Literacy Task Force 2/27/20

Open Response 8:00 am @ Admin Building

Facilitator: Timekeeper:
Note Taker: Carper

Please bring:

Agenda Items:
Topic Time Notes/Minutes
Allotted

Celebrations ● Stacy is officially the Black Hawk principal

● Starting an LDG cycle with dystopian novels working on
theme
● Melanie finished her I-Ready Math diagnostic
● Monica got 100 decks of cards from the casino and found
some helpful students that sorted cards for her
● Next week Sarah is doing a learning lab at Grimes
● Had an SOD with a student at BILA and all interventions
are already in place

What we’ve ● Ed Stone - slow and steady - Piece we’re still missing is
been doing in feedback
each building ● Black Hawk - some annotation posters are up - starting to
plant seeds through Ready Math
● Elementary literacy adoption - one of the programs that is
being looked at includes similar work at 2nd and 3rd
grade
● High school is still moving along, observing steps 1-6 -

Rubric Site to help determining grades​ - roobrix

concerns The rubric is being used in a variety of ways to determine the
grade on the writing

Next steps 1. Everyone needs to learn to give better feedback.

How can teachers give quality feedback if they
don’t know what good writing is?
2. Some teachers still need support with the process.

Add in speaking next year as next literacy component

 May 1st - feedback needs to be on the schedule for PD
Before May 1 - we will collect student samples

Reevaluate PD Aldo: 1 hour PD time each PD morning for literacy

plan for this Observation schedule needs to be determined
year - where ● Qtr. 1-2 - annotation strategy with chosen curriculum
are we and ● Qtr. 3-4 - work together to write and teach 8 steps with
where are we choscontent
going? ● Melissa will use the 8 steps with teachers throughout the
year so there is some positive PR when it’s rolled out to
the whole group.
Stone: 1 hour PD time each PD morning for literacy
Expectation that open response is part of every unit - observed
each tri
● Tri 1: do baseline data collection in observing open
response in each classroom. Design PD based on needs
after observations
● Tri 2: open response with annotated text
● Tri 3: open response with annotated text

BHS: 1 hour PD time each PD morning for literacy

Expectation that open response is part of every unit - observed
each tri
● 1 observation each trimester
● Tri 1 - annotating, open response, or both
● Tri ⅔ - open response with annotating text
●
6/4 Discussion on using open response once per unit or any type
of writing?
● Reminder that you will reteach & model at the beginning
of the year, but not every time
● using an open response every unit doesn’t mean you are
explicitly teaching & modeling each time
First trimester- looking for everyone to reteach & model steps
2nd & 3rd trimester- looking for everyone to work on annotating
text
Start out with observations once per tri
● Talked about challenges with more students & more staff
at Aldo & Ed Stone
● Coaches observing- give this as an option for teachers?
○ Can’t have coaches being evaluative
○ Would it feel less evaluative if coach did it?
○ Can we change the name?- Maybe process
feedback?
○ 2nd round people were more relaxed
○ More people doing the observations would help
scheduling so teacher can use it where it fits
○ If the strategy is not going well for teacher, can
 coach give feedback?- yes, ONLY about the
strategy
○ Build capacity for teachers to want to observe each
other as well
○ Decided to put on the form the option to be
observed by an administrator or coach (also
add Monica & Cory)
● Each building will schedule their own way

Feedback from How can we make sure that everyone understands that we all
teachers have literacy standards?
● Do we need to print them for everyone?
● Every teacher is getting a common core companion book
Overall positive feedback

Challenges we need to address:

● Resources for teaching reasoning
● Prompt writing support
● Developing lessons for reasoning, introductions, using
quotations, transitions, finding evidence/supporting ideas,
etc.

Rubrics Crosswalk with ISASP or just use ISASP?

How can we better support teachers so that they are getting to this
step? (collaborative inquiry/analyzing student work?)

What calibration process do we need?

Next meeting 10 - Date: October 7th

details mins - Time: 8 - 10 a.m.
- Place: White House Board Room
- Set agenda before we leave:
- Collaborative Inquiry (Sarah bringing work)
-

Upcoming
Important
DATES
Tool box for https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/grammar-spelling-errors/
teachers and
students