TURNAROUND TEAM TIMES

Issue 5
JEFFERSON PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS *

March 2013
TURNAROUND NETWORK

Dear Turnaround Team Administrators and Teachers, I am excited to bring you this issue of the Turnaround Team Times newsletter. We hope that you will read this publication carefully because it contains important, valuable information that will help all of you in the work that you do to improve student achievement. As you know, we have a set of very explicit Turnaround Team Standards for our Network Schools. We strive to fully implement these standards in all of our schools. What do these look like in your school or classroom? This month, I would like to expand on this standard: Data Driven Instruction While this list is certainly not all encompassing, these are some of the things that indicate that this standard is in place in a school. There is a system of gathering data on student performance, discipline, attendance, and other available data and analyzing it to identify areas of instructional strengths and weaknesses, as well as to identify students who need to be referred to the ABIT Team for more intensive services. Goals are set for the school, each teacher, and each student and strategies are developed to achieve those goals and track improvement indicators. Students are active participants in this process. Teachers know their curriculum and exactly what students should know and be able to do to achieve their goals and master the content at the end of the year. Teachers do curriculum mapping so they have an effective plan to teach all of the required content. Teachers use rigorous, quality assessments regularly to determine if their students have mastered the skills that were taught. Teachers create action plans to reteach and reassess priority standards until students master them and/or reach their set goals. Weekly data meetings bring teachers and administrators together to discuss data and to track progress towards individual student, teacher, and school goals and to collaborate on creating action plans for success. Is this standard fully in place at your school? How can you work together as a team to improve this standard at your school? Please let us know if you need support or if we can assist you in any way as you carry out your role in ensuring that our children have the best possible educational opportunities provided to them every day. With great respect for what you do, Karen Bucher Inside this issue:
The Number Line Classroom Support Toolbox TAP Tips English Language Learners Instructional Performance Students Tracking... Timely Reminders 2 2 3 3 3 4 5

Network Team Members: Karen Bucher, Network Executive Director Leslie Dubroc, Administrative Assistant Joan Albrecht, Math Jennifer Campbell, TAP EMT Sandra DiPascal, ELA Erin Hardin, SpEd Carol Harvey, SpEd Gretchen Shotwell, ELL Elizabeth Towe, Generalist

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TURNAROUND TEAM TIMES

The Number Line

ANET Testing is the week of March 18, 2013. Teachers should ontinue to follow the ANET 4 Plans which include activities from the LCC. Do Nows should include review skills that will be on ANET 4 and LEAP/iLEAP. I will send Test Prep schedules out next week. Use the grade level math practice test from the LDOE to practice skills daily. (These are also available on the Turnaround Networks web page.) Fourth and eighth grade teachers should continue to practice constructed response items daily. It should be mandatory for students to show all work, and have students write the answer in a complete sentence. Show students how

Joan Albrecht
they can earn points using the rubric. If your students are having trouble with math facts consider a Daily Five for math fluency. Start with 3 x3 and continue to 3x9 then move on to the 4s.) The 3 and 4 facts are the missing link in knowing multiplication facts. If students know these facts, they only have to learn 6x6, 6x7, 6x8, 6x9, 7x7, 7x8, 7x9, 8x8, 8x9, 9x9. Work on these as much as possible. 1. Read/write fact of the day 2. Play Multiplication Battle (2 players) 3. Play Salute (3 players) 4. Work with teacher (teach strategies) 5. Fluency Drills

Show students how they can earn points using the rubric.

Classroom Support Toolbox

The Louisiana Department of Education worked with teachers across the state to prepare for the challenges of Common Core State Standards. It is intended to be the first stop in planning lessons effective, rigorous lessons. Surf around the site and see the changes. As we move toward implementation of the CCSS next year, its nice to know the toolbox is ready. Find it all at http:// www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/classroom-supporttoolbox.

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TAP TIPS
The TAP Portal includes a section entitled, "TAP Video Library". This library offers an abundance of video footage from classroom lessons, pre- and post-conferences, cluster group meetings, leadership team meetings, as well as TAP footage designed to improve performance on each of the 19 rubric indicators. Want to know how to strengthen a particular area of the

Jennifer Campbell
Instructional Rubric? Please contact a member of your leadership team. Each member has access to this website and are available to assist you in locating what you need.

English Language Learners

Please remember that ALL ELLs are entitled to accommodations on standardized tests. This includes students whose parents have refused ESL services and students whose level is SCLEP. These accommodations must have been documented on each individual student's ACE form and implemented throughout the school year. If your class is in need of additional bilingual word-toword dictionaries or any planning assistance, feel free to contact Gretchen Shotwell. Additionally, all test directions (not

Gretchen Shotwell
questions) can be translated into the students' native languages if you have the capability to do so. This is mentioned in the test administrator manual. Please keep this in mind when planning your testing groups and schedules for bilingual paraprofessionals during testing.

Please remember that ALL ELLs are entitled to accommodations on standardized tests.

Instructional Performance Support

JPPSS Human Capital Department has created the Instructional Performance website that is now available. You can find a variety of resources, including information about the recent updates to the Compass support and evaluation process. Visit http://hc.jppss.k12.la.us/ performancemanagement/ to see whats new.

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TURNAROUND TEAM TIMES

Students Tracking Their Own Learning

[We} help our students become increasingly efficacious when wehelp them learn how to improve the quality of their work one key attribute at a time, when we help them learn to see and keep track of changes in their own capabilities, and when we help them reflect on the relationships between those improvements and their own actions. --Stiggins, 2007 When students reflect on growth, they compare what they used to know or do and what they now know or can do. The reflection generally includes two parts. The first part makes an assertion of growth and the second part describes the evidence: I have become better at . I used to , but now I . Students can state how they have changed in specific or general terms. When students reflect on achievement, they look back over a record (e.g., a completed tracking form) or a collection of their work to identify what they have mastered and what, if anything, they still need to focus on. It is important that the record or collection of work provide clear evidence of what their strengths and needs are. You can use questions such as the following to trigger this kind of self-reflection: What did I learn? What learning targets have I mastered? What are my strengths in this subject? What do I still need to work on? What learning targets have I not yet mastered? The following are examples of questions you can use to prompt reflection on process: What did I learn? How did I learn it? What would I change about what I did? What should I remember to do again? What did I learn about myself as a learner? The following are examples of questions you can use for the students to reflect on themselves as learners: What helps me as a learner? What gets in my way as a learner? What things are difficult for me as a learner? What used to be difficult that is easier now? How did that happen? What did I do to make it happen?

Here is some information and ideas on helping your students become self-monitors. There are just as many kinds of data trackers as there are things to track. Use these reflective questions to help your students succeed. You can find sample student data trackers on our District Turnaround Website or ask one of your S3s for assistance. Sandra DiPascal

By giving students structured opportunities to reflect on their learning journey, to capture their observations, and to share them, we can deepen both students achievement and their insights into themselves as learners. Chappuis, Jan. Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning. Boston: Pearson, 2009. Print.

Education for a Brighter Future

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School Safety and Communication

Are your students regularly participating in fire drills and respecting safety around school? How are you and your school communicating important information to parents? School reports including safety and communication are due to the District Turnaround Office each month. Ensuring students have a safe environment is another way we help students do their best every day.

Great Autism Resource

Did you know that our very own Children's Hospital has opened an Autism Center? Check out the resource manual to share ideas and resources with our students that are happening our very own community. http://www.chnola.org/autism

District Turnaround Website Content Added Weekly

The DTN teacher resource website has lots of ELA information, the PowerPoints from Nancy Guzmans workshop, and will have math and ELL content by March 4, 2013. The next pages to be added are Celebrations and Best Practices. Do you have any ideas for content that should be added? Email Elizabeth at elizabeth.towe@jppss.k12.la.us!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Girls Basketball team at Worley. The West Bank Champs are now PARISH CHAMPS! Go Spartans!