December 2015

Our focus is on serving you!
The
A Message from Dr. Bell
Connector
December 2015
The season of giving is once again upon us. On the negative side of my world, I was
gifted with four resignation letters that take affect during this Christmas holiday. We
normally never lose people at this time of the year, but these individuals all decided it
was time to move on to their next life challenges. All in all, these four individuals have
given ESU 10 ninety-one years of quality service. Graci Gillming – 22 years as a Network Information Services and Teaching & Learning Coordinator, Gaylene Mays - 23
years as a Teaching and Learning Secretary, Susan Sandoval – 32 years as the Network
Information Services Media Information Specialist, and John Stritt – 14 years as the
Distance Learning Coordinator will all be missed on a personal and professional level.
They have all been excellent representatives for this organization and their participation
made us better. A retirement reception will be held at ESU 10 in their honor from 2-4:30
PM on Friday, December 11, 2015. Cards and letters for any and all of these individuals
can be sent to Jody Suchan at the ESU 10 address. I’m sure the retirees would appreciate
any of the wonderful thoughts you have about them and at least one – and he will remain anonymous – would always
welcome large cash donations! I would like to take this moment to extend my personal thanks to all of these individuals who have worked tirelessly “To partner with stakeholders to meet changing needs through professional expertise in
providing services, learning opportunities and support”. Seeing great people leave our employ is always sad, but now
we will be searching for new faces to meet the ever evolving challenges.
It’s not often that I highlight an individual from another ESU, but I would like to recognize the most recent accomplishment of Dr. Jeff West, Administrator of ESU 13 located in Scottsbluff. Jeff has just been elected as the President-Elect of the Association of Educational Service Agencies Executive Council. This group serves 553 service agencies in 45 states. He is the first Nebraskan to ever be elected to this position. It is quite an honor for him and Nebraska.
He will represent us in fine fashion.
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Most of the ESU 10 staff will be off for the Christmas and New Year break beginning December 23rd. We officially
come back to work on January 4th. Certain staff will be tasked with keeping all of the systems up and running during
this time. Also, this staff is a dedicated bunch and most, if not all, will be checking their messages during the holiday.
My hope is that they will enjoy their time with friends and family, but we all understand if needs pop up over this time
we will do what we can to be of service. We hope all of you can enjoy a winter hiatus as well.
I have been doing a little research since this is the time of year for resolutions. Of course I turned to one of the eminent publications of our time for information. Some of the predictions shared in the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader
Colossal Collection of “Quotable Quotes” by the Bathroom Readers’ Institute made me cautious about making my
own predictions this year. A few examples are:
• X-rays will prove to be a hoax – Lord Kelvin, physicist, 1896
• No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris – Orville Wright, 1908
• They’ve got their own groups. What are we going to give them that they don’t already have – Paul McCartney, shortly before the Beatles arrived in the United States.
• Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night – Darryl E. Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, 1946
Since these thoughts make me leery, I’ll save my predictions for the first “Connector” article in 2016.
Happy Holidays!
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
ESU 10 Workshops
December
10 Form 470 Work Day-Category 1 & 2 Services
16 Affordable Care Act Training
January
07 ESUCC COOP Training
08 Rule 52/480 NAC 3 Part C SpEd NDE/DHHS Training
11 NSSRS Workday
13 PowerSchool - Graduation Plan Set Up
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26 Academic Literacy Project Grades 4-12 Day 2
27 LAN Manager Meeting
February
09 First Steps in Verbal Behavior Training
09 MTSS Collaborative Problem Solving
10 Science Teachers Network
10 PowerSchool Scheduler - Set Up
11 Google Apps and Google Drive for Beginners
16 School Librarians
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Welcome to ESU 10
Hi, my name is Jill Eickhoff and I am the new secretary for the
Teaching and Learning Department. I have come to ESU 10 from
Kearney Public Schools where I worked in the Curriculum and Assessment office for three years and most recently was the District
Registrar for a year and a half.
I’ve been married to my husband Chad for nine years and we have a
2-year-old son, Emmet. We live on our farm west of Kearney. I enjoy
shopping for antiques and other old junk that happens to catch my
eye! I love concerts, volleyball and spending time with family and
friends. I am excited to be a part of the ESU 10 team.
Jill Eickhoff
T and L Secretary
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Keep students reading during the Holidays!
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76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Continuous School Improvement
and AQuESST
Each fall, the Teaching and Learning Department
offers continuous school improvement technical assistance days for member schools. In the month of
November, we facilitated three separate days that
include an informational session, followed by direct
consultation to school teams. Each school team worked
together to discuss the progress of the school district’s
continuous improvement efforts and plan for upcoming
training and implementation of action plan strategies.
Over the last few years, participation in the technical
assistance days has increased as more schools seek
consultation and support of their local continuous improvement process. The regional approach to technical
assistance has been successful as it has enabled school
teams to monitor progress and problem solve; engaging Teaching and Learning department members as
questions arise.
by Kelly Clapp, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
This year school improvement teams will have
another resource accessible to them, the new
AQuESTT framework, in particular the Evidence
Based Analysis their school administrators completed and submitted to NDE. This Evidence Based
Analysis is a reflective assessment tool that focuses
on the policies and practices of the school district
that align to the six tenets of AQuESTT. Due to the
fact that this framework is so new, we will spend
some time explaining it to school teams before they
begin their team work session.
The continuous school improvement technical assistance days are just one of the many strategies we
are using to build and maintain relationships with
administrators and teachers. Time spent listening
and providing support is how we invest in and serve
our schools.
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76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
AQuESTT
by Susan Evans, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
You are a part of something broader, bolder, better. That is the iconic message from the Nebraska Department of
Education to all their stakeholders. This is in reference to AQuESTT which stands for Accountability for a Quality
Education System, Today and Tomorrow. AQuESTT is a framework under the umbrella of school improvement and
accountability. Support for schools that don’t perform well is built in to this framework. There is an informative
website that has links to different resources for your perusal www.aquestt.com
On the website there is a “key messages” packet with an informational one-pager giving different stakeholder groups a
summary of AQuESTT. Following is a list of the information on the Key Messages for Policymakers:
• You have the unique opportunity to be part of a changing system that will help ensure a quality education for all
students in Nebraska.
• AQuESTT is a next generation accountability system developed by Nebraskans for Nebraska. It goes beyond
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what is required by statute, providing much more than a test-based method for measuring student achievement. It
is unlike any other state system of accountability.
AQuESTT considers the broader educational experiences and success of each student, not just performance on
mandated assessments. Student growth and improvement over time are just as important.
AQuESTT is focused on continuous improvement for schools. The system is built on six key investments: 1)
positive partnerships, relationships, and student success, 2) transitions, 3) educational opportunities and access,
4) college and career ready, 5) assessment, and 6) educator effectiveness. Success in these areas will result in better
outcomes for all students and schools.
AQuESTT classifies schools and districts into four performance levels: excellent, great, good, and needs improvement. As a result, the system can focus on students in schools most in need of assistance to improve.
To enhance AQuESTT efforts, NDE provides systems of support centered on two key areas: 1) teaching and
learning and 2) student success and access.
Three priority schools will be designated from the needs improvement classification level.
By working collaboratively and focusing on AQuESTT’s six tenets, we can help enhance the education system,
positively impact our children and schools, and create a better Nebraska. Together, we can build a broader,
bolder, and better system for all students
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As ESU personnel we look forward to great things happening as Nebraskans work together to make our schools vibrant
places of learning for all of our students.
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Using Data for Continuous School
Improvement: A Collaborative Effort
by Denise O’Brien, Teaching & Learning Director
this data tool. The afternoon session was spent
overviewing perception data and experiencing
the purpose of this data lens in the continuous
improvement process.
O
n October 26-27, 2015 school district leadership teams across Nebraska convened at
ESU 10 for a 2015 Nebraska Department
of Education School Improvement Workshop. Day
one was facilitated by NDE staff and focused on the
AQuESTT accountability system. On day two, NDE
Staff, ESU 10 Teaching and Learning Staff, and the
University of Nebraska at Kearney teamed up to provide a full day continuous school improvement data
session. Our presentation team included: Russ Masco
and Matt Heusman, NDE; UNK Professor, Dick
Meyer; and ESU 10 T&L Staff, Kelly Clapp, Susan
Evans, and Denise O’Brien.
As a member of the Nebraska Data Cadre, I have
the opportunity to continue to be a voice for Central Nebraska in the area of data literacy for educators. The Data Cadre is made up of eight ESU
consultants from seven service units, eleven NDE
representatives from eight departments, and one
representative from higher education. Our purpose
is to plan and collaboratively deliver instruction
and support in the area of data literacy to all school
districts in the state of Nebraska. The NDE School
Improvement Workshops have been the vehicle to
deliver data literacy content to school districts for
the past two years.
At ESU 10, our Teaching and Learning Staff
has become well versed in the work of Victoria
Bernhardt including her book, Data Analysis for
Continuous School Improvement. I am proud of
the work our Teaching and Learning Coordinators
are facilitating with ESU 10 school districts and
continuous improvement teams. We are dedicated to
expanding our knowledge and skills in data literacy
so we can continue to be a guide for our schools.
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The goals of the session were to:
• Review the Nebraska Data Literacies and four
types of data
• Understand the process of continuous improvement continuums for self-evaluation
• Make connections between perceptual and other
data types
• Use available resources to monitor and improve
the learning climate
Throughout the day, our facilitators worked with
individuals and school teams from across the state to
model protocols and procedures that could be replicated back in their school districts. We introduced
participants to the NDE Data Reporting System (DRS)
and school personnel had an opportunity to investigate
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org