Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
September, 2012
Curriculum, Assessment and
Parent NEWSLETTER
2012 ~2013
A Message from Heidi... Dear Parents, Welcome to the 2012—2013 school year. Our staff is looking forward to another year filled with academic excellence for every student. I personally invite and encourage you to work collaboratively with us to ensure that your student has a wonderful year academically, socially and emotionally. Please take a few minutes to read about a few highlights this year. You can expect at least 4 CIA Newsletters throughout the year. Please also check our website frequently for additional information.
Annual Education Report
2
Kindergarten Enrollment
2
MME Scores
3
Olweus
3
Summer Work
4
IXL
4
LOCS AYP Status
5
Summer School
6
Sincerely,
Heidi Kast Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Keyboarding More of a Focus in Second Grade Mastery of keyboarding skills has been in the 6th grade for LO students.
gram throughout elementary.
With all of the latest technology and
Please see ATTACHMENTS #1 and #2
students having access at a much
that include instructions for students to
younger age, keyboarding skills need
practice at home.
to be taught earlier.
Our second
grade teachers received training last year for a program called Type to Learn. This program will be used to teach students keyboarding skills. Media specialists will also support teachers and students with this pro-
Parent Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction Page 2
The LOCS Book
Annual Education
Drive!!!
Report (AER) We are pleased to announce that the Annual Educa on Report (AER) which provides key informa on on the 2011‐2012 educa onal pro‐ gress for each school is now posted on the re‐ spec ve school’s website. The AER addresses the complex repor ng informa on required by Federal and State laws. The school’s report contains informa on about student assess‐ ment, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and teacher quality, as well as PA 25 state law re‐ por ng requirements. If you have any ques‐ ons about the AER or PA 25 informa on, please contact your building principal.
For the 3rd consecu ve year, Lake Orion Community Schools will collect new or gently used books November 5th through November 15th at all schools in Lake Orion. Drop‐off will be available during schools hours and during parent teacher con‐ ferences (where applicable). Books may be of any reading level, preschool through adult. Teachers will select books appropriate for school use; these books will go directly to Lake Orion classrooms: Books that go unselected will be donated to a local charity. Kids in our com‐ munity will reap the benefits. No books to donate? No problem. You are invited to become a support sponsor and support our book drive with the purchase of a gi card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Gi cards can be accepted at all Lake Orion drop off loca ons.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LO READERS!
Kindergarten Enrollment Age Change Enacted HB 4513 and SB 316, the two bills passed by the Legislature and have been signed into law. The new laws will phase in the earlier date change for kin‐ dergarten enrollment beginning 2013‐2014. Under the measure, a child would be required to be 5 years of age by November 1 for the 2013‐2014 school year, 5 years of age as of October 1 for the 2014‐2015 school year and 5 years of age by Sep‐ tember 1 for the 2015‐2016 school year to enroll in kindergarten. However, a provision is included in the law that allows a parent a universal waiver if they wish to enroll their child and the child does not meet the age/date requirement. In order to do so, the child would have to be 5 years old by December 1 of the year in which they wish to enroll and the parent would be required to no fy the district in wri ng. The no fica on deadline is June 1 if the child is a resident of the district or August 1 if the child be‐ comes a resident a er June 1. The new law also requires districts to submit a re‐ port to MDE by December 31 of each year on the number of students who enrolled in kindergarten using the parent no fica on excep on /opt out provision.
Addi onally, the current prac ce of semiannual promo ons—allowing a child to enroll in kindergar‐ ten for the second semester if the child is 5 years of age on March 1 of the year of enrollment—is delet‐ ed under the new provisions.
September, 2012
Page 3
MME SCORES FOR 2008—2012 At the end of June, the state released the MME scores. The graph on the right, was created to compare scores from 2008 thru 2012, using new cut scores. The targets for the 2011‐ 2012 school year were 8% for Math and 33% for Reading. The chart in‐ cludes all students that were tested and does not exclude students who may have less than a full academic year.
OLWEUS The bullying prevention program committee worked over the summer to bring Olweus training to their school. Staff at Scripps and Waldon were trained in Olweus during the first days that teachers returned. This now accounts for 5 buildings being trained in the district (Pine Tree, Oakview, Waldon, Scripps, and the High School). Please see the attached updated Olweus brochure.
Brent Skiba and Cindy Hilley, our Olweus district trainers,
also represented our dis-
trict at Dragon on the Lake with a booth to provide information on the Olweus program.
(See Attachment #3)
Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction Page 4
Take a moment to think back to the time when your child was learning to walk.
It was a difficult process, cor-
rect?
From the first signs of her trying
to get up on those pudgy little legs to the joy of him walking those few steps from dad to mom for the big hug, there was much energy put forth. Learning to walk is very hard. Each of us worked through the bumps, bruises, and tears so that we could be a part of the world around us.
Think about
the pride you saw on your child’s, as well as your own, face when he had mastered the act of walking. For many students, learning math is hard.
They toil, they fall, they cry, they
get frustrated, but the struggle makes “getting it” all that much more satisfying.
Our self-esteem comes not from
simply being successful, but from working hard to find that success.
Lake
Orion has purchased IXL Math as a way to help students work through math to find the success and pride that comes from mastery of a skill. IXL is a comprehensive math practice site with an unlimited number of math practice questions in hundreds of skills — all of which are aligned to state standards. Your child’s teacher may have sent home a letter with information about this program. In addition to making math practice exciting, IXL is designed to help your child learn at his or her own pace. The website is adaptive and will adjust to
your child's demonstrated ability level. The site also saves all of your child's results, so you can monitor your child's progress anytime by clicking on the Reports tab. If your child has not yet logged into the program, it is very simple. Simply go to the homepage of your child’s school, and under the “Students” tab, you will find IXL. Here your child can login. His username is the first letter of his name, his whole last name, and the last two digits of his graduation year (mmiddleton23). Her password is her 5-digit student ID number. This number can be found on Powerschool or by contacting your child’s teacher. Learning to walk took lots and lots of practice. This is true for many of the tasks we as adults have mastered over the years. IXL is a fun way for students to practice math so that they can feel that sense of accomplishment that comes from doing something they have never been able to do before.
September, 2012
Page 5
Lake Orion Community Schools AYP Status Over 280 schools in Michigan have been designated as Reward Schools for either high student achievement or making tremendous progress in student achievement. Lake Orion is proud to announce that the following schools have been designated as Reward Schools: Carpenter Year Round Elementary, Orion Oaks Elementary, Paint Creek Elementary, Pine Tree Elementary, Stadium Drive Elementary, and Webber Elementary. Reward Schools is one of three new school designations that came as the result of Michigan receiving flexibility to the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act from the U.S. Department of Education. “We applaud the hard work and achievement of the educators and students in our Reward Schools because they are zeroed in on improving learning,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “We need to instill that goal in so many more schools, in order to help all kids be career- and college-ready and successful in life.” Reward Schools include the top five percent of schools on the annual Top-to-Bottom ranking of all Michigan schools, and the top five percent of schools making the greatest academic progress over the previous four years. The 286 Reward Schools are located in 178 different school districts across the state. Schools that will be identified later this fall as Beating the Odds schools also will be deemed Reward Schools. The schools that need to improve their attention on student learning include the 146 Priority Schools (previously known as Persistently Lowest Achieving schools), and the 358 Focus Schools that have wide achievement gaps between the various student populations. “We believe that teachers in the classrooms every day have important responsibilities and they work tirelessly to help students learn,” Flanagan said. “We will help the schools and teachers and every student who depends on them.” Priority Schools are those in the bottom five percent of the annual Top-to-Bottom ranking, and any high school with a graduation rate of less than 60 percent for three consecutive years. As required under state law, Flanagan has placed Priority Schools under the authority of the State School Reform Office and the schools will be required to implement an intervention model to improve student achievement.
If any Priority School does not implement its intervention model and make substantial growth in student learning, it faces the opportunity of being placed in the statewide Education Achievement Authority (EAA) school system. The 146 Priority Schools are located in 49 different school districts. Under the recently-approved NCLB flexibility request, an achievement gap is calculated for all Michigan schools identifying the unique gap between the highest and lowest 30 percent of each school’s student achievement. Focus Schools are the 10 percent of schools with the widest gaps. That list includes some otherwise highachieving schools that normally would not be expected to have low achieving students. However, this new designation places a brighter focus on the struggling students in those schools. Lake Orion has four schools that have been identified as Focus Schools: Blanche Sims Elementary, Oakview Middle, Scripps Middle and Waldon Middle. “We are committed to closing the achievement gaps in all of our schools for all of our students,” Flanagan said. “With this measure of transparency, schools will be identified and held accountable for the achievement of all of their students.” The 358 Focus Schools are located in 176 different school districts across Michigan. The Michigan Department of Education will develop and provide a District Toolkit for districts that have Focus Schools. MDE will provide technical assistance to these districts on the use of the toolkits in the form of MDEtrained and paid-for District Improvement Facilitators. With the assistance of these facilitators, districts will have one year to self-diagnose and self-prescribe customized changes in their supports to the Focus Schools and their students. There are escalating supports and consequences for Focus Schools that do not close their achievement gaps. Reward School information can be found at www.mi.gov/rewardschools; Focus School information is available at www.mi.gov/focusschools; Priority School (formerly Persistently Lowest Achieving School) information is at www.mi.gov/priorityschools; and Top to Bottom ranking information is at www.mi.gov/ttb.
SEE PAGE 6 FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction Page 6
AddiƟonal Resources ~ LO AYP
SUMMER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT UP
For individual school and district data, visit www.MISchoolData.org and click on Dashboard & School Report Card button located on the left.
All of the summer school programs that we offer including early childhood, elementary, middle level,
Reward School information can be found at www.mi.gov/rewardschools
high school and summer camps, increased enroll-
Focus School information is available at www.mi.gov/ focusschools
We are proud of the amount and variety that we
Priority School (formerly Persistently Lowest Achieving School) information is at www.mi.gov/priorityschools
Planning for next summer is already underway.
ment this year.
were able to offer to our students this summer. We
are hoping to expand our offerings even more.
Top to Bottom ranking information is at www.mi.gov/ttb.
Support our Students by Sponsoring Academic Awards!
Each year, the Lake Orion Board of Education honors middle and high school students who achieve excellence in their academic perfor‐ mance. We would like to invite you to participate in supporting this worthy endeavor. The levels of sponsorship are as follows:
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT CONTACTS Heidi Kast……...Asst. Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Marysue Schwartzmiller….Administrative Assistant 248-693-5409 or Ext. 3908
Friend. . . . . . . . . . . . . contribution of $ 10.00 Sponsor. . . . . . . . . . . . contribution of $ 25.00 Patron. . . . . . . . . . . . . contribution of $ 50.00 Benefactor. . . . . . . . . . contribution of $ 100.00 Lamplighter . . . . . . . . . contribution of $ 200.00 Lamplighter Plus. . . . . contribution of $ 250.00+ The names of all sponsors will be listed in the ceremony programs according to the contribu‐ tion level. Donations can be made online through PaySchools at http://www.lakeorion.k12.mi.us/ PaySchools.htm
ATTACHMENT #1
Lake Orion is proud to announce the introduction of the Type to Learn Program for keyboarding instruction. Developed on a research-based method of sequential, cumulative touch typing instruction, Type to Learn 4 builds critical 21st Century skills for all keyboarding students in grades K-8. The integrated cycle of review, demonstration, typing practice, and assessment, with continuous reinforcement of home row positioning and ergonomic safety, teaches proper keyboard fingering for each key with ample opportunity for typing skills practice. This typing program emphasizes both accuracy and words per minute speed, and provides each student with individualized remediation and goals for success. This engaging, all-new product wraps keyboarding lessons into an intriguing world of adventure and information, complete with exciting new activities and typing games with redesigned student and teacher interfaces. In school, students in Kindergarten and first grade will be exposed to the Type to Learn Junior program during some of their media time. Students in grades three through five will also utilize the Type to Learn program as part of their media instruction. In second grade, classroom teachers will be taking a more focused approach by using 30 minutes per day for two weeks of class time to immerse the students in the program. After the initial two week period, the students will follow up with 30 minutes every other week with their media specialist. The Type To Learn program is available free of charge to parents for home practice. The back of this letter has directions for installing the program on your computer. Students in grades two through eight will utilize a username and password, which for most students is the same as their IXL information. Unfortunately, the Type To Learn Junior program is not available free of use for home practice. Students who practice typing incorrectly create bad habits which are very difficult to break. When your child is practicing typing at home, it would be very helpful if you occasionally reminded him/her to sit up straight, put both feet flat on the floor and most important, keep the hands on the home row. Learning to type means learning not to hunt and peck, but to utilize the home row. The more reinforcement the student receives in the proper hand placement when typing, the more readily he/she will gain the skills needed to become a proficient typist.
ATTACHMENT #2 Please see the instructions below for installing Type to Learn 4 on your home computer. It is recommended that you use Safari or Mozilla Firefox to complete this install. Internet Explorer is NOT recommended.
Go to the website: http://ttl4.sunburst.com/downloads1.htm#fullversion Macintosh Users These files are zipped and should automatically unpack on almost all OSX operating systems. Launch the installer by double-clicking on the contained file in your downloads or documents folder. The contained files will be in MPKG format for installation to the Mac OS. Full TTL4 Application - Mac - Web Version v1.2.1 (944.65MB) This is the complete Macintosh Web version v1.2.1 of the Type to Learn 4 program. Download this if you are a Network, Web or Trial customer and have not already downloaded or installed any previous version of Type to Learn 4. Windows Users: (Do NOT choose open or run when prompted, instead choose save.) To download, click on the link and choose SAVE rather than open or run. After downloading, right-click on the zipped file and choose Extract. Double-click on the extracted file to launch the installer. Click Next through the few prompts. Installation is very straightforward. Once installed, launch the application by clicking Type to Learn 4 in your Start menu or desktop shortcut. Full TTL4 Application - Windows - Web Version v1.2.1 (.97GB) This is the complete Windows Web version v1.2.1 of the Type to Learn 4 program. Download this if you are a Network, Web or Trial customer and have not downloaded or installed any previous version of Type to Learn 4. When you first open the program enter your username and password. This is the same username and password as in IXL. Then enter the following account code 132002. If you have any technical difficulties throughout this process, please visit http://techsupport.sunburst.com to submit a tech ticket.
ATTACHMENT #3 LAKE ORION COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Introduction of Olweus Anti‐bullying Program Most recent bullying statistics reveal that bullying is a crime that is not going away anytime soon. 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of being bullied.
BULLYING PREVENTION PROGRAM
One in seven students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade is either a bully or has been a victim of bullying. Sometimes a teen or child who has been bullied eventually becomes a bully as a way to retaliate. In fact, revenge for bullying is one of the strongest motivations for school shootings, according to a recent bullying statistics. A reported 61 percent of students said they believe students shoot others at school because they have been victims of physical violence at home or at school. We as a school district and community have the responsibility of keeping our children and young adults safe. LOCS is committed to implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention
Program Goal:
Program district wide.
To implement and maintain a consistent bullying preven-
The Olweus program goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school chil-
tion program district-wide which includes active involve-
dren and to improve peer relations at school. It is important to note that it is not a program
ment of the community.
aimed at the bullies in the school or even just at the bullies and victims: it is a school wide program that is implemented at the school level, the classroom level, through individual students, and in the community.
Currently: Oakview ~ implemented program 2010-2011 Pine Tree ~ implemented program 2011-2012
For more information go to: http://www.clemson.edu/olweus/
High School ~ implemented program 2011-2012
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Implementation Timeline:
Volunteer: Email Heidi Kast at
2012-2013 ~ Waldon, Scripps
Hkast@lakeorion.k12.mi.us to be added to the list of Lake Orion Educa on Founda on
2013-2014 ~ Orion Oaks, Paint Creek, Stadium Drive 2014-2015 ~ Blanche Sims, Carpenter, Webber
volunteers that schools can use when help is needed.
(LOEF)
SPREAD THE WORD: Be sure that people throughout
248‐393‐2775 P.O. Box 932
Approximate Cost:
the community are aware of the district-wide bullying
Lake Orion, 48362
prevention program.
ONE TIME FEE FOR 2 DISTRICT TRAINERS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR
SHARE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES: Contact Heidi Kast
11 SCHOOL BUILDINGS—$58,239.89
at Hkast@lakeorion.k12.mi.us with any potential grant opportunities for funding this initiative.
THANK YOU!
DONATE: Make a tax deductible donation specifically
LOCS Administra on Building 315 North Lapeer Street
We would like to thank the following donors for
Lake Orion, MI 48362
contributing to our youth and their well being.
Phone: 248‐693‐5400
PNC Foundation
Lake Orion Rotary Club
Sagebrush Cantina
for the district wide bullying program. Make checks payable to Lake Orion Education Foundation and put in
E‐mail: hkast@lakeorion.k12.mi.us
memo line “ for bullying prevention program”.
We are responsible for our children. Please commit to supporting the implementation of this program . With your help and support we can improve upon the safety and well-being of every child in the community of Lake Orion.
Thank you!