Data Team Inaugural Meeting

In November 2015, the AdvancED External Review Team shared one Improvement Priority finding with the TCS Board: Implement a systematic and systemic set of processes and procedures K-12 that ensure all staff continuously collect and analyze data to evaluate student needs and drive instruction. 

In accordance with the findings of AdvancED, TCS will collaborate to implement a systemic set of processes and procedures regarding data collection K-12. 

The first steps will be to create a data team and to build capacity regarding data collection and analysis. The District Data Team will include central office personnel, principals, counselors and academic coaches. The Data Team members will participate in monthly face to face meetings, read professional journal articles regarding data, and reflect upon readings via face to face/Google classroom. We will learn efficient and effective methods for disaggregating relevant data. Our purpose for this systematic and systemic set of processes and procedures will be for the purpose of evaluating student needs that will help drive instruction.

The following leaders were asked to serve on this important team:

Beth Bruno

Jennifer Cardwell

April Chamberlain

Mandi Logan

Phyllis Faust

Rachel Cox 

Christy Naylor 

Edra Perry

Donna Brumlow

Lauren Blake 

Lisa Lothspeich

Kelly McGough

Krista Dement 

Amy McIntyre

Amy Cain

Heather Winship

Laura Stalls

Leta McGehee

Betsy Schmitt

Autumm Jeter

Tygar Evans

Lisa Berry

Tim Salem 

Data Team Purpose: 

Create a data plan based on the AdvancED November 2015 directive

Lead the district in collecting and analyzing data and adjusting instruction based on data

Build capacity in collecting and analyzing data and adjusting instruction based on data

Use a variety of data

The first meeting was Monday, November 30, at 8:30.

The team began their work together to gain an understanding of:

1.       What data are we collecting?

2.       Who do we share that data with?

3.       Why do we collect those data?

4.       What are we doing with the data we collect?

5.       Is there other data we should collect?

6.       Do we understand what the data is telling us?

7.       What experiences can we design in order to share data with teachers?

8.       What data can/should teachers be collecting in their classrooms?

Discovering the Power of Primary Sources

From Education Update, November 2015

Increasingly, teachers across grade levels and content areas are discovering the power of primary sources to inform and engage students. Primary sources enable students to go "behind the scenes" and see details and, sometimes, even the thought processes involved in scientific discoveries, historical and political events, and creative works.

Two key differences between primary and secondary sources are authenticity and filters. Autobiographies or diaries, for example, provide authentic insight from the authors about their lives. Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl offers first-person immediacy that no secondary source can duplicate.

Secondary sources, such as biographies or textbooks, typically interpret and analyze primary sources. The information is filtered through the lens of the writer or editor. No matter how skillfully the information is presented or how thoroughly it has been researched, the secondary source remains an interpretation. Although the document could still be a reliable source, its author is more likely to have added his or her own biases or perspectives.

Bob Nasson, executive director of the National History Club, likens this concept to the party game Whisper Down the Lane. "Each time a story gets passed along, it gets changed a little bit," he says.

With ever-improving Internet searches and the digitization of original materials, primary sources are becoming increasingly accessible. One major repository is the Library of Congress, which also offers tips on using primary sources. Another resource is "Using Primary Sources on the Web," a website developed by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association.

Tech Thursday at HTHS

HTHS teachers shared their expertise with colleagues during Tech Thursday on November 19. Teachers  attended two different sessions of their choice for 20 minutes each.

The following sessions were widely attended.

That Quiz - Stephanie Hawthorne
Socrative - Molly Cook
Turn It In - Jennifer Cardwell
KaHoot!/Plickers  - Christy Dooley
Zip Grade - Kurt Kristensen

TCS Teachers Present at NCTM Conference

Math coach Lisa Lothspeich and fourth grade teacher Jana Walls presented Developing Multiplication Fact Fluency in the 21st Century during an NCTM session today in Nashville.  Their session was at capacity with 175 participants.  Over eighty others were turned away, so Lisa and Jana were asked to do a second session tomorrow.  It is obvious that their session is one of great interest to elementary teachers.  

Teachers Report Better Student Performance With Scholarship Program Incentives

Did you know students can earn scholarship money beginning their ninth grade year for attending school regularly,participating in community service activities,making good grades,playing a sport, and more?

Raise.Me, has a program that allows students the opportunity to earn and bank money for activities they complete in high school. These are considered "Micro Scholarships". Students can register for an account at any point in their high school career and activities can be added retroactively.

There are approximately 86 schools currently offering these micro scholarships. Alabama schools participating in the program are UAB, Montevallo, and Spring Hill College, Auburn University, and more.

Students must meet the GPA requirements of each college in order to be awarded the money.  GPA is calculated by taking the average of your unweighted core course grades (English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and Foreign Language).

If your students think micro scholarships aren't worth their time, show them this article about Abby Saxastar who only discovered Raise.Me a few months before she graduated and was able to earn over $80,000 by retroactively logging her grades and service activities.  She now has a full ride to Stetson University in Florida.

Encourage your students to gain parent permission and read the privacy policies before creating an account. There may be personal information required so we strongly recommend this be completed at home with a parent.
Learn more about Raise.Me and create an account HERE.

Magnolia and Cahaba Progress

Cahaba Elementary

November 16, 2015

Magnolia Elementary

November 16, 2015

Science Teachers Learn at CCRS Quarterly Meeting

Administrators and science teachers from all schools attended the second of four quarterly CCRS Science meetings at the Lincoln Center in Birmingham.  Teachers are unpacking the new Alabama Science Standards.  They turn their new learning around for science teachers in their schools.