DCPS Teaching and Learning Framework

Here's the DCPS Teaching and Learning Framework, which supports the IMPACT which is the new system for assessing the performance of DCPS teachers and other school-based staff. I finished the first evaluation cycle with impressive ratings. Thanks to the National Board process. It made me reflect on, rethink, retool and redo my instructional practices. It made me innovative, creative, and try new things for my diverse students to learn the standards. It made me focus on data gathering and analysis, connecting and having good relationships with my students, colleagues, parents, and the community so we can all work towards a common goal --- maximizing my students' potential and increasing student achievement. Nope, I'm not yet National Board certified and I'm still working on it, but the process made me a teacher leader, a teacher collaborator, and a teacher learner...it made me a 21st Century educator! Even if I don't get National Board certified, I'm still glad I went through the process. It made me become a better teacher that my students deserve, and the intrinsic reward which made me grow professionally is worth all the sleepless nights, sacrifice and effort.

What do I think about the IMPACT? Yes, it is far better than our PPEP (old teacher evaluation system) but, for me, not the best one. I understand that this is still a work in progress. I have shared my concerns during WTU-DCPS Focus Group Discussions on this issue as a special education teacher. Studies have shown that students in co-teaching classrooms are better achievers than their peers. Also, the IDEA 2004 mandates inclusive education for our diverse learners. The new DCPS teacher evaluation tool does not support co-teaching nor the inclusion model. I hope that DCPS will come up with a rubric on team teaching model. I also want to know how they expect us to co-plan, co-teach, and co-grade with the regular education teachers, we just need some guidance on that.

Here's the pdf copy of the manual that was given during the training: IMPACT Guidebooks. And here's about our Master Educators. Tell me what you think: solangala@yahoo.com.

Teachers using 8-step process to boost student scores

Some Virginia educators are finding success by constantly assessing students' understanding as part of an eight-step process designed to improve student achievement. The "8-Step Instructional Cycle" -- developed by two authors who have written about closing the achievement gap -- instructs teachers to teach a lesson, then assess students for understanding. If 80% of students pass the quiz, teachers move on to another lesson, but if most fail, the lesson is retaught. The Roanoke Times (Va.)

Educators developing strategies for teaching students with autism

Some educators who are faced with increasing numbers of students with autism in special-education and general-education classrooms say using assistive technology that reinforces visual -- rather than verbal -- skills and ties visual cues to the written word may be helpful. Other strategies districts should consider include better training for non-special-education teachers, access to evidence-based resources, support teams and partnerships between schools and parents. eSchool News

Special-needs students in Nashville, Tenn., take mainstream classes

Seven-year-old Isaac Nelson, left, leaves for school with his brother, Kobe Nelson, 8, and mother, Amy Biggs-Nelson. Isaac, who has autism, spends most of his school day in a regular second-grade class. (MANDY LUNN / THE TENNESSEAN)

Schools in Nashville, Tenn., are transitioning their 8,200 students with special needs into mainstream classes. The students are largely educated with their peers and are offered some special instructional time away from the class. The district has hired additional teachers and trained educators on how to "mesh general-education and special-education initiatives together to benefit all students," an official said. The Tennessean (Nashville)

In-class teachers are best resource for leadership, training

I found a good article from Teacher Magazine where the author, Anthony Cody, answered the question "Why is it that school districts continue to hire outside consultants to conduct professional development when local classroom teachers often have greater levels of expertise? "

Classroom teachers -- not outside consultants -- are often a school's best professional-development resource, according to a California professional-development coach. Anthony Cody writes in this column that outside consultants can be helpful, but schools often have teachers on staff with considerable experience in the topic of the training. Teacher Magazine (free registration)

Schools program increases awareness of disabilities

Students put on blindfolds to simulate vision impairment during the recent Welcome To My World workshop, led by Connie Johnson, at Oak Creek Elementary School. The program is part of the curriculum for all LOSD third and fourth grade students.

A successful program in one Oregon school district provides an event where students don blindfolds or use wheelchairs to help them develop empathy for what their fellow students with disabilities experience day to day. The Welcome to My World Disability Awareness Program, in place for 15 years, is required for district students in third or fourth grade. The Lake Oswego Review (Ore.)

Mentors, student-teachers team up in co-teaching classrooms

Millikin student teacher Michelle Brown gets help yelling out letters for a spelling activity with first-grade students Ya'Zair Jenkins, left, and Jasmine James during class at Franklin School in Decatur. Herald & Review/Stephen Haas

Classroom teachers and teacher candidates are partnering on a training model called "co-teaching," which allows the pair to share teaching duties. The teachers work as a team, and when one teacher is leading a lesson, the other is free to help students. Studies also have shown that students in co-teaching classrooms have higher test scores than their peers. Herald & Review (Decatur, Ill.)

As 2014 deadline approaches, teachers question fairness of NCLB

Some Illinois teachers say that requiring all students to meet federal standards on state tests by 2014 under No Child Left Behind is unfair. They say expecting students with special needs to score at the same level as academically gifted students is unrealistic and the pressure of testing has an effect on students and staff. "It's like telling a gym teacher to get all of his kids to run a mile between four and six minutes. It's not going to happen," one teacher says. The Courier News (Elgin, Ill.)

Wisconsin should look west for teacher-pay reform model

Wisconsin can use Denver's ProComp plan as a model as the state considers making changes to long-held policies on the way teachers are compensated, writes education columnist Alan J. Borsuk in this opinion article. While tying teacher pay to student achievement is still barred by Wisconsin state law, he writes that the Denver pay plan has led to more teacher collaboration, an increase in test scores and a greater willingness by teachers to go to high-needs schools. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

D.C. Council blasts Rhee for teacher layoffs

Washington, D.C., Council members said schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee ignored their instructions to trim summer-school funding to balance her budget. Instead, they said, she used the resulting money crunch as an opportunity to lay off hundreds of educators. Council members suggested Rhee violated the law by not cutting summer-school funding, to which Rhee said she was protecting students instead of staff. About 100 teaching jobs could have been saved by reducing the summer-school funding. The Washington Post

My friend, who's a Special Ed Coordinator in another school, told me that the Office of Special Ed is holding a seminar for them (not with the teachers) on how to be in win-win situations. Is this really thinking win-win? I believe that win-win is not taking advantage when it is understood that you are being trusted to act with honor, it seeks mutual benefit and is based on mutual respect. It is about bargaining fairly, and being open-minded and reasonable to all parties. It is about a sincere desire to find agreements that would be good for the kids and fair to teachers.

DC School Layoffs

- Rally Supports Laid-Off Ballou Teachers
On Friday, a group of former Ballou High School students …
- Union Files Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
More than 200 D.C. school teachers who were recently laid off …
- DC Teachers Want Answers About Layoffs
The bitter fight over teacher layoffs in D.C. schools is far …
- More Students Protest Teacher Layoffs
There were more protests Tuesday over the District's decision …
- D.C School Layoffs - Teacher's Union



President of the Washington Teachers Union George Parker joined…
- DC School Employees Threaten to Sue
Fired employees of McKinley Tech High school may consider legal…
- D.C. Schools Announce Teacher Cuts
A total of 388 jobs were cut from D.C. schools on Friday, and …
- Gray: DC School Layoffs Not Necessary
D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray is now questioning the proposed…
- Layoffs Still Loom for D.C. Schools
No D.C. teachers have been laid off so far, but Mayor Adrian …
- D.C. Schools Layoffs Coming, But When?
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has warned parents and …
- D.C. Public Schools to Cut Teachers
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee says budget cuts …

Should Helen Keller be played by an actress with disabilities?

This New York Times blog post looks at the controversy generated over a decision to award the lead role in an upcoming Broadway production about Helen Keller to Abigail Breslin, a well-known actress who does not share Keller's vision and hearing disabilities. The producer of the show said he wanted a star for the show to drive up ticket sales and may consider an understudy with disabilities. The New York Times/Arts Beat blog

NBCT with teaching in her blood is named top teacher in Delaware

Teacher of the year Mary Pinkston speaks Tuesday after Gov. Jack Markell presented.

National Board Certified Teacher and 17-year teaching veteran Mary Pinkston has been named Delaware's 2010 Teacher of the Year. "When you describe good teachers, they all have these adjectives: organized, prepared, dedicated and fair," Pinkston's principal said. "She has them all. She constantly relates the subject matter to the real world. You don't feel like you are in a math class." The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.)

D.C.'s Rhee acknowledges need for better communication with teachers

D.C. schools chief Michelle A. Rhee says she spoke to principals about communication, not teacher trust.

Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is hoping to "regain the trust" of the district's teachers -- according to some who say Rhee acknowledged that she may have lost that trust when she laid off 266 educators this month. Rhee says she did not make that statement, which allegedly came during a monthly school leadership meeting. "What I said was that we needed to do a better job of making sure we were communicating effectively with our educators," she said. "There are a lot of distractions, and we have to remain focused on the task at hand." The Washington Post

Education Web site does not meet accessibility standards

Because it lacks special adaptive features like text-to-speech screen access or Braille technology for people with vision impairments, the Web site of the Department of Education -- USALearns.org -- does not meet federal accessibility standards for people with visual impairments, say advocates with the National Federation of the Blind. The organization recently filed a complaint with the department, which created the Web site to help people learn English grammar and vocabulary. Federal Computer Week

NBPTS launches series of reports highlighting effect of National Board Certified Teachers

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is launching a series of reports highlighting the effect of National Board Certified Teachers. The first report in the series is "Chicago, Illinois: Leveraging National Board Certification in a District-wide Human Capital Initiative." Read more

Duncan: Hawaii's furlough Fridays are a step in the wrong direction

Cutting learning time "is a step in the wrong direction" for Hawaii's schools, writes Education Secretary Arne Duncan in this column. Duncan argues that Hawaii's access to more than $500 million in federal education stimulus money should have allowed the state to find a better solution to tight budgets than its adoption of 17 teacher furlough days this year, which he writes is turning an economic crisis into an education crisis for the state's students. The Honolulu Advertiser

British educator who has dyslexia wins national teaching award

Mr Vickerman was warned that he had no future teaching children in schools

Edward Vickerman, an educator who is dyslexic, recently received a national teaching award in the U.K. Vickerman, who says he uses technology to help him communicate with his students, said, "I was told I could never be a teacher, so this award is for anyone like me who is dyslexic and wants to teach." The Independent (London)

Inclusion classes provide benefits to students in Tennessee district

This year, every middle school and high school in Tennessee's Knox County has at least one inclusion class -- where students of all abilities are taught together -- and many of the elementary schools have them as well. Thanks to federal stimulus money, the district has been able to provide professional development and in-class training for inclusion teachers. Teachers said they are sometimes short on planning time, but they are learning from each other. The Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tenn.)

American Teacher

American Teacher Mag

I was the cover for AFT American Teacher Magazine last month's (September) issue. A friend of mine found this pdf copy . Thanks to the AFT for tirelessly advocating for us educators!

Scholastic Best Special-Ed Blog

Digital Anthology The lowdown: Award-winning special-education teacher Maria Angala posts daily lessons and classroom videos.

Why We Love It:: There’s no hard-core pedagogy here—other than that determination can make all successful—but we get to see the kids’ creativity at work. And if you want something more theory-based, Angala keeps another blog at teachersol.blogspot.com.

Why She Loves Blogging: Says Angala, “Our social workers read the blog to understand my students’ inner feelings.”

Effective teachers see lessons from students' perspective

Effective teachers make their lessons meaningful and interesting by being aware of their students' point of view, writes Elizabeth Stein, a New York special-education teacher who is pursuing National Board Certification. To draw students into classroom lessons, Stein says, teachers should make the topic come alive, make lessons personal for students, connect lessons to real-life themes, engage students and provide them with individual feedback on their progress. Teacher Magazine (free registration)

National Board message from Sec. Duncan

Immediately after my third year of teaching I went through the National Board Certification process. It's been validated that "The National Board is part of a growing education-reform movement; it has produced many of the most outstanding and the most effective educators across the country and I dream of joining this cadre of accomplished educators in the nation. The National Research Council has confirmed that National Board Certification has a positive effect on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development."

I am an effective educator now, a lot better than I was three years ago before I started this process because of the rigorous research and reflection focused on my instructional strategies and student achievement that was required of me by the National Board. My Master Educator can attest to this, she gave me stellar ratings on the most recent round of IMPACT evaluations. The results of my students’ state assessments were exemplary; two of them received advanced perfect scores in both reading and math despite their severe cognitive disability.

I encourage all my colleagues who want to retool and to take a step further professionally to take the National Board Certification. It was a very rewarding experience for me. The results are coming out in a couple of months from now. Did I make it? We'll see...

Coach and innovator in wheelchair sports is recognized by university

Courtesy Photo/ University of Illinois
Martin Morse stands with his wife Karen and sons Steven and Sam during the recent award ceremony.

Martin Morse, a longtime coach and mentor for athletes who use wheelchairs and an innovator in wheelchair-sports technology, was honored by the University of Illinois for his contributions. Morse, who is paralyzed and uses a wheelchair, helped develop the prototype for the first aerodynamic racing wheelchair and was the first to introduce the sport of hand-cycling as a technique to maintain upper-body strength during the offseason. Wicked Local/Hanover, Mass.

Twitter Lessons in 140 Characters or Less

Some teachers are experimenting with the popular microblogging tool as an effective way of distributing assignments and engaging students in content and collaborative lessons. Education Week

Education News Parents Can Use

Archived Video Webcast

Originally broadcast live on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 (info from US Dep Ed Homepage)

On October’s special edition of Education News Parents Can Use, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan engaged teachers across the country in a town hall forum about what’s working and what’s not working in our nation’s schools. During the live program, Arne listened to comments from a studio audience comprised entirely of local teachers, and he responded to telephone calls and emails from across the country.

VIEW THE ARCHIVED VIDEO WEBCAST:

WindowsMedia RealMedia Captioned Version: WindowsMedia RealMedia

I was there last Tuesday (many thanks to the AFT, WTU and DCPS for sending me there) with other educators from DC, VA and MD! It was a great experience meeting the US Dep't of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and the Teaching Ambassadors of the US Dep't of Education. I have told many of my colleagues that aside from becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, my dream is to become a Teaching Ambasador. Is this a sign?

I will post a longer entry on this later!

D.C. considers revisions to law on developmental-disability services

City officials in Washington, D.C., have introduced the Developmental Disabilities Reform Act, a long-awaited update to the city's policies toward caring for and housing people with developmental disabilities. If approved, the bill would remove judicial oversight of disability services in the city. Other provisions of the bill include a preference for smaller residential homes over group facilities for people with disabilities and a streamlined grievance process for families to address problems with the system. The Washington Post