District Administration - January 2010 - (Page 20)

DistrictProfile member who helps them “plan their work plan,” Moreno says. EdisonLearning also reviews data with them monthly from a benchmark system the firm uses to measure student progress. Every month, students take a formative assessment that is consistent with the state’s standards, answering between 20-25 questions. “The most important part of that is sitting down with the teachers after the assessment and going through the student data,” Moreno explains. “In some cases, we are able to help them see that something they taught the kids didn’t catch on, so they might need to re-teach it. In other cases, we can help them identify strands of learning where their kids are really strong, so the teachers might not have to dig as deeply into the subject.” Teachers can use the data to “see every one of their kids; which questions they got correct and which they got wrong. They can see what individual kids need and what they need to improve on for the whole class if none of their kids got something,” Moreno says. The other firms take similar approaches. When ETS starts in a school, it conducts a “significant audit,” including a review of student data from the past three years, “then we help them determine what their needs are,” says Olson. They then hire consultants, including former district superintendents and specialists in math and language arts, who come in from the mainland to help administrators and teachers address those needs. For its quarterly formative assessments, ETS draws from more than 40,000 items it has written for or aligned to Hawaii standards. With three staff members in Hawaii, America’s Choice leaders also bring in content specialists from the mainland to work in the schools. Providing professional development for teachers in reading, writing, math and science is a key part of what they do. “A lot of our work is on changing teacher strategies and utilizing student data to adjust their instruction,” says Vignes. On Its Own When it discontinues using the outside firms, the Department of Education will use lessons it has learned from them to continue what they are doing, Hamada says. “We knew we needed to build capacity because we couldn’t afford to pay out this kind of money. Having these providers helped us learn, so we should be able to take over this role,” he declares. The companies’ Hawaii managers agree. “We hope that with the strategies and practices that we facilitate and train the teachers how to use to improve their instruction, they will continue to grow on their own,” says Olson. Moreno adds that while boosting academic gains is among EdisonLearning’s goals, building capacity for the schools to continue on their own is another. “We don’t have any intention of being there forever,” she says. DA Alan Dessoff is a contributing writer for District Administration. 158 billion dollars in property damage and injury . .. Hurricane? Flood? War zone? The last thing you want to hear is more bad news about our schools. But it’s a reality you are confronted with every day—student misconduct, dishonesty and criminality—not to mention outright violence. Every school is affected to one degree or another. And it’s getting worse. Now you can do something about it. There is a proven way to tackle what is really wrong with our schools (and our culture)—a collapse of basic morals and values. They are simply not being taught to our young people. That lack leaves youth lost, drifting without a moral compass. The answer? A nonreligious moral code based solely on common sense to provide your students a compass for living in harmony with each other and the entire global village. The solution is The Way to Happiness. Discover how you can restore peace to your classrooms and guide your students into becoming attentive, interested and cooperative learners. With 70 million copies of this book now in print, used by more than 12 million students in 10,000 schools, the results are uniform and remarkable. Wherever it is used, teachers report significant improvements in student conduct, attitude and cooperation—with an attendant drop in crime and violence. And that means safer schools and more effective learning for all concerned. Find out more about The Way to Happiness Education Program and how it can make a difference in your classroom, your school, your community. Request your FREE DVD and Information Kit TODAY. thewaytohappiness.org No I ’ our . ts nation’ schools. s 20 January 2010 It’s in your power to point the way. info@thewaytohappiness.org 1-800-255-7906 ® Copyright © 2009 The Way to Happiness Foundation International. All Rights Reserved. The Way to Happiness and the “Road and Sun” Design are trademarks owned by L. Ron Hubbard Library in the USA and in other countries (trademark registrations issued and other registrations pending) and are used with its permission. District Administration http://www.thewaytohappiness.org http://www.thewaytohappiness.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2010

District Administration - January 2010
Table of Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Health Update
Curriculum Update
District Profile
The Feud Over Food
Discipline Gets the Boot
Cutting Technology Costs with Refurbished Computers
Will Pensions Bankrupt Your District?
Tech Disruptions
Crisis Response
Supervisor’s Opinion
Product Focus
New Products
Online Edge

District Administration - January 2010