Free Parking: August 11, 2017

DYK: Lions are the second largest big cat species in the world (behind tigers).

I Love August!

What a great time of year! It's August, fall camps have started, students are back on campuses and in buildings and that incredible energy and excitement about the start of a new school year is beginning to crescendo. All over the district our Facilities and Technology folks are checking things off their lists. Like so many of you, I love this time of year!

ARTICLES OF THE WEEK:

Want to know how high U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her team will set the bar in approving Every Student Succeeds Act plans? How DeVos handles her home state may provide the answer.

Michigan's ESSA plan was largely panned in a review by Bellwether Education Consultants and the Collaborative for Student Success. Another outside reviewer declined to rate it, citing incompleteness. The state's GOP lieutenant governor worried about its impact on students with special needs. And Jason Botel, the acting assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education, called the state to talk about some of the information missing in its plan.

That last move angered Brian Whiston, Michigan's state chief, who said the feds were sending mixed messages when it comes to ESSA. DeVos, he said, stressed local control, and told state chiefs in a closed door meeting to hand in their plans even if they weren't totally complete. But Botel, the acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, seemed to be working from a different playbook, Whiston said last month.

A lot seems to have changed since then. For one thing, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a DeVos ally, questioned whether Botel had read ESSA carefully. And DeVos and company changed the way they'll be reviewing ESSA plans. Instead of just sending feedback letters and making them public, they'll first chat with states over the phone. If the state can explain a potential hiccup to the feds' satisfaction, the department might not mention the issue in an official feedback letter, which would be released after the phone call

Michigan had its call this week. Afterwards, Whiston put out a statement saying the state's interaction with the feds had been "very positive." He also said state would be submitting a revised plan, including some clarifications the department asked for.

And DeVos herself had kind words for her home state, telling local reporters earlier this week that she's hopeful that Michigan "is going to be very bold and very creative in the way that they're addressing the needs of students here in Michigan."

But not everyone is optimistic about Michigan's ESSA vision. In fact, Doug Mesecar, an adjunct fellow at the Lexington Institute, a right-of-center think tank who reviewed Michigan's plan for the Collaborative for Student Success, said that if DeVos and company approve Michigan without major changes, it will be a sign that almost anything goes with DeVos' department.

"Based on what I've seen and what's public, if they approve Michigan, you gotta wonder what kind of signal does that send to rest of the states," said Mesecar, who headed up the department's office of innovation and improvement during President George W. Bush's administration. "That move would just let the barn doors open and everything is going to be possible."

Michigan's plan offers three possible visions for accountability, although the state has settled on a dashboard approach since filing its plan back in the spring. And it isn't clear about how it would identify its lowest performing schools, as well as schools where groups of students aren't performing well.

It also doesn't include any information about what a school would have to do to no longer be considered low-performing. And Michigan includes science and social studies in the "academic achievement" portion of its accountability system, an ESSA no-no.

In fact, there are so many blank spots in Michigan's plan, Mesecar doesn't think it should have been submitted for peer review at all.

"I would have expected the department to say we can't even review this it's got so many holes in it," Mesecar said. And if Michigan has in fact filled in those blanks, Mesecar wondered why its more fleshed-out ESSA vision hadn't been made public.

Reminder: So far, sixteen states and the District of Columbia have turned in ESSA plans. Nine have gotten feedback. And one state—Delaware—has been officially approved. The rest of the states will submit their ESSA visions later this fall.

MY TAKE: We have become accustomed to a lack of clarity, direction, and consistency in Michigan. By installing smarter systems through the Blueprint, we will continue to improve our ability to improve student outcomes and opportunities, while adapting to the shifting accountability measures that are certain to be thrust upon us.

THANKS AND APPRECIATION:

Stuedemann, Guitar & Ruskowski (sounds vaguely like a law firm): Thanks for a great job welcoming the new TCAPS teachers aboard!
Facilitators: Joe Esper, Terry Smith, Colleen Smith, Ben Berger, Andy Wares: Thank you for your willingness to lead and help us all to continue to learn and grow as a team.
Heather Heitsch (yes, there was a Heather sighting in the district this week): Thanks for working with me and Julie to continue moving forward with our next important steps in the blueprint.
Math Leaders: Thank you for your great work yesterday on the math HQV! Not only was I impressed by your direction, I also got to hold a baby while I was there. How do you beat that? Thanks for your work!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Curriculum Delivery:

WW, WH, CK, and BL have already received pallets with some of their ELA materials. However, they do not yet have all materials. Please do not unpack or distribute any of these materials yet. There is more information and further instructions forthcoming. Thanks for your patience, this is a large volume of material, we have space limitations, and we are working together for you!

Public Portal Timeline

July 31 - Public Portal is open for elem. to complete e-collect registration forms. (schedules have not been entered for elem.) Closed for Secondary
Aug. 15 - Public Portal will be closed for elementary and secondary at midnight.
Aug. 15 - 30 - Public Portal Closed - Data Team uploads elementary schedules into PS and AA's adjust class lists or add new enrollments.
Aug. 21 - 25 - Secondary Registration at all 5 sites (Public Portal Closed)
Aug. 28 - Secondary typically likes to have the portal open directly after registration but we are checking for clarification.
Aug. 30 - Public Portal is open for elem. which will include the viewing of schedules at both levels and the second registration for extended day.

I think TCAPS has been ahead of the curve for a long time in the recognition and utilization of positive behavior supports and proactive measures to help decrease, avoid, or eliminate behavioral crisis situations. There are new requirements around this that you and your principal will be hearing more about from Jame McCall in Student Services. For a brief overview, please review Steps to Take Before Using Emergency Seclusion or Restraint

Note from HR: Internal Sub Coverage
Please send a list of the individuals you would regularly pull for guest teacher coverage in your building (aide, extended day, etc) in the event there isn't an assigned guest teacher to cover a classroom to Christa Hislop at hislopch@tcaps.net. We will double check that these individuals either have a valid sub permit or a valid teaching certificate with the Michigan Department of Education. If they do not have either on file, then we can attempt to apply for a sub permit for them.

United Way of Northwest Michigan's 2017 Day of Caring - September 14
Day of Caring takes place one day, across our region where volunteer teams from local businesses are matched with local non-profit agencies and schools, to complete meaningful projects that fulfill agency and community needs. If you have a project at your building that you'd love some help with, the United Way of NW Michigan is accepting applications for projects now. Click here for the form.

Illuminate
Just a quick note for those of you wondering about the future of Illuminate in TCAPS. We've planned some training with the four core curriculum leaders and teams this fall. Following those meetings, a plan for district-wide implementation will be developed. This plan will include a plan for training, roll out, support, and troubleshooting. This is not to say that you cannot use Illuminate in some form if you have already been to a training, just that as a district we are working to map out an intentional plan for deployment at scale. We want to make sure that there is a clear plan for supporting you and getting your feedback well before you're asked to use it.

REMINDERS:

Note from Student Services

We are in the process of preparing bus information for students who are in need of specialized transportation. If you have not completed the Transportation Needs form, please do so regarding your students with bus needs. It is imperative that we have this information so that our bus drivers can be prepared and we are in compliance. If you have a bus behavior plan, please send a copy to Kim Afton in Transportation. Thank you.

Principals: We are not signing up for the recently announced Marzano training (on August 15 and 22). We are working with them for a customized solution for our ongoing training, as well as training for new principals. Stay tuned.

Wired TC: August 14
First Day Back for Principals: August 15
Administrative Team Meeting: August 15 (8:30am - 12:00pm)
First Joint Principals Meeting: August 17 (10:30am - 4:30pm)
Thirlby Kick-Off: August 28 (7:30am - 9:00am)
Teacher Work Days: August 28 - Thirlby Kick-off, August 29 & 30 PD days, August 31 Teacher Work Day - 2 hour staff meeting
First Day of School: September 5