Category:Collaborative Practice Project’

News and Information ~ January, 2013

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WHAT’S NEW?:

Hello Coordinators and welcome to the NEW YEAR! I am pleased to share that with January upon us, you will have a slight reprieve from compliance documents; yeah!

January Visitations: I look forward to visiting all the Title schools during the 3rd and 4th weeks of January. Attached is the visitation schedule, thus far. There are a few schools that still need to be scheduled ~ if you are one of these schools, please contact Bee to schedule a visit, asap; January Visitations 2013. During my visit, I’d like to:

1) View a one, or two, of your electronic student profiles
2) Hear about a parent involvement activity you have done this year
3) Discuss how interventions are going
4) Open for questions

Electronic Student Profiles: While the expectation remains that profiles are complete and current by the 4th week in January, you will NOT need to print and place a hard copy into a binder, mid-year. Instead, Matt will be running a report that allows me to view each school’s status on the profiles. I will be checking profiles the last week in January. Individuals will be contacted should a question or concern arise. Attached, please find a one-page overview of the profile expectations that were distributed at our December Coordinator/Principal meeting and a Quick Start Guide.

Electronic St Profile for Title
Electronic Student Intervention Profile Quick Start Guide

Extended Learning w/Technology: By now, you should be well into your project with the use of technology in full swing. Ideally, your team has been meeting, periodically, to reflect on progress, make adjustments and share ideas. You can look forward to Misty sending out a list of new apps and Edmodo ideas that were shared during December’s professional development. She will be sending these via Edmodo. Please be looking for an Edmodo survey, in January, that will seek your input for our February PD. Finally, due to a conflict we have changed the February 28 PD to February 12. The times remain the same (8:15-11:15; 11:15-11:45 lunch; 11:45-1:00 Coordinator PD), in the auditorium.

What you think about students matters! Consider the following quote:

“I don’t become what I think I can. I don’t become what you think I can.
I become what I think, you think, I can.”

Collaborative Practice/Lesson Study: I have received a few proposals for extended contract/release time for two+ teachers to participate in a lesson study of your choosing. If you’d like to squeeze in a proposal, pleases do so asap ~ I will be reviewing proposals very soon.
Collaboration Practice OVERVIEW (Title I Schools)
Collaborative Project AGREEMENT (Title I Schools)

More Apps to Explore:
Educreations ~ This is a voice-over app. This app is great for preparing lessons containing various pictures and text. The teacher actually records herself giving information/instructions. Educreations turns your iPad into a recordable whiteboard. Creating a great video tutorial is as simple as touching, tapping and talking. Explain a math formula. Create an animated lesson. Add commentary to your photos. It can be shown during class and allows the teacher to pause, periodically, to engage the students in discussions. It could also be used as a part of your sub plans; you’re there when you really aren’t! This could even be posted on Edmodo for students to access at times outside of class. Here is a YouTube video on Educreations.

Explain Everything ~ This is a is an easy-to-use design tool that lets you annotate, animate, and narrate explanations and presentations. You can import presentations, pictures, and other documents. These can also be exported as a pdf and notes can be posted on Edmodo. Here is a YouTube video on Explain Everything.

ClassDojo ~ This app allows you to track student participation, student management, etc. Here is a link to Class Dojo.

Inkflow: Think Visually! This app is great for visual thinkers. It works like a word processor for visual thinking. You can capture ideas by writing/drawing on the screen then rearrange and reorganize them with your fingers. Here is a YouTube video on Inkflow.

 2013-2014 Title Budget: Title budget allocations will be provided to coincide with the distribution of general fund budgets. I hope to share budgets in February. I will keep you apprised as specific timelines become clearer.

Title I Funding Eligibility: I am currently working on some figures for the 2013-2014 budget and will be sharing these with Dr. Berman in early-mid January. Ultimately, the “cut off” F/R percentage to determine eligibility for schools to receive Title I funds is the superintendent’s decision. 

Comprehension Toolkit: Raquel is willing to share a copy of her powerpoint on the ELA CCSS shifts, the comprehension toolkit, informational text, and text dependent questions should you want to reference it, or share with others (thanks, Raquel!). Unfortunately, the powerpoint is too large to attach in this blog, so please let me know if you’d like a copy and I will get it to you another way!

Edmodo Access Code to “The Basal Alignment Project”: As a reminder, this resource provides “text dependent” questions for stories found in our basal series, including lesson plans and related CCSS. The code is: etuyrm. Go to folders (upper portion of the page) and then locate your basal series.

RESOURCES: …thought you might find this interesting!

Recommended children’s books: Here are the most-recommended books in Reading Today’s 2012 roundup:

• Children’s Choices: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/awards/ChildrensChoices2012_web.pdf

• Teachers’ Choices: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/awards/TeachersChoices2012_web.pdf

• Young Adults’ Choices: http://www.reading.org/Libraries/awards/YoungAdultsChoices2012_web.pdf

“Recommended Reading Lists from Children, Teachers, and Young Adults” in Reading Today, October/November 2012 (Vol. 30, #2, p. 33)

Mathematics Common Core Toolbox – The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas/Austin has joined forces with Agile Mind, Inc. to launch this free resource for math Common Core curriculum: http://www.ccsstoolbox.org.

“News and Views: Free Online CCSSM Toolbox” by Christine Noddin in Teaching Children Mathematics, November 2012 (Vol. 19, #4, p. 213)

FRIENDLY REMINDERS:

When making purchases with Title I funds, remember to send me 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!

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!

Attestations: Bee distributed these to Coordinators/Principals during our December meeting. Please send these, signed, to Bee as soon as possible, through the mail…

Deadlines on the Horizon for Compliance Documents:
NOTE ~ deadlines are aligned with Principal/Coordinator meetings

2/4:      Semi-annual certification (Bee will get these out to Coordinators/Principals, soon)
3/11:    Budget allocation for the 2013-2014 school year
4/15:    Program Review, sections A, B, C and D
4/15:    Budget allocations for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Professional Development Questions for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Professional Development School and Title I Plan for the 2012-2013 school year
5/13:    Summer school registrations
5/13:    Summer school data forms
6/13:    Program Review, sections E-P Inventory Sheets

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

NO Principal/Coordinator meeting in January

2/4:    Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
2/12:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators NOTE DATE CHANGE FROM 2/28. Please remind your teacher partners of this change!
3/11:   Principal/Coordinator meeting may be cancelled due to a conflict with a LeL group; we may reschedule rather than cancel; stay tuned
4/15: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
5/7:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators
5/13: District CIP; 12:00-1:00 in auditorium
5/13: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 1:00-2:30 NOTE TIME DIFFERENCE from other meetings

 

 

In: Apps for iPad or iTouch, Collaborative Practice Project, Compliance Deadlines, Electronic Student Profile, Literacy Resources, Visitation Schedule | No comments »

News and Information ~ December, 2012

 - by price_s

WHAT’S NEW?:

Hello Coordinators,

The purpose of this blog is to provide regular communication to keep you apprised of upcoming events, updates, and resources as a means of support to help you in your work! My goal is to issue a blog during the first week of each month. If there is information you feel would be beneficial to others, and you’d like me to include this in the blog, please let me know! I hope you find this communication helpful as you tackle the enormous job of Title Coordinator!!

As more and more entries as posted, you will notice the building of “categories” located on the right hand side of the page. These categories serve as a quick link to archived information where you can click and search for information posted at an earlier date. This is a great way to access information and refresh our memories!

Parent & Family Involvement: As you may recall, Alicia asked that you select the top 3-4 activities you’d like her to develop electronic kits for, first. Based on your feedback, the following activities received the most “tallies”:

  • Math Games from Around the World
  • Family Literacy Training ~ How to Read to Your Child
  • Game Night/Kits (math) ~ student made math games, along with take-home kits and math related books
  • Grade Level Theme Nights

Please find tallies for all the activities attached here: Parent & Family Involvement Activities Tally Sheet

The question of supplement vs. supplant often surfaces when considering the spending of Title dollars, particularly surrounding the implementation of CCSS. ODE has issued a “Supplement, Not Supplant Test” to help districts determine whether a fiscal expenditure supplements, rather than supplants. Districts should ask themselves:

Test 1: Required ~ is the program or activity that the district wants to fund with ESEA funds required under state, local, or another federal law? If it is, then it is supplanting.
Test 2: Equivalency ~ Were state or local funds used in the past to pay for this program or activity? If they were, it is supplanting.
Test 3: Non-ESEA Programs ~ Are the same programs or activities being implemented in other schools that do not receive ESEA funds and are these programs and activities being paid for with state or local funds? If yes, then this is supplanting.

Math Resources ~ below, please find some resources that were shared by Chris Castellio, Associate Director of K-12 Mathematics:

First, if you are not familiar with National Council of Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM) they have a wonderful site called Illuminations that provides teachers with interactive tools, lessons and tasks. Click around the site, you will be surprised what you might find.

Second, here is a link to a remarkable site that maps out the common core standards. The map is interactive so you may click on any cell and you will see an example of learning progressions and other examples of what is expected of the standard, http://turnonccmath.net/

Third, here is a link to common core math tools (NCTM- requires a download). This is an amazing tool that provides teachers and students with interactive graphing apps, geometry apps and statistical apps. The main grades for this is secondary however there may be some elementary use for the tool,
http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=32702

All of these tools are free and show the power of having a common set of standards ~ so much stuff is being produced that it is hard to keep track.

FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
Forms for compliance documents can be found on the 4j website. Click on the highlighted phrase to the left to quickly access the forms.

As a reminder, we are trying a new system for submitting compliance documents:

  1. When you print a document for your site notebook, print a second copy for the district notebook.
  2. Collect these hard copies and bring them to the monthly Principal/Coordinator meetings. Penny will be in attendance 15 minutes before/after each meeting to collect and check off items. This way, Penny is able to check off and file documents in a single setting, once a month. She is also able to ask questions, should there be need for clarification. And, she will be able to distribute friendly reminder notices for missing items during Principal/Coordinator meetings as well.
  3. If you are visiting the Ed Center, feel free to hand deliver documents to Penny. If sending documents in, via the intra-district mail system, please make sure items include your school’s name and are easily identifiable. Doing your best to send items, due within a single month, in at one time would be helpful.

If we find this system is not working, we will try, try, again; we are open to suggestions! And don’t worry; I will adjust the deadline for “prizes” to coincide with our Principal/Coordinator meetings. Thank you, in advance, for your support as we experiment with a new system!

DEADLINES TO REMEMBER:
Items due by December 13, 2012: (NOTE November items are due on 12/13. You can bring your printed documents to our Extended Learning w/Technology PD. Penny will be available before/after the meeting to accept documents). Recognition for having submitted ALL required documents, to date, will take place on 12/17 during our Principal/Coordinator meeting. For easy access to the forms, simply click on the highlighted titles below.

Due on, or before, December 21, 2012:
The Collaborative Practice Lesson Study proposals; please submit completed projects to Suzy. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with a colleague in a lesson study. Proposals are due before winter break with the goal to start lesson studies in late January/early February. Attached, please find the overview and agreement here: Collaboration Practice OVERVIEW (Title I Schools) and Collaborative Project AGREEMENT (Title I Schools)

Items due by February 4, 2013:

  • Semi-annual certification (working 100% out of Title funds). Bee will send these to Principals and cc Coordinators.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
12/13:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators
12/17:  Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30

NO Principal/Coordinator meeting in January

2/4:     Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
2/28:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators
3/11:   Principal/Coordinator meeting may be cancelled due to a conflict with a LeL group; we may reschedule rather than cancel; stay tuned
4/15: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 2:00-3:30
5/7:  Extended Learning w/Technology PD; 8:15-11:15 for everyone; 8:15-1:00 for Coordinators
5/13: District CIP; 12:00-1:00 in auditorium
5/13: Principal/Coordinators meeting; 1:00-2:30 NOTE TIME DIFFERENCE from other meetings

 




 

 

 

 

 

In: Collaborative Practice Project, Compliance Deadlines, Math Resources | No comments »