Math Common Core Assessments Review

The following is from Associate Superintendent Judy Park at USOE asking for your input on the Common Core State Standards Math Assessments.  Go to the link and look at the light blue box on the right side of the page.  You must complete the input survey by Monday, September 19.

Dear Colleagues,

The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released the Consortium’s draft content specifications for math for review. The contents of this document describe the extent of the consortium’s current development to specify critically important claims about student learning that are derived from the Common Core State Standards.  When finalized, these claims will serve as the basis for the Consortium’s system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers. 

Open and transparent decision-making is one of the Consortium’s central principles.  This draft of the math content specifications is being made available for comment consistent with that principle, and all responses to this work will be considered as it continues to be refined.   Like the ELA/literacy content specifications released earlier this month, organizations and interested stakeholders will have two opportunities to comment on the math document. Feedback on the first draft of the math content specifications will be accepted through September 19 (11:59 p.m. Pacific time). A revised draft will be released in October.

In addition to an official state response that is being prepared, we strongly encourage you to provide your individual/group survey response through the link below.   Your input is essential to ensure that Utah’s voice is considered in the final product. 

Once finalized, the content specifications for math and ELA/literacy will serve as the basis for the SMARTER Balanced system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers.

The math content specifications materials are available at: http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER/Resources.aspx Instructions on how to provide feedback through online surveys for both individual reviewers and groups, and a link to the math content specifications webinar, are posted at the same location soon.

SMARTER Balanced is committed to keeping our partners and stakeholders informed about the Consortium’s work, and to providing opportunities for input.
Thank you for your support as we continue to collaborate on the development of our assessment system.

English, Language Arts, Literacy Common Core Assessments Review

The following is from Judy Park, Assistant Superintendent at the Utah State Office of Education.  If you teach English, Language Arts, or Literacy, please provide input on the assessments by following the directions on the link included by Monday, August 29.


"The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has released the English language arts/literacy (ELA/literacy) content specifications. The contents of this document describe the extent of the consortium’s current development to specify critically important claims about student learning that are derived from the Common Core State Standards. When finalized, these claims will serve as the basis for the Consortium’s system of summative and interim assessments and its formative assessment support for teachers.


"Open and transparent decision-making is one of the Consortium’s central principles. This draft of the English language arts/Literacy content specifications is being made available for comment consistent with that principle, and all responses to this work will be considered as it continues to be refined. In addition to an official state response that is being prepared, we strongly encourage you to provide your individual/group survey response through the link below. Your input is essential to ensure that Utah’s voice is considered in the final product.

"SMARTER Balanced will provide two rounds of review for the ELA/literacy and math content specifications (the math specifications will be released later this month). The first ELA/literacy draft is now available for review through August 29th (11:59 p.m. Pacific time). Instructions on how to provide feedback through online surveys for both individual reviewers and groups are included with the materials posted at:
SMARTER Balanced Consortium.  In addition to the draft ELA/literacy content specifications, the link above includes press materials and a recorded webinar on evidence-based design."

Arts for Teaching Grants

Educators can apply for grants up to $1,000. The grants are to support teachers who will use the arts as an effective learning tool in teaching children who learn differently. Application deadline is September 30, 2011 for the 2011-2012 school year.

See Moss Foundation for more information and an application.

Secondary Common Core Academy

Registration for the Common Core Academy is NOW open to any educator in Utah.
The design of the secondary Common Core Academy can be used across content areas because the standards are mapped backwards from the Career and College Ready Anchor Standards.

You can view the design, resources, and participant expectations at the Common Core Academy website:
Common Core Academy 2011

We have included ALL standards in the Common Core spiral that each participant will receive which includes LITERACY in English, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.

As a result of low enrollment in the secondary we are opening it up for any educator who teaches that grade level no matter what subject.

We want to fill each session with 30 educators and do not want to cancel any sessions!!  We will cancel grade level sessions with enrollment less than 12 in grades 6-12.

Please let colleagues know that we are opening registration and anyone can enroll by going to On Track.  Instructions for registering are below.



OPEN REGISTRATION


Beginning May 17, 2011

FOR THE SUMMER SECONDARY COMMON CORE ACADEMY

How do I register?

Registration for the Common Core Academies is available via OnTrack, the USOE’s on-line professional development portal. Everyone with a CACTUS ID number has an account with OnTrack. Just go to
OnTrack website.  Your username is first name.last name (as it appears on your teaching license) and your password is your CACTUS ID number. If you have log-in issues, there are further instructions on the OnTrack homepage.

Once you have logged in, and created your profile, you can search for the Common Core Academy of your choosing. Select the Professional Learning tab, type in “Common” in the course name, and select “Search.” Find the Common Core Academy location of your choice, select “View Sections,” and select the grade level and content area you desire. If the section does not yet have 30 participants, you can register be selecting the “Register” button. If the section has over 30 participants, you can add yourself to the wait list, or select a different location and section.

Third Grade DIBELS

Three weeks ago, the District was notified by the State Board of Education that the Legislature had found an old law requiring a reading test be given to third graders at the end of the year.  Originally, the IOWA Test of Basic Skills was used.  When the funding ran out, the testing stopped.  Now the legislators want the testing done during the CRT window without providing any money, another unfunded mandate. The Legislature directed the State Board of Education to decide which test would be used.  Due to the lack of time and money, the State Board decided on DIBELS. 

Third grade teachers should have been told they do not have to administer the SRI. Also, teachers administer and report words per minute and errors.  Literacy coaches will be entering the data.

Literacy Coaches Clarification

I only found out last Tuesday about the Literacy Coaches. I asked Interim Superintendent Dave Stoddard about this on Wednesday. He said they are placing all the Coaches back in the classroom, because they don't know if the funding will be there, because some of that money was earmarked by the Legislature for technology. If it turns out there is money to pay for Coaches, they will offer those positions again. The District wanted to be sure the Coaches had jobs for next year.

UVU For the Love of Reading Literacy Conference

Utah Valley University is hosting a literacy conference at Zermatt Resort in Midway on March 11-12.  See Engaged Reading website for more information.  Guest speakers include Christopher Paul Curtis, author of "The Watson's go to Burmingham", Patricia Rilley Giff, author of "Lily's Crossing", and Nadine Wimmer from KSL news.

Special Education Task Force

The Special Education Task Force met yesterday afternoon.  There was a presentation by Maggie Cummings with input from Beth Usui on how Special Education fits with the new Common Core State Standards for Math in particular.  Three different models for implementations were discussed.  There are concerns with how to serve students qualifying for Special Education with IEP Goals in the new courses and class sequence, mainly starting in middle school.  The idea is that all students have exposure to the Common Core, which is less about computation and more about reasoning and proof.  These issues will continue to be discussed and worked through as implementation of the Common Core begins.

Special Education held their first online training.  Those who can be involved receive the HOT Sheets.  More information on additional online training and training through PLC will be announced there.

Special Education had to cut $6.5 million from their budget last year.  The budget is still tenuous.  It will take many years to generate the level of funding had in the past prior to the split and the economic recession.

School Board Retreat

Yesterday the School Board met for a retreat, which was a public meeting, so I attended.  The agenda had items on it I am interested in knowing about.

The first item was Board Meeting Agendas and Procedures.  There was a lot of discussion about what types of items should be discussed in Study Session and what should be part of the General Business Meeting.  I believe some of the presentations given during the Study Sessions are now going to be part of the General Business Meeting.  This would include presentations from district administration on various programs or policies.  There was also talk of adjusting times for Board Meetings. 

Steve Dunham, District Communications Director, came to talk about the website and social media and answer questions.  He showed the Board Members how to search and where to find links to commonly sought information.  They discussed the use of BoardDocs.  Facebook and Twitter accounts have been reserved but not activated, because the Communications Department was cut from four to one person.  Steve doesn't feel he can respond as people on Facebook and Twitter expect at this point.

The Board wants to be more proactive in telling the District's story.  They want the positive aspects of the District to be known.  The website has a lot of information on it.  The Sunshine Review graded the JSD website with an A+ for transparency as far as information found on the website.

Morale of employees was discussed.  Several Board members agreed that employees want to feel valued.  There was a discussion on how to help employees feel valued.  They recognize that it is going to take some time to rebuild trust.  Susan Pulsipher suggested that Board members be visible in schools as often as their time permits and just listen to employee concerns.

Clyde Mason, Director of Compliance and Accountability, gave a presentation on test scores for just the west side current Jordan District for the last five years.  There has been some progress made in closing the achievement gap between Hispanics and Caucasians.  The bar is being raised for NCLB, so they should expect more schools to not make AYP for this year.  Secondary Math and Science scores are down. 

Schools implementing the Math Scope, Sequence, and Assessments are seeing improvement on CRT's. 

The DIBELS testing done mid-year showed approximately 1/3 of students in grades 1-3 were not on grade level at that time.

The District has had a grant to give the EXPLORE test in eighth grade, the PLAN test in tenth grade, and the ACT to all juniors this year.  Using the entire cadre of tests would prove valuable for teachers, students, parents, and counselors in helping find the best path for post-high school education and employment.  These tests would be more meaningful to students than UBSCT, because they gain valuable information and have scores sent to colleges and universities.  The UBSCT was for legislators.

Laura Finlinson, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development, shared information about PLC's, which include learning, collaboration, elimination of failure, commitment, guaranteed curriculum, specific goals, dynamic assessment, planning to improve, learning fixed, and learning for all.  The questions that need to be asked are:  What do we want students know and do? How will we know if they do? What will we do if they don’t? What will we do if they do?

Board members want the School Board to become a PLC.  They want principals who come to Board Meetings to celebrate their schools to talk about how PLC's and collaboration are working in their schools.  They see PLC's as the research based tool for school improvement.
 
Burke Jolley, Business Administrator, presented a 10-year plan for building new schools.  The new elementary in West Jordan is under construction and scheduled to open Fall 2011, and a new middle school in the Herriman/Bingham areas is planned using county equalization money and scheduled to open Fall 2013.
 
Nine other schools are planned to open between Fall 2013 and Fall 2018, including six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.
 
A discussion followed about a bond of about $230 million that will be needed to pay for those nine schools. The Board doesn't think now is the time for a bond election.  They will start an Enrollment and Housing Committee this fall after the new superintendent starts.
 
It was interesting to listen to the discussions.  The Board seems very aware of problems in the district.  They recognize their role is to determine the "What" as far as the direction and policy for the District.  They then leave the "How" that direction and policy are carried out to the administration.    

First Day at the Legislature

Nothing about education came up on the floor today.  HB 199 - Advertisements on School Buses sponsored by Representative Jim Bird of West Jordan was in committee today.  This would bring about $3 million in revenue to the state.  UEA is supporting this bill.

Some resolutions to watch are SJR 1 and SJR 9.  Both address the "general control and supervision of the public education system".  SJR 1 leaves the control with the State Board of Education, "as provided by statute", which statue could be changed.  SJR 9 puts this control in the hands of the Governor.  Both are, in effect, limiting or diminishing the responsibility of the State Board of Education.  Either one would be a constitutional amendment requiring a vote of the people.

Another bill UEA is watching is HB183 - School District Leave Policies sponsored by Representative Grover.  This bill is targeting association leave paid by the school district specifically where the district pays for part of the local association president's full-time salary.  You dues dollars fund my part-time JEA salary.  JEA requests very little association leave time from Jordan District. 

An interesting event going on today was Utah State University's Research on Capitol Hill day.  Undergraduate student researchers had displays about their research and answered questions.  I spoke with Morgan Summers about her research "Critical Issues in Middle and Secondary Mathematics Placement:  A Case Study".  She told me that the implementation of the Common Core State Standards will impact which math classes are available to students in high school, making the initial middle school math placement important. 

I also spoke with Matthew Richardson and Lauren Harper about their work on "The Self-Perceptions of Non-Profit Organizations".  They found that non-profits need to be business-like in dealing with personnel and finances, but that when working with clients, they must work to their non-profit mission.  The conclusion was that non-profits see themselves as stewards of funds and using those funds wisely to move their mission forward.

Council of Local Presidents

Judy Park from the State Office of Education did a presentation on SMARTER Balanced Assessment which will assess the Common Core and will be implemented in the 2014-2015 school year. 

Kory Holdaway, UEA Government Relations Director, discussed the upcoming Legislative Sesison.  You can see a preview of hot issues at the link.  There are several issues that educators will need to monitor and respond to.  As members, you may receive e-mails throughout the session from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh.  Please read them so you know what is happening on the hill and so you can act if necessary.

Sara Jones, UEA Director of Educational Excellence, shared the results of a survey on alternative pay structures. 

There was a lot of information presented at this meeting.  I believe these three items of the most interest and relevance to you right now.

Curriculum

I spoke with Laura Finlinson about elementary reading and math.  She said, "We (the curriculum department) are not here to crack the whip.  We are here to be supportive."  She also stated that if principals request, she will come to individual schools to present the framework into which reading and math fit.  If you are having a lot of questions at your school, ask your principal to invite Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development, to come share this information with your staff. 

Literacy Coaches

I spoke with Kathy Wittke again today about the role of Literacy Coaches and how classroom teachers need to understand the job of the coaches.  The job description was changed this year as the District transitioned from Literacy Facilitators to Literacy Coaches.  The same level of services provided prior to this year cannot be expected with Coaches servicing two schools.  Coaches are to help teachers provide interventions in their classrooms.  Coaches are not to be pulling students out. 

The job description for Literacy Coaches is going to be redefined again.  Kathy has said she will give me that job description once it is finalized.  I will distribute it, so all teachers will understand the role of the Coaches.

Meeting with Superintendent Newbold

I had a good meeting with Superintendent Newbold this morning.  We discussed Literacy Coaches, Guided Reading Levels, Math benchmarks, high school parent teacher conferences, District curriculum specialists, Herriman fire make-up day, and legislative priorities. 

I will be following up on the curriculum and parent teacher conference issues.  The grants funding District curriculum specialists will are for the next two to three years.  The District hopes to phase those positions in a few a year to permanent funding. 

I have received a few e-mails about the Herriman fire make-up day scheduled for Presidents' Day in February.  Superintendent Newbold stated that teachers are correct that the day will not be productive instructionally.  If the day is not made up, the District is out of compliance with the 180-day state law and will lose state funding.  Another issue if the day is not made up is Herriman area teachers receiving pay for not teaching.  The teachers in the other 45 schools would see an inequity in pay.  I hate to deliver the news, but these are the reasons Herriman schools will be in session on Presidents' Day.

The School Board met with Merlynn Newbold, Jim Bird, Ken Ivory, Wayne Harper, and Howard Stephenson's representative, Corbin White.  They discussed the Utah School Board Association's Legislative Priorities and the Jordan School Board's Legislative Priorities.  They are similar but in a different rank order. 

Jordan School District Legislative Priorities, December 2010:

1. No reductions to the 2010-11 state funding levels to public education for the 2011-12 fiscal year.
2. Fund new student growth.
3. Maintain county-wide capital outlay equalization funding.
4. Support efforts that strengthen local control and flexibility for local boards of education.
5. Support direct non-partisan elections for state and local school boards.
6. Reauthorize funding for full-day kindergarten.
7. Provide long-term equalization of funding for school districts.
8. Fully fund state-mandated student transportation.
9. Oppose laws that would enact new education requirements until current requirements are fully funded.
10. Restore the Quality Teaching Block Grant, or provide funds for teacher professional development.
11. Maintain current bond election requirements.

Elementary Reading and Math

I spent the majority of my morning on the phone with Kathy Wittke, Elementary Language Arts Consultant, and Maggie Cummings, Math Consultant, about expectations and roles.

I talked to Kathy about the job of the Literacy Coaches, how that has changed, and what is expected of teachers.  The Literacy Coaches are to be coaching classroom teachers on Tier 1 (classroom) interventions and best practices for teaching literacy.  The Coaches can come into classrooms to demonstrate parts of the Balanced Literacy model, work directly with individual teachers or teams on improving part of their instruction, and help with intervention ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms.  The Coaches are not to be tutoring students.  They can do brief training of aides to tutor students who need Tier 2 (pull-out but not Resource) interventions.  The Literacy Coaches are supposed to be effecting progress for the most students, which translates to helping all teachers become better teachers of literacy skills for all students.  The role is going to be redefined and narrowed in the spring.

Laura Finlinson, Director of Curriculum and Staff Development, has asked that Guided Reading Levels be turned in monthly on all students.  These levels can come from running records, PALS, or Fountas and Pinnell.  She said that is the ideal, but at minimum, students who are below grade level should have their GRL reported monthly.

I talked to Maggie about the Math Scope and Sequence, Blocks, and Benchmark Assessments.  The Scope and Sequence was designed to cover the state core curriculum.  The Blocks within each Benchmark can be taught in any order.  For example, teachers may wish to teach Block 3, then Block 1, then Block 2.  That is fine.  The Block and Benchmark Assessments are meant to be used in a formative way.  Teach the objectives, use the assessment, remediate as needed based on the outcomes of the assessment.  Maggie has asked that teachers submit their class average on the Benchmark Assessments to their principals.  Principals are then to find a grade average for each Benchmark and send that to Maggie.  She then compiles District averages which are sent back to principals.  The purpose of the District gathering this information is so teachers can see how their students are doing in relation to the District as a whole.  Approximately 70% of schools are participating in this data collection process.

For the past 20 years, Jordan District as it is (west side) has had average math scores lower than the state average.  Last year was the first time Jordan's averages were higher than state averages.  Since implementing the Jordan Scope and Sequence, Jordan's average math scores on the CRT's have increased 4.45% while the state increase has been 1.55%.  Schools who have fully implemented and used the Scope and Sequence and Benchmark Assessments with remediation as needed have seen as many as 25% more students score 3 or 4 on the Math CRT.

Using data to guide teaching is best practice.  We should all know where our students are as far as reading levels and math concepts.  Gathering and reporting the data will help us know who needs remediation on what concepts.  Discuss the data in PLC's for the benefit of those students who need the interventions.