Ensuring Relevancy in Professional Development

Improving instruction in our classrooms is the key to ensuring better outcomes for our students. Just like any professional, continually learning new techniques and strategies not only makes us better at our craft, but provides an array of tools that can be used to meet new challenges in our work. We have long recognized the importance of professional development and have striven to ensure the experiences provided to our faculty are not only relevant to what is going on in the classroom, but do in fact provide our employees with the resources needed to successfully navigate the myriad of 'problems of practice' in classrooms. Since 2013 our district has deployed an academic calendar that incorporates an early dismissal every Wednesday afternoon. So how then, is that time used? 

First we have to recognize that challenges vary across grade level[s]. Strategies employed in classroom management at first grade will likely not be transferable to sixth grade. Second, each content area is obviously different not only in pedagogy, but in some cases as different as apples and oranges. This then, is why we have begun to take a more personalized approach to professional development. Why? Consider the relevancy of a balanced literacy framework within the confines of physical education. While there are ways in which a physical education teacher can incorporate components of literacy in class, it is undoubtedly a stretch, likened to fitting a round peg in a square hole. Or even more prevalent in small schools is a 'one size fits all' professional development program that encompasses the entire PK-12 system. Yet schools did (and many still do) continue to offer these types of in-service regimens. From a practical standpoint it is efficient. It also ensures accountability to the system. After all, when everyone is in the same room you can be sure they are not off doing something that is a waste of time (as if having a physical education teacher participate in a balanced literacy training isn't). And let's not even begin to contemplate the engagement of faculty in training that holds very little relevance to the work they are doing in classrooms.

A personalized approach permits teachers to work independently, as a grade level, or as content area specialists on a topic or 'problem of practice' that has been identified by the practitioner. Once a topic has been selected, a set of guardrails help steer the practitioner through the process while at the same time ensuring a level of accountability for that work, which of course includes a direct linkage to district established initiatives and priorities. This process includes researching the topic, implementing the strategies that have been studied, and reflecting on their work. Ultimately at the end of the cycle this learning is shared with a larger audience. With a primary focus on instructional strategies, three hours a month are dedicated to this process; which is equivalent to one and a half of our Wednesday early dismissals. 

Abandoning a system that relies on a standardized approach requires a paradigm shift. Most notably, it puts our practitioners in the drivers seat to determine what professional learning is going to look like. Instead of relying on the principal to determine what strategies should be implemented (for example), the teacher is in control. Using data they collect through formative assessment, observation, and instruction; teachers are empowered to make instructional decisions and design their own career development in ways that are powerful, engaging, and have real impact in the classroom. We are now in our second year of this delivery model and have expanded it to encompass faculty across the district. So far the response has been positive. Further, the linchpin to our success can be attributed to our teacher leadership system. These teacher leaders, coaches and model teachers alike are able to serve as an additional resource and coach for practitioners in their journey. 

The Freedom of Driving

In many cases I am the final hurdle before a student experiences that first taste of freedom: independent driving. When we issue school permits to students in that twilight between finishing driver education and turning 16 years old, it is a rite of passage. Not only is this a milestone to adulthood for our students, but it enables parents to give their young driver a bit of responsibility on a known route to and from school before turning them loose on the roads at age 16. At the same time, it usually provides a much needed relief valve for parents that may not know if they are coming and going half the time! There is nothing quite as liberating for parents when a child can drive themselves to and from practice at 6:00 a.m.! 

Then, once they turn 16 and get their license, those pesky errands to and from the grocery store will be a thing in the past, since you newly emancipated driver will clamor for the opportunity to run to the store for you (and in all likelihood make several stops both to and from their final destination). All of these are great experiences for our students and children. It helps us out as parents, and it gives the young driver additional time behind the wheel. And if they stop at a friends house on the way home from the grocery store, what is the harm (unless the errand was to pick up a gallon of ice cream)? 

At the same time, we need to be sure to remind our students that with their new found freedom does come a great deal of responsibility. Next week is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and with it an opportunity to remind our students about the importance of being safe behind the wheel. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens between the ages of 15-18 in the United States. The Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau outlines these items that can result in accidents among teen drivers:

Alcohol and Drugs: In 2016, nearly one out of five teen passenger vehicle drivers involved in a fatal crash had been drinking.  Also in 2016, 6.5% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 were current users of marijuana.  Like many other drugs, marijuana effects a driver’s ability to react to their surroundings.  Driving is a complex task, and marijuana slows reaction times, affecting the driver’s ability to drive safely.  Remind your teen that driving under the influence of any impairing substance could have deadly consequences.  

Seat Belts: Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest ways for teens to stay safe in a vehicle. A total of 569 passengers died in passenger vehicles driven by teen drivers and more than half (54%) of those passengers who died were NOT buckled up at the time of the fatal crash. Even more troubling, in 85% of cases when the teen driver was unbuckled, the passengers were also unbuckled.

Distracted Driving: Distractions while driving are more than just risky—they can be deadly. In 2016, among teen drivers involved in fatal crashes, 10 percent were reported as distracted at the time of the crash.  However, according to results of a AAA Foundation study, there is a significant evidence that distracted driving is a much more serious problem than previously known, especially with young drivers ages 16 to 19.  

Speeding: In 2016, almost one-third (31%) of all teen passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash.

Passengers: Research shows the risk of a fatal crash goes up in direct relation to the number of passengers in a car. The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behavior triples when traveling with multiple passengers.

Drowsy Driving: Teens are busier than ever: studying, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and spending time with friends are among the long list of things they do to fill their time. However, with all of these activities, teens tend to compromise something very important—sleep. This is a dangerous habit that can lead to drowsy driving or falling asleep at the wheel.

Statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

Please take a few minutes to review these important statistics with your young driver. Independent driving is indeed a liberating feeling for our youngsters. But, they need to be reminded that driving on our roads comes with a great responsibility. Be safe out there!

Framing the Right Numbers

In spite of the continual rain, the school year has gotten off to a pretty good start. Granted, we have dealt with some significant challenges that forced our fourth and fifth grade students to be displaced for a week. Oh, and at the writing of this blog we still have water coming in the agriculture room (did I mention the continual rain?). Luckily the carbon monoxide issue we had to contend with last week was a relatively quick fix and only caused a minor inconvenience. But nonetheless, spirits are high and most folks seem to be full of #piratepride! 

A lot of that can be attributed to the success we are seeing from our fall athletic programs. In many ways, this kind of feels like a repeat of last fall (except for the rain of course). The football team remains undefeated and ranked number one in the state, and both the volleyball and cross country teams are ranked and are having very memorable seasons. If you have been keeping up with these successes, you probably have seen some very impressive statistics being posted in the newspaper. Many of  these numbers are quite startling!

While we are tremendously proud of these accomplishments, it is important that we don't forget about the most important numbers, statistics, and successes of all. Those numbers being the ones that measure the success of our students. I have just recently updated our student achievement data numbers and would encourage you to go check them out on the 'About Us' page of our school website. If you scroll down about halfway through the page, you'll see the Hudson Community School District Report Card for the 2017-2018 Academic year. 

For the most part, I'll leave it to you to examine these data points in more detail, but I'll just point out a few highlights. Take a look at page 3 of the Iowa Core Report. This graph depicts the average score by grade level from grades 3-11 in reading. The green bar is district growth, blue for our AEA, and orange depicts state. At almost every grade level, our district is outperforming peers at both the AEA and statewide level. If that isn't impressive, take a look at page 6 of the same report. In this graph, you can see how our proficiency rates compare to our peers. I would invite you to pay particular attention to how high the proficiency is for grades 9, 10, 11. The science scores that were posted are just as outstanding. If you take a look at page 8 of the same report, you can see how much higher our proficiency scores are compared to our peers. 

At the end of the day though, perhaps the most important metric is how much growth students have made from one year to the next. You see, a student can be proficient while at the same time showing very little growth from their original starting point. This same report offers the growth of each grades cohort. Once again, these numbers something to be proud of!

The 'About Us' page of our website has a lot of information about our school district including the students achievement data described above and much more! I would encourage you to take a look at these numbers. At the end of the day, how our students perform in the classroom is the most important metric of them all! 

Now if it will only stop raining!