OSP Connected
May 2021-Office for School Performance-Volume 49
Message from Dayle
Thank you also for sharing your perspectives on the surveys. There are many at this time of year, but do know your opinion is very important for our planning to address needs, create budgets etc. The most recent survey has given us some very important data to use as we start to create fall schedules, learn what has been helpful and hard for families, and listen to student needs. The surveys take time but know your thoughts are important to our collective work.
Finally, I wanted to share a bit about the Learning Acceleration ESSER funds that we are getting for summer programing. It is an unprecedented amount of money that we don't normally see in education, and it has a lot of flexibility in its use. Your principal has been brought up to speed on how to access the funds and the support available for program planning. I also want to recognize everyone is very tired and ready for the break. Yes- the break is important! And, it's also important to recognize that the students who need extra attention and support probably won't reengage for just anyone. At the end of the day students work with teachers but they also work for teachers-- the teachers and staff who believe in them. So, whether it is a CTE credit bearing opportunity for HS students for two weeks this summer or a one week science and literacy "camp" for 3rd graders, please consider volunteering to teach and also earn a little cash for other summer fun!
On this very important week of Teacher Appreciation please know that it is clear that YOU make the difference for our students. Your efforts and belief in students is key.
HSD Focus 2020-2021
INSTRUCTION: Learning Acceleration
As we settle into hybrid learning and prepare for the intent to return to in person instruction five days a week in the 2021-2022 school year, many conversations are occurring around unfinished learning and how we address this in the upcoming school year. Much of the research and many scholars recommend learning acceleration, as in move ahead with grade level instruction and learning opportunities while scaffolding and addressing learning gaps as needed.
In the paper Addressing Unfinished Learning After COVID School Closures, the authors conclude the following:
Stick to grade-level content and instructional rigor.
Focus on the depth of instruction, not on the pace.
Prioritize content and learning.
Ensure inclusion of ELLs and students with disabilities.
Identify and address gaps in learning through instruction.
Capitalize on people’s shared experience during the crisis.
To read more about the authors’ findings, you can read the paper in its entirety here.
CLIMATE AND CULTURE: The Link Between Executive Function and Social Emotional Learning
There are a lot of buzzwords floating around in education. Have you heard of these two: executive function and social & emotional learning? While you may have heard those terms before, you might be wondering how they are connected and what they mean in the context of a students daily experience.
Jen Perry, in the article "The Link between Executive Function and Social and Emotional Learning—The Basics" states, “while we all have the power of choice, good executive function allows us to take in enough information to have a basis for our choice, see that there are options to that choice, and take enough time to make the best decision. Social and emotional learning allows us to make a choice better by integrating the needs of others and the environmental norms and expectations into the context of the decision—function combined with awareness.”
Furthermore, “relationships are the “active ingredients” of the environment’s influence on healthy human development. They incorporate the qualities that best promote competence and well-being – individualized responsiveness, mutual action-and-interaction, and an emotional connection to another human being.”
Interested in learning more about the connection between EF (executive functioning) and SEL (Social & Emotional Learning)? Check out the article the The Link between Executive Function and Social and Emotional Learning—The Basics .
CAREER & COLLEGE READY: Hillsboro Community Scholarships and Local Internships
The City of Hillsboro has PAID internships this summer! Please share links with high school students and families.
- Outpost Intern (Parks & Recreation Department) – Closes May 6
- Library Summer Intern (Library) – Closes May 9
- Information Services Intern (Information Services Department) – Closes May 11
- Development Services Intern (Planning Department) – Closes May 13
- Sizzling Summer Day Camp Intern (Parks & Recreation Department) – Closes May 16
Please share with senior students that it is local scholarship season! Each of our local high schools through the school to career counselor has a complete list of local and high school specific scholarships that will be given out in May and June.
Leading Change in HSD: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Identities and Intersections
Identity is a socially and historically constructed concept. We learn about our own identity and the identity of others through interactions with family, peers, organizations, institutions, media and other connections we make in our everyday life. Social and cultural identity is inextricably linked to issues of power, value systems, and ideology. How you identify and how you understand the identities of others is key in understanding educational equity. This constructed concept affects the students we serve, especially when bias and stereotypes are attached to that identity. .
In its simplest form, we tend to think about our identities in singular terms (I am female). However, identities can also be seen as multiple and intersecting parts (I am a Pacific Islander woman from Los Angeles). Part of understanding our identity means understanding how we fit in (or don’t) with other groups of people. It also means being aware of the fact that some groups have more social, political, and economic power than others.
Intersections can be found when you layer the many identities that a person identifies as. Intersectionality refers to the social, economic and political ways in which identity-based systems of oppression and privilege connect, overlap and influence one another. By emphasizing intersectionality, students are equipped with the skills to examine why they believe what they believe, why their beliefs might differ from others’ and to determine how their beliefs might be influenced by power and privilege.
A few ways to begin the discussion can be found in the links included. Self awareness of ourselves and students is necessary as we move our equity work forward.
LESSON FOR CLASSROOMS: Circles of Identity Lesson (This tool can be used for initiating the dialogue to examine issues of identity, diversity, beliefs, and values, and would like to begin making connections between who they are and how that shapes their decisions and behaviors.)
VIDEO FOR CLASSROOMS: Being 12
FULL ARTICLE: Why Identity Matters?
HSD PreK-12 Hybrid Summer Summit 2021
This year our theme is Building Skills for Responsive Teaching & Learning. We will be welcoming keynote speaker, Doug Fisher and special guests Nancy Frey and Dominique Smith. With their newly released book Rebound: A Playbook for Rebuilding Agency, Accelerating Learning Recovery, and Rethinking Schools, Fisher, Frey, and Smith will be guiding educators on how to bounce back, come back better, and benefit from the many lessons learned to reignite engagement, accelerate learning, and move forward with fresh optimism and better systems for schooling.
Thursday, Aug 26, 2021, 12:30 PM
Century High School, Southeast Century Boulevard, Hillsboro, OR, USA
Commemoration Months Project: Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
The journey continues! HSD has increased the options centered around Black History, Women's History, the intersectionality between the two, Autism Awareness, and now, Asian and Pacific Islanders. Dedicating effort, time, and collaboration around commemorations is one way we, as educators, can do better for our PreK-12 students! It is an intended purpose that specific commemorations do not solely “live” in the particular months of the year. This is one reason why all previously organized commemoration lessons are still being refined and elaborated to improve effectiveness with students. We are excited to offer lessons rooted in various stakeholder input in this new release for Asian and Pacific Islanders!
Feel free to join the open invitation to broaden our students' perspectives and insights by implementing these sources and/or continuing dialogue by emailing Kellie Petrick, Standards Alignment & Curriculum TOSA, directly.
Dual Language Corner
Coffee Conversations: Translation and Interpretation
This month's Coffee Conversation stars Marianna Roman, HSD Family Outreach Liaison for the Latino Youth Program. Learn how to request translation and interpretation as well as best practices when you participate in an interpreted meeting. One of Marianna's pro tips - talk to and look at the people in the meeting, not the interpreter!
For more information:
Watch this video on how to interpret at IEP meetings
Review this slide show on best practices for all participants
Click the picture below to watch the video.
Staff Professional Development Input Survey
This survey is being conducted in order to get a better understanding of staff need in regards to all things professional development. Your input is important and this survey is one opportunity to inform the design of PD for the 2021-2022 school year.
We will use the survey results for three purposes:
- to identify PD opportunities that align with the HSD Strategic Plan
- to better differentiate PD based on staff role and years of experience
- to determine staff preferences around logistics of when and where PD should take place.
Survey: Professional Learning Input Survey 2021
Thanks in advance for your participation!