Until We See Each Other Again

Saying Good-bye is too final.
These Chinese symbols mean See you again 
and pronounced "joi geen" in Cantonese.

It is hard to believe that this coming November, my mother will turn 91, and it will be 49 years since my father was shot and killed in front of our small store in Memphis. My mother raised three children (ages 7, 8 and 10 upon my father's death) and cared for my paternal grandparents until the end of their lives. My mother has had an impact on four generations - my grandparents, her own, her children's, and her seven grandchildren. This makes me think of how we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.

Mom has made her home with us for 25 years. My daughter had the benefit of growing up in an extended family, just as I did. Mom has been selfless for 60 years. As a result, I have been able to serve as an educator and leader continuously, and there was always someone home for my daughter.

There is so much more to this story, and it was not until I came to Boston - 28 years into my 33 year career - when the story mattered. For that, I am very grateful.

It is time now for me to have more time for my mother, my daughter, my husband, and for me. Many ask, What are you going to be doing? The answer is I don't know. I will see what opportunities come my way. I know that caring for Mom, staying active and healthy, and reading are on my list. I also know that the week of Labor Day as you welcome back students and staff, I will be with my husband camping in Acadia. We have never been away during this time because I've always been getting ready for school. My family has never had a wife, daughter, or mother who was "present" in August and September. I admit, it is a weird feeling not to be preparing for opening, but on the other hand, I've never been more relaxed.

It's a perfect time to transition with a new district superintendent, much change is ahead and it is best for those who will carry that work forward to be leading. I wish all of you the best. 

Keep the work centered on students and schools!

With all my heart, "joi geen,"

Grace

gwai52@gmail.com

Friday Flyer - June 24, 2022

 

I am imagining you are feeling like you ran
several marathons. I think you are all winners!
Congratulations for making it through the finish line.

I have shared this graph with in the past - it is a graph of a first year teacher's attitudes toward teaching in their first year. I have often observed that first year leaders also experience this roller coaster, and as we become more experienced, we continue to experience it, but the peaks and valleys are less extreme. 

I also imagine the "disillusionment" phase was probably much longer this past year and as a result rejuvenation will also take more time. Please, please disconnect so you find joy in anticipation of starting a new year in September.

Gratitude

It has been my honor to lead in Boston these past five years and to have been school superintendent of Region 6, in East Boston, and other schools in the city. I'm also grateful to you all for your patience these past two years - first when the task force work was underway, and this year with the addition of Mission Hill. I appreciate that regardless of the noise, you continued to persevere and do the right thing for students.

Best of Luck!

I wish the best to Mike, who is moving on to the Guild to work with Karen McCarthy and Sean Brooks to focus on mathematics coaching (and all the things Karen will be able to ask him to do - 😂😂😂 - don't get me wrong, I love Karen). To Marvin, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking on closing the Timilty. He accomplished the three things I asked of him - thank you! I marveled at his tenacity, commitment and creativity. Marvin is heading to Milton Academy in a newly created role that will allow him to continue to use his creativity and logical mathematics mind to build something great.

Transitions

Each of you remaining will have a new supervisor next year, and yes, there will be a transition, but I know you will be fine because of the strong systems and structures you have in place and because you are focused on improving outcomes and closing opportunity gaps for multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and our beautiful full-of-genius black and brown children. As a leader, you are their advocate; you can change the trajectories of children's lives.

I trust that next year will be more predictable cadence that will allow you to get traction on the instructional plans you have in place. Be patient with the new region structure while the support is deployed; it will take time for everyone to adjust to working together. Remember that everyone has the best intentions and when that doesn't seem so, ask questions. 

Summer

I will continue to be available over the summer and will share my personal number and email prior to my retirement date when I turn in my laptop and phone. 

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - June 17, 2022

 

I hated it when staff started counting down the days to the end of the year,
but THIS YEAR, I join them on the countdown for the first time in 33 years! 
(With 5 days to go)... 

This week, I had the pleasure of seeing first year leaders gain increased confidence as a result of completing their first year as a principal. Over the years, I've learned that any new job requires one to experience the first year in order to start the new one with fresh eyes. In my personal experience, this is true as a teacher, principal, and district leader. In the second year, figuring out "how things work" will take less working memory. 

All of you have had to adjust your teams based on having full time nurses, social workers, and family liaisons. Those of you who are in the first round of establishing libraries at each school will also be managing that addition. These additions require you to shift roles and responsibilities, and that can be challenging for staff. The technical part was adding support, the adaptive work was the change at your site to maximize each role's contribution - someone on the previous team has to let go and that someone might be YOU.

I attended the final Orchard Gardens' and Murphy's final ILT this week. At Orchard Gardens, Lauren worked with staff to refine their instructional focus. Part of their focus is to continue to elevate student thinking through discussion that results in writing. The Murphy ILT had an opportunity to review released computer based MCAS items to analyze their most successful and least successful standards by grade level. Next week, open response scores will be available. Know that these data are embargoed to the public, but can be used to reflect and plan next steps. 

ELA MCAS Computer Based Multiple Choice: This is the link to school/grade level results by grade level and standard. (Only accessible by school leaders at this time.). The Murphy downloaded the data by standard. This is the link to the MCAS released questions on Pearson. 

From last week.... Please complete this survey!

Many thanks to the Everett, who completed this survey last week. Please complete this survey to copy/paste your instructional focus to help align support the district may be able to offer. Thank you!

👉 👉 👉 Instructional Focus Support Requests for SY23 IMPORTANT - PLEASE COMPLETE!!!

School Leaders - What instructional supports do you need this summer and through SY23 from Academics? Please complete this short (10-15 minute) form by June 15 to let us know in as much detail as you have so that we can plan for liaison support accordingly.  Questions: Christine Landry, clandry@bostonpublicschools.org  IMPORTANT - PLEASE COMPLETE!!!

Superintendent Finalist Schedule

Wednesday, June 22, 2022: Panel Discussions

(Via Zoom and livestreamed on Boston City TV)

• 10:30am-12:00pm: Community PartnersLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/88039840566
• 1:30-3:00pm: Educators and School LeadersLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/88691871696
• 3:30-5:00pm: Students and FamiliesLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/88691871696
• 5:30-7:30pm: Public interview with the Boston School CommitteeLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/83284548562

Thursday, June 23, 2022: Panel Discussions

(Via Zoom and livestreamed on Boston City TV)

• 10:30am-12:00pm: Community PartnersLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/85688851970
• 1:30-3:00pm: Educators and School LeadersLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/85055337710
• 3:30-5:00pm: Students and FamiliesLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/85055337710
• 5:30-7:30pm: Public interview with the Boston School CommitteeLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/88599171504

Friday, June 24, 2022: Panel Discussions

(Via Zoom and livestreamed on Boston City TV)

• 10:30am-12:00pm: Community PartnersLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/82653844987
• 1:30-3:00pm: Educators and School LeadersLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/81499255365
• 3:30-5:00pm: Students and FamiliesLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/81499255365
• 5:30-7:30pm: Public interview with the Boston School CommitteeLink: https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/86027020418

Following the interview process, the Boston School Committee will meet on Wednesday, June 29 at 5:00pm to vote on the candidate to offer the position of Superintendent of BPS.

For the full interview schedule and more information about the search process, visit bostonpublicschools.org/supt-search.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - June 10, 2022

 A highlight of this week was participating in an ABA Walkthrough at the Tynan with Zach Houstan, Greg Zara, and the program director. Ideally the process is conducted three times per year and includes related services staff. The process reminded me of an instructional focus review with specific program look-fors designed to support consistency and quality of program across the district. I learned a great deal about ABA as a result. I also learned that as the program evolves and improves, the look-fors also evolve. Thank you, Leslie, for allowing me to join in this important programmatic learning opportunity. I believe we should do the same for tier one standards aligned instruction (i.e. the five look-fors Jodi and I began the year with).

It was wonderful to attend Quincy's final PD where staff reflected on the year and continued to look at student writing through an SFL lens in grade level teams using a consultancy protocol. Ask Cynthia about their ILT and PD "year in review" padlets - incredible artifacts of the continuous learning that took place this year. Another highlight of the week was joining in on the Lee Academy's retreat to work on leading and managing the change process that is grounded in data and focused on students.

Thank you for administering MAP formally for grades five and seven - it was another big lift in the final weeks of school after MCAS. Remember these same students will formally take MAP again in the fall as sixth and eighth graders. Their best "score" will be used as a data point for exam school admissions. ODA is working on ensuring schools have access to the data - stay tuned.

The Next Ten Days

In the next ten days, I will finish up a second round of visits and then write evaluations on Tuesday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 22. I will schedule time to meet with you to review your write ups either in person or virtually. Please share your artifacts by Friday, June 17th. If you absolutely need the weekend, share on June 20th. Please keep your artifacts simple; remember, you can share one artifact for multiple standards. Here is a link to the template just in case you need it. Mike shared his artifacts Tuesday and Derrick on Thursday. Thank you!

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully. 

Please pay attention to the large print highlighted information below. The first is a survey to request support in your instructional focus, and the second is the long awaited for assessment calendar. 

Friday Flyer - June 3, 2022

 

It has been a pleasure visiting schools these past two weeks! Yesterday, at the Everett, I watched K classes perform versions of "The Three Little Pigs" and a first grade performance of "Stone Soup" written and developed in partnership with Boston Lyric Opera. Impressive!

Marvin is working hard at the Timilty to support students, families, and staff in their transitions. At the Mission Hill, families will receive their school assignments by June 10. Staff continue to seek positions. Consider attending the experienced educator fair on Monday, June 6.

The Russell has been having community meetings about merging with the Clap. The two schools will have time to design a two campus K-6 solution. The Hale's plan for next year is well underway; call Candice if you would like to learn more about their after school program partner - Champions. 

The Orchard Gardens and Murphy are working on engaging their school communities on their instructional foci for next year. The Lee Academy will have a retreat next week to plan a course of action for 22-23.

Next week, I will visit the Tynan to participate in a walk through of the ABA program, attend the Quincy's final PD of the year, join in on the Lee Academy's retreat, and attend Perry's Parent Coffee with Mike and Andrew.

Please send invites to culminating activities - I will try to join if I can.

Message from OHC 

Non-Renewal Letters:

To ensure that we have the most accurate reflection of provisional educators who are to be non-renewed prior to the contractual June 15th deadline, please submit any provisional teachers for hire by 11:59pm on Friday, June 10, 2022.

• Notifications to Provisional Teachers who have not yet secured positions for the SY22-23 school year will be sent on Wednesday, June 15th informing them that they are non renewed.
• If you are hiring a provisional teacher and the process is not completed fully in TalentEd by 11:59pm on Friday, June 10th, the employee will receive a non-renewal letter.

Lateral Transfers:

Additionally, as in years past, please note that lateral transfer deadline of July 1 is in effect to limit late additional vacancies for SY2223.

• No lateral transfers will be permitted after July 1.
• You will need to consider this when you are thinking about hiring for your open positions and prioritizing interviews and hires prior to July 1.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - May 27, 2022

 

The first thing we did when we went to DC/Baltimore was visit Arlington National Cemetery where Joe's dad is buried (WWII). It was the first time we visited since his mother passed in November 2020. She is buried there now and her name is inscribed on the rear of his dad's gravestone.

End of Year Activities

Please add me to your EoY activities such as moving on ceremonies or celebrations of learning. If I can, I will make every effort to attend. Thank you!

Equitable Literacy Resources

District resources are available to support equitable literacy! Please review and sign up now.

Just in case you need access to it as you develop your arc of learning for next year, here is the professional learning course catalogue for 22-23.

For ALL current 5th and 7th Grades - Exam School Testing on Site June 8 & 9

The test administration will be held during the school day for current BPS students and on weekend dates at a BPS school location for Non-BPS students. Test accommodations will be provided at all test administrations for students with disabilities or limited English proficiency with appropriate documentation.

• The school-based administration will take place during the normal school day, at each of the district’s schools that offer a 5th and 7th grade, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 and Thursday, June 9, 2022, with make-up dates on Wednesday, June 15, 2022 and Thursday, June 16, 2022. Students will take ELA on day 1 and Math on day

• Students in grade 8 are invited to take the exam during the weekend administration, at one of several test locations in Boston.

• The weekend administration will take place on Saturday, June 4, 2022 (main administration) and Sunday, June 5, 2022 (for students with religious exemptions as well as those who do not finish the previous day). Weekend makeup test dates will be Saturday, June 11, 2022 and Sunday, June 12, 2022 (for students with religious exemptions).

Important MAP considerations:

• Students must complete both sections of the exam to receive a score.

• Per MAP requirements, all students must complete the reading section of the test before they can move on to the math section.

• Test instructions must be read aloud by the proctor for each section before testing can begin.

• Students can take the test in any classroom, with any proctor.

• Students are able to save and resume testing from any computer with their login information. When students log out of the test (e.g., end of test day, bathroom break, lunch break), the test saves their progress and presents them with a brand new question when they return.

How to End the Year with Style - from Marshall Memo

In this Education Week article, Michigan teacher Cossondra George suggests activities for positive closure as this difficult year comes to a close:

• Letters to next year’s students – These might include an overview of what the class is like, descriptions of especially enjoyable projects and activities, tips on how to navigate the teacher’s quirks, and suggested strategies for success. George gives these letters to nervous students on the first day of the next school year, and when they read about the class from other students’ perspectives, they “laugh, relax, and get an inside view of what to expect during the upcoming year.”
• Remembering the beginning – If students started the year filling out questionnaires about themselves, they might be amused looking at them on the last day and seeing how much they changed.
• A class scrapbook or memory book – This is a collection of photos and memorabilia collected during the year, either a paper version copied for each student or an electronic version shared online. Older students can contribute photos, younger students might make cartoon-book-style graphics of class highlights with short blurbs describing each scene. When they’re older, students love to look back on class scrapbooks.
• Class evaluations – Students anonymously share their thoughts (via Survey Monkey or Google Docs) on what they learned during the year, the workload, rules and fairness, and their own contributions and effort. George recommends including at least one open-ended question, perhaps: What was your favorite thing we did all year?Describe this class in one word. What is one thing you would change about how this class is taught?
• An awards assembly – Classroom-based ceremonies are different from schoolwide events, focusing more on the community the teacher has built and celebrating each student with an award or prize or funny story based on something special they contributed. George recommends doing this on the last day of school, transforming the classroom with tablecloths, decorations, and beverages, and closing with a reading of an inspirational book like Oh, the Places You’ll Go or a poem the teacher has written about hopes for students going forward.
• An auction – Students get advance notice and earn tickets for on-task behavior, completed assignments, or positive attitudes. The teacher collects an assortment of oddball items – stuff from craft or dollar stores, garage sales or thrift shops, fast food toys, toiletries from hotel stays, classroom posters and decorations, CDs, paperbacks, items that parents and local businesses are willing to donate, perhaps a mystery bag. “Make sure you have a variety of items,” says George, “and that everyone has earned at least a few tickets to spend. Save big items for the end of the auction to keep interest.

“And however you decide to end the year with your students,” she concludes, “make sure to express to them how important your time together has been. Send them into the summer months feeling good about lessons learned and confident that they will continue to grow and succeed.”

“Teaching Secrets: Ending the Year on a High Note” by Cossondra George in Education Week, May 14, 2022

I share the following blog with caution since it is from a religious source; it still has good nuggets for the end of the year. How to Finish the School Year Strong

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - May 20, 2022

 

Pace Yourselves

It is typical for schools to experience a "loosening" as the year comes to a close. However, departing from established routines, having extra recess or unstructured activities, can lead to undesirable behaviors. At times students' anticipation of "summer" or "vacation" is one of stress rather than joy. The best thing we can do as leaders is to insist upon maximizing learning time, keeping students engaged in cognitively demanding tasks that are also enjoyable. As of Monday, we still have 12% of the year left, not counting the two half days. Yes, have field day and moving on ceremonies, simple transition activities, but the year is not over. No excuses about wasting time when we have lamented "lost" learning time due to the pandemic. 

You have reopened and almost completed an entire year of school during a pandemic - after over a year of remote learning. This is an amazing feat - to get our students and staff back in person, in spite of all the challenges of social distancing, testing, staffing challenges, and quarantine protocols. I am proud of the work you have done to stay the course. Thank you!

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - May 6, 2022

 

May 3 Region Meeting

Thank you for taking time to "get on the balcony" on Tuesday in spite of all that is happening on the dance floor. I'm sorry I was not there, but I know you were in great hands with Jodi and Christine.

Hiring Season

You must call and check references before offering a candidate a position. It is foolish not to.

You must provide your colleagues accurate information about a candidate. It is a professional obligation to do so and is unethical if you do not.

Reflection and Thank you

Last night, the School Committee voted to approve Dr. Cassellius' recommendation to close the Mission Hill K-8 Pilot School. At the beginning of the year, Mission Hill experienced a great loss with four colleagues put on administrative leave; it has been under a microscope with a school review and a six months-long investigation, while also in transformation status. I, along with many others, have supported the school all year.  There are no winners in this situation. It is a situation that is filled with emotion and pain for all members of the community. I broke down and cried with sadness for everyone involved after the school committee vote. There are no winners in this story. 

I will need to spend more time at Mission Hill to provide support with healing and transitions while also continuing to ensure students have the best experience possible in these last two months. Jodi will continue to support Region 6 during this time. Again, I appreciate your patience and flexibility. 

Food for Thought

Here is an article from Phi Delta Kappan named Making sense of reading's forever wars. 

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Thank you Thursday

You made it to break! This time of year marks time for reflection and renewal. It is Easter Season, Passover, Cambodian New Year, and Ramadan (sorry if I left anything out). These are all times for reflection and renewal. Wishing all of you time to stop for a bit to tune up, change the oil, and fill the tank. You need to be in tip top shape for the final stretch of the 2021-22 school year. 

May 3 Region Meeting

Please plan on being in person May 3 from 9:30-noon at a location TBD to draft your equitable literacy goal and begin the planning process for ILT, CPT, and PD for the 2022-23 school year. Bring a member(s) of your ILT. Our wonderful Christine Cronin will help facilitate again. Jodi and I will be thought partners with your team. I know this may be an MCAS administration day, but do what you can to prioritize this time! 

Hiring Season, Ref Checks, Third Year Provisionals

I know you know this, but hiring for next year before you leave for the summer is essential because there could be a shortage in August if you wait. In my own experience, there was always one or two people who found other opportunities during the summer, which led to a lot of stress. Whatever you can do to minimize that stress, do it now!

If you are hiring someone from another school, please call your colleagues to give them a heads up and make sure you call to check references. There have been many instances where leaders have done neither - and learned of deficiencies after the fact. Finally, remember that third year provisional staff obtain professional (permanent) status in their fourth year. You have until June 15 to make that decision EVEN IF you provided reasonable assurance. This is one of the most important decisions we make in the district. Call me if you have questions about this. When you are making your decision, please visualize the image below.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - April 8, 2022

In one week.... disconnect.
You've been working hard these past seven weeks.  Get rested for the final stretch - lots of learning time remains, hiring, planning for 22-23, MCAS, EOY MAP, budget, evaluations, student transitions, and close-out!

I am grateful for each of you for your hard work each day. I see first hand how students benefit from your leadership. Marvin is supporting teachers as they seek employment for next year and has staff working with students and families on their transition to a new school in the fall. Mike is close to making a decision for his next career opportunity. Alex, Candice, Lauren, and Marvin are two months from finishing their first year as school leaders. A few of you are dealing with your own or a family member's health. Others are taking time not to miss a child's important milestone or event. Candice has a parent group rallying that a teacher's evaluation rating is changed. Cynthia had a major curveball thrown at her this week and handled it with grace and flexibility. Each day we put forth our best effort. Thank you.

In our personal and professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after the other, most of which we have no control over. But the four things we have total control over is how we react, how we adapt, how we breathe, and how we take action. - Diamond Dallas Page

Diversity Hiring Goal

The Everett and Tynan have submitted their diversity hiring goal. You should have received an email from OHC with the link to your goal setting sheet. Thank you!

SY22-23 Professional Learning Catalog

This catalog is immense! Some of your ILTs have been using it to plan for their professional learning next year. The Russell has used the catalog to develop their arc of learning for next year. Reach out to Derrick if you want to know more.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - April 1, 2022

Teacher expertise dwarfs other variables among the items we control in schools (Sanders and Rivers, 1996.) And it has stunning and persistent results in school after school where it is developed. As you make personnel and hiring decisions, remember the impact a high performing teacher has on student outcomes.
- Years of Magical Thinking, RBT

DESE Visit

Many thanks to Orchard Gardens, Quincy, and Russell for hosting DESE observation visits this week and to those of you who participated in focus groups. Most of all thank you for keeping your eye on teaching and learning during this important stretch of the year.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - March 25, 2021

As I walk from station to station and school to school, I see signs of spring like the photo above. Yesterday, I saw daffodils that with some sun, will bloom in a few days. More daylight in the evening and seeing beauty in the world refreshes the soul.

Region Meeting

Thank you for engaging in mini-consultancies with each other to share how you used MAP Data to reflect and plan next steps with your ILT/CPTs. The answers are in the room. At our next meeting in May, we will start setting up your arc of learning for next year.

Halfway through Seven Weeks of Focused Instruction

We are halfway through seven solid weeks of instruction. Thank you. 

On Thursday, I was with a leader who emphasized with their team the importance of staying focused on instruction in spite of the DESE Review and looming MCAS administration. To us, MCAS is a big lift because of the scheduling and support required for every grade. From the student perspective it is a few sessions for each content area. We cannot waste the time students are in front of us - the year is not over because of state testing. I used to communicate to my staff the percent of days left in the year and asked they continue to maximize every minute of instructional time up to the last day - 18 days = 10% of the year; 9 days = 5% of the year. Don't squander that time.

From last week: The best preparation for MCAS is daily grade level standards aligned instruction. Please discourage "MCAS Prep" or "Practice." Practice sends a message to kids that the test is separate from their daily work. We want to know what students can do as a result of every day instruction, NOT because we have done a bang up job teaching to the test. 

"Forceful Language" to Spark Reflection/Action

One of the hardest actions we take as leaders is to plan and have difficult conversations because of a culture of "nice." Here is a reminder from Courage to Lead. In conversations with many of you recently, it is the anticipation of having a challenging conversation that is more stressful than the conversation itself. Are you having the conversations we need to have to shift the mental model about teaching and learning? Here are some tips:

We can act our way into new beliefs,” says Michael Fullan… Beliefs change when teachers start to see results. So, there is a certain forcefulness required from leaders to accelerate the pace of adopting these new practices.

This forcefulness must be balanced with:

• Acknowledgement that the changes are difficult
• Humility about not knowing how to do them all
• Planning together for how to move
• Support for learning how to do the new practices

And especially listening to the views and worries of the staff members we are working with.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - March 18, 2022

"...on leadership expertise: there are principals and teacher leaders who create workplaces where constant learning about high-expertise teaching takes place daily in the way business is conducted (Grissom 2021). Many decades of research show that students do better, despite adverse neighborhood and family conditions, if the leaders build strong Adult Professional Culture."
- RBT, Years of Magical Thinking

Updated Assessment Calendars

• Link to Google Assessment Calendar (You can add this to your Google Calendar)
• Link to updated District ODA Assessment Calendar (You an see the whole year here)

Colleague Connections

Murphy:  Courtney is distributing leadership by having members of the team meet individually with teachers to review their MAP data. At their weekly meeting, team members shared the process they used that week to reflect upon student progress and plan forward.

Mission Hill: Several weeks ago, the school mailed home the MAP Growth and MAP Fluency parent report for every student. Translations for the Parent MAP Growth Report can be found here.

Hale: The school has been working on a tier one "reset." The staff agreed on values and behaviors that are expected and created this matrix. Each room will have a "think space." 

Articles that Provoke Questions about Reading Groups

These two articles made me think about how our grouping practices may have unintended consequences. I share these so that we look below the surface when students are in small groups (purpose of the group, length of time, whether or not intended progress is being made, flexible or not, etc...)

• Classroom Reading Groups: 5 Lessons from Recent Studies (EdWeek)
• Placement Matters: Is your reading intervention effective? (Kappan)

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - March 11, 2022

 

Colleague Connections

Orchard Gardens: Last week I mentioned that OGPS is lifting up Socratic Seminar as a primary instructional strategy to fortify academic discourse. Here is a document instructional coach Meghan Harrington put together to summarize its purpose, steps, and tips. The school is also engaging in a March Madness competition where teachers earn points for peer observations tied to discourse practice. Go to OGPS Press to read about their creativity.

Quincy: Most of my time at Quincy Lower this year has been to support in their adult learning. This past week's professional learning was a pleasure to observe because the monthly two hour sessions have been transformed to teachers sharing their practices and grade level teams looking at student work using a consultancy protocol. The "answers" are truly "in the room." 

MCAS Test Design Information

Annually, DESE publishes information about the test - such as # multiple choice, open response, and essay, standards that are emphasized and some other criteria that teachers should be aware of when planning assignments. The purpose of this is NOT to teach to the test; it is for instructional purposes in terms of the kinds of assignments students are given. The best preparation for MCAS is grade level standards aligned instruction, not, I repeat, NOT test prep. See linked documents below:

ELA Grades 3-8 2022 Test Design

Mathematics Grades 3-8 Test Design

STE Grades 5 & 8 2019 Test Design

Climate Surveys - Student, Family, Staff 

In our efforts to better understand the strengths and areas for improvement in our schools, we are preparing for our annual spring survey program. Boston Public Schools has again partnered with Panorama Education to gather feedback from students, families, and teachers.

Students: Every student in grades 3 - 12 will be given the opportunity to take a survey. Students in grades 4-11 will complete one survey about their overall experience at school (Climate and Culture Survey) and students in grades 3-12 will complete two additional surveys about select teachers that they have a class with (Student Feedback Survey).
Families: Parents of students in all grades will be invited to complete a survey.
Teachers: All classroom teachers in all grades are expected to complete the survey. They will receive the survey in email from Panorama.

Key Dates
Weeks of March 7 and March 14: Survey coordinator trainings
Monday, March 28: Survey launch date
Friday, May 6: Survey deadline
Week of May 27: Reports available to administrators and teachers

What will be required of schools?
School principals will need to identify a survey coordinator that supports administration of the survey at their site. Schools complete this form to designate this coordinator. Schools can have more than one coordinator.

Survey coordinators will need to attend a training hosted by Panorama that will ensure your school has all the relevant information and materials. We are offering multiple sessions, but coordinators only need to attend one. Register here!

Schools will need to administer the surveys to eligible students. Surveys will be done electronically, so it will require coordination of technology. The survey should take no more than one class period to complete.

New This Year: Based on schools' feedback, we are implementing a new and improved roster verification process to ensure that only eligible teachers are included for the Student Feedback Survey. More details will be shared with coordinators at the training, but we’re excited for this improvement!
This is the first year we are doing Student, Teacher, and Family surveys simultaneously.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - March 4, 2022

 

Colleague Connections

Quincy: Early this week, Quincy submitted their application to become an International Baccalaureate ("IB") school. The goal is to have a K-12 IB pathway from the lower to upper school. This application has been nearly five years in the making (with Covid slowing it down). Good luck, Quincy!

Russell: The team at Russell has been using the thinking process from a modified document from ODA to review MAP Growth with each staff member. Here are a few resources to guide the process:

• ODA Resource Website 
• ODA MAP Growth Tools (for each testing session)
• (Copy) Russell Modified Winter MAP Growth Master Document 

Lee Academy: The Lee Academy is working on a step by step plan use school MAP data to generate urgency and begin a cycle of inquiry starting with a priority question. 

Orchard Gardens: The Orchard Gardens has identified Socratic Seminar as a school wide high leverage instructional strategy to work on for the remainder of the year. The purpose is to increase the critical thinking required to engage in discussion about grade level content.

School Leader PD - Pre-work for Thursday, 3/10

Reminder that there is All Leader PD on Thursday from 9:30-noon.

• Please complete this brief reflection that we will use for connect and share activity during our upcoming PD on March 10th. It should take less than 10 minutes
• Review this memorandum with an update on Equitable Literacy

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.

Friday Flyer - Sunday Edition - February 27, 2022

 

Seven weeks of strong focused instruction.
You and your teams can do this!

Welcome Back!

I sincerely hope you had time over break to disconnect. With MAP results in, we can proceed with increased focus. I have reviewed grade level aggregate growth data for each school in the region; you can do the same for each class in your school and teachers can do the same for each student. At our region meeting on Tuesday, you will work in small groups to review school aggregate growth by grade and then choose a grade level and teacher to plan for ILT, grade level team meeting, or individual coaching session. Below, please find a list of reports that we can explore (if you have not already) to plan for improved outcomes. 

At this time, we cannot disaggregate results by various groups using NWEA, but you can disaggregate achievement levels in Panorama.

Reports	Analysis Level	Recommended Users	Available
Student Profile	Individual Student	Students  Families	Day after Test Event
Class Profile	Classroom Level	Teacher	Day after Test Event
Class Report	Classroom Level	Teacher	Day after Test Event*
Achievement Status and Growth Summary with Quadrant	Classroom Level	Teacher	Day after Test Event
Grade Report	Single Grade Level	Teacher	Day after Test Event*
Student Growth Summary	Multiple Grade Levels	Site Leader	Mid Administration (2/11)  After the close of the testing window (3/4/22)
Custom Growth Reports	School Site Multiple School Sites	Site Leaders  District Leaders (multi-site)	3/24**

*The district average will not be available on these reports until the close of the test window.
**These reports will be introduced and reviewed on 3/24 during time facilitated by our NWEA partners. These are accessed using a different platform. Given the number of new reports available, we strongly encourage you to preview the reports before our time on 3/24.

Friday Flyer

Please review highlighted content carefully.