Learning Teaching & Family Support Fall Retreat

Learning Teaching & Family Support Fall Retreat September 22, 2009

Our Road Map • Welcome and Introductions • Sharing Successes • Collaboration • BREAK • Defining Collaboration • Data Carousel • LUNCH • Data Carousel Continued • Closing the Achievement Gap • BREAK • Creating Personal Plans • Closing

Terry Tate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsqjM9AEqlU

Norms • Work together as a community • Be fully present • Listen with the intent to learn • All ideas are valued and welcome • Welcome contributions of every member • Operate in a collegial and friendly atmosphere • Your ideas…

Purpose of the day • Bringing expertise together • Identifying commonalities • Sharing current collaborations • Defining collaboration • Analyzing regional data • Connecting our work to the BHAG

The achievement gap is “the difference in academic performance between different ethnic groups.” • “The difference between a child’s potential and his/her actual achievement.” • “The acceptance of mediocrity in expectations, values, and people.” • “The unacceptable difference in achievement … and academic resources.” -US Dept. of Education

The achievement gap is “ the difference in academic achievement in African American, American Indian, Hispanic and Pacific Islander students and their white and Asian peers and the difference in academic achievement between students whose families are of low-income, and their peers from middle and upper income families.” -WSSDA

How do we identify the academic disparity? • Standardized Tests i.e. WASL, ITBS, SAT, etc. • DECA • Language and Literacy Checklist • Graduation Rates • Discipline/Suspension/Expulsion rates • Other?

Why the urgency? For Every 100 Kindergartners who are… Source: US Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. March Current Population Surveys, 1971-2004, in The Condition of Education 2006.

Speed Sharing • Introduce yourself and your program. • What is one thing you are doing to close the achievement gap?

Defining Collaboration • Define the group’s initial definition. • We all have our own definition of collaboration. • What are the elements of collaboration? • Create a definition of collaboration. (small groups)

Why is collaboration important? What are the advantages of collaboration? How will we know if we collaborate in an effective way? How will our collaborations effect closing the achievement gap?

Data Carousel Activity • Tables with data for you to review. • At each table, read the data individually, think about strengths and challenges. • As a group, discuss and record strengths and concerns (narrative statements). • We will collect the list of challenges and prioritize them.

YES NO It’s 52 degrees outside. It’s cold. 54% of our 4th grade students did not meet standard on the 2007 Math WASL test. We are not teaching problem solving. The cat stuck his paw in the goldfish bowl. The cat wants to eat the goldfish. Marlene left the workshop as she was talking on her cell phone. Marlene doesn’t like the workshop. The leaves on the plant are yellow. The plant needs more fertilizer. John has 10 discipline referrals this quarter. John is unmotivated.

Writing Narratives • Keep it simple - communicate a single idea about student performance • Make the narrative statement short and easy to read 3. Avoid evaluative statements - keep the statement based on numbers shown on the data

Writing Narratives Instead of, Scores have improved. Try, Reading scores have increased from 55.3% in 2006 to 74.5% in 2009 as measured by the 4th grade Reading WASL.

Data Carousel • Which statements inform our direction around collaboration to closing the achievement gap? • Discuss in your table groups and choose two statements. • Be prepared to share with the large group.

The achievement gap is “the difference in academic performance between different ethnic groups.” “The difference between a child’s potential and his/her actual achievement.” “The acceptance of mediocrity in expectations, values, and people.” “The unacceptable difference in achievement … and academic resources.” -US Dept. of Education

The achievement gap is “ the difference in academic achievement in African American, American Indian, Hispanic and Pacific Islander students and their white and Asian peers and the difference in academic achievement between students whose families are of low-income, and their peers from middle and upper income families.” -WSSDA

Closing the Achievement Gap • What is already a collaboration based on our definitions? • What are additional possible collaborations that will help us close the gap? • Think about data, the BHAG, and conversation we had today.

30-60-90 Day Plan By January • I will personally. . . • I will provide leadership to my team by . . . • I will collaborate across programs . . .

Next Steps • What was most valuable about today? • What would have been more beneficial today? • How often should we meet? For what purpose? • Who else should be at the table? • What other activities should we consider?

Playing for Change http://playingforchange.com/

Learning Teaching & Family Support Fall Retreat