Quote of the Week: "The individual who says it is not possible should move out of the way of those doing it." ~Tricia Cunningham~
Corner
November 6, 2017
Great Lakes Bay Instructional Services Newsletter
Carol Tomlinson is a leading expert on differentiated instruction. In her book, How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms (ASCD 2017), Tomlinson defines differentiated instruction in layman’s terms: “Differentiating instruction means ‘shaking up’ what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn.” Differentiating instruction is a sound practice in all grade levels and does not mean creating a separate lesson plan for each student in your classroom. It is, rather, how a teacher responds to the needs of learners in a class. The teacher carefully plans specific instructional strategies to maximize learning for each student. What to Differentiate Content - what the students need to learn or how students access the content Process - how students make sense of the learning through “sense-making activities” Product - to what means a student demonstrates their proficiency (assessment, project, or evidence) Affect/learning environment - classroom climate, physical environment, and emotional attributes, student relationships How to Differentiate Readiness - matching the student’s prior knowledge, understanding, and skills to a learning task that will extend the student’s learning Interest - activities that capture student likes, engage students, and motivate by being personally meaningful to students Learning Profile - Conditions that affect how a student processes ideas or learns, which include learning style, intelligence preference, gender, and culture The resources below can guide you into taking small steps toward differentiating instruction in the classroom. Differentiation is a key component of effective Tier I instruction. Resources: http://www.fortheteachers.org/differentiation_framework/ Edutopia article: “Teaching a Class with Big Ability Differences” Planning a Tiered Activity (KUD) Low and High Prep Differentiation Strategies Tomlinson’s text - How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms Contributed by Lindy Beckman
Differentiated Instruction in a Nutshell
Curriculum
December 9, 2017
I Am Yup’ik
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Looking for Professional Development? Look no further! Bay-Arenac ISD PD Offerings Clare-Gladwin PD Offerings Gratiot-Isabella PD Offerings Saginaw ISD PD Offerings
Professional Learning
Educational Equity
SVSU Opportunities Building Fact Fluency Recharge your Learning Invasive Species Workshop Engineering is Elementary The Outdoor Classroom
A 16-year-old Alaskan Yup’ik teenager leaves his tiny village and travels across hundreds of miles of frozen tundra to compete in a basketball tournament and bring pride to his village.
Request for Presenters Kevin Honeycutt
Assessment and Accountability
Off-Site Test Administration Request Window for School and District-wide Administrations The Spring 2018 M-STEP, MI-Access, WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0, WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, and Early Literacy & Mathematics Off-Site Test Administration Request window will be open November 6, 2017 – January 12, 2018. Parent Feedback Sought on Proposed School Transparency Dashboard FLYER LINK TO SURVEY Resources for Online Testers- Great for teachers and students to know! This was included in a previous Spotlight, but a great reminder... The OEAA has created Student Tutorials. These are student-narrated videos that introduce teachers and students to the online tests and tools contained in the M-STEP, MI-Access, and Early Literacy and Mathematics Benchmark Assessments. You can access them using Chrome at the following LINK. Click the yellow link at the bottom of the page: DRC INSIGHT Online Assessments Tutorials. This is the same link used for the online sample item sets. An important component of the Student Tutorials is that they provide explicit training on the pause/exit/ end test functionality of the online testing engine. In addition, the tutorials explain how to access and use specific tools. SAT Corner- Webinars The College Board is offering optional webinars to assist in the planning and preparation for test supervisors and SSD (Services with Students with Disabilities) coordinators. If you cannot attend a webinar during the live presentation, register for the event and the College Board will email you the presentation and the link to the recording when the webinar has finished. These resources will also be available on the College Board Michigan web page approximately two weeks after the presentation. Clickable links to register: www.tinyurl.com/MichiganOverview www.tinyurl.com/MichiganSSD www.tinyurl.com/MichiganTestingTips ACT WorkKeys-Managing Participation for ACT WorkKeys®OpensMonday, November 6, 2017 If the WorkKeys Test Coordinator who is identified in the EEM does not receive this email by November 6, 2017, please check the EEM to verify that your name and contact information exists in the system and is accurate. If you are unable to locate the email, please contact ACT. See the Spotlight on details for how to submit your participation information by the deadline Friday, December 1, 2017. Important Dates The following are dates to know directly from the Spotlight. Now –November 21, 2017: M-STEP, MI-Access FI, and WIDA Online Testing Waiver request window Now –December 15, 2017(midnight): SAT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9 Off-site Testing Request Window November 3 –17, 2017: SAT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9 Intent to Participate (i.e. Establishment) response window November 6 – December 1, 2017: ACT WorkKeys Manage Participation (i.e. Establishment) window November 6, 2017 – January 12, 2018: Off-Site Test Administration Request window for M-STEP, MI-Access, WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0, WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, and Early Literacy & Mathematics November 13, 2017, 1:00 to 3:00 PM: SAT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 Implementation Overview webinar – Click to Register (www.tinyurl.com/MichiganOverview) November 14, 2017, 10:00 to 11:00 AM: SAT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9 Accommodations and ELL Supports webinar – Click to Register (www.tinyurl.com/MichiganSSD)
Contributed by: Alison Cicinelli
MEMSPA Evaluation Support with Molly Funk We are happy to bring Molly Funk back to the Great Lakes Bay Region Below is a flier providing detailed information. Know that Molly Funk will be providing support to the region on educator evaluations that is non-rubric specific. The support will be 5 days of training throughout the year for administration, 5 days for teachers, and onsite support in your district.
Observation & Feedback Best Practices - November 28, 2017 Presented by Steve Seward, Associate Director MASSP Location - Bay-Arenac ISD Time: 8:30am- 3:00pm PSAT 8/9 - Digging In - March 14, 2018 Location - Bay-Arenac ISD Time: 8:30am- 3:00pm Adaptive Schools® Foundation Seminar - June 19-22, 2018 Presented by Steve Seward, Associate Director NOTE: This is a is four-day training. Participants should be attendance all four days. Location - Bay-Arenac ISD Time: 8:30am- 3:00pm
MASSP & Instructional Rounds with Steve Seward Steve Seward will provide an overview of the instructional round process and how it can be utilized for educator evaluation.Locations include Gratiot-Isabella and Bay-Arenac ISD. There is no charge.
Teacher
Admin
MASSP & Student Growth with Colin Ripmaster Colin Ripmaster will provide workshops on Student Learning Objectives and a Data Analysis Protocol. Locations include Gratiot-Isabella and Bay-Arenac ISD. There is no charge.
Regional Professional Learning: Educator Evaluation
Enrolling 3 year olds today and don't forget to share!!! ENROLL TODAY!!
For those who have been following Section 31a At- Risk, the Governor signed the supplemental budget on November 2. This means that many of the concerns brought about by changes to 31a legislation have been addressed. Here is the link to Legislation (link to Enrolled Senate Bill No. 133) and the updated 31a Documents from MDE. The following contains the updated information about Section 31a At-Risk as posted on MDEs webpage. Program Description: Section 31a of the State School Aid Act provides funding to eligible Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and Public School Academies (PSAs) for the intent and purposes focused on the following student outcomes: attending school regularly, reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade, being proficient in mathematics by the end of 8th grade, and being career and college ready by high school graduation [Section 31a(1)]. An "At-Risk Pupil" is a pupil for whom the LEA has documentation that the pupil meets any of the following criteria listed in Section [31a (21)]: Economically disadvantaged English learner Chronically absent as defined and reported to CEPI Victim of child abuse or neglect Pregnant teenager or teenage parent Family history of school failure, incarceration, or substance abuse Immigrant Did not complete high school in four years and still in school Did not achieve proficiency on ELA, mathematics, science or social studies state summative assessment At risk of not meeting the LEA's core academic curricular objectives in ELA or mathematics based on local assessments Funds afforded through Section 31a At Risk are limited to instructional services and direct non-instructional services to pupils. They are intended to be spent in the current State fiscal year and may not be used for administration or other related costs. LEAs may carry over funds for one year. Legislative and technical assistance documents are available below. Resource Materials Legislation (link to Enrolled Senate Bill No. 133) 2017-18 Technical Assistance Schedule (updated 10/26/17) Register For Regional Workshops Here Please visit the Google Drive Here for the following Section 31 documents: Pupil Identification Worksheet (maintain one/per grade for auditing purposes) Frequently Asked Questions Monitoring Indicators Monitoring Indicator Resource Document Session #1, Legislative Update, Revised November 3, 2017 School Breakfast - Updated Guidance Per Section 31a (6), LEAs operating a school breakfast program are to use up to $10/student for the costs associated with the operation of this program. This is not an optional expenditure of Section 31a funds. Please refer to Frequently Asked Questions for further guidance. Contributed by Alison Cicinelli
Section 31a At-Risk Updates
Twitter Handles to Follow Jeffrey Collier - @JeffreyJCollier Superintendent of Au Gres-Sims School District. Champion for student-centric, experiential & progressive learning cultures! Status quo disruptor.
John Mertz Director of Instructional Services Editor
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Kathy Peasley Associate Superintendent of Instruction Contributor
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Constructing our Community The Bay County Historical Society is presenting a new program called "Constructing Our Community" This new STEM partnership between the Bay-Arenac Great Start Collaborative and the Bay County Historical Society/ Bay County Historical Museum offers a STEM program in our region! Grounded in research, “blocks are great learning tools from infancy to primary grades.” For further information on the program and the research behind it, take a look at the links provided below. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!!
Rebekah Hornak Director of Instructional Services Creative Director
Deb Snyder Assistant Superintendent for General Education Contributor
Constructing Our Community
Bay County Historical Society Block's as Learning Tools