Posting #4 - Assessment Survey

Assessment Survey

The deadline for entering your preference for the literacy assessment: MAP or Lexia Rapid is on Friday, August 31, 2018. I highly recommend that you complete this survey by this deadline, as it increases the likelihood that you will be granted your preference.

Today you should have received a call from an Academic Superintendent or Operational Superintendent regarding your School Activity Account "Closing" memo. Please refer any media inquiries to Dan O'Brien (dobrien3). Our call to you was to ensure that you have a preview of information that will be made public and to answer questions you may have in advance of possible media attention. We want your focus and energy to be on getting school open, not on activity accounts.

I have just one more Network 6 principal "get-to-know-you" meeting left!!! It has been a pleasure meeting everyone and to learn more about our schools. I can't wait to visit while school is in session during the first week and look forward to seeing you then. Please reach out if you need anything.

Post #3 - August 27, 2018

You can find this posting at this Network 6 Blog. My calendar of visits is also posted on the blog tab <Coaching Calendar>. You should have received official invites for visits through mid-October. Good luck with upcoming professional development and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

Assessment Update

• PD Courses: All PD Courses are posted on My Learning Plan.
• Assessment Survey: This assessment survey is due on Friday, August 31. The results of this survey will allow the district to use Clever to match the assessment to the students in your school. Once MAP Fluency schools are identified, ODA will take inventory of headset needs and purchase additional headsets for those schools since a microphone set is required.
• Resource Folder: All BPS staff have access to ODA's public BPS Formative Resource Folder. All training materials, webinars, administration documents, and more can be found here.
• Illuminate "Cheat Sheets:" District Leader Cheat Sheet for Illuminate provides step-by-step directions for accessing the best reports. This one is for School Leaders. These are all linked in the Illuminate homepages as well.

Sign-up for a Check-in by Phone or Google Hangout

I have been enjoying visiting all of you over the summer! However, that means I saw some of you in July, which was a while ago. If you would like to check-in before school opening, go to this link to sign up for a 20-minute appointment by either phone or Hangout on September 4 or 5. Otherwise, I will see you during the first week of school!

Post #2 - Literacy Assessment Choice Information

Update on NWEA MAP Option for Literacy Assessment

NWEA MAP assessments will be available​K2-5 rather than just K2-3. Lexia RAPID is still available K2-12.

Clarification

Networks 5-6, schools ​should indicate their preference for which assessment via the SY2018-19 Assessment Survey below. We will make every effort to grant schools their preferred option. ODA and I will communicate results during the first week in September.

​Complete Survey by August 31

Please complete THIS SURVEY by Friday​,​ August 31, 2018.​ ODA will use these submissions to set up Clever account access for the start of the school year.

​Professional Development

C​lick on this link to view ​ opportunities for professional development to support both the technical and adaptive aspects of this shift. Dates​ have been scheduled for the first Train the Trainer sessions. You can register via My Learning Plan. The dates for Lexia are 8/29, 9/5, and 9/14 with two sessions per day. The dates for NWEA MAP are 8/28, 9/4, and 9/13 with two sessions per day.

Formative Assessment Resources Folder
Literacy Assessment Correlation Chart - Lexile, F/P, Reading Recovery

Post #1 - August 20, 2018

Dear Network 6 Leaders:

I am energized and excited about launching a new school year!  This email is being memorialized as a Blog Post. All future communication will reside in the Blog as an organizer.

There are three "asks" in red below.

Coaching Visits

Click this <link> to view a draft calendar of visits. There will be a first week of school visit that will be more of a check-in/walk through. The cycles of coaching begin September 17, 2018 and goes through one full cycle. The times are 2.5 hour AM/PM blocks that will be adjusted based on school start/end times. Please review this calendar and let me know by Friday, August 24 if there are any dates that do not work for you. Once conflicts have been worked out, I will send you an invitation for our coaching dates with a time.

Our agenda (Click on this <form> that we will use to guide us.)

• Principal Operational Concerns (15 min)
• Check-in/Follow-up (15 min)
• Individual Coaching (15 min)
• QSP/Observations - Class/CPT, etc... (75  min)
• Teacher Development/Growth (20 minutes)
• Next Steps (15 min)

After we establish the calendar, I will add in appointment slots for phone calls or video hangouts. Do feel free to reach out by text, g-chat, or call - just know that during the day, I will be with a colleague and may not get back to you until the late afternoon/evening. Do not be compelled to respond to my late/early emails right away. Those are just the times when I will be able to respond. 

​Please send/share your school meeting calendar (ILTs, PDs, CPTs)​.

Please share your draft QSP with me so I can review and provide feedback. 

Assessment

• ​The new reading assessment you choose will be more efficient; it is meant to be a universal screen which will allow you to place students more quickly into groups and begin instruction earlier in the school year. This is a key point to share with staff. 
• The F&P assessment can serve as a deeper dive into the instructional needs of students who score below proficiency.​ Here is a tool to help you with leveling across assessments <levels crosswalk>.

Edwin Analytics

In addition to your ODA Workbook, you can access state reports for your school from the <security portal>. I find the growth/achievement charts helpful in visualizing how each grade level performed. You can also obtain ACCESS and information on how your school performed via curricular/standards. Released questions, student work/writing are available for you and teachers to view in Measured Progress. 

Professional Learning Communities

PLCs are off to a great start! Now it will be up to your group to drive the learning. The principal leads will continue to work with Jenne Colasacco from Boston College Lynch Leadership Academy, Jodi Fortuna, and me to create a process that can be applied to your common problem of practice. Dates for each PLC are listed below:

PLC I: 10/4, 11/8, 12/6, 2/7, 3/7, 5/30

PLC II: 10/4, 11/1, 12/6, 2/7, 3/7, 5/30

PLC III: 10/4, 11/8, 12/6, 2/7, 3/7, 5/30

PLC IV: 9/27, 10/25, 11/29, 1/31, 2/28, 5/30

PLC V: 10/9, 11/13, 12/11, 2/12, 3/12, 4/9

All @ Bolling: 12/13, 3/14, 6/6

During the next few weeks, I am visiting with school leaders with whom I have not yet met one-on-one. Please don't hesitate to call, text, email, chat.