Instructional Network 1

Celebrations:

LIA – working with Mitchell teachers on Oral Language Assessment – going well, useful

JACQUIE – Grandbaby 7 weeks old – 10.2 lbs – smiles with whole body!    Force RtI demo site – running on auto pilot, just mention something to Eileen and it happens! Pilot interventions at Force = PALS in first grade – whole class; 6 Min. Solution in 2^nd; and Voyager in Grades 1 and 2 with select students.

YAMILE – Knight – tremendous improvement in Math benchmarks from “worst” in the Network to 4 from the top of the Network! Newlon also making good gains in 3^rd grade math!

MOIRA – DRA2 Training Video is complete. Window for DRA April 7 through May 9, if extra time is needed, school must contact Moira.

Blog:

Everyone got logged in and set up. It is ready to go. Everyone is encouraged to begin to post their work on the Blog. Comment on each other’s work when appropriate. Okay to write in 1^st person or 3^rd – your choice. Remember to focus on your work, what happened, next steps. Nothing personal goes on the Blog.

Maureen will help Beth get logged on so that she can use it as well.

The website address for the blog is: http://network1.edublogs.org/ 

You can log in to post by clicking login in the bottom right corner of the page. Remember your login name is your entire first and last name with no spaces, no capital letters. You created your own password.

Business:

Brette will be back the first week of May. She and Beth will do principal evaluations. They will be scheduled as a ½ day for each principal. It is not clear if Brette is working in June or not.

Network Classes are supposed to start April 9. So far only one principal has responded with names of participants.

The team brainstormed norms for the work at the CC on Friday with Beth and the network principals, placing teachers.

Yamile, Lia and Beth have planned the retreat. We will create a shortened, focused NIP. The retreat on Tuesday will complete the work of creating one goal and 2 objectives. We will be very focused.

Lia has accepted a position at Place Bridge Academy for the 2008-2009 school year. She will work a .5 position as an ELA facilitator. The team will miss her and wishes her the best of luck!

The team discussed the necessity of having a network meeting on Thursday, April 10, even though we are having a Network retreat on April 8, because of the upcoming Facilitators Meeting on April 25^th. (Yamile will not be at the meeting on the 8^th – gone to math conference.) We will use the April 10 Team Meeting to begin to prepare for the Network Facilitators Meeting. Moira will go to the planning meeting for this one.

Our network time for the upcoming Facilitators’ Meeting will be taken up with a presentation by Nancy Harris about the Benchmark RtI book room. This meeting will be at Knight. We will need 1.5 hours for network time, so other business from planning meeting will have to be condensed. Further discussion on April 10^th. Math facilitators will stay with the Literacy facilitators for this meeting.

All team members need to attend RtI for ELL workshop. We will all go on May 1. Jacquie will register all of us with Bill Dodge.

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORKS PROTOCOL:  Instructional Specialists in every area except Assessment should ONLY answer generic questions – otherwise refer question to Moira. DO NOT answer ANY WHY questions – refer all to Moira. Moira will meet with each principal and get them ready to talk with their staff and their community. If you want to be included in any of these conversations, let Moira know.

NEXT MEETING:  THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 11:00  – 1:00, 900 GRANT. ? ROOM

FACILITATOR:  MAUREEN

NOTETAKER:  JIM

Knight has made some significant gains in math achievement according to Benchmark data from 2006 to 2007. In 2006, Knight was one of the most struggling schools in Math when compared to other schools in Network 1. Currently according to data collected from the 2007 Benchmark data, Knight is now ranked in the top third of Network 1.
-3rd Grade went from 24% Proficient and Advanced in 2006 on Mid year to 47% P & A
-4th Grade went from 4% P & A in 2006 to 25% P & A
-5th Grade went from 5% P & A in 2006 to 44% P & A

Beginning last spring 2006 Knight was a high priority school for Math support from Network Instructional Specialist. Our work seems to be making a real difference in student achievement.

I modeled Joan, Loralie, Jean and Sara an Oral Language Assessment using a 5th grade limited ELL student.
The student told a story by looking at the pictures of a wordless book, Frog, Where Are You? by Mercer Mayer. After we transcribed what the student said we ananlyzed and pinpointed her ELA errors and transferred them unto an organizer I created.
I also provided strategies for assisting students with oral language development.
I’ve been modeling this assessment to grade level teams, facilitators and principals.
Lia

The DRA information is online. If you want to look at it, go to: http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/secure/elem_lit_prog/assessments/elp_training.htm

Principals will get the DVD on Monday. If you are talking to schools about the test, please ask them to wait until all people have been able to view the video to see if their questions have been answered. If they have other questions, please have them submit them to the assessment instructional specialist of their network so that we can create an FAQ.

Additional trainings will be available to new teachers and I will get the information to you as soon as I have it.

The following schools will be participating in the new Social Studies Curriculum next year:
Carson, Garden Place, Harrington, Maxwell, Teller

The building is moving on “automatic pilot” toward becoming an outstanding demo site. Both Ann and Aileen are extremely supportive. We merely need to support and/or make suggestions, and their response is immediate.

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