The Title blog has moved to http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/title/

Please update your bookmarks or links to keep up with the latest news.

Happy Spring!

With the start of May, and summer just around the corner, I wanted to let you know that this is the last Coordinator Communication Blog entry for the 2013-2014 school year. The blog will start back up in September! In the meantime, should you have any questions, please be sure and contact a member of the Title team ~ we stand ready to help!!

Student Profiles: Before leaving for summer, you must print a hard copy of each Title students’ Quickbase profile and include it in his/her file/folder. As a reminder, we were able to check on student profiles via an electronic summary report, in January. At the end of the year, hard copies must be printed and filed.

Report Cards and Parent Reports: Remember to include the Quickbase Parent Report in report card envelopes!

May Title School Visits: Please reference the May Visitation Schedule as a reminder for your scheduled date/time. If you were unable to schedule a visit during our April PD, please contact Bee (ex 7559) to do so. This final visit will be fairly casual with no pre-planned Q’s, on my part. This is really an opportunity to address any end-of-the-year questions you may have as the year winds down. You can also submit any compliance documents you may have completed by this date, as well.

Title I Coordinator/Principal Meeting Minutes (February, 2014): Here are the Title Mtg 022414M for your compliance binder. Please print and include behind the appropriate tab. Thanks! Bee will email the April minutes soon!

Inventories: Be sure and have all your purchases and receipts to Linda by the first of June so that she is able to close out the books by the end of the month. Also, please SEND LINDA AN UPDATED COPY OF YOUR INVENTORY.

Semi-Annuals: Bee will be working on the year-end, semi-annuals very soon! For everyone’s convenience, we are considering having these available for signatures at the May 19 CIP Input meeting. Stay tuned for details coming from Bee in the weeks ahead.

Parent Involvement Surveys: The survey window closes Monday, May 5. Please send any hard copies to Bee no later than Wednesday, May 7.  Upon ensuring all “hard copy” surveys have been entered into Survey Monkey, each school will receive a copy of their individual survey for use in school improvement planning.

Mentor/Mentees: As a reminder, you are encouraged to connect with one another as the year comes to a close. This may be a good time for mentors to share insights into the final compliance documents, closing down your Title classroom and tips on looking ahead to next year. Please complete and submit extended contracts to Bee.

Technology: As a reminder, please:
1) collect all the technology equipment from your “teacher partners”
2) lock all the tech equipment up for the summer; let Monica know where it is being stored and how to access the equipment over the summer. Complete the google doc Monica sent you to report the location/key of the equipment
3) report any lost, stolen or damaged items to Monica immediately

IMPORTANT Tech Information from MONICA ~ please read carefully:
Stolen Equipment – The replacement process is quite the hassle!

• Report as soon as device is discovered missing, to me and to Aaron Johns our Resource Officer. That way I might be able to track it online.
• The deductible is $250, if the device cost less to replace, site will need to replace the device and it will become property of Title 1.
• Title 1 Technology should be put away when not in use. Preferably in a locked cabinet or COW.
• In your inventory you need to add under “disposition” a comment like “iPod serial ##### was stolen and replaced with iPod Serial #####.

Inventory:

• Some of the equipment purchased with Title 1 funds (usually older items) are showing up at non-title schools, because it was given away to that site. If you know a device was purchased with Title funds, please make sure it has a Title 1 label on it.
• You can use the inventory I send you to help update the inventory list you send in at the end of the year.

NOTE: if I’ve marked anything in red, as this may be a piece of equipment that I have no idea where it may be (on older inventory) and if no one at your site does, may need to be marked as “disposed of”.

According to Financial Services Guidelines:

• Equipment should be tracked at the classroom level and include the following information:
• Purchase cost and date
• Location/or employee it is assigned to
• Record of receipt of purchase (PO#?)
• Funding used for purchase (Grant Name?)
• Disposition

“Equipment” is defined as items with a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost
of less than $5,000.

Title 1 Technology Schedule between now and next fall:
Before summer break

• Upgrade Teacher laptops – don’t use your personal Apple ID account to do any upgrades or installs on your laptops
• Please use the Google Doc I shared with your to sign up for a time when I can have your laptop to upgrade/update it.

During the summer

• I will unenroll students from FM/FN/GoSolve/DTM to prep for promoting to new grade and class

You, or whomever at your site, may be using these programs (After School Programs/BEST?) need to run any reports you will need on students prior to leaving for the summer.

• Image all student laptops

Google Doc on location – be more specific about location and keys

In the Fall

• Update iPods and iPads
• Import students back into FM/FN/GoSolve/DTM
• Promote students in AR

MISSING/DAMAGED EQUIPMENT: There has been an increase in the number of lost/stolen Title purchased tech equipment. Upon learning of the missing items, Monica makes a claim with Eugene 4j’s Risk Management department. Occasionally, Monica is able to locate the item using Moraki, which is why it’s critical we know of the loss right away! With each claim is a deductible and a fairly complex and lengthy process of recouping the loss. To date, district Title funds have been covering the cost of the deductible. However, we are no longer able to continue this practice. As such, should a claim be made due to a loss/stolen/damaged piece of equipment, individual schools will need to assume the cost of the deductible.

A High-Level Classroom Checklist
In this ASCD/McREL book, Bryan Goodwin and Elizabeth Ross Hubbell suggest that teachers and school leaders use the following list to make sure the right things are happening in classrooms every day:

• Create an oasis of safety and respect in the classroom.
• Use standards to guide every learning opportunity
• Make performance expectations clear.
• Have students set personal learning objectives.
• Engage students’ interest.
• Interact meaningfully with every student.
• Make the most of every minute.
• Use feedback to encourage effort.
• Coach students to mastery.
• Help students develop deep knowledge.
• Help students apply their learning.
• Measure understanding against high expectations.

The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day by Bryan Goodwin and Elizabeth Ross Hubbell (ASCD and McREL, 2013)

Sticking with a Student – Responding Effectively to Incorrect Answers: In this article in Education Week (Jan. 6, 2014) Brooke McCaffrey shares some ideas for what teachers can do when students answer incorrectly. McCaffrey realized that her body language and tone of voice were important when she didn’t call on another student. “If I conveyed any sort of urgency or frustration, sticking with a student began to feel more like putting a student in the hot seat. It became a high-pressure interaction, particularly when a student legitimately did not know the answer, regardless of the amount of cueing I provided.” The ideal sequence, she decided, was:

• Ask the question and give about seven seconds of wait time before calling on a student.
• Alternatively, have students turn and talk with a partner and listen in on the conversations to see what misconceptions they might have.
• Another strategy is having students write their answers on small whiteboards, which takes the pressure off verbal responses.
• Cue in a way that addresses all students (“Let’s all think a little more about that”).
• Keep your expression and body language relaxed so students don’t feel any tension.
• specially with math problems, do a quick review of the steps a student could take to get to the correct answer, which will help other students who are having difficulty.
• If the correct answer is not forthcoming, give the correct answer – without any sign of frustration or displeasure.

“In sticking with students,” McCaffrey concludes, “I found I changed the energy in my classroom. The quiet, shy students began taking more risks because it was no longer scary to supply a wrong answer. Wrong answers became opportunities for growth for all of us.”

Videos of mathematical reasoning lessons – American Federation of Teachers (AFT) teachers, working with Teaching Channel, produced this series of videos in the Share My Lesson series:
• First grade: Leprechaun Traps – Addition within 100: www.bit.ly/1hiXOyY
• Fourth grade: Multiplying Whole Numbers and Fractions: www.bit.ly/1jFlv4U
• Eighth grade: Conjecturing About Functions: www.bit.ly/1jFhlKh

Calendar:

May 5: Parent Involvement survey window closes
May 7: Hard copies of Parent Involvement surveys must be sent to Bee
First week of May: Title school visits
May 19: CIP Input Meeting in the auditorium; 12:00-1:00 (lunch provided)
May 19: POSSIBLE Coordinator short (1 hour) meeting following the CIP; stay tuned for confirmation and/or details!

Summer School Deadlines:

May
5/16: Summer School registrations to Linda, by this date
5/23: Confirmation letters to families, by this date
5/19: CIP annual meeting (parents to attend)

This month, the Summer School administrator (Karen Ramirez) will be diligently working to hire both certified and classified staff. If you, or someone you know, is interested in working this summer, PLEASE encourage them to apply. We are still in need of teachers with a reading endorsement!

Compliance Deadlines:

May: Compliance documents DUE at the 5/19 CIP meeting for submission to Penny:
1) Professional Development Questions for the 2013-2014 school year
PD Questions SWP 2013-2014
PD Questions TAS 2013-2014PD

2) Professional Development School and Title I Plan for the 2013-2014 school year
PD Activities for the School (TAS_SWP) 2013-2014

3) Parent Involvement Questions
Title I Parent Involvement Q’s 13-14

June:
By the time you leave for summer break:
Program Review
End of Year Report
Print a hard copy of each Title student’s profile and place in his/her file

Annual Title I SWP Program Review 2014
Annual Title I TAS Program Review 2014

As a reminder, here is a SAMPLE Program Review with notes and sample paragraphs you can reference as you work to complete your own review. Title IA Program Review SAMPLE

I THINK THAT’S EVERYTHING…..have a great end to the school year!

Welcome to April!!

What You Are Doing Matters! I recently attended a symposium on working together to break the cycle of poverty. Some staggering state-wide statistics were shared that further validated my belief that work you are doing in our Title I schools MATTERS – thank you!

• For the 12-14 SY, more than half of Oregon students qualified for F/R lunch
• In Oregon, nearly 1 out of 4 children live in poverty
• Nearly 8% of Oregon’s students, under the age of 18, are homeless
• 33% of entering Oregon Kindergarteners could name five, or fewer, letters and 14% couldn’t name a single letter
• Students reading proficiently by 3rd grade are four times more likely to graduate high school
• 85-90% of poor readers receiving intervention before 3rd grade can increase reading skills to average levels; 75% of those receiving intervention post nine years old will continue to have difficulties throughout their life
• As of 2012, there were 58,580 ELLs in Oregon. 19% of currently enrolled Kindergarteners have limited language proficiency

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!

Out of the Office: As a reminder, I will be out of the office the week of March 31-April 4. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but I have complete faith that our outstanding Title Team (Linda, Bee and Penny) will be able to address any questions/concerns you may have during my absence.

Parent Survey: Each year, Title I is required to issue a parent survey.  The survey will soon be open and will remain open for a few weeks, closing on May 5. Specific survey dates, and the survey monkey link, are coming soon; we are currently working on translations! We modified the survey to reflect the feedback you provided during February’s Coordinator/Principal meeting. We have also incorporated some questions related to Indistar and the CAP, under Family and Community Involvement. This way, schools can utilize this feedback during the school’s self-assessment and CAP planning processes! Please encourage families to complete the survey – the more feedback you receive, the better for your/our continuous growth and planning.

Should you provide some paper copies, here is a condensed (2 page) survey for your convenience:
Title I Parent Involve Survey 13-14 (2pg)
Title I Parent Survey SPAN 13-14 (2pg)

Sample letter to give to parents – feel free to customize:
Parent Invol Survey Ltr ENGL_SPAN

Survey Monkey Links:
Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/76Z6RLJ
English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/76P5HCN

Summer School: The program will be held from June 30-July 24 at Chavez! Below, please find information regarding the Summer School referral process. I have provided a general timeline and some deadlines to put on your calendar, as we get the student selection and registration processes underway.

April:
Schools will receive their summer school allotments
Forms will be distributed to Coordinators (incoming data, registration and parent letters)
Schools identify students who will benefit from summer school and contact families
Schools will receive a list of students whose winter easyCBM scores fall w/in referral guidelines
May:
Registration forms are due and confirmation letters sent to families

Summer School Specific DEADLINES:
4/18: Send information letters and registration forms to families by April 18
5/16: Summer school registration forms to Linda by May 16
5/23: Confirmation letters sent to families by May 23
TBD: Summer school incoming data forms, for each attending student, to Linda

Summer School DOCUMENTS for Elementary:
Please note that both the location and administrator for middle school Summer School is yet to be determined (the location was Madison and a possible change of location is currently under review). Once a decision has been made, Linda will email you the below documents for middle school (your 5th graders).

• General Referral Process and School Allotments: Referral_Process_Allotments 2014
• More detailed referral process: 4j Elementary Summer School 2014 Referral Guidelines
• Registration forms (English/Spanish): Elem English SS Registration 2014 and Elem Spanish SS Registration 2014
• Middle School registration forms (English/Spanish): MS English SS Registration 2014 and MS Spanish SS Registration 2014
• Parent Letter (English/Spanish): 4J_Elem_SS_Parent Letter 2014 and 4J_Elem_SS_Parent Letter_SPAN 2014
• Middle School Parent Letter (English/Spanish): MS_Parent Letter_2014 and MS_SS_Parent Letter_SPAN_13-14
• Incoming Data Form: Incoming Data Form 2014

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please make sure teachers follow the referral guidelines for student selection as this has a significant impact on the success of the overall program. This may require some individual conversations with teachers, on the part of you and/or the principal. In addition, you will be receiving winter benchmarking data that aligns with Summer School referral guidelines as a start place for considering student invitations. Please look for this email in the days ahead.

Summer School Administrator: I am pleased to announce that we have hired Karen Ramirez-Gutierrez as our 2014 Summer School Administrator! She currently teaches at River Road/El Camino del Rio Elementary and brings with her practical leadership experiences, along with unparalleled enthusiasm; I know you will find her both organized and supportive as plans for Summer School get underway!

Summer School Classified/Certified Positions: We will begin the process of filling both classified and certified staffing positions soon after spring break. In recent years, the teaching positions have been especially difficult to fill. If you, or someone you know, is interested in teaching summer school please make them aware of this upcoming opportunity; they will need to apply through NeoGov once a posting is on line. In addition, please ask them to email Karen (ramirezgutierrez_k@4j.lane.edu) so that she has a sense of who (and how many) is interested! Finally, because we focus on reading support, the teacher must hold a reading endorsement. In the event we are unable to locate enough interested teachers, who hold an endorsement, we may need to shift the primary focus of summer school to mathematics  interventions. We really need your help in seeking teachers for summer school! Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated!

SMART Goals: How are your goals coming along? Please let me know how I can be of support as you work on both your student achievement and professional practice goals.

2014-2015 Title I Budget: Budget allocations will be provided on Friday, April 4 and will be included in HR packets for each, individual school. Included in the packet will be your (1) regular Title allocation (2) parent involvement allocation (3) guidelines for developing your Title budget and (4) a copy of the excel spreadsheet you will use to develop your budget. In addition, some schools will receive allocations for extended learning that coincides with the BEST program and/or Priority/Focus funds. As a reminder, Title I budgets must be reviewed and approved prior to the submission of staffing plans to HR. I have set aside the following dates/times to meet with principals (coordinators are welcome, if you like). In addition, I have reserved 1:30-2:30 (just prior to the elementary principals meeting), in the Mozart room, to answer any individual questions you may have regarding your budget. There will be a sign up sheet for budget meetings available at this time. PRINCIPALS, PLEASE NOTE: an electronic version of the budget template will be emailed to each of you by the close of the business day, if not sooner, on 4/4.

Available times for Title I Budget Meetings with Suzy (sign up sheet will be available at 4/7’s Q & A or call Bee):
4/9: 7:30-2:00
4/11: 7:30-5:00
4/14: 7:30-11:00

RESOURCES

Parent Resources (Books/Websites): I put together the attached list of resources for you to use as a reference as we partner with  parents in the education of our students. Please know that I do not necessarily endorse the resources on this list as “the answer”, but rather my goal was to simply generate a set of resources schools could use as a starting point ~ one resource may meet the needs of a particular parent, while this same resource may not work for another family. I would love to add to this list, so please share with me resources you have stumbled across and I will continue to build our set of resources! Resources for Parents

Attacking Summer Slide in Math: “In this School Library Journal article, New York youth services coordinator Lisa Kropp cites a Duke University study showing that students’ summer learning losses are greater for math than for reading – all students, wealthy and poor, lose about 2.6 months in their grade-level equivalency in computational ability over the summer months.

One way of countering this is Bedtime Math www.bedtimemath.org, a program that e-mails parents a daily math problem with three levels of questions: wee ones, little ones, and big ones. The questions all refer to the same story and get progressively more challenging. Last summer, Bedtime Math teamed up with the Collaborative Summer Library Program to offer a math tie-in called “Summer of Numbers” http://www.cslpreads.org. Families can use math reading logs to track when children answer a math riddle, and these can be turned in for an incentive prize at participating libraries.”

Children’s Books That Turbocharge the Math Curriculum
“Integrating children’s literature into math makes learning more engaging and less intimidating,” says South Carolina educator Candice Brucke in this helpful article in AMLE Magazine. She believes her use of well-chosen books was a major reason for very high achievement in her classes. Here are some of her suggestions, including one she wrote herself:

• The Grapes of Math (Tang, 2004) and The Important Book (Brown, 1999) to teach number properties;
• A Giraffe to France (Hillard, 2000) for measurement and writing and solving equations;
• The Missing Piece (Silverstein, 2006) for missing-angle measures and sectors of a circle;
• How I Became a Pirate (Long, 2003) to assess students’ prior knowledge on the coordinate plane;
• Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (Neuschwander, 1999) for circumference and π.
• Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice (Schachner, 2005) for combinations and permutations
• Wrappers Wanted: A Mathematical Adventure in Surface Area (Brucke, 2009) for surface area;
• Chasing Vermeer (Balliett, 2005) to introduce manipulatives such as pentominoes
• My Full Moon Is Square (Pinczes, 2002) for the concept of square numbers;
• The Lion King (Disney, 1994) for the concept of slope – students can graph the good/ill fate points for a particular character;
• What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras? (Ellis, 2004) for the Pythagorean Theorem applied to everyday situations;
• One Grain of Rice (Demi, 1997) for exponential growth;
• Cinder Edna (Jackson, 1998) for box/scatter plots;
• Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumplestiltskin (Calvert, 2006) to review fractions.

FLOCABULARY: Perhaps you have heard of FLOCABULARY. This tool uses short rap-type music videos to teach vocabulary, while introducing and reinforcing a variety of skills. Both students and teachers have given positive reviews and should support your efforts to increase student engagement. Currently there is a 90 day FREE TRIAL for individual and/or school site licenses.

Calendar Items

April
Week of March 31: Suzy out of the office
4/17: Staffing plans due to HR; Title budgets must be approved prior to submission to HR
4/18: Summer school letters and registration forms sent to families, by this date
4/25: Parent survey CLOSES
4/28: Coordinator PD; 11:00-11:30 lunch/11:30-2:20 PD (Mozart)/2:30-3:45 Principal & Coord mtg (auditorium)
4/28: Beyond the Bake Sale reading due
May
5/16: Summer School registrations to Linda, by this date
5/23: Confirmation letters to families, by this date
5/19: CIP annual meeting (parents to attend)

Compliance Deadlines:

Program Review: Here is a suggested timeline for completing sections of the Program Review:
Sections 1-5 should be done
Sections 6-7 by the end of March
Sections 8-10 by the end of April
Sections 11-16 by the end of May

April: Compliance documents DUE at the 4/28 PD for submission to Penny:
1) Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year (you should have a copy of your current year’s budget in your notebook. Bee will make a copy for our book, at the Ed Center)

2) Budget allocation for the 2014-2015 school year (this should be completed and approved prior to 4/28)

May: Compliance documents DUE at the 5/19 CIP meeting for submission to Penny:
1) Professional Development Questions for the 2013-2014 school year
PD Questions SWP 2013-2014
PD Questions TAS 2013-2014PD

2) Professional Development School and Title I Plan for the 2013-2014 school year
In Title IA schools, professional development activities should align with the building’s School Improvement Plan. As such, what activities were planned for the staff during the 2013-2014 SY? These activities would have taken place during scheduled professional development days and/or other meetings that occur throughout the school year. This is not a list of individual teacher PD, but PD that was provided to a larger group of staff members, or the staff at large. There are two examples provided in the chart below; examples can be deleted and replaced with your school’s PD activities.

PD Activities for the School (TAS_SWP) 2013-2014

 3) Parent Involvement Questions and copies of 4j’s district Parent Involvement Policy
Title I Parent Involvement Q’s 13-14
PI _Board Policy (Spanish)
PI_Board Policy (no invite)
PI_Board Policy (Parent Invite)

June:
Program Review Document: Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. Be sure and include your Site Council (parents) in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below:

Annual Title I SWP Program Review 2014
Annual Title I TAS Program Review 2014

As a reminder, here is a SAMPLE Program Review with notes and sample paragraphs you can reference as you work to complete your own review. Title IA Program Review SAMPLE

Beyond the Bake Sale Book Study Chapter 5: Here is the assignment, due by our April 28 Coordinator/Principal Meeting. Coordinators, please share the book with your principals!
1) Read pages 81-84
2) In addition to reading pages 81-84, please read and come prepared to share a summary of your section:

Pages 84-91, starting with Helping Families to Understand What’s Happening in the Classroom:
Willa-g, Awbrey Park, Kelly, Chavez and McCornack
Pages 92-101, starting with Putting Student Work Front and Center:
River Road, Twin Oaks, Holt, Family and O’Hara
Pages 102-107, starting with Using Student Achievement Data to Design Programs for Families:
Spring Creek, Eugene Waldorf, Howard, Village and ATA

New and Updates!

Hello Coordinators and Principals ~ I hope this month’s blog finds you well!

March Title I Visitations ~ I look forward to visiting each of your schools the first two weeks of March. As a reminder, please find my visitation dates below. In addition, here is a general outline of discussion items. As always, please come with any questions you may have as this is a great time to get some answers! Please invite your principals to join! Title I School Visits Discussion Q’s (March 2014).

2/28: Laura
3/3: Aline and Cassidy
3/6: Terri, Jenny, Dayna and Robin
3/7: Carissa, Stephanie, Tana, Luann and Gloria
3/11: Corianne and Rhonda

Summer School: It’s time to begin thinking about Summer School. The program will be held from June 30-July 24! Detailed information will be coming soon. In the meantime, here is a general timeline and some deadlines to put on your calendar, as we get the student selection and registration processes underway:

March:
Schools will receive their summer school allotments
Forms will be distributed to Coordinators (incoming data, registration and parent letters)
March/April:
Schools identify students who will benefit from summer school and contact families
May:
Registration forms are due and confirmation letters sent to families

Summer School Specific Deadlines:
4/18: Send information letters and registration forms to families by April 18
5/16: Summer school registration forms to Linda by May 16
5/23: Confirmation letters sent to families by May 23
TBD: Summer school data forms to Linda

For the past two years, Wes Flinn has served as the Summer School administrator; thanks, Wes! With his new role as principal of Kelly Middle School, he is unable to commit to the program this year. The search for a new administrator is currently underway! Likewise, we will begin seeking to fill other staffing positions soon after spring break. In recent years, the teaching positions have been especially difficult to fill. If you, or someone you know, is interested in teaching summer school please make them aware of this upcoming opportunity; they will need to apply through NeoGov once a posting is on line. In addition, please ask them to email me so that I have a sense of who (and how many) is interested! Finally, because we focus on reading support, the teacher must hold a reading endorsement. In the event we are unable to locate enough interested teachers, who hold an endorsement, we may need to shift the primary focus of summer school to mathematics support. We really need your help in seeking teachers for summer school! Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated!

Mentor/Mentees: don’t forget, you’ve got extended contract time, along with two half days of sub release time, to work together! You can send extended contracts in, any time. If you’d like some extended time for more in depth discussions/work, please select “Title One” in Aesop to request a sub.

2014-2015 Title I Budget: During my January visits to each of your schools, I shared a brief update on next year’s budget. This update included an anticipated 10% reduction in Title funding to school districts. In addition, there will continue to be some required “set aside” funds to support our Title schools in improvement (Priority/Focus). As a result, individual schools should expect reduced funding as well. Please know that final allocations will likely fluctuate from this 10% figure based on changes in your enrollment and F/R percentages (December 1 figures are used to determine Title I eligibility/allocations) and the State’s actual allocation to the school district.

Title I allocations will be distributed in conjunction with HR staffing allocations, in April. The delayed distribution of allocations will result in a fairly swift turn around for determining Title budgets and staffing plans. To support you in this process, I will be setting up budget meetings with principals to review, and ultimately, approve school budgets. Principals, as has been done in the past, your Title budget must be reviewed and approved prior to submitting your staffing plan to HR. Bee has set aside some on my calendar for these meetings to occur. She will be in contact, soon, to begin scheduling a time for us to meet.

EA Extravaganza has been rescheduled for Friday, March 21 (8:00-11:35) at the Education Center in the auditorium.  This is a great opportunity for EA’s to receive quality professional development. There is no sign up for the Extravaganza, they just need to show up!  As a reminder, there is no additional pay for this day, so if an EA chooses to attend a training beyond their regular work day hours, it is strictly voluntary. You might consider shifting an EAs hours to fit around the extravaganza, as an option. Finally, because May 21 is a professional development/planning day in buildings, it is understood that many EA’s may already have plans/obligations to attend professional development at your site.  As such, EAs should check with both you (coordinator) and the principal before attending. Please see attached for PD offerings/times: EA Extravaganza 2014

Parent/Family Involvement Survey: On March 31, an electronic Parent Involvement survey will be opened to your families. In TAS, surveys should be given to those families whose child is receiving Title services. In SWP, all families should be surveyed. The survey window closes May 2. Please do your very best to ensure as many families as possible take the survey; we truly value their input as we continually strive to improve. Once the final survey is complete, Tami or I will send you an electronic copy for your preview. While our strong preference is that families complete the survey on line, we recognize the challenges that this may present for parents without Internet access. In these instances, some schools have elected to provide some families with a paper copy. Alicia then, graciously, entered all paper responses into survey monkey. With Alicia on maternity leave, we will not have the capacity to enter data for schools, this year. Therefore, if a school elects to distribute paper copies, we will need to collaborate on the best way to get this information tabulated and entered into the system.

IMPORTANT: Parent/Family Involvement Input from Site Council: With spring just around the corner, it’s time to begin gathering input from parents regarding Title services at your school. Attached, please find a set of questions for Site Council and the Eugene 4j Parent Involvement Policy. Coordinators and/or principals, please share the district policy AND bring these questions to an upcoming Site Council meeting and record feedback on the form. 
District Title I Parent Involvement Policy (English)
District Title I Parent Involvement Policy (Spanish)
Title I Site Council Parent Involvement Q’s 13-14

iPods and iPad Update: Now that Monica has distributed the first wave of equipment that was gathered from the dropped Title I sites, she is preparing to update iPods and iPads, if you have any. Remember, we need to be careful about updating apps in your iTunes for student iPods. Many of the updates are being made for iOS 7 and will not work on our iPods running iOS 6. If you download an app or update an app that only works on iOS 7, and need to restore an iPod, you will not be able to put that app back on the iPod.

Monica has been testing the apps you have in your different iTunes (from online) for iOS 6. She has a growing list of apps that will no longer work on our iPods. When she comes to your school, with her “mothership” to do your updates, she will give you a list of apps you do/don’t want to update. From this list, you can update your iTunes.

There has been an update to iOS 6 released since Monica distributed a number of the iPods back to you. She will conduct these updates when she visits your schools, as well. She can run updates much faster with the “mothership” than you can with your laptops.

To assist Monica in a smoothly run visit, you can help by gathering the Title iPods, from your participating classroom teachers, prior to your assigned day. She doesn’t need any cables, just the iPods. Monica will let you know if there is a change to the visitation schedule below:

3/4: Twin Oaks and Chavez
3/6: Awbrey Park and Kelly
3/13: Howard and Spring Creek
3/18: Family School and ATA
3/20: Holt, Willa-g and River Road

Using Children’s Books to Enhance Mathematics
In this article in The Reading Teacher, Allison Hintz and Anthony Smith (University of Washington/Bothell) suggest ways to use children’s literature to explain mathematics and make it vivid for students. The key steps, they say, are (a) choosing a good text, (b) exploring the text in a read-aloud and discussion with students, and (c) extending the text by getting students to explore ideas after the read-aloud is finished. Here are some books they suggest, along with the math links and suggested age-ranges:
Text-dependent:
Double Those Wheels by Nancy Raines Day – Doubling, counting by groups – Grades K-2
Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll – Equal and fair – Grades 3-5
Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometry by Cindy Neuschwander – Geometry – Grades 2-4
Pete the Can and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean and Eric Litwin – Number recognition, counting back – Grades K-1
Tiger Math: Learning to Graph from a Baby Tiger by Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel – Data and statistics – Grades 3-5
Idea-enhancing:
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins – Estimation, measurement – Grades 1-3
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins – Adding on, counting up – Grades 2-4
Move Over Rover by Karen Beaumont – Adding on, counting back – Grades K-2
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster – Number sense, geometry – Grades 4-6
Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges – Fact fluency, combinations of ten – Grades K-2
Illustration-exploring:
Ancient Greece by Anne Pearson – Geometry, estimation, counting – Grades 3-5
Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno – Counting on by ones, groups – Grades K-2
I Spy a Dinosaur’s Eye by Jean Marzollo – Counting and cardinality – Grade K-2
Lonely Planet Not for Parents Extreme Planet by Lonely Planet – Representing and interpreting data – Grades 4-6
Shintauro’s Umbrellas by Marjorie Jackson – K-1
There Is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems – Addition and grouping – Grades K-2

Friendly Reminders

Don’t forget, all the Title forms and information can be found on the 4j website at:
http://www.curriculum.4j.lane.edu/title/

In addition, information regarding Indistar and the CAP (Comprehensive Achievement Plan) process can also be found on the 4j website at:
http://www.4j.lane.edu/instruction/title/indistar-and-school-improvement-planning/

Beyond the Bake Sale Book Study Chapter 5: Here is the assignment, due by our April 28 Coordinator/Principal Meeting. Coordinators, please share the book with your principals!
1) Read pages 81-84
2) In addition to reading pages 81-84, please read and come prepared to share a summary of your section:

Calendar Items

March
Week of March 3 and 10: Title school visits
Week of March 31: Suzy out of the office
April
4/18: Summer school letters and registration forms sent to families, by this date
4/28: Coordinator PD; 11:00-11:30 lunch/11:30-2:20 PD (Mozart)/2:30-3:45 Principal & Coord mtg (auditorium)
4/28: Beyond the Bake Sale reading due
May
5/16: Summer School registrations to Linda, by this date
5/23: Confirmation letters to families, by this date
5/19: CIP annual meeting (parents to attend)

Compliance Deadlines:

March: There are no compliance items due in March. However, I would recommend pacing yourself on the completion of your Program Review. Here is a suggested timeline for completing sections of the Program Review:
Sections 1-5 should be done
Sections 6-7 by the end of March
Sections 8-10 by the end of April
Sections 11-16 by the end of May

April: Compliance documents DUE at the 4/28 PD for submission to Penny:
1) Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year (you should have a copy of your current year’s budget in your notebook. Bee will make a copy for our book, at the Ed Center)

2) Budget allocation for the 2014-2015 school year (this should be completed and approved prior to 4/28)

May: Compliance documents DUE at the 5/19 CIP meeting for submission to Penny:
1) Professional Development Questions for the 2013-2014 school year
PD Questions SWP 2013-2014
PD Questions TAS 2013-2014PD

2) Professional Development School and Title I Plan for the 2013-2014 school year
PD Activities for the School (TAS_SWP) 2013-2014

3) Parent Involvement Questions
Title I Parent Involvement Q’s 13-14

June:
Program Review Document: Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. Be sure and include your Site Council (parents) in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below:

Annual Title I SWP Program Review 2014
Annual Title I TAS Program Review 2014

As a reminder, here is a SAMPLE Program Review with notes and sample paragraphs you can reference as you work to complete your own review. Title IA Program Review SAMPLE

News and Updates

Welcome to February!

OAKS News from Kerri Sage
There have been updates to the OAKS testing windows and a few items that require clarification. Here are some specifics:

• The OAKS window will open for Elementary and Middle Schools on Monday, March 10, 2013. This is earlier than last year as some of you expressed the need to get a round of testing done before Spring Break.

• OAKS opportunities for students are the same as last year, with 1 opportunity for students who Meet* or Exceed, and 2 opportunities for those who do not Meet or Exceed on the first attempt.  (*Written parental permission is required if a student Meets but wants to retake it to try for a higher score.)  Next year (2015) students will get only one attempt with the new Smarter Balanced Assessment.

Summer School: Mark your calendars! Summer School has been set for June 30-July 24. We will be in search of both summer school teachers and EAs. Last year was especially challenging as we struggled to find teachers who held a reading endorsement. So, if you (or anyone you know who holds a reading endorsement) is interested in teaching summer school PLEASE let me know! We have yet to hire a Summer School administrator – as soon as one is hired, I will let you know!

The LOCATION HAS CHANGED for the February 24 Coordinator PD and Principal meeting ~ it is now in the auditorium!

Title Meeting Minutes (Jan. 21, 2014): Title Mtg 012114M

2014-2015 Budget Projections: Initial reports are that ODE’s preliminary funding for next year will be based on a 10% reduction. Unfortunately, this means that you should anticipate a reduction in your overall Title budget for next year. As you know, we built the current year’s Title budgets on a 10% reduction and we were pleasantly surprised with full funding. To be prepared, should this happen again, I would recommend having a contingency plan in the event more funding is provided. This way, my hope is that adjustments to Title budgets will be as smooth as possible.

As in the past, Title allocations will be distributed in concert with staffing allocations. Title budgets will need to be approved (by me) prior to submission of your staffing plan to HR to ensure Title budgets balance and funds are allocated in a manner that meets federal requirements. As the time grows near, Bee will work with each of you to set up a time for us to meet and review your budgets.

Resource and Ideas

PARENT RESOURCES
Parent Resources for Understanding the CCSS:  The Council of Great City Schools has published CCSS ‘Parent Roadmaps’ for each grade level.  They are well crafted and have a number of resources that parents may find useful.  The math roadmaps have been posted, for each grade level, in the respective assessment section of the mathematics teacher resource page.  Each roadmap is about 6 pages long.  For a shorter summary, you may choose to simply print the “What Your Child Will be Learning in Grade ___ Mathematics” section.  It is a good, quick summary of what we focus on for each grade level.

ROAD MAPS  FOR MATH can be found at the math page: http://www.curriculum.4j.lane.edu/math/

There are equally useful parent ROAD MAPS FOR ELA.  You can find them, along with other CCSS parent info here:
http://www.4j.lane.edu/instruction/common-core-state-standards/

Yet Another Resource ~ CCSS Parent Toolkit Has Gotten a Face Lift!
These resources can be included in school newsletters and/or a parent of your “parent involvement” activities.In October of 2013, NBC News Education Nation unveiled a Parent Toolkit online. The goals of this toolkit are to give parents a clear understanding of what is expected of their children at each step in their academic journey and to provide tips and tools to help parents monitor academic development. To access this resource, visit: http://www. parenttoolkit.com/.

The toolkit is structured around a series of frequently asked questions, with resources related to each question linked beneath. A parallel Spanish language page has also been created and is linked at the top of the main landing page. Materials on these pages include questions and answers for parents, information on what parents can do to help their children learn, parent guides by grade, and more.

Videos from the Teaching Channel: 3 Close Reading Strategies for Common Core:

• When Charlie McButton Lost Power: A Read Aloud Lesson;
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Close Reading of a Non-Fiction Text; Grade 5
• The Significance of the Frontier in American History; Grade 10

Five Questions To Get Students Thinking and Talking
In this Edutopia article, Rebecca Alber remembers that during her first year of teaching, she was criticized by an instructional coach for asking her class a question, waiting a few seconds, and then answering it herself. “So that day,” she says, “I learned about wait/think time. And also, over the years, I learned to ask better and better questions.” Here are some of her favorites:

–   What do you think?
–   Why do you think that?
–   How do you know this?
–   Can you tell me more?
–   What questions do you still have?

Effective Use of Open-Ended Questions in Elementary Classrooms ~ from The Reading Teacher by Barbara Wasik and Annemarie Hindman. Teachers sometimes ask questions that students can answer with a single word – for example, “Did you like the book?” elicits a simple “Yes.” It’s better for teachers to ask open-ended questions that invite elaborated responses. But there are two reasons teachers might hesitate to do this: the pressure to move on with the curriculum, and the uncomfortable silences when some students struggle with more-complex questions. Wasik and Hindman urge teachers to get past these two concerns, arguing that the nature of the prompts and teachers’ responses to students’ responses make a major difference in student learning. They suggest that teachers prepare a series of open-ended questions for each lesson, and then take cues from students’ responses to generate more questions. Here are their suggestions:

• Focus prompts. A general question like “What did you do over the weekend?” isn’t the best use of classroom time, say Wasik and Hindman. Teachers should – and make sure students use those words and ideas in their responses (students need to use new words multiple times before they’re learned). For example, during a primary-grade unit on spring, the teacher might ask:

–   What signs of spring did you see on your way to school?
–   What comes out in the spring?
–   Describe the animals you saw coming to school.
–   How do we know that spring is on the way?
–   Describe the parts of a flower.
–   What signs of spring do you see on the cover of this book?
–   How might the caterpillar on the cover change throughout the story?
–   What plants are we eating for lunch?
–   What parts of our lunch would a rabbit like to munch on? A caterpillar?

Some target words might be breeze, flower, grass, leaf, petal, plant, rabbit, squirrel, stem.

• Give children time to respond. There are several reasons teachers sometimes cut off students’ responses to open-ended questions, among them: not wanting one child to monopolize the response; impatience with repetitive answers from several children; and loss of momentum and student focus waiting for a response from a hesitant child. “All these practices, although motivated by the important desire to keep the classroom running smoothly, have the potential to limit the value of open-ended prompts, which depends in large part on how children respond,” say Wasik and Hindman. “Teachers should not simply ask open-ended prompts and move on; instead, they should foster as much child talk as possible in response to these prompts.” The quantity of student talk about key words and ideas is what matters, even if there’s repetition and a few awkward silences.
• Provide meaningful feedback. Immediate praise – “Great idea!” or “That’s right!” – may not be the best strategy. To extend and deepen classroom conversations, more-complex feedback helps students get used to extended, higher-level conversations about substance. For example, after asking, “Why do we see more insects in the spring than in the winter?” the teacher might accept several responses and then follow up on the theme by asking, “Describe some of the things that insects need to survive” and “How could insects hide from predators?” and “Tell me about some things that insects like to eat.”
• Encourage complete sentences. “If children use only a few words to respond to a question, they are not able to practice using language as fully as they should,” say Wasik and Hindman. Teachers should model complete, elaborated sentences and prompt students to respond in like manner.

Friendly Reminders

Don’t forget the half-day extravaganza, for Educational Assistants, coming up in February!
When: February 7; 8:00 to 11:30 a.m at the Ed Center Auditorium
What: Multiple sessions across the morning in various rooms

• Coaching for Independence – Autism Team
• Fine-Motor-OT/PT Team
• ELL Strategies – Abby and ELL teachers
• Tech Applications – Kim Ketterer
• Comprehension for Non-Fiction Text (repeat) – SDS
• Phonological Awareness – SDS
• Cultural Diversity/Competence – Carmen Urbina
• Behavior – Brianna Stiller
• Math TBD – SDS

There are some worthwhile breakout sessions, so please be sure and share this reminder with your EAs. With approval from the building administrator, EAs may  be able to adjust their work hours on 2/7 to capitalize on as many sessions as possible! As a reminder, here are the remaining EA workshops for 2013-2014. EA_Wrkshps_13-14

Inventories: don’t forget to add the small, 4-pronged, ipod charging device Monica is delivering when she works with each of your schools.  The serial number can be found on the back of the device and the cost is $27.23.

Quickbase Parent Report: a Quickbase parent report should be included with report cards and sent home with all students, in a SWP program. If you are a TAS, reports should go home with those students receiving Title services.

Student Profile Summary Report: Matt has generated the Quickbase summary report and I have begun my review. I will be sharing the results with you during my Title school visits in early March. I may contact you prior to this date should I have questions.

Parent Survey: Tami requested recommendations for additional, relevant questions to add to the survey. Please send her questions for the 2014 survey that will get to the data you really want to know about. Surveys go out in March/April.

Beyond the Bake Sale reading assignment; Chapter 4
Sharing the book with your principal is much appreciated!

1. Skim chapter 4, reading more closely those sections that peak your interest
2. Read the “Bright Ideas” boxes
3. Complete the survey on pg. 61
4. Read pg. 63; Ground Rules for Involvement. Consider what your ground rules would be.
5. Complete the checklist on pg. 75

Due Date:  February 24^th; 2014

Professional Development in Support of Your SMART Goals: As a reminder, a wide range of courses are being offered after school. As you consider your SMART goals, you are encouraged to review the course offerings as you will likely discover a course (or two….or three) that nicely support your goal.  Teachers can view listings and information regarding professional development opportunities for the 2013-14 school year here.  Please visit the registration page to sign up.

Calendar

February
2/24:  Coordinator PD; 11:00-11:30 lunch/11:30-2:20 PD/2:30-3:45 Principal & Coordinator mtg in AUDITORIUM
2/24: Beyond the Bake Sale book study assignment is due

March
Week of March 3: Title school visits
Week of March 31: Suzy out of the office

April
4/28: Coordinator PD; 11:00-11:30 lunch/11:30-2:20 PD (Mozart)/2:30-3:45 Principal & Coord mtg (auditorium)

Compliance Deadlines:

Penny would like to share a special “kudos” to all of you for working hard to ensure your compliance documents are current and up-to-date. You attention to this important paperwork is both recognized and appreciated! Thank you!

February: There are no compliance items due in February. However, I would recommend pacing yourself. Here is a suggested timeline for completing sections of the Program Review:
Sections 1-5 by the end of February
Sections 6-7 by the end of March
Sections 8-10 by the end of April
Sections 11-16 by the end of May

Program Review Document: Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. Be sure and include your Site Council (parents) in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below:

Annual Title I SWP Program Review 2014
Annual Title I TAS Program Review 2014

As requested (great idea, by the way…), I have begun working on a sample Program Review to serve as a reference when completing your own. If it is helpful, I can set aside some time on 2/24 to more closely review the Program Review (section by section) along side the sample document. Time could also be allotted to work with another Coordinator to tackle some of the sections you feel are a bit more challenging. We can also schedule a Go To Meeting in mid-March, and again in April, to provide additional support and assistance as you continue working on your Program Review. Would this be helpful?

Please let me know of other ideas you may have to support one another as we work to meet compliance regulations in the most efficient, effective and accurate way possible!

What’s New?

Coordinator Professional Development and Principal/Coordinator Meeting RESCHEDULED!
Amazingly, we have managed to find a new date that works for all the presenters involved AND there was space available, to boot! Please mark your calendars for the following dates. Unfortunately, there were no “free” Mondays in January. I realize meeting on an alternate day may create other conflicts. I apologize, in advance, and ask for your understanding and flexibility. Hopefully, you have enough advance notice that you are able to adjust calendars, accordingly. Thanks, All! Here’s the agenda: Title Coord. PD_Meeting 012114A

Tuesday, 1/21/14
Coordinator PD:
11:00-11:30 lunch provided
11:30-2:30 Coordinator PD
2:30-3:45 Principal/Coordinator meeting

Friday, 1/31/14
Go Solve
8:00-11:00

2014-2015 Budget: Budget planning for next year will be getting underway, soon. Typically, mid-late February staffing allocations are distributed to schools to coincide with the distribution of general fund budgets. I will keep you apprised as specific timelines become clearer. As a reminder, free/reduced percentages are calculated using the December 1, 2013 count.

Title I School Visitations: I will be visiting schools the week of January 6. Specifically, visitations will take place on 1/7, 1/9 and 1/10.  Bee should have been in contact with each of you, via email and/or phone, to establish a meeting time. If you have not set up a meeting time with Bee, please contact her as soon as you can! This is an opportunity for us to visit about your program and address any questions you may have. Specifically, I will want to review  your notebook (documents), look at your schedules, discuss your delivery model/program and hear about your role in Data Teams . I am also interested in your SMART goals and would like to know how I can be of support! Here is a draft of they types of things we may be talking about (Title I School Visits Q’s (Jan. 2014).

Parent/School Compacts: Thank you to those schools who have sent your English/Spanish compacts to Monica for posting on the district website. Here is a link to the webpage so that you will have an idea of what we are doing with the compacts. Should you have new families enroll at your school, feel free to direct them to the website to view your compact! We have received compacts from: ATA, Awbrey Park, Chavez, Eugene Waldorf, McCornack, River Road, Spring Creek, Twin Oaks and Willa-g; thanks! If you still need to send your compact to Monica, please do so asap.

Parent/School Compacts link: http://www.4j.lane.edu/instruction/title/parentinvolvement/compacts/

Technology “This and That”! As Monica begins to wind down her working with Extended Learning w/Technology teams (getting them set up with equipment for the year and reviewing expectations) she will begin the process of distributing the excess equipment that was gathered when Title schools were closed. As you may recall, Coordinators were asked to complete a survey if they were interested in obtaining some additional equipment. While there were more requests than equipment, if you completed a survey you will be getting some equipment. You can look forward to Monica dispersing this equipment soon after winter break!

Student Profiles: Student profiles, in Quickbase, should be current no later than January 17. Matt will generate a Quickbase Report Summary, mid-year (January), which will allow me to review the status of each schools’ profiles (are all student profiles current? For example,  has the below information been completed and entered into Quickbase, is there documentation of on-going data team notes for those students discussed during meetings, etc.). Individual student profiles must be printed and filed in student folders/binders in June (whatever your method of organizing student profiles).

• Title I is checked for all students receiving Title services
• Parent notification is checked (if sent)
• Compact is checked (if returned/signed)
• Notes entered

Indistar and School Improvement: To help support the transition to the Indistar tool in developing a Comprehensive Achievement Plan (aka School Improvement Plan; SIP), I have created a new page on the Title One site. This page contains an introduction to Indistar, steps in moving staff through the process, as well as additional resources to aide in this work. Please contact Suzy to help get your school started in using this dynamic tool! If you would like your school’s login, please contact Suzanne Price, Federal Programs Administrator. As a side, you don’t have to wait until your current SIP expires to get started! Link to Indistar and School Improvement.

Transition to Indistar 2013-2014: Chavez, Family, Holt, KMS, McCornack and Twin Oaks. River Road and Spring Creek will continue in their use of Indistar.

Attestations: Bee’s initial email was sent to principals (cc’d coordinators) in November. A second reminder went out to principals/coordinators on 12/19. Principals – please sign your attestation and provide both your coordinator and Bee a copy. As of 12/19, we have received attestations from ATA, Chavez, Family, Howard and McCornack; THANKS!

GoTo Meeting: I am planning an optional GoTo Meeting to serve as an informal Q&A for interested coordinators. This will also afford us an opportunity to practice using our new digital meeting tool! The meeting has been tentatively scheduled for February 11 @ 3:00. I will let you know once the date has been confirmed. In the meantime, mark your calendars!

Verbal Behaviors in a Class That Let Kids Get Smart (pg. 196 in The Skillful Teacher)
Teacher starts by asking a good open-ended question that gets students thinking. Then…

1. Asks students to explain the thinking behind their answers whether they’re right or wrong
2. Asks students if they agree or disagree with a student answer.
3. Asks students to comment of add on to a student’s response or idea.
4. Creates and facilitates dialogue between students about their ideas.
5. Asks follow-up questions that are similar to ones just discussed to see if student really understands.
6. Asks students to make connections to something another student said or something else they know.
7. Credits meaning to student comments even obscure ones, and probes for the student’s thinking – and does the same with incorrect answers.
8. Uses wait time, allowing students to struggle, and dwells with the student’s thinking sticking with them.
9. Comes back to a student to check and clarify what his or he thinking is, given the comments of other students.
10. Asks questions to surface discrpancies between what the student says and the information in front of them: “How can that be? What’s going on there?”

Students:

1. Do the majority of the talking.
2. Are expected to explain their thinking
3. Show they are listening to one another.
4. Are willing to admit confusion or not knowing.
5. Challenge each other’s thinking non-judgmentally.
6. Take initiate to explain another student’s thinking, including how he or she might have made an error.
7. Who get it quickly take responsibility for helping those who don’t.

Should Objectives Be Posted in Classrooms?In this blog post, Grant Wiggins comments on administrators requiring teachers to post daily objectives on the wall, sometimes in the name of UbD-type backwards design of curriculum units. Some schools take it a step further: when students are asked what standard they’re working on, they chorus, “We’re working on ELA Standard B.2.a.i.”

“This gets it all backwards,” says Wiggins. “The posting is the means; the end is understanding of the meaning of the work and a way to stay on track… The aim is to ensure that students understand goals and how current activities support those goals. Ideally, then, students have perspective and see the value of the work; they understand the why of the current work in order to find it more meaningful and to facilitate purposeful learning, and they have a touchstone for gauging progress (and thus use of time).”

The best test of posting goals on the wall is whether students can answer questions like, Why are we doing this? Why does it matter? and How does it connect to previous work? If students respond, “I dunno” or “Ask the teacher,” it’s not a good sign – and it doesn’t validate the efficacy of the sign on the wall. [Far better to have provocative, well-crafted unit Essential Questions on the wall and frequently refer to them as the unit unfolds.]

“Mandating the Daily Posting of Objectives, and Other Dumb Ideas” by Grant Wiggins

http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/mandating-the-daily-posting-of-objectives-and-other-dumb-ideas/, Dec. 5, 2013

Friendly Reminders:

When making purchases with Title I funds, remember to send Linda a copy of PO or Visa (receipt).  Sometimes the secretary does the ordering, so sharing a reminder with your secretary would be helpful; thanks! Also, don’t forget to include these purchases on your inventory! Have you included all the Do the Math purchases on your inventories?

Penny continues to accept compliance documents and welcomes copies sent through the district mail and/or hand delivered (please remember to include the name of your school, along with the document title). Feel free to contact her, at any time, with questions. Collectively, you are doing a terrific job of submitting documents in a timely manner. Thank you, so much, for your attention to this important step in the Title process!

Calendar Items:

January
Week of Jan. 6: Visits to Title schools
1/21: Coordinator PD and Principal/Coordinator meeting; 11:00-3:45
1/31: Go Solve make up; 8:00-11:00

February
2/11: Go To Meeting; 3:00 (tentative)
2/24:  Coordinator PD; 11:00-11:30 lunch/11:30-2:20 PD/2:30-3:45 Principal & Coordinator meeting

Compliance Deadlines:

January:
Week of 1/6: If you haven’t done so already, please submit all out-standing compliance documents that were originally due on 12/9.

1. Bee will be sending out semi-annual certifications in January. These certifications are done twice a year (January/June) and document those staff that are 100% paid for using Title funds.
2. There are no other items due in January. This is a great time to get caught up, if you are a bit behind.
3. Ensure Quickbase entries are current no later than January 17:
   • Title I is checked for all students receiving Title services
   • Parent notification is checked (if sent)
   • Compact is checked (if returned/signed)
   • Notes entered

1/21: Penny will be available to accept compliance documents before/after the meeting, for your convenience
1/31:  you should be current with all your compliance documents
1/31: all student profiles should be current in Quickbase
Week of January 20: Matt to generate Quickbase Summary Reports

February: There are no compliance items due in February

Program Review Document: While work on this document may be a month away, I thought you would appreciate receiving the document sooner rather than later. This document can also be found on the 4j website. Completion of this document has been broken down into two parts in an attempt to make the work a bit more manageable. Be sure and include your Site Council in this process; you will want to speak to your administrator about getting on the SC agenda in the months ahead. Due to the enormity of the document, you may want to consider dividing the work over two SC meetings. Please find the documents below:

Annual Title I SWP Program Review 2014
Annual Title I TAS Program Review 2014

What’s New?

Students must be KNOWN and VALUED in order to be successful!

By January, my role serving as interim principal at River Road should be complete. As such, I will be resuming my work as Federal Programs Administrator, full time, following winter break. I’ve appreciated your patience as I have juggled two jobs this past month; Thanks for your support and understanding!

Title I School Visitations: I will be visiting schools the week of January 6. Specifically, visitations will take place on 1/7, 1/9 and 1/10.  Visitation sign ups will take place during the 12/3 PD and/or the 12/9 training. This is an opportunity for us to visit about your program and address any questions you may have. Specifically, I will want to review  your notebook (documents), look at your schedules, discuss your delivery model/program and hear about your role in Data Teams . I am also interested in your SMART goals and would like to know how I can be of support! Here is a draft of they types of things we may be talking about (Title I School Visits Q’s (Jan. 2014).

SIP Expiration Year: Here’s what I’ve got; please let me know if there are any errors! The highlighted schools should be working on revising their school improvement plan, this year. As such, these schools will be using the Indistar tool to do so. Rather than a SIP, these schools will develop a Comprehensive Achievement Plan (CAP). I will be working with these schools to help move them through this process. Don’t worry, I will provide whatever support you may need!

• Howard: 2015-2016
• Holt: 2013-2014
• Willa-g: 2014-2015
• Awbrey: 2014-2015
• McCornack: 2013-2014
• Chavez: 2013-2014
• Spring Creek: CAP 2015-2016
• River Road: CAP 2015-2016
• KMS: 2013-2014
• Family: ?? need exp. date
• ATA: 2015-2016
• Twin Oaks: 2013-2014
• Village: ?? need exp. date

Mentor/Mentee Program: How’s it going? I hope you’ve taken some time to meet and/or connect on a regular basis!

Coordinator Friday at 4 Invitation: The next gathering is December 13 (The North Bank). In November, we have a few Coordinators hang out and enjoy some good conversation. Come if you can!

Expectations for Extended Learning with Technology: I know you have been working with Monica on getting your equipment set up, running and distributed to your teaching partners. Attached (Ext Learn 13-14), please find a one-page document that provides some basic expectations for using these digital tools. Be sure and share this document with your teaching partner(s). As a reminder, the purpose of the Extended Learning with Technology Project is to provide, and help sustain, additional reading and math intervention services for our Title I students scoring below the 30^th percentile.

Teachers using the equipment will be asked to collaborate with one another, at their building sites, 2-3 times a year to share ideas, reflect, problem solve, offer support, etc. The purpose of this collaboration is to strengthen the use of technology, increase sustainability and positively impact the achievement of our most struggling learners.

Finally, you (as Title Coordinator) should maintain an awareness of who has what. Far too much equipment has been lost/stolen, so it is important there are periodic check points and the whereabouts of the equipment is tracked. We have made claims to recoup lost/stolen items. However, this is a labor intensive process and we don’t get replacement costs, but rather, we receive the actual cash value – which is often less. Thanks for your attention to this important matter!

Do the Math CDs:  The new CDs for the division modules (this was the bad batch of CDs) should be shipped by mid December. Once we receive them, they will be sent out to schools right away. The other issue with the CDs had to do with the operating system. Scholastic’s product manager is working on this issue and should be in direct contact with us regarding a resolution of this concern.

Fastt Math/Fraction Nation Training: This training will take place on 12/3 (8:00-3:30 in the Auditorium; location change). You are asked to please bring your laptop, charger and a set of headphones for your personal use. Please mark your calendars and select “Title One” in Aesop when scheduling a sub! Title funded, certified staff, who deliver math interventions (those that attended Do the Math) are welcome to join this training, as well as Go Solve, if they like.

Go Solve Training is set for the morning of December 9, 8:00-11:15ish (Tower Room), prior to our regularly scheduled Coordinator PD.

Student Profiles: Student profiles, in Quickbase, should be current no later than January 17. Matt will generate a Quickbase Report Summary, mid-year (January), which will allow me to review the status of each schools’ profiles (are all student profiles current? For example,  has the below information been completed and entered into Quickbase, is there documentation of on-going data team notes for those students discussed during meetings, etc.). Individual student profiles must be printed and filed in student folders/binders in June (whatever your method of organizing student profiles).

• Title I is checked for all students receiving Title services
• Parent notification is checked (if sent)
• Compact is checked (if returned/signed)
• Notes entered

Math Resources: The District is happy to offer another resource for mathematics instruction to use as you see fit.  We now have access to the Investigations Online ‘Student Edition’.  It is simply an electronic version of the student workbooks you now have.  To get the access codes for your grade(s), go to the 4J Teacher Resource Page: http://www.curriculum.4j.lane.edu/. On the black navigation bar select ‘Math’.  On the right click ‘Elementary’.  In the dropdown you will see a link for ‘SuccessNet Info’.  There you will find all of the access codes.  The new item is named ‘Student Edition’.  For teachers that haven’t used successnet for awhile, please note that there are some helpful tips located on the top of the SuccessNet Info page.

CCSS Alignment with HM/Treasures: This summer, a team of K-5 4j teachers worked on reviewing our reading curriculums (HM and Treasures) and their alignment to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  Summaries of their findings are now posted by grade level and curriculum on the website.http://www.curriculum.4j.lane.edu/ela/# (go to Reading > Curriculum and then your grade). If you have any questions feel free to contact any elementary SDS.

Beyond the Bake Sale reading: Please read your section by our 12/9 PD.

CCSS Resources: There are resources available on the ODE website to assist in communicating with parents about the Common Core. The Parent Toolkit includes materials, many in both English and Spanish, to assist in talking with your parents and communities about the shift to the common core. These materials may be helpful as you consider Parent Involvement!

Resources include:
·         Three Minute Video Explaining the Common Core State Standards
·         Why the Common Core
·         What does the Common Core mean for my student?
·         What do Parents Need to Know?
·         CCSS Parent Guides by Grade
·         Frequently Asked Questions about CCSS
·         Parent’s Backpack Guide to CCSS (K-5)
·         What Parents Can Do to Help their Children Learn

Also, on the District Resource page there are guides for administrators on hosting parent or community meetings on the Common Core. The PowerPoints and handouts for these meetings are now also available in Spanish. In addition to the resources listed above, the National PTA has produced a parent flyer on the Common Core and the Smarter Balanced Assessments which will soon be added to our online resources.  This flyer provides more details about the standards, the transition to the new assessment, examples of test items, and information on what parents can expect. These materials are provided as a resource.  Feel free to use whichever pieces best meet the needs of your parents and communities.

Ideas on ADHD: In this Harvard Education Letter article, Laura Pappano describes how Colorado teacher Kartal Jaquette organizes his third-grade classroom so students with ADHD can succeed:

• His mindset is that if some students are confused, it’s his fault.
• When he is addressing the whole class, he sets a timer and tries to speak less than eight minutes.
• He keeps the pace of the class moving to convey urgency.
• He’s particularly conscious about giving complex directions. “There is no fun way to do directions,” he says. “But you need directions.” To deal with this challenge, Jaquette uses routines – for example, right after recess, students always have a “Do now” math problem to write in their journal and solve, and then four students are called up to the board to explain their work.
• Homework also follows a predictable pattern: “Every homework is on the same sheet,” he says.” It is the same color; it goes in the same folder.” And it’s always available online if students forget it.

“I am the one who is in control of balancing attention spans in my class,” says Jaquette. “I view ADHD as a tendency we can all have.”

Professional Development AND Principal/Coordinator Meeting on 12/9: Agenda attached (please share with your principal). As a reminder, I will send the agenda, again, as the PD draws near:  Title Coord. PD_Meeting 120913A

Calendar Items:

December
12/3: Fastt Math/Fraction Nation rescheduled training (8:00-3:30)
12/9: Compliance documents, year-t0-date are due (see below)
12/9: Coordinator PD (8:00-2:30; Go Solve in Tower and regularly scheduled PD in Mozart); Beyond the Bake Sale reading assignment is due Beyond the Bake Sale book study rdg
12/9: Principal/Coordinator meeting (2:30-3:45) NOTE time change of an additional 15 minutes, barring space availability
12/13: Coordinator Friday at 4; The North Bank
Week of Jan. 6: Visits to Title schools

Compliance Deadlines:

The following compliance documents are DUE no later than December 9. Penny will be available to collect documents during our PD, on this same date.

1. Current School Improvement Plan, with updated goal sheets attached (math and reading, minimally)

• Goals template 13-14

2. Comprehensive Program Design (NOTE: Reid and Raquel will help create the instructional need being addressed, the strategy and/or curriculum, the research-based principle and the research source for Do the Math and The Comprehension Toolkit).

• SWP Instructional Program Design 13-14
• SAMPLE SWP Instructional Program Design 13-14
• TAS Instructional Program Design 13-14
• SAMPLE TAS Instructional Program Design 13-14

3. Assessment Form

• Assessments Form 13-14

4. Attestation

• Bee has sent principals the necessary forms requiring administrator signatures, attesting Title funded staff are/are not HQ.

January:

1. Bee will be sending out semi-annual certifications in January. These certifications are done twice a year (January/June) and document those staff that are 100% paid for using Title funds.
2. There are no other items due in January. This is a great time to get caught up, if you are a bit behind.
3. Ensure Quickbase entries are current no later than January 17:
   • Title I is checked for all students receiving Title services
   • Parent notification is checked (if sent)
   • Compact is checked (if returned/signed)
   • Notes entered

By the end of January, you should be current with all your compliance documents.

Happy November!

November Visits: Due to some significant shifts in my calendar next week, I am going to have to ask for your grace and flexibility as I will need to reschedule my November visits. I anticipate rescheduling visits sometime before winter break as I want to get out to your schools as soon as I can! I was really looking forward to our visit, so again….please accept my apologies. Some of you had specific items you wished to discuss during our visit. I don’t want to lose these questions, so please feel free to email your questions. I am happy to respond via the phone, if you prefer, as I know sometimes it’s just easier to chat! If so, please share a contact number and I will give you a ring! Please look for an email from Bee regarding signing up for a new date/time. Also, I will be sending a copy of your updated “notebook checklists” that Penny has completed, based on the items you have submitted. These should be coming next week! Please check for accuracy and let Penny know of any discrepancies. It’s important to keep current on submitting your compliance documents, so if I can be of support, please let me know.

BE 212! At 211 degrees, water is hot. By increasing the water temperature one degree (212), water boils. When water boils, it produces steam….and steam can power a locomotive! So, with a small increase in temperature, we can produce enough energy to move nearly 200 tons! My motto for the year – be that one extra degree; be 212!!

Principal/Coordinator Meeting Minutes for September 30th: Attached, please find minutes for our Title Coordinator/Principal Meeting (093013M). Please print these minutes and include them in your Monitoring Notebook – there should be a tab for agendas/minutes located in the front of your binder. Thanks!

Coordinator Friday at 4 Invitation: Last spring, the idea of scheduling Friday at 4 gatherings for our Coordinator group was suggested as a way to stay connected, support one another and….most of all, have fun! I think it’s a great idea, so I have selected some dates to get us through December. Due to busy schedules, attendance will be hit and miss. Mark your calendar and come when you can!

• November 15 (BJ’s at Valley River Center)
• December 13 (TBD – suggestions welcome)

DO THE MATH “This and That”!
Do the Math Assessments and Accommodations: A good question was raised regarding student use of accommodations (ie number lines, number charts, etc.) when taking the assessments. According to the Math Solutions Representative, she said to use your professional judgement and that it really depends on what you want to find out. You could use it as an opportunity to see what strategies kids use when grappling with problems if they have access to math tools. This will tell you if they have moved from the symbolic to abstract representations. On the other hand, since students will not be able to use the accommodations on Smarter Balanced it may be a good opportunity to see what they know without the tools.

More Do the Math News: If you are having trouble opening your Teacher Space CD roms, don’t despair! The publisher is sending us updated CDs that will operate on our current operating system. In the meantime, all paper copies of the assessments are located in your teacher manuals, so you can go ahead and get started. Also, the Number Core CD does work!

Do the Math +/- Module C: The modules we purchased were a part of an Rti (IIPM) package. At the time of purchase, Scholastic reps indicated that when using this package, students could move from +/- module B to multiplication module A as +/- module C is using the same strategies, but with larger numbers – module A and B build the foundational skills. According to the rep, C is considered an extension of the grade level and that it may be appropriate for students to move from +/- module B to multiplication module A.  Regarding multiplication module C, this module has been defined as aligning with 4th/5th grade core. I hope all this make sense? I am currently looking into cost and funding availability  for +/- module C.

Parent Workshop Materials: To assist schools and districts in communicating with parents about the Common Core, ODE has designed Parent Workshop materials  to help facilitate a parent/community meeting. These materials, adapted from the New York Department of Education, provide some common, consistent language to help address parent and community questions or concerns about the changes currently underway in Oregon schools. Click on this ODE link to learn more. You will find agendas, an easy to use powerpoint, easy to read handouts, FAQs and more!

GoTo Meeting for Compliance Documents due on December 9: There will be an optional GoTo Meeting on November 14 @ 3:00, for those Coordinators interested in reviewing the documents due on December 9. Electronic invitations will be sent out a few days prior to the “meeting”. The meeting is strictly optional and is designed as a support for those who feel it would be beneficial. More experienced Coordinators are welcome to join the meeting to experiment with the GoTo tool and provide their own insights to the newer Coordinators!

Fastt Math/Fraction Nation Training RESCHEDULED: This training, originally scheduled for 10/25, has been rescheduled for 12/3 (8:00-3:30 in the Tower Room). You are asked to please bring your laptop, charger and a set of headphones. Please mark your calendars and select “Title One” in Aesop when scheduling a sub!

Go Solve Training is set for the morning of December 9, 8:00-12:00, prior to our regularly scheduled Coordinator PD.

Student Profiles and Quickbase: As you may recall, last year you and/or your ESCs flagged students in Quickbase who you anticipated continuing on with interventions and progress monitoring. Matt has “rolled over” these flagged students so the creation of a new Intervention Profile form is not required.  Matt has archived this information and you should have a fresh profile form for the students “rolled over” and you can begin entering this year’s data/information.  Rest assured, last year’s data is not gone, it is archived. Matt is creating a link, in Quickbase, from which to retrieve archived information on students.

Matt will generate a Quickbase Report Summary, mid-year, which allows me to review the status of each schools’ profiles (are all student profiles current? For example,  has the above information been completed and entered into Quickbase, is there documentation of on-going data team notes for those students discussed during meetings, etc.). Individual student profiles must be printed and filed in student folders/binders in June (whatever your method of organizing student profiles).

Beyond the Bake Sale reading:

Percentile vs. Percentage: Distinguishing between percentage and percentile can be confusing! Here are a few simple definitions/examples:

A percentage is simply a representation of a proportion out of 100. For example, if a student answered 8 out of 10 questions correctly, she would have scored 80%.

A percentile is a statistical measure of distribution. For a given set of data, it is the level below which a certain percentage of the data falls. For example, if you score in the 72nd percentile on an exam, it means you scored higher than 72 percent of all the people who took the same exam— regardless of what your actual score was.

Another set of definitions: A percentage score indicates the proportion of a test that someone has completed correctly. A percentile score tells us what percent of other scores are less than the data point we are investigating.

In other words, percentage correct gives us information about how an individual performed on a test; whereas, percentiles give us information about how that score compares to the scores of other test takers.

easyCBM reading scores are reported in percentiles. For example, a student who scored in the 45 percentile, on a particular measure, scored higher than 45 percent of all students who took the same measure. The average percentile is 50, but students who are average can range from the 30-70 percentile. When determining Title services, we are looking to serve students scoring below the 20th percentile. The number you see on the easyCBM report is the students raw score, or the actual correct responses. If you hover over the raw score, the percentile will appear. Also, there is a box you can click that will show both the raw score and the percentile. Hope this helps, at least a little!!

ARTICLE: Mindsets About Failure and Effort (Originally titled “Afraid of Looking Dumb”)
In this thoughtful article in Educational Leadership, former teacher and principal Mark Jacobson describes one of his second-graders telling him she wasn’t smart at math, was afraid of being teased, and mistrusted her teacher’s reassuring words. “Do you want to change?” he asked. “Yes, but how?” she replied.

The key with students like this is changing the way they think about ability, says Jacobson. The goal of students fortunate enough to have a “growth” mindset (Carol Dweck’s term) is to get smarter. If they’re having difficulty, they work on a better strategy. But the goal of students who have the “fixed” mindset is to look smart. For them, being in a classroom is like stepping onto a stage with all eyes on them. “The teacher owns one of the most important pairs of eyes,” says Jacobson. “Fixed-belief students concern themselves with their teacher’s every glance. They see the teacher not as a facilitator and resource for their learning but as a rewarder and punisher, as a judge and critic.” These students constantly ask themselves, “Am I good enough? Am I smart? Am I right? Did I make a mistake? How will others see me? Does my teacher like me?”

“As long as students are driven by what others think of them, they’re focused on the external,” says Jacobson. “We teachers need to turn them inward, to refocus their attention on their own effort and abilities.” If a student mutters the answer to a question and the teacher says, “What?”, the student may say, “Never mind” or “I forgot.” These students may rebuff an offer of help, afraid that accepting it will make them look incompetent, or they may become dependent on the teacher and stop trying. They tend to be overly sensitive to mild criticism or body language. “I think I’ll throw this away,” said one of Jacobson’s students after classmates offered some suggestions on her story.

“We always ask students to try,” he says, “especially when they believe something is really hard. However, for some students, ‘hard’ means ‘impossible.’” Here are his suggestions for getting students to believe that effort really can make them smarter:

Have students rate how hard they are trying. Jacobson routinely checked in with his students, asking them to self-assess on a 10-point effort scale and push themselves to try harder.

Give better feedback. General praise like “Good job” is hollow and ineffective, says Jacobson. Feedback should be specific to the tasks or concepts being taught and reinforce incremental progress. “That was a good start, Jeffrey,” a teacher might say and encourage the student to keep going.

Ask questions that don’t have right/wrong answers. Foster deeper thinking rather than speedy responses and stress accountable talk.

Engage the disengaged. “Adrian, are you with us?” a teacher might ask in the middle of a discussion. “What are you thoughts?” The entire class can be enlisted in encouraging participation, effort, and risk-taking.

Investigate mindsets. Jacobson did some action research in his second-grade class and found that half of the students had the fixed mindset. Teachers should reflect on their own mindset and how it manifests itself in school – and outside.

“Afraid of Looking Dumb” by Mark Jacobson in Educational Leadership, September 2013 (Vol. 71, #1, p. 40-43); www.ascd.org; Jacobson is at mjacob47@yahoo.com.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
November
NO professional development or principal/coordinator meeting
Week of Nov. 4-8: Title school visits; Visitation Schedule (Nov. 2013) CANCELLED
11/8: Compliance documents, year to date, are due (please send these to Penny)
11/15: Coordinator Friday at 4 at BJ’s

The below listed compliance documents are DUE to Penny no later than November 8. There are no Title PD’s or meetings in October/November, so paperwork will need to be printed and sent to Penny via inner-district mail. You are welcome to drop by the Instruction Department if that is more convenient. Coordinator Resources may be found at this link.

Targeted Schools (TAS)

• Copy of Targeting Sheets, by grade level
• Priority list of identified students
• Copy of parent notification of services, including a copy of the “exit of services” letter

School Wide Schools (SWP)

• Copy of parent notification of services
  • Exit Letter (sample)
  • Initial Notification Letter (sample) 13-14
  • Initial Notification Ltr (sample; shorter version)

Both TAS and SWP

• Criteria for Services
  • Criteria for Services (TAS) 13-14 
  • Criteria for Services (SWP) 13-14
• Student Profile form (sample from Quickbase – redact student name) Student Profile Sample
• Copy of both the school’s master instructional schedule and intervention schedule
• Copy of both the EA’s and Title teacher schedules EA Schedule (SAMPLE)
• Copy of the school Compact
  • Compact SAMPLE (English)
  • School_Parent Compact SAMPLE TEMPLATE
• Copy of your Data Team/IIPM annual meeting schedule
• Copy of one set of Data Team/IIPM meeting minutes, including an agenda

December
12/3: Fastt Math/Fraction Nation rescheduled training (8:00-3:30)
12/9: Compliance documents, year-t0-date are due (see below)
12/9: Coordinator PD (8:00-2:30; Go Solve and regularly scheduled PD); Beyond the Bake Sale reading assignment is due Beyond the Bake Sale book study rdg
12/9: Principal/Coordinator meeting (2:30-3:45) NOTE time change of an additional 15 minutes, barring space availability
12/13: Coordinator Friday at 4; Location TBD

The following compliance documents are DUE no later than December 9:

• Current School Improvement Plan, with updated goal sheets attached (math and reading, minimally)
  • Goals template 13-14
• Comprehensive Program Design (NOTE: Reid and Raquel will help create the instructional need being addressed, the strategy and/or curriculum, the research-based principle and the research source for Do the Math and The Comprehension Toolkit). If you are using Indistar and are creating a CAP rather than a SIP
  • SWP Instructional Program Design 13-14
  • SAMPLE SWP Instructional Program Design 13-14
  • TAS Instructional Program Design 13-14
  • SAMPLE TAS Instructional Program Design 13-14

• Assessment Form
  • Assessments Form 13-14

• Attestation
  • Bee will send principals the necessary forms requiring administrator signatures, attesting Title funded staff are/are not HQ. These will go out the first part of December!

Happy October!

November Visitations: I am looking forward to meeting with each of you, during the first week of November. These quarterly visits allow us to connect, on a regular basis, regarding your individual program whereby I can provide support, guidance and commendations. Below is my visitation schedule. I will do my best to stay on track, but please allow for a little leeway; 5-10 minutes either way. In addition to a few topics I would like to chat about, please have your Monitoring Notebook available and ready to share, along with any questions you may have. Likely Topics of discussion: 1) Intervention Schedule/Master Schedule (who are you serving, how often, what content area(s), curriculum, etc.); 2) upcoming compliance items; 3) parent engagement activities; 4) Q and A’s

Coordinator Friday at 4 Invitation: Last spring, the idea of scheduling Friday at 4 gatherings for our Coordinator group was suggested as a way to stay connected, support one another and….most of all, have fun! I think it’s a great idea, so I have selected some dates to get us through December. Due to busy schedules, attendance will be hit and miss. Mark your calendar and come when you can! Locations TBD – suggestions welcome!!

• October 18
• November 15
• December 13

Our Group Norms: do not reflect our discussion on 9/3o.
NORMS are agreements among members of a community about how they will treat one another.
We will…

• Continue to be a friendly, respectful and supportive group.
• Use a variety of venues to communicate and exchange ideas.
• Openly share tips and tricks and support others facing new tasks.
• Strike a balance between focusing on the end result and the path we take to get there.
• State what we need rather than complaining about what we don’t have.
• Be a fully present and engaged participant.
• Direct questions to the person best equipped to respond.
• Find a balance between maintaining compliance and ensuing a successful program.
• Use kind words when offering constructive criticism.
• Understand differences are not personal.
• Be respectful with our use of electronics.
• Take responsibility for following the group norms.

Our Group Rules: RULES are set by the facilitator to ensure basic safety and efficiency in a group.
1) Listen
2) Speak respectfully to one another
3) Welcome differences of opinion
4) Talk one at a time
5) Use “people” instead of names when discussing problems in a group

SMART Goals (For Title I Coordinators, ESCs and Testing Coordinators): I’d like to share an opportunity that would allow you to collaborate with colleagues, in a similar position, on your SMART goals. I recognize the uniqueness of your position and that your SMART goal will be slightly different from that of classroom teachers. As such, we (Marlee/me) would like to extend an invitation to provide a venue for collaboration that is designed to support your goals, as specialists, in a building. Depending upon the needs of the group, this may include the development of SMART goals, measurement tools to assess progress, resources and strategies to support implementation, collaboration and discourse, etc. to assist with the new Teacher Effectiveness and Growth Model. This will also provide opportunities for cross-district collaboration! The framework of this group is flexible and can be adjusted to meet the needs of the group. Collaboration may include small/whole groups meetings, online meetings, individual support ~ whatever the need! Marlee and I, with support from the elementary SDSs, will help facilitate and support this group. If you are interested, please email Marlee. Our first gathering will be on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 3:30, in the Tower Room.

Quickbase: A friendly reminder to check the boxes indicating a student is (1) receiving Title I services (date started, too), (2) a parent/school compact has been signed and (3) a parent notification has been sent.

Tech Equipment Survey: If you haven’t done so already, please respond to Monica’s survey by Friday (10/4) if you are interested in some additional equipment. Monica and I will be meeting, next week, to make decisions about distribution.

Additional PD Opportunities: GO Solve Word Problems Refresher/New Learning PD on December 9; 8:00-11:00 GO Solve Word Problems is an adaptive math software program that teaches students to look beneath the surface in word problems and recognize the underlying mathematical situations. Students learn to understand word problems and reinforce their learning through adaptive practice.

• Grades 3 to 6 for on-grade; up to grade 8 for intervention
• Three modules –
  • Addition and Subtraction;
  • Multiplication and Division;
  • Advanced Multiplication and Division
• More than 1500 practice word problems
• Adaptive so that all students are appropriately challenged
• Implementation options that enhance any core curriculum

In an article entitled, “Habits Improve Classroom Discussions” the author believes that when discussions are “built on the foundation of great habits, students blossom into their own as speakers, listeners, and thinkers. And when they need those skills even more – in whatever hundreds of things they choose to spend their lives learning about – they’re ready.” These are the habits he believes teachers must instill in their students week after week:

–   Speak audibly.
–   Speak in complete sentences
–   Interact peer to peer.
–   Elaborate
–   Build off others’ answers
–   Evaluate others’ responses
–   Praise your peers
–   Use universal prompts with peers (e.g., “Tell me more.” “What in the story makes you think that?” “Why do you think that?” “Why is that important?”)
–   Don’t tell the answer
– give a hint so another student can tell it.
–   The teacher should let students facilitate the discussion, and when students get off track, redirect
–   The teacher should use written responses done during independent reading to guide the conversation.

How Affirming Values Can Reduce Stress and Boost Achievement: An Ed. Magazine article entitled, “What’s the Big Idea? Use Teacher ‘Talk’ to Reduce Student Stress” reports on a study from Science on the remarkable impact of teachers asking students to briefly affirm their most important values in writing just before a high-stakes test. Students’ stress dropped dramatically, and when scores on the test were analyzed, the black-white achievement gap decreased by 40 percent. “Because emotions are biological processes based on social interaction,” says Rappolt-Schlichtmann, “teachers can help their students manage school-related stress through the language they use in the classroom. When prompted, the mind can be a powerful tool to de-stress the body. Actively relieving stress is a skill students can develop with the support of knowledgeable adults.”

Family Engineering Event at Willa-g: Willa-g’s Family Engineering event (facilitated by Mia Jackson) is scheduled for October 16. Eight Coordinators have accepted the invitation to “work” the event as a part of an extended training opportunity to learn more about how to host an event; despite the six person cap – I just couldn’t say “no” to additional interested Coordinators. The participating Coordinators are: Jenny, Corianne, Aline, Terri, Luann, Robin, Dayna and Melissa.

Family Engineering Starter Kit: Please remember to stamp the kit “Title I” and include the kit on your inventory!

Mentor/Mentee Program ~ I am pleased to share that the following Coordinators will be partnering in our Mentor/Mentee Program. Thank you to our mentors for their enthusiastic willingness to support those new to the position. The “go to” person is not only a valuable resource, but working together is always more fun!

• Melissa, Terri and Aline will work together;
• Carissa and Luann will work together;
• Corianne and Jenny will work together!

DATES TO REMEMBER:
October
10/3: SMART goal gathering (optional; see above)
10/18: Coordinator Friday at 4

November
NO professional development or principal/coordinator meeting
Week of Nov. 4-8: Title I School Visitations
11/8: Compliance documents, year to date, are due
11/15: Coordinator Friday at 4

The below listed compliance documents are DUE to Penny no later than November 8. There are no Title PD’s or meetings in October/November, so paperwork will need to be printed and sent to Penny via inner-district mail. You are welcome to drop by the Instruction Department OR give the documents to me during my November visit to your school, whichever is most convenient. Coordinator Resources may be found at this link.

Targeted Schools (TAS)

• Copy of Targeting Sheets, by grade level
• Priority list of identified students
• Copy of parent notification of services, including a copy of the “exit of services” letter

School Wide Schools (SWP)

• Copy of parent notification of services
  • Exit Letter (sample)
  • Initial Notification Letter (sample) 13-14
  • Initial Notification Ltr (sample; shorter version)

Both TAS and SWP

• Criteria for Services
  • Criteria for Services (TAS) 13-14 
  • Criteria for Services (SWP) 13-14
• Student Profile form (sample from Quickbase – redact student name) Student Profile Sample
• Copy of both the school’s master instructional schedule and intervention schedule
• Copy of both the EA’s and Title teacher schedules EA Schedule (SAMPLE)
• Copy of the school Compact
  • Compact SAMPLE (English)
  • School_Parent Compact SAMPLE TEMPLATE
• Copy of your Data Team/IIPM annual meeting schedule
• Copy of one set of Data Team/IIPM meeting minutes, including an agenda

December
12/9: Coordinator PD (8:00-2:30); Beyond the Bake Sale reading assignment is due Beyond the Bake Sale book study rdg
12/9: Principal/Coordinator meeting (2:30-3:45) NOTE time change of an additional 15 minutes, barring space availability
12/13: Coordinator Friday at 4; Location TBD

Have a great month of October! Please contact any member of the Title Team (Bee, Linda, Penny or me) should you have questions, concerns or praise!

Welcome New and Returning Staff!

Welcome to what is sure to be a year filled with challenging opportunities, stretching us to communicate, collaborate and rely on one another more than ever. As with any challenge, success can be found through creative problem solving, perseverance and a unified spirit. I am confident that, despite the challenges presented by a difficult financial environment, we will embrace the year with vigor, enthusiasm and optimism.  My commitment continues to be that of providing strong leadership and support as we continue the important work of educating our most struggling learners.

Essential to the success of any organization is the environment in which we work. As such, fostering an atmosphere in which everyone is eager to “do the work” and excited about learning is vital. I want our Title I Coordinator group to be a valuable resource to one another fostering a spirit of support, encouragement and appreciation for the hard work we do. When one member of our team succeeds, we all succeed. To this end, please be sure and let me know how I can support you as we work together to make this our best year, yet!

As you may know, we have had several changes in personnel this past spring. Sadly, these changes mean a loss of valued staff that we will deeply miss. Still, I am excited by the caliber of people who will be joining our Title community, the experiences they will bring to our group and the promise of new relationships.  Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our newest Coordinators:
River Road: Aline Baissaic
McCornack: Luann Rogers
Howard: Robin Vaughan (moved from Camas Ridge)
Holt: Jennifer Potter
Family: Rhonda Lawson
Twin Oaks: Terri Weston
Spring Creek: Dayna Mitchell (moved from Willa-g)
Willa-g: Cassidy Temple (moved from Twin Oaks)
Eugene Waldorf: Laura Blake

We have two Title schools that will be joining the “School Wide” ranks. Following a year-long process that included working with various shareholder groups to provide input/guidance on the comprehensive examination the school’s needs, priorities, goals, action plans and so much more, I’d like to congratulate both ATA and Spring Creek on a job well done! Beginning this school year, ATA and Spring Creek will operate as a SWP, bringing our total SWP count to 10.

Title I Resource Materials Give-Away: With the recent closing of Title I programs at Camas Ridge, YG, Corridor and ATA (elementary) there are extra resource materials available to interested Title I schools. These items are being temporarily stored at Howard Elementary (room 12). Materials are boxed and should be labeled with contents for easy identification. I will be at Howard (room 12), on 9/6 from 2:00-4:00 and on 9/9 from 9:00-11:30 should you want to stop by and check out the materials. As a reminder, any items you have selected will need to be included on your inventory and identified as coming from school “X”. On a related note, Monica is working on the re-distribution of technology collected through these closures; this equipment will NOT be at  Howard.

Title I Monitoring Notebooks: On September 3, I would like to drop by for a quick hello and welcome each of you back to what is sure to be an outstanding year! I will also be delivering your 2013-2014 Monitoring Notebook and look forward to answering any questions you may have as you get the year underway! I have not created a visitation schedule. Instead, I will begin my visits at the North end of the district (in the morning) and make my way to all the Title I schools following the most efficient path possible. The visit will be short and very informal; it is important to me that I not interrupt your valuable planning time. If you are unavailable when I arrive, I will simply leave your notebook at your desk and we can say hello another time!

Title Webpage Has a New Look: With the “new look” to the district website, I have taken the opportunity to refresh the Title and Federal Programs portion of the site. This update includes a section entitled, Coordinator Resources, which houses compliance documents, forms, templates and samples used to meet State requirements. To navigate the 4j website to locate Title and Federal Programs and Coordinator Resources sections, click on the links below. I would recommend bookmarking these pages.

Title & Federal Programs link: http://www.4j.lane.edu/instruction/title/

Coordinator Resources link: http://www.curriculum.4j.lane.edu/title/

CHECK IT OUT ~ I think you will like it! You will notice that individual school compacts and parent involvement policies will be posted, upon completion. This way, parents will have access to this information via the Internet. Schools will be able to direct families to this information, as well, if they like.

Need Help – Have a Question??? Please reference the attached resource page to use as a guide when you have questions regarding Federal Programs. Title Contacts 2013-2014

Title I Coordinator Professional Development ~ based on feedback you provided in a May, 2013 survey, professional development will be scheduled four times over the course of the year. In addition, PD will take place in the afternoon, prior to Coordinator/Principal meetings. Specifically,

11:15-11:45 lunch will be provided
11:45-2:30 professional development
2:30-3:30  principal/coordinator meeting

Half day substitutes may be request for the afternoon; 10:45-2:45, for example (if that works with your schedule). I am hopeful this will provide you with transition/travel time. On one occasion, principal/coordinator meetings will consist of principals, only. This way, we will reduce your meetings thus easing the demands on your time…at least a little! Attached is the principal/coordinator meeting schedule and the coordinator PD schedule. Please mark your calendar as attendance at each meeting/PD is expected. Thank you!
Title Princ_Coord Mtgs (2013-2014)
Title Coord_PD_Series (2013-2014)

Additional PD Opportunities: I anticipate scheduling two additional PD days (one, 1/2 day and one, full day) to provide (1) a refresher for Fastt Math, Fraction Nation and Go Solve and (2) a Scholastic training on a new purchase to support math interventions in grades 3-5. The curriculum is entitled, Do the Math – more details to come! I will likely couple the 1/2 day PD with an existing Coordinator PD and add one more day, depending on consultant availability. Stay tuned!!

Compliance Documents to be Completed in September:
(1) Both SWP and TAS schools are required to notify parents when their child is taught or assigned, for four or more consecutive weeks, by a teacher who does not meet federal highly qualified requirements. The attached notification letter (English)  ((Spanish)) meets this requirement and should be sent home with all students (SWP), or targeted students (TAS), in September.  Here is the website link to Letters and Notifications where this information can be found, as well.

(2) Title schools are required to include a message, in their September newsletter, notifying families of their Title I status and the services they provide. Please review the September Newsletter Announcement and fill in with specifics relative to your school’s Title services.

(3) The Parent Involvement Policy (both SWP and TAS) and the Family and Community Involvement Questions (SWP) and (TAS) are also due early in the year. As such, you will want to be sure and get on the Site Council agenda as soon as possible. Here is the website link to Parent and Family Involvement where this information can be found.

(4) All Title schools are required to hold a Title I Annual Meeting (what to cover) for parents. For compliance purposes, be sure and include the meeting announcement (this can be a flier or in your school newsletter), agenda and attendee sign in sheet. Here is the link to the website for Annual Meeting Sample Resources (i.e. sample powerpoint, invitation letter/flier and agenda). Under the Parent Involvement section of your notebook, you will also include a list of planned Title-sponsored events/activities (announcements, event description, agendas and sign-in sheets to be added as the events take place); keeping this in mind as the year unfolds will be helpful.

Hard copies of these documents should be sent to Penny in the Instruction Department. OR, you are welcome to bring your documents to our PD on September 30!

Family Engineering Event at Willa-g: As a reminder, Willa-g won the free Family Engineering event (facilitated by Mia Jackson). Coordinators are invited to “work” the event as a part of an extended training opportunity to learn more about how to host an event. Extended contract will be offered ($34.50 per hour) as you work with Mia to set up and run the event! Willa-g has scheduled October 16 for their Family Engineering night. Please let me know, as soon as you can, if you would like to be a part of this training/work; I can take the first six volunteers!

Mentor/Mentee Program ~ once again, we will be offering a mentoring program for Coordinators new to their position OR have been in their position a short while and feel they would benefit from a regular “go to” person to answer questions, help with planning, problem solve, etc. Time to meet will be compensated through both sub release time and extended contract ($34.50 per hour). The time commitment is approximately two hours a month. Please let me know if you are interested in serving as a mentor and/or feel you would benefit from having a mentor.

Title I Schools for 2013-2014:
Here are the Title I schools for the upcoming year, as well as principal contacts. Title Schools (2013-2014)

Title I Coordinators for 2013-2014: Title Coord_list (2013-2014)
Here is a list of Title I Coordinators and their contact information. As information is updated, we will revised this list! Don’t hesitate to contact one another for support, questions and encouragement.

easyCBM Testing Windows for 2013-2014:
Fall Sept. 10th – Sept. 24th
Winter Jan. 7th – Jan. 21st
Spring May 20th – June 6th

DATES TO REMEMBER:
September
30         Coordinator PD; 11:15-2:30 followed by the Principal/Coordinator meeting; 2:30-3:30

Compliance documents DUE to Penny no later than September 30. Please print a hard copy and bring to our 9/30 meeting OR send a hard copy to Penny through inter-district mail. Penny will be available from 11:15-11:45 to accept paperwork on this day.

• Parent notification letter (notifying parents of their right to know about HQ staff)
• Copy of your newsletter containing the required article describing Title services; highlight the article
• Title I Annual meeting announcement (your flier and/or newsletter announcement)
• Agenda and sign in sheets for your Title I Annual meeting
• Completed Family and Community Involvement questions
• Completed Parent Involvement Policy
• A list of Title I parent involvement activities the school has planned for the year (add flyers, agendas and sign in sheets as the events take place)

October: details and links to October documents will be included in the October Coordinator Communication blog. In the meantime, documents can be found on the district website, under Coordinator Resources.

Compliance documents DUE to Penny no later than November 8. There are no Title PD’s or meetings in November, so paperwork will need to be printed and sent to Penny via inner-district mail. You are welcome to drop by the Instruction Department or give the documents to me during my November visit to your school; whichever is most convenient.

Targeted Schools (TAS)

• Copy of Targeting Sheets, by grade level
• Priority list of identified students
• Copy of parent notification of services, including a copy of the “exit of services” letter

School Wide Schools (SWP)

• Copy of parent notification of services

Both TAS and SWP

• Criteria for Services
• Student Profile form (sample from Quickbase – redact student name)
• Copy of both the school’s master instructional schedule and intervention schedule
• Copy of both the EA’s and Title teacher schedules
• Copy of the school Compact
• Copy of your Data Team/IIPM annual meeting schedule
• Copy of one set of meeting minutes, including an agenda

As a Side – IMPORTANT INFORMATION About iPod Touches & Apps (cut/pasted from Monica’s email, sent earlier this week as another reminder):
“Starting this year I will be doing the iOS upgrades and purchased installs on the Touches. Last year many of you told me that you’d get confused with what account to use with what device and that doing the updates/upgrades took WAY too much time. This is one of the reasons for the new system. Also, I discovered while I was doing updates, that personal accounts were being used on the Touches and purchased apps were installed on more than one device under these accounts.  Remember, any purchased app needs to go through me, because we need to use the VPP program to purchase multiple licenses.  Under the new system, any app that isn’t purchased and/or downloaded with your site’s shared accounts will be automatically removed when I sync them to the Mothership (my syncing machine).  Using the Apple Configurator program on the Mothership laptop will allow me to upgrade and sync up to 20 iPods at a time. Instead of taking 40 minutes per iPod, it will do all of them in about 10-15 minutes!

Even if your site purchases apps for you, I will need the code (you don’t need to purchase an extra license) sent to me for the Mothership shared account. Otherwise the app will be wiped from your iPods when I sync them for upgrades.  You’ll need to purchase the correct amount of licenses, but only one code needs to be input to the “shared” account (I will do this).  You will no longer need a code (but you will still need a licenses for each device), as I will be redeeming the code in the site’s “shared purchased” account. You will just need to go out to the account and download it to you iPod Student Acct on your laptop and then sync your iPods to install it. Or make an appointment for me to do so.

Like the iT3 project, we are going to the two-account system for each site.  Your site will have a Title 1 account for purchased apps and another for free apps.  No app should be downloaded/redeemed using the purchased account without contacting me first, for the reasons stated above. Any free apps you want to use, need to be installed under the free account.

I will be changing the passwords on your old iTunes Account in a few weeks, so no one inadvertently use the wrong account, so please take time to look over the apps you have under those accounts. Make notes of which apps you are actually using and will want back on your iPods. I know many of you tried out a lot of apps and decided you didn’t like some of them.  I will compile a list of the apps that the users at your site want to keep and install them under the shared “free” account (if they are free apps).

If you have apps that were purchased through your site Title monies, or from another group, I will need an install code for the Mothership. Coordinators, please contact the person (TSS?) that distributed these codes to you and have them email me one for each app purchased. I will also need to know how many licenses you have for each app and who were assigned those licenses.

Before you can use the iPod Touches this year, I will be meeting with each site and going over the new system.  Suzy mentioned that there are funds available to pay for ½ days subs for you to do so.  I may do more than one site at a time, so we can get these out and being used again as soon as possible. I’ll put a schedule together soon and let you know.

 I know this is a lot of information, but when we do the meeting I will go over it all with you again. If you have questions in the meantime, please let me know. There may be things I overlooked and need to work out ahead of time.”