Lead Learners Update 1.28.13

Authentic Learning Defined: The value of what is being learned is obvious to the learner and does not have to be explained by the teacher. Dave Warlick

Lead Learners Update 1.28.13
1.28 Oversight (12:00 - 3:30) ESC Board Room
SIAC Meeting @ PHS Study Hall (6:00 - 8:30 PM)
1.29 Media Council PM
2.4 Curriculum Alignment/Unpack with Ridge and Heights teams
2.5 Cadre
2.7 WL Council Curriculum Day
2.11 Curriculum Alignment/Unpack with 9-12 teachers

Rubicon Workshop and Learning Summary (By Ying Ying Chen and Bill Poock)
It was a very stimulating day lead by the skillful consultant, Brock Storfa. He taught us to be thinkers, not just tool users.  He challenged us to be leaders of continuous improvement--not simply to be compliant (in implementing Common Core).   In the end, teachers and principals had a chance to discuss building-based action plans.  Principals had the last half hour to collaborate and debrief.  Here is the summary of the principal debriefing:

What should be tight?  What common messages should we send to all teachers?

The only common message from our administrative team is that all schools will use the Rubicon tool to monitor and improve the implementation of Iowa Core.  We also agree that implementation of Iowa Core is everyone’s responsibility.

What is loose?

Each school can determine how to lead, what data to collect, what goals to set, and how to incorporate it in the school improvement plan.  

Analogy for Deeper Understanding:

Brock’s Plate Analogy:  Brock used the following analogy to help us better understand the role that the actual curriculum mapping tool plays in the process to ensuring alignment with Iowa Core Curriculum:  “Curriculum management is not something MORE on the teacher’s plate; Rubicon should be the “plate.”  For example, we can add components of AIW, PBL, and performance assessments (our areas of focus) etc. to the “plate”.  Then, we help our teachers see how we can use Rubicon as leverage for doing our work in an efficient manner--in essence--work smarter, not harder.

Brainstormed Concepts and Strategies by the Principals

• Lead from the angle of continuous improvement (the cycle)--not compliance.
• Principals and teacher reps are looking for entry points that will motivate teachers.  Ideas include:  showing the standards profile (goals/standards), the search feature for alignment, or how the data can be helpful for team planning of PLC collaboration.
• In order to use the tool for continuous improvement, the first and the most important step is to ensure that teachers are entering their instructional units in the curriculum mapping system. (identify and select standards in the planning and assessment parts of the mapping tool)
• Schools shared various ideas on how to make unit entry possible (Ex: collaboration time, TQ. PL day etc.)
• It is important to ask teachers use the tool from the beginning of any unit design, not to transfer units from other templates.  They will see the benefit of it after gaining the experience of use the Rubicon data.  This also ensures that accurate data can be drawn from the system using some of the tools and processes we learned about at the training session on 1.25.13.

Reflection on Cedar Rapids Site Visit (By Ying Ying Chen)
A site visit is a form of continuous improvement.  Through listening to multiple debriefings, the team summarizes findings and makes recommendations.  Here are some of my interpretations of the site visit focus:

• Coherence - There is a tight alignment among C-Plan (CSIP), SIP (School Improvement plan), each building’s PD plan, PLP and teacher evaluation.  
• Evidence Based - It is not about what is written in the plan, but what is realized among all groups and settings.
• Implementing Iowa Core is permeated in multiple themes.  Questions include evidence of quality instruction, curriculum development, culture for learning, monitoring progress, accountability, and meeting learner needs (RTI).  Are we realizing characteristics of effective instruction?
• Stakeholder involvement and two way communication at all levels are highly valued.  SIAC, Board, various leadership teams and parents are key components in the process
• The cycle: How are data used to be responsive to student learning?
• Equality and Culture Awareness: How do we ensure success for all students?  Do we monitor program participation and results?  How do we create a safe environment for all? What was done to educate and be responsive to bully and harassment?

The seven themes for the site visit are:

1. Vision, Mission, and Goals

2. Leadership

3. Collaborative Relationships

4. Learning Environment

5. Curriculum and Instruction

6. Professional Development

7. Monitoring and Accountability

With the depth and scope of the site visit, the ESC team will begin to engage administrators in the process and use the opportunity for self-assessment and long-range planning.

Board Report on Mentor and Induction (By Ying Ying Chen)
Karen Thorpe conducts interviews and focus group discussions each year and presents data at the board meetings.  This is part of the program evaluation process that are required by the state’s accountability system.  Here are the interview results shared at the January Board meeting.  
Mentor Comments 2012
Mentee Comments 2012
More detailed data are on the New Teacher Mentor and Induction Website.

Technology Update (Craig Barnum)
I posted recently about new email filtering we put in place.  This was an eye-opening experience. Email has really changed over the last few years.  I’ve put the details on the new filter will impact staff in this Tech Hawks post.  I would encourage you to check this and to be sure you staff, particularly coaches and activity sponsors.  There are changes that will impact them.  This process was a great object lesson for me, too.  I’ve been thinking and following email usage for many years, but it was not clear to me just how different the marketplace had become.   This was a blind-spot for me.  It makes me wonder if we have other systemic blind-spots as well.

Student Services (by Cheryl Kiburz)
1.29  LETRS-Sixth Street GWAEA office from 8:30 to 4:00
1.30  LETRS-Sixth Street GWAEA office from 8:30 to 4:00
1.30  Workshop at GWAEA-Strategies to Support Executive Function Skills in Students with Planning, Organization, Emotional Control, Working Memory and Attention Needs

During the next month I will be requesting a Special Education Teacher team meeting through the building contact.  The purpose for the meetings will be to share information related to the most recent I-STAR review, review the process for ESY and discuss student data related to eligibility for services, and to plan for the transition of students from level to level, staffing needs, paraprofessional needs, etc. for the 13-14 school year.

Curriculum Matters (by Bill Poock)
Data Teams Resources:  As we continue our work with PLCs, one important function of the PLC team is that of collecting and using data to help drive the continuous improvement process at the classroom level.  An approach that is effective is that of the Data Teams process.  One of the leading proponents of the data teams process is Douglas Reeves and is also reiterated in the book we are reading in conjunction with the Oversight Team:  The Data Teams Experience--A Guide for Effective Meetings by Angela Peery (2011).  In this book, she outlines six basic steps to the data teams process that includes:

1. team collects and charts (or displays) the data
2. team analyzes the data and prioritizes student needs
3. team sets a SMART goal
4. team determines the instructional strategies they will implement in order to raise student proficiency
5. team determines results indicators
6. team monitors and evaluates progress towards goals (ongoing)

Some helpful resources you might consider for use with teachers to help them better understand how the use of data teams can improve their ability to meet the needs of diverse learners in their classrooms includes the following three links to short videos explaining the data teams process:

• Data Teams Protocol Video  (Reeves)
• Data Teams Video (Leadership & Learning Center)
• Data Teams:  The Process (Leadership & Learning Center)

Any or all of these videos are useful for teachers to see how the data teams process is a natural part of PLCs/highly collaborative teams.  Sometimes teachers need to see the data teams process in more detail to fully understand how it can be meshed together with their PLC work to truly demonstrate learning for all.

Summer Camp Information:  Kathy Waychoff and Sue Lala have emailed all district staff regarding opportunities for employment with the CCSD Summer Camp 2013.  Teachers who are interested in teaching Reading and/or Math Workout (summer camp sessions for students in need of additional support) should email Bill or Kathy to let them know that they are interested in teaching Summer Camp.  More information regarding teacher recommendations will be released at the appropriate time.  So that administrators are aware--there will be an electronic/online process for teachers to make initial recommendations for students they suggest need additional support offered by Summer Camp.  I will share that information with all staff when it is appropriate.

Lead Learners Update 1.14.13

Quality Of Innovators:
Perseverance, a willingness to experiment, take calculated risks, tolerate failure, and the capacity for “design thinking.” in addition to critical think

Creating Innovators, Tony Wagner

Calendar of Events
1.14 Common Core Implementation (Crest and View)
No Admin Meeting Scheduled
Work with Perception Survey Data (Lead by John 4:00 - ?)
1.15 Crest AIW
1.15 GT Academy - Newton
1.21 PL Day (Celebration of Learning from 7:45 - 10:00)

Board Meeting

1.22 New Teacher Workshop (7:45 - 12:00 and PM implementation)

Engaging Stakeholder Conversations (5:00 - 8:00 PM)

1/23 Quarterly Conversations
1/24 Quarterly Conversations

Mid-Year SMART Data and Use of Rubicon (Ying Ying Chen)
We will begin to draw and organize the SMART data to prepare for the SIAC mid-year report.  Please be sure your SMART goal data has been entered and analyzed at your building level to determine staff learning needs.  Click HERE for where you can access your own data.  Here is the Mid year Data Recording Form.  Please enter your building’s data no later than 1/16.

The unit they assess must be the current or the most recent unit they are working on.  Please be sure that teachers are using Rubicon to design and house the units/resources.  If we want to improve implementation fidelity in the system and form a common way of discussing our planned curriculum,  we must have access to these units across the district.  I will find a moment to interview you prior to January 28, the SIAC day, to gather some talking points regarding the progress of SMART goal for your building.

Science Common Core Update (Ying Ying Chen)
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will be released on Tuesday, January 8
Public review ends on January 29.  To review the draft when it is released, go to www.nextgenscience.org.  To register for the web seminar, click here.  The final NGSS standards are expected to be released in late March.  Also this month and next—NSTA will be hosting additional web seminars exploring the scientific and engineering practices in A Framework for K–12 Science Education.  All web seminars will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and are free.  You may encourage your teachers to sign up for them.
Register now for these upcoming programs:
•    January 15: Engineering Practices in the Next Generation Science Standards
•    January 29: Using the NGSS Practices in the Elementary Grades
•    February 12: Connections Between Practices in NGSS, Common Core Math, and Common Core ELA

I3 Grant (Ying Ying Chen)
Recently, GWAEA received a competitive grant to support the Full Release Model Mentor program.  This multi-million, multiple year grant will change the mentor/induction practice significantly.  At the press release, many state legislators were on site.  Apparently, this will be a significant endeavor for area 10.  Kim Owen, the person who spearheaded the grant, will continue to lead and manage the program.  John and I have had our initial conversation with Kim, but no action step is set at this point as many details are yet to be sorted out by GWAEA.   Our district has been one of the leading districts in applying NTC (New Teacher Center) best practice.  The I3 grant is developed with the support of NTC.  We will keep you posted if there is any new development.

Email Security Best Practice Reminder (Craig Barnum)
While we had a good run since our string of problems last September, we did have an email account get compromised over holiday break.  Before we caught the problem, this account had sent out hundreds of thousands of spam emails.  This put us on several email blacklists, and made it very hard to email to anyone outside of PrairiePride.org.    If this happens infrequently (once or twice a year), it’s really not that big of deal.  But, I’m concerned that if it happens a lot, like it did at the start of the year, it could irreparably damage Prairie’s online reputation for sending email.  Since most of the exploits used to get access to our accounts are not very sophisticated and very similar, it’s probably a good time review some basic safety guidelines:

1. Everyone needs to follow these these guidelines: we are only as strong as our weakest link.  Virtually all staff, both classified and certified, now have email addresses.  Just one person can be responsible for damaging our ability to send emails to the world.  Everyone needs to pay attention to email security best practices.  It’s now a key job responsibility (albeit a very simple one).
2. When in doubt, do nothing.  It’s safe to say that staff should never follow a link from an email that requests them to give both their email address and password to an online form. It’s really easy for spammers to fake the “from” address and put anybody’s name/address in that space.  So, even if the message comes from me, I would recommend that they never do this.
3. Use common sense.  Look at the address the message is coming from.  Even though the name/address can easily be spoofed, often times just looking at that will tell you if it’s legitimate or not.  For example, why would someone at Creighton University be telling you that your email inbox is full?  That makes no sense.  Most of the attacks I’ve seen this year are coming from other places, not from Prairie accounts.  This is a quick and easy mental filter to apply.  If the note is not from someone at Prairie, just delete it.  No further examination necessary.  Of course, even if it is from a PrairiePride.org address,  staff should not follow the instructions if they require online submission of both email address and password.  

Please take a few moments and review these concepts will all of your staff.  I put out periodic reminders, but it’s most effective if this message comes from multiple sources.  Thanks for your help.


Curriculum Matters (by Bill Poock)
K-6 Admins:  Please refer to emails send on 1.12.13 regarding specific information related to the pick and delivery of mathematics materials as well as teacher surveys.  The teacher surveys for mathematics curriculum/textbook pilot/review will be coordinate by the strategist (or Susan Dubishar at Creek) in each building.

Math Textbook Adoption reminders:

Finalized Schedule for 3 Vendors:

Round #1:  December 7 – January 17 (19 days – 18 instructional)
Round #2:  January 18 – February 14 (19 days – 18 instructional)
Round #3:  February 15 – March 15 (20 days – 19 instructional)

Delivery Schedule:

December 7th:  deliver all materials to each school
January 18th:  all materials picked up/delivered to next school location
February 15th:  all materials picked up/delivered to next school location
March 15th:  all materials picked up/returned to ESC Warehouse

School	Round #1	Round #2	Round #3
Crest (K,1,3)	enVisions	Go Math!	Math in Focus
Heights (K,2,3)	Go Math!	Math in Focus	enVisions
Ridge (1,4)	Math in Focus	enVisions	Go Math!
View (2,4)	Math in Focus	enVisions	Go Math!
Creek (5,6)	Go Math!	enVisions	Math in Focus

Student Services (by Cheryl Kiburz)
1.21  Due to the “Celebration of Learning” scheduled for the morning of January 21, the district special education teachers will not meet as previously planned in the afternoon.  The district special education teachers will meet for a final time on PL day, February 18, from 1:45-3:45 PM.  
1.29  LETRS-Sixth Street GWAEA office from 8:30 to 4:00.
1.30  LETRS-Sixth Street GWAEA office from 8:30 to 4:00.
I-STAR (Iowa’s System to Achieve Results)  A team of GWAEA consultants, psychologists, and district special education teachers continue to pull 3 IEPs per building each trimester to complete record reviews and provide feedback to special education staff.  CCSD has met Prong 1 of this review process and has also met Prong 2.  The DOE shared that some districts have been challenged in meeting Prong 2 specifically due to lack of evidence of progress monitoring data and instructional changes based on that data.  Please continue to support your special education staff in maintaining timely collection of progress monitoring data and making instructional decisions as appropriate based on that data.

DHS follow-up--Recently I was in a building where administration was working with DHS in response to a child abuse report.  As a result, I wanted to remind administrators that the school is able to release student records without parent consent if there is a health and/or safety concern that could be helped or remedied if the records are released.  It is recommended the school requests something in writing from DHS stating that it is a health/safety issue.  If DHS comes to the school and requests to interview a student, if the parent is the suspected abuser, the student may be interviewed without parent consent.  Someone from the school should sit in on the student interview—the student should not do it alone.  The representative from the school could be either the principal or guidance counselor.

Lead Learners Update 1.3.13

Happy New Year!  We hope you all had a restful, relaxing holiday break enjoyed with family and friends.  Welcome back!

Calendar of Events
1.3 School Resumes
1.7 Admin Meeting (Reserved for problem solving. Refer to John’s e-mail for time)
1.8 Cadre
1.11 PL AM; Clerical PM
1.21 Celebrate of Learning (7:45 - 10:00) @ Prairie Point

ESC Joins Cedar Rapids Site Visit (Ying Ying Chen)
Cheryl, Bill, Ying and John are going to join CR’s site visit from January 8 - 11.  It is common that a district joins a site visit a year before their scheduled site visit. CCSD’s site visit is scheduled for 2013-14.

Iowa Assessment (Ying Ying Chen)
The new format of Iowa Assessment provides no FAY data or % proficient. FAY data will not be available till summer, 2013 regardless which of the following two report systems you choose to use:

1. GW Online Assessment system - you will be able to find % proficient and growth data  URL:  http://www.gwaea.org/apps/assess/signon.cfm
2. Standards Insight (DE reporting system which matches BEDS and is maintained at least a few times a year, but data transfer will take 2-4 weeks.)

Both reports require the user to filter and find the data you are interested.  We have loaded the IA data into Data Director. This system is new and will require initial set up.  We are working on it rigorously and will keep you posted.

Math Task Force Progress (By Ying Ying Chen)
The team reviewed and explored StandardsInsight and the next generation of assessments and began to draft the assessments.  Each level, based on their content knowledge and school improvement focus, worked at a different pace:

• K-4 - Most teams choose a major content of a grade level and began to formulate a unit assessment that is aligned with common core and the next level of assessment (SMARTER Balanced Assessments)
• 5th - almost finished building assessments for all units and added more rigorous assessments in each unit
• 6th - added more rigorous assessments in the unit while continued to build assessments for the future units
• 7-9 - Revised and enriched standards based assessment by adding performance tasks
• 10-12 finished sequencing all units using the StandardsInsight tool on Algebra, Advanced Algebra and Geometry.  Next step is to work with the department on building standards-based units, one at a time.

Next meeting is scheduled for Feb 19.  They will continue to build more assessments for the standards-based units.

A few interesting points from the most recent DE report: (Ying Ying Chen)

• In 2011-12, 43% of Iowa schools were over the average poverty level (The current poverty level, which is based on % of SES, is 40.1%)
• % of Iowa students eligible for free lunch increased from 19.2% to 32.6% in 11 years

• Iowa 4th graders ranked 29/52 on Reading based on 2011 NAEP
• Iowa 4th graders ranked 29/52 on Math based on 2011 NAEP
• 33% of Iowa 4th graders are proficient in Reading; 34% of Iowa 4th graders are proficient in Math based on 2011 NAEP.  The highest performing state, Massachusetts, showed 51% proficient in both Reading and Math.
• Focused strategies to improve Iowa’s education are: Teacher Quality, implementing Iowa Core and RTI
• The RTI model recommended by DE (Chart below): (See details under each column)

Digital Literacy Update (Craig Barnum)
The Media Council has been actively working on revising units and assessments that will provide data for SIAC Smart Goal #3 on students’ digital literacy proficiency.  At our September Council meeting we powered the AASL and ISTE standards.  During the November meeting, we aligned and revised the common summative digital literacy assessments at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.  We used the time given to us at the December PL day to work out the implementation details with content teachers.  The plan is to have student data back from these assessments and ready to analyze by our final council meeting in April.  

I am really excited by the revisions that have been made to these units.  While they certainly are not perfect, the assessments at each of the targeted grade levels are really improved.  The 4th grade unit is a shell that can work within any of the 4th grade BBH units.  The implementation planning done at the December PL day with the 4th grade teams seemed to go very well.  The 6th, 8th, and 10th grade units/assessments are also integrated within content areas/classes.   Our next council meeting is at the end of January.  We’ll be working on developing common/aligned scaffolds/lessons for the assessments.  I am really looking forward to examining and sharing the data we get back in April.

Math Textbook Adoption Update (by Bill Poock)
K-6 teachers of mathematics are in the midst of preparing lesson plans and materials to teach one unit in a new curriculum (K-6 Math Task Force members only).  Many teams are exploring the materials together as they seek to better understand the curriculum and what support exists to teach mathematics using the standards as our guide.

Each math curricula has its own amount of materials and because of that, we’ll need to be mindful of the need to keep all materials together and in the original boxes so that the materials can be easily transported to the next school in a timely manner to allow teachers ample time to investigate the materials.  See below for the dates for transporting math materials from one building to another.  Tim Potter, Building Delivery, will have additional support on those dates to pick up all math materials and deliver them to the next building.  Please make sure that teachers have ALL materials placed in a location readily accessible by Tim and others to make the delivery process run smoothly--and make sure that materials are placed there on the afternoon of the day before the scheduled delivery date.  Thank you!

Schedule:
January 18th:    all materials picked up and delivered to next school location
February 15th:  all materials picked up and delivered to next school location
March 15th:       all materials picked up and returned to the ESC Warehouse

New Teacher Workshop PM Structure for January 22, 2013 (Bill Poock, Ying Ying Chen, and Cheryl Kiburz)
The next New Teacher Workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.  In addition to peer review on past learning, we will provide new learning with a focus on effective feedback. Since we are only formally meeting in AM, we recommend the following for the PM structure to best support your new teachers:

Demo Lesson with focused strategies/skills such as think aloud and effective feedback
Application:  Allow a large chunk of time for teachers to create/design a lesson within a unit incorporating year long learning (Unit: EU, EQ, LT, CFU/VR, think aloud and feedback)
Coaching with Feedback:  Providing time for new teachers to obtain quality feedback through coaching is an important use of that PM structure.
Implementation Support:   A mid-year self-assessment will be given to new teachers in January following the New Teacher workshop.  End of year assessment will be given in April. You may consider how to structure the following months to reiterate areas of focused learning from the workshops and at your building level.  The assessment will focus on:

• Conceptual lens, EU, EQ, and Learning Targets
• Strategies for CFU and Varied Response
• Think Aloud lessons implemented with frequency (weekly) and fidelity (moves)
• AFL and Feedback

Student Services (by Cheryl Kiburz)
1.21  Due to the “Celebration of Learning” scheduled for the morning of January 21, the district special education teachers will not meet as previously planned in the afternoon.  The district special education teachers will meet for a final time on PL day, February 18, from 1:45-3:45 PM.  
1.29  LETRS
1.30  LETRS

Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS)
The district is happy to have a second Co-hort group begin the LETRS training this month.  The feedback from the sessions has been very positive and there are more representatives from the secondary level participating in this next group.  If you have any questions regarding the list of participants, please contact me.