In a recent activity with our leadership team we started a process to identify college readiness indicators that help our system predict college and career readiness. Much of our work comes from the realization that we are sending our best on to the next phase in their life very well prepared but we are also sending a chunk of students off to the next phase without secure skills. It began with the development of our Core Competencies. We evolved that to grade level indicators and benchmarks that now include:
1. Reading at Advanced Levels in K-6 as measured by MAP and Fountas and Pinnell.
2. Read at Advanced Levels in 7-12 as measured by Wisconsin's WKCE test and the EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT for reading.
3. Complete Advanced Math K-6 as measured by MAP and WKCE
4. Complete Advanced Math in 7-11 as measured by grades of "C" or higher in 8TH grade Algebra for all and Algebra 2 by 11TH grade.
5. AP score of 3 or better on at least one AP exam.
6. ACT composite score of 24 or higher.
Would love to have some feedback from folks regarding our College/Career Readiness Index. What do you agree with, propose adding or recommend changing?
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Read or Get Left Behind
In a recent post from Manager Tools, a newsletter article described the dilemma facing professionals in all sectors. Finding the time to stay on top of the growing literature. Bottom line, "If you are not reading regularly, significantly, virtually every day for at least an hour, your development is lagging. Professionals interested in their own self-development read voraciously. Their posting was titled, "Read or Die"
The article goes on to recognize the busy pace executives and leaders live. We hear it regularly in our profession - I just don't have time. Get this: In 2008, the President of the United States read 40 books. Might he be busier than you?
So, what should we read as educational leaders? Sorting through the cornucopia of reading options can be overwhelming. Here is a quick list to guide your reading:
Education Week: This is the Wall Street Journal of our sector. If you are not reading it you are falling behind. It is research, journalism, and editorials from the front line of this great profession. Read it.
Business Leadership Genre: Review non-fiction bestseller lists such as New York Times Bestseller Lists and commit to one book a month. Don't forget some of the online options like Fast Company
Professional Books: Visit publishing sources like ASCD, Corwin Press or others for the latest literature impacting our profession.
Finally, set a goal of reading 25 books in the next 12 months while maintaining the pulse of Ed Week, Ed Leadership and one business journal. Track weekly progress in your PDA notes section or in a system that fits your learning style.
Read or die!
Our profession, the most influential in the world, needs to be well-informed and versed in research, pop culture and political winds. We can make a difference. Reading increases our tool box to be more successful with the precious commodity parents give us every day...our students!
In the words of Dick Vitale, "Read, baby, Read"
The article goes on to recognize the busy pace executives and leaders live. We hear it regularly in our profession - I just don't have time. Get this: In 2008, the President of the United States read 40 books. Might he be busier than you?
So, what should we read as educational leaders? Sorting through the cornucopia of reading options can be overwhelming. Here is a quick list to guide your reading:
Education Week: This is the Wall Street Journal of our sector. If you are not reading it you are falling behind. It is research, journalism, and editorials from the front line of this great profession. Read it.
Business Leadership Genre: Review non-fiction bestseller lists such as New York Times Bestseller Lists and commit to one book a month. Don't forget some of the online options like Fast Company
Professional Books: Visit publishing sources like ASCD, Corwin Press or others for the latest literature impacting our profession.
Finally, set a goal of reading 25 books in the next 12 months while maintaining the pulse of Ed Week, Ed Leadership and one business journal. Track weekly progress in your PDA notes section or in a system that fits your learning style.
Read or die!
Our profession, the most influential in the world, needs to be well-informed and versed in research, pop culture and political winds. We can make a difference. Reading increases our tool box to be more successful with the precious commodity parents give us every day...our students!
In the words of Dick Vitale, "Read, baby, Read"
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Commitments to work by....
This post was inspired by one read through Twitter, my newly found PLN! Mrs. Ripp, aka 4thGrdTeach, posted a letter to herself about changes she would make in her classroom. Very inspiring! A curriculum guys take on it follows...
Dear me,
The changes in education continue to appear at a faster and faster pace. I commit to avoiding the blame game. Federal and state mandated tests are a fact of life and complaining about them is more like a rocking chair. It gives me something to do but gets me no where. Also, forget about building curriculum documents that everyone will abide by. The only way to cover our current curriculum documents is to sit on them. Pay attention to the day to day teaching and learning activities. This is where it all happens, in the classroom. Don't forget to get out of the office and collaborate with the teachers and principals that make schools work. Stay in touch with the true heroes in our profession! Finally, always remember it is about the kids. Filter every decision through the lense of what is right for kids.
Thanks,
Me
Any ideas you wish to add?
Dear me,
The changes in education continue to appear at a faster and faster pace. I commit to avoiding the blame game. Federal and state mandated tests are a fact of life and complaining about them is more like a rocking chair. It gives me something to do but gets me no where. Also, forget about building curriculum documents that everyone will abide by. The only way to cover our current curriculum documents is to sit on them. Pay attention to the day to day teaching and learning activities. This is where it all happens, in the classroom. Don't forget to get out of the office and collaborate with the teachers and principals that make schools work. Stay in touch with the true heroes in our profession! Finally, always remember it is about the kids. Filter every decision through the lense of what is right for kids.
Thanks,
Me
Any ideas you wish to add?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Our Promise
We the people of the education system promise to make certain all children are successful in school. We understand that we are the only place in society where every child must attend. Church is optional, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts is not mandatory, playing youth sports is an option but not mandatory. School is mandatory for all. What is not mandatory is learning. We promise to shift from a culture of teaching to a culture of learning. We understand that this will be hard work but our kids deserve the best. Excellence without equity is a hallowed prize but so is equity with mediocrity. We promise to educate all kids regardless of the challenges each student faces in and out of school. We will view kids no longer as victims but as survivors and will deliver the type of educational quality that will help all kids flourish. We will need to shift from a mind stuffing to a mind building mentality. Sometimes our brightest kids in our schools are the ones we have lost because they don't want to just learn stuff. They are the creative minds that have gone stale. This is our promise - schools for all!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
School for All
A recent post by @gcouros about Emily reminded me of a time when serving as a High School Principal. We recently implemented an advisory program to help increase student achievement, create a sense of belonging and build community in a school experiencing significant demographic change. During that advisory it became evident that the school had not embraced diversity. Enter Meghan.
Meghan was a student with a visual impairment. A strong personality to say the least. In response to a Math assignment where students were to write a letter to the principal - me - Meghan penned a letter that changed me. Meghan wrote about her challenges in our hallways. Yes, I said Math assignment. The letter talked about the lack of signage to help her find rooms, students who were treating her poorly and a general sense of being disconnected. She talked in her letter about having her visual impairment cane being taken from her by students. The letter spoke so loudly we had it read by a student in every advisory. The beginning of change!
With one letter, Meghan changed our school. She brought awareness to the diversity in our school and the need to have Schools for All. The attitudes and perceptions of our school and greater community began to change. But Meghan was not done yet.
A year later Meghan and her mother approached us about having a service dog during the school day. She challenged our entire district to re-write policy and procedure to make schools for all a reality.
Over the years Meghan stayed in touch. She went on to the flagship university in Wisconsin and will most certainly change the world. Our schools are better places thanks to the Meghans and Emilys of the world.
Thanks Meghan!
Meghan was a student with a visual impairment. A strong personality to say the least. In response to a Math assignment where students were to write a letter to the principal - me - Meghan penned a letter that changed me. Meghan wrote about her challenges in our hallways. Yes, I said Math assignment. The letter talked about the lack of signage to help her find rooms, students who were treating her poorly and a general sense of being disconnected. She talked in her letter about having her visual impairment cane being taken from her by students. The letter spoke so loudly we had it read by a student in every advisory. The beginning of change!
With one letter, Meghan changed our school. She brought awareness to the diversity in our school and the need to have Schools for All. The attitudes and perceptions of our school and greater community began to change. But Meghan was not done yet.
A year later Meghan and her mother approached us about having a service dog during the school day. She challenged our entire district to re-write policy and procedure to make schools for all a reality.
Over the years Meghan stayed in touch. She went on to the flagship university in Wisconsin and will most certainly change the world. Our schools are better places thanks to the Meghans and Emilys of the world.
Thanks Meghan!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Stop Doing List
Jim Collins writes extensively at his website about stop doing lists. After engaging in a recent conversation with folks who do not work in education something struck me. In Good to Great Jim Collins tells the story of how Darwin Smith, after becoming CEO of Kimberly Clark, started stop doing immediately.
Stepping back into the 1970's, Kimberly Clark was a paper product giant that had layers and layers of bureaucracy. The hierarchy was staggering. He began by stopping systems and processes that were not working. He created his stop doing list. Eventually this process would lead the the ultimate decision to sell the paper mills.
Translating that to the education sector made a lot of sense. 100 years old, bureaucracy, hierarchy, etc. What should we have on our stop doing list? Please share your ideas.
Stepping back into the 1970's, Kimberly Clark was a paper product giant that had layers and layers of bureaucracy. The hierarchy was staggering. He began by stopping systems and processes that were not working. He created his stop doing list. Eventually this process would lead the the ultimate decision to sell the paper mills.
Translating that to the education sector made a lot of sense. 100 years old, bureaucracy, hierarchy, etc. What should we have on our stop doing list? Please share your ideas.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
21st Century Curriculum
Heidi Hayes Jacobs coined a phrase that resonated with me. In Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World she used the phrase "remodeling units". In countless conversations with our most qualified and effective teachers the idea of abandoning current practice for one that matches the 21st Century seems like such a daunting task. Jacobs proposes teachers approach it like remodeling a house. You typically don't gut the entire house but you move one room to another because you still need to live in the house.
In this beach read, Jacobs proposes remodeling the content, skills and assessment of school. She suggests curriculum teams need to review curriculum from seven tenets:
1. Global perspective
2. Local perspective
3. Whole child
4. Future career and work options
5. Real world practice
6. Use of technology and media
7. Developmental appropriateness
This can be done by asking guiding questions including:
1. Within the discipline being reviewed, what content choices are dated and non-essential?
2. What choices for topics, issues, themes, problems, and case studies are timely and necessary for our learners within disciplines?
Are the interdisciplinary content choices rich, natural and rigorous?
The book's conclusions include how schools need to understand that this is a time of great change. A number of disruptors including technology, global flatness and accessible information are influencing this time of change. Presently schools look more like museums and it is our responsibility as the curators to change that. The students entering our schools a very different than earlier generations but remodeling one unit at a time will make the change easier on all.
How we work with our good teachers on changing this framework will be critical to the success of this change. Help ing them understand the simpliciy and complexity of the change will only help on this journey. How are schools successfully introducing this message? Feel free to share the stories!
In this beach read, Jacobs proposes remodeling the content, skills and assessment of school. She suggests curriculum teams need to review curriculum from seven tenets:
1. Global perspective
2. Local perspective
3. Whole child
4. Future career and work options
5. Real world practice
6. Use of technology and media
7. Developmental appropriateness
This can be done by asking guiding questions including:
1. Within the discipline being reviewed, what content choices are dated and non-essential?
2. What choices for topics, issues, themes, problems, and case studies are timely and necessary for our learners within disciplines?
Are the interdisciplinary content choices rich, natural and rigorous?
The book's conclusions include how schools need to understand that this is a time of great change. A number of disruptors including technology, global flatness and accessible information are influencing this time of change. Presently schools look more like museums and it is our responsibility as the curators to change that. The students entering our schools a very different than earlier generations but remodeling one unit at a time will make the change easier on all.
How we work with our good teachers on changing this framework will be critical to the success of this change. Help ing them understand the simpliciy and complexity of the change will only help on this journey. How are schools successfully introducing this message? Feel free to share the stories!
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