Another semester coming to an end

It's hard to believe that 2010 is quickly coming to a close and the first semester of the school year is over. It's been a challenging semester in the assessment center but there are many things, and especially people that I'm thankful for.

There have been some high points and low points so far this semester ...

A high point has been the willingness of our teachers to facilitate professional development trainings for their peers this semester. It's always better to learn from those in the "trenches" and it's been a great experience. It's tough to teach peers, so I'm so appreciative of those that have stepped up, stepped out and volunteered (or at least didn't tell me no). Jackie L., Jim H., Nancy, Katie, Matt, Ben, Dave, Jackie M., Jessica, Patty, Lori, Carrie, Brad, Molly, Abby, Mitch, Brian, Jason, Betsy S., Ann, Carol, Jen M. and Michelle (and those I've forgot) - Thank You!

A low point has been the new assessment system that has been frustrating for administrators and teachers alike. I've learned that regardless of the size and reputation of a company, it can make poor decisions.

Another high point has been the teachers that have worked on selecting the final companies for the math resources for next year's textbook/resource adoption. Unmeasurable gratitude to Colleen and Jenn N. for leading this process. It's easiest to stay with what is familiar so it's been refreshing to see everyone willing to look at various options. Regardless of what is selected I'm confident that everyone has had an opportunity to voice their opinion.

A low point has been the continued uncertainty with the reauthorization of NCLB/ESEA. There is a blueprint but we continue to wait to see what lawmakers will decide.

A high point has been the teachers that have really embraced the new Web 2.0 tools and the use of MOBIs/Clickers/Flipcameras. While I can't quite understand how our students think, I can observe my own 14-year old son and realize that the school environment that I thrived in, bores him to death. While I want to curl up with a good book (my Kindle actually) he doesn't want to read anything unless it teaches him something, and quite honestly he isn't going to read it, unless it's online. He can spend hours watching TED, YouTube and one of his favorites Wimp. I don't get it, I really don't. I don't want to sit in front of a computer screen and watch those video clips no matter how educational. But he does. Think our kids are just watching "fluff" online? Check out TED or Wimp, it isn't fluff. Teachers that are embracing the way students want to learn are going to be invaluable to our organization and I applaud you. Technology isn't a novelty anymore, it is an inseparable part of our childrens' existance.

A low point has been the state of Illinois .... enough said.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
Thanks for reading
Tammy

Another School Year Begins

It's hard to believe that I'm starting my 21st year in education (two decades of doing anything sounds like a long time). The first few days of the 2010-2011 school year are under our belts and things will soon begin to settle down into a normal routine.

It was a busy summer for the curriculum department. The teachers put in 2121 hours in June to work on curriculum and assessments. Every summer has its challenges but also has its rewards. More and more teachers continue to "get on board" and understand the need for curriculum and common assessments. It's so much better when we're all pulling on the same rope, or paddling in the same direction or on the same page (however you want to say it---it's just nice). The department leaders continue to be instrumental in driving this process. Their commitment and expertise to their subject areas continues to amaze me. I am so very thankful for all of them.

We moved the curriculum department to the Early Childhood Center at the end of summer curriculum work. So, for the first time in my professional career, I'm actually taller than most of the people I'm in the building with. Today we helped the kindergartners with their first experience with lunch. Some were so excited they couldn't focus on eating. Some decided that they wanted a "hot lunch" even though a "cold lunch" had been packed for them. Some cried through lunch and wanted to go home but the tears quickly dried when they found out it was time for recess! The ECC will be interesting for my professional education, I'm quickly developing immense respect for those that love, care and teach our youngest members of the CCUSD#1 family. Have you ever had to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a spork?

The state has officially adopted the Common Core and recently set a timeline for new assessments for the state. While the details are still very vague, at least they have started to give the school districts some guidance for approaching the changeover. For more information you can visit the Illinois State Board of Education's website. This will be a big challenge for our math and reading curriculum committees as they begin to map out a transition plan for the change from the Illinois Learning Standards to the Common Core.

Last year when I began my blog I had a theme that I wanted to pursue, "being part of the solution, and not the problem" and I used my blog to thank someone. Someone that does their job, does it well and just by being a part of CCUSD#1 they make it a better place to work. I've got a lot of people in mind but today it goes to Mary. Mary is a custodian at the ECC and not only has she made our move to her building easy, she is always very professional, courteous and helpful. Today she was also on the lunchroom brigade, (making peanut butter sandwiches with a spork), and just helping the whole process run more smoothly. Mary is the type of person I look forward to seeing everyday. She makes my day a little brighter. Thanks Mary, for all you do.

Thanks for reading.

Tammy

Curriculum News

Well it's official, the draft common core state standards are now available for public comment until Friday, April 2nd. According to the website these standards "define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs." It goes on to state six specific characteristics of the standards:

1. Aligned with college and work expectations;
2. Clear, understandable and consistent;
3. Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
4. Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
5. Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
6. Evidence-based

It will be interesting to see the changes (if any) between these standards and what we'll see adopted in April and then ultimately by the state of Illinois. More to come in the future as we continue to follow these changes and their impact upon our students and our whole school system.

ISAT testing was held from March 2 until March 12. The goal this year was 77% of our students meeting or exceeding standards in math and reading. Our teachers have worked very hard preparing the students to do their best, hopefully our results will reflect these efforts. The high school will be testing on the PSAE on April 28-29, which will conclude our mandatory testing for NCLB for the year. There is starting to be "talk" about reauthorization of NCLB (No Child Left Behind) although most have stopped using that title anymore. Instead, most are returning to the original title of ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act). A good overview article of the current thinking was posted by Education Week and is titled Administration Unveils ESEA Renewal Blueprint.

So many are calling this a perfect storm. We have new standards coming in to play, new assessments in the works, new reauthorization of federal law and public funding for schools in Illinois in dire straits. It's going to be an interesting couple of years in the public school arena, the likes of which I have never witnessed.

In the spirit of being part of the solution and not the problem, my thanks this week goes out to Brad. Brad is a new teacher to our district and teaches 4th grade. Brad was willing to try online testing at the Intermediate School a couple of weeks ago. One of the very best things about working with him is his willingness to pursue new avenues. Not only is he very professional but he is also eager to try anything that can improve student learning or engagement. He works hard, setting high expectations not only for himself but his students as well. Brad is a tremendous asset to our organizational system, and I'm fortunate to get to work with him.

Thanks for reading
Tammy

Kindness, Solutions and Passion

I attended an Administrator Academy yesterday. For those that aren't familiar with Administrator Academies, they are mandated professional development for each administrator in the state of Illinois. Every administrator in the state must attend at least one per year.

For the academy that I selected, Jim Burgett was the presenter. Jim is a former teacher, principal and superintendent. He has twice been named administrator of the year. The academy was entitled "Tools for Effective Leadership" and since this is something I've been studying in my doctoral classes I wanted to hear from a practitioner (to go along with the theory I have been studying). He certainly didn't disappoint.

While I learned a multitude of new things yesterday, I want to leave you with something that I felt was the most important and that's would be his 3-Step Guarantee to being Successful. I like simple and concise, and these certainly fit the bill. The first step is to Be Kind. Leading with compassion is not a weakness, it is a strength. It doesn't cost anything to be kind to one another. We certainly want others to treat us with kindness, but do we always treat everyone we meet with kindness? The second step is to Think Solutions. This step is so true and it's been something I've tried to focus on this year. There are so many difficulties in education at the present time. We can sit around and whine and complain or we can get together and work on solutions to make the situation better. Things go wrong and will continue to go wrong, but we need to focus our energy on fixing problems. If we work on solutions to problems we can grow as an organization (and community), no growth from whining and complaining. The third step is to Work with a Passion. What would a school system look like if everyone worked with passion? So how do you stack up against Jim's steps to being successful? It certainly gave me some food for thought.


As has been my custom this year during my blogs I want to finish by thanking someone within the school system . My thanks this blog goes out to Kevin McCleary and Kathy Walsh. These two individuals work together as coaches for the middle school scholastic bowl team. Kevin is the head coach and he reads the questions during the matches. He's is always positive with the kids. He gives as much positive reinforcement to the opposing team members as he does to his own team. If a student gets a question wrong, he tells them that it was a good try or it was a good answer and often follows up with why their question was wrong (teaching them in the process). Even though the setting is "competitive" Kevin always creates an atmosphere where both teams feel comfortable trying to answer the challenging questions. I knew that Kevin was a great classroom teacher but seeing him work with the scholastic bowl team has given me a new respect for him. Kathy isn't as involved with the students during the matches but she helps keep everyone (especially the parents) organized. My real thanks to Kathy is for her dedication to helping students find a passion for reading. She is beginning a project for a community-wide read on the book My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen. It was an idea that we talked about last year and she has taken the initiative to "get the ball rolling." More to come on the community-wide read, so watch the district website as this starts to unfold. My thanks to Kevin (for his kindness) and to Kathy (for her passion) in making CCUSD#1 a better place for students and adults.


Thanks for reading
Tammy

New Year - New Happenings

Happy New Year to everyone.

On January 4th many of us from Unit #1 were able to go to Reed-Custer to hear writer/speaker Alfie Kohn. Mr. Kohn has written many books including The Homework Myth, Punished by Rewards and Beyond Discipline. Mr. Kohn certainly challenges most of the widely held beliefs about education in regards to grades, standardized testing, and homework. In reality the classroom of today doesn't look much different than a classroom that my parents attended, or my grandparents attended (the calendar is certainly still the same--August through May). We employ many of the same practices that we as educators learned while we were students. Mr. Kohn challenged us to look at those practices especially in the areas of grades and homework. He cited a lot of research to stop the practice of homework, especially in our youngest students. What would parents think of a school district that the "default" was no homework instead of scheduled homework every night? What would parents think of a school district that stopped giving grades, but truly discussed with them what their children knew and did not know? It's certainly an interesting scenario to contemplate. I certainly welcome your comments on the subject.

For the first time we gave an online assessment to some of our 6th grade social studies classes. It was the same test that has always been given but we gave these students an opportunity to take the assessment on the computer instead of with a pencil and paper. It was fun to see how excited, yes "excited" the students were about taking the test. We hope to expand the online testing to other areas and other grade levels this semester. It will save time for the teacher in running copies of tests and we'll "save trees" by not using so much paper. The feedback is immediate and both the students and teacher can appreciate that.


In my continuous effort to be "part of the solution" and not "part of the problem," my thanks this posting go out to Celeste and Karen. My mom was in the hospital during the holidays and had major surgery. Celeste and Karen made meals for my family during this very stressful time. It's nice when we are reminded that people can be so very generous and caring. I certainly appreciate these two amazing women, and "thanks" seem inadequate.

Thanks for reading
Tammy