Lead Learners Update 9.17.12

Lead Learners Update 9.17.12

It is possible to be tough-minded and adamant about protecting purpose and priorities while also being tender with people. Learning By Doing pg 230

Calendar of Events
9.17 Digital Learning
Board meeting
9.21 New Teacher Workshop
9.24 SIAC (Starts @ 6:00 PM, a change from past)
9.26 IPI training @ Ridge

Legislative Update - 2 key assessment changes go into effect - (By Ying Ying Chen) Two changes in district-wide assessment requirements go into effect this year, as per legislation passed in the Spring, 2012. Both 10th grade Iowa Assessments and a kindergarten readiness assessment are required.

The purpose of the new 10th grade Iowa Assessments is to provide for inclusion of high school in the growth model for Annual Yearly Progress.  Section 279.60.3 Each school district shall administer the Iowa Assessments, created by the state University of Iowa, to all students enrolled in grade 10. (CCSD is testing 10th grade already, but we do not report 10th grade achievement with SIAC at this time.)

The Iowa Department of Education and Early Childhood Iowa State Board are collaborating to form a cross-agency planning group to study and select a standard, multi-domain kindergarten readiness assessment for implementation by all school districts beginning in the fall of 2013.  The assessment shall be aligned with state early learning standards and preschool programs shall be encouraged to administer the assessment at least at the beginning and end of the preschool program, with the assessment information entered into the statewide longitudinal data system.  (CCSD will watch this closely)

New Teacher Workshop #1 - September 21, 2012 (By Ying YIng Chen)
The content of the new teacher workshop will be different this year.  They will include the following:

• UBD in nutshell and Rubicon
• EU, EQ and Conceptual Lens
• Clear Learning Targets
• Check for Understanding Overview

On the surface, they look like what we have had before, but due to changes that happened in the district (Unit Design, Power Standards, CFA, AF, etc.), we are compelled to change the learning targets to ensure new teachers’ smooth transition to CCSD.  They will receive a textbook: The Formative Assessment Action Plan (by Frey and Fisher).  We will use Chapter Three in this particular workshop.  Principals will benefit from this learning as the content and protocols could be adapted for the entire staff to reinforce your school improvement goals.

TAPPLE and Varied Response will be included as we introduce Chapter 3, Check for Understanding, but it will be taught lightly via modeling, not explicitly due to time constraints.  This means new teachers will need additional modeling from you and/or mentors to ensure implementation fidelity. The time frame for the workshop is one hour shorter than last year.  (7:45 - 12:15). This will give you time to carry out PM follow up.  Here is the PM structure options.  Please enter your options to the google doc by Thursday, September 20, so we know your individual school plan.

Last but most important, new teachers will need time to apply what they learn in the afternoon.  I suggest the observation and debriefing to be no more than 60 minutes this time (more content in workshop #1). Please leave ample amount of time for independent practice with some level of support arranged by you. They will need to open the  Rubicon tool to enter a few things such as learning targets.  They also need to plan Varied Repondes in a real lesson.  Their independent practice needs to happen within 100 hours before they forget what they learn from the workshop.

Digital Learning on 9/17 (Grades 7-12) - By Ying Ying Chen
AM session: 8:00 - 11:00; PM session: 12:00-3:00; Opposite Half Day: Designed by the Principal and Leadership Teams
With the above schedule, principals and cadres can use the last 30 minutes to debrief learning and set professional or team goals. (Ex.  When you plan the next unit, how can you incorporate this learning to increase rigor?)  Be mindful about making digital learning a cohesive part of lesson/unit planning and collaboration, not an add on!  A debriefing process will help teachers make the transition.

Digital Learning on 9/17 (Grades K-6) - By Ying Ying Chen
AM session: 7:45 - 11:45; PM 12:45 - 3:45  PM Content Decided by Principals and Cadre
The Digital Trainers will deliver the content to your school.  Here is the website (under construction).  The facilitation guide and materials are available on the website.  I highly recommend that you have a brief conversation with the building reps so that you understand the vision, the process and how this work fits into your building improvement process.

Fantastic Learning Opportunities (By Ying Ying Chen)
A series of workshops offered by NTC (on GWAEA website and on George Held’s update) are fantastic learning opportunities.  NTC is the group that offers mentor training series.  Many of their workshops are benificial to all teachers and administrators.   Since all school improvement plans and cadre actions are individualized this year, you may need additional support to develop your leadership groups.  If you are looking for sessions to grow your cadre members and teacher leaders, check these sessions out:

1. Analyzing Student Work (October 4-5 or January 23-24)
2. Creating and Facilitate Meetings that Promote Professional Development (October 19)
3. Designing and Presenting Professional Development for Teachers (September 24-25 or February 21-22)

See flyer for above sessions
A new workshop by NTC, which is not on the flyer yet, is called Differentiating Instruction: Entry Point for Mentors (November 7-8). The content includes:

• Identify effective mentoring entry points that support teacher’s differentiated instruction
• apply the five components of differentiation to content area instruction
• apply formative assessment mentoring tools (e.g., Analysis of Student Work, Lesson Planning, Observation and Case Studies) as means of integrating differentiated instruction into new teacher’s practice.
• apply pre-assessment tools and strategies in mentoring and classroom teaching

Digital Literacy Update -- By Craig Barnum
This will be the first time our Digital Literacy Trainers will be in action.  As Ying references in her article we have created a website to house the resources the Digital Literacy Trainers are creating.  The site can be found by going to the Staff Hub and clicking Teacher Resources, then Digital Literacy PD.  Here is the direct link as well -- http://prairiepride.org/dlpd  

At this website, which is still having content added, you can find multimedia tutorials by the Trainers.  The session names, dates, and times of our digital literacy after school PL.  Please encourage your staff to have a look at these offerings.  And, each Trainer will be sharing exemplary units here as well.  As the year goes on, we envision will grow into a content-rich environment that will benefit all staff.  Again, please encourage your staff to check in at this site periodically.

Curriculum Matters (by Bill Poock)

Instructional Rounds for 2012-2013:  We will have our first Instructional Rounds visits on October 22nd for Prairie Creek and Prairie Heights.  Ying, Bill, John, and Josh will soon begin that planning process and have already attended our own Instructional Rounds PLC in Clive at SAI on Thursday of last week.  This PLC provides us with the chance to learn about how other schools implement the rounds process and how different perspectives add to our own thinking about our rounds processes at CCSD.  We will use our time to think deeply about the process and the rationale behind the various steps in the rounds process.  Instructional Rounds is one component of a school improvement inquiry process in which we think collectively about how to improve teaching and learning in our schools.

Math Task Force:  On October 10, we will have our first Math Task Force meeting at the Prairie Point Presentation Room from 7:45 – 3:45.  We will work to increase our understanding of the Common Core Mathematics standards as we continue to implement the standards within our teaching.  We will use the Math Task Force to accomplish high leverage work for our district.  We look forward to meeting with the Math Task Force members and beginning this important work.

Student Services - (By Cheryl Kiburz)

9.19.New Special Education Teacher District IEP Training- (ESC Boardroom)
8:00-11:30 AM  Elementary (K-6)
12:00-3:30 PM  Secondary (7-12)

District RtI Meetings- (all future meetings will be held in the Presentation Room at Point)
Future meeting dates include, October 24, December 12 and March 6. The time and location will remain constant (8:45-11:45 AM).  The GWAEA building contacts met on Thursday and  reviewed the same content shared in our district meeting.  The team was very appreciative to share in the learning and will work to support our efforts in building a collaborative culture focused on student learning and results.