COTTONWOOD CANYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

IMPLEMENTING COMMON CORE

By Cindy Girard: Intervention Teacher K-5Analysis and Recommendations

Lake Elsinore Unified School District

Who are we?

Kindergarten-5th gradeOver 900 studentsLocated in the heart of Canyon HillsLake Elsinore, CA

API

2013 API Growth876

2012 API Growth 892

Statewide Rank9

Made all 2013 AYP Requirements

NO

2012-2013 LEUSD Program Improvement

Year 1

Teachers with full credential38

100%

Number of AYP Criteria met out of the total number of

criteria possible10/17

Current Administration Team

Principal: Elizabeth Atkinson

Assistant Principal: Ericka Restad (50%)

Future Administration Team

Kudos for Cottonwood Canyon’s Implementations!

Mrs. Atkinson Introduces

PBS 2013-2014

No Excuses University

The NEU is the idea that all students deserve the opportunity to be educated in a way that

prepares them for college if they so choose to attend. It brings together a culture of universal

achievement and a college type atmosphere. A school cannot simply call themselves a NEU. A school interested in

becoming one must apply and not only show that they are creating a college type

atmosphere but also demonstrate that they have implemented proven systems to increase student

achievement. These systems are: 1. A belief that ALL students can learn and that it is the school’s job to

make this happen. 2. Collaboration among staff, working together to come up with unique

solutions for student learning 3. Aligning our teaching with what the state standards require students

to know. 4. Creating an assessment plan so that we can see where students are

at and how we can help them improve. 5. Analyzing data to see trends in how our students are doing, and

being able to share this data with students so that they can set goals. 6. Interventions: Working with at risk students who are behind in their

learning. ttp://www.tarkington.d21.k12.il.us/What%20is%20No%20Excuses%20Un

iversity_parents.pdfWhat is NEU?

What is NEU?

Core values of collegiality, performance, and improvement that engender quality, achievement, and learning for everyone (Wiggins and McTighe, p. 192).

h

District Offers Common Core Support

http://leusdtech.com/commoncore/

http://leusd.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=89443&sessionid=811afe00d313c9d3cbd8defee2ee6d01

Professional development was more effective when the school leadership supported opportunities to learn, where there was access to relevant expertise, and when opportunities were provided to meet to process new information (Hattie, p.121).

Common Core Training/Information

Staff:..professional development must become more habit focused, hence job embedded, not simply a series of events and scheduled offerings (Wiggins and McTighe, p. 268).

Common Core Parent Information

Parent Letters

Conference Discussions

School Site Council Meetings

Schools have an important role in helping parents to learn the language of schooling so that the parents can provide every possible assistance to their children in terms of developing the child’s learning and love of learning, and in creating the highest possible shared expectation for learning (Hattie, p. 33).

Needs Improvement

Bill Cavanaugh

LETA President

(951) 805-4917

Office email bill.cavanaugh@letaweb.com

LETA website www.letaweb.comMembers of the Governing Board, Dr. Kimberly, Members of the Cabinet, Ladies and Gentlemen: In the words of Led Zeppelin, “Communication breakdown, it’s always the same, I’m having a nervous breakdown, Drive me insane.”Well, between Local Control Funding Formulas, Sequesters, Common Core State Standards, Government Shutdowns, Debt Ceilings, and the total meltdown of the global financial markets, I think there is plenty of insanity to go around!But how much of this wouldn’t be a problem at all if we just had a little bit better communication? Could the state please hurry up with letting us know what the rules are going to be for LCFF? When are we going to have some solid information on Smarter Balance and Common Core standards? Could the Democrats and Republicans in Washington please start communicating with each other and get the government running again and the debt ceiling lifted?I bring up this topic because this is something that Dr. Kimberly and I have been discussing recently. I have talked to many teachers in the past couple of weeks about Professional Development opportunities for Common Core. There seems to be an inordinate amount of stress being felt by many teachers who believe that Common Core should have been done yesterday, everyone will be held accountable tomorrow, and that the professional development that is being offered is simply too little, too late. In addition, the sky is falling.There is plenty of blame to go around for this situation: Both the District and LETA leadership have been remiss in clarifying the big picture on Common Core and Professional Development, and how the PD components fit into the big picture. Fortunately, I believe this situation is in the process of being remedied. LETA Secretary Dave Russell has just volunteered to write a regular newsletter coming out of the IPD committee, with the purpose of explaining the Professional Development processes associated with Common Core implementation, as well as acting as a resource for Common Core development. I also just received word from Dr. Guevara that he and Kelli Wise will be working on the same kind of idea. Perhaps even more important will be a meeting this Monday, proposed by the Superintendent at our most recent Meet & Confer, of LETA leadership, principals from all the sites, and District administration. The purpose of this meeting, which will be co-hosted by Dr. Kimberly and me, will be to try to get everyone on the same page, heading in the same direction, and without most of the intense and totally unnecessary pressure some of us are placing on ourselves, especially since the Governor signed AB 484. It is my belief and sincere hope that this meeting will go a long way toward clearing the air and toning down a lot of anxiety.I mean let’s face it: If communication breakdowns drive us insane, then the natural result of great communication would have to be, I guess, sanity?.

Stress and Anxiety Levels At All Time High!

School leaders have to be careful not to disrupt the effective operation of the school in the zeal to renovate and rebuild (Wiggins and McTighe, p. 244).

Common Core Aligned Report Cards Bumpy Process

Teachers from each grade level

meet and are asked to redesign

report card

Teachers report that after much work and input,

final product was not what they

decided

Online CC aligned report cards were

still being adjusted the

same week they were due to send

home

Parents received new Common Core aligned

report cards and did not

understand them. Confusion about

low marks

Teachers were not prepared to answer parental

questions or concerns regarding

Common Core related changes

Make sure that tools, resources, and a supportive infrastructure are built before large-scale change gets under way(Wiggins and McTighe, p. 244).

Recommendations

Have a vision , thenset smart, purposeful attainable

goals

Form expert groups for each goal to explore, plan, organize,

practice, refine and evaluate, prior to district roll out

SupportSupportSupport

-Organize-Communicate

-Anticipate Obstacles-Be receptive to feedback

Give valid feedbackInclude all that are affected in the

process

Ensure that a plan is put in place that fosters collaboration, uses time-saving technologies, and provides all participants with helpful supports as they embark on changes that may challenge comfortable habits and routines (Wiggins and McTighe, p. 246).

Make the home livable during renovation. (Wiggins and McTighe, p. 244).

References

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York : Routledge.

Wiggins, G.P. & McTighe, J. (2007). Schooling by design: Mission, action, and achievement, Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, first edition

Lake Elsinore Unified School District(2014). District 2014. Retrieved from March 13, 2014.

http://www.cde.ca.gov/getschoolreport/ ttp://www.tarkington.d21.k12.il.us/What%20is

%20No%20Excuses%20University_parents.pdfWhat is NEU?