Teaching and Learning Committee Notes September 23, 2010

Teaching and Learning Committee Notes – September 23, 2010

Membership:

• Fewer meetings this year (6)
• Would like to have each PLC represented
• Purpose will be to link district to individual schools and transfer ideas

Calendar/Annual Report Highlights:

• All schools made AYP with all A’s
• High parent participation and high attendance rates
• AP, Dual-enrollment, Tech, and MME all reflect high scores
• Lynn congratulated us on our successes

Reasons for District Improvement:

• PHS - PLCs made noted efforts to use strategies to decrease MME gaps and challenges; it has given them the ability to adjust for different students
• PMS - Focused on common assessments which provide a catalyst for good dialogue between teachers; honest use of data; PD days have provided needed time to make changes
• Elementary – Time/attention = improvement; test tools at the elementary (MEAP, etc. ) have improved; increased use of data, acceptance of change and vertical communication have enhanced instruction; continue to promote positive change

District Targets (81% Writing, 90% Reading, 88% Math):

• Proficiency differences still exist
• Economically disadvantaged – gap in achievement grows with age
• Special education gaps still exist, although some students have done better than other peer groups

PLCs:

• Focus for 2010-2011 is on instructional strategies and practices
• PLCs and Admin will choose topics for many PD days
• Lynn will be meeting with grade levels for Common Core Curriculum Crosswalks
• Nov. 3 and Feb. 18 will include some seminar options on technology, differentiation, etc.

Personnel Changes:

• Many noted shifts though out the district; Dr. Scholten complimented the placement of kids and helping parents to understand the changes. This has led to few complaints.
• Elementary – noted they are struggling with higher class sizes in the lower el; 6 sections have been cut in 2 years at Ottawa

Revised Textbook Adoption Procedure:

• Rotation process will continue, but will be adapted as the budget adjusts
• McGraw-Hill rep has changed, so Lynn is sorting out the elementary order for grade K-1; please notify her of missing materials

District Improvement Plan:

• Goals included for each subject area
• Updated vision, mission, and beliefs statement
• 4 strategies/activities are identified for each area

Next Meeting:

• Notification of agenda will be given in advance
• Gather colleague thoughts on the current assessment plans to discuss next meeting
• Stakeholder survey will be reviewed; Is it meeting our needs? So far, response has been positive

Misc:

• Steve noted that teachers are unable to look at current students’ NWEA data until the testing window closes (early October); you can search last spring’s data by grade level
• Accolades from Lynn on response to day 1 lockdown; students and parents felt safe
• Dr. Scholten highlighted some recent publications in the News-Review (salary chart, lockdown). He noted that much of the data on the salary chart is incorrect. Few comments regarding the lockdown from administration were given to protect the integrity of our procedures.

Notes summarized by Ami Dionne