Great Things Going On
After participating in the Skoglund Middle School-Center High School mid-year building review process last Friday I would like to highlight some of the wonderful things we spied going on in those buildings.
First of all, I am truly impressed with how much better the MS-HS staff and administrators have become in the past few years at making use of benchmark student achievement data. While conducting the site review it was clear to us that Skoglund principal Carrie Zimmerman and CHS principal Kevin Jones were absolutely clear as to the effect a half year of instruction has had on students in the core subjects of reading, writing, math, and science. There was evidence that they have already been engaging teachers with benchmark achievement information in a way in which they will be able to adjust their instruction to achieve better results. Last Wednesday during their building PLC time secondary teachers were provided mid-year NWEA test results and asked to review them while answering a series of guiding questions. These questions included the following: In looking at the scores that most directly apply to your content area, how many students hit their target scores? How many showed growth but did not hit their targets? Which students stayed the same as the beginning of the year? Which students went backwards? What is the overall grade level average? How does this compare with the grade level national norm? Based on these results, what students would you like to target more instruction toward?
First of all, I am truly impressed with how much better the MS-HS staff and administrators have become in the past few years at making use of benchmark student achievement data. While conducting the site review it was clear to us that Skoglund principal Carrie Zimmerman and CHS principal Kevin Jones were absolutely clear as to the effect a half year of instruction has had on students in the core subjects of reading, writing, math, and science. There was evidence that they have already been engaging teachers with benchmark achievement information in a way in which they will be able to adjust their instruction to achieve better results. Last Wednesday during their building PLC time secondary teachers were provided mid-year NWEA test results and asked to review them while answering a series of guiding questions. These questions included the following: In looking at the scores that most directly apply to your content area, how many students hit their target scores? How many showed growth but did not hit their targets? Which students stayed the same as the beginning of the year? Which students went backwards? What is the overall grade level average? How does this compare with the grade level national norm? Based on these results, what students would you like to target more instruction toward?
This wonderful mid-year student achievement data analysis leads me to another topic related to this mid-year review and that is the fidelity in which Skoglund Middle School and Center High School are working to achieve their academic improvement plan for 2013-14. Two of these improvement goals included more effective targeted instruction and tutoring for students performing below grade level in reading and math, and more effective efforts to engage parents and families in the school and in supporting student instruction at home.
With the adoption of the Colorado Sample Curriculum, and its crosswalk to the Focal Point Curriculum, our schools now have the most comprehensive middle-high instructional road map they have ever worked with. A major priority set by the MS-HS Building Leadership Team last year was to offer more targeted instruction and tutoring opportunities for students performing significantly below grade level in reading and math. Right now thanks to a robust Expelled and At-Risk Students grant a second dose of both of these subjects is already being taught to middle school students who need it, an additional section of math is required for high school students performing below grade level, and an extremely high quality after school tutoring program is being offered, coordinated by Haskin Elementary teacher Zoraya Vazquez, and during which several Skoglund-CHS teachers, paraprofessionals, and Adams State College tutors are supporting kids. This program is experiencing extremely high participation by students.
With the adoption of the Colorado Sample Curriculum, and its crosswalk to the Focal Point Curriculum, our schools now have the most comprehensive middle-high instructional road map they have ever worked with. A major priority set by the MS-HS Building Leadership Team last year was to offer more targeted instruction and tutoring opportunities for students performing significantly below grade level in reading and math. Right now thanks to a robust Expelled and At-Risk Students grant a second dose of both of these subjects is already being taught to middle school students who need it, an additional section of math is required for high school students performing below grade level, and an extremely high quality after school tutoring program is being offered, coordinated by Haskin Elementary teacher Zoraya Vazquez, and during which several Skoglund-CHS teachers, paraprofessionals, and Adams State College tutors are supporting kids. This program is experiencing extremely high participation by students.
Our EARSS grant is also driving vast improvement with communication to families regarding school activities and school expectations. The grant has allowed the district to hire a parent involvement liaison, Brenda Padilla, and a family activities coordinator, Rebekah Anaya. Through their efforts CHS and Skoglund staff members are now able to send home a monthly newsletter in English and Spanish, staff members are being encouraged make more positive contacts with parents about students, and parent education courses have been established to help families learn how to better support the educational efforts of their children.
Though we were able to identify several areas in which Kevin and Carrie can improve the way they guide their buildings, each was commended by their staff members in particular areas through feedback received on a survey about their leadership. Mr. Jones was cited for his clear communication of expectations, and holding all teachers accountable for high quality instruction. Mrs. Zimmerman scored exceptionally high when it comes to holding students accountable for their behavior, and setting and achieving student learning goals.
Though we were able to identify several areas in which Kevin and Carrie can improve the way they guide their buildings, each was commended by their staff members in particular areas through feedback received on a survey about their leadership. Mr. Jones was cited for his clear communication of expectations, and holding all teachers accountable for high quality instruction. Mrs. Zimmerman scored exceptionally high when it comes to holding students accountable for their behavior, and setting and achieving student learning goals.
Big Things We Are Working On
Though we have been a CDE SB-191 evaluation pilot district for the past three years, Center Schools still has a lot of work to do regarding the second half of the design of the new state teacher and administrator evaluation system. In the future, half of each teacher and principal’s evaluation must be based on student performance, and the process for creating models by which we will do this has been a two year long effort to this point. Through our San Luis Valley Race to the top of the Valley collaborative we have been able to tap the expertise of Monte Vista Delta Center director Dirk Oden to create an interactive rubric that will be used to determine each teacher’s rating. Meanwhile Center Virtual Academy director and part-time CDE employee Chris Vance, and ARC director Joy Werner are conducting work through the benefit of a Colorado Legacy Foundation SB 191 Liaison grant to set cut points and guide teachers in the process of developing test models that will be used in the teacher evaluation process. This effort is coming to a crescendo in the next two weeks as Joy and Chris will train SLV RtttV PLC leaders to guide this work in their grade level-subject areas, so they may their groups at our last All Valley PLC of the year that will take place in right here in Center on Friday February 7th.
While at a Colorado Legacy Foundation blended learning workshop in Thornton last week I worked with director of instruction Lori Cooper and Haskin Elementary teachers Jessica Stevens and Zoraya Vazquez to develop a draft blended learning improvement plan for the Center School District. The primary goal of the plan will be to “ensure the use of instructional technology resources in a way in which students and teachers creatively overcome the limitations of learning in a traditional classroom using conventional learning tools.” The strategies we hope to use to implement this plan include teaching our staff how to effectively use the eNet-Dream platform to teach to our curriculum and discover internet-based resources to support their instruction, to create a cadre of teachers who are willing to learn how to flip their lesson instruction using technology resources and share what they have learned with other staff members, and to create an additional cadre of teachers who will be willing to learn more about how to use technology creatively to individualize homework and guided practice for students. We will present this plan to the District Leadership Team this spring and hope ultimately to get the support for its implementation from the district accountability committee and board of education.
While at a Colorado Legacy Foundation blended learning workshop in Thornton last week I worked with director of instruction Lori Cooper and Haskin Elementary teachers Jessica Stevens and Zoraya Vazquez to develop a draft blended learning improvement plan for the Center School District. The primary goal of the plan will be to “ensure the use of instructional technology resources in a way in which students and teachers creatively overcome the limitations of learning in a traditional classroom using conventional learning tools.” The strategies we hope to use to implement this plan include teaching our staff how to effectively use the eNet-Dream platform to teach to our curriculum and discover internet-based resources to support their instruction, to create a cadre of teachers who are willing to learn how to flip their lesson instruction using technology resources and share what they have learned with other staff members, and to create an additional cadre of teachers who will be willing to learn more about how to use technology creatively to individualize homework and guided practice for students. We will present this plan to the District Leadership Team this spring and hope ultimately to get the support for its implementation from the district accountability committee and board of education.
The Past Week
On Monday I communicated with San Luis Valley superintendents about the dates we have set to conduct 2014-15 All Valley PLC sessions. I also worked with Federal Programs Director Becky Reed on submitting our annual Title I performance report to CDE. I also worked with director of technology Julio Paez on increasing the district’s ability to filter our younger students from accessing inappropriate material on our district network. On Tuesday I was in Denver for an Ed Trust meeting at the Colorado Legacy Foundation aimed at tapping the brains of superintendents and CDE personnel as to how to close the learning gap in districts with high at-risk student populations.
I was in Thornton on Wednesday attending a workshop on blended learning related to our Colorado Legacy Foundation Extended Learning Opportunities grant. On Thursday I had the pleasure of walking through classrooms in the Del Norte School District I participated in an SLV superintendent PLC supporting better classroom instructional feedback. I spent the entire day Friday conducting the Skoglund Middle School-Center High School mid-year building site review.
I was in Thornton on Wednesday attending a workshop on blended learning related to our Colorado Legacy Foundation Extended Learning Opportunities grant. On Thursday I had the pleasure of walking through classrooms in the Del Norte School District I participated in an SLV superintendent PLC supporting better classroom instructional feedback. I spent the entire day Friday conducting the Skoglund Middle School-Center High School mid-year building site review.
The Week Ahead
I will be working on Race to the top of the Valley collaborative items on Monday including preparing 3rd quarterly assessments to be loaded to the Dream platform and preparing for the February 7th All Valley PLC. On Monday and Wednesday evenings I will be at the SLV BOCES Board Room supporting the work Chris Vance and Joy Werner are doing to train teachers to facilitate February 7th PLC work. On Tuesday Center Schools will host a team of visitors from the La Junta School District. They are hoping to learn from us ways we have been able to steadily grow the achievement of our at-risk student population. On Wednesday I will spend a good portion of the day hosting Colorado Legacy Foundation visitors who will be on site to chart the progress of our SB 191 liaison grant, our healthy students-healthy schools grant, and our valley wide extended learning opportunities grant. On Thursday I have my monthly Early Steps to Childhood Education program site meeting, and the good folks from Lindamood-Bell will be on site taking time to honor Haskin Elementary students and staff members for progressing from an accreditation rating of Turnaround to Performance during the past three years. On Friday I will start the day at Adams State University to observe SLV Administrator PLC work that will be taking place there, and I will end the day in Denver doing legislative advocacy work.
Extra Points
At Center Schools we are truly sad to report the passing of Dr. John Alfson, husband of Center High School counselor Adele Alfson. Dr. Alfson, a respected member of the Alamosa business community, and a long time supporter of Center Schools, passed away unexpectedly last weekend, giving us all pause to reflect on our own loved ones and relationships. Adele has long taken tremendous care of our students, staff members, and parents and we believe it is our turn to pass that sentiment forward. Adele, we want you know our thoughts and prayers are with you and the entire Alfson family.
To you we send our love.
Services for Dr. Alfson are planned for Saturday, February 1 at 11:00 A. M. at Roger's Funeral Home in Monte Vista.
George
To you we send our love.
Services for Dr. Alfson are planned for Saturday, February 1 at 11:00 A. M. at Roger's Funeral Home in Monte Vista.
George