Staff Meeting Notes 09.01.09

Curriculum and Instruction Staff Meeting September 1, 2009 Present: Ruth Ann Hodges, Dan LaDue, Lynette VanDyke, Mary Head, John VanWagoner, Abbie Hilgendorf, Ana Cardona, Mark Coscarella, Kevin Richard, Deb Clemmons 8:04: Ana presents NPR audio file on PS 22 in NYC – “What do you hear in terms of motivation and engagement?” 8:11: Pair discussions about engagement and motivation in student choir profiled in NPR piece – extended to whole group. 8:18: Mary’s PD Plan Overview: • (see Mary’s calendar) 8:45: John and Abbie present on Re-Imagining Effective Instruction framework 10:058: Ruth Ann • Effective school improvement practices conference – presenters for Dec. 2 • Theme: Creating an Atmosphere of Change • Put in a/several proposal(s) as a unit that fits the theme and addresses items on unit workplan • Use instructional framework to launch ideas for content-area presentations • Work from various core elements of framework • First half hour of each workshop will be a common presentation/overview of instructional framework – also want to incorporate lesson of effective instruction video(s) • Creating an atmosphere of change – changing instruction using the ReImagining Effective Instruction framework – individual content area proposals around essential skill(s) o Incorporate lesson of effective instruction o Incorporate intro to instructional framework that will come from abbie o 2.5 hour session 10:32: Mark – Teaching for Learning Institute • Opened for debriefing: o Deb: format good, pay attention to marketing – get attendance up

•

o Ruth Anne – who is the audience? SI strand was distracting o Lynette – requirement to have multiple days – too long, expensive to come for so long for presenters o Ana – concerns about having during academic year o Ruth Anne – closer to end or start of school year o Mark: next year, it’s scheduled for a week later (week before school begins) o Deb: careful attention to timing, competing conferences; look at evaluations o Mark: economy issues – lay-offs, PD budgets cut o Offer PD on year-long basis o Using technology to avoid necessity of travel o Ana: perhaps scale back expectations, i.e. Harvard seminars o Lynette: leave out competing sessions o Putting out survey to assess needs and interests of schools/districts to design content and marketing o Dan: statewide PD days (i.e. Montana) o In January of 2010, begin to work on a calendar of PD for summer, fall, winter of ’10-‘11 o Deb: start with data to assess what needs are (i.e. D4SS, Steve Byrd’s data, CAN) and put that out there to gather info on in terms of preference “Do we want to do it again?” o A “refreshing” offering from MDE – Ana strongly in favor of keeping it o Deb – yes; consistent with unit plan… discussion with Sally V. re: PD; strong interest in the agency to offer strategic PD o Using it as a “launching” pad for sustained, job-embedded PD: leveraging professional organizations to support this year-long effort

11:02: Deb and Kevin – OEAA Collaboration Planning Conversation • Vince Dean needs more info about re-coding science GLCEs • Open to idea of having joint staff meetings – Deb will share calendar with Vince to coordinate joint meeting • Meeting does not need to involve entire staff – only those affected 11:10: Deb and Dan – Power Standards • MDE statement on power standards • Dan, Mary, Deb attended Ingham ISD meeting on power standards (“priority expectations”) – for learning only; not to give feedback • 47 ISDs attended; not very far along in process – still working on process and definitions

• •

Ensure that ACT college readiness standards (from Mike F.’s email) are addressed somehow Give Dan input on draft

11:30: Deb – State Fiscal Stabilization Fund • Heavy emphasis on collecting data • 4 areas/assurances for state plan: equity in teacher distribution; standards and assessment (emphasis on SWD and ELL) – linked to states’ common core; working with struggling schools; improving collection of data • Read it and answer questions sent by Deb • Currently in unit plan/what we have done with standards and assessment o Have standards and K-12 CE o Drafts of arts standards to take to SBE in fall 2009 o Documented in survey sent out by Deb last Thursday (Deb will resend) – review for accuracy – Quality Counts survey o Need this information for Race to the Top application. If we already have the standards and assessments, we need to decide how we will enhance them  Still need to connect teacher evaluation to data  Need legislators to approve P-20 system  Instructional framework as resource to support teacher effectiveness • Must put these pieces in place or enhance them if already in place • Most states don’t have these assurances – that’s why it’s in the Race to the Top • Could this application include formative assessment in addition to summative stuff? • Work with 4 pillars – take time to digest and provide info/input to Deb 11:56 – Lynette – Would like more conversation about REIF – o Missing items: Reading and Writing across the curriculum (content literacy), strategy instruction, integration of content o Do others agree? Anything else? o Ana: don’t think these are discipline-specific? o Ruth Anne: the beauty of this is that it’s content-neutral