FAIRFIELD CITY SCHOOLS Fairfield Alabama Dr Regina D
FAIRFIELD CITY SCHOOLS Fairfield, Alabama Dr. Regina D. Thompson Superintendent We Are On The Move: Creating Pathways for Great Performing Schools (GPS)
Fairfield City Schools’ PRESENTORS Mr. Richard Fuah Mrs. Dashannikia Holston Mr. Ronnie Holston Mrs. Tasha Kiel Ms. Kim Mitchell Dr. Regina Thompson Technology and Alternative School Lead Elementary Principal Data Analyst and Instructional Technology Elementary Principal Special Education Superintendent
PATHWAYS FOR TODAY’S LEARNING • Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) Road: Data-Driven Approach; Discussions and Decisions • • Student Centered Lane: Response to Instruction (Rt. I)/Multiple Tiers Systems of Support (MTSS) • • How do “WE” monitor… Inspect What We Expect? From District Level to School Level How are “We” currently operating? Perspective to Learning Highway: Balance Literacy Platform and Mathematical Appreciation • What “We’” are doing?
CHARTING THE COURSE
Charting the Course 1685 Students Pre. K-12 Student. Centered Learning Environment 200 Faculty and Staff Offer a Hybrid Learning Opportunity 1: 1 District Move from a “F” School District to a “Rising C” District on the State Accountability Report
PATHWAY: Fairfield, Alabama Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Road: • District Level • School Level • Data-Driven Approach, Discussions, and Decisions Fairfield City Schools
Professional Learning Communities The purpose of Professional Learning Communities for FCS is to strengthen educator efficacy through the analysis of teaching and learning, increase collaborative learning opportunities for teachers and leaders, and utilize data effectively to ensure the success of all students. This process is conducted at the district and school level.
Build Shared Knowledge As a Team All teams need to: � Examine state standards and engage in dialogue about what students should learn. � Analyze data to make decisions. � Clarify essential common outcomes by course/content area. � Develop and administer common formative assessments. � Analyze results. � Establish specific measurable standards or goals. � Identify and implement improvement strategies.
Building Leaders and Educators for Transformation • Recognize the need to innovate as part of continuous improvement and to stay ahead of the rapid changes impacting schools. • Innovative schools are open to change and are led by principals who have specific change facilitator styles, including concerns for people shown through trust in others, and strategic sense shown through vision and planning (Liu, Cavanaugh & Ritzhaupt, 2013).
If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing. -Edward Deming
STUDY Richard Du. Four, Learning by Doing, May 16, 2016
ON-GOING ASSESSMENT Assessments must match the learning outcomes for the lesson FORMS OF ASSESSMENT Formative Activities: paper and pencil quizzes – High Fives, ticket out of the door, performance tasks, reports Summative Activities: State assessments, district benchmark or interim assessments , end-of-unit or chapter tests, end-of-term or semester exams , scores that are used for accountability for schools (AYP) and students (report card grades). TYPES OF ASSESSMENT Common Assessments Universal Screener: Pre – Test Mid-Year – Test Post – Test Assessments are the key to monitoring and re-teaching District Assessments: ( Edulastic, i. Ready K-8 and Performance Achievement Series 9 -12) Cumulatively Assessed Every 45 DAYS
The Four PLC Questions 1. WHAT DO WE EXPECT STUDENTS TO LEARN? Essential outcomes, power standards, learning targets, pacing 2. HOW WILL WE KNOW IF THEY LEARN IT? Common assessments, quick checks for understanding, results analysis 3. HOW DO WE RESPOND WHEN STUDENTS EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY IN LEARNING? Differentiated instruction, targeted interventions, RTI, and PBIS 4. HOW DO WE RESPOND WHEN STUDENTS DO LEARN? Differentiated instruction, enrichment
PATHWAY: Fairfield, Alabama Student Centered Lane: • • Response to Instruction (Rt. I) Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Fairfield City Schools
The Flow of Instruction in a Differentiated Classroom
The Need for a Positive School Culture and Climate • We have to make school a place where students want to be • It begins with the adults taking an honest look at our beliefs, practices, and behaviors • High-performing urban schools have climates that nurture the commitment and engagement of teachers, parents, and students.
The Climate for Teachers in High-Performing Schools � � � *Teachers believe they are part of a team that is making a powerful difference in the lives of students. They believe their work has purpose. *Teachers are proud of their team of colleagues, and they believe that their colleagues are proud of them. Everyone contributes, shares, and learns. Disagreements are resolved promptly and professionally. *Teachers believe their administrators care sincerely about them and about their success. They see administrators as sources of support and leadership who are skillful enough and caring enough to help them achieve excellent learning results.
The Climate for Students in High- Performing Schools • • • Students are eager to attend school. They perceive that adults in the school care sincerely about them and about their success. Students feel a personal connection to the adults at school. Students feel safe physically and emotionally. They know that the adults in the school do whatever is necessary to create a safe and comfortable learning environment. Students believe they are likely to succeed academically. Students believe that their hard work will result in both short-term and long-term exciting opportunities.
PATHWAY: Fairfield, Alabama Perspective to Learning Highway: • • Balance Literacy Platform Mathematical Appreciation Fairfield City Schools
Fairfield City Schools
Fairfield City Schools
The BIGGEST Question Are all kids learning? We don’t know if all kids are learning unless we work together and talk about the evidence of their understanding. “My students” become “Our students”
Student Friendly Standards STANDARD: • The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a {warranted and responsible explanation} of a variety of literary and informational texts. INDICATOR: • • For literary texts, the student identifies the characteristics of various genres and produces evidence of reading that: b. Interprets a character’s trait, emotions, or motivations and gives {supporting evidence} from a text. • STANDARD VOCABULARY *demonstrate *evidence *warranted *responsible *explanation * characteristics *evidence *interprets *traits *emotions *motivations There will also be vocabulary for the standard: brave, timid, greed, love etc.
Instructional Standards/Teaching Teachers plan utilizing research-based strategies, such as: • • • Graphic Organizers Reciprocal teaching, literature circles, direct instruction Class and student configurations ( i. e. pairs, groups, whole class) Visual aids, manipulatives, experiments Number Talks Online intervention software After the planning phase is concluded, the teacher moves into teaching. • • • Know the CONTENT!!! Make links between the content and the student’s knowledge, past and future learning, other content areas, and real life situations. Ask thought provoking questions that expand students’ thinking and their knowledge of the content.
PERFORMANCE-BASED ACTIVITIES CLASSROOM PROCEDURES • Classroom Cues (signal for silence, group change, directions, etc. ) • Flexible group – may pre-assign • Home – Base Seating • Materials Distribution/Collection • Anchor activities (on – going work to complete if finished with a task early) • MUST BE… Utilizing the “BALANCED LITERACY APPROACH” Literacy should be… TAUGHT (Word Study, Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop) – students must be taught exactly how to do what is expected of them PRACTICED (Interactive Read Aloud and Shared Reading ) – procedures must be practiced until students are proficient at performing the expected behavior REVIEWED – procedures must be reviewed often to remind students of expected behavior Note: The Balanced Literacy Components should be aligned to Systematic Assessments for maximum student learning.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do [as an educator], than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, plan your course and sail away from the safe harbor [of just teaching]. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore [why students aren’t learning]. Dream [what students need to learn]. Discover [how students can learn to meet their highest potential]. ” — Mark Twain
Contact Information Dr. Regina Thompson Superintendent Fairfield City Schools rthompson@fairfieldk 12. org
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