The Need for Grit

It is a disservice to our students if we overlook how valuable and necessary it is to develop the following quality: GRIT.

Life does not always provide us exactly what we want, what we think we need, or what we believe we deserve.

(C/o Pinterest)

We need to teach students how to overcome difficulties that inevitable occur on a small, day-to-day level, as well as on the larger-scale.

We need to teach our students how to handle disappointment.

NCEES Orientation: Standard VI

Simply sharing the Prezi from my NCEES Orientation for teachers:

http://prezi.com/cpmtgmqleeyu/teacher-evaluation-orientation-2012-2013/

CS



The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith     and do not represent the school or district in which he works.

Notes from Understanding Standards VI & VIII

I recently viewed an archived W ebinar called "Understanding Standards VI & VIII", which will be incorporated in every teacher's and administrator's evaluation, respectively.  I wanted to share my notes, which I provided via Twitter:

NC will use the Educator Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) for standards 6/8.


Growth will be determined comparing "predicted scores" and student performance. (Opinion: Predicted scores will now weigh heavily)

The three Principal Rating Categories for Standard 8: Does not meet expected growth, Meets expect growth, Exceeds expect growth.


For principals, Standard 8 is called "Academic Achievement leadership".


For teachers, Standard 6 is called "Contribute to Academic Success" and has the same three rating categories. 


Standard 6 for teachers will consist 70% of teacher score & 30% of school score.


Three years of data must take place before a teacher or principal receives a "Status" for Standard 6/8.


Principals "status" will be "In Need of Improvement" if any Standard 1-7 rating is lower than proficient AND/OR Does Not Meet ExpGr.


Principals "status" will be "Effective" if Standards 1-7 rating is proficient or higher AND Meets/Exceeds Expected Growth.


Principals "status" will be "Highly Effective" if Standards 1-7 rating is accomplished or higher AND Exceeds Expected Growth.


Teachers "status" will be "In Need of Improvement" if any of Standard 1-7 is below proficient AND/OR Does Not Meets Expected Growth.


Teachers "status" will be "Effective" if Standards 1-5 is Proficient or higher AND Meets Expected Growth on Standard 6.


Teachers "status" will be "Highly Effective" if Standards 1-5 are Accomplished or higher AND Exceeds Expected Growth.


For the 2011-2012 school year, Standard Six rating for teachers in non-tested grades/subjects will be based on school-wide growth.



Hopefully these notes are helpful to all teachers and administrators in North Carolina.  There is much more information regarding Standards VI and VIII, so I strongly suggest pursuing the information available for your district.


Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue.  



CS





The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.

Informal "To Do" List to Maintain Focus as an AP

We are currently in the stretch of the school year that is typically the most challenging for administrators, teachers, and students.  This is the time when the second semester is in full-swing, spring is approaching, and consequently, spring break is typically what many are looking forward to.  It's also a challenging time for administration since discussion for next school year has begun, involving budget, staffing, resources, etc. 

Therefore, I put together a short informal "to do" list which helps me stay focused on my day-to-day activities.  If I am able to accomplish four or five of these every day, it maintains my focus and responsibility to being an instructional leader in the school.

These are in no particular order:

• Meet with a content/grade-level PLC. 

• Meet with my own administrative PLC.  Radio's off.  Door closed.  We owe it to each other.

• Pre-conference or Post-Conference with a teacher.  I like having Pre-conferences with all my teachers before Formal Observations in Feb/March, even though they are not required.  I enjoy the crucial conversations and I believe teachers appreciate the time.

• Formally Observe a teacher.  I am currently observing my BT/Probationary teachers who require a third Formal Observation, which are due by the end of March.  Being able to complete the observation-portion of the evaluation process does provide a sense of accomplishment, which results in less stress.

• Conduct Walk-Through's in an organized way (i.e., all Algebra I teachers, all World Language teachers, etc.) and provide feedback to all teachers.  Personally, I set a five-teachers per week minimum to provide WT Feedback as one of my goals this year.

• Handle needed discipline with students.  This is an automatic as an Assistant Principal.

• Touch-base with students, not necessarily as a result of discipline.  This could result from assessment data, recommendation by a teacher, or a student that has improved from first semester.  A quick, five-minute conversation can go a long way.

I attempt to not look at this as a "check list", as an administrator's schedule must always remain flexible.  Yet, this has been a great way for me to maintain my focus as an instructional leader.

Thanks for reading and follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue

CS

The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.

Biology Intervention Strategy

The Biology PLC at my school created a Strategic Intervention Plan for the material covered in the first "Benchmark", a district-wide assessment for every six-weeks of material.  The three teachers examined student data and organized their students into three groups.  Those groups, created from their common assessment data, were: "successful (level III,IV)", "low performing (level II)", and "lowest performing (level I).  Biology in an End of Course exam provided by the state of North Carolina.  Here was the summary of the three-day intervention, followed by the resulting data:

	November 16, 2011			November 17, 2011			November 18, 2011
	Teacher A	Teacher B	Teacher C	Teacher A	Teacher B	Teacher C	Teacher A	Teacher B	Teacher C
Period 1	Lowest performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio Info	Low performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio info	½ successful students do lab with Teacher C	Lowest performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info	Low performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info	½ successful students with Academic Coach  and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio	Students retake Benchmark I	Students retake benchmark I	Students view GATTACA w/ Enrichment activity
			½ successful students with Academic Coach  and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio			½ successful students do lab with Teacher C
Period 2	Lowest performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio Info	Low performing students – review 1st 4 weeks of Bio info	½ successful students do lab with Teacher C	Lowest performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info	Low performing students – review wks 5 & 6 of Bio Info	½ successful students with Academic Coach and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio	Students retake Benchmark I	Students retake Benchmark I	Students view GATTACA w/ Enrichment activity
			½ successful students with Academic Coach and tutor review 1st 6 weeks of Bio			½ successful students do lab with Teacher C
Period 4	Team teach all low performing students 1st 4 weeks of Bio info		Successful students do lab with Teacher C	Team teach all low performing students wks 5 & 6 of Bio info		Successful students review 1st 6 weeks with Teacher C	Students retake Benchmark I		Students view GATTACA w/ enrichment activity

Biology Intervention Results

Overall Growth	+425 points
Average Growth per student	+6.54 points
Level I à Level II	6 students
Level II à Level III	22 students
Positive Growth	50 students
Negative Growth	13 students
No change in growth	2 students

67 students took both benchmark 1 and the retest. Numbers in table above will be based on these 67 students. (waiting on bubble sheets from 2 students – finished in academic support class, therefore based on 65 students as of 11/18/11)

2 students took the benchmark for the first time and made a level III.

1 student took the benchmark for the first time and made a level II.

2 students took the benchmark for the first time and made a level I. Note: 1 student missed 1 of the two remediation days before the retest. 1 student missed both of the remediation days before the retest.

I just wanted to share an example of a very effective intervention initiated by my staff (which I am extremely proud of).

Thanks for reading and please follow me via Twitter @CSmithGoBlue

CS


The opinions shared in this blog belong to Craig Smith and do not represent the school or district in which he works.