Learning Bulletin
This page features stories of school districts or SCOE teams engaged in deep, ongoing work to improve school systems and outcomes for students..
Sonoma County educators focus on 'mathematical excellence' and equity through Lesson Study program
Date: 03/22/2023
Author: Nashelly Chavez, Sonoma County Office of Education
McDowell Elementary students participate in a counting activity in Mrs. Starr Salazar's classroom. (Photos courtesy of Starr Salazar)
Starr Salazar’s motivation for joining Lesson Study, a professional opportunity that allows teachers to further their understanding of what cultivates and impedes learning, was simple: she wanted to make math more fun for her students.
Salazar, a Special Day Class teacher of kindergarten through 3rd-grade students at McDowell Elementary in Petaluma, tapped into that goal earlier this year, when she gave her students the choice of an array of objects to count, along with tools and containers they could use to accomplish the task.
The lesson came from Megan Franke's Choral Counting & Counting Collections, a book she researched as part of Lesson Study. It offers ways for students to make sense of key concepts that are often challenging to grasp.
Soon, she noticed one of her 3rd-grade students began assembling a pile of plastic teddy bears in rows of 10 without having received any direction to do so. The activity was an effective segue into a lesson planned for the next day on multiplication, an important concept for the student’s grade level, Salazar said.
“You remember those teddy bears? Well that’s what multiplication is all about,” Salazar said she told the student.
“For me to be able to take it from there the next day, it was fascinating,” Salazar said of the experience.
The exercise was part of her participation in the Lesson Study group, which is overseen by the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE). The program currently involves 10 groups of teachers throughout the county who meet in teams twice a month to share research, best practices, and insights from the lessons they incorporate into their respective classrooms as part of the program.
Emily Akinshin, a Math Coordinator at SCOE who facilitates Lesson Study, said the professional development has a dual focus on mathematical excellence and equity. It is designed to be teacher driven, explore best practices, and address equity challenges.
“They get to dive deeply into the lives of students, and that changes relationships and mindsets around our students,” Akinshin said of the teachers who participate in the program. “(It improves) relationships, empathy, brings focus to students' strengths rather than their weaknesses, and informs how lessons are designed based on that understanding.”
The program culminates in a public lesson, in which experts in the fields of mathematics and equity come to observe the Lesson Study participants as they design a lesson plan and then implement it with a group of students, followed by a debriefing session.
“We’re not looking at the teachers,” Akinshin said of the public lesson. “People who come in to observe the lesson are looking at students. We’re looking for how they respond to the lesson … and is their work evidence of what we wanted to achieve in the lesson?”
Josh Deis, a Math Coordinator at Petaluma City Schools who previously held Akinshin’s role at SCOE for 14 years, said Lesson Study has been around in Sonoma County since 1999.
It gained popularity after it proved an effective professional development tool for teachers, he said. He believes the program’s positive impact is multi-faceted, he added, boosting not only teachers’ confidence but also creating a space for them to get curious.
“It builds teacher leadership,” Deis said. “The teachers are driving the process and asking their own questions. Doing the study, that builds their leadership voice and advocacy voice for students.”
For Salazar, her participation in Lesson Study has helped her incorporate techniques that support deep student learning in a way that’s interactive for her students and branches outside of what’s in a textbook, she said.
“As teachers, we’re so afraid that we’re not going to hit whatever benchmark by a particular date, that we lose track of the meaning of everything,” she said. “But if you incorporate these (techniques), it will be easier for students to go through unit 3 and then 4 and 5, because there’s understanding there.”
The program typically starts in the fall, though recruitment begins in the spring semester, Akinshin said.
Want to learn more about Lesson Study? Contact Emily Akinshin at eakinshin@scoe.org.
SCOE Launches Initiative to Advance Equity-Based Framework in Schools
Date: 01/06/2023
Author: Nashelly Chavez, Sonoma County Office of Education
When asked what moment sticks out to her from the school year so far, Sonoma County Office of Education employee Kelly Matteri’s mind goes to a shared learning day in November attended by about 70 people, ranging from local instructional aides and classroom teachers to district superintendents and principals.
Matteri, a universal design for learning and instructional equity coordinator at SCOE, said the gathering was part of SCOE’s new EQUITY. together. initiative, which looks to support Sonoma County school and districts in developing and sustaining equity-based Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).
MTSS aims to align schools’ policies, services, and culture so all students — regardless of their identity, needs or socioeconomic background — have an opportunity for academic, behavioral, and social success. The framework focuses on developing systems that are flexible and responsive to students' strengths and needs.
The teams participating in that workshop were asked to map out what it would take to connect students with the services they need.
“They had Post-its, markers, and chart paper,” Matteri said as she reflected on the day's activities. “(They showed) enthusiasm and motivation to do right by their students and take concrete steps to literally map out what that path looks like.”
SCOE debuted EQUITY. together. this school year. Thirteen teams, including districts and individual school sites from throughout Sonoma County, are participating in the initiative, which is being led by members of SCOE’s Educational Support Services and Behavioral Health teams, as well as the Sonoma County Special Education Local Plan Area, or SELPA.
Their support includes connecting schools and districts to MTSS resources and experts, hosting shared learning days like the one in November, helping leverage existing strengths, and identifying and addressing weak spots with an eye for quantifying and tracking progress over time.
While there is no formal mandate that schools implement MTSS on their campuses, Matteri said the work is recognized as a best practice and is the direction the field of education is moving toward.
“At every layer of the system, we are overburdened and deeply taxed … and we’re seeing the effects that all of this is having on students, families and educators,” Matteri said. “Instead of trying to fix things piecemeal, or put our heads down and not address things, let’s actually think really systemically and say ‘What are the pieces we really know students and families need? What are the pieces that educators really need?’”
While the state provides a framework for developing and applying MTSS at schools, the teams involved in EQUITY. together. are able to tailor the framework to fit their specific needs and goals.
Most have finished their first iteration of self-assessment and are in the process of picking a “change idea,” or an area within their educational system that the team would like to improve on, Matteri said. The members leading the initiative will now work with the teams to develop equitable and culturally responsive solutions to those areas based on evidence-based practices, she added.
“MTSS, when done with fidelity, has some certain core components and characteristics, but how they show up in each district is going to be different based on the district and their needs and context,” Matteri said.
At Old Adobe Union School District in Petaluma, the challenges experienced by students during distance learning resulted in a desire to provide greater district-level support to students, district Co-Superintendent Cindy Friberg said.
Staff also showed overwhelming support for participating in EQUITY. together. after the district attended a kick-off for the initiative in April, Co-Superintendent Michele Gochberg said.
“People were energized and excited, and looked at this as a way to connect all the great things that we have in place and build on that,” Gochberg said.
So far, the team that Old Adobe Union School District has compiled to be part of EQUITY. together. has met twice with SCOE staff as an entire group and several more times in smaller numbers.
The district has also completed a self-assessment as part of its work and found that not only are there foundational pieces already in place at their district as it relates to MTSS, but there’s also a common interest in focusing on inclusive academic instruction across school sites, Gochberg said.
Early this year, they’ll meet with the SWIFT Education Center, an equity-based MTSS and inclusive education research and technical assistance center that’s seen as a leader in the field.
“The bottom line is that we’re here for the kids,” Gochberg said of the district’s participation in the initiative. “It’s all about student learning, student growth, and student success, and this is the vehicle to get there.”
Those interested in learning more about SCOE’s EQUITY. together. initiative can reach out to Kelly Matteri at kmatteri@scoe.org.
Certificate Program Helps Teachers Develop Leadership Skills
Date: 10/04/2022
Author: Nashelly Chavez, Sonoma County Office of Education
Nicole Ellwood helps two students with an assignment at Twin Hills Charter Middle School in Sebastopol on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Photo by Nashelly Chavez)
It’s no coincidence that Nicole Ellwood, an education specialist at Twin Hills Charter Middle School, has worked in special education for the entirety of her 26-year teaching career. There’s something special about working with smaller groups of students and witnessing those “Aha!” moments in a child’s educational journey, she said.
But working at the small Twin Hills Union School District means that she doesn’t have access to a team that’s solely dedicated to special education as is the case at many other school districts, Ellwood said.
While she saw herself as a leader on her campus, she wasn’t interested in becoming an administrator, a typical route many educators take when looking to advance their careers, she added.
Ellwood had the opportunity to address both of those challenges two years ago, when she joined the ranks of the local educators who have gone through SCOE’s Teacher Leadership Certificate Program.
The two-year curriculum program advances the professional development of K-12 teachers with three or more years of experience in Sonoma County who consistently play informal or formal leadership roles in their school or district.
SCOE’s Teacher Leadership Certificate Program began in 2016 and is operated in partnership with the University of California, Davis and the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy grant. SCOE will launch the program’s fourth cohort this month.
The training, which is free to teachers, gave her the opportunity to network with other educators and deepen her skills while remaining in her classroom, Ellwood said.
“Being able to be part of a program where I could develop my leadership skills and feel safe to be who I was, it was just the right timing in my career,” Ellwood said. “The program itself really rejuvenated me and reminded me that there’s more to the education umbrella than just what happens in my classroom everyday.”
The program is based on the Teacher Leader Model Standards, or seven domains that describe the attributes of teacher leadership. Research has linked the leadership practice to improved student outcomes.
That impact was part of the impetus for developing the teacher leadership program, said Sarah Lundy, the director of leadership development for SCOE’s Educational Support Services (ESS) department and one of the leadership program’s facilitators.
Creating a formal advancement opportunity for teachers that doesn’t require them to become administrators, while also leveraging their unique set of skills to solve problems within their classrooms, was another driver for the creation of the program, she said.
“The focus is really on, ‘How do I take the success that I'm experiencing in my classroom and broaden my influence in ways that fit with my personal strengths and desire to grow as a leader?’” Lundy said.
Brulene Zanutto, the young learners program specialist for ESS and another program facilitator, said the course is an opportunity for teachers to explore who they are as leaders and the values that drive their work. Working collaboratively and learning how to engage with others, whether it be members of their cohort or school colleagues, are other important components of the program, Zanutto said.
The program culminates in the participants using their strengths to address a “problem in practice,” or a challenge that they’ve encountered in their own classroom or campus, Lundy said.
Among the projects that have come out of the Teacher Leadership Certificate Program was the creation of a professional learning series for student teachers at Sonoma State University that bridged the gap between the formal training they received to become teachers and the work that a local school district was asking them to do. Another participant established a peer counseling program that paired middle school students with younger students.
“She was able to use the program as an opportunity to reflect on a real need that she was seeing,” Lundy said of the participant.
The program has doubled in size since its inception and school districts that send teachers to the two-year course for the first time often do so again, Lundy said.
Though the application window for the upcoming cohort has closed, teacher leaders interested in applying for the next one will be able to do so in 2024. The application process includes a brief purpose statement and recommendations by current site and district administrators, as well as colleagues.
“We really want to know that students are going to be impacted and every single teacher is going to have a transformational experience,” Lundy said.
Those interested in signing up for the Teacher Leadership Certificate Program can contact Sarah Lundy, SCOE's Director of Leadership Development, at
slundy@scoe.org or 707-522-3069.
Universal Transitional Kindergarten: Building a New Foundation for the Youngest Learners
Date: 03/07/2022
Author: Eric Wittmershaus, Sonoma County Office of Education
Educators take part in a STEAM training at the Healdsburg North Bay Children's Center Preschool at Fitch Mountain Elementary School in Healdsburg. (Photo by Ryan Kurada)
Ryan Kurada remembers his reaction the first time someone suggested he teach kindergartners.
“Is that the grade where they eat paste out of cans and take naps?” recalled Kurada.
But now, after several years of using project-based learning to educate the youngest schoolchildren, Kurada is part of a team at the Sonoma County Office of Education that is helping teachers prepare for universal transitional kindergarten.
The once skeptical rookie teacher has become an eager evangelist for the benefits of starting public school at age 4 and potentially as early as 3.
Major shift ahead
SCOE’s work comes as California stands on the brink of a generational shift in how our youngest students learn. The state will be phasing in an effort to make every 4-year-old eligible for transitional kindergarten by 2025-26.
SCOE staff who are laying the groundwork for this change say it presents an opportunity to rethink how we educate young children, folding in best practices from a multifaceted early childhood education system and laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Brulene Zanutto, SCOE’s coordinator of early literacy and school readiness, is leading the TK effort, part of a shift to what is known as a P-3 model of education emphasizing instruction from preschool through third grade. Zanutto said the state’s plan to foster public education beginning at age 4 and eventually age 3 will incorporate successful practices from a complex system that includes approaches ranging from Head Start programs to state-run preschools and daycare settings in private homes.
“The (current) early childhood education system does amazing work, but there are a lot of successful approaches to consider when crafting a TK program,” Zanutto said.
Advocates for children have applauded expanding public education to younger children, which would take early childhood programs that many working families can’t afford and make them part of public schooling, free to all children.
“Having a child in a safe learning environment for free is very attractive to some families,” Zanutto said. Private programs can cost $11,000 a year and even families who can afford that have found that Sonoma County does not have enough available slots for the region’s youngsters.
Refreshing current approaches
As the public education system expands, it presents an opportunity to revisit and refresh current approaches. For example, Zanutto said metric-driven assessments of education, such as standardized testing or graduation rates, can foster too narrow a focus on specific points of students’ educational journeys. A more holistic approach would begin at an early age, as young as 3, and prioritize growth every year of a student’s time in schools.
Zanutto and Kurada each said they hope the value of this approach will become clear over time.
“My hope is that over the next five years, SCOE can really get into that conversation … and help our county to realize that, oh my goodness, if we really focus on these young learners and give them the best start possible, those third grade reading scores and eighth grade math scores are going to get better,” she said.
In order for this expansion of public school to be a success, districts need to do more than just bring 3- and 4-year-olds into current public school settings and expect them to thrive.
Teacher training crucial
Perhaps the biggest adjustment school communities face is in the area of teacher credentialing and training at a time when many districts are contending with teacher shortages at all grade levels. That’s because right now, Zanutto said, early childhood educators and K-12 teachers often follow different career development tracks.
“Teaching a 4-year-old is very different from teaching a 10-year-old,” Zanutto said. “The way our systems are set up … pretty early on, you have to decide, ‘Do I want to teach preschool or elementary school?’”
Currently, you can become an elementary school teacher without having to take a child development course, but such classes are typically foundational for preschool teachers, Zanutto said.
In order to qualify teachers who have received a traditional K-12 training for early childhood education, California’s Legislature has created multiple pathways, including a 24-unit certificate program, a specialized teaching permit for preschool or allowing districts to demonstrate that individual instructors have real-world experience equivalent to the 24 units.
To help ensure enough teachers are able to qualify for early childhood education jobs at a time when there’s a teacher shortage, SCOE is partnering with the North Coast School of Education to develop a low-cost program with the aim of creating a pathway for current credentialed teachers to earn 24 units of early childhood education. The NCSOE of education Beginning Teacher program allows preschool teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree to earn a teaching credential while teaching in a TK classroom, qualifying more teachers faster via a program they can afford.
College and Career Readiness Connects Students to Success
Date: 11/15/2021
Author: Sheldon Reber
Healdsburg Junior High School students work on a Switch electric vehicle.
A new path to help students realize their goals after high school is offered by a team of educators at the Sonoma County Office of Education. With an innovative ethos, College and Career Readiness serves career readiness and career technical education providers with resources, support, and program development expertise so that students gain the skills and confidence to succeed in life.
According to Jessica Progulske, College & Career Readiness lead in SCOE’s Educational Support Services Department, the catalyst for changing the direction of career and technical education was the 2020-21 Youth Truth survey.
“The local Youth Truth survey collected responses from 13,000 students on topics like academic challenges, school culture, and social and emotional needs,” said Progulske.
The feedback pointed to students feeling overwhelmed with a sense of not being ready for college and a career.
What are the aspects of readiness? “It’s everything from a student’s personal plan for their future that matters to them, to technical support and training, to wraparound social and emotional support that helps them succeed to get to where they’re going,” said Progulske.
To support the change in direction, the recent Sonoma County Portrait of a Graduate initiative included interviews and input from more than 1,000 community members.
“They identified a half dozen attributes and skills that young people need to master to be ready,” said Chuck Wade, SCOE’s College and Career Readiness Lead. “Somewhat to our surprise, those things didn’t include technical skills. We heard very clearly, even from our largest employers in the county, that they need K-12 educators to focus on developing human qualities in their students like being able to collaborate well, communicate well, to be curious, be empathetic, and have a sense of ethics.”
Progulske points out that the shift from career technical education to college and career readiness doesn’t mean abandoning technical education.
“Historically in our community and elsewhere there has been an either or path after high school — college or career,” said Progulske. “Even if we are supporting college-bound students well, they will want a career, too. We want to make sure every option is open to each student based on what they want.”
The team is ready to help district administrators make sense of the complexities and challenges of College and Career Readiness, take best advantage of the opportunities for students, and understand the shifts in how funding for the program works.
“We’ve also developed support for educators and counselors in how to provide relevant learning opportunities for students that incorporate high quality workplace learning experiences,” said Wade. “Sometimes offering these opportunities is logistically challenging for districts as it requires a lot of outreach and connection to community partners — we expect to do a lot of work around that.”
Wade and Progulske look forward to facilitating whole faculty conversations about the pathways educators want to develop for young people that will give them an opportunity to stay in Sonoma County and develop skills that will help them thrive.
“That’s an important conversation we want to support each district in having and thinking about,” said Wade.
The College and Career Readiness team expects to launch a new website in January which will include support, resources, and videos. For more information contact Chuck Wade at cwade@scoe.org and Jessica Progulske at jprogulske@scoe.org.
Responding to Our Students and Today's Challenges
Date: 08/20/2021
Author:
In an ever-changing community that is part of a constantly evolving world we, as educators, are called on to grow, adjust, and be responsive to the needs of the students we serve.
Wildfires, floods, pandemics, social movements, and a shifting economy have changed the fabric of our community. They have stressed our mental health and resiliency. At the same time, our students are more diverse than ever before, and we are tasked with preparing them for a world that is radically different from the one that existed just 10 years ago.
During the summer of 2020, as civil unrest rippled across the country, students of color reached out to local educational leaders and asked for a chance for their voices to be heard. When we really began listening, we were saddened by what we heard: Instances of overt and more subtle racism were far too common in our schools, and this had serious consequences. You can read these powerful student statements of subtle and overt discrimination in our schools in the SonomaStudentVoices website, which captures insights from a series of Student Voices Forums held in the Fall of 2020.
After the forums, SCOE is committed more than ever to supporting equity work among teachers and districts.
Our county’s educational outcome statistics show us that when students feel less engaged in their education, they are often less motivated to do well. This manifests itself in the rates at which students are suspended, expelled, or chronically absent, as well as college-going rates. These numbers, and the students’ own voices, serve as a powerful call to action to do better.
Schools can and should consider student voices when they develop policies that impact those students. We commend local educators for rising to the occasion to listen to our students when they asked to be heard, and to consider change when they asked for it. Schools may consider offering ethnic studies courses, diversifying their curriculum, creating a student advisory panel, participating in a reading project such as Conversations in Common,
One such equity effort SCOE is spearheading is increasing teacher diversity in Sonoma County. While Latinx students make up 46 percent of our student body, only 8 percent of teachers represent this group. We know that students are more engaged and do better when they see leaders in the school system who look like them and understand their background. SCOE has launched a teacher diversity full scholarship program to help encourage and expand the opportunities for diverse teaching candidates. Learn more at ncsoe.org
SCOE strongly supports state, county, and school district efforts to promote racial/gender justice, confront bias, and foster tolerance in our school communities.
We encourage you to use these resources to supplement your own learning and teaching so that our school communities can be a place where all students feel they are welcomed, have their voices heard, and reach their full potential without bias and discrimination. By listening to our students, we can ensure that everyone has the support they need to be healthy, feel welcome, and find success in school.
Learn More and Take Action
- View a range of suggested actions based on student insights shared during 2020 at sonomastudentvoices.org.
- Find ways to listen to student perspectives on your campus, such as creating a diverse student advisory board or holding school-based forums featuring student voice
- SCOE’s Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-racism Resources page offers resources for educators, parents, and community members, carefully curated by a group of equity-minded mental health professionals and educators who work for the Sonoma County Office of Education.
- Read and share SCOE’s Spotlight on Equity
Responding to Our Students and Today's Challenges
Date: 08/20/2021
Author:
In an ever-changing community that is part of a constantly evolving world we, as educators, are called on to grow, adjust, and be responsive to the needs of the students we serve.
Wildfires, floods, pandemics, social movements, and a shifting economy have changed the fabric of our community. They have stressed our mental health and resiliency. At the same time, our students are more diverse than ever before, and we are tasked with preparing them for a world that is radically different from the one that existed just 10 years ago.
During the summer of 2020, as civil unrest rippled across the country, students of color reached out to local educational leaders and asked for a chance for their voices to be heard. When we really began listening, we were saddened by what we heard: Instances of overt and more subtle racism were far too common in our schools, and this had serious consequences. You can read these powerful student statements of subtle and overt discrimination in our schools in the SonomaStudentVoices website, which captures insights from a series of Student Voices Forums held in the Fall of 2020.
After the forums, SCOE is committed more than ever to supporting equity work among teachers and districts.
Our county’s educational outcome statistics show us that when students feel less engaged in their education, they are often less motivated to do well. This manifests itself in the rates at which students are suspended, expelled, or chronically absent, as well as college-going rates. These numbers, and the students’ own voices, serve as a powerful call to action to do better.
Schools can and should consider student voices when they develop policies that impact those students. We commend local educators for rising to the occasion to listen to our students when they asked to be heard, and to consider change when they asked for it. Schools may consider offering ethnic studies courses, diversifying their curriculum, creating a student advisory panel, participating in a reading project such as Conversations in Common,
One such equity effort SCOE is spearheading is increasing teacher diversity in Sonoma County. While Latinx students make up 46 percent of our student body, only 8 percent of teachers represent this group. We know that students are more engaged and do better when they see leaders in the school system who look like them and understand their background. SCOE has launched a teacher diversity full scholarship program to help encourage and expand the opportunities for diverse teaching candidates. Learn more at ncsoe.org
SCOE strongly supports state, county, and school district efforts to promote racial/gender justice, confront bias, and foster tolerance in our school communities.
We encourage you to use these resources to supplement your own learning and teaching so that our school communities can be a place where all students feel they are welcomed, have their voices heard, and reach their full potential without bias and discrimination. By listening to our students, we can ensure that everyone has the support they need to be healthy, feel welcome, and find success in school.
Learn More and Take Action
- View a range of suggested actions based on student insights shared during 2020 at sonomastudentvoices.org.
- Find ways to listen to student perspectives on your campus, such as creating a diverse student advisory board or holding school-based forums featuring student voice
- SCOE’s Social Justice, Equity, and Anti-racism Resources page offers resources for educators, parents, and community members, carefully curated by a group of equity-minded mental health professionals and educators who work for the Sonoma County Office of Education.
- Read and share SCOE’s Spotlight on Equity
Bridging the gap between distance and in person learning
Date: 02/18/2021
Author: Jamie Hansen, Sonoma County Office of Education
“When the children return to school, they will have returned with a new history that we will need to help them identify and make sense of. When the children return to school, we will need to listen to them. Let their stories be told. They have endured a year that has no parallel in modern times. There is no assessment that applies to who they are or what they have learned. Remember, their brains did not go into hibernation during this year. Their brains may not have been focused on traditional school material, but they did not stop either. Their brains may have been focused on where their next meal is coming from, or how to care for a younger sibling, or how to deal with missing grandma, or how it feels to have to surrender a beloved pet, or how to deal with death. Our job is to welcome them back and help them write that history.”
—Teresa Thayer Snyder, Retired Superintendent of the Voorheesville district in upstate New York in a Facebook post highlighted on a blog by Diane Ravitch
_________________________________
With the prospect of bringing children back to the classroom in the weeks and months ahead, educators are turning their focus to how they will bridge the divide between distance and in-person learning.
Teachers might feel pressured to make up for lost time and close any learning gaps as soon as possible. We encourage educators to rethink what has typically been referred to as “learning loss.” While there will surely be learning gaps in core content that must be addressed, students have also learned and grown in countless other ways during the pandemic. They have gained technology skills, resiliency, adaptability, to name a few. It is important for educators to find ways to measure, honor and build on this.
By reframing the issue as “unfinished learning,” educators can turn their focus to what other learning has occurred: What new assets do students bring to the classroom? It also removes the blame from the student or family and acknowledges that learning is not always linear.
Focus on Engagement and Connection Before Content
The return to the classroom will present an opportunity to re-set the tone. It will be a chance to deepen connections with students, build positivity, strengthen student engagement, and rekindle a love of learning.
School and district curriculum leaders should keep the focus on grade-level content and rigor, addressing learning gaps as needed within the context of grade-level work.
Daily re-engagement of prior knowledge in the context of grade-level assignments will add up over time, resulting in more functional learning than if we resort to watered down instruction or try to reteach topics out of context.
“[A]void the temptation to rush to cover all of the ‘gaps’ in learning from the last school year. The pace required to cover all of this content will mean rushing ahead of many students, leaving them abandoned and discouraged,” wrote the Council of the Great City Schools in “Addressing Unfinished Learning After COVID-19 School Closures” last year. “Moreover, at a time when social-emotional wellbeing, agency, and engagement are more important than ever, instructional haste may eclipse the patient work of building academic character and motivation.”
Three Pillars to Re-Engagement and Addressing Unfinished Learning
Provide grade-level instruction
In mathematics, the focus should be on the “Big Ideas” of the grade level rather than individual standards. This allows for a deeper understanding and building of connection across the standards. A document outlining these Big Ideas will be put out from the state later this spring.
In ELA/literacy instruction, the focus should be on:
- Learning to Read
- Close Reading of Complex Text
- Volume of Reading to Build Knowledge
Teachers should focus on standards that represent these pillars. Student Achievement Partners at achievethecore.org have identified 14 instructional priority standards that represent this. These standards, and guidance on how to address them, can be found at this link
Monitor for evidence of unfinished learning
When monitoring for unfinished learning, it isn’t necessary or recommended to spend too much time testing students with systematic, high-level assessments that don’t always give the most actionable data and may cause students additional stress. The best way to monitor student progress is through authentic classroom tasks. Educators are encouraged to use formative assessment strategies to help gauge student progress.
"Achieve the Core" recommends using assessment in the following ways in order to monitor unfinished learning and identify where extra help is needed.
- Use assessment to determine how to bring students into grade-level instruction, not whether to bring them into it.
- Use assessment to center formative practices (FAST SCASS, 2018). Leverage such sources of information as exit tickets, student work, and student discussions. Use these sources of information to inform instructional choices in connection with high-quality instructional materials.
- Use assessment to employ targeted checks for very specific subject and grade-level instructional purposes.
Provide scaffolding and connection when needed
Educators are encouraged not to make assumptions about what students “didn’t get” this year or last year. When there is evidence that a student is unsure, hesitant, or struggling, that is the time to use scaffolding and support at a level that is in proportion to their needs. That is to say, avoid going straight to a massive remediation plan. Students may need just a bit of encouragement, explanation, or to see the material presented in a different way. In the event that a student does need more intensive support, be sure that any intervention or remediation is in addition to grade level content, and does not replace it.
The goal is to provide “just in time” support as teachers and students work on grade-level content instead of “just in case” remediation. The latter approach has been shown not to work in disaster contexts such as schools in Louisiana coming back after Hurricane Katrina. (Here is a resource that addresses this).
Additional Information and Resources
- This EdSource article highlights strategies for addressing learning gaps.
- Read about how the attributes identified in the Sonoma County Portrait of a Graduate are more important than ever during this time of disruption in this blog post by SCOE Director of Innovation and Partnerships, Dan Blake.
- Education Week: Students Respond to Adult Fixation on Learning Loss: In this article, educator Larry Ferlazzo writes, "If we are going to address the academic loss that may have occurred during the pandemic, then we also need to fully understand the other kinds of loss our young people have experienced and have plans in place to support them through those losses." He asks his students directly how the pandemic has affected them and what they feel they have learned and lost. He shares their insights here.
Districts, SCOE Come Together to Address Distance Learning Challenges
Date: 11/18/2020
Author:
Grades and Social-Emotional Data Serve as a Call to Action
This fall, several Sonoma County superintendents recognized several trends related to staff and student wellbeing that caused great concern.
First, they began seeing a significant increase in students receiving failing grades, particularly in high school.
They also recognized that a large number of teachers were struggling with the stress of distance learning, managing their own families during COVID, and an intense wildfire season.
Finally, a survey conducted by the nonprofit organization YouthTruth of more than 4,500 Sonoma County high school students found that 71% reported that “feeling anxious about the future” was the number one barrier to distance learning. YouthTruth conducts surveys of high school students across California and the nation, and this finding was unique to Sonoma County. Looking at over 20,000 students across 20 other school systems (in California and across 8 other states) surveyed during the same period, the most frequently cited obstacle from those systems was “distractions at home.”
While it was no secret that distance learning and COVID-19 presented unparalleled challenges for teachers, families, and students alike, all this information, put together, served as a call to action. Urgent action was clearly needed to support the wellbeing of students and staff as well as to ensure students’ academic success.
Districts, SCOE Join Together to Confront Challenges
Superintendents came together across the high school districts to look at their data and urgently address these problems. At their request, SCOE held a convening over two, four-hour sessions for high school districts to delve into the data, hear different voices, surface bright spots, identify new strategies, and determine substantive next steps. Teams from each district attended, including teachers, counselors, principals, superintendents, and more.
They heard from students about the pressures they were facing at home and the obstacles to learning remotely. They reviewed county-wide grade data and received a report from YouthTruth about student engagement and wellbeing.
Surfacing Bright Spots
The second day of the convening focused on surfacing bright spots and learning from those who were seeing success in distance learning.
At Rancho Cotate High School, fewer students are receiving F’s this year, in contrast to the overall county trend. Principal Louis Ganzler described his school’s “3x3” approach to scheduling, where students take just three classes each semester, for a total of six over the course of the year. Fewer courses at one time have allowed students and teachers to develop closer relationships over distance learning and has mitigated the sense of overwhelm that many students and staff are experiencing.
“We're covering the same material at the end of the year, a student (still) has six classes on their transcript, but we are seeing that it has taken an enormous amount of pressure off both students and teachers,” he said.
Brandy Raymond, Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator at Roseland Charter, shared how her district has built on the strength of teacher relationships with students and focused its efforts on parent and student outreach. This includes giving teachers time each afternoon to call and text families of students who missed class that day.
“We have an hour in the afternoon each day where teachers are reaching out to students through student support and parent communication time,” she shared. “ If students didn't show up to a class, their teachers are on the phone, they are texting them, they are emailing them. they're calling families and they're just relentless to get them to attend those zoom meetings.”
Planning Next Steps
To translate the convening into meaningful action, participants came together as district teams and in job-alike groups across school districts to discuss short-term, mid-term, and long-term next steps.
While this first event focused on high school, everyone acknowledged that these critical issues exist at the elementary and middle school levels as well. SCOE will be hosting two separate summits for elementary and middle schools in early 2020.
“These convenings, where district teams came together to address common challenges, was a very inspiring first step,” said Dr. Jennie Snyder, Deputy Superintendent of Instruction at SCOE. “This is an opportunity for districts to learn from each other and with each other as they work to improve student experiences during the pandemic and into the future. We look forward to working alongside them as they take their next steps in this endeavor.”
These gatherings represent a remarkable coming together of school leaders and educators across Sonoma County to address these urgent challenges for the sake of our children.
“We thank the school leaders who brought this forward for their vision and commitment to Sonoma County young people,” said Steve Herrington, Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools. “We look forward to working alongside educators across the county to address these unprecedented challenges.”
Initiatives for Change
Date: 09/16/2020
Author: Jamie Hansen
Today we are facing a two-fold national crisis: The Covid-19 pandemic and the call for social justice. Our students are at the forefront of experiencing the impact of both crises. Covid-19 has forced education to convert traditional classroom teaching to social distance learning. This change has brought to light the disparity among marginalized and disadvantaged students. At the same time, tragic events have led to a civil discourse for social justice and equality. This has opened the conversation on how to change the future of education for students of color. As a result, many local educators have already begun to team up to make change across our school districts.
In this month’s Learning Bulletin, SCOE is highlighting educational initiatives that are tackling some of these issues. Read on to learn more and find ways to get involved in addressing equity in distance learning.
CARE Collective
The CARE Collective, led by SCOE’s Educational Support Services team, strives to bring educators together to share and build knowledge related to how to support students and their families during distance learning and COVID-19. Focused on equity, the Collective will address three key interrelated areas: physical safety, emotional connection, and academic learning. In order to ensure that ALL families survive and thrive, the CARE Collective unites the resources, knowledge, and cultural assets of community leaders and organizations. Educators and adults working in schools are invited to register. The first virtual gatherings are happening soon. Learn more and sign up to participate at scoe.org/carecollective.
Student Voices on Racism, Equity, and Social Justice
A series of forums called Student Voices on Racism, Equity, and Social Justice is meant to provide students of color the chance to speak directly to school leaders to share their experiences and ideas on making schools more equitable. Hosted by SCOE, these forums are designed to help school leaders learn directly from those they are serving. The first event, the Black Student Voices forum, took place Tuesday, Sept. 15. Subsequent forums this fall will feature the voices of Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Indigenous students. Learn more and register at scoe.org/classes.
Conversations in Common: A Collaborative Diversity & Inclusion Reading Project
Led by superintendents at Harmony and Forestville school districts as well as librarians and educators from across the county, this project is a synchronized, community-wide, book reading program focused on diversity, inclusion, and social justice narratives. A different text will be selected for different age ranges. A central goal of the project is to elevate the capacity of our schools, families, and communities, to engage in conversations of this nature. To receive further information about this project, please sign-up at bit.ly/ConversationsInCommon.
Equity in Education Initiative
The Equity in Education Initiative is made of representatives from a range of nonprofits, educational, and governmental organizations working together to foster equity for students. The initiative seeks to provide tools and information to help the community bring about meaningful change. This is centered on the idea that, with a greater understanding of how the system operates educators, students, and families can better advocate for equity in policymaking. Effective change starts with active listening. By opening doors, hosting forums, and seeking out marginalized voices, the EIEI initiative seeks to provide participants with an understanding of kids’ real experience in the education system and learn what ideas and programs are needed to target inequities and roadblocks.
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Additional information and resources, including tools for understanding racism and bias at a personal level as well as in the classroom, are available at scoe.org/socialjustice.
