[00:00:02]
BOARD MEMBERS,[1. Opening Items]
[INAUDIBLE] , OTHER STAFF, AND GUESTS, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY CAROLINE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.OPEN A MEETING AT 4:02 WITH THE MOTION, SECOND, AND ALL IN FAVOR, OPEN THE MEETING AND THEN VOTE IT WITH THE MOTION AND A SECOND TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION, AND ALL IN FAVOR TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL.
NOW WE'RE MOVING INTO OUR 6 O'CLOCK WORK SESSION.
INTERESTED IN A MOTION TO RECONVENE THE OPEN SESSION.
>> MR. BRITON, MOVE, MS. STALE, SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR?[BACKGROUND] AYE.
WE'LL RECONVENE IN AN OPEN SESSION, THANK YOU.
FIRST OFF, LET'S STAND FOR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
THAT WE'VE GOT A SHORT AGENDA FOR THOSE EVENING WORK SESSIONS, BOARD MEMBERS, IF YOU REVIEWED IT, CAN WE GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA?
>> I MAKE A MOTION BY ACCEPTING THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
>> MOTION BY MS. STALE, SECOND BY MS. WAYMAN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR?
WE'VE GOT A FEW REPORTS THIS EVENING.
[2. Report]
IN OUR FEBRUARY MEETING, WE HAD PUSHING THINGS DUE TO TIME, AND WE'VE ASKED DR. SALE TO BRING BACK 2.01, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND CHAIN OF COMMAND.JUST REPORT THE DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW WE OPERATE.
>> ABSOLUTELY. PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
THE FIRST PART OF THIS IS ACTUALLY THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.
I'VE INCLUDED IN HERE ARE OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT BASICALLY WE HAVE THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT AND THOSE THAT REPORT TO MR. NAGEL, AND THEN WE HAVE THE PRINCIPALS WHO ALSO REPORT TO ME, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THAT THREE DIRECTORS THERE, AND THEN OUR PIO PERSON.
ESSENTIAL, IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY PERSON HAS A SUPERVISOR, JUST LIKE MY SUPERVISORS ARE THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT EVERY PERSON HAS A SUPERVISOR THAT CONSIDER THEIR DIRECT SUPPORT OR THEIR DIRECT SUPERVISOR, AND THAT'S THE PERSON WHO EVALUATES THEM, AND THAT IS ESSENTIALLY THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.
IF SOMEONE HAS A PROBLEM, SAY WE HAVE A SUPERVISOR WHO HAS A CONCERN, THEN THEY WILL GO TO WHATEVER DIRECTOR, THAT IS THEIR DIRECT REPORT, THERE THAT THEY DO THEIR EVALUATION FOR.
THIS WOULD BE EXACTLY THE SAME IN THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES.
IF A TEACHER HAD A CONCERN ABOUT SOMETHING, THEN THEY WOULD GO TO THE PRIMARY EVALUATOR, WHICH WOULD BE THEIR PRINCIPAL OR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, THEIR ADMINISTRATION AT THE BUILDING MARBLE.
THE CUSTODIAN HAD A CONCERN, OR A CAFETERIA WORKER HOW TO CONCERN, OR SUPPORT STAFF, SECRETARY, THEY WOULD GO TO THEIR DIRECT REPORT, WHICH IS THEIR PERSON WHO DOES THEIR EVALUATION AND THAT WOULD BE THEIR ADMINISTRATION.
IF THERE'S ANY CONCERN THAT THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEIR DIRECT REPORT IS HANDLING THE SITUATION APPROPRIATELY, THEN THEY WOULD GO TO HR, AND THAT WOULD BE THEIR FIRST STEP TO REPORT THAT TO HR.
THAT IS ESSENTIALLY HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS, THAT EVERYBODY HAS A DIRECT REPORT.
THAT DIRECT REPORT DOES YOUR EVALUATION AND THAT IS THE PERSON THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS AT ALL THAT YOU SHOULD GO TO AS IT RELATES TO REPORTING ANY TYPE OF CONCERN OR REALLY JUST SHARING ANY TYPE OF INFORMATION AT ALL.
>> [INAUDIBLE] JUST LOOKS STRAIGHT FORWARD AND IT LOOK SIMPLE ENOUGH.
>> BUT THE REALITY IS IT'S NOT, ESPECIALLY AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL.
[BACKGROUND] BECAUSE IF I GOT THE TEACHER, I NEVER KNEW WHO DO I GO TO, DO I GO TO THE COACH? DO I GO TO THE CONTENT SUPERVISOR? DO I GO TO [INAUDIBLE] , DO I GO PRINCIPLE? NONE OF THEM EVER KNEW WHICH ONE YOU GO TO.
SOMETIMES CHANGE COMMAND NOT ONLY GOES UP, BUT IT NEEDS TO COME DOWN STRAIGHT FORWARD, AND IT DIDN'T.
I'M JUST USING ME FOR EXAMPLE, I WOULD SOMETIMES GET FOUR DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS FROM FOUR DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH THEM MIGHT CHANGE IN COMMAND, AND QUITE OFTEN, THERE WAS NOT THE SAME INFORMATION.
YOU'RE SITTING THERE, "WHAT DO I DO, WHO MAKE ME KNOW?"
[00:05:05]
IN MY OPINION, WE NEED TO CLEAR THAT UP.I JUST MAYBE BEING IN THE MILITARY, WHAT COMES UP, GOT TO CLOSE THAT DOWN.
EVEN IN THE MILITARY, THE COMMANDING OFFICER WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO COME STRAIGHT TO THE PETTY OFFICER, THEY HAD TO COME DOWN IN CHAIN OF COMMAND UNTIL THERE IS CONFUSION, WHO YOU GOT UP.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT CHANGES AND THEY'RE NOT BEING TOLD.
I WOULD DO THINGS THAT I HAD GOTTEN PERMISSION TO DO FROM THE PRINCIPAL, THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE, "OH, NO.
YOU DON'T GET PERMISSION FROM THEM, YOU'VE GOT TO GO TO YOUR CONTENT SUPERVISOR." THEN YOU GO TO CONTENT SUPERVISORS, I DON'T KNOW, AND THEN YOU SIT THERE.
>> DONNA, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? I'M JUST CURIOUS. WHEN WAS THAT? WHAT YEAR, HOW MANY YEARS?
>> BUT I MEAN, WHEN YOU WERE SAYING SOME OF THESE CONCERNS YOU, YOU HAD AT WHAT POINT? HOW MANY WAS THAT? THROUGHOUT THE LAST THREE YEARS, FIVE YEARS AGO, FOUR YEARS AGO?
>> IT WAS VERY HONEST WITH THAT THE WHOLE 22 YEARS.
>> AT DIFFERENT POINTS, IT WAS A CONSTANT.
AT A TIMES IT WILL GET REALLY BAD AND THEN PEOPLE WOULD COMPLAIN.
IT WOULD GET BETTER FOR A WHILE, BUT THEN EVERYTHING ELSE, IT WOULD JUST HEAVEN FLOW.
>> I'M ASKING THAT BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE INTERNAL FROM THE TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE, BUT I KNOW DR. SALE, I GUESS.
NOT TO CUT YOUR QUESTION OFF, BUT I KNOW IT'S CHANGED.
THE FLOW CHART I'VE SEEN HAS CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST I DON'T KNOW, TWO OR THREE SUPERINTENDENTS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.
WHEN THE TOP CHANGES, DOES THAT AFFECT THE SCHOOLS, SHOULD IT OR SHOULDN'T IT?
>> IT SHOULD NOT. IT'S ALWAYS YOUR DIRECT REPORT IS A PERSON WHO DOES YOUR EVALUATION.
IN A SCHOOL, THE PERSON WHO DOES THE EVALUATIONS, THE PRINCIPAL, AND THEY OBVIOUSLY DO THAT IN COLLABORATION WITH CONTENT SUPERVISORS WITH THEIR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OR WHOEVER ARE THE OTHER PLAYERS BUT THEIR DIRECT REPORT IS THE PRINCIPLE AS IT RELATES TO ALL OF YOUR PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSIDERED SCHOOL FOLKS HERE.
[BACKGROUND] [INAUDIBLE] WHOEVER SHOWS IT HERE ON THAT PART.
FOR INSTANCE, YOU'LL SEE WITH DR. SIMMONS, WHO IS HIS DIRECT REPORT THERE, YOU'LL SEE MR. ALLEN, THIS IS FRENCH, MRS. FISHER, AND MRS. YOST, THOSE ARE THEIR DIRECT REPORTS.
THAT MEANS HE DOES THEIR EVALUATIONS, SO IF THEY HAD A CONCERN, THEY KNOW THAT I NEED TO GO TO DR. SIMMONS.
HE'S MY FIRST OF CONTACT, AND IF I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'VE GOTTEN WHAT I NEED FROM THAT THEN THE NEXT PERSON.
>>WAS IT THE TEACHERS WHO WROTE IT OR THE PRINCIPAL?
>> GREAT? THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I START HERE.
>> BUT DON'T SAY THEORETICAL, YES, AND I AGREE, BUT THE REALITY, THAT'S NOT ALWAYS WHAT HAPPENS, AND THEY'RE GETTING CONFLICTING INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING TOLD HOW YOU QUOTE THIS YOU.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK.
>> BUT, IS THERE ANYTHING WE COULD DO, PEOPLE KNOW WHO TO LISTEN TO? [BACKGROUND].
>> [INAUDIBLE] OFF PRINCIPAL CALLS FOR [INAUDIBLE] THE CHAIN OF COMMAND THAT IF THEY HAVE A QUESTION THAT THEY SHOULD FEEL FREE AND OPEN TO THE PRINCIPLE OF THE BUILDING.
>> BUT WHAT IF OTHER PEOPLE ARE COMING AND TELLING THEM TO DO SOMETHING?
>> YOU CAN CONTACT THE PRINCIPAL.
THE PRINCIPAL TOOK CARE OF MY CONCERNS SO THE PRINCIPAL CAN MOVE TO RESOLVE THAT CONCERN, [OVERLAPPING]AND IF THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THE PRINCIPAL HAS DONE THAT, THEN THEY NEED TO GO TO HR.
>> I WILL SAY WE KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS YEAR WE PUT IN PLACE SUPERVISOR AND PRINCIPLE CALLS, SO THE COLLABORATION, THERE, AND IF YOU SEND MESSAGE, I BELIEVE IS CLEAR.
NOW, I'M NOT SAYING THAT WASN'T YOUR NUMERICAL ORDER, BUT I KNOW THAT THOSE MEETINGS HAVE HELPED.
JUST TAKE IT FROM, YOU OUGHT TO REPEAT THAT.
>> I APOLOGIZE, I'D FORGOTTEN I TURNED IT OFF.
[LAUGHTER] SO THIS SCHOOL YEAR WE HAVE BEGUN CONTENT SUPERVISORS AND PRINCIPALS MEETING.
I BELIEVE IT'S ONE TO TWO TIMES A MONTH, EVEN OVER AND ABOVE PRINCIPAL CALLS AND ANS MORE LIKE OUR LEVEL MEETINGS.
[00:10:01]
SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THAT TIME FOR TOPICS WHERE WE CAN HAVE CONSISTENCY.>> WELL, THAT SOUNDS, IF WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT BEFORE BECAUSE I WAS SITTING HERE AGAIN, NOT KNOWING ANY INTERNAL BUT A PRINCIPAL CAN'T BE A MASTER OF ALL TOPICS, YOU KNOW, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND ENGLISH, WHATEVER.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO THE CONTENT'S COMING FROM THE CONTENT SUPERVISORS.
BUT THEY'RE NOT ACTIVELY PART OF THE EVALUATION PROCESS.
>> SUPERVISORS ARE A ACTIVE PART.
>>ABSOLUTELY, THEY DO OBSERVATION.
>> BUT THE PRINCIPAL IS ULTIMATELY THE POINT [OVERLAPPING]
>>RIGHT? EXACTLY THE PRINCIPAL'S ULTIMATELY THE ONE WHO PUTS THEIR SIGNATURE ON THE BOTTOM LINE, IF YOU WANT TO SAY IT THAT WAY.
BUT THEY ALSO SOMETIME IT'S CONSIDERED THEIR DESIGNEE.
SO SOMETIMES THE BOTTOM LINE OF THAT EVALUATION IS ACTUALLY THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL.
SO THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM IS ESSENTIALLY WHO YOU COULD GO TO IF YOU HAD ANY TYPE OF CONCERN.
>> AND THEN YOU'RE SAYING IF THERE'S AN ISSUE, THEY CAN GO TO HR.
>> IF THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEY'VE BEEN ADDRESSED APPROPRIATELY IN THE SCHOOL, THEN YEAH.
YES. AND THEY SHOULD GO TO HR AND SAY, "I WENT TO PRINCIPAL OR I WENT TO SO AND SO AND BASICALLY THEY WERE RUDE AND AFTERWARDS WE COULD WRITE A REPORT AND SAY, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I GOT THAT RESOLVED TO WHAT I WANT IT TO BE.
SO THEY WOULD GO TO HR AND HR WOULD ADDRESS THAT TO SEE WHAT THE CONCERN WAS.
WAS IT APPROPRIATE OR WAS IT NOT.
>> SO WHAT HAPPENED? BECAUSE A LARGE MAJORITY OF THE TIME IT BECOMES A HE SAID, SHE SAID.
SO WHERE'S THE PERSON RECOURSE AFTER THAT? BECAUSE FOR THE MOST PART, THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE THE WORD OF THE HIGHER UP IN THE SITUATION.
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT I AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT.
>> [OVERLAPPING] HR IS THE PLACES THEY GO.
HR DOES ALL OUR FORMAL INVESTIGATIONS.
>> AND IF THEY STILL HAVE AN ISSUE, THEY STILL DON'T THINK [OVERLAPPING].
>> THEY CAN PUT IT IN WRITING TO HR.
>> BUT YOU'RE MISSING MY QUESTION. THEY WENT TO HR.
SO YOU'RE SAYING HR, THAT'S IT.
THAT'S THE END OF THE ROAD, THEY HAVE NO RECOURSE AFTER THAT.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN BY RECOURSE.
DO YOU WANT TO GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE? GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF AN ISSUE THAT WASN'T RESOLVED.
>> LET'S SAY A STAFF MEMBER SAYS THEY WERE LIED TO.
>> [OVERLAPPING] CAN YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE LIKE A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE?
>> I CAN GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE WHEN I WAS LIED TO.
>> WELL, I GUESS WE CAN'T GET INTO SPECIFICS ON PERSONNEL NOW AND ABOUT CONCERNS OR ANYTHING, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
I GUESS MY MIND IS TRYING TO INTERPRET WHAT MR. JACKSON WAS TRYING TO GET TO.
AND SO IF A STAFF MEMBER HAS AN ISSUE, AT SCHOOL LEVEL, THEY WOULD GO TO THE PRINCIPAL OR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM ULTIMATELY TO THE PRINCIPAL EVENTUALLY.
>> AND IF THEY'RE NOT HAPPY, THEY SHOULD GO TO HR?
>> AND IF THEY'RE NOT HAPPY WITH HR, THEY CAN GO TO, I'M GUESSING THE SUPERINTENDENT OR IS THERE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT IN BETWEEN THERE?
>> WELL, THERE'S DIRECTORS AND ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS, I GUESS IT WOULD HONESTLY DEPENDS ON WHAT THE CONTENT IS.
>> OKAY. SO IS IT A CURRICULUM ISSUE? IS IT A SEXUAL HARASSMENT ISSUE? IS IT A WORKHOUSE SAFETY ISSUE?
>> [OVERLAPPING] EXACTLY. YEAH CORRECT.
>> HAVE WE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT GETTING LIKE A COMPANY THAT'S NOT IN THE COUNTY TO LOOK AT THINGS OBJECTIVELY, SO IT'S NOT BIASED.
>> I PERSONALLY HAVE NOT LOOKED AT THAT. I DON'T FEEL THAT.
I MEAN, PERSONALLY, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY LEVEL THAT'S COME TO ME TO MY ATTENTION TO THAT WOULD BE WARRANTED TO INVESTIGATE AND SEND THE MONEY TO DO SO.
WE'VE SEEN TO BE ABLE TO RESOLVE ISSUES.
I HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING COME ACROSS THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO RESOLVE.
>> I THINK PEOPLE FEAR OF RETRIBUTION.
PEOPLE NEED THEIR JOB, THEY'RE JUST GOING TO PUSH THINGS SO FAR.
AND THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WE LOOK AT.
THE NON-BIAS WAY OF THINGS BEING LOOKED AT WELL AWARE.
>> I WORKED FOR IN A JOB WHERE I DON'T HAVE A REP I MEAN, A REPRESENTATIVE.
SO IF I DON'T ADVOCATE FOR MYSELF, NO ONE'S GOING TO ADVOCATE FOR ME, SO I DON'T HAVE A UNION.
SO AT WHAT POINT DOES THE UNION FALL INTO THIS.
>> A STAFF MEMBER CAN GO TO A UNION AT ANY TIME.
>> IF IT'S A TEACHER AND I GUESS IF IT'S NOT A TEACHER, THIS TEACHERS UNION ISN'T APPLICABLE I GUESS.
AND THEY CAN GO TO THEIR UNION REPRESENTATIVES AT ANYTIME TO SHARE ANY INFORMATION THAT THEY WANT.
AND THE UNION SHOULD GUIDE THEM WHATEVER APPROPRIATE ACTION THE UNION FEELS THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE AT THAT TIME.
AND THAT WOULD BE VARIOUS THINGS DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION.
IS IT AN OBSERVATION THAT A TEACHER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT? YOU KNOW, THE REPRESENTATION FROM THE UNION WOULD ASSIST THEM ON WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO WRITE
[00:15:02]
A REBUTTAL OR WHATEVER THEY WOULD NEED TO DO.>> IS THIS DISTRIBUTED FROM THE TOP DOWN? IS IT DISTRIBUTED SO TEACHERS HAVE A CONFIDENCE.
>> THIS IS ACTUALLY IN OUR BACK TO SCHOOL.
WE TYPICALLY LIKE WE DID IT THIS YEAR, HAVE THIS HUGE BACK TO SCHOOL.
I SENT A VIDEO MESSAGE, BUT TYPICALLY THIS IS PART OF THAT BACK TO SCHOOL.
CERTAINLY IS PART OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM THAT HAS IT BEEN [INAUDIBLE] WE DO ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES EVERY YEAR AND THAT'S JUST PART OF THAT.
>> COULD IT BE SOMETHING WHERE TEACHERS ARE THE DIRECT ONE?
>> SO THAT WOULD BE VERY EASY DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE DIRECT ONE WOULD BE THE PRINCIPAL.
>> SO THEN THE PRINCIPAL SHOULD BE THE ONE COMING TO THEM ALSO TO TELL THEM YOU NEED TO DO THIS.
IT SHOULDN'T BE COMING FROM FOUR OR FIVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
>> NO, IT DEPENDS ON, IF ITS CONTENT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE PRINCIPAL, IT COULD BE A COACH, IT COULD BE A SUPERVISOR, IT COULD BE A DIRECTOR.
IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THE CONTENT IS.
>>SO THERE'S KIND OF A CLEAR CHAIN OF COMMAND GOING UP, BUT NOT REALLY DOWN.
>> I DISAGREE WITH THAT, BUT YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION AND I APPRECIATE YOUR OPINION AND I APPRECIATE YOU SHARING.
>> YOU'VE KIND OF EVEN ADMITTED THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS PERSON, THIS PERSON, THIS PERSON OR THAT PERSON.
>> IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE CONTENT IS.
BUT WHEN IT ROLLS DOWN TO EVALUATION, IF THEY HAVE A CONCERN AND IT NEEDS TO GO TO THE PRINCIPAL.
AND THE PRINCIPAL MAY SAY, "HEY, LET ME SET YOU UP WITH A MEETING WITH THE SUPERVISOR OR THE DIRECTOR SO WE CAN WORK THROUGH WHATEVER CONCERN YOU HAVE." THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LISTEN TO MULTIPLE, WE CAN'T JUST HAVE THE PRINCIPAL DELIVER ALL INFORMATION BECAUSE WE HAVE CONTENT SPECIALISTS, WE HAVE SUPERVISORS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD.
>> I GET THAT. [OVERLAPPING] SO ITS JUST THEM SAYING, DOWN IS COOL, BUT WELL, UP IS CLEAR DOWN, NOT SO MUCH.
>> OKAY, WELL THAT'S YOUR OPINION I APPRECIATE THAT.
>> COMMENT I HAVE. SO LARGE ORGANIZATIONS AND I RAN ONE, ACTUALLY MORE THAN ONE.
AND IT'S KIND OF AN OLD THEORY IN LEADERSHIP FOR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, LINE AND STAFF, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE LINE AND STAFF, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, VERY STANDARD.
SO LINE AUTHORITY, THAT'S WHO APPROVES YOUR LEAVE, THAT'S WHO DOES YOUR EVALUATION IN BUSINESS AS WHO HIRES AND FIRES.
UNLESS THERE'S AN OWNER WHO STEPS IN AND FIRES PEOPLE WHENEVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT.
AND AGAIN, ORGANIZATION I RAN IS COMPARABLE TO THIS, THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT YOUR DIRECT SUPERVISOR, THEY'RE GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO.
BUT NOW ALL SUDDEN, HERE COMES ALONG THIS EXPERT WHO MAYBE IS AN EXPERT IN MARYLAND STATE HISTORY.
AND YOUR MANAGING PROPERTY THAT'S MARYLAND, HAS HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE AND NOW THEY'RE TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO. AND HERE COMES SOMEBODY ELSE.
IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT AND THEY'RE TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO.
AND HERE COMES THIS PERSON WHO'S ANOTHER EXPERT AND NOW THEY'RE TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO.
SO THE ONLY SOLUTION TO THAT IS LINE.
YOU'RE APPLYING PERSON, WHOEVER YOU MIGHT BE, YOU HAVEN'T APPLYING PERSON, IT'S THEIR JOB TO RESOLVE THIS IF YOU'RE HAVING THAT PROBLEM SO THAT YOU HAVE THAT STRUCTURE.
IT LOOKS RIGHT, IT'S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
AND I THINK BASED ON THE QUESTIONS AT DONNA'S RAISING OR MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE MAY HAVE.
IT'S A FAIR QUESTION WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR MEETINGS WITH STAFF TO SAY, SO HOW'S IT GOING? WHERE IS IT BREAKING DOWN? WHO IS GETTING CONFUSING MIXED MESSAGES, AND WHO IS THE OMBUDSMAN, SO TO SPEAK, THE FIXER OF THOSE PROBLEMS? IF IT SEEMS ALMOST LIKE THE PRINCIPAL, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW.
SO IF YOU'RE HEARING THAT SOME OF THAT STUFF IS GOING ON, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS JUST HAVE THAT CONVERSATION IF YOU DON'T ALREADY.
WHERE IS IT BREAKING DOWN WE'RE HEARING THERE ARE SOME BREAKDOWNS.
TELL ME ABOUT WHAT'S NOT WORKING.
AND THEN I'M, YOU KNOW, ANY ORGANIZATION WITH THIS MANY PEOPLE IS ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE THOSE BREAKDOWNS.
THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WORK TO HAVE THOSE BREAKDOWNS HAPPEN.
THEY LIKE TO HAVE THE MAP MOVING DOWNWARD AND MOVING UP, RIGHT? IT'S KIND OF LIKE USURPING AUTHORITY GOING AROUND THE END OR THEY DON'T LIKE THE ORDER, SO THEY MAKE UP THEIR OWN OR THEY'RE JUST PUSHING THEIR OWN AGENDA SO HARD, YOU KNOW, I GUESS SPECIAL ED PEOPLE ARE ACCUSED OF THAT.
BUT PEOPLE ARE ACCUSED OF THAT ALL THE TIME.
I'M THE IT PERSON AND THAT'S A MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE WORLD, RIGHT? BECAUSE HE CAN SHUT US RIGHT DOWN ANY TIME HE WANTS.
BUT ALL KIDDING ASIDE, THERE'S BREAKDOWNS.
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS, I MEAN, THIS IS CLASSIC APPROPRIATE LINE AND STAFF MANAGEMENT.
AND IF IT'S BREAKING DOWN, MAYBE SEE WHERE IT IS, WHERE THE BREAKDOWNS ARE, ENOUGH SAID.
[00:20:02]
>> YEAH. I MEAN, IT'S OBVIOUSLY SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE BUILDINGS IN THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE COUNTY.
OUR TEACHERS ARE PROFESSIONALS, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR CONTENT SUPERVISORS.
MAYBE IT'S JUST SOMETHING WE SAY.
MAYBE IT'S JUST SOMETHING WE NEED TO CLARIFY.
>> SURE. WE HAVE CALLS ON THIS MAINLY.
TRAIN SUPERVISORS AND PRINCIPLES, I'LL BE HAPPY TO REITERATE THAT AND TO ASK THEM TO REVIEW EXACTLY WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS THIS SLIDE HERE.
FOR EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AND DEBBIE IS ON THE LINE THAT DEBBIE MIGHT HAVE TO REFRESH MY MEMORY, BUT I GUESS SHE'S BEEN WITH US AT LEAST TWO YEARS NOW, AND THAT WAS A MOVE TO HAVE A DEDICATED CERTIFIED HUMAN RESOURCE EMPLOYEE.
BECAUSE OF DOING THAT, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY INCREASE OUR EMPLOYEE RELATIONS.
I'VE PROVIDED SOME WAYS THAT WE'VE DONE THAT WHICH THERE'S EASIER ACCESS TO DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS, THE HANDBOOKS, PORTS, ALL DATA THROUGH.
WE NOW HAVE A DEDICATED HR E-MAIL, AND THOSE RESPONSES ARE VERY TIMELY FOR STAFF SO THEY CAN E-MAIL HR AT ANY TIME AND THEY'LL GET A RESPONSE FROM THAT.
WE HAVE PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED THE THIRD-PARTY SURVEY, WHICH IS OUT RIGHT NOW.
MR. NEWCOMB, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTER.
WE DIDN'T SEND THAT OUT TODAY, AND SO WE'VE HAD QUITE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE COMPLETED THE SURVEY, BUT I KNOW THAT YOUR LETTER WILL ENCOURAGE THOSE TO CONTINUE TO FINISH TO PARTICIPATE.
I'D SAY WE BUT I REALLY GIVE CREDIT TO DEBBIE.
WE'VE AUTOMATED THE APPLICATIONS, REFERENCES, ON-BOARDING, AND EXIT INTERVIEWS.
WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THINGS IN REAL-TIME.
WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE A LARGER REACH AS IT RELATES TO PICKING UP CANDIDATES.
THE ON-BOARDING PROCESS IS MUCH SIMPLER.
THEN OUR EXIT INTERVIEWS AGAIN ARE IN REAL-TIME AND WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY SEE SOME THEMES AND BE ABLE TO LOOK AT DATA IN A MUCH DIFFERENT WAY.
HIGH VISIBILITY WITH OUR APPLICANTS NATIONALLY, I MEAN DEBBIE IS GOING TO AGAIN, THAT OUTREACH IS SO MUCH FURTHER THAN IT'S EVER BEEN BEFORE, AND JUST AN OVERALL INCREASE IN COMMUNICATION.
CERTAINLY, WITH THE HELP OF DEBBIE, SHE PROVIDES A LANGUAGE FOR THEM AND SO DOES ACTUALLY SANDY BERRY AS IT RELATES TO WEEKLY UPDATES ON HR ISSUES AND SUCH, AND REALLY ALL THE PRINCIPLES COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR STAFF IN WRITING AND A MINIMAL ONCE A WEEK.
ACTUALLY NOW INSTEAD OF DOING ALMOST LIKE A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR PARENTS, THEY'RE REALLY DOING ALMOST A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER FOR PARENTS.
THE COMMUNICATION HAS JUST REALLY BEEN A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL.
>> I HAD A QUESTION PROBABLY FOR DEBBIE.
>> SHE SAYS SHE'S ON GETTING BY WITH THE INCREASE IN BEING ABLE TO REACH OUT TO MUCH FURTHER DISTANCES OR TEACHER HIRING IN ALL, HAVE WE HAD ANY SUCCESS WITH BRINGING MINORITIES IN? SHE CAN'T ANSWER THAT. SHE UPDATED THE BOARD ON PRETTY MUCH ALMOST MONTHLY OR IN RECRUITING SEASON LAST YEAR, BUT DEBBIE NOT TO CHUNK.
DO YOU HAVE ANY [OVERLAPPING] STATISTICS?
>> ACTUALLY WHAT HAPPENED PART OF IS WE'VE BOUGHT INTO THIS TALENT EDIT THE POWERSCHOOL PRODUCT.
AN OFFSHOOT OF THAT IS CALLED SCHOOL SPRAYING, WHICH POSTS ALL OVER, EVERYWHERE, AND FRANKLY, JOB BOARDS PULL OUR JOBS AS WELL.
I'LL ACTUALLY GO A STEP FURTHER WITH YOUR QUESTION NOW.
THERE'S A PLATFORM THAT'S USED WHICH I DIDN'T REALLY GET TO TALK ABOUT LAST BOARD MEETING CALLED HANDSHAKE, WHICH MOSTLY ALL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES USE NOW.
WE'RE ABLE TO POST JOBS THROUGH HANDSHAKE DIRECTLY TO THE CAREER SERVICES AND CAREER RELATIONS DEPARTMENTS.
THAT IS ONE OF MY PUSHES THIS YEAR AS WOMEN IS TO REACH OUT FURTHER.
TO HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES, MINORITIES TO POST OUR JOBS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, THEN WE WOULDN'T NORMALLY AND AGAIN,
[00:25:02]
ON THAT PLATFORM, IT GOES EVERYWHERE.>> OKAY. I JUST KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING. I'M SORRY.
YEAH, BUT THERE'S STILL COMMUNITY.
I JUST KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY, JUST LIKE WE HAVE AMONG STUDENTS THAT WE TRY TO BRING THAT DIVERSITY.
AMONG OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO SEE THE POSSIBILITIES FOR THIS.
>> DEBBIE, WHAT I THINK WHAT MICHELLE WAS TRYING TO ASK IS, LAST YEAR, CAN YOU GIVE A BALLPARK OF HOW MANY PROFESSIONAL STAFF THAT WE HIRED AND HOW MANY OF THEM FELL INTO A CATEGORY OF DIVERSITY OR MINORITY CANDIDATES?
>> WELL, I MEAN, WE STRIVE FOR A 10 PERCENT.
I KNOW WE DID NOT HIT THAT LAST YEAR OF OUR HIRING.
I'D HAVE TO GO BACK TO MY SLIDES.
I DIDN'T COMMIT THAT TO MEMORY, BUT I KNOW WE DID NOT HIT OUR INTERNAL, MY PERSONAL GOAL OF 10 PERCENT HIRES.
WE CLOSE BUT WE DIDN'T HIT IT.
>> OKAY. AS LONG AS WE KEEP PUSHING. [OVERLAPPING] JUST CAN YOU FOLLOW WITH THE BOARD TO ENSURE THAT SLIDE THAT WE USED IN THE SPRING OF LAST YEAR THAT WELL, IT'S PROBABLY LATE SPRING AS WE WERE TRYING TO CONCLUDE HIRING.
>> IT WAS ACTUALLY IN A FALL. IT'S FROM THE SEPTEMBER MEETING, BUT I'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THAT OUT.
>> CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU SPECIFICALLY DO TO TRY TO GET MINORITIES OR HIRE THEM? LIKE IS THERE SPECIAL RECRUITING THAT WE DO? DO WE LOOK IN DIFFERENT PLACES? HOW DO WE GO ABOUT DOING THAT?
>> IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK AT, TRYING TO TARGET A LITTLE BIT AGAIN WITH THIS PLATFORM HANDSHAKE, TRYING TO TARGET SOME MORE COLLEGES OUT THERE.
OBVIOUSLY, WE TRIED TO GO, WE'VE GONE YEARS PASSED TO OUR HISTORICALLY THAT COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES.
I KNOW THAT WITH OUR MARYLAND SCHOOLS ATTENDING THOSE VIRTUAL FAIRS AS WELL BEING PRESENT, REACHING OUT DIRECTLY TO THOSE, THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION FOR SOME OF OUR CLOSER SCHOOLS SUCH AS, AGAIN, LIKE MISALIGNMENT-S THAT BUOY AND UMES, EVEN DELL STATE WE'VE HAD SUCCESS AT AND MORGAN STATE, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WE'VE GONE DIRECTLY TO THOSE COLLEGES AS WELL.
>> HOW ABOUT THE HISPANIC POPULATION OR THE ASIAN OR EVEN THE GAY POPULATION? HOW ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT?
>> IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO MORE.
I WOULD LIKE TO REACH OUT AND LOOK FURTHER FOR SURE.
I THINK WE ALWAYS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT THERE.
>> I THINK WE'RE IN FOR THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS.
I'LL TELL YOU THAT WE TALK ABOUT THIS EVERY YEAR, EVERY YEAR WITH UH, RECRUITING UPDATES, AND WHAT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES WE GET TO.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S EVER-PRESENT AND ANNUALLY DISCUSSED.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GETTING ANY BETTER.
I MEAN, FROM MY EXPERIENCE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GETTING ANY BETTER.
SADLY, AS PART OF THE REASON, I'M PROUD THOUGH IS OTHER THAN GROW ON OUR OWN.
WE'VE HEARD THAT TOO, IS THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN BORN AND RAISED IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT, YOU'D GO TO COLLEGE TEACHER TO COLLEGE AND MAYBE ARE INTERESTED IN WE OFFER HIM A JOB FIRST, EVEN IF THEY COME HERE.
THIS RURAL COUNTY ISN'T THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE, IT'S NOT THEIR LEVEL OF COMFORT.
IT'S GOT DIFFERENT CHALLENGES THAN WHAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.
THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY THEY GET, EVEN THOUGH WE HIRE THEM AND THEY'RE GREAT AND I'M JUST GOOD FIT.
IF THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE, THEY MOVE ON. I DON'T KNOW WE'VE HEARD THAT IN THESE DISCUSSIONS BEFORE, BUT I'M GLAD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT THE ONE THING WE DID DO THAT WE HAVE CONTROL OVER IS OUR GROWING OUR OWN.
WE'RE TRYING TO, MICHELLE, I THINK YOU AND I HAD A CONVERSATION YEARS AGO ABOUT IDENTIFYING KIDS IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE INCREASED OUR SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR NOT JUST THE BEST AT KERNEL AND THE BEST AT NORTH CAROLINA, BUT THE BEST OVERALL MINORITY REGARDLESS.
WE HAVE MORE MINORITY OPPORTUNITIES.
THAT'S THREE OPPORTUNITIES RIGHT THERE.
HOPEFULLY LOCALLY TO FIND PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BORN AND RAISED IN THIS COMMUNITY WHO, IF WE CAN IDENTIFY THEM AND GET THEM INTERESTED, THEY WOULDN'T GO ANYWHERE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE HERE.
I'LL JUST BUT IT DOES COME UP ANYWAY.
>> ANOTHER THING, DEBBIE, THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER AND I DON'T KNOW.
I'M SURE NOT THIS YEAR WITH THE COVID SITUATION.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO VISIT COLLEGES AND SO FORTH, TAKE MINORITY TEACHERS WITH YOU,
[00:30:01]
IF THEY'RE ALLOWED TO BE EXCUSED FOR DAY FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OR WHATEVER, AND LET THEM SERVE AS YOUR TESTIMONY AS TO BEING ABLE TO SUCCEED.>> ABSOLUTELY. DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT.
>> MAYBE EVEN STUDENTS AND SOMETHING.
>> WELL, I THINK, BUT THE TEACHER CAN SAY I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS AND I'M SO MANY MILES FROM PHILADELPHIA AND [INAUDIBLE] AND DC.
>> BUT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WE'RE IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
I CAN GO TO PHILLY AND COME BACK.
I CAN GO TO DC AND GO TO BALTIMORE AND GO TO THE BEACH.
WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY PLACES AROUND US.
BUT IF ALL YOU SEE ARE THE FARMS, TO BE HONEST, FARMS DON'T APPEAL TO A LOT OF COLLEGE GRADUATES.
YOU HAVE TO SELL WHAT WE DO HAVE.
>> RIGHT? BUT DO WE HAVE ANY ASIAN TEACHERS HERE?
>> YES, WE DO HAVE DO AND ACTUALLY ONE OF THEM REALLY COOKS FOR US.
I WANTED TO FOCUS IN ON WHAT WE'VE DONE DURING THIS LAST YEAR OF COVID STRUGGLES TO TRY TO AGAIN INCREASE THESE EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS, OFFERING THE TELEWORK.
EVEN COVID RELATED TEMPORARY TELEWORK HAS BEEN APPROVED THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES AND FAMILY ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WE CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED TO SERVE THE EMPLOYEES, BOTH TEACHERS AND SUPPORT STAFF.
THE SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION, AND IT WASN'T JUST FOR CAROLINE COUNTY STUDENTS.
ALSO OUR HR DEPARTMENT, ALONG WITH OUR HEALTH SERVICES, HAS WORKED PERSONALLY WITH EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE INDIVIDUALIZED COVID SITUATIONS.
THERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES HERE, SUCH AS A POSITIVE TEST OR COVID LIKE SYMPTOMS, DAYCARE CLOSURES BECAUSE OF COVID, SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY BECAUSE OF COVID.
THEY WORK WITH THOSE INDIVIDUAL STAFF MEMBERS TO RESOLVE THOSE ISSUES, AND THEY'RE ALSO GIVEN THE PRIORITY AND ATTENTION WHEN THEY REACH OUT TO HR, THE RESPONSE IS VERY TIMELY.
WE SEEM TO SEE AN UPTAKE ON WEEKENDS AND OUR EMPLOYEES ARE RESPONDING.
IT DOESN'T MATTER DAY, WEEKEND, EVENING, THEY GET A RESPONSE, I THINK THAT QUICK PERSONAL RESPONSE IS DEFINITELY BUILDING EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS.
>> ARE THE QUARANTINE RULES [INAUDIBLE] GIVES BIRTH AND GOES OUT OF STATE OR OUT OF COUNTRY?
>> IF YOU'RE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE A NEGATIVE TEST WITHIN THREE DAYS BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK.
AS IT RELATES TO QUARANTINING AMONG FROM STATE TO STATE, THOSE HAVE BEEN LIFTED, AS I SAID, IT'S MORE OF AN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL.
WE DID HAVE SOME CLARIFICATION FROM CDC THAT IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE VACCINE AND YOU ARE 2 WEEKS OUT FROM YOUR LAST SHOT, THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO QUARANTINE, IF YOU'RE QUOTE AND QUOTE EXPOSED.
THERE'S A LOT OF RULES TO IT, I PROBABLY HOPE I DIDN'T QUOTE ANYTHING WRONG, DEREK.
BUT THEY'RE EVER CHANGING, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
EVERY TIME THE GOVERNOR SPEAKS. GO AHEAD DEREK.
>> THERE IS ONE THAT STILL WE HAVE CALLED THURSDAY BECAUSE [NOISE] [INAUDIBLE].
>> I TURNED IT OFF BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, I'M NOT GOING TO TALK TONIGHT.
LITERALLY LAST WEEK WE WERE ON A CALL BECAUSE THEY DID NOT PUBLICIZE REALLY WELL THAT THE STATE PIECE HAD BEEN RE-UPPED, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO EXPIRE ON JANUARY 31.
THEY RE-UPPED IT UNTIL FEBRUARY 27, BUT THAT'S NOT INCLUDING PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, AND WEST VIRGINIA.
ANY ORDER STATE WITH MARYLAND WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE QUARANTINE THAT SAVED OUTSIDE OF AND THEN THE RULES THAT DR. SALE HAD STATED ABOUT THE NEGATIVE TEST.
THOSE PIECES DO APPLY IF YOU'VE TESTED NEGATIVE WITHIN 72 HOURS PRIOR TO, I BELIEVE LIKE WHEREVER PATTY DESCRIBE ON THAT PIECE.
[LAUGHTER] THAT'S THE TESTING PIECE.
BUT THEY DID RE-UP THE STATE PIECE LITERALLY.
WAS NOT REALLY WELL PUBLICIZED, AT LEAST FROM OUR STANDPOINT, BECAUSE ALL OF US WERE ON A CALL LAST WEEK STATEWIDE AND EVERYBODY'S GOING, "I FELT THAT EXPIRE JANUARY 28, " AND LITERALLY EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT HAD AND THEN SOMEBODY LOOKED IT UP AND GO, "NO, EXTEND THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH NOW." THAT'S FROM THE MDH, WHICH IS WHY WE PROBABLY WEREN'T MADE AWARE BECAUSE IT CAME THROUGH MDH NOT MSD, AND NOT IN THEIR SCHOOL-RELATED GUIDANCE, STATEWIDE GUIDANCE.
>> THIS IS FOR ALL TO USE AT EVERY STEP OF THE LADDER, I'D SAY?
>> YES, IT'S FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, ABSOLUTELY.
[00:35:04]
>> ONE LAST POINT ON [INAUDIBLE].
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, BUT JUST THAT LAST LINE.
JUST EMPLOYEES AND PRIORITY, WHAT THAT WAS TO MEAN WAS THAT ON THE WEEKENDS WE'VE BEEN DOING ON-CALL AND ROTATING BETWEEN SOME SCHOOL NURSES [INAUDIBLE] , MYSELF, AND HR DEPARTMENT.
LITERALLY WE'VE BEEN ANSWERING AND MAKING SURE THAT NO ONE GETS BURNED OUT AND ONE PERSON'S DOING IT.
WE'VE BEEN TAKING THOSE TURNS AND BEING ON-CALL ON THE WEEKENDS TO MAKE SURE FOLKS GET THE ANSWERS THAT THEY'RE HOPING FOR.
>> WHAT'S DOWN THE PIKE? OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S ALWAYS THINGS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE ON.
THERE'S ALWAYS THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO AND WHAT TO DO, AND YOUR PLATE IS ALWAYS SO FULL.
OF COURSE, WITH COVID HITTING, THAT PUT OUT A WRENCH IN A COUPLE OF OUR PLANS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD TO PIVOT NEARLY EVERY DAY TO BE ABLE TO ATTACK WHATEVER IS COMING OUR WAY AND TRYING TO GET THAT DONE.
SO WHAT ARE OUR NEXT STEPS? WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? WE'D REALLY LIKE TO HAVE A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL EMPLOYEE NEEDS.
EVERYTHING IN ONE AREA AND WE'RE WORKING TO GET THAT TO HAPPEN.
WE HAVE A LOT OF POLICY ON THE BOOKS, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY IT IS, IT'S CLOSE TO A 100, I CAN'T BE SURE AT THIS POINT.
IT'S CONSTANT REVIEW BATTLE OF WHICH ONES NEED TO BE REVIEWED AND UPDATED, WHICH ONES NEED TO BE REVIEWED AND RETIRED.
WHAT DO WE NEED? WHAT ARE SOME POTENTIAL THINGS OUT THERE THAT WE REALLY SHOULD HAVE A POLICY ON? THAT'S A CONSTANT BATTLE THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT.
AGAIN IT'S LIKE THE POLICY THING, WE HAVE A LOT OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS OUT THERE BECAUSE WE HAVE 1,100 EMPLOYEES.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, YOU HAVE LOTS OF JOBS, WE HAVE EVERYTHING FROM TUTORS TO IAS.
THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EVEN IAS WITHIN THE DISTRICT THAT HAVE DIFFERENT JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
THAT'S A CONSTANT OF ALWAYS MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE UPDATED AND REVIEWED AND REVISIONS ARE MADE THERE.
ALSO UPDATING AND STREAMLINING ALL OF OUR SAFETY TRAINING, AS YOU WELL KNOW, WE ALL HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN SEVERAL HOURS OF TRAINING THAT'S WRAPPED AROUND BLOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, AND A MAGNITUDE OF THINGS.
SO ALWAYS ADDRESSING THOSE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE THE MOST UPDATED AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ADDRESSING WHAT WE NEED TO BE ADDRESSING WITH OUR STAFF MEMBERS AND THAT THEY ARE WELL-DONE IN A POINT THAT THEY'RE EASY FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES TO DIGEST AND BE ABLE TO FOLLOW.
THEN OBVIOUSLY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE EMPLOYEE SURVEY TO USE THAT INFORMATION TO MAKE CHANGES AND THEN TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE IN THE AREAS OF OUR OVERALL WORKFLOWS.
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION, THAT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE, WE TRY TO DO THAT AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE, BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVE GOT OUR STREAMLINE WAY OF DOING THAT AND TO CONTINUE ALL OF OUR OPEN COMMUNICATIONS WITH ALL EMPLOYEES.
THAT WOULD BE OUR GOAL AS WE MOVE THROUGH INTO NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER THAT, BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE THINGS WILL BE AN ONGOING PROCESS.
[BACKGROUND] IN JANUARY, WE TALKED ABOUT THE MOLDS AND HOW WE NEEDED TO DO CLARIFICATION IN THE REPORTING PROCESS.
>> IF A TEACHER HAS MOLD OR ANY STAFF MEMBER HAS MOLD, HOW THEY REPORT IT AND IT GETS CLEANED UP SUFFICIENTLY OR IF IT KEEPS COMING BACK IT'S TAKEN CARE OF.
>> YES, WE DID TALK AS A WHOLE ANS TEAM SO THAT THEY KNEW TO UPDATE SO THAT STAFF MEMBERS KNOW HOW TO UPDATE FOR ANYTHING, NOT JUST MOLDS, BUT IF I HAVE AN OUTLET IN MY ROOM THAT'S NOT WORKING PROPERLY, IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
WHAT DO I DO? HOW DO I PUT IN A TICKET TO BE ABLE TO SAY I NEED THIS TO BE ADDRESSED.
WE DID REMIND STAFF AND TALK TO STAFF ABOUT THAT AS IT RELATES TO THE TIMELINESS OF THEM DONE.
WE COULDN'T INCREASE THAT PROCESS ANY FASTER THAN IT ALREADY IS, IF SOMEONE ALERTS US THAT THEY FEEL THAT THEY HAVE MOLD IN THEIR ROOM OR WHEREVER THEY'RE LOCATED I MEAN IT'S AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.
IF IT COMES BACK, THEN THEY NEED TO CONTINUOUSLY REPORT THAT SO THAT WE CAN ADDRESS IT EVERY TIME THAT THEY REPORT IT.
>> BASICALLY IT SHOULDN'T BE THE SAME ISSUE AS IT WAS A YEAR AGO?
>> I DON'T FEEL THAT WE HAD AN ISSUE A YEAR AGO, BUT ABSOLUTELY, I MEAN, WE ARE RESPONDING.
WE DO RESPOND WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THEY HAVE A CONCERN IN THEIR ROOM, WE RESPOND.
>> WELL, I MEAN I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU CAN SAY IT WASN'T AN ISSUE WHEN THERE WAS AN ISSUE.
I MEAN, IT WAS A CONSTANT ISSUE IN MY ROOM AND I WON'T EVEN BRING UP ALL THE OTHER ROOMS THAT I KNOW IT WAS IN.
I'M JUST GOING TO BRING UP MY PERSONAL ISSUE.
[00:40:01]
>> I SPENT 15 YEARS WITH THAT ISSUE.
ALL I'M SAYING IS I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE NO OTHER STAFF MEMBER HAS TO HAVE MOLD IN THE ROOM FOR 15 YEARS.
>> IF A STAFF MEMBER HAS MOLD IN THEIR ROOM THEN THEY SHOULD REPORT IT.
THERE'S A TICKET PROCESS THEY CAN PUT IN WITH THE PRINCIPAL. [OVERLAPPING]
>> I KNOW AND I GET THAT BUT MY THING IS I DID ALL THAT AND STILL HAD THE PROBLEM AND I'M JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT AN ISSUE ANYMORE.
>> WELL, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S AN ISSUE ANYMORE.
>> CAN YOU QUALIFY TO EXPLAIN THIS SNOW DAY POLICY A LITTLE MORE TO ME NOW?
>> WELL, SINCE WE'VE HAD IT AND IT'S VIRTUE, WELL, BUT IT'S NOT TOTALLY, SOME OF THE TEACHERS THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THEY'RE BEING CHARGED, IF IT COUNTS FOR A SNOW DAY FOR THEM OR IF THEY HAVE TO MAKE IT UP.
SOME TEACHERS HAVE ASKED, WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE A VIRTUAL DAY FOR STUDENTS WHERE THEY TEACH FROM SCHOOL AS OPPOSED TO MY UNDERSTANDING IF THEY HAVE TO PUT SOMETHING ON AT TEN O'CLOCK.
>> THEY HAD TO PUT SOMETHING ON MY 10:30, IT'S AN ASYNCHRONOUS LESSON THAT NEEDS TO BE POSTED AND IT'S CONSIDERED A FULL DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE AS LONG AS THEY FULFILL THAT REQUIREMENT OF THE ASYNCHRONOUS LESSON FOR THE DAY.
>> IT ALSO ACCOUNT FOR DAY SCHOOL FOR THE STAFF MEMBER?
>> THEREFORE, WE DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THE TIME OFF.
UNDER THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE'RE NOT TACKING ON DAYS TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. [OVERLAPPING]
>> WELL, THAT WAS A MINOR THING, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY THAT AND BE WRONG.
>> I'M JUST KIND OF CLARIFYING.
A FEW TEACHERS ACTUALLY ASKED, WHY CAN'T WE JUST TEACH VIRTUALLY? HAVE A NORMAL VIRTUAL DAY AS OPPOSED TO AN ASYNCHRONOUS DAY.
I WAS KUDOS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY WANTED TO BE ON WITH THE STUDENTS.
>> YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT'S EXCELLENT NEWS.
HOWEVER, NOT EVERY STAFF MEMBER HAS EQUAL ACCESS.
THOSE MIGHT BE STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE REALLY GOOD INTERNET AT THEIR HOME AND THEY COULD PIVOT RIGHT AND JUST DO IT RIGHT IN THEIR HOME, BUT NOT EVERYBODY HAS THAT CAPACITY TO DO THAT.
WE WOULD HAVE SOME STUDENTS THAT WOULD HAVE ASYNCHRONOUS LESSONS AND SOME STUDENTS THAT WOULD HAVE REAL-TIME LESSONS AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE AN EQUAL OR EQUITABLE SITUATION FOR OUR STUDENTS OR STAFF MEMBERS.
>> I THINK YOUR MESSAGE ACTUALLY SAYS, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT THIS IS AN ASYNCHRONOUS DAY LIKE A WEDNESDAY.
>> THERE'S NO CONFUSION, SO IT MIGHT BE MONDAY, BUT NOW IT'S WEDNESDAY.
>> YEAH, I'VE HEARD YOUR 5:00 AM.
>> IT'S A COUPLE OF GUYS. [LAUGHTER]
>> YOU SOUND SAD, BUT [LAUGHTER] I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY HAPPY IF THAT DOES WORK.
>> YEAH, IT'S NOT A GOOD FEELING. [LAUGHTER]
>> I'M I STILL SUPPOSED TO BE STILL ON THAT LIST? I'M I STILL GETTING CALLED FROM WHEN I WORKED?
>> I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T THINK SO.
>> DO YOU GET THAT LIST? DO YOU GET [OVERLAPPING].
>> JUST TO CLARIFY, I GET IT BECAUSE I HAVE A [OVERLAPPING] STEP DAUGHTER.
>> YOU DON'T GET THAT CALL ANYMORE? BECAUSE I'VE BEEN GETTING THESE CALLS FOR A FULL YEAR.
>> I GOT TO BE HONEST. I'M NOT THE ONE WHO ANSWERS IT.
>> THAT'S ALL RIGHT THEN. [LAUGHTER]
YEAH, ALSO, NOW I'M LIKE, YEAH, I WONDER IF I SHOULD STILL BE ON THIS LIST.
>> WELL, WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE OFF EMPLOYEES SITUATION, BUT WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, TALKING ABOUT THESE ASYNCHRONOUS DAY, DID THE STATE OR SOMETHING CHANGED TO ALLOW UNDER COVID THAT DAY, WHICH ISN'T A FULL SIX.
>> THE STATE APPROVES SOMETHING WHAT UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER OR WHAT? DO WE KNOW? I'LL PUT YOU ON THE SPOT HERE I'M SORRY, BUT.
>> YEAH THROUGH THE BOARD, RIGHT EXACTLY.
THERE WASN'T NOTHING THAT WAS [OVERLAPPING].
>> WE'RE STILL OPERATING UNDER THE COVID GUIDELINES? [OVERLAPPING].
>> ABSOLUTELY. [OVERLAPPING] YEAH, WE'RE STILL ON. [OVERLAPPING]
>> THIS IS WINTER AND WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT.
DO WE HAVE ANY INGRAIN SINCE IT'S COME UP, THAT THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE? I MEAN, COUNTING A DAY OF SCHOOL WHEN NOBODY'S IN SCHOOL.
I MEAN, ONCE THIS COVID THING IS BEHIND US?
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN PREDICT THAT OUT.
I KNOW THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE A HEALTHY DISCUSSION, I SHOULD SAY, AMONG THE SUPERINTENDENTS AND THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT.
SEVERAL DISTRICTS ARE ADVOCATING FOR THAT AND TO ACTUALLY HAVE A VIRTUAL DAY WHERE THEY ARE ONLINE FACE-TO-FACE, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THE CASTING, WE STILL HAVE DISTRICTS LIKE OURS THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE, SO I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHERE THAT WILL END UP AS IT RELATES TO NEXT SCHOOL YEAR 2022.
>> WHETHER IT'S AT ALL THE SCHOOL YEAR.
>> BUT THIS YEAR IN TOTAL, AND SO OUT OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY,
[00:45:04]
IT FALLS UNDER THE LATER STATE OF EMERGENCY.>> LAST WEEK, KIM AND I WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WEDNESDAY THERE WAS GOING TO BE EXTRA CLEANING AND YOU HAD SAID NO AND JUST THIS IS MORE LIKE AN FYI.
APPARENTLY, IN THE ORIGINAL RECOVERY PLAN, IT DID SAY THAT THEY WOULD BE EXTENSIVE CLEANING OR WEDNESDAY.
THAT'S THE WORDING THEY USED, WHICH IS WHY SO MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED THERE WAS GOING TO BE EXTRA CLEANING ON WEDNESDAYS.
>> YEAH, SO JUST TO CLARIFY, WE CLEAN EVERY DAY.
WE HAVE ELECTROSTATIC LAWNS FOR LACK OF BETTER WORDS.
THEY CALL THEM SOMETHING ELSE, BUT I PREFER THE WORD LAWN BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE AND SOMETHING THAT WE WOULDN'T SAY IN SCHOOL, BUT ANYWAYS, SO THEY USE THOSE, THE CONCENTRATION IN THOSE KILLS THE VIRUS AND WHEN IT'S ELECTROSTATIC, IT ACTUALLY CAN GET IN EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY AND CREVICE.
YOU CAN EVEN MANIPULATE IT OR SOMETHING, YOU COULD PUT OUT EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE AND BECAUSE IT'S ELECTROSTATIC, ATTACH ITSELF, CLING ITSELF TO ALL THE SURFACE AREAS. [OVERLAPPING]
>>THAT IS BEING DONE IN ALL SCHOOLS, ALL ROOMS.
>> ALL SCHOOLS, ALL ROOMS. AS I SAID, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE DONE EVERY DAY ACCORDING TO THE SOLUTION AND EVERYTHING, SO THEY HAVE IT ON A ROTATING SCHEDULE AND WHERE THEY GO THROUGH AN ENTIRE SCHOOL BUILDING, THEY GO THROUGH THIS BUILDING, EVERY BUILDING THAT WE HAVE ON A ROTATING SCHEDULE INTO EVERY CLASSROOM.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF PPE, WHICH INCLUDES YOUR DISINFECTANT WIPES, WHICH INCLUDES YOUR HAND SANITIZERS.
THOSE ARE ALL PROVIDED TO STAFF, ANY STAFF THAT NEEDS THEM THEY JUST NEED TO ASK.
WE HAVE PLENTY WITH NO CHANCE OF RUNNING OUT ANYTIME SOON.
WE HAVE A STOCKPILE OF PLENTY OF PPE.
AS I SAID, THAT INCLUDES WIPES AND HAND SANITIZER, AND EVERYTHING AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS TO WIPE DOWN.
I KNOW EACH SCHOOL HAS DONE THEIR OWN PROTOCOL IT DEPENDS ON WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE IN, TO WHETHER YOUR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ARE WITH YOU ALL DAY OR YOU'RE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND YOU'RE TRAVELING BETWEEN CLASSES.
THEY HAVE HOW THE KIDS ARE TO TRAVEL.
THEY HAVE WHO IS CLEANING THE AREA WHEN ONE PLACE LEAVES AND SOMEBODY ELSE COMES IN, ALL THOSE PROTOCOLS ARE IN PLACE.
THERE'S NOT AN EXTRA CLEANING DAY ON WEDNESDAY.
WE CLEAN ON WEDNESDAY JUST LIKE WE WOULD ON ANY OTHER DAY.
>> THEN I GET BUT I'M JUST SAYING THAT'S WHY WE THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE IT WASN'T RIGHT AND OTHER PEOPLE SAW THAT.
IT WASN'T JUST THIS MADE UP EXPECTATION.
>> TOOLS HAVE CHANGED AS YOU ALLUDED TO, [INAUDIBLE] , TOOLS HAVE CHANGED AND APPARENT THE PLAN IS CHANGED.
>> WE KNOW A LOT MORE WE'RE LEARNING MORE EVERYDAY AND THAT'S WHY CDC CHANGES WHAT YOU'RE SAYING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE VIRUS.
>> LIKE I SAID, WE ARE A BIG ORGANIZATION AND THERE'S A LOT OF COMMUNICATION.
IT'S CRAZY TO THINK, AS EASY AS IT IS TO COMMUNICATING NOW I THINK WE SAID IT IN PREVIOUS, MEANING IT'S GETTING HARDER TO COMMUNICATE BECAUSE OF WHERE PEOPLE, CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR THEIR COMMUNICATION.
IT DOESN'T HURT TO GO BACK AND REVISIT AND JUST MAKE SURE, I CAN SEE IT BEING CONFUSING.
OUR TEACHERS ARE PROFESSIONALS THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE DIFFERENT CHANNELS OF INFORMATION COMING TO THEM, SOUNDS LIKE FROM MULTIPLE AREAS.
WE JUST GOT TO BE COGNIZANT THAT WE'RE AWARE, IT'S HARD AND WE APPRECIATE THAT.
MOVING ON. [NOISE] EMPLOYEE RELATIONS CHAIN OF COMMAND WE'VE GONE THROUGH THAT, CORRECT? ALTERNATIVE TESTING AND PROGRAMMING, MOVING ON TO REPORT 2.02 ALTERNATIVE TESTING AND PROGRAMMING, I GUESS WE HAVE MRS. HOLLINGER.
>> BECAUSE CARISSA JUST STARTED THIS YEAR AS COORDINATOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
I REALLY WOULD LIKE ALL OF YOU TO KNOW THAT.
NOT ONLY THAT, CARISSA HAS PROBABLY BEEN THE LONGEST EMPLOYEE WITH ME, SINCE SHE BECAME A TEACHER SPECIALIST, 8 YEARS.
I'M SITTING HERE, IN MY HEAD CALCULATING IT.
SHE HAS WORKED AWAY FROM THE TEACHER SPECIALISTS UP INTO THE COORDINATOR POSITION.
SHE OVERSEES ELEMENTARY ALONG WITH OUR ALTERNATE FRAMEWORK PROGRAM FOR CAROLINE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
[00:50:04]
WHAT SHE'S GOING TO DO TONIGHT, IS SHE'S GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH THE ELIGIBILITY PROCESS ALONG WITH TAKING A LOOK AT CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT.YOU SHOULD LEAVE HERE COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDING HOW CAROLINE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IMPLEMENTS THE ALTERNATE FRAMEWORK.
>> PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN BY ALTERNATE.
>> ALTERNATE EDUCATION IS PROGRAMMING FOR OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE UNABLE TO ACCESS THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND THEY NEED SIGNIFICANT REPETITIVE, EXPLICIT, DIRECT INSTRUCTION ON ALTERNATE STANDARDS.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO GO OVER SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IN THE PRESENTATION.
>> IS THIS WHAT WE CALL SPECIAL EDUCATION?
>> SPECIAL EDUCATION HAS TWO ROUNDS, THEY HAVE FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE SEEKING A DIPLOMA, AND THOSE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE ACCESSING THE GENERAL EDUCATION STANDARDS.
THEN WE ALSO HAVE STUDENTS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES THAT HAVE MORE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS, BECAUSE OF THOSE NEEDS THEY'RE UNABLE TO ACCESS THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM, SO THEY GET PUT IN A PATHWAY CALLED THE ALTERNATE FRAMEWORK.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT BRANCHES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME. PRESIDENT NEWCOMB AND BOARD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY TO DISCUSS SOME OF THESE TOPICS AS IT RELATES TO THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK.
AS MS. ANTHONY SAID, THIS HAS BEEN A PASSIONATE LOVE OF MINE SO I ALWAYS REALLY GET TO ENJOY TALKING ABOUT THIS TOPIC.
SOME THE OUTCOMES WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS TODAY IS I HOPE YOU WALK AWAY HAVING A LITTLE BIT MORE KNOWLEDGE AS IT RELATES TO THE ALTERNATE EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK.
THIS NOT IS A REALLY IN-DEPTH LOOK BUT AN OVERVIEW FOR YOU TO HAVE.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO LOOK AT THE DEFINITION OF SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT ELIGIBILITY PROCESS.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO TALK ABOUT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND THEN SOME OF THE FEDERAL GUIDELINES SURROUNDING THE ALTERNATE PROGRAMMING.
YOU'LL SEE HERE ON THIS PAGE, THIS IS BASICALLY THE FRAMEWORK FOR OUR ALTERNATE CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENTS, AND INSTRUCTION.
VERY SIMILAR TO THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM, THE CORE COMPONENTS OF THE ALTERNATE EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK, OUR INSTRUCTION, CURRICULUM, AND ASSESSMENT, AND ALL OF THOSE ARE ROOTED IN THE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCY OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THAT.
OUR NUMBER ONE OVERARCHING GOAL FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE NEEDS, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND INTERACT WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLEGE, CAREER, AND DIFFERENT COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WILL FIND IS ACCORDING TO THE MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER READY STANDARDS, AS WELL AS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS WHICH ARE THE ALTERNATE STANDARDS.
MARYLAND'S ALTERNATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK ENSURES THAT ALL STUDENTS, EVEN STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, NOT ONLY PARTICIPATE IN INSTRUCTION, BUT ALSO IN ASSESSMENT THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THE FIRST THING YOU MIGHT BE ASKING YOURSELF IS, WHO IS A STUDENT WITH A SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY? TO LAY THAT OUT FOR YOU, A STUDENT WITH A SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY FACES PROFOUND AND COMPLEX LEARNING CHALLENGES.
THAT'S JUST NOT ACADEMICALLY, THAT'S PERVASIVE ACROSS MULTIPLE AREAS.
NOT ONLY DO THEY FACE DIFFICULTIES WITH ACADEMICS AND CONTENT AREAS, THEY ALSO STRUGGLE TO FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY AND ALSO WITH THEIR INTERACTION IN COMMUNITY LIVING.
CAROLINE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOLLOWS ALL GUIDANCE FROM MSTE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT QUALIFYING A STUDENT OR A STUDENT BECOMING ELIGIBLE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK, THERE'S A PROCESS WE MUST FOLLOW.
THAT PROCESS, INCLUDES A VERY COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE STUDENTS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND, AND THEIR ACCESS TO DIFFERENT SETTINGS.
WHAT WE DO AS AN IEP TEAM IS WE COME TOGETHER AND IT'S NOT JUST AN IMMEDIATE DECISION, IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE TEAM TAKES VERY SERIOUSLY AND LOOKS AT MULTIPLE YEARS WORTH OF DATA.
TWO OF THE MAJOR FACTORS, THAT COME INTO PLAY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT, IF A STUDENT IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK IS, WHAT IS THEIR COGNITIVE ABILITY? THEY ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE A COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT AND THEN ALSO ADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS.
WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE [NOISE] INDEPENDENT LIVING OR THESE FUNCTIONAL SKILLS, HOW DID THEY ADAPT TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS, SITUATIONS, AND CAN THEY FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY? THEN WE ALSO LOOKED AT A VARIETY OF OTHER DATA POINTS TO MAKE THAT DECISION, INCLUDING PROGRESS MONITORING, INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS, AND WE ALSO MAKE SURE WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THEIR LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AS WELL AS PORTFOLIOS.
IT'S A VERY COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE STUDENT'S SELF OVER MULTIPLE YEARS.
[00:55:04]
>> AS A TEACHER I OFTEN WONDERED WHEN WE'VE HAD SOME STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AT ALL AND IN SOME INSTANCES, WE'RE CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR AND COULDN'T MOVE IN OR MOVE HOW THE [INAUDIBLE].
>> YES MA'AM, I WILL GET THERE.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME. PARTICIPATION DECISIONS, SO IEP TEAMS MUST USE A DOCUMENT THAT'S CALLED APPENDIX A.
IT IS MANDATED BY MSCE AND IT IS A RATHER LENGTHY DOCUMENT, WHAT THAT DOCUMENT DOES IS IT ENSURES PARENTS UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE ULTIMATE CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK DOES.
MAKING SURE IT OUTLINES EVERYTHING FOR PARENTS UNDERSTANDING.
IT ALSO REQUIRES PARENT CONSENT AS WELL BECAUSE REMOVING STUDENTS FROM A DIPLOMA TRACK ONTO AN ALTERNATE PROCURE AND FRAMEWORK IS A VERY BIG CHANGE.
WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY ON THE TEAM IS WORKING THROUGH THREE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT YOU HAVE TO SAY YES IS TO IN ORDER FOR A STUDENT TO QUALIFY FOR THE ULTIMATE CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK.
THIS TOOL AND DOCUMENT IS COMPLETED EVERY YEAR FOR THE STUDENTS SO A STUDENT CAN BE CONSIDERED ON THE DIPLOMA TRACK, THEN ONE YEAR, THE NEXT YEAR, IF THERE'S ANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS OR THERE'S SOME CONCERNS IN REGARDS TO SOME OF THEIR ABILITY LEVELS.
THEY CAN LOOK AT THIS DOCUMENT AND MAKE A CHANGE IF THEY HAVE THE APPROPRIATE INFORMATION TO DO SO.
THIS DOCUMENT HERE, YOU LOOK AT THREE DIFFERENT PRONGS FOR DOES THE STUDENT QUALIFY FOR THE ALTERNATE ASSESSMENTS CURRICULUM.
THOSE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT ARE DOES THE STUDENT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY? THE SECOND THING YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IS DOES THE STUDENT OR IS THE STUDENT ACCESSING THE MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER-READY STANDARDS IN THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS.
STUDENTS WHO ARE ON THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM ASSESSMENT PROGRAMMING TRACK ARE ASSESSED IN READING, MATH, WRITING, AND THEN SOME GRADES THEY'RE ASSESSED WITH SCIENCE AS WELL.
ONE OF THE LARGE COMPONENTS OF THIS, IS DOES THE STUDENT REQUIRE EXTENSIVE, DIRECT INDIVIDUALIZED, REPEATED INSTRUCTION WITH AND THE KEY, SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORTS TO ACHIEVE MEASURABLE GAINS IN AN ADAPTED AND MODIFIED CURRICULUM.
THOSE ARE THE THREE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE TO ANSWER WHEN WE'RE FILLING OUT APPENDIX A.
>> I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHO BUT DO THEY HAVE TO BE LEARNING?
>> CORRECT THEY HAVE TO BE ACCESSING STANDARDS FROM THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS [INAUDIBLE].
>> THEY HAVE TO HAVE ACCESS TO IT?
>> THEY HAVE TO BE HAVING ACCESS AND INTERACTING WITH THE CONTENT RELATED TO THOSE STANDARDS.
>> BUT WE ARE NOT LOOKING AT IF THERE REALLY GAINING ANYTHING FROM IT?
>> WE DO THAT TOO. THAT'S PART OF THE THIRD ONE WHEN WAY OR YOU CAN LOOK AT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE MEASURABLE GAINS IN THAT CURRICULUM.
WE DO PROGRESS MONITORING IN CONJUNCTION WITH MAKING SURE THEY HAVE ACCESS.
>> WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY CAN' T EVER ACHIEVE MEASURABLE GAINS?
>> IF THEY CAN'T ACHIEVE MEASURABLE GAINS, IT'S OUR GOAL TO WORK AS WELL.
I MEAN, WE JUST PROGRESS MONITOR THAT AND THEN WE COMMUNICATE THAT.
>> WE CHANGE INSTRUCTIONS, WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS, WE SCAFFOLD BACK THE SKILLS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
WE BOTH WORK WHEN WE'RE WORKING WITH STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING, AS WELL AS AN ULTIMATE CURRICULUM.
WE ALWAYS MAKE SURE WE'RE WORKING NOT ONLY ON GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS, BUT ALSO INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL AS WELL.
THE STUDENTS THAT ARE ACCESSING THIS CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK AREN'T JUST WORKING ON GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS.
WE ARE WORKING ON THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO IT AT THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL.
SOMETIMES OUR STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES, THERE IS A BIT OF A DISCREPANCY IN THAT.
>> HOW MANY STUDENTS WOULD YOU SAY WE HAVE FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY?
>> WE HAVE 39 STUDENTS CURRENTLY THAT ARE ACCESSING THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK AND OF THOSE 39 STUDENTS, 30 OF THEM, BE SURE WILL BE TAKING THE ASSESSMENT.
>> THEY RANGE FROM ELEMENTARY TO SECONDARY.
WE HAVE 12 TEACHERS PARTLY, AND THE DISTRICT THAT ARE CONSIDERED ARE INTENSIVE SUPPORT TEACHERS.
>> THOSE 12 TEACHERS ARE FOR THOSE 30?
>> YES. BUT THEY ALSO DO SERVICE TO STUDENTS THAT ARE ACCESSING THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM WITH PULL-OUT SERVICES SO THEY MEET MULTIPLE STUDENT NEEDS.
WE UTILIZE THEIR STRATEGIES AND THEIR EXPERTISE IN A VARIETY OF AREAS TO ME, ALL STUDENT MEANS.
>> YOU SAID 30 WILL HAVE THE ASSESSMENT [INAUDIBLE]?
[01:00:01]
>> HOW DOES THAT [INAUDIBLE] I HAVE A QUESTION, GO FIGURE THAT OUT. [LAUGHTER]
>> NO, I LOVE IT AND BRING IT OUT AND KEEPS ME ON MY TOES.
>> WELL, NO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW DID YOU DECIDE?
>> THERE ARE CERTAIN GRADES THAT ARE NOT ASSESSED WITH THE ASSESSMENT.
WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS, FOR READING, WRITING, AND MATH, THIRD THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE IN 11TH GRADE ONLY ARE ASSESSED.
WE DO HAVE NINTH AND TENTH GRADERS THAT ARE ACCESSING THE ULTIMATE CURRICULUM, BUT THEY'RE NOT BEING ASSESSED.
>> THEY ARE NOT IN THE ASSESSMENT YEAR, CORRECT?
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALWAYS LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AND BECOMES A BIG TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK, IS THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT.
LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT BASICALLY OUTLINES THAT IT'S THE INTENT IN OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR STUDENTS THAT RECEIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN WITH THE GENERAL EDUCATION POPULATION TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE.
THAT'S REALLY BASED ON STUDENT NEED AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS, BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE, BUT THAT'S AN IEP TEAM DECISION THAT HAS LOOKED AT ANNUALLY AND ACTUALLY CAN BE LOOKED AT MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BECAUSE THE IEP IS A LIVING BREATHING DOCUMENT AND CAN BE REVIEWED AND ADJUSTED AT ANYTIME.
ACCORDING TO THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT, ASSA, THERE IS A HALF OR A 1 PERCENT THAT IS PUT IN PLACE BY THE STATE OF THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO CAN ACTUALLY BE ASSESSED OR PARTICIPATE IN THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM OR FRAMEWORK.
THIS IS PUT IN PLACE TO ALLEVIATE ANY MIS-IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS WITHIN THIS POPULATION AND TO POTENTIALLY REMOVE THEM FROM THE DIPLOMA TRACK.
LOOKING AT THIS, THE STATE MAY REQUEST A WAIVER AND THERE IS NO ACTUAL CAP ON INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS OR LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, MARYLAND TRIES TO STATE UNDER THAT 1 PERCENT.
I WILL PROUDLY SAY IN CAROLINE COUNTY, WE HAVE NEVER GONE AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN IN THIS CURRENT POSITION SO THE YEARS, WE HAVE NOT GONE ABOUT THAT 1 PERCENT.
WE DO A PHENOMENAL JOB COLLABORATING WITH BUILDING LEVEL ADMINISTRATORS, IEP CHAIRS, AND A VARIETY OF IEP TEAM MEMBERS TO ENSURE THEIR KNOWLEDGE ON THE ULTIMATE CURRICULUM AND FRAMEWORK, AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY KNOW THE NECESSARY PROCESS TO MAKE THE APPROPRIATE DECISIONS FOR STUDENTS AS IT RELATES TO THIS PROGRAMMING.
WHEN WE'RE SITTING AT IEP TABLES, WE'RE REALLY MAKING THE BEST CHOICE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND DECISION IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FAMILY, SO YOU'LL ALSO SEE ON HERE THAT THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, EMILY MONITORS THIS EACH YEAR IN THE SPRING, THEY'LL COME IN AND THEY'LL LOOK AT OUR STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE DETERMINED ALTERNATE WORTHY AND THEN LOOKS AT IS THAT APPROPRIATE OR NOT THAT THEY'LL DO A DEEP DIVE AND THEY'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT OVER IDENTIFYING IN OUR COUNTY.
>> DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES.
>> YOU'RE WELCOMED. JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ALTERNATE CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENTS.
IT PARALLELS THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN THAT WOULD NEED DO HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS ACCESSING THE ULTIMATE CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS.
THOSE EXPECTATIONS COME FROM THE PLATFORM OF DYNAMIC LEARNING MAPS.
THE DYNAMIC LEARNING MAPS IS WHERE OUR STUDENTS RECEIVE THE STANDARDS THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON, AS WELL AS WHERE THEY TAKE THE ASSESSMENT.
MR. [INAUDIBLE] HAD A QUESTION EARLIER IN REGARDS TO SOME STUDENTS THAT MIGHT HAVE SOME MORE SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE METERS.
>> YOU SAID MY NAME CORRECTLY.
>> DID I? I SAID IT RIGHT.[LAUGHTER].
>> LOOKING AT THIS, YOU WILL SEE THERE'S DIFFERENT LINKAGE LEVELS FOR OUR STUDENTS ACCESS IN THE ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT AND CURRICULUM.
YOU WILL SEE THERE'S INITIAL ALL THE WAY UP TO SUCCESSOR.
WHAT THIS ASSESSMENT DOES IS AN ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENT.
BASED ON THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE OBSERVATION OF TEACHERS OF THEIR STUDENTS, THEY COMPLETE A FIRST CONTACT SURVEY AND THEY COMPLETE A PERSONAL NEEDS PROFILE THAT BASICALLY OUTLINES THE ABILITY LEVELS OF THEIR STUDENTS.
BASED ON THEIR ANSWERS TO THAT, THE TEST PUTS THEM IN THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL FOR THAT STUDENT TO BEGIN THE ASSESSMENT.
THE INITIAL PRECURSOR LEVEL IS OUR LOWEST LINKAGE LEVEL AND WHAT IT DOES IS THAT GAUGES INTERACTION.
DOES THE STUDENT DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY CAN INTERACT WITH A TEST QUESTION OR SUBJECTS ALL THE WAY UP TO THE SUCCESSOR WHICH IS NEW THIS YEAR.
I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY PUSHES AN EXTENSION OF, SO IT TESTS WHETHER STUDENTS CAN PERFORM ABOVE THE PUT TARGET, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING.
THERE'S A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
BASED ON THE STUDENTS ANSWERED THAT ASSESSMENT AND DAPS TO WHERE THEY CAN PERFORM.
[01:05:05]
I DID ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE SCREEN THERE YOU'LL SEE WHAT A QUESTION MIGHT LOOK LIKE, A READING PASSAGE AT THE TOP AND THEN A QUESTION.MOST QUESTIONS ARE MULTIPLE CHOICE, ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT HAPPEN AT THE INITIAL OR THE EARLIER LEVELS ARE TANGIBLE FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS.
IN OUR COUNTY THIS YEAR WE'VE BEEN REALLY FORTUNATE AND HAVE INCORPORATED THE USE OF THE FIRST AUTHORS WRITING CURRICULUM IN READTOPIA, WHICH ALIGNS SPECIFICALLY WITH THE ALTERNATE STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM.
OUR TEACHERS HAD BEEN DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB OF WORKING WITH OUR STUDENTS.
I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THAT HERE ON THE LAST SLIDE.
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PICTURES THERE.
I THINK I PUT VIDEOS IN, BUT I DON'T KNOW [INAUDIBLE] DID THEY NOT SHOW UP? I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DIDN'T LOAD OR LATER.
[BACKGROUND]WELL, IF YOU ALL HAVE ACCESS TO THE PRESENTATION OR IF YOU DON'T, I CAN MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THEM.
THERE ARE SOME VIDEOS THAT I PUT IN THERE OF OUR STUDENTS WORKING WITH COMMUNICATION DEVICES, WORKING WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TOOLS AND INSTRUCTION ON THE ALTERNATE CURRICULUM IN FRAMEWORK.
>> SURE, COME ALONG WAY [NOISE].
>> OUR TEACHERS, A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE POPULATION OF INTENSIVE SUPPORT TEACHERS.
I CAN'T SAY OR THANK THEM ENOUGH BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN ON THE GROUND FLOOR SINCE THE BEGINNING, WORKING.
DON'T MAKE ME EMOTIONAL. WORKING REALLY HARD WITH SOME OF OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT STUDENTS AND THEY HAVE NOT COMPLAINED ONCE.
I HAVE WORKED EXTREMELY HARD FOR THIS POPULATION OF STUDENTS, AS WELL AS ALL STUDENTS IN THE BUILDING.
>> JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, HOW MANY OF THE 39 HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME IN DURING THE COVID?
>> MY GOODNESS, MORE THAN I'D SAY 80 PERCENT OF THEM, AND THAT'S BEING CONSERVATIVE.
>> THOSE ARE THE CHILDREN THAT I SHARED WITH THE LAST BOARD MEETING, THAT HAD BEEN IN SINCE SEPTEMBER 8TH.
>> THAT'S INCREDIBLE TOO AND EVEN MORE SO WHEN YOU HEAR OTHER SCHOOLS AREN'T.
I MEAN, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN WITH THOSE KIDS.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT ARE NOT.
>> IT'S DISHEARTENING, IT REALLY IS.
BECAUSE THE BEST EDUCATION THOSE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO GET IS IN FRONT OF THOSE TEACHERS.
>> TERMINOLOGY OBVIOUSLY IN THIS FIELD OF WORK CAN BE MISCONSTRUED.
THE SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY THAT TERMINOLOGY, I ASSUME HAS BEEN KIND OF VETTED.
IT'S PROBABLY THE LANGUAGE THAT PEOPLE ARE USING BECAUSE I HEAR ALL KINDS OF THINGS THROWN AROUND, YEARS AGO, VERY DEROGATORY TERMS. TERMS LIKE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IS THIS THE STATE OF THE ART FOR TERMINOLOGY, DESCRIPTIVE TERMINOLOGY THAT PEOPLE DON'T GET OFFENDED BY?
>> IT'S AN OVERARCHING TERM THAT COULD CATEGORIZE A VARIETY OF DISABILITIES.
IT REALLY JUST DESCRIBES THE COGNITIVE PROFILE OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
SO INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY IS AN EMBEDDED AND USABLE TERM.
IT'S ONE OF THE 14 DISABLING CONDITIONS OR UNDER.
>> YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT STILL MATTERS.
NOT THAT IT MATTERS, BUT IT'S STILL USED.
THIS SEEMS LIKE IT'S MORE OF A SCIENCE-BASED TERM BASED ON THE CRITERIA YOU ARE LISTING.
THAT'S HOW YOU DETERMINE THIS LEVEL.
>> ALSO [INAUDIBLE] JUST TO POINT OUT BECAUSE IT PIGGYBACKS ON EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT YES, YOU COULD HAVE AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY BUT NOT QUALIFIED TO TAKE THE ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITY.
WHICH IS PRETTY POWERFUL BECAUSE WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY.
PRIOR TO COMING IN HERE TONIGHT I WAS SHARING WITH CHRIS THAT IT'S VERY STRANGE WHEN YOU HAVE 30 YEARS, BECAUSE YOU START SEEING THAT HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND I CAN GO BACK TO THE DAYS OF IMAP.
THIS WAS ALL ABOUT FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND LOOK WHAT WE'RE ASKING OUR CHILDREN TO DO NOW AND THEN LOOK AT WHERE THEY'RE GOING WHEN THEY LEAVE US.
THAT'S WHAT'S POWERFUL, IS WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING, WHAT THEY'RE TAKING WITH THEM, AND THEY'RE BEING ABLE TO BE COMPETITIVELY EMPLOYED.
I'M NOT SAYING IT HAPPENS FOR ALL KIDS, BUT IT HAPPENS FOR A LOT MORE CHILDREN AND THAT'S WHAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
>>YEAH. MY FRIENDS IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS ARE PROBABLY AT ALL LEVELS, DIFFERENT RANGES THAT YOU SEE.
MY PARTNER IN SUPER PLUNGE IS 49 YEARS OLD, AND HE'S BEEN IN SPECIAL OLYMPICS FOR 41 YEARS.
THIS IS THE PROGRAM, SHE'S FORTUNATE TO HAVE VERY INVOLVED PARENTS,
[01:10:01]
BUT THIS IS THE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS LIKE THIS OR A CHILD IN THAT AREA THAT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIFE AND THEY CAN BE LIKE HER.MAKING THE MOST OF HER LIFE, SO I APPLAUD THIS. IT'S WONDERFUL.
>> THANK YOU [INAUDIBLE] [OVERLAPPING]
>> THERE WAS A TIME IF YOU DID THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE LIKE, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? " [LAUGHTER].
>> DON'T YOU DO THAT AT HOME [INAUDIBLE]?
>>THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO 2.03 EARLY LEARNING ASSESSMENT, ELA DATA, WE HAVE MS. GILBERT.
>> YES. ANGELA GILBERT HAS BEEN WITH US NOW FOR TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS.
I LOOK AT YOU AND SAY, "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SAID THAT TO YOU THIS YEAR?" TWO YEARS, IT'S THIS WHOLE YEAR.
BUT ANGELA ACTUALLY CAME TO US FROM DORCHESTER COUNTY.
SHE RETIRED AS A FORMER DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION.
BUT SHE TOOK ON THE CHALLENGE.
SHE IS ACTUALLY THE COORDINATOR OF INSTRUCTION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD GENERAL EDUCATION AND THEN INFANT AND TODDLER SPECIAL EDUCATION.
SHE'S DONE AN AMAZING JOB AND AS YOU WILL SEE AS SHE PRESENTS THE EARLY LEARNING ASSESSMENT RESULTS. ALL YOURS.
>> THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.
>> GOOD EVENING. [OVERLAPPING]
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD.
I UNDERSTAND I HAVE ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF [LAUGHTER]. JUST KIDDING.
>> WE DON'T USUALLY GET OUT SO FAST, THOUGH.
>> WELL, OKAY THAT MAKES ME FEEL REALLY GOOD PART FROM THE BEGINNING.
BUT HONESTLY, I'M VERY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT THE PRE-ROOM.
I'M GOING TO BE TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT PRE-KINDERGARTEN IN CAROLINE COUNTY TONIGHT AND IT IS EXCITING WORK.
TONIGHT I'M GOING TO BE SHARING DATA NOT ONLY ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE BUT I'M ALSO GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE SUPPORTS THAT WE PUT IN PLACE FOR PRE-KINDERGARTEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MOST UNUSUAL YEAR IN AN EFFORT TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND STAFF AND OUR HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SO WE CAN STAY RIGHT THERE.
THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO SHARE DATA WITH YOU FROM OUR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT, WHICH IS ENTITLED THE EARLY LEARNING ASSESSMENT.
YOU CAN SEE THE DESCRIPTION THERE, FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS OR OUR ELA IS A TOOL THAT WE USE TO DETERMINE THE CURRENT LEVELS OF EACH CHILD'S SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND BEHAVIORS.
THE ELA IS AN ONGOING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT THAT GIVES TEACHERS INFORMATION TO SUPPORT THE CONTINUED GROWTH OF PRESCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN.
WE USE THIS FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT, CONTINUALLY, TO COLLECT ONGOING DATA AND PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN WHILE THEY END PRE-KINDERGARTEN.
QUARTERLY, WE LOOK AT OUR DATA, WE ANALYZE IT, AND WE USE IT TO GUIDE OUR INSTRUCTION.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP FOR OUR CHILDREN TO PROGRESS? THIS YEAR THOUGH, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH AN ODD YEAR.
WE PUT A LOT OF THINGS IN PLACE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THAT WE FELT WOULD MITIGATE SOME OF THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, THEY'RE NEW TO ALL OF US.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
BUT WHAT WE WANTED TO DO RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING WAS TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT DID OUR QUARTER ONE DATA FROM THIS YEAR ON OUR CHILDREN LOOK LIKE COMPARED TO QUARTER ONE DATA OF OUR CHILDREN FROM LAST YEAR? KEEPING IN MIND THAT IT'S NOT THE SAME COHORT.
BUT WE WANTED TO SEE IF OUR INSTRUCTION WAS PROGRESSING JUST AS IT HAD PREVIOUSLY.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THESE PIE CHARTS AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE LEVELS AROUND THEM.
LET ME EXPLAIN THOSE FOR JUST A MOMENT.
LEVEL THREE, FOUR AND THERE IS LEVEL FIVE, INDICATES THAT A CHILD IS DEMONSTRATING READINESS.
SPECIFICALLY LEVEL FOUR, WE WANT ALL CHILDREN TO BE AT LEVEL FOUR BY THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THAT MEANS THEY ARE DEMONSTRATING READINESS FOR KINDERGARTEN AND ARE READY TO HANDLE THE KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM, MEANING THEY HAVE DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS WITH THE PRE-K CURRICULUM.
SO LEVEL TWO MEANS THEY ARE APPROACHING READINESS AND LEVEL
[01:15:04]
ONE AS WELL AS DCBA MEANS THAT THEY ARE EMERGING WITH THEIR READINESS.THE DCBA IS A SPECIFIC CATEGORY MEANING THAT CHILDREN HAVE NOT YET HAVEN'T OBTAINED [INAUDIBLE] I CAN TALK CORRECTLY, OBTAINED THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO EVEN BEGIN HANDLING THE CURRICULUM.
THIS IS A POPULATION OF CHILDREN THAT WE MONITOR VERY CLOSELY AND WE NEED TO BE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SEE GROWTH WITH THIS POPULATION.
>> IS THERE A DISTINCTION OF WHAT DCBA MEANS?
ALL OF THESE ARE LEARNING PROGRESSIONS.
IF A CHILD IS A, THEY MAY LOOK AT A BOOK.
LET'S JUST SAY BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A STANDARD HERE THAT'S TO RETELL A STORY, BUT NOT ENGAGE AT ALL AND SO IT PROGRESSES UP.
>> A WOULD BE THE LOWEST. YES.
YOU MAY FIND IN THIS POPULATION THIS COULD BE CHILDREN.
KEEP IN MIND THAT PRE-K WAS STARTED WITH A LOT OF GRANT FUNDING BECAUSE WE WANTED CHILDREN TO BE READY FOR KINDERGARTEN, SO THIS COULD BE CHILDREN THAT HAVE NOT HAD A LOT OF EXPOSURE TO INSTRUCTION OR A CLASSROOM SETTING OR A PRESCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.
IT COULD BE CHILDREN THAT HAVE DISABILITIES, IT COULD BE CHILDREN THAT DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE, SO THIS IS ALL VERY NEW TO THEM.
THERE'S A VARIETY OF REASONS WHY CHILDREN MIGHT NOT YET START RIGHT ON LEVEL 1 WHEN THEY COME IN.
THIS IS ONE OF THE STANDARDS AND BECAUSE WE DO ASSESS A LOT OF STANDARDS, BUT I'M ONLY GOING TO SHOW YOU TONIGHT A STANDARD FROM LITERACY AND A STANDARD FOR MATH JUST TO NOT TAKE UP THE HOUR AND A HALF THAT [LAUGHTER] I GUESS I COULD TAKE.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE STANDARD FOR RETELL A STORY AND THIS IS QUARTER 1 FROM THIS SCHOOL YEAR AND YOU CAN SEE THAT LEVEL 3 AND LEVEL 4 KEEP IN MIND THAT'S WHERE WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE.
WE STARTED OUT WITH ABOUT 24.4 PERCENT OF OUR CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO DO THAT.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS WHAT WAS GOING ON LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR THE PIE CHARTS LOOK VERY SIMILAR AND 31 PERCENT OF OUR CHILDREN WERE ON A 3 OR A 4.
WE STARTED TO SEE, AS WE LOOKED AT EACH OF THESE AND COMPARED THEM, THAT THERE WERE SOME SIMILARITIES, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I PULLED A MATH STANDARD AND YOU CAN SEE THAT FIRST-QUARTER FOR THIS YEAR FOR OBJECT COUNTING, APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT OF OUR CHILDREN WERE PERFORMING AT LEVEL 3 OR 4 AND IF YOU TURN THE PAGE, THE PREVIOUS YEAR, 41 PERCENT.
WE'RE STILL SEEING SOME SIMILARITIES AND AS WE WENT THROUGH ALL OF THE STANDARDS AND COMPARED THEM FOR LITERACY, LANGUAGE, AND MATH, WE SAW A LOT OF CONSISTENCY, THAT LED US TO BELIEVE THAT THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE, WE'RE HELPING OUR PRE-K KIDS TO PROGRESS, BUT WE WANTED TO TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER.
THIS DATA THAT I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU IS STUDENTS OF THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE COVER WE HAVE IN PRE-K THIS YEAR AND COMPARE HOW THEY DID FROM QUARTER 1 TO QUARTER 2 AND WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT LITERACY AND MATH, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME STANDARDS THAT I HAD PICKED BEFORE.
IF WE TURN TO THE NEXT CHART, SO HERE'S OUR RETELL A STORY AGAIN, THIS IS OUR QUARTER 1 DATA, AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT IF THE QUARTER 1,24.4 PERCENT OF OUR CHILDREN WERE DEMONSTRATING READINESS, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE DCBA GROUP, WE HAD 19.7 PERCENT OF OUR CHILDREN IN THE EMERGING CATEGORY THERE.
IF YOU FLIP THE PAGE, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED AFTER 1 QUARTER.
THIS IS QUARTER 2, WE WENT FROM 24.4 PERCENT DEMONSTRATING TO 42.4 PERCENT DEMONSTRATING, AND WE MOVED THE ALMOST 20 PERCENT OF KIDS FROM THE DCBA CATEGORY DOWN TO ABOUT NINE PERCENT.
WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN OUR STUDENTS, VERY MUCH LIKE WHAT WE SAW A YEAR BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
THE NEXT PAGE WILL SHOW YOU A MATH SORTING AND CLASSIFYING AND QUARTER 1,
[01:20:02]
23.6 PERCENT APPROXIMATELY OF OUR CHILDREN WERE DEMONSTRATING READINESS AND ALMOST 9 PERCENT WERE IN THE LOWEST CATEGORY OF DCBA QUARTER 1.TO ONLY TURN THE PAGE AND QUARTER 2, WE'VE GONE FROM 23.6 DEMONSTRATING NOW TO 42.7 DEMONSTRATING READINESS ON THIS PARTICULAR STANDARD.
BUT WE'VE MOVED ALMOST 10 PERCENT OF THE KIDS FROM THE DCBA CATEGORY TO THE 3.2 CATEGORY, AND WHY DO I POINT THAT OUT? REALLY IMPORTANT IN THE CURRICULUM ASSESSMENT AND INSTRUCTION CYCLE THAT WE WANT TO SEE THIS PIE CHART MOVING TOWARDS DEMONSTRATING FOR ALL KIDS.
WE WOULDN'T WANT TO ONLY SEE A PORTION OF OUR KIDS IMPROVING, SO THIS TO US HAS LEAD US TO REALLY ANALYZE OUR CURRICULUM.
WE'VE DONE A LOT OF CURRICULUM MAPPING.
WE DID THAT A YEAR AGO WHEN WE FELT THAT ALL OF THE POPULATION WASN'T MOVING, WHAT DID WE NEED TO ADD TO SUPPORT KIDS? BOTTOM LINE, WE WERE FEELING PRETTY GOOD ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON THIS YEAR IN PRE-K, EVEN THOUGH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, RELATIVELY NERVOUS ABOUT IT BECAUSE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WE STARTED AT DISTANCE LEARNING, THEN WE WENT TO IN-PERSON, WE WENT BACK TO DISTANCE LEARNING, AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO IN-PERSON AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE PRE-K TEACHERS ARE LOVING AND HAVING THE KIDS BACK BECAUSE IT IS A CHALLENGE TO TEACH KIDS VIRTUALLY THAT ARE REALLY YOUNG.
HOWEVER, I THINK THEY'VE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB, SO IF YOU TURN ONE MORE PAGE AND YOU'RE REALLY A GREAT HELP OVER THERE, RACHEL.
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE ATTRIBUTE US BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN PROGRESS WITH OUR CHILDREN.
FIRST OF ALL, WE DO HAVE SMALLER CLASS SIZES THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE'RE APPROXIMATELY ABOUT 110 CHILDREN LESS THIS YEAR AS ALL OTHER COUNTIES HAVE SEEN A DECLINE IN PRE-K, SO HAVE WE, HOWEVER, TODAY WE HAD A NEW CHILD ENROLL, SO IT'S CONSTANTLY MOVING TARGET.
[NOISE] [LAUGHTER] YOU MEAN JOB SECURITY FOR ME? I LIKE THAT CONCEPT.
THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT, [NOISE], ONE THING THAT'S SUPER POSITIVE ABOUT WORKING IN PRE-K IS THAT THERE IS A PRE-K EXPANSION GRANT AND IT IS DESIGNED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PRE-K AND THERE IS AN INCOME REQUIREMENT FOR PRE-K, EVEN THOUGH WE DO ALSO HAVE SOME LOCAL POLICIES THAT ALLOW OTHER CHILDREN IN AS WELL, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO USE SOME OF THOSE FUNDS TO ACTUALLY PUT TOGETHER A HOME SUPPLIES AND CURRICULUM MATERIALS OF INSTRUCTION TO SEND HOME WITH OUR PRE-K STUDENTS.
WHICH WE FELT AND WHEN I SAY WE, I'M TALKING ABOUT OUR PRE-K TEACHERS AND OUR TEACHER SPECIALIST IN EARLY CHILDHOOD, BUT WE REALLY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IF WE'RE ON THIS SIDE OF THE COMPUTER AND THE CHILD IS ON THE OTHER AND WE FELT VERY STRONGLY THAT THEY NEEDED TO HAVE MATERIALS SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION PAPER, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD BE ASKING THEM TO DO IN OUR ACTIVITIES BUT THEY ALSO NEEDED TO ACTUALLY HAVE THE CURRICULUM MATERIALS.FOR EXAMPLE, A SORTING BUTTON.
IF THE TEACHER SAYING HERE'S BLUE IN A SORTING BUTTON AND A BUTTON AND HERE'S READ, IF THE CHILD ACTUALLY HAD THE MANIPULATIVE IN THEIR HAND ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE FELT THAT THAT WOULD MITIGATE SOME OF THE DISRUPTION TO INSTRUCTION.
THE OTHER THING THAT WAS A BENEFIT TO THAT WHEN THE CHILDREN DID RETURN TO SCHOOL, THEY COULD BRING THOSE CURRICULUM MATERIALS IN SUCH AS THE SORTING BUTTONS AND THEN THAT WOULD BE THEIR OWN MATERIAL.
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN EVERY MATERIAL IN THE CLASS THAT THEY HAD THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL MATERIALS, SO IT HAD A DOUBLE POSITIVE TO IT.
WE ALSO HAVE BEEN USING OUR FROG STREET CURRICULUM NOW FOR TWO YEARS.WE FEEL LIKE THAT IS A STRENGTH OF THE PROGRAM AND PART OF WHAT HAS HELPED US THROUGH THIS TIME, THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF FIDELITY TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR CURRICULUM AND CERTAINLY EVERYONE IS FOLLOWING THE SCOPE AND SEQUENCE.
WE HAVE VERY CONSISTENT DATA COLLECTION PRACTICES.
PRE-K TEACHERS HAVE BECOME MASTERFUL AT COLLECTING DATA WHEN CHILDREN DON'T EVEN KNOW DATA'S BEING COLLECTED ON THEM.
THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA OF OUR FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT, WHICH IS AN AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT WE'RE OBSERVING AND FIGURING OUT HOW CHILDREN ARE DOING AS THEY'RE LEARNING SO IT'S NOT AN ARTIFICIAL THING WHERE WE PULL THEM TO THE SIDE AND ASSESS THEM.
[01:25:01]
THE OTHER THING THAT TEACHERS FELT WAS VERY IMPORTANT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WHEN WE STARTED WITH OUR DISTANCE LEARNING WAS TO PROVIDE INDIVIDUALIZED EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION TO EACH STUDENT, AND THAT WAS PROVIDED TO PRE-K STUDENTS.KEEPING IN MIND THAT PRE-K STUDENTS COMING TO US MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAD ANY EXPOSURE TO A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, THERE WAS A NEEDED TIME FOR TEACHERS TO HAVE ONE-ON-ONE WITH CHILDREN AND THEY DID THAT.
THEY DIDN'T EXCELLENT JOB AT THAT.
WE'VE HAD CONSISTENT STAFFING IN PRE-K. WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY CHANGES IN OUR STAFFING OTHER THAN WE INCREASED OUR STAFF A YEAR AGO WHEN OUR POPULATION INCREASED.
I THINK THAT'S A DEFINITE STRENGTH AND I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO HOW MUCH THE PRE-K TEACHERS LIKE THEIR JOBS HERE, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T MOVED OUT OF PRE-K. WE'VE ALSO SEEN INCREASED PARENT INVOLVEMENT.
OBVIOUSLY, PARENTS NEED TO BE INVOLVED WHEN WE HAVE CHILDREN USING TECHNOLOGY, BUT PARENTS HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WHAT THE STANDARDS ARE, WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S BEEN SUPER POSITIVE.
WE HAVE JUST SENT OUT A PARENT'S SURVEY.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE RESULTS.
I LOOKED AT SOME OF THE PRELIMINARY ONES HAVE JUST OUR PRE-K PARENTS TO SAY, HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS YEAR? WHAT THINGS HELPED YOU THE MOST OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE? WHAT THINGS COULD HELP YOU MORE? WE WILL BE HAVING THAT INFORMATION VERY SHORTLY, AND THEN WE ASSOCIATED THAT SURVEY WITH OUR LATEST PARENT CONFERENCE DAYS.
WE'VE HAD MORE PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN OUR FIRST PARENT CONFERENCE THAN WE'VE HAD IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS.
WE DID PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY TO ALL STUDENTS IN THE FORM OF AN IPAD, BECAUSE KEEP IN MIND, SOMETIMES WE WERE VIRTUAL AND SOME TIMES OUR KIDS WILL NEED IT FOR WEDNESDAY ASYNCHRONOUS DAYS AS WELL.
BUT WE ADDED TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHERS AS WELL.
IT ALMOST TAKES TWO PIECES OF TECHNOLOGY SOMETIMES TO DO THE WORK IN THE CLASSROOM, AND OUR INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS HAVE ALSO ASSISTED AND THEY'VE HAD SOME TECHNOLOGY PROVIDED TO THEM AS WELL.
LASTLY, ON OUR ASYNCHRONOUS WEDNESDAYS, OUR TEACHER TEAMS IN EACH OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS HAVE PLANNED THAT DAY, AND THROUGH THEIR USE OF THEIR GOOGLE CLASSROOMS HAVE UPLOADED WHAT CHILDREN COULD BE DOING ON THE ASYNCHRONOUS DAY.
THEY ALSO ARE ABLE TO SEND PARENTS AND EMAIL THE NIGHT BEFORE AND SAY, "HEY", BECAUSE WE SEND IT ALL GOODIES OUT IN A BIG BLUE BAG.
IN YOUR BLUE BAG, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED FOR TOMORROW'S LESSON.
IT'S BEEN VERY POSITIVELY RECEIVED BY PARENTS BECAUSE IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT IN OUR DISTRICT TO BE MINDFUL OF EQUITY, THAT NOT EVERY HOME WOULD HAVE MAYBE A CHILD'S PAIR OF SCISSORS IF WE'RE PRACTICING FOR CUTTING, THEY MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH CONSTRUCTION PAPER OR GLUE STICKS OR THINGS OF THIS NATURE, SO WE MADE SURE THAT EVERY CHILD HAD THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THE WEDNESDAY ASYNCHRONOUS DAYS.
WITH ALL THAT SAID, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO QUARTER THREE DATA BECAUSE OUR CHILDREN ARE BACK IN THE BUILDING AND THAT'S ALWAYS A POSITIVE.
OUR GOAL WOULD BE THAT 75 PERCENT OR MORE OF OUR PRE-K CHILDREN BY THE FOURTH QUARTER WILL BE ON LEVEL FOUR, WHICH IS READINESS FOR KINDERGARTEN, READY TO ENGAGE WITH KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM. THANK YOU.
>> CAN YOU SAY THAT THERE WAS A SINGLE LARGEST OBSTACLE THAT THIS PROGRAM HAD TO OVERCOME THAT PEOPLE MAKING THE PROGRAM WORK BECAUSE OF COVID19? YOU DON'T HAVE TO PICK A SINGLE ONE JUST WHATEVER SIGNIFICANTLY THE ONE THAT COMES TO MIND.
>> I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I THINK WHAT CAME TO MIND WHEN YOU SAID IT, IS THE TEACHER'S LEARNING TO TEACH VIRTUALLY YOUNG CHILDREN WHO WE ARE TYPICALLY NOT ENGAGING FROM A DISTANCE WITH WE'RE MUCH MORE HANDS ON.
I'VE SEEN TEACHERS BE VERY CREATIVE WITH HOW TO STAY ENGAGED WITH KIDS, TO INCORPORATE A LOT OF MOVEMENT IN THEIR ACTIVITIES, TO REMEMBER THE LENGTH OF TIME.
ALONG WITH THAT, WHEN WE'VE HAD SOME CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN IN-PERSON WHEN WE WERE IN PERSON, BUT WE HAD SOME CHILDREN WHO WERE VIRTUAL BECAUSE THE PARENTS DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE SENDING THEM IN.
THE TEACHERS WHO LOVE EVERY CHILD IN THEIR CLASS, WERE LIKE, "I HOPE I'M DOING ENOUGH FOR MY VIRTUAL CHILD." THAT'S WHAT I THINK THAT THEY TOOK TO HEART.
I EVEN WENT INTO ONE CLASS AND I THOUGHT IT WAS KIND OF BRILLIANT.
THIS ONE TEACHER HAD ONE VIRTUAL CHILD AND THE KIDS WERE ALL SEATED IN THEIR SQUARES,
[01:30:09]
AND THERE WAS A COMPUTER WITH THE CHILD THAT WAS VIRTUAL ON ONE OF THE SQUARES.WELL, THERE'S THE CHILD AND AWAY THEY WENT AND IT WAS MEANINGFUL, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT AT THE END OF EVERY DAY, I THINK THE TEACHERS REFLECTED.
DID I DO ENOUGH FOR THE VIRTUAL CHILD? I THINK THAT WAS THE CHALLENGE.
>> DO MOST OF THE STUDENTS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE, DO THE PARENTS ENROLL THEM?
>> YES. WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH ENROLLMENT.
A YEAR AGO WE HAD TO FOUR CLASSROOMS BECAUSE WE HAD REALLY HAD A LOT OF INTEREST IN OUR PROGRAM.
JUST TODAY, I TOOK A PHONE CALL FROM A PARENT OF A THREE-YEAR-OLD WANTING TO KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IN A YEAR.
I THINK THERE HAS BEEN MORE PUBLICITY IN OUR DISTRICT ABOUT PRE-K AND HOW CAN YOU GET IN.
YES, I THINK WE'VE HAD GOOD ENROLLMENT.
THIS YEAR OUR MOMENT CHANGED, BUT I DO THINK THAT'S A LOT OF THAT HAD TO DO WITH, PARENTS DIDN'T HAVE A WAY FOR THEIR CHILD TO BE HOME BECAUSE THEY WORKED AND THEY NEEDED THEIR CHILD TO GO INTO A SETTING WHERE THEY COULDN'T COME TO SCHOOL SO THAT SOME PARENTS JUST MADE THAT DECISION.
WE'VE HAD PARENTS WHO HAVE PUT THEIR CHILDREN IN AND FOUND THAT IT WAS FINE WHEN THEY HAVE A LOT OF APPREHENSION.
WE HAVE A PARENT THAT BRING THEIR CHILD IN BECAUSE SHE'S LIKE, THIS IS BETTER.
MY MY CHILD CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO SCHOOL, SO WE'VE HAD THAT." BUT WE'VE ALSO HAD PARENTS THAT FEEL THAT THEIR CHILD MIGHT HAVE SEVERE ASTHMA OR SOMETHING AND THEY'VE BEEN VERY GUARDED.
FOR THOSE CHILDREN WE'VE ALSO SENT THEM HOME, OBVIOUSLY, THE BIG BLUE BAG OF GOODIES, BUT THE TEACHERS HAVE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF STAYING IN TOUCH WITH THOSE FAMILIES.
EVEN THOUGH THAT CHILD, THEY DON'T GET TO SEE THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS THEY CHECK IN WITH THEM AND THAT'S HELPED.
>> HAVE WE EVER TURNED ANYBODY DOWN FOR PRE-K?
>> NOT ANYBODY THAT IS ELIGIBLE.
WE DO HAVE LOCAL POLICIES THAT ALLOW FOR ANY CHILD WITH A DISABILITY IN EACH CHILD THAT ENGLISH IS NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, AND THEN THERE'S ABOUT 10 OTHER CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED THROUGH OUR LOCAL POLICIES TO ALLOW CHILDREN IN, WHICH WE DO THAT.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THOSE CHILDREN.
WE ALSO NOT THIS PAST YEAR BECAUSE OF COVID, BUT IN PREVIOUS YEARS WE ALSO CONDUCT A REGISTRATION AND SCREENING DAY.
IF A PARENT COMES AND BRINGS THEIR CHILD FOR THE SCREENING AND I ENCOURAGE EVERY PARENT THAT CALLS ME TO BRING THEIR CHILD.
THAT IF THE CHILD DIDN'T SCREAM TO THE LEVEL THEY SHOULD MAYBE FOR BEING READY FOR PRE-K.
THEY CAN ALSO BE ADMITTED AS A CHILD AT RISK, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR INCOME.
>> THESE NUMBERS ARE JUST THE PRE-K THAT ARE IN OUR PROGRAM, NOT PART OF THE SCREENING PRE-KS WHO ARE MAYBE MIGHT HAVE PASSED THE TEST, PASSED THE ASSESSMENT.
>> ON THE ASSESSMENT DAY WE'RE HAVING THOSE NUMBERS AREN'T THESE NUMBERS.
>> NO, THAT WOULD BE ON APRIL WHEN WE OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC AND SAY, COME IN AND IN FACT CAROLINE COUNTY HAS QUITE A GREAT HISTORY OF DOING IT.
IN MY OPINION, WHEN I WALKED IN I THOUGHT WOW, WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH THE SCREENING DAY.
NOT ONLY BE PARENTS REGISTER THEIR CHILDREN, BUT THEY ARE SCREENED BY A TEACHER, A PRE-K TEACHER, VISION AND HEARING AND SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS, SO RIGHT AWAY, WE HAVE A CHILD THAT LOOKS AT RISK AT THAT MOMENT.
WE CAN OFFER SOMETHING FOR THAT CHILD.
WE CAN OFFER CERTAINLY A REFERRAL TO SPECIAL EDUCATION IF IT'S A SPEECH AND LANGUAGE CONCERN, BUT IF THERE IS ANY WEAKNESS IN ANY ASPECT OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT, WE CAN GET THEM INTO PRE-K AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE NEEDS ARE MET.
THE CHILDREN HERE, THAT YOU SAW THE DATA ON TRIED AND OUR ACTUAL ENROLLED CHILDREN.
>> THANK YOU [BACKGROUND] [OVERLAPPING].
>> WELCOME EVERYBODY HOW IS YOUR DAY?
>> COME ON DEREK, YOU MISSED SOME.
>> QUALITY SAMPLING IN YOUR AREA.
>> MOVING ON FROM EARLY LEARNING ASSESSMENT ON GIFTED AND TALENTED UPDATE.
[01:35:01]
>>GOOD. I DON'T HAVE TO DO A FORMAL INTRODUCTION AND YOU'RE NEVER BEEN AS CRYSTAL.
>> THEY'RE GOING TO TELL US HOW MANY YEARS SHE'S BEEN HERE.
>> PROBABLY SHE HAS BEEN HERE FROM MAY, YOU'RE CLOSE TO MAY ACTUALLY.
>> THIS EVENING I'M GOING TO JUST DO A REVIEW OF GIFTED AND TALENTED AND TALK ABOUT OUR IDENTIFICATION PROCESS AND OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WE HAVE TINA FARGO, WHO IS THE GT TEACHER AT FEDERALS FOG ELEMENTARY, AND PRESTON ELEMENTARY, KB TRIBIT IS AT DENTON ELEMENTARY AND VERGILY ELEMENTARY AND MICHELLE WHYLE IS AT GREENSBORO.
KUMAR 13407 IS THE REGULATION THAT GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION FALSE UNDER.
CAROLINE COUNTY FOLLOWS THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY NSDE.
AT THE END OF MY PRESENTATION, HAVE INCLUDED TWO LINKS.
ONE IS TO THE ACTUAL KUMAR REGULATIONS AND THE OTHER ONE IS THE MODEL THAT NSDE HAS APPROVED TO IMPLEMENT THE GT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
FOR PRE-K THROUGH SECOND GRADE, WE USE PRIMARY TALENT DEVELOPMENT LESSONS, WHERE DATA IS COLLECTED BY THE GT TEACHERS THAT GENERAL HEAD TEACHERS AND PRE-K THROUGH SECOND GRADE WILL HAVE THE STUDENTS COMPLETE LESSONS AND THE TEACHERS WILL MONITOR AND THEY'LL LOOK AT GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS LIKE HOW ARE THE STUDENTS MAKING OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYZING DATA? ARE THEY ABLE TO MAKE ANALOGIES? IN GRADES TWO THROUGH FIVE, WE CAN LOOK AT A READING MAP AND ELA DATA FOR UNIVERSAL SCREENING.
IS IT OKAY IF I TAKE MY MASK OFF?
>> THANK YOU. FOR GRADE TWO ARE APTITUDE TESTS THAT WE USE, WHICH IS MORE COGNITIVE, IS THE NAGLIERI NON-VERBAL ASSESSMENT.
IT'S ALSO REFERRED TO AS NN80.
WE ALSO LOOK AT M CAP FOR ACHIEVEMENT DATA IN GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE.
THEN WE LOOK AT BEHAVIORS USING THE HOOP TEACHER RATING SCALE.
THAT CAN BE USED FROM PRE-K TO 12TH GRADE IF WE WANTED TO.
THIS IS AN AREA THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SINCE THE NEW KUMAR GT REGULATIONS CAME OUT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY ASK IS THAT WE GO BACK AND REVISIT STUDENTS IN IDENTIFYING STUDENTS IN SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE.
I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE TYPICALLY, I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT GET MISSED BECAUSE HISTORICALLY WE'VE USED ELA AS A PLACE IN ELEMENTARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM.
I'VE REALLY BEEN TRYING TO BROADEN THAT SO THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NOT JUST ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS, BUT MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES.
WE CAPTURE A LOT MORE KIDS THAT WAY.
BUT WE DO HAVE OUR GROUP OF SIX THROUGH EIGHT GRADERS THAT HAVE BEEN MISSED SOMETIMES BECAUSE BOYS ARE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF THE GTI PROGRAM IF IT JUST FOCUSES ON ELA.
IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE'RE LOOKING AT WRITING MATH AND ELA DATA AND KEPT SCORES, THE HOOP TEACHER RATING SCALE.
THIS PART IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE USED TO CALL GT HIGHLY ABLE PROGRAM.
WHEN I WAS TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL AND TAUGHT SIXTH GRADE, WE CALLED THAT HALF.
BUT GIFTED AND TALENTED, IS A BETTER WAY OF CAPTURING WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE CAPABLE OF BECAUSE IT ALSO HITS THE TALENT PIECE WHICH CAPTURES STUDENTS THAT HAVE TALENTS, WHETHER IT'S IN THE ARTS OR PERFORMING ARTS.
THAT FOURTH BULLET IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE KIDS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL START TO BROADEN THEIR INTERESTS AND STUDENTS' CHOICE COMES INTO PLAY.
NEXT STEPS WOULD BE LOOKING AT.
HOW WE ARE RE-SCREENING STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
[01:40:01]
I HAD ASKED FOR MONEY TO PURCHASE THE COGNITIVE ABILITIES TEST, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED THE COGEN.IT LOOKS AT ALL OF THOSE DOMAINS, NOT JUST ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, BUT IT WILL HELP IDENTIFY STUDENTS WHO ARE TALENTED IN MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING INTO.
PART OF KUMAR WITH GT REQUIRES US TO REPORT OUR NUMBERS TO THE STATE AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
WE DO HAVE A WAY OF TRACKING OUR STUDENTS ONCE THEY ARE IDENTIFIED AND POWER SCHOOL.
AS OF JUNE 2020, WE REPORTED THOSE NUMBERS AND I WON'T READ THROUGH ALL OF THEM.
BUT THE BIG NUMBER THAT WE FOCUS ON AND WHAT THE STATE FOCUSES ON IS MAKING SURE THAT AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, WE ARE IDENTIFYING AT LEAST 10 PERCENT OF OUR STUDENT POPULATION.
SO LAST YEAR WE WERE AT 14 PERCENT.
THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 13 PERCENT BECAUSE WE CLOSED AND WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO BRING STUDENTS BACK BEFORE THE END OF LAST YEAR.
WE TYPICALLY SCREEN STUDENTS AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IN SECOND GRADE.
WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO THAT LAST YEAR AND WE WEREN'T ALONE.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS A CHALLENGE ALL ACROSS THE STATE.
WHEN WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY THIS YEAR, WE'LL BE SCREENING OUR THIRD GRADERS.
THAT WAY WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE CAPTURED NEW STUDENTS IN THIRD GRADE.
WE HAVE SEVERAL FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS THAT HAVE SINCE BEEN IDENTIFIED THAT ALSO NEED TO BE TESTED.
WE'LL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS.
THEN LIKE I SAID, WE'RE LOOKING AT PRE-SCREENING POTENTIAL STUDENTS AND SIX THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE AS WELL.
[NOISE] THE GOALS OF THE GT CURRICULUM, THE FIRST BULLET, APPLIES MORE TO THE ANALYTICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY AND TASK COMMITMENT.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COGNITIVE ABILITY.
THE SECOND BULLET IS WHERE WE HAVE STARTED IMPLEMENTING STEAM AND STEM ACTIVITIES AND WANTING STUDENTS TO BECOME THE RESEARCHER SO THEY CAN DISCOVER AND DOCUMENT REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS AND CREATE ORIGINAL SOLUTIONS.
THAT'S WHERE THE STEAM PIECE OF OUR CURRICULUM COMES IN.
SO BY GRADE LEVEL, THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THE GT PROGRAM AND SERVICES LOOKS LIKE.
THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADE IS MADE UP OF DIFFERENTIATED CURRICULUM AND WE HAVE A LOT OF STEM AND STEAM ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED ACROSS ALL CONTENT AREAS, NOT JUST IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST ACTIVITIES, THINKING LIKE AN ENGINEER.
LOOKING AT THE ARTS AND PERFORMING ARTS, I BELIEVE MRS. ANTHONY SHARED AT THE LAST MEETING.
[NOISE] THE WORKSHOP THAT OUR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS GOT TO PARTICIPATE IN.
WHERE BRENT DANIEL'S SHARED HOW HE CREATES MOVIE TRAILERS AND PUTS MUSIC TO IT, SO THAT WAS A REALLY NEAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR GT KIDS.
WE ALSO, LIKE I SAID, HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ENCOMPASS GT, NOT JUST IN THE OLD WAY KIND OF BREAKING THAT STEREOTYPE AND LOOKING AT ACROSS TO ALL CONTENT AREAS.
WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE UNITS OF STUDY FROM THE WILLIAM AND MARY CURRICULUM, WHICH IS FROM THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN WILLIAMSBURG, HAS BEEN THE MOST RIGOROUS AND ONE OF OUR MORE FAVORED CURRICULUMS TO USE.
WE DO HAVE THE CURRICULUM UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND COVER MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, SO WE'VE BEEN INCORPORATING THOSE.
SO, 6TH THROUGH 8TH GRADE HAS BEEN A BIT OF A CHALLENGE WITH COVID BECAUSE FOCUS HAS BEEN THE PERIOD THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS, WELL FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTING CURRICULUM FOR OUR 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH GRADERS.
IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE BECAUSE SCHEDULING, GETTING THAT 45 MINUTES IN.
BUT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO LOOK AT HOW FOCUS CAN BE USED FOR ENRICHMENT IN NOT JUST ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS BUT MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND AGAIN WITH THE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS.
WE HAVE CONTINUED TO USE IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS FOCUSED CLASSES, JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS, AND THE WILLIAM AND MARY HALF CURRICULUM.
[01:45:01]
HIGH SCHOOL IS WHERE IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I WAS ANTICIPATING WHEN MSDE CAME OUT WITH GUIDANCE FOR IMPLEMENTING GT.THEY HAVE SAID THAT ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES IN MATH, SCIENCE, ENGLISH, SOCIAL STUDIES, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND THE ARTS.
CAREER AND COMPLETER COURSES, YOU HAVE BIOMED, CULINARY, ENGINEERING, ALL OF THE NEW PATHWAYS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN BRINGING IN, AS WELL AS DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES.
SO, FOR HIGH SCHOOL, IT IS DIFFERENTIATION BY STUDENT CHOICE.
THIS IS WHERE WHATEVER TRACK THE STUDENT HAS CHOSEN IN HIGH SCHOOL, WHETHER IT'S AP, CTE OR DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES DRIVES THE TYPE OF GT CURRICULUM THAT THEY ARE TAKING.
>> SO WHEN THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S GIFTED AND TALENTED AND THEY'RE DOING A DUAL ENROLLMENT AND THEY HAVE A HIGH GRADE POINT AVERAGE.
WHEN THEY TAKE THE CLASS, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE GRADE POINT? IS IT ADVANTAGE OR AN ADVANTAGE IS IT TRYING TO BE NEUTRAL?
I PERSONALLY THINK FOR A LOT OF KIDS, WHEN YOU HAVE A STUDENT WHO IS VERY DRIVEN, DUAL ENROLLMENT IS VERY HELPFUL.
WHEN I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, WE HAD A LOT OF KIDS THAT WOULD TAKE DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES THROUGH CHESAPEAKE AND THEY WOULD END UP COMING OUT AND ALMOST HAVE THEIR ASSOCIATES DEGREE IF THEY START OUT AS A JUNIOR.
>> IT'S A GOOD AND BAD THING, DEPENDING ON THE STUDENT.
>> IF THE STUDENT HAS A SHOT AT VALEDICTORIAN, IS THAT GOING TO HELP THEM, HURT THEM IN TERMS OF THEIR GRADE POINT AVERAGE?
>> IT'S CALCULATED IN QUALITY POINT-WISE.
>> AP CLASSES, THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES ARE WHERE IF THEY'RE WEIGHTED, THEN THAT IS WHERE THE ADVANTAGE IS.
>> AP FOR ENGLISH IN 11 AND 12 AND THERE IS NOTHING FOR NINE AND 10.
>> THAT IS CORRECT, AND I HAVE HAD WHEN I WAS AT CORNELL HIGH, EVEN AS A PRINCIPAL, I KNEW THERE HAS BEEN INTEREST FROM THE ENGLISH TEACHERS TO BRING BACK LIKE A PRE-AP COURSE.
HONESTLY, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT.
I THINK THEY EVEN PRESENTED IT TO RENEE HASSAN IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY.
BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REALLY GO BACK AND INVESTIGATE BECAUSE WITH COVID, I FELT LIKE WE WERE KIND OF PICKING UP MOMENTUM AND THEN WE HIT COVID AND UNFORTUNATELY.
>> RIGHT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, LIKE WHEN THINGS GO BACK TO NORMAL?
>> I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE COULD REVISIT.
>> BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE STUDENTS USED TO.
WHEN THEY WOULD GO FROM 9,10 AND HIT AP, THEY DID IT FOR THE MOST PART DID NOT FEEL THAT THEY WERE READY FOR AN AP COURSE, THAT THEY DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY NEEDED AND SO I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO BRING THAT BACK, TO HELP THEM TRANSITION INTO AP.
>> I AGREE THAT IT'S DEFINITELY WORTH REVISITING.
OF COURSE, STAFFING AND THE COST OF MATERIALS AND THINGS HAVE TO COME INTO PLAY.
BUT I KNOW THE TEACHERS HAD A GOOD ARGUMENT FOR WRITING AND JUST PREPARING THE KIDS FOR THE AP COURSES IN THEIR JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR.
>> I GET THE POINT OF VIEW, SOMETIMES I FEEL THAT WE HAVE THE MONEY IN POCKETS.
THAT'S GOOD, MIGHT GET TAKEN AWAY, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT.
BUT THAT LEVEL SOMETIMES GIVE THEM WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GETTING A SHORTER END OF THE STICK AND I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE EQUITY AT ALL LEVELS.
>> I AGREE, AND THAT WAS WHY I SAID WHEN MSDE TALKED ABOUT WHAT IT WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE AT HIGH SCHOOL, I HONESTLY WAS NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT BECAUSE WE OFFER A LOT OF COURSES AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT PATHS.
SO WHEN THEY TALKED ABOUT STUDENT CHOICE, DRIVING THE GT TRACK AND THE GT CLASSES AT HIGH SCHOOL, THAT MADE SENSE.
I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT WE OFFER ALL OF THE CLASSES AND THE OPTIONS THAT WE DO IN CAROLINE COUNTY BECAUSE MY COUNTERPARTS ACROSS THE STATE, SOME OF THEM HAVE REALLY BEEN STRUGGLING EVEN IN THE BIGGER COUNTIES BECAUSE IF SOMETHING HAS TAKEN A CUT IT'S BEEN THE GT PROGRAM.
[01:50:01]
>> OKAY. YOU MENTIONED RESCREENING AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL.
WHAT DOES THAT KIND OF LOOK LIKE?
>> WELL, THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING AT AND FIGURING OUT WHAT IT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
BUT THAT'S WHY I HAD ASKED ABOUT THE COGAT, THE COGNITIVE ABILITIES TESTS, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S MORE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE FOR RESCREENING.
THAT WOULD BE THE COGNITIVE TEST.
AND THEN USING THE ACHIEVEMENT DATA AND THE BEHAVIOR RATING SCALES WHICH THE BEHAVIOR RATING IS THE TEACHER HOPE SCALE AND ACHIEVEMENT DATA COULD BE EYE READY ALREADY AND CAP AND YOU KNOW, ANY KIND OF DATA.
>> BECAUSE I THINK YOU'VE MADE A GOOD POINT WHEN YOU SAID THERE LOT OF MALES, ESPECIALLY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL AND JUST DOING SILLY STUFF OR WHATEVER.
BUT IN THE MIDST OF THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF BRIGHTNESS.
>> THAT ISN'T BEING TAPPED INTO I GUESS.
I THINK YOU KNOW IF WE SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME WITH THAT BECAUSE MIDDLE SCHOOL ITSELF IS DIFFERENT.
>> WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY TO YOU TOO CRYSTAL HAVING SPENT ALL THOSE YEARS TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND BACK IN THE DAY WE COULDN'T CALL IT GT, BUT IT WAS ENRICHMENT, WAS BACK IN THE DAYS OF MS. PATH. I REMEMBER TWO OF THE UNITS THAT WE DEVELOPED AS TEACHERS.
WE DID A FALL ONE WITH FOOTBALL, WE DID A SPRING ONE WITH BASEBALL AND IT REALLY COORDINATES WITH STEM BECAUSE ONE OF THEIR THINGS THEY HAD TO DESIGN A STADIUM TO SCALE.
THEY HAD TO LOOK AT THE PLAYERS AVERAGES.
THEY HAD TO SEE WHAT THEIR TEAM WAS DOING.
THEY HAD THE PLAN TRAVEL TO GO TO ANOTHER GAME, AND IT REALLY GOT SO MANY BOYS EXCITED AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY FELT THEY WERE LEARNING ABOUT BASEBALL WHEN REALITY, THEY WERE LEARNING.
WE DID ONE IN FALL AND ONE IN THE SPRING.
IT JUST TAKES A LOT AT MIDDLE-SCHOOL TO GET THOSE BOYS BECAUSE DOING WELL IS NOT FASHIONABLE IF YOU'RE A MIDDLE SCHOOL BOY.
>> IT WASN'T ANY EASIER IN HIGH SCHOOL.
>> YOU KNOW HOW I MOTIVATED A COUPLE OF THE BOYS THAT WERE REALLY SMART AND DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW.
I'M LIKE, "TELL YOU WHAT, DO YOUR WORK DO THE BEST YOU CAN I WON'T TELL EVERYBODY HOW SMART YOU ARE."
>> THEY DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO KNOW.
>> RIGHT, AND THAT WORKED FOR SEVERAL OF THEM.
"YOU SWEAR. " I SWEAR JUST GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHT.
>> SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TOO, AS WE PROGRESS, TO THINK OF THINGS THAT REALLY CAN ENGAGE AT MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THE LITTLE KIDS ARE USUALLY FINE BECAUSE THEY JUST WANT TO DO.
I KNOW HOW MY GRANDDAUGHTER IS, BUT WHEN THEY GET TO MIDDLE SCHOOL.
>> YEAH. ABOUT 5TH GRADE, 4TH GRADE.
>> THE 6TH GRADE, YOU KNOW, LIFE CHANGES AND WE HAVE GOT TO REALLY GET A HOLD OF THOSE KIDS.
>> WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD IS REALLY GOOD IN MATH, NOT SO GOOD IN?
>> THEY ARE STILL GIFTED AND TALENTED.
>> SO YOU REALLY JUST HAVE TO BE REALLY GOOD IN MAYBE JUST ONE AREA.
>> THEY'VE EVEN OUTLINES AND I ACTUALLY I'LL LEAVE COPIES WITH YOU.
I LIKE PAPER EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN LINK TO EVERYBODY.
SO I DID MAKE COPIES FOR YOU GUYS, BUT I CAN LEAVE UP TWO LINKS.
>> WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE ART? CRYSTALLIZE AGAIN, I'M USING MY GRANDDAUGHTER, SHE'S A 6TH GRADER.
SHE HAD A TERM AN EXTRA TERM DURING THE YEAR IN ART BECAUSE SHE WAS VERY TALENTED AT ART.
DO WE DO THINGS WITH ART AND MUSIC OR WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YET?
>> WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE ARTS, WHICH IS WHERE IF YOU REMEMBER WITH STEM AND STEAM.
>> YES, AND SO LIKE AT CORNELL HIGH, THEY HAVE THE NATIONAL ARTS SOCIETY, HONOR SOCIETY.
ANY TYPE OF SHOW BANS, ALL SHORT CHORUS.
ALL OF THOSE ARE WAYS STUDENTS CAN EXHIBIT THAT THEY'RE TALENTED.
AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THEY OFFER APR CLASSES.
>> SO THAT IS ANOTHER WAY THAT IF THEY ARE TALENTED.
>> AGAIN I'M LOOKING AT MIDDLE SCHOOL, YOU KNOW.
>> THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WITH THE SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE ROOM THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON AND FOCUS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THOSE ENRICHMENT CLASSES.
MAYBE IT'S JUST TRYING TO TWEAK, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE OFFERING.
>> MAYBE SOME AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS WOULD EITHER BE AVAILABLE FOR NOT EVEN ELIMINATING ANY STUDENT BUT WOULD BE THERE FOR STUDENTS AND THAT HAVE SPECIAL INTEREST IN SINGING, [OVERLAPPING] WHATEVER DRAMA.
[01:55:04]
>> SPORTS. YOU CAN BE TALENTED IN SPORTS.
>> RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT MUCH, BECAUSE I'M NOT COORDINATED.
BUT FOR SOME KIDS ARE VERY TALENTED.
I MEAN, DO WE HAVE ANYTHING FOR.
>> I HAVE NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THROUGH MSD THAT RECOGNIZES SPECIFICALLY [OVERLAPPING] RIGHT.
>> AND THEN GOING UP THE LEVELS.
>> WELL, WE DON'T HAVE SPORTS.
YOU'VE HEARD PARENTS TALK ABOUT, I HAVE AT LEAST TEAM SPORTS BELOW HIGH SCHOOL BUT WHERE DO YOU STOP IT? IN SMALL COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW, IF YOU START HAVING A MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM AND SOME KIDS CAN'T DO HAVE THE LITTLE LEAGUE PROGRAM AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM, YOU'RE PULLING AGAINST.
>> IT'S HARD TO CARRY BOTH OF THEM.
>>YOU KNOW, YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME AND SO MUCH POPULATION.
MAYBE IT'S SUITS FOR BIGGER, BIGGER POPULATION AREAS, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT THEN ONCE WE GET INVOLVED IN IT, YOU TRY TO BE EQUITABLE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT PARENTS WHO THINK SPORTS RULES THE WORLD AND IT IS WHAT IT IS.
WHERE DID WE FALL WITH A KID, WHETHER IT'S BOY OR GIRL, MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS ARE KIDS.
THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY'RE TOLD THEY HAVE TO TILL THEY GET COVID, THEN THEY ALL WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL AND REALIZED HOW GREAT A PLACE IT IS.
BUT THEY'RE JUST NOT GIFTED AND TALENTED KID, WHETHER THEY THINK THEY ARE NOT.
BUT THEN IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OR EVEN EARLY HIGH SCHOOL, FRESHMAN THEY REALIZE, YOU KNOW, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? I'M GOING TO GET MY, I GOT TO GET MY PLAN TOGETHER.
WHETHER IT'S ALL THE STUDENTS OR THE PARENTS ARE LIKE, GET YOUR PLAN TOGETHER AND MAYBE THEY DIDN'T PASS THE ASSESSMENT.
MAYBE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ON THE RADAR BUT THEY'RE NOT REALLY MAKING A CUT.
WHERE DO WE HAVE SAYS PARENTS, I WANT THEM CHALLENGED.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE ACTUALLY STARTED AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL WITH THAT IS, WE HAVE WHAT IS A POTENTIAL AND ENRICHMENT GROUP.
SO THE GT TEACHERS WILL SEND A LETTER HOME, OR WHETHER IT'S A TEACHER, A PARENT THAT REACHES OUT AND SAYS, I REALLY WANT MY CHILD TO BE CHALLENGED, I FEEL LIKE THEY CAN BUT CAN WE DO LIKE A TRIAL RUN? SO WE DO PUT THEM INTO GT.
WE HAVE SEVERAL THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
I ACTUALLY JUST HAD A SCHOOL SITE AT RIDGWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONTACT ME LAST WEEK ABOUT A FOURTH GRADER.
PERSONALLY, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE A GATEKEEPER.
WE HAVE THE APTITUDE, WE HAVE THE ACHIEVEMENT AND WE HAVE THE BEHAVIOR.
BUT SOMETIMES THERE ARE KIDS THAT JUST THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND THEY MIGHT BE LATE BLOOMERS WHICH IS WHY I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT GOING BACK AND RE SCREENING THAT MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND.
MY GT TEACHERS NOW KNOW THAT LIKE WE ARE NOT GOING TO SAY ABSOLUTELY HARDCORE, THAT NO THAT CHILD DID NOT QUALIFY.
I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK AND REASSESS BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, WHETHER IT'S MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL, SOMETIMES SOMETHING CLICKS.
>> [OVERLAPPING]. SOMETIMES IT'S A MATURITY THING TOO.
[OVERLAPPING] BECAUSE THEY HAVE LACK OF MATURITY AT SOME POINT, WE KNOW THAT.
>> IT'S BEEN ON MY MIND I DON'T THINK WE'VE REALLY TALKED ABOUT IT REAL CLEARLY, BUT OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHIES OR WHATEVER THE RIGHT WORD IS, I DON'T KNOW, BUT HAS CHANGED IN THAT 20, 30 YEARS AGO AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
I MEAN, EITHER YOU GOT IT OR YOU DIDN'T, YOU GOT YOUR GRADE AND YOU MOVED ON.
TO THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW THEY COULDN'T TAKE A D HOME, THEY'VE WORKED THEIR BUTT OFF AND MAYBE THEY WERE SMART ENOUGH AND GOT AN A OR MAYBE THEY WORKED THEIR BUTT OFF AND GOT TO C BUT THEY KNEW THEY COULDN'T TAKE THE D HOME.
BUT NOW WE'RE TEACHING A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.
WE'RE NOT TEACHING IT IN GET IT AND MOVE ON, WE'RE TEACHING IT AND HOPEFULLY, THE KIDS ARE GETTING, ARE MOVING ON.
BUT THEN TEACHERS OR RETEACHING IT, RE-EVALUATING THAT BECAUSE GOAL IS NOT TO GIVE THEM AN F BUT THE GOAL IS TO GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN IT.
>> BUT YOU STILL WANT A CHALLENGE.
>> BUT YOU STILL WANT TO CHALLENGE BUT WHEN THEY GET MORE OPPORTUNITIES AND THEY STILL END UP WITH THAT B I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M ACTUALLY SAYING? IT'S HARD TO CHALLENGE A KID.
THEY GET EXTRA OPPORTUNITIES AND THEN THEY GET AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET THOSE EXTRA OPPORTUNITIES. HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE THEM?
>> YOU HOPE THEY BECOME A LITTLE BIT SELF-MOTIVATED BY THAT POINT.
>> YOU ALSO HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND AND I'M SURE YOU HAVING BEEN IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL WHEN MRS. WAYMAN YOU AS WELL AND MRS.
[02:00:04]
STILL. I CAN REMEMBER KIDS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AS GT AND THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN STRAIGHT A, B STUDENTS.THERE WAS THIS ONE STUDENT WHEN I FIRST TAUGHT AT WALKER MIN, THAT I STILL REMEMBER HIS NAME.
D STUDENT BUT HE WAS THE BRIGHTEST STUDENT THAT YOU COULD EVER HAVE IN YOUR CLASS.
HE HAD IT BUT IT DIDN'T ALWAYS COME OUT ON PAPER OR ON THE TESTS AND I'M NOT KIDDING.
LIKE THIS KID HAD SEASON DS ALL THROUGH MIDDLE SCHOOL.
SO I THINK WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL TOO TO PUT A GRADE ON WHAT A GT STUDENT LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT ALWAYS GOING TO GET ALL OF YOUR GT KIDS THAT WAY.
I'VE EVEN HAD TO DO SOME PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH THE GT TEACHERS TO KIND OF HELP THEM LIKE LOOK AT IT DIFFERENTLY THAT NOT ALL KIDS ARE INSIDE OF A BOX.
I JUST THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
GT KIDS, I MEAN, YOU TALK ABOUT SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL HEALTH.
THOSE KIDS ARE FULL OF ANXIETY.
WE'VE HAD HONESTLY QUITE A FEW RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVEN'T DROP THEM FROM THE PROGRAM BUT THEIR GRADES AND THEIR GEN ED CLASSES ARE NOT GREAT.
SO THE ANXIETY OF WHEN ARE WE GOING TO RETURN TO SCHOOL? WHEN AM I DOING MY BEST? I DON'T UNDERSTAND A CONCEPT AND BEING AFRAID TO ASK THE TEACHER BECAUSE THEY PUT THAT PRESSURE ON THEMSELVES.
IT'S A LOT DIFFERENT TO BE IN-PERSON AND ASK A QUESTION THAN TO BE VIRTUAL AND HAVE TO ASK.
WE'VE HAD A FEW KIDS THAT THE GT TEACHERS HAVE BEEN USING THEIR FLEX TIME TO TUTOR A LITTLE BIT AND HELP THEM GET THEIR GRADES UP AND COMMUNICATE WITH THE GENERAL ED TEACHER.
THE PANDEMIC HAS DEFINITELY HAD AN IMPACT ON OUR GT KIDS AS WELL.
>> [OVERLAPPING] THROUGH THAT SOMETIMES THE REALLY GT KIDS, THEY'RE BORED.
>> AND THAT'S WHY THE GRADE IS LIKE THAT BECAUSE YEAH.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO ADD TO WHAT CRYSTALLINE WAS SAYING IS AND SOME OF YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THIS.
WE DID A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND ONE OF THE THINGS WAS MULTIPLE WAYS OF ASSESSING CHILDREN.
ACTUALLY, I DO REMEMBER BEING IN YOUR ROOM AND YOU DID DO SOME DIFFERENT WAYS OF HAVING KIDS REPRESENT THE STORY THAT YOU WERE WORKING ON IN THE CLASSROOM.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO WITH CHILDREN ESPECIALLY WHAT CRYSTAL WAS TALKING ABOUT.
WHERE THEY'RE CHILDREN THAT CAN'T DELIVER THE MESSAGE THEY'RE WRITING.
THEY HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER FORM OR WE'RE NOT GOING TO KNOW IF THEY GOT THE INFORMATION AND IF THEY CAN APPLY THE INFORMATION.
SO YEAH, DEFINITELY LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS.
>> I'M JUST GLAD WE'RE DOING SOME THINGS CRYSTAL AND I COMMEND YOU FOR MAKING THIS IMPORTANT AND SUPERINTENDED.
ALSO, I THINK WE'VE COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IT'S GOOD THAT WE HAVE THESE KINDS OF THINGS FOR THE KIDS AND CAROLINE FAMILY.
>> WE DO HAVE A LOT OF VERY INTELLIGENT TALENTED, GIFTED STUDENTS HERE.
[OVERLAPPING] GENERAL COMMUNITY, BUT IT'S VERY CLOSE COMMUNITY AND THERE'S A LOT OF TALENT.
[INAUDIBLE] [NOISE] A GOOD AMOUNT OF TALENT AND I FEEL LIKE EVIDENT FLOW LIKE WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, THERE WERE MORE HONORS CLASSES AT NIGHT AND THEN WE WENT INTO THE ONE SIZE FITS ALL AND WE NEVER AGREED ON THAT.
WE JUST AGREE TO DISAGREE ON LIKE A 15 WAS NOT AT ALL.
NOW WE'RE GOING A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL AND I THINK IT'S AWESOME.
BECAUSE ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.
>> YOU'LL PROBABLY LOSE EVERYBODY.
I'VE HAD A FEW STUDENTS WHO SAID MRS. JOHNSTON I LOVED YOUR CLASS BUT I REALLY DID NOT LEARN A LOT AND I FELT BAD.
BUT I'M LIKE YOU CAN ONLY GO AS FAST AS YOUR LOWEST STUDENT AND I WOULD TRY TO GIVE THEM OTHER ASSIGNMENTS AND CHALLENGE THEM IN OTHER WAYS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME KIDS ARE LIKE, WELL, THAT STUDENT HAS TO DO THIS MUCH FOR AN A, WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THAT MUCH FOR AN A? I'M LIKE BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING IT FOR YOURSELF.
BUT AGAIN THERE'S THE SELF-AWARENESS AND MATURITY LEVEL AND THERE'S JUST NO RIGHT ANSWER.
IT CAN'T BE MORE WORK, IT'S GOT TO BE MORE MEANINGFUL WORK.
>> GOOD. BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALWAYS SEE IT THAT WAY NO MATTER HOW YOU EXPLAIN IT.
[02:05:01]
>> BUT I'M GLAD TO SEE WE'RE STARTING TO FOCUS MORE ON THAT.
LIKE BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM.
>> IT TAKES AS MUCH FOCUS FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED AS IT DOES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS OR [INAUDIBLE] NEEDS.
>> AS MUCH MORE WORK MICHELLE.
>> SOMETIMES IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE SOME OF THESE KIDS ARE SHELDON.
>> SHELDON, IT'S LIKE I KNOW MORE THAN YOU KNOW.
I'LL NEVER FORGET MY FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING WHEN I WAS TEACHING AN108 CLASS, AND I'VE HAD STUDENTS IN MY CLASS THAT THEIR PARENTS WERE DOCTORS OR TEACHERS GENERALLY, AND THEY'RE LIKE, "MR. JOB MOTORS IS NOT PERSONAL, BUT WE REALLY DON'T NEED TEACHERS." YOU GUYS JUST TOLD US BACK AND FRONT, THE FOLLOWING THERAPY AND YOU'RE LIKE, HERE'S YOUR ASSIGNMENT THROUGH IT.
>> RIGHT BUT WHEN THEY REALLY ARE GETTING POOR GRADES WERE THEY WEREN'T.
>> RIGHT AND IT TOOK ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THEY FINALLY MEET WHAT THEY MAYBE YOU DO HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER IT WAS A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY, THEY WERE MORE CHALLENGING AND LORD KNOWS WHAT I HAD TO MEET THE PRIOR FOR THE TEACHER, ONE OF THEM WAS A TEACHER OF THE YEAR AND HE THOUGHT HIS BEING NO SCIENCE.
I WAS ONLY FUTURE HE WANTED TO MEET WITH ANOMALY FIRST YEAR UNTIL I FINALLY YES.
NO, I'M FROM JUST THAT CURIOSITY, I'M PROBABLY COOL WITH WHO WHAT WHY DO THEY WANT TO MEET WOULD JUST MAKE YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO CHALLENGES ME.
I CAN'T JUST GET AN A OUT OF YOUR CLASS, AND I'M THINKING, I CAN LIVE WITH THAT IF IT WAS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME, YEAH.
>> THAT IS THE HARDEST PART WHEN YOU'RE TEACHING GT KIDS BECAUSE PARENTS EQUATE LIKE A GT KID SHOULD HAVE STRAIGHT A'S AND I ALWAYS SAY THAT THEY'RE, NOT CHALLENGING THEM, THEN IT'S GOING TO BE EASY FOR THEM TO.
>> MAYBE IT'S A VIRTUAL LEARNING, WILL LEND ITSELF TO DOING LIKE SOME SMALL GROUP SETTINGS.
DISCUSSIONS OFTEN FOUND THAT SOME OF THESE KIDS IN MY CLASSROOM, THEY COULD THINK ABOUT THINGS.
REMEMBER, WE WERE STUDYING AS TEXTS IN THE INCUS AND I HAD TO GO HOME AT NIGHT AND READ MORE AND IT'S MY CERTIFICATION, [LAUGHTER] AND WITH THESE KIDS WOULD COME UP WITH SUCH QUESTIONS, YOU DON'T WANT TO SAY, "GOSH, I DON'T KNOW." SO I TRIED TO THEY WERE SURE.
>> IT IT WAS FUN, BUT IT WAS CHALLENGING.
I THINK MAYBE WITH OUR COMPUTERS AND OUR TECHNOLOGY THAT MIGHT LEND ITSELF TO SOME GOOD GT CLASSES [NOISE].
>> I AGREE AND THE TEACHERS HAVE REALLY BEEN DOING A GOOD JOB, I THINK GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND KATIE TRIBUTE, WHO IS AT ORIGINALLY AND DENTIN, HAS HAD AN INTERESTING SITUATION WITH ONE OF THE GRADE LEVELS BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO CROSS CAMPUS.
SO 4TH GRADE AT BOTH THE DENTIN AND ORIGINALLY ARE TAUGHT VIRTUALLY TOGETHER.
IT'S BEEN VERY NEAT TO WATCH THAT UNFOLD AND THE KIDS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER SO BY THE TIME THEY GET TO LOCKER ADMIN, HOPEFULLY THEY'LL REMEMBER ALL, WE WERE IN AND GT CLASS.
BUT IT ALSO THE [NOISE] DOOR FOR OTHER POSSIBILITIES, [NOISE].
>> THE LAST THING I WANTED TO SHARE, AS PART OF KUMAR, WE ARE REQUIRED TO INCLUDE IN OUR LOCAL ESSA CONSOLIDATED STRATEGIC PLAN, GT GOALS AND THESE WERE MY GT GOALS FROM LAST YEAR.
THEY ARE THE SAME FOR THIS YEAR BECAUSE I DID NOT MEET THE GOALS THAT I HAD SET FOR MYSELF BECAUSE WE WERE LOOKING AT THE FIRST BULLET IS ABOUT EQUITABLE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AND REFLECTING THE DIVERSITY AND THE SCHOOL'S ENROLLMENT.
LIKE I SAID, WE DIDN'T GET TO DO TESTING AND SCREENING BECAUSE SCHOOLS CLOSED, WE WERE VIRTUAL.
ENGLISH LEARNERS IS MY OTHER PART AND SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR GT NUMBERS ACROSS THE SCHOOL AND THE DISTRICT, THAT WE HAVE THAT DIVERSITY AND R&T NUMBERS AS WELL THAT IS ONE OF MY GOALS.
THE 2ND ONE IS MIDDLE-SCHOOL AS I SAID, MIDDLE SCHOOL IS A CHALLENGE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT, WE HAVE FOCUS AND THAT'S A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME TO PROVIDE THAT ENRICHMENT.
LOOKING AT WHATEVER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN PROVIDE, I LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING SOME CLUBS AFTERWARDS.
[02:10:02]
MAYBE THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT.CLUBS COULD EVEN BE HELD VIRTUALLY IF THAT'S STILL THE SITUATION WE'RE IN.
THEN THE 3RD BULLET IS ABOUT ASSESSING THE PROGRAM AND MAKING REVISIONS AS NEEDED.
I'M SOMEBODY THAT IF SOMETHING ISN'T WORKING OR, WE NEED TO TWEAK THIS, SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
I DID THAT WITH THE TEACHERS AT THE END OF LAST YEAR AND THE GT TEACHERS REALLY FELT LIKE WE STILL NEEDED TO ENTER UP THE RECORD IN THE GRADES 3,4,5, PROGRAM.
THAT'S WHY WE'VE LOOKED AT, LET'S GO BEYOND JUST ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH AND REALLY START BRINGING IN THE CURRICULUM UNITS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE.
WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT AND THEY'RE GETTING READY TO START TEACHING FROM A SOCIAL STUDIES UNIT THAT WILL TIE IN TO WHAT IS TAUGHT IN THE 4TH,5TH GRADE CURRICULUM IN SOCIAL STUDIES SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW THAT EVOLVES.
THAT IS IT, HERE ARE THE TWO LINKS.
>> WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE [INAUDIBLE] VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK OF, BECAUSE THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH.
>> THEY ARE STUPID, NO THEY JUST DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AT ALL THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE VERY, VERY BRIGHT.
>> THEY ARE. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER TOO, AS YOU LEARN ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES LOT OF THEIR PARENTS HAVE COME HERE AND THEY HAVE DEGREES AND THE COUNTRIES THEY CAME FROM, AND BECAUSE OF POLITICAL ISSUES OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT BROUGHT THEM HERE, THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO GET THE PAPERWORK SO WE HAVE PARENTS THAT WERE DOCTORS OR PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR COUNTRY AND THE STUDENTS ARE JUST SO BRIGHT.
>> RIGHT, AND THEN SOMETIMES WE'D HAVE THAT ARE BRIGHT BUT THEY DIDN'T GET COOL.
BUT ONCE THEY START GETTING A BIG CATCH-ALL REALLY QUICKLY.
>> YES, THEY DO. ONE THING I WANTED TO COMMEND YOU FOR IS TOWARDS THE END WITH THE GOLD.
SHE SAID, YOU DIDN'T NEED THEM, SO YOU KEPT HIM AND I THINK THAT IT'S A VERY POSITIVE THING THAT YOU RECOGNIZE.
I DIDN'T GET AS FAR AS I WANTED TO GET, BUT I'M NOT GIVING UP AND ITS YOUR WORKING SO I THINK THAT'S TO BE COMMENDED.
>> I THINK IT NEVER HELPED YOU AS A BOARD.
>> THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. GREAT. THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE REACHED THE END OF OUR AGENDA.
>> [OVERLAPPING] [LAUGHTER].DERRICK DON`T YOU WANT TO TALK FOR TWO HOURS?
>> NO. GREAT JOB, GREAT JOB EVERYBODY.
>> [OVERLAPPING] EVERY DAY THANK YOU.
>> LIL WENSY, DON'T YOU WANT TO TALK TWO HOURS?
[OVERLAPPING]GIVE ME TWO WEEKS AND [OVERLAPPING]
>> EVERYBODY HAVE A GOOD EVENING.
>>AND TWO PEOPLE ON THE CLOCK AGAIN THEY KNEW SOMETHING ON THE BOARD MATTERS NOW?
>> ABSOLUTELY. YOU'RE [OVERLAPPING].
>> NO. I THOUGHT BEFORE I SAY IT NOW AND I'VE ALWAYS SAID YOU'RE SAYING.
BECAUSE THE PAPERWORK YOU SEND ME RIGHT OVER THE WEB.
[3. Upcoming Meetings/Events]
CAN I TAKE A POINT OF ORDER JUST ANSWERED QUESTION OF DR. SIMMONS SINCE HE'S SITTING HERE PUT HIM ON A SPOT BECAUSE I HAVE HAD SOME WE HAD A COMMENT BRIEFLY AT THE FIRST MONTH WEEKLY MEETING IN FEBRUARY ABOUT SPORTS STARTING BACK UP AND THERE WAS SOME GENERAL, [BACKGROUND] NOT UNSURE OF THIS BYSTANDERS, WHAT IS THE WORD I AM LOOKING FOR?>> AND I'VE JUST HEARD SOME RUMOR, I GUESS THE E-MAILS ARE GOING OUT.
IS THAT A NUMBER OF ATTENDEES? IS THAT CAROLINE COUNTY NUMBER THAT HAS COME UP OR AS THAT'S SET BY BASE SIDE? IS IT CONSISTENT BASE SIDE THING OR IS THAT A STATE THING RECOMMENDATION?
>> WE'LL ALWAYS NUMBER YOUR THOUGHT AS WE'RE DOING THING.
WE HAVEN'T RELEASED THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT YET, ONE WILL BE COMING VERY SOON.
>> FROM CCPS, WHAT WE WILL BE RELEASING IS, WE'RE LETTING YOU CHOOSE SPECTATORS FOR STUDENT ATHLETE, OR FOUR IF THE BANDS PERFORMING, THAT IS TWO PER BAND MEMBER, ANYBODY WHO DOES PAYING IN THE EVENT, TWO BANDS FOR THE HOME TEAMS AND THEN THE AWAITING RIGHT NOW, THE PLAN WOULD BE, [INAUDIBLE] [OVERLAPPING].
ON BASED SIDE FULL FOR WELCOMING BUSY BY THE END THIS TIME?
[02:15:06]
SO [INAUDIBLE] COUNTY IS LOOKING AT.WE'RE MODELING IT LARGER LOCAL, PUT DOWN WHERE IT IS.
A LOT OF THEIR SCHOOLS [INAUDIBLE] SPORTS.
WE KIND OF LOOKED AT THE CDC GUIDELINES.
THEY DO RECOMMEND [INAUDIBLE] CAME OUT RECOMMEND LIMITING YOUR FAN EXPOSURE AFTER EVENTS AS WELL.
WE'LL TRY TO MINIMIZE SOME OF THAT.
WE ARE LOOKING AT THE HUGE BIRTH.
>> THAT'S WHAT I'VE HEARD, IT'S STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS.
I APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION BECAUSE I THINK EARLIER ON, [INAUDIBLE] WEREN'T SURE ABOUT THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES.
WE'RE ALL GOING THROUGH THIS TOGETHER AND AT LEAST THE KIDS HAVE A SEASON.
PARENTS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE ASKED MORE AND MORE QUESTIONS.
I KNOW BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT TO START SOMETHING AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED AND WE HAVE TO DERAIL THE SEASON.
WE ARE ANNOUNCING THAT ALL THE FIRST GAMES ARE SENIOR NIGHTS.
>> OKAY. THAT SEEMS TO BE A SMART MOVE.
ARE WE GIVING ANY ALTERNATE OPTIONS FOR SOME LITTLE BIT OF VARIETY ON THAT FOR SENIORS? ARE THEY I MEAN?
>> [OVERLAPPING] ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS HAVE SAID ONE WAS PRETTY FAIR [OVERLAPPING]
>> WE'RE ONLY PLANNING FOR THE FALL SEASON.
KEEP MESSING ME UP BECAUSE WE'RE DOING IT NOW.
ALL OVER THE USUAL FALL SEASON IN THE EXCEPTION FIELD HOCKEY IS PLAYED PLATE [INAUDIBLE] IN THE EITHER THE STADIUM OR THE GYMNASIUM.
ITS NOT IDEAL TO GO WITH A LOT OF THE PIXEL LOCK CAMERAS, WHICH ALLOW ANYONE WITH ANY SUBSCRIPTION THROUGH ANY [INAUDIBLE] SCREENING, IS BASICALLY A NETFLIX, OR HIRE SOME SPORTS, 10 BUCKS A MONTH AND STREAM EVERY GAME THAT'S PLAYED ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE THESE CAMERAS DO EXIST.
THEY'RE NOT IDEAL BUT IT DOES STILL PROVIDE ACCESS.
WE WERE WANTED TO TAKE A BAND OF IT LAST YEAR, THE STATE OF MARYLAND OFFERED IT.
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF HIGH SCHOOLS OFFER THOSE CAMERAS TO ALL SCHOOLS.
WE WERE A SYSTEM THAT MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, TRY TO ALTER THIS OPPORTUNITY.
THINK IT IS GOING TO HELP US THINK ABOUT HAVING, BESIDES SCHOOLS HAVE THEM.
WHEN VISITING AND GAME NIGHTS, IF SOMEBODY IS PLAYING IN THE STADIUM WHERE THEY HAVE THAT, OR A GYMNASIUM WHERE THEY HAVE IT WILL BE HELPFUL.
OBVIOUSLY WE HOPE JUST TO REMOVE THEM IF THINGS ARE A LOT BETTER BY SPRINGS DWARFS, WHICH IS 17TH APRIL, THERE'S ONE WAY YOU CAN START SPRAYING OVER MATTER AT THAT POINT.
>> AS LONG AS WE CAN. I KNOW IT'S EVOLVING AND IT'S BAD QUESTION BUT WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE BEING NOT ON SCHOOL BUSES BUT AIRPLANES NOW AND THE CDC GUIDELINES ARE CHANGING AS WE'VE ALL SAID WEEKLY.
>> FIND THE CURRENT [INAUDIBLE] THROUGH THAT.
YOU'RE ONE OF THE TWO BECAUSE I COULD JUST SEE.
>> THE SCHOOLS ARE WORKING ON THAT.
SOME OF THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE DONE, THAT WE FOUGHT WITH.
PRIOR TO THE DAY OF GAMES DO NATURALLY NOTIFIES THE SCHOOL THAT TWO PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO COME.
STUDENTS SAID TO GIVE THEM THE PASSES THAT THEY GIVE TO THE PEOPLE AND THEY ARE CHECKED WHEN THEY COME IN.
>> THIS IS WHAT SOME OF THE SCHOOLS HAVE DONE DOWN [INAUDIBLE] AND IS A SUCCESS.
SOME SCHOOLS HAVE GONE AS FAR AS TO MAKE COLOR-CODED LAMINATED PASSES.
THEY CAN GET IT OUT COLLECTED WHEN THEY COME IN.
THAT'S GREAT. AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMEBODY IS NOT ONE AT ALL.
>> [OVERLAPPING] I APOLOGIZE. [OVERLAPPING]
>> FOR GRADUATION TICKETS, BEFORE YOU.
>> YOU HAD JOHNSTON FIGURE OUT WAYS TO TRY TO CONTRACT AND THAT IS THAT YOU GET.
>> APOLOGIZE FOR PUTTING ON THE SPOT BUT I KNOW IT'S JUST IT'S NEW AND IT'S EVOLVING QUICKLY.
SOMEBODY ASKED ME AND I DIDN'T KNOW.
WE CAN ALSO RECRUIT FOR OUR REPLACEMENTS AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE SCHOOL BECAUSE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, YOU GET A FREE PASS THOUGH. I HOPE [INAUDIBLE]
>> SORRY ABOUT THAT [OVERLAPPING] [LAUGHTER]
>> SOME OF THE TEACHERS THAT HAVE RETIRED IT USED TO BE THAT YOU'VE GOT A PASS IF YOU RETIRED FROM THIS [INAUDIBLE] YOU GOT A PASS THAT YOU COULD GO THERE FOR ANY FUNCTION.
YOU'RE SAYING, ARE THEY STILL GETTING THAT?
>> I DON'T THINK SO [OVERLAPPING]
>>I WOULD JUST SAY THAT IT IS JUST AS CROSS MY MIND BECAUSE EVERYTHING WE'VE HAD SO MANY UNIQUE SITUATIONS DUE TO COVID.
MEALS ARE FREE, THE [INAUDIBLE] , EVERYTHING ELSE HAVE CHARGES THEN DISCUSSED.
>> WELL, WE DON'T [LAUGHTER] KNOW.
THAT CAN COME UP LATER. I JUST... [OVERLAPPING]
>> I JUST MADE UP LIKE WE DID EARLIER, THIS PROCESS, BE HONEST HERE, I JUST MADE A BLANK STATEMENT THAT WE'RE NOT CHARGING.
[02:20:01]
I JUST THINK THAT [INAUDIBLE] [OVERLAPPING]>> SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. WHO REMEMBERS ANYTHING ELSE BETTER THE CALLS? OKAY.
>> I MAKE A MOTION [INAUDIBLE]
>> MOTION BY BILL. SECOND BY DR. [INAUDIBLE].
ALL THERE'S A FAVOR. [LAUGHTER]
>> THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.