Staff Meeting #5: 1/25/2023

Our 5th Blue Ribbon Committee meeting took place on January 25th.

The agenda is posted below as well as a summary of the information discussed and determined during that meeting.

SUMMARY OF THE 1/25 MEETING & THE ACTION PLANS

This week, our Blue Ribbon Committee shifted gears regarding how it runs and which staff members are involved. For the first four meetings of the school year, interested staff members were split into two groups who collectively researched the Blue Ribbon Award selection process, identified four areas for growth activities, and developed action plans to facilitate progress in those areas. Starting with this January meeting, staff members are now working specifically on one of the four target areas, based on their interest, and groups are implementing the priority steps in the action plan for their area. At the January 25th meeting, groups started working through the action steps for our priorities in Target Area 1 - Excellence in Practice, and Target Area 3 - Academic Supports.

Target Area 1 Committee Work

EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICE: Build upon the cycle of teaching, learning, assessment, and data analysis to improve alignment with NJSLS and student performance by reviewing (and possibly redefining) curriculum scope and sequence and prioritizing skills and standards to maximize student growth and achievement.

PRIORITY GOAL: Work through curriculum courses to potentially redefine the scope and sequence of each course and prioritize skills and standards as needed to facilitate the growth we are aiming for.

ACTION STEPS:

• Research NJSLS Priority Standards

• Identify grade level and curricular level weaknesses

• Find ways to incorporate the weakest standards across grade levels and content

• Communicate vertically to identify and share gaps between grades

• Student/Teacher Conference reflecting on topics/benchmarks as well as Instructor and Administrator Reflection

Subcommittee 1 focused on how we can identify and prioritize gaps and critical areas in and across our curriculum. Along with other important and available data, the team feels that cross-referencing what the state has deemed to be “priority standards” for math and language arts at each grade level with the most frequently assessed standards on the NJSLA and the standards where we can potentially make the most growth is the first step. By using that trio of information, we can develop our own priority learning list and then use that in grade level and department meetings to evaluate our curricula’s scope and sequence.

Target Area 3 Committee Work

ACADEMIC SUPPORTS: Build upon existing academic supports to tailor instruction, interventions, and assessments so they meet our diverse student needs by identifying and addressing learning gaps across grade levels, differentiate learning to meet personalized needs in the classroom, and explore ways to provide more inclusive classroom support for ELL students.

PRIORITY GOAL: Find additional ways to provide more English Language Learner support in our inclusive (all) classrooms.

ACTION STEPS:

• Facilitate additional training, coaching, sharing to disseminate best practices for supporting ELLs in all classrooms

• Examine available resources and seek out tools, programs, and resources for use in the ELL program and in the inclusive classroom with ELL students.

• Examine pros and cons of schedule for future planning.

Subcommittee 3 focused on finding additional ways to provide more English Language Learner support in all of our classrooms. First, the committee discussed possibilities for maximizing the impact of our existing ELL specialist doing consultant work and suggested developing ways for those teachers involved in the cohort to share their strategies and growth with peers. Then, the group focused heavily on the research that needs to go into finding one or more resources to better support our ELLs across all disciplines. In that discussion, the team identified that reading resources created specifically for ELLs, as well as other content-based resources targeting ELL usage, would be advantageous; but that we also need to identify a possible software-based resource that can help accelerate English language acquisition for those students as well. The group researched several options for this and are still gathering information and feedback to make a suggestion for implementation, but also discussed ways that software could be used by students and teachers across all grade levels.

We are excited to see where their continued research and work leads them when we pick back up with them at our March meeting, but are also excited to see what Subcommittees 2 and 4 come up with next month.