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.Tuesday, November 03, 2009
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.
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
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4:40 PM
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Teachers using 8-step process to boost student scores
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Maria Angala
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2:03 AM
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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
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
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1:59 AM
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Monday, November 02, 2009
Special-needs students in Nashville, Tenn., take mainstream classes
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
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2:05 AM
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Sunday, November 01, 2009
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)
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
3:09 PM
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Schools program increases awareness of disabilities
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
7:49 AM
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Friday, October 30, 2009
Mentors, student-teachers team up in co-teaching classrooms
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
3:30 PM
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As 2014 deadline approaches, teachers question fairness of NCLB
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
3:27 PM
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Wisconsin should look west for teacher-pay reform model
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
2:01 AM
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
D.C. Council blasts Rhee for teacher layoffs
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 …
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
7:16 PM
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Should Helen Keller be played by an actress with disabilities?
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
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3:15 PM
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NBCT with teaching in her blood is named top teacher in Delaware
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.)
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
4:15 AM
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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.
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
4:05 AM
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Education Web site does not meet accessibility standards
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
3:13 PM
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Monday, October 26, 2009
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
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
10:45 PM
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Duncan: Hawaii's furlough Fridays are a step in the wrong direction
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
10:42 PM
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British educator who has dyslexia wins national teaching award
Mr Vickerman was warned that he had no future teaching children in schools
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
10:40 PM
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Inclusion classes provide benefits to students in Tennessee district
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
10:39 PM
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American Teacher
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Maria Angala
submitted @
10:25 PM
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Saturday, October 24, 2009
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)
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
7:45 PM
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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."
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
7:17 PM
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Coach and innovator in wheelchair sports is recognized by university
Courtesy Photo/ University of IllinoisMartin Morse stands with his wife Karen and sons Steven and Sam during the recent award ceremony.
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
6:29 PM
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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
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
4:57 PM
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Education News Parents Can Use
VIEW THE ARCHIVED VIDEO WEBCAST:
cyberclass notes:
Maria Angala
submitted @
4:08 PM
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Friday, October 23, 2009
D.C. considers revisions to law on developmental-disability services
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Maria Angala
submitted @
11:04 AM
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This list contains reviews of movies that I have viewed that profile autism or disabilities in general. Please let me know what I missed. Happy browsing!
- Change of Habit - House of Cards - Rain Man - Mercury Rising - The Boy Who Could Fly - I Am Sam - Benny and Joon - A Beautiful Mind - The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser - The Other Sister - As Good as It Gets - Shine - My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown - Sound and Fury - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - The Mighty - Simon Birch - Beyond Silence - Of Mice and Men - Matchstick Men - Nell - Lorenzo's Oil - Girl, Interrupted - ...First Do No Harm - My Sisters Keeper - Radio-The Boy Who Could Fly -Mercury Rising -Rain Man -House of Cards -Change of Habit -Being There -Down in the Delta -Forrest Gump -Relative Fear -Silent Fall -What's Eating Gilbert Grapes -When the Bough Breaks -The Wizard





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