Tag Archives: Video

Posted on by

D112 Supt Message Regarding IL Stay at Home – #112Leads

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”
– Gail Devers

Over the course of just over one week our worlds have changed significantly in Illinois and our nation and our world with the COVID-19 Pandemic. On March 12, 2020, I ordered all schools in our District closed indefinitely with a possible reopening date of April 13. My “logic” was guided by the science of the health professionals and the actions of higher education calling their students home and closing for at least 2 weeks after spring break. In Illinois, the Governor closed the schools from March 17-March 30 and then he ordered a Stay at Home (including school closures) until at least April 7th. “The times, they are a changin’ …” (Bob Dylan 1964) – appropriate today!

Since March 12, 2020, I have sent out at least eight “all” communications (they go to thousands in our community) in an effort to communicate our District’s priorities and plans during this Pandemic closure. In this blog post, I’m sharing a video message as another effort of clarity in this otherwise unclear set of circumstances. The video has edited subtitles in Spanish and English and you may have to click the CC or Gear or three dots to see them.

In District 112, our Four Priorities are:
Priority one – feed our families and children
Priority two – account for the extended safety, health, and welfare of our 4500 students and staff
Priority three – communicate clearly
Priority four – e-Learning

Visit Staying Healthy in District 112 for access to our recent communications.

Posted on by

Video Message to my community about PARCC Testing

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
– John Wooden

In response to parent questions about PARCC testing I shared the following video message today:

Last week I sent the community an email (excerpt below) in an effort to outline the District philosophy about assessment; that letter generated some questions and dialogue which in turn led to the video message shared above:

Dear Parents, Staff and Community Members,

In March, as required by law, District 109 will administer the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College & Careers (PARCC) assessments to all students in grades 3-8. The assessments have two parts: Performance-Based Assessments (PBAs) given in March and End-of-Year (EOY) assessments administered in April/May. Students will take the PBAs between Monday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 24. Each building has established their testing schedule and building principals will communicate those schedules with families.

The state-mandated PARCC assessments test students’ knowledge and skills in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. PARCC replaces the annual Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Below is a chart of the tests and length of time allotted for each assessment. With the exception of make-up tests, students will be scheduled to take only one test per day.

You may have seen stories in the news lately about assessments and accountability for public schools. As PARCC is a new test for all of us, we all have many questions about the test and this first administration although our District “field tested” PARCC last year. You can read this Q&A and this fact sheet about the PARCC test from the Illinois State Board of Education website, and this parent page from PARCC. We also have developed a Q&A that answers questions more specific to our District.

District 109 believes the best preparation for our students is the high quality teaching and learning our teachers deliver every day by implementing our critical thinking and problem solving curricula. In order to set our students up for success, we will be preparing them in how to navigate the features of the assessment so they can use all the tools made available to them, freeing them up cognitively. Our focus always remains on learning and any practice will be minimal. Our requests of parents are few:

Encourage an early bedtime and proper breakfast (as we expect for every other day)
Watch for information from your building principal for details about what students should bring to school during the week of testing.

With so much public discourse about PARCC, many parents throughout the state have expressed concern about “overtesting.” I want to take this opportunity to share our overall philosophy of assessment – beyond PARCC – and explain how we use results in every classroom, with every student, to plan, inform, and enhance or adjust instruction.

Teaching and learning is diagnostic in nature. Our business is in the science of learning and child development, therefore, assessments play a pivotal role in quantifying and qualifying the learning process. We need to measure student learning to ensure that our children are learning. The results of assessments allow us to make decisions about curriculum and programs for students and professional development for teachers. Teachers and administrators regularly meet to review the data and look for trends in students, classrooms, buildings and District-wide. Testing allows us to ensure that we are meeting our goal to provide a guaranteed and viable curriculum for every child.

One of the key assessment tools we use is the Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP test. I focus on this assessment because it has proven to be very valuable to District 109 educators in differentiating instruction and adjusting our teaching methods to meet student learning needs. This is a non-subjective nationally-normed assessment that measures student growth/learning in math and reading, and is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

More than five million students across the country take MAP tests. In District 109, we administer this test to all students K-8 three times per year. We use the results to target instruction for each individual student. Teachers and students utilize MAP results immediately after the test allowing them to set learning goals and see what they need to adjust in instruction for every student, whether it means providing enrichment or clarification, or reteaching content.

The District’s MAP reports for our District from last year and this year show an impressive number of students meeting growth projections this year compared to last year. We’re excited that, in another year of collecting MAP data, we’ll be able to show cohort data (year-over-year data for the same group of students). Each child’s MAP data report is shared with parents. We encourage parents to speak with their child’s teacher(s), assistant or associate principal, principal, school psychologist, or other educational professionals with whom their child works with questions about any assessment results. In plain English all of our reforms and transforms are working! Students are learning and teachers are teaching each and every day in each and every classroom!

The MAP test is one of the tools we use to guide our instruction. You can view this list of all the assessments we administer, and why we do so. I can say with confidence that we carefully review and use the data from every assessment on this list to meet the academic needs of students (though we’ll know more after March – and after three administrations of the test – how valuable the PARCC data is for educators, students and parents).

Thank you for supporting our journey as we Engage, Inspire, and Empower each and every learner and member of our community.

Posted on by

Supporting Teachers – New Year – New Changes – New Growth – New Support

“I am an athlete. I may not be the best, but that is what I strive to be. I may never get there, but I will never quit trying.”
– Unknown

This year we prepare for a myriad of changes. This year we prepare for the best year ever! This year we are asking our teachers to do A LOT – new curriculum maps, new instructional practices, transformation with the 1:1 learning environment initiative, new middle school exploratories, implementation of STEM/Communication Media Arts, new science programming … to name a few!

The next series of blog posts I share will include descriptions of services, subscriptions, tools, programs, aids, SUPPORTS for learning that we are putting into place intentionally and deliberately to support teachers and students. Thanks to Dr. Jeff Zoul, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, as well as members of the DPS109 Leadership team, as well as iCoaches and teacher leaders, we have a PLAN to help teachers SUCCEED as they Engage, Inspire & Empower!

These tools are being shared in no particular order – the point/aim/goal is to share, celebrate, communicate, and publicize the many leaders and the many tools that will enable others to act – challenge the process, inspire a shared vision – and support improved teaching and learning! While company information and logos are shared it is not our intention to use this as “advertising” – we are simply sharing with whom we are partnering to support our mission. The name(s) of the people leading these services is/are provided – feel free to contact them with any questions or comments about the tools.

In some of the blog posts I will post multiple tools since some of the companies with whom we partner are sharing multiple tools. Many of these web based subscriptions will allow for 24/7 – school/home access! The possibilities are endless for our learning as we truly become a COMMUNITY of learners.

The content/subscription descriptions come directly from or heavily influence the descriptions listed – website links to the source are listed in each section and sub-section.

(John Filippi) Discovery Social Studies Tech Book (Grades 6-8):

Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook is a comprehensive digital program that replaces traditional textbooks. Built around the 5E model of instruction (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), Techbook is a non-linear curriculum pathway that promotes inquiry-based learning, enhances critical thinking, and improves student achievement. With exclusive video from Discovery Channel, content from more than 100 educational publishers, digital investigations, a dynamic reference library, and the ground-breaking Interactive glossary and Atlas, Techbook is an intuitive all-in-one program that can also be used to supplement current resources. Core Interactive Text (included leveled reading, text-to-speech, not taking, and highlighting capability) ensures that Techbook will meet the needs of a wide range of learners and learning styles.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/what-we-offer/techbook-digital-textbooks/middle-school-social-studies/index.cfm

(Brian Bullis and Dave Sherman) Discovery Science Tech Book (Grades 1-8):

Discovery Education Science Techbook is a comprehensive digital program that replaces traditional textbooks. Built around the 5E model of instruction (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), Techbook is a non-linear curriculum pathway that promotes inquiry-based learning, enhances critical thinking, and improves student achievement. With exclusive video from Discovery Channel, content from more than 100 educational publishers, digital simulations, hands on labs, STEM resources, and an Interactive Glossary, Techbook is an intuitive all-in-one program that can also be used to supplement current resources. Core Interactive Text (included leveled reading, text-to-speech, not taking, and highlighting capability) ensures that Techbook will meet the needs of a wide range of learners and learning styles.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/what-we-offer/techbook-digital-textbooks/k-8-science/index.cfm

(Lucy Melchert and Angela Mirretti) Discovery Streaming Plus (PK-8):

Enhancing classrooms with rich multi-media that has proven to increase student achievement, Discovery Education Streaming PLUS provides teachers and students access to a library of more than 160,000 standards-aligned digital resources that address multiple learning styles, support the Common Core State Standards, and inspire students to explore their world. Streaming PLUS enhances curriculum across all grade levels and content areas and engages today’s students in learning through instructional videos, skill builders, games, audio files, images, writing prompts, encyclopedia articles, and more.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com//what-we-offer/streaming-plus-digital-media/index.cfm

Posted on by

Video Pod Cast – DPS 109 – snapshot of organizational growth

In my last blog post I reflected on personal professional development that has been most meaningful to me; I highlighted my participation in the Illinois School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL) through the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) this is a post-doctoral certification program. In this blog post I’m sharing a “video/vlog” post showing highlights of the District 109 success – in relation to the guidance and support I received through the ISAL program. Of course, great thanks, gratitude, admiration, and respect go to the Board of Education, the teachers, educational support staff, students, administrators, parents, and community members who have all had a part in the ongoing and continued success of DPS109!

Posted on by

Journey toward meeting the needs of all learners

In this blog post my aim is to share a personal journey and the relationship of video and technology in meeting the needs of all learners. The overall purpose of this blog post is related in part to my participation in the Blogamonth Challenge, #Blogamonth on Twitter, and http://blogamonth.weebly.com/ on the web.

I’m participating in the Blogamonth Challenge, and this month’s optional topic is: “Great movies challenge our thinking, speak to our emotions, and take us to distant worlds both historical and fantastic.  Integrating the power of videos into your classroom, professional development, and/or school culture offers even greater potential impact as there is the opportunity to reflect, discuss, and critique the quality and message of the video.

Suggest one – two of your favorite videos (Ted Talks, YouTube Clips, Vimeos, Movie Clips…etc) that you have used in your school setting, and share how you used it. Explain how incorporating this visual into your presentation or lesson has helped you to achieve your goals.”

The journey began in 1993 when I first stepped into the classroom at Blackhawk Middle School in Bensenville, Illinois. We’ll fast forward to an experience from 1995 which was pivotal in my journey toward meeting the diverse learning needs of all learners with whom I had the honor of teaching.

In 1995 I attended a professional development 5-day workshop led by Dr. T. Roger Taylor (link to his website). The point of this workshop was for me, then a middle school social studies teacher and district K-8 social studies coordinator, to learn how to integrate video clips, audio clips and H.O.T.S. (higher order thinking skills) into all units and lessons of study. This was in the early days of the “standards movement” and the change in Illinois from IGAP to ISAT (we’re now watching the ISAT go the way of the IGAP in favor of the PARCC) … but I digress … The Roger Taylor unit/lesson planning was also a way to get “general education teachers” like me to DIFFERENTIATE instruction. Differentiation is a “buzz word” and an oft misunderstood concept in education. Meeting the needs of ALL learners is a goal of instruction and an often elusive goal for many teachers.

Using video clips (1995) to You Tube (2014) in and of themselves will not be sufficient to reach and motivate and challenge each and every learner. But the use of multiple modes of content delivery and use of multiple ways for children to show learning WILL lead to meeting the different needs of all learners. In my classrooms where I taught, in social studies, I always had multiple levels of ability. As a recipient of an Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) Caring Enough To Challenge Award early in my career I realized the value of meeting the needs of the highly gifted in a differentiated classroom. As a teacher of children with special needs, regular needs, and every need in between, I learned the value of lessons learned from Roger Taylor and others of differentiated learning.

One of the major “disruptors”, or “game changers” in education, and in my experiences as a teacher and as an educational administrator is TECHNOLOGY. Flash forward to 2011, as seen and read in the linked video I made regarding district/school technology integration: VIDEO LINK. The power of Technology to motivate learners is easier to see and feel and study and observe than the power of technology (and the tools related to technology) to meet the needs of all learners.  Returning to this month’s Blogamonth Challenge, I’m sharing the reasoning behind the linked video above from 2011. I share this video here – not for shameless self-promotion – but instead to show how a teacher who learns, grows, and becomes a school district superintendent (me) continues the journey to share with broader audiences tools, strategies, methods, ideas, values, goals, and aspirations all centered around the eye on the prize – the prize is learning for ALL students. The most effective way to get there is through carefully and thoughtfully planned out lessons and units and assessments designed to meet the varied learning needs and ability levels of all students!

An additional use of video is linked here to a ROUGH Udemy course I created – emphasis on ROUGH … The point of sharing this set of videos and embryonic entry into online learning with Udemy is an effort to show a unit planning process that like the Roger Taylor work, was instrumental in supporting and sustaining a rigorous course that was designed with multiple student ability levels at the beginning, middle, and end. I used the workshop in 6th grade world history as well as in 8th grade U.S. history (the 8th grade Workshop is described in the Udemy course). Teachers in districts where I have served currently use the Workshop model in an effort to meet the learning needs of all students in their classrooms.

My professional career is based upon the foundation that our society is complex enough to present many challenges to people as they pass from childhood to adulthood. It is my firm belief that a strong foundation in educational preparation will support a person’s quest for success and prosperity. My philosophical foundation holds that young people are our windows to the future; working with them has given me a unique vantage point to assess their goals, needs and abilities. I have been, and I remain committed to preparing our young citizens, and those who teach and support them, for their futures – and ours.

So … as a recap … I’m motivated to Blog as part of professional growth, learning and reflection. I’m participating in the Blogamonth challenge with other educators around the country and world (via the best personal learning network – PLN – Twitter), and I am committed to helping principals help teachers meet the needs of ALL learners. I am also a firm believer that technology and the related tools are and will continue to be the “game changers” in terms of seeing a world where all classrooms differentiate for all learners. And, finally, I am proud to share works in progress of my own tinkering with video, communication, leadership, and growth as I continue in service above self to the various stakeholders whom I serve and with whom I am inexorably linked in a journey to support continued growth and learning for ALL.