Progress Reports?

Teachers,

Here is your weekly dose of “5-Point Friday. 

Progress Reports?  —

At Community Council meeting today there was a concern that was brought up and I want you to think about how we can address it. A parent wanted to know how we as a school can communicate with parents better the things we are doing at school and the progress their students are making. The suggestion was brought up to use powerschool and input all the tests and assignments we do. I mentioned that we are looking at progress in skills and not just numbers on a test. My philosophy in elementary school is that when we test we are not just looking at how many problems students are missing, but which problems they are missing and why they are missing them. So 7/10 does not always mean they are proficient because they earned the 70%, but that they master the 7 and now it is the 3 we need to look at to help in that area. Observations are also a little hard to input into Powerschool. Numbers do not always tell the full story. But the concern is a good one. How do we let parents know between SEP conferences how students are doing? If there is a concern with a specific concept that parents could help with at home, do they know what it is and how they can address it at home? There are some great things happening in our school in this area. What can you do as a teacher that does not take a lot of extra time, but will give the parents some information about how their student is doing, especially if they were told their student is struggling during an SEP? Communication is important. How do we keep the parents in the loop throughout the year? It does not have to be daily, or even weekly.  Talk about this in your teams and discuss some ideas.

Quote I’m pondering —

“Encouragement is oxygen to the soul.” — George M. Adams

What I’m Watching —

YouTube Channels for Elementary Students

These are some good resources for math videos. I am not saying hand them over to your students and let them go, but there are some great videos here to show or to embed in Powerschool Learning. Make sure you watch them first if you use them with students.

Favorite Article This Week —

The Secret of Effective Feedback

This has an interesting thought about what we are expecting when we assign work. What we do with that work can turn it from an assessment of what the child can do to how we can help the student be a better learner. Interesting article. 

A Big Thank You —

Thank you Fourth grade teachers. for all you do. I appreciate the work you do in your PLC as you work through what is best for students. I appreciate the work Diana does with engagement, getting the students up and moving, discussion with each other, and being excited when you do it. I appreciate the hard work Kristen puts in as she works with her team to form a plan that will carry through the year. Changing what is needed as she learns what needs to be changed. And I appreciate the ideas and tenacity Derrell has to be a teacher everyday after deciding one day to see what this teaching thing is all about. Thank you for being a strong team. Thank you for being willing learners and amazing teachers. Thank you for all you do. Thank you.

I appreciate all of you and your hard work. Have a wonderful weekend.