March 16th Update

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Literacy Happenings

Foundational Skills Adoption Update
From Lindsley: Did you miss out on any of the presentations at staff meetings regarding the foundational skills adoption? Here is a video recap. It gives a background of the adoption process and outlines what to expect next. Here is a link to the slides presented in the video. The last two slides outline core beliefs. There is a draft of core beliefs and an opportunity for feedback. 

Always feel free to reach out directly (to Lindsley Gehrig or to your Instructional Coach) with any feedback, questions, or wonderings.

Oregon has updated its foundational skills standards to account for new knowledge around the science of reading.

Countdown Student Books available!
If your school is in need of Really Great Reading’s Countdown student books, contact Holly Reynolds at Miller.

Math Happenings 

Here is a great podcast regarding Math Identity & Agency from Math Matters! Math leaders discuss why identity and agency are crucial, especially for students who are historically disadvantaged. Poignant ideas are given for how to create classrooms that are conducive to solidifying identity and agency in students.

March 31, 2022 2:30-3:30 – Supporting Student Growth: DreamBox Insights & Lesson Recommendations – Interpret DreamBox analytics data to identify and support next steps for students, including guided instructional support for students with a prediction of ‘Not On Track’. Register on Performance Matters.

SBAC Math & Literacy

From K-5 Coaches: Large scale summative assessments are designed to measure the health of *systems*. They can help systems look at what we’re doing well, on the whole, and where there is a need for some investments for improvement. They illuminate places where various student groups perform differently than others. They can help us look at matters of pacing, true alignment to the standards, depth and DOK called for by the standards, the quality of instructional materials, and where to invest in professional learning, etc. They are not good at giving us much useful information at the student or even specific classroom level. 

Systems, at their best, are using trends in target data from the summative assessment to address some of the issues mentioned above. Decisions are often made based on students’ summative assessment results that turn them into very high-stakes events. Placement in an AP course or advanced track, frequency of intervention, and so on. And, of course, students pick up on this in ways that affect their identities as learners. A student who sees her name in red and needing Tier 3 support, for example, after taking Smarter Balanced in the spring may believe she’s not good at math or “not a math person.” And the cycle repeats.

Please do not try to cram in additional content or do extensive test prep.  Instead, consider making your students familiar with the platform and learn about available resources to use during testing sessions in this ODE Newsletter.

Inclusive Practices Spotlight

What do INCLUSIVE PRACTICES look like in spaces and structures? 

  • All classrooms and community spaces are physically accessible to all students. 
  • Each classroom has the resources to support sensory and regulation needs. 
  • There are visual displays that are diverse and inclusive of all students. 
  • Learning spaces are set up to meet needs of a variety of learners. 
  • Displays in classrooms create sense of belonging for every student in the class, regardless of quantity of time the student is in the class. 
  • All students who are part of the classroom community have a space to store their belongings and a designated space to access their instruction. 
  • Each student is represented visually within the classroom.

Social Emotional & Mental Well-Being

Technology

Learn more about iPad Screen Time Settings in this blog post: Making Screen Time Work for You.

and finally… Pi Day Activities at Rosland!