Leadership Notebooks

Dear Deep Creek School Family, 

Happy Monday to all.  I hope the weekend was enjoyable.  Spring Break is quickly approaching and that means so is Deep Creek's most cherished tradition, Teddy Bear Picnic.  I know the picnic part of the fun is relaxing, but often the student led conference in the classrooms may bring some anxiety.  Adrienne and I often hear that part of that anxiety is the Leadership Notebooks that students should have been creating throughout the year to share with their families.  It is believed that we are forgetting the purpose of the Leadership Notebook and it ends up being something that ends up forgotten in the curriculum.  We need to be reminded that the Leadership Notebook assists students in creating goals and understanding their learning.

Dr. Robyn R. Jackson comments on this classroom tool in her book Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching:

"Data notebooks provide a powerful way of getting students involved in collecting their own feedback about their learning and have been used with children as young as kindergartners all the way up through seniors in high school."  Students benefit from data notebooks because they have a voice in their learning and can understand and work towards success in a systematic way.  Students are then able to articulate their learning at Student-Led Conferences because they record and understand their own data."

It should be mentioned that it is fairly certain that you all see the benefits of these notebooks, but struggle to find the time in the instructional day to work on them and use them effectively on a regular basis.  These suggestions were found that may help in the future.

The key is having a system in place so instruction time is not interrupted too often and the time spent looking at and recording data is meaningful. You need to figure out what works best in your classroom structure.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Set up a system so your students know when it is time to fill out their data notebooks.
• Set a time limit on the data-recording sessions so you are able to move forward with classroom instruction in a timely manner.
• Data-recording sessions should correspond with current overarching assessments. This will limit the impact on instructional momentum.
• Determine a specific time for entering data. It could be right before going home, between subjects, or after lunch.
• If students finish assignments early, suggest that they record data in their notebooks quietly while they wait for other students to finish.
• Intentionally confer with students individually about their goals. This should be done within the context of your current instructional frameworks such as guided reading or individual conferencing.
• Train your students to monitor their own personal goals, if possible, at a designated time during the school day.
• Do not have students track data that has not been discussed and connected to best-practice strategies for improvement. Remember, your guidance is key to student achievement!

These suggestions were found with more information from the following website.

https://www.leaderinme.org/blog/using-student-data/

Thank you all and let's have a great week.

Adrienne & James

Common Core or No Common Core?

Good Morning Deep Creek School Family, 

So this past week there has been much hype and questions about the Governor's statements about common core. I wanted to collect the information we have received thus far. We will update you as we get more information. This will not be a quick process so hold tight and if parents ask, we are following the directions given to us by the district office. 

Earlier this week, the following statement was issued by Susie Lee, FDOE Bureau Chief, K-12 Student Assessment:

As you are likely aware, the Executive Order regarding academic standards and civic literacy calls for the Commissioner to make recommendations to the Governor by January 1, 2020. As such, we currently do not anticipate any changes to K–12 statewide assessments for this school year. Given that we will await the Commissioner’s recommendations, we will continue to do all work necessary this calendar year to prepare for assessments as currently outlined in statute for the 2019–2020 school year.

As we have done previously with new or revised standards, we will work with all stakeholders to successfully implement any new or revised statutes, State Board Rules, and policies that result from the recommendations. We will also provide all of the necessary communications to help students, teachers, schools, and districts understand these changes as they relate to statewide assessments.

Message from DOL: Please rest assured that the Division of Learning will take an active role in every step of this process, and whenever able and asked, will participate in providing feedback to those making decisions for changes on the horizon. We will continue to keep you as up to date as possible along the way, and I encourage you to do the same with us. Together, we will ensure that any and all changes to curriculum, instruction, and assessment is met with student success.

Thank you for sticking to our game plan and doing what is best for our Cubs!  

Thank you so much for all you do every day!

Adrienne and James 

iReady Scores, Our Path to the Superbowl?

Good morning to all.  

The hope is that the Superbowl doesn't bring tired staff members and cranky sleep-deprived students today.  It seems that everyone watches the Superbowl even if they aren't football fans.  Some for the commercials, some for the halftime show, some for food, some for fun with family and friends.  Whatever your reason I hope that you enjoyed.

I'm going to stick to the football theme this morning, because it's hard for me to let go.  College football ended earlier in January and now the NFL is done as well.  It's always sobering to think about life without football until August.


I believe football is a lot like our classrooms (I know except their salaries).  The coaches teach the standards they expect and an assessment is administered at the end of the week, which is a football game.  Both the Patriots and Rams played 18 games to reach the Superbowl.  That's 18 assessments that were administered throughout year.  Each of these assessments were analyzed by several coaches. They look for what went right and what went wrong and they form practice plans for the next week.  In these practice plans, they emphasize and keep focusing on what is working and a plan is formulated to correct what did not go as planned.  There are always external factors working for or against a football team, but a good coach keeps the players focused on strengths and improving weakness and ignores factors that can not be controlled.



This is exactly how I look at MOY iReady scores.  The MOY scores are not our Superbowl.  It's another mid season assessment that is used to generate feedback.  It is a tool to indicate what our students have as strengths and assist in the creation of a blueprint to correct deficiencies.   I know these scores bring anxiety, especially when we compare scores with other classrooms and other schools.  They bring anxiety to Adrienne and I as well.  But we have to use the mindset that these scores are part of the journey.  If they are low, what is the plan to help our students?  If they are high, how do we continue to enrich our students?

The diagram below was shared with Adrienne and I at a training and I believe it is simple way to think about instruction.  Common Assessments like iReady, which our based on standards help us identify a common expectation of what should be expected as quality student work.  If students are not performing in some class, it is imperative to look at the instructional strategies in those classes and compare with classes that are achieving highly.  We have to accept feedback, we have to collaborate, and we have to accept that there may be a better way.

I hope you all enjoy a terrific week.  Try not to stress over the incoming iReady scores; use it as the feedback that it is intended.

James & Adrienne

Collective Teacher Efficacy

Good Morning Deep Creek School Family, 

Collective teacher efficacy ranks as the GREATEST FACTOR impacting student achievement. What is "Collective Teacher Efficacy"?  Let's start with self-efficacy....Renee Wiley, our Title I Resource & Family Engagement Liaison, included a piece in the November newsletter for teachers.

Collective teacher efficacy refers to the collective perception that teachers in a given school make an educational difference to their students over and above the educational impact of their homes and communities. Hattie's research has shown when teachers in a school share that belief it outranks every other factor in regard to impacting student achievement including socioeconomic status, prior achievement, home environment, and parental involvement. The effect size of collective teacher efficacy is three times more powerful than socioeconomic status or student motivation. 

I bring this research to you today because this past week in our data team meetings, I heard if his/her mom would just work with him/her then they would be successful. Well according to the research that just isn't always the case. WE must all believe that WE will make the difference. "Believe" has been my word for so long because if someone would not have believed in me then I would not be here today. I had all those factors listed above working against me. James has shared his similar situation. This is something I believe passionately in, so much so that this is the theoretical framework of my dissertation. 

Do WE believe in our collective ability to impact our students' achievement? Think on this question....discuss in team meetings. 

Thanks for all you do, 

Adrienne and James 

MMM 012019

It happens to all of us.  Maybe at different times, but it does happen to all of us.  A feeling that obstacles have gotten too high and they can't be overcome.  It could be the attitudes of students, a precognition that a student just can't learn this material, families lack of involvement, a challenging student whom needs haven't been met yet, or just piling deadlines that have to be met.  That case happened personally to me this past week, the three day weekend could not have come at a better time.  Usually, when this disparity hits the reset plan is always reading...sometimes it's just to escape and fiction is the choice other times it's feedback from the latest research to reaffirm that the actions taking place are correct or to remind what actions should be taken.  This weekend it was the latter and two books by John Hattie were reviewed.

In the weekend readings, "Visible Learning For Teachers" there was a passage that should be shared.

'..."We so often make claims about students, their learning styles, their attitudes, their love or not of schooling, their families and backgrounds, and their culture.  In so many cases, this discussion is about why we can or cannot have an effect on their learning." '  Hattie J, Visible Learning For Teachers (Routledge 2012), p. 25

The beginning of the passage starting thoughts back to our circle of control.  As educators, what is it that can be controlled for our students?

'..." We invent so many ways in which to explain why students cannot learn: it is their learning styles; it is right or left brain strengths or deficits; it is lack of attention; it is their refusal to take their medication; it is their lack of motivation;it is their parents not being supportive; it is because they do not do their work, and so on.  It is not that these explanations are wrong (although some are -  there is no support for learning styles, for example) or right (parental expectations and encouragement are powerful factors), but the underlying premise of most of these claims is the belief that we, as educators, cannot change the student.  It is the belief that is at the root of deficit thinking.  The belief that background factors have the strongest influence on learning would be an argument for putting more resources into poverty and home programs rather than into schooling.  We must consider ourselves positive change agents for students who come to us - for most, it is compulsory that they come to school and sometimes they come reluctantly, but mostly (at least initially) students are eager to be challenged into learning.  My point is that teachers' beliefs and commitments are the greatest influence on student achievement over which we can have some control - and this book outlines these beliefs and commitments." ' Hattie J, Visible Learning For Teachers (Routledge 2012), p. 25

The last sentence was the one that halted the reading for reflection.  Our staff at Deep Creek's beliefs and commitments are the greatest influence we can control on student achievement.  Remember this is not just a motivational speaker speaking from the heart.  This is research based from John Hattie and his team.  Dr. Hattie and his team have conducted more research on impactful learning than anyone before and his research shows that our beliefs on a student's achievement is the greatest influence that can be controlled.

At our pre-school PD the current research from John Hattie was mentioned and the measuring tool below was shared.

Hattie's barometer above shows that the average effect size.

The next few barometers will show the influence effect size of items outside of the school control.  The first will share that Home Environment scores at 0.57 and next Parental Involvement which scores at 0.51.  Both of these effects score slightly over the average effect size of 0.4.  After those two take a look at the effect size that Teacher-Student Relationship shows at 0.72.  Research shows that relationship with students, which we can control has more effect than the other two.

It would be wonderful to always have motivated, well behaved students from extremely involved families.  But we must take all of the students that come off our buses or walk through our front doors and we have to remember that our job is to effect what we can control and follow our mission which is to promote successful leadership in all that we do.  Maybe you didn't need this MMM after last week, maybe last week wasn't your week to feel discourage.  But, I know in our business we all have times that feel challenging.  Just remember to control what we can and that your work in the classroom can have the greatest effect size of all.

Have a great week,

James & Adrienne