Hi Folks, Jason Thanks for the reminder to post to my Blog. Last Thursday I spent time thinking of what I was going to blog about as I was leaving for the weekend. I even included it in my to do list. I went so far as to create a memory of submitting the blog entry. I would have sworn I did even when Louis sent a note reminded folks to post I pretty much ignored it as it did not pertain to me.
Each summer the Waukesha school District host a Summer Academy in which a large portion is given to a data dive and time to set up school wide Smart goals. It will be interesting to see how this summer goes as the teachers union and district are stuck in a contentious contract dispute.
I wondered how difficult it would be to find data like we are given during the summer. I made two email inquiries and a check of the Waukesha website and I had all the data I could possible use. I had taken some time to analyze the WKCE testing and such and we as a school had set a goal to increase our students % of passing classes. As a new school we did not have a bunch of history or data to compare but we could compare our students to the face-to-face students of the Wuakesha school district. We have made great progress in supporting our students to achieve greater percentage of classes passed. It will be interesting to see how this translates to test scores. We may have to look directly at areas of need in the future.
Terry, don't worry about the blog tardiness, I often think blog posts out in my head, then realize later that I didn't actually write them. I like the idea of getting together on a regular basis to focus on what the data tells you are some ways to better serve your students. I would imagine regular reflection would lead to your school going down fewer dead end roads and less frustration.
ReplyDeleteI can sympathize too with your situation of the union and the district being at odds and the negative consequences that are felt by students who are all too often put in the middle. As a union guy, I blame the admin. and I'm sure they blame us, but when we step back both sides probably are partially responsible. Both sides though I hope and believe are earnestly and in good faith fighting for what they believe will be best for those same students in the end.
Hey Terry! I can totally relate to the blog snafoo - Been there; done that. It's amazing what we tell ourselves. I, personally, make up stuff on a daily basis and think it's real. In fact, I often stop myself mid-story and realize that what I was just reporting to people came from a dream, not reality. I'll be a real kick someday in the nursing home!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, on to business. I really like the fact that your school district gets together to discuss the data and actually create Smart goals. At my small school, the staff talks at our first inservice meeting and discusses some goals for the year, but nothing is ever based on data. It's more like a "what do you think should be our focus this year?" kinda talk. Of course, now that I've been through this course, I'll probably be a major pain in my principal's side, requesting that we actually look at our ITBS scores and base our goals on the results. I don't know how the teachers get along in your district, but many times I feel like I'm the trouble maker for pushing our team to do more. Hate that!
In many ways, I think it's great that you don't have a bunch of past data to compare and that you're starting fresh. I think it would be easier to address the needs of your students because everything you do is so current. Does this make sense? In other words, if something isn't working, I would think you'd have the resources to fix it now. There's no long history of how things have been done in the past. Do you find this to be true? Are other online teachers more willing to adjust their curriculum and style to meet student needs? It will be interesting to see how you compare to the face-to-face students in your district. Do you have any predictions?
Thanks for the reply Kara, we compare favorably to the school in our district. Our students tend to read at a much higher level which is helpful for online learners. Though our students do tend to do less well on Math, better than 2/3 district high schools and better than the state average but something to focus non.
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