The Bulletin
Division of School & District Effectiveness
August 2015
"Improving on Your Previous Best"
Purposes
The SDE Bulletin: to provide regular, timely information to increase the shared understanding of our team of School & District Effectiveness professionals
Our Shared SDE Purpose: to increase collective leadership capacity to understand what effective schools and districts know and do, and to support the leaders to own their improvement processes
Previous Editions of The Bulletin
August 2014- https://www.smore.com/700mx
September 2014- https://www.smore.com/huyyh
October 2014- https://www.smore.com/std20
November 2014- https://www.smore.com/09uva
December 2014/January 2015- https://www.smore.com/09uva
February- https://www.smore.com/hrzfv
March 2015- https://www.smore.com/6wsrq
April 2015- https://www.smore.com/9vbmj
May 2015- https://www.smore.com/gwjuk
June 2015- https://www.smore.com/4suf4
July 2015- https://www.smore.com/kk5zr
This Month
I sure do miss Melba Fugitt, don't you?
AND, I am GOING to miss Paulette Richmond, who is taking her skills to Dougherty County...they are fortunate, indeed, and we will miss you, Paulette!
HOW WE WORK:
I know there are some new terms and titles. Remember that we are trying to make things line up so they make sense within SDE and with other Divisions and Agencies.
One thing that has changed some is the name and purpose of meetings. Here's how I see it.
I'm a school person (always will be). In schools, the administrators gather weekly to plan for the week and the upcoming Leadership Team meeting. For our Regions, when the Area Administrative Team meets, they are like an administrative team in a school. The Area Program Manager, like a Principal, meets with the Area's 2 District Effectiveness Specialists, 2 Lead SESs, the Area Program Assessment Specialist, and the RESA Core members from the Area's RESAs. This Area Administrative Team plans for what's ahead and for the Region Leadership Team meetings.
The Region Leadership Team is like the Leadership Team in a school. It makes decisions about what is needed in the different districts (like grade levels or departments in a school) and monitor the Region Support Plan (like the School Improvement Plan is monitored by the Leadership Team). The Region Leadership Team is comprised of the District Effectiveness Specialist and the Lead, the Area Program Assessment Specialist, RESA Directors, GLRS Directors, and representatives from other Divisions (e.g., Special Education). They constantly monitor and push forward the Region Support Plan.
Grade level meetings or Departmental meetings in a school? They are like our Region Team meetings. It's where the details of the plan are hashed out and put into action and where professional learning happens so that the team has what it needs to deploy the plan. In our Region Team meetings are the District Effectiveness Specialist and Lead, along with the School Effectiveness Specialist team and the RESA School Improvement Specialists.
So what are the SDE PL meetings? It's when we all gather, hear the same message, get some whole group professional learning, get reminded of the big picture of SDE, etc. A lot like a faculty meeting in a school, right?
There is virtually nothing that we should be doing that is not also conceptually done in schools and districts. And those practices that we constantly recognize that schools and districts are missing or are in poor shape? Well, we too should be following similar practices (and, improving them too). We must do what we require schools and districts do. If we can't do it, how can we ask schools and districts to do it?
So, I have an intriguing question: what would you consider to be your primary team? Think about it. If you are an Area Program Manager, for instance, is your answer that your Area Administrative Team is your primary team? I would disagree. Your primary team is the Program Manager Team. If Sam Taylor, for instance, considers his Area Administrative Team his primary team, then he has just created a silo; a Metro silo.
Are you a School Effectiveness Specialist? Would you consider your SES team, for instance the Northeast SES Team, to be your primary team? I would contend that you just created a silo. Should you not consider the entire Region Team (including RESA SISs, etc.) as part of your primary team?
Many times we think that the "higher ups" create silos and we can't do anything about. I would argue that we are the ones that create and/or maintain silos, and that we have the ability and responsibility to think of our work together differently and to make it happen. We can tear silos down and we can avoid creating them in the first place. That's what it means to lead, right?
I have the same expectations about how we meet that I did as a school and district leader. Here are just a few thoughts/expectations:
- We have a calendar. The scheduled meetings are, as mush as possible, your first commitment. That way you can get what you need to be prepared to meet needs in the Region. And if you are the leader of a team meeting, we don't change a meeting date it because someone has a conflict, mess up everyone else's calendar in the process, and then try to find an open spot in everyone's calendar. Ever had that happen? It's very frustrating to those who plan ahead.
- I am reasonable enough to know that conflicts on occasion do occur. If so, I expect that you get a colleague to take any information from you to the meeting and to bring back information from the meeting to you. And if I, as a leader of a regularly scheduled meeting, keep hearing that a person has conflicts, I know that he/she is not on the same page (on the same team).
- Meetings should have a reasonable time limit and that time should be respected as much as possible. Rehashing, moaning, complaining, failing to bring what you agreed to bring, torpedoing a meeting, etc., are all extremely disrespectful to the folks on the team who are there to work and to get things done for kids and schools.
- When we talk in a team meeting, we should be succinct and not take up all the air space. We actually DO work in meetings.
- We need everyone's constructive, positive, active participation in meetings.
Read below what your Area Program Managers wrote (it's good stuff) and think about how our new alignment is intended to give us a structure where we ALL can do the work that we are called to do for Georgia's students.
From Areas/Regions
Paulette Richmond, North; Sam Taylor, Metro; Patty Rooks, South
Last month (July), we shared the following information:
Our new structure offers three very distinct shifts in our work related to collaboration.
- Lead SES and DES will provide collective, focused co-leadership and support to the region team.
- One region support plan which will be developed based on the region-specific data and root cause analyses and subsequently include identified universal and targeted supports.
- Collaborative planning, problem-solving and work as evidenced by the “SDE planned meetings and communications,” which includes representation from RESA, GLRS and GaDOE divisions. This perspective reminds us to ask the questions, “Who else needs to know this? “Who else should be involved in this decision?”
This month (August), we’d like to take a minute to review what our shifts looked like in practice at our July SDE PL region meetings.
- It was evident that the area program managers, district effectiveness specialists (DES), lead school effectiveness specialists (LSES), and area program assessment specialists spent time collectively developing an agenda that would support and guide the work in which the region teams engaged, specifically Thursday, July 23. Yes, we had to tweak it the day of the meeting (remember wet cement).
- All specialists, GaDOE, RESA and GLRS, were engaged in collaborative planning and work as evidenced by the completion of individual CCRPI PowerPoints based on currently designated schools and collective review of multiple measures of data to support the regional conversations related to each school. It was powerful to sit at the table, hear the same conversations and begin to determine emerging regional trends and needs. Rich dialogue and sharing!
- Next steps. We’ll continue to do the following over the next couple of weeks:
- Review multiple data sources including school specific anecdotal data, GSAPS reports (target areas for each school) and the profile reports for each region.
- Begin to align our trends and needs to the school and district standards.
- Develop an initial regional support plan including identified universal and targeted supports which will be based on our preliminary review of the data. This plan will evolve over time.
Homework for us all: Review the Indistar platform; know the 12 “Key” school standards and 8 “Key” district standards and reread the waiver.
“Teachers are like tennis players: they develop most quickly when they receive frequent feedback and opportunities to practice.” Bambrick-Santoyo, Paul. Leverage Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012. We’re all teachers; let’s have crucial conversations with each other about our work as we engage in new learning with new processes.
From the Atlanta Support Office
Professional Learning Support
Christy Jones
July SDE PL
Thank you to all of the participants for your support during our July SDE PL. There were so many powerful sessions around pertinent topics that will prepare us with our work for the 2015-2016 school year. Our continuing data session with Nick aided us with our understanding of the data profiles and the regional support plan. The Quality Comprehensive Improvement System (Indistar) session with Stephanie equipped us with the knowledge and tools to guide our districts and schools with the improvement process. The ESEA Flexibility Waiver session outlined the purpose for our work. The CCRPI session provided us with valuable tools and resources that will be shared amongst our district and school colleagues to deepen our level of understanding and strategies to use for improvement. Our regional sessions provided us with the time to bond and align ourselves as we move forward with assisting our districts and schools with a superior system of statewide support to advance school improvement efforts that positively influence student learning.
Mark Your Calendars
Our next upcoming SDE PL will be September 15th and 16th. Additional details will be forthcoming in the near future. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Professional Learning Tidbit
As we move forward with our region work, I found an article from SEDL that highlights six insights into effective Professional Learning Communities in districts and schools. In essence, this timely information can be utilized to support the identified needs of our schools and districts.
1. Provide a clear structure and purpose for PLC meetings.
2. Address the most pressing instructional challenges.
3. Provide support from all levels of the school system.
4. Foster an atmosphere of trust.
5. Monitor the work of PLCs and provide constructive feedback.
6. Support teachers’ sense of efficacy and level of professionalism.
Source: http://www.sedl.org/insights/2-3/implementing_effective_professional_learning_communities.pdf
Strategy of the Month
Each month we’ll provide a PL strategy that could be used with adults or students. Our goal is to deepen learning and engage the learner.
Title: I used to think…………
Description: Quick reflection prompt
Directions:
Use the following prompt as a way to reflect on a day's learning:
"I used to think...But, now I think..."
Intended Audience: Students or Adults
Operational Support
Cindy Popp, Region Resources; Gary Wenzel, Operations
The AEP (Alternative Education Program) Standards are being revised by a team of SDE colleagues. The plan is for the AEP standards to be an Addendum to the School Performance Standards. The team is currently comparing the old version of the AEP standards to the current School Performance Standards and looking for duplication. The team plans to have the revised AEP (Alternative Education Program) Standards available by early Fall 2015.
Federal Support
Pat Blenke- SIG/1003(g)
Cohort 3 (July 1, 2013-September 30, 2016)
Bibb County- Matilda Hartley Elementary School; Westside High School
Fulton County- Frank McClarin High School
Gwinnett County- Meadowcreek High School
Quitman County- Quitman County High School
Twiggs County- Twiggs County High School
Wilkinson County- Wilkinson County High School
Cohort 4 (July 1, 2014-September 30, 2017)
Atlanta Public Schools- Frederick Douglass High School
Bibb County- Southwest Magnet High School and Law Academy
Dougherty County Dougherty Comprehensive High School; Monroe Comprehensive High School
Muscogee County- Fox Elementary School; Jordan Vocational High School; William H. Spencer High School
Fiscal Reminders
Drawdowns:
Please be reminded that the monthly deadline for drawdowns is the 20th of each month and drawdowns must occur monthly. The drawdown is to include all SIG expenditures from the previous month. Both the LEA and the SEA quarterly monitoring should reflect the level to which these expectations have been met. It is important to note that the timeliness of drawdowns is a critical factor when considering the recommendation for continued funding.
Expenditure of FY15 Funds
The expiration date for the FY15 funds for Cohort 3 and 4 schools is September 30, 2015. Please note the final date for FY15 budget amendment submission is August 14th. Any changes to the SIG budget and/or program requires an approved SIG program/budget amendment.
Cohorts 3 and 4 2015-2016 Funding Awards
On July 16, 2015, the SBOE awarded the FY 16 1003(g) funds to the following schools:
Cohort 3
Westside High School- $1,470,469.00
Matilda Hartley Elementary- $999,287.00
McClarin High School- $1,116,368.00
Meadowcreek High School- $850,833.00
Quitman County High School- $413,559.00
Twiggs County High School- $503,778.00
Wilkinson County High School- $651,697.00
Total Cohort 3 Funds $6,005,991.00
Cohort 4
Frederick Douglass High School- $1,116,582.00
Southwest Magnet High School- $957,161.00
Dougherty Comprehensive High School- $952,077.00
Monroe Comprehensive High School- $986,954.00
Fox Elementary School- $1,395,671.00
Jordan Vocational High School- $1,289,303.00
William H. Spencer High School- $1,295,057.00
Total Cohort 4 Funds $7,992,805.00
Leading and Lagging Indicators Report
You may begin the submission of the Leading and Lagging Indicators Report from Indistar on August 1st for the 2014-15 data. In addition, you should report the projected 2015-16 preliminary data for Metric 5. The Leading and Lagging Indicators Report is to be submitted no later than September 30, 2015. This will allow adequate time to finalize the 2015-16 ILT plan necessary for the completion of Metric #5-Number of Minutes and Types of Increased Learning Time. Reminder: prior to August 1, 2015 you can only save the report. The report will remain open from August 1, 2015, through September 30, 2015, for submission.
The September 30, 2015 submission requirements are as follows:
Cohort 3
Metric 5-Preliminary Data, Year 1 Data, Year 2 data, Year 3 Data (Projected)
Metrics 13, 17, 18-Preliminary Data, Year 1 Data, Year 2 Data
Cohort 4
Metric 5- Preliminary Data, Year 1 Data, Year 2 Data (Projected)
Metrics 13, 17, 18-Preliminary Data, Year 1 Data
Critical Dates for 1003(g) SIG Schools
August 1st – Begin submission of Leading and Lagging Indicators Report
August 14th –Deadline for submission of the final FY15 SIG Program/Budget Amendments
August 14th –Deadline for FY16 budget to be uploaded and approved in the Consolidated Application
August 20th –July 2015 drawdown
September 30th –Expiration of FY 15 SIG expenditures
September 30th-Last day to submit Leading and Lagging Indicators Report
From the Literature
The Problem with Professional Development Planning and How Design Thinking Solves It
by Angela Stockman
Here’s the problem with professional development planning: it fails, and when it does, we’re often unpleasantly surprised.
When professional development planning fails, everyone looks for someone to blame.
As if the plan was supposed to work out perfectly.
As if designers were supposed to predict the turn of the tide.
As if we or anyone could ensure the viability and potential of any initiative before it is executed.
Professional development plans aren’t promises. They’re typically creative enterprises and fairly uncertain endeavors. Too often, we craft plans in district offices with small teams of leaders, lift them from our drafting boards, and drop them onto systems expecting them to perform as anticipated.
What’s worse: we celebrate those who dutifully follow them, and we struggle when people speak to what isn’t working, what must change, and how we could and should have done it differently or better.
Why do we treat this feedback as criticism?
Why do we expect designers and facilitators to take this personally?
What about assessment? Reflection? Revision?
Plans are meant to be tested, assessed, and improved. Initial professional development plans are prototypes, and failure is often a part of any first launch. We’re supposed to respond to it in order to change and grow. The worst thing we can do is abandon ship every time we hit rough water to set sail on some next great adventure that seems to have more promise. That ship is going to sail across choppy seas as well.
Eager to embrace failure and elevate your professional development planning? Try a design thinking approach.
A Five Step Process for Powerful Professional Development Planning
1. Empathize with those who will be most influenced by your work. Interview or survey them. Assess their needs. Work to understand their vision. Design in ways that align and satisfy them.
2. Define what success will look like, based upon these findings. Consider what your plan will need to look like in order to achieve it.
3. Tinker with multiple ideas in order to understand them better and surface the unexpected. Be creative. Explore a variety of potential approaches.
4. Consider using the 4C framework to deepen your understanding of the system, develop greater empathy, and prototype in ways that are sensitive to what you learn.
5. Rather than dropping your plan into the system, plan to test it. Recognize and embrace the fact that your plan, or at least parts of it, will likely fail. Establish powerful feedback loops, create solid habits of documentation, and carve out time and space for data analysis, reflection, and redirection.
I spend a good amount of time supporting teachers as they design and test units of study and new lesson plans. So much of this work looks just like design thinking, and the spirit and intention of that work is all about experimentation and growth over time.
Upcoming Meetings & Events
Area Admin Team Meeting
Saturday, Aug 1, 2015, 12:00 AM
TBD
Instructional Technology Webinar
Friday, Aug 7, 2015, 09:00 AM
undefined
Metro Region Team Meeting
Purpose: To execute the Region Support Plan and to increase the Region Team's capacities
Attendees: District Effectiveness Specialist, Lead SES, GaDOE SESs, RESA SISs
Thursday, Aug 13, 2015, 09:00 AM
Metro RESA Office, Teasley Drive, Smyrna, GA, United States
Northwest Region Team Meeting
Purpose: To execute the Region Support Plan and to increase the Region Team's capacities
Attendees: District Effectiveness Specialist, Lead SES, GaDOE SESs, RESA SISs
Thursday, Aug 13, 2015, 01:00 PM
Griffin Resa, Tilney Avenue, Griffin, GA, United States
Northeast Region Team Meeting
Purpose: To execute the Region Support Plan and to increase the Region Team's capacities
Attendees: District Effectiveness Specialist, Lead SES, GaDOE SESs, RESA SISs
Friday, Aug 14, 2015, 09:00 AM
Northeast Georgia RESA, Winter Street, Winterville, GA, United States
Southwest Region Team Meeting
Purpose: To execute the Region Support Plan and to increase the Region Team's capacities
Attendees: District Effectiveness Specialist, Lead SES, GaDOE SESs, RESA SISs
Friday, Aug 14, 2015, 09:30 AM
Oakland Library, Leesburg, GA
Southeast Region Team Meeting
Purpose: To execute the Region Support Plan and to increase the Region Team's capacities
Attendees: District Effectiveness Specialist, Lead SES, GaDOE SESs, RESA SISs
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2015, 09:30 AM
Heart of Georgia RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency), Eastman, GA, United States
Your GaDOE SDE Leadership Team
North Area
Area Program Manager- Paulette Richmond
Area Program Assessment Specialist- Wendell Christian
Northwest Region:
District Effectiveness Specialist- Terri Gaspierik
Lead School Effectiveness Specialist- Vacant
Northeast Region:
District Effectiveness Specialist- Susan White
Lead School Effectiveness Specialist- Kali Raju
Metro Area
Area Program Manager- Sam Taylor
Area Program Assessment Specialist- Mike O'Neal
Metro West Region:
District Effectiveness Specialist- Diana Forbes
Lead School Effectiveness Specialist- Lyn Wenzel
Metro East Region:
District Effectiveness Specialist- Iris Moran
Lead School Effectiveness Specialist- Joel Standifer
South Area
Area Program Manager- Patty Rooks
Area Program Assessment Specialist- Keith Barnett
Southwest Region:
District Effectiveness Specialist- Deborah McLendon
Lead School Effectiveness Specialist- Steve Olive
Southeast Region:
District Effectiveness Specialist- Darrel May
Lead School Effectiveness Specialist- Paula Cleckler
Atlanta Support Office
Program Manager- Joann Hooper
Director- Will Rumbaugh