District Librarian Becca Todd came up with this easy to follow motto:

T.R.Y. I.T. (You'll like it!)

   

Time - Commit to some time every day. Could be at breakfast, midday, before bed ... just do it.

 

Read aloud - Even as your child becomes more proficient at reading, hearing stories read aloud develops vocabulary and introduces concepts... and is fun to boot!

 

Yes - Borrow books for free from the library, or read them in the library.

 

Images - Illustrations provide additional information; pause to explore them! With chapter books and more advanced reading, invoke what imagery gets stimulated in your mind as you hear/read a story.

 

Together - Read together, whether it be to your child, taking turns reading with your child, or reading different books side by side. The time shared together, in the world of ideas and information, is priceless.  

We know from research that student performance can be influenced by what students  hear and believe about themselves, even right before taking a test. This past week, principals, teachers, and staff worked to motivate students to do their best, and to make taking the state mandated test even a little fun! 

Rosa Parks principal, Paco Furlan, was caught on video as he emerged on the playground last Monday morning.  In an effort to inspire the students in a fun way, he arrived to school as Captain Super Test encouraging his students to make an effort to do their best on the test, while tempering the message to reduce any anxiety they might have been feeling.

As part of the development of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for mathematics, educational experts from across the country studied the differences between how math is taught in U.S. classrooms and compared it to teaching in "A+ countries", where students show the highest mathematical performance.  Focus and coherence were identified as critical to the success of the math curriculum in those A+ countries.  The teaching of math is done by deliberately limiting the number of specific standards students learn each year (focus) with adequate time to go in depth and ensure mastery of the grade level standards.  In addition, math in the A+ countries is taught in a logical progression that builds on each new skill set (coherence).

The Common Core standards for math emphasize focus and coherence, as well as rigor. Specific standards are taught to mastery each year, new standards are introduced in a logical way, and practice emphasizes conceptual understanding, application, and fluency (these practices forming the essence of "rigor").

Berkeley's elementary school teachers are preparing to make the transition to a new curriculum that aligns with the new Common Core standards: A Story of Units.  Our CCSS team of teachers and principals found that the current curriculum, Everyday Math, is not well-aligned with the rigor and coherence of teaching math as defined in the new Common Core State Standards. As schools move to implement this new curriculum, more information will be made available to families.

A presentation was made to the School Board on May 8th that outlined the proposal to use A Story of Units K-5 Common Core Math curriculum in the coming school year. 

In January, Co-Superintendent Neil Smith formed the Work Group for Accelerating the Achievement of African American Students.  The group was tasked over the last several months with conducting a study of best practices for supporting African American student achievement and making recommendations on furthering implementation in Berkeley.  

 

An overview of the Work Group's charge, a synthesized compilation of the national research reviewed by the group, and areas of focus being considered for the coming school year are available on our homepage. The Work Group is scheduled to make its recommendations to the School Board on May 22.  

The Master Plan for English Learners was developed to describe and guide the practice of teaching all English learners in our schools. The goal is for these students to have academic achievement on par with their native English speaking peers by the time they graduate from high school. One of the main goals of the Master Plan is to ensure that all English Learners meet the English language skills to be designated "Fluent English Proficient", after no more than five years of receiving program services in our schools.

A review of the draft version of the Master Plan for English Learners is taking place at the May 14th meeting of the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC). This meeting is open to all.

Date: May 14
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St.

Julie Sinai was unanimously selected by the School Board to fill the vacancy on the Berkeley School Board and was sworn in at the May 8th Board Meeting. More info is available in a recent press release.

The School Board is currently in contract negotiations with Dr. Donald Evans, the candidate previously announced as the finalist for the Berkeley Superintendent post.