teacher's advisory council

Teacher’sAdvisoryCouncil

OCTOBER 15, 2014 4:00 p.m.

DeLand Board Room

MINUTES Mr. Tom Russell, Area Superintendent, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. The following members were present: Annette Ailes Natasha Flassig Lyn Koplas Wayne Sampson Barbara Bailey Monica Fordham Lisa Lanier Susan Sappington Susie Baldwin Marsha Gering Katherine Lassally Jennifer Scorza Donah Bartleson Ella Godbee Susie LeFils Sarah Sieg Kristi Bloom Tracy Goddard Nita Manis Betty Smith Christina Boivin Amanda Guidry Laurel Moehring Rosemary Stemberger-LaRussa

Lynn Boyles Ed Hencinski Theresa Morrison Michelle Stull Taylor Buck Marge Henderson Antwanette Neal Silvia Torres Alan Canetti Laurie Hess Keith Occimio Andrea Turcotte Omar Cardona Sue Hofstrand Patty Ostermann Holly Ward Sabrina Conroy Kimberly Howell-Martin Jodi Palmer Linda Weeks Kathi Delp Tonya Huey Eden Rhynehart Janice Weiner Mary Dipadova-Garcia Gabriele Hughes Robyn Richards Donna Wilkes Julian Doster Deborah J. Johnson Karen Richter Wendy Wilson Danielle Earnest Deborah R. Johnson Kim Ridenour Antonette Wilson-Smith Michael Feely Jaime Kaminski Rebecca Sampson Sarah Wright Tracy Fisher Laura Kieselbach Stacy Sampson Dr. Don Boulware, Executive Director of Technology Services and Jessica Levene, Coordinator, made a Power Point presentation to address some of the questions submitted.

See Attached PowerPoint


Ms. Barbara Head, Director K-12 Curriculum and SIP Services; along with Dr. Katie Dyer, Coordinator and Lyndi Goepfert, Coordinator made a Power Point presentation to address some of the questions submitted.

The following questions were submitted prior to the meeting and discussed/reviewed by Technology Services and K-12 Curriculum/SIP Services: Technology Services Questions: Eduphoria – no bubble, no scanning, no data flowed over. Pushed in software not working – We have a support plan in place with VIMS team that teachers can follow to receive timely (and specific) support for various issues, including bubbling and scanning, data, etc. I believe each school has a VIMS Facilitator who can assist with these issues. For “pushed in software not working” a service ticket should be submitted with the computer(s) impacted and we can address. These are priority tickets when they come in so as long as tickets are submitted with details, we can address. Vportal is not functioning all the time. The Systems team worked with the vendor to resolve some of the outages experienced in VPortal during the beginning of the year. If these issues are still experienced, please contact Help Desk and/or submit tickets so that we can address again. Chrome does not always work. With more information, we can investigate. Was Chrome not loaded on the computer or it does not work with specific applications? We would need more information to address. Countless other issues by other teachers. Any fixes from the county and a timeframe before they are up and running? We need more information to address. Eduphoria! is being implemented by VIMS, and VPortal and Office 365 are functioning and being implemented, so with more detailed information about specific issues/questions, we can address and provide timelines. When will eduphoria and the scan component be up and working for all teachers? This is a VIMS question, but Technology Services continues to address new tickets related to scanning/printing to enable teachers the ability to scan at both centralized scan stations and any classroom/shared printers they have. From the technical scanning side, this is addressed and can continue to be addressed with tickets, but as for which grade levels are scanning, etc. this is VIMS/Program Accountability department. See below:

See Attached PowerPoint


Response from the VIMS Department: The eduphoria! aware system has been initially configured and the analysis of ongoing assessment data shows that thousands of assessments have been taken by students and scanned by staff. As with all systems, there is a process to manage issues that arise and equipment that needs to be configured for changing needs. The changes needed for individual needs for scanning are being handled through the Helpdesk ticketing process and system issues through the eduphoria! contact at the school. A survey of needs was recently conducted to focus professional development opportunities for schools, subject-areas and individuals that need additional support. This support will be on-going. Is the Tech Department going to sync all programs to one browser instead of 3 separate places? Technology Services uses IE for in-house applications; however, applications from third-party vendors have specific browser recommendations and compatibilities from the vendors. Technology Services has made Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox available on all computers to accommodate the variety of needs for the variety of applications used throughout the entire district. Response from the K-12 Curriculum Department: Eduphoria bubble sheets, scanning, and data analysis are working. Be sure to use the correct software (NOT THE ONE MARKED “TWAIN”) for scanning. Using different browsers for various software is not something the district staff can control. Vendors build their platforms and nuances and the programming make them more compatible in some browsers than others. In addition, companies like Microsoft and Google update their browsers as they see fit which impacts our programs. Internally, there is not much we can do to control either of these causes. Many other school districts are at the mercy of such technological updates. Answers: See embedded above. Question: I don’t know if this is appropriate, but if you can emphasize the serious need for working student computers in our classrooms. There are so many good plans that go awry. Answer: Due to declines in capital budget, we have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles, which include the previous 3 computers per classroom allocation. It is our hope that with the passing of the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017. Questions: Teachers would like to know WHY the district continues to buy and distribute new computer programs when the old ones cannot be successfully accessed or used by teachers. Hours have been spent on Pearson EnVision math registration page and teachers cannot create a class. Endless hours are wasted trying to use computer programs, and then when we do learn how to use them, a new one is purchased. It also took a long time to find someone to explain how to update student Science Fusion accounts on Think Central. Today, I was given an 800 phone number for Pearson by the K-5 Curriculum office because they can’t help me set up a class list on the EnVision math web site. There is a glitch in the program that continues to tell me the students ID or User Name is already in use. We need the district office to figure out how to INTRODUCE FEWER COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND SUCCESSFULLY TRAIN TEACHERS ON THE ONES THAT ARE IN USE. There are way too many programs and most of them are not being used to their potential or are simply NOT accessed. Answers: This would be a question to address in collaboration with Instructional Services regarding the acquisition of Instructional Materials. It is important to note that, while Technology Services can ensure data loads are completed, the maintenance and “uptime” of these sites is determined by the vendor. If their site is down, it is likely a vendor-specific issue that can only be resolved by the vendor since it is their site/servers.


Response from the K-12 Curriculum Department: There are many different programs because different vendors are selected during adoption times. Each curriculum department provides support/PD for how to use the digital textbook/platform. Often times, the sites are down (vendor-side) and/or the issue is something that requires the vendor’s support line. Curriculum specialists have asked (with some digital resources) to have the teachers directly contact the vendor for the support, as this is usually part of the adoption process/agreement. During a textbook adoption meeting this week for math, one of the areas that teachers were asking about from the vendors was their help desk/support (vendor’s). Pearson enVisionMATH Pearson enVisionMATH continues to be a resource available for teachers and students. You will find the registration information attached. Pearson enVisionMATH offers 24-hour assistance if access issues continue to persist (1-800-234-5832). See Attachment HMH Science Fusion ThinkCentral The start of the school year for HMH Science Fusion ThinkCentral posed challenges that Volusia County has not experienced in the past. Resolution was achieved when new teacher passwords containing a capital letter, number, and special character were assigned to teacher accounts (Pa$5word). The Science Department prepared the ThinkCentral User’s Guide to be shared with teachers through the Area Superintendent’s Message but was directed to only share the access information designed by Technology Services. You will find the ThinkCentral User’s Guide attached for teacher convenience. Hope this provides necessary support. See Attachment Question: Why hasn’t an update of Internet Explorer been pushed through to teacher computers yet? The version of IE8 we are using is no longer supported / functional for many sites. Answer: Technology Services has been testing IE 10 and IE 11 to ensure it will work with in-house applications. An update to workstations that have Windows 7 is in progress and should be released very soon. Chrome and Firefox have been loaded on all district computers to provide convenient and alternative access to applications that would need IE 11. Questions: Why are there always problems with roll outs of technology? Why are the kinks not worked out long before a teacher is asked to implement the use of the technology? It is often weeks into the first nine weeks before the kinks are worked out of technology changes. This is especially disturbing when it involves student accounts for textbooks and technology usage. Also, does the district realize how difficult it is to have so many changes every year? Answers: With more information about which specific technologies are being referenced, we can address. For the eduphoria! rollout, Technology Services met with VIMS team during the summer to conduct a full needs analysis. Based on this planning, we were able to proactively address the influx of tickets from the beginning of the school year by contracting with consultants to address printing/scanning tickets to ensure a smooth start. This allowed for significantly quicker response times for the printing/scanning tickets and the successful rollout of eduphoria! For the CTE Middle School STEM rollout, we were able to successfully deploy 315 computers. For the high school credit retrieval refresh, we were able to install and update the


Compass/Odyssey labs so they were ready for the start of school. Unfortunately, some of our textbook vendors were unable to fulfill our data loads in an ideal time frame. Technology Services does not have full control over all phases in the data load process because certain phases in the process are dependent on the vendor and therefore, we are restricted due to vendors’ capability to provide services within ideal timeframes. Technology is always changing and Technology Services is dedicated to actively researching and developing solutions to the ever-changing nature of technology. Questions: My concern is that without warning MIS has made it impossible for schools to get the technology repairs that we are requesting. They no longer support the Audio Enhancement and now they are not providing new computers for new classroom units. We work with hardware that is both within and out of warranty via service tickets. If there is outdated equipment that is unable to be repaired (usually due to the age of the equipment) then principals are notified so that Technology Services can work with school-based administrators on the schools’ needs. Principals have the option to move working equipment in their schools. There are a variety of models of Audio Enhancement and we can provide service via tickets and communicate with users and principals if/when a piece of hardware is beyond standard repair. Due to declines in capital budget, we have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles, which include the previous 3 computers per classroom allocation. It is our hope that with the passing of the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017. They are not replacing mice for the laptops and I have one teacher who has been without the Bobcat news because they don’t have any combo tuners to pull in the signal. We are able to replace mice. If there are specific concerns about a request where a mouse request was not fulfilled, please provide the ticket number so we may investigate and address. The DVD/Tuners are older technology that is unable to be purchased any longer from vendors; therefore, we are working to transition each high school from analog to digital so they can stream their news through Safari Montage. This will allow Technology Services to recoup the DVD/Tuners from high school classrooms to redistribute/replace the units that are breaking beyond repair in the elementary schools. We hope to have another batch of DVD/Tuners collected and available for redistribution near the end of November. Why are we not told what they are not going to support anymore? In order to maintain clear and consistent communication, responses to service tickets are sent through our Help Desk system. These email communications contain the information about the technologies and the level of support provided, particularly within the context of request in the specific service ticket. I realize that they are going in a different direction, however there are no funds available to support the equipment and technology that we have and we have kind of been left in the lurch. Answers: See embedded above. Question: At the start of each school year, technology services process hundreds of service requests. I know of some teachers who submitted service requests during preplanning for problems with their classroom computers and teacher laptops now going into the fifth week without any resolve yet. This slows the momentum at the beginning of each school year. Will the district please consider an action plan to take over the summer in order to have us near 100% working the first week of school? Answer: Technology Services works diligently throughout the summer to complete refreshes and maintenance of labs, classroom computers, etc. There are a number of factors that impact the departments’ ability to complete all work on computers during the summer, including: 1) floor cleaning schedule (which requires us to


disconnect and connect all computers), 2) summer school tickets (we must address these tickets in a timely manner, as classes are going on throughout the entire summer), 3) teacher laptops and teachers are not on-site during the summer so we are unable to fulfil tickets that require work on teacher laptops. For the past two years, we have contracted with consultants so that we have seasonal assistance to manage the influx of tickets. If there are ever concerns about tickets, teachers are encouraged to work with administrators who can then work with the manager of User Support to address concerns/tickets. Question: My class depends on the computers and printer. I have had a request in for both for weeks and it says it was assigned but no one has ever come out. I have to start rotations by Monday the latest and the kids have to scream in the microphones and only 4 of the computers even work. What are they considering a priority? Answer: If ticket numbers are provided, we can investigate. Tickets are categorized based on a number of factors, including the scope/impact to curriculum delivery and a users’ ability to fulfill their job responsibilities.

Questions: When will faculty/staff laptops be updated? Will it be possible to get Mac Books? Answers: Due to declines in capital budget, we have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles. Most recently (2013-14), all teachers with Gateway tablet laptops were refreshed with new Lenovo laptops with Windows 7.

Question: How far away are we from having an electronic device available for each student? With the increases in rigor as well as the new testing on computers, we need to have our kids comfortable with the technology. Although one I-Pad cart per grade level is a good start, it doesn’t solve the problem entirely. Answer: Due to declines in capital budget, we have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles, which include the previous 3 computers per classroom allocation. It is our hope that with the passing of the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017. Question: What is the technology adoption schedule for Ipads, computers, etc. (should the tax be re-approved)? Answer: It is our hope that with the passing of the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017. District departments collaborate with a variety of stakeholders, including the Half Cent Sales Tax committee and the Digital Classroom Plan committee. Question: When will Chromebooks become a part of the technology offerings for students since they are efficient and inexpensive? Answer: Technology Services has a successful implementation for Chromebooks in the Facilities department and is currently working with schools who have their own funds to expand the implementation. We are in the testing phase to see how deployment can be developed and scaled to other schools and hope to provide these as an approved hardware during the 14-15 school year. Schools that are interested in purchasing Chromebooks should contact Jessica Levene. Question: What are the current issues facing Technology Services and how can teachers be a part of the solution? Answer: The primary issue is related to years of declining capital budgets. We will need teacher and school input as we plan for using dollars from the half-cent extension. In addition, submitting service requests with accurate information can help us meet the needs of all of our users.


Question: Just wondering if you could ask when our laptops will be upgraded? Answer: Most recently (2013-14), all teachers with Gateway tablet laptops were refreshed with new Lenovo laptops with Windows 7. Questions: Why do we need a work order to push windows update? If everyone needs it, shouldn’t it be done automatically for everyone? Answers: Service tickets are not necessary for scheduled Windows updates as long as teachers are following the standard procedure of leaving their laptops plugged into the network and logged off on Wednesday evenings. Any software that is needed on a large number of computers is pushed automatically.

Question: I have concerns over VPortal and the things that don’t work as promised, limited number of computers in Blended Learning classrooms, and just limited number of computers for all classrooms. If it is being recommended that we use certain programs/websites why isn’t the county providing them? Answer: With more information, we can address specific concerns regarding VPortal. Due to declines in capital budget, we have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles, which include the previous 3 computers per classroom allocation. It is our hope that with the passing of the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017. K-12 Curriculum & School Improvement Services Question: Why were teachers not told that they have to come up with own formative and summative before the school year started? Answer: Dr. Smith made the decision to reduce the number of assessments within the elementary assessment program based on feedback from concerned teachers, staff, and the VCS community including parents and other stakeholders following the close of the school year. The feedback from schools and teachers indicated that teachers wanted the ability to develop assessments that correlated with their instructional planning. The elementary instructional services team was tasked with reducing the assessments and building a new assessment plan that would continue to serve our schools and students. This was completed as quickly as possible and was shared with schools as soon as it was finalized. Question: Is the county going to create Formatives and more Summatives or is this falling in the teachers’ laps? It takes HOURS to plan math. Answer: In response to concerns expressed by teachers and VTO leadership, the district will not be creating additional formative or summative assessments. The district will continue to address the concerns of classroom teachers regarding assessments and appreciates their perspectives. The release of the ELA formative assessments was in response to teacher concerns regarding discontinuation of the FAIR assessment and a need for comprehension data. The district elementary instructional services staff will continue to support teachers and schools as they develop school based assessments. We look forward to the state test item banks availability through eduphoria which will support teachers in developing assessments. Questions: I understand the county is trying to do less testing this year and VTO had a part in it, but we, the teachers, now have more work than ever since they took all of the reading formative assessments away. Where does the county want us to pull reading comprehension assessments from? Is there supposed to be consistency among the teachers around the county? If so, what exactly are we to use? Answers: See response above for formative


assessments. The consistency among the teachers around the county is embedded in teaching the standards to the rigor required by them. Questions: Why is the burden of creating summative assessments now placed on teachers? AND if teachers are creating summative assessments – how is there to be equitable rigor to these assessments across schools? Answers: See response above. Question: How do you explain the way the curriculum maps are designed? I know a lot of time and effort went into creating them, but there is not enough time in the day to plan those lessons and search all of those resources, especially with as scattered as the curriculum has become. Now we are each expected to create our own formatives and summatives as well… it’s extremely overwhelming with figuring out new standards, a new state assessment that we know NOTHING about and don’t have much in the way of prep materials, and a newly designed curriculum where we have huge gaps in student knowledge but high expectations with a new assessment. Answer: The curriculum maps contain the standards and suggested resources. The responsibility of lesson planning has been and should continue to be that of the classroom teacher as it requires planning according to the needs of the individual students in the class. Regarding the new state assessment, as information is provided by the state it is being communicated to the teachers. The lack of timely information from the state is a frustration to all educators. Question: We were told that the VMT and VLT assessments will be available at copy center the week before the assessment window opens. This will require us to change the date when ordering copies and therefore lose the discount that is available when the default date is used. Can these be made available earlier so that we can receive that discount for this large number of copies? Answer: Instructional Services will be working with the copy center management to see what can be done regarding the pricing structure for the VMT and VLT assessments. Question: When are teachers supposed to find the time to make all these tests? (Please don’t tell me to go to CPALMS). Answers: Elementary Grading Guidelines state:

“Best practice indicates a minimum of 2-3 Summative Assessments should be given each quarter for each subject. Summative assessments can take many forms and do not have to be paper/pencil tests. o An exception may be made for Special Area teachers who see students less

frequently. In these cases, one formative prior to midterm and one summative at the end of the quarter are the minimum requirements per grading period.

o A major project may be broken into multiple components as long as they are assessed independently of one another and able to be remediated individually as needed.”

The Secondary Grading Guidelines state: o “No single summative assessment may be worth more than 20% of a student’s

grade (there must be a minimum of 3 summative assessments per grading period).”

The grading guidelines are an explanation of best practices that communicate fair and consistent expectations for students and teachers. The district will continue to address the concerns of classroom teachers regarding assessments and appreciates their perspectives.


Question: Why did they remove the phonics bi-weekly tests for ELL from the DOD? Answer: They do not match the scope and sequence of SIPPS. Within the SIPPS program there are mastery tests at regular intervals to provide assessment data and verify instruction. We do not recommend that these be used as grades because they provide ongoing progress monitoring data and help with instructional decision making. Questions: We saw on DOD a list of the High Frequency Words tied to SIPPS instructional levels. We are, of course, using these words as part of our instruction for students at various levels. Should we also be instructing the High Frequency Words from the MacMillan series? We are NOT using the phonics instruction from that series, but wondered about the High Frequency words. Which (SIPPS or MacMillan) will be used for determining data on Preponderance forms for placement at the end of the year? Answers: We recommend that explicit instruction of sight words be done using the SIPPS words. However, it would be typical for teachers to help students develop additional vocabulary and sight word knowledge generated across all text. Question: Is there a Cursive curriculum? Answer: On the Reading, Writing, Language Arts Elementary intranet site, there is a free handwriting resource that teachers can utilize. It includes handwriting and cursive writing. The handwriting standards are referenced in the curriculum maps appropriate for each grade level. Question: Will the new tests (FSA ELA, Math) count towards our school grade and our evaluation for the first year, or will they be normed? Answer: Due to state statute the new FSA assessments will count towards both school grade and VAM. There is a considerable effort by the Superintendent’s association to get this changed and delay the application of these scores for three years. However, at this time it is a statutory requirement. Question: My major curriculum concern at this time is SIPPS. It would be a resource for differentiating instruction, but we are being forced to use it with all of our students instead of the way it is intended to be used. This is setting up our children to fail. The program's validity is also in question. We as teachers need to do what is best for our students and this isn't it. Answer: SIPPS is intended for all students K-3. The placement test places students at the instructional point of need. This allows teachers to provide small group initial instruction for the specific foundational skills each child needs. On page one of the teachers manual it clearly states that SIPPS is a developmental reading program for foundational skills in K-3. SIPPS is an intervention for 4th – 12th grade. Question: The math curriculum maps seem entirely out of order. At the end of K we want our children to be able to count to 30 (written). The first topic of 1st grade this year is numbers to 120 among other things. This seems more aligned with place value later in the year. Some of our students can orally count to 120, but they do not yet have a true understanding of “quantity”. Map seems developmentally inappropriate. Shouldn’t we be working on building to 120? Answer: As referenced in the Camtasia available at the Elementary Mathematics Intranet and http://youtube.com/ , the focus of your lesson and assessment is the learning target (the bullets listed below the standard). You are correct; MAFS.CC.1.1 is developed throughout the school year. In unit 1 the learning targets unpack MAFS.CC.1.1 to 10, in unit 2 the expectation is “count to 20”, in unit 3 “count to 100”.


Question: High school needs another 4th year high school math level. Math for college Readiness (which was not originally supposed to have level one students) was originally to have been pushing students higher than Algebra 1. The official textbook is Intermediate Algebra. It is now being used as a dumping ground for any student who needs a 4th year of math. Many of these students (seniors) have still not passed Algebra 1 EOC. Answer: We also have “Advanced Algebra with Finance Applications” as an option. (This is the last year for this course and next year we will offer Liberal Arts 2 in its place). Why students who have not passed the Algebra 1 EOC exam are being scheduled in to MCR is a guidance issue. These students could be in a Liberal Arts 1 in order to receive a 4th math credit and review for the EOC at the same time. Question: Not sure if this goes with the topics, but can the class size for co-taught be discussed? We thought it was 25 students per teacher, but the general education teachers are having 27-30 on THEIR lists, which I thought was not in compliance. It’s becoming a dumping ground for many of the co-taught classroom teacher’s I’ve talked too. Answer: As long as the total number of students does not exceed 50, there are no set rules on the number of students per teacher. It is recommended that there would be more general education students than students with disabilities. Question: The curriculum is too mandated. How can we allow for divergence in learning and student choice when we are told exactly which stories and poems and pages we are required to teach and exactly what formative and summative assessments must be given? Such contradictory philosophies are difficult to take when both are being hurled at us. Answer: The new curriculum maps were designed by teachers to ensure that students are being instructed to meet the rigor of the new LAFS. The selected readings and activities are scaffolded to ensure students are prepared for the end-of-unit performance tasks and Volusia Literacy Tests. The maps reflect the minimum requirements, and teachers have the flexibility to differentiate the curriculum to meet their students’ needs. As we go through this year, we will gather suggestions from teachers in order to make adjustments to the maps in the future. Question: The new ELA arts curriculum takes away all choice from the teachers, rendering them unnecessary. The textbook has many flaws, as does the curriculum map, and it certainly will not prepare honors students for AP classes (pre-IB as well). The teaching of literature—poetry, etc.—is no longer a priority. English literature teachers are teaching public service announcements, science writing, etc. Several of the informational pieces in the new textbook from other disciplines outside English literature actually have grammatical errors. Not enough time for planning was given, and the curriculum maps are too crowded to do good instruction or use GRM practices. Answer: Although historically, English language arts teachers have focused on literary pieces, the new LAFS require teachers to include informational texts. This is an instructional shift that will require teachers to adjust their approach to include many different types of texts: political cartoons, info-graphics, blogs, along with literary texts. Some quarters of the maps have a heavier emphasis on informational texts when the VLT is informational writing. Other quarters have a more balanced literary/informational focus. The maps reflect the minimum requirements, and teachers have the flexibility to differentiate the curriculum to meet their students’ needs. As we go through this year, we will gather suggestions from teachers in order to make adjustments to the maps in the future.


Question: Can the Elementary updates be posted on line so teachers have immediate access to them? Answer: The elementary updates are posted on the Elementary Curriculum website on the Welcome tab. Question: Is there an alternative school for students who are reading below level? Answer: No. Question: The middle school curriculum map for Reading requires a computer based project at the end of each grading period. This is a challenge every nine weeks because we don’t have enough working computers to accommodate the students. What is being done to provide more computers to schools as the rigorous curriculum across all content areas requires more technology based projects? Answer: Although capital budget decreases have stopped refresh cycles, we are looking ahead to 2017 with half-cent extension dollars to assist with these needs. In the meantime, and with limited funds, we have been maintaining existing computing devices and technical programs. Question: Is there any word from the state as to what the curriculum will look like for students who would normally be considered for a special diploma but are not on Access point curriculum? Will those students be integrated into mainstream, general education classes with modifications made to the curriculum? Answer: As of July 1, the special diploma law (s. 1003.438, F.S.) has been repealed. Only current 10-12th grade students and repeating 9th graders who have already elected a special diploma may continue to pursue a special diploma option. The state and district have aligned course requirements to meet this new legislation.

Students should be instructed using curricula identified by the district to align with courses in which they are enrolled. If a student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), he or she should receive the services and accommodations identified in the IEP. IEP teams will determine the extent of the student’s participation in the general education setting. Question: We are very thankful for seeing a reduction in the amount of required testing from the district; however we now have to create many of our own summative exams so that we can evaluate each standard and provide a fair grade in the gradebook. Is it possible for the district to have summative assessments available to us on DOD but not make them required? This would help us out greatly! Answer: There are many ways to evaluate student progress to provide a fair grade in the grade book. We encourage teachers individually or in school based PLC conversation to review the suggestions in each content area curriculum map for the variety of ways to assess students mastery of the standards. The district will not be providing additional assessments. Questions: Would you please remind us of the textbook adoption schedule? Perhaps the schedule can be disseminated through Department Chairs? Answers: The Official Adoption Schedule has not been released. IF we were following the old adoption schedule it would be time for Science in 2015-2016. They usually try to build the schedule to coincide with development of assessments. In 2014 - 2015, we are currently doing 6-12 Math, ESOL, World Languages, CTE Agriculture and Personal Fitness in Physical Education. These courses are what the DOE called for publishers to submit bids. Most of these adoption committees will complete their work of recommending the publishers programs by Thanksgiving.


Questions: What are the current issues facing the Curriculum and School Improvement Services department? How can teachers be a part of the solution? Answers: Thank you for asking. The work of Instructional Services is complex. VCS will undergo the District Accreditation process this year conducted by AdvancEd (formerly referred to as SACS Accreditation). Teacher leaders wishing to contribute to this important process are encouraged to work with their school administration as they would on the development of the School Improvement Plan. At the present time district committees are established for K-2 grade reporting, state mandated digital literacy curriculum, and five textbook adoptions. We always want teachers to be part of the solution for the issues we face. We regularly ask teachers for their professional opinions and depend upon their input to develop curriculum and professional development. Currently, we are completing district-developed EOCs and will be asking teachers to assist in writing and vetting these exams. We are currently seeking volunteers to serve as EOC Item Reviewers; these efforts will begin in February or March. If you are interested, please notify your department chair and curriculum specialist. Additionally, staff is working directly with schools on professional development needs identified in School Improvement Plans. The Office of Professional Development and Support are sponsoring quarterly events, C2N2, for the purpose of involving teacher leaders. Teachers wishing to be part of the solution to topics such as classroom assessments, professional development opportunities, access to technology resources and curriculum map writing, should attend and engage in all school and district PD's and then share new knowledge and practices with their colleagues. Be a teacher leader and volunteer to lead your team in effective use of PLC times for the purpose of collaboration. Question: The 6th grade middle school DIAS contains 8th grade questions. How fair is that to our sixth grade students when they are receiving a summative grade for curriculum they may or may not have been exposed to as of yet? Answer: To best answer this question, a specific example is preferred; however, we will offer general comments. The 6th grade DIAs are created using the 6th grade standards. There is a lot of overlap from 6th-8th in Nature of Science, so the same questions would meet both standards. In addition, if something was taught in grades 3-5, it is considered fair game in middle school by the state of Florida for testing on FCAT. All questions on the DIAs were selected and edited by 6th, 7th and 8th grade teachers. Our assessments are created for teachers by teachers. The pacing of all assessments is decided by teachers who are on curriculum mapping teams. Question: As we enter the season of Science Fair projects, there is a need for class time instruction as well as time in the Media Center to research topics. Middle school students need support with the scientific process, references, and project instruction. A concern was shared regarding the realistic time necessary to spend on the topic in conjunction with the curriculum map. In order to keep up with it all, what do we leave out? Answer: Teachers have created the science curriculum map using the Florida NGSS standards. The curriculum map provides the minimum standards for each course. Teachers are encouraged to go above the curriculum map if their students have shown mastery on the standards. Teachers on the curriculum mapping teams have kept the science fair in mind when writing the Nature of Science window for the start of the year. The Nature of Science is to be taught all year, but teachers placed additional time at the start of the year to help support teachers who participate in the Science Fair.


Question: Issue regarding writing – why has no one in the District purchased a comprehensive writing program for the district so that we can all explicitly teach writing? Answer: Existing resources are available for the teaching of writing at all grade levels. However, we are currently researching possible options that would provide a more comprehensive approach at the elementary level. Question: Having gone from the number of tests we have had to give in previous years to now having to make up our own with a few district tests provided, we have not been able to find time to create our own tests. We have been given countless to use to create tests, however, the actual making of the test is so time consuming that we are working later and later each day and extending work into our home lives in the evenings and weekends. Also we would like the professional courtesy to be able to have input into making up our own timelines for testing. Answer: There are many ways to evaluate student progress. We encourage teachers individually or in school based PLC conversation to review the suggestions in each content area curriculum map for the variety of ways to assess students mastery of the standards. The district assessments are aligned to the curriculum maps and developed with teams of teachers who consider the pacing of the instruction. One consideration in the reduction of district assessments at elementary was to allow teachers the freedom to assess summatively at their discretion in method and timeliness based on their students. Questions: How can we give standardized tests when we are teaching differentiated instruction? Especially with ESE students who are identified as performing below grade level, why are they required to take standardized tests that are on level? Who makes this determination/ District? State? Someone else? Answers: Students with disabilities are working toward grade level standards and are required by the

state of Florida to take grade level state tests, such as the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). Students with disabilities working at least 2 years below grade on the Florida Standards, in a separate class, may be assessed in part on instructional level to measure progress toward IEP goals and objectives. The ESE department has provided a guiding document to principals and ESE teachers.

Differentiated instruction is based upon teaching to the need of the student – first identifying the students’ needs and presenting the content/material in a way the student will have the opportunity to be successful at mastering it. The same content should be taught regardless of differentiating the instruction. ESE students are held to the same standard of mastery of content, and should be afforded the same opportunity through differentiated instruction to master grade level content allowing them to be successful on EOC assessments. My assumption is the term standardized assessments are referring to EOCs for each course which is determined by legislation mandating that each and every course offered within a district must have an End Of Course Exam administered at the end of the course.

Secondary students will be required to take grade-level standardized tests in the spring. The district-developed assessments are intended to track how successful students will be on that EOC and provide teachers with information to inform instruction. Oftentimes, secondary teachers use the results of the DIA as an instructional tool by having their students revisit the test and discuss the questions and answers in order to develop strategies that will help on future tests.

Some practical strategies for differentiation include: Interactive Student Notebooks, Student Centers, and assignments that allow for student choice.


Questions: Without having FAIR-FS as a baseline standardized score, what can be used to show current levels when meeting with staffing specialists and ESE teachers? Is there anything else in our curriculum that will serve the same purpose? Answers:

Elementary Schools: Teachers should refer to the Decision Rules. They were made available in September. The Volusia County Decision Rules for Ongoing Progress Monitoring is a resource to assist teachers with selecting OPM tools. This can be found on MyPGS under “My Courses”.

Middle and High Schools: Students have FAIR scores from fourth quarter that can be used as a baseline. We anticipate that FAIR-FS AP2 will be operational and will generate reports that can be used to show current levels. In the meantime, reading DIAs are scheduled for 10/21-10/31 and can provide useful information as to how students are performing on grade-level LAFS.

Question: Mandating SIPPS into whole group reading: Other materials across the curriculum are all “suggested resources”, why is SIPPS mandatory? Answer: The data indicates that historically, VCS has had a disproportional amount of students identified for Tier 2 foundation skills support. Indicating that Tier 1 instruction needed to be addressed. In addition, the demands of the standards and complexity of text requires solid foundational skills. This program provides systematic differentiated and accelerated foundational skills program to meet our needs. Question: First graders were not given SIPPS curriculum last year, and have not mastered Beginning SIPPS but are mandating we start at Extension. It invalidates the effectiveness of the research. High students are okay, on level, low students are lost. Answer: Extension is the grade level expectation but the placement test is always used as the point of entry for the program. It has not been mandated that you start at Extension. Question: Array of students’ mastery range from beginning lesson 11 through 41 with only 2 out of 17 that placed in Extension. Doing this whole group does not meet effectiveness of the research to meet children at their level. Answer: You are correct – the program should be instructed in small groups based on the placement test data. Question: The guided spelling is “not intended to be a full spelling program (pg. 14 Review Lesson 1). Your students will need systematic spelling instruction to master the principles of spelling. When can we do this within our schedule at non Plus 1 schools? Answer: Spelling is not a foundational skill standard. The guided spelling routine is designed to support the phonics development of the lessons. Question: Success with this program is based on small group instruction at a student’s mastery level. Using this whole group, with varying degrees of mastery and without the foundation of the Beginning SIPPS instruction, invalidates the effectiveness of the research. This should be used as an intervention and use a balanced literacy program (MacMillian) that integrates systematic spelling, reading, writing, phonics, and comprehension as a more successful approach to reading instruction. We are trying to juggle TOO much and putting incredible pressure on these first graders and teachers. In addition, there isn’t a clear direction on who or how we are steering this ship. Teachers are meeting on Saturdays to align testing and curriculum. There are pieces all over coming in through the collaboration sight, but NO consistency in what to use. It is beyond overwhelming to have to create school based summatives that are not consistent across the county. The workload in first grade is exceeding


10 – 12 hour work days, not to mention time on the weekends. We need leadership and consistency from our county to support teachers, students, and parents from school to school with curriculum. Answer: SIPPS should not be done whole group. Students should be placed according to the placement test and instructed in small group. Questions: Will the state be able to ever use the data from AP /IB test scores in determining VAM scores for teachers who exclusively teach those classes or will these teachers always have a VAM score based on overall school performance, since we teach classes that should never have a state EOC test? Answers: Yes. AP and IB teachers will be using their scores in VAM for 2014 and beyond. Mrs. Vickie Presley, Area Superintendent, concluded the meeting and thanked everyone for volunteering to represent their school on the Teachers’ Advisory Council. She stated to the teachers to be sure to share this information with their faculty as they are the voice of the teachers in their school. Meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

NEXT TEACHERS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING JANUARY 28, 2015

4:00 PM DELAND ADMINISTRATION – BOARD ROOM

Teacher's Advisory CouncilOctober 15, 2014| 4:00pmBoard RoomJessica Levene, CoordinatorDr. Don Bouware, Executive Director

Proactive & Responsive Technology Support

• eduphoria! rollout: Met with VIMS to project tickets for August/September.

• Contracted with consultants

• Addressed ~1,000 tickets

• Significantly quicker response times

• Browser compatibility

• Installed Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer

Summer Work

CTE Middle School STEM

Odyssey/Compass

Support for summer school

Working with Aramark on floor cleanings

Teachers and their computers are not on campus so these tickets cannot be addressed during the summer months

VPortal• Known issues during the first

two weeks of school

• Has been more stable since applying the fix

• Implemented an immediate patch for the iOS 8 update

Communication: What is "supported"?

• Help Desk System

• Allows for consistent communication

• Help Desk Emails

• Contain information about tickets

• Level of support provided, particularly within the context of the specific service ticket

• Tech Services technical approval needed for all technology

• School funds

• Grants

Technology Support• Service tickets should be placed for technology issues

• If there is a concern about a ticket, you can:

• Add a note• Call ext. 25000

• Use the "yes" or "no" email to indicate whether issue is resolved

• Bring tickets of concern to administrator

Communication of Outages

• Help Desk portal is used to communicate:

• District outages

• Announcements

Outdated Hardware

Classroom Refreshes Due to declines in capital budget, we

have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles, which include the previous 3 computers per classroom allocation.

Teacher (Gateway tablet) refresh

Clerical refreshes

Odyssey/Compass refreshes

Future Plans It is our hope that with the passing of

the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017.

Digital Classroom Plan

Digital Resources

Technology Services Data load files to vendor

Maintenance and “uptime” of these sites is determined by the vendor

Technology Services provides three browsers to be proactive:

Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer

Vendors• Vendor must finalize upload/creation

• Maintenance and “uptime”

• Browsers are driven by the vendors' specifications

TEACHER ADVISORY COUNCIL

October 15, 2014

Curriculum Updates

Volusia County Schools will provide proactive support specific to school needs in a collaborative environment.

District Planning and Problem Solving Team, June 11, 2014

WAY OF WORK

WHERE ARE WE? HOW DID WE GET HERE?

• From Common Core to Florida Standards

• Teaching to the rigor of the standards• Beyond the bubble• Current initiatives

– Writing across the content area– Math maps– Resource materials and assessments

FROM COMMON CORE TO FLORIDA STANDARDS

• Major shifts in thinking and practices• Standards: fewer, clearer, deeper• Students as processors, not receptors of information

• Literacy standards in all subjects• Greater real‐world applications• 8 Mathematical Practices

WHAT WAS SO DIFFERENT ABOUT COMMON CORE?

ELA: DEPTH VS. BREADTH

• “Read like a detective”; “Write like an investigative reporter”

• Focus on the evidence, the text• Text complexity

MATH

• Learning targets• Clustering standards rather than discrete

• Pacing not as specific• Backward mapping from the assessment

• Fluencies built into each grade level

FLORIDA’S COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

TEACHING TO THE RIGOR OF THE STANDARDS

• More writing (persuasive and expository not personal narrative)

• Reading more (70% literary nonfiction, including informational text)

• Literacy standards for all subjects• Greater focus on speaking and listening

BETTER COLLEGE AND CAREER PREP

Writing Standard 1:Write arguments to support claims in an

analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

BACKWARDS DESIGN FOR COLLEGE READINESS

Writing Standard 1:• 11th Grade: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

• 7th Grade: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.


Writing Standard 1:• 4th Grade: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

• 1st Grade: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.


BEYOND THE BUBBLE TEST

BEYOND THE BUBBLE TESTS: THE NEXT GENERATION OF ASSESSMENTS

“I am convinced that this new generation of state assessments will be an absolute game‐changer in public education.”

‐‐Education Secretary Arne DuncanSeptember 2, 2010

FLORIDA STANDARDS AND FSAASSESSMENT EXAMPLES

Summative Assessment Grade 5

Writing Task

In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud finds out that he will be moving to a new home. In The Secret Garden, you read about Mary Lennox, another character who has to move to a new home. How are Bud and Mary’s reactions to having to move to new homes similar? How are their reactions different? Please provide evidence from both Bud, Not Buddy and The Secret Garden to support your answer.


Writing Task

Students will create an informational report about how librarians and organizations help people around the world access books. Their writing will be based on research about selected countries in the text My Librarian Is a Camel and the geography content in Unit 3. Students will create their final product in the form of a two‐sided bookmark. On one side, students will write an informative paragraph that explains who the librarians or organizations are, where the librarians or organizations are from, and how those librarians or organizations help readers to access books in a unique way. On the other side, students will list the major geographical features of the region as well as draw a picture illustrating these features. Students will draft, revise, polish, and publish their bookmarks. After publishing their bookmarks, students will share them with other readers in their school or local library.

Picture the average 10th grader at your local school responding to this writing prompt…


Writing Task• You have read two texts about Icarus.

– “Daedalus and Icarus” by Ovid– “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph” by Anne Sexton

• Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way Icarus is portrayed in these two texts.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

LOOKING FORWARD

AdvancEd Formerly the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS)

February 7 – 10, 2015All schools provide required information and data analysis

Team visits randomly selected schoolsTeam conducts interviews at schools and at district office

DIFFERENTIATED ACCOUNTABILITY

Partnership with DOE Differentiated Accountability Region 2 Team

Intensive PD provided by state and district staff on revised state process and online templateStep Zero process

Tiered support process to identified schoolsDistrict Liaisons

Annual data and curriculum update chats with all school leadership teams

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT• Staff is working with schools on PD for needs identified in School Improvement Plans

• Quarterly teacher leader events, C2N2• Attend and engage in school and district PDs and then share new knowledge and practices with your colleagues

• Volunteer to lead your team in effective use of PLC times for the purpose of collaboration

TEACHER INPUT GROUPS• At the present time district committees are established for:– K‐2 grade reporting– state mandated digital literacy curriculum– 5 textbook adoptions

• Currently, we are completing district assessments and will be asking teachers to assist in writing and vetting these exams

GETTING STARTED: Registration 1. Log on to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com

2. Click on the blue “Register” button.

3. Type in the appropriate access code and press “Next”.

Kindergarten SFMADP11FLENGKB

First Grade SFMADP11FLENG1B

Second Grade SFMADP11FLENG2B

Third Grade SFMADP11FLENG3B

Fourth Grade SFMADP11FLENG4B

Fifth Grade SFMADP11FLENG5B

4. Fill in the required fields on the profile (indicated by a star) and

press “Register”.

5. At the log in screen use the Username and Password that you

created and press “Log in”.

OPTIONAL STEP: Accessing Other Grade Levels 1. Login with your username and password.

2. Click on “My Account” using the dropdown box by your name.

3. Click on “Manage Products”.

4. Click on “Add New Products”.

5. Fill in the Access Code of the new product you want (found above).

6. Click on “Check Code”.

7. Click on “Save”.

8. Logout and log back in to activate your new products!

STUDENT ACCESS 1. Login with your username and password.

2. Click on the “Classes” tab.

3. Click on “Create a class/group”.

4. Fill in the Class/Group name and check the boxes of the products you

would like to give access.

5. Click “Save”.

6. Under the Roster column, click on “View”.

7. Click on “Select from school roster”.

8. Be sure your current school is named in the blue header.

9. Click on “Search”. Please note: Do NOT fill in any of the fields as that

limits the program’s search for students.

10. Check the boxes of the students you would like to have on your roster. 11. Click “Save”.

12. Optional: The “Print Parent Letter” button is now active and ready for

use.

If you have problems with these or other aspects of the program you can seek assistance 24 hours a

day at1-800-234-5832 or www.mypearsontraining.com .

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Student UserID : [email protected] (Example [email protected]) Student Password: First initial of last name followed by date of birth in mmddccyy format. (Example H01012001)

http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/

http://www.mypearsontraining.com/

Volusia County Schools HMH Science Fusion Think Central

Elementary Science Department 2014-2015

HMH Science Fusion User’s Guidelines

1. GETTING STARTED! Procedures for gaining access to the digital platform for Science Fusion. Use Chrome as the browser and click on VPortal. Click on Digital Resources and then click on ThinkCentral. Select State from the dropdown box (Florida). Select District from the dropdown box (Volusia Co. School District, DeLand 32721). Select School from the dropdown box. Check the box beside “Remember my information” if on your own computer. Fill in Username (district log on) Fill in Password (Pa$5word) Click “Log In”. NOTE: First-time users only will need to complete the Password Hint questions.

2. UPDATING YOUR TEACHER PROFILE! Procedures for updating user profile, managing system settings, and choosing products. Click on Account. Check the box beside the additional grade levels you would like to have access to. Click “Save”.

3. ACCESSING GUIDES AND TUTORIALS! Procedures for downloading and printing detailed information about how to use ThinkCentral including animated demos. Click on Guides and Tutorials. Select one of the Tutorial Videos to preview its content. Select one of the Manuals and Guides to preview its content.

4. ACCESSING DIGITAL LESSONS! Procedures for accessing the digital lessons for instructional purposes. Click on Resources. If you have access to multiple grade levels: Beside Subject, click on Science in the dropdown box. Beside Grade, click on the grade you wish to view. Click on the Science Fusion Teacher Access icon. If you have access to only one grade level: Click on the Science Fusion Teacher Access icon. This brings you to the “dashboard”. The digital lessons are found on the left side of the screen. Click on one of the units. Click on the arrow to the right of one of the lessons that contains a virtual lab. Explore the lesson including the options at the bottom left and right of the page. Click the “house” at the bottom left-hand side of the screen. Click Exit to return to the “dashboard”.

5. ACCESSING SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES! Procedures for accessing reading skill activities, inquiry activities, teacher edition, student edition, vocabulary cards, and more for instructional purposes. Grade Level Resources Click on the plus sign beside Grade Level Resources. Click on Grade Assessments. Click on Benchmark Test A. Click on the blue arrow beside #1. Return to the “dashboard”. Explore the remaining options in this section. Unit Level Resources & Lesson Level Resources Repeat the directions for Grade Level Resources. Teacher Resource Bank Click on the bar titled Teacher Resource Bank. Explore the options in this section.



6. CREATING STUDENT PROFILES! Procedures for creating student usernames and passwords. PLEASE NOTE: Technology Services has completed a student upload into ThinkCentral. You need only do this section for students who entered Volusia County after August 20, 2013. For those who were enrolled before August 20, 2013: Student Username: 1alphaID (for example, 1ABCD) Student Password: student’s birthdate (mmddyyyy; for example 01012004) For those who were enrolled after August 20, 2013: Under Users in the yellow bar, click on Add. Fill in First Name of student. Fill in Last Name of student. Fill in the Username: 1alpha ID; for example 1ABCD). Fill in the Password: student’s birthdate (mmddyyyy; for example 01012004). Retype the Password: student’s birthdate (mmddyyyy; for example 01012004). Select a grade level. Click “Add”. Click “OK”. Under Users in the yellow bar, click on Add if you wish to add the remaining students to the system. Click on “Close” when finished.

7. CREATING A CLASS! Procedures for creating a class name and selecting products for student use. Click on Classes and Students. Under Class in the yellow bar, click on Add. Fill in Class Name. Select a grade level. Check the box beside the programs/products you wish to include in the students’ library. Click Save.

8. ADDING STUDENTS TO YOUR CLASS ROSTER! Procedures for adding students to your roster to give them access to the program.

Under Class in the yellow bar, click on Manage. Click on the Class Name that you created. Click on “Assign Students” at the bottom of the page. Select the appropriate grade level from the dropdown box. Click on “Find”. Click on the student name and click on “Add”. Do this for all students in your class. Click “Done”. Click “OK”. You should get a message that says “Move Successful”. Click “OK”.

9. TAKING A MOMENT TO EXPLORE AS A STUDENT! Procedures for signing in as a student to see what they will see.

Click on “Log Out” in the top right hand corner of the screen. Fill in Username with one student’s username information. Fill in the Password (science). Click on Things To Do. What do you see? Click on My Test Scores. What do you see? Click on My Library. What do you see? Click on the icons to explore what your students will see. Click on the Hand Lens (Just Looking). Select Science from the dropdown box. Type in any science word next to Text Search. Click “Find”. Keep trying until one of your science vocabulary words works.

Contact Deb Lookingbill, Extension 20571, if you are not able to access HMH ThinkCentral Digital Resource!

TEACHER ADVISORY COUNCIL

October 15, 2014

Curriculum Updates

Volusia County Schools will provide proactive support specific to school needs in a collaborative environment.

District Planning and Problem Solving Team, June 11, 2014

WAY OF WORK

WHERE ARE WE? HOW DID WE GET HERE?

• From Common Core to Florida Standards

• Teaching to the rigor of the standards• Beyond the bubble• Current initiatives

– Writing across the content area– Math maps– Resource materials and assessments

FROM COMMON CORE TO FLORIDA STANDARDS

• Major shifts in thinking and practices• Standards: fewer, clearer, deeper• Students as processors, not receptors of information

• Literacy standards in all subjects• Greater real‐world applications• 8 Mathematical Practices

WHAT WAS SO DIFFERENT ABOUT COMMON CORE?

ELA: DEPTH VS. BREADTH

• “Read like a detective”; “Write like an investigative reporter”

• Focus on the evidence, the text• Text complexity

MATH

• Learning targets• Clustering standards rather than discrete

• Pacing not as specific• Backward mapping from the assessment

• Fluencies built into each grade level

FLORIDA’S COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

TEACHING TO THE RIGOR OF THE STANDARDS

• More writing (persuasive and expository not personal narrative)

• Reading more (70% literary nonfiction, including informational text)

• Literacy standards for all subjects• Greater focus on speaking and listening

BETTER COLLEGE AND CAREER PREP

Writing Standard 1:Write arguments to support claims in an

analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.


Writing Standard 1:• 11th Grade: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

• 7th Grade: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.


Writing Standard 1:• 4th Grade: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

• 1st Grade: Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.


BEYOND THE BUBBLE TEST

BEYOND THE BUBBLE TESTS: THE NEXT GENERATION OF ASSESSMENTS

“I am convinced that this new generation of state assessments will be an absolute game‐changer in public education.”

‐‐Education Secretary Arne DuncanSeptember 2, 2010

FLORIDA STANDARDS AND FSAASSESSMENT EXAMPLES


Writing Task

In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud finds out that he will be moving to a new home. In The Secret Garden, you read about Mary Lennox, another character who has to move to a new home. How are Bud and Mary’s reactions to having to move to new homes similar? How are their reactions different? Please provide evidence from both Bud, Not Buddy and The Secret Garden to support your answer.


Writing Task

Students will create an informational report about how librarians and organizations help people around the world access books. Their writing will be based on research about selected countries in the text My Librarian Is a Camel and the geography content in Unit 3. Students will create their final product in the form of a two‐sided bookmark. On one side, students will write an informative paragraph that explains who the librarians or organizations are, where the librarians or organizations are from, and how those librarians or organizations help readers to access books in a unique way. On the other side, students will list the major geographical features of the region as well as draw a picture illustrating these features. Students will draft, revise, polish, and publish their bookmarks. After publishing their bookmarks, students will share them with other readers in their school or local library.

Picture the average 10th grader at your local school responding to this writing prompt…


Writing Task• You have read two texts about Icarus.

– “Daedalus and Icarus” by Ovid– “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph” by Anne Sexton

• Write a literary analysis essay that compares and contrasts the way Icarus is portrayed in these two texts.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

LOOKING FORWARD

AdvancEd Formerly the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS)

February 7 – 10, 2015All schools provide required information and data analysis

Team visits randomly selected schoolsTeam conducts interviews at schools and at district office

DIFFERENTIATED ACCOUNTABILITY

Partnership with DOE Differentiated Accountability Region 2 Team

Intensive PD provided by state and district staff on revised state process and online templateStep Zero process

Tiered support process to identified schoolsDistrict Liaisons

Annual data and curriculum update chats with all school leadership teams

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT• Staff is working with schools on PD for needs identified in School Improvement Plans

• Quarterly teacher leader events, C2N2• Attend and engage in school and district PDs and then share new knowledge and practices with your colleagues

• Volunteer to lead your team in effective use of PLC times for the purpose of collaboration

TEACHER INPUT GROUPS• At the present time district committees are established for:– K‐2 grade reporting– state mandated digital literacy curriculum– 5 textbook adoptions

• Currently, we are completing district assessments and will be asking teachers to assist in writing and vetting these exams

GETTING STARTED: Registration 1. Log on to www.pearsonsuccessnet.com

2. Click on the blue “Register” button.

3. Type in the appropriate access code and press “Next”.

Kindergarten SFMADP11FLENGKB

First Grade SFMADP11FLENG1B

Second Grade SFMADP11FLENG2B

Third Grade SFMADP11FLENG3B

Fourth Grade SFMADP11FLENG4B

Fifth Grade SFMADP11FLENG5B

4. Fill in the required fields on the profile (indicated by a star) and

press “Register”.

5. At the log in screen use the Username and Password that you

created and press “Log in”.

OPTIONAL STEP: Accessing Other Grade Levels 1. Login with your username and password.

2. Click on “My Account” using the dropdown box by your name.

3. Click on “Manage Products”.

4. Click on “Add New Products”.

5. Fill in the Access Code of the new product you want (found above).

6. Click on “Check Code”.

7. Click on “Save”.

8. Logout and log back in to activate your new products!

STUDENT ACCESS 1. Login with your username and password.

2. Click on the “Classes” tab.

3. Click on “Create a class/group”.

4. Fill in the Class/Group name and check the boxes of the products you

would like to give access.

5. Click “Save”.

6. Under the Roster column, click on “View”.

7. Click on “Select from school roster”.

8. Be sure your current school is named in the blue header.

9. Click on “Search”. Please note: Do NOT fill in any of the fields as that

limits the program’s search for students.

10. Check the boxes of the students you would like to have on your roster. 11. Click “Save”.

12. Optional: The “Print Parent Letter” button is now active and ready for

use.

If you have problems with these or other aspects of the program you can seek assistance 24 hours a

day at1-800-234-5832 or www.mypearsontraining.com .

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Student UserID : [email protected] (Example [email protected]) Student Password: First initial of last name followed by date of birth in mmddccyy format. (Example H01012001)

http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/

http://www.mypearsontraining.com/



HMH Science Fusion User’s Guidelines

1. GETTING STARTED! Procedures for gaining access to the digital platform for Science Fusion. Use Chrome as the browser and click on VPortal. Click on Digital Resources and then click on ThinkCentral. Select State from the dropdown box (Florida). Select District from the dropdown box (Volusia Co. School District, DeLand 32721). Select School from the dropdown box. Check the box beside “Remember my information” if on your own computer. Fill in Username (district log on) Fill in Password (Pa$5word) Click “Log In”. NOTE: First-time users only will need to complete the Password Hint questions.

2. UPDATING YOUR TEACHER PROFILE! Procedures for updating user profile, managing system settings, and choosing products. Click on Account. Check the box beside the additional grade levels you would like to have access to. Click “Save”.

3. ACCESSING GUIDES AND TUTORIALS! Procedures for downloading and printing detailed information about how to use ThinkCentral including animated demos. Click on Guides and Tutorials. Select one of the Tutorial Videos to preview its content. Select one of the Manuals and Guides to preview its content.

4. ACCESSING DIGITAL LESSONS! Procedures for accessing the digital lessons for instructional purposes. Click on Resources. If you have access to multiple grade levels: Beside Subject, click on Science in the dropdown box. Beside Grade, click on the grade you wish to view. Click on the Science Fusion Teacher Access icon. If you have access to only one grade level: Click on the Science Fusion Teacher Access icon. This brings you to the “dashboard”. The digital lessons are found on the left side of the screen. Click on one of the units. Click on the arrow to the right of one of the lessons that contains a virtual lab. Explore the lesson including the options at the bottom left and right of the page. Click the “house” at the bottom left-hand side of the screen. Click Exit to return to the “dashboard”.

5. ACCESSING SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES! Procedures for accessing reading skill activities, inquiry activities, teacher edition, student edition, vocabulary cards, and more for instructional purposes. Grade Level Resources Click on the plus sign beside Grade Level Resources. Click on Grade Assessments. Click on Benchmark Test A. Click on the blue arrow beside #1. Return to the “dashboard”. Explore the remaining options in this section. Unit Level Resources & Lesson Level Resources Repeat the directions for Grade Level Resources. Teacher Resource Bank Click on the bar titled Teacher Resource Bank. Explore the options in this section.



6. CREATING STUDENT PROFILES! Procedures for creating student usernames and passwords. PLEASE NOTE: Technology Services has completed a student upload into ThinkCentral. You need only do this section for students who entered Volusia County after August 20, 2013. For those who were enrolled before August 20, 2013: Student Username: 1alphaID (for example, 1ABCD) Student Password: student’s birthdate (mmddyyyy; for example 01012004) For those who were enrolled after August 20, 2013: Under Users in the yellow bar, click on Add. Fill in First Name of student. Fill in Last Name of student. Fill in the Username: 1alpha ID; for example 1ABCD). Fill in the Password: student’s birthdate (mmddyyyy; for example 01012004). Retype the Password: student’s birthdate (mmddyyyy; for example 01012004). Select a grade level. Click “Add”. Click “OK”. Under Users in the yellow bar, click on Add if you wish to add the remaining students to the system. Click on “Close” when finished.

7. CREATING A CLASS! Procedures for creating a class name and selecting products for student use. Click on Classes and Students. Under Class in the yellow bar, click on Add. Fill in Class Name. Select a grade level. Check the box beside the programs/products you wish to include in the students’ library. Click Save.

8. ADDING STUDENTS TO YOUR CLASS ROSTER! Procedures for adding students to your roster to give them access to the program.

Under Class in the yellow bar, click on Manage. Click on the Class Name that you created. Click on “Assign Students” at the bottom of the page. Select the appropriate grade level from the dropdown box. Click on “Find”. Click on the student name and click on “Add”. Do this for all students in your class. Click “Done”. Click “OK”. You should get a message that says “Move Successful”. Click “OK”.

9. TAKING A MOMENT TO EXPLORE AS A STUDENT! Procedures for signing in as a student to see what they will see.

Click on “Log Out” in the top right hand corner of the screen. Fill in Username with one student’s username information. Fill in the Password (science). Click on Things To Do. What do you see? Click on My Test Scores. What do you see? Click on My Library. What do you see? Click on the icons to explore what your students will see. Click on the Hand Lens (Just Looking). Select Science from the dropdown box. Type in any science word next to Text Search. Click “Find”. Keep trying until one of your science vocabulary words works.

Contact Deb Lookingbill, Extension 20571, if you are not able to access HMH ThinkCentral Digital Resource!

Teacher's Advisory CouncilOctober 15, 2014| 4:00pmBoard RoomJessica Levene, CoordinatorDr. Don Bouware, Executive Director

Proactive & Responsive Technology Support

• eduphoria! rollout: Met with VIMS to project tickets for August/September.

• Contracted with consultants

• Addressed ~1,000 tickets

• Significantly quicker response times

• Browser compatibility

• Installed Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer

Summer Work

CTE Middle School STEM

Odyssey/Compass

Support for summer school

Working with Aramark on floor cleanings

Teachers and their computers are not on campus so these tickets cannot be addressed during the summer months

VPortal• Known issues during the first

two weeks of school

• Has been more stable since applying the fix

• Implemented an immediate patch for the iOS 8 update

Communication: What is "supported"?

• Help Desk System

• Allows for consistent communication

• Help Desk Emails

• Contain information about tickets

• Level of support provided, particularly within the context of the specific service ticket

• Tech Services technical approval needed for all technology

• School funds

• Grants

Technology Support• Service tickets should be placed for technology issues

• If there is a concern about a ticket, you can:

• Add a note• Call ext. 25000

• Use the "yes" or "no" email to indicate whether issue is resolved

• Bring tickets of concern to administrator

Communication of Outages

• Help Desk portal is used to communicate:

• District outages• Announcements

Outdated Hardware

Classroom Refreshes Due to declines in capital budget, we

have been unable to maintain standard refresh cycles, which include the previous 3 computers per classroom allocation.

Teacher (Gateway tablet) refresh

Clerical refreshes

Odyssey/Compass refreshes

Future Plans It is our hope that with the passing of

the extension of the Half Cent Sales Tax we will be able to make changes beginning 2017.

Digital Classroom Plan

Digital Resources

Technology Services Data load files to vendor

Maintenance and “uptime” of these sites is determined by the vendor

Technology Services provides three browsers to be proactive:

Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer

Vendors• Vendor must finalize upload/creation

• Maintenance and “uptime”

• Browsers are driven by the vendors' specifications

teacher's advisory council

Documents