HS Building Leaders:
Thursday, a large team from the Ed Center, as well as Michael and three Summit teachers, attended the Statewide Educator Equity Summit in Salem. As we continue our district journey of pursuing excellence through equity, what does this mean for our work as building leaders? Three take aways stood out for me from the summit:
- Equity is not about lowering standards or expectations for students or making excuses due to poverty or race, but building capacity to ensure that the skills of our staff match the needs of our students
- Harnessing the power of STUDENT VOICE to help us know our students and create a culture in which students see the relevance and applicability of what they learn to “real life”
- In an school culture characterized by equity, interventions and punishments are designed to reinforce ethical behavior and reconnect students to learning. Discipline is rooted in values with the focus on changing behaviors and developing constructive citizens
As you consider equity as “a way of being” in your school, reflect on:
- What is the existing equity work already occurring in my building? How can I build on and/or sustain that work?
- What are the barriers to equity that currently exist? What behaviors and/or mind sets need to be in place to eliminate those barriers?
- As a building leader, am I a barrier to, or a facilitator of, equity in my school?
“Practice the art of interpreting situations constructively.” – Unknown
To Do:
School wide Standard Response Protocols (SRP) and Reunification Training:
Please work with your SRO to insure your staff is trained in our Standard Response Protocol (SRP) (lockdown, lockout, evacuation, etc.) prior to school letting out for winter break. You can sign up here
Informational
Update on SLGGS, Minis and Evaluations from Jon: A few changes have been made to our expectations around observations, SLGGS, and evaluations in the last couple of years. Some of the changes have come because the state has changed their rules. Some changes have been put in place to help relieve some of your workload. Expectations this year look exactly like last year. Here is a summary of those expectations:
- Student Learning Growth Goals: We are still required to design Student Learning Growth Goals and the goals still need to reflect student growth. For those of you who want to know more about the expectations, please see this state guidelines document or this quality review checklist.
- Scoring – Last year we changed how we measure the SLGGs. We have removed the state scoring guide and the Oregon Matrix. We are required as a district to make sure we are reflecting on SLGGs in the evaluation. We decided to fulfill this requirement by using Domain 4 Monitoring, Assessment, and Follow-up in our Summative Evaluation Rubric. Domain 4 speaks specifically to how teachers use assessments. SLGGs should be considered when evaluating Domain 4. We expect that other factors, like classroom observations, will influence the scoring of this section as well. There are five different standards in Domain 4. The SLGGs may influence one or more standards in this domain. We trust that teachers and administrators will have a professional conversation related to the SLGGS and Domain 4.
- SLGG Forms- We will be using the same forms with very little change this year. We did remove the scoring guide. HS and MS will use the form in Talent Ed.
- Summative Evaluations: All probationary employees are on Summative Evaluation. Employees of concern need to be on Summative Evaluation. Regular/Contract employees need a Summative Evaluation every two years.
- Observations:
- Probationary Employee= Six observations total. Two formal observations cycles (Pre Obs meeting, Observation for one period and Post Obs Debrief) are required by the state. Four mini observations. Two of the minis can be professional.
- Employee on Summative Evaluation= Six mini observations. Four classroom observations and two professional observations.
- Employee not on Summative Evaluation= Three mini observations. Two classroom observations and one professional observation.
- A Professional Observation includes any meeting where an administrator either observes professional behavior or has a professional conversation with an employee. This may include a SLGGS presentation, MTSS meeting, IEP meeting, PLC meeting, student or parent conference, committee work, etc. In the case of some meetings, it would be appropriate for an administrator to observe several employees at a time. The feedback could be given to the group or to an individual. The important part is to let the employees know that it will be counted as a mini.
- The changes will be published in the newest version of The Professional Growth and Performance Evaluation Manual. We are certain, however, that most employees don’t look at that manual, so it will be up to administrators to share this information with them.
- If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call Jon at Ext. 1104.
MTSS, Grad Coaches and 9th grade on track!
- Thank you to Dean Richards, our District Grad Coach, for presenting at the HS Admin meeting on Monday. Here is his presentation for your convenience. The main purpose of our MTSS work this year is to help us identify, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies that will keep 9th graders ON TRACK. The best current research related to predicting graduation success tells us that 9th graders who are “on track” by the end of their freshmen year (meaning they have passed 6 credits) have a 80% chance of graduating within four years.
- Dean and I (in the am only), along with all of our Grad Coaches, attended the 9th Grade On Track Training sponsored by Stand For Children on Tuesday. Here is the presentation from that conference which includes the data correlating course progression in 9th grade to graduation. You may find this information helpful in your planning.
- Our Grad Coaches are a committed team of educators united around a key purpose of positively impacting each school’s 9th grade on track data! Here is the collective goal the team agreed to yesterday: Use data to change what we do to help students make positive (academic and social) changes. They will be working with Dean to lead the MTSS work in buildings this year and will need strong support from their building admin team
LUNA begins Monday!
- LUNA is another powerful credit recovery option for students needing to earn credits to get back on track. LUNA can also serve as an option for our expelled students until STRIVE opens in the spring. LUNA will kick off on Oct. 1st and is led by Stephanie Bennett. The program is located at the Ed Center and runs M-Th 3-6, although students do have the option of leaving after two hours. Stephanie will work with transportation to schedule rides to the program, but students will need to find a way home. The brochure for LUNA provides comprehensive info about this program. Contact Steph at x1057 if you have additional questions.
Safety Updates:
- Visitor/Volunteer Guidelines- Attached you will find guidelines around visitors and volunteers. Let me know if you have any questions.
- First Aid Certified Staff: Per Bend-La Pine Schools policy EBBA First Aid, “each school shall have, at a minimum, at least one staff member with a current first aid card for every 60 students enrolled. Names of the first aid cardholders will be posted.” Check out the attached spreadsheet to see your school stacks up as we start the new year.
- Standard Response Protocols (SRP) and Reunification Training with John-Michael Keyes: If you missed the 2018 Safe Schools Alliance Safety Day, please consider attending one of the three Oregon trainings coming up in early October.
- This training draws on the research and collaboration of experts in education, law enforcement and emergency management to assemble real-world solutions that can be brought to the classroom. One critical aspect of the training is accountable reunification of students with their parents or guardians after a school crisis or emergency. Together, the SRP (our LockDOWN, LockOUT, etc. protocols) and SRM provide school and district safety teams with proven methods for planning, practicing and achieving a successful response to crises and reunification. Learn more or register online: https://bit.ly/2PKYjom
Student Opportunity: Click here to learn more about this Community Health Advocate Position open to juniors and seniors. I am also forwarding this to our STC team members.
Help from a Behavior Coach: Complete this referral form if would like to connect with one of our highly skilled Behavior Coaches!
Calendar:
New Administrator Training: Oct 1 at 1:45, Ed Center, Board Room
Administrator Meeting: Oct 1 at 3:15, Ed Center, Board Room
New Admin Social – Oct 1 @5:00, Mc Menamins