Transformation or Reform

Dr. Phillip Schlechty will be presenting “Transformation or Reform,” at the 2009 Texas ASCD Annual Conference. What does Dr. Schlechty means by transformation and reform? To get this answer we went to his book, Leading for Learning: How to Transform Schools into Learning Organizations. Dr. Schlechty wrote, “In the context of recent efforts to improve schools, reform usually means changing procedures, processes, and technologies with the intent of improving the performance of existing operating systems.” He describes transformation as, “Transformation is intended to make it possible to do things that have never been done by the organization undergoing the transformation. It involves metamorphosis: changing from one form to another form entirely.” Basically, what he is saying is to reform something is to enhance what you are currently doing, and transformation is to create a new process or procedure.

What are some of the issues we are looking to transform or reform in schools? Some issues that come to mind are engagement, achievement, innovation, graduation rates, and communication. According to Project Appleseed, the ways to start reforming are by first looking at the classrooms/subject matter. What you can change and/or add to the teaching methods currently going on. Then secondly, look at the administrative procedures. The steps for transformation are different. If you decide to transform, you must first look at what you are doing in your district, what is not working and why. Then research other procedures/processes. What are others doing in their districts? See if this meets the needs of your students and district.

So what is better for your district, to reform the current process and procedures already in place or to adopt new ones? Each individual district is different. Come hear Dr. Phillip Schlechty outline transformation for schools from “government-dominated bureaucracies to community-oriented learning organizations.”

Please feel free to respond to the questions below:
1. Is your school or district taking steps to reform or transform? If so, what are some ways you are approaching this?
2. How will the end result of your school’s or district’s reform or transformation look like?



Texas ASCD Upcoming Events:

Rescheduled to:
May 20th, 2009
Elementary Science Tutorial: Start With Vocabulary and Measurement
Annette Venegas
Fort Worth ISD
CLOSED

June 1st & 2nd, 2009
Reading Strategies for Secondary Math Tutorials and TAKS Retesting
Beatrice Luchin
Amarillo ISD
CLOSED

June 8th, 2009
Traditional Block Scheduling
Dr. J. Allen Queen
Tyler ISD

June 16th, 2009
Elementary Science Tutorial: Start With Vocabulary and Measurement
Annette Venegas
Goose Creek CISD

June 18th & 19th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Frisco ISD

July 14th & 15th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Second Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

July 27th & 28th, 2009
Jumping Hurdles & Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
Greenville ISD

September 16th & 17th, 2009
Five Keys to Reading Success
Tim Rasinkski
Northside ISD

September 22nd & 23rd, 2009
Boot Camp for Curriculum Administrators
John Crain
Hays CISD

October 1st & 2nd, 2009
Mapping Active Literacy
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

October 25th - 27th, 2009
Texas ASCD Annual Conference
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

November 18th & 19th, 2009
New Essential Curriculum for 21st Century Learners
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Frisco ISD

TAKS Score Rewards

The TAKS and the TEKS are big tests for administrators, teachers and students. Scores on these standardized tests determine if schools are exemplary, meeting standards, or below standard. They also determine if students can graduate. To me, these tests seem like a make or break deal. So what are your schools doing to ensure success on these tests?

An article in the Austin American Statesman discuses a school that offers trips paid for by the district, to students who score high enough of the TAKS. To read “Poor district buys students trips to Hawaii, LA, Washington” by Eric Dexheimer, please click on this link, http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/17/0317testtrips.html. Another article found in the Austin American Statesman talks about giving students days off of school for doing well on the standardized tests. You can read “Students get days off for passing TAKS.” by Eric Dexheimer at http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/17/0317testrewards.html.

Are you giving your students rewards for doing well on the TAKS and TEKS tests? We have heard of principals shaving their heads, kissing pigs and giving pizza parties to students who pass these tests, but is there a point where you cross the line? Is there a point where rewards turn into bribery? I read an article about a school in Florida that pays their students cash for passing certain portions of the FCAT, which is the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. If you are interested in reading this article, you can find it at: http://712educators.about.com/od/assessments/a/high-stakes.htm.

Is paying for students to fly to Hawaii, giving students 10 days off of school or giving them $50 per subject they pass, going too far? Let us know what you think.

Please feel free to answer the questions below:
1. Is your school giving rewards to students who do well on standardized tests? If so, what are students receiving?
2. How far is too far to go when giving out rewards to students?

Texas ASCD Upcoming Events:

April 15th & 16th, 2009
Reading Strategies for Secondary Math Tutorials and TAKS Retesting
Beatrice Luchin
Amarillo ISD - Caprock High School
CLOSED FOR REGISTRATION

May 7th & 8th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Keller ISD

May 14th, 2009
Elementary Science Tutorial: Start With Vocabulary and Measurement
Annette Venegas
Fort Worth ISD
CLOSED

June 8th, 2009
Traditional Block Scheduling
Dr. J. Allen Queen
Tyler ISD

June 18th & 19th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Frisco ISD

July 14th & 15th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Second Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

July 27th & 28th, 2009
Jumping Hurdles & Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
Greenville ISD

August 13th & 14th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Sheldon ISD (Houston area)
Rescheduled from a Previous date

October 25th - 27th, 2009
Texas ASCD Annual Conference
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

Formative Assessment

What is Formative Assessment? In a classroom setting, it is when teachers and students alike can evaluate the ongoing understanding of what students are learning, and then judge how lessons need to change to meet the needs of the students. This type of assessment involves both the teacher and the student.

Formative Assessment involves students to be able to think, process, and then react to what is being taught in the classroom. They must be able to process the information being taught and link it with the knowledge they already have on the subject. The teacher should be watching the students as they learn to see if they understand the concepts. There are many different ways that a teacher can do formative assessment. They can ask questions, watch how students interact with each other in groups, see how they link the new information to existing knowledge, create models or there are many other ways to collect feedback. Once the student gives feedback, the teacher should then adjust the lessons to meet the needs of the students.

Dr. W. James (Jim) Popham will be presenting “Formative Assessment: Can It Be Truly Transformative?” at the 2009 Texas ASCD Annual Conference. Come hear Dr. Popham give seven critical components of how to be successful when implementing formative assessment.

Dr. W. James Popham will present on October 25, 2009 at the Texas ASCD annual conference. Register now to receive discounted registration!

Please feel free to answer the questions below:
1. Are you or the teachers in your school performing both summative and formative assessment?
2. What kinds of training have your teachers and you had in formative assessment? Can you tell if it is working in your schools?
3. Has formative assessment changed your views of assessment in general?


Upcoming Texas ASCD Events:

May 7th & 8th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Keller ISD

June 18th & 19th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Frisco ISD

July 14th & 15th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Second Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

July 27th & 28th, 2009
Jumping Hurdles & Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
Greenville ISD

August 13th & 14th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Sheldon ISD (Houston area)

October 25th - 27th, 2009
Texas ASCD Annual Conference
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

On Wednesday, February 4th, the Texas ASCD Board of Directors and staff met with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and key people from Texas associations and businesses. The meeting consisted of learning about the framework for 21st Century Skills and how to incorporate these themes into our core subjects. The whole idea of 21st Century Skills is to have our students on the same top competitive field as other students throughout the USA as well worldwide.

The 21st Century Skills framework is a rainbow of the following skills:
• Life and Career Skills
• Learning and Innovation Skills
• Information, Media, and Technology Skills
The above skills are held up by school core subjects and the 21st Century Themes.

The 21st Century Skills Themes are:
• Global Awareness
• Financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy
• Civic Literacy
• Health Literacy
Each of these themes can easily be incorporated into our current curriculum.

The outcome of incorporating these skills, and themes is for students:
• To be able to be create, innovate, critically think, problem solve, communicate, and collaborate
• To have information literacy, media literacy, and information and communications technology literacy
• To be flexible, adaptive, self-directed, initiative, social, cross-cultured, productive, accountable, responsible and a leader.

These are the skills our students need to be competitive in the work place. Are our schools meeting the needs of our students? Can your students compete in a global economy? Texas ASCD and other Texas associations and businesses are considering working together to bring this type of framework to Texas and to our students.

*The source for the above information is The Partnership for 21st Century Skills organization.

Please feel free to comment or answer any of the questions below.
1. Is your school currently adapting these skills to the curriculum and instruction?
2. Should Texas be one of the states that is adopting this framework and how?



Upcoming Texas ASCD Events:

February 18th, 2009
Success With TAKS - Mathematics
CaLandra Pervis
Caprock HS - Amarillo ISD
(EXCLUSIVE CAMPUS TRAINING - CLOSED TO REGISTRATION)

May 7th & 8th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Keller ISD

July 14th & 15th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Second Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

July 27th & 28th, 2009
Jumping Hurdles & Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
Greenville ISD

August 13th & 14th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Sheldon ISD (Houston area)
Rescheduled from a Previous date

October 25th - 27th, 2009
Texas ASCD Annual Conference
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

Lead, Learn, Influence in a 24/7 World

With the age of technology came different avenues of learning. We have, as we have had for a while, schools/teachers and books that teach our students. Now we also have television, computers, the Internet, telephones, cell phones, planes, trains, automobiles, iPods, and radios. Students are learning in and out of the classroom. We, as a society, are also always learning. When Texas ASCD’s Conference Committee got together to choose a theme for the 2009 annual conference, we kept coming back to the idea of leading, learning, and influencing in and outside of the classroom. With these new outlets of learning we can lead, learn, and influence anywhere in the world at any hour we choose.

The world is changing and we need to change with it. There is global competition everywhere. Businesses, as well as everyday people, are able to buy and sell goods/services throughout the world. Big companies are outsourcing their jobs. We need to make sure, that not only are we and our students learning from all of the new avenues but, that we are also leading and influencing through the these portals.

The strands for this years conference are Lead, Learn, Influence through integrated technology, through best practices pre K – 16, through serving, for accountability, and through collaboration. The conference has outstanding presenters contracted: Dr. Philip Schlechty, Dr. James Popham, Dr. Debra Pickering, Dr. Raymond McNulty, and Dr. Alan November. The conference will also include many great concurrent sessions brought to you by educators throughout the state of Texas. If you are interested in presenting one of these concurrent sessions, please check the Texas ASCD website and send in your proposal.

Mark your calendars to attend the 2009 Texas ASCD Annual Conference, October 25-27, 2009 at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas.


Please feel free to comment or answer any of the questions below.

1. What form of learning/leading/influencing are your students using the most? Are you incorporating this avenue into your district/school/classroom curriculum?

2. What types of “new” learning are going on in your school?



Upcoming Texas ASCD events:

January 22nd & 23rd, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
First Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

January 28th, 2009
Success With TAKS - Research-Based Strategies and Activities to Improve Student Performance and Teacher Understanding of the TEKS/TAKS (Grade Focus 5-9)
with CaLandra Pervis
Hudson ISD (Lufkin area)

May 7th & 8th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Keller ISD

July 14th & 15th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Second Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

July 27th & 28th, 2009
Jumping Hurdles & Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
Greenville ISD

August 13th & 14th, 2009
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Sheldon ISD (Houston area)
Rescheduled from a Previous date

October 25th - 27th, 2009
Texas ASCD Annual Conference
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

Should we spend our money on students who wear bigger shoes?

Have you heard the saying “Spend our money on students with bigger shoe sizes?” What this means is we are spending our money on middle school and high school students and not on Pre-K and K-6. Districts are so concerned with graduating students, that most of their time, money, and effort are spent on older students and their teachers. Why are we waiting?

What about the Head Start program, pre-kindergarten classes or even kindergarten classes? Would our money be better spent on the young children? Starting from birth, children are learning social skills, relationships, and trust. Younger children are learning the skills that will help them through life. This is the time to build on these skills. If we put more focus on them when they are young, we won’t need to spend all of our money on them when they are in middle school or high school because they will already have the skills and knowledge foundation to learn. We would be eliminating a problem before it was formed. Young children are like sponges, waiting to soak up any information we provide for them. Once they get older, there are many more distractions and issues to compete with other than school. By the time they reach middle school and high school, students are in extra-curricular activities, they have a social circle, some have jobs, household chores, and they are preparing for the real world. Where does education fit in? If they already have the skills and knowledge to build upon, that won’t just be another item on their plate.

Some can argue that if we start concentrating on students in their early years, the focus, attention, and self-esteem they would gain, would in turn lower the number of students not graduating. This would mean we would be graduating more students, our initial goal. So, if our districts are concerned with graduation rates, would focusing on the younger students not benefit this cause as well?
Which direction should we be heading in the 21st Century? Should money be evenly disbursed or should we concentrate on a specific age group?


Please feel free to comment or answer any of the questions below:

Are your districts supporting Pre-K initiatives?

What do you think of spending more money for Pre-K and K programs in the state of Texas?

Would you rather see budgets spent on Pre-K and K or for older students in middle and high schools?


Upcoming Texas ASCD Events:
January 2009

January 5th, 2009
Secondary Reading Comprehension : Removing the Fluency Barrier
Eric Walker
Corpus Christi ISD
DISTRICT EXCLUSIVE

January 22nd & 23rd, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
First Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

May 2009

May 7th & 8th, 2008
Maximizing Student Success
Tim Westerberg
Keller ISD

July 2009

July 14th & 15th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Second Session of Three
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD (Dallas Metroplex area)

August 2009

August 13th & 14th, 2008
Maximizing Student Success (in collaboration with ASCD International)
Tim Westerberg
Sheldon ISD (Houston area)
Rescheduled from a Previous date

October 2009

October 27th & 28th, 2009
Curriculum Leadership Academy
Third Session of Three
Embassy Suites - Frisco (Dallas Metroplex area)

New Administration for Education?

On November 4th American citizens elected a new President. What does this mean to education? Below is a summary of the new President-Elect’s plan for education. This information was summarized from barackobama.com, Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s official website.

Early Childhood Education:

• Zero to Five Plan – create grants to fund voluntary, universal pre-school.
• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start – increase funding for Head Start and increase Early Head Start by four times.
• Affordable, High-Quality Child Care – make childcare affordable.

K-12:

• Reform No Child Left Behind – put funding towards No Child Left Behind. Obama also wants to improve assessment, college readiness and help support schools that need improvement.
• Support High-Quality School and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools - funding for charter schools will be given to states that improve accountability and have a process in order for closing under-performing schools.
• Make Math and Science Education a National Priority – recruiting efforts to get math and science graduates into the education field. Have a stronger science curriculum.
• Address the Dropout Crisis – provide funding to school districts for middle school intervention.
• Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities – double the funding for these programs.
• Support College Outreach Programs – support these programs and encourage low-income families to participate.
• Support College Credit Initiatives – increase 50% of students lacking AP or College level classes by 2016.
• Support English Language Learners – Hold schools accountable for graduating limited English students.

Recruit, Prepare, Retain and Reward America’s Teachers:

• Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit – refundable credit of the first $4,000 spent in the college of education. There is also a requirement of 100 hours of community service.
• Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid – eliminate financial aid forms and instead have box to check on tax forms.


Please feel free to comment or answer any of the questions below:
What do you think of these plans?

Do you think what is listed above is enough for education?

If you had 10 minutes to spend with President-Elect Barack Obama what would you discuss?



Upcoming Texas ASCD Events:
November 2008
November 18th & 19th, 2008
Maximizing Student Success (in collaboration with ASCD International)
Tim Westerberg
Frisco ISD

December 2008
December 1st, 2008
Jumping Hurdles and Raising the Bar Toward Achieving Excellence in Science
(for Elementary School teachers - Grades 2-5)
Gloria Chatelain and Courtney Williams
Mansfield ISD

May 2009
May 7th & 8th, 2008
Maximizing Student Success (in collaboration with ASCD International)
Tim Westerberg
Keller ISD

August 2009
August 13th & 14th, 2008
Maximizing Student Success (in collaboration with ASCD International)
Tim Westerberg
Sheldon ISD (Houston area)
Rescheduled from a Previous date