Data, Big Data Everywhere

I recently read a fascinating article that explored the data driven changes to the game of baseball. The convergence of the available cameras and technology and an increase in the amount of data that is collected on every play, every pitch, will forever change the sport.  This upcoming season, in some ballparks, 7 Terabytes of data will be collected every game that will allow both sabermetricians and fans at home to experience the game in a whole new way.  The data we’ve seen from the mound (speed, curve, and location of the pitch) on our television screens will now be extended to all areas of the field, leading to a very different experience for viewers of our national pastime.

In the world of education there is also a focus on the collection and analysis of data in order to improve student achievement.  We are not at a loss to find places for data for student learning: MCAS and other standardized tests, common assessments (think mid-terms and finals), authentic assessments, and teacher observation of abilities. Even writing assignments or projects scored with a rubric can be translated into measurements of student growth over time.

According to Victoria L. Bernhardt, there are Multiple Measures of Data that we look to in a school to begin our analysis.  This includes not only student learning but also school processes (processes and programs), demographics (attendance, enrollment, ethnicity, gender, grade level), and perceptions (values and beliefs, attitudes, observations). 

Every textbook and test publisher now includes not only built in assessments but also data collection tools and reporting functions.  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a new tool called EDWIN Analytics, available to all schools, that allows us to create reports and cull a vast database to gather data for analysis.  There are videos and tutorials available to help parents and educators better understand the student growth percentile on the state assessments.  Courses are being offered for educators in how to use excel to robustly collect and “go visual” with the data.  There is no shortage of available resources.

In fact, there is so much data out there that part of the process, for educators, is not only to learn how to collect and analyze data but also to learn how to navigate through this “superabundance” of digital information.

What does this mean for North Reading?  First, there is sustained professional development for all educators.  This includes the work that has been done in the past few years with our administrators and curriculum leaders about the importance of data for improving student learning.  Further professional development opportunities will include the technical and technological aspects of understanding how to work with data.  There is also a need for training in specific apps, programs, and software, including Edwin Analytics, to ensure that we are able to make the use of the tools that are available.

Our objective as a district is to continue to use data to help us make predictions, to intervene as early as possible and be proactive, and to enhance our processes for allocating resources in order to improve the overall quality of the education in North Reading for all students.  By using and sharing data appropriately with all members of the school community we have the opportunity to truly transform the educational experience.

Shifting to the Common Core State Standards and Assessments

Shifting to the Common Core State Standards and Assessments

Many of us have heard about the Common Core State Standards and are curious about the changes that this will bring to our curriculum and assessments.  There are several key shifts in the new Massachusetts 2011 standards for both English Language Arts and Literacy and also Mathematics, and so the assessments used to measure these standards will also be evolving.

In Mathematics, there are four key shifts: Focus, Coherence, Clarity, and Rigor.

·         Key Shift #1:  Focus.  Students will focus on the most essential skills at each grade level.  Instead of covering topics in a mile-wide, inch-deep curriculum, our students will focus deeply on the key understandings at each grade level to build a strong conceptual foundation.

·         Key Shift #2: Coherence.  The standards are built with progression in mind.  Principals and teachers will carefully connect the learning across grades to build the foundational knowledge necessary for new understandings.  Teachers can begin to expect that students will enter the classroom with a deep conceptual understanding of core content in order to build on it.

·         Key Shift #3:  Clarity.  The new standards are more clear and organized for all stakeholders.

·         Key Shift #4:  Rigor.  The new standards include a deeper conceptual understanding of key concepts, increased expectations for procedural skill and fluency, and an increase in the opportunities to apply math in context.

In English Language Arts and Literacy, there are also many shifts.

·         Key Shift #1:  Balance of Literary and Informational Text.  Students will now see not only classic literature and narrative texts but also, in equal amounts, informational texts.  This includes more than just non-fiction and also incorporates deciphering graphs, charts, and diagrams and using technology to communicate.

·         Key Shift #2:  Complexity of Texts.  The level of difficulty of the texts that students are required to “grapple with” at each grade level has increased.  Students will be challenged to read and comprehend challenging texts at all levels.

·         Key Shift #3:  Text-Based Answers/Writing to Text.  The new standards require students to return to the texts to formulate answers to questions and to prepare written responses.  Student writing will need to always be supported by textual evidence.

·         Key Shift #4:  Academic Vocabulary.  The new standards extend to “literacy” in all subject areas, with specific guidance for domain specific vocabulary, reading, and writing in the Science and Social Studies areas.

How will the assessments, like MCAS, be affected by the changes to the standards?

The MCAS assessments in 2013-14 will be 100% aligned to the Common Core standards in grades 3-10 for ELA and 3-8 for Mathematics.  Grade 10 Mathematics will test on standards common to both the Common Core standards and previous MA standards.

The MCAS assessment will be changing in the coming years to better assess the Common Core State Standards. In addition, Massachusetts is also a part of a consortium of states developing the PARCC assessment, which could replace MCAS.  The PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessment is “innovative and engaging” and will provide timely data for student success.  More information for parents can be found here: http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCC1-pager-parents9-18-13.pdf

How has North Reading been preparing?

Since the Common Core State Standards and the corresponding 2011 Massachusetts Frameworks were introduced our educators have been unpacking the documents to understand what is most essential at each grade level for our students to know and be able to do.  The state has provided guiding documents to assist us in aligning our curriculum with the new documents and in being proactive in preparing our students for the future changes to assessments.  Our educators have also engaged in professional development and collaboration with educators from surrounding districts as we are all facing these changes and challenges together.

North Reading Wellness Committee

We are all aware of the growing concerns around our children’s health and wellness.

This year a dedicated team of educators and community members came together as a part of the Wellness committee.  Included in the group were Lois Bisson, Anna McGovern, Claudia Brown, Lorraine McGee, Laurie Witts, Lynne Clemens, Amy Luckiewicz,  Patricia Bullard, and Patrick Daly.

For 2012-13 this group had many goals including re-writing the goals from the committee’s 2006 document and aligning with the 2010 Health and Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010.  The committee worked to organize the goals into four categories: Nutrition Promotion, Nutrition Education, Health Education, and Physical Education.  The recommendations of this group will be passed along to the Superintendent for consideration.

Nutrition promotion goals are about positioning healthy choices for students to consider.  This is about more than choosing fruits and vegetables over sugary snacks.  It’s about understanding how many different types of fruits exist and the many ways to prepare them.  For example, our cafeteria may provide several varieties of apples so that students can develop a taste for which apple they prefer.  

Nutrition Education goals concern students learning the knowledge and skills related to nutritional wellness.  This would include learning about healthy choices, the dangers of obesity, and the benefits of proper nutrition.  Goals focused on both the curriculum that the students would experience in school as well as the extra-curricular education that they would receive through local community partnerships.  

Expanding and improving health education, offering healthier food choice options at local events, and creating guidelines for fundraisers are among the goals for this topic.

The final two topics focus on Health and Physical education goals and are connected to the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks as well as national standards.  The goals in these areas relate to the curriculum students will be taught as well as the continued vision for the importance of health and physical education for all students in North Reading.

As we look to 2013-14 the Wellness committee hopes to have many new initiatives that will involve the entire community.  Our goal is to create a community-wide effort to promote healthy choices, physical activity, and nutrition promotion.  The committee already involves members of the North Reading Public Schools, Parks and Recreation, Youth Services, parents, local health care providers, and more.  We hope to include other partners in the future.  If you’d like to be involved in the Wellness committee next year please contact Patrick Daly at pdaly@north-reading.k12.ma.us.

Dear North Reading Educators

We are excited to announce Google Drive, a new way to access and share all your files and folders, at any time and on any device. Google Drive replaces and enhances what you know today as your Google Documents List.
For the most part you will not have to do anything but you will notice a few changes if you are using Google Apps for education.

What is Google Drive?
Think of Google Drive as your personal stash of files and folders that follows you wherever you go - it lets you keep everything and share anything. With Google Drive, you can access files, folders, and Google Docs from a web browser or any device where you've installed your Google Drive.
Your Google Drive is in the cloud, but you can also install the desktop and mobile application to access your files from your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other Android or iOS mobile device, in addition to the online interface at drive.google.com. Google Drive's built-in sync capability ensures that your files, folders, and Google Docs are the same on all your devices.  If you've used Dropbox this is a very similar interface.
How do I try out Google Drive?

1. We will download and install Google Drive for everyone in North Reading for your work computers.
   
2. At home: Download and install the Google Drive for your Mac/PC application. This lets you sync files from your hard drive to Google Drive on the web, giving you access to your files on any device, at any time.
   
3. At home: If you'd like to access your Google Drive contents on your Android or Apple iOS device, see Google Drive on a mobile device.
   

How is the Google Drive online interface different from my current Google Documents List?

The Google Drive online interface looks similar to the Google Documents List you're used to, with a few key differences:

• Collections are now called Folders.
  
• When you first switch to Google Drive, a new folder called My Drive contains:
  
  • Documents that you own or have previously uploaded
  • Folders you own and the items contained within (regardless of ownership)
  Note that only items contained in My Drive are synced to your computer and other devices. If you want to sync items from Google Drive on the web that aren't contained in My Drive by default, just drag them to My Drive.
  
• Other items that would have previously appeared in the Home view can easily be found elsewhere. You can choose different views and filters to see recently opened documents, starred items, documents that have been shared with you, items owned by a particular person, files of a particular type, and more.
  
• You'll have powerful new options to search, sort, or preview your files before opening them.
  

See the Google Drive user help to learn more about Google Drive versus your Documents List, and how to navigate your Google Drive online interface.
How much storage do I have for my Google Drive files?

When reading the Google Drive Help Center, you may see that the default amount of storage is 5 GB, and that you can purchase your own.  If you need more storage, you can purchase additional storage on your own.

Where can I get more information?
To get started with Google Drive, visit the Google Apps Learning Center.
Enjoy!
Patrick
--These videos may help to explain what's new with google drive!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SjRH3SImlM&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tthVEzX-UI

The Flipped Classroom comes to North Reading

One of the buzzwords that we often hear in educational circles is the concept of the “flipped classroom.”  What exactly does this mean, and how can this impact education in North Reading?

In the age of the internet content is readily available at the fingertips of our students.  In the old paradigm the teacher is at the front of the room as the master of the content.  In this scenario the student sits and takes notes, often individually, participates in some group activities, and is challenged to present what she has learned periodically through quizzes, tests, papers, labs, and other assessments.  Homework often consists of assignments that revisit the concepts from that day’s lesson and are, for the most part, completed individually. This is the old paradigm.

It’s important to note that this is NOT how most of our classrooms in North Reading operate today! 

However, there is always room for improvement!  In the flipped model, the student is in control of accessing the content.  Very often this is delivered not only through a close reading of complex texts but also through pre-recorded lectures that can be accessed from anywhere.  These videos could include content from textbook publishers, selected content videos (“I have a Dream” speech), uploads from teachers around the world (Kahn Academy, TED talks, MIT) or even very personal lessons recorded by the North Reading teacher.

This flipped model allows for the teacher to maximize classroom time for the students to collaborate, think critically and creatively, and to communicate with each other during the time they are all together in class. It also allows for the content to be delivered in a way that allows all students to access at their own pace.  Now, in class or for homework, you can pause, rewind, re-watch, ask questions, and bring those ideas with you to class the next day!

A deep exploration of these instructional concepts is really the first step towards creating a culture where students use iPads, mobile devices, and possibly their own devices (BYOD) in the classroom. 

This year several North Reading educators will be embarking in an exploration of this topic through a blended learning course I will be offering along with others who are a part of the technology team.  Together we will be reading Flip Your Classroom by Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams.  I had the pleasure meeting Aaron Sams this summer at the Building Learning Communities Conference (BLC12) and the energy and passion that this Colorado science teacher brought to the discussion inspired me to create this course for our North Reading educators throughout this year.

The outcomes of this course will be shared widely with the North Reading Public Schools community so please watch for us on Twitter at #flipnrps as well as on our district academic services blog http://nrps-academicservices.blogspot.com!

Technology Newsletter

iPad initiative year one

iPad Initiative, Year One Reflection

During the 2011-12 school year the North Reading Public Schoolsintroduced iPads into the classrooms for use with students.  The process began last spring when five cartswere purchased, one for each of our five schools.  Our cart recipients deserve congratulations:Peter Kane, Christopher Roofe, Beth Brown, Helen Kelley, and Gretchen Shaw wentabove and beyond this year in providing support for all educators in the programas well as maintaining these carts for use with a classroom full of eagerstudents!  Additionally, Joanne Coughlinand Randy Pyrcz, along with the entire technology team, should be commended fortheir roles in setting up and supporting this emerging technology.

Some highlights from this initiative include one of our cartrecipients, Helen Kelley, presenting to an over-capacity crowd of educators atthe Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence presentation in April.  This fall several of our educators will bepresenting at the state-wide MASSCUE conference at Gillette Stadium. 

Throughout the summer educators engaged in professionaldevelopment in order to learn the best ways to utilize this new device withstudents.  They quickly learned that theiPad is NOT a laptop replacement but a whole new device that can do many thingsthat no other device before it can do. This is not about using a new tool to do the same old things in newways.  This is about changing the way weteach, the way students learn.

Throughout the year our educators gathered, both in person and ina virtual space, to discuss and share their experiences.  Some of the highlights from thesereflections:

They had so much more fun with the app than simply with paper andpencil review.  They were interested,identifying their mistakes and working with each other.

--Sally Sorrentino, grade 6 Math

In previous years, this lesson was created through SMART notes forthe detail and the textbook for basic information.  This year, the notes were still used, butreinforced with the information provided by the Smithsonian website through theapp.  Students were far more engaged withthis lesson than they were in previous years.

--Chris Roofe, grade 7 Social Studies

More often than not, my students complete math work individuallyor in pairs. With this lesson, students completed the work in small groups,which allowed them to gain perspective from other peers. This lesson helped meto track individual learning and provided an opportunity for me to facilitatestudent reflections. As the teacher, I was able to visually confirm thatstudents were checking their work.

-Shana Capolupo, grade 4

Rather than having problems on the board where only a few studentsget to show their understanding, each child had an opportunity to practice over50 problems. While practicing they are able to get immediate feedback on ifthey are completing the work correctly. It has made a huge difference for the reluctant learners who are nervousto come to the front or raise their hand. It also helps me differentiate my lessons on the spot.  I can quickly see who is having difficulty,who needs more practice and who can move on to a more challenging activity thatputs their skills to use. 

--Helen Kelley, grade 4

As evidenced by these reflections, engagement is the key. For the2012-13 school year nearly 30 new educators will be supported in the programand even more students will be exposed to iPad featured lessons and I am veryexcited to see what lies ahead in year two of this initiative.