- K-2 will do a behavior report every two/two-and-a-half weeks. The "O" and "I" have been eliminated, so teachers will only choose from "S" "N" or "U."
- There will be a midterm report every four and a half weeks. (So parents will receive a behavior report, a midterm report, a behavior report, and then the report card.)
- Report cards are now on letter-sized paper.
- Early departures are now listed along with absences and tardies.
- K-2 now has Science/Social Studies as part of grades.
- For all grade levels, Reading and Language Arts are separate grading components.
- Music, Art, and PE are also included.
- Comments are in a drop-down box by subject area... in the Intervention/Enrichment section, teachers can write personal comments. (There will be a guide/booklet of suggestions for teacher comments.)
- There is now a supporting document for parents that breaks down every skill in every subject for every quarter - this is already on the WSFCS webpage (under Parents/Community then Grade Level Expectations).
- 3-5 must enter grades WEEKLY into Parent Assist - make sure you click the "Post to Parent Portal" button! Once grades are entered into NCWise, they will transfer into the report card.
- The data manager will have to print 3-5 report cards.
- At the end of the year, grade placement will have to be hand-written onto report cards.
- By the end of 1st Quarter, all teachers MUST go through an online training (in Moodle) titled "Call for Change." I will have more details about this at a future staff meeting.
- All Common Core documents contain an unpacking tool - while the standards do not go into effect until next year, teachers should begin unpacking NOW.
- There are TONS of resources on the DPI and RttT (Race to the Top) website. Check it out at www.ncpublicschools.org/RttT
- Each grade level had a representative attend the K-5 Standards for Mathematical Practice workshop. I also attended and received a brief overview for all grade levels. Please read the following bullets CAREFULLY.
- For the Common Core standards, visit http://www.corestandards.org/
- Our implementation year is 2012-2013... this is also the year that the Common Core will be reflected in all assessments.
- There are standards for PRACTICE and standards for CONTENT... while the Content Standards do not go into effect until next year, teachers must adapt their teaching this year to reflect the new standards of PRACTICE. This is MANDATED by the district. Your grade level reps should be giving you the information they received so that you are prepared to adapt your teaching... this is VERY important.
- There are 8 Standards for Mathematical Practice:
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
- Students need to be able to make sense of problems, identify relationships, and work through them to figure them out. Teachers should NOT just give the answers when students are incorrect!
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
- Students should work together, come up with ways to solve a problem, and communicate with each other while defending their methods.
- Teachers should talk LESS, act as the facilitator.
- Model with mathematics.
- Make everything relevant and applicable.
- Focus more on conceptual understanding rather than exact values.
- Use appropriate tools strategically.
- Students must have time to EXPLORE tools (http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html)
- Students should have access to tools all year long... don't just pull out calculators for EOQs and EOGs!
- Attend to precision.
- Students should give carefully formulated explanations to each other while learning to communicate precisely.
- Look for and make use of structure.
- It's all about patterns and properties.
- Let kids DISCOVER it before you point it out.
- Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
- Let students repeat problem-solving skills to find patterns and make generalizations from something repeating.
- While this all may seem overwhelming, it's really about shifting our focus from the teaching to the learning. Let it be all about the KIDS. Math instruction should not be a teacher standing in front of a class, giving practice problems and waiting for students to call out answers. Math instruction should be a collaborative experience, where kids form their own perceptions, work through problems, work together, talk about things, etc. It's time for a change!! It's time for us to adapt!!
- Once again, your math representative should help your grade level engage in a dialogue about all of this. Here are the reps:
- Randleman
- Parris
- Rhodes
- Matthews
- Ermitano
- Hennings
- I will be putting a "Best Practices" checklist in your boxes today. Start off this year changing the way you teach math!
- Curriculum updates aside, I can't believe today is the First Day of School Eve!!!!! I'm sure I won't be the only one tossing and turning in bed tonight. It's like the night before Christmas for me!! I love the first day of school - I have since I was five years old, and I hope to feel the same way until I retire. So teachers, students, and parents - Have a WONDERFUL first day tomorrow - You only get to do your first day once! So make it worth it!!!
*August 25th - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!
*August 31st - DIBELS Refresher Training 7:45am-8:30am
*September 1st - DIBELS Training for NEW Staff 3:45pm-4:45pm
*September 12th - September 23rd - DIBELS BOY Window
*September 15th - 4th Grade On-Demand Writing Training 8:00am
*September 20th - 4th Grade On-Demand Writing Test
*September 27th - 4th Grade On-Demand Writing Test Make-ups
*September 29th - Curriculum Night!!
