Classroom Corner

I received an email recently with a sentence that implied more is expected of our students than that of which they are capable. And while I don't believe it read the way it was intended, it does hint at a dangerous trap that can be easy for all of us to fall into at one time or another. George W. Bush noted, "If you have low expectations, you're going to get lousy results." Les Brown put it another way, saying, "No one rises to low expectations."

Gershenson & Papageorge (2017) noted, "...teachers with expectations for certain types of students may modify how they teach, evaluate, and advise them, and in the case of low expectations, could perhaps shift their attention, time, and effort to other students."

Napper (2019) builds on this notion, writing, "Everybody has implicit biases, and left unacknowledged or unchallenged, those biases can affect the expectations we hold for students. Our beliefs about a student’s abilities might be impacted by language, disability, race, culture, gender, socioeconomic level, etc.' When we refuse to place the same rigorous demands on all groups of students, even when we believe we're acting with the best of intentions, we harm students and can unintentionally send a message that we believe they are incapable of learning.

It's a fine line, especially when thinking about accommodations and differentiated instruction. After all, we put them in place because we want our students to feel successful. Accommodations themselves are not bad. In fact, they're often necessary. But they can easily be misapplied under the guise of helping a student be successful. Napper poses some questions we need to consider:

• Are we giving accommodations in students’ zone of proximal development, or their comfort zone?
• Do our accommodations empower students to access more content and higher-level thinking, or do they remove learning opportunities?
• Are scaffolds gradually removed as kids approach independence, or do the scaffolds anchor them in dependence?
  

Think about your students. Chances are good that at least one of them has gone through school thus far without being held to high expectations. What does that look like? Napper goes on to outline some scenarios:

1) When the class is asked to write a paragraph, the student scribbles just five words. The teacher, not wanting the student to feel bad, says “Good job!” and accepts the work.

2) The student is automatically given an easier text to read than his classmates, and then rarely even required to read it.

3) While peers are engaged in creative projects and discussions requiring critical thinking, the student is given fill-in-the-blank activities or other simple tasks.

4) The student is permitted - by teacher silence - to aimlessly flip the pages of the same Captain Underpants book during silent reading for months on end.

5) The teacher doesn't believe the student can do the hard work, so he/she replaces it with less rigorous tasks to "meet them where they're at" without ever giving the student the chance to show differently.

"The assumption is that one can be either a compassionate teacher or a rigorous teacher, but not both—and there’s a belief that kids don’t want rigor. For an equitable educator, it’s not only possible but imperative to be both compassionate and rigorous. It’s what students need from us, and what they want. Kids can tell when we’re lowering the bar. They want to reach high standards, and our compassion is an essential ingredient to get them there.

Effective teaching demands that we strive to boost the achievement of marginalized students. Neither high expectations nor kind hearts can do the job alone. Zaretta Hammond calls the ideal educator a “warm demander”—one who focuses on building strong relationships with students, then draws on that wellspring of trust to hold students to high standards of deep engagement with course content" (Napper, 2019).

If we keep our expectations low and only "teach students where they are," which can turn into "where we believe them to be," it will always result in the exact outcomes we foresee. We essentially set the conditions to guarantee lower performance.

Shanna Peeples, 2015 National Teacher of the Year, challenged us to change our thinking and set our expectations higher. She said, “You have to ignore it when a child says, ‘I don’t want to,’ because what they’re really saying is, ‘I don’t think I can and I need you to believe in me until I can believe in myself.’” Some of our students don't think they can. Some of us don't think they can. They need us, as the adults, to change our thinking first and believe in them, so one day they believe in themselves.

What are we looking for in classrooms?

Students making their learning visible. "All students should be able to see how their efforts are contributing to their education" (Routledge, 2023).

Why is visible learning so important?

When learning is made visible:

• Teachers can provide feedback on where a student is relative to a learning target and the student's next step in moving forward
• Students are able to self-assess their own progress using rubrics, portfolios, or other methods
• Students are able to see how their work and thinking improve over time with additional learning
• Teachers use learning made visible to formatively assess student progress and adjust instruction accordingly

(Routledge, 2023)

What are some additional resources to learn more?

• Making Learning Visible in Early Childhood Through Play - Corwin Connect
• A Guide to Visible Learning and Resources - Routledge
• Strategies for Making Learning Visible - Institute for Arts Integration & STEAM
• Reflective Writing: Making Thinking and Learning Visible - Center for Professional Education of Teachers
• Visible Learning Strategies in the Classroom - Topeka Public Schools

A task force of Cathy Jones-Stork, ELA Coordinator, and five reading coaches (Sarah Carter, Emily Streett, Dionne Louden, Amanda Johnson, and Kaylee Madge) came together last week to make some necessary adjustments to the elementary ELA resources. Their work included:

• Cross-checking all essential standards in unit plans, proficiency maps, and report cards for alignment for grades K-5.
• Aligning report cards and Common Summative Assessments to the core resource - Wonders - for grades K-5.
• Listing the Essential Standards within the unit plans where they were not previously listed.
• Creating Common Summative Assessments for grades K-5; grades 3 - 5 include a Text Dependent Writing prompt and are loaded and labeled with DEC naming convention in Mastery Manager.
• Developing Proficiency Scales for any indicators added to the Report Card.

As a result of their work, updated versions of all documents have been posted to the WIX site and updated scales and report cards to the district website. Additional adjustments include:

• Kindergarten will administer common assessments at the end of Units 2, 5, 8, and 10 to coincide with the end of quarter dates.
• All grade levels, except Kindergarten, will administer district common assessments for Units 1, 2, 4 and 6. MAP will be the common assessment for units 3 and 5.
• Grade 1 unit plans, proficiency maps, and pacing charts have been changed to mirror Grades 2 - 5 in terms of pacing and design, specifically ending Unit 3 before the winter break as well as separating reading and writing into two sections within the unit plans to be more closely aligned to the expectations of the 2023 ELA standards. Dates for Grade 1 have also been updated on the Elementary Year-At-A-Glance.
• Grade 2 will administer common assessments via paper and pencil for units 1 and 2 and will begin administration with Unit 4 via Mastery Manager.

One last note: All grade levels may administer the Reading segment of the CSA on one day and the Writing segment on the next day. Grade level teams must still remain internally consistent in the administration of assessments to yield comparable data for analysis and planning in team meetings.

By Federal law, since 2005 all educational institutions receiving federal funding must provide educational programs/activities focused on the Constitution of the United States each year on September 17th (or thereabouts if the 17th falls on a weekend). Federal agencies are also required to host Constitution Day programming on this day to help schools meet this requirement. This federal law is replicated in South Carolina state law Section 53-3-150. What does this mean for you? Your school must have a plan for teaching about the Constitution on September 17th. The button below is linked to a chart of resources that can help in planning.

The South Carolina Department of Education Office of Assessment and Standards ELA standards team is pleased to announce Fall 2024 Office Hours!

Join us for our monthly ELA Office Hours, designed specifically for educators and those who support ELA instruction across South Carolina. Each session will kick off with a 15-minute mini-PD focused on either the Foundations of Literacy strand or the Applications of Reading strand. Following this, we’ll dedicate 45 minutes to answering your questions, providing tailored support, and discussing strategies that can be implemented in your classrooms. Participants are encouraged to register in advance and submit any questions they would like addressed during the session via the registration form. Questions should fall within the categories of Understanding the Intent of the ELA Standards and Instructing the ELA Standards.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and enhance your ELA instructional efficacy! Use the button below to register for our September Office Hours. An email with attendance confirmation and webinar links will follow.

Mark your calendar for future dates. Registration forms will be sent at the beginning of each month.

September 26

• Elementary (3pm-4pm); Mini-Lesson focus: AOR 3.1 and AOR 4.1
• Secondary (4pm-5pm); Mini-Lesson focus: AOR 3.1 and AOR 4.1

• Elementary (3pm-4pm); Mini-Lesson focus: AOR 2.1 and AOR 2.2
• Secondary (4pm-5pm); Mini-Lesson focus: AOR 5.3

November 21

• Elementary (3pm-4pm); Mini-Lesson focus: AOR 6.1
• Secondary (4pm-5pm); Mini-Lesson focus: AOR 6.1

Registration Link

Available courses include Read to Succeed endorsement courses, Gifted and Talented endorsement courses, Online Teaching endorsement courses, or courses for general recertification.

Ever wondered how armadillos manage to swim despite their tough, armored shells? Or why the patterns on a king snake’s head bear a striking resemblance to human fingerprints?

These questions might seem quirky at first glance, but they highlight a key educational principle: shifting the focus from rote learning to exploring the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind intriguing phenomena can revolutionize the learning experience.

Let’s face it—if your chemistry lecture begins with a dry explanation of oxidation-reduction reactions, your students might not be on the edge of their seats. But imagine if you posed a question like, “How do batteries store energy?” and then handed your students a set of batteries for hands-on investigation. That’s a game-changer.

To continue reading, click here.

"...How do we support teachers in moving beyond the traditional Q&A format and toward practices that engage all students? We give them the tools to remember to stop and assess learning as it is happening—what we call Total Participation Techniques. These tools enable teachers to monitor student understanding multiple times throughout every lesson. In contrast to the traditional Q&A approach, they also foster active participation and cognitive engagement from all students at the same time." Interested in learning more? Read the ASCD article linked here.

"Problem-solving allows students to deepen their conceptual comprehension and appreciate the usefulness and relevance of mathematics. Thus, it generates and fosters interest, engagement, and a deeper understanding of the world around them. Because problem-solving is often used in the mathematics classroom, it’s particularly important to find fresh and interesting ways to attract and maintain students’ engagement." (King, 2024)

Click here to read about how she uses video projects in math to strengthen students' problem-solving skills and assess their understanding of concepts.

PRIOR TO APPLYING FOR ANY GRANTS, PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THE LEXINGTON TWO GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS.

Lexington Soil and Water Conservation District Mini-Grant

Lexington County public schools are eligible to apply for up to $500 in grant funding to support conservation projects and youth environmental education initiatives.

Deadline: December 31, 2024

Application: Click here

Classroom Catalyst Grant Program (Colonial Life / UNUM Group & Center for Educational Partnerships @ USC)

The Classroom Catalyst Grants are designed to provide funding and resources to support teachers in implementing inquiry-based activities that enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. These grants are intended to help you foster an environment where students are effectively prepared for careers and post-secondary education. Mini-grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded for innovative classroom projects and lessons focusing on inquiry-based learning and preparing students for future careers and education.

Eligibility: All certified staff in eligible districts for grades 9-12 can apply.

Application Window: September 3, 2024 - September 30, 2024

Application: Click here

There was an error in the last newsletter that was not corrected until after it was emailed out. The immersion team highlighted last time includes Ms. Kammes, Ms. Mayborg, Ms. Poovey, and Ms. Smith. Apologies for the error!

Hanna Pond, 8th grade ELA/English I teacher at Busbee Creative Arts Academy, was recently selected as one of 10 educators nationwide to be a recipient of the Javits-Frasier Scholarship from the National Association for Gifted Children. Scholarship recipients attend the national convention in November for additional training and support in meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students.

• September 8-14: National Arts in Education Week
• September 9-13: Fall MAP testing
• September 11: Patriot Day / 9/11 Remembrance
• September 15: International Dot Day
• September 15: Hispanic Heritage Month begins (through October 15)
• September 17: Constitution Day
• September 19: Lex2 inaugural Fine Arts Hall of Fame induction ceremony (PAC Lobby, 5:00 PM)
• September 19: Regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees (6:00 PM)