September 2014 - Middleborough Public Schools
Transcription
September 2014 - Middleborough Public Schools
OFFICE OF PUPIL PERSONNEL SERVICES Middleboro Public Schools V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4 Hello Middleboro Public Schools! In this Issue: WELCOME! Where Are YOU Headed? Perfect Attendance Football Game Promoting Daily School Attendance 4 Steps to Improve Achievement of Students with Disabilities New PDP Requirements What’s Happening in PPS? Variables Associated with high school completion & postsecondary success The Kings & Queens of Attendance Family Poster Project Other Fun Ideas UNDROPPABLE Essay Contest Upcoming Events Mpnthly Attendance Challenge College Dress Up Day Career Dress Up Day I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and thank everyone in Middleboro for the incredibly warm welcome I have received. It was immediately clear to me that Middleboro is a wonderful community and the schools’ administration and the educators are committed and the district is headed for GREATNESS! I am coming to Middleboro via a seventeen year experience in the New Bedford Public Schools. From a grants facilitator to the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education & Student Services, I learned a great deal. It is my hope that I will bring new ideas to Middleboro and assist in closing the achievement gap for students with disabilities, create and expand high quality programs and instill a mindset of high expectations for EVERY student. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I understand the importance of social and emotional wellbeing for our students. Together, we will enhance the supports necessary for many of our students to come to school ready to learn because they feel safe and supported. This work is not easy because the behaviors that are often associated with our highest risk students can impact learning for all students. My team and I will support you and help you to build your ability and confidence to ensure all of your students are reaching their greatest potential. As you will see in my newsletters, daily school attendance will be a major focus! This is because if our students are frequently absent (as little as 2 days per month), they are at higher risk for falling behind their peers and not reaching academic proficiency. I know it seems unnecessary that we must focus on attendance when the district’s annual rate is 94.8%, but that means that 5% of our student population may be chronically absent and at risk for dropping out of school. This year we must all focus on improving daily attendance and keeping an eye on the students who may have obstacles to attending regularly. I am asking that every administrator, teacher, counselor, related service provider, ESP, custodian, etc. stress the importance of coming to school EVERY DAY to every student and family they encounter. It will take our collective efforts to make a difference! I am looking forward to an exciting, fun, busy and productive year! Keep your eyes open for information regarding upcoming special events, contests and challenges! Thank you all again and please let me know how I can best support you and your students! Heather D. Larkin, Ed.D., LMHC Where Are YOU Headed? The Decision is Yours! Where Are YOU Headed? Is the district’s slogan for programs which address school attendance, student ownership of their learning, graduation, and future planning. Support our students in developing strong attendance habits early and making positive decisions throughout their educational careers. I designed this initiative while writing my dissertation with the students of the Whaling City Alternative High School in the New Bedford Public Schools in 2009. The initial goal of the campaign was to educate students, parents and our community of the tremendous importance of school attendance. The students involved in this project believed very strongly that today’s youth need positive messages about the connections between attending school, graduating, and increased opportunities for a better life. These students urged educators to: Set high expectations for daily attendance, engage them, provide them with a purpose, and help them to set goals. Ask your students ‘where they are headed?’ and help them develop their plan to get there! Remind them as they leave your class that we expect and WANT them to be present each and every day! Begin the discussion about the importance of daily attendance and their education from the time they enter our school doors, and not stop until they walk across the stage and receive their diploma on graduation day. Wear your Orange & Black To cheer on the Sachems on Homecoming Day! Heather Larkin, Ed.D., LMHC Director of Pupil Personnel Services [email protected] Ext. 3588 Promoting Daily School Attendance At the heart of education is daily school attendance, a premise so widely taken for granted that it is rarely discussed. Except for here, except for now! In accordance with best practices the Middleboro Public Schools is spearheading a school attendance and graduation initiative created by Dr. Heather Larkin: Where are YOU Headed? This initiative is based on these fundamental idea: students who attend school daily, stay in school, graduate and set goals are better equipped to have a successful future! This can be done by: Engaging students Engaging the community Delivering consistent, positive messages Conducting an attendance incentive campaign Providing parent education & support Some believe that all students should want to attend school; and others believe that adolescents should understand the value of a high school education. Unfortunately, neither is always the case. Beginning to understand why students are not attending school daily is part of this initiative. Studies have found and our experience has shown there is a clear connection between poor school attendance, lack of academic achievement and dropping out of school. Each day in Middleboro there are students who are frequently absent from our classrooms and are at greater risk for dropping out of school. A number of studies have sought to determine the causes of drop out behavior, and have confirmed what we already know, the factors are complex and diverse. Educators in Middleboro are well aware of the risk factors some of our students face: poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, violence, court involvement, and low educational expectations from home. In many cases the school cannot change these dire circumstances, but we can provide positive messages, supports and experiences that will improve students’ level of engagement in school. Students who have positive relationships with their teachers feel motivated and supported. We’ve learned that if at-risk students view their teachers as caring, encouraging, and responsive; they are less likely to drop out of school. Students tell us that they know teachers care when they: Greet kids by name as they enter the classroom or pass them in the hall; Engage them in conversation; Give them helpful reminders; Provide caring direction and correction; Acknowledge improvement; Encourage their attendance. These small things can be very meaningful to some students who seldom receive such positive messages from home or the streets. Heather D. Larkin (2011) We must take every opportunity to educate our students and parents of the importance of daily school attendance. and the connection to future success. We must help instill an ownership of learning in every student and the ability and desire to set , meet and exceed personal goals! PAGE 4 4 Steps to Improve the Achievement of Students with Disabilities by John O’Connor Step 1: Focus on Instruction Decades of research has shown us that the school factor that has the greatest impact on student achievement is classroom instruction. What happens between teachers and students in our classroom has the greatest impact on how those students learn. This applies almost equally to students with and without disabilities. In fact, it is even more important for our students with disabilities. By definition, our students with disabilities are overcoming obstacles that impact their school performance. In addition, they often have gaps in their learning. Therefore, their instruction has less room for error. In order to catch them up to their non-disabled peers, we have to help students with disabilities overcome their obstacles and actually learn more in a year than their non-disabled peers. We have to fill instructional gaps while also teaching gradelevel standards. Therefore, in one school year, our students have to learn more than their non-disabled peers who enter the school year on grade level. What type of instruction should we see for our students with disabilities? They need GREAT instruction that is: Guided by the performance standards Rigorous with research-based strategies Engaging and exciting Assessed continuously to guide instruction, and Tailored through flexible groups Because of the many complexities of special education compliance, there is a constant pull for special education programs to shift their focus from improving instruction to focusing almost exclusively on compliance activities. As school leaders, we have to ensure that school personnel complete compliance activities while maintaining an unrelenting persistence to improve and implement GREAT instruction. Step 2. Focus on All Classrooms If we are going to focus on improving the instruction that is provided for students with disabilities, what classrooms should we focus on? We should focus on every classroom in the school. Across the country, more than half of all students with disabilities spend at least 80 percent of their school day in general education classes. Because of this type of inclusion for students with disabilities, there are students with disabilities in practically every classroom in public schools. In fact, it is somewhat difficult to find a general education class in which at least one of the students does not receive special-education services. If we are going to improve the performance of students with disabilities, then we have to influence all teachers in every classroom. Step 3. Develop Broad Ownership If we are going to improve the instruction that is provided in all classrooms for students with disabilities, then we must start with a broad base of leaders. Fifteen years ago, we would try to improve the instruction provided to students with disabilities by providing professional development activities exclusively to special-education personnel. That approach is simply inefficient. If we are going to improve the instruction in all classrooms in the school for students with disabilities, we must unify all leaders in the building to “make it happen.” The principal plays the most important role for a school as he/she sets the clear tone and expectations. He/she must stand in front of the staff and clearly communicate that there will be high expectations for students with disabilities and effective instruction to help students meet those expectations. Step 4. Spread the Benefits of GREAT Instruction Some individuals may question the viability of spending so much effort on improving the instruction for students with disabilities when they make up a relatively small portion of their school’s population. The improved instructional strategies, if implemented well, will actually impact the performance of students who do not have disabilities. All teachers realize that they have many students without disability labels who function almost identically to their disabled peers. Because of the complexities of the disability identification process, some students barely miss qualifying under a disability category, but still need intensive instruction. These students and many others will benefit when GREAT instruction is implemented in every class. Students who have traditionally underachieved but do not qualify under special education provisions will demonstrate higher achievement. By implementing these four steps, you will see an increase in the performance of students with disabilities and other students who struggle in school. John O’Connor is the executive director for special services with the DeKalb County School System in Atlanta, Ga. His book Students with Disabilities Can Meet Accountability Standards: A Roadmap for School Leaders provides a road map for radically improving the achievement of students with disabilities. Provisions applicable to educator licenses renewed on or after July 1, 2016: (1) Professional development activities shall be identified by the educator and supervisor during the development of, and review of, the Individual Professional Development Plan in order to better support student achievement. Individual professional development plans must include at least 150 PDPs including: Professional Development November 4th Nichols Middle School Understanding Disabilities Beyond the Label (a) At least 15 PDPs related to SEI or English as a Second Language. (b) At least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles. (c) At least 90 PDPs in the content area of the license or in pedagogy, with no less than 60 PDPs in or related to the content area of the educator's Dr. Deborah Harris primary license. Learn more about… For students identified with a disability on the autism spectrum, the IEP Team MUST consider and specifically address the skills and proficiencies needed to avoid and respond to bullying, harassment or teasing. Understanding the brain in relation to disabilities and learning Instructional Strategies vs. Accommodations Integrating strategies in the context of general education classroom How teachers can ensure learners interpret, understand, remember and communicate what they have learned What is Happening in PPS? In each newsletter you will read about exciting programs, student highlights and special stories happening in the Middleboro Public Schools. Our SPED Facilitators will provide you with helpful tips, professional development opportunities and much more! We feel it is very importance to communicate and share information across the district so all staff are knowledgeable about the services and programs we offer. Please let us know if there is a special topic you would like covered AND if you would like your program, class or a specific student highlighted. Melissa Deutschmann Early Childhood-774-766-6491 Jennifer CastanhinhaElementary-Ext. 4312 Kim Redlon- ASD & Special Programs– Ext. 3549 Carolyn Lyons-Secondary-Ext.3577 Variables Affec ng High School Comple on and Post‐Secondary Achievement by School Level—Hanover Research– June 2014 Level Indicators, Predictors and Other Factors Elementary Reading by the third grade, Absenteeism, Teacher ra ngs of a en on span and classroom par cipa on, Social skills, Social competence Absenteeism, Remaining at the same school, Few Behavior infrac ons in grade 6, Passing ELA and mathema cs courses and mee ng benchmarks on state exams, Passing Algebra I in grade 8 Absenteeism, No more than one failure in 9th grade, GPA over 3.0, Passing scores on AP exams, Dual enrollment, Passing state exams, FAFSA comple on, Benchmarks on college preparatory exams, Par cipa on in college readiness programs, Few school transfers Middle High School The Kings & Queens of Attendance! I will be visiting the classrooms with the highest overall attendance for the month of November to crown the teacher and each student. Every student will decorate their own crown with special jewels I will bring with me and we will march through the school in our royal attire proclaiming our victory of greatness in being named the Kings and Queens of Attendance at the MEC, HBB and MKG schools. Look for announcements of this prestigious contest coming to your school soon! Who knows who will be part of the fun …. WHERE ARE YOU HEADED? FAMILY POSTER PROJECT Research shows that when parents and guardians have high expectations for their children to attend school, graduate and attend college, students perform better in school. We must maintain these expectations and never lose an opportunity to motivate Middleboro’s youth to reach for the stars! Let’s engage our families to engage in a meaningful dialog with their children about the importance of attending school and knowing “Where they are Headed” in the future by sponsoring a family poster project. Do a classroom Door Decorating Project to show everyone Where Their Class is Headed? Decorate bulletin boards with student quotes about “Where they are Headed!” Graph your classroom’s attendance each week and develop math problems associated with the data Develop warm-up writing exercises that help your students think about their future and set personal goals for themselves for the years… 5 years ...for college … and beyond… Hold a College & Career Fair—Have your students research the career of their choice and determine what colleges/universities have that major and what they need to do to reach that goal! UNDROPPABLE ESSAY CONTEST COMING SOON! What does it mean to be “Undroppable”? high school diploma is only the beginning to a successful life. Visit www.undroppable.com and view videos of high school students from across the country who are overcoming incredible odds to graduate from high school. Why? Because they understand that a Do your students have a compelling personal story to tell? If so, have them start planning their essay so they can convince the judges they are truly UNDROPPABLE! Students will be asked to identify a MHS staff person to support them in this upcoming essay contest. The staff will assist them in making sure they have created a compelling and well written essay because it may be highlighted in an upcoming issue, the local newspaper or on the Undroppable website. I would love to hear what you are doing in your classrooms and schools to help Improve attendance and improve educational outcomes for at-risk students and students with disabilities. Please invite me to events, send me pictures, student quotes and work samples. What would you like to see or read about in the next issue? Let me know! Dr. Heather Larkin [email protected] Upcoming Events SPED Parent Advisory Council meeting dates will be announced soon! 9/26– Elementary Career Dress-Up Day 10/10– Kings & Queens of Attendance Day @ HBB (9:30) 10/11– Perfect Attendance Football Game 11/25– College Gear Dress-Up Day 11/5– Kings & Queens of Attendance @ MECC (9:30) 11/7– Kings & Queen of Attendance @ MKG (9:30) “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.” John Dewey Monthly Attendance Challenge Each month a traveling banner will be proudly displayed in the elementary school, middle school cluster and high school grade with the highest attendance percentage. What schools and clusters will be September’s Winners???