Public School 154

Principal Danielle Guinta

December 20, 2007

“Assessment is the thinking teacher’s mind work.
It is the intelligence that guides our every moment as a teacher.”

~Lucy Calkins, The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing

The Study of TC Narrative Continuum

Thanksgiving Cranberry Bread

Baked by Laura Kotch
Shared by our group on November 21, 2007


Dear Colleagues,

Thanks so much for another inspiring, informative and affirming study group meeting.

Here's the cranberry bread recipe I promised.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful to be in your company.

Ingredients
*3 cups flour
*one half teaspoon salt
*one half teaspoon baking powder
*one half teaspoon baking soda
*l cup sugar
*l egg beaten
*one half cup orange juice
2 tablespoons hot water
*one half cup chopped nuts
*one and one half cup cranberries, cut in half
*grated rind of an orange
*2 tablespoons melted butter

Sift dry ingredients. Add beaten egg, butter, sugar, orange juice and water. Combine till blended. Fold in nuts, cranberries, and rind of orange. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for about l hour and 20 minutes. Makes one and one half loaf. Enjoy!

Public School 214

November 21, 2007

Principal Wendy Goldberg

“We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change.

Small acts multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
~Harold Zinn

Our Agenda
Principal Study Group Meeting November 21, 2007
PS 214

Welcome, Breakfast, Networking

The Story of PS 214’s Journey- (Thank you to Wendy and her team)

Classroom Visits-Reading Logs Impact Teaching Practices (Goal Setting and Reflections on Progress)

Mr. Lam 4-318 Small Group Instruction
Ms. Bena 5-303 Minilesson and Partnership Conversations)

School Tour and Rave Reviews

Sharing Our Learning About Reading Logs in Our Own Schools
What are our surprises and discoveries?
How have we connected expectations to structures?
What systems have helped us link conversations to actions?

Strategies for Continuing the Conversation
*Support Structures(Next date)
*Intervisitations
*Taking Care of Ourselves and Each Other

Shout-Outs

Public School 161

October 2007

Principal Jill Hoder
Principal Study Group Meeting October 24, 2007
PS 161

“There is just so much data. Where do you start?
How do you make time for the work?
How do you build your faculty’s skill in interpreting data sensibly?
How do you build a culture that focuses on improvement, not blame?
How do you maintain momentum in the face of all the other demands at your school?”
-The Data Wise Improvement Process

Welcome and Introductions

Our Personal and Professional Goals for the Study Group

Determining our Inquiry Focus
How can we build systems and structures that support the institutionalization of the assessment tools(reading logs, writing notebooks, TC reading assessments, narrative continuum) to impact teaching and learning and build volume and stamina and independence?

Eight steps for using data to improve teaching and learning
Sharing what are we already doing
Generating questions to ponder

Learning about Jill’s strategies for collecting and analyzing data
Connecting to our own methods
Thinking about next steps

Visiting Looping Classrooms
Rave Reviews, Noticings, Questions to think about

Determining Next Steps for Our Study Group
Host School, Dates, School Visits, Evidence to study
Sharing Materials

Shout Out
To Jill, for your hospitality and generosity in inviting us to your school
Thank you for your courage and trust and for giving us such a great start!

Notes from October 24th Study Group Meeting

Conversation following quote “There is just so much data…”Inquiry team is going deeper into looking at data and pushing conversation into grade meetings.

Schools are using data from TC assessment tools to make meaningful teaching decisions about classroom instruction.

Begin with the awareness of what data is and what is its purpose.

Change in culture of schools and school climate is hard and requires celebration of the smallest steps forward and the affirmation of beginnings in awareness.

Looking closely at the data can be threatening and it is easy to react in defensive ways or blame. It is important to remind the community that inquiry is not inquisition, and can be used to uncover what was previously covered, and connect patterns from grade to grade.

Looping is a practice that leads to consistency, better use of time(no need to review or get to know community) and greater investment in long-term success.
Building a common lens for looking at student work leads to clearer expectations, consistent language and stronger rigor. The ritual of looking at student work needs to be built into common planning time, grade meetings, and faculty conferences so that teachers become more comfortable and collaborative.

Inquiry teams can help schools keep the momentum around data and connect the goals throughout the whole community.

Opening the floodgates into the world of data can serve as a rude awakening and may lead to surprises like understanding that level 3 and 4 students are not performing up to expectations and may be falling back to lower levels.

Issues of learning how to differentiate instruction need to be addressed to enable teachers to challenge high performing students through enrichment and project-based learning leading to independence and depth of understanding.

It is risky to change practices and try new ways of doing things. Using the applied learning standards and asking students what they need to do to work with rigor may be a good beginning.

The TC writing continuum is a powerful tool to push students to higher performance levels.

Helping teachers to share what they do across grades and forging a trusting community often requires a culture change and take time and lots of support.
Leaders need to take the leap of faith and jump in with both feet to new ways of thinking and working and use the talents of their staff and the support of like- minded colleagues to forge new beginnings.

Parent Communication is Crucial

Letters outlining the TC assessment tools and the support needed from families.
Coach letter outlining each month’s units of study in each grade.

Progress reports every 3-4 weeks with specific goals and accomplishments.

Parent workshops such as the meaning of book levels, the importance of volume and stamina.

School Tours to advertise to families what the school is working on and the expectations for students. It is important that schools reach out to the community to let them know what matters most (students reading and writing each day instead of test prep)

Visitors who will provide feedback of what is working well and what are possible next steps who may be teachers, principals, staff developers etc. When company comes to visit, everyone benefits.


Jill’s Strategy for Making the Most of Data

Data needs a personal spin and the leader’s voice to communicate what is most important. The more visually the data is presented, the better the community can make sense of it. Color coding information works well because it can be read at a glance and patterns can be easily perceived.

Examining data should lead to concrete actions such as extended day programs, AIS providers for each grade, systems for recording student needs and services provided, and “finger tip” information like how many students are in wheelchairs, or receiving SETTS services.

Finding patterns may include how many students move from level to level up or down, analysis of strategies needed for some students or all students, data that drives instruction, grouping structures and supervision, starting place for conversation with individual teachers or groups of teachers.

Disaggregating data into subgroups is important and can lead to inquiries that may result in changes in policy or practice.

How do leaders make sure that data is communicated to teachers and that they are making smart teaching decisions based on findings?

Teams such as professional development committees, intervention teams, inquiry team, cabinet, teacher leaders can be charged with making recommendations about initiatives and then helping to communicate with staff so that thoughtful implementation results.

Leaders may disseminate individual class data to teachers along with a cover letter stating the big questions raised and possible actions which can be discussed in 1-1 conversations.

Data can be discussed during grade meetings where patterns across grades can be determined. Teachers may be charged with researching last year’s teacher.
Some schools are creating an assessment binder for each teacher for their class including test scores, unit tests, reading levels 4x each year, reading logs, etc. Teachers may then begin to work on action plans.

Our Personal and Professional Goals for the Study Group

Reduce our feelings of isolation and engage in collaborative learning with colleagues who understand how important supportive relationships are in initiating changes in practice and raising the level of job satisfaction.

Help each other find a healthy balance of hard work and time for reflection and family and friends.

Strategize ways to keep the focus on teaching and learning and prioritize the many and often competing demands of the job.

Sharing best practices and exchanging ideas.

Visiting other schools and affirming leadership practices.

Come together to make the data tools more manageable and useful.

Establish action plans with measurable goals and effective systems and structures.
Help teachers to use data tools to improve instruction.