Issue: #57                                                         

April 2015
In This Issue
Featured Article
Staff members engage in SMCOE strategic planning informational meetings.

SBAC Testing Proceeds on Schedule

  

 

Throughout San Mateo County and California, schools are in the process of administering the Smarter Balanced Assessments--new standardized tests in an online format aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The new tests, given to students in grades 3 through 8 and 11, allow students to demonstrate their ability to write analytically, think critically, and solve problems along with their knowledge of facts.

 

This is the first "operational" year of the assessment in which scores will be reported. A field test was given last year which allowed students and schools to become familiar with the new test without being held accountable for results.

 

 " This is a whole new ballgame," says Dr. Gary Waddell, Deputy Superintendent at the San Mateo County Office of Education. "These are new assessments measuring achievement of new standards on a new platform which means that we can't compare results with the former STAR tests but are establishing a new baseline from which to bench growth."

 

As of mid-April, more than 500,000 students statewide had begun taking the tests, and thus far the new computerized testing format has run smoothly.  School districts have a much longer time period than in previous years--until the end of May--to complete the testing.

 

"Site administrators are working hard and this year's administration is going better than the field testing last year," notes Sandy Mikulik, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, in the Jefferson Elementary District, where it has been a push to get the technology up to speed. Jefferson is in the middle of testing, staggering administration at different schools to be sure that there are no bandwidth issues with their network. For next year they plan to upgrade their network so that all students can be tested at the same time.

 

 "One concern we have," she adds, "is that some students are taking the test two months earlier than other students and we're not sure how the results will compare with students who have had two months more of instruction. There are still a lot of unknowns for us and we hope that the state will figure out a way so that the results are fair and equitable."

 

Districts will have access online to results within four weeks after completion of testing. Individual student score reports will be mailed to parents eight weeks after the last school in each district has completed its testing, and Dataquest public reports should be available at the end of August or early September. 

 

 "The API will be gone this year and the state is moving toward a multiple measures approach rather than a single score to assess progress that better captures the complexity of how we understand what students know and are able to do," says Waddell.  "This year's results will use field test results from last year as a reference.  While this is not a perfect comparison, it will provide some context to the scores as this is our first year of full test administration."

 

Beginning next year, students and parents will be able to compare students' achievement to their previous scores, which will provide a critical opportunity to assess student growth through the years. 

 

 

 

SMCOE Planning for the Future

 

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) is looking toward the future. With changes in K-12 education at the national and state level--from the Common Core Standards to the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and shrinking state funding for county offices of education-- it's time to take a fresh look and chart a path forward.

 

That was the message of several strategic planning informational meetings held in April at SMCOE. Close to 160 SMCOE staff members participated, kicking off the first phase of an 18-month-long strategic planning process facilitated by the consulting firm of Fern Tiger Associates (FTA). 

 

"The purpose of these meetings was two-fold," notes Principal and Creative Director Fern Tiger, who led participants through discussions at the planning meetings. "We wanted to ensure that all the staff understood

SMCOE staff members participated in discussions at several strategic planning informational sessions.

this comprehensive effort to create a vision for SMCOE and we wanted to give them the opportunity to step back and think about the big picture."

 

In addition to these initial meetings, FTA is in the process of conducting 80 in-person, one-on-one interviews with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including board members, staff, superintendents, principals, teachers, government and business leaders, community members, and the leadership of other county offices around the state to discover what's working and what the hopes are for the future.  

 

FTA is also conducting a survey of SMCOE staff, doing research into educational trends and best practices, assessing communication tools, reviewing programs and budgets, and more. The firm will then analyze and synthesize all this information  to create recommendations that will help to shape an implementation plan.

 

Throughout the planning process, FTA will be engaging with the SMCOE project team and advisory committee, and assist SMCOE to develop a vision, mission and plan for the future. "The process is meant to be inclusive," notes Jennifer Foster Bull, Senior Project Associate at FTA.  "Our intention is to bring in and value multiple points of view."

 

"It's an iterative process that begins by gathering information, examining the strengths of the organization and looking at what the organization hopes to accomplish in the near- and mid-term and into the future," says Tiger. "It's an exciting time for SMCOE. Engaging in this process will result in a bold plan which will reflect where SMCOE  wants to go and for the organization to be prepared so that its many parts are aligned and ready to move forward with vision and cohesion."

 

To learn more about the SMCOE strategic planning process, contact Fern Tiger at [email protected].

 

 


National Volunteer Month Reception

Honors SMCOE Volunteers


As part of National Volunteer Month in April, volunteers who have given many hours of service to support programs at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) were honored at a special reception at the SMCOE board meeting on April 15, 2015.


"We recognize how much citizen support we have through our volunteer networks," says Nancy Magee, Administrator, Board Support and Community Relations at SMCOE. "And we wanted to acknowledge them in a public way."


"The efforts of our volunteers are invaluable to SMCOE's mission in ensuring and improving the quality of learning and achievement for all students in San Mateo County," said Superintendent Anne Campbell, in welcoming the volunteers. "Whether it's through keeping the arts alive in our schools, pulling off another successful STEM Fair, or supporting, encouraging, and motivating our students, you have all made a real difference in the lives of real kids." 

 

Several volunteer groups were singled out for their outstanding contributions. The members of the Art Education Committee -- Leslie Anderson, Gail DeBellis, Pat Dragan, Pat Edwards, and Gaila Jennings--

Volunteers celebrate with SMCOE school board members at the Volunteer Reception.

are continually finding and sharing resources, striving to ensure that teachers have access to information and lessons that will not only enhance the artistic literacy of teachers, but also support the integration of art in elementary classrooms across the county. 



The STEM Fair volunteers--Brennan Brockbank, April Cherrington, Susan Dubrow, Jayne Hastedt, Pamela Louie, Ken Nadeau, and Nicole Shimshock--redesigned the judges' database and project assignment system, streamlined the student and judge check-in processes, revamped the judging procedures, acted as judges and super judges, and designed and organized the Hiller Aviation Museum space to suit the needs of all students.

 

The 17th District PTA's efforts on behalf of court and community school students and students in foster care have been of vital importance. Each year volunteers Emily Sarver, Lori McBride and Keiko Smith host a teacher appreciation lunch at each of the sites, serve on the School Site Council and participate in the LCAP approval process for the court and community schools.

 

Vaiola Navarro and Hector Orellana were

cake
A delicious cake was enjoyed by all at the Volunteer Reception.

honored for their contributions as on-call substitutes as cabin leaders at San Mateo Outdoor Education. Both worked as volunteers in their high school years and have continued to be involved in their post-graduate lives.


Retired school library media teacher Kris Cannon has devoted many hours at Hillcrest delivering lessons for students, collaborating with teachers, and engaging kids in high interest reading selections. She not only oversees the library collection at Hillcrest, but at Camp Kemp and Camp Glenwood as well.  In addition she has run a Boys' Book Club out at Camp Glenwood for many years. Cannon has been ably assisted by Pat Cretan.

 

Redwood City Elementary School Board trustee Dennis McBride was honored for his efforts in spearheading a guest speaker program at Hillcrest Court School. The program provides students with an opportunity to learn more about potential employment, community services, and other post secondary and career-related information, and gives them a vision of what's possible. 

 

Board President Beverly Gerard presented each of the 12 volunteers in attendance with a certificate. Vice-President Jim Cannon gave each volunteer a SMCOE reusable shopping bag and a plant complete with a "thank you" banner, and then everyone enjoyed a special "Thank You" cake and refreshments.

  

   

Design Tech High Moves to SMCOE Rollins Road Facility

 

 

Thanks to an agreement reached between the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) and the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), Design Tech High, a charter high school currently housed at Mills High School in Burlingame, will move to the SMCOE Regional Occupational Program (ROP) building located at 1800 Rollins Road in Burlingame next fall.


The move represents a win-win for all parties involved.  Concerns were raised at Mills High School about the growing needs of Design Tech High

Design Tech High, a charter high school, will have a new home next fall in the SMCOE ROP facility in Burlingame
.

(known as d.tech), which plans to double its number of students next year. Coincidentally, space opened up at the SMCOE ROP building, due to the phasing out of ROP programs for adults and the shift in state funding to career technical programs at the high schools.


According to Prop. 39, school districts must make "reasonably equivalent" facilities available to charter schools that have enrollment of at least 80 in-district students. Design Tech High currently has 140 students in ninth grade, most of whom are SMUHSD students, and it plans to grow to 290 students and add 10th grade next year.

 

"We have a good working relationship with Design Tech High and we're supportive of the idea of choice and providing alternatives for students in our district," notes Scott Laurence, SMUHSD Superintendent.

 

Under the two-year agreement, with an option for a third year, Design Tech High will occupy five classrooms, an open, flexible space that can accommodate mobile walls, and administrative offices at the Rollins Road site.  The open flexible space suits the needs of the school's model for learning, which emphasizes design thinking, innovation, personalized learning, small group and independent work, and collaboration. They'll also have a fabrication lab with room for a 3-D printer and laser cutter for their maker space. 

 

The location, close to BART and Caltrain, and not too far from its current location at Mills, makes it ideal for students and staff. Looking toward to the future, Design Tech High is also in discussion with the Oracle Education Foundation to build a permanent school building on the Oracle campus in Redwood Shores.

 

 "We are appreciative of the San Mateo County Office of Education and the San Mateo Union High School District and grateful for their efforts to work together to find us this space and really launch us," says Ken Montgomery, Executive Director and Founder at d.tech.

 

 

Check Us Out on Facebook

   

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) now has a page on Facebook. We'll be providing frequent updfacebook logoates on SMCOE events and education news of interest, adding groups of interest, and linking to other education organizations. Check us out and "like" us today on Facebook!  
  
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About the San Mateo County Office of Education
  
The San Mateo County Office of Education provides a variety of instructional, business and consulting services to the County's 23 public school districts, charter schools, the Community College District and County Office of Education staff. 
  
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