Friday, February 16

Board Office:

• Facilitated a meeting with K-5 members of the Program Evaluation committee
• Sent out the weekly social studies update

Thursday, February 16

High School:

• Spoke with the middle school principal about serving on the interview committee for a new vice principal
• Responded to a teacher's question about AP classes
• Held a post-observation conference

Board Office:

• Corresponded with teacher and guidance counselor about a student issue
• Talked with the Supervisor of World Languages about the ongoing sound issue at the high school
• Finalized the letter to go out to students regarding honors placement
• Sent requests for nominations for students for a scholarship opportunity
• Responded to a request from teachers at one elementary school to digitize existing resources

Elementary School:

• Observed a fourth grade REACH class

High School:

• Held a post-observation conference
• Sent out information to NJASCD about an upcoming symposium

Middle School:

• Presented the honors placement results to the 8th grade teachers

Board Office:

• Attended a webinar about teacher evaluation systems
• Prepared for tomorrow's elementary program evaluation meeting

Wednesday, February 15

Board Office:

• Sent an e-mail to a vendor about his visit on Friday
• Sent reminders to Friday's program evaluation participants
• Attended the principals/supervisors meeting
• Read some recent articles
• Sent a memo to high school teachers reminding them of the honors placement criteria
• Corresponded with a high school teacher about procedures for student scheduling
• Corresponded with an elementary teacher who is presenting at Friday's program evaluation meeting
• Corresponded with a high school teacher regarding summer reading
• Sent some resources to a high school teacher about teaching consistently versus independently
• Sent an update about AP reading to two interested teachers
• Facilitated a Gifted & Talented Steering Committee meeting

Tuesday, February 14

Board Office:

• Looked into resources offered by iCivics
• Read some recent articles
• Attended a district leadership team meeting
• Attended a visioning meeting to discuss how instruction will change in the classrooms of the future
• Worked on the final touches of the honors matrix
• Sent copies of the elementary REACH placement matrices to the elementary REACH teachers
• Wrote up observation reports
• Responded to a few quick e-mails

Monday, February 13

High School:

• Sent out a call for volunteers to do home instruction for a student at the high school
• Caught up on articles that have been piling up
• Held a post-observation conference
• Observed a Genocide & Holocaust class
• Unpacked supplies
• Held a post-observation conference
• Spoke with a teacher about upcoming jury duty and the issue of substitutes having access to streaming video
• Observed a US History I class
• Worked on a PowerPoint with a summary of 8th grade honors placement results
• Spoke with the Supervisor of Special Services about our decision to offer in-class resource at both standard and college prep next year
• Prepared for Wednesday's Gifted & Talented Steering Committee meeting
• Reviewed lesson plans

Board Office:

• Responded to a parent's e-mail about REACH placement
• Address issues with missing information for 8th grade honors placement
• Sent out an update to high school teachers about changes made to the Program of Studies for 12-13
• Corresponded with a high school teacher about the AP Government & Politics book

Friday, February 10

Board Office:

• Facilitated the program evaluation committee meeting
• Sent out the social studies weekly update

Out of District:

• Attended a library orientation at Rutgers University as part of the gifted education graduate certificate program

Thursday, February 9

Board Office:

• Sent out observation reports
• Worked on the 8th grade honors placement decisions
• Met with a teacher/parent about REACH placement
• Corresponded with various people about the ongoing sound issue at the high school
• Attended the supervisors'meeting
• Prepared for tomorrow's program evaluation committee meeting

Tuesday, February 8

Intermediate School:

• Attended a Colonial Day planning meeting

Teachers' Association Headquarters:

• Attended an LPDC meeting
• Corresponded with a teacher and guidance counselor about a student issue at the high school
• Sent an update to two AP teachers about attending grading sessions

Board Office:

• Worked on 8th grade honors placement decisions
• Scheduled remaining observations
• Prepared for a meeting with a teacher/parent regarding REACH placement
• Responded to a parent's question about CogAT 
• Sent information out about the elementary social studies survey

Monday, February 6

Elementary School:

• Held post-observation conferences with a REACH teacher and a 2nd grade classroom teacher

High School:

• Held a post-observation conference
• Worked on ASCD registrations for tomorrow afternoon's workshop
• Met with a guidance counselor and student about issues the student is having in a World History class
• Sent an e-mail to PLC facilitators at the high school requesting information from today's meetings
• Observed an AP Psychology class and a US History II class
• Responded to a question from an elementary REACH teacher
• Corresponded with a retired REACH teacher about training our newest REACH teacher for test procedures
• Sent a reminder to SS Program Evaluation committee members about requesting a substitute for Friday's meeting
• Responded to a parent question about REACH
• Worked on the 8th grade honors matrix

Friday, February 3

I spent the day out of district at the NJ Social Studies Supervisors' Association meeting. While there, I did some work though.

• Sent out weekly update to social studies teachers
• Scheduled a meeting with a parent/teacher about REACH placement

Thursday, February 2

Board Office:

• Worked on the 8th grade honors matrix
• Spoke with a middle school guidance counselor about placement procedures
• Responded to a parent's REACH question
• Called the parent with an issue with a high school teacher
• Sent invitations to a meeting of the Gifted & Talented Steering Committee
• Spoke with a parent about the elementary REACH situation (at length)
• Spoke with a high school teacher about an issue she had with a student
• Corresponded with the long-term substitute at the middle school
• Sent e-mails to various groups about the procedures for REACH nominations
• Sent out observation reports

Wednesday, February 1

Intermediate School:

• Attended a Colonial Day planning meeting

Board Office:

• Submitted my monthly report
• Sent an e-mail to a colleague in a neighboring district about presenting at a NJSSSA meeting on Friday
• Responded to an e-mail about REACH exit procedures
• Followed up with a high school teacher about issues she was having with sound coming from a neighbor's classroom
• Sent feedback to high school teachers about their monthly reports
• Responded to an e-mail from a parent/teacher about REACH screening results

High School:

• Observed a World History class
• Attended the supervisors' meeting
• Met with a teacher to discuss PLCs
• Met with vice principals about a parent phone call regarding an issue with a teacher

Tuesday, January 31

Elementary School:

• Observed an REACH class and a 2nd grade class.

Board Office:

• Set up an observation with a high school teacher
• Responded to an e-mail from the state Department of Education about my preference for model curriculum writing teams
• Spoke with a parent about a situation in an elementary REACH class

Out of District:

• Attended a meeting of the NJASCD Executive Board

From Evernote:

Model Curriculum Overview

Acting Commissioner Christopher Cerf Opening Remarks

• "Deeply committed to a very different vision of what we do"
• Most revolutionary idea in education - standards & related instructional design with educators involved
• Poor students were disproportionately affected by weak teachers in "anarchical" system of education where teachers were completely left to their own devices
• Can't have standards without assessments
• Problems
  • agreeing upon standards
  • national consensus should not replace local/state control
  • need to be useful to teachers
• Make the project useful to teachers
  • Fewer standards but deeper with a focus on key skills written clearly
• Definition of success - Have we graduated more students college- and career-ready regardless of their birth circumstances?
  • promise of NCLB
  • equality of opportunity
  • sufficient for success after leaving school
• Completely unaligned right now with NJASK and HSPA
• Committed to implementation of Common Core

Penny MacCormack, Chief Academic Officer

• Model Curriculum 1.0 - there will be continuous work building upon this foundation
• Core groups developing student learning objectives -> review groups -> outside reviewers from national groups
• Talking about student learning objectives without common assessments is not powerful
  • District curriculum with assessments can help to drive improved student achievement.
• Problem with not working at the state level is that there's too much variability when the work is left to 600+ different people (problem is not the people themselves)
• 10 teachers will teach the same set of SLOs to 10 different levels of rigor
  • it's not bad teaching; it just is
• "We're not mandating this because we're smart and we live in America. In America, people do not like you telling them what to do."
• Give quality choice to districts
• Effective teachers need clear expectations of what students need to know and be able to do
• Why "model" curriculum?
  • inform curriculum development
  • leverage state- and nation-wide expertise
  • commonness
  • continuous improvement
• Model Curriculum 1.0
  • 6-month process
  • CCSS aligned unit learning objectives
  • Scaffolded SLOs
  • Quality 6-week unit assessments (UDL)
    • items aligned to SLOs (basis of differentiation)
• Model Curriculum 2.0
  • model formative assessments or item bank to select from
  • videos of model instruction
    • teacher-submitted with $ attached (RTTT)
  • Model lessons by SLO
  • Instructional resource rating system
  • Reports by SLO
  • PD content & support
  • Leverage technology to achieve these ends
• Text-dependent
  • questions require having read the text closely 80-85% of the time
• Timeline
  • Unit SLOs released as developed to gather feedback
  • Unit 1 will be released ASAP (implementation in August/September 2012)
• Curriculum/common expectations do not cripple teacher creativity
• PD will be offered by unit in content areas
• Four Levels of Change and Delivery
  • Academics - What do students need to learn?
  • Talent - How is that learning best delivered?
  • Performance - How are we doing?
  • Innovation - How can we continue to improve?
  • RACs: "Boots on the ground"
  • "It is a moral imperative that we work together to prepare every child for college and career."
• Know & be able to do at the objective level

Sandra Alberti

• Principles of the Standards
  • Aligned to requirements for College and Career Readiness
  • Based on evidence
  • Honest about time
• Priorities of the Work
  • Fewer, Clearer, Higher
  • Higher = every single student is expected to meet the standard
• Carefully connect the learning within and across gradesa so that students can build new understanding onto foundations built in previous years.
• Begin to count on solid conceptual understanding of core content and build on it. Each standard is not a new event, but an extension of previous learning.
• ELA/Literacy Shifts
  • Students will be expected to build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational text.
    • Research says that 80% of what students read in literacy blocks of instruction is fiction (stories)
    • Generally teach in 90 minute blocks and have removed time from science and social studies
    • New = 50% of reading time is informational text at elementary; 75% by the time they get to high school (not just in English classes!)
    • critical skill of reading belongs to everybody
  • Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text.
    • currently about 80% of questions do not require having read the text
    • Gettysburg Address - What is the most common verb used in the text? How does its use evolve over the course of the text?
  • Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary.
• PARCC System
• could have score for SS and science out of twice per year LA and math assessments from grades 3-11
• ITN (item blueprints) are not public
• National efforts
  • www.achievethecore.org
  • www.pta.org/parentsguide
• We shouldn't be "aligning" to the new standards. We should be designing anew.

Curriculum Development

• Student Learning Objectives
  • What students should know and be able to do
  • Note: Just because you can break down a standard, does not mean you should
  • Unwrapping standards and writing SLOs that maintain alignment - not reauthoring standards

From Evernote:

Techspo day 2

Harnessing technology to advance a new model of schooling

Jhone Ebert

The 21st Century Classroom

So what does a 21st century classroom look like? What activities take place in a 21st century classroom? Where can I find resources about a 21st century classroom? With everything already packed into the school day, how do we incorporate technolo integration, interdisciplinary connections, and global perspectives? Come explore different web source to help create 21st century learning environments. Learn some ideas that will help you move toward a 21st century classroom. Discuss collaborations among classrooms within the district, and across other districts. Participants will have an understanding of what 21st century classrooms look like. Partcipants will understand how 21st century skills increase learning opportunities, knowledge retention, and assist with tying curriculum objectives together throughout the curriculum. In addition, participants will gain knowledge in searching for various tools and resources in order to integrate 21st century into the classroom.

Https://sites.google.com/site/mytechtraining2011

• What's changed?
  • Web 2.0
  • Asynchronous learning
    • Online resources
  • Mobile devices
• Teacher- vs student-centered classroom model
• Digital natives vs digital immigrants
• 21st century classroom tools
  • Web 2.0
  • Mobile devices
  • Online communication
  • Instant response systems
    • Apps that can do this for free
  • Document cameras, data projectors, interactive whiteboards 
  • Full integration of technology tools
  • Infrastructure for support?
• Global communication

From Evernote:

Techspo Day 1

Paradigm shifts made possible with technology

The silver bullet to improving student achievement is not found in strategies, nor in approaches; it is found in embracing a key paradigm shift that puts the students at the center of their own learning. It's the shift from teacher as "ferry" to teacher as "bridge builder." Both take you across the water, but the latter creates a complex structure through which you move yourself. Computer technology provides teachers with a valuable tool for affecting this paradigm shift. From materials development to formative assessment to differentiation options to direct instruction options to student self-assessment, computers can serve as a catalyst for this critical paradigm shift. Learn more about the steps the Cresskill school district is taking in this direction.

Www.sites.google.com/site/cresskill

• More powerful computers in pockets than in schools
• Always connected to friends, information, real-time data
• Kids are powering down to go to schools
• Tech can be used to support instructional initiatives 

• Global learning initiative
  • Rubric-driven instruction
  • Mix of required and choice activities
• Paradigm shifts
  • Teacher as ferry; teacher as bridge
    • Who takes the responsibility?
• • Need to have structures in place to ensure student success but the students won't even realize it
• Teacher as GPS
• Formative assessment signals that guide instructions
• Provide application before skills; provides the felt need to learn

Cresskill

• 3-5 year project
• Volunteers
• Choice of technology (cart of 10 with laptops and/or iPads)
• Summer training
• On-site coaching and off-site coaching
• Cohort 1, cohort 2, cohort 3 teacher training teacher

A practical approach to leadership through the use of available technology

This session will include the use of mobile technology; Web 2.0 Tools, etc. in performing administrative duties. Using technology, administrators can provide educational leadership through the gathering and dissemination of information to all stakeholders, and modeling the process of using technology as productivity tools. Developing an online administrative PLN using Nings, LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogging, etc.

Www.teacherweb.com/NJ/SayrevillePublicSchools/MrAguiles/apt1.aspx

• Www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp
• Www.delicious.com
  • Place to save articles based on tags
• Www.twitter.com
• Apps
  • Flipboard
    • Combines twitter feeds into a concise magazine format
  • Etextbooks
    • Rent books at about 1/3 cost
  • Common Core State Standards
  • Cloud On
• Teachscape
  • Ways to use data in a spreadsheet and how it affects conversations with teachers and administrators
• Policy development
• Role of personal devices on district network
• Social media
  • Talk about the great things your schools are doing
  • Students and even parents are not going to district website

Using video/multimedia to enhance learning for students

By the end of this session, you will become more familiar with the following items:

• Learn to trim YouTube clips to view on a safe website free from being directed to YouTube
• Have a Netflix account? See how to show content-related documentary clips in your class
• PBS has a new lesson-based site to enhance learning with media
• Khanacademy.org - students can watch, practice, and learn content-related topics
• See how to make your own tutorials using Microsoft Community Clips
• Have laptops? See how you can use video clips from many of the above sources to help students make "Ken Burns like" documentaries for your class using Windows Live MovieMaker. Save them to your Microsoft Live SkyDrive to work at home.

Http://tinyurl.com/bedpuglia

• Safe Share
  • Clip YouTube videos into shorter snippets and save on a safe site
  • Avoids YouTube on networks that do not allow it
• PBS Learning Media
  • Can create a class page of resources with up to 7 videos
  • Tied to state standards
• Discovery Learning
  • We should be using this with students
  • Student portal with embedded assignments
  • Some videos allow editing or voice over narration
• Netflix
  • Seems to be ok with school use
• Khanacademy
• Creating content from computer screen and editing programs
  • Microsoft office labs community clips
  • Camtasia (not free)
  • Camstudio
  • Jing
  • Techsmith
• Microsoft skydrive
  • 25gb drive
  • Free access to Microsoft office
  • Windowslive.com
• Windows Live MovieMaker
  • Windows 7 only
• YouTube for Schools
• Learnzillion.com
  • Math only right now 
  • Teachers paid to create the videos
• Safarimontage.com
• Wevideo.com