#jsdinnovates November 2016

JUAB SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOVEMBER 2016

#jsdinnovates Empowering our students to discover and pursue their dreams.

Student Reflection and Ownership

Writer’s Workshop is one way to add student voice and choice into the writing process.

Integrated Digital Content

Students in

something big. Jump in and then you can build on that.” Those in attendance experienced a variety of sessions. Have a conversations with a PL lead to hear their takeaways.

Educators attend iNACOL Symposium for Blended and Online Learning On October 25-28, a team of teachers and administrators from across the district attended the iNACOL Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

Among the highlights, Susan Lunt offers a piece of advice for teachers who have started to explore blended learning in the classroom: “Dive in and do something. It doesn’t have to be

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TAKE RISKS.

SHARE THE RESULTS OF THOSE RISKS.

KEEP DOING THE GOOD YOU ARE DOING. 1

Elementary schools are using iReady for diagnostics and personalized learning pathways in math. #juabpride #jsdchat

JUAB SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOVEMBER 2016 are. PL Leads heard Todd Rose give the Keynote at the iNACOL Symposium. Want to read more?

Ask to borrow a copy from the PL lead in your building.

The End of Average, by Todd Rose Todd Rose, a high school dropout from Ogden, Utah, writes a compelling examination of “the age of average” and why for years society has held to the belief that average is acceptable.

He writes: “Our modern conception of the average person is not a mathematical truth but a human invention, created a century and a half ago by two European scientists to solve the social problems of their era.”

“Most of us know intuitively that a score on a personality test, a rank on a standardized assessment, a grade point average, or a rating on a performance review doesn’t reflect your, or your child’s, or your students’, or your employees’ abilities. Yet the concept of average as a yardstick for measuring individuals has been so thoroughly ingrained in our minds that we rarely question it seriously.”

He considers “jaggedness,” a term coined to explain just how varied an individual’s needs

JSD SCHOOL BOARD: OCTOBER RECOGNITIONS Kindergarten students at Mona Elementary School were recognized for Exceptional Achievement in their Waterford usage and growth in reading.

Mrs. Schaugaard was recognized for her use of technology tools to improve instruction. She is a leader in writing assessments at MES. Kristy McAllister and a group of six grade student leaders were honored for their leadership in digital citizenship engagement. Mrs. McAllister helps guide students through White Ribbon week, a student-led program that helps students make healthy choices online.

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Congratulations!

Expand your Personalized Learning Network @ManuelScott, an original Freedom Writer @joeljcoleman, Superintendent of Schools, (USDB). Recently inducted into the League of Innovative Schools @Odelia_DP, helping Juab School District with our micro-credential pilot

There’s an App for that Juab School District is piloting micro-credentials as a platform for personalized professional learning. Educators district-wide are exploring the platform as part of that pilot. Have you earned a micro-credential? Please share!

Epic: A tool for customized reading K-6, including Read to Me, Audio books, and independent reading.

MasteryConnect: Capture Evidence for an Assessment Mastery Connect allows teachers to easily snap pictures of evidence for an assessment using the App. Visit MasteryConnect to learn more.

Canvas: Student pdf Annotations

Formative: A flexible formative assessment tool.

Canvas now allows student annotations inside the app. While it is not as robust as Notability or similar apps designed solely for annotations, it’s another option to explore as educators expand their use of Canvas to meet student needs.

Seesaw: A tool for student portfolio creation and parent communication

Personnel Policies Approved in October’s Board Meeting DDAA Child Abuse Sexual Abuse Prevention DBAB Employee Leave Read the policies here.

Tiny Scanner: The little app that scans everything.

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c. Skilled writers know a lot about their topics (naturally, or researched). d. Skilled writers possess a can-do attitude. e. Writing is demanding.

4) We have effective procedures for teaching writing. a. Teach students to be more strategic when planning, drafting, or revising. b. Create a supportive writing environment where processes are valued. c. Develop instructional arrangements where students work together to support their writing efforts. d. Use supporting software. e. Involve students in inquiry activities centered on the process of writing. f. Use good models of writing to enhance students’ writing. g. Teach basic skills like handwriting and spelling.

Improving Literacy in Juab School District In October, Juab School District submitted our Digital Teaching and Learning Grant application.

We have requested funds to support an increased focus on improving our literacy in Juab School District. What are our steps?

In the next month, we will be conducting a literacy audit. As part of that audit, we will look at instruction and assessment practices throughout the district as they relate to literacy.

The audit will help us structure a two-day professional learning opportunity next summer.

If you have ideas for any of the following, please reach out to Krystle Bassett or Sandy Nielsen: What digital content do you use to personalize literacy instruction or assessment?

Our Goals for Improving Literacy

How do you provide students ownership and reflection in their writing, reading, and vocabulary?

An increase in SAGE Benchmark ELA scores.

An increase in utilization of Utah Compose formative assessment tool in grades 3-11 , with students submitting a minimum of 4 essays each year.

How do you use literacy data to target instruction?

4 Guiding Principles Behind Writing Instruction

An increase in the use of digital technology tools for ACT prep at Juab High School.

1) Writing is essential.

2) We need to do a better job of teaching writing.

3) We know what skilled writing looks like. a. Much of a skilled writer’s time is spent planning, revising, monitoring, evaluating, and regulating the writing process. b. Writers write for audiences.

An increase in the number of k-3 teachers utilizing the mClass Amplify assessment and “Now what" tools.

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