Setting Up Systems

Team,

We are off to a great start preparing students for transition readiness.  Throughout the building, staff are setting expectations for learning and behavior an improving timeliness, adhering to posted schedules.  Based on walkthroughs over the past week, the following trends were observed:

• Learning targets were posted in classrooms and referred to during instruction
• Students were engaged in learning activities congruent with learning targets
• Students were practicing how to rotate through learning centers and procedures for completing independent work
• Expectations were explicitly stated and followed with anchor charts to support student learning

For walkthroughs, we are using the ELEOT tool as we look to see how students are engaged in their learning.  In addition to look fors on this tool, we are looking to see... 

• Standards and learning targets are posted
• Activities are aligned to the classroom schedule
• Success criteria is posted/evident.

Ms. Camp put a copy of Learning Target and Success Criteria exemplars in your mailboxes last Thursday that provides several exemplars of how learning targets and success criteria can be posted.

Teacher Backpack of Skills

Teacher Backpack Tour allows you to view the information provided by our district academic staff to support your instructional planning.  The video is nine minutes and provides many resources to assist you with working efficiently, thus saving time.

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment

The MAP assessment window is open from August 26 - September 20.  This week, we will spend time reviewing student progress from spring MAP and discussing goals with students.  During the first day of AIS week, you received Transition Plans for students who attended King last year that are in your classroom.  Friday, you had a learning session with Athena from NWEA to discuss using MAP for planning and analyzing student performance.  This information also provided MAP data for students new to King (other than kindergarten).  

This week begins our student goal setting for growth.  We will use the Student Goal Setting Sheet (fall to winter) that is part of the MAP tools.  We will begin administering the MAP assessment beginning Wednesday, September 4th -- schedule to come.

Following the MAP assessment, student progress will be recorded to set acceleration goals (acceleration plan).  The cycle goes as follows:

• Assess current reality
• Goal setting, naming actionable steps
• MAP assessment
• Goal setting, naming actionable steps, acceleration plan
• Same cycle for Winter and Spring MAP assessment

PLCs - Tuesday -- be sure to turn in Minutes/Products by 9AM Wednesday morning

We WILL have faculty meeting this week, but will NOT September 3rd.

Faculty Meeting Agenda

Professional Learning Communities

Team,

Thank you for a safe and productive start to the 2019-20 school year.  We want to officially welcome our newest staff members:

Paula Forrest - ECE instructional assistant -- room 209
Kasey Coke-Murphy - 3rd grade teacher -- room 315
Michele Metcalfe - 5th grade teacher -- room 311
Alicia McBride - ECE primary resource teacher -- room 204

Please reach out and introduce yourself over the next couple of days if you haven't already.

This week, we begin our weekly PLC (professional learning community) meetings on Tuesday.  Tuesday was the staff voted day of the week for this work.    PLC minutes should be turned in to White by Wednesday morning @ 9AM, team leaders will ensure this is completed.  With PLC work, please be sure to take care of the following:

• Reading and math SMART goals (started during AIS week) -- Add to PLC minutes
• Reading and math groups (started these during AIS week) -- Attach list to PLC minutes
• Ensure all students are listed and updated on your class universal profile -- Note this is complete in PLC minutes
• Please look over the different ways to post learning targets and success criteria (examples will be in your mailbox)
• Update reading unit plans by end of the day Friday 

This Friday we will have the first of four visits by our NWEA Consultant, Athena Hill.  She will support our school with using our MAP data to impact student learning.  You will need to bring the following with you to room 104 during your plan time (this includes Special Area teachers -- you will be given a class report to view)

• Printed CLASS BREAKDOWN by goal report from MAP
• Log into MAP reporting site (teach.mapnwea.org)
• Click View Reports
• Click MAP Growth Reports
• Click Class Breakdown
• Fill in drop-down menu
• Select by Goal button
• Select desired subject from drop down menu
• Click Create PDF report button
• Download and print
• A lesson plan you will teach within the first few weeks of school
• A fully charged device and login/password for MAP

We will have faculty meeting Tuesday afternoon beginning at 4:00 PM in the library.  We will continue our work with compliance items and building systems of support.

Last, we will begin walkthroughs this week in all classrooms.  The following are look fors:

• Posted standards, learning targets, and success criteria (how do students know what they are learning)
• Posted schedules outside your classroom doors -- looking to see alignment with scheduled times and classroom activities
• Evidence of student engagement -- (examples include --discussion, asking and answering questions, turn and talk, actively working on assignments, direct instruction, small group instruction, working in learning centers, formative assessment, etc.)
• Student work -- what are students working on?
• Evidence of classroom expectations, use of Class Dojo -- (posted expectations, reminders, student ownership)

Have an awesome week, reach out if you have questions.

Happy First Day of School!

Good morning,

Thank you all for being part of this great mission of educating students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School.  You are in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.  We are on a trajectory for success and our north star is ensuring every student is immersed in rigorous, engaging instruction on their path to academic proficiency.

We are ALL IN for student success!  Have a productive day.

Love,

Dr. White


****Please get in the habit of checking the Daily Updates and Living Calendar.