.
3.Each student will get a color coded personal anchor chart that matches the classroom anchor chart to refer to when needed.
4. We will have a story problem of the day that students will complete during morning work. As a class, we will check our work and discuss different strategies that we used to solve the problem. Students will also have up to 8 additional problems on each lesson practice page. Students will apply the same 6 steps to these problems, as well.
Tool For Improvement - Learning Targets
Each month I will focus on one of the categories of the "Tool for Improvement" This month it will be Learning Targets.
Learning Targets are important for both teacher focused lesson planning and increased student learning. All teachers are required to have I CAN statements posted in their classroom.
Why Learning Targets are Critical - What the Research Says:
Learning Targets are important for both teacher focused lesson planning and increased student learning. All teachers are required to have I CAN statements posted in their classroom.
Why Learning Targets are Critical - What the Research Says:
- Provides focused direction for the lesson- to the teacher as well as the student
- When students know what they are learning, they are better able to monitor and adjust their work
- Students are able to connect to prior learning
- Clear Goals are articulated so students know where their learning is headed
- When students interact with the Learning Target, they have a better idea of what they know and what they do not know, where they are headed, and how to get there
- Students area able to filter what they should be doing during a lesson by asking themselves how the task aligns to the target
- All Learning Targets add up to a sequence of learning goals in order to meet the expectation of the GLB and the Iowa Core.
Brookhart, Susan M. & Moss, Connie M. "Learning Targets on Parade" Educational Leadership. October 2014, pages 28-33.
One Word
What have you done since the start of the school year to live the meaning of the "one word" you have chosen? Many of you have it up in your room, you have it at the end of your e-mail, or you sent me your one word.
That is JUST THE FIRST STEP!!!!!! If you have not thought about your ONE WORD since that time, dust if off and make it come alive.
Mine are Positive and Together -- I get up every day and choose a positive attitude - this year has hope for me. We need to tackle any problems we face with a positive attitude and as a team. I have my words handing in my office, up on a bulletin board in Central Office, and at the bottom of my e-mail. I want to live each word - each day!
I challenge you to tell me how you have lived your "one word"!
That is JUST THE FIRST STEP!!!!!! If you have not thought about your ONE WORD since that time, dust if off and make it come alive.
Mine are Positive and Together -- I get up every day and choose a positive attitude - this year has hope for me. We need to tackle any problems we face with a positive attitude and as a team. I have my words handing in my office, up on a bulletin board in Central Office, and at the bottom of my e-mail. I want to live each word - each day!
I challenge you to tell me how you have lived your "one word"!
TLC - Teacher Leader Compensation Grant Update
The TLC Committee will start to refine and rewrite the TLC Grant due October 31st! Mr. Reiter, myself, Mrs. Liebl, and Mr. Bandy have taken part in a couple of sessions to analyze our grant questions and learn what the grant readers are looking for in a well-written grant.
The committee will meet on October 1st to begin the rewriting process. The AEA has a grant peer review we will attend on October 15th. We are hopeful we can make the necessary changes required to receive the grant dollars this year.
If you have any questions, or are interested in becoming an Instructional Coach or Leader in the district, see your building Principal!
The committee will meet on October 1st to begin the rewriting process. The AEA has a grant peer review we will attend on October 15th. We are hopeful we can make the necessary changes required to receive the grant dollars this year.
If you have any questions, or are interested in becoming an Instructional Coach or Leader in the district, see your building Principal!
October Challenge Question
What "list" did the school district get removed from because we made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)??
October Curriculum Team Schedule
- October 17th - MS/HS Language Arts teachers
- October 24th - K-12 Math
- October 27th - 4th Grade Team
- October 28th - K-12 Tech, PE, and Library
- October 5th Grade changed to November 11th!!!!
Have you talked to an Instructional Coach lately!?
- Do you want to improve your professional practice?
- Do you have ANY area of teaching you want to improve?
- Do you want to work with experts in your building?
WELL.... THEN
Have you thought about working with an Instructional Coach at the Elementary or Middle School? Oskaloosa is fortunate to have three highly qualified instructional coaches willing and able to help anyone with all aspects of teaching. Make an appointment with them and see what professional learning they can offer!!
Iowa Core/Common Core Teachable Moments
Student To Student Assessment
Teacher Quality Funds
Do you want to attend a professional conference or workshop?
Do not forget there are dollars available to either go as an individual or team. Ask Dr. Cooksley how to apply!!!
Do not forget there are dollars available to either go as an individual or team. Ask Dr. Cooksley how to apply!!!