Author Archives: aoliveir

School Improvement Plan update

Describe: My school improvement project targets intervention of struggling first graders in math. My efforts in the last month have mainly focused on trying to make a workable schedule, pin down the person who agreed to do the intervention, and prioritize students who should be receiving the intervention. I have also not heard anything about having the online tracking component funded from the grant I wrote.

Reflect: There is no block of time allocated to this project per se, so scheduling has been the main problem. I can’t change the overall schedule, but I could find small chunks of time to implement the project. However, finding specialists who will stick with that schedule has been a challenge. Honestly, I think I’ve been too flexible with the specialists involved in the project. What I’ve learned about myself as a leader from this project so far is that I’m going to have to spell everything out in order to make sure it happens. Instead of opening it up for specialists to drop in when they have some time, the schedule will have to be concrete.

Connect: The School Improvement Plan connects to Standard 2.1’s “collaborate with others.” I’m getting a real lesson in how to get others to do what you need them to do. It’s been a mixture of sweet talking and presenting data in order to motivate the interventionists to be involved. This job is not something I ever could do on my own, nor would it be as powerful an experience if I were. It also relates to Standard 1.2: organizational effectiveness and create school based strategic goals. For my future as a leader, I would say that this has been a great experience in how to collaborate with others to get things done. I have always believed that if something is important you will dedicate time to it. If I drop the ball, no one else swoops in to take over. It’s all me driving it forward at this point.

Title 1 data project

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Description: I conducted a data project for the Summer Mailbox Book (SMB) program for the Title 1 office. I used Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) data to show change in reading levels from spring to fall, broken down by grade, in two different formats. I shared the data at the Title 1 meeting on March 8, 2016, and participated in the discussion around making changes to the SMB program based on what the data showed.

Reflection: The activity mostly met my expectations. The Title 1 office was involved in an audit process for most of the time I was working on the data project. This meant that I needed to work independently, with very little feedback sometimes. I found myself frequently reflecting on the fact the although the project was very important to me, that clearly there were more important things going on in the Title 1 world. I know that I can back off when I know it’s necessary, or work without much direction. Infrequent check-ins were enough to keep me on track.

Connection: The first related leadership proficiency is 5.1: acting with “integrity and fairness to ensure that schools are accountable for every students academic and social success.” The SMB program promotes equity for students within Title 1 schools. It ensures that students who might not otherwise have the means are provided with reading materials throughout the summer. It is intended to act against the “summer slide,” which so often impacts lower income students. The others are 5.3: the school leader must” safeguard the values of democracy, equity, and diversity,” and 5.4, because of the decisions involved in dividing up resources and implications those decisions have on students.

My takeaway for myself as a leader came from listening to the Title 1 representatives from the various schools discuss the data, and how they could change the SMB program based on what the data was showing. I am a firm believer that data helps us make sense of the world, and I was really pleased to listen to the discussion in Title 1. As such, the work the Title 1 team did reflects using data to “identify school goals, assess organizational effectiveness, and create and implement plans to achieve school goals. (Standard 1.2)” Although this was for a program instead of a school, the decisions around changes could have similar impact within the various Title 1 schools. I believe it is important to use data to try to make changes; “good enough” can usually be made better. In terms of questions, I wonder about what the expectations are that various people/ departments have for really using data, and how one goes about promoting a data-literate climate. I think I could find some answers by looking at different entities within the school system with these questions in mind.

The two attachments are spreadsheets that show the SMB data in two different ways.

SMB Draft 4

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Shadowing an assistant principal at Swanson Middle School

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Describe: I spent Wednesday, February 10, shadowing one of the assistant principals at Swanson Middle School. I was able to see the wide variety of responsibilities that make up her job executed throughout the day. She attended a county-wide meeting, observed two teachers and conducted a SMART goal meeting with one of them, stopped by to observe lunch duty and bus duty, met with a parent concerning her son, and met with two students separately concerning an incident in the hallway. At the end of the day I attended the department meeting (Math) that is also part of her responsibilities, although she was unable to attend that day.

Reflect: This opportunity was very eye-opening for me in terms of what a typical day looks like for a middle school administrator. I suppose I didn’t expect that she would be physically all over the place. In fact, she said that she wants to give students the impression that she “is everywhere,” and I’m sure she’s successful at that! It spoke to how important it is to simply have the administrator present at any given event, because the inherent message is “I care. I’m paying attention.” I have often thought that about the professional learning community (PLC) meetings that we have at my school: they have a very different tone (for me, at least) when the administrator tasked with attending that team’s meetings is there.

The county-wide meeting was a different story; it started with everyone looking at suspension data (which was confidential, which is why it is not included here) broken down by school and by race. From what I gather, the county is concerned about minority students being suspended at higher rates than white students. Across the county, the assistant principals were concerned that so-called “repeat offenders,” students who are suspended multiple times, are skewing the data and increasing the rates of minority suspensions. I asked why the data couldn’t be looked at with repeat offenders broken out, and was told that the state does not look at it that way.

Connect: Relating to the county-wide meeting, I feel strongly that Standards 5.3 and 5.4 are in evidence here. I’ve heard that when suspension rates are broken down further by individual administrator, that clear patterns are evident. In my mind this means that the “values of equity and diversity” (Standard 5.3) are at stake, and “the moral and legal consequences of decision making in the school” (Standard 5.4) are at the forefront. Unfortunately, some of the administrators at the meeting may have felt defensive about their school’s data. The meeting could have been an opportunity to look at the problem in a different light, and reflect on best practice in a difficult, and potentially problematic situation. I hope that in the end that is what the county is able to promote.

Data team meeting (required)

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Describe: Our school data team met to review available 2nd quarter (Q2) data and check in with the principal for her upcoming Executive Leadership Cohort (ELC) meeting. We especially focused on the data for the tested grades. Our Q2 pass rates range from 80% for 2nd grade to 43% for 5th grade. In addition to the data discussion, I had just arrived from a county-wide math coach meeting, and had some pertinent information regarding testing I needed to share.

Reflect: At data meetings, I find myself thinking about how an effective leader surrounds herself with people whose opinions and insights she trusts. We had a very productive conversation about next steps after some grades’ poor Q2 scores. Although we all know that the main reason the scores were low was because we just missed seven instructional days due to snow, the focus was on what we can do next to show growth. I learned about myself as a leader that I can share difficult information with the school’s leadership team and not take it personally when the content is upsetting.

Connect: I tried to help the school-based team understand the thinking of the Math Department in the decisions I shared, and started the discussion about how we can best implement these changes at my school (Standard 1.2).

I also take a lesson from the data team experience in that good leaders don’t do everything or know every bit of information, but they are expert in choosing people who can help them process information (Standard 2.3). I think it helps all the leaders in a school to bring all the data to the table and discuss it together, including the principal. It is helpful in staying on top of the functioning of the school as well as preparing her for the ELC meeting. Going forward I will be aware of who I choose to help support my leadership, and how it influences my actions.

Gr. 2 Q2 indicator report The first attachment is the Q2 report of 2nd grade performance broken down by standard of learning (SOL) indicator. I make these reports up for each grade each quarter to use with the teams at professional learning community (PLC) meetings. They are also used for data team meetings.

Q2 Math 5 retake of key Q2 SOL This attachment is the data I prepared for the retesting of certain SOL that were missed by many students on the Q2. The principal requested that the grade 5 team follow up with the most missed SOL. She will take the evidence to the ELC meeting as part of our plan.

Grant writing

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Describe: I wrote a grant application for the AMC (Assessing Math Concepts) Anywhere online tracking system. AMC is the intervention I am implementing at Campbell. My school has all the AMC materials needed to implement the intervention; the online tracking system would make it easier to track students’ data, share data among teachers, and target interventions for students. The grant was submitted to an in-house Arlington Public Schools (APS) Intervention Assistance Team (IAT) committee. Earlier this school year I wrote, submitted and had approved a grant to the same committee. Campbell ended up not using the grant money but instead paid for the project from their own resources, which enabled a more complete implementation of the project.

Reflect: I don’t know yet if the grant has been approved. If it does not get approved, I will look for another funding source. If it is approved, I will use the AMC Anywhere system this year as part of my School Improvement Plan. My goal is to see if the system adds enough value to be worth continued use. I’m glad that I thought to resubmit a grant to the APS IAT committee; I don’t usually think outside the box like that. My principal said it’s possible there is still money left in the fund and they will use it to fund this grant. It’s exciting to be leading a decision-making process from the beginning.

Connect: The grant writing activity falls under Standard 6.3, in which candidates demonstrate that they can “assess emerging trends and initiatives in order to adapt school-based leadership strategies.” The whole idea of the intervention fits nicely with the district’s Response to Intervention (RtI) model, which is called Arlington Tiered System of Support (ATSS.) The ATSS training I’ve been to this year has given me ideas for the intervention as well as making me feel like I’m heading in the right direction. For me writing the grant and planning for the trial run of the system also relate well to Standard: 1.2 “create and implement plans to achieve school goals.” As part of the larger intervention, it is my responsibility to decide on a course of action, to try out my idea, then evaluate its effectiveness. At the same time, I realize that I will need feedback from other stakeholders in order to determine the effectiveness of the system, and of the intervention as a whole.

This artifact is the grant application.

IAT Grant application SY16

Walkthrough observations

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Describe: I participated in math workshop walkthroughs with my school’s instructional lead teacher (ILT), principal and and exemplary project coordinator. We observed four classrooms as teachers were engaged in math instruction in grades 4 and 5. The ILT had prepared a schedule in advance. The principal had scheduled the visit from the exemplary project coordinator, and probably did not have a lot of leeway about dates. I asked to be included because it involved math instruction, and my participation would have a minimal impact on my regular classroom schedule. The original walk through schedule included observations in preschool classrooms, which were canceled because although the ILT had taken care to ask in advance when math was taught, when we showed up students were preparing to go to lunch. I felt surprised that something like that could happen; it seemed like a blatant level of non-compliance. The principal seemed less surprised; the teacher who had passed along the incorrect information has a reputation for being non-cooperative. The principal and I briefly discussed preschool math instruction, and I indicated I would follow up with the preschool teachers.

Reflect: Because I have a different perspective from the others, and was especially interested to hear their thoughts on the math instruction we saw. I have a lot of context that I was able to offer as part of the debrief. The principal, ILT and I drafted a letter to the staff as we debriefed the walkthroughs. I wish we could have scheduled the walk throughs for a different time frame. The teachers were all gearing up for the midyear assessment, and 4th and 5th grades are both involved in multiplication and division, which, after days of teaching for meaning, had shifted towards more procedural instruction.

Connect: One of the most interesting things was for me to see the experience of the ILT on her first walkthrough. She was really concerned that others would believe she had made a mistake in putting the schedule together. She had some great follow up questions, including one about whether a certain teacher usually didn’t have students raise their hands as part of the discussion but just “chime in.” She mentioned research on this topic that I would like to follow up with. I have worked with several people (my principal, a couple other math coaches, and some others) who I think are really good at developing talent, and have been very supportive of me professionally. I’m looking at this from the other side now, wondering what I can do to be more of a mentor to others, to recognize skills and abilities in colleagues and work to help them develop further. (Standards 3.3 and 3.4)

Attchment #1: The walk through schedule

learning walk jan 20

Attachment #2: An example of the notecatcher we used.

Staff development in technology

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Describe: Last summer the Instructional Technology Coordinator (ITC) at my school and I presented professional development on the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) Model of technology implementation at countywide conferences. She was asked to offer similar staff development to our school faculty, and I offered to support her in that role. This is a required activity.

Reflect: The presentation was not optimal. Although I listened and coached my co-presenter through what was going to be covered beforehand, I felt that the presentation would have been better with more interactive examples of technology and less “sage on the stage” presenting. My co-presenter relied on me for the examples, and in the end did not incorporate them in a way that I think would have been effective. I wish I had seen this coming and been proactive in my role as co-presenter in insisting on what I though would work better.

Connect: Standard 2.4 includes using technology to improve instruction. The SAMR model is a very useful framework for looking at technology as a tool for instruction. Our county is encouraging staff to become familiar with the model to support making good decisions about technology as an instructional tool. This experience also relates to Standard 3.2, which says under Content Knowledge “evidence of candidate knowledge of methods and procedures for managing school resources, including the strategic
management of human capital,” and makes me reflect, as a coach and a future leader, on how to get the best out of people. This is the third time I have presented with the same person, and I’m not sure we’re getting better as a team. If we end up presenting together again, I will ask for an outside person, someone I trust in a coaching capacity, and someone whose opinion my co-presenter respects, to help us prepare.

SAMR
My notes for my co-presenter.

SAMR 101

The powerpoint we used for the staff development.

Title 1 data project meeting

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Describe: I met with Title 1 supervisor December 8 for a preliminary discussion about what they would like to find out from their Summer Mailbox Books (SMB) program data. They would like to look at the DRA scores of students who participated in the SMB program to see if the students showed growth, and possibly to compare the scores of participants with those of students who did not participate in SMB.

Reflect: I was very upfront in describing what I thought I was qualified to do and not qualified to do in terms of statistical analysis. I mentioned that I am technically competent in terms of showing correlation but not causation. The Title 1 supervisor (Erin) and I discussed how it would make sense to look at the data to best show students’ growth. She mentioned that she would like to have the data published as part of a larger project.

Connect: This data project is listed under standard 5.1 in my internship plan because it relates to equity for all students. The SMB program distributes books to selected students from Title 1 schools over the summer, and as such is intended to prevent summer slide among Economically Disadvantaged students. However, as I worked on the draft of the data project, I found myself relating it to standard 4.3, which relates to involving families, thinking about their needs and getting families involved in processes related to school. I have to connect it to the root cause analysis, and wonder if providing access to books is making the change that the Title 1 office is hoping it will make. I’m really glad I’ll be participating in the Title 1 Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings, because I believe that will help me get a better feel for the actual needs of the students and their families. Right now I feel as if I’m operating on assumptions.

The attached artifact is the preliminary run of the SMB student growth I created using only data from Campbell Elementary School.

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School Improvement Plan

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Describe: Today (Jan. 6, 2016) I met with the ESOL teacher (Rene) who has been tasked with the math intervention for first grade. We discussed successes and challenges with the schedule and the content we’ve been using, and spent a little time discussing the difficulties a specific student has. We concluded with the understanding that I would reassess the students so we could move forward in terms of instruction, and modify my schedule so I could be present to offer coaching support one out of the four days a week.

Reflect: This exercise is way more involved than it seems on paper. A large part of the problem I’m running into is a lack of materials that are appropriate for the intervention. The Assessing Math Concepts (AMC) assessments are a great starting place, but unfortunately we do not have the appropriate follow up materials. (The materials I proposed using in my SIP are more for small group instruction. They’re not inappropriate, per se, they’re just not as targeted as I would like them to be.)

Connect: I find I’m following Dr. Balzano’s advice about the structure, and how I’m supporting the interventionist. Going forward it will be more of a coaching relationship. There is no scripted program that will serve these students. They need intervention that targets their specific needs and misconceptions. As such Rene and I will need to work together closely to make sure they are receiving targeted support that aligns with the math curriculum. Rene is Reading Recovery trained, and she put it best when she said what we need is Reading Recovery for math!

Today I felt there were connections with 2.1: Collaborate with other to accomplish school goals and 2.3: Work collaboratively with school staff to improve teaching and learning. I really have to remember that this teacher is wonderful, resourceful, and really on board with the intervention, but she does NOT see herself as a math teacher. Keeping the focus on issues of equity for these students should help to maintain her motivation, and I need to keep in mind that not everyone is as motivated by math instruction as a math coach.

revised schedule for intervention

The artifact is a framework for working with students which will be adapted after the most recent assessments and be used to monitor student progress.

Swanson MS Capacity Committee Meeting

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Describe: The committee, which is comprised of about 18 people, Swanson and feeder elementary school parents, some teachers, the principal and one of the assistant principals. The focus of the committee is to troubleshoot issues related to having to operate over capacity, and these issues are related primarily to the physical space.

Reflect: The meeting was very focused, not at all contentious, and finished early. All the speakers were respectful of time and stayed on topic. This was their last meeting, and they were tasked with submitting their ideas to APS planning.

Connect: Amazing how so much time and effort is driven by the configuration of the physical space. I mean, this school’s entire parking lot will be filled with trailers next school year! I had expected that the meeting would be a) open to anyone, and b) driven by volatile interactions around difficult topics, and I was wrong on both counts. The principal mentioned to me afterwards that when she initially set up the committee she was worried about how it would go with input from so many community members, but that it actually turned out to be very productive. I see a connection to the Professional Leadership Skills of ELCC Standard 4.1; clearly the principal knows how to recruit and manage people to help the committee as a whole stay focused and on topic. She facilitated the meeting but did not appear to have to manage personalities during the meeting (cutting off unproductive discussions, soothing hurt feelings, etc.) For myself, I need more experience in situations where there is a variety of stakeholders with potentially conflicting interests, which can be driven by dominant personalities. It would be helpful to attend a PTA meeting at Campbell to get a better feel for how that works at my school.

Attached are the notes from the Committee’s previous meeting.

Capacity Planning Committee Summary Draft