This school year of unknowns is nearing its close, and we are well aware that it is a challenge to keep students engaged during these final weeks. We wanted to share with you some of the information we included in previous newsletters from this year that may be of assistance in this final stretch.

Within the new OTES 2.0 Rubric, there are two components that specifically list the use of High Quality Student Data (HQSD):

(1) Organizational Area: Instructional Planning

Domain: Focus for Learning

Component: Use of High-Quality Student Data

Skilled description: The teacher thoroughly and correctly analyzes patterns in at least two sources of high-quality student data to develop measurable and developmentally appropriate student growth goal(s) and monitors student progress toward goal(s).

(2) Organizational Area: Instruction & Assessment

Domain: Assessment of Student Learning

Component: Evidence of Student Learning*

Skilled description: The teacher uses at least two sources of high-quality student data to demonstrate growth and/or achievement over time, showing clear evidence of expected growth and/or achievement for most students.

HOWEVER, teaches are constantly utilizing data to make instructional decisions throughout their planning. This data use is addressed in the following components:

• Connections to Prior & Future Learning
• Planning Instruction for the Whole Child
• Communication with Students
• Monitoring Student Understanding
• Student-Centered Learning
• Use of Assessments

August Focus: Assessment Literacy

In April 2021, we shared our newsletter - Being Evaluated Through OTES 2.0. We have highlighted a single strategy from each component below:

Use of High-Quality Student Data (HQSD): Have students set academic goals. Here's an NWEA article about setting strategic and tactical goals.

Connections to Prior & Future Learning: Include relevance in your lessons - "What does today's lesson have to do with my life?"

Connections to State Standards & District Priorities: Utilize released test items to create assessments

Communication with Students: Communicate learning goals with students.

Monitoring Student Understanding: Diagnose your students' thinking. This article provides a number of strategies to assist in this component.

Student-Centered Learning: Universal Design for Learning - Make learning accessible and challenging for all students, while supporting the various needs of individual students.

Classroom Routines & Procedures: Involve students in making the rules and norms.

Classroom Climate & Cultural Competency: Incorporating Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) with this lesson plan template.

Use of Assessments: Use a variety of formative and summative assessments to gain information on student achievement. This article has a number of different assessments, along with benefits and limitations for each.

Evidence of Student Learning: Share evidence of learning with students and parents.

Communication & Collaboration with Families: Make conferences goal-oriented.

Communication & Collaboration with Colleagues: Start & participate in professional learning communities within your building.

District Policies & Professional Responsibilities: Join leadership committees within the district. (BLT, DLT, Strategic Planning, etc.)

Professional Learning: Keep track of professional discourse that you have with colleagues.

September Focus: Ohio Teacher Evaluation System 2.0

1. Inferior interim assessments
2. Secretive interim assessments
3. Infrequent assessments
4. Curriculum - assessment disconnect
5. Delayed results
6. Separation of teaching and analysis
7. Ineffective follow-up
8. Not making time for data

October Focus: Data-driven Instruction

The attached article is an excellent overview of whole-child instruction. Within the article are 10 instructional practices that can be used to support and encourage whole-child instruction. We have taken each practice and provided some "Look Fors." These are behaviors that an administrator looking for this evidence for this component might observe.

November Focus: Planning Instruction for the Whole Child

Research shows that students who regulary receive learning intentions and success criteria information in the classroom are:

• more focused for longer periods of time
• more motivated and active in their learning
• better able to take responsibility for their own learning

December Focus: Teacher Clarity

January Focus: Self-Care

Designed to provide a vibrant, encouraging, stimulating community of teachers, supporting each other toward excellence.

Why it's great:

• Fantastic Podcast
• Informative Blogs
• Videos and resources for teachers

February Focus: Our Top Website Picks for Teachers

According to Stacy Tornio, a senior editor of WeAreTeachers, there are a number of things a teacher can do to help his/her students reduced text anxiety. While she lists ten suggestions, I believe the most impactful one would be to make the school a test-friendly environment. During the days and weeks of high stakes tests, make the school one where preparation is top priority. Include families to help ensure that students are getting plenty of rest and appropriate nutrition on the days before the tests. Celebrate the efforts that students are putting forth in learning the material. Provide more brain breaks and recess time during testing weeks. Practice changes in schedules and seating arrangements to help reduce additional anxiety.

She also recommends that teachers reduce their own test-related anxiety. Student performance is often viewed by teachers as a personal reflection of their effectiveness. Students will pick up on your stress and allow it to affect them. Be sure to get plenty of sleep, yourself, before tests, and RELAX - You have prepared them well!

March Focus: State Testing Prep

Power writing is a method for building writing fluency through brief, timed writing events (Fearn & Farnan, 2001). The purpose is to get students to put ideas down on paper quickly and accurately. During content area instruction, teachers can integrate a simple daily routine of three one-minute rounds of fluency-building experiences. This will ensure that students have daily practice with writing, which addresses part of the requirements of Writing Anchor Standard 10, the part focused on shorter time frames.

A content area word or phrase is posted on the board, and students are asked to use it somewhere in their writing. Students are reminded to “write as much as you can, as well as you can” (Fearn & Farnan, 2001, p. 196). The timer is set, and writing begins until it rings a minute later. When time is up, students reread what they have written, circling any errors they notice, then count and record the number of words in the margin.

This routine is repeated two more times, until students have three one-minute writing samples in their journals. They then record the highest number of words written (often it is the third sample) on a sheet of graph paper kept in their notebook.

April Focus: Writing Across the Curriculum

Let us help you with instruction. Please reach out to us if you find yourself needing instructional or curricular help during these complicated times.

Reach out - we are here to help. tandlsupport@mccesc.org

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If you have a chance, and have not yet read our quarterly ESC Newsletter, the ESC CONNECTION, please feel free to peruse at your leisure. Lots of great things happening at the Madison-Champaign ESC.