To Do:

• I wonder what you think about a statement I recently read… 80% of managers feel like they frequently recognize employee contributions, while 20% of employees feel like they often receive recognition.  That is a pretty wide disconnect.  I wonder, as leaders, if we feel like we are positively recognizing those we work with – when it does not feel like that at all to the receiver?  I’m pretty sure this is true of me.  This makes me (want to be) more aware of how my recognition is received than how/what I give.
• File this one under “to do” and “reminder”… The goal district-wide is to have two mini observations done (especially for those receiving a summative this year and temp employees) prior to winter break.  Conferences next week may be a great time to get some “professional observations” completed!

This and That:

• A few weeks ago I shared some SBAC data with you.  This week I wanted to share some additional data in two different formats (same data).  In addition to what you have already seen, this data also includes “like-school” comparisons in ELA and Math, and “growth percentile” data for ELA and Math.  One of the data sheets is represented by a line graph.  School data is displayed vertically on this page, with specific numbers listed by each data point (which are hard to read in some cases).  The other next page displays data in bar graph format, organized by data points. For example, all schools are grouped around “ELA Score” – which is next to all schools being grouped around “ELA Like-School” data.  On this page schools are represented by color and can be tracked by that color across the page.  Also, the specific percentage for each school is listed about their bar.  (3RVRS Note: only ELA and Math scores signify grades 6 – 8 results.  All other data percentages are indicators of grades 3 – 8 due to the fact that ODE only provides these data by school, not by grade level.)
• There are some new laws around abbreviated school days for students. In a nutshell, we can NOT unilaterally decide that a student will have a shortened day. We must have parent consent.  For students on an IEP, the IEP team can make a decision. Please be sure you are working with your Special Programs support person, Colleen, if you are considering a shortened day for a student on an IEP. She will help you be sure to comply with all requirements.We will need to complete a step up plan and have a signed parent letter for any student on an abbreviated day. Please work with me if you are considering an abbreviated day for any student not on an IEP. I will help you with the letter and step up plan to be sure we are fulfilling all of our obligations.
• The title of an article from Marshall Memo 701 (Sept. 4, 2017) caught my attention. The article, The Five Characteristics of a Highly Effective Team claims that the members of a team matter less than the qualities that a team possesses. This short article outlines the five qualities the author recommends are needed in order to accomplish highly effective work.

Reminders:

• I mentioned to you at our meeting on Monday afternoon that I would share the Simon Sinek video with you that we began to watch.  Again, this is my edited version, while the entire video can be viewed on YouTube. (I also saved this edited video in the PD folder of our TRIBE Google Doc.)