By: Karen White, Educational Consultant at Mentoring Minds

• Name a staff member who has helped you since the last meeting.
• Describe a success experience that one of your students had this month.
• Describe a learning activity that worked in your classroom.
• Share something that you have learned since the last meeting.

Use only one prompt per meeting, and solicit participation from multiple staff members.

• Remind staff and students how they stand on the goals that have been set for the year and encourage them to fi nish the calendar year on a positive note.
• Acknowledge the distractions and challenges that inevitably arise during the holidays, particularly on campuses with young children.
• Provide opportunities for special activities, treats, and a little extra fun in the days immediately preceding a school holiday.
• Present positive expectations for the New Year by giving your staff something to anticipate.
• Generate excitement about a goal or project that can make a real difference early in the New Year. Providing a “forward focus” now will help alleviate the “post-holiday letdown.”

- Show compassion to others -

As a campus leader, start the year by taking an active interest in the personal lives of staff and students. Showing compassion and leading a campus at the same time is possible as a  compassionate leader can still have control and respect. Continue each day by being caring, nurturing, helping, and a people-person. Modeling these behaviors with staff and students on a daily basis cultivates a positive school climate all year long.

- Set the tone of the school -

It is imperative for the campus leader to be a positive role model. Leaders must take time to build positive relationships with all stakeholders. A campus leader should know the pulse of all the people. Face-to-face contact is the best way. Showing interest in the students is an outstanding way to cultivate such relationships. The building can easily take on the tone and personality of the leader. All staff and students model the attitudes and behaviors of the one in charge, so be positive, act positive, and be visible. School leaders need to set a good example for all. A good leader must continually reach out to others. Develop the habit of smiling and encouraging your staff to smile. A smile has a positive effect on staff, students, and parents. Smiles are contagious and can be the beginning of an effective learning environment. Significant learning occurs when there are significant relationships. Students can listen attentively, work diligently, and it could all occur because of a smile.

- Preserve instructional and learning time -

Avoid unnecessary interruptions of classes since this can be disruptive to the learning process. There is only so much time in the school day and sometimes it appears we are prisoners of time. Thus, principals need to be conscious of interruptions and make adjustments to limit them so as not to detract from the learning environment and take away from instruction.

- Acknowledge and inform students about holidays -

It is important to recognize the holidays that families in a school community celebrate. The context of how this is done is key. Whether it is through a display of holiday traditions, reading or listening to literature, or other avenues, flexibility is a guiding factor. Experiences can vary from teacher to teacher or from classroom to classroom, but legal guidelines define how campuses and students celebrate holidays in schools. The goal of these diverse activities is not to celebrate a particular holiday, but to celebrate the students, to gain an understanding of fellow students’ cultures, and to help students recognize, honor, and enjoy the differences among all.

- Set goals to keep the campus team and students on task -

A campus needs to know the goals that they are working toward. Student engagement must be modeled at all times by a campus leader. Planning ahead can alleviate misuse of time and prevent loss of valuable time. Review academic and behavioral expectations. Collaborate with teachers about down time in a classroom. Acknowledge distractions. Obviously, excitement of students or lack of purposeful lessons could lead to down time, so it is best to plan ahead. Effective classroom management must be in place along with instructional plans containing experiences that motivate students. Lessons should include experiences that alternate between active and passive activities. As the holiday season begins, ask teachers what they are most thankful for in their professional lives. These shared comments, in written format, can serve as inspiration. Campus leaders should avoid introduction of new initiatives during approaching holidays since staffs are trying to complete previously assigned tasks. After holidays occur, the staff will return refreshed and ready to continue their teaching passion.

- Keep communication flowing -

Always keep the faculty and students informed to help them remain focused. Provide a newsletter that is informative and sends a message that parents, students, and teachers must work together to resolve conflicts and develop strategies to help students succeed academically and socially. Include reminders of upcoming campus events. Create a campus schedule that celebrates staff and student accomplishments. In addition, provide incentives that show appreciation. Taking action to keep a campus focused at the onset of the school year and communicating high standards continually will promote and maintain an outstanding learning environment all year. A strong focus on student engagement can make a difference!

Written by: Sandra Love, Ed.D

• Substitute a mini tape recorder for a notepad as you make daily campus walks.
• Combine an impromptu visit with a member of your staff with a regular campus walk.
• Adapt forms and letters from previous years by revising them for current needs.
• Magnify the efficiency of your office by maintaining a well-organized system of files.
• Put colored paper to other uses as it becomes a signal for specific types of communication, such as using blue paper for weekly newsletters.
• Eliminate procedures that prove to be inefficient or unproductive.
• Reverse roles by encouraging staff members to assume positions of leadership on your campus.

As you encourage your staff to include creative thinking in daily instruction, it is important that you model its uses and applications in your role as campus leader.

Begin by maintaining a well-managed classroom. Keep students on a regular schedule and expect students to follow established procedures. Reduce distracters within the classroom as much as possible. Activities should be well-planned and materials readily available as students accomplish learning tasks. Play music to calm, to relax, or to signal a change in activity. Be responsive to the physical needs of students.

Plan activities that keep students actively engaged in learning with an academic focus. Using a holiday theme, play games that teach concepts. Produce a play or reader’s theatre based on a holiday book. Have students read and follow a recipe to cook a healthy holiday treat. Involve students in activities that connect art to the holidays by making 3-D ornaments, potato print wrapping paper, and gifts for family members.

In math, have students generate a wish list and calculate the cost of the items. Provide word problems using a holiday theme. Ask students to measure objects using holiday items such as candy canes, ornaments, or bows. In language arts, write holiday poems or stories. Research and write about a holiday from another culture. Interview an older person to compare celebrations of the past with the present. Display seasonal pictures as a prompt for writing assignments. Ask students to fi nd examples of figurative language in holiday poems or books.

Teach social studies and science concepts using a holiday theme. Have students plan and map out a holiday trip. Research and report about how other people celebrate the holidays. Hold a multi-cultural celebration. Ask students to conduct experiments on how twinkle lights work.

For more activities visit: www.weareteachers.com

Article written by: Beverly Collins, M.Ed.

In a document describing the key strands of feedback on the content frameworks, PARCC said that one of the biggest demands was for K-2 frameworks that dovetail with the guidance the frameworks already offer for grades 3 and above. The consortium is already working on formative-assessment tools for K-2, but said it will also now develop content frameworks, to be issued in 2012.

If you’re lost already, take a look at the my (by Catherine Gewertz)  blog post and my story on the content frameworks. In a nutshell, the frameworks are an attempt to capture the key ideas in the common standards to guide curriculum developers, teachers, and test developers.

The “content specifications” issued by the other assessment group, the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, or SBAC, are also discussed in the story. They are a bit different from PARCC’s content frameworks, but both documents begin to put some meat on the bones of the two groups’ visions of the tests they are working on.

SMARTER Balanced’s content specifications came out in draft form in August, and appear to be still undergoing public comment and revision. Finals had been expected out in October, but a revised timeline has now stretched that to mid-to-late November. PARCC’s content frameworks came out in August, too. It extended the feedback period a bit, and now they’re final. You can see the updated versions on the group’s website.

So what’s changed between the first drafts and the finals? On the math side, PARCC says it shortened the document by nearly a third and tried to simplify “technical terminology” that reviewers said made the thing hard to understand. Consortium folks tried to clarify confusion about what concepts and skills were being emphasized and whether the frameworks were tacitly giving teachers permission to ignore some standards.

In response to another strand of reviewer feedback, PARCC also attempts to offer more specifics to guide creation of math courses at the high school level, an area it admits has been “challenging.” They don’t come right out and say it here, but one of the challenges is political: taking steps toward more specificity while steering clear of dictating curriculum. What PARCC does say is that it tries hard in the revised draft to provide “initial, high-level guidance” about courses without specifying all their contents.

On the literacy side of the house, PARCC said it got a lot of requests for content frameworks for grade 12. It won’t do that, but it will—as it has said all along—create “bridge courses” that will beef up seniors’ readiness for college.

Most of the issues with the literacy frameworks centered on balancing areas of emphasis and being clear about intent. For instance, a goodly chunk of those who reviewed them apparently complained that their emphasis on “close reading” of text downplayed the importance of students being able to move between multiple texts and across disciplines. Another chunk criticized them for de-emphasizing the role of imaginative literature, in favor of informative text. Yet other readers took PARCC to task for not being clear enough that multimedia text types were included in references to “text.” Additionally, the consortium tried to respond to criticism that narrative writing was being downplayed in favor of writing to persuade or inform.

All of the feedback is intriguing, of course, since it reflects larger debates about what is in the standards themselves.

But when it comes to the public-comment-and-revision process itself—in a publicly funded project—it would have been even more informative to see the disaggregated input.

It’s one thing to describe the sorts of folks who provided feedback (“educators, principals, superintendents, higher education faculty, school board members, parents, and students.”). It’s another to be able to interpret the feedback based on who gave it (without identifying names, of course). For instance, hearing a math teacher say that the math section is too bogged down in technical terminology is quite a different matter from hearing a parent level the same criticism.

It was very kind of PARCC to summarize the 1,000 responses for us. But I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Why not let us see it for ourselves?

Source: Education Week, November 10, 2011. Article by: Catherine Gewertz

• Talk to your child’s teacher about the subject matter covered on the test. In some schools, a handout is available that explains how parents can assist their children in studying the different subjects tested at each level.
• Look at the testable student expectations on the TEA website. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/
• See how STAAR will change from the previous TAKS. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/
• There are no released STAAR assessments, but there are sample STAAR test items on the TEA website that might be helpful. These give parents a fairly good idea of wording on test items. Remember, these are only samples. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index.aspx?id=2147495410&menu_id=660&menu_id2=795&cid=2147483660
• Subscribe to TEA list services so that when assessment information is available, an e-mail will notify you with the targeted information. Perhaps other test items will be released at a date prior to the next school year.
• Practice using questioning prompts to ask your child higher-level questions about content at the application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation levels. Also, use the prompts from the sample test items, remembering they are ONLY samples.
• This TEA site shares brochures about STAAR that might also be helpful.
• A sister company, First Impact Education, carries STAAR Pamphlets for Parents. These pamphlets have other information for parents.

If you would like to stay informed on updates around STAAR please visit: www.mentoringminds.com/staar

Academic assessment is an integral part of any student’s educational experience. Targeted academic preparation feeds directly into the achievement of students. For teachers, the thought of state assessments might trigger the feeling of heading into unknown territory, which may add to existing anxieties. With two keys to academic success, preparation and time, it is possible to overcome such anxiety and emerge from the assessment experience at a high level of performance.

Preparation Requirements alleviate stress and establish a foundation for success.
Administrators and teachers must know and understand the state’s academic standards to ensure that the curriculum reflects the standards. A campus needs to know the goals toward which they are working. Observation of teachers should occur regularly to validate teachers are addressing the standards. Instructional strategies are tailored to accommodate a constantly shifting population. Diagnosis of student needs, not only at the beginning and end of the year but regularly during the academic year, accurately reflects the progress made and the data informs future instruction. Assessment identifies small problems before they escalate and ensures students are actually learning what teachers are teaching.

Funds must be allocated for purchasing materials that match student needs or align to identified standards. Professional development that complements teacher and campus needs, horizontal and vertical leveled planning, established benchmarks for measuring progress, and effective classroom management are other requirements that must be in place when preparing a campus for success.

Tools for Preparation include people, instructional resources, and student materials or supplies. New teachers can be paired with others for support and encouragement.
Student needs must be measured frequently to maintain accuracy in the identification of students who need additional learning opportunities, students who have achieved mastery, and where confusion in instruction has occurred. Teachers must be provided appropriate instructional resources and receive continuous updates about upcoming state assessment. Tips, ideas, and strategies should be freely shared with teachers to assist students in reaching or sustaining high levels of performance. Lead teachers are identified for sharing content-specific strategies and providing opportunities for other teachers to observe and adapt best practices. 

Mental Preparation motivates faculty and staff. In order to reach success, commitment and a plan to execute campus goals are necessary. Teachers must be familiar with the features of state assessments and confident in the knowledge that state standards prepare students for assessment success. Consistent communication maintains focus and frequent feedback inspires teachers; visibility shows that administrators care and are available, approachable, and supportive. Teachers must be provided essential resources for the implementation of standards and assigned personnel for instructional support. Informative newsletters should be utilized as opposed to meetings when possible, allowing teachers time to plan high-quality instruction, to work directly with students, to collaborate with colleagues, and to reflect personally and professionally.

Celebrations also play an integral part in campus achievement. Administrators must design a campus schedule that recognizes staff and student accomplishments. Incentives that show appreciation and recognize small and large accomplishments toward the overall academic goals are evident. Timely information must also be communicated to parents and to publicize events leading to student success. Communication should be positive, up-to-date, and reflective of the culture of the school.

Time is paramount to increasing student and teacher performance. Preserve instructional and learning experiences by preventing unnecessary interruptions to classrooms since this can be disruptive to the learning process. Be conscious of interruptions and make adjustments to limit them. Build in blocks of time in the master schedule for extended practice or tutorials for students and for networking of ideas among teachers. Arrange common planning time for teachers to meet and strategize, working to increase student performance and improve instructional strategies for targeted areas of need. Create time for sharing success stories, providing feedback and encouragement to both students and teachers. Planning ahead can alleviate or prevent loss of valuable instructional time.

Campus leaders must model student engagement at all times. When students are actively involved in purposeful experiences, interest in learning soars. Instruction aligned to state standards leads to favorable assessment results. Focusing on preparation and time as key elements that yield academic success produces a win-win situation for students, teachers, parents, and community. Preparation and time can reap the desired results…academic success.

Written by: Connie Moore, Educational Consultant at Mentoring Minds

Preparation Requirements alleviate stress and establish a foundation for success.
Administrators and teachers must know and understand the state’s academic standards to ensure that the curriculum reflects the standards. A campus needs to know the goals toward which they are working. Observation of teachers should occur regularly to validate teachers are addressing the standards. Instructional strategies are tailored to accommodate a constantly shifting population. Diagnosis of student needs, not only at the beginning and end of the year but regularly during the academic year, accurately reflects the progress made and the data informs future instruction. Assessment identifies small problems before they escalate and ensures students are actually learning what teachers are teaching.

Funds must be allocated for purchasing materials that match student needs or align to identified standards. Professional development that complements teacher and campus needs, horizontal and vertical leveled planning, established benchmarks for measuring progress, and effective classroom management are other requirements that must be in place when preparing a campus for success.

Tools for Preparation include people, instructional resources, and student materials or supplies. New teachers can be paired with others for support and encouragement.
Student needs must be measured frequently to maintain accuracy in the identification of students who need additional learning opportunities, students who have achieved mastery, and where confusion in instruction has occurred. Teachers must be provided appropriate instructional resources and receive continuous updates about upcoming state assessment. Tips, ideas, and strategies should be freely shared with teachers to assist students in reaching or sustaining high levels of performance. Lead teachers are identified for sharing content-specific strategies and providing opportunities for other teachers to observe and adapt best practices. 

Mental Preparation motivates faculty and staff. In order to reach success, commitment and a plan to execute campus goals are necessary. Teachers must be familiar with the features of state assessments and confident in the knowledge that state standards prepare students for assessment success. Consistent communication maintains focus and frequent feedback inspires teachers; visibility shows that administrators care and are available, approachable, and supportive. Teachers must be provided essential resources for the implementation of standards and assigned personnel for instructional support. Informative newsletters should be utilized as opposed to meetings when possible, allowing teachers time to plan high-quality instruction, to work directly with students, to collaborate with colleagues, and to reflect personally and professionally.

Celebrations also play an integral part in campus achievement. Administrators must design a campus schedule that recognizes staff and student accomplishments. Incentives that show appreciation and recognize small and large accomplishments toward the overall academic goals are evident. Timely information must also be communicated to parents and to publicize events leading to student success. Communication should be positive, up-to-date, and reflective of the culture of the school.

Time is paramount to increasing student and teacher performance. Preserve instructional and learning experiences by preventing unnecessary interruptions to classrooms since this can be disruptive to the learning process. Be conscious of interruptions and make adjustments to limit them. Build in blocks of time in the master schedule for extended practice or tutorials for students and for networking of ideas among teachers. Arrange common planning time for teachers to meet and strategize, working to increase student performance and improve instructional strategies for targeted areas of need. Create time for sharing success stories, providing feedback and encouragement to both students and teachers. Planning ahead can alleviate or prevent loss of valuable instructional time.

Campus leaders must model student engagement at all times. When students are actively involved in purposeful experiences, interest in learning soars. Instruction aligned to state standards leads to favorable assessment results. Focusing on preparation and time as key elements that yield academic success produces a win-win situation for students, teachers, parents, and community. Preparation and time can reap the desired results…academic success.

Written by: Connie Moore, Educational Consultant at Mentoring Minds