[1. Opening Items]
[00:00:12]
>> ALL RIGHT, GOOD. ALL RIGHT GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
IT'S 6:05 ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16.
WE NEED TO RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION.
WE OPENED OUR MEETING AT FIVE O'CLOCK WITH A MOTION BY MS. WAYNE AND SECONDED BY MR. BARTON.
OR THE 5,0, VOTE TO OPEN OUR NOVEMBER WORK SESSION, AND THEN WE HAD A MOTION BY MR. GIACOMO SECONDED BY MR. BARTON IN THE VOTE OF 5,0 TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS CONTRACTUAL AND NEGOTIATING AGREEMENTS FOR PERSONNEL AND THE UNION NEGOTIATIONS.
SAYING THAT, LIKE I SAID, IT'S 6:05 AND I WOULD LIKE THE MOTION TO GO RECONVENE IN AN OPEN SESSION.
[OVERLAPPING] [BACKGROUND] MOTION BY MR. BARTON, SECONDED BY MR. GIACOMO. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
LIKE I SAID, I GUESS JUST A REITERATION.
WE'RE TRYING TO RESPECT THOSE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S CURRENT, WHAT'S WITH THAT?.
ANYWAY, I'LL FINISH MY THOUGHT.
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THIS IS A SCHOOL BUILDING AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WEARING MASKS, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE SIX FEET PLUS APART.
BUT FOR THE RECORD, IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE TO REMOVE YOUR MASK WHILE YOU'RE SPEAKING, WE'LL DO THAT.
THAT BEING SAID, LET'S STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE.
WE HAVE A WORK SESSION AGENDA IN FRONT OF US, IT'S GOT A COUPLE OF ITEMS GIFTED, TALENTED, AND THE SECONDARY WRITING UPDATE.
THAT MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
>> SECONDED BY MR. JANG, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
[2. Discussion Items]
MRS. [INAUDIBLE], IT'S ALL YOURS.>> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT NEWCOMB AND BOARD MEMBERS.
THIS EVENING I'M GOING TO SHARE PART OF OUR GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM.
THAT IS THE MONITORING AND REPORTING PROCESS THAT I HAVE TO INCLUDE IN OUR LOCAL AS A CONSOLIDATED STRATEGIC PLAN EVERY YEAR.
IT IS DUE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, BEGINNING OF OCTOBER FOR CONDITIONAL APPROVAL.
THEY'LL GIVE COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, AND THEN I HAD TO SUBMIT IT TO LINDSAY WHO WAS OUR POINT OF CONTACT BEFORE THE 15TH OF NOVEMBER, I BELIEVE IT IS.
OUR GIFTED AND TALENTED TEAM CONSISTS OF TINA FARABOUGH WHO IS OUR GT TEACHER, AT FEDERALSBURG PRESTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.
KATIE TRIBBITTT, WHO IS AT DENTON ELEMENTARY AND BRITUALLY ELEMENTARY, AND MICHELLE WILEY, WHO IS AT GREENSBORO ELEMENTARY.
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE PICTURES THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE OF STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM, ARE FROM MRS. WILEY'S 4TH GRADE GT CLASS AT GREENSBORO.
THEY ARE BUILDING A TOWER WHICH IS PART OF THEIR CHALLENGE FROM THE TEXTBOOK THAT THEY USE THAT IS FROM THE WILLIAM AND MARY CURRICULUM.
THERE IT IS THINKING LIKE AN ENGINEER.
COMAR 13A.04.07.06 IS THE PIECE OF COMAR FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION THAT INCLUDES ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED FOR THE MONITORING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
THAT TOWER WAS BUILT BY TWO GIRLS.
THEY COULD USE UP TO 50 INDEX CARDS.
IT HAD TO STAND ON ITS OWN FOR 60 SECONDS AND IT HAD TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THE LOAD, WHICH IS THAT BOX OF TAPE THAT WAS UNOPENED.
THE YOUNG LADIES THAT BUILT THAT TOWER ENDED UP MAKING IT OUT OF THE INDEX CARDS.
THEY WERE PRETTY SMART BECAUSE THEY FIGURED OUT AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS OF PROBLEM-SOLVING, THAT IF THEY'D BENT THE BOTTOM OF THE INDEX CARDS, THAT WAS ONE WAY OF MAKING THE TOWER STAND.
BUT THAT IS PART OF WHAT THIS CURRICULUM THINKING LIKE AN ENGINEER DOES.
IT TEACHES THEM ABOUT THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS, MAKES THEM GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONING, THE BRAINSTORMING, WORKING IN A TEAM.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND OBSERVE AND WATCH THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS.
[00:05:03]
THE MONITORING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS CAME OUT IN 2019 WHEN MSDE DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION, AS PART OF OUR COMAR REQUIREMENTS.EACH YEAR I SUBMIT THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT PLAN TO MSDE, MY POINT OF CONTACT FOR APPROVAL.
I HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE ADDRESSED THESE SIX COMPONENTS.
THE PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS.
THE NUMBER OF GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS IDENTIFIED IN EACH SCHOOL, WHICH HAS TO BE 10 PERCENT.
SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN EXEMPTED FROM IDENTIFICATION OF A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS, AND THE RATIONALE, THERE WERE SOME SCHOOLS ACROSS MARYLAND THAT HAD EXEMPTIONS BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO MEET THE 10 PERCENT REQUIREMENT, BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS FOR TESTING.
WE WERE ABLE TO SO WE DID NOT NEED TO APPLY FOR THE EXEMPTION.
CONTINUUM OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AND DATA-INFORMED GOALS, TARGETS, STRATEGIES, AND TIMELINES.
THIS IS SOME FAMILIAR INFORMATION I SHARED BEFORE THAT.
FOR ALL GRADES WE USE DATA AND STUDENT ARTIFACTS THAT ARE COLLECTED BY GT TEACHERS TO MONITOR STUDENTS WHO DEMONSTRATE THOSE GIFTED CHARACTERISTICS.
WE ALSO HAVE TEACHERS COMPLETE A HOPE TEACHER RATING SCALE, WHICH LOOKS AT THOSE BEHAVIORS OR CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN OUR GT STUDENTS.
>> LET ME SEE. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU, YOU ASKED ME QUICKLY.
[OVERLAPPING] BUT IT IS LOOKING AT THE BEHAVIORS THAT SPECIFIC TO RGT KIDS.
IT MIGHT BE, ARE THEY STUDENTS WHO ARE INQUISITIVE? ARE THEY DISPLAYING TALENT IN ONE AREA?
>> CRYSTAL, WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT'S LIKE A LIKERT SCALE?
>> BECAUSE YOU'RE COLLECTING THE DATA BASED ON THAT TYPE OF SCALE.
WHEN YOU GO THROUGH A SERIES OF QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BEHAVIORS THAT YOU WOULD SEE FROM A STUDENT THAT WOULD BE GIFTED.
THE TEACHERS DO NOT KNOW, SO THERE ISN'T ANY CHANCE OF THERE BEING SUBJECTIVE RATINGS.
THE RATINGS ARE ALIGNED SO THAT WHEN RGT TEACHERS GO THROUGH THEM, THEY ARE ABLE THEN TO USE THE RATING SCALES TO IDENTIFY THE STUDENTS.
UNIVERSAL SCREENING IN GRADES 2 THROUGH 5 ARE I-READY MATH AND ELA DATA, AS LONG AS WELL AS OUR NAGLIERI NONVERBAL ASSESSMENT, WHICH IS AN APTITUDE TEST, ALSO CALLED THE NN 82.
WE HAVE UNIVERSAL SCREENING IN GRADES 3 THROUGH 5 THAT ARE MCAP SCORES, WHICH ARE BASED ON ACHIEVEMENT.
AGAIN, THIS IS A REVIEW OF INFORMATION THAT I'VE SHARED BEFORE.
SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE I-READY MATH AND ELA DATA, MCAP, HOPE TEACHER RATING SKILLS.
THEN FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE GIFTED AND TALENTED IN THE AREA OF PERFORMING ARTS, WE LOOK AT AUDITIONS, EXHIBITS, SHOWS FOR MEDIA, AND THEIR PERFORMANCES.
IN 9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE, WE LOOK AT PREVIOUS I-READY MATHEMATICS AND READING ASSESSMENTS, PSAT, SAT SCORES, ACT SCORES, MCAP SCORES.
THEN AGAIN, STUDENT AUDITIONS EXHIBITS.
WE HAVE LIKE THE OFFSHORE WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, OFF SHORE BAND AND COURSE AND ANY MEDIA, FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS.
THE PANDEMIC OBVIOUSLY HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON HOW WE WERE IDENTIFYING STUDENTS AND BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEM.
THIS YEAR IS PART OF OUR LOCAL ESA CONSOLIDATED STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE WERE ASKED TO PUT IN A PIECE ABOUT HOW CHANGES TO THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS HAPPEN.
I WENT BACK TO 2000, 19-20, EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT ASK US THAT THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
IN THE SPRING OF 2020, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO TEST THE SECOND GRADERS WHO WERE CURRENT 3RD GRADERS IN THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR.
WE HAD PLANNED TO TEST THEM IN THE FALL OF 2020, BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY WE PHASED IN STUDENTS RETURNING TO SCHOOL THAT YEAR, WE POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING OF 2021.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HYBRID AND VIRTUAL LEARNING AND
[00:10:06]
THE STUDENTS WHO CHOSE TO REMAIN VIRTUAL, WERE NOT PENALIZED.WE WANTED TO GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY ONCE THEY RETURNED TO SCHOOL TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM UNDER THEIR BELTS.
IN APRIL OF 2021, WE SCREEN THIRD GRADERS THAT WERE ATTENDING IN PERSON.
WE HAD TO DO THIS IN PHASES AND WE TRIED TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT WAS EQUITABLE SO THAT WHETHER STUDENTS WERE LEARNING IN-PERSON, THEY REMAIN VIRTUAL OR THE PARENTS WANTED TO WAIT UNTIL THEY RETURNED IN THE FALL OF THIS YEAR.
WE SENT HOME LETTERS, WE HAD DATES AVAILABLE.
WE USED OUR WEDNESDAYS, WHICH WE'RE ASYNCHRONOUS, NO KIDS IN THE BUILDING TRYING TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT SOME PARENTS MAY NOT HAVE FELT SAFE SENDING THEIR STUDENTS TO SCHOOL.
PARENTS HAD A LOT OF OPTIONS AND WE CREATED LISTS.
WE WERE ABLE TO TEST ABOUT HALF OF OUR STUDENTS THAT WERE ATTENDING IN-PERSON.
I WANT TO SAY WE HAD ABOUT 60 THAT WE NEEDED TO TEST BETWEEN APRIL AND RETURNED TO SCHOOL IN THE FALL.
BUT WE MADE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT WHO WAS IN THIRD GRADE WAS TESTED AND ANY STUDENT IN FOURTH OR FIFTH GRADE, WHOSE PARENT OR THEIR TEACHERS FELT THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE RESTRAINED.
[NOISE] OUR NUMBERS OF STUDENTS BY SCHOOL AND THIS IS WHAT IS REPORTED OUT AT THE END OF EACH SCHOOL YEAR BASED ON HOW WE IDENTIFY STUDENTS AND POWER SCORE.
FOR THE 2020, 2021 SCHOOL YEAR, THESE ARE THE NUMBERS.
OVERALL, DISTRICT NUMBER WAS 13 PERCENT.
THAT IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE THE STATE REQUIRES AT LEAST A MINIMUM OF 10 PERCENT.
YOU CAN SEE THAT ALL OF OUR NUMBERS ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN RANGING BETWEEN 10 AT GREENSBORO AND [INAUDIBLE] ALL THE WAY UP TO 19 AT PRESTON.
THE NUMBERS ARE ONLY BASED ON STUDENTS THAT ARE IN GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN WE OFFER THE PROGRAM AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THEN SIX THROUGH EIGHT, THE NUMBERS ARE THERE FOR [INAUDIBLE] AT 12 PERCENT AND COLONEL RICHARD RICHARDSON MIDDLE-SCHOOL AT 14.
WE'VE TALKED BEFORE ABOUT HOW I THINK THE NUMBERS MAY BE A LITTLE SKEWED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T REALLY START TRACKING THEM UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE THIS WENT INTO EFFECT IN TUMOR.
THERE ARE MORE STUDENTS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO UPDATE IT AND GET AS CLOSE AS WE CAN BASED ON THE RECORDS THAT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS HAD.
I HAD THEM GO BACK AND IDENTIFY STUDENTS SO WE COULD MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T MISS ANYONE.
I PUT THAT DIFFERENTIATION DOES NOT MEAN MORE, IT MEANS DIFFERENT BECAUSE I FIND THAT A LOT OF TIMES TEACHERS INCLUDED SOMETIMES FORGET THAT IT'S NOT QUANTITY, ITS QUALITY, AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO MAKE THE ASSIGNMENTS DIFFERENT AND NOT JUST GIVING MORE OF.
THE INVITATION TO INVENT IS THE THIRD GRADE CURRICULUM THAT WE'RE USING AND THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST IS FOR OUR FIFTH GRADERS.
INVITATION TO INVENT IS THE BEGINNING PROCESS OF THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST.
IT'S ABOUT WHO IS A SCIENTIST.
IT ASKS STUDENTS WHAT THEY THINK A SCIENTIST LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE WE HAVE THESE STEREOTYPES OF MALE AND MAYBE WEARING GLASSES AND HAVING CRAZY ALBERT EINSTEIN HAIR.
BUT THEY BEGIN WITH WHAT THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF A SCIENTIST ARE AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE OBSERVATION PROCESS.
THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST FOR GRADE FIVE DIVES MORE INTO THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND CRITICAL THINKING.
THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADE, WE ARE STILL INCORPORATING STEM AND STEAM ACTIVITIES, INCORPORATING THE ARTS AND PERFORMING ARTS.
I THINK THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WITH GT ACROSS THE ELEMENTARY AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL IS GETTING PEOPLE AWAY FROM THINKING THAT GT IS JUST ABOUT ENRICHMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.
THAT IS WHY THE WILLIAM AND MARY UNITS THAT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT AS I EVALUATED OUR PROGRAM WHICH IS PART OF OUR TARGETS THAT YOU'LL SEE LATER,
[00:15:01]
WE LOOKED FOR UNITS FROM THE WILLIAM AND MARY CURRICULUM THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO INCORPORATE MORE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS TIED TO OUR SOCIAL STUDIES UNITS AND LOOKING AT THE CIVIL WAR AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.WE'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THAT THOUGHT THAT IT'S JUST ABOUT READING AND WRITING.
YOU'RE ABLE TO TIE IT IN A LOT OF OTHER CONTENT AREAS FOR OUR GT KIDS.
SIXTH TO EIGHTH GRADE WE'RE STILL USING FOCUS.
AGAIN, THIS YEAR, THIS QUARTER AND SECOND QUARTER THEY HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM.
THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO SOME ENRICHMENT DURING FOCUS FOR OUR GT KIDS AND ENRICHMENT CLASSES IN ELA MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, OR ANY OF THE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS ARE WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
IF THEY ARE TEACHING IN ELA DURING FOCUS THEY CAN USE THE JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS AND, OR THE WILLIAM AND MARY HAP CURRICULUM.
THEN AT HIGH SCHOOL IT'S OUR CAREER AND COMPLETER COURSES LOOKING AT ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND ALL OF THOSE CONTENT AREAS AND DUAL ENROLLMENT.
THE THING WITH HIGH SCHOOL IS WE HAVE TO BE EQUITABLE AND NOT BE GATEKEEPERS.
HIGH SCHOOL'S CURRICULUM FOR ENRICHMENT FOR OUR GT STUDENTS IS DRIVEN MORE BY CHOICE AND INTEREST.
WE DO HAVE A LOT OF OUR GT STUDENTS ARE TAKING THOSE CLASSES THAT ARE ADVANCED PLACEMENT, THEY'RE IN OUR CHALLENGING CAREER AND COMPLETER COURSES AND TAKING DUAL ENROLLMENT.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS GT THAT ARE PUSHING THEMSELVES THAT ARE ALSO IN THESE COURSES.
>> UNDER 6-8 GRADED, VERY LARGE STIFF IT DO.
IT SAYS THAT THE TEACHERS CAN USE ELA GREAT BOOKS FOR WHEN THEY'RE THERE.
DO YOU FIND, LIKE I NOTICED THAT LOCKER MOVES TO POINT B THOUGH CURDLE PERCENTAGE IS ONE SCHOOL USING ONE VERSUS THE OTHER.
>> BASED OFF OF LAST YEAR WE DID HAVE, AND THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE THERE WAS MORE JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS BEING USED AT COLONEL RICHARDSON IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WILLIAM AND MARY HAP CURRICULUM WAS THE CHOICE THAT THEY MADE TO USE AT LOCKER MEN.
THERE WERE SOME VARYING BY GRADE LEVEL.
SOMETIMES THEY SPLIT AND ONE GRADE LEVEL MAY DECIDE THEY WANT TO USE THE JUNIOR GRADE BOOKS.
BUT SOMETIMES IT'S BASED ON HOW MANY COPIES OF SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE.
FORTUNATELY WITH WILLIAM AND MARY AND THE JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS, WE DID HAVE A LOT OF COPIES OF THOSE AND WE WERE ABLE TO SPLIT THEM.
I TOOK THE CURRICULUM THAT WE HAD HAD AT LOCKER MEN FROM WAY BACK WHEN I WAS TEACHING HAP AND I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT TO COLONEL RICHARDSON MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THE STUDENTS AT COLONEL HAVE ENJOYED THE STORIES THAT THEY WERE INTRODUCED TO.
>> BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, IS THERE A DEFINITION FOR G&T? GIFTED AND TALENTED?
>> THERE IS. I'M GOING TO READ IT STRAIGHT FROM HOW MSDE DEFINES IT.
MSDE DEFINES GIFTED AND TALENTED AS STUDENTS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED AS AN ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY STUDENT BY PROFESSIONALLY QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS, HAVING OUTSTANDING TALENT AND PERFORMING OR SHOWING THE POTENTIAL FOR PERFORMING AT REMARKABLY HIGH LEVELS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER STUDENTS OF A SIMILAR AGE, EXPERIENCE, OR ENVIRONMENT.
THEY ALSO DEFINE IT AS EXHIBITING HIGH PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY AND INTELLECTUAL, CREATIVE OR ARTISTIC AREAS, POSSESSING UNUSUAL LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND EXCELLING IN SPECIFIC ACADEMIC FIELDS.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO DON'T TEST WELL.
>> YOU SAY THE WORD TEST AND THEY FREAK?
>> HOW DO WE IDENTIFY SOME OF THEM? WHAT DO WE DO FOR SOME OF THEM?
>> THAT IS THE ONE THING THAT IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER WHEN I PRESENTED IN THE PAST,
[00:20:03]
I SHARED THIS MODEL THAT THEY HAVE.AS PART OF THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, THEY HAVE A LIST OF REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY LIST OUT, BUT THEY ALSO GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO NOT JUST USE COGNITIVE ABILITY TEST, BUT ARTIFACTS.
LOOKING AT STUDENT WORK, IT CAN BE ALTERNATE TESTS AS WELL.
I HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PD WITH THE TEACHERS.
THIS IS JUMPING AHEAD TO MY LOOK-AHEAD SIDE.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE FOUND IN THE THREE YEARS OF BEING IN THIS POSITION IS I'VE HAD TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT WE CAN'T BE A GATEKEEPER.
WHAT A TEACHER OR EVEN A PARENT MAY THINK AS A STUDENT AS BEING GIFTED AND TALENTED, IT MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT PERCEPTION.
WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF READING AND HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITHIN MY GT TEAM ABOUT WHAT DOES A GT KID LOOK LIKE? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN HARD.
WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE STUDENTS THAT THEY MAY NOT BE A, SHINING STAR, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT GIFTED AND TALENTED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MICHELLE, TINA, AND KATIE HAD BEEN DOING IS NOT JUST GETTING TEACHER INPUT, BUT I'VE BEEN ASKING THEM TO TAKE SOME TIME AND EACH WEEK TRY TO GET INTO CLASSROOMS AND JUST PUSH IN AND DO SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THEIR OWN.
THEY'VE ALSO, THIS YEAR WE HAVE STARTED GETTING THEM ON THE CIT OR FACULTY MEETING AGENDAS.
THEY HAVE BEEN PRESENTING ABOUT THE GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM.
BECAUSE AGAIN, I FEEL THAT, PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN AWAY FROM SOMETIMES LIKE THINKING ABOUT THAT UPPER CRUST OF OUR KIDS AND PUSHING THEM, WE'RE SO WORRIED ABOUT THE GAPS AND LEARNING THAT I DON'T WANT OUR GIFTED AND TALENTED KIDS TO FALL TO THE BOTTOM.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO SOME THINGS IN-HOUSE.
THE PRINCIPLES HAVE BEEN GREAT ABOUT LETTING THE GT TEACHERS PRESENT IN FRONT OF THE STAFF AND SHARE INFORMATION INCLUDING CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE NOT JUST ACADEMIC, THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY OUR GIFTED AND TALENTED KIDS.
WE HAVE ALSO BEEN LOOKING AT THE TESTING, THE TYPES OF TESTS THAT WE'RE USING, AND AGAIN, RE-SCREENING STUDENTS.
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN BEING A GATEKEEPER AND I'VE ACTUALLY HAD ONE OF THE COUNSELORS AT LOCKERMAN HAS REACHED OUT TO ME SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR.
WHEN STUDENTS HAVE POPPED UP ON THE RADAR, SHE HAS REACHED OUT, WHAT CAN WE DO? MY THING IS IF A KID IS WILLING TO TAKE THE CHALLENGE.
IT'S THAT LEADERSHIP LIKE THEY'RE WILLING TO TAKE THE LEAD.
THEN LET'S PUT THEM INTO OUR ENRICHMENT CLASSES AND SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO.
BECAUSE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL TO KEEP PUSHING OUR KIDS SO THEY'RE READY WHEN THEY GET TO THE, HIGH SCHOOL FOR ALL OF THOSE ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES OR TO ENROLLMENT.
I THINK CHANGING THE PERCEPTION IS ONE THING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
BUT ALSO GETTING THE WORD OUT THERE, PROVIDING PD AND HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS, AND REMINDING TEACHERS THAT YOU HAVE A KID THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE CHALLENGING IN YOUR CLASSROOM.
COULD IT BE BECAUSE THEY'RE BORED?
>> HOW DO WE MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT BY HIGH SCHOOL WE'VE IDENTIFIED THEM? BECAUSE WHAT IF, AND THIS IS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL.
WHEN I WAS TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL, AND THIS MIGHT HAVE CHANGED, I'M NOT SAYING IT CAN HAPPEN, BUT I HAD SOME VERY, VERY INTELLIGENT STUDENTS WHO WERE VERY AWESOME WRITERS.
THERE WAS NOBODY TO TELL LIKE "HEY, OTHER THAN ME WE NEED TO TRY TO PUSH THIS CHILD, GET THEM INTO SOME OF THE ADVANCED CLASSES.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT MADE MORE PROMINENT IN HIGH SCHOOL LOOKING FOR KIDS.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES WHEN YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW OR YOU'RE IN ELEMENTARY, YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING, YOU'RE JUST LIKE LA LA LA.
SOME OF THE PROBLEMS I SAW AGAIN, WAS LIKE ENGLISH ADVANCED PLACEMENT WASN'T UNTIL 11TH GRADE.
SO THOSE TWO YEARS WERE JUST GOING, TADAA.
THEN ONE OF THE CONCERNS WAS THAT WHEN THEY GOT INTO THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT IN 11TH GRADE, AFTER JUST HAVING GENERAL ENGLISH FOR TWO YEARS, THEY DON'T FEEL PREPARED.
[00:25:01]
I DON'T FEEL WE'RE REALLY, IT LOOKS GOOD, IT LOOKS GOOD PAPER.BUT THE REALITY IS I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE REALLY DOING ENOUGH.
I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE WE ARE DOING BETTER BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE THAT CONSTANT WHEN IT COMES TO THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
WE ARE REALLY PUSHING TO IDENTIFY IN ELEMENTARY, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO RE-SCREEN AND IDENTIFY STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AT HIGH SCHOOL, I THINK, AND OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, AS OUR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS GO TO MIDDLE SCHOOL AND MIDDLE TO HIGH, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE THOSE PERCENTAGES INCREASE.
BUT AGAIN, IT GOES BACK TO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, WHICH IS PROVIDING THE PD TO HELP COUNSELORS, TEACHERS IDENTIFY MORE STUDENTS THAT HAVE THOSE GIFTED AND TALENTED CHARACTERISTICS THAT MIGHT BE WHAT I WOULD CALL A HIDDEN GEM.
BUT IF THEY'RE NOT PUSHED, AND SOMETIMES IT'S CONFIDENCE.
IF THEY THINK NOBODY HAS EVER REALLY PUSHED ME, THEN SOMETIMES THAT IS LIKE YOU WERE SAYING, IF YOU ARE THE ONLY TEACHER THAT IS WORKING WITH THEM AND THEIR TALENT IS IN ENGLISH AND WRITING, THEN YOU MIGHT BE THE ONLY ONE.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT GT THAT IT'S UP TO THE TEACHERS AND THE PARENTS TO ADVOCATE.
THAT'S HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT THOSE GT STUDENTS' VOICES ARE HEARD.
>> DO YOU THINK WE'LL EVER GET MORE ADVANCED PLACEMENT FOR THE LOWER, THE 9TH, AND 10TH GRADES?
>> HONESTLY, I DO BASED, [OVERLAPPING].
>> I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.
>> I THINK BASED ON THE DIRECTION THAT WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT WITH THE BLUEPRINT COMMITTEE AND EVERYTHING.
THERE IS A PUSH FOR MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT FORGETTING ABOUT THE ACCELERATED STUDENTS AND PROVIDING MORE OPPORTUNITIES, NOT JUST FOR GT BUT FOR ALL STUDENTS.
I DO BELIEVE THAT WE WILL SEE THE HONORS COURSES OR WHATEVER THEY MAY BE CALLED AT THAT POINT.
>> JUST TO PIGGYBACK, BUT YOU WERE GOING RIGHT THERE, PART OCCURRED WHEN I KNOW A COUPLE OF YOU SAT ON THE BLUEPRINT CALL, WHICH WAS GREAT THEN THEY PUT ON ONE OF THE COMPONENTS AND THE CURRENT ONE IS THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS TO BE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY BY THE END OF 10TH GRADE.
RIGHT NOW THE LAST BILL THAT WAS PASSED WAS 11TH GRADE CAROLINE NOW PUSHES AT 10.
THAT IS GOING TO, WE FEEL IN THE COMPETITION WE'VE HAD AS WELL AS FLIP THE SCRIPT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE MORE ADVANCED OPPORTUNITIES EARLIER.
AS WELL AS WHAT DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES WE CAN PARTNER WITH NOT JUST DO WE DO ENROLLMENT IN AP, BUT WHAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES ALSO EXIST AFTER 10.
SO 100 PERCENT AGREE WITH MRS. HACKLER.
DONALD WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE I THINK IS THAT REAL PUSH DOWN TO STRENGTHEN THOSE OPPORTUNITIES EARLIER INSTEAD OF THOSE GAPS RIGHT NOW THAT EXIST BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE ONLY OPTION IN NINTH GRADE IS AP US.
THAT'S IT AND IN TENTH GRADE, I THINK IT'S AP GOV IS THE ONLY OPTION THERE.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER AP OPPORTUNITIES AT THAT POINT.
GREAT FOR SOCIAL STUDIES PEOPLE, GREAT FOR FOLKS WHO LIKE TO READ AND WRITE IN THE NONFICTION WORLD.
LET BASE KID NOT THE STRONGEST OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE IN THOSE AREAS.
>> I THINK YOU ADDRESSED IT, IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING WITH YOU, DUTY TO TALK WITH BEING PART OF FACULTY BECAUSE SOMETIMES JUST THE STRATEGIES THAT ARE USED WITH GT STUDENTS.
THEY CAN BE USED WITH ANY STUDENT, INCREASING THEIR ABILITIES FOR THINKING OR DESIGNING, OR CREATING THAT [OVERLAPPING] DIFFERENTIATION.
I THINK THAT THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART IS THAT ALL TEACHERS GET TO HEAR THE TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT ARE USED FOR GT STUDENTS TO KNOW THAT THEY CAN BE ADAPTED.
>> AND I THINK THAT ANYONE WHO HAS TAUGHT STUDENTS THAT, YOU KNOW ARE ACCELERATED, YOU HAVE TO BE ON YOUR TOES BECAUSE THERE ARE QUESTIONS THEY ASK AND THEY REALLY GET INTO THAT CRITICAL THINKING AND THEY NATURALLY PUSH BACK ONE IDEAS AND THOUGHTS THAT WE PRESENT TO THEM.
WHETHER IT'S TALKING ABOUT HISTORY OR READING A BOOK AND TALKING ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE STORY AND, IT ISN'T ALWAYS EASY TO BE A GT TEACHER OR AN AP TEACHER.
[00:30:03]
I THINK SOMETIMES TEACHERS SAY, THEY'VE GOT THE EASY KIDS JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE GT.THAT IS ANOTHER PERCEPTION IS THAT IT PUTS ON AND THERE IS AS MUCH WORK AND PLANNING FOR GT AS IT IS WHEN YOU'RE PLANNING FOR EL STUDENTS, FOR SPECIAL END STUDENTS, BECAUSE IT'S THAT DIFFERENTIATION PIECE.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME. IF YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR, I THINK I HAD PRESENTED IN MAY OR JUNE AND SHARED THAT I DID NOT MEET MY GOALS THAT I HAD SET FOR OUR LOCALIST ESA CONSOLIDATED STRATEGIC PLAN, SO PERSONALLY, I DID NOT WANT TO CREATE NEW GOALS.
I WANTED TO CONTINUE FOCUSING ON THE GOALS THAT I HAD.
THE FIRST GOAL IS TO IDENTIFY AN EQUITABLE NUMBER OF STUDENTS AS GIFTED AND TALENTED IN EACH BUILDING THAT REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE SCHOOL'S ENROLLMENT.
I DON'T HAVE THE PERCENTAGES IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING I CAN CERTAINLY SHARE WITH YOU.
OUR TARGET IS TO STUDENTS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED AS GIFTED AND TALENTED WILL REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE SCHOOL THEY ARE ENROLLED IN.
WHEN WE FIRST STARTED LOOKING AT THIS, I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT IN SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, WE DID SEE THAT THERE WAS SOME DISPARITY AND THERE WERE SOME POPULATIONS THAT WERE LEFT OUT, WHETHER IT WAS TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL, WHICH WOULD BE YOUR STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, BUT THEY ALSO ARE GIFTED AND TALENTED BECAUSE ANOTHER MISCONCEPTION, JUST BECAUSE A STUDENT RECEIVES SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY CANNOT BE GT.
WE WORKED ALSO ON DIVERSITY AS FAR AS OUR MINORITIES AND REALLY TAKING A LOOK AT MAKING SURE THAT AS, I THINK IT WAS DOMINANT, BUT THIS IS THE MO THAT POINTED OUT MISSING THOSE STUDENTS.
WE WERE LOOKING AT OTHER WAYS OF COLLECTING INFORMATION AND DATA TO SEE WHERE THEY HAVE GT STUDENTS.
TRACKING ENROLLMENT DATA TO DETERMINE DIVERSITY AND THEN REVIEWING OUR ASSESSMENT TOOLS, WHICH ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE AND HAVE BEEN CHANGING AS NEEDED.
THE SECOND GOAL, AND AS I'VE MENTIONED, MIDDLE SCHOOL CAN BE A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING, IS TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL TO GIVE GT STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXHIBIT HIGH PERFORMING ABILITIES AND INTELLECTUAL, CREATIVE, OR ARTISTIC AREAS THAT SUPPORT STUDENTS SUCCESS.
OUR TARGET IS ALL STUDENTS WILL HAVE A CHOICE TO ENROLL IN CLASSES THAT PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO EXHIBIT THEIR INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES, BUT ALSO THEIR CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC TALENTS.
THAT HAS BEEN WORKING THROUGH FOCUS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AGAIN, I ALLUDE TO IN MY LAST SLIDE ABOUT LOOKING AHEAD IS LOOKING AT TRYING TO PROVIDE CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES THAT WE CAN PAY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO TEACH US TO SUPERVISE SO THAT STUDENTS CAN PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES LIKE AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
MRS. WILEY DOES THE MAP QUO AND SHE IS A MATH TEACHER AT HEART.
SHE IS ALWAYS FOCUSING AT PUSHING THOSE STUDENTS TO DIVE DEEPER INTO THE MATH STANDARDS.
SHE HAS QUITE A FEW THAT WILL ATTEND AND STAY WITH HER FOR THAT AFTER-SCHOOL CLUB.
I WANT TO LOOK AT PROVIDING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL TOO.
>> ONE COMMENT ABOUT YOUR TARGET STATEMENT THERE.
I IMAGINE THAT ON THE AC WE SET THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, AS WELL AS SEEING IT AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT YOUR MINORITY POPULATION OF STUDENTS, IT'S VERY RARE FOR A MINORITY STUDENT TO SELECT TO BE IN A CLASS IF THEY ARE THE ONLY MINORITY STUDENT IN THERE.
SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT, AND THERE ARE WAYS TO GO AROUND THAT TIME THING.
THEN ANOTHER COMMENT AND I THINK YOU ADDRESSED THIS ALSO, IS THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CREATIVITY THAT WE HAVE TO ESPECIALLY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL.
RAPPING CAN BE A FORM OF SHOWING.
>> IT CAN BE A FORM OF POETRY.
>> ABSOLUTELY, AND I'VE SEEN KIDS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL, DO SOME STEPPING THAT WAS MIRACULOUS ALMOST.
>> TO HAVE THEM HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THAT CREATIVITY IN SCHOOL,
[00:35:02]
JUST THINK HOW THEY WOULD SHOW IT.>> AND BE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY.
>> WHAT YOU JUST SAID, IT MIGHT BE, BUT SOMETIMES FOR CERTAIN MINORITIES, SO THERE'S A STIGMA.
IF YOU'RE PLACED INTO THE HIGHER CLASSES.
>> ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE ALONE.
>> I'LL NEVER FORGET ONE TIME I HAD A STUDENT IN A MINORITY THAT TURN A PAPER AND THAT SHOWED BRILLIANCE LIKE, WOW, AND WHEN I SAID SOMETHING TO HIM AND THEN HE HAD THE DOUBLE THING OF BEING MALE ALSO HE'S LIKE, SO FAR I'VE MADE A DEAL.
JUST KEEP DOING THAT WELL IN MY CLASS AND I WILL TELL YOUR FRIENDS HOW GOOD YOU ARE.
>> HE REALLY WAS BRILLIANT AND AS FAR AS SPECIAL EDUCATION, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, OKAY, YOUR LOAN, WHAT I KEEP TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE IS SPECIAL EDUCATION MEANS YOU HAVE THIS ABILITY, BUT SOMETHING'S KEEPING YOU FROM GETTING THERE.
IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE NOT SMART OR YOU DON'T HAVE POWER.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING YOU'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT TO WORK TO GET THERE.
REALLY, IF SOMEBODY IS LABELED THAT, WE'RE TELLING THEM YOU HAVE A LOT MORE POTENTIAL THAN YOU REALIZE YOU DO.
>> THAT YOU MAY BE VERY HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE GENIUS LEVEL THAT HAVE LEARNING DISABILITIES.
>> YES. ALL RIGHT. I STILL TALK ABOUT A YOUNG MAN WHO I HAD ALMOST EVERY DAY IN MY OFFICE AT LOCKER ADMIN SO GIFTED IN MATH.
HE WOULD BE HELPING OTHER PEOPLE OTHER KIDS WHO WERE THERE FOR WHATEVER REASON TO GET THEIR WORK DONE BUT, HE JUST COULDN'T MAKE IT IN THAT MATH TEACHER'S CLASS FOR WHATEVER REASON AND PART OF IT COULD BE, HE NEEDED MORE CHALLENGE BUT HE MADE IT THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WHETHER SOMETHING IS WORKING OR NOT TO ALWAYS REFLECT AND SAY, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE COULD DO TO MAKE IT BETTER, OR WHAT IS IT LACKING, OR WHAT IS WORTH? MY THIRD GOAL IS TO CONTINUALLY ASSESS OUR GT PROGRAM AND MAKE REVISIONS AS NEEDED SO WE CAN IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND THE QUALITY OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
TEACHERS WILL IMPROVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR GT STUDENTS BY PROVIDING A QUALITY GT PROGRAM.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS ONGOING FOR OUR GT TEACHERS, WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD TEACHER CAPACITY AND UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF OUR LEARNERS, WHICH COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC AND I GUESS WE'RE STILL CONSIDERED TO BE IN IT.
THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE, IS THAT SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY LESSONS THAT ENRICHED STUDENTS' ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES AND MONITORING THOSE THROUGH CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS AND LESSON PLANS.
WE HAVE EVERY YEAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LAST HALF OF LAST YEAR, WE'VE BEEN MAKING SOME CHANGES AND TRYING TO FIND THE WAY YOU CAN MARRY UNITS THAT ALSO BLEND IN, TO WHAT IS BEING FOCUSED ON IN ALL OF THE CONTENT AREAS.
WE'VE REALLY FOUND THAT THE SCIENCE UNITS AND THE SOCIAL STUDIES UNITS THAT THE KIDS, AND YOU'LL ACTUALLY SEE ONE OF THEIR GUEST SPEAKERS LAST SPRING WAS MR. WAYNE WILEY, WHO IS A HISTORY BUFF, AND HE'S MUSICALLY TALENTED.
WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE KIDS REALLY, REALLY ENJOY THE SCIENCE AND THE SOCIAL STUDIES UNITS.
SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK AT PERFECTING THOSE AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO DO SOME HANDS-ON LEARNING.
THEN LOOKING AHEAD, I'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
HOW WE DID THIS, MRS. WILEY HAD MR. WILEY AND HER CLASSROOM AND SHE WAS IN CONTROL OF THE MONITOR AND MYSELF AND THE OTHER TWO GT TEACHERS WITH THEIR CLASSES, THEY ZOOMED IN AND WE WERE ABLE TO HEAR HIM PLAY THE BUGLE, BUT HE ALSO WALKED THROUGH MANY OF HIS ARTIFACTS FROM CIVIL WARTIME AND THE KIDS LOVED IT.
THEY WERE VERY ENGAGED EVEN VIRTUALLY, THE STUDENTS WERE ASKING QUESTIONS, AND THEY WERE ALL PAYING ATTENTION ON THE SCREEN.
AS I MENTIONED, GT TEACHERS ARE PRESENTING TO STAFF DURING STAFF MEETINGS, CIT MEETINGS.
WE'RE TRYING TO BRING MORE AWARENESS TO WHAT GT IS AND THE IDENTIFICATION AND NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS.
[00:40:03]
COLLABORATION, THIS, IS HOPEFULLY HAPPENING IN THE SPRING.ONE OF MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GT TEACHERS HAS REALLY BEEN TRYING TO INCORPORATE AND COLLABORATE WITH THE MUSIC AND THE ART TEACHERS.
IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM BECAUSE THE MUSIC TEACHER IS IN HIS MIND, MAKING A LIST AND IDENTIFYING HIS STUDENTS EVEN AS YOUNG AS KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
HE IS PLANNING ON SHARING WITH HER AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, THE STUDENTS THAT HE THINKS ARE GOING TO POP OUT, PARTICULARLY WITH THAT THIRD-GRADE IDENTIFICATION.
IT IS REALLY STARTING TO GET SOME CONVERSATIONS GOING AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN TEACHERS OF DIFFERENT CONTENT AREAS.
I'M SORRY, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
>> INCREASING COLLABORATION AT THE ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOLS, ACADEMIC CTE, MUSIC, DRAMA, ART.
WE HAD TALKED PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC ABOUT WANTING TO HAVE THE KIDS MAKE CONNECTIONS TO SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED, PARTICULARLY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL TO GET THEM THINKING AHEAD ACADEMICALLY BUT ALSO ARTISTICALLY.
WE HAVE TWO HIGH SCHOOLS WITH GREAT DRAMA CLUBS AND OUR BANDS, THEY DO WONDERFUL THINGS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN ALL SHORT JAZZ, AND FORCE, AND BAND, AND JUST GETTING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE AS WELL AS LETTING THEM KNOW WHAT AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES THEY CAN JOIN AND BE A PART OF.
THEN CONTINUING WITH GUEST SPEAKERS PRIOR TO THIS, WE HAD THE ONE GENTLEMAN, BRENT, WHO DID THE SOUNDBOARD AND OUR STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO ZOOM IN WITH HIM IN HIS NEW YORK STUDIO AND HE SHOWED THEM HOW THEY COULD USE THEIR COMPUTER.
IT WAS CRAZY BECAUSE THE KIDS WERE RECOGNIZING THE TRAILERS THAT HE DID FOR MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES.
IT WAS REALLY AMAZING TO SEE THEM MAKE THOSE REAL-LIFE CONNECTIONS.
THAT IS MY UPDATE FOR THE SEEDLING.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
>> A REAL QUICK. WE HAVE A LOT OF CLUBS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
WE HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT AT THE MIDDLE.
HOW ARE WE DOING AT THE ELEMENTARY?
I KNOW EACH SCHOOL SEEMS TO HAVE DIFFERENT CLUBS AND I AM NOT SURE ABOUT ALL OF THEM.
BUT I KNOW LIKE AS FAR AS GT, WE HAVE THE MATH CLUB AT GREENSBORO BUT I KNOW THAT DR.
ORAL HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN, IS IT THE GENTLEMAN'S CLUB? BUT I WOULD HAVE TO DEFER TO THESE THREE TO RATTLE OFF THE REMAINING NAMES OF ALL THE CLUBS BUT, [OVERLAPPING]
>> IF THE LIST DOES GO DOWN IN SIZE WHEN YOU ARE AT THE ELEMENTARY AS YOU WALK DOWN PRE-PANDEMIC, WE HAVE A LOT MORE GOING ON.
IN ELEMENTARY THERE'S ONE THING I ALWAYS HAVE TO GET USED TO, THE CLUBS TEND TO RUN BEFORE SCHOOL AT THE ELEMENTARY BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE SCHEDULE RUNS.
UNLESS THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING.
BUT OUR ELEMENTARIES HAVE RUN, USUALLY, THE FINE ARTS-RELATED CLUBS, WHETHER THEY'RE RUNNING FOR US, THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH BAND.
THERE'S USUALLY ACADEMIC CLUBS ASSOCIATED WITH EITHER READING OR MATHEMATICS.
SOME HAVE RUN SERVICE LEARNING CLUBS, WE'VE HAD SOME WELLNESS CLUBS.
GREENSBORO ELEMENTARY AND I THINK IT WAS, ORIGINALLY DID A GIRLS ON THE RUN OR A VARIATION OF THAT CLUB THAT IS A, AFFILIATED CLUB.
THEY RUN VARIATIONS DONE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS WELL ACTUALLY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE YMCA, RAN A GIRLS ON THE RUN PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC.
WE TRIED TO PROVIDE THOSE OPTIONS AS WELL AT ELEMENTARY TO TRY AND INCORPORATE SOME THERE TOO.
>> I GOT A KICK OUT OF THE STUDENT ARTIFACTS COMMENT EARLIER IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
THEN LATER YOU TALKED ABOUT ANOTHER KIND OF ARTIFACTS.
WHEN I ACTUALLY THINK OF THESE ARTIFACTS IN ARCHAEOLOGY.
WOULD YOU ENLIGHTEN ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT A STUDENT ARTIFACT IS? I'M SURE IT'S NOT LIKE SOME PREHISTORIC STUDENT.
>> STUDENT ARTIFACTS JUST ENCOMPASSES ANYTHING THAT COULD BE FROM ARTWORK OR A WRITING SAMPLE THAT THEY HAVE COMPLETED.
OR MAYBE IT IS AN EXEMPLARY MATH PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE DONE.
IT'S JUST A COLLECTION OF ANY TYPE OF WORK THAT COULD REFLECT ANYTHING
[00:45:01]
ACADEMIC OR TIED TO THAT GIFTED AND TALENTED ARTISTIC PIECE.>> THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. [OVERLAPPING] ALSO, IT REALLY STRUCK A CHORD TO MEET AND SCIENTISTS AND WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.
I USED TO BE IN A PROFESSION WHERE I WORKED WITH QUITE A FEW SCIENTISTS AND I'M NOT A SCIENTIST.
SOME REALLY FIT THE STEREOTYPE AND SOME DID NOT.
IT'S REALLY A COOL THING TO BE PUTTING OUT THERE, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS THAT DON'T SEE THEMSELVES LIKE THAT.
WE HAVE SOME SCIENTISTS RIGHT IN THIS COUNTY THAT I WORK WITH ON A STATEWIDE BASIS THAT ARE JUST REMARKABLY NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT SCIENTISTS, AND YOU'D NEVER GUESS THAT THEY'RE SCIENTISTS.
BOTH MALE AND FEMALE, THEY DO IT, THEY'RE GREAT.
THEY JUST DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT.
>> IT'S BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIER OF PERCEPTIONS, WHICH ALSO HELPS AS WE START LOOKING AT CAREERS AND THAT IS ANOTHER PIECE OF THAT CURRICULUM.
THEY WILL RESEARCH CAREERS FOR SCIENTISTS AND THE GT TEACHERS DO A GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO GUIDE THEM TO PICK THE CAREERS THAT FEMALES OR MINORITIES OUTSIDE OF THAT STEREOTYPE. [OVERLAPPING]
>> EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING.
AND AS MICHELLE WAS REFERENCING EARLIER, THAT A MINORITY STUDENT MIGHT NOT SEE THAT AS SOMEONE THAT THEY CAN BE.
I MADE A NOTE HERE THAT SO MAYBE, SOME IMAGES OR VISITS, WAYNE WILEY IS KIND OF FROM THE OUTSIDE NOW BUT NOT REALLY SINCE HE RETIRED [LAUGHTER] BUT VISITS FROM SCIENTISTS IN THAT CASE, WHO ARE FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD IF YOU WILL, WHO THEY CAN RELATE TO, "THAT PERSON LOOKS LIKE ME.
I FEEL I COULD BECOME THAT." SO I REALLY THINK THAT'S A COOL THING.
IN THAT VEIN TOO, I ESPECIALLY LIKED THE ENRICHMENT, I WROTE IT DOWN, THE ENRICHMENT OF CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC TALENTS.
BECAUSE YOU ALL KNOW YOU'RE EDUCATORS, I'M NOT.
IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT SOMETIMES THE CREATIVE TALENT THAT THEY HAVE UNLOCKS, THAT GIFTED AND TALENT AND ABILITY SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SOMEBODY WHO'S GOT SOME SKILL WITH, DRAWING OR ARTWORK OR MUSIC, AND LO AND BEHOLD, THEY'RE BRILLIANT STUDENTS, JUST HADN'T COME OUT YET.
>> IF THERE ARE BRILLIANT STUDENTS, MAYBE THEY'RE BRILLIANT IN MATH AND THEY DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THEY CAN BE REALLY GREAT IF YOU PUT THEM ON AN INSTRUMENT AND GIVE THEM A FEW LESSONS.
BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN, ONE OF THEIR GIFTS IS THEY HAVE AN EAR FROM YOU.
I'VE PERSONALLY SEEN THAT WITH SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY WAS A SPECIAL ED STUDENT, WHO HAD LEARNING DISABILITIES, A BRILLIANT PERSON WHO DIDN'T THINK THEY WERE BECAUSE, "OH, THEY'RE SPECIAL ED, THEY'RE NOT BRILLIANT.
A BRILLIANT PERSON WHO HAD AN EAR FOR MUSIC THAT DIDN'T GET UNCOVERED UNTIL THEY WERE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT.
>> SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT LETTING THE STUDENTS STEP OUTSIDE OF THEIR BOX.
>> I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU IN THAT KIND OF AND AGAIN, LAYMAN'S PERSPECTIVE HERE.
BUT IT JUST JUMPED OUT TO ME THAT, THAT WHOLE PIECE THERE, THAT WHOLE PERSON, THE CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC ABILITIES THAT OPENED UP A DOOR FOR THEM AND I HAD JUST ABOUT THAT.
>> GOOD STUFF. [NOISE] WE'RE MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM, WE HAVE A SECONDARY WRITING UPDATE.
>> GOOD EVENING. THERE THEY COME THE BOARD MEMBER. I'M RENEE HASON.
I'M GOING TO BE TAKING YOU TO THE SCREEN IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE, WELL, THAT'S JUST HOW I AM.
[LAUGHTER] I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE NOT ONLY AN UPDATE WITH YOU, BUT ALSO SOME NEW WRITING TOOLS.
WE'VE BEEN ON QUITE A WRITING JOURNEY IN CAROLINE COUNTY, AND SO I HAVE NAMED THIS PARTICULAR UPDATE NOW, NEW AND NEXT STEPS BECAUSE I ALSO APPRECIATE ALLITERATION.
THE '21, '22 SCHOOL YEAR ENGLISH VISION AND GOALS ARE THERE FOR YOU TO VIEW.
>> IT'S SO UNUSUAL SORRY[OVERLAPPING].
[00:50:01]
THE VISION CERTAINLY IS THAT OUR CLASSROOMS WILL BECOME EVEN MORE STUDENT-CENTERED THAN EVER.THAT IN OUR GOAL STATEMENTS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE A BALANCE AND SOME OF THOSE PRINT AND DIGITAL RESOURCES, BECAUSE NOW WE ARE A ONE-TO-ONE BLENDED CLASSROOM MODEL, ALL STUDENTS HAVE COMPUTERS DEVICES.
IF YOU'VE BEEN IN A CLASSROOM IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, THAT WAS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
YOU WOULD HAVE TO GET A CAT, WE LIKE TO CALL THEM CATALOGS AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO THEN USE THAT VERY PRECIOUS TIME WITH THE DEVICES TO GET ANY TYPING DONE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN WRITTEN EXPRESSION BUT WE REALLY WANT TO ACCELERATE LEARNING USING THESE TOOLS AND HAVE INCORPORATED MORE VOCABULARY WORD STUDY, AND WRITING AND GRAMMAR SKILLS THIS YEAR AND ONGOING.
JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE MARYLAND WRITING STANDARDS.
I'M NOT GOING TO READ ALL OF THIS TO YOU, BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS THESE STANDARDS HAVE BEEN IN PLACE, AND THESE ARE THE TYPES OF WRITING THAT ARE DRIVEN THROUGH THOSE STANDARDS, INCLUDING ARGUMENT OR OPINION, INFORMATIVE AND EXPLANATORY WRITING AND NARRATIVE WRITING FORMS. ALL THREE OF THOSE TYPES ARE INCORPORATED IN THE STANDARDS FOR KINDERGARTEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH 12TH GRADE.
WE CALL IT A LEARNING PROGRESSION.
THE WRITING PROCESS, MULTIPLE WRITING FORMATS.
CAN ANYONE SAVE THAT P? RESEARCH AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY TOOLS FOR SHORT AND EXTENDED WRITTEN RESPONSES ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE STANDARDS.
THAT ALSO INCLUDES TAKING WRITING AND PUTTING IN FORM OF A PUBLISHED PIECE OR PRESENTATION.
FOR MCAP ELA-LITERACY ASSESSMENTS, THOSE ARE STILL IN PLACE IN GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT, AND ALSO GRADE TEN.
THEY INCLUDE WRITING AS WELL, AND WE CALL THEM CONSTRUCTED RESPONSES.
ALL WRITING IS ASSESSED IN TWO AREAS.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT WRITTEN EXPRESSION AND WRITING CONVENTIONS.
IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CONVENTIONS, WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT GRAMMAR AND SPELLING.
IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WRITTEN EXPRESSION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IDEAS, HOW WE ORGANIZE THESE IDEAS AND WRITING STYLES.
THE DISCIPLINARY LITERACY STANDARDS FOR WRITING INSTRUCTION ARE ALSO IN PLACE IN K-12 SOCIAL STUDIES, HISTORY, AS WELL AS SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS.
THOSE ARE THINGS FROM THE PAST BUT ARE BEING USED RIGHT NOW TOO.
I BELIEVE THAT YOU'VE LEARNED, YES?
>> THEY NEVER LEFT BUT WE ARE BRINGING THEM BACK. [LAUGHTER]
>> I WOULD HATE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU, BUT I HAD ACTUALLY GOTTEN IN TROUBLE SOMETIMES FOR TEACHING GRAMMAR AND SPELLING. TO SAY.
>> I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS YOU, BUT I'M SAYING.
>> WE'RE GOOD TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE ON THE INSIDE.
>> I'M JUST GOING SPEAKING FOR MYSELF BUT I HAD BEEN TOLD THEY'LL JUST FIGURE IT OUT OR YOU HAVE SPELLCHECK, WHO CARES.
>> WELL, AND THAT'S TRULY NOT [OVERLAPPING].
>> I MEAN, IT'S INSANE AND I WOULD JUST SHAKE MY HEAD. I'LL BE ALL RIGHT.
JUST SHOOK MY HEAD, AND SAID OKAY, AND THEN WHEN THEY WOULD WALK OUT THE DOOR, I WOULD DO GRAMMAR AND SPELLING BECAUSE, AND IN VOCABULARY, FOR WHILE IT GOT THERE THAT YOU COULD ONLY DO VOCABULARY IF IT WAS IN THE READING.
>> BUT WHY? I MEAN YOU HAVE SAT LIST AND WE'RE TRYING TO PREPARE THEM, SO WHY DOES IT HAVE TO JUST BE BOOK-CENTERED?
>> I AGREE. I BELIEVE YOU'VE ALREADY ALSO HEARD FROM THIS ALEX FISCHER ABOUT SCARBOROUGH'S READING ROOM AND THE READING BRAIN AND HOW THE BRAIN ACTUALLY TAKES ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PROCESSES AND WE, AS EDUCATORS, NEED TO ATTEND ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT STRANDS OF THE READING ROPE.
WELL, THERE'S ALSO A SKILLED WRITING ROPE AND SO TO YOUR POINT, MR. GIACOMO(PHONETIC), WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT THE LAYERS OF SKILLED WRITING AND FOR THIS I DON'T HAVE PIPE CLEANERS.
I'M REALLY SORRY, BUT I DO HAVE FAIRLY, [OVERLAPPING] I'M GOING TO ASK MS. MACRON (PHONETIC) TO GIVE IT TO YOU, AND THIS IS OPENED.
TO GIVE EACH OF YOU, FIRST OF ALL A LITTLE SUGAR TO GET US THROUGH THE REST OF THIS MEETING [LAUGHTER].
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS, BUT I'VE NEVER HAD THE HASSON FAMILY FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO BUY THEM FOR EVERY SINGLE TEACHER SO I'M GOING TO TRY IT OUT.
AFTER YOU GET YOUR SKILLED WRITING ROPE, YOU CAN ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT THE GRAPHIC, THE STRANDS THAT ARE WOVEN INTO SKILLED WRITING AND JUST LIKE [NOISE] WHAT MR. GIACOMO STATED, THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS [LAUGHTER] OF WRITING THAT WE NEED TO ALSO EXPLICITLY TEACH STUDENTS.
NOW, NOT ALL OF THOSE HAPPEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIGH-SCHOOL, NOT ALL OF THEM HAPPENED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
[00:55:02]
[LAUGHTER] BUT WHAT I'M GOING TO TRY TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY IN THIS UPDATE IS WHERE THEY ARE ACTUALLY OCCURRING IN CAROLINE COUNTY AND THEN WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.[LAUGHTER] MS. MACRON IS DOING A FABULOUS JOB.
WHEN KIDS COME TO US IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, IN SIXTH GRADE, THEY ACTUALLY ARE SOMETIMES NOT A VERY NEATLY WOUND ROPE.
THEIR ROPE IS PERHAPS FRAYED OR A LITTLE TWISTED, BUT WE'D LOVE THAT ROPE NO MATTER WHAT.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS JUST START LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT PIECES THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO INSTRUCT.
YOU TAKE ONE SMALL ASPECT OR PIECE OF THIS ROPE, THE FIRST ONE IS GENERATING IDEAS AND GATHERING INFORMATION.
THIS IS PART OF CRITICAL THINKING.
THEN WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE WRITING PROCESS.
ORGANIZING, DRAFTING, AND WRITING.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO PEEL BACK REVISING BECAUSE IF YOU RECALL, AND I THINK MR. GIACOMO, REMEMBERS THIS TOO, REVISION ASSISTANT AND REVISING IS SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX AND PUNCTUATION, AND THAT'S OUR CUPS.
THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF EDITING. [BACKGROUND]
>> [OVERLAPPING] TO HEAR THAT WE ARE CONSCIOUS.
>> YES. [LAUGHTER] YOU JUST WAIT.
>> [OVERLAPPING] THIS ONE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS BECAUSE YOU CAN PLAY WITH IT AND NOT GET [OVERLAPPING].
>> ALSO WITH TEXT STRUCTURE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT FORMAT.
IT ISN'T JUST AUDIENCE TOPIC PURPOSE.
IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE FORMAT, THE PATTERNS OF THAT TEXT, AND THEN WRITING CRAFT, WHICH IS WORD CHOICE, IS VERY IMPORTANT.
IT'S ALSO AWARENESS OF TASK AND AUDIENCE.
IT'S THE REST OF THE FAT P. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH FAT P. IT USED TO BE UP ON EVERYBODY'S WALLS AND IT WAS A BIG PIG.
IT REALLY WAS A FAT PIG FORMAT AUDIENCE TOPIC PURPOSE.
THAT'S A FANCY WORD FOR THE LAST THREE STRANDS.
WHICH ARE SPELLING, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW HOW TO SPELL, IS IT NOT? HANDWRITING, LIKE PRINT AND CURSOR AND KEYBOARDING.
>> CURSIVE? WE'RE BRINGING CURSIVE BACK?
>> I DID SEE IT, [OVERLAPPING] IT WAS JUST AN HOUR AT THE END OF THE YEAR OR WHATEVER. IT'S BEEN AROUND.
>> BUT IT HAS TO BE INTENTIONAL. [OVERLAPPING].
>> IT'S DORMANT, BUT IT'S FULLY INGRAINED.
>> IT HAS TO BE CONSISTENT AND PART OF A PLAN.
>> BECAUSE OTHERWISE, IT'S THE FIRST THING THAT GOES BY THE WAYSIDE [OVERLAPPING] BECAUSE OF TIME OR LACK THEREOF, OR SOMEONE'S OWN KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND COMFORT LEVEL WITH THESE PIECES OF THE ROPE, ISN'T IN THAT GOOD? IT'S SO YUMMY.
>> I LOVE IT, SO WE'RE BRINGING IT BACK?
>> ABSOLUTELY. IN FACT, HERE'S SOME OF THE AMAZING THINGS THAT OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ARE DOING AND HAVE DONE.
FIRST OF ALL, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT READERS WRITE AND WRITERS READ, AND SO THESE TWO PROCESSES ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED.
THEY HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER FOR OUR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO IMPROVE.
EVEN NANCY PATTERSON, AUTHOR OF IN THE MIDDLE, WHICH IS A BOOK THAT YOU SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH TOO IF YOU'RE AN EDUCATOR, SAYS, "IF THAT WHOLE IDEA IS TO FOSTER A LOVE OF READING AND A THIRST FOR HUMAN EXPERIENCE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, THEN WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS TO REALLY THINK INWARDLY ABOUT NOT ONLY THE KINDS OF READING OUR STUDENTS DO, BUT ALSO THE KINDS OF WRITING THEY DO." THAT'S PART OF OUR OWN PROCESS HERE IN CAROLINE COUNTY THAT INVOLVES TEACHERS SO THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE RESEARCH AND USING THAT.
IN 2018, I ARRIVED IN CAROLINE COUNTY AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH BOARD MEMBERS AFTER WORKING HERE FOR MAYBE FOUR DAYS [LAUGHTER].
BUT IT WAS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE I LEARNED RIGHT THEN AND THERE THAT I WAS WHERE I NEEDED TO BE AND THAT WE HAD COMMON GOALS, AND THAT WAS AROUND A NEW EMPHASIS ON WRITING FOR STUDENTS.
I BELIEVE MR. NEWCOMB IS THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS ALSO THERE AT THE TIME WITH ME, AND I TOOK WHAT YOU SAID VERY SERIOUSLY AND TO HEART, I AGREED WITH YOU THEN, AND I AGREE WITH YOU NOW.
>> I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES. I'LL SAY THAT TOO.
THERE HAVE BEEN IMPROVEMENTS OF RENEWED FOCUS.
[01:00:01]
I APPRECIATE YOU STAYING THAT.>> [BACKGROUND]. YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> DURING THAT TIME IN 2018, WHAT WE WERE REALLY LOOKING AT, WHAT'S FORMATIVE FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE HADN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO FULLY ATTEND TO, LIKE THE CLAIM AND ANALYSIS, THE ORGANIZATION AND THE LANGUAGE, AND IT ALLOWED TEACHERS TO ACTUALLY HAVE SOME FREEDOM TO CONFERENCE WITH STUDENTS WHILE THEY WERE STILL GETTING FEEDBACK FROM REVISION ASSISTANT ON THE WRITING THAT THEY WERE DOING.
WE DID SOME DEMONSTRATIONS OF THAT.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT IS NOW FULLY INCORPORATED IN HOW WE DO BUSINESS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.
WE USE IT AND STILL HAVE IT IN GRADES 6 THROUGH 12.
EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE USED REVISION ASSISTANT PROMPTS AND READING.
WE SENT THOSE HOME IN PACKETS TO KIDS BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR THEM TO GET WRITING INSTRUCTION.
HERE'S SOME OF THE SUCCESSES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WRITING BENCHMARKS WERE DEVELOPED.
WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO HOLD WRITING CONFERENCES BECAUSE TEACHERS WEREN'T DOING WHAT I LIKE TO CALL THE WHACK-A-MOLE APPROACH, WHERE YOU TRY TO CHECK ON ONE CHILD AND CHECK ON ANOTHER AND CHECK ON ANOTHER.
THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL STUDENTS TO LEARN AND GROW.
STUDENTS LEARN THAT REVISION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE WRITING PROCESS, AND THAT IT'S ALSO DIFFERENT FROM EDITING.
YOU'RE NOT ONE AND DONE WITH EVERYTHING YOU WRITE AND DO.
WE UTILIZE THIS AGAIN DURING THAT CONTINUITY OF LEARNING PLAN, AND THE DATA THAT I HAVE FOR REVISION ASSISTANT IS ACTUALLY MOST RECENTLY FROM 1920.
BECAUSE OF THAT, IT WASN'T LOADED INTO OUR SYSTEM.
STUDENTS ACTUALLY HAND WROTE THOSE RESPONSES, TOO.
WE HAD 4,590 ESSAYS SUBMITTED BY STUDENTS WITH 42,089 SIGNAL CHECKS FOR FEEDBACK FROM THOSE STUDENTS, AND OVER 50 PERCENT OF STUDENTS HAD INCREASED SCORES.
PARTICULARLY WHEN WE KNOW THAT WE WERE NOT NECESSARILY ALWAYS ABLE TO GET EVERY STUDENT FEEDBACK ON EVERY SINGLE THING THAT THEY NEEDED TO KNOW OR DO.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, THE SAME IS TRUE.
WE USED IT VERY OFTEN DURING THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR AS WELL.
THERE WERE 1,247 STUDENTS IMPACTED WHO WROTE 1,796 ESSAYS WITH 8,534 SIGNAL CHECKS WITH AN AVERAGE WORD COUNT CHANGE OF 82 WORDS ADDED AFTER FEEDBACK.
THE PERCENT OF STUDENTS WITH INCREASED SCORES BY CLASS, DEPENDING ON THE TEACHER'S CLASS, WAS BETWEEN 30 PERCENT OF STUDENTS AND 71 PERCENT OF STUDENTS AT THE HIGHEST END.
NOTE TOO, THAT THIS WAS DURING A VERY CHALLENGING TIME IN TEACHING AND LEARNING DURING A HYBRID MODEL WHERE STUDENTS COULD BE IN-PERSON OR LEARNING VIRTUALLY USING THIS TOOL.
>> YOU DIDN'T HAVE [INAUDIBLE]?
>> YOU SAID YOU SENT HOME REVISION ASSISTANT PACKETS.
>> ARE THERE ANY SAMPLES IN THERE, BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO [INAUDIBLE]
>> WELL, I HAVE ACTUALLY LOTS OF SAMPLES TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
BUT THOSE PACKETS, THEY ARE MORE ABOUT, HERE'S THE PROMPT AND HERE'S THE TWO PIECES OF READING THAT GO ALONG WITH IT.
ABSOLUTELY. SO EXTENDED RESPONSES ABOUT WRITING PROCESS.
NOW THIS YEAR, WE'RE ADDING TWO MORE TURN IT IN TOOLS TO OUR REPERTOIRE.
THEY INCLUDE ONE THAT IS STUDENT-FACING CALLED DRAFT COACH AND ONE THAT IS TEACHER-FACING CALLED FEEDBACK STUDIO.
I'M GOING TO DEMONSTRATE BOTH OF THOSE BRIEFLY FOR YOU TODAY.
MS. HARKOWA AND MS. MCCORMICK AND A FEW OTHERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH MY TRAINING SO THEY KNOW THAT IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN WHAT I HAVE HERE, BUT I DO WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT A STUDENT CAN ACCOMPLISH USING A TOOL.
THIS ONE IS CALLED DRAFT COACH.
IT IS AVAILABLE AS AN ADD-ON FOR EVERY SINGLE STUDENT IN CAROLINE COUNTY, IT'S JUST THERE.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH SPELLCHECK AND OTHER TOOLS, THIS ONE IS ON STEROIDS, SO WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT IN DRAFT COACH.
THIS IS A MIDDLE SCHOOL WRITING SAMPLE.
THE WRITING SAMPLES I SHARE WITH YOU TODAY ARE FROM REAL STUDENTS.
THEY ARE NOT ONES THAT I HAVE SCREENED TO SAY THIS IS THE BEST PIECE OF WRITING I'VE EVER SEEN.
[01:05:07]
INSTEAD, I'M JUST GIVING YOU WHAT I FIND ON MY GOOGLE DRIVE BECAUSE WE ARE NOW ALL CONNECTED.IT'S NO LONGER A SECRET WHO IS WRITING WHAT, WHICH KIDS ARE GETTING WHICH WRITING ASSIGNMENT.
WE'RE ON EVERYONE'S GOOGLE CLASSROOM, AND JUST TO SHOW YOU, THIS IS TODAY.
TEXTS AND ASSIGNMENT, DREAM POETRY, ESSAY PROMPT, ESSAY BUILDER, AN ADVOCACY PLAN, TEXTS AND ASSIGNMENT, WRITTEN RESPONSE.
THIS IS WHAT WE SEE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
[OVERLAPPING] THESE ARE STUDENTS.
THESE ARE STUDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY WHO ARE DOING WRITING AND CAROLINE COUNTY.
THEY CAN ALL ACCESS DRAFT COACH, BY THE WAY, AND THAT IS NOT ONLY FOR DOCUMENTS SUCH AS A GOOGLE DOC, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE USED WITH SLIDES AND OTHER TOOLS.
SO WHEN THE STUDENT TURNS ON DRAFT COACH, THEY WANT TO CHECK FOR A FEW THINGS.
THE FIRST ONE THEY'RE GOING TO CHECK FOR IS SIMILARITY.
WE ARE IN A TIME WHEN THERE ARE MORE ANSWERS AT THE FINGERTIPS OF ALL STUDENTS THAN EVER BEFORE, AND SOMETIMES THAT MEANS THAT WE TAKE SOMEONE ELSE'S ANSWER, AND WE SAY THAT MAYBE IT'S OUR OWN THINKING.
SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR AN ORIGINALITY TO ALSO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO PROPERLY CITE A SOURCE.
NOTICE THIS STUDENT DID PROPERLY CITE THEIR SOURCE.
IT'S SAYING THAT THIS IS A SIMILARITY OF 31 PERCENT.
BUT NOTICE THAT IT IS BECAUSE IT'S BEEN CITED FROM A SOURCE THAT'S ALREADY USED.
DRAFT COACH ACTUALLY HAS ACCESS TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF RESOURCES AND SOURCES THAT ARE ON THE INTERNET AND CHECKS AGAINST THEM.
THIS HELPS THE STUDENT ALSO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY DID CORRECTLY.
IT'S AN "I TAUGHT YOU" TOOL, NOT AN "I GOT YOU" TOOL.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? NOTICE THAT STUDENTS CAN ALSO COMPLETE A GRAMMAR CHECK.
THEY CHECKED MY PAPER AND THEY FOUND EIGHT ISSUES.
AS A STUDENT, I SEE YOU HAVE A GRAMMAR ISSUE, I'M A MECHANICS ISSUE.
BUT NOTICE THAT THIS IS ALSO WRITTEN IN A WAY THAT STUDENTS CAN UNDERSTAND.
TEACHERS ARE USING THIS TO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT GRAMMAR MECHANIC [LAUGHTER] STRUCTURE.
I KNOW THAT SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH DAILY ORAL LANGUAGE IS WHAT IT WAS CALLED.
YOU PUT IN YOUR PERIODS WHERE THEY GO, YOU PUT IN YOUR COMMAS WHERE THEY GO.
BUT PART OF THE RESEARCH STATES THAT STUDENTS DON'T REALLY TRANSFER THAT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL UNLESS IT'S IN THEIR OWN WRITING AND THEY CAN TRANSFER IT THERE.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN MORE GRAMMAR AND MORE MECHANIC SKILLS, BUT WITHIN THEIR OWN RESPONSES.
THIS STUDENTS, LIKE I SAID, WAS NOT CHECKED BY DRAFT COACH.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I GOT IT.
PART OF THE REASON WAS IT WASN'T AVAILABLE YET.
BUT IMAGINE HOW THE STUDENT'S WRITING COULD IMPROVE HAD THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE THIS TOOL FIRST BEFORE TURNING IT IN.
AGAIN, THIS IS ALSO A NON-THREATENING INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL SO THAT STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO SEE, NOT ONLY YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT ON THE FIRST GO ROUND, BUT THAT WE DO NEED TO REVISE AND EDIT OUR WORK.
>> WHERE DID YOU GO TO TURN THIS ON AGAIN?
>> UP WHERE IT SAYS ADD-ONS ALL STUDENTS WOULD THEN GO TO I HAVE MORE ADD-ONS TO PAY NO ATTENTION TO THOSE OTHER THINGS, BUT THEY ALL CAN ACCESS TURN IT IN DRAFT CODE TO ANYTIME.
THIS IS NOT LIMITED TO ENGLISH CLASSES.
IN FACT, I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED AT THIS POINT.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO FULLY IMPLEMENT BECAUSE WE JUST DID GET IT.
[LAUGHTER] BUT THIS IS SOMETHING TEACHERS WERE ASKING FOR AND WE'LL GET TO SOON HEAR WHAT THEY THINK AFTER USING IT.
>> I KNOW WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THE RED UNDERLINE IS BILLING, BUT WHAT IF SOMETHING'S IN THAT BLUE HIGHLIGHTED?
>> WHAT IT WILL DO IS IF I CLICK MECHANICS ISSUE, FOR EXAMPLE, I'M GOING TO GO DOWN HERE.
I'M GOING TO LOOK AT UNCLEAR SENTENCES.
IT MAKES THAT HIGHLIGHT A LITTLE BIT DARKER.
THEN IT WILL GIVE ME MY EXACT SENTENCES THAT WERE THE ISSUE.
[01:10:01]
IT WON'T REWRITE IT FOR ME, BUT IT WILL GIVE ME SOME EXAMPLES OF THE PROPER USE.>> WHAT ARE THE LIKE OF THIS JUST.
>> THIS MEANS THAT THESE ARE OTHER AREAS.
BUT NOTICE THAT WHEN IT GETS DARKER AND THAT'S WHAT I'M SPECIFICALLY EXPLORING AT THAT TIME [OVERLAPPING]. [BACKGROUND] YES.
IT'S JUST TRYING TO SHOW STUDENTS HOW TO BASICALLY SAY, OKAY, THIS ONE IS ABOUT STRUCTURE.
I ALSO WANT TO SHOW YOU TURN IT IN FEEDBACK STUDIO.
IT IS ALSO ONE THAT STUDENTS WILL USE TO SUBMIT THEIR ORIGINAL WORK.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, DANIEL HESSON [LAUGHTER] IS ONE OF MY STUDENTS.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE FRIGHTENING AS A PARENT THAN WHEN YOU PULL SOMETHING FROM YOUR SON THAT'S OFF THE DRIVE AND YOU GET READY TO CLICK FOR ORIGINALITY AND YOU'RE LIKE, ''WHOA, PLEASE DON'T HAVE PLAGIARIZED.'' HE DID NOT. THAT WAS GOOD.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU IT HAS CREATED SOME CONVERSATIONS IN MY HOUSE THAT PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED HAD I NOT HAD THIS TOOL.
I THINK MY SON IS SPREADING THE WORD ACROSS THE LAND.
HEY GUYS, MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT JUST GOOGLING IT BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING READY TO CHECK AND WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHECK OURSELVES TOO.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING ARE WHAT WE USE TO TEACH CHILDREN THE DIFFERENCE.
THEY REALLY TRULY DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT THEY ARE OR AREN'T DOING.
THIS IS OUR GOAL IS TO CATCH UP.
I'M NOT GOING TO SHOW HIS WORK.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO SHOW, HE'S BEGGED ME NOT TO.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO SHOW A SHAKESPEARE ESSAY SAMPLE.
DANIEL DID NOT TURN THIS IN AS YOU CAN TELL.
BUT NOTICE THAT AS A TEACHER, I AM NOW STUDENT RENEE HESSON.
I TURNED IN MY SHAKESPEARE ESSAY AND I CAN SEE AS THE TEACHER THAT IT HAS ZERO PERCENT SIMILARITY WITH ANY OTHER PIECES OF WRITING THERE IN THE DATABASE THAT INCLUDES ACROSS CAROLINE COUNTY.
THAT'S A GOOD THING BECAUSE THAT ALSO MEANS THAT WE CAN WORK WITH STUDENTS, UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TOO.
NOTICE THAT I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AND OPTION AGREED IT AS WELL.
BUT I'M JUST GOING TO OPEN THIS BECAUSE I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOME FEATURES THAT I CAN SHOW YOU WITH THE SAMPLE SHAKESPEARE ESSAY THAT I CAN'T SHOW YOU WITH THE OTHER.
AS A TEACHER, THE STUDENT HAS TURNED IN HIS OR HER WORK.
I'M ABLE TO USE QUICK MARKS OF MANY VARIETIES, AND DIFFERENT TYPES.
I CAN ALSO ADD MY OWN BOOKMARKS SUCH AS ADD TRANSITION AND I JUST DRAG IT AND I DROP IT.
>> IT SHOULD BE READ THOUGH. [LAUGHTER]
>> NO, IT'S NOT MY RED PEN, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THERE IS SOME RESEARCH TO SAY THAT AS SOON AS YOU SEE RED, YOU STOP AND I WANT THEM TO KEEP GOING.
BUT THERE IS RED IN THIS REPORT.
HERE I AM ABLE TO ASSIGN A CRITERION FROM A RUBRIC THAT WE ARE USING.
I AM ALSO ABLE TO ADD MY OWN COMMENTS.
I CAN CONNECT IT TO DEVELOPMENT OF IDEAS AND EVIDENCE.
THEN THE STUDENT CAN ALSO SEE HOW MANY OF THESE COMMENTS OR THESE QUICK MARKS RELATE BACK TO MY READING COMPREHENSION, OR MY ORGANIZATION, OR MY STYLE.
IT ALSO HELPS TEACHERS TO BETTER QUANTIFY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS PIECE OF WRITING, WHAT MADE IT A THREE? WHAT MADE IT A FOUR? IT HELPS US WITH OUR INTERRATER RELIABILITY AND ALSO TALKING ABOUT NOT ONLY STUDENT PROGRESS, BUT ALSO WHAT WE INSTRUCTIONALLY NEED TO IMPROVE UPON.
>> IS IT MIDDLE SCHOOL WHERE YOU STARTED?
>> THIS IS HAPPENING IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TODAY. YES.
YOU CAN ALSO AS THE TEACHER LEAVE VOICE COMMENTS UP TO THREE MINUTES, AND IT WILL TELL YOU WHETHER OR NOT STUDENTS LISTEN TO THEM.
[LAUGHTER] LET US SAY, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT AS A FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER, I USED TO GIVE SO MUCH QUALITY FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS.
I TOOK A LOT OF TIME DOING IT.
THERE WERE MANY CHILDREN WHO RIGHTFULLY SO DIDN'T READ ONE THING.
[01:15:02]
THEY LOOKED AT THE GRADE AND THEY MOVED ON.BUT NOW I'VE LEARNED THAT PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK ALONG THE WAY WILL HELP THEM.
I'VE ALSO LEARNED THAT IF I USE VOICE COMMENTS, THEN SOME OF MY STUDENTS ACTUALLY RESPOND MORE STRONGLY AND ARE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES TO THEIR WORK THAT WAY.
SOME STUDENTS, IT'S STILL NOT WORKING FOR THEM SO I CAN ALSO TYPE IN A TEXT COMMENT TO THEM.
I CAN LINK ANYTHING I WOULD LIKE TO IT, SO THAT THEY CAN GO BACK AND ACTUALLY DO THAT ADDITIONAL WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THAT HIGHER SCORE OR FOR THE BETTER WRITING PIECE.
>> IF YOU DO THAT IN TIKTOK, THEY WOULD DEFINITELY [INAUDIBLE] [LAUGHTER]
>> I HAVEN'T MASTERED TIKTOK, SIR, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I AM LEARNING.
[LAUGHTER] THIS IS ONE OF THEM BECAUSE IT IS A LIFT FOR EVERYONE.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU TOO [INAUDIBLE] YOU HAVE TO APPRECIATE THIS.
THE RUBRIC IS RIGHT HERE, AND TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO NOT ONLY SEE WHAT THOSE ARE, YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR OWN RUBRIC.
YOU JUST MOVE IT WHERE YOU WANT IT TO GO.
>> ARE THE RUBRICS MORE USER-FRIENDLY?
>> BECAUSE WHEN WE USE TO GIVE THEM THIS PAGE, THEIR EYEBALLS WOULD JUST ROLL BEHIND THEIR HEADS AND [OVERLAPPING] [INAUDIBLE]
THIS IS A MORE USER-FRIENDLY ACHIEVE THE CORE RUBRIC THAT HAS-
BUT I WILL SAY TOO THAT THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT RUBRICS AND TOOLS AND WE CAN ALSO ADD OUR OWN, SO THAT'S WHAT THE TEACHERS FELT WAS THE TYPE OF FREEDOM THAT THEY WOULD LIKE IN A PLATFORM LIKE THIS ONE? YES.
>> THIS HAS CHANGED A LOT IN JUST TWO YEARS.
>>YES. WELL, EVEN WITH REVISION ASSISTANT, WE MIGHT THINK ABOUT IT, THIS IS A LAYER THAT WAS NECESSARY.
>> WELL, AND TOO, LIKE I SAID, YOU SAID IT STARTED IN 2018.
I THINK THE FIRST TIME I SAW REVISION ASSISTANT WAS AT 18 OR WAS IT 19?
>> WHEN THE KIDS WERE IN THE CLASSROOM WITH THE COMPUTER CARD YOU HAVE AND THE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING UPGRADES AND EVERYTHING.
NOW WE'RE AT A POINT UNPLANNED THAT EVERY KID HAS A COMPUTER IN THEIR HANDS IN EVERY CLASS.
THAT EVEN AUGMENTS THE LEVEL OF THIS PROGRAM AND THIS OPPORTUNITY EVEN MORE.
SECRETLY, WE DON'T REALLY TALK ABOUT THIS OUT LOUD, BUT THE ENGLISH TEACHERS AND I WERE LIKE, [LAUGHTER] WE HAVE COMPUTERS BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT WE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO FULLY IMPLEMENT.
NOW I WANT TO SHOW YOU A RESEARCH PAPER.
>> NOW THEY CAN DO THIS MORE NATURALLY-
>> IN THEIR CLASS, RATHER THAN PLANNING AROUND LINCOLN, I GET THE COMPUTER.
>> THESE ARE THE POSITIVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES FROM THE PANDEMIC.
>> WILL THIS PROGRAM WORK WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTIVITY.
>> IT WELL, SO THAT'S ON THE COMPUTER.
>> THEY ARE ON A BUS, AGAIN, THEY COULD BE WORKING AND GETTING THESE PROMOTIONS OR WHATEVER.
>> ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THIS, IS NOT ONLY TRAINING THE TEACHERS HOW TO USE THE TOOL, BUT WE HAVE TO MOVE INTO AND BEYOND THE 21ST CENTURY.
WE HAVE GOT TO TEACH KIDS HOW TO WRITE AND BE PREPARED TO WRITE FOR JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN CREATED YET.
IF WE ARE USING THE SAME TOOL, THAT OVER 60 PERCENT OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES USE THIS AS WELL, THEN WE ARE ALSO TRAINING OUR CHILDREN TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN POST-SECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES.
I'VE HAD ADULTS COME TO ME AND SAY, I'M IN A COLLEGE CLASS RIGHT NOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE USING THIS AS WELL, AND THAT'S THE GOAL.
WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GUESS AT WHAT OUR CORRECTIONS ARE.
>> HOPEFULLY, THEY DON'T BECOME SO RELIANT ON THAT TOOL [INAUDIBLE]
>> SO THAT WHEN IT NOT AVAILABLE THEY CAN STILL WRITE WELL OR WELL ENOUGH SO THAT THEY'RE LEARNING FROM THE CORRECTIONS?
>> YES. WELL, NOTICE IT DIDN'T CORRECT IT FOR THEM, AND THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS TOOL IS THAT I THINK IN THE PAST, WHEN YOU LOOK AT SPELLCHECK, IT GIVES YOU THE ANSWER AND THEN YOU JUST TYPE IT IN.
I ALSO HAVE A SIXTH GRADE STUDENT AND SHE STRUGGLES WITH SPELLING,
[01:20:05]
BUT A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH SHE JUST USES WHATEVER THE SPELLCHECK HAS TOLD HER AND JUST PUTS IT IN, AND IT DOESN'T EVEN TYPE IT; YOU CLICK IT.>> ABSOLUTELY, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THOSE THINGS WITH ALL STUDENTS NO MATTER WHAT, BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID, IT'S A BLEND OF 50/50.
WE ARE NOT ONLY TYPING, WE'RE HANDWRITING AS WELL, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US BECAUSE THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THAT WORKS.
NOW, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRUE ORIGINALITY, THE RED, NOTICE HERE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THAT HAD MY JAW DROP.
I'M GOING TO TELL YOU IN ADVANCE, THIS IS A RESEARCH PAPER TAKEN FROM MY PERSPECTIVES CURRICULUM, IT'S AN EXAMPLE.
WE KNOW ALREADY THAT IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK.
NOTICE HERE, THIS 91, IT TELLS US THAT AFTER I SUBMITTED THIS AS A STUDENT, THAT THIS WAS A 91% MATCH, GUESS WHAT? CHANCES ARE, IT'S PROBABLY NOT THE STUDENTS ORIGINAL WORK.
THERE IS NO MAGIC NUMBER, BUT THAT'S A REALLY HIGH NUMBER.
BUT NOT ONLY DOES IT TELL ME THE ORIGINAL ORIGIN, IN THIS CASE, IT WAS GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY.
IT TELLS ME ALL OF THE OTHER WEBSITES AND RESOURCES THAT HAVE THIS SAME INFORMATION.
I'LL JUST TAKE US TO THIS USU.EDU.
IT WILL TELL THE TEACHER RIGHT THERE EXACTLY THE WORDS THAT WERE TAKEN FROM THIS SOURCE OR A SOURCE LIKE IT. THAT'S POWERFUL.
>> WHAT WE USE IS A TAUGHT YOU TOOL.
WE'RE TEACHING THE KIDS THE SAME TIME WE ARE USING DRAFT COACH, HOW TO USE FEEDBACK STUDIO.
THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY TURN IT IN, IT IS NOT A GRADED ASSIGNMENT PER SE.
INSTEAD, IT'S TO GIVE THEM FEEDBACK LIKE THIS, TO SAY, THESE ARE THE SOURCES THAT WERE CITED INCORRECTLY.
WE'RE GOING TO ASSUME THAT THERE AREN'T THIS MANY, 91% OR LIKE UNORIGINAL PIECES.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR THOUGH, IS THAT ARE THE CITATIONS DONE PROPERLY? DID THE STUDENT DURING A RESEARCH PAPER, FOR EXAMPLE, UNDERSTAND HOW TO QUOTE THESE SOURCES? WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY AS TEACHERS, BUT ALSO WITH MEDIA SPECIALISTS TO REALLY PUSH THIS PARTICULAR TOOL INITIALLY IN RESEARCH AND THEN FOR OTHER ESSAYS AND PROMPTS AS WE GO.
AGAIN, REMEMBER, THERE WERE TEACHERS IN SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE OR EL, AND ESPECIALLY TEACHERS WHO WERE JUST TRAINED ON NOVEMBER 12TH, [LAUGHTER] BUT THEY'RE USING IT ALREADY.
THEY WERE LIKE, "OH, YES, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR." AGAIN, IT'S FOR TEACHING.
NOTICE THIS ZERO HERE WITH A FLAG, THIS [LAUGHTER] WAS SOMETHING THAT REALLY OPENED OUR EYES.
IT'S HARD TO READ, SO I'LL READ IT TO YOU.
IT'S A ZERO, NO FLAGS WERE DETECTED FOR THIS SUBMISSION.
SOME FRIENDS OF OURS ARE GETTING VERY, SAVVY AT USING SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK AS HIS OR HER OWN, SO THIS PARTICULAR TOOL WILL ALSO LOOK FOR HIDDEN TEXTS AND REPLACED CHARACTERS, BECAUSE THAT IS ONE WAY THAT, MAYBE, SOME STUDENTS IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE GETTING AROUND AND AVOIDING BEING DETECTED FOR PLAGIARISM.
THIS ALSO ALLOWS US TO TEACH STUDENTS BEFORE IT'S HIGH-STAKES LIKE AT A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY LEVEL HOW TO HAVE ORIGINAL WORK.
NOTICE TOO, THAT I CAN EXCLUDE RESOURCES FROM THE REPORT.
THERE MAY BE SOME SOURCES WE WANTED TO EXCLUDE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE STUDENT WAS SUPPOSED TO USE THAT AND THAT'S OKAY TOO.
WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR ORIGINALITY TO GIVE FEEDBACK, AND ALSO FOR STUDENTS PROVIDE ADEQUATE EVIDENCE.
HE DIDN'T SUBMIT ANYTHING TO THIS ASSIGNMENT, AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE IS LATE IN TURNING IT IN.
I KNOW, IT'S A ROUGH LIFE THAT HE LEADS, I TELL YOU THAT.
THAT IS THE VERY QUICK 50,000 FEET VIEW OF THOSE TWO NEW TURNITIN TOOLS.
WE HAVE NOW A DRAFT COACH, FEEDBACK STUDIO AND REVISION ASSISTANT.
THAT IS A HUGE PROGRESSIVE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR CAROLINE COUNTY STUDENTS WITH REGARDS TO WRITING.
NOW, I NEED TO GET BACK AND PRESENT WILL YOU GIVE ME JUST A SECOND.
HERE'S THE PLAN, I'VE DESCRIBED SOME OF THIS, SO I'M NOT GOING TO GO OVER ALL PARTS OF IT,
[01:25:01]
BUT I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE USING FEEDBACK STUDIO TO RUBRIC SCORE USING THE SAME RUBRIC, ALL DISTRICT WRITING BENCHMARKS AT THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR.WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER WHEN WE HAD THE FIRST ROUND, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING THE DATA THAT IT SHOWS.
IT WILL PROVIDE US WITH STUDENTS WRITING SUCCESSES, STUDENT WRITING NEEDS, CLASS SUCCESSES AND NEEDS, AND ALSO DISTRICT AND SCHOOL-WIDE OR GRADE-LEVEL-WIDE SUCCESSES AND NEEDS.
IT'S A LOT BETTER THAN TYPING IN INDIVIDUAL SCORES INTO SPREADSHEETS, WHICH WE'VE DONE.
WHAT ARE OUR TEACHERS SAYING? WE KNEW THERE WERE ISSUES ALL ALONG, BUT THEN IN SPRING OF 2020, IT REALLY CAME TO A BREAKING POINT.
JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, ONE TEACHER SAID "BASICALLY I HAD SEVERAL NINTH-GRADE STUDENTS SUBMIT THE SAME RESPONSES." BY SEPTEMBER 27TH OF 2021.
THIS WAS OUR FIRST PD AFTER BACK TO SCHOOL, TEACHERS WERE SAYING "I'M EXCITED TO START USING IT, WE REVIEWED A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. WE KNEW THIS WAS THE ONE WE WANTED." ANOTHER TEACHER SAID, "I SEE A LOT OF WAYS IT COULD BE USED IN MY CLASSES.
I'LL PROBABLY HAVE QUESTIONS AS I START TO TRY IMPLEMENTING IT." THIS IS A SCARY THING.
IT'S GOT A LOT OF MOVING [NOISE] PARTS.
BUT IN NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR, AFTER A FEW USES, I'M JUST GOING TO READ THE FIRST ONE.
[NOISE] THEN, I'M JUST VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
"FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, STUDENTS HAVE GOTTEN VERY COMFORTABLE GOOGLING ANSWERS AND SUBMITTING WORK THAT WAS BLATANTLY PLAGIARIZED.
AFTER USING TURNITIN, [NOISE] ZERO PERCENT OF MY STUDENTS ARE ATTEMPTING PLAGIARISM, WHICH IS GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY WORK ON PROGRESSING THEIR WRITING SKILLS.
I AM ABLE TO IMPORT MY OWN RUBRICS AND GRADE THEM RIGHT ON THE SITE.
IT HAS BEEN SUPER, SUPER HELPFUL." THAT [NOISE] IS A SENIOR ENGLISH TEACHER.
WHEN IS THE TIME? THE TIME IS NOW TO REALLY TAKE A STEP BACK, REFLECT, AND LOOK AT HOW WE'RE BEST SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS THROUGH THIS VERY CHALLENGING TIME.
I'VE MENTIONED WRITING BENCHMARKS.
I JUST WANT TO DO A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR ASSESSMENT PLAN AS IT APPLIES TO WRITING, IN GRADES SIX THROUGH 12.
WE GIVE ENGLISH WRITING DIAGNOSTICS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END OF YEAR.
IN THIS SCHOOL YEAR, IT PAINED US TO DO SO, BUT WE GAVE THOSE WRITING ASSESSMENTS, SEPTEMBER 3RD.
WE REALLY WANTED TO KNOW, BECAUSE I CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT STUDENTS LEARNING THROUGH ARTIFACTS, THEIR WRITTEN EXPRESSION.
IT'S HARD TO TELL THAT MUCH INFORMATION FROM A MULTIPLE-CHOICE RESPONSE.
REALLY WHAT WE NEED ARE, WHAT DO THEY THINK, WHAT DO THEY KNOW, AND HOW ARE THEY ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES? WE DID IT OVER A CLASS PERIOD WITH ACCOMMODATIONS.
WE PROVIDE A TEXT-BASED PROMPT SO WE HAVE SOMETHING TO READ AND SOMETHING TO WRITE.
STUDENTS ONLY HAD THE COLD READ AND COLD WRITE, WHICH MEANS, SINGLE SITTING ONE CLASS PERIOD.
THEY HAD A CHOICE OF TYPED OR HANDWRITTEN AND THAT WAS LIKE MY NON-NEGOTIABLE, BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT COMFORT LEVELS THAT OUR KIDS HAVE, PARTICULARLY AROUND TYPING.
BUT SOME OF THEM ARE ALSO LIKE, CAN I JUST WRITE THIS? CAN I JUST WRITE IT? ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY, YOU CAN WRITE IT BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY SEEN YOU FOR A FEW DAYS AND WE'RE MAKING YOU DO A TEST.
WE USE THE ACHIEVE THE CORE RUBRIC FOR TEXT-BASED WRITING PROMPTS.
THIS IS NOT NEW, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES A READING COMPREHENSION SCORE, BECAUSE WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO SEE EVIDENCE, DID THIS STUDENT ALSO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY READ? ON THAT SEPTEMBER 27TH PD, WE ANALYZED THE DATA TO DETERMINE A VERTICAL PLAN FOR WRITING MINI LESSONS BECAUSE WE KNEW THERE WERE GAPS AND WE NEEDED TO FILL THEM QUICKLY.
IT'S ONLY BEEN THE FIRST MARKING TERM.
YET, ALL OF THE WRITING MINI-LESSONS THAT WERE PLANNED HAVE HAPPENED.
NOT ONLY WHOLE GROUP BUT SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION.
I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT AS WELL.
THE TEACHERS HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO FILL THOSE GAPS.
THE BENCHMARKS DO OCCUR AND WE ARE PLANNING THE NEXT ONE IN JANUARY.
NOW REMEMBER, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DIAGNOSTIC, WE HAVE TO GET INFORMATION AND THEN WE PRESCRIBE DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT [NOISE] WE NEED TO DO.
NOTICE TOO THAT IT'S BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, BUT OUR DIAGNOSTIC IS REALLY LOOKING AT, WHAT SHOULD A SIXTH-GRADER BE ABLE TO DO, A SEVENTH-GRADER, AND AN EIGHTH-GRADER? THEY HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH SIXTH GRADE, SEVENTH GRADE, OR EIGHTH GRADE YET, SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE, INCLUDING TEACHERS TO FEEL LIKE THESE ARE NOT POSITIVE RESULTS.
[01:30:04]
IN FACT, I SEE A LOT OF POSITIVITY HERE.FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE SOME STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY DEMONSTRATING THAT THEY WERE AT THAT EXPECTATION, FOR END OF COURSE.
>> THAT'S YOUR UP FOR 10 PERCENT.
THAT MEANS THAT MANY OF THEM HAVEN'T LOST THAT.
I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE PERCENT OF 12TH GRADERS AT EXPECTATIONS ARE BECAUSE, THEY WANTED TO SHOW WHAT THEY COULD DO.
I BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE SOME VERY CONVINCING [NOISE] SPEECHES THAT HAPPENED FROM SOME OF THE TEACHERS FIRST, BECAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT.
DON'T ACT LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WRITING.
I WILL SAY TOO, THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THAT WERE BELOW EXPECTATION ON THAT DIAGNOSTIC OR SOMETHING WE CAN REALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT.
WE'RE LOOKING TO NOTICING, WHO ARE THOSE STUDENTS AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO FOR THEM INSTEAD OF A GENERAL, "THESE MANY KIDS WERE BELOW EXPECTATION.
WELL, BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME." IT REALLY IS PART OF THE PLAN, IS LOOKING AT THE DATA AND DOING SOMETHING WITH IT.
ALL TOO OFTEN, WE ARE IN SUCH A HURRY AND WE HAVE BEEN IN SUCH A HURRY THAT YOU GET SOMETHING AND YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, WELL THIS IS, AND THEN YOU MOVE ON AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN IN ORDER TO SPEED UP, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
I HAVE A FEW STUDENT WRITING SAMPLES FOR YOU.
THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT. THEY'RE NOT SPECIAL GIFTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
BUT WHAT I DO WANT TO SAY IS THAT, [BACKGROUND] I WANTED TO SHOW YOU SOME ARTIFACTS OF WHAT OUR KIDS ARE REALLY WRITING.
THESE ARE ENOUGH AND I WOULD QUOTE [INAUDIBLE].
BUT THEY ARE, WHAT OUR KIDS ARE DOING.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AND I WILL BE QUIET FOR A MOMENT, THAT YOU THINK ABOUT A FEW THINGS AS YOU'RE REVIEWING EITHER ONE OR BOTH OF YOUR WRITING SAMPLES.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT DO YOU THINK THE STUDENT'S GRADE LEVEL IS THAT YOU HAVE? WHEN DO YOU THINK THIS WAS WRITTEN? SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER? THEN, IS THIS THE STUDENTS ONLY DRAFT OR DO YOU THINK THEY HAD TIME LIKE A PROCESS THAT THEY GOT TO FOLLOW MULTIPLE DRAFTS? JUST TAKE FOUR MINUTES TO [INAUDIBLE].
[NOISE] YOU NEED MORE TIME BUT I'M ONLY GOING TO GIVE YOU ONE MORE MINUTE.
THIS IS NOT A GRADED ASSIGNMENT I PROMISE.
>> I HAVE THE [INAUDIBLE] [LAUGHTER] [NOISE]
[01:35:17]
>> IF YOU COULD JUST FINISH UP THE SENTENCE THAT YOU'RE READING.
AGAIN, I KNOW THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO READ BOTH SAMPLES AND REALLY THINK THROUGH WHAT GRADE LEVEL DO I THINK THIS IS AND WHEN WAS THIS WRITTEN? SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER THE SCHOOL YEAR? OR IS THIS THE STUDENTS LIKE ONE AND DONE THERE ONLY DRAFT OR DID THEY GET TO USE THE WRITING PROCESS WITH THIS? BUT I HOPE THAT IT DID GET YOU THINKING ABOUT THE WRITING THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING.
I AGREE, IT IS NOT ALWAYS PERFECT.
WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT THAT OF AN ADULT WRITER YET, BUT THEY ARE CERTAINLY IN PROGRESS AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THE TEACHERS AND THE STUDENTS WORK THIS YEAR.
NOW, THE $50,000 QUESTION IS, WHO DID, WHAT, WHEN, WHAT GRADE LEVEL IS IT?
>> WE ALL HAVE THE SAME THING?
>> IT WAS HARD TO CHOOSE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PIECES OF WRITING.
BASICALLY WHAT I DID ONE DAY, GRABBED A FEW, ANOTHER DAY, GRABBED A FEW AND I USE THESE WITH TEACHERS AS WELL SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO REFLECT ON THE PROGRESS THAT'S HAPPENING BECAUSE HONESTLY, THEY DON'T ALWAYS FEEL APPRECIATED AND I WANT THEM TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT GOOD IS ALSO OCCURRING, DESPITE ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE FACED IN THE PAST.
HERE'S THE KEY YOU WILL HAVE TWO CHARTS.
THE FIRST ONE SAYS RIGHT POCKET, THE SECOND ONE SAYS LEFT POCKET BECAUSE I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT THIS, BUT I WILL SAY THAT YOUR NAME [INAUDIBLE] AND IT WILL TELL YOU THE PIECE OF WRITING THAT WAS IN YOUR RIGHT POCKET AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PIECE OF WRITING THAT WAS IN YOUR LEFT POCKET AS WELL OF YOUR FOLDER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE FULL CHART, IT DOES HAVE A RANGE.
WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM ALL THE GRADE LEVELS.
THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT FORMATS THAT YOU'VE GOT TO READ INDIVIDUALLY.
BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO ALSO DEMONSTRATE TO YOU THE RANGE OF WRITING THAT IS HAPPENING.
NO ONE HAS SAID THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY.
NO ONE HAS SAID THAT WE ARE GOING TO NOT WRITE WITH OUR CHILDREN.
BUT I TELL YOU IT IS A CHALLENGE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND THE TEACHERS ARE WILLING TO TAKE IT ON AND CONTINUE TO DO SO.
I WILL SAY TOO THAT WE ARE INVOLVING KIDS IN REFLECTING ON WHAT THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE FIRST TERM.
THE QUESTION TO STUDENTS THAT IS REPRESENTED ON THIS SLIDE IS IN WHICH WAYS HAVE YOU IMPROVED YOUR CLASS CONNECTIONS BY THE END OF THE FIRST TERM.
NOW KNOW ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS THAT WE WRITE AUTHENTICALLY IS FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING.
JOURNALING, ALL OF THOSE PIECES THAT HELP MAKE US HUMAN AND COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS ARE ALSO REFLECT.
THAT'S WHAT THESE CLASS CONNECTIONS ARE.
WE'RE USING IT FOR OUR WRITING INSTRUCTION AS WELL.
NOTICE THAT A NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THIS EXAMPLE HAVE REFLECTED AND THIS IS, LET SAY, 22 STUDENTS OUT OF 46.
THIRTY ONE STUDENTS OUT OF 46.
I HAVE ADDED AT LEAST THREE DETAILS TO EVERY CLASS CONNECTION.
I NOW USE APOSTROPHES CORRECTLY.
I TRY TO VARY THE TYPES OF SENTENCES.
ALL OF THESE ITEMS REPRESENT A MINI LESSON THAT A TEACHER HAS ALREADY TAUGHT THIS QUARTER.
IN RIGHT, BUT SPECIFIC TO WRITING, I HAVE AT LEAST FIVE SENTENCES FOR EVERY PARAGRAPH.
I ALREADY KNOW WHAT THIS SAY SORRY, I HAVE TO READ THEM AND I ALWAYS CAPITALIZE.
REMEMBER TOO THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE NOTICING WHAT YOU HAVE NOTICED AND NOW WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD ON BEHALF OF STUDENTS.
WHAT DO WE TEACH NOW? WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE KIDS IN PERSON.
THE WRITING SKILLS ARE LISTED ON
[01:40:02]
THE LEFT AND THEN WHAT GRADE LEVEL THEY'RE EXPLICITLY TAUGHT IN.IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE ONLY GRADE LEVEL WHERE IT HAPPENS, IT JUST MEANS THIS IS WHERE IT'S INTRODUCED.
WORD STUDY TO DEVELOP VOCABULARY STUDENTS USE IN WRITING, NOT JUST THE VOCABULARY FROM THE TEXT THAT THEY'RE READING.
IN GRADES 3, 4, AND 5, WE HAVE COMPREHENSIVE UNITS OF STUDY ON WORD PARTS IT'S CALLED WORD STUDY.
IN GRADE 6,7,AND 8,STARTING THIS YEAR, I'M VERY PROUD TO SAY WE HAVE A WORD PART REVIEW AND ALSO STUDY OF GREEK AND LATIN ROOTS THROUGHOUT EACH GRADE LEVEL OF CURRICULUM SOMETHING I'M VERY PROUD OF.
CURSIVE HANDWRITING IN GRADE THREE, CURSIVE IS TAUGHT THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR IN ELA NOW.
I WILL SAY THIS, WHEN YOU HAVE VIRTUAL LEARNING, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO FOCUS ON CURSIVE HANDWRITING.
WHAT WE'VE DECIDED IS TO REVIEW CURSIVE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STARTING THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE A RESOURCE FOR CURSIVE WRITING FOR TEENS THAT WE'RE NOT JUST USING SOMETHING THAT IS FROM THIRD GRADE WITH OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE STUDENTS.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S VERY RESPECTFUL OF THEM.
>> WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CURSIVE REVIEW?
>> MEANING THAT WE ARE DOING CURSIVE AGAIN WITH GRADE 6,7 AND 8 STUDENTS? YEAH.
>> THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ALSO NOT ONLY WANT STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO SIGN THEIR NAME, [LAUGHTER] THAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT WE ALSO WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO READ PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS AND AT LEAST ONE TEACHER SAID, AND I WANT THEM TO READ MY HANDWRITING ON THE BOARD.
SHE SAID, BECAUSE I'M SICK OF IT, SO LET'S JUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. HOW ABOUT THAT?
>> WRITING FORMATS LIKE AN EDITORIAL, FRIENDLY LETTER, BUSINESS LETTER, ESSAY, OUTLINE.
THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST BY THE WAY, BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE BIG ONES.
IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL A FRIENDLY LETTER AND AN ARTICLE ARE INTRODUCED IN GRADE 3, STUDENTS HAVE TO USE THE WRITING PROCESS TO WRITE ONE.
OPINION EDITORIAL AND AN ARTICLE ON GRADE 4, A LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND INFORMATIONAL BOOK CHAPTER IN GRADE 5, AND MULTI-PARAGRAPH ESSAYS.
WE MOVE FROM ONE PARAGRAPH TO TWO PARAGRAPH TO THREE PARAGRAPHS.
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, THERE'S A WRITING BENCHMARK IN GRADES 6 THROUGH 8 THAT ONE OF THOSE BENCHMARKS ACTUALLY IS THE FORMAT OF A BUSINESS LETTER.
THAT'S IMPORTANT, AND A FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY OBVIOUSLY AT THAT POINT.
NOW, IN HIGH SCHOOL, WE'RE MOVING BEYOND THAT FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY INTO A MULTI-PARAGRAPH ESSAY WHERE IT'S REFINED WITH THE THESIS.
WE ALSO TEACH OUTLINING AND A RESEARCH PAPER, AND WE ARE GOING ALL OUT WITH RESEARCH AGAIN THIS YEAR BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A REAL CHALLENGE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS TO REALLY DO THOSE ROBUST TYPES OF PAPERS AND PROJECTS THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
>> YES, MA'AM. ABSOLUTELY. IT IS CONSISTENT AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CONSISTENT CURRICULUM FROM GRADE 6 THROUGH 12.
WHAT YOU SEE IN ONE CLASS IN LOCKERMAN YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN COLONEL MIDDLE. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
THE RESEARCH PROCESS IS ALSO EXPLICITLY TAUGHT IN GRADES 2 THROUGH 5 THROUGH THOSE ELA UNITS OF STUDY, AND IN GRADES 6 THROUGH 12, THEN ENGLISH CLASSES, AND THIS IS ALSO COORDINATED WITH MEDIA SPECIALISTS.
FINALLY, AND AGAIN THERE ARE MANY MORE THINGS THAT WE TEACH, BUT FOR TALKING ABOUT WRITING THE USE OF DIGITAL TOOLS FOR WRITING INCLUDING TYPING, AND USING GOOGLE TOOLS, AND TEMPLATES TO PUBLISH RESPONSES.
KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE, THIS IS A TEACHER-LED ACTIVITY NOW, AND THEN STARTING IN SECOND GRADE THROUGH 12TH, IT'S STUDENT-LED AND STUDENT-DRIVEN, BUT THERE IS EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION ON THESE TOOLS.
ADDITIONAL WRITING OPPORTUNITY IS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS AT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL, I APOLOGIZE.
THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS INCLUDE A FOCUS ON WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM.
FOCUSED CLASSES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL TARGET WRITING STANDARDS AND SKILLS IN TIER 2.
ALSO THOSE FOCUS CLASSES EXIST.
I KNOW THAT MS. HARKER WHO SPOKE TO THIS EARLIER, BUT THEY EXIST FOR CREATIVE WRITING AND PUBLICATIONS ALSO IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THERE IS A POETRY CLUB IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHICH I'M REALLY PROUD OF TOO.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, THERE ARE MULTIPLE CREATIVE WRITING SECTIONS AT BOTH HIGH SCHOOLS.
IT IS EXPLODING WITH STUDENT INTERESTS.
COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING TIME, AND SUPPORT HAPPENS IN AND OUT OF CLASS.
NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN IT BEFORE, THE #CAROLINEWRITES, IT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A MINUTE AND SANDY BARRY HAS WORKED WITH US TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE RECOGNIZED.
HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR RECENT WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
I MEAN RECENT AS IN EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC WE HAD THEM WRITING AND ENTERING CONTESTS BECAUSE AUTHENTIC WRITING KEEPS KIDS WRITING.
[01:45:03]
CHARACTER COUNTS "LAWS OF LIFE" ESSAY WE HAD ONE SUBMISSION FROM EVERY STUDENT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL THE YEAR THAT WE SHUT DOWN.SOMLA YOUNG AUTHORS CONTEST PARTICIPATION AND WE HAD PUBLISHED AUTHORS, 60 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AT COLONEL MIDDLE, 24 8TH GRADERS AT COLONEL MIDDLE AND 16 LOCKERMAN MIDDLE STUDENTS WERE ALL PUBLISHED IN MISSION CONTAMINATION, MARYLAND TALES.
THEN YOUNG WRITERS IMAGINE CONTEST WE HAD A STUDENT PUBLISHED AS WELL.
IN HIGH SCHOOL OBVIOUSLY ALSO THE CHARACTER COUNTS, LAWS OF LIFE ESSAY CONTEST HAPPEN.
YOUNG AUTHORS CONTEST, WE HAD TO LOCAL WINNERS AND EIGHT PUBLISHED STUDENTS IN THROUGH THEIR EYES LITERARY MAGAZINE AND WE'RE PREPARING RIGHT NOW FOR '21-22 YOUNG AUTHORS.
I WILL ALSO SAY THAT WE ARE DOING POETRY OUT LOUD.
>> ARE YOU BRINGING THAT BACK?
IT'S VIRTUAL, BUT I'LL BRING IT BACK.
>> IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE, THANKS.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, THAT WAS A LOT I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HANGING IN THERE WITH ME.
IT'S HARD TO KEEP YOU FROM HOME AT THE END OF THE MEETING, BUT I DO APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT, AND YOUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS, AND THEIR WRITING BECAUSE WRITING IS VERY TOUGH.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA, #CAROLINEWRITES AND THAT'S REALLY MY TIME.
>> BOARD MEMBERS ANY QUESTIONS?
>> WE HAVE READING AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL.
WILL WE TALK ABOUT READING AT THE HIGH OR SECONDARY LEVEL AT SOME POINT?
>> WE CERTAINLY CAN. ABSOLUTELY.
>> WE WERE DOING READING AND WRITING? [OVERLAPPING]
>> RIGHT, BUT WE NEED TO. [OVERLAPPING]
>> YES. WE ABSOLUTELY. [OVERLAPPING]
>> YEAH. WE CAN LOOK AT ADDING UP [INAUDIBLE].
>> BECAUSE I MEAN, READING TO ME IS A PRECURSOR TO WRITING.
>> THIS IS A GREAT PRESENTATION.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE DIRECTION WE'RE GOING DEFINITELY.
A LOT OF THE BOARD MEMBERS SEEMS LIKING, BUT IT'S GOOD TO HEAR, OR GOOD TO SEE THAT FROM BOARD MEMBERS' COMMENTS AND YOURS AS WELL.
WE WEREN'T THERE. I MEAN, THERE HAS BEEN AN AWARENESS AND A CHANGE.
THEN THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, THE BENEFIT, THE SILVER LINING OF GETTING ALL THESE COMPUTERS AND PUTTING THESE TOOLS IN THE KIDS HANDS IS SETTING US UP FOR A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
THAT BEING SAID, THE SECOND AND THIRD SLIDE WHERE THE STATE STANDARDS ARE AND WE'VE MISSED THE MARK A COUPLE OF TIMES.
PROBABILITY, AS WELL AS OTHER COUNTIES HAVE, EVEN TO MISS THE MARK ON THE MASK, BUT ANYWAY, [BACKGROUND] NOW I'M FINE.
>> OH, I WAS LIKE I'M SO SORRY.
>> IF WE CAN JUST LET SOME FORM OF WAY, JUST FOLLOWING, BUT IN ANY EVENT, WHAT DO YOU SEE OR WHAT WOULD YOUR THOUGHTS BE ON AND I'M PUTTING ON THE SPOT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS BOARD COULD DO TO MAKE SURE THE DIRECTION YOU'RE GOING, AND THE TOOLS YOU HAVE, AND THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THESE EXPECTATIONS ARE CONTINUED MOVING FORWARD WITH OR WITHOUT, MAYBE YOU GET A WIN THE POWERBALL AND RETIRE ON AN ISLAND SOMEWHERE OR MAYBE THERE'S A MAJOR CHANGE IN SOME OTHER ASSESSMENT OR PUSH OR SOMETHING, WHAT CAN THIS BOARD DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE 20-YEAR-OLD STANDARDS THAT ARE ON PAGE 3 DOESN'T ALLOW THIS SUCCESS TO GET SIDELINED?
>> ACTUALLY, I KNOW EXACTLY HOW I'LL ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
I HAVE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT IT BECAUSE I BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY THAT WHATEVER WE PUT IN PLACE HAS TO BE SUSTAINABLE.
I REALLY THINK THAT YOU HAVE DONE WHAT IS NEEDED UP TO THIS POINT.
I TOOK EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY AND I DO TAKE MY JOB VERY SERIOUSLY, BUT IF I AM NOT IN THE SEAT, I HAVE BUILT AN ARMY OF TEACHERS WHO BELIEVE AND UNDERSTAND NOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THINGS IN CAROLINE COUNTY,
[01:50:01]
AND IT'S ALSO BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT I WILL LISTEN TO THEM, AND WE'LL WORK TOGETHER ON A SOLUTION TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE THERE ARE GOING TO BE CHANGES.THERE ARE GOING TO BE BUMPS IN THE ROAD.
I HOPE THAT THERE ARE NO MORE PANDEMIC THINGS.
I'M DONE WITH THAT, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE NEVER LOST FOCUS BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE IMPORTANT THINGS AND WE'RE LETTING THE RESEARCH TO LEAD US INSTEAD OF LETTING OUR OWN PERSONAL OPINIONS, BELIEFS, WHAT HAVE YOU OR TRAINING OR LACK THEREOF AND HONESTLY YOU SHOULD BE REALLY PROUD TOO.
BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT TAKES ALL OF US.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT FROM THE BOARD'S PERSPECTIVE AND THE WORK YOU PUT INTO IT.
I REMEMBER YOU TELLING ME FROM DAY 1 WHEN WE MET AND SO YEAH, NOW I THINK THESE ARE IMPORTANT TOO. WE SHOULD BE DOING THIS.
IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN DOING JUST THAT, AND LIKE I SAID, THERE HAVE BEEN IMPROVEMENTS.
I'M NOT TRYING TO BE NEGATIVE, NANCY.
BUT I HAVE A BOARD, I BELIEVE, THAT WANTS TO DO GOOD THINGS MOVING FORWARD, AND JUST PULL THINGS OUT THERE, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE NOW WHO'S DOING GOOD THINGS, MOVING FORWARD THINGS.
IS IT RIGHT? IS IT GOOD? IS IT BAD? I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF KIDS HAVE, NOT TO DIGRESS TOO MUCH, BUT WHEN A LOT OF KIDS HAVE AN EXTRA 15 OR 20 MINUTES IN A 90 MINUTE CLASS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY ALWAYS GO HOME AND THEY NEVER HAVE HOMEWORK, THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF THE HOMEWORK POLICY EITHER.
SOME OF IT'S AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION PLANNING YOUR DAY TO DO EVEN IF IT'S 15 MINUTES OF WORK ON YOUR OWN IN THE EVENING, YOU GOT TO DO 15 MINUTES OF WORK, GO HOME IN THE EVENING.
BUT ANYWAY. IF COVID HADN'T HIT, AND I THINK WE WOULD ALL DARE SAY I WISH IT HADN'T, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THESE TOOLS AND ALL THESE TOOLS IN PLACE TO BE AT THE POINT WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
BUT WHAT ARE ALL THOSE TOOLS ON THE COMPUTER? WHAT DO THEY COST ON AN ANNUAL BASIS?
>> RIGHT NOW, WE ACTUALLY HAVE THEM FOR THREE YEARS.
THEY'RE FULLY FUNDED THROUGH ESSER FUNDS.
TO HAVE ALL THREE OF THEM, IT'S FOR GRADES 6 THROUGH 12, LESS THAN $20,000 A YEAR.
I SAW [INAUDIBLE] AS MY OWN MONEY, I'M NOT GOING TO LIE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME THAT IT'S SUSTAINABLE.
SO WE HAVE TO OFTEN MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THE MOST FOR THE MONEY THAT WE ARE SPENDING AND ALSO THAT IT IS A TOOL THAT TEACHERS WANT AND WE'LL ACTUALLY USE, AND WORKS WITH WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, TOO.
SOME OF THAT WORK, YOU'RE RIGHT, HAS TO GO WITH WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE COMPETITIVE BIDS.
WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GETTING BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GET INTO IT.
IT DID HELP THAT WE GOT TO TEST OUT REVISION ASSISTANT, WHICH WAS ALSO ALL GRANT-FUNDED.
>> I THINK A COUPLE OF THINGS TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT ALSO, PART OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND TIES BACK THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD ABOUT MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT IS ONE OF THE THINGS.
WE HAVE THINGS IN PLACE, BUT WE'VE BEEN MISSING THE STRUCTURE, ONE OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE NEED IN PLACE.
WE HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS IN PLACE BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE A FULLY ROBUST CURRICULUM IN PLACE THAT TIES IT TOGETHER FOR GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS, K12 ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
WHAT WE'RE WORKING TO PUT IN PLACE AND WHAT MS. HESSON HAS HIGHLIGHTED TONIGHT, I THINK VERY WELL, THANK YOU, IS THE WAY WE'RE TRYING TO ESTABLISH A WRITING CURRICULUM IN PLACE THAT GETS ACROSS 6-12.
BECAUSE THE MORE THAT WE START GETTING SYSTEM-WIDE DOCUMENTATION, SYSTEM-WIDE INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS IN PLACE CURRICULUM.
IN PLACE FOR OUR FOLKS, WHEN YOU BUILD A ROBUST SYSTEM WITH CURRICULA, YOU CAN'T DISMANTLE IT OVERNIGHT.
YOU CAN'T HAVE IT DISAPPEAR OVERNIGHT BECAUSE YOU'VE BUILT A SYSTEM, YOU BUILT YOUR STANDARDS, YOU'VE EMBEDDED WHAT YOU SPENT YOUR RESOURCES ON, YOU'VE BUILT YOUR RESOURCES AROUND THAT, AND PUT THOSE HANDS AND TOOLS IN THE HANDS OF TEACHERS.
IF WE DO THAT AT A SYSTEM LEVEL, WE ELIMINATE, AND I WILL SAY ELIMINATE, WE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE ONE-OFF OR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHIP AWAY AT BECAUSE WE MAKE A COUNTY-WIDE AND SYSTEM-WIDE COMMITMENT TO THESE PRACTICES AND THESE SUPPORTS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO BUILD OUT OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
BOTH INTERNAL SIDE OF THE HOUSE AND TRYING TO PUT THOSE STRUCTURES IN PLACE SO THEY CANNOT BE BLOWN EASILY WITH THE WIND.
PART OF IT WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, A COUPLE OF THIS AS WELL, WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A PAST OF LIKING TO SAY AT TIMES, THE STATE MAKES US DO IT.
[01:55:04]
THERE ARE THINGS THE STATE MAKES US DO.BUT JUST BECAUSE THE STATE PUTS THE STANDARDS, IT DOESN'T MEAN THE STATE GAVE US THE CURRICULUM.
THE STATE GAVE US THE STANDARDS.
CAROLINE COUNTY HAS AN OBLIGATION TO BUILD A CURRICULUM AROUND THOSE STANDARDS FOR OUR KIDS AND ADD MORE TO IT.
>> IF WE SO WISHED, THE STATE CURRICULUM OR THE STATE STANDARDS ARE THE FLOOR.
IF WE CAN FIND WAYS TO BUILD AND ENHANCE IT AND BUILD THAT OUT, THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO GO AND THAT IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD OUT AND PUT IN PLACE SYSTEMATICALLY.
IT TIES NICE TO MS. ALLIS-FISHER'S PRESENTATION ON READING K-5 AS WELL.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET A SYSTEM-WIDE APPROACH THAT EVERYBODY, REGARDLESS OF SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF ZIP CODE PUTS THAT THERE, AND THE MORE THAT WE CAN BUILD THAT FROM THIS PLACE, FROM FRANKLIN STREET WITH THE BUILDINGS, IT STARTS PUTTING THAT SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT CAN'T BE TAKEN AWAY WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT WORK.
>> ALL RIGHT, AND YOU KNOW WHERE I'M FEELING, AND TO SAY WHAT YOU CAN'T BE TAKEN AWAY, BUT I TRUST YOU, BUT I WANT TO VERIFY AND TRUST BUT VERIFY AND WHETHER IT'S THE NEXT BOARD OR THE NEXT WHATEVER, SHOULD SOMETHING AND I DON'T KNOW, I'M FALTERING, SHOULD SOMETHING FROM THIS BOARD GO AND IT BE IN PLACE, TO MAKE SURE TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT.
ADD A KISS THEORY. JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE, WHATEVER IT IS.
WITH THIS TOOL, I THINK IT'S EVEN EASIER TO SAY AT WHATEVER LEVEL IF IT'S THIS BUSINESS LETTER IN 10TH GRADE.
IF CAROLINE WANTS OUR KIDS DONE BY 10TH GRADE, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO WRITE A BUSINESS LETTER IN 10TH GRADE, AND WITH THESE TOOLS AND THE ASSESSMENTS THAT YOU'VE ALREADY TURNED IN ON ONE OF THE SLIDES, CAN THEY DO IT WITHOUT ANY HELP? CAN THE TEACHER TURN EVERYTHING OFF AND SAY, DO THIS ASSIGNMENT?
>> TO BE VERY HONEST, LET'S JUST SAY [OVERLAPPING].
>> ALL YEAR THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO PRACTICE AND PRACTICE, USE ALL THE TOOL.
AT THE END OF THE YEAR, YOU TURN ALL THE TOOLS OFF AND SAY, HEY, WRITE THIS BUSINESS LETTER.
>> I THINK THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG OF WHAT WE REALLY NEED THEM TO WALK AWAY WITH.
I THINK TOO, THAT WE NEED TO JUST FIND HOW CONFIDENCE, NEW CONFIDENCE IN THE INSTRUCTION, THE CURRICULUM, AND THE ASSESSMENT THAT ARE BEING USED.
BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WE DON'T WANT TO JUST DO IT FOR AN ASSESSMENT.
WE WANT THEM TO DO IT FOR LIFE AND IT TO BE AN AUTHENTIC PIECE THAT THEY WOULD DO ANYWAY.
BUT KNOW THAT KIDS ARE WRITING EVERY DAY.
MY INBOX IS FLOODED WITH IT AND THAT IS A NOT JUST AN INSTRUCTIONAL SHIFT, IT'S A PARADIGM SHIFT.
IT IS ONE THAT, LIKE DR. SIMMONS SAID BEFORE, DOES NOT NEED ADDITIONAL REGULATION AROUND IT BECAUSE IT IS THE NEW NORMAL.
IT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR AND SEARCHING FOR, AND THEN WE FOUND IT OVER TIME.
IN 2018, I COULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT TO YOU, BUT I CAN SAY IT IN 2021 BECAUSE WE TOOK WRITING WITH US, AND NOW IT IS NOT A THING THAT IS ON ITS OWN.
IT IS EMBEDDED IN HOW WE WORK AND WHAT WE DO.
I'M PROUD OF THE TYPING, BUT I'M ALSO PROUD OF THE HANDWRITING THE KIDS ARE DOING.
THEY'RE MAKING CHOICES ABOUT IT BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS EVENTUALLY TO LIKE WE'VE CAUGHT THEM AND THEN GRADUAL RELEASE.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO WHEN THEY MOVE ON TO OTHER VOCATIONS OR POST SECONDARY AS WELL.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE AREN'T DOING BECAUSE WE ARE AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PART TO ME.
>> THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? ANYONE, ANYTHING FOR THE GOOD OF CAUSE?.
>> I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE THE PLAN IN PLACE ESPECIALLY FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL.
IT'S SO NEEDED AND IT LOOKS GOOD.
>> YES, IT DOES. [OVERLAPPING]
>> I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT YOU DO COLLABORATE WITH THE K-5.
SO YES AND A LOT OF THAT LIFT AND THE VERTICAL ALIGNMENT.
[02:00:02]
BOARD, IF WE COULD, IT'S 8:05.LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO RECONVENE IN CLOSED SESSION FOR A SHORT BIT AFTER A BREAK.
WE CAN TAKE A QUICK BREAK. IS THAT OKAY?
>> DO I HEAR A MOTION TO RECONVENE AND RETIRE TO CLOSED SESSION?
>> MOTION BY MR. JONES, SECOND BY MR. [INAUDIBLE] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
>> THANK YOU ALL FOR STAYING WITH US THIS EVENING.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.