Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Update Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Verona Public Schools Mission Statement “The mission of the Verona Public Schools, the center of an engaged and supportive community, is to empower students to achieve their potential as active learners and productive citizens through rigorous curricula and meaningful, enriching experiences.” District Mission Statement: emphasize active learning, responsibility, evolving curriculum, and transfer of learning.

Verona Student Growth Objectives (Year #3) Road Map of Success - “End of the Road” (20%) We have completed our SGOs - year 3. We will review and make adjustments when we meet in the summer. Ideas … September 30 - Assessments will be shared (pre and post), everyone will have a mid-point check-in in February, and scale will be more rigorous.

2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update Domain 1: Classroom Strategies & Behaviors (70%) Formal Observations We formally observed our teachers over 450 times! The average district score for formal observations was 3.24. Effective (applying) score range for teachers is 2.65-3.49.

2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update Domain 1: Classroom Strategies & Behaviors (70%) Walk-Through Observations Our Administrative Team have visited each teacher’s classroom on a regular basis to provide instant feedback in between formal observations. Over 900 walk-throughs have been completed from September to May! Feedback continues to be positive, supportive, and constructive.

2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update Final Evaluations Domain 2: Planning and Preparation (10%) Element 43: Lessons within Units (Stage 3 of UbD) Submission two sequential weeks of lesson plans, formal observations & post-conferences, walk-throughs, follow-ups Domain 3: Reflecting on Teaching (10%) Element 54: Monitoring Progress Relative to the Professional Growth and Development Plan Review your PDP and discuss how you have made progress/met your goals

2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update Final Evaluations (continued) Domain 4: Collegiality and Professionalism (10%) Element 55: Promoting Positive Interactions with Colleagues that Promote and Support Student Learning Principal and supervisor observations & conversations throughout the school year Element 56: Promoting Positive Interactions with Students and Parents Teachers share communication (email, phone calls, letters, etc.) from the school year Element 59: Adhering to District and School Rules and Procedures

VHS Advanced Placement Participation since 2009 46.8% of VHS Students New for 2016-17: AP Physics I AP Principles of Computer Science AP Micro-Economics 38.4% of VHS Students 14.5% of VHS Students AP Participation since 2009, we discussed at January 5th meeting … Blue = # of AP students and Red = # AP Tests administered Steady increase in each of the bar graphs … this May 2016, we will have

VHS Dual Enrollment since 2013-14 Discuss last three years of numbers, we are offering six different dual enrollment classes; we are adding a seventh course, SUPA Business Law 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 SUPA Accounting 10 14 15 AP Calculus AB 2 - AP Comp Sci 11 Careers in Education 4 5 3 Core English I 38 57 55 SUPA Entrepeneurship 20 12 22 SUPA Psychology 25 SUPA Creative Non-Fiction SUPA Business Law 19 Total: 63 122 101 98

Google Teacher Academy Update Cohort #1 (2015-16 teachers) Met monthly sharing ideas, experiences, triumphs, frustrations, and learning new ideas to enhance the classroom experience for the students. Leading differentiated professional development to other staff members who are curious and would like to learn more about Google and its educational applications. Integrating curriculum, instruction, assessment, and technology in their classrooms. https://classroom.google.com/c/MTk1NDQ3MTg1

Google Teacher Academy Update Cohort #2 (2016-17 teachers) We welcome 19 new staff members: Elementary = 10 Brookdale = 1, FNB = 5, Forest = 2, Laning = 2 HBW = 7 Science = 2, ELA = 2, Math = 1, Art = 1, TE&D= 1 VHS = 2 Science = 1, ELA = 1 Summer professional development @ Ramsey, July 13 & 14

Orton Gillingham Training Update Partnering with Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) to provide training and certification to eight (8) staff members in our first cohort. Orton-Gillingham is a direct, multisensory structured, phonetic approach to teaching reading. Our teachers completed Courses 1 & 2 this year, and are scheduled to complete Course 3 in the fall and Course 4 in the Spring, which will complete the certification program. We are anticipating the classes will continue to meet on Tuesdays at 3:45 pm in the HBW Media Center. Orton Gillingham tutoring will continue for sixteen (16) students next year.

PARCC Update Our plan for year #2 was a successful implementation for teachers and students … Verona was granted a waiver to adjust 30 day testing window. Maximize the use of our technology AP Exams were administered 1st ... PARCC 2nd … at VHS PARCC Assessments will be administered during ONE testing window. 4 ELA and 3 Math assessment units Weeks #1-2: Elementary; Weeks #3-5: HBW; Weeks #6-7: VHS Objectives of PARCC Assessment College and Career Ready Measures Common Core Asks all of the standards Uses technology

Curricula Initiatives 2016-17 New Course Offerings & Curriculum beginning in September 2016 VHS Business AP Micro-Economics Business Law Marketing, Advertising & Sales Vocal Striking a New Chord (elective) Chamber Choir (offered during lunch/activity) Health & Physical Education Grades 9-12 - Choices & Options

Humanities

Elementary Academic Coach Two full time elementary positions FN Brown/ Forest & Laning/Brookdale What was the goal of the Academic Coach? Reinforce & Support struggling readers Share instructional strategies with teachers What type of support did the Academic Coach provide? Push In &/Or Pull out support Who did the Academic Coaches work with this school year? Students from Grades One through Four (102 students) Sumit, please update

Reading Workshop (K-5) District Focus: Small Group Instruction Why? Help students process a variety of increasingly challenging texts.

New VHS Course Offerings Humanities/ Speech Arts Sumit, please update for next year, 2016-17

Research Across the Disciplines Sumit, please update

2016-2017 School Year

Technology, Engineering, & Design (TE&D)

CONGRATULATIONS PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS! Rube Goldberg CONGRATULATIONS PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS! Division I - Construction Site, H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, Verona, NJ

Rube Goldberg

VHS Technology, Engineering, & Design (TE&D) Engineering Pathway STEM, STEAM, CAD I, Applied Engineering, TE&D Capstone Architecture Pathway STEM, CAD I, CAD II, TE&D Capstone Fabrication Pathway STEM, FAB I, FAB II, TE&D Capstone

VHS Compter Science AP CompSci Principles Harvard CS50

HBW Technolgy, Engineering, & Design (TE&D) Updated Course Offerings: Grades 5-8 5: Introduction to TE&D 6: Innovations 7: Future City 8: Rube Goldberg

NJ NGSS Implementation Timeline Adopted by NJDOE July 2014 Full Implementation: Grades 6-12 September 2016 Grades K-5 September 2017

Elementary STC kits for 16-17 Solids and Liquids Exploring Plants and Animals Exploring my Weather 2nd Changes Life Cycle of the Butterfly Energy Works 3rd Motion and Design Organisms Plant Growth and Development 4th Microworlds Rocks and Minerals Animal Studies

HBW STC kits for 16-17 5th Exploring the Properties of Matter Working With Motors and Simple Machines Ecosystems 6th Experimenting with Forces and Motion Structure and Function Earth's Dynamic Systems 7th Understanding Weather & Climate Matter and It's Interactions Ecosystem Interactions 8th Electrity, Waves and Information Transfer Genes & Molecular Machines Space Systems Exploration

VHS Science New Course: AP Physics I NGSS Alignment and Implementation: Biology Environmental Science Chemistry Physics Revising content coverage and merging ideas in new ways Open inquiries and problems solving Researching best practices to integrate engineering (especially in Biology and Environmental Science)

Verona Math , VHS: AP Calculus Revision/Refinement HBW Revision/Refinements: Pathways in Math Math 5 Math 7 Math 6 Math 8

Questions… Solids and Liquids: The investigations in Solids and Liquids introduce students to two key concepts of physical science—that solids and liquids are two states of matter and that each state of matter has its own identifiable properties.   Changes: Developing their knowledge of states of matter, students learn to describe the properties of solids, liquids, and gases and categorize them by their identifiable properties in Changes. Students investigate the freezing, melting, evaporation, and condensation of water as an introduction to phase change. Rusting, dissolving, crystallization, gases created by effervescent tablets, and ink separated through chromatography are other phase changes students create and observe in the lab. Motion and Design: The Motion and Design unit combines the physics of forces and motion with technological design. Students use plastic construction materials, weights, rubber bands, and propellers to design and build vehicles, then test how those vehicles respond to different forces of motion, like pushes, pulls, or rubber band energy. Microworlds: In Microworlds, students explore magnifiers, learning that tools like lenses and microscopes can be used to extend the sense of sight to view objects in greater detail. Experimenting with Forces and Motion: Forces and energy transformations make the motion of our world possible. Experimenting with Forces and Motion allows students to investigate the nature of energy, the different forms it can take, the nature of different forces, and how those forces affect the motion of objects. Exploring the Properties of Matter: In Exploring the Properties of Matter, students investigate some basic properties of matter and the use of these properties to distinguish one substance from another. The inquiries in which students engage are designed to develop a deep understanding of the properties of matter, enhance observational and analytical skills, and improve laboratory technique and experimental design. Understanding Weather and Climate: Understanding Weather and Climate explores the atmospheric events and oceanic processes that dramatically impact the earth and its inhabitants. Students experiment with factors that determine storms and daily weather, explore the impact of oceans on the earth, and examine the influences that produce climate zones and climate changes. Electricity, Waves, and Information Transfer: In Electricity, Waves, and Information Transfer, students design and test real-world technologies, excellent contexts for investigating electricity, information transfer, and waves characteristics. Additionally, electric circuits make excellent models for studying the role of electricity in an animal’s ability to sense and respond to the environment.