The Roundup
A gathering space for educators
March 2019
In the Instructional Services department at Van Buren Intermediate School District, supporting teachers and administrators with instruction is the heart of our work. It is our hope that this monthly newsletter will help capture upcoming events and important information to support your work in your districts, schools, and classrooms.
Check out our upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities at the bottom of this newsletter!
MTSS Connections
Our MTSS Cohort is beginning to dip their toes into the world of common formative assessments that are tightly aligned to the essential standards that we have been creating. The video below gives a quick idea of why these particular assessments are so important when driving interventions for students.
MTSS Facilitator for VBISD
Cheryl-Marie A. Manson - cmanson@vbisd.org 269-330-2668
Reading
Literacy and Assessment
Once universal screeners (i.e. NWEA, DIBELS) are administered, we don't always know what to do next or we haven't learned very much about how to support our students. How do we know what to teach? Well, the reality is that these screeners are just a temperature reading and give us an indicator of where we may need to start. If we don't know what to teach, it could mean we don't have all the data we need.
Essential Practice #9: Ongoing observation and assessment of children's language and literacy development that informs their education outlines how we can gather this data so that we can deliver effective and appropriate whole group and small group instruction. What might this look like? In this video you can view how a teacher uses observation as a tool to collect assessment data in order to make instructional decisions.
Using Daily 5/CAFE? If you are looking to assess strategies, you can access assessments from the Daily Cafe website or ask Geanice or Melissa for assistance with this.
VBISD's Early Literacy Coach/Consultants
Geanice Miller - gmiller@vbisd.org 269-271-9813
Melissa Wierenga - mwierenga@vbisd.org 269-599-7259
Math
Pre-K to 3rd Grade Essential Practices for Teaching Mathematics
Last month, our statewide group of General Education Leaders (GELN) approved a list of teaching practices that should be considered "essential" for teaching mathematics to students from Pre-K to 3rd grade.
Stay tuned to this section of our newsletter for details on how the state plans to embrace the work, and what we can all do to support each other around them.
Curriculum Coordinator
Ben Tomlinson - btomlinson@vbisd.org 269-330-1347
Science
Talk Moves in Science
Curriculum Coordinator
Ben Tomlinson - btomlinson@vbisd.org 269-330-1347
Technology
Van Buren ISD Technology Services
Online Saftey
National Online Safety: "Here you will find the most up to date guides for social media apps and platforms. Click on the icons below to find out more information about each app and to download our useful tips to help keep children safe."
Social Studies
Behavior
Pump up the Praise!
Looking for a quick and easy way to improve behavior in your classroom? Increase your praise rates! Research indicates that praise should be delivered at a ratio of 4:1. That means that for every 1 criticism (e.g., correction, redirection), we should deliver 4 praises, encouragements, or acknowledgements of positive student behavior. Increased praise rates can improve overall classroom culture, help shape student behaviors, and ensure that the majority of teacher attention is provided for on-task student behavior and not off-task behavior. Positive comments, high-fives, stickers, notes of encouragement, and awarding tickets for demonstrating key characteristics are all great ways to increase your praise rates.
Read more here:
Positive Praise (www.pbisworld.com)
Making Sure Your Praise is Effective (www.edutopia.org)
Teacher Praise: An Efficient Tool to Motivate Students (www.interventioncentral.org)
Upcoming Professional Learning and Events!
Get the Data, Get the Answers!
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
TWO Separate Trainings
8:30 to 11:30
or
12:00 to 3:00
Register at VBISD.org
Answering data questions the easy way!
-Tips for your Annual Education Report
-Accountability Reports & School Improvement
-Find school data quickly & for free!
Need a login? Complete a new
account request from your school
administrator or Tonda Boothby &
return it to tboothby@vbisd.org.
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019, 08:00 AM
490 South Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, MI, USA
Daily 5 for Literacy Leaders
Tuesday, May 28, 2019, 08:00 AM
490 South Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, MI, USA
VBISD Cultural Agility Training
Flyer for the Event can be found HERE
Cultural Agility is the ability to be one's authentic cultural self while engaging others and honoring their authentic cultural selves. Research shows that every interaction is a cultural interaction based upon lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and disposition so every individual has a unique and authentic cultural self. Learn how to embrace your cultural self
to authentically engage with students, families and colleagues to maximize learner engagement. Marcy L. Peake, MA, LPC, NCC, CFLE from the Center for Cultural Agility will invoke self-reflection, evoke discussions and activities, and provoke confidence and skill building to increase cultural engagement for all.
Two sessions are available: 8 - 11:30; 12:15 - 3:15
Questions: Contact Theresa Ouzts at touzts@vbisd.org
Register for this event by clicking here.
Friday, Mar 22, 2019, 12:00 AM
490 South Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, MI, USA
VBISD Instructional Services Department
Location: 490 South Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, MI, USA
Phone: 269-674-8091
Twitter: @VBISD