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Iowa ASCD
Volume 15, Number 4                         The Source
February 20, 2015
Register for Curriculum Academy:  Assessing the Core - Grading for Learning

Be sure to plan to attend the Curriculum Leadership Academy on April 23-24, Assessing the Core:  Grading for Learning

Ken O'Connor will be the key note speaker on April 23.  Ken O'Connor, a.k.a. The Grade Doctor, specializes in issues related to the communication of student achievement, especially grading and reporting. Through books and articles, presentations and working with small groups Ken has helped individuals, schools, and school districts to improve communication about student achievement.  In 1995 Ken developed eight guidelines for grading, and he has continued to refine those guidelines. In 2007 the same ideas were organized into fifteen fixes for broken grades. He has also designed eleven guidelines for standards-based reporting. He is now generally acknowledged to be one of a small group of leading experts on how to grade and report effectively.

All participants will receive one of his books.

On April 24, 2015, several districts from across the state will share their stories on transitioning to grading based on the learning and demonstration of the Iowa Core.  Matt Townsley, Solon Community School District, will be the final keynote, sharing Solon's story - what worked, what didn't, and what you can do to make grading in your district based on progress in learning and demonstration of the standards!

Join us for this great opportunity to learn and network with other leaders of learning in the state!  You may register now on line at http://iowaascd.org/index.php/events/event-registration/.

The early bird fee until April 1 is $250 for Iowa ASCD members and $295 for nonmembers, who will then receive a complimentary membership for one year in Iowa ASCD.  Purchase orders with a list of the names and email addresses may be sent to Bridget Arrasmith, Iowa ASCD, Drake University, Room 123, School of Education, Drake University, 3206 University, Des Moines, IA 50311 or FAXED to Attention of Bridget Arrasmith at 515.271.2233.

Watch for the flyer coming your way.  You may also access it on the Iowa ASCD website - bottom left corner under Event Resources. 
Dr. Robert Marzano Headlines the Iowa ASCD Summer Institute on June 22-23:  Ensuring Learning for Each and All

Make plans now for you and your team to attend the Iowa ASCD Summer Institute on June 22-23 at the Iowa Events Center.  Dr. Bob Marzano is the headline speaker and will also provide several breakout sessions.   

In addition to Marzano, other national speakers include Jim Rickabaugh, Rose Colby, Tim Westerberg, Ron Mirr, Sandra Alberti, Bobb Darnall, Consuelo Castillo Kickbush, and Grace Dearborn as well as state-wide presenters.

Presenters will be addressing ways that you and your team can ensure learning for each and all by:
  • Creating conditions for learning - a culture for achievement
  • Implementing the Iowa Core - optimizing learning for all students
  • Assuring effective teaching - recognizing instructional knowledge and skill as the most powerful instruments to enhance student learning
  • Grading for learning - reporting students' progress on learning goals
  • Empowering students to develop mastery of academic content - implementing competency-based education
The early-bird fee until June 1 will be $250 for Iowa ASCD members and $295 for non-members, who will receive a complimentary membership for one year.  The regular fee in June will be $295 for members and $340 for non-members.

Join us for this great opportunity to learn and network with other leaders of learning in the state!  You may register now on line at http://iowaascd.org/index.php/events/event-registration/.

The early bird fee until June 1 is $250 for Iowa ASCD members and $295 for nonmembers, who will then receive a complimentary membership for one year in Iowa ASCD.  Purchase orders with a list of the names and email addresses may be sent to Bridget Arrasmith, Iowa ASCD, Drake University, Room 123, School of Education, Drake University, 3206 University, Des Moines, IA 50311 or FAXED to Attention of Bridget Arrasmith at 515.271.2233.  
Iowa ASCD Members and ASCD Emerging Leaders Matt and Eric Townsley Share Podcasts on Standards-Based Grading on Iowa ASCD Website

Be sure to take time to access the Iowa ASCD Podcasts on  Standards-Based Grading created by Eric and Matt Townsley, both members of Iowa ASCD and selected as ASCD Emerging Leaders of 2014 - 2016.  They will have a total of 12 podcasts over this year.  Their second podcast features a comparison of standards-based grading and competency-based education.  Two printable resources are also provided.

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Matt Townsley is Director of of Instruction and Technology in the Solon Community School District. You can follow him on Twitter @mctownsley.  

 

Eric Townsley is Middle School Principal in the South Tama Community School District. You may follow him on Twitter @EricTownsley.   

 

Be sure to check out Iowa ASCD webpage on Standards-Based Grading for additional resources. 


One-Day Workshop on February 11 Focused on Advocating for Learning and Doing It with Impact!

The twenty-eight participants spent the mornin
g learning how to leverage  change with legislators. ASCD Director/Iowa ASCD Director Dr. Pam Vogel and ASCD Legislative Committee Member/Iowa ASCD Director Dr. Susan Pecinovsky led this authentic learning opportunity.
Dr. Brad Buck provided as well in the morning a summary of the legislative focuses of the Iowa Department of Education, and Dr. Margaret Buckton provided information on the financial issues and economy impacting decisions for education.  In the afternoon, the participants met with the Republican and Democratic caucuses of the House Education Committee.

 

Participants also were able to practice their new skills in an authentic experience - meeting with their own legislator(s)  on a topic important to them.  

 

Please check out the Iowa ASCD website page on advocacy for resources to support your own advocating for learning.  Remember,  you have the Iowa ASCD legislative agenda that provides a "post card" to contact your legislators at the national or state levels. 

Book Available in the 24/7 30 Digital Online Books -
Common Core Standards for Elementary Grades K-2 Math and English Language Arts: A Quick Start Guide 

  

Educators are searching everywhere for tools and information about the Common Core. This book, Common Core Standards for Elementary Grades Kw Math and English Language Arts:  A Quick Start Guide, provides one of the best informational guides to CCSS that this reviewer has seen. It not only explains the intended learning of each standard, it gives examples of how to provide that instruction. The introduction includes a brief discussion of how CCSS got started, what it is, and its intent. The remainder of the book is divided into three parts: 1) the reading domains, 2) the math domains, and 3) the process for developing standards based lessons and sample lessons using that process.In the ELA section, there is a description of each focus area: foundational skills for early reading, building disciplinary knowledge through complex informational texts, writing, language, and listening and speaking about texts. All four strands are included: reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. College and career readiness standards are also explained. In addition to the descriptions of each standard, there are tables that illustrate vertical articulation and how the standard changes from grade to grade, connections across curriculum areas, and a summary of the appendices.

 

The math section is organized into two parts: the Standards for Mathematical Content, covering all the conceptual mathematical understanding necessary for students to develop from kindergarten through 12th grade, and the Standards for Mathematical Practice, which describes the kinds of knowledge that are essential for students to use when working with the content. There are sections addressing both implication and implementation of the standards. All domains of the CCSS are covered: counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, number and operations in base ten, measurement and data, and geometry. Each grade level is discussed and illustrated through text and tables.

 

The lesson development section includes a step-by-step process for developing lessons that includes the following: 1) identifying the focus, 2) how learning will be assessed, 3) beginning activities, 4) activities that will engage students in learning the content, and 5) closing activities.  Classroom Instruction That Works is referenced in this section and throughout the book. There are then sample lessons for both reading and math and for each grade level. Lessons are well done and include goals, connections to CCSS standards, activities and assessment. The lessons typically are written for multiple days and include the following:  Understanding Author and Illustrator Purpose in Books about Plants and Seeds, Reader's Theater and Long Po Po, Reading Soap Bubbles and Practicing the Habits of Effective Readers, Decomposing Numbers up to 10 into Pairs, Composing Two-Dimension Shapes, and Collecting and Representing Measurement Data.

The authors of this book - Amber Evenson, Monette McIver, Susan Ryan, and Amitra Schwols. Ed. John Kendall - have done a nice job of keeping the content in understandable terms and making it an easy read.  It is devoted entirely to the K-2 level, which is an added value.  Primary grade teachers should find this to be an important tool in helping to understand and implement the CCSS.

  

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A special thank you to Iowa ASCD Member Sandy Merritt who shared this review.

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And remember this book is available to all Iowa ASCD members via the 30 titles available 24/7 for 2015.  In addition, there are the other books available 24/7 during 2015 to all Iowa ASCD members that will increase your effectiveness as a leader of learning. (If you have forgotten your password to these resources, please contact Lou Howell at [email protected].)



Check It Out!

Check out the following:
  •  Are you looking for resources for standards-based grading.  Check it out here.  And watch the two podcasts on standards-based grading shared by Matt and Eric Townsley.
ASCD Demands Two-Year Moratorium on Using State Assessments for High-Stakes Purposes.  Share Your Voice on the ASCD Forum Now!

A two-year moratorium on using state assessments for high-stakes purposes is needed. States can and should still administer standardized assessments and communicate the results and what they mean to districts, schools, and families, but without the threat of punitive sanctions that have distorted their importance. ASCD is strongly advocating for a new approach in which testing is just one tool among many in determining whether our students are prepared for a successful future after high school graduation.

 

Standardized test results have been the defining measure of student achievement and school quality under the No Child Left Behind Act. This singular focus has resulted in several unintended and undesirable consequences, including over testing, a narrowing of the curriculum, and a de-emphasis of untested subjects and concepts-the arts, civics, and social and emotional skills, among many others-that are just as important to a student's development and long-term success.

 

Making decisions about student readiness, teacher performance, and school quality that have far-reaching ramifications should never be based on a single state assessment. Yet, unfortunately, that is where

we find ourselves today. Our education system is out of balance and needs to be reset so that testing is merely one component for evaluating progress and not the main driver of student learning and school improvement.

 

Moreover, the promise of the Common Core State Standards in supporting a more well-rounded and whole child approach to education is under threat from this antiquated accountability system. It is a system that neither recognizes nor values each student's comprehensive development-socially, emotionally, civically, physically, or cognitively.

 

A whole child education is not antithetical to testing, but a reliance on high-stakes standardized tests to evaluate students, educators, or schools is antithetical to a whole child education. It is also counter to what constitutes good educational practice.

We need, shares ASCD Public Policy Director David Griffith, a pause to replace the current system with a new vision. Policymakers and the public must immediately engage in an open and transparent community decision-making process about the best ways to use test scores and to develop accountability systems that fully support a broader, more accurate definition of college, career, and citizen  ship readiness that ensures equity and access for all students.

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Share Your Support: Join the ASCD Forum 

 

Show your support for a two-year break from using state assessment for high-stakes purposes, and share your thoughts on the ASCD Forum.

Attention TLC Teams:  Free Resources That Support Your Work!

Iowa ASCD Director Jason Ellingson has aligned the 30 books free 24/7 to all Iowa ASCD members with the TLC Framework.  Check out these resources aligned with your work!  And if you have forgotten how to access or cannot find your password, please contact Lou Howell at [email protected] or 515.229.4781.

 

 

 

Iowa ASCD Free Membership Books

Aligned to TLC Framework of Support

 

Adult Learning

  • Ensuring Effective Instruction:  How Do I Improve Teaching Using Multiple Measures by Vicki Phillips and Lynn Olson
  • Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs by Donald S. Kachur, Judith A. Stout, and Claudia L. Edwards
  • The Twelve Touchstones of Good Teaching:  A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day by McREL, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell and Bryan Goodwin

Collaborative Culture

  • The 5-Minute Teacher:  How Do I Maximize Time for Learning in My Classroom by Mark Barnes
  • Affirmative Classroom Management:  How Do I Develop Effective Rules and Consequences in My School by Richard L. Curwin
  • Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Tonya R. Moon
  • Better Learning through Structured Teaching:  A Framework for the Gradual Release of Responsibility, 2nd Edition by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
  • Causes and Cures in the Classroom:  Getting to the Root of Academic and Behavior Problems by Margaret Searle 
  • Closing the Attitude Gap:  How to Fire Up Your Students to Strive for Success by Baruti Kafele
  • Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind:  Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement by Eric P. Jensen
  • Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs by Donald S. Kachur, Judith A. Stout, and Claudia L. Edwards
  • Essential Questions:  Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins
  • Fostering Grit:  How Do I Prepare by Students for the Real World by Thomas R. Hoerr
  • Self-Regulated Learning for Academic Success:  How Do I Help Students Manage Their Thoughts, Behaviors, and Emotions? by Carrie Germeroth and Crystal Day Hess
  • The Twelve Touchstones of Good Teaching:  A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day by McREL, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell and Bryan Goodwin
  • Upgrade Your Curriculum:  Practical Ways to Transform Units and Engage Students by Janet A. Hale and Michael Fisher

Communication

  • Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs by Donald S. Kachur, Judith A. Stout, and Claudia L. Edwards

Content/Pedagogy/Assessment

  • Better Learning through Structured Teaching:  A Framework for the Gradual Release of Responsibility, 2nd Edition by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
  • Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners, 2nd edition by Jane Hill and Kirsten Miller
  • Common Core Standards for Elementary Grades K-2 Math and English Language Arts:  A Quick-Start Guide by Amber Evenson, Monette Mciver, Susan Ryan, Amitra Schwols, and John Kendall (Editor)
  • Common Core Standards for Elementary Grades 3-5 Math and English Language Arts:  A Quick-Start Guide by Amber Evenson, Monette Mciver, Susan Ryan, Amitra Schwols, and John Kendall (Editor)
  • Common Core Standards for Middle School Mathematics:  A Quick-Start Guide by Amitra Schwols and Kathleen Dempsey, edited by John Kendall
  • Digital Learning Strategies:  How Do I Assign and Assess 21st Century Work by Michael Fisher
  • Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind:  Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement by Eric P. Jensen
  • Ensuring Effective Instruction:  How Do I Improve Teaching Using Multiple Measures by Vicki Phillips and Lynn Olson
  • Essential Questions:  Opening Doors to Student Understanding by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins
  • How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading by Susan M. Brookhart
  • Role Reversal:  Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom by Mark Barnes
  • Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms by Jeff Marshall 
  • Teaching the Critical Vocabulary of the Common Core:  55 Words that Make or Break Student Understanding by Marilee Sprenger
  • Teaching with Tablets:  How Do I Integrate Tablets with Effective Instruction by Nancy Frey, Doug Fisher, and Alex Gonzalez
  • The Twelve Touchstones of Good Teaching:  A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day by McREL, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell and Bryan Goodwin
  • Upgrade Your Curriculum:  Practical Ways to Transform Units and Engage Students by Janet A. Hale and Michael Fisher
  • Using Data to Focus Instructional Improvement by Cheryl James-Ward, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Dianne Lapp

Systems Thinking

  • Role Reversal:  Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom by Mark Barnes
  • Self-Regulated Learning for Academic Success:  How Do I Help Students Manage Their Thoughts, Behaviors, and Emotions? by Carrie Germeroth and Crystal Day Hess

Data

  • Assessment and Student Success in a Differentiated Classroom by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Tonya R. Moon
  • Digital Learning Strategies:  How Do I Assign and Assess 21st Century Work by Michael Fisher
  • Grading and Group Work:  How Do I Assess Individual Learning when Students Work Together by Susan M. Brookhart
  • How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading by Susan M. Brookhart
  • Using Data to Focus Instructional Improvement by Cheryl James-Ward, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Dianne Lapp

Organizational Leadership

  • Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs by Donald S. Kachur, Judith A. Stout, and Claudia L. Edwards
  • Never Underestimate Your Teachers:  Instructional Leadership for Excellence in Every Classroom by Robyn R. Jackson
  • Principal Evaluation:  Standards, Rubrics, and Tools for Effective Performance by James H. Stronge, Xianxuan Xu, Lauri Leeper, and Virginia Tonneson
  • Short on Time:  How Do I Make Time to Lead and Learn as a Principal?  by William L. Sterrett
  • Teacher Evaluation that Makes a Difference:  A New Model for Teacher Growth and Student Achievement by Learning Sciences International (LSi), Robert Marzano, and Michael D. Toth
Webinars for Your Learning 
 
Iowa ASCD seeks to keep you informed about webinars for your  learning and the learning of those with whom you work.  Check out the following; many of these support the work in your collaborative time and definitely help with implementation of The Core!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Title:  Archived Webinars of the Marzano Research Laboratory - Assessment and Grading, Common Core, Instructional Strategies, School Leadership, Educational Technology and Vocabulary
      • Presenter:   Staff Members of Marzano Research Laboratory
      • Provider: Marzano Research Laboratory  
      • Access Here 
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Iowa ASCD is the source for developing instructional leadership and translating research into daily practice. Serving more than 1400 educators - teachers, principals, superintendents, directors of curriculum, technology specialists, college professors, AEA staff - Iowa ASCD strives to develop the collaborative capacity to impact the learning of each and every student in Iowa.

Be Sure to Check Out . . .
Curriculum Academy: April 23-24
Marzano Headlines Summer Institute
Townsleys Share SBG Podcast
Advocating with Impact
Book: Common Core Standards - K-2
Check It Out!
Webinars for Your Learning
Iowa ASCD Twitter!
Iowa ASCD Contacts

Quick Links:

 

Iowa ASCD  

 

Iowa ASCD Twitter

 


Iowa ASCD Contacts

 

Iowa ASCD Contacts

 

President

Kevin Vidergar 

   

Past-President

Allan Eckelman

 

President-Elect

Becky Martin

   

Membership and Conference Information

Bridget Arrasmith

 

Secretary

Leslie Moore 

 

Treasurer  

Jeff Watson  

 

Members-at-Large

  

Diane Campbell 

Ottie Maxey 

Sara Oswald 

Amy Whittington 

 

DE Liaison

 Rita Martens  

 

Higher Education

Jan Beatty-Westerman 

Elaine Smith-Bright 

 

Advocacy and Influence 

Pam Armstrong-Vogel 

Susan Pecinovsky 

 

Curriculum Leadership Academy

Sue Wood  

Pam Zeigler  

 

Fall Academy

 Veta Thode  

 

Fall Institute

Lou Howell 

Elaine Smith-Bright 

 

Summer Institutes and Grade-Level Conferences

 Kym Stein  

 

Planning Chair 

Cindy Swanson  

 

Project Chair

Jason Ellingson 

 

Technology

Chris Welch�  

 

Membership Relations and E-Learning

Amy Wichman 

 

Executive Director

 Lou Howell   

 

 

Here's What's Happening!

  • April 23-24, 2015
    • Curriculum Academy
    • Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston - Exit I 80 129
    • "Assessing the Core:  Grading for Learning"
    • Featured Speaker:  Ken O'Connor
  • June 22-23, 2015
    • Summer Institute
    • Iowa Events Center
    • "Ensuring Learning for Each and All"
    • Keynote Speaker:  Bob Marzano with 9 other national speakers
  • Get The Source the first and third Friday of each month.
  • Join us on Twitter @IowaASCD
  • Like us on Facebook!