This last week I heard several testimonials from both adults and students about the influence teachers and other staff members have had on their lives.   Each story highlighted how a teacher, counselor, custodian, nurse, lunch lady, among others, changed their course, gave them hope, never gave up on them, and if something didn't work, they tried something else.  It doesn't matter the position, it is the power of the words and actions taken every day that make a difference.  

In celebration of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, I would like to sincerely thank you for believing in students even when they don't believe in themselves, giving two minutes to listen when you have a million other things on your mind, trying a new strategy even when you think you have tried everything, welcoming a student back into a classroom after a significant behavior event, being an advocate when no one else will.  There are no guarantees that you will ever know how much you have influenced a student's life, however you will know that you took advantage of every opportunity to make a difference! 

I would like to conclude with a quick video on the simple truths of appreciation.

The Amazing Power of "Yet"

So how do we nurture intrinsic motivation and a growth mindset in ourselves and our students?  I just reread an Edutopia article from 2014 that reminded me of the power of our words and how they impact our own thinking and the motivation of our students.  Although this article focuses on high school writing, the author stresses the power of the teacher, value of the kind of feedback we give, and the payoff of engagement and ownership.

Here is a glimpse of the content in the article that I found powerful:

"Carol Dweck’s Mindset also made me question the feedback I was giving. Dweck found that praising students for intelligence actually made kids less likely to take academic risks because, on some level, they feared losing the label of "smart" if they did poorly. And since avoiding academic risks means avoiding learning, praising students' intelligence eventually impaired their success in school (and life happiness as well, since they felt intelligence was out of their own control). Students praised for working through difficult material wanted to show they could do so again, with the cumulative effects of long-term academic success, confidence in trying situations, and happier outlooks. Dweck called these mindsets fixed and growth, and started a movement to instill growth mindset in students. She has also talked about the amazing power of yet. She argues that we do a disservice to students by giving them only positive feedback on their writing. Although we don't want to crush their dreams, they can handle -- and even need -- room for growth and mastery. Hence the power of yet: "Your sentence structure does not yet match the tone you are trying to achieve." Yet allows negative feedback while also transmitting trust that they will get there." 

The power of "yet" has implications for how feedback is provided to students in all subjects as well as the way we think about professional growth!  Our students may not be achieving where we want them to be...."yet"!  But we will get there with the right mindset, attitude, motivation, and support!  

Check out the article for additional suggestions on providing feedback that promotes ownership and engagement!

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/intrinsic-motivation-growth-mindset-writing-amy-conley?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

The Final Countdown, The Last Inning, the 4th Quarter!

 
   The title of a blog written by Matterend caught my eye this week, "36 Days and Counting".  This is the time of the year that fatigue hits, emotionally, physically, and mentally and it affects all of us differently.  So how does the way we think, act and reflect daily impact our desired outcomes, with students, our families, our own state?  What if we all tried a "36 Days & Counting mindset"? Matterend comments on the message we communicate through our modeling:  perseverance and grit or the year is basically over.....How do we build momentum at the end of a school year?  What mindset will you adopt?

Check out the link to his blog for additional details, suggestions, and strategies.  Maybe you can even provide your principals and/or leadership teams with a few hints of what might make a difference in at your campus.
http://matthewarend.com/2017/04/11/36-days-counting/

Be sure to check out the other articles within the blog written by other principals and teachers.  Paige Givens blog titled "7 More Weeks" resonated as she explains examples of different mindsets that occur within same hallway.  I think we can all connect to the examples in one way or another.

I'm liking the idea of the 7th inning stretch, it is baseball season of course!  Focusing on reflection and actions that will help me accomplish desired goals for the 2016-17 school year!

Engagement From the Viewpoint of a Student

If you are not familiar with Edutopia, check it out! The resources, blogs, newsletters, tweets-all focused on the educational topics of today will keep you current, inspired and motivated.  A definite need this time of the year!

 I just read a blog written by a 17 year old student from Nashville, Tennessee.  He shares his story about the opportunities offered in his high school that have led to his success and presents four tips teachers can adopt to engage students.  Love the way he presents his message and how his description of engagement was accomplished through cognitively complex tasks!  I connected right away to our district mission "Every Student, Every Day, A Success" and the direction we are headed with Islander Prep Academies!

This time of the year presents a prime opportunity to reflect on relationships with students and how more choices, displaying student work, and adding humor can be incorporated into your lessons.  For more details and resources, check out his entire blog and the Edutopia website.

NeSA-Get with the program!

During assessment season, leadership is visible everywhere in Grand Island Public Schools! Here is just one example shared by a teacher and principal today.  Take a look at his shirt.....he is so ready for NeSA testing today!!

Have to love this student's attitude in preparation for NeSA testing!  

This last couple of weeks, I have heard many examples of how schools are creating an environment that supports and encourages students to do their very best!  From videos of adults wishing students "good luck" to skits that entertain, yet provide strategies students can use! The creativity behind the planning is reflective in the attitudes and effort demonstrated by our students. 

This has direct implications regarding our approach to our day to day work and how our own attitude and thinking impacts the outcome.  A believe it was William Glasser that presented the questions, "Where is your mind spending it's time?" and "is it helping or hurting?".  I often find myself referring to these questions not only to reflect, but to help move from a fixed to a growth mindset.  The student in the picture above made me think about how actions impact attitude and the value in modeling it to others!  

"Change your thoughts and you change the world."— Norman Vincent Peale

I Keep Hearing About AQUeSTT....What is it?

AQuESTT-Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow

You might wonder why you need to know about AQueSTT? Beginning in 2015-16 the state of Nebraska adopted an innovative accountability system called AQuESTT.  This streamlined process provides access to important information relative to accountability, assessment, accreditation, career education and data that can and should inform school improvement.  AQuESTT reports are published on the AQuESTT website as well as in local/state publications.

 Here is a quick video from our Commissioner of Education Dr. Matthew Blomstedt: Introduction to AQuESTT.

As Dr. Blomstedt mentions in the video, the state is focused on providing educational opportunities that address the needs of all children.  How we accomplish this is focusing on Teaching and Larning and Student Success and Access.  Within these two areas, there are six tenets which are defined in AQuESTT.

• Positive Partnerships, Relationships and Student Success
• Transitions
• Educational Opportunities and Access
• College and Career Ready
• Assessment
• Educator Effectiveness

In our approach to educate and prepare our students for the future, we are responsible for addressing all six areas intentionally.  Assessment of effectiveness of the six tenets is conducted through an Evidence Based Assessment (EBA), where districts and schools rate themselves on a rubric citing evidence to support ratings in each of the six tenets. This is a very important process--and informs areas that we need to consider for continued improvement.

Other considerations for the final report include NeSA assessment scores, improvement, non-proficiency, growth, participation, and graduation.   

Based on the following rules (if you like to see the technical side of it):  Schools are classified as Excellent, Great, Good, or Needs Improvement.  See the following document for an explanation of The AQuESTT Classification Process . 

Access to the public view of GIPS and individual school reports may be found on this site.  Additional resources that you might be interested in (such as how to read the report) can be found under resources on the AQuESTT Site.

This is year two of this initiative and improvements continue to be made to the process.  Please take some time navigating AQuESTT.com to learn more about the systematic approach and stay informed of new and updated information.  There is a wealth of information about Nebraska as a state, our district, and our schools!  

We are Better Together!

How do you know you are effective?

When was that last time you reflected on your goals? How are you doing?  What evidence to you have to support growth and what is the impact on you and those you serve as a result?

No matter what position you hold in the district, setting goals and reflecting on progress is a practice that is critical to personal and professional growth and the key to achieving success.  The biggest benefactors if course are our students.

At the BOE meeting Monday evening, our campus highlights presented evidence of the impact of actively working on established goals.  Engleman teachers presented ways that they are learning how to engage students in content through the integration of technology.  The presentation showed evidence of teachers learning together and sharing ideas as well as examples of impact on student learning during a staff meeting. This practice has direct connections to our Marzano Instructional Model with a focus on planning for differentiation and engagement.

Westridge students and staff presented the impact of Rachel's Challenge on their students, which stemmed from a goal to improve climate and student relationships. The students grabbed the attention of the audience with their examples and evidence of how they are making a difference and creating the conditions in their school where all students belong and have the opportunity to learn.  They stated their next steps and how they can continue their efforts to involve others beyond their school. Reflecting on their accomplishments has caused even more motivation and will no doubt have an impact on student achievement.  

The practice of setting goals is not a new concept or innovative practice, it's a foundational idea to examine beliefs and theories that influence our actions.

Just a reminder for our certified staff that our tool for documenting reflections and uploading evidence to support your growth is in iObservation.
Log in
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There are two ways that you can reflect:
Add entries in the Reflection Log:

or
                               

                              ⇩
You can add comments, upload evidence under your action steps.

Be sure to change your status from "In Progress" to "Finished" once you have completed your action steps!

Goal setting and reflection is a practice that we want all staff to engage in.

Classified staff may refer to your supervisor regarding the goal setting and reflection process.  There is also a goal setting form to guide your thinking on the intranet under Staff Evaluations.