Regional Consortia meeting
March 18, 2014
California Comprehensive Center at WestEd
1000 G Street, Suite 500
Sacramento CA 95814
Capitol Room
AGENDA
Day 1
9:00 AM Welcome/Agenda/Introductions/Housekeeping
Juli Coleman, Director – RSDSS Region 9, San Diego
Cindie Medeiros, Coordinator – RSDSS Region 10, San Bernardino
Notetakers – Becky Wetzel and Russ Frank
Today’s Meet and Dropbox reminders
9:15 AM Team Building Activity
Cindie Medeiros
Anticipated Outcome(s): Gain personal knowledge about other team members
We shared responses to four questions:
1. The most daring thing I have ever done is…
2. Few people know that I …
3. On my bucket list is….
4. The one thing I would miss a great deal, if taken away from me, is…
Each group of four shared two highlights.
9:30 AM New Director’s Presentation
Carlos Dominguez, Region 8, Ventura County
Carlos shared part of his life story and how he has succeeded in career and life much greater than relatives he grew up with. This led to his dissertation on “Cool Guys and School Boys” which looks at the influences that lead to success. The most influential factors were parent involvement with the kids and teacher connection with the kids. All students said school was boring. Carlos envisions helping improve school by enlivening lessons through technology as a way to connect better with kids in class. He’s hosting a technology workshop on March 25 featuring keynote speaker, Alan November (“Who Owns the Learning?”) and practitioners who use technology effectively.
10:00 AM Curriculum & Instruction Steering Committee (CISC)
Cyndy Dolph & Tim Gill
Anticipated Outcome(s): Determine (additional) topics that CISC, CACC, CDE, or colleagues can address during meeting.
Cyndy shared an edited copy of the CDE and CISC Definition of Foundational Statewide System (RSDSS) Work. The group walked through the goals with Cyndy, providing input to the document.
1. Using the term “for example” in front of in front of “LEA and SPSA) was strongly urged.
2. We talked about clarifying goal 2.4 and giving clarifying examples. We included (“eg systems alignment and progress monitoring and support at the end of 2.4”)
3. Cyndy will share the responses to the CISC Executive Board and said that a revised draft would likely be available in April.
10:30 AM
Hot Topics Brainstorm
Juli Coleman
1. The group talked about county alternative education services to districts.
2. Can anyone share a working model for applying proportionality especially considering the regulations permitting of schoolwide or districtwide approaches?
3. What are best approaches to combining LCAP with Federal planning requirements?
4. I was not able to capture two other topics.
11:15 AM California Department of Education (CDE) Updates
Keith Coppage, Education Administrator - District Innovation and Improvement Office, CDE
Topics:
There is no divisional director for District Innovation and Improvement Office since Kris Swenson was moved to focus on LCAP.
SBE updates:
1. 45 day comment period for the regulations closed yesterday.
2. Each upcoming SBE meeting on LCAP including highlighting best practices in the future.
Introduction to QSF (Quality Schooling Framework)
1. CDE has been working on this document for over a year. Originally headed up by Laura Wagner. It will be an on-line resource for all schools. CDE is working with CACC to put together an online presence to provide research-based best practice. It will include videos similar to the LCFF videos. A user then can go deeper on any of the 10 topics such as professional development.
2. By June they expect a public launch of the site. They view it as a very flexible technical resource to assess their school and assess their district. A one-stop shop for vital information. Ongoing review teams will nominate adding and removing tools.
3. You can see the initial overview video on the link that CDE provided.
4. CDE has not specifically discussed linking this yet to Brokers of Expertise.
SIG RFA
5. SIG RFA. $57 million. Reviews start the first week of April. Assuming federal release, SBE expects to approve at the May meeting.
Federal Testing Waiver
6. Federal Waiver was approved by USDE on double testing – frozen PI status for middle and elementary schools. High schools are expected to have an AYP developed from the CAHSEE.
PI Year 1 and 3 Updates
7. CDE is awaiting final approval of corrective action notification letter to PI Year 3 Cohort 7 districts. CDE will get the letter and the grant award together. They must sign and return the letter to start the release of funding. Cohort 7 has until September of 2015.
8. CDE will review PI Year 1 addenda after April 4 and provide feedback. There were 84 districts identified for PI Year 1.
Legislation
9. Federal Bills to watch 1968/HR 4000 turns Title I, II, and III funding in to block grants. 1909 allows IDEA funds for private schools.
10. State bills: AB 2408 adds parent and charter member to CCEE. SB 837 Pre-K bill. Start Pre K next year, professional development and full certification for teachers over time. Required new framework and instructional materials.
11. Fewer districts are in financial trouble.
12. Title I conference March 25 in Burlingame.
13. Standards for Career Ready Practice were distributed last week.
1:20
Hot Topic Question: Please share insights about addressing inclusion of LCAP with LEA Plans.
LCAP does not specifically ask for professional development. LEA Plan does. The assurances page for Title I must be included. CDE has taken the most recent LEA Template laid next to the LCAP template (Corrective Action 6 Template) to create a crosswalk. There’s one other item beside “professional development”.
The group proposed to set aside time at our next meeting to put the LCAP next to the Corrective Action 6 Template and create the same crosswalk.
3:30 PM Update on RSDSS Toolkit
Robin Hall, Director – RSDSS Region 4
www.motherofalltoolkits.com will have a section in it that allows all RSDSS personnel to upload documents relevant to a consortia meeting or download the documents available at the consortia meeting.
CDE and California Comprehensive Center at WestEd
Communication Presentation – Sara McClellan and Ginni Davis
Comprehensive Center at WestEd
Janice Morrison and Alejandro Hernandez – CDE
What can we do about “Communication Planning to Support Change Implementation?” This focus is especially keen with the resistance to CCSS that is emerging. How does one get ahead of the message to craft it carefully so that it is persuasive and so that others don’t tell the story for you.
1. Effective Organizational Communication is more the distributing Information: It should be about feedback and conflict. She listed other things that are important (See handout).
2. Six steps to planning for implementation: Step 1 is about why should we do this effort. What do change agents explicitly say or do to communicate the benefits and urgency.
3. Stakeholders: Who must be involved and how
4. Methods and tools: What communication methods and tools will be most effective? Find out where your audience is at a given time. Plan around that.
5. Trouble- shooting problems and anticipate the argument against it. Use that information to prepare for it.
6. Reflecting on progress. How will we measure share and respond to progress. Find out why successful events are successful – why did you (the audience) show up tonight?
We broke into teams to analyze the elements of Local Communication Planning.
How do we communicate and in what form? Have a hands-on task, do a video or screencast about having a meeting, have a creative opportunity to perform, schedule your events where the audience is or going to be anyway.
1. What is our elevator speech? This group came up with a paragraph on the elevator speech:
2. We viewed a YouTube video” Arkansas Mom Tears Apart the Common Core” One director told of a superintendent who asked his cabinet to address the objections that were raised by the mom. A scattering of the objections are listed below:
a. Mom: 8 have opted out of CC
b. Mom: 22 with pending legislation
c. Mom: It’s a plot
d. Mom: Mr. x’s class has 18 students. If the class counts around with a number and ends with 90, what did they county by. They are expected to draw 18 marks on .
e.
f. Mom: Children are coming home with low marks.
g. Mom: It’s not hysteria.
h. Mom: This program is dumbing our children down.
i. Where did you get the problem that you’re showing us?
j. How would you have handled her at this board meeting?
k. Be careful with one’s body language and tone when interacting.
3. How do we monitor if we are being effective? Are we clear about what that is? Complaints or threats. Public support by the board. What are the front line practitioners doing to inform, reassure and diffuse. What articles being published? Look at blogs, listen to the radio. What is the consistency of message? Ask your stakeholders to evaluate the implementation. Who is listening to the variety of audiences?
4. How do we convince superintendents to consider the importance of communication plans? Ask cabinets and superintendents about what are the unintended consequences are of the initiative being undertaken.
5. The Gates Foundation is starting to showcase bright spots of places that are being successful in partnering and communicating with community and other groups.
6. Art related a commercial from Sylvan that encourages parents not to allow “their children to fall behind” because of the SBAC assessment. This message help stire the anxiety for parents.
7. Build on the fact that people still trust their local leaders (teachers, principals, administrators)
8. Janice mentioned that a business coalition is promoting a positive message about the importance of CCSS.
9. Tim: If you’re revising your math curriculum, it is important to be sure that the A-G requirements are also being. Tim demonstrated how the problem 32-12 is particularly vulnerable problem which pokes fun at conceptually understanding of math.
Regional Consortia meeting
March 19, 2014
California Comprehensive Center at WestEd
1000 G Street, Suite 500
Sacramento CA 95814
Capitol Room
AGENDA
Day 2
8:30 AM Nancy Bodenhausen - CDE – Family Engagement
Anticipated Outcome(s): Information and resources on Family Engagement
We brainstormed key words or phrases that convey important research-based concepts in family engagement: families as first teachers, authentic/genuine, two way communication, involvement vs. engagement, heart and soul, information in multiple languages, partnerships, transparency with parents, build capacity, supporting learning, stewardship, Epstein, resourceful,
Nancy introduced the Family Involvement Framework. CDE and the WestEd Equity Center developed this to focus on: 1 Know your community, 2. build partnerships and 3) connect to student learning.
1. Knowing your community includes focus on strengths and assets. Nancy discussed research from Han (see handouts about immigrant families about four stages of parental involvement staring with Cultural Survivor through Cultural Leader. Within each of these demographics there are specifics that districts can link to in family involvement activities that meet the need of each stage. This handout also shows how each of the four stages needs can be met in a district.
2. Reach out to families.
3. Analyze school climate data
4. Provide opportunities for two way communication. Learn from our communities how we should strategize activities that effectively link to parents.
5. Connect to Student Learning: Align activities to district priorities and initiatives. Educate parents about expectations and college and career. Best facilitated at transition points to facilitate dialogue. Share data with parents.
We brainstormed words associated with partnerships: mutual respect, mutual agreements, trust, requires time, encompassing, focus on student learning, share vested commitment, clearly stated purpose, collaboration, listen. Web brainstormed ways that it is not. It is not one way, or “my expertise”, fundraising, not about “my goal”, no hidden agendas, not exclusive, not filled with jargon, not rubber stamping, not divided into camps, not unstructured.
6. To build partnerships means building capacity of educators to gain cultural competence and connect with families, and to build capacity of families to navigate the educations system and support learning at home.
7. But Title I section 1118 mandates parental involvement and is required for the receipt of Title I funds.
8. Henderson & Mapp (2002) and Weiss (2010), Bryk (2010) point out what research says is the positive impact of family involvement on achievement. Bryk’s study showed that family involvement was one of five pillars the organizing schools for improvement.
9. Family involvement needs a sustained, systemic structure that resists earthquakes like resistance to CCSS.
10. Parent Involvement is more salient to school.s and districts now due to LCAP, LCFF, CCSS, early learning initiatives, College and Career Readiness.
Family Engagement Framework incudes research, promising practices and state and federal program requirements.
1. It is made up of four components: 1) District Principals, 2) Required District Activities and implementation rubrics, 3) Tools for Communicating with Families, and 4) appendices.
2. Five Action Areas in the Framework: 1) Build Capacity of Educators and Parents; 2) Demonstrate Leadership; 3) Resources/Fiscal and other; 4) Monitor Progress; 5) Access and Equity.
3. All the mandates that have education code references in the appendices are still valid.
4. Nancy spent time talking about how federal and state program overlap and how they should be considered
5. CDE is working with four SoCal counties to create companion documents to the framework
6. Http://www.cde.ca.gov/nclb/sr/le/singleplan.asp. Will take you to a planning tool for family involvement.
7. Nancy showed presentation preview from SFUSD how they have developed tiered levels of family involvement.
8. Marion Burke of Santa Clara COE has created a statewide network of county offices to share work.
9. Action Team for Partnerships at site levels.
10. CDE family involvement www.cde.ca.gov/le/pf/pf/. Features a new school-parent compact model that’s used in conferences throughout the year. Links to requirements and resources. Connecticut’s state website features original best tools. It will be linked to the Quality Schooling Framework. Epstein: School Family and Community Partnerships. Another new resources is by Kugler