Monday Points: March 11, 2013

It’s HSPE week! Exciting and important proficiency testing will occur at all of our sites this week. My how time flies…

Celebration Points:

Three cheers for our students who passed the reading and writing COE! Four out of six demonstrated proficiency in Reading and three out of four in Writing. Collection of Evidence (COE) is a Washington State approved alternative for students to demonstrate proficiency in testable content areas, and is a graduation requirement for all students. We must too celebrate our fantastic Language Arts teacher, Tamara Nedell! Tamara has led her students to completing this task with confidence and proficiency. Thank you Mrs. Nedell, and congratulations for your accomplishment teaching our students to proficiency. Job Well Done!

Celebrate! It is also Classified Support Staff Appreciation Week! Time to show how much we love and appreciate Lorri, Sharon, Jackie, Judy, Josh, Jennifer, Dolly, Richards (both of them) and David in helping our schools to be great and smooth running places for kids, and our work. Thank you, you are a wonderful team.

Instructional Point:

I observed a teacher last week who took class time to prepare students to enter into a discussion protocol. Protocols are well known best practices for teachers to use with their students in almost any activity. Our most effective teachers teach students protocols (think order of events) before trying to engage them in a learning activity. A protocol may be taught for class discussions or small group talk. Experimental lab activities in science, problem solving for math and even presentations use protocols. Protocols help students better access the intent of an activity, and these tools connect with several elements in the Charlotte Danielson Domains of Classroom Environment (2) and Instruction (3). What a great way to capture evidence of your teaching when students know and understand the steps they are expected to take in any classroom evolution. Some questions I might ask any teacher beginning a new activity in class are, “Have you explicitly taught your students the steps of the activity? Do they know the protocol? When did you show them what they are supposed to do for this activity?” If there is a protocol that you use with student learning activities that I have not yet happened across, I would love for you to share it with me. Please let me know what you are doing with protocols in your classroom.

HSPE Point

This week we administer High School Proficiency Exams for Reading and Writing.  I need not explain how critical this testing is to our work in education, or for students working toward graduation. You know.

HSPE is a graduation requirement and a high stakes test for our students. This means high stress for them (and us) as well. Whatever your role in administration of this exam, the message I want everyone to carry this week is “make it a positive, supportive experience for our students.” We have done what we can to prepare students, and that is a lot.  Now, the confidence in our work, and our students’ ability to demonstrate proficiency is what will carry us through this testing cycle.

We are in this together. This week we focus – together -  on our kids, and the experience they have while testing. Please make sure our all of our kids know we are with them to meet standard, and fulfill the requirements to graduate. Much of our work culminates this week, so let’s make it a good one for everyone.

Mike’s Schedule:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
March 11	March 12	March 13	March 14	March 15
Weekly Letter Conference Call JAG Suspensions Meeting Observe Student Appeal Truancy Update In Classrooms Sped Meeting	HSPE Supervision and Support In Classrooms	HSPE Supervision and Support In Classrooms School Board Meeting (Evening)	HSPE Supervision and Support In Classrooms	Staff Breakfast Weekly Administrative Meeting Brag Day Assembly PCT: Site Based Team Time and Cross Collaboration Rubric

Other Points

We had about a 50/50 turn out last Friday in College Wear Friday. I hope to see more this Friday. Wear it proud!

With HSPE and showing appreciation for our classified staff (who undoubtedly will be helping us with HSPE), let’s work together to make it a smooth one. Have a great week everyone. Happy HSPE.

Mike