September 23 Professional Learning--Response to Intervention

September 23 District Professional Development

The focus of our learning on Monday will be looking at Response to Intervention through the lens of "what we teach."  Our work on  learning progressions will be an important foundation for how we- 'scaffold up and scaffold down'-how we provide interventions and enrichment to improve and extend the learning from strong core instruction.  Another goal of our RtI model is to examine academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs together to determine the best and most effective interventions.

Our schedule for the day is as follows:

8:00-11:15--District Focus: Secondary Teachers (6-12)

Location: HS Auditorium

8:00-11:30--Building Focus: Elementary Teachers (K-5)

12:45-4:00--District Focus: Elementary Teachers (K-5)

Location: HS Auditorium

12:30-4:00--Building Focus: Secondary Teachers (6-12)

The district pd will be organized into 3 sections:

• A shared understanding of the Southeast Polk Response to Intervention Model
• Job-Alike Collaboration
• This will be differentiated--those teaching math and reading will collaboratively study and identify instructional practices based on an item analysis of the Iowa Tests.  Other subject areas will have an opportunity to reflect on and discuss guiding questions related to the RtI model.
• Summarizing and sharing

The job-alike sharing (other than reading and math teachers) will take place in the commons area of the high school.  You will have a structured note-taking guide to facilitate discussion and whole-group sharing around the RtI model.  If you finish this task, you may work on additional collaborative tasks related to student learning.  If you have been working on some projects with your job-alike group, you may want to bring this information and/or student data to the pd session.  You may bring laptops if it facilitates your learning, but they would not be required for the district sessions.

Teacher teams working together around our focus areas leads to improved outcomes for students.  We are looking forward to this day of professional learning.

Teaching and Learning Resource Center--Open House

Our curriculum team has moved!  Our curriculum coaches, coordinators, and special education team have moved to the "Teaching and Learning Resource Center" (formerly Central Place).  It has been great to have a central location for learning, planning and collaboration.  The center also offers some meeting spaces for small groups.  You are welcome to stop by and visit at any time, but we will be hosting an open house next Tuesday, September 24 from 3:30-5:00.  Stop by to visit, look around, and have some refreshments. We look forward to seeing you!

Learning Opportunity--EdcampDSM

Looking for a FREE PD opportunity?  Join 200+ educators from around the midwest on Saturday, September 28th at Crestview Elementary in Clive for EdcampDSM.

What’s an Edcamp? “Edcamp is a form of unconference designed specifically for teachers and their needs. What makes Edcamp an unconference? Unlike traditional conferences which have schedules set months in advance by the people running the conference, Edcamp has an agenda that’s created by the participants at the start of the event. Instead of one person standing in front of the room talking for an hour, people are encouraged to have discussions and hands-on sessions. Sponsors don’t have their own special sessions or tables, all of the space and time are reserved for the things the people there want to talk about. People could pay hundreds of dollars to attend another conference, or they could go to Edcamp for free.

Built on principles of connected and participatory learning, Edcamp strives to bring teachers together to talk about the things that matter most to them: their interests, passions, and questions. Teachers who attend Edcamp can choose to lead sessions on those things that matter, with an expectation that the people in the room will work together to build understanding by sharing their own knowledge and questions (edcamp.org).”

For more information on EdcampDSM, visit the website, register to attend, or contact Jamie Fath!

Professional Learning

Southeast Polk Professional Development

We have increased our time for professional learning this year.  Collaboration and professional development increase the quality of instruction and this time has been used to continue and sustain our focus on increasing academic achievement for all of our students.  Additional time for professional learning allows us to improve our craft as we carry out the mission of the district: "Engage all students in learning a challenging curriculum delivered through quality instruction."

In a recent study*, the authors found that effective PD that has these characteristics:

-   It goes beyond one-shot presentations and is sustained over time.

-   The content is anchored in the standards, content, curriculum, and assessments being used by teachers.

-   It involves teachers in analyzing students’ work and group discussion.

This release time is well structured to maximize teaching and learning. Teacher leaders are particularly important in facilitating this process, and we have many great examples of this at Southeast Polk.

Delaware teachers collaborating on the design of productive group work tasks.

Teacher leaders from the Gradual Release Cadre creating model lessons.

Spring Creek teachers discussing authentic literacy tasks that support meaningful learning.

The Iowa Core Leadership team designing professional development to implement at their buildings.

* “Shaping Professional Development to Promote Diffusion of Instructional Expertise Among Teachers” by Min Sun, William Penuel, Kenneth Frank, Alix Gallagher, and Peter Youngs in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, September 2013 (Vol. 35, #3, p 344-369)

Bullying Prevention Summit

Southeast Polk continues their efforts to provide safe and supportive schools. We will be taking a team of more than 30 educators and students to the 2nd Annual Bullying Prevention Summit on November 4th in Des Moines. At the summit we’ll hear from Iowans and national experts, including young people, about how students and adults can make a difference. It is encouraging that Southeast Polk and many Iowa schools - and their communities - have launched anti-bullying campaigns. Let’s continue to build momentum for change. This is a challenge we can meet.

“I see what is right with you, despite your struggles. And I believe what is right with you is more powerful than anything that is wrong.” The message communicated by a teacher, counselor, nurse, bus driver, school secretary, or volunteer that makes the difference to a student, quoted in “Havens of Resilience” by Nan Henderson in Educational Leadership, September 2013

Tech Tool of the Week--Padlet

Looking for ways to  check for student understanding and feedback?  Padlet is a tool that can help you do this. 
Padlet allows you to add stickies to the board. You can place text, videos, weblinks, documents and images into your stickies. 

Looking for more ideas?

32 Ways to use Padlet in the Classroom

Try it out!

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