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!