September Pupil Services Committee Meeting:
In attendance: Committee Chair Dr. Maria Pimley, members Heidi Adsett, Maureen Snook, Sue Tiernan. Also in attendance Board President Vince Murphy, Ed Coyle, Karen Miller, Linda Raileanu.
In attendance: Committee Chair Dr. Maria Pimley, members Heidi Adsett, Maureen Snook, Sue Tiernan. Also in attendance Board President Vince Murphy, Ed Coyle, Karen Miller, Linda Raileanu.
Director of Pupil
Services, Dr. Ranieri delivers presentation on school-based ACCESS (medical
assistance) program, discussing eligibility, staff roles, approved rates and
annual revenue used. Each year, the District allocates a certain amount in anticipation of
medical assistance funding cuts, approximately $500,000 for school year
13/14.
Both Mrs. Adsett
and Dr. Pimley ask questions pertaining to the use of the medical
assistance allocation if/when District is not in need of it. For example
, there may be a year where medical assistance funding is adequately
funded. The District would adjust, but Dr. Ranieri admits
there is always a concern that funding would be cut the following year, and
then we are “short”. Both Mrs. Adsett and Dr. Pimley appear in agreement with
Dr. Ranieri’s concern.
Mrs. Tiernan: Who cuts this medical assistance money? The State. The District is required (mandate) to provide services per a student’s Individualized Education Program. The District, in anticipation of yearly state funding cuts, allocates money to cover that mandate.
Ms. Raileanu wants
to clarify that Medicaid is jointly funded, federal and state. Dr.
Ranieri does not dispute that, but notes her focus was on the state cuts
because state cuts have a direct impact on WCASD. Ms. Raileanu is
also curious about the reasons parents provide when they do not use
medical assistance benefits, wondering if some parents believe the “myth” that
they may lose other services if they take advantage of those benefits.
Dr. Ranieri explains that the role of the District is to
inform families they are able to use those funds, not to suggest or require
they use them. Ultimately, it is the family that decides whether or
not to use medical assistance funding so she would not be able to provide the
reasoning behind their choice.
Mr. Coyle wonders
why medical assistance is not automatically used, since a physician’s orders
are needed for services. Dr. Ranieri clarifies that they are targeting
the educational component of assistance, not the medical. Oversight of
possible “redundant” or duplicate services comes from Medicaid, not the
District.
Public comment from
parent who addresses Ms. Raileanu’s “myth” of medical assistance usage, stating
she is aware of families who do not use their medical assistance out of concern
they will lose services from the District.
Director of
Elementary Education, Dr. Missett discusses the impact of decreasing
library and front office assistants. One will recall this expense
saving measure came from the findings of the 2009 Budget Task Force and saved
approximately $300,000. Dr. Missett provides two perspectives of
impact, one from library assistant point of view and one from office assistant
point of view.
2. Service to students – during librarian’s lesson planning time, there is no aide to help students
3. Circulation – overall increase of 10%, although one school showed a decrease of 30%. Change was dependent on volunteer systems in place and there will be attempt to communicate best practices between schools.
Mrs. Adsett asks if
District has a ‘baseline” number of missing books prior to implementation of
Budget Task Force findings. She notes that “books go missing”
and questions if the increase in lost materials can definitely be
attributed to the decrease in library assistants. Dr. Missett will check if
baseline number is available.
Office Assistant POV
1. DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) scores are now entered by reading staff
2. Building Use forms are now processed by custodians
3. Field trip procedures shifted to other staff
Dr. Missett states that parent volunteers are not utilized in offices due to concerns of confidentiality. Schools have an “all hands on deck “policy in front offices: substitute teachers, support staff, etc. are asked to help with front office duties when/if available.
Dr. Pimley asks if there has been communication between elementary schools to share ideas. Yes, and that will be ongoing.
Director of
Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Fraser discussed implementation of Professional
Learning Communities (PLCs) in District. A PLC is a collaborative group
of teachers placing explicit focus on student learning. Groups meet regularly
for approximately one hour to define/assess the following:
1. What
are students learning? (development of essential learning targets)
2. How
do we know they are learning? (assessment)3. How do we respond to difficulty? (support)
4. How do we respond to mastery? (enrichment)
Why PLC? Research shows the system works and a slew of national professional organizations endorse it. According to Dr. Fraser, PLCs will enhance student learning by distributing District leadership and fully utilizing our internal expertise.
Dr. Pimley questions
the difference between our current system and PLCs? Dr. Fraser states
that PLCs offer a holistic approach to learning. He adds that, at
present, we basically leave learning “to chance” . The PLC approach is
systemic – everything fits into a cohesive process and is highly
dependent on the boundless “collective wisdom” of our WCASD staff.
Mrs. Tiernan
questions how the District is addressing the challenge of scheduling “regular”
meetings for staff to share their collective wisdom? Dr. Fraser admits
that is a big logistical challenge.
Mrs. Snook wonders how teachers are “taking this” because it appears to add to their responsibilities. Dr. Fraser asserts that good teachers naturally collaborate to enhance student learning and he does not sense any resistance.
Questions from
public:
What do the smaller collaborative teacher groups look like at building level?
Answer: At the elementary level, teachers would meet based on grade-level, middle and high would group according to grade and content area.
Is this just
another “cycle “of education reform where everyone jumps on the bandwagon
(or doesn’t) ?
Answer: No, this is
a way of doing your job and it will not go away. Realistically there will
always be individuals who are resistant to “new” ideas, but the advent of
PLCs enhance student learning, which is the goal of all WCASD staff.
Deb Fell, President
of the WCAEA, attests to the fact that this has been and continues to be a real
collaborative effort and a “deliberately slow process”.
Dr. Pimley questions how
the concept of the PLC will be communicated to staff, parents, etc. A
communication plan is in place. She questions how we can find out more
about PLCs and Dr. Fraser encourages all to visit www.allthingsplc.com,
which I did.
Life-long educator Richard DuFour introduced
the PLC concept in 1998 (DuFour’s system is now marketed through Solution Tree,
the company that supplied WCASD training).
“It (PLC) is not a
program to be purchased; it is a process to be pursued but never quite
perfected. It is not an appendage to existing structures and cultures: it
profoundly impacts structure and culture”. In addition, “It does not
demand that educators work harder at what they traditionally have done; it
calls upon all educators – every teacher, counselor, principal, central office
staff member, and superintendent – to redefine their roles and responsibilities
and do differently.”
From Richard DuFour & Robert Marzano, Leaders of Learning: How District, School and Classroom Leaders Improve Student Achievement, 2011 Solution Tree Press, Bloomington IN, page 22.
One also recalls Dr. Pimley’s concern about communicating the concept of PLCs throughout the District. The District does an excellent job communicating information, but how does one communicate a culture change and infuse District parents with the collaborative spirit of the PLC? There is no doubt that PLCs enhance student learning. However, many parents and students share a culture of achievement – simply defined and measureable achievement. As this dynamic PLC process evolves, we suspect the District will celebrate its success and communicate the positive impact of PLCs on student achievement. While we await our own, the PLC website offers numerous school success stories.
Admittedly
a digression, but also of note on PLC website: Solution Tree offers a School Board Field Book,
authored by Mark Van Clay and Perry Solwedel. The authors state,
“The
board, the superintendent, and union leadership must establish a productive and
professional three-way partnership for the school district to continuously
improve. . . . When all three parties aren’t working together smoothly, too
much time will be spent trying to resolve their differences and not enough will
be spent working together to achieve the school district’s strategic
goals.”
The accompanying School Board Field Book Study Guide asks the Board to “reflect on your three-way partnership.” Even the best of us can benefit from collaborative reflection at times, yes? No mention by Dr. Fraser whether this Solution Tree training offering will be utilized.
Dr. Fraser speaks briefly on the District’s teacher induction plan for new hires, consisting of ongoing support and mentoring programs.
Director of
Secondary Education, Dr. Bertrando addresses the PA teacher evaluation
system. This evaluation system was initially proposed in Representative
Ryan Aument's (R-Lancaster) House Bill 1980
(local co-sponsors Representatives Truitt and Killion), is based on Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching
and derives funding through the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project
funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
A teacher’s final rating would be determined through an
evaluation process based on 50 percent traditional classroom observation and 50
percent student achievement. For teachers, the 50 percent that relies on
objective measures will comprise 15 percent building-wide student performance
data including promotion and attendance rates, for example; 15 percent on data
from the performance of the individual teacher's students; and the remainder
will be state-approved locally chosen measures. The individual teacher
performance measures can include such things as classroom activities, tests,
quizzes, projects, student portfolios and standardized test scores.
The proposal has
drawn widespread support from teachers unions and school boards alike and will
take effect in 2013-14 for teachers and in 2014-15 (proposed) for principals. http://news.yahoo.com/pennsylvania-department-education-selects-teachscapes-framework-teaching-proficiency-175200116.html
WCASD will pilot
the teacher evaluation system this year in the following schools:
Henderson, Peirce, Penn Wood and Glen Acres. Dr. Bertrando explains
the two-fold benefit of participating in the pilot program: the District
receives free training and is afforded the opportunity to provide input to the
PA Department of Education.
Next, Dr.
Bertrando explains the concept of Ascension Leaders, the District’s
administrator induction plan. When an administrator retires, the
District must deal not only with filling the vacancy, but also with the loss of
experience in the District. According to Dr. Bertrando, an
Ascension Leader is one who possesses the core belief system and
competencies to ascend to broader leadership roles within the organization in a
3-5 year span. The Ascension Leader works through a series of
online modules, at their own pace, then meets at regular intervals with their
supervisor to discuss progress.
Public question: is this program only for new administrators? “Experienced” administrators could also benefit from such a program. True, and the program is an option for current administrators and Dr. Bertrando states that some have already expressed an interest in participating.
Dr. Bertrando provided examples of online training modules, which cover topics such as leadership, communication, discipline, etc. In the words of Dr. Bertrando, the District is looking for “Super Man and Wonder Woman”. All others need not apply?
And speaking of superheroes, West Chester VOTE lost one of our own, Jim Smith, on September 9th. As if Jim had not served public education enough, he joined VOTE’s "Write Choice" campaign in the summer of 2011, telling all involved he had “one last fight for public education” left in him. Jim’s energy, passion and willingness to share his expertise and wisdom was endless. Jim Smith remains an integral part of the mission of WC VOTE and his legacy will continue to inspire our work. To Jim’s family, friends and students – may your memories of a life lived selflessly in service to our youth - to our future – continue to comfort you as you grieve this tremendous loss.
Thank you, Jim
Smith – it was a privilege to have known you.
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