PLC SMART GOAL and Intervention Results

My PLC group has gone fairly smoothly with the process and outcomes of the learning cycle. We were able to look at the data from our first formative assessment, identified the students who did not meet the goal (90% of the students will get 100% correct on the test), and created an intervention for them to target the skills they "missed." After a week of intervention, we gave them the assessment again. (Here I would like your thoughts) The students in the intervention got all of the questions right for the target skills. However, they also got wrong answers that they previously had right! (this means that the students still did not meet the goal).

My team felt that since the skills were no longer being taught (the lessons had moved on), the info was not still "fresh" in the students' minds over the week of intervention. When we are looking so closely as student learning, its becoming a little clearer the way that students don't retain all of the learning needed to meet the identified skill - This also messes with any percentage we set for our smart goal, as the students who receive intervention time needed to "hold on" to the information longer before the retest. 

Reading grouping strategies?

Hello All,
I was curious if you all had some creative ways to make inclass reading assignments not only more beneficial but more entertaining for the students as well. For example, assignming each group memeber a job or role etc. I'm always up for mixing it up in my reading assignments. So, feel free to provide me your ideas.
Thanks,
Shawn DeBoer

Google+ - A Great PLN!

Good Morning!

I just wanted to share with all of you how awesome google+ is. I joined with my school gmail account a few weeks ago. Recently, they added a new feature called "communities", which is similar to facebook groups. I posted a question in one of these communities and had 6 comments on it before lunch time. People gave me ideas, resources, and even self-paced tech training videos that went along with their suggestions.

Google+ also has those little +1 on like every website which makes it easy to share things you find on the internet.

I would highly recommend getting on google+ and following teachers such as Richard Byrne and also finding communities that interest you. Oh, and you can add me to your circles! :)

See you on G+!

Eric Hills

PLC Data Protocol

In our PLC we completed our first data protocol of the year. While we have been discussing student achievement, rewriting assessment, and comparing work informally, this was the first time we sat down and officially looked at test results. For the most part, this was a great relief. I found that our scores on the assessment were similar for the most part. Also, we got an opportunity to rewrite confusing questions as a whole group. I think this is much more helpful than me just rewriting with my own ideas. What I especially like about this data protocol was that we agreed the test was were it should be in terms about rigor, but we discussed ways to teach the concepts better, so that our results turn out better next year. It was nice to get to the instructional part in a discussion about assessments, as usually I think many people get caught up in what didn't work . We focused on what did work. Have you looked at test data as a PLC? Do you find it helpful?  Also, do you plan enrichments/remediation at this time?

Free Writing for Language Arts and content areas

Last year I was coteaching in a 7th grade language arts class. We started doing a freewrite activity at the beginning of class during our poetry unit. It was great fun since the students were motivated to read out loud by allowing them to perform if they wanted to. Some students did raps, some did creative readings. I started this fall with freewrites in my pull out Level 2 EL class grade 7. They are motivated by what they can create and show and perform for their fellow students. Sometimes it is competetive between them--I don't make it competetive, they do. Sometimes they bring the writing home to add to or improve it--and they are excited to show it the next day! I think this generation is motivated more about what they can show the world than what the world can show them--social media makes so much sense--like facebook is about what you can PUT OUT THERE--not so much about how you can injest more from others. I would suggest doing freewrites in ALL content areas and just see what the students do creatively with the vocabulary and concepts--just give it a try! --Ann Browning Zerby

Technology Overload

One thing that I love about working in this district is that the opportunity to incorporate cool technology in the classroom is always there.  Sometime I wonder how people taught before technology was available!

Today, I am feeling overwhelmed with all the technology that we have access to.  In my classroom, my students use Lexia, Study Island, Math Expressions, Fusion, and Education City, Benchmark, and Tumble Books.  While I love having all of these options out there for my students to stay engaged and excited about learning, I am having a hard time managing all of these resources so that they will benefit my learners.

I am wondering if anyone has advice on how they are finding the time to into some of these resources to assign things, or make it individualized for each student in a class of 23+.  I feel like I am letting my students down because not every resource is personalized for their level/ability/skill.  Any ideas would be appreciated!

Sub Plans

I was fortunate enough to travel the week before Thanksgiving, which meant that I took three personal days last week.  I am still exhausted from the process of planning for it all!  It took me longer to plan for the sub than it usually takes me to plan for a whole week.  I spent long nights the week before I left writing detailed plans for each day and making sure everything was exactly the way it needed to be.  I wanted to make sure I covered every contingency and that I had plenty of activities for each class.  I feel as if this helped make the transition easier, both for my students and for the substitute, but I still feel like I'm trying to catch up from my time away.

How do you usually plan for a substitute?  What do you think is necessary to include in your plans?  How strictly do you want your sub to adhere to your plans?  I found out my sub didn't follow the morning meeting quite the way I wrote it down, and that doesn't bother me so much, but when I found out he didn't require all of my students to do their morning work, that did bother me.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!