I interviewed one of my campus
administrators. She stated that she was not the one who was responsible for
ordering the textbooks, and that it was more of a district decision. About two
years ago, the district had to purchase new textbooks, but, instead of going to
a publisher’s website to order, representatives from each publisher came out
and gave a presentation to the textbook committee. What sold the textbook
committee on any new textbook was not just the textbook itself, but many times,
the added supplements that accompanied
the textbooks. For example, when there are supplements with the textbook and
they come with “extras” at no additional charge, it was a major selling point
because other publishers charged for these supplements. Once a publisher was
selected, it would have to be voted on by the district’s School Board for
approval.
Domain
2 Competency 4.17: School / Program Scheduling
School/class scheduling has
become the basis of my existence over the last 3 years! I work hand in hand
with other department chairs, counselors, and principals to create a schedule
for our students, and to place them in the classes that they must have to
graduate. This process is tedious and arduous and often the source of many a
headache, but it is a crucial process, particularly at the high school level.
Scheduling is done by computer, and hand scheduling is avoided if at all
possible. It has become particularly tedious as we have implemented inclusion
this year. Many times this year, we have had to hand schedule those students
needing inclusion, and it has caused quite a lot of stress, particularly for
our counselors. I have also been the one who looks line by line at every
special ed student’s schedule to make sure that they have what they are
supposed to have according to their ARD document – and to make sure that they have
an English, a math, a science, and a social studies class! That would seem to
be simple – but the surprise is the ones that do not have all four cores! This
process is takes place just about all year long. It is like putting together a
million piece puzzle!
Domain
2 Competency 4.18: Supervision of Instruction / Instructional Strategy
I was fortunate to sit in on a
third grade Professional Learning Community (PLC) at the elementary campus
where I shadowed the principal. The elementary PLC’s are made up of the
teachers of a particular grade level and the administrator. In this PLC there were 3 teachers and the
principal. The principal began the
meeting by asking where the teachers needed more help. Some of the teacher’s
responses included needing help with math games for “higher” kids, how to catch
up a student who was new to the class, and how to better work with students
that were considered “low.” The administrator of providing time in the
classroom for working with “low” students a few times a week during classroom
intervention time.
I also interviewed our district’s
curriculum specialists, wanting more of the specifics of what they do. Each specialist explained that they were in
charge of helping analyze state standardized test scores, assisting teachers
analyze common assessment and benchmark data, and answering any questions
concerning curriculum and instruction.
Domain
2 Competency 4.19: Supervision of Co-Curricular Education
I worked collaboratively with our
Inclusion Support Specialists this year in helping our general ed teachers who
would have them in class as supports, to differentiate instruction. Many times,
at the high school level, the curriculum is taught in a lecture format, which,
for most students with learning disabilities, is not effective. Many of the
lecture format teachers had been doing this type of instruction for many years,
and were very resistant to change. As Support Specialists, we worked with these
particular teachers in finding ways that students could show what they had
learned and to help the teacher know what it was that they still needed help
with. We offered ideas such as when giving a lesson, some students are learning
the curriculum, some are learning to copy from the board, and some may just be
learning to sit quietly without interrupting – but they were all learning
something. Another idea was being able to get teacher copies of notes in
exchange for producing some sort of notes that they had taken themselves; or
giving responses to questions orally instead of in written form. Through this
process, we/I have learned about some of our really great teachers who use
podcasting and video casting as a way of engaging their students and giving the
responsibility of learning back to the student.
Domain
2 Competency 4.2: Learning / Motivation Theory
The absolute best
learning/motivation theory I have seen this year takes place at the elementary
campus where I have shadowed/observed. They have implemented a process known as
PRIDE tickets, in which the students are “caught in the act” of doing something
pertaining to what they call, PRIDE behavior (P-prepared; R-respectful;
I-integrity; D-determined; E-excellence in everything). These tickets are given
out by anyone on that campus that observes students doing what they are
supposed to be doing and/or acting the way they are supposed to be acting. The
students LOVE it! And so do the teachers! Students are rewarded by getting to
spend time with the principal in an informal way helping her do things in and
around the office; the teachers are rewarded by getting to wear jeans and
t-shirts after a certain amount of tickets have been given. This has reduced
significantly the amount of office referrals and behavior interventions on that
campus. Students are engaged in learning and in behavior that creates a
positive climate and atmosphere for everyone.
Domain
2 Competency 5.23: Evaluation of Student Achievement / Testing
As department chair for special
education, I have the duty of being the testing coordinator for my department.
For that particular duty, I ensure that all of our special education students
take the appropriate test as indicated in their ARD document, and ensure that
the appropriate and allowable accommodations are in place for test day. This
has been particularly daunting these last two years with the administration of
the remaining TAKS test takers and the implementation of the STAAR EOC. We also
participated in the STAAR EOC field tests last year, which created two months
of what seemed like non-stop testing for our students. This year, I also had to
administer STAAR Alt for one of our high school teachers who had not
successfully passed the module training needed to administer that test.
Included in those duties are the training of teachers, room assignments, and
class rosters. It is often tedious work, but crucial, especially when dealing
with special education students, and ensuring that the correct test is given. I
have been fortunate in that we have had no discrepancies or errors these last 3
years.
I also work with the current
administration, special education director, and assistant superintendent in
analyzing current testing data. Although we are successful in the passing rate
of most of our students throughout the district, we have come into trouble this
year with the number of students in our district taking a modified or
alternative test. This problem is Federal AYP stage 3 for our district. We have
had to work very hard in moving students from a modified test to a regular
test, and students taking an alternative test to a modified test. This has not
been met with exuberation or elation, as you can well imagine. We have
successfully moved these students – but whether they are successful or not on
the test, only time will tell.
Domain
2 Competency 5.24: Student Discipline
A typical classroom’s discipline procedure may
look like:
-Verbal Warning
-Written Warning
-Note sent home in agenda
-Lunch / After school detention
-Office referral (which can
result in referral to DMC-Discipline Management Center)
The strengths of our policy is
that it gives students a several chances to “get their act together” before
more serious consequences are enabled.
However, there have been more students being sent to DMC because they
are not following the rules. One of the downsides to DMC is that a student is
not in the classroom to receive instruction. This may reflect in student progress
reports. Another negative about this policy is that it costs money to have an DMC
teacher on employed on our campus. It costs approximately $70 - $120 per day to
employ an DMC teacher. This can add up and can put a massive dent in a school’s
budget. About 99% of the discipline
issues can be handled in the classroom. While an administrator may “have your back”
when it comes to discipline issues, documentation is crucial in the area of
discipline.
Domain
2 Competency 5.25: Student Discipline
In interviewing teachers about what affects them the most
about teaching, student learning and possible improvements were at the top of
the list. One of the major issues facing teaching is that many students are
disrespectful to their peers, as well as teachers. Disrespect interrupts the
learning processes. Another issue facing teaching is the lack of interest in
the content, and a large “to do” list concerning each lesson. Teachers
suggested that, perhaps, if the other duties they are responsible for might be lessened,
it might result in teachers being able to individualize lessons for students
(differentiation). Another problem facing teachers is that students do not care
about or understand the value of education. Many students do not connect with
the curriculum. Most of the suggestions
for resolving these issues are more time for preparation, the ability to teach
certain lessons, and more time to connect with other teachers to go over
effective teaching strategies.
Domain
2 Competency 6.26: Staff Development and Adult Learning
I have been a staff development
presenter in my district for the last nine years. I started presenting in this
district before actually coming to work in the district. Every year I provide
professional development for paraprofessionals and teachers, and have presented
on various subjects such as motivating students, differentiated instruction,
behavior issues and solutions, inclusion, the work relationship between
classroom teacher and paraprofessional, just to name a few. I will continue
this year with conducting professional development in the district.
Domain
2 Competency 6.27: Personnel Procedures
I sat in on three interviews for
a third Life Skills teacher on our campus (we had 2-needed a third). I was surprised
to see how differently each of the three different candidates carried
themselves in the interview. One of the candidates kept talking about herself
and her family and offered very little in terms of what she could bring to the
table as a teacher. The second candidate chewed gum the entire interview, and
seemed uncomfortable about the students she would be asked to teach. The third candidate
was very confident, telling about her experiences as a substitute, as teacher
in another state, and her experience with students with learning disabilities.
Most
of the major changes that have to do with this school normally require board
approval. One of the biggest changes I am aware of was in the Technology
Department. In these times of budget
cuts, and making the most out of every dollar, our district is actually
attempting to “beef up” our technology department. A few months ago our
district decided to become a “Bring Your Own Device” district, which was huge
because until then, all devices were seen as a violation of the student code of
conduct. But, with the building of a new high school, and the upgrade of
technology that this brings, the district hoped that implementing this portion
now, students would be able to bring their own laptop, tablet, or Smartphone to
school to use for educational purposes, and start paving the way to our being
more tech-friendly. As with any major change, there were those who were afraid that “no good could come
out of having students using their own devices at school.” Fortunately our
Board realized that bringing your own device to school would be more beneficial
to student achievement rather than looking at all of the negatives.
Domain 2 Competency 7.29: Student
Services
After
interviewing the our school nurse, I found out that students are required to
provide proof of various vaccinations that the state requires in order to
enroll in our school. She did not state what the specific vaccinations were
required, but did state that the parents could not enroll students until proof
was shown.
Once
a year, our nurse also has a group of college-aged student come from Grayson
County College to talk to our students about dental hygiene. In these sessions,
students are normally given a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in hopes of
maintaining proper dental hygiene.
Domain 2 Competency 7.30: Issues
and Conflict Resolution
One
of the issues at the elementary campus this year was a program called “English
Learning Development” or ELD. This program required every classroom to
designate a block of time each day to go over the fundamentals of the English
language. Many teachers felt this was redundant and that the lessons were dry. At
this campus, the first grade teachers had to complete one to two hours of ELD
every day, and it was difficult to keep their attention for very long. However,
a fifth grade teacher said that the hour and a half she spends teaching ELD
everyday has made a tremendous impact in the way that the students write sentences.
She went on to explain that although it was a major adjustment to get used to,
students finally began to improve their scores on tests and writing samples.
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