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The
A Message from Dr. Bell
Connector December 2015
The season of giving is once again upon us. On the negative side of my world, I was gifted with four resignation letters that take affect during this Christmas holiday. We normally never lose people at this time of the year, but these individuals all decided it was time to move on to their next life challenges. All in all, these four individuals have given ESU 10 ninety-one years of quality service. Graci Gillming – 22 years as a Network Information Services and Teaching & Learning Coordinator, Gaylene Mays - 23 years as a Teaching and Learning Secretary, Susan Sandoval – 32 years as the Network Information Services Media Information Specialist, and John Stritt – 14 years as the Distance Learning Coordinator will all be missed on a personal and professional level. They have all been excellent representatives for this organization and their participation made us better. A retirement reception will be held at ESU 10 in their honor from 2-4:30 PM on Friday, December 11, 2015. Cards and letters for any and all of these individuals can be sent to Jody Suchan at the ESU 10 address. I’m sure the retirees would appreciate any of the wonderful thoughts you have about them and at least one – and he will remain anonymous – would always welcome large cash donations! I would like to take this moment to extend my personal thanks to all of these individuals who have worked tirelessly “To partner with stakeholders to meet changing needs through professional expertise in providing services, learning opportunities and support”. Seeing great people leave our employ is always sad, but now we will be searching for new faces to meet the ever evolving challenges. It’s not often that I highlight an individual from another ESU, but I would like to recognize the most recent accomplishment of Dr. Jeff West, Administrator of ESU 13 located in Scottsbluff. Jeff has just been elected as the President-Elect of the Association of Educational Service Agencies Executive Council. This group serves 553 service agencies in 45 states. He is the first Nebraskan to ever be elected to this position. It is quite an honor for him and Nebraska. He will represent us in fine fashion.
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Most of the ESU 10 staff will be off for the Christmas and New Year break beginning December 23rd. We officially come back to work on January 4th. Certain staff will be tasked with keeping all of the systems up and running during this time. Also, this staff is a dedicated bunch and most, if not all, will be checking their messages during the holiday. My hope is that they will enjoy their time with friends and family, but we all understand if needs pop up over this time we will do what we can to be of service. We hope all of you can enjoy a winter hiatus as well. I have been doing a little research since this is the time of year for resolutions. Of course I turned to one of the eminent publications of our time for information. Some of the predictions shared in the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Colossal Collection of “Quotable Quotes” by the Bathroom Readers’ Institute made me cautious about making my own predictions this year. A few examples are: • X-rays will prove to be a hoax – Lord Kelvin, physicist, 1896 • No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris – Orville Wright, 1908 • They’ve got their own groups. What are we going to give them that they don’t already have – Paul McCartney, shortly before the Beatles arrived in the United States. • Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night – Darryl E. Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, 1946 Since these thoughts make me leery, I’ll save my predictions for the first “Connector” article in 2016. Happy Holidays! 76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
ESU 10 Workshops
December 10 Form 470 Work Day-Category 1 & 2 Services 16 Affordable Care Act Training
January 07 ESUCC COOP Training 08 Rule 52/480 NAC 3 Part C SpEd NDE/DHHS Training 11 NSSRS Workday 13 PowerSchool - Graduation Plan Set Up
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26 Academic Literacy Project Grades 4-12 Day 2 27 LAN Manager Meeting
February 09 First Steps in Verbal Behavior Training 09 MTSS Collaborative Problem Solving 10 Science Teachers Network 10 PowerSchool Scheduler - Set Up 11 Google Apps and Google Drive for Beginners 16 School Librarians
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Welcome to ESU 10 Hi, my name is Jill Eickhoff and I am the new secretary for the Teaching and Learning Department. I have come to ESU 10 from Kearney Public Schools where I worked in the Curriculum and Assessment office for three years and most recently was the District Registrar for a year and a half. I’ve been married to my husband Chad for nine years and we have a 2-year-old son, Emmet. We live on our farm west of Kearney. I enjoy shopping for antiques and other old junk that happens to catch my eye! I love concerts, volleyball and spending time with family and friends. I am excited to be a part of the ESU 10 team.
Jill Eickhoff T and L Secretary
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Keep students reading during the Holidays! Need OverDrive advertising ideas for your school? Go to: http://partners.overdrive.com/marketing-outreach/schools/getting-started/
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Continuous School Improvement and AQuESST Each fall, the Teaching and Learning Department offers continuous school improvement technical assistance days for member schools. In the month of November, we facilitated three separate days that include an informational session, followed by direct consultation to school teams. Each school team worked together to discuss the progress of the school district’s continuous improvement efforts and plan for upcoming training and implementation of action plan strategies. Over the last few years, participation in the technical assistance days has increased as more schools seek consultation and support of their local continuous improvement process. The regional approach to technical assistance has been successful as it has enabled school teams to monitor progress and problem solve; engaging Teaching and Learning department members as questions arise.
by Kelly Clapp, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
This year school improvement teams will have another resource accessible to them, the new AQuESTT framework, in particular the Evidence Based Analysis their school administrators completed and submitted to NDE. This Evidence Based Analysis is a reflective assessment tool that focuses on the policies and practices of the school district that align to the six tenets of AQuESTT. Due to the fact that this framework is so new, we will spend some time explaining it to school teams before they begin their team work session. The continuous school improvement technical assistance days are just one of the many strategies we are using to build and maintain relationships with administrators and teachers. Time spent listening and providing support is how we invest in and serve our schools. 4
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
AQuESTT
by Susan Evans, Teaching and Learning Coordinator
You are a part of something broader, bolder, better. That is the iconic message from the Nebraska Department of Education to all their stakeholders. This is in reference to AQuESTT which stands for Accountability for a Quality Education System, Today and Tomorrow. AQuESTT is a framework under the umbrella of school improvement and accountability. Support for schools that don’t perform well is built in to this framework. There is an informative website that has links to different resources for your perusal www.aquestt.com On the website there is a “key messages” packet with an informational one-pager giving different stakeholder groups a summary of AQuESTT. Following is a list of the information on the Key Messages for Policymakers:
• You have the unique opportunity to be part of a changing system that will help ensure a quality education for all students in Nebraska.
• AQuESTT is a next generation accountability system developed by Nebraskans for Nebraska. It goes beyond • •
• • • •
what is required by statute, providing much more than a test-based method for measuring student achievement. It is unlike any other state system of accountability. AQuESTT considers the broader educational experiences and success of each student, not just performance on mandated assessments. Student growth and improvement over time are just as important. AQuESTT is focused on continuous improvement for schools. The system is built on six key investments: 1) positive partnerships, relationships, and student success, 2) transitions, 3) educational opportunities and access, 4) college and career ready, 5) assessment, and 6) educator effectiveness. Success in these areas will result in better outcomes for all students and schools. AQuESTT classifies schools and districts into four performance levels: excellent, great, good, and needs improvement. As a result, the system can focus on students in schools most in need of assistance to improve. To enhance AQuESTT efforts, NDE provides systems of support centered on two key areas: 1) teaching and learning and 2) student success and access. Three priority schools will be designated from the needs improvement classification level. By working collaboratively and focusing on AQuESTT’s six tenets, we can help enhance the education system, positively impact our children and schools, and create a better Nebraska. Together, we can build a broader, bolder, and better system for all students
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As ESU personnel we look forward to great things happening as Nebraskans work together to make our schools vibrant places of learning for all of our students.
76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Using Data for Continuous School Improvement: A Collaborative Effort
by Denise O’Brien, Teaching & Learning Director
this data tool. The afternoon session was spent overviewing perception data and experiencing the purpose of this data lens in the continuous improvement process.
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n October 26-27, 2015 school district leadership teams across Nebraska convened at ESU 10 for a 2015 Nebraska Department of Education School Improvement Workshop. Day one was facilitated by NDE staff and focused on the AQuESTT accountability system. On day two, NDE Staff, ESU 10 Teaching and Learning Staff, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney teamed up to provide a full day continuous school improvement data session. Our presentation team included: Russ Masco and Matt Heusman, NDE; UNK Professor, Dick Meyer; and ESU 10 T&L Staff, Kelly Clapp, Susan Evans, and Denise O’Brien.
As a member of the Nebraska Data Cadre, I have the opportunity to continue to be a voice for Central Nebraska in the area of data literacy for educators. The Data Cadre is made up of eight ESU consultants from seven service units, eleven NDE representatives from eight departments, and one representative from higher education. Our purpose is to plan and collaboratively deliver instruction and support in the area of data literacy to all school districts in the state of Nebraska. The NDE School Improvement Workshops have been the vehicle to deliver data literacy content to school districts for the past two years. At ESU 10, our Teaching and Learning Staff has become well versed in the work of Victoria Bernhardt including her book, Data Analysis for Continuous School Improvement. I am proud of the work our Teaching and Learning Coordinators are facilitating with ESU 10 school districts and continuous improvement teams. We are dedicated to expanding our knowledge and skills in data literacy so we can continue to be a guide for our schools.
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The goals of the session were to: • Review the Nebraska Data Literacies and four types of data • Understand the process of continuous improvement continuums for self-evaluation • Make connections between perceptual and other data types • Use available resources to monitor and improve the learning climate Throughout the day, our facilitators worked with individuals and school teams from across the state to model protocols and procedures that could be replicated back in their school districts. We introduced participants to the NDE Data Reporting System (DRS) and school personnel had an opportunity to investigate 76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org