While IGKNIGHT has been the focus of our PD publicity lately, don't forget that we have 11/20 as a day for vertical articulation cohorts and building-based work, too!
We will be working with various teacher leaders at each level to seek input on the sessions you can attend, but expect something very similar to last year. While we will focus on the transitional 5-6th and 8-9th experiences, we will also be making space and time for other groups to meet, as well. You'll also be able to create your own groups provided the group and topic meets a few guidelines.
Look for the list of available topics to come out in next week's curriculum connection as well as where each topic will be hosted. We will ask that areas elect representatives to attend these groupings once they go live, and we will do our best to leave those choices up to you.
We will once again be hosting the majority of the topics at Meredith Middle School, so you can plan your travel accordingly.
The schedule for the day will be slightly different based on your grade level, so please see below. We've staggered lunch to try to provide a better workflow for groups and to help mitigate the lunch rush that can take up so much time when you only have an hour!
6-12 Schedule
8:00-10:30 Vertical Articulation cohorts at Meredith Middle School
10:30-11:30 Lunch and Travel to your Home Building
11:30-12:00 5Essentials Survey at your Home Building
12:00-3:00 Building-based Activities
K-5 Schedule
8:00-10:30 Vertical Articulation cohorts at Meredith Middle School
10:30-11:30 5Essentials Survey at Meredith Middle School
11:30-12:30 Lunch and return to Meredith Middle School
12:30-1:30 Reflection Meetings with Horizontal teams/RTI Meeting
1:30-3:00 ALICE Overview
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
IGKNIGHT 2018 Weekly update
We are up to 353 total registrations for IGKNIGHT on November 19th! Don't forget that today is the last day to register to be entered into the raffle for an IGKNIGHT trucker hat!
We are going to be shifting sign-in to the KHS East Gym to provide a better traffic flow, make sure there's enough room for both sign in and the health fair, and show off that brand new gym floor! Remember, sign in will be from 7-8am with a prompt 8am start time for our keynote speaker--Myrond Dueck. Don't forget that you'll need your IEIN number to sign in, so make sure you've got that handy!
Due to popular demand, we are going to offer a 2pm "Managing Student Behavior--The ACEs Effect" from the IEA. That session has been filling up fast, so if you want to change your schedule to take advantage make sure to sign in and do so soon; there were already 6 of 30 seats taken when I just checked!
We've also added another session at 2:00 entitled "PERA, Sequence of Honorable Dismissal, and You: An Overview." Director of Human Resources Chris Adkins will explain some of the recent changes in IL law that have impacted our evaluation process, how we've implemented those here at Kaneland, and what impact those changes might have on you. He'll also be available to answer any questions you might have.
We are still waiting to hear back from a few different food options and still keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be able to provide some on-site options for you. However, even if there is no food there will still be plenty to do as we've been able to confirm the following visitors who will be setting up booths during the lunch period:
We are going to be shifting sign-in to the KHS East Gym to provide a better traffic flow, make sure there's enough room for both sign in and the health fair, and show off that brand new gym floor! Remember, sign in will be from 7-8am with a prompt 8am start time for our keynote speaker--Myrond Dueck. Don't forget that you'll need your IEIN number to sign in, so make sure you've got that handy!
Due to popular demand, we are going to offer a 2pm "Managing Student Behavior--The ACEs Effect" from the IEA. That session has been filling up fast, so if you want to change your schedule to take advantage make sure to sign in and do so soon; there were already 6 of 30 seats taken when I just checked!
We've also added another session at 2:00 entitled "PERA, Sequence of Honorable Dismissal, and You: An Overview." Director of Human Resources Chris Adkins will explain some of the recent changes in IL law that have impacted our evaluation process, how we've implemented those here at Kaneland, and what impact those changes might have on you. He'll also be available to answer any questions you might have.
We are still waiting to hear back from a few different food options and still keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be able to provide some on-site options for you. However, even if there is no food there will still be plenty to do as we've been able to confirm the following visitors who will be setting up booths during the lunch period:
- Aurora University (available cohorts)
- Northern Illinois University (available cohorts)
- Scholastic (teacher tools, especially ELA)
- NEA (membership questions)
- IMRF (retirement questions)
- TRS (retirement questions)
- Kane County Teachers Credit Union (services for educators)
- Classroom Rescue (behavioral techniques and strategies)
- Kaneland Performing Arts Boosters (apparel)
- Kaneland Sports Boosters (apparel)
Monday, October 29, 2018
Proficiency Based Progress Check In
Over the course of this school year we are focusing on being tight as grade level and job-alike teachers on what proficiency looks like in your content. The goal of proficiency based progress is to provide the following for students:
1. A common expectation of what it means to show proficiency on their I Can statements
2. Explicit feedback linked to the I Can statements
3. The ability to show proficiency in multiple ways
It is great practice for a department or grade level team to check on what proficiency means in your content area on a continual basis. The most common way for educators to check for inter-rater reliability on proficiency is to select an I Can statement (or a few) and each bring student work that you would assess as proficient. As a team then hold a discussion as to why you selected this student work to exemplify proficiency and hold each other accountable to the expectation of the I Can statement. It is also great practice to take this activity a step further and as a team determine what feedback you would give each student on thier work that is directly linked to the I Can statement. As a team you may even want to bring a proficient example and one that misses the mark, so you can all practice the explicit feedback. This type of norming practice can assist our staff in further understanding how proficcny is defined at your grade level and department. We know many teams are already doing this type of practice and we applaud you for that! We would encourage all teams do conduct this type of norming of proficiency at least once a month. If your team ever would like support on this process or assistance in running this type of session, do not hesitate to contact Mike and Sarah.
1. A common expectation of what it means to show proficiency on their I Can statements
2. Explicit feedback linked to the I Can statements
3. The ability to show proficiency in multiple ways
It is great practice for a department or grade level team to check on what proficiency means in your content area on a continual basis. The most common way for educators to check for inter-rater reliability on proficiency is to select an I Can statement (or a few) and each bring student work that you would assess as proficient. As a team then hold a discussion as to why you selected this student work to exemplify proficiency and hold each other accountable to the expectation of the I Can statement. It is also great practice to take this activity a step further and as a team determine what feedback you would give each student on thier work that is directly linked to the I Can statement. As a team you may even want to bring a proficient example and one that misses the mark, so you can all practice the explicit feedback. This type of norming practice can assist our staff in further understanding how proficcny is defined at your grade level and department. We know many teams are already doing this type of practice and we applaud you for that! We would encourage all teams do conduct this type of norming of proficiency at least once a month. If your team ever would like support on this process or assistance in running this type of session, do not hesitate to contact Mike and Sarah.
October 29th SIP Presentation for the BOE
Though we've posted about this in the past, we wanted to share with all of you the presentation that the district admin team will be giving to the Board of Education tonight. While there should not be any new information in here for you, it may be organized differently. This can also serve as a quick place to go back to check if you have any questions about our goals this year or want to see some of the specific data. Enjoy!
Parent Note about Conferences
The following blurb was sent out to parents in the KCN about parent conferences. The intent was to get them thinking about how education may have shifted since they were in the classroom, and we thought we'd share it with you so you saw what they were seeing!
What Does Personalized Learning Mean for Students?
To put it simply, personalized learning means that each student will have his/her learning needs met. Personalized learning classrooms may look and feel different for today’s students than they did when their parents were in school, but students are likely to understand the changes. Students are excited about personalized learning for these reasons:
How Can Families and Communities Support Personalized Learning?
There are many ways that families and communities can support personalized learning, and each family support structure may look very different based on the needs of the student.
Families can change the way they talk about learning with their kids. For example, parents are engaging their children in conversations about what they are curious about, how they like to learn best, what their interests are, how they have learned from a recent failure, and so on. In other words, the emphasis should be on the process of learning and not just the end grade.
Families can connect and support self-reflection based on the learner profile of their child. Taking time in the evening to reflect on the process of learning from that day and how that best meets or does not meet their profile can be beneficial for students. Parents can model the reflection and advocacy process for their child, as well as give opportunities at home to practice that advocacy and decision making. provide ownership of household tasks and decisions to your child and support them along that process. The goal in personalized learning is to have the student become the driver of learning through reflection and advocacy.
Question to ask your child?
The key take away is that the family conversation is about the process of learning not the end grade or result.
Over the course of the last three years, Kaneland has been embarking on a journey towards providing more personalized learning for our students. As a community member and parent you may be wondering how can you support this process or what does personalized learning mean for me child. We hope this article can share some guidance on this process. The article is based on a publication from the Institute for Personalized Learning based out of Southern Wisconsin. Kaneland has been a partnership district with the Institute for two years. We are excited to continue the process of personalizing and hope you will commit to be a partner in this educational process.
What Does Personalized Learning Mean for Students?
To put it simply, personalized learning means that each student will have his/her learning needs met. Personalized learning classrooms may look and feel different for today’s students than they did when their parents were in school, but students are likely to understand the changes. Students are excited about personalized learning for these reasons:
- Students have more say in their learning.
- The individual needs of each student are met, so each student is successful.
- Students have a clear understanding of their learning goals and know how to achieve them.
- Students get to make choices about how they “show what they know.”
- Students get the support they need when they are challenged by a concept.
- Students get the encouragement they need when they are ready to move forward.
How Can Families and Communities Support Personalized Learning?
There are many ways that families and communities can support personalized learning, and each family support structure may look very different based on the needs of the student.
Families can change the way they talk about learning with their kids. For example, parents are engaging their children in conversations about what they are curious about, how they like to learn best, what their interests are, how they have learned from a recent failure, and so on. In other words, the emphasis should be on the process of learning and not just the end grade.
Families can connect and support self-reflection based on the learner profile of their child. Taking time in the evening to reflect on the process of learning from that day and how that best meets or does not meet their profile can be beneficial for students. Parents can model the reflection and advocacy process for their child, as well as give opportunities at home to practice that advocacy and decision making. provide ownership of household tasks and decisions to your child and support them along that process. The goal in personalized learning is to have the student become the driver of learning through reflection and advocacy.
Question to ask your child?
- What decisions did you make during learning today?
- How might you advocate for your learning needs?
- Describe your learner profile?
- What type of learning environment do you work best in? Why do you think that meets your needs?
- What goals do you have for this month of learning?
- What are your long term goals in learning and life?
The key take away is that the family conversation is about the process of learning not the end grade or result.
Trimester Report Card Messages
With the end of trimesters upon us, we have prepared the blurbs that will be sent out to parents on November 30th. Please see below for the various communication. Please take a moment to also check out the parent tutorial video.
Math blurb: (to be cut and paste into the comments section for math by the classroom teacher)
This year your child's grade level is participating in a math continuum learning process. This process allows students and families to be able to see all grade level expectations and share progress as a individual. In lieu of reporting your child's progress on the formal report card, your child's progress on the learning continuum is attached or an alternate report card was provided during parent-teacher conferences. The math continuum is in a pilot year this year, but does maintain the explicit teaching of all common core standards at your child's own pace. Please see the attachment below.
Email blurb for Principals: (to be sent out November 30th in the morning by Principals/Office)
Good afternoon,
We are excited to share with you the first trimester report cards later today. Your child's report card will be sent through email as a PDF around 4:00pm. They can also be viewed through Tyler under the Grades tab, under the Objectives tab or through the Tyler app. The standards-based report card will go live at 4:00pm today. Below are definitions for you to reference as you progress through the standards-based report card. Please remember, the Common Core State Standards focus on achieving Mastery (strength) for each standard by the end of the year. With the continued shift to proficiency based learning and personalized learning, each student may be at a different expected level for each standard at this time. Please note the expectation is that they master a skill in their grade level by May, however each student does work at their own pace in this proficiency process. Grades are based on the teacher’s observations of the child during the trimester as well as products the students have submitted to show proficiency in the standards. Students may exhibit a strength on a portion of the standard, but when asked to apply the standard, performance may shift to progressing or developing.
In order to best assist in the process of understanding and comprehending the report card, we have created a video that shares an overview of the reporting process. Please access the video using this link: https://voicethread.com/share/11511050/ You will also find an attachment from the Exploratory courses sharing the focus of the first trimester learning. We thank you for your collaboration in the learning process and look forward to continue the learning journey in the second trimester.
Key terms:
(+) Student shows understanding. (*) Student is improving. (-) Student needs to improve.
X- An X in the learner characteristics indicates that the child has an area to improve in that characteristic.
(Y) Yes
(N) No
Beginning (B) - Student shows little understanding of concepts or skills.
Developing (D) - Student shows some understanding of concepts or skills; frequent errors or misunderstandings still occur.
Progressing (P) - Student shows understanding of concepts or skills with occasional inconsistencies in application.
Strength (S) - Student shows strength and consistently applies concepts or skills
RTI Tier Definitions:
Tier One: Classroom Core Instruction- No intervention necessary
Tier Two: Need for short term remediation
Tier Three: Need for intensive remediation
Tech Blurb for 3:30: (sent out with the PDF report card)
Good afternoon,
We are excited to share with you the first trimester report cards. They can also be viewed through Tyler under the Grades tab, under the Objectives tab or through the Tyler app. Attached you will find your child's first trimester report card. Thank you for your partnership in the learning journey.
Math blurb: (to be cut and paste into the comments section for math by the classroom teacher)
This year your child's grade level is participating in a math continuum learning process. This process allows students and families to be able to see all grade level expectations and share progress as a individual. In lieu of reporting your child's progress on the formal report card, your child's progress on the learning continuum is attached or an alternate report card was provided during parent-teacher conferences. The math continuum is in a pilot year this year, but does maintain the explicit teaching of all common core standards at your child's own pace. Please see the attachment below.
Email blurb for Principals: (to be sent out November 30th in the morning by Principals/Office)
Good afternoon,
We are excited to share with you the first trimester report cards later today. Your child's report card will be sent through email as a PDF around 4:00pm. They can also be viewed through Tyler under the Grades tab, under the Objectives tab or through the Tyler app. The standards-based report card will go live at 4:00pm today. Below are definitions for you to reference as you progress through the standards-based report card. Please remember, the Common Core State Standards focus on achieving Mastery (strength) for each standard by the end of the year. With the continued shift to proficiency based learning and personalized learning, each student may be at a different expected level for each standard at this time. Please note the expectation is that they master a skill in their grade level by May, however each student does work at their own pace in this proficiency process. Grades are based on the teacher’s observations of the child during the trimester as well as products the students have submitted to show proficiency in the standards. Students may exhibit a strength on a portion of the standard, but when asked to apply the standard, performance may shift to progressing or developing.
In order to best assist in the process of understanding and comprehending the report card, we have created a video that shares an overview of the reporting process. Please access the video using this link: https://voicethread.com/share/11511050/ You will also find an attachment from the Exploratory courses sharing the focus of the first trimester learning. We thank you for your collaboration in the learning process and look forward to continue the learning journey in the second trimester.
Key terms:
(+) Student shows understanding. (*) Student is improving. (-) Student needs to improve.
X- An X in the learner characteristics indicates that the child has an area to improve in that characteristic.
(Y) Yes
(N) No
Beginning (B) - Student shows little understanding of concepts or skills.
Developing (D) - Student shows some understanding of concepts or skills; frequent errors or misunderstandings still occur.
Progressing (P) - Student shows understanding of concepts or skills with occasional inconsistencies in application.
Strength (S) - Student shows strength and consistently applies concepts or skills
RTI Tier Definitions:
Tier One: Classroom Core Instruction- No intervention necessary
Tier Two: Need for short term remediation
Tier Three: Need for intensive remediation
Tech Blurb for 3:30: (sent out with the PDF report card)
Good afternoon,
We are excited to share with you the first trimester report cards. They can also be viewed through Tyler under the Grades tab, under the Objectives tab or through the Tyler app. Attached you will find your child's first trimester report card. Thank you for your partnership in the learning journey.
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