“It’s the best thing that IDOE has done to support teachers. It’s free. It’s encouraging. I feel heard and valued. They support from the heart and it’s so valuable for my self growth and profession.” ...because of you!
INDIANA INTRODUCTION
Get Your Teach On (GYTO) specializes in professional development and encouragement for educators and administrators in the form of conferences, workshops and events. Get Your Teach On conferences are known for the passionate celebration of teachers and their ability to inspire life-long learners. Founded in 2016, GYTO now hosts National and Regional Conferences, Virtual Conferences, school and district trainings, and additional events for a wide variety of educators and school administrators each year GYTO also provides free resources, teacher-focused merchandise, and is the parent organization for the worldwide Rock Your School initiative, which encourages out-of-the-box teaching.
MISSION & VISION ABOUT GET YOUR TEACH ON
It is the mission of Get Your Teach On to provide strategic school and classroom growth that’s uniquely you.
It is the mission of Get Your Teach On to provide strategic school and classroom growth that’s uniquely you.
To redefine the perception of a teacher’s impact
LETTER FROM HOPE & WADE KING
Dear Dr. Jenner and the Indiana Department of Education,
We are so excited and proud to share the results and impact of our partnership with you this year in the state of Indiana. But first, we want to say thank you. It’s absolutely no secret that education is facing some monumental challenges. Yet you, in whatever capacity you play in this work, continue to show up every single day. We firmly believe that this is because you know, to your core, that education can be a place that serves teachers, students, leaders, and communities well Thank you for showing up, even when you questioned your effectiveness, your abilities, and your patience After working with so many of your teachers and students this year, know that you are making a difference every single day in the lives of so many throughout the state of Indiana Our entire team is so incredibly grateful to work alongside and partner with such passionate educators as we all work toward one vision – to leave education a little better tomorrow than it is today.
With that vision at the center of our work, it is also our hope that we were able to serve you and the teachers of Indiana in the same way this year At every GYTO experience, we worked to not only provide research-driven tools and strategies for educators to take back to their classrooms to move the academic needle for students, but one of our biggest hopes is that if, as an educator, you ’ ve lost your passion for this work, you find it once again.
We firmly believe the secret to success is creating school cultures where both students AND teachers WANT to be every day – a place where classrooms are built on strong academic foundations met with equally engaging learning experiences with stories that “make it to the dinner table” at night The key to this culture is passionate educators While we can teach strategies, provide research, and model best instructional practices for educators, passion is not something that can be taught or required It can only exist where educators are made the priority: Where they are given a voice Where they are supported and valued Where their authenticity and artistry is allowed to shine!
So once again, thank you for understanding that true passion begins with prioritizing the human first and the teacher second. Thank you for providing countless opportunities for your teachers to invest in themselves, growing both personally and professionally This is what sets Indiana apart and is what will allow all of you to continue to rise This is why our team is so proud to partner with the State of Indiana as we all strive to make your state a beacon of light in education for this Nation
We are looking forward to another incredible year with Indiana educators. So let’s do this. Let’s fire up these classrooms.
Let’s transform these schools. Let’s leave education a little better tomorrow than it is today.
Passionately,
Hope & Wade King and the Get Your Teach On Team
GYTO TEAM Executive
Team
Leadership Team
Hope King
LaNesha Tabb
Todd Nesloney
Wade King
Megan Martin
Amelia Capotosta
Liz Sherman
Chase Mayo Chris Pombonyo
LEAD On Content Director
Middle & High School
Special Education
Operations Team
Educational Consultants
Kris McMillan
Pam Wheeler
Daniel Patterson
Abby Montesi
Justin Wheeler
Valerie Walker
Jana Carter
Chelsey Mackey
Allyson Apsey
Nikki Pisani
Sarah Dlouhy
Jessica Cabeen
METHODOLOGY & RESEARCH
THE GYTO MODEL
Our Get Your Teach On Leadership and Content Development team has created an engaging and transformational educator professional development experience that aligns directly to the needs of schools and teachers across the country by helping educators develop consistent best instructional practices and processes from start to finish to accelerate student learning. These evidence and research-based best practices, strategies, and techniques will directly impact overall educator effectiveness and student achievement and transform instruction and student learning like never before
Get Your Teach On sessions are intentionally curated for attendees to experience the full professional development experience. Each session is hands-on, interactive, collaborative, and allows time for teachers to take what they’ve learned and apply it to their specific grade level standards or content area Sessions are structured to meet the needs of all learners and model best practices for direct and immediate implementation in classrooms.
PLANNING & PREPARATION
Intentional and meaningful planning using specific grade level content standards and high quality instructional materials to address the needs of all learners and support mastery of learning goals
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Creates and maintains a collaborative, safe, efficient, and effective learning environment that supports each student’s diverse needs and promotes recognition of students’ diverse personal experiences to build relationships of trust within the classroom
BEST INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES
Implementation of evidence and research-based best instructional strategies and techniques to accelerate student learning, growth, and achievement through rigorous and consistent instruction, including opportunities for problem solving, critical and creative thinking, meaningful and purposeful discourse, and high-impact instructional delivery
DATA & PROGRESS MONITORING
Continually monitors and analyzes student learning and progress towards mastery of learning goals for all students, using a variety of progress monitoring and assessment techniques to make immediate instructional decisions that support student growth and acceleration
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY
Builds engaging, intentional, and rigorous learning experiences through setting high expectations and consistency within instructional practices that requires all students to take ownership of and be held accountable for their individual learning.
TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS
Develops strong foundational teaching practices and commitments that support best practices and professional growth through consistent reflection of professional practices to support student learning, development, and achievement at a high level.
RESEARCH
Our goal is to continually provide teachers with high-impact, research-based, best instructional practices, shown in action with a high level of student engagement to see true results with students. Below is a list of overall research embedded into all GYTO professional development experiences.
Best Instructional Practices
Foundational Research Pre K-12
Hattie, John (2012) Effect Sizes Related to Student Achievement
Learning Sciences International Applied Research Center
Marzano, Robert (2007, 2017)
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009)
Fuchs, D , & Fuchs, L S (2006)
Fuchs, L S , & Stecker, P M (2003)
In addition to the cited research regarding overall best instructional practices, our GYTO presenters continue to integrate and include rigorous, content-specific research into their individual sessions, addressing grade level standards PreK-12. This ensures that each session is specific and meets the needs of those grade-level teachers.
Our content team has paired this research with their expertise to create a simplified GYTO conference model that reflects evidence and application of researchbased best instructional practices to truly transform instruction. This model has been used and adapted by schools and districts throughout the country and is the foundation for everything we do as an organization.
Student Engagement
Foundational Research Pre K-12
Dyer, K. (2015)
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008)
Sousa, D. A. (2016). Engaging the rewired brain.
Toth, M. D. & Sousa, D. A. (2019). Achieving social, emotional, and cognitive learning in every classroom through academic teaming
INDIANA STATE PARTNERSHIP
INDIANA STATE PARTNERSHIP INTRODUCTION
Overview
Get Your Teach On is excited to announce a very successful first year partnership with the Indiana Department of Education for the 2022-2023 school year. Through this partnership, the GYTO team provided professional development opportunities to Indiana educators and leaders including free conferences, workshops, training sessions, online virtual webinars, Indiana school collaboration site coaching, school-wide implementation, and more. These opportunities were designed to ignite educators’ passion for teaching and education, expand on current IDOE initiatives to support and elevate the profession, and create an environment where students want to come to school and learn while developing relationships. Get Your Teach On looks forward to continued success with this incredible partnership with the state of Indiana during the 2023-2024 school year.
Mission
Our mission is to create experiences and provide teachers, administrators, and school-based personnel with the strategies and resources needed to not only increase student test scores, but also create environments and experiences that celebrate education. GYTOxIndiana experiences, workshops, and trainings ignite educators’ passion for teaching and education, expand on current IDOE initiatives, and give students the desire to want to come to school and learn while developing relationships: the catalyst to positive educational outcomes, to develop the whole learner
The 2022-2023 GYTOxIndiana Partnership with the Indiana Department of Education included:
(4) 2-Day GYTOxIndiana Get Your Teach On conferences in regional areas, free to Indiana educators
(4) 1-Day GYTOxIndiana Get Your Lead On conferences in regional areas, free to Indiana leaders and administrators
(8) GYTOxIndiana School-based Collaboration Sites who each received year-long training, coaching, and school-wide implementations
(42) Online GYTO virtual webinars and trainings hosted through the Indiana Learning Lab
End of the Year Indiana Educator Celebration
Goals
Support the implementation of improved inclusive practices for students with disabilities and other identified student subgroups including Black, Hispanic, and ELL students to increase student academic achievement.
Create a data and results-driven school environment focused equally on optimal conditions for student learning and success and high-impact strategies for increased academic achievement of all students.
Promote positive, appropriate relationships resulting in increased engagement of all students by developing an engaging and rigorous student-centered culture and continued focus on shared collective responsibility for the success of all students.
Elevate the mission and value of Indiana’s K-12 educators by creating recognition opportunities to celebrate the impact of educators, in an effort to recruit and retain strong educators and leaders in IDOE
INDIANA SUMMER CONFERENCES
“After the past few years, I’ve questioned if I was supposed to stay in this profession. I’ve only ever wanted to teach. I’m heading into my 21st year of teaching more excited than ever after attending GYTO!” ...because of you!
2022 CONFERENCES
Get Your Teach On was pleased to offer four FREE conferences at locations throughout Indiana through this partnership. Each 2022 conference focused on building engaging learning environments and implementing consistent conditions for learning, leading to student success and buy-in. Locations for educator and leader conferences covered the entire state and included:
• Muncie, IN
• Brownsburg, IN
• Crown Point, IN
• Columbus, IN
• Richmond, IN
• Westfield, IN
• South Bend, IN
• Leopold, IN
By The Numbers
More than 1,900 Indiana educators, leaders, and staff attended the summer conferences 250 school corporations and more than 60 private/charter schools were represented
2022 Conference Feedback
Compared to other professional development conferences, how would you rate Get Your Teach On?
Compared to other professional development you’ve attended, how would you rate the Get Your Teach On conference experience and engagement?
Takeaway: 92.5% of people rated GYTO better than other conferences!
Takeaway: 94.5% of people rated GYTO better than other conferences!
After attending the conference, did you find that you could implement the strategies in your classroom/school?
Would you like to attend future free GYTO conferences in Indiana?
Takeaway: 94% of people found strategies they could implement in their school!
Takeaway: 98% of attendees want to attend more free GYTO conferences in Indiana!
2023 CONFERENCES
Following the success of the 2022 conferences across the state, GYTO returned with more FREE summer conferences for Indiana educators and leaders. Based on attendee feedback, we consolidated the locations to allow educators and leaders to attend together. Educators attended two days of keynotes and workshops, and leaders attended sessions just for them on the first day of the conference.
Locations for our combined educator and leader conferences are below:
Jasper, IN Indianapolis, IN
Muncie, IN
South Bend, IN
By The Numbers
More than 2,500 educators, leaders, and school staff attended our 2023 Indiana Conferences
More than 280 school corporations and more than 160 private/charter schools were represented
2023 CONFERENCE ATTENDEE SURVEYS
On
Compared to other professional development you have attended, how would you rate the PD experience provided by the GYTO Team overall?
Compared to other professional development you have attended, how would you rate the keynote sessions and workshops provided by the GYTO Team?
Compared
Would you like to attend additional free professional development experiences produced by GYTO in Indiana?
Would you like to see the partnership between Get Your Teach On and the Indiana Department of Education continue for additional years?
96.9% Yes
31%No
16%No
98.4% Yes
936responsesfromsurveysemailedtoattendeesaftertheconclusionofeach2023GYTOIndianaSummerConference. AdditionalyearsquestionwasnotsurveyedinJasper.687responsesforthisquestion.
Conference SocialMedia Feedback
Allison & I thoroughly enjoyed our experience & gained a wealth of knowledge that I literally implemented in my personal life immediately afterwards. Thank you for this amazing opportunity!
Sherri L.
Our K team made it to Indy! By far the BEST PD we’ve been to! Thank you for the opportunity.
Junenna Y.
ThiswasoneoftheBESTPDsIhave beento!Thankyouforthisopportunity giventoIndianaeducators!
Breeana W.
We loved attending in Muncie! Best PD I’ve attended!
Lauren D.
GetYourTeachOnis50%aboutthehumanand50% focusedontheeducatorandit’sevidentineverything thattheydo Ihaveneverbeentoaconferencethatis moreinspiring,morechallenging,moreuplifting.
#gytoxindiana Olivia F.
Get Your Teach On Indiana 2023 - hmmm, what can I say??? I want to simply say “Thank You!!!” It was an awesome experience!!! I feel refreshed, inspired, & excited about the new tools added to my teacher bag.
JB Marie
SHAMELESS GYTO POST DAY TWO! We’ve honestly never had more fun in the middle of July. We’ve learned so much. We’ve been empowered We’ve had our buckets filled. We’ve laughed until we’ve cried.
Miss Ireland
Spentthedaywiththe@getyourteachonfam!Itwas sorefreshing,andthetipstheysharedweregreatto helpjumpstartmyteacherbrainforAugust.I’m readytogobacktomorrow!#gytoindiana
A. Rigsby
What Your Teachers Are Saying...
It is efficient and jam-packed I would have happily paid to attend this workshop because it was so valuable (Thank you for working with the IDOE to provide this for free though ) The content was versatile and for the first time in my 8 years of teaching I actually reflected and planned out what goals I have with the content taught in these sessions.
[I would tell others] that it is fun, high energy, high interaction. It was nothing like any PD. It was maybe tailored to new teachers. What I mean by that is here are these awesome strategies, like the taxonomy ladder for differentiation! That was so cool! But then you manipulated the value of that to include how to make it into a whole lesson, including basic knowledge like a hook.
Best decision ever! It made me excited for the upcoming school year, especially after such a hard previous year.
The attractive resources, in addition to the energy and academic information that you will receive is worth every minute of the experience. You feel worthy and appreciated for your profession, while excited to try new ideas. You’re surrounded by incredible minds, and the leaders of the conference truly care about the people that they are speaking to.
Get ready to feel inspired (even as a 20 year teacher) to get your students engaged and pumped up to learn each day! Also, you will learn the background of these educators that makes you so relatable to them, inspired by them, and they will remind you why you became a teacher!!!! Absolutely the best!!!
This is a great PD experience with wonderful tips and hints to make your classroom better. Hands-on activities get the audience involved instead of just sitting in your seat. Very good use of two days. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for a fabulous two days. I feel like I was provided with so many fun new engaging ideas and activities I can bring in to my classroom. We start school in 4 weeks, and I felt like I heard so many encouraging words that helped lift my spirits going in to this year. (Suggestion: provide tissues because I cried during both opening keynotes. :) Please keep doing what you all are doing because I saw first hand you reach people who I know are struggling in the classroom and made them feel rejuvenated.
Go! You will be challenged, you will laugh, and you will be inspired. This was one of the best conferences I have attended.
Do it! I have been teaching for several years and this workshop reminded me that I matter It also gave me easy ideas I can go back and do right away I can’t wait to have more student engagement!
GO! RUN to the closest location! You will be engaged and get lots of classroom changing ideas that you can implement right away. They don’t take a lot of extra effort. You just have to dedicate yourself to implementing the ideas. It is so worth it though. I would have not survived my 7th period class of 33 and mostly boys without their ideas.
The GYTO IN collaboration has been AMAZING for our school! We were a collaboration site, so that was REMARKABLE and we have learned so much from all that GYTO has to offer. I have enjoyed the Learning Lab session recordings as well. However, there is nothing like a GYTO conference (even a mini one) to really boost our teachers up and make them feel special, celebrated, and provide awesome learning! Thank you!
COLLABORATION SITES
WHAT ARE COLLABORATION SITES?
In 2022, the Get Your Teach On team had an incredible opportunity to join eight of Indiana’s schools from around the state on a year-long implementation journey. Collaboratively, our team worked with each school to identify needs and create an action plan to accelerate student learning and teacher effectiveness. During our time on site, our team participated in over 250 classroom observations, worked with teachers to design model lessons, implemented school-wide initiatives, and helped transform learning spaces and instructional practices.
Cedar Crest Intermediate School
Test Intermediate School
Flaget Elementary
Pettit Park Elementary
Nora Elementary
Clarence Farrington School 61
Clarksville Elementary
John I. Meister Elementary
INDIANA
COLLABORATION SITE GROWTH SURVEY
By The Numbers
84% of Collaboration Site educators feel their school's involvement as a GYTOxIndiana Collaboration Site has helped increase school-wide teacher morale.
87% of Collaboration Site educators feel their school's involvement as a GYTOxIndiana Collaboration Site has helped increase best instructional practices to impact student learning.
82% of Collaboration Site educators feel their school's involvement as a GYTOxIndiana Collaboration Site has helped increase student buy-in, engagement, and motivation.
82% of Collaboration Site educators feel their school's involvement as a GYTOxIndiana Collaboration Site has helped increase student learning and growth academically.
87% of Collaboration Site educators feel their school's involvement as a GYTOxIndiana Collaboration Site has made a significant overall impact on their school.
89% of Collaboration Site educators said if given the opportunity, they would want their partnership with GYTO to continue.
HOPE KING
Classroom Teacher 13 years
Masters in Reading & ESL
Bachelors in Early Childhood and Elementary
Orton Gillingham Certified
Taught Grades 1st-7th
District Debra Peebles Excellence in Teaching Award
South Carolina High School Cross Country State Champion Coach
Founder and CEO of Get Your Teach On
Cofounder of Rock Your School
WADE KING
Classroom Teacher 13 Years
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Masters in Leadership and Administration
Bachelors in Elementary Education
Taught Grades 3rd – 8th
Teacher of The Year & District Choice Teacher
State Test Results: Reading & Writing 96.3%, Math 93.6%, Social Studies 100% Exemplary or Met
2x South Carolina High School State Champion Golf Head Coach
High School Head Wrestling Coach
President & COO of Get Your Teach On
Cofounder of Rock Your School
HOPE & WADE KING
Hope and Wade King are a dynamic, husband-and-wife duo who have found tremendous success with students from a variety of backgrounds by creating an environment that supports and encourages strong academic improvement and achievement. With a combined 25+ years working in education, they are both highly decorated, award-winning educators who have built their classrooms on the foundation of student engagement powered by academic rigor. Hope and Wade have traveled the country speaking at schools and conferences, inspiring and training teachers, and working to help educators make school a place where students WANT to learn every day.
Together, Hope and Wade co-authored the best-selling book, The Wild Card – 7 Steps to an Educators Creative Breakthrough and a children’s book, The Wild Card Kids – a Journey to M.A.G.I.C. They are the Cofounders of Get Your Teach On, a nationally acclaimed educational movement that currently serves over 10,000 educators every year across the nation. In addition to Get Your Teach On, Hope and Wade travel across the nation to work with schools, districts, and states to provide practical strategies that will empower educators and transform learning environments for teachers, students, and communities.
Prior to cofounding Get Your Teach On, Hope and Wade held various positions within schools teaching grades 1-8 in rural, Title I, inner city, suburban, public, and private schools, were named District Choice Teacher, served as Head Wrestling Coach and High School Cross Country State Champion Coach, amongst others. While serving in a wide variety of school cultures and dynamics, the Kings continued to find tremendous success in accelerating academic achievement for all learners.
Not only have the Kings built their classrooms on such principles, but they continue to find ways to challenge teachers around the globe to do the same. As part of their Get Your Teach On movement, the Kings are the founders of Rock Your School – a worldwide initiative - where educators join together to create an outside-the-box educational experience for students. One day, one mission – to ROCK education. In the past five years, over 350,000 educators around the globe have participated in Rock Your School, impacting classrooms and educational experiences for over 3 million students and counting.
CHRIS POMBONYO
Originally from Long Island, New York, Chris is an award-winning educator, administrator, professional speaker and host with a passion for education. He is a double graduate of the University of Central Florida with degrees in Elementary Education (B.S) and Educational Leadership (M.Ed) and has served as a highly effective teacher, instructional coach, and administrator in both Orlando, FL and Harlem, NY.
As a former employee of the Walt Disney Company and lead host for Radio Disney in both the New York City and Orlando markets, Chris has years of experience captivating audiences, families, and clients with his high energy and enthusiasm. He has since found a way to bring that same experience and “magic” into schools and classrooms throughout the country. Because of this, Chris was honored with Macy’s Magic of Teaching: Magic of Innovation Award, awarded the Elementary School Teacher of the Year and overall District Teacher of the Year for his district, named one of UCF’s Top 30 Under 30, and had the opportunity to ring the closing bell of the Nasdaq Stock Market closing bell in New York City.
Chris spreads his passion for education and knowledge by working with students, teachers, leaders, districts, and universities throughout the country as a professional speaker, consultant, and coach. He uses his high energy and enthusiasm to engage audiences of all ages as he breaks down how to get the best results in schools and classrooms through intentional planning and meaningful data collection & progress monitoring strategies that can be immediately and easily implemented in schools. In addition, he has hosted hundreds of in-school pep rallies and events to motivate students, and serves as a lead host and presenter for both Get Your Teach On and Get Your Lead On conferences.
HA TABB
LaNesha Tabb is an apron-donning educator from Indianapolis, Indiana with over 18 years of teaching and professional development experience. LaNesha’s passion for student success and teacher development led her to serve as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and educational leader in the school districts that she’s been a part of. A two-time teacher of the year awardee, LaNesha strives to continue inspiring and championing educators all over the nation.
LaNesha shows teachers how to make ALL subjects globally relevant, authentic, and engaging so that students become independent workers and critical thinkers. While LaNesha is passionate about many topics, you will notice two passions: social studies and the science of writing- topics that are critical to reading success. Social Studies topics make up the world we live in and provide students with access to the background knowledge and vocabulary that so many students need for successful reading comprehension. Writing, the inverse of reading, is the most underrated way to grow students’ decoding and comprehension skills!
LaNesha has worked with thousands of educators across the United States through conferences and custom professional development sessions and continues to support teachers- and by extension, students all over the country!
AMELIA CAPOTOSTA
Amelia Capotosta is an Ohio educator, who brings a contagious amount of enthusiasm, positivity, and creativity to the education world. She is a forever optimist, and is passionate about many things including education! With classroom experience from elementary to middle school, Amelia has first-hand knowledge of the effectiveness of research-based strategies in the classroom, and how to design and implement them. She has spent dedicated time creating research-based resources that bring books to life in classrooms all over. She is certified in Orton Gillingham methodology, and has successfully implemented Science of Reading practices as a classroom teacher and literacy specialist. Amelia works with schools to develop a Science of Reading plan grounded in research to infuse, equip, and see through the implementation of instructional processes from foundational to high level comprehension, and what falls between.
Amelia knows that true comprehension takes place across all subject areas, and has worked with schools across the country on vertical alignment in all subject areas. She has been able to help educators and administrators take actionable steps towards crosscurricular teaching that is engaging, meaningful, rigorous, and effective. As a national speaker, presenter, educator, and consultant, Amelia has had the opportunity to inspire and support thousands of educators, administrators, coaches, and specialists.
2022-2023 INDIANA COLLABORATION SITES HIGHLIGHTS & SUPPLEMENTAL DATA OVERVIEW
GYTO PILLARS
The Get Your Teach On team worked with each individual Collaboration Site through a needs assessment and inventory based on the GYTOxIndiana Pillars This data was used to create a year-long implementation plan We introduced foundational pillars on our initial visit Then, we developed quarterly goals followed by action-driven items and follow-through steps for each visit. These action items were monitored and accountability was maintained by the building administrative and instructional teams.
LITERACY PRACTICES
FOUNDATIONAL READING PRACTICES
-PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
-PHONICS/DECODING
-FLUENCY
COMPREHENSION READING PRACTICES
-BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
-VOCABULARY STRATEGIES
-CREATING A READING PROCESS FOR COMPREHENSION
EFFECTIVE WRITING PRACTICES
-USING WRITING TASK STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE READING SKILLS
-WRITING TO COMPARE TEXTS
- WRITING TO COMPARE MULTIPLE SOURCES
INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES SCHOOL CULTURE
FOCUSED INSTRUCTION
-TARGET/TASK ALIGNMENT
-STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY
-EFFECTIVE MINI LESSONS FROM BEGINNING TO END
-DIFFERENTIATION AND STUDENT GROUPING
-DATA DRIVEN INSTRUCTION
-CLOSURE AND TRANSITION
ENGAGEMENT
-STUDENT BUY-IN
-STUDENT MOTIVATION
-CREATIVE INSTRUCTION
INSTRUCTIONAL ROUTINES
-WITHIN ONE LESSON
-ACROSS THE WEEK
ALIGNMENT
-SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
-GRADE LEVEL CONSISTENCY
-VERTICAL ALIGNMENT
TEACHER MORALE
-TEACHER MOTIVATION
-TEACHER RETENTION
-CLIMATE & CULTURE
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
-STRUCTURES & ROUTINES
-CONDITIONS FOR STUDENT LEARNING
COLLABORATION STRATEGIES
-GRADE LEVEL PLANNING
-PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
-COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
-PARTNERSHIPS
TEACHER WELL-BEING RESOURCES
-STAFF WELL-BEING
-PERSONAL EFFICACY
-PROFESSIONAL EFFICACY
CEDAR CREST INTERMEDIATE
Site Facilitators: Hope and Wade King
Pillars of Focus:
Instructional Practices & Student Engagement
Creation and Implementation of School Engagement Lab
One of Cedar Crest’s main pillars of focus for the 2022-2023 school year was increasing student achievement and engagement. The Get Your Teach On team worked with teachers on implementing simple systems and processes to increase student accountability in daily lessons and activities. Teachers worked to implement call-and-responses, active engagement strategies during whole group and small group lessons, and lesson strategies that would increase student participation and motivation. Teachers also participated in several workshops and focused trainings on experiencedriven engagement which led to one of our final projects - a GYTO Engagement Lab. This will be a space that Cedar Crest can use for years to come; a space where they can take their students on learning adventures and journeys to anywhere they want to go with just the click of a simple button.
6 Steps Training for Best Instructional Practices
Through year-long trainings, observations, model lessons, and instructional monitoring, Cedar Crest focused on the GYTO Model 6-Steps to Your Best Instruction to accelerate student learning and enhance teacher effectiveness.
These 6-steps included:
Student readiness, Learning Goals, & BuyIn
Increasing Student Accountability to Hit
Targeted Outcomes
Effective Mini-Lessons Start to Finish
Differentiation & Fluid Small Groups
Data Driven Instruction
Lesson Closure & Learning Transitions
Neon Read On
Cedar Crest ELA Teachers participated in an extensive training in their Engagement Lab, focused on increasing student reading achievement. During this training, teachers worked on aligning grade level standards to create a process for comprehension for both fiction and nonfiction texts, as well as creating and implementing a process for effectively writing to compare texts.
Data/Growth Highlights:
CEDAR CREST TESTIMONIALS
This experience and our GYTO Engagement Lab specifically has opened up our creativity in the building. I have seen teachers implementing engagement strategies in the classroom and lots of smiles on students’ faces. I would love the opportunity to extend the partnership with GYTO in any way. Any professional development they offer- I am sending my teachers!
Cassie Williams, Principal, Cedar Crest Intermediate
The impact GYTO has had on me is profound. I am an energy driven teacher and they have reignited even more energy within myself to go into my classroom and best meet the needs of my students. Not only am I specifically focused on my daily goals for myself but the students are, too.
Teacher, Cedar Crest Intermediate
I cannot thank the IDOE enough! Being a collaboration site was a game changer for us. GYTO brought an increase in confidence and a sense of collaboration to our building. They've brought to light that our individual struggles were our school struggles and now we can problem solve together to meet the needs of our students.
Teacher, Cedar Crest Intermediate
TEST INTERMEDIATE
Site Facilitators: Hope and Wade King
Pillars of Focus:
School Climate and Culture & Teacher Morale
Teacher Lounge Makeover
One of the first steps to transforming a culture is giving teachers a space - a space they can call their own, a space to plan, a space that doesn’t limit their dreams and ideas, a space where anything is possible. This was one of the biggest goals for the Test Intermediate Team. After meeting with the teachers, administrative staff, and district admin, our first initiative was to create a space for this type of collaborative thinking to occur. Introducing… the Test Intermediate Teacher’s Lounge. Our incredible team member and educator, Sarah Dlouhy, worked to give the Test Team a space where they could meet, collaborate, and create a plan of action for the growth they wanted to achieve moving forward.
ROAR System
To intentionally focus on transforming school-wide positive systems for Test students and decrease student behaviors and referral data, the GYTO Team worked to coach, train, and provide resources for Test teachers and administrators to implement a school-wide ROAR Bucks initiative. Students earned and continue to earn Roar Bucks for positive behaviors and efforts shown in all areas of the school building. The initiative kicked off with the first ever school-wide pep rally to motivate students and launch the ROAR Store filled with treats, snacks, and other items to motivate Test Intermediate students. This system was consistently implemented and run by Test coaches and staff and showed great success with student buy-in and motivation
Test House Initiative
In addition to the ROAR System, we also wanted to establish a culture that is driven by accountability and motivation within a community So we implemented the House Initiative The House Initiative is a system that places students and school faculty into “Houses” or teams. As they work to practice character traits and behaviors modeled and taught during House Meetings, students earn House Points. These points are a contribution to their House. This allows them to contribute to something greater than themselves as they contribute to a community. Houses also establish a sense of belonging for many students still trying to identify their place within a school system.
Test began their House meetings and also introduced the House initiative with a House Rally. Students worked with their House Family to create posters and show their best House Spirit.
The goal of this initiative is to decrease the number of student write-ups in the building to increase the amount of time spent in classrooms during instructional time. This initiative has already launched once again and is continuing into the 2023-2024 school year.
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
Fifth Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 16% (2022) to 23.1% (2023).
Sixth Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 10% (2022) to 13% (2023).
Sixth Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 16.3% (2022) to 21.2% (2023).
TEST HOUSE RALLY
TEST INTERMEDIATE TESTIMONIALS
Thank you to our amazing state department led by Dr. Katie Jenner for affording us the opportunity to work with Get Your Teach On. Through this partnership, the energy, the excitement, and positivity, along with the sense of optimism was extremely high. I attribute that to our building leadership and the impact GYTO has had on these teachers and kids. I would encourage all other state departments across the country to invest in Get Your Teach On.
Dr. Curtis Wright, Superintendent, Richmond Community Schools
I wanted to take a moment and say thank you for your work with Test this year! We could not have done it without you! Thank you for giving me guidance, perspective, and a recharge of excitement to be in education. I look forward to moving forward! Ashley and I spent a lot of time creating new partnerships of teachers for next year and are so excited to see what the new year has to offer us. Thank you again for all you have done.
Katie Belanga, School Counselor, Test Intermediate
This has helped me focus on relationships, building relationships with staff and students, working on content and best practices of instruction. Hope and Wade are amazing and they taught me a lot about being high energy and made me love my job again.
Teacher, Test Intermediate
...because of you!
“This opportunity has created a renewed sense of excitement around teaching and learning. Our students deserve it, our teachers deserve it, our communities deserve it, and by investing in this partnership you are bringing about the change we want to see in all of our schools. In times of doubt, GYTO has seen the bigger picture not only for Test Intermediate, but our district. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Thank you. “
Dawn Sonsini, Assistant Superintendent, Richmond Community Schools
FLAGET ELEMENTARY
Site Facilitator: Chris Pombonyo
Pillars of Focus:
Community Involvement, Guided Instructional Walkthroughs,School-wide Systems and Procedures,& Student Engagement and Accountability
Community Involvement: Community Flaget Night Teacher Event
As a small private school in Vincennes, IN, one of Flaget’s ongoing goals is to increase community involvement and partnerships, while highlighting the incredible things happening with Flaget teachers and students. Flaget staff worked with Chris to host a community “Teacher’s Night Out” professional development event. Teachers in the community from local schools, as well as future teachers from local universities, were celebrated and experienced some of the highlights of learning from the GYTOxIndiana partnership. This event was in conjunction and supported by donations from local community partners, and included a professional development workshop from Chris, dinner for all teachers in attendance, featured student work, and truly celebrated the incredible work of the Flaget Community. Results of this event included an increase in teacher morale, retention, and a significant applicant pool of like-minded teachers wanting to join the Flaget staff for the 2023-2024 school year.
Guided Instructional Walkthroughs and Model Lessons
Flaget teachers participated in consistent guided instructional walkthroughs of their peers ’ classrooms and lessons to see practice being put into action. Teachers were guided by the GYTO team to implement intentional use of strategies previously presented through Mini-PD sessions and model lessons. Follow-through observations were then conducted to identify these instructional strategies in action with students in order to plan for future academic growth and teacher implementation. Based on these observations and teacher-conducted classroom visits, strategies to grow identified areas of weakness were revisited within grade level team meetings and continually modeled for immediate implementation into daily instruction.
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
Fifth Grade ELA iLearn Proficiency increased from 41% (2022) to 65% (2023)
Fifth Grade Math iLearn Proficiency increased from 38.7% (2022) to 64.7% (2023)
Fourth Grade Science iLearn Proficiency increased from 47.1% (2022) to 48.6% (2023).
GYTO IN THE CLASSROOM
22-23 FLAGET IREADY READING GROWTH
22-23 FLAGET IREADY MATH GROWTH
FLAGET ELEMENTARY TESTIMONIALS
When I first heard Flaget was selected as an Indiana Collaboration Site, I was pumped for the dynamic and energetic experience I knew we were going to have. I was impressed with the way the support we received was individualized for our school, and my teachers felt they were part of the planning process from Day 1. All coaching provided by Chris and the GYTO team was specific to our school and the challenges we were facing, even those that popped up unexpectedly throughout the year. What I didn't expect was the deep rooted change in the climate and culture of our building. Even those who were encouraged to work outside of their comfort zone (both teachers and students) did so with a smile on their faces. My team has come together as co-workers and as friends in a way I would have never imagined would come from this experience. We have learned so much and had a ton of fun along the way! This experience has also been felt throughout our community as we have had an increase in the number of applicants for our open positions. I cannot be more grateful that we were given this opportunity by the IDOE and GYTO. The positive results are both seen and felt.
Samantha McClure,Principal, Flaget Elementary
After 10 years it has reignited the passion to do my best. It's easy to get caught up in the negativity and this has just renewed my soul. I feel more comfortable and confident with my daily decisions. I have more resources to reach out for and they are solid that will last, not just the current trends. This process has brought more of the personal side of me out in order to really connect with my students.
Teacher, Flaget Elementary
Prior to this experience, I felt as though I was in a rut, not unhappy just blah about my career and the impact, if any, I was making in the classroom. This GYTO collaboration has motivated me in such a way that I feel good about my job again. I am motivated to create better lessons, and I now have the tools to do it thanks to GYTO.
Teacher, Flaget Elementary
PETTIT PARK ELEMENTARY
Site Facilitator: Chris Pombonyo
Pillars of Focus:
School-wide Systems & Procedures
Implementation of School-wide Data-Based Acceleration & Data-Based Small Group Plan
To truly focus on increasing student accountability and providing intentional data-based instruction to students, Chris and Pettit Park administration and coaches did a deep dive into their school-wide iReady data. They used this data dive to create and implement an acceleration-based small group plan to target intentional data based needs of students. This student-focused plan involved every single staff member on campus in an all-handson-deck approach to ensuring students received meaningful daily small group instruction. Positive results of this implementation included increased student accountability, decreased disruptive student behaviors and referrals during instruction, intentionally focused small group lessons, and increased iReady proficiency for all grade levels.
(See Pettit Park 22-23 iReady Data Tables for growth)
Student Motivation & Effort Focused Initiatives
Through Mini-PD sessions and model lessons, Pettit Park staff and students learned a wide variety of instructional strategies, games, and tools to pair with instructional standards to increase student effort and motivation. Teachers were provided with resources to implement these strategies within their own classrooms and immediately started integrating into lessons. Students were excited and motivated for their learning and became active participants throughout lessons.
School-wide iLearn Kickoff Community Pep Rally
Following Pettit Park’s year-long focus on motivating students to show their absolute best effort, Chris, along with Pettit Park administration, hosted a school-wide iLearn Kickoff Rally to review best effort strategies and tools, motivate and inspire students, and celebrate all their hard work. The event included the Kokomo High School basketball team and cheerleaders, as well as inspirational messages from community leaders and administration to encourage students to do their best.
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
3rd Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 11.5% (2022) to 13.1% (2023).
4th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 13.3% (2022) to 13.5% (2023).
5th Grade iLearn Social Studies Proficiency increased from 10.1% (2022) to 12.2% (2023).
22-23 PETTIT PARK IREADY MATH GROWTH
22-23 PETTIT PARK IREADY READING GROWTH
PETTIT PARK TESTIMONIALS
The Indiana Get Your Teach On Collaboration has been the most amazing blessing in a challenging year of education! Chris has given our #901ohana family a sense of energy, excitement, and so many strategies that we have implemented to build student success! We have seen growth in our practices as well as student achievement! We are looking forward to continuing implementation of what we have learned this year!
Dr. Lyndsi Smith, Principal, Pettit Park Elementary
The impact of our GYTO Collaboration is probably too large to truly measure...the time and effort of this collaboration has renewed and help facilitate small, simple ways to engage and grow students school-wide. We are all better because of this! We are stronger as a team! We are more excited to see what we can do! Thank you to Indiana for making this possible! I cannot even express the gratitude I have and the impact this has made!
Teacher, Pettit Park Elementary
The amount of knowledge I gained has been so impactful on my teaching and given me more motivation to keep teaching. WE LOVE GYTO! BEST SCHOOL YEAR EVER! THANK YOU!
Teacher, Pettit Park Elementary
NORA ELEMENTARY
Site Facilitator: LaNesha Tabb
Pillars of Focus:
Instructional Practices & Student Engagement
Vertical Alignment Across Indiana Essential Standards
Leadership at Nora expressed the need for teachers to streamline their processes for:
Selecting appropriate learning targets for which students would be held accountable
Collecting data that would drive instruction during the same lesson and beyond
Identifying target and task alignment to maximize the impact of the lesson
These were addressed through classroom visits, professional development sessions, model lessons and one-on-one meetings with educators. Other visits included staff boosting and engagement strategies which were modeled in professional development sessions, then implemented in the classroom.
GYTO Data Wars
Data Wars were staff-wide professional development sessions which included instruction on how to properly unpack a standard, identify a specific learning target, and deliver specific instruction. From there, we talked about the critical role data plays in each lesson and how that data is needed to inform instruction immediately.
Renovating Rigor
This session allowed teachers to rethink the relationship they might have with the word “rigor.” Teachers were asked to identify their current understanding of the word and many realized they thought it meant work needed to be harder and kids needed to be given more. After focusing on the critical role taxonomy plays in the way rigor shapes instruction, teachers were able to work in grade level teams and ramp up the rigor of activities that students were being asked to complete. Based on educator feedback, the biggest takeaway in this session was the shift from thinking that rigor was just “ more work” to the change in cognitive demand for students.
Vertical Alignment Session
Teachers were tasked with identifying standards they found critical to the success of their students as a grade level team. Then, all the grade levels came together to compare their selection of standards. Powerful conversations from this exercise allowed teachers and administrators to see where their gaps in instruction might be happening. This exercise was revisited for the duration of the year for intentional and purpose-driven planning.
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
5th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 24.7% (2022) to 34.1% (2023).
5th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 24.7% (2022) to 34.1% (2023).
5th Grade iLearn Social Studies Proficiency increased from 34.6% (2022) to 42.4% (2023).
“This has brought the fire back in my teaching!” Teacher, Nora Elementary ...because of you!
...because of you!
“It’s an experience that wouldn’t be regretted. The speakers and presenters are relatable, have real classroom experience, and know what can happen in real life. They give genuine tips and tricks that you can literally implement right away. That rarely happens in other PD opportunities. This was my second GYTO experience, and I already can’t wait for the next!”
I shared with our staff that the GYTO was HANDS DOWN the best, most exciting PD I’ve ever been to. It’s exactly what I need to give me that mid-summer boost and inspiration to get excited about the upcoming year.
It is unlike any PD I’ve ever experienced!! I wasn’t constantly watching the clock hoping it’d end soon - I was constantly watching the clock because time was FLYING by and I didn’t want it to end! I had more “aha” moments than I’ve ever had in PD, and all four years of college combined! I could tell you so much, but it is something you just HAVE to experience for yourself! 10/10 best experience in education ever.
About 20 minutes into the first day, I texted my principal and said, “We’re 20 minutes in, and I already think all of our teachers should’ve come to this.’” Thank you for two fun, uplifting, affirming, and educational days!
CLARENCE FARRINGTON SCHOOL 61
Site Facilitator: LaNesha Tabb
Pillars of Focus:
Instructional Practices & Student Engagement to Increase Writing Scores
Clarence Farrington 61 had a singular school focus, which was met by implementing Science of Writing strategies. Throughout the year, a collection of professional development was designed in partnership with the school leadership team that was executed with each visit. Teachers were able to meet during PLC time to make a plan for their writing instruction. We created non-negotiables for each classroom that needed to be executed in between visits, and we were able to check in with individual teachers to continue to provide support.
Writing Foundational Framework
Teachers were provided with a training to set a solid foundation for writing strategies to increase both writing and reading skills by focusing on a framework that would provide student independence. Educators reflected on their personal relationship with the art of teaching writing and how that affects their ability to deliver solid writing instruction. Teachers were also provided with time for grade level collaboration. Each professional development session was followed by classroom observations and model lessons.
The Writing Rope
This professional development session focused on the five strands of The Writing Rope - a strategy developed by Joan Sedita. Teachers were exposed to the five strands and allowed time to decide which strand to focus on. Most teachers realized the need for grammar skills, so the strand involving syntactic awareness was a big focus for teachers. Teachers were asked to continue grade level and vertical conversations about writing goals during each visit in order to maintain the integrity of the work that was agreed upon at the beginning of the year.
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
4th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 4% (2022) to 6.6% (2023).
4th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 2.7% (2022) to 6.6% (2023).
4th grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 2.7% (2022) to 11.5% (2023).
CLARENCE FARRINGTON 61 TESTIMONIALS
As an administrator working with GYTO this year, it was so exciting to see the positive changes in our classrooms. Teachers were poured into, being given additional instructional and engagement strategies. Our kids loved the new engagement ideas and teachers were able to take little nuggets and apply them to their classrooms the same day! If we could partner with GYTO every year, we would!
Emily Chestnuy, Assistant Principal, Clarence Farrington 61
After 8 years in teaching, I am finally confident that I am providing quality writing instruction to my students. I've had a variety of writing curriculum over the years, but I have never had professional development around writing that felt attainable and actionable! Being a GYTO collaboration site provided me with the opportunity to engage in professional development that directly correlated with our school's focus for the academic year.
Teacher, Clarence Farrington 61
...because of you!
“GO! RUN to the closest location! You will be engaged and get lots of classroom changing ideas that you can implement right away. They don’t take a lot of extra effort. You just have to dedicate yourself to implementing the ideas. It is so worth it though. I would have not survived my 7th period class of 33 and mostly boys without their ideas.”
I LOVED the energy that all the speakers brought to this conference. There were so many take-aways to implement immediately in my classroom. After 24 years of teaching, I feel like I am recharged to teach like years 1-5!
This is unlike any PD I have ever been to. The information is useful, strategic, and research-based. Not only do you get the ideas but you are shown how you can put them into practice. Most importantly YOU are celebrated for being you and a teacher!
This was by far the best conference I’ve attended. It was very wellorganized and everything flowed very smoothly connecting all the sessions together. Thank you for the time, effort, and ENERGY you brought to the teachers of Indiana! It lit my fire and got me excited for the upcoming school year!
CLARKSVILLE ELEMENTARY
Site Facilitator: Amelia Capotosta
Pillars of Focus:
Vertical Alignment, Science of Reading, & School Culture and Morale
Vertical alignment in Pre-K through 4th grade in all subject areas, focusing on power standards
One of Clarksville’s clear needs was vertical alignment for all subject areas. After identifying this need, we put a year-long plan into place. This included monthly half-day professional developments focused on vertical alignment in each subject area, during which staff worked in grade level bands to identify power standards, create non-negotiable skills and standards for each grade level and subject area, and build digital and print documents that clearly laid out each power standard and resources to teach and assess in each subject.
Science of Reading implementation in PK-4, heavy emphasis on phonemic awareness and phonics connection
After receiving “bite size” PD on the Science of Reading and the success readers will achieve when following the science, the Clarksville staff was on board to learn and grow. PK-4th grade staff members participated in monthly virtual trainings, and four half-day in-person PDs where they worked on developing lessons, aligning assessments, and using data to drive instruction for literacy in whole group and small group lessons. The staff worked with Amelia to build a systematic scope and sequence and committed to following this as a school-wide initiative. Clarksville staff learned the importance of multisensory learning and engagement, and Amelia created an entire closet full of engaging literacy tools to use.
School
culture and staff morale
Staff morale and culture was a need that popped up during early meetings. Amelia focused on supporting staff with classroom takeovers where she would teach classes to allow the teachers to meet in teams, have staff coffee together, and get to know each other. Amelia put together a coffee bar in the lounge, with all of the items to make a place where teachers could feel taken care of mentally and physically.
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
4th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 36.3% (2022) to 39.6% (2023).
3rd Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 36.3% (2022) to 53.3% (2023).
3rd Grade iLearn ELA proficiency increased from 25% (2022) to 28% (2023).
4th Grade iLearn Science proficiency increased from 26.5% (2022) to 31.3% (2023).
CLARKSVILLE TESTIMONIALS
It has inspired me to put the joy back in teaching when the everyday routines and behaviors are extremely difficult. It has made me excited to try new things in my classroom.
Teacher, Clarksville Elementary
As a mentor in my school, I have seen our new teachers feel more supported and excited about teaching. It has helped me as an educator as well by giving me some amazing ideas and resources I can use in my classroom. I am so appreciative of Amelia and I wish she could do ALL of our PD sessions!
Teacher, Clarksville Elementary
GYTO has provided our school with so many great resources to engage our students and give them the opportunity to have fun while learning.
Teacher, Clarksville Elementary
JOHN I. MEISTER ELEMENTARY
Site Facilitator:
Amelia Capotosta
Pillars of Focus:
Science of Reading & Student Engagement
Science of Reading implementation in K-5 with a systematic scope and sequence
Amelia worked alongside the staff at Meister to build a systematic scope and sequence for phonological awareness and phonics. Instructional staff attended virtual and in-person professional development on the research behind the Science of Reading, and observed lessons in action to see how target - task - assessment alignment drives academic acceleration in these critical areas of focus.
Upper Elementary advanced phonics and morphology
After learning about the Science of Reading, grades 3-5 teachers wanted to focus more on advanced phonics skills and morphology in the classroom. Through model lessons and grade level meetings, teachers were equipped with tools and strategies for successful lessons in their classrooms.
School-wide classroom engagement strategies in all subject areas to increase rigor
Teachers spent a professional development session learning how to use these tools and designing lesson plans using the Creativity Closet.
Creativity Closet
Amelia built a Creativity Closet and filled it with engaging items to use in any subject area or lesson to make students feel “invited” to the lesson and to increase the rigor with hands-on application of skills.
NWEA ELA/Reading Fall to Spring MEAN Data
School-wide Data/Growth Highlights:
4th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 42% (2022) to 52.6% (2023).
4th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 30% (2022) to 52.6% (2023).
4th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 40% (2022) to 42.1% (2023).
5th Grade iLearn Social Studies Proficiency increased from 11.9% (2022) to 13.5% (2023)/
CREATIVITY CLOSET
COFFEE BAR
JOHN I. MEISTER TESTIMONIALS
I am so thankful that Meister was chosen as a 2022/2023 school collaboration site with Get Your Teach On. The experience was amazing and our small school was truly impacted in a phenomenal way. The support that Meister received was catered to our school and was thoroughly planned out by Amelia, staff, and the admin team. Amelia and the GYTO team helped Meister with vertically aligning our Writing program, SoR, and developing a Phonics scope and sequence. Besides planning these initiatives, we were reminded to have fun with OUR kids and each other along the way. Teaching and learning can be fun and exciting, this was a much needed reminder for staff and students! I am forever grateful that Meister was chosen for this amazing experience. Thank you for choosing us, thank you for blessing my school family and community with this once in a lifetime experience!
Principal, John I. Meister
Being part of GYTO has impacted me as a teacher by allowing me to see the importance of active engagement and school wide consistency, especially in the area of reading foundations. As an intermediate teacher, I lost site of direct instruction of these skills and can now see how important they are to the students, even in the upper grades.
Teacher, John I. Meister
22-23 GYTO INDIANA COLLABORATION SITE OVERALL iLEARN GROWTH
Cedar Crest Intermediate
6th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 50% (2022) to 60% (2023). +10
6th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 61% (2022) to 72.9% (2023). +11.9
Clarence Farrington Elementary 61
4th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 4% (2022) to 6.6% (2023). +2.6
4th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 2.7% (2022) to 6.6% (2023). +3.9
4th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 2.7% (2022) to 11.5% (2023). +8.8
Clarksville Elementary
4th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 36.3% (2022) to 39.6% (2023). +3.3
3rd Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 36.3% (2022) to 53.3% (2023). +17
3rd Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 25% (2022) to 28% (2023). +3
4th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 26.5% (2022) to 31.3% (2023). +4.8
Flaget Elementary
5th Grade ELA iLearn Proficiency increased from 41% (2022) to 65% (2023). +24
5th Grade Math iLearn Proficiency increased from 38.7% (2022) to 64.7% (2023) +26
4th Grade Science iLearn Proficiency increased from 47.1% (2022) to 48.6% (2023). +1.5
John I. Meister Elementary
4th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 42% (2022) to 52.6% (2023). +10.6
4th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 30% (2022) to 52.6% (2023). +22.6
4th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 40% (2022) to 42.1% (2023). +2.1
5th Grade iLearn Social Studies Proficiency increased from 11% (2022) to 13.5% (2023). +2.5
Nora Elementary
5th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 24.7% (2022) to 34.1% (2023). +9.4
5th Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 24.7% (2022) to 34.1% (2023). +9.4
5th Grade iLearn Social Studies Proficiency increased from 35% (2022) to 42% (2023). +7
Pettit Park Elementary
3rd Grade iLearn ELA Proficiency increased from 11.5% (2022) to 13.1% (2023). +1.6
4th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 13.3% (2022) to 13.5% (2023). +0.2
5th Grade iLearn Social Studies Proficiency increased from 10% (2022) to 12.2% (2023). +2.2
Test Intermediate
5th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 16% (2022) to 23.1% (2023). +7.1
6th Grade iLearn Math Proficiency increased from 10% (2022) to 13% (2023). +3
6th Grade iLearn Science Proficiency increased from 16.3% (2022) to 21.2% (2023). +4.9
FREE WEBINARS
In partnership with the IDOE, Get Your Teach On hosted free online virtual webinars through the Indiana Learning Lab for Indiana educators and leaders. Webinars included training and professional development on various topics including:
Classroom Community & Management Best Practices
Student Accountability and Engagement
Evaluating Student Interactions & Relationships
Strategies for Building Student Relationships
Foundational Reading Strategies
Using Writing to Become a Better Reader
Building Vocabulary and Comprehension
Through Content Areas
Data Collection and Progress Monitoring
Special Education Strategies and Techniques
Making Instructional Coaching Meaningful And more!
By The Numbers
• During the 2022-2023 school year, GYTO offered over 40 webinars for Indiana educators and leaders.
Webinar Feedback
How would you describe the webinar content?
Takeaway: 99.2% of the viewers found GYTO Webinars relevant!
How would you compare the GYTO webinars to other webinars you have attended?
Takeaway: 86.8% of the viewers found GYTO Webinars better than other webinars!
INDIANA EDUCATOR CELEBRATION
INDIANA CELEBRATION
To celebrate the impact and commitment of Indiana educators, Get Your Teach On and participating partners hosted their inaugural Indiana Educator Celebration on May 20, 2023 in Indianapolis, IN. Educators from surrounding regions were invited to Indianapolis for a high-energy Indiana Education Celebration to motivate and empower Indiana’s incredible teachers, leaders, and staff. This event featured inspiring keynotes by Clint Pulver and Hope and Wade King, special guests including Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, and members of the GYTO team, prize packages, swag, and more.
This celebration left Indiana educators ready to end the school year strong and excited to head into a summer to refresh, rejuvenate, and lean into all of the incredible accomplishments from the school year.
By The Numbers
Over $15,000 in prizes given away!
Over 500 Indiana Educators and Administrators! Waitlist within days of opening registration!
THE PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES...
Goals for 2023-2024
Year Two Focus:
High-Impact Strategies to Accelerate Student Learning
Walkthroughs/Individualized Trainings/PLCs focused on:
Progress Monitoring Strategies/Techniques
Using Data to Drive Instruction: ELA Focus
Using Data to Drive Instruction: Math/Science Focus
Student Ownership/Accountability of Learning/Data
Plus Continued Monitoring of Implementation of:
Year One Focus:
Consistent Schoolwide Conditions for Student Learning and Success with School-wide Walkthroughs
Martha J. Ridpath Elementary
Lew Wallace School 107
Crothersville Elementary
Jasper Elementary
Ireland Elementary
CSA Fodrea Campus
Walt Disney Elementary
Madison STEAM Academy
Henry S. Evans
Elwood Haynes STEM Elementary
Spring Mill Elementary
Ouabache Elementary
INDIANA
New 2023-2024 Collaboration Site Reactions
We are SSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! Again we are thrilled to be selected. I can't stop smiling thinking about what my kids are about to get!
Kyle Wilp, Crothersville Elementary
Oh my - I wish you could have heard my principal screaming, giggling, squealing, and then screaming, giggling, and squealing again when I shared this news! We at Ireland Elementary are beyond excited! My principal and I are already plotting how to share this info with our staff!!
Lisa Kincer, Ireland Elementary
We are absolutely OVER THE MOON excited! Thank you and all of GYTO for this amazing opportunity!
Dawn Swanson, Henry S. Evans Elementary
I am very, very excited! I am very much looking forward to meeting you! Thank you so very much!
Melinda Higginson, Walt Disney Elementary
