September 25 ,2020

 

NO EXCUSES UNIVERSITY – STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Culture of Universal Achievement

Collaboration

Standards Alignment

Assessment Plan

Data Analysis

Interventions

When a school embraces a system of Standards Alignment, there are three attributes that need to be included.  As identified in the No Excuses University Schools Institute, the attributes are:

#1:  Aligning standards is not something that you’ve done, it’s something that you do.

#2:  Collaboration is key.

#3:  It must be practiced!  Skills – assessments – instructional methods – resources.

Now…before you move on, think about it.  Does our staff think of “Standards Alignment” as something that is “done” when the pacing guide is complete?  Or…does our staff think of “Standards Alignment” as an ongoing process and has strategies to measure how well every lesson is aligned to what the students need to learn?

Skills – assessment - instructional methods - resources:  Notice that the third attribute is not “Pacing Guide.”  The pacing guides document the skills, but it is just the first step in alignment.  You have to have systems in place to assess the student learning, a focus on the instructional methods that ensure rigor, and allocate the resources to support the students in achieving proficiency. 

Collaboration is key:  Do you plan for collaboration or does it just happen?  True collaboration includes bringing in data (not perceptions or hearsay) and making decisions based on the collected information.  Such a process has to be planned so that the proper data can be collected and is the foundation for good decisions.

If you don’t collaborate around your students’ academic achievement data, then how do you know if you have alignment?

Progress Reports are due to me today. Here is a guide on how you can share them with me. Click Here

Please remember that we will be in Distance Learning at least until October 16. After this, our FSUSD Governing Board will discuss (following our Governor's orders) to return and at what Phase. Please check out the FSUSD Five Phase Continuum for further details!

Character Trait for October is Caring click HERE for lesson plan ideas

Please remember we are ALL teaching a 10 minute lesson on Caring everyday.

Please read the link below on what we have committed to do as a staff

CLICK HERE

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you for being there for each other during distance learning.

Play: What is one fun thing you can do with your students virtually?

Choose your attitude: BE POSITIVE!!!

Make Their Day:   Thank you Fern, Chloe, Melody, Garrett, and Monica for running our IEP meetings efficiently.

September 18, 2020

 No Excuses University – Collaboration

Culture of Universal Achievement

Collaboration

Standards Alignment

Assessment Plan

Data Analysis

Interventions

“This is the first and most important system that needs to be developed. Once a clearly understood and agreed-to system for collaboration is in place, a staff is equipped to develop the remaining essential systems and address any other learning challenges they encounter.”

When a school embraces a system of collaboration, there are four attributes that need to be included. As identified at the Turn Around Schools Institute, the attributes are:

#1: Based on action oriented commitments

#2: Scheduled well in advance

#3: Driven by professional attitudes

#4: Focused on results

Now…before you move on, re-read the four statements and think about if they represent the collaboration that takes place on our campus.

Based on action oriented commitments: When our teams come together to collaborate, do you leave with “we talked about…” statements or are there actions that are going to be immediately implemented to impact student learning?

Scheduled well in advance: Do we plan for collaboration or does it just happen? True collaboration includes bringing in data (not perceptions or hearsay) and making decisions based on the collected information. Such a process has to be planned so that the proper data can be collected and is the foundation for good decisions.

Driven by professional attitudes: When our team discusses issues, is it done in a professional way? Do you praise one another during times of success and be honest with one another as you respectfully confront concerns. Does our site benefit from strong professional relationships?

Focused on results: Is our collaborative time focused on student results? Do we come to the table and offer solutions? Are decisions based on student needs?

If you don’t collaborate around your students’ academic achievement data, then how do you know if you have alignment?

Progress reports are due to me on Sept. 25th. 

Naming Conventions in Google Classroom/Aeries/Illuminate (CHANGE)

A group met on Friday, September 4, 2020. The group included site administrators and teachers including a representative from FSUTA. They met to discuss the easiest way to name assignments so that when they pull reports they can easily identify what work was assigned for Synchronous(S) time and what work was assigned for Asynchronous(A) time. The team all agreed that when an assignment is created in Aeries, Google Classroom, or Illuminate they would use the following naming convention:

              [S] Assignment Title

 [A] Assignment Title 

They want the final assignment in Aeries or Illuminate to reflect the naming convention so that they can run reports.  The goal is to have all of FSUSD having fully implemented this approach with the start of the new grading period at the end of September.

Another great outcome of this process is that once we are consistently using this naming convention there will not be a need to use the DL tracking sheet for our Special Education teachers.

**No teacher should be asked to go back and retroactively change naming conventions. This would be for assignments moving forward. We are still in the timeframe of teachers getting familiar and used to the process and want everyone on board with the consistent naming conventions effective October 1, 2020.**

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Wow- thank you so much for being there for each other during MAP testing!! This was our last week so now we can take our data and plan interventions.

Play:  Make sure you take some time to RELAX.

 Choose your attitude: BE POSITIVE!!!

Make Their Day:  I loved my lunch with the Principal on Monday. Thank you Daniel and Heather M. for joining us as well. So FUN!! :)

September 11, 2020

Another nephew is off to college, University of Colorado Boulder. Jaan is my oldest sister’s son. We were sad that all of us could not see him off like we did for Yasmeen and Shaan. We all could not go because of COVID. He has settled in and really enjoys it so far. He was valedictorian of his senior class. He is one hard working kid!! So proud of him :)

No excuses start with us!!

Message from Dan Lopez about Culture of Universal Achievement click to see video

No Excuses University – Culture of Universal Achievement

I want to take some time over the next few weeks to provide additional information about each core area, as they are the foundation of successful schools.

Culture of Universal Achievement

Collaboration

Standards Alignment

Assessment Plan

Data Analysis

Interventions

“Every member of the staff believes that each child is capable of meeting academic standards in reading, writing, and math, AND that the school has the power to make that opportunity a reality.”

When a school embraces a Culture of Universal Achievement, there are six belief statements that go hand-and-hand with the culture. As identified at the TurnAround Schools Institute, the belief statements are:

Belief #1: Every student will be proficient or advanced in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Belief #2: The academic accomplishment of every student is an obsession.

Belief #3: The school can neutralize many challenges students bring to the classroom.

Belief #4: Student achievement is the number one topic of conversation.

Belief #5: A maverick spirit is leading the way.

Belief #6: There are no excuses for poor effort.

Every student will be proficient or advanced in reading, writing, and mathematics: Do you believe you have the ability to provide the necessary support and interventions so that every student at your site will be proficient or advanced? And if you do…are you putting those plans in motion so that you support every student in meeting this goal?

The academic accomplishment of every student is an obsession: Is the academic accomplishment of every student the domination of your thoughts/feelings? Do the decisions you make reflect an unwavering focus on academic achievement?

The school can neutralize many challenges students bring to the classroom: Do our actions and our staff reflect a belief that we have the ability to neutralize the challenges students bring to the classroom? Are conversations about solutions and strategies to support the students to ensure academic success?

Student achievement is the number one topic of conversation: When we discuss the school and the students, is the focus on student achievement?

A maverick spirit is leading the way: WE must be willing to fight status quo. There must be high expectations for everyone who has an impact on student achievement.

There are no excuses for poor effort: No Excuses does not mean no compassion AND No Excuses begins with adults. Are we doing everything to ensure academic success for every student!

Now…before you read any further, re-read the six belief statements and think about if they represent you as an educator. 

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Wow- thank you so much for being there for each other during MAP testing!!

Play:  Make sure you take some time to RELAX.

 Choose your attitude: BE POSITIVE!!!

Make Their Day:  Don't forget to let me know who I am having lunch with on Monday :)

September 4, 2020

This past Sunday these kids lost their mom to cancer. You may remember I went to visit my cousin and his wife and kids in March 2020 while she was battling cancer. They are only 7 and 4. As many of you know my mom died when I was 11. I feel so much for these kids. I feel so much for him. She was only 34. Way too young! Their lives will be forever changed. This brings up so many familiar emotions even at the age of 48. I am so sad that we can't go to visit them or be there for the funeral because of COVID restrictions. Cancer sucks!!!! I know many of you asked how I was doing this week and my response was always fine, I felt if I said anything else I would have lost it. 

This past week was a difficult one for upper grade staff. I have never gone through the displacement process before and it is rough. It is hard to welcome someone to the SV family and within the week they are gone. Vanessa you will be missed!! 

“Data doesn’t belong to the teacher.  The data belongs to the student and is on loan to you.”  --Damen Lopez

Developing a Commitment to Common Assessment Practices

(Damen Lopez)

             The most successful teams display a clear purpose on the way that they take a joint effort to utilize valuable assessment practices.  These teams exhibit the following characteristics:

            1.     Speak the same language, the language of data.  Successful teams continue to go back to the numbers.  While emotion is often an important quality that helps us to nurture and teach from the heart, getting results is the ultimate goal.  If a team is kind and nurturing, but their students are failing then they have not done their job.  Take the emotion out of the situation and look at the numbers.

           2.    Share data openly with one another.    One of the most difficult things for us to do as a teacher is to share our data.  We hide it out of embarrassment or fear of being judged.  Successful teams make commitments to looking openly at their data with the purpose to not cast blame, but to help one another.

           3.    Take responsibility for all students.  The easiest way for teams to get over their fear of sharing data is to decide that they are responsible as a whole for every student.  Being a team means working interdependently.  This starts with the way you collaborate about students.

            4.    Tie assessment to strategies and interventions that work.  It is often said we are “data rich and information poor.”  No one would argue the fact that assessments are crucial to ensuring academic success for students.  However, assessments that are given without plans to turn data into strategies that create success for students are useless.  Simply put:  Once you know where students stand, it is your responsibility to make use of that information and generate academic success as you teach them. The data you collect from MAP testing is your starting point.

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Eat lunch virtually with a student that you may have a difficult time with. BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM! Thank you Kami and Nicole for creating a very helpful PPT for MAP testing.

Play:  I loved seeing Kindergarten and 5 monkeys jumping on the bed. The kids loved it!!

 Choose your attitude: BE POSITIVE!!!

Make Their Day:  Thank you to everyone for having an AMAZING BTSN!!