Date: 2-5-14
To: Michael Green From: Asha Riley Re: Director of Learning Report
Upcoming NEW Smarter Balanced Assessments: As we work to align our instruction to the Common Core Standards we will also need to shift our assessments to accurately measure these standards. The tool provided by our state is referred to as the Smarter Balanced Assessment and will replace other state measures next spring. To be prepared we are piloting this assessment in grades 7, 8, and 11. I have met with John, Cari, and Steve to prepare for testing. The high school has schedule and will communicate testing will take place on the same days as HSPE testing. Only our 11thgraders will test, no results will be received, and the test will have NO impact on their graduation. It is simply a pilot. Cari’s building is also participating and has set dates for later this spring and communicated them with the families. For further information regarding this pilot the letter used to communicate with the parents is attached.
Common Core and the Community: Based on the input of the board I have organized a common core community meeting to take place on March 10th at 7pm in the High School Commons. You also may have noticed an update to our Teaching and Learning web page. I have included a section that addresses common core news coverage, there is a range of articles and tools to help parents weigh the pros and cons, clarify the myths and facts, and read/listen to the dialogue that is occurring in the public on the topic. I have been encouraging friends, families, and colleagues to visit the site as resource for their questions.
Teacher Evaluation: Having reached a mid-point in this school year we have begun to look ahead and prepare for our next group of teachers joining the revised evaluation model. This month the principals are sitting down with teacher volunteers to invite them to participate in the new evaluation next year. We will host an informational meeting for the new participants on March 10th at 3:30.
Digital Learning: Research is growing on the topic of digital learning. As many schools and districts have implemented digital learning initiatives there are many lessons to learn. I am pleased we are moving in the direction of increasing digital learning opportunities for our students, and we are doing so at strategic pace. Technology can increase our effectiveness and efficiency if we are thoughtful about how we use it to achieve student learning. To that end John, Steve, and I are participating in another MOOC ED course regarding digital learning. As a team we hope to more clearly understand the potential of digital learning in our classrooms, implement some of our learnings in a handful of high school classes, set future goals for our schools, and develop a plan for implementing our digital learning goals. I have included the course outline for your reference.