University of St. Mary of the Lake
1000 E. Maple Avenue
Mundelein, IL 60060
Friday, February 16, 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
●Parking: Please park in the purple lot when you arrive on campus. See the map for details.
●Meeting logistics: The meeting will take place in the Conference Center Meeting Hall, marked D on the Campus Map. The building number is 400P. The first session will take place in the conference center room 202.
●Driving directions to:
●Other instructions: Please see this link for more information on the USML campus.
●Seat Assignments: N/A
Topic:
OCS Leadership Day / Attendees: Archdiocesan school leaders
Facilitators : Dr. Jim Rigg
Note Keepers: AM: Mr. Hedi Belkaoui; PM: Dr. Maria Hawk
Time Keepers: AM: Dr. Pat Baccellieri; PM: Mrs. Lorelei Bobroff
Meeting Objectives:
●Objective One: Discuss School Updates: Dr. Jim Rigg
●Objective Two: Keynote Address: Why You Are the Leader of Learning. Dr. Kathy Boudett
●Objective Three: Review Implementation of Danielson Teacher Evaluation System and Priority Standards. Dr. Mary Kearney
●Objective Four: Celebrate the Eucharist with Archdiocesan school leaders. Rev. John Kartje
●Objective Five: Announcements and Directions for Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions
○Gearing Up for Marketing Season. Mr. Kurt Lewis - Room 101
○Outcomes of the School Improvement Review Process. Dr. Jorge Pena - Room 102
○Preparing Your Principal Evaluation. Mrs. Elise Matson Dite - Rooms 103 and 104
○Erate Updates. Coleman Group, Mrs. Theresa Allen and Mr. Scott Bell - 106
○Tax Credit Updates and Planning for Financial Aid Mr. Bob Hudzik, Ms. Clare Sullivan, Mr. Thomas McGrath - Room 202
Objective FiveContinued: Breakout Sessions
○Gearing Up for Marketing Season. Mr. Kurt Lewis - Room 101
○Teacher Hiring Tips. Ms. Maria Hill - Room 102
○Preparing Your Principal Evaluation. Mrs. Elise Matson Dite - Rooms 103 and 104
○Erate Updates. Coleman Group, Mrs. Theresa Allen and Mr. Scott Bell - 106
○Tax Credit Updates and Planning for Financial Aid Mr. Bob Hudzik, Ms. Clare Sullivan, Mr. Thomas McGrath - Room 202
Meeting Norms
●Assume positive intentions.
●Take an inquiry stance.
●Ground statements in evidence.
●Stick to the protocol.
●Start and end on time.
●Be here now.
●Everyone has a voice.
Time / Minutes / Activity
7:30-8:15 / 45 / Pre-meeting social time. A light breakfast is served at this time. Please visit vendors during this time!
8:15-8:30 / 15 / Opening prayer. Welcome, prayer, and meeting logistics. Presenter: Dr. Jim Rigg, Mr. Bob Rabe, Dr. Ann Garrido, Mrs. Elise Matson Dite
●Prayer
8:30-8:45 / 15 / Objective One: Discuss School Updates - Dr. Jim Rigg
Notes:
Dr. Rigg reviewed logistics of the event. Dr. Rigg highlighted specific principals for accolades and other personal and professional achievements. Dr. Rigg also highlighted the interim leaders present at the session. Dr. Rigg introduced a new member of the Human Resources team replacing Chris Cannova.
Ms. Matson-Dite provided additional details/logistics of the event. Ms. Matson-Dite reviewed the schedule for today’s event and locations for lunch and breakouts. Ms. Matson-Dite also reviewed the Leadership Day Norms for the event.
School Update:
Dr. Rigg highlighted the results of the spiritual retreat yesterday. 110 Principals attended. Dr. Rigg provided an update on tax credit scholarships.
Two breakout sessions today. No need to attend both, as they will be repeated in two sections. Approximately 45 million have been raised. 8 Million Dollars in actual cash received. 36 Million for Cook County against a cap of 51 Million. 5.8 Million for Lake County against a cap of 23 million.
Big Shoulders opened the window on Jan. 22nd, only open for 40 hours due to the demand on the system. Big Shoulders is only assigning scholarships on cash received. Some families may not receive scholarships due to this. Most families have received a “wait-list” letter. Hopeful that those wait-list letters will become scholarships in the next week. Empower Illinois opened on Jan. 31 but was immediately shut down. Still not up at this point. We are working with Empower Illinois about a future date.
Empower Illinois will be building a two-step process, and they have updated their infrastructure to address the demand. Jim Rigg detailed the possible two-step process. Step 1 is Reservation, Empower Illinois will pick a date, before the end of the month of February. Empower Illinois will give us a week notice. Families can go in and “reserve” tax credits. A very simple application form will use basic biographical information, parent name, address, and the names of the children. It will then generate a time-stamp which will be used for the first-come, first-serve process. They will then be grouped, and sent a unique URL where they will be sent a detailed application. Some families may get a notice that will not be invited yet, but may be invited later. Dr. Rigg used a “deli counter” analogy, identifying a number and then getting to order. Dr. Rigg said to wait until you hear the official information from Empower Illinois before discussing with families.
SB2236 was described, and an earlier email was referenced. Concerning ISBE rules for tax credits, there is still no word on the assessment requirement, but it has not been written yet. Dr. Rigg again reminded principals to forward all information to parents and answer all questions, but if principals can’t answer a question or don’t know, forward the question to OCS. Dr. Rigg highlighted the four people to answer questions on tax credits: Sean Murdock, Bob Hudzik, Claire Sullivan and Tim Cawley.
Dr. Rigg discussed the FY18 school closures. Dr. Rigg presented the reasons, including two decisions coming out of the Renew My Church process. Three school closures were announced due to enrollment and financial pressures. Dr. Rigg stated that we flag/highlight teachers from closing schools in Applitrack and urged principals to hire those candidates. Dr. Rigg praised the actions and quality of the principals in their work in those closing schools. Dr. Rigg stated that school leaders were not surprised by the decision, in these cases there were detailed conversations.
Dr. Rigg discussed the upcoming Principal Time Optimization Survey. OCS is partnering with DePaul University that will host case study groups. They will also observe individual principals to generate information about the work and time that principals are spending on various tasks.
Dr. Rigg informed principals about updates with the 529 Tax Program. OCS is developing the language that can be shared with families.
Dr. Rigg highlighted the end of year events: Leadership Day (5.3), Crystal Awards (5.3), Heart of the School Awards (5.10). Dr. Rigg encourages principals to stay andcongratulate principals for the Crystal Awards. Dr. Rigg also reminded Principals to recommend staff for the Heart of the School Awards.
8:45-9:45 / 60 / Objective Two: Keynote Address: Why You Are the Leader of Learning. Dr. Kathy Boudett
Notes:
Dr. Pena introduced Dr. Kathy Boudett. He cited her work in schools with low-income areas, Harvard Graduate School of Education and how to improve the work in schools related to teaching and learning. Boudett is a co-editor of DataWiseand other related works.
Dr. Boudett reviewed the objectives of the presentation which included the core work of schools is learning, using the Datawiseprocess, and the differences between adaptive and technical challenges. Boudett will also use a protocol/case study on ACE Habits of Mind.
Datawise: Educators collaborating so all students thrive: Why, tagline: Connecting the work with Sinek’s Golden Circle: Starting with Why! 1. Why, 2. How, 3. What.
Dr. Boudett proceeded with stop-light protocol. Boudett presented the eight steps of the Data-Wise Process. Principals should use “green” for really happening, “yellow” sort of happening, and “red”not happening.
First Step: Organizing for Collaborative Work: Creates a firm foundation for the process. This involves adopting an improvement process and building a strong system of teams. Principals ensure there is time for collaborative work and clear expectations for effective meetings. Leaders need to set norms for collaborative work and Acknowledge work-style preferences. They then create a data inventory that addresses types of assessment and lists of initiatives that we are trying to do instructionally. (90 minutes will be provided each week for teams to collaborate and use that time for learning)
Second Step: Build Assessment Literacy. Most people learn how to interpret assessments on the job. Schools need time to do this. Schools need to review skills tests, study how results are appropriated, and learn how to use data appropriately.
Third Step: Create a Data Overview: Choose a Focus Area. Analyze data for that focus area, find a story, and make a display with the data. Allow staff members to make sense of the data and identify a priority question.
Fourth Step: Dig into Student Data: Examine a wide range of student data, come to a shared understanding of the student data, and identify a learner-centered problem. What are some other student data sources that principals can dig into?
Fifth Step: Examine Instruction: Examine a wide range of instructional data. (checking lesson plans, assignments) Boudett recommended observing actual actions in the classroom. Datawise is not about evaluating classroom, but observing instruction. Teachers and leaders come to a shared understanding of what is happening in the classroom and identify a formal problem of practice.
Sixth Step: Develop Action Plan: Decide on instructional strategies and agree on what the plan will look like in the classroom. “Being super clear on what is supposed to be happening in classrooms.”
Seventh Step: Plan to Assess Progress: Could be small items, exit slips, questions across classes, etc. The key is to choose assessments to measure progress, and set student learning goals.
Eighth Step: Act and Assess: Implement the actual action plan. After implementing the plan, schools need to assess the student learning, and then adjust the action plan based on the assessment of student learning. Allow time for celebration of success.
(Boudett used the Mason Elementary case study in Chapter 7 of Datawise for specific examples of the steps.)
9:45-10:00 / 15 / Break – Please visit vendors during this time
10:00-11:00 / 60 / Objective Two: Keynote Address: Why You Are the Leader of Learning. Dr. Kathy Boudett
Notes: Continued Part 2 of Boudett’s Presentation:
Boudett shared results of stop-light protocol across several schools and how it is graphically represented. Principals wrote conclusions based on the data presented.
Boudett presented the Ladder of Inference. The Ladder of Inference is a description of how we make meaning of the world. The ladder starts by describing several, infinite pieces of data around us.
Steps: Select some data. Add interpretation, Draw conclusions, Take action. This process should be done deliberately.Boudett presented an example of a teacher observation, identifying a particular action of a teacher, and moving toward conclusions and assertions based on that data set. Boudett discussed the problems that could come out of this process of moving toohigh on the ladder of inference. Boudett then led an exercise that had principals individually look at data, and then make larger conclusions based their perception of data. Boudett provided another example based on assessment of current literacy on DataWise; and possible next steps. Boudett then provided the free EdX for Datawise Link for further study and analysis.
Adaptive and Technical Challenges: The Work of Leadership, Heifetz & Laurie
Metaphor from Bob Kegan:
Technical Challenge: Things that require information. Boudett provided simple questions, like how to access the internet, we don’t have a chance to meet people regularly in our building, redo-ing the schedule, what are strategies for ELL learners?, etc. “Vessel needs to be filled.” Skills need to be added.
Adaptive Challenges: Transformational Challenges. “Vessel itself needs to change.” People’s mindsets need to shift. Boudett asked Natalie Formica to present an adaptive challenge that she is facing. Formica discussed the challenge with fully implementing the “examining instruction” step. She emphasized that this step needed to be discussed with teachers and was non-evaluative. Formica cited strong performance in writing on the ASPIRE test as the key area for growth. Boudett talked about “turning down the heat” on some of the adaptive challenges presented in the data.
Challenge Interview: Principals will ask each other what step of the process is most challenging? What are the technical challenges in this step? What are the adaptive challenges in that step?
ACE Habits of Mind: A shared commitment to Action, intentional Collaboration, relentless focus on Evidence
- “We’re not just going to have data meeting after data meeting, and be stuck in data paralysis”
- Just because you set the time for the meeting does not mean that collaboration is meant to happen.
- Be really clear about what you mean when you say items related to the work.
Reflection:
- Why do I do the work I do?
- What is my most pressing adaptive challenge around leading improvement?
- What can I do to address this challenge?
11:00-11:15 / 15 / Objective Three: Review implementation of Danielson Teacher Evaluation System and Priority Standards. Dr. Mary Kearney
Notes:
Dr. Kearney presented additional information regarding the Danielson Training timeline. FY18: Pilot adoption of a new teacher evaluation process based on Danielson’s Framework-68 schools are participating in the pilot. FY19: All AOC will use the Danielson Framework. All walkthroughs, informal and formal observations will be located on the Frontline system. Dr. Kearney reminded Principals to review the previous principal update for Danielson login. Dr. Kearney also highlighted a library of PD resources available for use for principals in coaching conversations. Dr. Kearney will be providing some additional resources through live coaching and training.
Related information: Total time commitment: 30 hours: 24 hours of training, scoring practice, and 2 stages of assessment
Dr. Kearney reviewed the differences between the non-pilot and the Danielson pilot. Dr. Kearney stated that you can tell teachers that you are coming in to observe. Dr. Kearney talked about having the option “to turn the temperature down” by announcing observations in this first cycle.
Dr. Kearney provided an update that ISBE will be still using PARCC for one more year. They may be modifying but it will still be based on common core standards. Dr. Kearney reminded us to give teachers an opportunity/time to review the data. Dr. Kearney highlighted principals that have been reviewing ASPIRE interims with their students. Dr. Kearney provided a strong recommendation for the next interim to not include the ACT ASPIRE interim for English. Scores already show strong mastery on the English section. Dr. Kearney focused time on explaining Math constructed responses, and how students will be expected to explain and show evidence for their answers. Dr. Kearney also discussed the importance of refining opinion from students to have perspective and provide evidence.
Dr. Kearney discussed the CAC’s effort with K-2 assessments due to the problem with ASPIRE just assessing Grade 3-8. CAC reviewed NWEA MAP, IReady, and others assessments.
The priority standards initiative continue to go forward. Priority standards have been identified by ELA, Math and Science. Preliminary pacing guides have also been created. Further meetings will be focused on gathering input on learning targets, content/skills unpacked from the standards. There will be continued work in June with proficiency scales.
Dr. Kearney provided an update on Title funds. Dr. Kearney pledged that OCS will continue to support both city and suburban schools. She emphasized support of suburban schools Title 1 Funds will be carried over from FY17, as Title 3 is being discussed. Title 4 is pooled for Chicago schools which means that PD can be available for Chicago, but also for suburban schools. Administrator Academy credits will be available in the summer. In new federal budget, there is now a new Title 2A budget allocation. This would affect initiatives like Datawise and other items that we have used for Title 2A funds.
Dr. Kearney discussed the cancellation of the ENL Notre Dame training session. Dr. Kearney provided a strong recommendation for the next session. It is scheduled for April. There is an opportunity for the Hernandez scholars. We are also focusing on geographic locations.