TCS Schools Host Math Nights

Elementary schools in Trussville are working to build schoolwide cultures of mathematical literacy and achievement.  An effective culture is not easy to build and maintain, and it does not happen overnight, according to Ron Berger in Learning That Lasts.  Our schools are building a new mindset for mathematical learning, building excitement in teachers and students to dig into, embrace challenging problems, and work hard at fluency and conceptual understanding.  The biggest change in instruction is that lessons begin with intriguing and challenging problems that students grapple with on their own before they get help and confer with others.  Classrooms are filled with rich mathematical discourse; whether in kindergarten or high schools, students are discussing mathematical concepts and patterns with sophistication.  

Educating parents is a vital step in successful implementation of mathematics instruction that provides opportunities for students to grapple and construct their own knowledge.  Most parents learned mathematics in classrooms where the teacher modeled procedures and students memorized the steps and mimicked the teacher's process.  Oftentimes, this can cause confusion and frustration for parents.  To support parents' new learning, our schools are hosting Math Nights, where parents can participate as students alongside their own children in number talks, mini-lessons, math games, and rigorous problem solving. 

Walkthroughs Across TCS

According to Kachur, Stout, and Edwards in their book, Engaging Teachers in Classroom Walkthroughs, walkthroughs are a valuable tool for continuous improvement of schools. Walkthroughs are brief, frequent, informal, and focused visits to classrooms by observers for the purpose of gathering data on educational practices and engaging in some type of follow-up.

TCS principals, assistant principals, academic coaches, and central office personnel regularly engage in walkthroughs.  We encourage teachers to join in walkthroughs as this practice is a valuable source of professional growth for teachers at every stage of their careers.  Walkthroughs provide a means for teachers to observe, reflect on, and discuss their practices and to focus on individual, collegial, and schoolwide improvement.

Last week, walkthroughs in TCS classrooms yeilded important data and affirmation.  We are focusing on the nine TCS Educator Effectiveness indicators and on the impact of professional development that the district is providing.

Mrs. Bramlett Leads Number Talks 

Mrs. Moore Confers with a Student about their Reading 

Music with Mr. Byars 

Mrs. Evans' Kindergartners Are Building Reading Stamina

Mrs. Sing's Kindergartners Learning to Write and Tell Stories

Students in Ms. Coleman's Class Participate in Socratic Seminar to Discuss "Story of an Hour"

Mrs. Johnson Confers with Second Graders about their Reading Progress

Time for Independent Reading in Mrs. Odom's Class

Rhythm Activity with Mrs. Fortenberry

Mrs. Camara Utilizes Manipulatives to Demonstrate Decimals

Mrs. Brasher's Students Stopping to Predict and Discuss Part of a Readaloud

Rigorous Problem Solving in Ms. Bresnan's Class

Maki Maki Club at HTMS

Data Display for Students at HTMS

TCS Principals Collaborate with Area Colleagues

Principals and curriculum directors from Trussville, Homewood, Mt. Brook, and Vestavia are collaborating to share ideas and to read and discuss Learning That Lasts by Ron Berger.  ACTNow (Administrative Collaborative Team New Opportunities for Working Together) provides a platform for principals and directors to discuss current issues and to brainstorm solutions, enhancing instructional leadership. Throughout the 17-18 school year, the group will rotate meeting locations. The group met at the Mt. Brook Board of Education Wednesday, September 20.  Each district will host the group and facilitate the discussion of the book.  Additionally, the group may participate in school visits and discussions of current topics.

TCS Literacy Team Collaborates to Design Turnaround Training

The TCS District Literacy Team met September 13 to discuss Chapter 4 of the text that the group has used to guide their learning for the last year - Reading Reconsidered by Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, and Erica Woolway.  The group is facilitated by secondary curriculum coordinator, Dr. Jennifer Cardwell, and reading coaches, Jenni Peters and Kelly McGough.  

Today's learning targets for the discussion were: 

I can review and finalize goal, purpose, and strategies for District Literacy Team 2017-18.

I can finalize the TCS Canon and Protected Reading List.

I can apply strategies from Chapter 4 of Reading Reconsidered.

I can collaborate and design turn-around training for my school. 

The group discussed various reading class cycles:

Read-Discuss-Read Cycle

Used with complex text, the teacher pauses to ask some questions to solidify students’ understanding.

Read-Write-Read Cycle

The teacher includes prompts that ask students to pause and jot down a quick response, followed by a speedy return to the text (Stop and Jot).

Stop and Jots allow students time to process and react without significantly interrupting the flow of the narrative or text

This cycle helps students lock in key understandings or collect their thoughts and provides teachers with a data collection point.

Read-Write-Discuss Cycle

Students write to develop and refine their ideas before sharing with the rest of the class.  This helps students engage in a genuine discussion, enabling them to listen to peers’ answers. 

The teacher walks around and reads what students are writing so she can “hunt instead of fish.”

The success of this process is dependent on planning an exemplar student response.

Read-Write-Discuss-Revise Cycle

Following the Read-Write-Discuss cycle, the teacher asks students to revise their writing based on evidence and viewpoints gathered from the class discussion.  

The act of revision forces students to refine their initial analysis.  This causes students to listen better during discussion.

Read-Discuss-Write Cycle

This cycle allows students to glean additional insights from the reading through the discussions with their peers before crafting their own responses. 

Lucy Calkins Reading Workshop Follow-up Professional Learning

Today's Lucy Calkins Reading Workshop professional development for teachers of third through sixth grades was magical.  There is no doubt that our students are excelling because our TEACHERS are growing and learning SO much!  Our reading coaches and teacher leaders have done a stellar job of sharing their new learning from their experience at Teachers College in New York this summer.

What I heard today:

• Seventy-five percent of the reading block should be spent on student READING, not listening to the teacher, not writing.  
• We are still teaching Open Court Phonics and foundational skills.
• All students should have access to high quality books.  (TCS spent $90,000 on quality books for students during the last 6 months.)
• All students should read nightly.
• Teachers should model their love of reading.  Every teacher should read aloud daily for 15-20 minutes.  Use various genres like poetry and nonfiction.
• All students should keep a reading log.  Students may want to log the number of minutes they read each week.  
• Every reading skill is a life skill.  
• Students should be assessed at the beginning, middle, and end of the year.
• The TCS Pacing Guide should be adhered to and followed.  Collaboration MUST occur among teachers. 
• If Mentor Sentences are taking more than 15 minutes, we MUST stop that.  That takes away the time students read.  

Looking at Data

Throughout the week, Cahaba, Magnolia, and Paine teachers have been reviewing Scantron math and STAR reading data.  As they assess their students, the teachers have considered:

• biggest opportunities
• biggest challenges
• which students will be in Tier I small group intervention
• which students will need enrichment activities
• which standards may need to be reviewed by the whole class
• how the data will be used to help fill in gaps for students who are struggling
• which students are already showing proficiency
• how to use the data to plan for enrichment