MTSS Site visit to Livonia- Lisa, Jennifer, Steve 12:00
December 9
Guyot X-Mas 10:00
Schultz X-Mas 12:15
PBIS meeting 3:45
December 10
Kiwanis Dictionary visit to all 3rd grade rooms 9:00 start
District Safety committee 10:00
Staff Christmas Luncheon from Liberatis (Gym) 11:00 (special lunch schedule for the day)
5th Grade Band Concert 7:00
December 11
3rd Grade Metro Parks in Media Center
PTA Family Caring Night 6:00
Data Day Take Aways
I want to thank everyone for their rich dialogue on our data day this week. Some take-aways for me:
I was very impressed with the data charts that were being used. It was very clear to me that you created the means to identify strengths and weaknesses of all students in your classroom, as well as your grade level.
There was a need to ensure we use review questions (Q1 questions) along with the Q 2 test- that could be done on a separate day and cold use recycled questions. The important idea there is that we need to make sure the students are able to retain the skills throughout the whole year, and we must assess that to know.
Some of our dialogue also pointed to the necessity to include higher level questioning into our practice. There was an indication that students were able to grasp a simple concept, but may not be able to take it to the next higher level of application. All Questioning flip books were passed out, use those as a quick guide for lit discussion, math, science, ss- infuse them where you can but be consistent in getting our kids use to higher level thinking.
We had a lot of great thoughts on “What’s next” in terms of intervention. Beyond the thought of what we are doing or planning- we simply must be sure we are taking the data and making changes/interventions because of the story it tells us. Remember- if the students must know these standards to be successful next school year, then we must use the data to help us intervene with those who are struggling in those standard areas. Let me know how I can be of assistance
Arno Christmas Sing-A-Long
Get ready to fa la la la this December as Jeff Skebo has put together a wonderful Christmas sing-a-long down in the gym on December 18th . We are going to pack the whole building in to have some yuletide fun!
December 18 @9:30 in the gym
Math Mania
Thank to Sarah for providing staff the information on getting started with Math Mania, a connected strategy to the SIP. From Sarah:
The goal for this school improvement effort is simple: math fact fluency.
Mania Mania will begin after the break. This program involves flashcards with parent volunteers and an online component utilizing XtraMath. K-1 students will need to master numeracy before utilizing the flashcard or online components. (This may be different for each child’s skill level.)
Please secure at least 1-2 volunteers to do flashcards with your students. (We are hoping for at least twice a week.) Please stress to your parents that because this is fact fluency, they should only be allowing the child 3 seconds to answer. If you are having difficulties getting volunteers, please contact Mrs. Manson who is organizing VOICE volunteers this year. Her email is: hmm1201@att.net
You may also choose to use many other features of XtraMath:
printable parent enrollment letters
printable student progress reports
printable class reports
classroom testing option (student will complete another session and then the computer prompts that student to get another student)
The Math Mania classroom log sheet for parent volunteers to use when doing flashcards as well as a copy of mine to show the process of logging and keeping track of assigned operation.
Holiday Giving
December brings around a wonderful time of year. Unfortunately, many people do not have the ability to enjoy the season as much as others.
To make things a little bit easier for some families, we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Christine Food Bank/Soup Kitchen. The food bank provides non-perishable goods to families to help stretch their grocery budget. The soup kitchen provides hot meals to school children that might not get one during the week. The kid favorite…Spaghetti-o’s
Arno school families have always been generous in the past. We are asking for donations of food to help brighten the holiday season for others.
In the spirit of sharing holiday warmth, we will also be collecting new, warm outerwear like hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to share.
We will begin our collection on Monday, Nov. 30 through Wed. December 15. Your donation can be put in boxes that will be available aess.
We hope that you can join us in this holiday tradition!
Coffee Break Reminder
Just a reminder, if you have yet signed up for your free 30 minute prep so I can come in and read Christmas stories, please contact me and let me know what works.
Christmas Luncheon
Please remember to come hungry on Thursday this week. We will be having our holiday lunch in the gym starting at 11:00 for some, 11:10 for the rest. Schedule for lunch that day is below:
11:00-11:30 K-1 Eat first
11:30-12:00 K-1 Recess
11:00-11:30 2-3 Recess
11:30-12:00 2-3 Eat in classrooms
11:10-11:40 4-5 Recess
11:40-12:10 4-5 Eat
** Only second and third grade are eating in the classroom
Snow Policy (As shared in the parent blog)
As we have already been hit with one snowstorm, more is always on its way. As far as snow goes at Arno, please read the following:
1. As long as our play areas have been treated, we will continue to go out throughout the winter (as long as the wind chill/temp isn’t too low).
2. Students who wish to be in the snow should at a minimum be in boots and protective leg wear to keep them dry. This prevents large amounts of students from needing a clothing change, and missing class time. Students who are not wearing protective covering for the snow will be required to stay out of the snow for recess.
3. Snow stays on the ground. Please talk with your child about the dangers of throwing snowballs, which can sometimes contain ice. Students are free to build a snowman or snow fort, etc., things that keep the snow on the ground.
All of these rules apply before/after school, bus stop to walking home, and recess.
Third Grade Fur Trading
Just in time to help keep warm, our adventurous third graders wrote on fur traders, complete with their own creative version of a fur trader.
Kindergarten Thanksgiving Community Project
Thanks to all of our Pilgrims, Turkeys, Indians, and Parents for making the Thanksgiving placemat project a big success!
Please take a look at the document that shows how Depth of Knowledge and it compares/line-up to Bloom’s Taxonomy. This is the critical thinking that has to prepare students for future college and career, as well as state testing on the CORE. The Cognitive Questioning flip books are in and I will get something together soon so that we can start using more higher level questioning in the classroom. If you would like your flip book early, just let me know. Here is the link to the chart: http://www.missionliteracy.com/uploads/3/1/5/8/3158234/dok_ocean_ela_copy.pdf
PTA Reflections Tea
What an awesome evening we spent with some of Arno’s talented students honoring their entries into the PTA Reflections contest on Monday. This year’s theme was “Let Your Imagination Fly” and as you can from some of that night’s pictures, our students reached for the stars. The next step is to give awards to some of the entries, which will then go on to a state competition,. Congratulations to all of our Arno students who entered- you’re all superstars!
Anna Watson, Ava Berkebile, Ben Klos, Gerry Klos, Cooper Obrycki, Elizabeth Lesatz, Ella Elliott, Gracyn Gartside, Hailey Rose, Isabella Garrison, Jeran Moody, Juan Vega, Julia Schroeder, Madeline Every, Meadow Stewart, Peter Lenart, Phoebe Elliott, Selena Swidan, and Victoria Koziel. Special thanks to Mrs. Emilia Vega and Mrs. Dawn Watson for organizing the our Reflection Tea!
PBIS Rewards Pay Off
Monday marked another PBIS rewards day for the month of November, awarding those who displayed good behavior and good work habits with a dance party down in the cafeteria. The students had a great time and we are all looking forward to December’s reward!
Consumers Energy Grant for Kindergarten
A huge thank you to Mrs. Julie Hegedus for securing a $250 grant from Consumers Energy which will be going to our Kindergarten to use on technology for the classroom. On behalf of Arno, thank you Mrs. Hegedus for your donation to our kindergarten program.
Math Mania training 8:00 in the lab- Sarah Kalis (SIP related)
Principal’s meeting 9:00
Atlas Rubicon training- Steve 12:30
December 3
ICC 4:00
PTA Meeting 6:30
December 4
Poetry Competition
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your time off and being with your loved ones. We’ve made it through the first stretch of the year and I could not be more proud to be principal at Arno. Thank you so much for everything you do and have a relaxing holiday! For those shoppers- go to www.bfads.net for all your preview Black Friday ads.
Due to the short week- there will not be another blog post until Dec. 4
Data Day- Tell your story
Arno Elementary: Dec. 1
Bennie Elementary: Dec. 2nd
Lindemann Elementary: Dec. 3rd
We have secured floaters (subs) in the buildings so that the full grade level may attend that day. An invitation was placed in your mailboxes. On the invitation we highlighted “What To Bring” but you certainly can supplement with extra materials.
This is your story, an opportunity for our teachers to share data across the grade level. This will not be an administrator led meeting, we are excited to listen in and contribute to a collaborative discussion.
Please read the article: Why teachers must be data experts
What To Bring:
1st Quarter Math Assessments
Student DATA Sheets (from 1st quarter assessment)
NWEA Data
DRA Data
Other…
The schedule is as follows: Arno Elementary
8:45-9:30 Grade 3
9:-35-10:15 Grade 5
10:20-11:05 Grade 2
11:10-11:55 Grade 4
12:45-1:30 Grade 1
1:45-2:30 Grade K
Christmas Coffee Break
Now that the holidays are here, I would love to come into your classroom and read some Christmas stories and give the gift of a 30 minute coffee break for you. So, I need you to give me some dates and times that may work for you, and throughout December I’ll stop by and take over for a half-hour to read some books and give out some candy canes. Let me know as soon as you can what works for you.
Holiday Toy box Drive
Sponsored by Allen Park High School
Hello Parents, Staff, and Community Members, Allen Park High School students, school organizations, and other district schools are working together to help families in need during the upcoming holiday season by collecting toys, books, and clothing. This year, in addition to the toy boxes, the woods class students are building bookshelves which will be outfitted with fabric storage bins. As in previous years, we need your help! If you’d like to donate new items, or clean, gently used articles, you may drop them off at any of the district schools’ main offices.
Monetary donations are always welcome and will help offset the construction costs as well as supplementing any items not received. If you know of a local family in need who would appreciate help this holiday or are asking for some extra help for your own family, please contact Mrs. Jeannette MacDonald, counselor at Allen Park High School macdonald@appublicschools.com or at 3138271236. All information will be kept confidential. We hope that you will consider participating this year to help make the holidays of local families a bit brighter. The annual APHS Toy Drive Party will take place December 8 th , from 35pm for district students and staff. Join us for cookies and hot chocolate, with a performance by the Jazz Band, as well as visit from Santa! Small donations or unwrapped presents will be accepted at the door. All students are welcome.
The annual APHS Toy Drive Party will take place December 8 th , from 3-5pm for district students and staff. Join us for cookies and hot chocolate, with a performance by the Jazz Band, as well as visit from Santa! Small donations or unwrapped presents will be accepted at the door. All students are welcome.
From the Art World… (FYI)
Dear Arno families,
We need to express our overwhelming gratitude for your support of our Original Works art fundraiser! We have raised over $1300 to put into the art program. We had no doubt that this program would be successful here at Arno, but it wouldn’t be possible without such a supportive school community.
Orders will arrive mid-December, before we dismiss for Winter Break.
Sincerely,
Ms. Trapani and Mrs. Cunningham
Founders Day Nominations
Founders Day is a celebration of the amazing things that the PTA does in the life of our school and overall community. The Allen Park PTSA Council will be hosting this annual event at The Red Fawn on Wednesday, February 24, 2015 at 6:00 pm. Dinner tickets will be available in the office for purchase.
Attached are the Founders Day nomination forms. Copies will be available in the office. All nominations are due 12/03/15 at the December meeting during which voting will take place for Arno’s awards.
Categories are as follows:
Support Personnel – recognize a person that demonstrates professional excellence and a commitment to the students of our district. This person is someone in your building who gives tirelessly and without looking for praise. It should be a person who helps to better the lives of children and the building in which the represent. They are someone who goes above and beyond the role of “support personnel.”
Outstanding Educator – recognize an outstanding educator from each local unit who demonstrates professional excellence and commitment to the students of our district
Distinguished Service – a member who has given unselfishly and tirelessly throughout the year to better conditions for children and youth which reflects the real purpose of the PTA/PTSA as child advocates. It should be a member who has brought new meaning and direction to your unit and whose actions demonstrate the PTA/PTSA objectives
Outstanding Program – recognize a 2015-2016 program that demonstrates the objectives of the PTA
February 2015 Blood Drive – Cathy Anderson
April 2015 Daddy/Daughter Night – Amy Muse & Beth Scalf
May 2015 Spirit Week – Sarah Kalis
May 2015 Staff Appreciation – Jill Beesley
June 2015 – Run Club/Color Run
September 2015 Welcome Back – Heather Lada
September 2015 Family Kickball Night – Jill Beesley
September 2015 Fall Fun Run – Kelley Ellis
November 2015 Mother/Son Night
November 2015 Reflections – Emilia Vega
December 2015 Family Caring Night – Amy Muse & Beth Scalf
January 2016 Olympics – Nicole Amonette
Business Partner – recognize a business that your PTA/PTSA has partnered with and by entering into partnership with this business, your PTA/PTSA may have been able to carry out a program or event, or enhance an existing program or event that demonstrates the objectives of PTA.
Council Member – this award honors an individual for exemplary service with Council sponsored projects, programs, and special events.
PTA Lifetime Membership – honors a person who has given outstanding service to children, someone who has promoted children’s well being by serving as an advocate for children in such areas as education, health, safety and legislation. The honoree need not be a member of the PTA/PTSA nor be well known beyond his or her own area of service.
We encourage you to submit nominations so that we can share all that great things that happen every day at Arno! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at arnopta@gmail.com.
Just a reminder that our book fair only has one more day left- Monday, Nov. 23. The fair is open until 7:15 of that conference night.
Thanks for your support!
4th grade Dental Delight
Two students from Wayne County Community College recently visited Mrs. Solak’s class to do a presentation on oral hygiene. Fourth graders engaged in several hands-on activities which promoted discussion about how to care for and protect their teeth.
Arno Green School
Each year, Wayne County donates trees to local school districts to promote environmental stewardship. Students from Mrs. Solak’s class planted a new tree this past week at Arno. This effort to beautify the school and provide additional food, protection, and homes for wildlife will be included in this year’s application for Michigan Green Schools.
4th Grade Dioramas
Our awesome 4th graders shared their book reports and diorama projects this week to showcase the book that they chose. The students did a fantastic job and their projects were just amazing. Great job 4th grade!
Introducing our Principals of the Day
Antonio and Vinnie Kulaszewski enjoyed a day of being the top spot at Arno in their role as principal for a day (Top Fundraisers). They got to experience first hand all of the work that goes into running a school and how fun it can be to get to experience all of the kids at Arno. Great job guys, I couldn’t have done it without you! Mr. Zielinski
Kids Hope Pizza party- Send your kids to the cafe at 2:00
November 19
Math Data release time per schedule
Principal for a day- Tony K
P/T conferences begin 5:00- PLEASE let me know if you need me to attend a conference
Pizza Dinner will be in the lounge by 4:00
November 20
Principal for a day- Vinnie K
November 23
Student 1/2 day- 11:40 dismissal
P/T conf. 12:45/5:00
November 24
Nothing Scheduled
November 25-27
No school- Happy Thanksgiving!
Data Day- Tell your story
Arno Elementary: Dec. 1
Bennie Elementary: Dec. 2nd
Lindemann Elementary: Dec. 3rd
We have secured floaters (subs) in the buildings so that the full grade level may attend that day. An invitation was placed in your mailboxes. On the invitation we highlighted “What To Bring” but you certainly can supplement with extra materials.
This is your story, an opportunity for our teachers to share data across the grade level. This will not be an administrator led meeting, we are excited to listen in and contribute to a collaborative discussion.
Please read the article: Why teachers must be data experts
What To Bring:
1st Quarter Math Assessments
Student DATA Sheets (from 1st quarter assessment)
NWEA Data
DRA Data
Other…
The schedule is as follows: Arno Elementary
8:45-9:30 Grade 3
9:-35-10:15 Grade 5
10:20-11:05 Grade 2
11:10-11:55 Grade 4
12:45-1:30 Grade 1
1:45-2:30 Grade K
Why Teachers Must Be Data Experts
Jennifer Morrison
An award-winning teacher proposes three attitude shifts that would help teachers learn to love data.
I’m coming clean right here, right now. I’m a practicing classroom teacher, and I love data. Data connect me to my students and their learning, push me to high levels of reflection on my practice, and spur me to engage in dialogue with colleagues, students, and parents.
Unfortunately, most teachers do not share my view of data as a resource that helps them teach better; many experience it as unfamiliar or threatening. In the wake of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools are swimming (sometimes drowning) in standardized test data. Districts and administrators are trying to help teachers stay afloat by setting up lanes and lessons in the pool and by coaching (or sometimes haranguing) teachers to the finish line of yearly data-crunching exercises. But we must ask ourselves how sustainable this approach to data is—and whether it’s good for teachers or students.
Although coaching teachers in using data helps them feel less overwhelmed by it, if teachers are ever to use data powerfully, they must become the coaches, helping themselves and colleagues draw on data to guide student learning, find answers to important questions, and analyze and reflect together on teaching practice.
Teachers will take the initiative on this kind of self-coaching if administrators and teacher leaders facilitate three essential changes in how teachers approach data. Teachers must begin to
Realize that data include more than end-of-year standardized test scores.
View collecting data as a way to investigate the many questions about students, teaching practices, and learning that arise for any committed teacher.
Talk with one another about what data reveal and how to build on those revelations.
I had to come to these realizations myself before I achieved my happy partnership with data, which did not happen until well after I had established myself as a teacher. In the past few years, I’ve consulted with school districts and found strategies that help other teachers develop more comfortable relationships with data.
Data, More Than Test Scores
When it comes to teaching, I disagree with British physicist Lord Kelvin, who said, “When you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind.” In teaching, relationships and perceptions matter as much as curriculum and practice. Numbers are important, but they can’t provide educators everything, especially when we’re looking for root causes of students’ learning difficulties. Teachers must see that data stretch beyond what’s expressed on test company spreadsheets. The concept of data encompasses many kinds of information that help teachers know their students, and themselves as practitioners, in depth—and data can be interpreted in many nuanced ways.
James Popham (2001) is correct that teachers—and most administrators, I would add—are not assessment literate. And we should be. Remaining unaware of the range of assessments and how to use them and accepting (frequently inadequate) standardized tests as the single measure of success is irresponsible.
Getting Beyond Data as a Blind Date
For most teachers, getting acquainted with data happens as a kind of blind date. They come to a faculty meeting, and the principal introduces the data. Some schools use data coaches to facilitate the teacher-data relationship. Even if a coach helps teachers connect their student learning results with other kinds of data that reveal the how and why behind those results, data can still feel like a strange, unwelcome presence. The core problem is that none of this is initiated by teachers themselves.
When I consult with school administrators and district personnel who are excited—sometimes hyperexcited—about getting teachers interacting with classroom data, they inevitably ask, “How do I get my teachers interested in data—especially the unmotivated ones?” But teachers’ reluctance does not mean that they are unmotivated: Most teachers care about their students’ learning and want to excel at their work. The problem is that we frame data as an entity teachers need to meet and engage with, rather than as information that rises organically out of teachers’ work with learners. When teachers don’t embrace an idea or mandate, it’s often because they feel overburdened: They don’t see the time or need for a new professional love interest. There must always be a point to what administrators ask teachers to do with data.
Connecting Data to Questions
Questions and dialogue are key concepts here. I tell administrators that they should first urge teachers to think about what questions they would ideally like to ask to improve their classroom conditions, instruction, and repertoire of interventions. It helps to discuss with teachers the dangers of making assumptions about students and their learning.
Too often, questions about data in schools originate with administrators and district office personnel. Teachers feel no ownership or curiosity other than, Did we make our scores this year? and Do I get my bonus? Teachers cannot take the lead in data mining until they pose their own simple, measurable, and relevant queries.
Several years ago I helped the North Carolina Teacher Academy (2005) develop a learning module for teachers and administrators called Using Data to Build Classroom Learning Communities. This module was in demand. With NCLB pressures, principals and districts were looking for ways to help teachers focus on learning results, and teachers were looking for ways to make sense of all the standardized data being dumped on them. We field-tested the module with a group of teachers and administrators representing schools of all grade levels across North Carolina who were attending summer workshops at the North Carolina Teacher Academy. Through this process, I recognized the essential connection between teachers’ organic questions and data gathering.
We included in the module Alan Blankstein’s idea of the data notebook (2004), an ongoing collection of data a teacher gathers to help inform his or her instruction and interventions during the course of a year. Participants set up data notebooks and shared them with one another. We kept requirements for the notebooks open-ended but had teachers note three dimensions of any data they recorded: the frequency with which they collected these data; the type of teacher thinking this entry showed (descriptive, analytical, or reflective); and the kind of information it represented (such as evidence of student learning; demographics; teachers’, students’ and others’ perceptions; or instructional processes). For example, a teacher might record results of a survey he or she gave parents that gathered their impressions of the learning environment.
Prodding teachers to collect meaningful data on their own ensures that they will begin to ask questions, as I found out when I put together a sample data notebook. In the process of collecting, analyzing, and reflecting on information about my classes, I stepped outside my assumptions and understood students more clearly. I discovered a new way of thinking about my practice, but better still, the process caused me to ask such questions as, Are my students demonstrating growth in learning? or What do I need to change to accelerate growth? To satisfy these wonderings, I had to design assessments that would gather the information I needed and analyze the results, sometimes rethinking my methods as a consequence.
I now routinely identify questions and secure data that shed light on those questions as I teach. After 10 years of teaching 8th graders in an urban middle school, this past school year I began teaching high school seniors in a small rural setting. I wanted to know many things about my new students: how they perceived my style and methods, what and how much they were learning, and how their accomplishments matched the state curriculum and testing requirements. I sought a clear read on these questions through surveying my students, asking students to write reviews of their own learning and work products, mapping and analyzing trends in their grades, and even looking at their standardized test scores. If I hadn’t investigated these things, I’d have fallen into making distracting assumptions about the whys and hows of my students, their families, and the class’s learning.
Dialoguing With Data
This school year, I began to think beyond the model of each teacher examining data on an individual basis (such as in data notebooks) and to explore how teachers can share their questions and data among stakeholders at the classroom and school levels. As a teacher, I know that if students aren’t talking about it, then it’s not happening. And when it comes to data, if teachers aren’t talking about their data discoveries, no discoveries are happening.
As Judith Warren Little notes, in learning-rich conversations, there must be “a bridging back and forth between the particularities of what happened on [a given] day and more general principles and practices and ways of seeing” (Crow, 2008, p. 55). Group discussions about data can be the bridge connecting teachers’ day-to-day activities with deeper reflections. Data can play a central role in professional development that goes beyond attending an isolated workshop to creating a thriving professional learning community, as described by assessment guru Dylan Wiliam (2007/2008).
Compiling a data notebook is one thing, but talking about it with colleagues who share my students offers much broader potential for growth. Administrators who want teachers to embrace data and jump in as their own coaches must make room for this kind of dialogue.
To this end, almost all the data I collect, including some analysis and reflection, are available on my Web site (www.artofeducating.com). That gives students and families access to the data as well. Last school year, I e-mailed all of my students’ families links to the class’s average grades so that they could gauge their children’s performance in comparison with peers. I shared with students and parents the results of my end-of-year survey asking students for feedback about my class, including my reflections on what the survey revealed. This kind of data sharing and the resulting discussion was a tremendous help in developing relationships with students and parents at my new school, in part because parents could clearly see that I’m a thoughtful practitioner who cares about each student. Sharing data also elicited important information about my students’ learning needs.
Encouraging Expanded Views
I believe all teachers can learn to be both data lovers and their own personal data coaches if we encourage these expanded views about measuring teaching practice and learning. Teachers will need support both to become assessment literate and to adopt workable ways to gather, analyze, reflect on, and discuss data. Uncomfortable questions about the nature of standardized testing, school goals, and leadership may arise. Administrators should help their learning community respectfully talk through tough questions. They will build teacher capacity and leadership in the process.
Teaching is such a “particularistic endeavor” (Popham, 2008), that guiding teaching practice by one-size-fits-all test data will only take us so far. For the next phase of data’s role in education, I prefer Andy Hargreaves’s (2007) vision that “Teachers will need to be the drivers, not the driven” (p. 38).
References
Blankstein, A. M. (2004). Failure is not an option. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Crow, T. (2008). Declaration of interdependence (interview with Judith Warren Little). Journal of Staff Development, 29(3), 53–56.
Hargreaves, A. (2007). Five flaws of staff developments and the future beyond. Journal of Staff Development, 28(3), 37–38.
North Carolina Teacher Academy. (2005). Using data to build classroom learning communities. Morrisville, NC: Author.
Popham, W. J. (2001). The truth about testing: An educator’s call to action. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Popham, W. J. (2008). Transformative assessment. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Wiliam, D. (2007/2008). Changing classroom practice. Educational Leadership, 65(4), 36–42.
Santa Clause Is Coming to Town…
If you want to get a sneak preview of this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade- just talk to one of our 4th graders
Fun Run fun with Limo and Lunch for our top fundraisers!
We had an awesome time together as the Arno top fundraisers got treated to lunch at Red Robins and a limo to get us there. The limo even had a fireplace to warm us up on that chilly day!
A special shout out to Red Robin for treating our kiddos to a free ice cream shake- Service was awesome with a very friendly staff, which really topped off the afternoon!
Rita Pierson- Every Kid Needs a Champion
Recess
Please keep in mind the following for recess.
1. With the exception of Kindergarten, there should not be other grade level recess during the morning hours. We have to preserve that for our prime blocks of learning as our kids will always be more receptive to learning in the a.m.
2. When you go out in the afternoon, please do not forget to call the office. Should another incident occur similar to last Friday where we could’t go out, we need to know if anyone is outside at the moment- a big safety issue. This also hinders the office from finding kids for early dismissal if they can’t find you.
SIP News
As you know our SIP meeting is taking place on Dec. 1, after Data Day. Please consider attending this important meeting on how our building needs to continue moving forward.
Sarah Kalis has offered to come in on Dec. 2 to train you on how to register students and read reports in Math Mania, part of our SIP. We will start that meeting @8:00-8:30 in the computer lab. I do have the questioning flip books in, if there is time, I will present those briefly, otherwise I will find another way to talk about them.
This is a game changer…
In case you have not read much about the 3rd grade reading proficiency bill yet, read below. This will be a game changer in terms of intensity of focus on the lower el, instruction, direction of certain funds, best practice, progress monitoring, and systems of support. It’s not signed yet, but it is expected to go through in some form.
MEAP test and NAEP assessment results demonstrate that in 2013-2014, large percentages of third and fourth graders in the state did not meet proficiency standards in reading. The “Third Grade Reading Workgroup Report” presented to Governor Snyder in June 2015 provided that when students are not proficient in reading by the fourth grade, it is more difficult for them to catch up because in fourth grade, students are not taught how to read as much as in previous grades. As a result, House Bill 4822 was introduced to the Michigan House of Representatives in August 2015 to amend the Michigan Revised School Code. It is currently before the House Committee on Education and has yet to be passed into law. In the meantime, it is important that school districts are aware of the potential programs and changes that could be required if the bill is passed into law.
The most notable provision of this bill would require that beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, a third grade student could only proceed to fourth grade if he or she met reading proficiency standards. If not, the student would have to repeat the third grade, but not more than once. A third grade student cannot proceed to the fourth grade unless: the student achieved a reading score less than one grade level behind on the state English language arts assessment; demonstrated a grade three reading level on a state standardized test; or demonstrated a grade three reading level through a student portfolio. A student enrolling for the first time in a school district in fourth grade must demonstrate reading proficiency. If a student remains in the third grade, a reading intervention program must be provided. A reading intervention program must include a qualified teacher, reading instruction, ongoing monitoring, and a “Read at Home” plan, among other requirements.
The bill does provide “good cause” exemptions for students to proceed to grade four without obtaining a grade three reading proficiency. The exemption may only be granted for one of the following four reasons: (1) the student has an IEP which states the student is ineligible to take the grade three state assessment; (2) the student has an IEP that demonstrates reading remediation yet continued deficiency; (3) the student is a limited English proficient student with less than three years of instruction in an English learner program; or (4) the student received intensive reading intervention for two or more years but is still deficient and previously retained in grade K, 1, 2, or 3. A good cause exemption may be requested by a parent or teacher. Then the school principal decides whether or not to recommend the student for the exemption and submits it in writing to the superintendent. The superintendent makes a final decision, also in writing. The parent of the child must be notified of the decision.
Pursuant to the bill, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) would have to approve three or more screening, formative, and diagnostic reading assessment systems that districts may use. Factors such as the time required to conduct the assessment and the timeliness of reporting results would be considered in choosing the assessment systems. The MDE would also have to recommend or develop a reading/literacy coach model. The literacy coach would have to provide professional development to teachers. The literacy coach would have many responsibilities, including training teachers to diagnose and address reading deficiency, creating reading leadership teams at schools, and modeling instruction for teachers to kindergarten through third grade students. Literacy coaches cannot be assigned administrative functions within the district and cannot be assigned as a regular classroom teacher. The literacy coach must have various educational qualifications to be eligible.
Every school district would have to meet the following requirements beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year:
1) Select a reading assessment system from those approved by the MDE;
2) Develop an individualized Reading Improvement Plan for every student with a reading deficiency;
3) Provide notice to parents of a student’s deficiency in literacy or literacy delay and provide resources for the parents to use;
4) Provide professional development in reading literacy;
5) Employ a literacy coach;
6) Monitor and implement the literacy coach model.
Furthermore, Districts must provide reading intervention programs to students in grades K through three. The reading intervention programs may be student-specific, screen/monitor progress at least three times a year, and provide parents with a “Read at Home” plan. Reading intervention programs would include development in the five major reading components: (1) phonemic awareness, (2) phonics, (3) fluency, (4) vocabulary, and (5) comprehension. If a student is identified as being an English Language Learner, more specific intervention services would have to be implemented, such as instruction in academic vocabulary, instruction in the student’s native language and English, feedback in the student’s native language, etc.
With so many new requirements, many districts are worried about funding such new programs and resources. HB 4822 would result in increased costs to the state and local government. The state would have to fund the cost of educating those students held back. The district itself would have to fund costs associated with its new responsibilities under the bill. However, the bill makes clear that it does not require districts to supplant state funds with federal funds to implement the new programs. Nor does the bill prohibit districts from using federal funds to pay for the new programs required.
New Science News!
STATE BOARD ADOPTS IMPROVED
STATE SCIENCE STANDARDS
November12, 2015
LANSING – Michigan students will get a deeper understanding of science and its application in the world around them with new state science standards adopted this week by the State Board of Education.
The new standards for science education follow three years of development, review, and public information sessions on the proposed standards. The new Michigan K-12 Science Standards replace the standards adopted in 2006, and introduce science and engineering practices.
“These new Michigan Science Standards will help our terrific Michigan science educators engage young people in the doing of science, solving real world problems, and getting excited about pursuing science and engineering careers, said State Board President John Austin. “They also send a clear message that Michigan is serious about being the top science and engineering state, preparing the talent to solve the problems of the future right here in Michigan.”
Additionally, the new standards are a set of student performance expectations. These performance expectations incorporate three main elements:
• Disciplinary Core Ideas (science specific concepts in the life, earth, and physical sciences) • Science and Engineering Practices (the practices of engaging in scientific investigation to answer questions, and engineering design to solve problems) • Cross-Cutting Concepts (conceptual ideas common to all areas of science)
These expectations are also interwoven across disciplines, including connections to English language arts and math.
The standards come after a series of presentations to the State Board of Education starting in May 2014 that focused on various implementation considerations. This work culminated in a public comment period and series of informational sessions held throughout the state to address the standards and gather public comment.
The MDE received over 800 responses to a public survey on the updated standards, as well as hundreds of comments from the public information sessions held at 12 sites around the state.
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has provided all information related to the new standards athttp://michigan.gov/science. The MDE will begin a roll-out of the new standards through information sessions, guidance materials, and other supports through the remainder of the school year.
In February 2015, a bill was introduced into the Michigan Senate providing exemptions for bake sales and other fundraisers that do not meet the nutritional standards of the USDA “All Foods Sold in Schools” Standards.
These “Smart Snacks in School” standards provided by the USDA were developed so that students were offered healthier foods in school and access to junk food was limited (see http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/allfoods_flyer.pdf). The Standards provide that any food sold in a school must be one of the following: (1) whole-grain rich; (2) have the first ingredient a fruit, vegetable, dairy product, or protein; (3) be a combination of food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or (4) contain 10% of the daily value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D, or dietary fiber. All snack items must be 200 calories or less and all entrée items 350 calories or less. Furthermore, schools should sell plain water, milk, or 100% fruit or vegetable juice.
The standards also specifically address fundraisers. If a fundraiser sells food items that meet the standards, such fundraisers are not limited. The standards also do not apply to fundraisers held during non-school hours and off-campus. However, the standards specifically provide an exemption for infrequent fundraisers that do not meet the nutritional standards and leave it up to each state to determine the frequency of such fundraisers.
Thus, Senate Bill 139 was introduced to the Senate to provide this exemption (seehttp://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2015-2016/publicact/pdf/2015-PA-0042.pdf). The bill allowed no more than three fundraisers per week that sold food items that do not meet the USDA standards. When the bill was sent to the Michigan House of Representatives for consideration, the number of allowed fundraisers was decreased to two per week. The Michigan Senate agreed and this version was passed into law on June 9, 2015, with immediate effect. Therefore, during the 2015/2016 school year and beyond, schools must limit the amount of bake sales with unhealthy foods to no more than two per week. However, the law further provides that if an ongoing fundraiser takes place at more than one time during the school day or throughout the school day, it is considered one single fundraiser.
The purpose of the USDA standards is to curb childhood obesity and promote healthy food choices among today’s youth. Although such bake sales provide student groups and the Boy and Girl Scouts good opportunities to fundraise for their organizations, the Michigan state legislature has voted to limit bake sales with unhealthy foods to two per week. However, if the fundraiser offers foods for sale that meet the nutritional standards, the two-per-week limit does not apply.
We will be having a couple of events coming up here for conferences and the holidays. Please mark it on your calendar and come hungry!
November 19 At 4:00- Pizza and breadsticks will be served in the lounge to get you ready for the big night ahead
December 10 from 11:00 (K-3) 11:10 (4-5) for an hour staff holiday lunch in the Arno Ballroom (AKA the gym). We have arranged a special lunch schedule that day so that you may all eat together.
Huge Thank You (s)
A very special thank you for being awesome to Sarah and Todd. To Sarah for a great job helping our building move forward with signupgenius and to todd for a great job presenting Planbook at our PD Tuesday- It’s great to showcase Arno’s talent off to the district. As of now, all 3 buildings are moving forward with signupgenius! Thanks so much!!
Spirit Wear Kickoff Monday
In addition to our book fair Christmas gifts you can gather, the PTA spirit wear kickoff starts this Monday. Shopping is easy- it’s all online and delivered straight to your house- that’s right- it comes to your home. Please follow the link below and enjoy shopping for Arno Spirit Wear! Enjoy free shipping from Nov. 9-18 using code:AR1115
A new committee has been formed at the district level to build systems of support and intervention at our buildings. Jennifer, Lisa, and I will be attending the first meeting this month, followed by a school visit to Livonia to see this in action in an elementary building. I will keep you posted with news as we move forward.
Our current list of brave volunteers for the Arno data team are Tracy, Brian, and Sharon. Please let me know if you’re interested. We will initially meet on Nov 30 from 3:45-4:30
Fall Art and Music Show
Arno pride was beaming forward at the Fall Art and Music show last Thursday at the Performing Arts Center. Art from the elementary and high school levels was showcased and I was so very proud of the talent we have at our school! Our young artists and some pics are below:
Christian Bass, Elizabeth Figurski, Drake Steele, Isabella Garrison, Christian Hernandez, Riley McNamara, Anna Watson, Elizabeth Antrassian, Meadow Mechanco, Natalya Porras, Sean Feebish, Whitney Hertzog, Megan Mary-Helene Holly, Dawn Hudson, Paytin Pearson, Emma Stallions, Kaylah Stanfield, Gabrielle Stanley, Avery Barrow, Carlos Sanchez, Elizabeth White, Isabelle Castro, Emma Edwards, Samantha Holt, Emily Konkel, Jayden Lopez, Jeran Moody, Brayden Pasko, Liam Shepherd, Cierra Tasker, Luna Fitzgerald, Mallory Hool, Ben Klos, Clara Ziegler, Cherish Wilson, Sophia Kaloian, Ava Rekus, Alaynna Lazarowicz, Jillian Kropog, Susie Oh, Marshall Hegedus, Porsche Tasker, Gwen Mccue, Isabella Harrison, Dominic North, Colton Gencyuz, Grace Grabowski, Angelo Baez, Jorja Siddall, Rocco Crapanzano, Aaliyah Mendoza, Leslie Hernandez, Julia Schroeder, Reina Garza, Aidan Kubitz, Kaiden Cook, Anahi Chapa, Peyton Will, Isabelle Maldonado, Mary Dunne, Jordan Tasker-King, Steven Stewert, Chris Plascencia, Luci Granata, Addison Bacheller, Juliette Torres, Teagan Montgomery
Fun Run winners
Congrats to all of our Fun Run top sellers! We will be having our lunch and principals day this month.
The top fundraisers by grade are:
Kindergarten: Alyssa Bommarito
1st: Jenna King
2nd: Antonio Kulaszewski
3rd: Savannah Hardy
4th: Vincenzo Kulaszewski
5th: Elizabeth Figurski
Antonio and Vincenzo Kulaszewski will each spend a day as Principal
All top earners will also be treated to a lunch and limo ride with Mr. Zielinski. Mrs. Liedel’s class was the top class and earned a pizza lunch.
Music is in the air…
4 Tips for Guided Reading Success
Power strategies to launch your guided reading groups.
Prompting for SuccessAuthor and former teacher Jan Richardson offers a host of free guided-reading resources on her website (www.janrichardsonguidedreading.com), including these prompts for “during reading” instruction.
Monitoring
Are you right?
Does that make sense?
Does it look right? Check it with your finger.
Decoding
Say the first part and check the picture. What would look right and make sense?
Can you break it into parts?
Do you know another word that looks like this one?
Fluency
Try reading it without pointing.
How would the character say that?
Put some words together so it sounds smooth.
Vocabulary
Is there a word you don’t understand?
Are there clues in the sentence or illustration to help you?
Is there a part in that word that can help?
Comprehension
What’s happening on this page?
Is there a confusing part? What don’t you understand?
Why do you think the character did (or said) that?
Many teachers have guided reading in their instructional toolbox, and they consider it a necessary strategy, especially in classrooms where differentiation is key. For Allison Hepfer, who teaches kindergarten at Hamagrael Elementary in Delmar, New York, guided reading is a cornerstone of her literacy instruction. She meets with small groups of students on a daily basis, supporting them as they learn to use reading strategies.
“Guiding reading is one of the best ways to differentiate,” Hepfer says. “By grouping children by reading levels, I can target specific skills and strategies needed to advance to the next level. Children at the initial stage may need instruction about left-to-right progression, while those at a higher level can learn to use picture cues to decode new words. Small-group work with guided reading is critical to meet the needs of all learners.”
According to Hepfer and other experts, the beginning of the year is a crucial time to set the tone for guided reading groups. From rules and routines to activities and assessments, we’ve compiled a guide to guided reading to help you get your groups up and running.
Establish Routines to Foster Independence
Establishing routines at the beginning of the year is crucial. “Before you ever meet with a small group, make sure the rest of the class understands the routines and activities they’re doing while you’re working with the group,” says Jan Richardson, author of The Next Step in Guided Reading and a former classroom teacher, reading specialist, and Reading Recovery teacher. “You get in trouble if you try to start the year without having taught children how to be independent.”
Even the youngest students can become independent through explicit instruction and practice. In the first weeks of school, you might teach a mini-lesson about how to choose a “just right” book for independent reading, or one on when to interrupt a guided reading group (only in a true emergency) and when not to interrupt (basically for any other reason).
“We spend the first three or four weeks of school just doing management and rules and routines,” says Kelly Anderson, a third-grade teacher at East Side Elementary School in Marietta, Georgia, who uses guided reading with the struggling readers in her class. “We teach student responsibilities and teacher responsibilities. The students should understand that as a teacher you also have a job to do.”
What type of work should students do independently while you’re meeting with a group? That may depend on your school’s literacy block model, but here are a few ideas.
“Do something purposeful. I outlaw worksheets,” says Richardson. “Do independent reading or any letter-sound work, spelling, or vocabulary practice. Allow students to write extensions to stories they started in writers’ workshop.”
Hepfer’s students use the time to read a book at their independent level or to read with a partner. “I model partner reading a lot and create anchor charts with visual models. I even videotape partnerships, and we watch them on the SMART Board. I show students what reading partners look like and sound like.”
“Listening centers are easy to manage and great for your younger learners or for your English language learners,” says Richardson, “For the intermediate children, they should be reading, preparing for their book clubs, or doing research.”
Practice these routines and activities every day. Build students’ stamina until they can function on their own for the 15 to 20 minutes you’ll need to meet with a small group.
Make Smart Text Choices
When you’re ready to kick off your small-group guided reading lessons, begin by placing students in groups based on their reading levels and instructional needs. “I like to group children according to a reading range around a focus strategy. It could be monitoring, decoding, fluency, or comprehension,” says Richardson.
Next, choose the right book—and choose wisely. “Guided reading can flop or fly based upon the text choice. If it’s too easy, there’s nothing for the child to learn,” Richardson says. “But if it’s too difficult, the teacher has to do the reading for the student. That doesn’t increase the child’s problem-solving skills.”
If you’re staring at a shelf full of Level D texts, which book should you choose? Interest level and conceptual knowledge are considerations. “For primary readers, be sure the story makes sense. Sometimes early-level texts are so focused on developing sight-word knowledge that the story gets lost, ” says Debbie Rosenow, a literacy coach for Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee. “For the intermediate grades, try to identify shorter texts such as short stories, nonfiction articles, and poems that students can finish in one or two days.
“The text should provide multiple opportunities for students to apply strategies and skills [you have identified for the group],” advises Rosenow.
Dive Into Instruction
Divide your lesson into segments: before, during, and after reading.
Before Reading: “I’ve seen teachers spend 15 minutes talking about the book, and the children have only two minutes to read it,” says Richardson. She suggests a one-sentence “gist” statement and a quick preview. For second-language learners, you might need to spend more time, “but for other children, look into the book and then let them start reading.”
During Reading: Allow students to read independently—either by reading silently or by whisper reading. Students should not read round-robin, as they used to do. Instead, make your way around the group to work one-on-one with each student for a few minutes. If they are reading silently, ask them to whisper read to you when it’s their turn. Different students will need different strategies—some may need support using first-letter cues, while others may need help monitoring their comprehension (see sidebar). “The idea of guided reading is scaffolding children while they read, doing it with the teacher’s support,” Richardson says.
After Reading: First, you should check for students’ comprehension, which can be done in the form of a discussion question, such as “How did this character change from beginning to end?” You can also use the time for a predetermined word study (e.g., on digraphs) geared toward the group’s needs.
Writing about the text is a good practice as well, and it allows you to collect a writing sample. “The children might do a dictated sentence at an early level. As they move up, they get more responsibilities for coming up with the message,” says Richardson. For older students, Rosenow says these post-reading writing activities could include creating five or six imitation Facebook posts or tweets from a character’s point of view.
Assess, and Be Flexible
Remember: The composition of your guided reading groups isn’t etched in stone. Your groups should be fluid and should change as your students’ instructional needs change. That’s where informal and formal assessments come in handy.
Of the informal assessments, running records are extremely useful for determining whether students should be moved to another group.
“I complete informal running records on a -biweekly basis,” explains Hepfer. “Because the children in kindergarten change at such different paces, the groups must be flexible. I also look to see if there are children who need help with similar skills and group them accordingly.”
Formal assessments, such as the Developmental Reading Assessment or the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, given at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year, will also help with tracking students’ progress. By year’s end, you’ll see just how much they’ve grown as readers.
“At the beginning of last year, I had a student who entered kindergarten identifying only a few letters and sounds,” says Hepfer. “He did not see himself as a reader. At first we focused on things such as concepts of print, letter sounds and names, and using pictures to help figure out a tricky word. As each month passed, he gained confidence. [At the end of the year], he looked up at me and exclaimed, ‘You were right, Mrs. Hepfer. I am a reader!’ ”
The PTA will announce this Monday morning on announcements the results for the Fun Run. Monetarily, the fun run took in about $9000, this is exact amount of their budget so there may need to be some additional fundraising throughout the year- but nothing big (skating parties, etc). The winners of all the prizes will be announced over the announcements and we will call the students to come down for a certificate. Ashley’s class won the pizza party, the limo/lunch with me will take place on November 12th 11:30-1:00, and we have 2 tied for Principal for a Day, which will happen on November 19 and 20. Notes will go home with any pertinent info. The announcement is below:
Announcement – This will be recorded on Friday to broadcast on Monday:
We received a total of 218 pledges this year for the Fun Run. Our total amount earned was $9,002.00 once we counted last minute donations. Thank you to all of the students and their families and friends who made this a great year. We are so grateful for every penny received and will now recognize the top pledges:
The top class was Mrs. Liedel’s kindergartners. They will be having a pizza party to celebrate their accomplishment.
The top fundraisers by grade are:
Kindergarten: Alyssa Bommarito
1st: Jenna King
2nd: Antonio Kulaszewski
3rd: Savannah Hardy
4th: Vincenzo Kulaszewski
5th: Elizabeth Figurski
And for the first time ever there was a tie for the top earners for the entire school – Brothers Antonio and Vincenzo Kulaszewski will each spend a day as Principal with Mr. Zielinski.
All top earners will also be treated to a lunch and limo ride with Mr. Zielinski. Congratulations and thanks again to all who made this year’s Fun Run a great success!
I Can…
If you are looking for some specific wording for making “I Can” statements to post your objectives, try these two links for pre-made statements. They are modeled from the common core for math and reading. Remember, one of the important pieces of your lesson is that the students know what it is they are learning.
Arno Happenings… From roller coasters to perfect pumpkins
Picture Retakes
Get that smile rolling again as picture retakes are scheduled for Nov. 12. Students will be called down when its time.
School Improvement Meeting
Thank you to everyone who attended our SIP meeting this past week and to Sarah, our MC. It was a smooth meeting and I was happy to see a good amount of staff there. We have moved the meetings to 3:45, hopefully that may meet your needs for an earlier finish time.
You should have received a copy of the ppt that was presented from Sarah. It mainly contained updates from the Title 1 Director’s Institute conference that I attended with Barb and Cathy. I will be putting copies of the items we covered that included PLCs, MTSS, Higher order questioning, and Mindset. Believe me when I say that I know everyone is very busy with our daily classroom duties, but if you are able to just read one article per week and send me any questions- it is worth your professional time to take a look.
I have ordered a questioning flip book from Modern Teacher, which takes you from recall all the to self-actualization. When it comes in, I will call a short voluntary meeting for distribution.
Chrome Carts
It was announced yesterday at our SIP meeting by Guy Desjardins that the district has purchased 2 chrome carts for each elementary (700 total). While I don’t have a timeline, this will come in to play to help us out with testing for sure, and then a year round benefit for classroom use. As it looks the most practical right now, I will be asking for the PTA for a chrome cart/some tablets combo (which we will chip on) as well. I am hoping to get at least 1 per grade level at this point. Stay tuned for more info
3rd Grade Retention Bill
If you have been following the reading proficiency Bill that is winding through the legislature, then this is just an update. If you are unfamiliar with this Bill, please read the article for the latest on the state’s attempt to keep districts accountable for those who cannot read on level by the end of 3rd grade. This will have a huge impact on how we do things such as our service model for struggling kids. We don’t know what the final language will look like, but it looks to probably go through in some form.
House OKs bill to hold back struggling third graders
Lori Higgins, Detroit Free Press5:38 p.m. EDT October 15, 2015
The Michigan House today approved a controversial bill that would require students to repeat the third-grade if they’re not proficient readers.
The bill passed on a vote of 57-48, after impassioned pleas from lawmakers on both sides. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
The bill was one of two big education-related bills the House took action on today. In the other, the House approved — by a vote of 97 to 8 — a bill updating the state’s rules on evaluations for teachers and administrators. That bill goes back to the Senate for concurrence.
But it was the third-grade reading bill that sparked the big debate.
“It’s not acceptable to allow our kids to not be able to read and yet send them along their way,” said Rep. Lisa Lyons, R-Alto.
Perhaps the most surprising “no” vote came from Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, who co-sponsored the bill and has been a proponent of it. But the House rejected an amendment he proposed that would have allowed a third-grader to move on to the fourth grade if that child had worked hard to improve.
“I am not going to remove the hope of a 9-year-old. Period,” Zemke said.
After the vote, Zemke and House Minority Leader Tim Greimel asked that their names be removed as co-sponsors of the bill.
While much of the focus was on the retention mandate, the bill also requires school districts to intervene early with struggling readers and employ early literacy coaches who would assist students and teachers.
During the 2013-14 school year, 30% of the fourth-graders who took the now-defunct MEAP exam failed it. The fourth-grade exam tests third-grade material. Meanwhile, on a more rigorous national exam — the National Assessment of Educational Progress — nearly 70% of Michigan’s fourth-graders were not proficient.
“Thirty percent of Michigan third-graders have not been afforded the gift of literacy,” said Rep. Amanda Price, R-Park Township, the bill’s chief sponsor. “This number is unacceptable and to me heartbreaking.”
But Democrats, while saying they supported the bill’s primary focus on intervention and help for struggling readers, raised concerns about a number of issues. They cited research that says children retained are more likely to drop out.
Rep. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, was particularly concerned that negotiations all day Wednesday didn’t produce language that would give parents a say in what happens to their children.
“What you’ve done is taken the families and the parents out of this equation,” Singh said.
Rep. Harvey Santana, D-Detroit, railed against social promotion, though, saying that passing kids along when they can’t read sends the message that failure is OK.
“I refuse to be part of the conspiracy to emasculate our urban children,” Santana said. “A social promotion does nothing to help a child. It does everything to destroy them.”
Many education groups were opposed to the bill. Members of the State Board of Education, in a statement unanimously adopted Tuesday, said they opposed the bill’s mandate on retaining students.
“While there are situations where retaining students in their current grade is warranted, that decision needs to be decided on case-by-case basis, between educators and parents,” the board said. “It should not be automatic”
Some students would be exempt from the retention mandate. They include special education students who aren’t able to take the state exam, a special education student who has already received intensive intervention in reading but is still struggling, and a student who has had less than three years of instruction in a program for students who have limited English speaking skills.
Meanwhile, the educator evaluation bill passed with no debate. The bill limits the number of consecutive years a student is assigned to an ineffective teacher, requires that 40% of a teacher’s evaluation be based on student test score data and gives schools the ability to choose how they’re going to evaluate staff.
Its passage comes two days after the Michigan Department of Education laid out its own plans for providing support to school districts trying to implement laws requiring a stronger evaluation system — including directing $12 million in state funding to intermediate school districts for training.
The issue of educator evaluations has been a hot, contentious one in Lansing since Michigan lawmakers approved legislation in 2009 requiring annual evaluations for teachers, along with the use of student test scores to determine how teachers are rated. There have been updates to the law since then, and recommendations for a statewide evaluation system were made in 2013 by the Michigan Council on Educator Effectiveness, which was created by the Legislature.
The bill approved today incorporates some of the recommendations from that council.
While most districts had moved ahead to develop evaluation systems that would provide information to help teachers improve, some were waiting for the Legislature to provide more clarity on the law, Venessa Keesler, deputy superintendent for the Michigan Department of Education, said during a meeting Tuesday.
The current law says 50% of a teacher’s evaluation must be based on student growth data — data showing how much improvement a student made while with the teacher. State test scores are a key part of that data.
But that changes under the bill approved today. Beginning this school year, 25% of the evaluation must be based on test data. That rises to 40% beginning with the 2018-19 school year.
Free Press staff writer Kathleen Gray contributed to this report. Contact Lori Higgins: 313-222-6651 or lhiggins@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @LoriAHiggins.
Parent-Teacher Conferences … or Collaborative Conversations?
Parent-teacher conferences are one of the few opportunities for families to converse with teachers about their children’s progress and needs. Lines of people wait their turn for these 15- to 20-minute interactions. One result is a conversation that establishes a relationship and delivers essential information about a student’s progress.
Teachers usually carry the burden of making the conference productive, yet if families were included more through communications and collaborative meeting planning, the experience could become more mutually fruitful. To this end, I’ll introduce each of my points with voices from families suggesting collaborative communication about their needs.
Build a Team: Make Frequent Contacts Before Each Conference
I hoped teachers would inform me between conferences if anything was amiss or pleasing about my children’s progress, socially or academically, so that there would be no big surprises during the conferences.
I value a teacher who communicates expectations using a website, blog, or email. In today’s busy world, it is nice to have the information at your fingertips when you need it.
Parent-teacher conferences tend to be the first time that discussions happen about the student. Transform those short, focused sessions into a meaningful dialogue by sending updates several times before the event. Start simple with two to three contacts before the conference. Consider doing more based on individual student needs. Providing these timely diagnostic updates will help families have meatier discussions with their students:
1. Lead with areas of progress and/or exhibited strengths.
Families need to know how their child is demonstrating positive growth. Highlighting strengths becomes a foundation for motivation to tackle any challenges. Some parents rarely hear about successes by their child.
2. Share needs and next steps.
Parents should be informed about any learning challenges that their children face. Also share the next steps that you will take. People listen better to challenges and obstacles when a professional provides solutions. Certainly, families can and should assist, but they aren’t the trained experts. Understanding the teacher’s next steps reassures them that their child’s progress is in good hands.
3. Suggest at least one parent support.
Parent support depends on parents’ skills and understanding. This is hard to identify early in the year when the relationship is new. Start with general suggestions such as: “Provide a space where your child can complete homework undisturbed.” Ultimately, the teacher, like a doctor, is the expert who must bear the load for designing and implementing remedies.
Offer the opportunity for a follow-up conversation at the parents’ request. This invitation sends a message: “We are a Team.”
Empower Parents/Families to Be Equal Partners
I’d like the teacher to start by telling me something my kid did right. Then I’d like her/him to ask, “What questions do you have?”
I want evidence that the teacher has put together a thoughtful plan for meeting the needs of my child, and it is one that he/she can articulate and provide evidence for how it is being implemented.
Frequent contacts result in a stronger parent-teacher relationship and a foundation for transforming the traditional conference into a collaboration about meeting student needs. With such a relationship established, the following steps can help parents and teachers prepare collectively for a productive face-to-face meeting.
1. Establish a collaborative focus.
Meeting time tends to be limited because of the need to schedule so many families. Establishing the meeting’s purpose helps to frame the conversation. Share a structure so that parents know what to expect. For example:
Have the student attend the meeting.
Celebrate learning strengths.
Parents and teacher explore needs and questions for learning improvements and enrichments.
3-2-1: Agree on next steps for the teacher (3), parent/family (2), and student (1). As the professional, the teacher can provide nuanced supports. Doing more can motivate the families to take action.
Invite families’ input and questions about possible changes. When parents share questions, the teacher has time to prepare responses and customize the meeting. Families will likely agree with the teacher’s established purpose — it’s extending the invitation that matters.
2. Brief and debrief.
Invite parents to discuss student progress and needs with their child before and after the conference.
I want communication that supports the discussions I can have with my child.
A conversation between parent and child can uncover needs and perspectives of which the teacher may be unaware. Parents come to the meeting ready to share affirmations, successes, and concerns that are informed by such a conversation. One challenge for this to be successful is that many parents would benefit from a planning guide. This list of steps can be as simple as identifying two likes and concerns that the student has about the class, or it can follow a more formal structure such as the following:
Invite families to discuss the child’s perceptions about his or her work. Consider having students share their classroom reflections on selected assignments with their families. This could eventually lead to student-led conferences.
Bring to the conference a list two or three strengths and one or two concerns regarding the child’s learning experiences.
Collaboration = Student Progress
I appreciate that teachers take time away from their own families to treat my child as their own.
The African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child,” is true with the collaborative relationship of families and teachers. Working together means interacting on equal footing. The teacher is an expert of education. Families know their children far more deeply than the teacher. When parents and teachers are in sync regarding what learners need and the next steps, student progress is inevitable.
October 28 Math Pilot Info Meeting- All day and PBIS Bingo 9:30
October 29 Principal’s meeting 9:00 and Fall Art and Music Show 5:30
October 30 K Fall Celebration in Cafe 2:00 and Halloween Parade 1:30
Book Fair
It’s book fair time soon! Please read the attached letter, which is also going out to parents, regarding our book fair dates and info. We will have specific info and schedule sign ups soon.
Please give your best effort to meet the agreed upon attendance time deadlines during the school day. In the a.m., make sure your attendance is done no later than 10:00, in the p.m. attendance should be in no later than 2:00. Best thing- take it first before you move on to the next if possible. Thanks for your help on this.
M-STEP
Michigan students set baseline for new state assessment
2014-2015 M-STEP results available soon
October 22, 2015
LANSING – Michigan students have set the course for success when they took the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) this past spring, establishing a new baseline for performance, with statewide results available in the days ahead, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced today.
“I’m thrilled that Michigan was a leading state in successfully implementing a new assessment system,” State Superintendent Brian Whiston said. “In 2010, we raised the bar on our state standards and our test now reflects that rigor.”
“This was an all-new and more rigorous test and the statewide results will be lower than we’ve seen in the past, and that’s ok,” Whiston said. “M-STEP sets up a new baseline from which to improve and set us on our way to be a Top Ten education state in 10 years.”
Sandy K. Baruah, President and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, expressed the importance of raising the academic bar for Michigan students.
“As a state, we will not be able to compete in the flat, global 21st Century dynamic marketplace if we don’t have, and achieve, the highest academic standards,” Baruah said. “The discussion should not be maintaining high standards, but rather how can we raise our standards.”
After 44 years of the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test, 82 percent of Michigan students across the state sat down in front of computers to take the first-ever M-STEP. A paper and pencil option also was available for buildings not yet prepared to test online.
Whiston said the M-STEP measures the state’s standards that give students a deeper understanding to what they are learning. The standards now take students from just knowing the facts, to learning how to use those facts to understand context, apply them to problem solve, and make those facts relevant in their lives.
In Spring 2016, Michigan students will take the M-STEP in grades 3-8. Students in grade 11 will take the Michigan Merit Exam, which includes the SAT, WorkKeys, and M-STEP science and social studies tests. New for Spring 2016, students in grades 9 and 10 will take the PSAT.
MDE’s Deputy Superintendent of Accountability Services, Venessa Keesler, said that the 2016 M-STEP also will include improvements, based upon the first implementation feedback of school districts and a survey of more than 26,000 students and 5,000 parents to get their initial reaction.
“MDE heard that the testing time was an issue for schools in this first implementation,” Keesler said. “For Spring 2016, MDE is able to reduce testing time for juniors taking the Michigan Merit Exam by eight hours and by two and a half hours for grades three, four, six, and seven.”
The test also can be administered in smaller portions over multiple days so that students will not be required to complete the test all in one sitting, according to Keesler.
Michigan’s federal ESEA Flexibility waiver, approved by the U.S. Department of Education on August 13, 2015, provides that Michigan will not complete or issue public, high-stakes accountability in the form of top-to-bottom rankings and school report cards until Fall 2017. However, MDE will calculate and publish accountability in the form of informational school rankings and diagnostic scorecards in Fall 2016, according to Keesler.
Additionally, MDE will provide schools with useful reports and data that can be used to guide and improve student instruction based upon the first year of implementation of the M-STEP. MDE provided preliminary reports to schools within about two weeks of the close of each testing window.
Whiston said that the department currently is conducting an assessment vision workgroup with education stakeholders to see how student assessments can be streamlined for spring 2017 and beyond.
The M-STEP results will be released in a staggered sequence with the public release of statewide aggregates first in the days ahead. Schools and districts then will receive testing data through the department’s secure website. Later this year, school and district aggregates will be available on mischooldata.org.
What Does It Mean to Share Learning Targets and Criteria for Success?
Sharing learning targets does not mean merely writing the objective on the board or telling students what the objective is in a sentence or two. Most students will, of course, be able to repeat back to the teacher what she said the objective was, and that can be somewhat useful. What we mean by sharing learning targets and criteria for success, however, is that students comprehend what those objectives mean. For example, a reading objective might be that students can identify the main idea in passages of a certain type and level. What we want is more than students being able to say “identify main idea.” We want students to understand that they will learn how to get a better grasp on the meaning of what they read, why that should be a goal for them, and what it feels like to do that. For the student, this means both understanding the learning goal and knowing what good work on the assignment looks like. It’s not a goal if the student can’t envision it.
The single most important method for routinely sharing learning targets is using assignments that match—really match—the learning goal. It is in the assignment that the teacher translates the learning goal into action for the student. The student will strive to do the assignment, not the abstract goal. When we say an assignment or activity must “embody” the learning goal, we mean that the assignment or activity is such a close match with the goal that the student would be able to think, “If I can do [this assignment], then I can do [the learning objective].”
Teachers should always share their goals for students’ learning—both by telling or writing the goals and by giving assignments and activities that embody them—and then check for students’ understanding. It is not enough to ask students, “Do you understand?” They’ll say yes, of course! Rather, teachers should use strategies that help assess students’ comprehension of the meaning of learning goals and their comprehension of what good work looks like. Teachers should use this information to affirm understanding and clarify misconceptions.
Growth Mindset
We had touched upon the growth mindset in a previous blog. Please read the article from Carol Dweck discussing fixed vs growth mindset and think of what types of things you could do in your classroom to start this mindset change.
Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’
By Carol Dweck
In many quarters, a growth mindset had become the right thing to have, the right way to think. It was as though educators were faced with a choice: Are you an enlightened person who fosters students’ well-being? Or are you an unenlightened person, with a fixed mindset, who undermines them? So, of course, many claimed the growth-mindset identity. But the path to a growth mindset is a journey, not a proclamation.
Let’s look at what happens when teachers, or parents, claim a growth mindset, but don’t follow through. In recent research, Kathy Liu Sun found that there were many math teachers who endorsed a growth mindset and even said the words “growth mindset” in their middle school math classes, but did not follow through in their classroom practices. In these cases, their students tended to endorse more of a fixed mindset about their math ability. My advisee and research collaborator Kyla Haimovitz and I are finding many parents who endorse a growth mindset, but react to their children’s mistakes as though they are problematic or harmful, rather than helpful. In these cases, their children develop more of a fixed mindset about their intelligence.
How can we help educators adopt a deeper, true growth mindset, one that will show in their classroom practices? You may be surprised by my answer: Let’s legitimize the fixed mindset. Let’s acknowledge that (1) we’re all a mixture of fixed and growth mindsets, (2) we will probably always be, and (3) if we want to move closer to a growth mindset in our thoughts and practices, we need to stay in touch with our fixed-mindset thoughts and deeds.
If we “ban” the fixed mindset, we will surely create false growth-mindsets. (By the way, I also fear that if we use mindset measures for accountability, we will create false growth mindsets on an unprecedented scale.) But if we watch carefully for our fixed-mindset triggers, we can begin the true journey to a growth mindset.
What are your triggers?
Watch for a fixed-mindset reaction when you face challenges. Do you feel overly anxious, or does a voice in your head warn you away? Watch for it when you face a setback in your teaching, or when students aren’t listening or learning. Do you feel incompetent or defeated? Do you look for an excuse? Watch to see whether criticism brings out your fixed mindset. Do you become defensive, angry, or crushed instead of interested in learning from the feedback? Watch what happens when you see an educator who’s better than you at something you value. Do you feel envious and threatened, or do you feel eager to learn? Accept those thoughts and feelings and work with and through them. And keep working with and through them.
My colleagues and I are taking a growth-mindset stance toward our message to educators. Maybe we originally put too much emphasis on sheer effort. Maybe we made the development of a growth mindset sound too easy. Maybe we talked too much about people having one mindset or the other, rather than portraying people as mixtures. We are on a growth-mindset journey, too.
Three Fires and 3rd Graders
The third graders participated in a presentation by the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Mobile Learning Center. The program, “The Three Fires,” explored the lives of the Ojibway, Odawa, and Potawatomi Native American tribes in Michigan. The children learned about the tools, shelter, language, and survival strategies through artifacts, replicas and demonstrations. Hands-on learning included fire-making and pump drilling.
DTE Presentation with our 4th graders
DTE Energy THINK! ENERGY
Arno fourth grade students had a great DTE Energy presentation this week called THINK! ENERGY TAKE ACTION! This was a 60 minute interactive, hands-on presentation with a take home energy efficiency kit for each participating student. The program taught our students the importance of energy, natural resources and environmental resources, and gave each participating student’s family energy-efficient technologies to install at home.
Halloween
Our initial weather reports look like we should be able to get outside for the route, which would be great. If its good out, I will be starting at 1:30 with K, and walking my way through the building. You may bring your class out into the hallway to watch and join in as we pass. We will exit through the 5th grade doors, make our way along the fenceline in the interior part of the playground, and wind our way to the front doors to drop off. Indoor would be through the cafe and gym, hopefully we won’t go there.
Please be sure that costumes are appropriate, I have asked for no masks in the blog.
SIP
Please consider coming to our SIP meeting this week Tuesday at 3:45. We will be talking about school improvement initiatives this year, and introducing the notion to form a building data team. I have compiled all goals, strategies, and activities on one front/back page to summarize what everyone agreed to in the plan, which should be too different from the past. I’ll gt that to you next week.
Data Day
I have scheduled our first data day for December first. There will be floaters in the building so that the full grade level may attend that day. I will publish a list of data to bring, but you certainly can supplement. The schedule is as follows:
8:45-9:30 3rd grade
9:35-10:20 5th grade
10:25-11:10 2nd grade
11:15-11:55 4th grade
1:00-1:45 1st grade
1:50-2:30 K
FIRE DRILL
Exit routes have been established for years and have not changed over time. Each year our student population continues to grow. If you feel we need to re-look at exit plan please let me know. I noticed that many of our classes were jammed up in the halls waiting for others to exit safely. If you think a change could be made to make the process smoother, please let me know. Also, please remember all class doors must be closed. The doors are fire rated and the first line of defense to prevent a fire from spreading to other parts of the building. You should always carry your student roster with you to do a complete count once you are out to your post. This concludes all of our drills for the fall.
Who’s KAHOOT’n??
A fun new way to assess your students. Check it out!
Thank you Nicole for organizing another Walk/Ride to School Day. It’s great to see how our Run club continues this mindset for students that it’s a great idea to get up and get moving!
Art and Music Show
Next week Thursday be sure to stop by the Art and Music show at the Performing Arts Center. I was very excited to see a sneak preview of what will be appearing there next week!
NWEA
Fall testing for the NWEA is finally complete. Thank you to all of our teachers for braving this first round with the chromebooks, I couldn’t be happier with how smooth it went and this is a good practice run for m-stepping in the spring. I have set aside the time on Dec. 1 for our data day to review and discuss what is Arno’s current reality. In the meantime, if you feel your grade level needs to have some additional time to break the data down into instructional implications, interventions, and grouping, let me know and I’ll see how we can get more creative with time.
Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) are K – 12 interim assessments that measure growth, project proficiency on state accountability tests, and inform how educators differentiate instruction, evaluate programs, and structure curriculum. Computer adaptive MAP assessments reveal precisely which academic skills and concepts the student has acquired and what they’re ready to learn. MAP assessments are grade independent and adapt to each student’s instructional level.
MAP data is powerful and can be put to great use to improve instruction and student learning. Here are six ways MAP data can help students and teachers alike:
Compare and predict student achievement. Using exclusive normative and growth information MAP assessment data can be accurately used to compare and predict student achievement.
As a universal screener/RTI placement. MAP assessments adapt beyond grade level to find the true level of a student’s performance, helping educators identify at-risk students and build a learning plan. MAP assessments received the highest possible rating for classification accuracy, and high ratings in all other categories, from the National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI).
For differentiated instruction. Students within the same grade often perform at different grade levels, and educators face the challenge of ensuring that every child—from highest to lowest achievers—continues to grow. MAP data make it easy to identify learning levels so teachers can engage in differentiated instruction and skill-based grouping that leads to positive results for every child.
For student goal setting. Students become more committed to the learning process when they can set goals and see results. Using the Student Goal Setting worksheet and other MAP tools, it’s easy for teachers and students to build an action plan together, and for parents to become engaged in the process.
To predict proficiency. MAP provides information on where students are performing on individual state and Common Core standards, so test results can be used to project proficiency on high-stakes tests. MAP includes technology-enhanced item types and features that allow for deep assessment of reading, language usage, and mathematics comprehension, and increased cognitive complexity, or Depth of Knowledge, enabling students to demonstrate evidence of their learning.
For parent communication. MAP helps parents see where students are starting from, and track their growth over time.
Teachers depend on MAP data to help them streamline teaching strategies and provide differentiated instruction, and to create flexible grouping across the classroom. School and district leaders use MAP data to evaluate programs and monitor school and student performance relative to growth, proficiency, and norms. District decision makers rely on MAP data to aid in resource management, help determine performance trends by grade and school, and compare local student achievement to the national scale. MAP data can help all of these stakeholders make the tough decisions necessary to improve student learning.
– See more at: https://www.nwea.org/blog/2015/six-ways-map-data-can-help-students-and-teachers/#sthash.CEXEVDRL.dpuf
Please be sure to check out our school google calendar that I shared back in September. You should all have access to edit. When you have an event, I do want to be informed of it, of course, but please as the next step add it to the calendar. When I do the blog, the first thing I go to is that calendar, it helps us be efficient with our scheduling if everything is on there. This includes, ieps, special events in your rooms, grade level assemblies, etc. Let me know if you need help with this so that we are all adding to it.
Also important, I do not mind if you make arrangements to switch a prep to accommodate something special, but please be sure to also get with the special teaches to keep them in the loop of any changes. They are ready for the class coming to them, an unannounced change will make them unprepared for the kids.
Rotary Club
Exciting news from the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club of Allen PArk donated $6000 to Allen Park Schools this past Monday at the Board meeting (Picture above). Each elementary will get $2000 to spend on literacy books, which Barb Chuby will organize. Exciting times this fall! A news article from the Times Herald follows:
Allen Park Rotary donates $6,000 toward elementary school literacy
The Rotary Club of Allen Park has donated $6,000 to Allen Park Public Schools toward literary resources for Arno, Bennie and Lindemann elementary schools.
According to the school district, this contribution will enhance their students’ education for years to come.
Supt. John Sturock wrote to Rotary members to express appreciation for their generous donation.
“This is a wonderful example of the success that can be achieved when businesses and the community at large pool their efforts to support education,” he said in his letter.
The schools are extremely grateful, Sturock said, particularly as school funding continues to decline and costs continue to rise.
“Again, on behalf of the Board of Education, administration and the students of Allen Park Public Schools, we thank you for your contribution as well as for your interest in continuing the tradition of an uncompromising commitment to excellence in Allen Park Public Schools,” he said.
Lunchroom
The lunchroom has had some issues with large number of lunch shortage as there are a lot of students needing lunch that were not down on the order. While this could be a mix of factors, please make sure on your end that if you have a student assisting in lunch count, that you are verifying that before it’s sent. I will also mention it in the parent blog. Thanks for your help!
Pizza Kits
5th Grade is now selling Pizza kits. Please consider helping them out, the order form is in the lounge. Money is due 10/22, delivery on 10/28
Depth of Knowledge Questioning
At the PD last week, we had talked some about the Depth of Knowledge levels while you worked on your math assessments. In looking at what the state released in preparation for the m-step, “Perform initial analysis on classroom instruction and relation to testing including depth of knowledge, academic vocabulary, performance tasks, and the use of related tools.” Although the state has not yet identified the percentage of DOK levels present in the questions, it is a sure bet that more we prepare our students for deeper levels of thinking, the more they will be prepared for state assessments and be college and career ready. Please review the information below, please try and pick some examples to try in your classroom.
Level One Activities
Recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot and setting.
Conduct basic mathematical calculations.
Label locations on a map.
Represent in words or diagrams a scientific concept or relationship.
Perform routine procedures like measuring length or using punctuation marks correctly.
Describe the features of a place or people.
Level Two Activities
Identify and summarize the major events in a narrative.
Use context cues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Solve routine multiple-step problems.
Describe the cause/effect of a particular event.
Identify patterns in events or behavior.
Formulate a routine problem given data and conditions.
Organize, represent and interpret data.
Level Three Activities
Support ideas with details and examples.
Use voice appropriate to the purpose and audience.
Identify research questions and design investigations for a scientific problem.
Develop a scientific model for a complex situation.
Determine the author’s purpose and describe how it affects the interpretation of a reading selection.
Apply a concept in other contexts.
Level Four Activities
Conduct a project that requires specifying a problem, designing and conducting an experiment, analyzing its data, and reporting results/solutions.
Apply mathematical model to illuminate a problem or situation.
Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources.
Describe and illustrate how common themes are found across texts from different cultures.
Design a mathematical model to inform and solve a practical or abstract situation.
More great ways to use the DOK in different content areas:
Webb, Norman L. and others. “Web Alignment Tool” 24 July 2005. Wisconsin Center of Educational Research. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2 Feb. 2006. <http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/WAT/index.aspx>.
If you were unable to attend this morning’s voluntary staff meeting, we went over a summary of the visitors policy that generally puts similar restrictions that other parents have to follow as well. The parent must notify me and get my approval 5 days in advance of wanting a classroom visit, then would be under full escort should that happen. In addition, the child will have to line up at the front door, and exit the same. As after school functions may vary with staff and access- should you find yourself in an unwelcome conversation, please let me or another close person know you need assistance.
Please report anything that deviates from the above (i.e., should you see that parent at another door other than the front, get cornered into a conversation, or have email or phone contact)
If you see the parent in the building, please notify the main office IMMEDIATELY. The parent will get a fair chance to follow the policies- if they break a policy, we reserve the right to further restrict access. Please come see me with any questions.
As part of overseeing these types of policies, please speak with your students this week about the critical importance of not letting anyone in a side door around the building. All doors are to remain locked during the day and they need to go get an adult if a parent is trying to get in the building from that point. A similar note will go out to parents reminding them of procedures.
If you have not yet met with me on your goal for this school year, please see me asap. If you were revising your original goal, please be sure that I get a copy
Open enrollment officially opens on Nov. 1 and new changes are effective on 1/1/2016. The information this year will come via email, so be sure to watch out for it soon. Staff must fill out the FSA forms and ensure that those get turned in on time. Let me know if you have questions.
There have been some instances in the district with alarms going off in the building with staff not setting it or walking in without turning it off quick enough. Will follow a similar procedure that other buildings have put in place in that any weekend visits to the building must be done through the main doors in front of the building. In addition, if you come in Sat. or Sunday, we will have a sign in sheet by the alarm to list your name in case more than 1 staff member shows up. Thanks for your help in this.
In addition from maintenance, please take around 30 seconds at the end of your day to have the kids look a the floors and pickup and pencils, trash, etc. This greatly helps the custodial staff that is already spread thin.
I will do make up testing for the NWEA this Friday in the morning. Please let me know if you will have a student coming down.
10/15 Fire Safety Assembly K-2- 9:00, Grades 1, 3 10:00
10/16 3rd Grade Metro Parks Assembly
Great Dialogue
I was very impressed today watching the process unfold to create common assessments. Many important conversations took place regarding what we want to be able to do with these assessments- which is to gain valuable data, impact instruction, and set groups for possible interventions. Collaborating at a district level went well and was great to see teachers from around the district. Congrats on your accomplishments today, we will get together to share your data at the end of the 1st Q.
Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered Model of Preventionp
The Keynote speaker at our Title 1 state conference, Dr. Kathleen Lane, University of Kansas, presented a model of integrated support involving academic, behavioral, and social areas ( see pyramid) . Some of the key things I took away from this:
It takes an integrated approach to address the student’s needs and come up with an appropriate plan that will engage the learner. A strong PBIS, in conjunction with identified social aspects, and a strong core program that is supported with an effective tiered system of support can help us drill down and provide the kind of service that can propel our scores for reading and math.
This is really a different way of looking at doing business in a school. Many look at interventions or PBIS, but to use all in one comprehensive system is outside the box and that is one way to make things happen for kids. This kind of model requires additional time on looking at data, assessing, progress monitoring, and universal screening. In addition, a very collaborative building schedule is necessary for the system to work. Please review the video link and visit the web site for CI3T.org for more information, literature, and videos like the one below that detail some successes.
I know of a couple of grade levels who are undertaking a new way of looking at the teaching of math, while at the same time giving support to all learners- at-risk, on grade, as well as enriching those who are ready. If your grade is interested in proposing a new way of reaching kids, strengthening the core, while providing skill based intervention-please set up a meeting with me to discuss any exciting possibilities.
If you are available this week, please be sure to join us for our PBIS meeting. This is an important piece in helping us develop a complete intervention piece down the line. The meeting will start at 3:45.
Schedules
Please remember to hand in your normal daily or weekly (or both) schedule to me. Just an outline of the day, no lesson plans
Fire Drill @Recess
This Thursday we will have our second fire drill. As required, we will conduct this drill around recess time. Please prepare your kids on the process of where they go in if they are outside. The drill will happen around 2:30ish or whenever I see the play ground filling up.
Growth Mindsets
This is a great way to reach kids and recharge batteries.
When students and educators have a growth mindset, they understand that intelligence can be developed. Students focus on improvement instead of worrying about how smart they are. They work hard to learn more and get smarter. Based on years of research by Stanford University’s Dr. Dweck, Lisa Blackwell Ph.D., and their colleagues, we know that students who learn this mindset show greater motivation in school, better grades, and higher test scores.
What does a Growth Mindset School look like?
Administrators support teachers’ learning. They are responsive to honest feedback, rather than defensive. They seek to build their skills, and are willing to learn from their teachers.
Teachers collaborate with their colleagues and instructional leaders, rather than shut their classroom doors and fly solo. They strive to strengthen their own practice, rather than blame others. They truly believe that all students can learn and succeed—and show it.
Parents support their children’s learning both inside and outside the classroom. They partner with teachers, and respond to outreach. They worry less about advocating for their children to get good grades and focus on making sure kids are being challenged and put in the effort needed to grow.
Students are enthusiastic, hard-working, persistent learners. They take charge over their own success. This information from: Mindset
“Don’t make excuses or try to make students artificially feel better for doing poorly. Instead, focus on students’ capacity to grow and change, and emphasize where they have control over their learning.” – Eric Jensen
What’s your mindset?
NWEA Data to Drive Instruction
Now that we are wrapping up testing- and I am so proud of all of you and our kids for the way you handled this on chromebooks for the first time, it’s time to start looking at our data critically to help drive instruction and intervention. If you would like any assistance in breaking down and using your data, please let me know and we set up a meeting.
Fun Run Money
Although parents were informed that all monies were due for the Fun Run, keep encouraging kids to bring it in if they had not done so already. Whether it’s now or in 3 weeks, we want to continue follow through as we receive many benefits in technology for our efforts.
Although the survey I sent a couple weeks ago on technology indicated that more people were in favor of tablets, the district may not yet have the support we need for a large scale purchase. I would like to propose to the PTA that we purchase another cart (even if the district buys us one for m-step, which looks like a possibility), our goal should be 1-2 carts per grade level, with some tablet purchase in the long term. So for this year, I would like your feedback on the recommendation of a chromecart purchase along with a bank of tablets.
In addition, I would like to request feedback from you on tablets. When thinking of what type of tablets we would purchase, we need to start with the end in mind, not worrying about the device. What is it in your view that kids will need to be able to do with a tablet and what device do you feel matches those needs? Please send me your thoughts by Friday the 16th.
We were talking in our staff room this week about how each year it seems as though we have more to teach and more assessments to give. One of our new teachers was talking about the disconnect she feels between the assessments we are asked to give, what we do in our classroom and the growth we see in our students. She went on to say that it feels difficult to monitor growth; real growth. When asked what she meant by ‘real growth’ she simply said, “You know, are they getting better at reading?” Ahhh, out of the mouths of our young teachers, simple pearls of wisdom!
Monitoring the simple data of a student’s Independent, Instructional and Frustrational reading level over the course of a year can be very powerful for students, parents, and for us as classroom teachers. There is no disconnect. We can see if our instruction is making a difference — and we can celebrate tangible growth!
This week’s Tip is the Data sheet we use with our own students to record their reading assessment data.
As we make our way to Shocktober, here is what’s coming up…
10/5 PTA Reflections Contest Begins
10/6-8 Steve, Barb, and Kathy @Title 1 Fall Conference (Michelle Sbonek is Teacher in Charge for this period)
10/7 Count Day
Meetings with Cindy Marcero per schedule
Walk or Ride Your Bike to School Day
10/8 Nothing Scheduled
10/9 No School- Teacher PD @ Bennie 8:00-3:00
Many thanks to Rachel and Barb for securing a grant in the amount of $500 for a March assembly
“Creative Writing and Becoming an Author” This should be a valuable assembly and
we appreciate the time and effort it takes bring something unique to Arno!
NWEA Testing
Our testing window is underway and so far our chromebooks have performed well for the task. The students seem at ease using them and our techy teachers have mastered the process. I will be scheduling make-up sessions in the upcoming 2 weeks to help with testing. Let me know who you have coming down so I make sure the space is big enough.
The window runs through October 23.
Fall Director’s Conference
As you have already read above, Cathy, Barb, and I are joining the other 2 elementaries and Jennifer for the fall Directors Title 1 conference T,W, & TH. During that time, Michelle Sbonek will be
teacher in charge and in contact with me. I will be monitoring my email daily and should the need arise, call me 586-610-0240. We will all return for the Friday PD at Bennie.
I was listening to Dr. John Hattie speak on the Bedley Brothers podcast, anticipating another nugget that would be both profound and obvious.
I leaned in a little closer when Tim Bedley asked Dr. Hattie what practice teachers would implement first if they were to look at all his research. What is one thing they could do that would make a significant, positive difference for the students in their classes?
Dr Hattie hardly skipped a beat between question and answer. “When teachers walk into their rooms each day, they should say in their minds, ‘My job is to evaluate my impact.’” He suggests that we look at our own teaching and ask, How it is working? Do we know where we are going? Do we know how to get there? Do we know where to go next? Answering these questions helps us evaluate our impact.
When I answer Dr. Hattie’s question for myself, I realize the Pensieve is the tool that makes the impact of my teaching visible, as it tracks student learning. Student understanding and progress are measured with Touch Points every time I meet with them in a small group or one-on-one. These indicators help me evaluate if what I am doing is working, when to try something else, and where to go next.
No longer can we blindly follow a program, pacing guide, or curriculum. As professionals, it is our responsibility to move beyond simply delivering lessons. When we work with students, providing instruction based on formative assessments, monitoring progress, and providing feedback, we will be following Dr. Hattie’s advice to evaluate our impact, and it will be evident that it is reaching its greatest potential.
Classroom Schedules
Please send me a copy of your typical day schedule (or a typical week) so I can see when your LA block, math, science, etc takes place during the day.
Also, now that we are entering October, and kids are at their best during that time, short snack breaks are fine for K-3, grades 4-5- the kids should be able to work and snack.
Fire Safety Assembly
Thanks to Barb and Rachel for setting up with the Allen Park Fire Dept. for a fire safety assembly on Oct 15. Schedule follows:
K & 3 9:00
1 & 2 10:00
Recycling
Even though the district has stopped working with our last recycling company due to new fees, the district’s contract with Republic waste (our current company the empties both the cardboard and regular trash dumpsters) requires Republic to take ALL our recyclables. That is paper, glass, plastic, cardboard, metal, etc. So, we will have to get some stronger, clear bags, but we are still at least able to recycle up to a point. We are still exploring different methods of recycling- stay tuned. Thanks to Carrie for the update
Very important- Please remember to change your PIN in Aesop to the PIN number that was given to you at the beginning of the school year. Please let me know if you need assistance, I have copies of all the PINS.
Dr. Sokol has shared a valuable resource for the district from AFIRM, Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules. The site contains many modules, with more to come, that will help you give you ideas and strategies to help with our ASD kids. Although some of the modules are lengthy, you can break it down and choose the parts of it that may interest you. This is definitely a timely resource as we see more student diagnosed with ASD in our classrooms. Here is the link: http://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/ You have to set up an account, which is free and go on to the modules.
AFIRM Modules
AFIRM Modules are designed to help you learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring an EBP with learners with ASD from birth to 22 years of age. Supplemental materials and handouts are available for download.
ECE Exercise SN Social Narratives TA Task Analysis
The AFIRM team is currently working on developing the remaining modules for each EBP. Create an account to receive e-mail updates when a new EBP is available.
For another great week at Arno, I can’t believe we are through September already. You have all made this such a great transition for me into my new role here and I appreciate everything you all have done to help me learn all about the Arno family here. Have a great weekend!
Holiday Giving
Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®)
