Laguna-Acoma/ Junior-Senior High School Finds Tracking Improves Student Performance
By Hailey Heinz
ABQ Journal Staff Writer
October 2, 2012
The staff at Laguna-Acoma Junior-Senior High School is really into writing things down.
Math teacher Berna Marquez writes down students' current grades in their notebooks every week. She has them make graphs that show their progress on test scores throughout the year - an assignment that is partly an exercise in graphing, but she says it's more than that.
- "Data is very important when it's personal," Marquez said. "They get to see, 'I'm not doing very well.' But numbers don't mean a whole lot if you just verbally tell them. But when you show them on a graph, it has much more impact."
That philosophy starts at the top, with the school's administrators, and traces to school leadership training that the principal and assistant principal received at the University of Virginia last year.
Gov. Susana Martinez announced last month she has set aside $3.5 million to provide leadership training to principals from the 319 schools that received "D" and "F" grades under the new school grading system.
- The leadership training, according to a news release, will be anchored in the Virginia program.
- In the same release, Martinez lauded the success of the program at Laguna-Acoma Junior/Senior High School.
Test scores at Laguna-Acoma still have a ways to go.
- Among high school students who took the SBA last year, 39.5 percent scored proficient or above in reading, and
- 44.2 percent scored at least proficient in math.
- But both numbers are up from spring 2011, when just 28.2 percent of students were proficient in math.
- Reading is up more modestly, from 36.6 percent.
Administrators point to the gains as proof the University of Virginia model is working.
Principal Tom Trujillo and assistant principal Gerald Horacek used money from a federal School Improvement Grant to travel to Virginia for the training, which combines strategies from the university's business and education schools.
- The idea is to give principals leadership strategies, which in some cases are borrowed from the business world.
- Horacek stressed that the training is not about running schools like businesses, but about giving principals the kinds of leadership skills chief executives have.
And like Marquez's emphasis on writing down student grades, Trujillo and Horacek put a strong emphasis on writing down things they've committed to do, like more frequent classroom observations, and writing down the school's achievement data.
- On the wall of a conference room, they have posted charts showing the state standards students must know for the 11th-grade Standards-Based Assessment, and how each junior is doing on standard.
- It's the beginning of the school year, so many boxes on the chart are red, meaning the students did not show knowledge of the standard on a pre-test.
That's OK, Trujillo said, because those topics haven't been covered yet. Students will be tested again throughout the year, to help teachers hone in on the standards that specific students haven't mastered, and help get them ready for the SBA in the spring. Trujillo said before he went to the leadership training, his school collected lots of data that were never put to use.
- "The University of Virginia told us we were data rich, but information poor," he said.
- "We had all this data, but it stayed in the hands of people that didn't use it.
- We needed to get the data out of the hands of the administrators and into the hands of the teachers, and down to the students. That's an area that we drastically improved in."
Other changes also have been adopted at the school, which has about 360 students in middle and high school.
- Trujillo and Horacek spend more time observing teachers in their classrooms and giving them feedback, which sometimes means administrative work gets pushed to the early morning hours or the evenings.
- Schedules also have been rearranged to give those who teach the same subjects a common planning period to collaborate.
Several teachers said they think the changes in the school are working.
- "I've been teaching for 18 years, and this is the second or third year we're trying to implement this, with the instruction being data-driven," Marquez said. "And I totally support it, because I've seen tremendous growth with the students."
Even students say they see change over the past several years. Brent Riley, a high-achieving senior, said the school is very different than when he started there.
He said he and his classmates are tested more often - at the end of every three-week curriculum unit to see whether they learned the standards the unit was intended to teach. But he doesn't mind, saying it helps him chart his progress toward getting ready for college.
"I'm the type of student who likes a challenge," he said.
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Santa Fe/ PEC Denies Proposed Taos International Charter School
By Matthew van Buren
Taos News
October 1, 2012
Nadine Vigil, an organizer of the proposed Taos International School, said she plans to appeal the state Public Education Commission's decision to deny the school's application last week.
The Public Education Commission (PEC) voted on nine proposed charter schools' applications Sept. 19-20, only approving one.
In Taos, the Taos International School's application was denied with an 8-1 vote, according to information from the Public Education Department (PED). Taos Mountain Charter School withdrew its application prior to the vote.
- Taos International School proposed to offer a dual-language and International Baccalaureate education to elementary- and middle-school students.
- At a hearing held in Taos, Aug. 20, several members of the public spoke in favor of the school, though other speakers including Taos Superintendent Rod Weston opposed it. Weston argued that the addition of another charter school would harm the school district and divide the community.
Taos International School did receive the recommendation of the PED's Charter Schools Division.
- According to the letter, the school's application was found to be complete and adequate, and the applicants "demonstrated the capacity to implement the education and governance/management plan as described in the application."
- The letter also proposes conditions, including securing a facility that meets the approval of the Public School Facilities Authority.
On its score sheet, the Charter Schools Division gave Taos International School 183.5 of 224 possible points. The evaluation also notes that, based on PED charter schools data, five charter schools within the Taos Municipal School District's boundaries serve 27 percent of the district enrollment; the addition of Taos International School, which proposed to ultimately cap enrollment at 360 students in grades K-8, could have brought that number to 42 percent.
- It was on that point that Vigil said members of the PEC largely focused during their Sept. 20 vote. She said at least two commissioners said the addition of Taos International School would harm the school district.
Vigil said Taos needs more options for students and that she plans to appeal the PEC's decision.
Taos Mountain Charter School - currently Taos Waldorf School, a private school in El Prado - proposed to bring a Waldorf-inspired educational model to the public school system. The charter school would have replaced the Waldorf school, which has been facing financial difficulties.
During the PEC's Aug. 20 public hearing in Taos, school organizers faced tough questions about their budget, among other items. Weston also spoke in opposition to Taos Mountain Charter School.
The Charter Schools Division recommended the school's application be denied, giving it a score of 145 out of 238 possible points. In several places, the evaluation notes the school organizers' apparent lack of familiarity with state law and requirements regarding public schools.
"The gap in knowledge regarding differences between private school operation and public school operation is substantial," it states.
According to the division's evaluation, information regarding educational goals "is broad and measures are vague," and provided educational goal information statements "do not meet the stated evaluation criteria and do not lend themselves to monitoring progress over the proposed term of the charter." The evaluation also notes that the application does not adequately address the needs of English Language Learners, "indicating limited knowledge of mandated services and support required for ELL students" in the public school system.
"The education plan demonstrates strength in Waldorf-inspired curriculum and instruction, but demonstrates limited knowledge of the requirements of public school accountability and mandated services for special populations," the letter states.
The letter also notes "numerous errors" in the school's business plan, "most notably failure to provide a balanced budget, adequately fund staff benefits, meet minimum salary requirements for the school director, adequately fund required audits, and provide for projected legal expenses."
According to the evaluation, the application did not demonstrate that outreach activities would ensure all students in the area have an equal opportunity to enroll. The school's application proposed to give priority enrollment to children of founding families, board members and staff; however, during its Aug. 20 hearing the PEC informed the applicants that giving such priority to certain children is not allowed.
According to information from the PED, Taos Mountain Charter School's application was withdrawn Sept. 17.
In an email to The Taos News, Taos Mountain Charter School organizers Emily Cohen and Allison Bradley wrote that they plan to submit another charter application next year.
"We enjoyed the application process and learned a lot," the email states. "One thing that is very clear for us is the need for a Waldorf school in Taos. There is a new level of enthusiasm and joy in the Taos Waldorf School community this year, and we are exploring many options to ensure a healthy and sustainable future."
Other charter schools were proposed in Carlsbad, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Deming, Santa Fe, Albuquerque and elsewhere. The PEC only voted to approve one new charter school last week: Health Leadership High School, in Albuquerque, was approved with a 9-0 vote. The other schools may appeal their denials within 30 days of last week's votes.
For more information, or to view the charter schools' applications, budgets, meeting transcripts and recommendations, visit http://ped.state.nm.us/Charter/2012a/
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Chinle AZ/ Shaun Martin: National Rural Teacher Award-Winner Draws on Navajo Heritage
By Diette Courrege
Education Week [Edweek.org]
October 1, 2012 12:12 PM
A rural high school teacher who draws on his Native American heritage to inspire motivation and commitment from his students is this year's Monsanto Fund Rural Teacher of the Year awarded by the National Rural Education Association.
Shaun Martin has taught and coached for eight years at Chinle High School in Chinle, Ariz., which enrolls about 925 students on a Navajo reservation. It was the first time rural Arizona education leaders had nominated a Native American teacher for competition.
Bill Blong, executive director of the Arizona Rural Schools Association, wrote in his nomination letter that the selection committee was impressed with the young teacher who works to be a good influence and dynamic mentor.
- "Mr. Martin uses the ancient practice of distance running as a catalyst to teach self-discipline, commitment, and fortitude to impart the Navajo Way to his students," he wrote. "He uses running as a positive activity and its discipline as a way to overcome the hardships of reservation life."
Martin grew up running alongside his father, who was raised in a traditional Navajo family. They'd wake at 5 a.m. and run to the East to meet the sun. His father told him, "Running in the morning to meet the sun and holy people is how we celebrate life, it's how we pray, and it's a mentor to teach us about life."
Martin knew he wanted to be a coach and teacher by middle school, and he never wavered from that goal. He was recruited to run at Northern Arizona University and accepted an academic scholarship from the Navajo Nation. He was among only a handful of Native American athletes in the NCAA Division 1 athletic program.
He graduated from college in 2004 and took the teaching position in Chinle on the reservation. He said in his competition application that he strives to teach students the most valuable lesson he's learned: turning negative situations into positive ones.
- He implemented a distance running program at Chinle High and at the district's other six schools.
- For students in grades 2 through 12, Martin uses the club to link distance-running skills to success in the classroom and in life.
- His cross-country and track teams have won 13 state titles, and 14 runners have been individual state champions.
But he said his most significant accomplishment is that 44 of his students have gone to college on athletic or academic scholarships. Many students in his community don't go to college.
Martin said in his application for the award that many of his school's students face significant challenges, such as homes without running water or electricity, traveling as far as 45 miles one way to get to school, drug and alcohol abuse, and single-parent families. He said he tries to teach them to "only focus on the variables you can control, don't stress the uncontrollable."
The Rural Teacher of the Year award receives a $2,000 honorarium, and the school district receives $1,000 for instructional materials and school supplies. Martin also will be making a presentation at the upcoming National Rural Education Association convention and research symposium on Oct. 13 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Washington DC/ Deanna Jump: Kindergarten Teacher Becomes Self-Made Millionaire Selling Lesson Plans Online
Huffington Post Report
October 1, 2012
Deanna Jump, a 43-year-old kindergarten teacher in Georgia, has unexpectedly become a self-made millionaire - by selling her lesson plans to other teachers.
Like most teachers, Jump never really expected to rake in the cash, and she and her husband struggled to pay the bills while supporting their three children. But three years ago, a colleague who thought Jump's lesson plans were extremely effective encouraged Jump to share her lesson plans on TeachersPayTeachers.com. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
The site was created by Paul Edelman in 2006. The former teacher, recognizing teachers' unforgiving hours and limited resources, wanted to offer educators a way to help each other - and make money while sharing their ideas. TPT now allows educators to post original materials, allowing others to download the content for $5 to $9 per lesson. About 1.1 million registered users are on the site, totaling about $14 million in earnings, CNN reports. Most teachers are paying for the lessons out of their own pockets.
Jump only made $300 the first year she was on TPT, but the popularity of her lessons grew - she has sold 161,000 copies of her 93 separate units. In the last three months alone, Jump's TPT sales have totaled $213,000, Businessweek reports. She earns $55,000 annually from her full time teaching position at Central Fellowship Christian Academy.
Still, Jump is a TPT star, as no other user has experienced the same soaring success - she's received inquiries from teachers around the world, from Spain to countries in Africa. But, Edelman tells Businessweek, at least two others have made $300,000 and 23 have topped $100,000 in earnings.
Other sites offering similar services are gaining traction. Udemy [www.udemy.com] offers online services for anyone to give and take lessons, and boasts combined earnings of $1.6 million among its top 10 instructors from last year, according to TechCrunch. WeAreTeachers [www.weareteachers.com], an online teacher community, allows educators to communicate, collaborate and enter ideas to earn cash and prizes.
While Jump has faced some criticism, community support is prevalent.
- "Regardless of who foots the bill for more-effective lesson plans, this sort of professional sharing is long overdue," Andrew Rotherham writes for TIME. "Too many teachers are on their own."
Jump says her TPT gig is like a second job, as it takes hours of work daily. With the money, she's sent her daughter to college, paid off her bills and gifted her quadriplegic brother with a handicapped-accessible van. Other than that, life's the same.
"We really haven't changed our lifestyle. I drive a Kia, okay?" She tells Businessweek. I'm just trying to keep it real."
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Washington DC/ ESSAY: Salman Khan on Rise of the Tech-Powered Teacher
By Salman Khan [Khan is the founder of Khan Academy, a nonprofit based in Mountain View, Calif., with the mission of providing free, high-quality education worldwide. His first book, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, is being published this week]
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 6 [Edweek.org]
October 2, 2012
Best known for our collection of education videos, Khan Academy covers every subject from algebra to art history for grades K-12.
A significant piece of Khan Academy, however, is the interactive exercises that allow students to practice math and get feedback at their own pace, while giving teachers data on student progress. Over the past few years, our team has had the privilege of working directly with some of the teachers who use Khan Academy with their students. As we talk with teachers and observe them in their classrooms, one theme becomes absolutely clear: More than anything, teachers want all of their students to reach their potential.
Teachers have high expectations for their students, and they work hard to help them succeed. But teachers are in a tough position.
Each fall, students enter their classrooms with a range of abilities, motivation levels, and incoming knowledge. Each student has different needs. Some are ready for grade-level content, while others have not fully mastered the prerequisites. Still others have already learned the grade-level material and are ready to move on to more advanced concepts. Ideally, teachers would like to meet all those needs simultaneously, but it is only humanly possible for them to teach one lesson at a time. We've met teachers who have undertaken heroic efforts to meet each student's needs, including one teacher who creates five different homework assignments each night so students can work at their own levels. This is impressive but, without question, taxing.
There is no silver bullet, but we consistently find that when used appropriately, technology can enable teachers to lead differentiated and interactive classrooms. When teachers have real-time data and a clear understanding of every child's needs, they can use their precious classroom time more effectively and flexibly. When students are learning at a pace and level appropriate to their individual needs, they are less likely to disengage or act up.
Since tools like Khan Academy generate unlimited challenges on any topic (with academic hints and relevant and related videos for students to continue pursuing an issue), teachers do not need to create and grade several different worksheets for their students. Instead, they can use that time to do more meaningful work, like dispelling struggling students' misconceptions or designing engaging explorations for their students. This approach can also serve as a helpful classroom-management tool, providing all students with useful practice while their teacher works closely with selected students. In this way, technology can actually increase the amount of quality teacher-student interaction.
The team here at Khan Academy has been actively working with incredible researchers and teachers-several of whom are staff members-to explore how we can leverage technology to create deeper classroom experiences. The initial results have been promising, but there is still a long way to go. There is no one solution that would be appropriate for all contexts.
Early on, I heard from some teachers who were using Khan Academy videos to reframe their classrooms: Students would learn the content at night and practice it the next day during class. Since then, we have often been associated with the idea of the "flipped classroom," even though the concept was actually conceived by others before Khan Academy existed. Since those early days, we have seen the tools of Khan Academy used in many different ways that, we believe, go beyond this model.
"Technology can actually increase the amount of quality teacher-student interaction in a classroom."
To us, where or when students use the resources is not the most important part of any model. Instead, we want to build tools that enable students to master topics at their own pace and increase interactivity and creativity in physical environments. Of course, we know that reaching that goal will not happen overnight. Teachers looking to push the envelope are constrained by state mandates and tests that don't give much weight to student or teacher creativity. In addition, many schools and students still have limited access to technology. But the big picture reveals that the ball is moving forward. And based on the incredible educators we have had the privilege to work with while piloting and designing our tools for their classrooms, I am optimistic that it is moving in the right direction.
In discussions about bringing technology into the classroom, I sometimes hear people say that virtual resources will replace physical instruction. I think this idea is absolutely wrong. Technology will never replace teachers; in fact, it will make teachers even more important. Technology will give teachers valuable real-time data to diagnose students' weak points and design appropriate interventions. It will enable teachers to more quickly gauge students' comprehension of new topics so they can adjust their lesson plans on the spot. Virtual tools may have the potential to provide educational materials to children who have access to nothing else-say, in a remote village in India-but they will never be a substitute for rich experiences with fellow students and amazing teachers.
I set up Khan Academy as a nonprofit so that it could be free to act as an institution that puts learners and teachers first, rather than a business that has a fiduciary responsibility to maximize shareholder value. Like most schools, Khan Academy has no owners. I hope that it develops as an institution that leverages its reach with students, parents, and teachers to move the education conversation forward constructively. We do not just want to talk about possibilities, but also to take an active role in the building and testing of ideas alongside educators. Of course, Khan Academy remains a work in progress. We are proud of what we have accomplished, but we think we have just begun to scratch the surface of what we want to be.
As I write, we are working with researchers and educators to become more interactive, community-driven, international, and exploration-based. We recently launched our computer science platform, which emphasizes programming as a creative art. We are also leveraging this platform to create interactive virtual labs with simulations of projectiles, pendulums, and the solar system. New interactive features that allow users to ask and answer each other's questions have also recently increased the sense of online community. We know that providing a way for users to teach one another helps them learn more deeply; after all, the best way to learn something well is to explain it to others.
We are in the midst of a major restructuring of the site's architecture to better integrate the video and interactive experience. This will include exercises and tools for teachers and students to program interactive simulations. Our goal over the next year is to create a platform on which any educator can create his or her own "academy."
You will also start to see thousands of pieces of content redone in the world's major languages so that we can begin to reach those most in need. And all of this is being designed with the intent of supercharging the possibilities in the classroom and empowering teachers to push differentiation and exploration with students to an all-time high.
Because of this social mission and the millions of students and thousands of teachers using the site, we have been blessed with an incredible amount of goodwill from learners and educators alike. That said, we are a very small organization at a very early stage of development. Our mission statement-"a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere"-is an aspiration that we will continue to strive for in the decades to come.
Khan Academy is not a silver bullet; no one solution can tackle a very complex and nuanced problem. But we are optimistic that we can continue to work with amazing educators to help test the boundaries of what is possible.
In a recent interview, Education Week's Catherine Cardno asked Salman Khan about his new book, Khan Academy, and how he envisions the future form of education. Read the 2-part Q&A: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/bookmarks/2012/09/qa_salman_khan_on_the_future_of_education_part_1.html
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