Snoqualmie Valley School District

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Snoqualmie Valley School District
Professional Development and Planning Time
Initiative
School Board Presentation Thursday, March 23, 2006
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Professional Development and Planning Time
Committee Members Art Galloway, Teacher-
MSHS Dave Cruz, Teacher SMS Jim Ullman,
Teacher CKMS Beth Castle, Assist. Principal
MSHS Ileen OLeary, Teacher OES John
Roeber, Teacher MSHS Dan Schlotfeldt,
Principal FCES Sydney Mullock, Teacher
FCES Don McConkey, Assist. Superintendent
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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
Rationale

• Expectations, self-imposed and system-wide for
  effective, consistent, and on-going professional
  development through training sessions, workshops,
  in-services, and classes is at an all time high.
• Standards based education along with the ever
  increasing need to learn and assimilate new
  curriculum, instructional strategies, and Best
  Practices related to improving student learning
  and achievement makes it essential to have common
  time for Professional Development.
• Increasing levels of accountability at the
  Federal and State level particularly related to
  the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
  - No Child Left Behind Legislation.

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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
Rationale

• The expectation that ALL children achieve at high
  levels.
• An increasing demand on the student to
  demonstrate high levels of achievement.
• Among the difficult issues facing education,
  perhaps the most difficult is providing time for
  schools and teachers to implement these reform
  changes effectively.
• .

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What are the advantages of the Early Dismissal
Initiative?

• Provides time to effectively address issues
  related to ESEA (NCLB)
• accountability
• No loss of teacher/student contact time
• K 12 students end school year on same day
• All release days will be the same for all
  students
• (Except Kindergarten Conferences)
• Reduce the length of the student calendar
• Helps to attract and retain teachers
• Maintains a competitiveness with neighboring
  districts
• Increases time for teacher planning and
  professional collaboration
• Provides teachers with more time to align EALRs
  and

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What are the advantages of the Early Dismissal
Initiative?

• Provides staff ongoing consistent training on
  curriculum adoptions
• Time to develop and implement buildings School
  Improvement Plans
• Provide identified staff time to Address
  Professional Certification requirements
• Develop authentic classroom assessments.
• Provides all staff with a wide range of
  on-going Professional Development opportunities.
  
• Provides more effective time for
  Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
• Enhances individual/grade level planning time.
• Review and analyze WASL assessment trends to
  modify and focus instructional strategies
• Training and implementation of the ESEA Act.
• Provide time for Successful implementation of
  SBRC and eFOLIO system

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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
How is the time being used?

• Curricula collaboration at all levels
• Align State and District EALRs, GLE
• Align WASL assessment with district and
• classroom assessments
• Address Accountability issues associated
• with ESEA (NCLB)
• Continue training for Standards-based
• reporting system
• Continue training for Electronic Portfolios
• at High School
• Develop High School four year plan
• and beyond

• Address Student Learning and Behavior
• Accommodations
• Provide on-going Professional Development
• Opportunities for Staff
• Time to learn and implement New Curriculum
• at all levels
• Provide staff continued training with new
• software and other Technology Upgrades
• Time for STAT teams to meet
• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Individual, team planning and Collaboration Time

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Snoqualmie Valley School District
Professional Development and Planning Time
Initiative
School Board Presentation Thursday, March 23, 2006
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Professional Development and Planning Time
Committee Members Art Galloway, Teacher-
MSHS Dave Cruz, Teacher SMS Jim Ullman,
Teacher CKMS Beth Castle, Assist. Principal
MSHS Ileen OLeary, Teacher OES John
Roeber, Teacher MSHS Dan Schlotfeldt,
Principal FCES Sydney Mullock, Teacher
FCES Don McConkey, Assist. Superintendent
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How will the Initiative be monitored?

• A plan for how this time will be utilized by
  each building and the district prior to the
  beginning of the 2005-06 school year and
  communicated to the parents and staff.
• Ongoing communications regarding the use of
  this time will be distributed to parents via
  school newsletters, PTSA presentations,
  Community Newsletters, classroom newsletters, on
  school bulletin boards, and School Reader Boards.
  
• Student achievement data from WASL (4th, 7th,
  10th) , ITBS (3rd, 6th, 9th) ITED (11th)
  along with 5th, 8th and 10th grade Science WASL
  results will be analyzed to assess impact of
  student achievement overtime.
• Student and Staff attendance patterns will be
  used as an evaluation data points.
• At the end of the first year of implementation
  of the PDPT proposal, parents, students and
  staff will be surveyed regarding the impact on
  school schedules.
• A mid-year and end of the year reports will be
  made to the School Board.

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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
Student Absenteeism Comparisons 2004 2005
2005 - 2006
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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
Staff Absenteeism 2005 - 2006
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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
Survey Results

• Certificated Surveys 202
• Elementary 98
• Middle School 22
• High School 22
• More than 1 Building 23
• Did not Indicate 37
• Classified Surveys 61
• Elementary School 21
• Middle School 20
• High School 13
• Did Not Indicate 7
• Administrators 6
• Middle School
• Elementary
• High School

• Parent Surveys 743
• Middle School 126
• High School 13
• Elementary Schools 225
• Multi Level 224
• Did Not Indicate 55

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(84.1)
(73.1)
(88.1)
(90.3)
(65.3)
(89.4)
(85.5)
(96.4)
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TOTAL SURVEYS RETURNED 202
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(60.9)
(72.6)
(76.6)
(71.6)
(86.1)
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TOTAL SURVEYS RETURNED 61
22
(73.7)
(80.4)
(73.8)
(64.7)
(72.4)
(49.1)
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TOTAL SURVEYS RETURNED 743
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(75)
(78)
(66)
(85)
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Total Surveys Returned 9
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Over the course of the year, these early release
day meetings have allowed high school and middle
school writing and reading teachers to
connection, establish relationships, and building
trust. Prior to this year, many of these
teachers did not know each other and did not have
the necessary relationships to work together
constructively. This new foundation built on
trust and relationships will allow teachers to
work together to develop common language and
consistent practices, which will ultimately
impact student achievement. We now have a forum
for dialogue and the trust to move forward
together to take student achievement to a higher
level. There is still much work to be done, but
I believe all cohort members are optimistic and
passionate about doing whats best for
students. Page Perey Teacher _at_ Chief Kanim
Middle School Wednesday, March 22, 2006
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The teacher directed time on Fridays has
lengthened my career ten fold. I can get all set
up for the following week, answer emails and
phone calls with time to think, and to consider
long range curriculum goals. It has also
permitted me to meet with other teachers to
address student concerns and to brainstorm
solutions. Personally, I LOVE the Friday
opportunity as I can now go home late Friday
afternoon ready to roll Monday morning. My Sunday
nights are now spent with my family instead of my
planning book. I am a more organized teacher,
much less stressed, and significantly more
productive in the classroom.   Thank you! Karen
Rockow MSHS Teacher
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Professional Development and Planning Time Early
Dismissal Initiative
Recommendations

• Continue the Early Dismissal Initiative during
  the 2006-07 school year.
• 2. Continue to use Fridays as the Early
  Dismissal day of the week
• 3. Include the first Friday during the first week
  of the school year as an Early Dismissal day
• Other Calendar Adjustments for 2006-07
• 4. Add an additional ½ day in November for
  Parent/Teacher conferences.
• 5. Add an additional full day in March for
  Kindergarten Parent/Teacher
• conferences
• Move one of the Learning Improvement Days from
  the week prior to
• the start of the school year to Friday, October
  13 Statewide Inservice
• day.

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Snoqualmie Valley School District
Stay Focused On the Kids!