GV BOCES School Improvement
June 2022 Newsletter
News You Can Use
NYSED Offers Sample Test Items for 5th & 8th Grade Science Exams
The Office of State Assessment has posted Test Sample Items for the new Elementary-Level Science (Grade 5) and Intermediate-Level Science (Grade 8) Examinations, aligned to the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards. The new Elementary-Level Science (Grade 5) and Intermediate-Level Science (Grade 8) Examinations will measure the three dimensions of the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards and will be administered beginning in Spring 2024.
Commencement: Temporary Expansion To File An Appeal
For the 2021-2022 or the 2022-2023 school year, NYSED has approved a temporary expansion of the existing process to appeal to graduate with a lower score on a Regents Examination. Below are some bulleted points drawn from the May 16, 2022 Memo from Commissioner Rosa.
Unlike the ordinary appeal provision, a student does not need to have taken the examination under special appeal twice, nor participated in academic assistance, provided by the school in the subject tested by the Regents Examination under special appeal
The appeal process may be completed any time prior to a student’s graduation
An appeal committee, comprised of the school principal as chair, three teachers (not including the teacher of the student making the appeal), and one additional administrator, will gather evidence of knowledge and skills
The decision to grant or deny an appeal is made by the school superintendent
A student’s parent (or person in parental relation) may refuse an appeal granted
All records relating to appeals must be maintained by the school and be available for inspection by the Department
Students may choose to have their score on the exam or an indication of “SA” for special appeal recorded on their transcript
The Department does not require or recommend that schools use Regents Examination grades as part of the calculation of a student's final average
NYSED APPR Update: 2021-2022 School Year
Due to concerns related to the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Hochul signed Chapter 201 of the Laws of 2022. This bill excuses school districts and BOCES from the requirement to complete a teacher’s or principal’s evaluation under Education Law §3012-d and Regents Rules 30-3, for the 2021-22 school year. The Bill also eliminates any state aid penalties for school districts that fail to implement any component of their approved APPR plans. NSYED is still collecting APPR data and hopes LEAs will continue to send it. Below, you will find the May 18, 2022 NYSED released memo and highlights of the guidance for your convenience.
Continue Your Professional Learning
Featured Speaker: Patrice Bain
Description: Have you had students struggle to remember what was taught the previous year, semester, or even the last month? Have you had students internalize failure, thinking they won’t succeed because they’re “not smart”? There are reasons, researched reasons, why this happens. Patrice Bain, a veteran teacher and co-author of Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning, knows the rigor required for the classroom. Having worked with cognitive scientists for over fifteen years, Bain developed teaching strategies based on robust research that improves learning. Best of all, these strategies don’t add to teachers’ already filled plates but will streamline what they are already doing. In this engaging and interactive workshop, Patrice Bain will unlock the research and provide evidence-based strategies that will transform your teaching so that all students will be successful learners.
In this workshop, educators will:
Learn the research behind: retrieval, spacing, interleaving, and feedback-driven metacognition
Understand how cognitive load, working memory, and desirable difficulties play a role in learning
Discern learning “myths” vs. “truths”
Grasp how simple changes to what they are already doing will increase student learning
Leave the workshop with a repertoire of tools and strategies that can be used the following day
Date: June 8, 2022
Location: LeRoy Service Center, 80 Munson Street, Le Roy, NY 14482
Time: 8:30am-3:00pm
What We Teach; FOCUS in Focus - Part 1 of 2
For decades, public schools have focused their general attention on dramatically improving student outcomes with varying degrees of success. General approaches to streamline this occurrence have historically concentrated on topical measures of innovation. However, as Jim Collins writes, “the key to success is not innovation; it is a combination of ‘simplicity and diligence’ applied with fierce, exclusive devotion…” (Schmoker, 2018, as cited in Collins, 2001b, p. 104). But what exactly do simplicity and diligence look like in school reform? These such questions are directly addressed in Focus; Elevating The Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning, by Schmoker, who hypothesizes that the “general underperformance of schools is directly attributed to a failure to implement three simple, well-known elements: coherent curriculum, soundly structured lessons, and adequate amounts of fairly traditional literacy activities” (2018, p. 7). In other words, our failure to improve schools, occurs due to a lack of clarity; clarity in what we teach, and how we teach it. These elements of clarity address the simplicity and diligence that all schools need. What we teach fundamentally is synonymous with “the actual, taught curriculum” (Schmoker, 2018, p. 19).
The foundational discussion point here, is that schools far too often assume they possess and implement something akin to a coherent curriculum (Schmoker, 2018). Sadly, this assumption is far too often “‘a grave…[,] misleading myth’” (Schmoker, 2018, as cited by Hirsch in DuFour & Marzano, 2011, p.90). Instead of attempting to define what it currently is, that most schools teach, which most likely manifests itself as some form of skills-based test preparation (Munson, 2011), it is considerably more efficient to define what it should be that schools teach. According to Marzano (2011), when addressing the question: what should schools should be teaching?, the answer is a “guaranteed and viable curriculum;” whereas, guaranteed refers to an agreed-upon content (e.g. the essential skills, concepts, and knowledge), by all instructors at a particular grade level or course. Viable represents a mapped out time period that affords reasonable assurance that the agreed upon content can actually be taught within the allotted amount of instructional time (Marzano, 2003). The existence of a guaranteed and viable curriculum is essential. In fact, “A coherent curriculum may have more effect on [student] achievement levels than any other factor” (Schmoker, p. 19) and “the benefits… are prodigious: without it, there can be ‘no educational equity’ and no meaningful teacher collaboration” (p. 21). Ultimately, in creating and ensuring the implementation of a guaranteed and viable curriculum there is an attempt to prevent the gap between the written and taught curriculum that most schools possess (as cited by Dufour & Marzano, 2011, p. 89). Take a moment to reflect on this foundational discussion point and work through the following questions:
What does your school teach?
Is it a coherent curriculum?
Is it guaranteed and viable?
And most importantly for all of your answers to these questions: How do you know?
Preparing for the Genesee Valley BOCES Leadership Institute 2022
School Improvement Spotlights
Hot Off The Press: School Improvement Professional Learning for 2022-2023
As we embark into the 2022-2023 school year, the School Improvement Team (SIT) hopes Genesee Valley BOCES (GVB) component districts are excited to begin anew. In this year's catalog, you will notice an emphasis on providing a variety of technology-based professional learning opportunities (i.e. webinars, online courses, self-paced courses, and hybrid online sessions) alongside the traditional in-person options. Our staff of highly-skilled instructional leaders conduct ongoing research to ensure professional learning is delivered to teachers, administrators, and boards of education in a thoughtful and engaging manner, that leads participants toward mastering their craft. As you learn more about our offerings, we are confident you will find training opportunities that align with the New York State Professional Development Standards that lead to increased student learning.
As always, through authentic learning opportunities, SIT provides quality, cost-effective educational services in collaboration with our component school districts to ensure we have the tools to prepare all students for college and careers. Our helpful, knowledgeable professional development teams are available to meet with you to discuss your training needs. Use the resources below, as a guide for professional development opportunities available to you. Know that we are willing to customize training to meet the individual learning needs of your staff as well. If you are looking for training not included in our catalog, please reach out to the Director, Coordinator, or Specialist of each department.
Follow School Improvement on Twitter
Don’t forget that you can follow the School Improvement Team (SIT) on Twitter. The team is often posting information about upcoming professional learning opportunities, educational resources, and strategies for the classroom. You can stay in tune with what is happening at Genesee Valley BOCES and the SIT by following #gvbocessit.
Need Support?
Website: http://www.gvboces.org/services.cfm?subpage=208119
Location: 80 Munson Street, Le Roy, NY, USA
Phone: 585.344.7923