Our focus is on serving you!
The
A Message from Dr. Bell
Connector February 2016
I just got back from the Nebraska Association of School Boards Legislative Issues Conference. It seems like most years that things will go smoothly and no new items will be legislated to “help” us do our jobs and then WHAM the list grows and the conversations begin. Here is your yearly reminder – stay informed about legislative actions and communicate with your representatives concerning issues that are important to you. Well, I’m back to my writing after a two day hiatus due to a blizzard. I’m hoping all of you survived in fine fashion and have had the opportunity to recharge. Once the ESU 10 staff braves the icy roads we will once again work hard to “partner with stakeholders to meet changing needs through professional expertise in providing services, learning opportunities and support.” It seems like there is much to do this time of year and we have already begun to replace staff that have resigned or retired. The systemic process to maintain a quality Program of Services is challenging – yet exciting. This will be an abbreviated article this month, but know that we are working diligently and our focus is on serving you!
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ESU 10 Workshops
February 15 Transition to the ELA College and Career Ready Assessment 16 School Librarians 16 Technology Integration Specialist Meeting 17 Career & Technical Education Collaboration Day 18 MTSS Collaborative Problem Solving 19 First Steps in Verbal Behavior Training
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23 Windows Server Administration: Windows Deployment Services 24 PowerSchool - Standards
March 01 Academic Quiz Bowl Grades 9-12 02 PowerSchool Scheduler-Build 03 NETA Mobile Learning Meeting 07 Regional ALP ESU 10: Any Content Area Teacher 07 Regional ALP St.Paul: Any Content Area Teacher 08 Academic Quiz Bowl - Grades 6-8
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Research, Data and Planning Move the T&L Department Forward Happy New Year from the Teaching and Learning Department! We are excited for 2016 and look forward to a year of learning and growth. On December 14-15, 2015, the Teaching and Learning Department met to discuss current research on professional learning for administrators and teachers, reviewed department data, and planned for summer training. Our department read the New Teacher Project’s Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Teacher Development (August 2015). We also read an article by Mike Schmoker entitled, It’s Time to Restructure Teacher Professional Development (Education Week, October 20, 2015). These two resources provided us background knowledge necessary to have rich conversations about how we are currently doing business in our department and what practices we need to reevaluate as we move forward with planning professional learning opportunities for ESU 10 schools in the future. Throughout the two-day session, we reviewed ESU 10 Schools NeSA testing results, ESU 10 workshop attendance by school data, and Bright Bytes data. Our goal was to find areas of academic strength and weakness in our school districts so we can provide professional learning opportunities to close these achievement gaps. Next, we analyzed which schools are asking us to facilitate on-site training and which schools are sending teachers to our
by Denise O’Brien, T & L Department Director
trainings at ESU 10. This data helps us reach out to schools who are not utilizing our department’s services. Finally, we reviewed Bright Bytes data to determine what technology supports our school districts need. This data collection and analysis will continue to ensure that we are providing products and services that our school districts need. We concluded our meetings by brainstorming and planning for summer professional learning opportunities. Based on need, we are bringing in two national experts in mathematics to provide training to our secondary and elementary math teachers. We will also be providing training in leadership, data analysis, reading, writing, classroom management/behavior, technology, and others yet to be determined. The Teaching and Learning Department believes it is essential for us to go beyond discussions into action. We are working hard to have conversations based on data to meet our school districts’ needs. The next step is for us to put these conversations into action steps. We have created our first action plan with outlined steps to meet our department goal:
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ESU 10 Teaching and Learning Department will improve communication with stakeholders.
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English Learners Workshop
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76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Kicking Off a New Year
by Peg Coover, Teaching & Learning Coordinator
Happy New Year! 2015 was a great year at ESU 10, there is nothing like a new year to motivate and renew! I am sure the other T&L coordinators would agree that we are well-rested from our holiday break and excited to get started working with teachers and administrators this semester! January started off with a bang! The T&L Department conducted two Academic Literacy Workshops which focused on reading comprehension and text discussion. We had our last session of a 4-day New Teacher Academy that was new this school year and we’re also busy with ESU PDO meetings and trainings. In February we will host a meeting for Media Specialists and Technology Integration Specialists with special guest speaker Beth Kabes from ESUCC. Beth will be talking about blended learning! We are also looking forward to a Google Docs workshop for beginners this month, as well as a Science Teachers Network meeting. We have a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Collaboration Day planned as well, which involves many of us presenting to CTE teachers on a variety of instructional strategies. The month will end with the Academic Quiz Bowl, one of our favorite activities! March and April will be equally as busy, but we will save those updates for another article. Stay tuned!
Congratulations!
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Denise O’Brien, ESU 10 Teaching and Learning Director, and Kelly Clapp, ESU 10 Teaching and Learning Coordinator, have recently received their Education Specialist degrees from Doane College. This certification meets the requirements to be a superintendent in the state of Nebraska. CC0 Public Domain
OverDrive
Just purchased in November - 32 Audio Titles in OverDrive! 76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
One Word for 2015-2016 School Year
by Dallas Lewandowski, T and L Coordinator
On June 1, 2015 Denise O’Brien, Teaching and Learning Director, requested that each T & L Department member read One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon and reflect on your one word for 2015-2016 school year. One Word explains how to simplify your life and business by focusing on just ONE WORD for the entire year. The synopsis for this book reads, “The simplicity of choosing one word makes it a catalyst for life-change. Clutter and complexity lead to procrastination and paralysis, while simplicity and focus lead to success and clarity. By celebrated authors Dan Britton, Jimmy Page, and Jon Gordon, One Word That Will Change Your Life shows you how to cut through to the core of your intention for the next year. It offers an action plan and simple process to discover your word for the year. It also explains how your one word will impact the six dimensions of your life—mental, physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, and financial.” (Gordon, 2013) 6 During the July 20th department meeting we all revealed our “one word” which could either be from our personal or professional life. The results are displayed above and the largest word “invest” became the “one word” we came to consensus on as becoming our word for the T & L department. Each of the smaller words around “invest” truly could be the foundation for everything that we do to serve the districts of ESU10. Zest - Approach each day with great enthusiasm and energy Listen - Before you act….listen. Impact - Strive to have a strong effect on those whom you work with and serve. Challenge - Challenge yourself every day to recognize an opportunity to serve others. Purpose - “The meaning of life is to find your gift……the purpose of life is to give it away.” - William Shakespeare Breathe - “It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos.” -Donna Karan Intentional - Don’t just talk about it…..be about it! Present - “Be present in all things and thankful for all things.” –Maya Angelou Quiet - Find time to reflect on your work and put things into perspective. Balance - “Don’t get busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” –Dolly Parton Strength - When your work gets challenging, just keep swimming. Invite - Invite others to help you out on those days when you really need a hand. Focus - If “Plan A” doesn’t work, keep the course because the alphabet has 25 more letters. Connections - “Communication-the human connection- is the key to personal and career success.” - Paul J. Meyer INVEST - Invest in people who invest in you! As I reflect on the past year at ESU10, the one word that comes to mind for me is “FAMILY”. We work together every day to make a difference in the educational opportunities for the students, teachers and administrators of the districts we serve. But on a more personal note, we are truly a family at ESU10 because when times get tough and our lives are truly put into perspective, we lean on each other to help each other through it. I am proud to be part of the ESU10 family and look forward to what 2016 has in store for all of us and our schools! We will continue to INVEST in those who invest in us! If we continue to focus on this one word then 2016 is bound to be a great year! 76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org
Mental Health MENTAL HEALTH IN SIMPLEST TERMS As current society grapples with headlines that include school shootings, stand-offs with police and government officials, terroristic threats, a break-up of traditional family and community values, and political rhetoric designed to inspire isolation and distrust, adults are challenged to find meaning and connection in a world not so familiar, and not so kind. As difficult as this can be for adults, it is significantly more challenging for children. Because a child’s brain is not fully developed, many executive functions needed for problem solving and self-regulation are not in place. Lack of life experiences render youth unable to reference previous examples of outcomes, creating anxious responses to unfamiliar situations. Thus, the perspectives of children can be irrational and emotionally charged. It is possibly as a result of this “perfect storm” of poorly developed coping mechanisms, and a heightened focus on crisis, that children are demonstrating socially unacceptable behaviors and extreme emotions. This along with many other factors may be contributing to poor social skill development and a deterioration of overall mental health. Regardless of the cause, professionals are beginning to discern that mental wellness and the development of positive social/emotional skills are at risk for today’s youth. According to The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 20% of youth between the ages of 13 and 18 live with a mental health condition. Eleven percent of youth suffer from a mood disorder, 10% a conduct or behavior disorder, and 8% are struggling with anxiety disorder. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in youth ages 10 to 24. Ninety percent of those who died had an underlying mental illness. What a Mental Health Focus is NOT Focusing on mental health issues is not a way to excuse unacceptable behavior. Despite the emotional state of an individual, living with natural consequences of actions taken is an important life lesson. Including a mental health perspective when talking about behavior or learning struggles is not seeking to find fault. Discussing mental health concerns neither suggests inherent poor parenting nor poor classroom instruction. However, rethinking environmental conditions, instruction, direction, and reinforcement can have a tremendous impact on child/youth emotion and behavior.
by Stacey Romick-Imig Ed.S., ESU 10 School Psychologist
Mental Health is not a joke. The anguish that exists as the result of a mental illness is as painful and life altering as life threatening diseases, significant injuries, or loss. Mental health is not an unknown. Behavior and emotion can be measured and monitored. Events, actions, circumstances, and consequences can be identified and altered to cause behavioral change and emotional stability. A mental health focus will not involve a quick fix. As with all developmental areas, mental health and emotional wellness are complex issues that require significant thought and extended problem-solving, and intervention implementation. What a Mental Health Focus CAN BE A mental health focus allows families, school staff, and community representatives to begin identifying factors that may be contributing to the emotional instability of a child or an adult. The identification of those factors will take time, commitment, and flexibility.
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Authors Stephen E. Brock and H. Thomas Brant indicate in their article, “Four Ways to Improve Student Mental-Health Support” that there are 4 critical steps to improving support for mental wellness. 1. Offer a continuum of school and community mentalhealth supports. This includes a multi-tiered system of supports within the educational setting. Universal screening, social-emotional curriculum development and use, universal wellness promotion, and school and community-based mental-health treatment. 2. Broaden access to school mental-health supports beyond special education. Rather than providing behavior and emotional support services to special education students, schools can incorporate mental health into the MTSS process so that all children are served and supported. 3. Improve school-community collaboration to provide integrated and coordinated mental-health care. Schools and communities must work together to maintain a continuum of services that allow for fewer missed opportunities with children. 4. Empower families to manage the myriad decisions and resources they need to meet their child’s mental-health Continued on next page
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Mental Health cont. needs. Improving the communication to parents and respecting their decisions will increase the likelihood that the child will receive the help needed. A mental health focus completes the “whole child” view. While academic skill development, physical growth and development, social skills development, communication skills development, and vocational skills development are all noble areas of concentration, little can be accomplished when a student is emotionally distraught, unable to self-regulate, or without the capacity to attend to tasks. Why We Should Care According to the National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University: For adolescents, ages 13 to 18, the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders severe enough to cause significant impairment in daily functioning is approximately 20%. The average size of a secondary school class in the United States is approximately 23 students, meaning there may be four or five adolescents in every classroom who are struggling with serious mental illness. Yet, nearly two-thirds of these adolescents do not receive mental health services. This is particularly troubling because mental illness does not affect emotional health in isolation; it is known to influence and co-occur with problems in many domains of students’ lives, including their social interactions and educational achievements. In order to promote the best possible outcomes for students, there is a great need for early identification and treatment of mental health disorders. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that “Mental health in childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones, and learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems. Mentally healthy children have a positive quality of life and can function well at home, in school, and in their communities.”
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As Educators, our role is focused upon the growth and advancement of all children. We work to create opportunities that encourage an increase in knowledge and skill development. To overlook the importance of developing healthy minds in children seems as foolhardy as choosing to avoid basic car maintenance while owning a car. It is our charge to find meaningful ways to help students learn. Embracing the importance of mental health and seeking methods for assisting children and families in crisis must be our purpose.
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Every Student Succeeds Act
by Emily Jameson, T and L Coordinator
As we begin 2016, we are beginning the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) era, which is replacing No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Many of NCLB’s controversial requirements remain part of the ESSA, with several additions. An overview of the similarities and differences is provided in the accompanying chart, which was published by the U. S. Department of Education (2015). One of the main changes is a shift away from one-size-fits-all federal solutions back to individual states making decisions about how to best create local systems in support of school improvement efforts (The White House Office of the Press Secretary, 2015). In Nebraska, this system is AQuESTT: Accountability for a Quality Education System Today and Tomorrow. Much of what this all means for school districts in practice remains to be seen. As the details of ESSA and AQuESTT are unraveled, ESU 10 staff are working hard to be at the forefront, supporting our schools as they work to implement the changes.
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Works Cited The White House Office of the Press Secretary. (2015, December 2). Fact Sheet: Congress Acts to Fix No Child Left Behind. Retrieved from The White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ the-press-office/2015/12/03/factsheet-congress-acts-fix-no-childleft-behind U. S. Department of Education. (2015, December). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Retrieved from U. S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov/essa 76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org