O'Connell:
question on bell-to-bell teaching...never a moment that there isn't something to do
how do you get buy in?
"buy in is critical":shared leadership model; by consensus, decisions are made
"nearly every grade and subject is represented" at Clark Street this year
bell work on board once the kid walks in, 20 minute presentation, then differentiated instruction, then review (in each period in each subject)
Monfredo:
what are we doing with pre-K, kindergarten, grade 1?
Dibels (formative assessment)letters, reading words per minute, letter and sound recognition
PTO very involved: parents asked to bring a writing prompt to family involvement
double dosing of English and math in middle school? Yes(last year eliminated two English positions and added two math)
Foley:
creating on improved working conditions for faculty
"now the schools are becoming more cohesive"across grade levels-everyone getting a sense of where the school needs to move
(from teachers presenting)"I can find where the good work is going on"
have someone who is not an evaluator come in and "hone the craft" has been very helpful
Biancheria:
"clear focus in teaming and collaborating"
asking if community partners have been involved in getting the focus through the school
Yes, though it varies (Forest Grove doesn't have a community partner per se)
Novick:
How are ILT's initially set up?
volunteering, cajoling, donuts (!)
what data are we using?
some in house at Clark St, along with MAP, MCAS, Dibles
balance of reflection & introspection with bell-to-bell instruction?
"gives more time" says Boone
3 comments:
In the past, the district has used federal, state, and city funds to either provide stipends for teachers to attend these meetings or for substitutes to take over the classes when the teams meet. These teams began under Dr. Caradonio and when he left, Dr. Mills took over this initiative.
Also, the assessment is DIBELS --Dynamic Indicators of Ealry Literacy Skills. The schools were required to use this assessment as part of the Reading First initiative. The teachers found that the info was so valuable, the admin put it into all schools. However, in monitoring the program, it was found that teachers weren't following the time guidelines (necessary as this is a test for fluency and automaticity---or, how many items a student could identify in a prescribed period of time)The federal programs office purchased Palm Pilots for all K and 1 teachers. All teachers were trained in test administration and how to benchmark students. WPS was one of the first larger districts, nationwide, to use technology this way. The assessment results are truly reliable and help teachers to target specific early literacy skills for individual students.
Fixed it! Sorry, I meant to do that after I looked it up.
I believe the teachers are volunteering now, but I don't actually know.
And I have no idea what's happened with the Palm Pilots.
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