Have a terrific vacation week!
IFRs - Please invite me!
If you have not already done so, please send me an invitation to your IFR. I will accept if my schedule allows or respond with a note otherwise. Thank you!
School Visits
Speaking of schedules, I'm still working on my calendar. If you have a special request (ie. to observe in an internal learning walk, CPT, ILT, PD, etc), let me know this week before vacation so I can work around the rotation I'm trying to develop.
Illuminate MCAS Side-by-Side Data
In my last post, I shared a report from Illuminate that provided 2018 MCAS and Benchmarks 1 and 2 in ELA/Math. ODA believes these results are predictive of future MCAS performance, but they do not yet have longitudinal data to support their claim. If they are correct, however, looking at these reports now is even more important because we still have time to make a positive impact on student outcomes. Below, find the performance bands for the side by side reports and once again, here is the link to the side by side report in Illuminate. The dark and light green colors of the bands below can be deceptive to the eye.
Illuminate Grade Level Performance by Network
After a lot of thought, I decided to share these reports publicly so that you are more aware of your school's standing relative to others in Network 6.Network 6 ELA Interim 2 by grade level
Network 6 Math Interim 2 by grade level
Third Grade ELA Interim 2, includes standards
Updated Assessment Schedule
The updated SAS is posted on the drive and clearly displays which standards were added and removed. Here's a full breakdown of the changes:
Grade 3: Added RI 3.3 and removed RI 3.5
Grade 4: Added RL 4.2 and 4.3 and removed RL 4.6 and 4.7
Grade 5: Added RI 5.3 and RL 5.5
Context: There were a number of discrepancies between last year's assessments and this year's SAS and it was updated it to ensure exact alignment to the assessments themselves. All of the added standards were assessed previously. The purpose of removing standards was to shorten the length of the assessment or to allow the others to be added without making the assessment too long. All changes were based on feedback from teachers and schools.
Grade 3: Added RI 3.3 and removed RI 3.5
Grade 4: Added RL 4.2 and 4.3 and removed RL 4.6 and 4.7
Grade 5: Added RI 5.3 and RL 5.5
Context: There were a number of discrepancies between last year's assessments and this year's SAS and it was updated it to ensure exact alignment to the assessments themselves. All of the added standards were assessed previously. The purpose of removing standards was to shorten the length of the assessment or to allow the others to be added without making the assessment too long. All changes were based on feedback from teachers and schools.
New Look on BPS Data Warehouse - MCAS Data Reports
Explore BPS Data Warehouse for more than attendance data. Last spring's MCAS results are available by class, school, and network. Here is a picture of what is available:
Network Support Mid-Year Check from Mary Driscoll
Mary sent out this survey to all principals on Monday. Please take a moment to give the elementary academic superintendents' team feedback about our work with you. Thank you!
School Report Cards Posted at DESE
Find your school's report card here. All Title I schools are required to send home the report; however PDF/Word files are not yet available. You can make the link available on your website and inform families of its availability via newsletter or other electronic communication.
Master Scheduling Workshops - from Patti Tao
I am offering a series of workshops in February, March, and April to kickstart your scheduling process. You'll get a quick overview of how you should strategize your master scheduling process, a primer on available tools and resources (many that are found on this website), and open work time to work on your schedule with access to peer and expert support.
These sessions are open to school leaders and schedulers in elementary, middle, and K-8 schools.
You can attend any session, but they are also grouped by school type so that you're more likely to be working side by side with other similar types of schools. To access all dates and to RSVP, please CLICK HERE and complete the Google Form. For more information, visit our scheduling website.
New Financial Website
The SY20 budget has been presented to School Committee and weekly community hearings will be held during the next month in various locations across the city. Click here to view the new website and drill down to where funds are being spent.
Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood:
The Department of Early Education and Care and DESE invite special education directors, early childhood coordinators, elementary principals, teachers, early care and education directors, Head Start disabilities/education coordinators, family services coordinators, preschool expansion grant coordinators, early intervention directors, and community partners to attend “Building Inclusive Communities in Early Childhood,” a free conference from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 15 at the Devens Common Center at Devens. Participants will hear from 10 Massachusetts school and community teams about implementing recommended practices in early childhood inclusive education, and they will also learn about a decision-making process for determining where, when, and how to address individualized education program goals for young children with intensive support needs. More information and a link to registration are available online. Professional development points (PDPs) will be available for participants who attend the entire conference. Please email Lauren Viviani with any questions.
Teacher Leadership Fund - Call for Applications
The TLF is co-administered by BPS and BTU. Shakera Ford Walker and Mary Driscoll.
The Teacher Leadership Fund: What challenge do you want to solve?
The Teacher Leadership Fund puts resources directly in the hands of BTU educators to address the challenges they see in their classrooms and schools, and across the district. Grants of up to $15000 are available for teams of educators who want to create and share solutions to improve the learning and well-being of our most marginalized students. This year, we have two types of grants available:
Action Grants will support teams interested in designing and implementing an intervention to address a challenge impacting marginalized students.
NEW Study Grants will support teams interested in learning more about the various dimensions of an identified challenge impacting marginalized students and developing an action plan based on that learning.
For complete information about the program including application and guidelines, see here. Application Deadline: April 1st. Contact tlf@bostonpublicschools.org with questions.