Taking Flight: Impact Learning by Empowering Learner Agency (A Learning Forward Session)

 

This session was centered around the pictured text, written by practitioners from Liberty Public Schools in Missouri. The session focused on conditions and practices that support the development of student agency. The text is intended to serve as a "field guide" for developing student agency, offering different starting points for educators, tips and suggestions from current practitioners, and additional online resources. 

Agency is defined as:  the feeling of ownership and control that learners have over their own learning. When students believe their actions can make a difference, they become more confident, engaged, and effective learners

Enabling Conditions for Learner Agency include:

1. Vision- Identify a vision for learner agency

2. Relationships- Build relationships grounded in learner agency

3. Clarity- Develop clarity- align vision, goals, and learning

4. Learn- Model and engage in learning at ALL levels

5. Collaborate- Use authentic collaboration to foster innovation

6. Support- Build capacity in learners through embedded support

7. Efficacy- Build a culture that promotes efficacy

If you would like to be entered into a raffle to win a copy of the book, email an example of how your students currently show agency in their learning to Laura at 10166@kaneland.org

KIPLA 9th Grade Expansion Update

Over the last several months, we have been weighing the needs of our district with the logistics of staffing and operating a 9th-grade section at KIPLA for the 2024-25 school year. Unfortunately, our current 9th-grade registration numbers are not at the level necessary to support expansion at this time. For the 2024-25 school year, KIPLA will remain a 3rd-8th grade school, with expansion opportunities revisited each year. 

If you have any questions regarding this decision, please feel free to reach out to Laura Garland at 10166@kaneland.org

Tenet A - LDIP Continuum

New year, new levels on the continuum! I would be willing to bet it would be appropriate with the start of the new semester after two weeks off that we would be seeing the need for direct legacy instruction. Remember though, that lessons should not remain here for the year. Once you start to engage in conversations, goal-setting meetings, formative feedback cycles, etc., start to think about how to give students more and more voice in the next steps of their learning. Can students choose their own novels, their own GRID path, or a unique way of showing proficiency? 

It is incredibly difficult to personalize in content (what is learned), the process (how students learn it), and the product (how students show their learning). Start by choosing ONE of the above to progress along the continuum.

Commitment Highlight- PBP Reflection

 We are excited for shar an example of a feedback conference with a PBP table.  In our most recent learning walks Educational Service was able to observe multiple examples of students being able to identify on a printed PBP table the proficiency statement they have been working on.  The Teacher posed questions based on the student work sample brought to the conference as to next steps in learning.  The student was able to ask questions to clarify the expectation and then develop the next steps of what to work on.  This was observed in Science, ELA with narrative writing and math continuum work.  We are excited to see more and more feedback conferences taking place in our schools.     

Student Panel- KIPLA Student Voice Committee

 We had the pleasure at CHESS today to have another student panel.  The KIPLA Student Voice Committee joined us.

-This year has been very fun and good.  I have been able to choose in ELA and Math the difficulty level of learning rather than someone telling me just to learn the specific level.

-In the beginning of the year it was a bit rocky but it has been smooth as time went by.  I am able to take breaks and use the break bag.

-Going pretty well.  I really like making the choice of when I do the learning, I may not choose the exact learning but I can choose my time to do the learning and practice.  I get to chose seminars for what I want to learn about government and maps and geography.  I am working on building my own islands.

-We split up into different groups in a content area and then our group will meet with different teachers.  In our groups we work ith peers and teachers.  

-We also have a one on one conference with a teacher and reflect and show your work. 

-The teachers often ask us how well we have done and we go over feedback and how to fix or make the writing even better.  We also have conferences where we pick the next PBP table to focus on. 

-We have a google form to decide which seminars to select by looking at our I-Ready scores or other student work we have done.

-If you are stronger in ELA you can place that task at the end of the day and Humanities. 

-We have a certification system that allows you to have more access to the school by yourself,  If you have met expectations on the PBP behavior table you get certified in level 3 to allow you more access and privileges.  For example if you are certified you are able to have access to a phone possibly.  

-I love having my own locker and personal space

-Our teachers are great and I love having them

-I love having the choice in time of when to learn

-Our teachers really understand us and allow us to make changes

-I love the access to other rooms to work in.

-I really like the connect time in the day and we use that time for different options for us to do.  For example PE games, art or quiet rooms.

-I love having the options of grade level choice and where to learn

-I love making my own schedule

-I love having the freedom of choice

-I love the environment, we have fidgety chairs for movement 

-I enjoy having many teachers to check in with during WIN time

SIP Goal Survey - Kaneland Connects

As a reminder we will be sending out a survey for our Spring data collection for our Kaneland Connects SIP goal in a couple of weeks. We need to have this collected by early February so we can analyze data and get it to principals for their own evaluations. We will send this out to students the same way that we did in the Fall - through Canvas and pencil/paper for our younger students. 

Our survey window will run from Wednesday, January 31st through Friday, February 2nd. Please take a moment during SEL/homeroom time to have your students access and take the survey. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes for them to complete. 

Thank you in advance, we are looking forward to this data coming in!

Personalized Learning 3.0 Evidence Reminder

For every one that kicked off PL 3.0 last year, we are in the final stretch for completion! As a reminder, the 10 tenets of 3.0 are due by the end of the year. We want to make sure you have any and all support that you need. Please take a moment to look through your completed tenets and begin to plan your work for the completion of the remaining tenets. We did have a lot of submissions come in over Winter Break and we are in the process of providing feedback on all of those. You can reach out to your instructional coaches or anyone from the Ed Services team to talk through these and discuss evidence. 

Thank you for all of your hard work on these! We have walls of evidence that show so many great teaching practices. Keep it up!

KIPLA Tours

 In order to be able to share KIPLA experiences with parents as they are beginning to consider if the IgKnight Academy is a right place for their child, we would like to offer sub time for Second Grade staff to come over and tour KIPLA.  These experiences might shed light on the learning process at KIPLA.  If you have any interest at all to learn more and visit KIPLA, please reach out Sarah Mumm at 10358@kaneland.org to set up a date.   

Kane County Day Sessions

 Kaneland staff have the option to sign up for a session provided by the ROE or complete the google doc proposing an internal activity to complete. Please do NOT submit an ROE session on the internal google doc, that will not guarantee registration, you must only use the ROE link to register for Kane County sessions.  Please let us know any questions you have.  Happy New Year! 

Message from Kane ROE:

On January 1st, we will be posting a link to preview the Kane County Institute Day session schedule on our website. 

Registration will open on Monday, January 8th at 6:00AM CST and will close on Monday, February 19th at 6:00AM CST. Please share the website link with your staff to ensure they have enough time to preview and register for sessions.

 

Reminders: 

Q Center - 1405 N 5th Ave, St. Charles, IL 60174 

March 1^st, 2024

8:00AM-3:15PM

Breakfast and lunch will be provided

Five Schools, One Book Selection

 It is this time of year, to vote for the next year's Five Schools One Book selection.  This will be our last vote since we now have the 6 titles that will rotate each year.  Please take a moment prior to January 22nd and complete this survey to have your voice heard in the vote for next year.  Thank you.

K-5 Behavior Support Feedback

At this mid-year point we always take a look at the support our current student population is needing.  We are requesting your help sharing feedback on K-5 behavior support that you have accessed this year.  Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey between now and February 2nd.  Thank you in advance for your feedback.   

EAC Celebrations

 To kick of the new year, we asked EAC to collect celebrations from our first semester!  We need to remember more often to celebrate our progress and each other.  Cheers!  

2nd grade team has celebrated their cohorts I-Ready scores going up 30 point overall

Increases in iReady Reading and Math scores and reading levels.

Our new Speech Path - Allison S. is doing an amazing job working with the team, sharing out ideas/knowledge, supporting students. She is a great asset. Staff's ability to support ever changing behavior needs - sharing para support as needed, utilizing behavior interventionists The students are demonstrating wonderful progress with understanding and following routines and structures, and supporting peers (new students or students with disabilities), showing compassion, empathy, and leadership skills.

We have pockets of excellent co-teaching!

The current 1st grade students really like to write compared to previous cohorts.

Teachers supporting teachers

2nd grade team is having success in flexible reading groups

Students who were at 1st grade spelling are making progress using Word Journeys

Students are better able to advocate for themselves in the area of SEL since the strategic plan has made that a focus.

We survived the first semester at KIPLA!

Jolly Phonics and Fundations (and F&P word study) have been fabulous for kindergarten! Fundations has helped handwriting. Love that they have choice on how to best meet the needs of the different learners in our classrooms. We are able to be responsive and use all of the tools. The Jolly Phonics actions are amazing! The Fundations letter formation tool is fabulous!

Teachers are taking more steps in implementing proficiency table language at the primary level. The KDAB conversations and work have brought gains in student data.

Seeing gains in behavior in a very needy group that has high SEL needs and low achievement. This team has been creative in modifying instruction to meet these needs.

The Jolly Phonics actions have been fabulous and the Fundations letter formation "lessons" have been great too! Collaborative conversations and sharing ideas on the team has been powerful. Kindergarteners are reflecting and having co-constructed feedback conversations with their teachers about next steps in their learning! The learner profile and student friendly pbp tables is empowering learners.

The movements from Jolly Phonics are GREAT! Using Fundations to teach letter formation is working really well. Using learner profiles to keep track of academic status has been fabulous. Learners are being empowered. Team meetings (a lot of them) are powerful in moving learners forward.

A celebration that we wanted to share is our fabulous partnership with MTSS co-teachers. She has helped to make the transition smooth and goes above and beyond to support us and help problem solve as needed.

Positive teamwork and collaboration (work well with team mates) Support from building admin (reflecting after a hard day today, helping with a difficult situation when responding to a parent email or phone call, support with CARE calls during the day)

A lot of iready growth

The team is finding new ways to increase interventions within the classroom to support their KDAB goal on letter sounds. Teachers have increased tier one and tier two behavior supports within the classroom to bulk up classroom management during this exciting time of year. This team absolutely rocks!

The team is implementing more co-teaching structures through MTSS and co-taught classrooms. This is supporting more students as the MTSS teacher is more flexible with her schedule. The team is putting students’ needs first and advocating for students as a team.

A lot of our students continue to make wonderful growth towards their goals. Our team has focused on encouraging students to advocate for themselves. We are seeing students ask for specific breaks, tools, and supports to be successful! Our team has made a major change in our domain meetings, and the team is adjusting and communicating well during this change!

4th/5th KPASS ELA would like to celebrate WIN time focus groups and iReady Reading growth. STEM would like to celebrate a new structure in math called “Math Pathways”. This allows teachers, MTSS staff, SPED, and other teachers to co-construct feedback within conferencing.