CMS Accountability Committee
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 6:30-8:00 PM, Library
Welcome -- Julie Mazenko, Ami Baron (Accountability Co-Chairs): Call to order and minutes approval. Julie extended a welcome to those attending. A motion was made to approve the Accountability Meeting Minutes from October 3, 2017. Motion seconded, motion approved.
As an FYI for Campus families: The January CCHS Accountability Meeting topic will be Serving All Students. While this topic will resonate with current CCHS families, CCHS is also using this topic to reach out specifically to CCHS feeder schools. CCHS Administration will address how Creek serves the needs of all students. Discussion often focuses on support for the upper and lower tiers of students; this meeting will take a deeper dive into the efforts in place to support the majority of middle tier students. Attendees will learn about programs and support offered to these students so they can grow and reach new levels of achievement. This meeting will be January 16, 5-6:30 pm in the West Building/Principals office area, main conference room.
Principal’s Report – Greg Connellan:
· New Hires:
o Campus has a new ELA specialist, Desiree, from Aurora Public Schools. This is a one year only position because ELA specialist Erica is on leave due to medical issues.
o We hired Tom Baxter from JeffCo/Arvada West as a new security guard, to replace Sean. He has 12 years of experience in schools and works at a camp for at risk teens during the summer months.
o New 8th grade Science Teacher, Amy Flatten, who came with teaching experience from Douglas Country schools; she is a replacement for Sarah Borenstein who recently left Campus.
o Campus will be posting for an intervention specialist for struggling learners who need extra help with executive functioning, reading/writing, etc. (not ID’d as 504 or IEP).
· Testing (Jerri Piazza):
o 6th grade started testing today for GT identification; the 5 hour exam will be broken up into chunks. This is a state mandated test and very new; Campus is the 1st middle school to do it this year. The test is completely non-verbal. This testing will also be at the grade school level. Opt outs for testing are lower this year compared to prior years.
· Update on innovation efforts related to the bond passage from the election:
o We don’t have a lot of detail yet from the district. Schools were put into two phases, and Campus initiatives are slated for the latter part of the 1st phase. Equipment, fixtures, and furniture are considered one category. The other category is for initiatives related to brick/mortar. The bond dollars cannot be spent on professional development for teachers.
o Campus staff is currently brainstorming about possible bond projects/initiatives, and is planning to have meetings in the late spring. Campus will want parent involvement/input on this topic (Campus PTO has been informed of this as well). A communication to parents will be sent out on this topic in the near future.
· Innovation Academy:
o Pam Lukes shared information from a recent CCHS Accountability meeting about the district’s Innovation Academy that will be under construction starting in January. The current 8th grade class at Campus will be the 1st class able to use the Academy for the full two years.
o There was a discussion about how to best get information to Campus parents about the Innovation Academy so they understand the opportunity students will have once they are in high school. Greg Connellan shared that a STEM teacher here is starting a TSA group.
Equity at CMS (Greg Connellan, Jerri Piazzi, Anthony Campos)
Alignment of Educational Experiences
How do we ensure that kids are receiving equitable educational experiences regardless of the team they are on?
· “Inclusive Excellence” and “College/Career Preparedness and Success” are listed on the Cherry Creek School District logo (the ‘donut’). We will be academically rigorous but allow for creative learning.
· Starts with our PLC work:
o Unity of mission, vision, values and goals. This takes time to establish and effort to sustain. When a school knows mission/vision/values/goals then it is easier to get alignment.
o Continues with how we answer the 4 Essential Questions:
§ What do we want students to know and be able to do?
§ How will we know if they are learning?
§ How do we respond when they don’t learn?
§ How do we respond when they already know it?
· Curriculum maps and pacing is shared among teachers. The what, when and how is communicated to teachers. There should be tight alignment of the “what” and “when” between teaching teams. The “how” you teach can be more loosely aligned; the “how” is the art of teaching.
· Common assessments will reveal if students are learning.
· The PLCs have some measurable targets/goals. There are two common formative assessments for each content point per grade level. Some targets/goals are less measureable but are still observable by attending PLC meetings.
· PBL (Project Based Learning) is growing: students have a core of knowledge and are given opportunities to apply their knowledge in project based settings.
Differentiation
How do our teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of varied learners, especially in our non-leveled core classes?
· Starts with our PLC work, especially the sharing of ideas and aligning of our efforts.
· Professional learning and working through the difficulty of this skill.
· See examples from the handout (article that is posted on the CCSD website describing an event for teachers related to this topic).
· This is a challenge that has been on teachers’ radars for a long time and one that principals continue to strive toward improvement.
· The conversations around this topic are regularly addressed in our Collaborative Team meetings.
· There is a lot going on in the district on this topic. Two Campus teachers (Pasternak, Castro) are involved in this area.
· There was a discussion about having different levels of social studies and science at Campus. Some parent feedback is that the current middle school science curriculum does not adequately prepare some students who elect to take CP Physical Science in 9th grade at CCHS.
Inclusive Excellence
What strides are we making at CMS around Inclusive Excellence?
· The ‘donut’ (“Inclusive Excellence” and “College/Career Preparedness and Success”)
· Having courageous conversations among our staff
· Asking hard questions around:
o Access and opportunity
o Racial consciousness
o Cultural competence
o Culturally responsive instruction
· Guided by and through our PLC work
· Professional learning opportunities
· We still have much to do! It’s a journey, not a destination.
Meeting Close: The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. The next Campus Accountability meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 in the Campus Library.
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