I have determined a solution to end the struggle between pronouncing data with either a long or short ‘a’ sound. Rather than being confused between which of the two typical pronunciations you should choose, you should pronounce data as you would tada. Now, if you didn’t find it fun before, any conversations regarding data will be much more enjoyable!

Thankfully, the vast majority of my discussions and dialogue centered on data have been well-received and productive. Based on recent conversations with similar colleagues at various BOCES, these generally positive encounters regarding data are both a rarity and are among the many characteristics that set the CA BOCES region apart from many others across the state.

However, because much of my work as well as that of numerous coordinators on the Professional Development team involves data (as it should), I would like to share the data ABCs as many of the CA BOCES continue to delve deeper into data.
Data Is AwarenessA good friend of mine said something that has been stuck in my head since he made the claim not long ago: even the sincerest of intentions can be sincerely mistaken. In other words, while a person’s intentions can be good, the actions he chooses may not yield the desired results, potentially even the opposite.

The same is true in education. As a former high school mathematics teacher, I held firm to the belief that my students needed to do homework in order to be successful. “Complete these 15 problems (10 skill-based and 5 application) each night, and you’ll be on the right track,” I thought. That was the approach my teachers had taken. It was the approach most educators followed (albeit with some flexibility). However, although research based on traditional homework practices yields positive results, traditional homework still does not provide a year’s worth of growth, at least through grade twelve.

By examining the research, we are able to challenge our own subjective beliefs and opinions. It is in this examination of data that we are aware of how to best align our sincerest intentions with what actually works best, not just what we think works best.

Data Is The Beginning, Not The EndBeyond awareness, data is best utilized before making decisions. The difference between using data to become aware and guide next steps as compared to being used for awareness alone is the difference between being proactive and reactive. Data as a beginning allows for timely and accurate decision making, both of which are key to formative practices.
Data Is CrucialIf being accurately informed wasn’t justification enough, I have listed five additional reasons why data is crucial in public education:

• Data is objective.
• Data is a practical communication tool, particularly in visualizations and storytelling.
• Data allows for increased accountability and transparency by measuring effectiveness. 
• Data allows for targeted growth.
• Data is necessary.​

Regardless of the reason we cling to or the reason we try to avoid, I am thankful to work with educators throughout the region who recognize the benefits of data and work toward creating a data-informed culture.

By: Mark Beckwith, CA BOCES Professional Development

​In September 2017, the NYS Board of Regents adopted the English Language Arts and Mathematics Next Generation Learning Standards.  The ELA standards were revised across all grades to ensure understanding, developmentally appropriate practice, and high expectations for all learners. The new standards come at a time when schools are working to provide equity and excellence for all learners.  Inside the documents educators will find the Lifelong Practices of Readers and Writers as well as every grade level’s expectations for text complexity.

Many teachers and administrators in the region have worked diligently this summer aligning and adjusting curriculum. They discovered that the most notable change in the standards is the knowledge that being literate in today’s society is different than it was in the past.  The implementation of the standards guide students to become critical thinkers and communicators.  Teachers, administrators, and curriculum coordinators are meeting this challenge by evaluating district curriculum, revising and creating curricular units of study, and working as a collaborative unit within the region to ensure all students succeed. 
 
For more information and guidance documents go to: http://www.nysed.gov/next-generation-learning-standards
 
If you have questions regarding the ELA changes, please reach out to Tessa Levitt, Corey Wilson, or Michelle Rickicki.  

By: Michelle Rickicki, CA Boces Professional Development

​As we are gearing up to begin the 2019-2020 school year, we are also entering Phase II: Building Capacity, of the Next Generation Learning Standards Implementation Roadmap
Phase II of the Standards Implementation Roadmap: Building Capacity, is to provide guidance and support for districts with regards to the professional development needs identified in Phase I, with the focus on the integration of the Next Generation ELA and Mathematics Learning Standards into curriculum, instruction, and assessment design.  In our CA BOCES region we have held several regional and in district workshops both in Phase I: Raising Awareness and Phase II; Building Capacity for both Math and ELA. In these workshops we identify current/new instructional strategies that allow opportunities for students to engage in the Lifelong Practices of Readers and Writers and the Standards for Mathematical Practices. As well as examining current classroom instructional strategies and determine changes needed to ensure classroom instruction is research-based and aligned with the standards. For example, using student centered project-based and inquiry-based learning, purposeful play, and other student-focused modes of instruction. 

​While working collaboratively with peers from around the region, educators are also reviewing, revising, or creating curricular units, based on need, or adopting a curriculum program to ensure alignment to the NYS Next Generation ELA and Mathematics Learning Standards. Furthermore, CA BOCES continues to support regional data reviews such as, ELA Data Dive, to reflect on student performance and identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. 

To help assist districts in the implementation of the Next Gen Learning Standards including curriculum development, the state has recently developed A Guide for Aligning Local Curricula to the Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards. The guidance contained in this document for curriculum review and development (ELA Curriculum Reflection Tool in Part II) is optional for school districts in New York State to use. The guidance is provided to support districts’ creation or revision of units of instruction aligned with the student learning expectations in the Next Generation English Language Arts (ELA) Learning Standards. Curriculum decisions are local school district decisions in New York State. 
For more information about the alignment guide, please reach out!
By: Corey Wilson, CA BOCES Professional Development

As the importance of trauma sensitive classrooms and the drive for becoming more responsive is at the forefront of our minds, at the foundation of these initiatives is the relationship building that is necessary to make any of those powerful initiatives a success.
 
In the article, "Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter" Sarah Sparks notes, A Review of Educational Research analysis of 46 studies found that strong teacher-student relationships were associated in both the short- and long-term with improvements on practically every measure schools care about: higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, fewer disruptive behaviors and suspensions, and lower school dropout rates.
 
Although the positives are profound, as educators we recognize there are challenges with building meaningful relationships with all of our students. There are time constraints, curriculum demands and large class sizes that can prevent those ‘little conversations’ from occurring.  As the new school year is fast approaching, keep in mind the following strategies and/or trainings that can aid you in having those ‘little conversations’ that will improve engagement and bring about positive lasting results for your students. 

Time
Time is our most valuable resource and there never seems to be enough of it. Within a school setting there are tight schedules and limited class periods.

• Greeting students at the door, as they leave or exit. Those brief interactions can help that period start off on a positive note and help you gauge who may need additional love and attention during that period.
• Two Times Ten Conversation, committing to spending 2 minutes for 10 days getting to know a student. These two minutes could occur during transition times, lunch, or door greetings. The conversation should revolve around student interests and could later evolve into more school focused chats as the relationship develops.

 
Class Size
Although class size varies and depending on grade level may grow or shrink from year to year, we may feel at times if there were only a few less students, more could be accomplished. Getting to know students can be difficult when there are so many and utilizing different games or whole group activities can help foster teacher-student relationships.
 

• The Digging Game or Getting to Know you Bingo are team building games that allow students to share their interests and meaningful details about themselves.
• Dialogue Journaling is a great activity for the beginning of the school year. The teacher and student journal back and forth in a friendly letter format.
• Interest Inventories could be used for specific subjects or just to better connect to student by discovering what their interests are.
• Restorative Practice can assist you in building a safe and trusting community within your classroom and provide explicit direction on not only building, but repairing relationships too.

 
Curriculum Demands
Gone are the days when we taught whatever we deemed important, today we are held to high curriculum standards and answer to testing data. The stress and pressure of getting through everything and delivering on academic goals is high. Luckily there are ways to steal moments that can help strengthen teacher-student relationships.

• Incorporating humor into daily lessons and day to day interactions can help students feel at ease and create a positive shared experience. Please note not to confuse humor with sarcasm, as sarcasm can have damaging results.
• Capitalize on student's interests as a curriculum resource when determining how best to engage students and help them make academic connections. When students are able to make those connections, information becomes lodged in their long term memory and everyone wins! 

By: Jessica Rose, CA BOCES Professional Development

 
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is spreading like wildfire—and schools districts are starting to implement SEL in their classrooms.
 
 There are many reasons why a school might adopt SEL, all of which have been validated by research: to increase academic success, to lower the stress-levels of students as they strive towards that success; to prevent negative behaviors such as drug use, violence, and bullying; to equip students with the “soft skills” they will need in today’s work environment; and to promote positive relationships and attitudes.
 
At the core of SEL is cultivating our self-awareness, which begins with an understanding of emotions. Our emotions work with our cognition in a seamless and integrated way to help us navigate the classroom, workplace, our relationships, and the decisions we make in life.
 
Over the last ten years, emotion researchers have found that negative emotions close us off, making us less resilient and unable to relate with and connect to others; whereas positive emotions such as gratitude, tranquility, love, and joy come with a myriad of benefits. The goal, however, is not to feel positive emotions all the time, but rather to understand how emotions, both negative and positive, impact us. Thus, if we can become aware of our emotions and learn to work with them in a healthy way-to see them as information rather than as overpowering responses that control our actions – then we can choose to respond to situations in a manner that brings out the good in us and in others. I
 
Social-emotional learning is generally broken down into five categories
                               
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is being able to recognize and comprehend one’s emotions and how they translate into our behaviors. This includes recognizing stress or negative emotions, being aware of one’s abilities and weaknesses as well as a “well-grounded sense of self-efficacy and optimism,” according to CASEL.
 Self-management
Self-management takes self-awareness one step further into the ability to regulate one’s feelings and behaviors. This can include controlling anger, handling stress, self-motivation, or persistence through setbacks.
Social awareness
Social awareness looks outward and is about empathizing with others and possessing a willingness to understand and respect the unique experiences, norms, and behaviors of others.
Relationship skills
This section is about creating and maintaining healthy relationships through cooperation, active listening, conflict resolution, and communication.
Responsible decision-making
This final section is about making safe, healthy choices that abide by one’s positive and healthy personal moral code and benefit their well-being — and the well-being of others.

For more information, check out https://casel.org/what-is-sel/  and don’t hesitate to reach out to Kathryn Mendell or Tessa Levitt for more information, strategies or professional development.

By: Tessa Levitt, CA BOCES Professional Development

​Over the past few years the New York State Education Department has been developing new Regents exams for High School Social Studies in both Grade 10 Global History and Geography and Grade 11 U.S. History and Government.  These new exams are designed to reflect the shifts in instruction that were identified in the 2014 released Field Guide for Social Studies and assess students according to the practices identified in the Social Studies Framework for K-12 instruction.  The first of these new Framework exams was offered this year in Global, while the US History exam will be offered for the first time in June 2020. 

​June 2019 was the first administration of the NEW Global History and Geography II Regents for students in Grade 10.  This new exam design has 28 MC questions that are attached to a stimulus, a Part II Constructed Response Task, and a single Enduring Issues Essay.  The purpose of this new Regents exam was to align assessment to the content, skills, and practices of the Framework.  Districts had the choice this past June of offering their Global students the new Framework exam, or having students take the Transition exam which continued with the older format of 30 MC questions, a Thematic Essay, Scaffold Questions and a DBQ essay.  For two years there will be an overlap period where both types of exams are offered by NYSED.  
 
One of the most noticeable changes in the exam was in regard to Part II.  Replacing the Part II Thematic essay, the Framework exam Part II CRQ’s required students to both analyze and make connections between sets of provided documents.  

​The other major change was a move away from a DBQ format, to an extended writing response called an Enduring Issues Essay.  In this writing task, students were still given documents to examine, but rather than have questions they would need to respond to that were assigned to each document, they analyzed the documents to make connections about an issue they identified from them.  

Almost half of the districts in the CA BOCES region offered the new Framework exam to their Global students. The first administration was deemed a success and the consensus from teachers was that the test was both fair and indicative of the practices outlined in the Framework. 

By: Rob Griffith, CA BOCES Professional Development

​The 3rd  Southern Tier Annual Film Festival was held at Allegany-Limestone Central School District on May 9th, 2019 under the direction of Suzan Snyder and was another amazing success. Teachers, parents, administrators, and students gathered together, watched student films, and awarded the trophy to the winning district, Cuba Rushford Central School. Participating districts included Alfred-Almond (@AlfredAlmondCS), Allegany-Limestone(@ALCSGator), Cuba-Rushford (@CR_REBELS), Fillmore (@FillmoreEagles), Olean (@OleanHighSchool), and Whitesville (@wcsbluejays).

As a teacher who loves to see the creativity of my students, to witness the brilliance of a new generation, to be part of collaborative communities, I look forward every year to the professional development that spearheaded the film festival. It is an ongoing experience that continues to bring teachers together–those that were there first and new faces that join each year.
 
Three years ago, a group of teachers gathered together for professional development offered by CA BOCES (@CABOCESit), bringing Dr. David Bruce from University at Buffalo and Dr. Sunshine Sullivan from Houghton College to guide us in our efforts to learn to use digital media in our classrooms. We left that experience armed with new ideas for our classroom, exciting project-based assessments, our own creative pieces, and with a vague idea that we wanted to come together at the end of the school year and showcase our students’ efforts. We met periodically and fleshed out an idea for a film festival—a good spirited, but competitive event that would allow students to try to win a trophy for their school, and provide recognition among their peers and throughout their communities. We also wanted our students to create the artwork to advertise the festival so they could own this event alongside their teachers.
 
That vague idea became a fully developed festival. Now, each year towards the culmination of the school year, students enter their best work from throughout the year to a film committee. The committee picks thirty of the best films to showcase, selects winners based on specific criteria, and creates a flight sheet for one final award to be chosen by the audience at the end of the event. This year we had a wonderful artist, Jazlynn Sullivan of Olean High School, create the image for the posters to advertise the event and the programs.

As an English teacher, I am constantly amazed at the writing that comes out of these projects. Teachers ask students to tell a story, to shed light on an issue or a poem, to be a magician with images, to create a parody or satire, and they deliver at the film festival with glowing outcomes and to genuine applause. When we ask our students to put themselves in the spotlight, we are asking them to be vulnerable, to be real, to be exceptional. And they do not fail. Students create comedies and tragedies, extrapolate meaning from a poem through image and sound or investigate the way color is used in writing. Sometimes they look at what it means to be a teenager, magnifying difficult issues like bullying, violence, and trying to find their identity. Students are investigating the deep issues of their lives and sharing it with their teachers and then a wider audience so that we can search for answers or laugh or be afraid along with them.
 
Sometimes our students bring tears to our eyes.  Sometimes the adults in the room go back in time, spend three minutes as the adolescents that we once were. That is what happens every year at this film festival. Every year another group of students radiates their authentic selves and ask the adults and companions in their lives to go with them on that journey.
 
This small film festival is growing every year. This year there were over 110 attendees. The students propelled the hard work of a small group of teachers into something great. For all the future festivals, we hope more teachers throughout the region will attend the five-day summer professional development opportunity and begin making digital projects and films in their classrooms with their students.  We can’t wait to see the work of the students next year.  Maybe it will be your students that win your district the trophy.
 
By: Christina McGee, CA BOCES Learning Resources

Many CA BOCES districts have been looking at Restorative Practices and have also attended many of the CA BOCES offered IIRP two-day trainings.  The CA BOCES certified trained IIRP professionals offer dates in July and August for these two-day trainings, but they can also work with districts to offer full or part time trainings for any district.  Participants in West Valley and other districts have been excited to see that Restorative Practice is ‘more than just circles’.  Schools that adopt Restorative Practices give a common language to set expectations, build positive relationships and to help set up a ‘culture of caring’ for all students in a building. 

By: Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development

​In Mr. Dave Taylor’s Introduction to Engineering course, students have many experiences connected to solving real-world issues. In Mr. Taylor’s latest unit, he charged his students with designing a concrete bridge with the challenge of holding as much weight as possible while using as little material as necessary. Students were given one 80lb. bag of concrete and 8 yards of wire reinforcements.
 
The unit opened up with students researching the field of civil engineering, learning about salary, education required, and all of the sub disciplines. Mr. Taylor then had his students participate in the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). The QFT is an inquiry-based process that helps students generate many questions around a topic, or Q Focus. A Q Focus can be a statement, an image, a video, a song, or more, but it is never a question. The first time he did the QFT with students, he gave them a picture of a 19th Century aqueduct. This sparked many types of questions from students as they wondered about the construction, design, and history of the image. Once they were hooked, Mr. Taylor provided another Q Focus to get students to deeply think about their upcoming project: “We will build scale reinforced concrete bridges that accurately model real functioning bridges designed by civil engineers.” Students once again generated questions based on the statement, sparking their interest in the project at hand.

The students researched bridge design, including regulations from the Montana Department of Transportation and even the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. From there, students engaged in the engineering design process. Working in groups, they made 3D models using Fusion 360 and continued to iterate their designs until they were satisfied with the finished product. One of the key challenges was figuring out how to make a mold to design their bridge, as they had to think about their design from a different perspective to design an inverse mold. Once they were finished, they went into Mr. Farrand’s wood shop with their final designs and physically constructed their molds with wood. Students determined how much water and wire reinforcement they wanted to use, where to place that reinforcement, and also considered how to remove their bridge from the mold without it sticking to the wood and cracking or breaking. 

​After a seven day curing process, students were ready to test out their bridges! Mr. Brisky came up with a chain hoist system as a way to evenly place weights on students’ bridges. Group A used 77.5 lbs. of concrete mix while Group B used 35.5 lbs. of mix. While Group A was able to hold 335lbs. compared to Group B’s 148.5lbs., Group B ultimately won because they held more weight with a lot less material.
 
Students were fascinated by this unit and want to try additional experiments, such as playing with the amount of water and reinforcement to see if they can improve their designs. Well done, panthers! 

By: Brendan Keiser, CA BOCES Professional Development

​As the winter snows melt and sunshine begins to extend and warm up each day, you know Spring is in the air.  At Gail N. Chapman elementary school in Randolph, 2nd grade students ‘Catapulted into Spring’ with a STEM activity that consisted of two parts.  Each student was given a bag of various materials that could be used for each part.  In part one, students could use pieces of wood, rubber bands, tape, and a spoon to create a catapult that would fly a plastic egg into the air. In part two, students needed to create a nest type structure to catch the egg.   The structure could be made out of toothpicks, lollipop sticks, jelly beans, gumdrops, marshmallows, and grass clippings.  

​The first part of the STEM challenge focused on leverage and force, as students needed to be sure their catapults could take an egg at least 6” into the air.  They experimented with various lengths for their catapult, and how much force would be needed to get the proper height and distance they were looking for.  

​The second part of their STEM challenge required their catapulted eggs to be caught in a nest type structure and they were not to touch the ground.  Students discussed various creative ways to accomplish this and were left to explore their own engineering and design.  Conversations about what design to use, and what materials worked best were taking place all over the classroom.  Once time had elapsed for their construction and building, it was time for each student to attempt to catapult their egg into their created nest.  No matter how many students were able to launch their eggs into the nest, all students succeeded in having fun and experimenting with leverage and engineering.   

By: Rob Griffith, CA BOCES Professional Development

Instructional greatness is the theme in Friendship Central School.  Teachers here have dedicated time and effort into making every moment in school count.  They have worked countless hours to help all students achieve success.  One way they have accomplished this is through data driven instruction. 

Planning instruction based on assessments is hard work.  Teachers in Friendship are diligently working at unpacking standards, aligning curriculum and planning lessons using the data from CA BOCES-created benchmark assessments.  This teacher tool gives educators the knowledge and understanding of student learning.  It also provides a foundation for teacher professional development.   

​Teachers engage in collegial and collaborative conversations on a regular basis.  There are numerous benefits to these conversations such as creating professional community, learning, and a culture where knowledge and respect are highly valued.  These educators are responsible for transforming classrooms as they share ideas and expertise.  The support they receive from colleagues is inspiring.  Ultimately, these professionals develop and maintain the culture of cooperation so that teachers continue to learn and students achieve.  The work in Friendship is transformational and teachers are the heart of this work. 

​By: Michelle Rickicki, CA BOCES Professional Development

On March 11th, over 100 local educators, administrators and community leaders gathered at the Restorative Practices Symposium to explore, learn and experience from experts and practitioners in the field.  The event was organized in response to the increasing interest in restorative practices in the region.  The morning consisted of a keynote speaker and three practitioner presentations, while the afternoon allowed participants to experience different aspects of restorative practices based upon interest.  Let’s take a look at what we learned about throughout the morning!

The keynote speaker, Dr. Tom Cavanagh of Colorado State University shared evidence and research specific to restorative practice in schools.  He noted the significance of creating a culture of care using the principles and practices of restorative justice in the school environment.  Dr. Cavanagh’s work with Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado was a great example of the application of a “culture of care” and related positive outcomes.  Based on his research, Dr. Cavanagh concluded the implications for restorative schools include improved graduation rates, decreased discipline referrals, increased learning time and greater equity.

Deb Golley and Mollie Lapi, of CA BOCES Exceptional Education Programs spoke about the implementation process and daily practices within special education programs.  They shared the reality of the 80/20 rule with restorative practices.  The majority (80%) of practices are proactive, leaving the reactive practices happening much less of the time (20%).  Therefore, reinforcing that restorative schools are heavily invested in practices that build relationships and community.  This investment enables the responsive practices, such as conferences or corrective circles, to have greater influence and success in repairing harm and relationships when harm has occurred.

Representatives from East High School in the Rochester City School District, Dr. Lia Festenstein and Michelle Garcia offered insight into the revitalization of climate and culture in an urban school, through the implementation of restorative practices.  Garcia introduced the social discipline window and noted that the ideal restorative response is a combination of high control (limit setting, discipline) and high support (encouragement, nurturing).  Dr. Festenstein highlighted the process and stages of implementation and shared details of the journey from year one into year four.  Finally, Dr. Festenstein spoke of the noteworthy impact that restorative practices has had at EAST.  Outcomes include, a decrease in school referrals and suspensions, a decrease in the severity of school offenses and a narrowing discipline gap that disproportionately punishes students of color.
​
Finally, participants heard from local superintendent Lori DiCarlo.  DiCarlo walked participants through the three tiers of restorative practices.  She illustrated how the multi-tiered system of support aligns with the restorative practices continuum and what this looks like at Randolph Academy UFSD.  For each of the three tiers, DiCarlo gave examples of what the practice looks like, how it is implemented and what the benefits are. 
 
By: Katie Mendell, CA BOCES Community Schools Coordinator 

​There have been numerous activities that have occurred out in Friendship this year and a few accomplishments.  We’ll highlight a few of them as we continue to grow and learn.  At the January 25th in-service day we celebrated Friendship moving off NYSED’s watch list as they’ve shown growth through multiple layers at New York State.  That was a result of years of work to do what’s in the best interest of students.  To continue an afternoon of celebrating and teamwork the Friendship staff, led by school psychologist, Kimberly Riordan, worked in teams to complete a scavenger hunt with the Goose Chase app.  Goose Chase allows you to form teams that have to accomplish certain tasks and can take photos to show that they accomplished the task.  Those photos go to the moderators of the challenge to award the pre-determined points or not.  This was an excellent team building opportunity with many of the photos shared before the faculty left.

​The other activity that our 5th grade team took on was to run a BreakOut EDU review session to have students answer questions to review for their “Solids, Liquids and Gases” unit.  Mrs. Sleggs and Mrs. Malinowski set up teams that the students worked on to solve specific problems.  Each problem helped unlock a different lock on the box.  Once every group solved their problem they were treated to a special reward/treat.  Thank you Alex Freer from Learning Resources for showing us BreakOut EDU earlier this year!

By:  Mark Carls, CA BOCES Professional Development

Over the past few months, Kathryn Mendell and myself have facilitated the Mental Health Literacy forum with about 70 teachers and leaders from the region.  The purpose of the Mental Health Literacy forum is to share and provide information on mental health education provided within our community and area schools.   We shared guidance for developing effective mental health education for ALL students at all levels while embedding mental health well-being into the entire school environment.
 
The NYS Education Department expects schools to utilize the guidance documents and other resources available to adopt or develop its own district curriculum aligned with the NYS learning standards and to tailor instruction based on the school district’s identified needs at the local level.  The hope is that these changes will positively impact our student’s awareness of mental health prevention, treatment and stigma.
 
With the expansion of mental health in schools, it is expected that school personnel, students, families and communities will more openly discuss mental health well-being. 

​By:  Tessa Levitt, CA BOCES Professional Development

Area teachers have been learning about the workshop model for mathematics over the past few months.  What is the math workshop model?  It is a flexible grouping model, incorporating best practices in mathematics, coupled with differentiation based on individual student needs.  This model allows teachers to have smaller chunks of whole group instruction, allowing more time for smaller, targeted groups who work with the teacher on specific standards and concepts, while other students work in work stations.  Teachers learned how to incorporate the tenants of the workshop model based on their classroom, and the needs of the students.  Teachers who have been able to try the model out have been very enthusiastic about it, as they feel they have a much better picture of the students and their abilities and needs in mathematics, as they are able to spend more time with students in smaller groups.  This has been extremely beneficial for the students as well as for the teachers.  If you are interested in learning more about the Workshop Model in Mathematics, C-A BOCES will be holding a workshop in July.  If you’re interested, please have your district contact person register you at register you at register.caboces.org.

​By:  Kathleen Agnello, CA BOCES Professional Development

In our region, it’s no secret that Portville Central School is doing amazing things for kids—now the state is starting to take notice, too. This fall Portville educators took the stage at two different state-level conferences. In October, Molly Scott and Theresa Lyons presented at the annual New York State English Council Conference in Albany. They presented the tremendously successful, elementary-level & community-wide One Book One Community Project: Palacio’s Wonder: the idea, the timeline; the events; the teachers; the students; the families, and the community—start to finish—and the lasting impact it’s had. Participants left understanding the value of the project and the process to implement One Book One Community at their own districts.

Can you feel it? Winter break is fastly approaching. For many, this break is a time of a much needed and well-deserved rest. For others, winter break, like the several other breaks from school, is a time that causes stress because school is the safest home they know. The differences between these two feelings remind us of the importance of cultivating the social and emotional well-being in addition to fostering academic growth in public education.

In addition to the social and emotional well-being of students, the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) has also recognized the importance of mental health education. Proposed in January of 2018, the continuum of well-being for mental health literacy was formally adopted by the Board of Regents in May of 2018. The NYSED Mental Health webpage nicely reminds us “research has shown that the quality of the school climate may be the single most predictive factor in any school’s capacity to promote student achievement. When young people are educated about mental health, the likelihood increases they will be able to effectively recognize signs and symptoms in themselves and others and will know where to turn for help. Health education that respects the importance of mental health, as well as the challenges of mental illness, will help young people and their families and communities feel more comfortable seeking help, improve academic performance and, most importantly, even save lives.” Some school districts have gotten creative in their approach to positively improve their culture and climate.

I recently walked into Cuba-Rushford Central School’s Middle/High School building and was delighted to see Lupo, pictured above, a 15-week old, male Bouvier des Flandres; the Bouvier des Flandres breed is loyal, gentle, and hypoallergenic, typically living 10 to 12 years growing upwards of 100 pounds. As I watched Lupo, he brought smiles to nearly all who passed him by, and he received welcoming embraces from both students and adults. Naturally, like most, I needed to learn more about Lupo’s role at CRCS.

Whose dog is Lupo?  Lupo belongs to Chris Cappelletti, and is, ultimately, his responsibility throughout the day. However, Chris let me know that both getting Lupo into CRCS and taking care of him throughout the day wouldn’t be possible without the encouragement and assistance of the CRCS faculty and administration, particularly Nicole Williams and Sally Kus.

Why is Lupo at CRCS?  Several events took place that allowed for Lupo to be welcomed at CRCS. After many weeks of researching the benefits of a therapy dog, the idea was presented to CRCS superintendent, Carlos Gildemeister. Then, after discussing the idea and the research, Carlos gave his full support knowing that the benefits of a therapy dog far outweigh the costs.

Who takes care of Lupo at night?  Lupo belongs to Chris. This means that Chris is responsible for taking care of Lupo before and after school. Furthermore, Chris is responsible for having Lupo trained as a therapy dog; this means Lupo needs to pass a temperament test, complete obedience school, and undergo therapy dog training, each with an associated fee. The big goal for Lupo, once he completes all of his training, is for him to pass the American Kennel Club (AKC) Therapy Dog Test.

Has Lupo made an impact in his first 15 weeks at CRCS?  “I’ve seen a huge difference!” Chris told me. “I’ve seen more smiling faces, more communication with children and adults, and increased empathy. Students worry if Lupo has eaten enough, and regularly ask to take him on walks so Lupo can go to the bathroom outside.” Nicole added “that socially he has created a bridge for students that normally would not hang out or speak to each other. For instance, two girls in particular that do not hang out, quickly and without any awkwardness, started talking while they were petting Lupo.”

What else do I need to know if I wanted get a therapy dog in my school district?  In short, you need research, support, and commitment; research to identify which type of dog will be the suitable, support from administration and the dog’s owner, and a commitment both financially and mentally to the lifestyle of raising a therapy dog.

Prior to researching which type of dog would be purchased, Chris, Nicole, and Sally explored what the research showed regarding the benefits of having a therapy dog. Then, with a plan and the research to support it, Chris, Nicole and Sally received approval from their administration after several discussions. Lastly, perhaps the most challenging aspect of owning a therapy dog, each member of this small team must be committed to not only caring for this support animal, but they must also be committed to doing so consistently.

Do the benefits outweigh the costs?  For the sake of clarity, there are several costs associated with owning a therapy dog. Not only does someone need to pay for the dog itself, its food, shelter, training, etc., but there are also physical and emotional costs such as training the animal early in the morning and throughout the day until the evening hours, caring for the animal in addition to normal expectations at home and at work, and determining whether the animal truly is having a meaningful impact.

For some, these costs constitute burdens that are far too great, and for others the benefits far outweigh the costs. Based on the few days I have seen Lupo in action, I would argue he his performing his duties well. Based on the several weeks Lupo has been at CRCS, Lupo’s caretakers would also argue that Lupo is worth the cost. More time may be required for a concrete measure of Lupo’s impact, but perhaps time has already shown just how valuable this dog can be.
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By:  Mark Beckwith, CA BOCES Professional Development

Last year, Mark Beckwith and Sarah Wittmeyer collaborated on a project to create an online database of every test question that has been assessed on the 3-8 ELA and Math state assessments in the last few years. This database, the NYS Assessment Item Notebook, allows teachers to easily click a standard that has been assessed, which in turn generates a list of every released question that is connected to that standard. The Notebook is tremendously helpful because it contains all of this public information in one place, rather than having to open a myriad of PDFs.
 
Districts in our region have been using this tool in numerous ways. At Cuba-Rushford, middle school ELA teachers have been analyzing the question stems to notice patterns in how standards are being assessed. For example, teachers noted that many questions reference specific paragraphs, such as “How do paragraphs 3 and 4 contribute to the story?” By mirroring their own questions to students in this format, students will be more familiar with the structure of the state exam. Additionally, analyzing question stems can uncover vocabulary that students may need to help them succeed. For example, if students don’t understand what is meant by “contribute”, they may struggle right at the beginning of attempting to answer the question.
 
In Fillmore, middle school ELA teachers have created a mid-year benchmark assessment using the Assessment Item Notebook. Teachers reviewed their data to determine standards that are commonly assessed. Then they selected two passages and ten multiple choice questions to assess students with in January. The benefit to using these questions is that it will give them an indication of how students will perform against the rigor of the state assessment. Also, because they know which questions are connected to which standards, data analysis is easier and can offer areas for them to focus on before the state assessments.
 
If your district would like support in using the NYS Assessment Items Notebook to guide data analysis and instruction, please reach out to our team!

By:  Brendan Keiser, CA BOCES Professional Development

Imagine, if you can, a world where teachers are given choice in their professional development, where they lead their own research and collaborate with others to hone their craft.  You wouldn’t have to imagine too much if you are familiar with the Collaborative Research and Development Professional Development instituted by the administrative team at the Wellsville Secondary School of Mary Ellen O’Connell (Secondary Principal), Jason Mank (Assistant Principal) and Rick Bull (Assistant Principal).

After some initial planning and collaboration by the administrative team, Mary Ellen contacted me with the idea and from there we created a Moodle course on Poverty around Poor Students, Rich Teaching by Eric Jensen, a FlipGrid component (thanks to Mark Beckwith for this idea and support) for reflection and as an instructional classroom tool.  The team’s vision was to create opportunities for teachers to select to collaborate with others in their building around their four main initiatives for the year poverty, assessment, PBL and positive relationships with students and families.   

Teachers may be researching and collaborating around something they saw at a BOCES workshop, or a conference or that they read about and want to dig into deeper.   Mary Ellen created the opportunity for that research to happen for them by replacing three faculty meetings with three hours of collaborative research and development with a requirement to use FlipGrid to share their learning and reflect on their practice.  Teachers have four checkpoints (30-60 second videos) along the way where they get to share their learning and how they apply new knowledge their classroom practice.

To date, the administrative team has seen an increase in general collaboration among colleagues, an increase in FlipGrid use as an instructional tool by teachers in their classrooms and a deeper dive by teachers into areas of interest based on instruction or content.  Mary Ellen stated “The engagement and interaction on FlipGrid has been unbelievable! We have only completed two of the four “checkpoints” and already my faculty has accumulated 3,500 views and over 21 hours of time online learning from each other’s research. It is clear they enjoy learning from each other’s experiences and research. I’m also very sure they love not attending traditional faculty meetings and they are having fun with the flipGrid format.”
   
If you had a chance to read the ASCD Educational Leadership journal When Teachers Lead their Own Learning in November 2018 you can note some of the same elements (choice, flexibility, personalization) from those articles in the work that the administrative team from the Wellsville Secondary School has created for their building.  Change can be good!

By:  Karen Insley, CA BOCES Learning Resources

In September, several members of the CA BOCES ISS team had the opportunity to attend the Staff/Curriculum Development Network conference with Larry Ainsworth, educational expert on standards and formative assessment. It was an intensive day of exploring curriculum development through prioritizing standards. Members of the team worked with other Curriculum Coordinators from across the state in Math, Science, ELA, and Social Studies to examine the standards, learning how to prioritize, and the implications such work has on curriculum and assessment.
 
Because each discipline has dozens of standards, Larry Ainsworth argues that to develop curriculum, prioritizing the standards is a critical step in the process. Throughout the work we did, Larry made sure to say that just because some standards are prioritized, it does not mean the other standards do not matter. We worked with an analogy of a fence, seeing prioritized standards as posts and supporting standards as rails. Seeing standards in this light can help teachers determine what to elevate in instruction, and what standards are foundational to building other skills.
 
In his book, Rigorous Curriculum Design, criteria is established for looking at each standard to determine whether it should be prioritized. There are four lenses to examine each standard through: Readiness, Endurance, Leverage, and External Exams. Readiness represents how the standard prepares students for next level learning. Endurance of a standard determines whether it’s a concept or skill that lasts over time. Leverage of a standard means that it has interdisciplinary connections. Finally, standards should be looked at through how they are assessed on external exams.
 
Due to the size of the group and the multiple different disciplines we were working with, we examined the standards through for readiness, endurance, and leverage. In small groups, teams reviewed standards at a particular grade level through the lenses, trying to establish a list of standards that should be prioritized. The conversations were fantastic and allowed for in-depth discussion on not only the standard, but the implementation of the standard in the classroom.
 
Because of the depth of analysis of the standards, Brendan Keiser and Sarah Wittmeyer facilitated the prioritization process with the Middle School/High School English Language Arts CLC in October. Teachers were divided by grade level bands, and in small groups looked at the standards through the first three lenses.
 
After the standards were reviewed through those lenses, we added in the data from the 6-8 ELA State Tests and the English Regents Exam regarding the most frequently assessed standards. This allowed for another layer and added in-depth discussion on what standards should be prioritized.
 
The purpose of the activity with the CLC was not to give teachers a list of standards to prioritize in their curriculum, but rather to give teachers a protocol by which to examine the standards. The process included discussions on unpacking the language, understanding what the standard looks like in the classroom, and the importance of the standard at the particular grade level. Teachers walked away with the ability to replicate the process in district, but also a more comprehensive understanding of the Next Generation English Language Arts Standards.

By:  Sarah Wittmeyer, CA BOCES Professional Development