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School Improvement News September 2013
Be sure to scroll down.
The Office of School Improvement News webpage often contains links to other websites and news articles. These links represent just a few examples of the numerous education reference materials currently available that support our work in improving student learning. The opinions expressed in any articles or web pages do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the WVDE but are provided to inform our work. The inclusion of resources should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the WVDE.
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The WVDE is working with the Alliance for Excellent Education on Project 24, a systemic planning process focused on the effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of career or college readiness for all students. District and school staff are invited to participate in a Massive Open Online Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed) on the Digital Learning Transition. This free, online course is designed to help district and school leaders plan for the effective use of technology. Although the MOOC-Ed course is open to educators from around the globe, it will include a special WV cohort group for discussions. Registration is now open for the course which begins on September 30.
For more information, contact John Miller in the Office of Instructional Technology at jpmiller@access.k12.wv.us or 304.558.7880.
Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility
- Accountability measures and annual target process
different for each state — places ownership at the state, regional, district and
school level
- Goal is transparent and for accountability system
that fosters increased student learning
- Schools will be making annual progress on
multiple measures
- Now 5 categories of designation which
acknowledges progress at the school and subgroup level
- Schools will be recognized for achievement AND
growth
There are five school designations:
Priority Schools
Support Schools
Focus Schools
Transition Schools
Success Schools
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These websites provide hands-on tools and research-based resources for Priority and Focus Schools and Districts.
The School Turnaround Learning Community (STLC) is an online community of practice for state, division, and school leaders implementing school turnarounds. Available resources on the STLC include research-based practices and practical examples from states, districts, and schools inventing on-the-ground solutions. In addition, it facilitates activities including training, discussions and Q&A sessions with experts on school turnaround implementation.
National Education Association - Priority Schools Campaign - Educators are deeply committed to the success of every student. That’s why NEA members across the country are teaming with parents, principals, community organizations and elected leaders through NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign, focusing attention on raising student achievement in struggling schools. The work centers on five research-driven elements that lead to permanent systemic change: leveraging community assets, improving staff capacity and effectiveness, developing family and community partnerships, improving district and local association capacity and collaboration, and improving student achievement and learning. These schools' experiences can inform our practice in West Virginia. The NEA programs provide a vital free service to struggling schools.
Stephen Koziatek, Design Communication instructor at Manchester Sschool of Technology, gives four important student-centered learning strategies for educators to remember:
- Provide meaningful learning opportunities for students
- Allow students to explore
- Help students to think beyond a textbook
- Allow students to develop a positive outlook on themselves that they’re capable of achieving
Teacher Leaders
The WVDE Six Levers of Continuous Improvement
All Things PLC
Teacher Leader Brochure
Learning can be maximized when the experts take the lead... that is... when Teachers rise as Leaders. Unknown
Teacher Leader Standards
The standards consist of seven domains describing the various attributes of teacher leadership:
- Domain I: Fostering a collaborative culture to support educator development and student learning
- Domain II: Accessing and using research to improve practice and student learning
- Domain III: Promoting professional learning for continuous improvement
- Domain IV: Facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning
- Domain V: Promoting the use of assessments and data for school and district improvement
- Domain VI: Improving outreach and collaboration with families and community
- Domain VII: Advocating for student learning and the profession
Common Core Changes |
MATH CHANGES |
ELA CHANGES |
INSTRUCTION |
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Non-Fiction and Incormational Textx |
Writing |
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Text Complexity |
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"Close Reading" |
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Writing |
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Regular Practice with Complext Text and Its Academic Vocabulary |
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Listening and Speaking |
Professional Development |
P21 Common Core Toolkit: A Guide to Aligning the Common Core State Standards with the Framework for 21st Century Skills
The Foundation for Critical Thinking: Where to Begin
Teaching Rigorous and Reflective Thinking
Inquiry Based Teaching
Asking Effective Questions
Visible Thinking
The Visible Thinking Project, Harvard Project Zero
Making Thinking Visible, Johns Hopkins University |
Say the Same Thing Using New Vocabulary
If you’ve recently attended trainings focused on the Common Core (Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives), you know the critical role that appropriate and aggressive vocabulary instruction must play. A fun, quick, and easy to duplicate resource is this one-minute clip addressing vocabulary. We know nearly all of our students are deficient in vocabulary—which is an indicator of a lack of background knowledge—which impacts fluency and ultimately comprehension. The most effective methods require few materials and no money. This video, College Talk: Improving Students’ Vocabulary, will provide you with some food for thought and possibly a new strategy for vocabulary instruction in your class. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/improving-student-vocabulary?fd=1
Office of Early Learning's Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/wvearlylearning |
Closing the Achievement Gap
The C.A.R.E. strategy guide is one of several online/on paper resources that is available for those who are working to improve the learning experiences of students who attend priority schools as well as other students who are struggling to achieve at high levels.
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Principal's Toolkit
Have you visited the Principal's Toolkit? It is updated every week. There are school improvement resources for data collection and analysis, scheduling, articles, books, videos, forms and much more. No need to reinvent the wheel, find it here or contact us if you can't find what you are looking for. |
| ... for the Classroom |
http://www.xpmath.com/
How do you integrate Common Core State Standards in the math classroom? How do you engage your students and increase interest in math? XP Math features fun and educational math games for Grades 5-9. Mental mathematics is a component of the Common Core Mathematical Practices and XP Math Games makes it easy to support it. XP Math allows teachers to differentiate instruction by process and content by providing tools to collect and analyze student data at every stage of their learning.How do you integrate Common Core State Standards in the math classroom? How do you engage your students and increase interest in math? XP Math features fun and educational math games for Grades 5-9. Mental mathematics is a component of the Common Core Mathematical Practices and XP Math Games makes it easy to support it. XP Math allows teachers to differentiate instruction by process and content by providing tools to collect and analyze student data at every stage of their learning.
Mapping The Masterpieces
Google Lit Trips: Google Lit Trips is a website dedicated to placing story lines into a Google Earth tour. With something for every grade level K-12, Google Lit Trips is a great way to provide geographic context that coincides with stories students are reading. Students can also create a Google Lit Trip of their own to gain a better understanding of a storyline or showcase their knowledge.
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Connect your classroom to the world.
https://education.skype.com/
Free group video calling for registered teachers around the world makes the possibilities endless.
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Boomwriter
Create and share amazing stories and have them published.
Videolicious
Have students use their own pictures to create a video.
Science 360
Science360 Knowledge Network immerses visitors in the latest wonders of science, engineering, technology and math. We gather the latest science videos provided by scientists, colleges and universities, science and engineering centers, the National Science Foundation and more. Each video is embeddable to put on your own personal websites, blogs and social networking pages. Science360 engages the general public, science junkies and students alike in the cutting-edge discoveries and big science stories of the day.
At this website you can learn about how your own mind thinks. The test takes about 10 minutes and gives you results instantly. This information could be used when placing students in cooperative learning groups, understanding how their learning interests, and in other ways to enhance engagement.
Try it out for yourself. Here is the link:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm
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Perhaps you like this one better:
http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html
This is a personal favorite because it gives suggestions of how to engage your intellengences.
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Okay, try this one. You might like it better:
http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz |
| Once you have used any of these tools, please contact us so that we can share your experiences with other teachers. |
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Where to find the Office of School Improvement in Cyberspace
- ONLINE: http://wvde.state.wv.us/schoolimprovement/
- TWITTER: @WVSchoolImprove
The Office of School Improvement has expanded into cyberspace to assist schools more effectively and efficiently. The SI website offers an array of online resources to assist schools in the development of their school improvement blueprint. As new items are added to the site, they are also tweeted for immediate use.
On the School Improvement website, Principals, Leadership Teams, and Districts can access the High Quality Standards and Data Collection Tool, Principal’s Toolkit, Culture Survey, IPI, Conference resources and materials, and other resources for instant integration.
Send us tools, materials, strategies, books, and articles that have helped your school improve. We will feature it on the Office of School Improvement website. |
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Instructional Practices Inventory in West Virginia Schools
Why use IPI?
- For overall school improvement in learning and teaching
- To increase student engagement with the curriculum and their own learning
- To use data collaboratively to help your school continue to grow
The West Virginia Department of Education's involvement in the IPI process has given teachers the ability to reflect upon their collective teaching practices, thus raising the bar of expectations toward higher level and deeper thinking, in addition to developing a more active and engaged student learning environment. WVDE’s continued focus on student engagement has expanded into 50 counties and the WVSDB. This expansion has allowed for more than 2,075 IPI coders to be trained and certified statewide. For additional information about the IPI process and development, please visit Dr. Jerry Valentine’s website at www.ipistudentengagement.com. *(Please note this site is still being developed, but will give you an idea of what type of IPI resources can be accessed).
**IMPORTANT** For those currently using IPI, data should be uploaded when completing an IPI coding. This data is used for research and continued development of the IPI process. To upload your data, visit the IPI site at http://wvde.state.wv.us/ipi/. To upload a WebTop login and password are required. Each coding should be uploaded once.
Courtesy: Glenna Heinlein, State School Improvement Specialist at gplymale@access.k12.wv.us
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A Must Watch Video
This is how we transform learning. A whirlwind of energy and ideas, Stephen Ritz is a teacher in New York's tough South Bronx, where he and his kids grow lush gardens for food, greenery -- and jobs. Just try to keep up with this New York treasure as he spins through the many, many ways there are to grow hope in a neighborhood many have written off, or in your own.
(Filmed at TEDxManhattan.)
Stephen Ritz teaches at-risk kids in the South Bronx.
Here is the link.
We welcome your suggestions. Let us know what you would like to see on this website.
Send suggestions to nmcline@access.k12.wv.us
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