Career and College Readiness

Career and College Readiness
It’s OUR Job.

Leadership Academy 2013 Dale Ellis

Moving towards High Expectations
“High expectations are the key to everything.” - Sam Walton Why do you think this is true?

And then…. “I don’t have high expectations anymore. Maybe they’ve just been beaten out of me.” -Actress Elisabeth Shue Why do you think this is true? How does that happen?

What it Means to Us Without an education, where can our kids go?
With only a high school education, where can they go? Why is college important? Why is career ready equally as important? We ALL own K-12 education for OUR students We ALL own OUR achievement gaps We ALL own poor performance in OUR ____ grade We ALL own poor performance on OUR ACT scores Do your faculties truly believe these statements?

A 10,000 Foot View of Our Schools
We have “bless your heart” schools. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It shows compassion. It’s ok to pat our kids on the back, but let’s push them while our hand is back there too! We don’t want to love them into stupidity and mediocrity.

Our Model What’s working? What’s not?
Are IFs involved and active in classrooms? Are IFs providing district and school mandated staff development? Are we doing CWTs consistently and using data to improve instruction? Are we carrying out the model with high fidelity? Or, are parts of it failing because we have low expectations for staff and students?

The Victim Mentality Educators have a victim mentality, especially right now. I agree that this feeling is not totally misplaced. But, we can not make victims of our children because of what is happening in Raleigh. We can not make victims of our children because WE don’t think they can do the work to be exceptional. The adults are victimizing kids when we set low expectations!

The Apple Advantage – Disruptive Innovation
"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.“ – Steve Jobs Can your people do the work that is needed? Can you lead them in accomplishing this work? Do they get “it”?

Apple - Continued "My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better.“ – Steve Jobs A real-world high expectations example.

No More Status Quo Happy Students

From that, to this… What happens to kids from kindergarten to that time they start not liking school? We do.

The Change We Need The change we need starts with setting high expectations. It starts with all of us being engaged and serious about this process. I’m sure glad the hole isn’t in our end.

The Problem with Market Leaders
Market leaders are the last to transform. They do not keep up, pay attention, and realize there is a problem until it is often too late.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates

Rita Pierson Part of You Video
“You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.”

Summary Let’s build those relationships and set high expectations for ALL students. Let’s do the work with high fidelity so THEY can accomplish amazing results. Growth is great, but we are better than below the state average! Every kid deserves a champion! Questions, comments, concerns?

8 Mathematical Practices
Common Core Minute 8 Mathematical Practices The Task In 1 minute, recall as many of the 8 mathematical practices as possible. Record your thoughts on the notecard provided. Compare your list to the one provided. The person with the highest number of correct responses wins! It’s that simple. GO!

Standards for Mathematical Practice
1. Make sense of complex problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. (CCSS, 2010)

Functional Categories – The Basics Home Base tools are designed to help you manage information and improve instruction. Information Instruction In the novel, what motivated Sarah’s behavior? Support your claim with evidence from the text. Student Information and Learner Profile Educator Effectiveness: Evaluation and Professional Development Instructional Design, Practice & Resources Data Analysis and Reporting Assessment Major Functions Attendance Scheduling Grading Transcripts Parent, Student and Educator Portals Highlights Portals so students, parents and educators can access information Data validation tools to make managing student information easier and improve data quality Security to make sure only the right people can access data Major Functions Find high-quality resources based on standards or search criteria Contribute to a shared repository of North Carolina-made resources Highlights Major Functions Develop aligned assessments for formative, interim or summative purposes Deliver assessments Highlights Major Functions Compile and analyze data Share progress with students and colleagues Analyze data to take informed action Highlights Integrate with assessment tools and student information to deliver data on student progress to teachers, parents and students in an easy-to-understand, actionable way Easy access to your data and a direct, fast way to pull it Major Functions Record and organize NC Educator Evaluation System observation and evaluation data (replacing the current online tool) Select resources aligned to meet professional development needs Highlights Professional Development resources aligned to the North Carolina Educator Evaluation Rubric Classroom & Interim A rich bank of items to build your own rigorous, standards-aligned assessments Tools for Teaching Vetted and standards-aligned resources Learning Management System Summative Built to help educators teach, organize, communicate and collaborate online with their students Delivery of summative assessments online including computer adaptive testing

a simpler, better information system to replace NC WISE
Instruction Student Information and Learner Profile Educator Effectiveness: Evaluation and Professional Development Instructional Design, Practice & Resources Data Analysis and Reporting Assessment Information a simpler, better information system to replace NC WISE Integrated Instructional Solution a new standards-aligned tool for instruction (e.g. lesson plans, unit plans), assessment and data analysis Effectiveness a simpler, better online evaluation system and new professional development system PowerSchool Student Information Schoolnet Instructional Tools and Assessment OpenClass Collaboration Test Nav Summative Assessment Truenorthlogic Evaluation and PD

Core Instructional Improvement System
= Required Products being integrated to create Home Base R User Portal PowerSchool Student Information via PowerSchool R Core Instructional Improvement System Test Nav Summative Assessment Schoolnet Instructional Tools and Assessment OpenClass Collaboration R Truenorthlogic Educator Evaluation Content in System Tools for Teaching • Assessment Creation Truenorthlogic Professional Development Initial Content Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies Assessment Items for Benchmarking and Classroom Assessment Instructional Content (e.g. lesson plans and unit plans) housed in the NC Learning Object Repository

During the kick-off year, districts will be able to use the optional functions of Home Base at their own discretion. By March of 2014, districts will be able to choose to cost-share for the optional tools in Home Base in at $4 per student.

Content in System Tools for Teaching • Assessment Creation
Time Line July/August 2013 R R PowerSchool Student Information Schoolnet Instructional Tools and Assessment Truenorthlogic Educator Evaluation Content in System Tools for Teaching • Assessment Creation Teacher only October 2013 OpenClass Collaboration Truenorthlogic Educator Evaluation + Principals March 2014 R Truenorthlogic Professional Development Test Nav Summative Assessment

Start Learning Now! Training and Support
PowerSchool Training is well under way Classroom Instruction and Assessment: Schoolnet Training Training for districts this summer (June 20 – July 3, 2013) Ongoing technical training and support webinars starting in July/August. Certification training for districts that opt-in spring of 2014 Planning in development for technical support, logistics and implementation support Start Learning Now! PowerSource is available to you at Online learning modules and videos that will help educators learn to use the tools in Home Base. Request your log-in (ask your LEA PowerSchool contact lead or your NC WISE Coordinator)

Educator Effectiveness: Truenorthlogic Evaluation Training
Training and Support Educator Effectiveness: Truenorthlogic Evaluation Training Educator Effectiveness Training for the Teacher Evaluation that will take place from June 20 - July 3 Ongoing Technical Training and Support Webinars starting in July/August Principal Evaluation Training in September 2013 and Professional Development Tool Training in February 2014

Home Base Website and Updates
Home Base website is To sign up for Home Base Biweekly Newsletter, please as ask to be placed on the newsletter listserv. We will continue to the biweekly updates, but you can also find them archived on the Home Base website at

North Carolina Educator Effectiveness System Training Script

Welcome & Goals Home Base Overview Training process
Evaluator Assignments Professional Development Plan Teacher Evaluation Reporting Welcome to the North Carolina Educator Effectiveness System Training. Over the next 4 hours I will teach you how to complete the teacher and evaluator steps of the teacher evaluation and professional development process. You’ve been selected to participate in this training so that you may lead or support training your district administrators and teachers. Today we will cover: Training Process, Evaluator Assignment, PDP, Evaluations and Reporting

Training Process: Overall
Regional Train the trainer (representatives from all districts) Districts – Train district administrators and teachers The method I use to train today is a good way to show your staff. Wade and Phillip will be glad to help with that process. We are training you (the district trainers) through “hands on training”: Listen, Watch, Practice (in training environment), Do You, in turn, will train your school administrators and/or school-level trainers through “hands on training”: Listen, Watch, Practice, Do However, you will train teachers through “demonstration” format: Listen, Watch, Do (in live environment) There will not be a separate session to teach how to train, you will do exactly as I am doing.

Training Process: Today
Each participant will be working with a partner today. Select someone in the room (in your district if possible) to be your Buddy and sit next to that person. Each team will be assigned two logins: One Evaluator login One Teacher login Each person will perform tasks of one role (evaluator or teacher) Completing a teacher evaluation requires two parties to be involved: An Evaluator (principal or designee) and the Teacher being evaluated. Each role completes different steps – much like in tennis, the task owner changes sides alternating back and forth. To provide you the full experience, you will work in pairs with each of you performing one role (teacher or evaluator). By playing your role and watching the other, you will benefit from participating in the full process. I will navigate back and forth to demonstrate all functions. I do this by logging in though two different browsers through 2 different applications (I.E. and Firefox) Goal for today is teach you how to use the system to complete the process. We will not work through all the processes steps. With 4 hours, we will focus on learning system functions that are repetitively used when completing all steps of the process. (Regional Trainers): I will be limiting my training to System Functionality. I am not in a position to speak to the formal evaluation policy or process. I have been told that the state’s policy and process have not changed. We are simply leveraging a new system – which we will train on today.

Let’s Begin Training URL: adminLogin.jsp Sheet at seat provides your user name and log in (teacher or principal) Password: ncdpi2013 Key Points: Today we are using a training environment, so we are logging in directly to NCEES. You will follow the same approach when conducting training. Your district’s user accounts will be sent to your HR Director or state defined designee. A separate Production environment will be utilized by end users. Users will log in through the Home Base home page with single sign-on function.

Portal Overview Key Points:
When you log in, you’ll notice tabs and channels. Tabs = digital pages with information and access to applications; The specific tabs that each user will see will depend upon the user’s system level access rights, locations and in the case of the NCEES, whether the person is a Teacher or someone who will be Observing/Evaluating the teacher. Three channels on the home page: Welcome channel, targeted announcements and Calendar Use the Sign Out link at the top right to sign out. My Profile – Users can view their personal data.

Evaluation Process There are Four Plans – Every teacher will be assigned two plans PDP – For all teachers Evaluation: One of the following: Probationary Evaluation Career Full Evaluation Career Abbreviated Evaluation Key Points: Every teacher will be assigned by default the Individual PDP; if the teacher is identified as probationary in the data import, they will be assigned the probationary evaluation; if the they need to have a Monitored or Directed PDP, or the Career Full or Career Abbreviated Evaluation, the Principal will need to select those plans for the individual teachers.

My Staff Overview School Staff Assigned Roles Key Points:
My Staff serves as a launch point for several activities: In the left panel, you can review lists of your staff and run quick dashboards. For today, we will be addressing the Staff Details. You will learn about other functionality in future webinars. Select Staff Details (the default screen when My Staff tab is opened). Review left list: Staff Details. This is the list of all the staff at the school. Review the right list: Administrators: This is the list of staff that have already been given administrative rights.

Teacher Plan Type Assignment
Key Points: Before the start of the school year, principals or district administrators will be required to confirm the evaluation Teacher Plan Type to ensure the teacher is assigned the correct evaluation type (Probationary, Career, Career Abbreviated). Using data provided by DPI, beginning teachers have been auto assigned to the Probationary plans. Other teachers default to Not Selected and must be assigned before they can Start the PDP or Evaluation process. Principals, Select My Staff tab. Teachers, watch your partners screen. Let’s watch the Captivate. **NOTE: Slides marked with a red ‘C’ contain a captivate video to watch. Step by step Your school staff will be listed in the Staff Details list on the left. Name by name, review the Teacher Plan Type and adjust where necessary by selecting type on drop down. System will Auto Save. Changes to the plan types will take place overnight. Once the teacher starts a plan changes should not be made to the Teacher Plan Type. If a change is needed, contact your district administrator. Now, let’s practice. Ensure your partner teacher is set to the Probationary Plan. C

PDP Assignment Key Points:
Another action principals can take on the My Staff tab is setting and/or changing the PDP Type for their teachers. To do this, review your staff on the on the left Staff list and update to Individual, Monitored or Directed. The system will auto save. By changing the type, the system will enforce new rules to govern who can update the plan. Individual: Teacher and Evaluator Monitored: Teacher and Evaluator Directed: Evaluator only PDP Type can be changed throughout the year. Now, let’s practice.

Administrative Rights Assigning Observers & Evaluators
Key Points: One of the early steps principals will take is Assigning Evaluation rights to their administrative team who will conduct observations or in some way contribute to the online evaluation process (APs, Dept Chairs, Peer Evaluators, Mentors, etc.) Principals, select My Staff Tab. Teachers, watch the your partners screen. Before beginning this step, a principal should map out who in their school will play a role in a teachers evaluation/pdp. Watch this captivate to learn how to assign rights. Watch Now, let’s practice. Assign Teacher2 as the Mentor for Teacher1’s PDP; assign Teacher1 to be the Peer Observer for Teacher2’s Probationary Evaluation. You would repeat this for each peer, mentor, observer. Look into your manual to understand the rights of each role. Step by Step To add a new administrator, click the ‘Add’ button to the left of the word Administrators on the right list.

Key Points: Step by step continued Using the search screen, search for the staff member (teacher1) by entering their last name in the first field. Scroll down and click ‘Search’. Click on the radio button to left of the name desired. Click ‘Select’. Click ‘Finish’.

Will default to school (likely no need to adjust) Prob, Career, Abbrev., PDP All or individual names Evaluator, Observer, View Only What displays after clicking Add Key Points: Step by step continued. When the new window opens: Choose Site (likely no need to adjust as defaults to Principal’s School Site). Choose the Plan the staff member will interact with (Probationary, Career, Career Abbreviated, PDP) (choose Probationary) Choose the teacher(s) whose evaluations they will contribute to (choose teacher2) Choose rights (Observer, Evaluator, View only). See manual for detailed business rules associated to rights. (Choose Peer Observer) Click ‘Add’ – Assignment will appear at top of pop up (Current Rights for XX). Repeat steps b-e for same staff member if another plan, teacher or right will be assigned. When complete, click ‘Done’. NEXT SLIDE

Key Points: Step by step continued. If Editing an existing Administrator (staff member is already in the Right Administrators List), Click the ‘Drop Down Arrow’ to left of name and select ‘Admin Rights’ Follow steps a-g on previous page. NEXT SLIDE

PDP Process (Teacher) Key Points: Click on Evaluation Process
To learn these functions we will use as series of short videos to show you how to complete these steps. After each video, you will conduct the task yourself to complete each step. Start your Plan. Let’s look through the Container and Steps Now let’s watch how to complete the Self Assessment: SELF ASSESSMENT CAPTIVATE Complete your Self Assessment

Self Assessment (Teacher)
Key Points: The PDP detail is the core of the professional development plan. Depending upon the PDP Type either the teacher and/or evaluator may edit this form. Let’s watch the captivate to learn how to complete. Now let’s practice. A unique feature of the Self Assessment is that it remains editable throughout the school year. Step-by-step: Open PDP Initial Review Click on Edit on Step 1: Self Assessment Fill out Rubric May need to resize screen to view the inner scroll bar Click Share (Click Share if want to publish to others [evaluators, mentor]). Click Save & Exit. The Summary Page will be displayed. Click Menu, Finalize. This will lock the rubric from further editing. After clicking Finalize, the Mark Complete button will appear. Click Mark Complete. C

Start, Share, Finalize, Complete, Send
Edit Start updating a form. Save When started, but not complete. In progress. Share Publishes assessment to others. Default is Not Share. Cannot change after Marking Complete Finalize When finished editing and no further changes are expected. Cannot change/update rubric after clicking. Mark Complete Flags Step as Complete. Send Forward work to another (teacher or evaluator) for action. Version

PDP Details (Teacher) C Key Points:
PDP Details is the core of the pdp plan. In this step the teacher and/or evaluator may ‘Edit’ the goals and action items to be taken. Let’s watch the video and learn how to complete the form. Now let’s do it ourselves. Teachers, please complete the PDP details form. Step-by-step: On the Actions button, select Edit. Click the New button. Enter the teacher Position/ Subject Area (ex. 5th grade math) You will see the Academic Year, Teacher’s Name, Teacher’s Year, Classification, School and NC Professional Teaching Standards. The NC Professional Teacher Standards Ratings field will display your ratings from the prior year once they have been imported by the State. Click the ‘Save’ button. Click ‘new’ next to Teacher Strategies. Enter your first Goal, Activities, Expected Outcomes, etc. Select Save when you are done with the first goal. Click ‘New’ to add a second goal. Repeat the steps for as many goals as you would like to enter. Once you have finished entering all goals and related information, select Mark Complete from the Actions dropdown. Click Ok on the drop down text box “The step PDP-Details is now complete” Click Actions -> Send to move the process along. C

Evaluator Signature C Key Points:
The next step is completed by the Evaluator. This process involves reviewing the PDP Details, providing comment and acknowledging review. This is the first of many signature steps and they all function very similarly. Let’s review the video and then complete the step. Click on the Actions button and select Edit for the PDP Evaluator Signature step. The teacher and evaluator should meet to discuss the PDP. Here you can view the PDP Details that the Teacher entered and click ‘New’ to add comments. When done entering comments, click ‘Save’. Click Acknowledge on the Signature form. Select Mark Complete. Click Actions -> Send to move the process forward. C

Mentor Signature Key Points:
The teacher may or may not have a Mentor for the PDP. If the teacher has a Mentor, the Mentor will complete this step by adding any comments and signing the PDP. You’ll notice the signature process is the same as the Evaluator. The Mentor reviews teacher and evaluator comments, provides own comment and acknowledges Click on the Actions button and select Edit for the PDP Mentor Signature step. Here you can view the PDP Details that the Teacher entered as well as the Evaluator comments and click ‘New’ to add comments. When done entering comments, click ‘Save’. Click Acknowledge on the Signature form. Select Mark Complete.

Teacher Signature C Key Points:
Lastly, the Teacher will sign the PDP and in doing so review the Evaluator and Mentor comments. You’ll notice the signature process is the same as the Evaluator and Mentor. The Teacher reviews the comments and acknowledges. Let’s watch the video. Step-by-step Click on the Actions button and select Edit for the PDP Evaluator Signature step. Click Acknowledge on the Signature form. Select Mark Complete. Click Actions -> Send to move the process forward, allowing the PDP Mid-Year Review to be conducted. C

PDP Mid-Year Review Key Points: Click open Mid-Year Review Container.
If I can have your attention at the front screen, I’d like to walk you through the remaining PDP containers. We are not going to practice in the remaining containers and steps because the functionality is the same as we practiced in the Initial Review container. So, let me do a high level walk through of the steps. While they include new steps, they utilize the same system functionality utilized during the completion of the Initial Review. Therefore, if you can complete the Initial Review Steps, you can complete the remaining steps in the Mid-Year Review and End of Year Review Containers.

PDP End of Year Review Key Points:
Click open End of Year Review Container. Show the steps. Same system functionality.

PDP Record of Activities
Key Points: The last container in the PDP is the Record of Activities. This is a View Only container with one Step that allows you to view and print the current state of the activities that have been completed on the PDP. The system automatically records the actions and makes them available for use. Evaluators may capture public notes on the formal record by choosing ‘Edit’ and the teacher may ‘View’ those comments at any time. To view the record, click on the desire ‘Print Template’

Evaluations Key Points:
Now that we’ve walked through the PDP process, let’s complete a Probationary Evaluation process. You will find that many of the same system functions and actions are used in when completing the Evaluation Processes. The Teacher is responsible for Starting the process. Remember, the Principal assigned the correct plan earlier. Click on Evaluation Process, My Evaluations, Teachers – Click Start for the Probationary Plan Conduct quick walkthrough of containers: Notice how the Observations 1-3 are identical. As are the Additional Observations. Training / Orientation Observation #1 Observation #2 Observation #3 Peer Observation First Additional Observation Second Additional Observation Third Additional Observation Summary Evaluation Record of Teacher Evaluation Activities Note the container Training/Orientation is highlighted -this indicates the container the user is currently on.

Training & Orientation
Key Points: Before an Observation can be recorded, the Teacher must complete the Training & Orientation step. Watch this short video that explains how. Teachers, complete the Training & Orientation step. Step by Step Click on the + sign on the Steps button of the Training / Orientation container to expand the steps. Status will be “Not Started” for a new entry. Click the Actions button. The following are options are available: Edit, Send Select Edit. In the text box “I have received orientation on:” Enter or select the date from the calendar icon. Select Save. Click Mark Complete. Or, if you select Back, select Mark Complete from the Actions button. The following message box will appear “The step Training / Orientation is now complete “ Click Ok or hit the ‘Enter’ key. From the Actions button within the container, the following options are available- View, and Send Select Send. The following text box appears “ You are moving the plan to an activity which you do not have any permissions. Are you sure you want to proceed?” Ok and Cancel. Select Ok. Status will be changed to Completed with the date and time stamp (once Mark Complete is done). C

Observation #1: Overview
Key Points: The Observer is responsible for beginning all observation processes. The processes are the same for Observations Then the rules vary slightly for the Peer Observation and First-Third Additional Observations. To navigate to your teacher’s plan: Click on Evaluations Process tab Click ‘Staff Evaluations’. You will see the following information displayed on the screen: Teachers assigned to your site Name (Last, First) Position Demographics Select the Teacher that you are evaluating by clicking the drop-down arrow next to their name and click ‘Edit Probationary Teacher Evaluation’. Let’s walk through the container first.

Pre-Observation Conference
Key Points: Once the Teacher has completed Training/Orientation, the green arrow will indicate the workflow is currently at the Pre-Observation Conference step. Watch the video to learn how to complete this step. Step-by-step: Under the Actions drop-down menu, select ‘Edit’. Verify that the Pre-Observation Conference Screen for ‘x’ Teacher is now displayed. Note that this is a Required step. Enter text into the Comments box and click the ‘Save’ button. You can add any Artifacts in this step by Attaching a file and entering any Comments related to the attachment. Artifacts can also be added by the Evaluator during the Post-Observation conference. The teacher can add additional artifacts in the Written Response step, if desired. Click the ‘Accept’ button to sign the form. You will see the Sign-off Status, Evaluator Name and Signoff Date is now displayed. Select ‘Mark Complete’ under the Actions drop-down menu. Click ‘Ok’ at message box that indicates you are complete. Select ‘Send’ under the Actions drop-down menu at this step. The green workflow arrow has moved down to the Formal Observation step. C

Pre-Observation Conference – Teacher Signature
Key Points: Next to the ‘Pre-Observation Conference – Teacher Signature’ Step, Select Edit. The Evaluator/Observer’s comments appear in the Pre-Observation Conference section. Click ‘Edit’ to add Artifacts comments. Click ‘Attach a File’ to add an artifact. Click ‘Save’ Click ‘Acknowledge’ to sign off on the Pre-Observation Conference. Click Mark Complete. The following text box will drop down “The step Pre-Observation Conference - Teacher Signature is now complete.” Select Ok or hit Enter key.

Formal Observation: Start
Key Points: The Formal Observation is a multi-step process. Let’s watch the video about how to complete all and then complete it ourselves. Step-by-step: Click the ‘View’ button. Click the ‘Start New’ button. The Formal Observation Screen for ‘x’ Teacher is now displayed, with a popup for you to enter Observation Details. Enter the date and begin and/or end times for the Observation. Click ‘Save’. C

Formal Observation: Date/Time
Key Points: Enter the Date and Time of the Observation.

Formal Observation: Ratings
Key Points: As you complete the observation, you’ll notice the system functionality is similar to the Teacher Self Assessment in the PDP. When completed with documenting the observation click ‘Finalize’, ‘Share’, ‘Mark Complete’ and ‘Send’. Let’s watch the video and then complete the observation form: Formal Observation Captivate Step-by-Step Select the applicable Standards/Elements checkboxes. If you click the ‘Not Demonstrated’ check box, a text box is displayed to enter comments. Type text into the text box. Click ‘Edit’ in Observation Details if you need to edit the times/date. Click ‘Save Changes’ and ‘Share’. Click the ‘Save & Exit’ button. The Formal Observation Summary Screen is displayed. If ready to lock the observation markings, click the drop down arrow under ‘Menu’ and click Finalize. Note: Once Finalize is selected, the Observer cannot change/update the rubric without contacting the District Administrator. After clicking Finalize the Mark Complete button will appear. Click the Mark Complete button. Click ‘Ok’ on the message box that indicates you are complete. Select ‘Send’ under the Actions drop-down menu at this step. The Formal Observation status is now set to Complete with the correct date/time stamp. The green workflow arrow has moved down to the Post-Observation Conference step.

Post Observation Conference
Key Points: With the exception of adding the Observation Date, the Post Observation Conference is the same functionality as the Pre-Observation Conference. Step by Step Under the Actions drop-down menu, select ‘Edit’. The Post-Observation Conference for ‘x’ Teacher Screen is displayed. Enter the date the teacher was observed (this will be noted on the Record of Activity) Add comments in the text box. Note that this is a Required field. Attach and Artifact as appropriate and enter any narrative comments regarding the artifact. Click the ‘Save’ button. Click the ‘Acknowledge’ button to sign the form. The Sign-off Status, Evaluator Name and Signoff Date is now displayed. Click ‘Mark Complete’. Click ‘Ok’ at message box that indicates you are complete. Select ‘Send’ under the Actions drop-down menu at this step. The Post-Observation Conference status is now set to Complete with the correct date/time stamp. The green workflow arrow has moved down to the Observation #2 – Formal Evaluation step.

Post Observation Conference – Teacher Signature
Key Points: In this step, the Teacher is simply acknowledging that the conference occurred. Teacher clicks ‘Acknowledge’, ‘Mark Complete’. On the next step, the Teacher may provide written comments and supporting artifacts related to the observation.

Written Response Key Points:
Just as in the Pre-Conference, the Teacher may add written comments regarding the overall Observation and may attach and comment on related artifacts. This is an optional step. Principal will acknowledge having reviewed the comment/artifacts to formally close the observation process.

Written Response Acknowledgement
Key Points: The final formal step in an observation involves the observer acknowledging they have reviewed the teacher’s comments and artifacts submitted in the Written Comments step. Step by step Check the check-box indicating you have received the written response. Click the ‘Save’ button. Under the Actions drop-down menu, select ‘Mark Complete’. Click ‘Ok’ at message box that indicates you are complete. The Written Response Acknowledgment status is now set to Complete with the correct date/time stamp.

Summary Evaluation C Key Points:
Once the required observations are fully complete (all have a ‘Complete’ Written Response Acknowledgement) the ‘View’ label on the Summary Evaluation Form I-V will change to ‘Edit’ and the evaluator can complete the form. While the assessment form looks different, you’ll find the functionality very familiar. Let’s watch the video to learn how to complete this series of steps in the Summary Evaluation: Run captivate. Now let’s complete the Summary Form beginning with the Evaluator. Teachers, please look on. Step by step Click ‘Edit’ on Step 1 to launch the form. The Summary Form will be preselected based on the Evaluation Type assigned to the teacher. Working by standard, Click on one rating for each element (required). Using the drop down, select the overall standard rating (required). Enter any comments ‘Comments’, ‘Actions for Improvement’ and/or ‘Resources Needed’ to complete. Repeat steps 2-4 for each standard. Click ‘Share’ when ready to publish to the teacher. Click ‘Save & Exit’. The summary screen is displayed. If ready to lock the evaluation, click the drop down arrow under ‘Menu’ and click Finalize. Note: Once Finalize is selected, the Observer cannot change/update the rubric without contacting the District Administrator. After clicking Finalize the Mark Complete button will appear. Click the Mark Complete button. Click ‘Ok’ at message box that indicates you are complete. The Written Response Acknowledgment status is now set to Complete with the correct date/time stamp. C

Summary Evaluation Key Points:
Notice that Steps 2-5 use the same functionality as the observations. Step 6 & 7 are view only. They will be populated for View access by the State when data is finalized.

Record of Teacher Evaluation Activities: Observation Scoring Summary
Key Points: In this container, you can view and print the formal teacher record of activities. Another feature, unique to the Evaluation process is the Observation Scoring Summary step. This feature allows the teacher and evaluator to view all observer feedback on one screen.

Administration Tab – Site Admin
Key Points: The Administration tab is going to look a bit different, depending upon the user’s administrative access rights. This screenshot reflects the applications that an Administrator would see if granted the system level right of “Site Administrator.” A District Administrator would have a bit more access, while a District Superuser would have a slightly different set of access rights. Principals’ accounts will be set up with Site Admin system access rights, while Assistant Principals’ accounts will be set up with End User access rights.

Targeted Announcements
Key Points: The Targeted Announcement module allows administrators to send announcements to specific groups of users within the system. These announcements can be displayed in the users’ announcements channel on their homepages, or sent via , or both. Groups can be set up based on a wide variety of criteria, including by location or according to the demographic information from individual account profiles. By sending custom content announcements, administrators can also attach different resources, such as files and web links. Step-by-step: On the System Administration tab, click Targeted Announcements in the Applications channel. Click Create New Announcement in the top right corner. Enter an Announcement Title. This is the text that will be displayed as the announcement link in the user’s My Announcements channel, and/or as the subject of the that is sent. Enter Announcement Text. This is the body of the and/or the body of the announcement. Using the text editor, you can also add formatting, images and other media, and URL links. Select the Delivery Method using the drop-down list. Options include posting the announcement on the My Announcements channel, ing the announcement to specified users, or both. Select the checkbox if you want to override the users’ subscription block that is set up in the user profile for most clients. (Some clients disable this option so that users cannot opt out of portal s. If this checkbox is not selected, users who have requested to not receive portal communications will not receive this announcement via , even if they are included as a recipient. Click Save and Select Recipients to save the current announcement and specify to whom the announcement will be delivered.

Targeted Announcements cont.
Step-by-Step Cont. Indicate when the announcement will be sent. If no date is defined, the announcement will be sent as soon as it is completed and saved. Messages that are set to be delivered on a future date will be delivered on that date. Use the calendar to specify an Expiration Date for the announcement. This is not needed for ed announcements, but removes the announcement from the My Announcements channel on the specified date Click Set Account Status if you want to filter out those with active or inactive account statuses. Click Set Staff Position if you want to specify users by position.

Reports Tab A Reporting tab has been added for Principals to have quick, easy access to reports. In the channel seen at the top of the page, we see two reports that have already been created and “Memorized” so that all the user needs to do next time is click the Run Report button. The NCEES Help Guides channel includes links to several user’s guides, including one that provides step-by-step directions for accessing and completing Teacher Evaluations and plans. The links will make the documents available to download for viewing and printing. Finally, let the Principals know that they will learn how to actually run a report later in the day, so this is just an overview of what’s on each tab. Step-by-step: See Users Manual for step by step instructions. C

Common Core Minute & Break Time
The Standards Quiz The Task In 3 minutes, answer the 5 questions on the next slide. Anyone with a perfect score gets a prize! GO!

CCSS Quiz True or False 1- ELA Standards for grades only apply to English teachers. 2- Common Core standards prepare students to take Algebra I in 8th grade. 3- At least 50% of reading material should be non-fiction. 4- Common Core standards are primarily written based on Revised Blooms Taxonomy 5- Text complexity is measured on 3 parts: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Reader and Task Consideration 1-F 2-F 3-

Do You Believe

Do You Believe "It is About The Kids“
Two consecutive years of bad teaching could destroy a child for life Is the ideal student one who can sit still for long periods of time, quietly working by himself on irrelevant ditto sheets?

Is it the Environment? Are schools designed for ‘Leave it to Beaver’ children or ‘Bebe’s Kids?’ Would you teach differently if your child were in your classroom? Why? Do we have bad children or poor classroom management?

How does home life affect the Student?
The reality is 50% of African American children live below the poverty line. In 66% of African American households, the father is not present. (Latest 2013 numbers are 75%). There is only so much homework assistance one parent can provide to several children. Negative peer pressure discourages almost all African American youth from participating in advance placement, honors, and gifted and talented classes unless getting on the honor roll is easy and doesn’t require additional study time.

Can we afford to have a one size fits all?
Homework is one way that schools demonstrate middle-class values. Middle class teachers expect that all homes will have what they have in their homes (encyclopedias, atlas, globes, internet, etc) There are horror stories of children receiving extra credit because their reports were typed and included color graphics…does not evaluate learning but rather household’s assets. Conflict resolution styles differ between the cultures. Middle class teachers expect students to tell when someone has committed a violation. Black parents believe in “an eye for an eye.” Street code is retaliation, not snitching. Teachers have to earn their trust.

How can we Overcome Obstacles?
Ninety-three percent of the American teaching staff is white. The most important factor impacting the academic achievement of African American children is not the race or gender of the teachers but the teacher’s expectations. Many white teachers grew up in rural areas or lived their entire lives in white neighborhoods, attended a white university, worshipped in a white church and shopped in white grocery stores. No quick fixes for white teachers who educate African American children: 1-change of attitude 2-read about the African Am. Culture 3- walk through the community

Master Teaching Does Impact Scores!
Characteristic of a Master Teacher-the expectations of students is set at high achieving Teach on your feet, not seat Listen and observe-they will teach you Student has not learned-teacher has not taught No significant relationship-no significant learning Mediocre teacher tells, good explains, superior demonstrates, great inspires Master teachers set high expectations, more minutes on instruction, have location for supplies Master teachers aware first and last 5 minutes of class most important

Culture goes more than Skin Deep!
Culture more than food, music, etc Many African American children bored Can you answer “Why do I have to learn this?” Master teachers use African American problems to show how they can use their skills to address them What society labels “achievement test” better described as “exposure test”. African Am. Children below the poverty line do not take summer trips to England, visit museums, etc. suffer from this middle class hegemony. Hidden rules of poverty-high noise level, TV always on, everyone talking at once, non-verbal information and the need to entertain Left brain thinkers perform better in quiet environment, right brain perform better with multiple stimuli/noise Most teachers geared only for analytic learners (left brain) In black culture, audience is actively involved with musicians or speakers Black and Latino males labeled remedial, scored higher on test when read questions

Re-designing our Delivery Methods
Effective teachers of African American students must convince the student there is a ‘payoff’ in education Black children have the desire to do things together/buddy system Competition=failing grades, cooperation builds confidence, self-esteem Competition only motivating for those with skill and ability to succeed, grades motivating for those able to achieve good grades Failing students usually mean disciplinary problems

Stop the Blame Game Ineffective teachers blame parents
School expects parents to be assistant teachers, African American students scores decline after 4th grade/homework increases Need staff who dispense discipline fairly African American children join gangs because they have not received protection from adults Inconsistency in discipline in many African American homes, slap the child one minute, hug the next…’never amount to anything’ to a compliment-discipline is confined to one moment Children have selective respect for discipline The questioning communication style vs. directives in African American homes African American children lead country with 30 hours per week of TV Many white kindergarten children come in with over 1000 hours in literacy- some African American with less than 25 hours involvement with books

Lunch You’ve been served.

Differentiated Instruction: Bare Bones

Differentiated Instruction Defined
“Differentiated instruction is a teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences. Rather than marching students through the curriculum lockstep, teachers should modify their instruction to meet students’ varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests.” Carol Ann Tomlinson

Learning Modalities INSERT Strategy
Mark each row with one of the three symbols at the bottom of page 1, as each phrase in the row describes you. Add up your totals of “! That’s Me” for each column (Auditory, Kinesthetic/Tactile, Visual). Which is your primary learning modality? Turn to a “shoulder partner” and tell each other about your primary learning/reading style. Which style do most of your students seem to be? How can we use this in our classrooms? Differentiation starts with understanding your learner!

“Teaching Beyond the Book” Jigsaw
Five groups: #1s – Intro and Principle 1 #2s - Intro and Principle 2 #3s – Principle 3 #4s – Principle 4 #5s – Intro and Principle 5 First, read silently individually. Use the INSERT strategy to focus on the main idea and supporting ideas.

“Teaching Beyond the Book” Jigsaw
In your “Expert Groups”: Reach agreement with a small group what the main ideas and supporting ideas were for your part of the reading. Decide the MVP (Most Valuable Point.) with your colleagues.

Teachers Can Differentiate
Content Process Product According to Students’ Content- is what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the segment of study. “it’s the stuff we want students to learn, therefore it is the stuff we teach”…..content standards, curriculum provide guidance for this. Process- a purposeful activity that is unambiguously focused on essential learning goals. It requires students to work directly with a subset of the key knowledge, understanding, and skills specified as content goals. It requires students to think about ideas, grapple with problems and use information. Products – refers to the major or culminating demonstration of students learning. Products can take many forms and this is what makes them potentially powerful in classrooms that are sensitive to learner variance. Tests are a form of products and when the only form, many students find themselves restricted in the ability to show what they have learned. Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Low Prep Differentation
Varying scaffolding on the same organizer Computer mentors Think-Pair-Share by readiness, interest, learning profiles Mini-workshops to reteach or extend skills Jigsaw Games to practice mastery of info/skills Multiple levels of questions Choices of books Hole-to-part and part-to-whole explanations Homework options Reading buddies Varied journal prompts Work alone/together Flexible seating Turn and talk

High-Prep Differentiation
Interest groups Tiered learning centers Stations Literature Circles Teams, Games, and Tournaments (TGT) Choice Boards Think-Tac-Toe Simulations Student-centered writing formats Spelling by readiness Tiered activities and labs Tiered products Independent studies Multiple texts Alternative assessments Learning contracts Multiple intelligence options Varying organizers Tape- recorded/Podcast information Turn and talk

Diner Menu – Photosynthesis
Appetizer (Everyone Shares) Write the chemical equation for photosynthesis. Entrée (Select One) Draw a picture that shows what happens during photosynthesis. Write two paragraphs about what happens during photosynthesis. Create a rap that explains what happens during photosynthesis. Side Dishes (Select at Least Two) Define respiration, in writing. Compare photosynthesis to respiration using a Venn Diagram. Write a journal entry from the point of view of a green plant. With a partner, create and perform a skit that shows the differences between photosynthesis and respiration. As we mentioned last time, CHOICE is a key ingredient of differentiation. In the dinner menu method, students choose tasks to complete. Some teachers make the completion of the Dessert option as a requirement to be eligible for an A on the task. Dessert (Optional) Create a test to assess the teacher’s knowledge of photosynthesis.

CUBING Or you can . . . Rearrange it Illustrate it Question it
Describe it: Look at the subject closely (perhaps with your senses as well as your mind) Compare it: What is it similar to? What is it different from? Associate it: What does it make you think of? What comes to your mind when you think of it? Perhaps people? Places? Things? Feelings? Analyze it: Tell how it is made? What are its traits and attributes? Apply it: Tell what you can do with it. How can it be used? Argue for it or against it: Take a stand. Or you can . . . Rearrange it Illustrate it Question it Satirize it Evaluate it Connect it Cartoon it Change it Solve it Cubing allows deeper examination of an object, idea, event, etc. It generally takes the student through the levels of Bloom’s. Generally, a students will not complete all the tasks. The idea originated as faces on a die that was rolled. The student then completed the task on the face. In a high school environment, you may choose to skip the die and just list the possibilities.

Illustrate the setting of your poem. Use color (markers, pencils) and
Theme Describe the theme of your poem in a paragraph. Check for topic sentence, supporting details and conclusion Figurative Language Using a graphic organizer, list all the similes and metaphors in your poem. If you need help finding metaphors, consult With your group members Line Describe the way the lines are arranged Rhyme Figure out the rhyme scheme of the poem. Be prepared to teach it to the class. Setting Illustrate the setting of your poem. Use color (markers, pencils) and give your picture a title that is connected to the poem but not the title of the poem Speaker Describe the speaker of this poem. Be prepared to share orally.

Think Tac Toe Ancient Civilizations – Grade 6
As an ancient mapmaker, you are commissioned to create a map of your land including all natural land forms, a compass rose and a scale. Also find examples of each land form in a modern civilization. Imagine that you are an ancient citizen who awakens to discover that all water has evaporated. Explain in detail how this would alter your way of life. Also, do this for the town where you live. Assume you are persuading others to visit your ancient civilization. Design a descriptive, accurate travel brochure. Include both natural and man-made elements that would attract tourists. You are an ancient scribe. Write and illustrate a thorough description of a famous character from each time period being studied. Profile yourself also. Assume the identity of a famous person from the given time period. Create a journal entry reflecting the ideas, values, and components of daily life for that person & you. You are a famous sculptor. Create a 3D representation of a well-known leader, god, goddess, or common citizen. Include a museum exhibit card. Written language is an essential part of everyday life. Your task is to create an alphabet. Include a translation into modern English, a written description of the language development a & a 3D artifact of the new language. Recreate in 3D form a famous work of architecture from your time period. Compare and contrast this piece to one piece of modern day architecture. Find one example of this architecture’s presence in modern day society. Find a way to explain and show the importance of music and the arts to your culture. Also show at least 2 examples with roots in our time. GEOGRAPHY IMPORTANT PEOPLE CONTRIBUTIONS Charles Kyle & Kathy Reed * Illinois

WRITING B I N G O Movie, theater, or concert review Rules for a game
Recipe Thank you note Letter to the editor Movie, theater, or concert review Rules for a game Invitation request for information Letter to a relative or friend Short story Skit or scene Interview Newspaper article FREE: Your Choice: Advertisement Public service message Cartoon strip or movie story board Poem Greeting card Text message to a friend Proposal to improve something Journal entries Design for a Web page Bookmark Book jacket Book review

Float or Sink Directions: 1- Gather in 3 heterogeneous teams. 2- In your team, determine if the strategy floats or sinks your boat. 3- Each team will earn 1 point for each correct answer. 4- The team with the most points wins! Good Luck!

Assessment is most common at the end of learning to see “who got it?”
Float or Sink Assessment is most common at the end of learning to see “who got it?”

The teacher provides whole-class standards for grading
Float or Sink The teacher provides whole-class standards for grading

Multi-option assignments are frequently used
Float or Sink Multi-option assignments are frequently used

Float or Sink Excellence is defined in large measure by individual growth from a starting point

Float or Sink Assessment is ongoing and diagnostic to understand how to make instruction more responsive

Mastery of facts and skills out-of-context are the focus of learning
Float or Sink Mastery of facts and skills out-of-context are the focus of learning

Float or Sink Providing assignments tailored for student of different levels of achievement

Activities that all students will be able to do
Float or Sink Activities that all students will be able to do

Creating more work or extra credit to do when done
Float or Sink Creating more work or extra credit to do when done

Putting students in situations where they do not know the answer often
Float or Sink Putting students in situations where they do not know the answer often

All students in the class complete the same work for a unit/chapter
Float or Sink All students in the class complete the same work for a unit/chapter

Assignments tailored for students of different levels
Float or Sink Assignments tailored for students of different levels

Teachers Can Differentiate
Content Process Product According to Students’ Content- is what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the segment of study. “it’s the stuff we want students to learn, therefore it is the stuff we teach”…..content standards, curriculum provide guidance for this. Process- a purposeful activity that is unambiguously focused on essential learning goals. It requires students to work directly with a subset of the key knowledge, understanding, and skills specified as content goals. It requires students to think about ideas, grapple with problems and use information. Products – refers to the major or culminating demonstration of students learning. Products can take many forms and this is what makes them potentially powerful in classrooms that are sensitive to learner variance. Tests are a form of products and when the only form, many students find themselves restricted in the ability to show what they have learned. Readiness Interest Learning Profile

Different work, not simply more or less work

Focus On What is Essential

Introduction Choosing just a few well known, straightforward actions in every subject area can make dramatic improvements, some believe it could eliminate the achievement gap within a few years. Essentials are: reasonably coherent curriculum (what we teach), sound lessons (how we teach) and authentic literacy, more purposeful reading and writing.

The price for this swift improvement is steep: most schools would have to stop doing the things they do now in the name of school improvement. They would have to focus only on ‘what is essential’, have to ‘ignore the rest’ (fads, programs and innovations that prevent ensuring every student receives quality education).

The Importance of Simplicity, Clarity and Priority
Such ‘guaranteed and viable curriculum’ (Marzano 2003) may be the most significant school factor to affect learning. How we teach-to ensure that all students are learning each segment before moving on is of greatest importance. ‘Authentic literacy’ means purposeful and argumentative reading, writing and talking. Believe it or not, these 3 elements if well-executed would have more impact that all other initiatives combined.

Doctors (like coaches) aren’t cognizant that simple, well-know procedures are directly linked to results- the solution is simple, not complex. What an average child learns in the same course and same school varies from teacher to teacher. Despite the importance of reading and writing to general learning, students rarely engage in authentic reading and writing.

Highest priorities should be purposeful reading, writing and talking.
For English teachers, priorities include expectation that students would write and revise 2-3 substantive papers per grading period.

What We Teach Four intellectual standards:
Read to infer/interpret/draw conclusions Support arguments w/evidence Resolve conflicting view encountered in source documents Solve complex problems with no obvious answer Our standards never describe the most vital factors in education: clear, minimal guidelines for how much reading and writing students should do in subject areas

Reflective Reading Analytic reading of common texts, monthly formal writing assignments, daily Socratic discussions where students argue, resolve conflicting viewpoints and draw their own conclusions Typical assignment would be built around a question as: “In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, does McMurphy liberate or further imprison his fellow inmates?” In all but special case of LA, eliminate all or most of the verbs while paying greater attention to nouns and topics. Could use criteria such as: Endurance Leverage Readiness for the Next Level

How We Teach The single most important determinant of success for students is the knowledge and skills of the teacher. The essential parts of a good lesson include a clear learning objective, teaching and modeling, guided practice, checks for understanding/formative assessment and independent practice/assessment. (Principal video here) Clear Learning Objectives: Learning objective should be a topic , skill or concept from the agreed upon curriculum. Teaching/modeling/demonstrating: these are often variations on lecture or direct teaching.

How We Teach Guided Practice: throughout the lesson, teacher must allow students to practice or apply what has been taught or modeled. Checks for Understanding/Formative assessment: as students practice and between each step of the lesson, the teacher should conduct ‘formative assessment’ by checking to see how many students have mastered that step. This allows the teacher to see what needs to be clarified or explained differently. Common forms for checking for understanding: circulating, observing and listening, calling on a sampling of students or pairs randomly between each step (not on students who raise their hands), having students signal their understanding: thumbs up/thumbs down; red, green or yellow popsicle sticks, having students hold up dry erase boards w/answers.

Assessing the Readiness
You must access the readiness of all students in a fluid and informal manner every 2-10 minutes!!!!

THE CONSEQUENCES OF TYPICAL, POORLY BUILT LESSONS
A dead giveaway is that whenever the teacher asks a question, he/she then ‘calls on those students who raise their hands’ while the majority of students sit quietly or look around the room. The fundamental elements of teaching, modeling, guided practice, and checking for understanding are never reinforced.

Madeline Hunter: helped formalize the basic moves of an effective lesson and coined many useful terms that we still use. She advocated that lessons begin with crystal clarity about what students are to learn from that lesson. Then the lesson should always begin with an ‘anticipatory set’ – some attempt to create interest or curiosity in the topic by providing background or asking provocative questions, followed by direct teaching and modeling in small steps. Between each brief step the effective teacher implements two hugely effective techniques reciprocally: guided practice and checking for understanding. This must occur multiple times during the lesson until the greatest number of students have learned the material.

Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey: They also emphasize that students must have plenty of opportunity to work in pairs (and groups), which is an effective way to promote understanding and keep boredom at bay. An effective lesson pivots on our use of formative assessment-checking for understanding. Knowing that 6 or 7 students understand is not the same as knowing 32 do. Marilyn Burns: She also encourages such methods to ensure a ‘gradual release to independent work’ as students demonstrate mastery. Effective lessons include frequent opportunities for ‘think-pair-share’ in which students ‘explain their math knowledge verbally’ as the teacher notes their level of understanding.

Doing Things Better Lessons that include effective use of formative assessment and checks for understanding. Would have times as much positive impact on learning than the most popular current initiatives. Are about 10 times as cost-effective as reducing class size. Would add between 6 and 9 months of additional learning growth per year. Account for as much as 400% ‘speed of learning differences’. Effective teaching could eliminate the achievement gap in about 5 years. The highest-performance teachers ensure that a student learns twice as much material in the same amount of time as their peers.

Doing Things Better The next few activities are in small, ordered steps. These ‘periodic thinking reviews’ give students the chance to process their learning by ‘drawing conclusions and making inferences’. Every few minutes let the students process the new learning by: 1) reviewing their notes 2) summarizing their learning 3) pairing up to compare or contrast notes, perceptions and connections. Failure to give these opportunities is what makes most lectures boring and ineffective. Stopping points allow for formatively monitoring and accessing learning…continually checking for student understanding. The age-old template is: 1) close reading/understanding and annotation of text 2) discussion of text 3) writing about the text informed by close reading, discussion or annotation. Students stay busy talking-making inferences, arguing and weighing the merits of conflicting viewpoints.

Doing Things Better Before reading text be sure to teach any vocabulary that could impede understanding To create interest in the text, share some background about the topic, read interesting selection Science: compare and contrast functions of digestive or respiratory systems; meiosis and mitosis; arguments for wind vs. solar energy English: make inferences about a character or his/her development, such as Jack in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ Social Studies: make arguments for why you would prefer life as a Mayan or an Aztec, or US or Canadian citizen

Doing Things Better Math: argue for which solution to a problem is most complete and accurate Art/Music: compare and contrast or argue the merits of one artist or musician over another Assessments can be done by: a review of students notes or annotations actual writing participation in a discussion-quick check all three of the above over the course of a multiday lesson or unit

Doing Things Better We need to show students how we would read the text and what we would underline or annotate as we ‘think aloud’. Circulate as students underline, annotate or take notes. Ask students to quick-write while you circulate. Set time limits for readings, discussions and writings- keeps them focused. Show them how adults often slow down or reread to understand certain important or dense sections of text. The close reading, annotating and quick-writes build students’ confidence and ability to participate with confidence and skill. An ASCD survey shows that 83% of students said that ‘discussion and debate’ was a method that would ‘excite them most’.

English Language Arts Made Simple
Literature is an opportunity to weigh our own values and emotional resonance against those of the author and characters they create. A good source of readable current events is ‘The Week’, can be read by upper elementary as well as high school students. To become educated we must primarily read, talk,and write our way towards understanding. Classrooms that work: the highest performing teachers never waste a minute of class time, no arts and crafts during the reading block…always on task. New words always being learned and recited…written multiple times, every day, posted on ‘word walls’.

Virtually any student can learn the mechanics of reading to decode grade-level text in about 100 days. Students aren’t truly mature readers until they can read and recognize about 50,000 words. Two things that matter most when we read fiction or nonfiction: *what inferences and conclusions can we draw about the people in these books based on their words, behavior, and interaction? *do we agree or disagree with the author’s message and its implications for our own lives or for the people or culture it describes? Typical language arts standards rob us of what should be our true priorities: large amounts of meaningful reading, discussion and writing. Between 50 and 70% of class time should be spent in the simple, productive activities.

In general for every English course you should recommend that teams establish standards that approximate the following. about books and plays, depending on length multiple poems and short stories ( 5-10 of each) 20-40 newspaper/magazine/online articles These should be divided sensibly among: fiction about 40%. Nonfiction about 40-50%, of which 25-40% can be self- selected Think-pair-share on how non-LA subjects can support this goal? Share one idea per table.

Discussion is a critical companion to reading. Recommend that students participate in at least 3 discussions per week. Schools should establish clear, quantitative agreements about the minimum number of writing assignments all students will complete in the same course. An essay is the best all-in-one assessment of students’ abilities to both read and write effectively.

The fact is that students don’t learn about the craft of writing primarily from our comments on their papers, majority of what they learn comes from carefully crafted lessons built around exemplars and rubrics. For every assignment that starts with reading we should: Teach vocabulary, establish purpose for reading, teach and model how to annotate/underline/take notes, Discuss the work, Write about the work after reviewing, Use students and professional exemplars as teaching tools, Write a short essay or persuasive paper for each book.

Social Studies with Reading and Writing at the Core
Literacy is the key to effective social studies instruction. Good curriculum should approximate the following: essential topics and standards to be taught selected textbook pages (not the whole book or all of every chapter) about 35 or more supplementary or primary source documents some prepared interactive lectures for each unit to supplement textbook

Students will enjoy tasks if they are encouraged to write and respond as experts. Teach students not to turn in papers until they and a peer can attest that they have evaluated it against the exemplar. Students produce better work when we provide full-blown lessons for each phase.

Effective interactive lecture in social studies requires that we do: Most educators say we should model how to read, talk and write ‘argumentatively and analytically’ at least 2 times per, every week at every grade level. This is how students learn to think. Begin the lecture by providing essential background knowledge and a task, usually in the form of a question. Ensure that the lecture stays focused on the task.

Ensure that students are on task and learning, by circulating, observing and listening as students take notes and pair up to process. Avoid talking for more than 5 to 7 minutes without giving students an opportunity to connect learning to the question. Ensure in discussion that all students respond multiple times Re-teach or clarify whenever a check for understanding indicates students have not mastered the material.

Redefining Inquiry in Science
Inquiry science occurs when students use reading, writing, and oral language to address questions about science content. Essential ingredients for the majority of effective science curriculums are: Close reading of selected portions of science textbooks Regular reading and discussion of current science articles Writing-from short to longer more formal pieces Reasonable number of carefully designed science labs and experiments that reinforce the content What matters most in science learning: opportunities for repeated reading, discussion, and writing about essential science content. These are the core of authentic, ‘inquiry based’ science and vital to critical thinking and reasoning.

Task, text, and talk in science: students need frequent opportunities to read science-related texts and perform oral and written tasks. Good science labs, richly connected to science content, are essential. The popular notion is that science is optimally learned through activities. The best science lesson observed was a Socratic discussion in a high school chemistry class where the day before the class had learned the molecular explanation for why water changes forms under different conditions; they were asked about condensation, fog, and evaporation.

When we provide brief, meaningful background information, (SIOP) we ensure that far more students will understand the text, far more will read with motivation and will retain more as a result. Readings are interwoven with explanations by teachers and opportunities to discuss questions related to the reading. Student read for 20 minutes or so, as they ‘write’ in response to text- related questions. Whole-class review is a crucial step: ( having students review their writings and annotations)

Interactive lecture steps: Begin by providing essential background knowledge or some essential questions. Stay closely focused on the question. Ensure that students are engaged and on task, by circulating, observing, and listening as students take notes and pair up to process each chunk of lecture. Avoid talking for more than 7 minutes without giving students an opportunity to connect learning to their essential question or task and review notes. Ensure in discussions, that all students respond multiple times during the lecture. Re-teach or clarify when checks for understanding indicate students have not mastered the material.

Explain and illustrate cellular structures and functions based on reading and lecture notes, with original or personal observations, insights and connections. Explain and illustrate essential similarities and differences between plant and animal cells. Read 2 opposing arguments on a past or present issue or problem related to cells/cell research. Take a position on the issue and refer to what you learned in this unit on cells. Newsweek has real merits for secondary students. ProCon.org is an excellent, free source for teachers, especially science teachers. They can find materials arguing both sides of issues like: Alternative energy vs. fossil fuels, Are cell phones safe?, Is nuclear power practical?

“The Week”contains excellent science and health articles one page or shorter. An interesting article from the 5/5/09 issue talked about: The myth of the multitasker, The academic benefits of chewing gum and How Facebook use may adversely affect students’ grades. Most of the pieces reflect the interesting and recurring issue of ‘cause vs. correlation’ which students enjoy debating. Start every weekly lesson carefully reading the first paragraph or two out loud, stopping to reread and even dramatize when beneficial; saying things like ‘This gets my attention. Does it get yours? To have all students learn science, we must repeatedly model, encourage, remind, and reinforce the simple operations of thoughtful reading every year in all science classes and follow up with opportunities for guided practice.

Making Math Meaningful
Close reading of math textbooks is undervalued. This could give students regular opportunities to practice and hone their ‘technical reading’ ability from texts that include procedures, directions, and instructional manuals. Writing teaches us to express ourselves. K-12 students need extensive practice ‘expressing verbally’ the quantitative meanings of both problems and solutions. Give students regular opportunities to explain why one answer or approach to a math problem is superior to another. A simple prompt could be: I think the answer is _________. / I think that because __________. / I figured this out by ________.

Questions?

State Updates: Dr. Ellis

Accountability: Dr. Legrand

School-level Test Coordinators
School Counselors-Section 8.35, Article 21 of Chapter 115C MCS’ Response Plan for Testing Notify principals of school counselor updated duties. Provide a copy of the school-level test coordinators roles and responsibilities to principals. Complete a TC identification form for each school. Conduct an orientation for school-level testing coordinators. Adhere to the NCDPI testing guidelines and work collaboratively with schools to implement an effective and efficient assessment process .

Testing Calendar Maximize Instructional Time-Section 9.2, Article 21 of 115C Assessments must be administered in the last 10 instructional days for year-long courses and within the final five instructional days of the semester for semester courses Flexibility based on IEPs, 504 plans, national and international exams Alternate assessments, make-ups, CTE Postassessments information is forthcoming…

Testing Exceptions Medical Emergencies and/or Conditions
Dr. Ellis must support the request and submit a written request to the NCDPI. Fall Deadline- November 25th* Spring Deadlines- February 3rd , May 5th and June 16th* * End of testing window The Career and Technical Education division processes all medical requests for CTE Postassessments. (P) (F)

Accountability Documents
Accountability Memo DRAFT Calendar School Counselor Legislation Maximizing Instructional Time Legislation Testing Coordinator Form Testing Exceptions Medical Emergencies and/or Conditions Memo

Questions?

EC Updates: Mrs. Slingerland

PD/CWT/CRW Updates: Mrs. Ellis

Beginning Teacher Update: Dr. Lancaster

AIG Update: Mrs. Steed

Highlights of Montgomery County Schools’ AIG Plan Changes 2013-2016:
Standard 1: The LEA’s student identification procedures are clear, equitable and comprehensive and lead towards appropriate educational services. Establishment of Gifted Identification Teams at each school Revised AIG Identification Standards: See Academically Intellectually Gifted Placement Chart

Standard 2: The LEA employs challenging, rigorous curriculum and instruction K-12 to accommodate a range of academic, intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted learners. Differentiation provided in classroom based on student data (PDSA, PA, formative, summative, interest and learning inventories) Differentiation support in PLCs Development of AIG wiki with resources AIG wiki Increase utilization of AIG resource room

Standard 3: The LEA recruits and retains highly qualified professionals and provides relevant and effective professional development concerning the needs of gifted learners that is ongoing and comprehensive. Differentiation training specific to AIG AIG licensure offered through UNCP/RESA Montgomery County Schools’ AIG Endorsement (online training) PD aligned with state/national standards/21st learning standards

Standard 4: The LEA provides an array of K-12 programs and services by the total school community to meet the diverse academic, intellectual and social needs of gifted learners Utilization of differentiated instruction framework Cluster grouping (4th and 5th) Accelerated classes ( Honors) (Middle school), English Language Arts, Math Self-selected classes (High school), Honors, Advanced Placement, North Carolina Virtual Public Schools, North Carolina School of Science and Math, Apex DEP- Project of choice Enrichment/Intervention block/Clubs (Elementary) Enrichment Opportunities- Governor’s School, Enrichment Block (Elementary), Clubs, Science Fair, Spelling Bee, Battle of the Books

Standard 5: The LEA ensures ongoing and meaningful participation of stakeholders in the planning and implementation of the local AIG program to develop strong partnerships Involve AIG Advisory Board in continuous improvement process Formation of Gifted Student Advisory (middle and high)

Standard 6: The LEA implements, monitors, and evaluates the local AIG program and plan to ensure that all programs and services are effective in meeting the academic, intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted learners. Monitoring of the plan by AIG Board/Curriculum Team Utilization of multiple forms of data to drive continuous improvement of the program

Next Steps Schools identify gifted identification teams
Collaborate with teachers to generate new DEPS the first week of school Schedule time to meet with SITs or faculty members to inform all about new plan Training for East Middle/West Middle teachers of accelerated classes afternoon of August 22nd 1st endorsement class online by mid September Schedule professional development PLCS on differentiation

Back to School Rally Updates: Mrs. Jones

West Montgomery High School
Join us for our 3rd Annual Back to School Rally Saturday, August 17, 2013 10:00 am West Montgomery High School

Instructional Expectations: Learning Team

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Career and College Readiness

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