By: Michael D. Moriarty Ed.D.

​Questions around proficiency-based learning that we have been mulling over in OCSU is: 1.) How do we change our conversations about grading and reporting to reflect a student’s performance towards proficiency? 2.) How do ensure that our reporting practices reflect equity for all types of learning? If you look back historically you will find that the way educators have reported out on learning has not changed much since the late 1800s.

By: Michael D. Moriarty Ed.D.
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In OCSU, we have a group that meets regularly to discuss the initiatives that support our continuous improvement plan. This group is referred to as PALs (Peer Administrator Leaders). Over the past month or so, we have been discussing the various aspects of change and how we find the right balance when implementing our initiatives to consider what was/is valuable that our systems currently support and what is needed to make our systems stronger. This can be summarized as first order change versus second order change.

At our September 12th meeting, we compared and contrasted the differences of first and second order change within the organization of school systems. The basics of these two types of change are simple. First order change is change that happens within existing structures and paradigms where the change is built on people’s existing knowledge, skills, values, and beliefs. This type of change is consistent, advantageous for stakeholders, and readily implementable. Second order change, on the other hand, is a break from what has historically been done. Second order change is complex, outside the norm, and contradicts the existing structures and paradigms of the organization, as well as the existing knowledge, skills, values, and beliefs of people within the organization. Furthermore, it is important to note that first order change is more of a formal process while second order change is viewed as a more informal process.

The PALs group spent some time and considered how first order change versus second order change might be perceived by people in the organization. The picture below represents some of our thinking:

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After our reflections the conversation then turned to us considering the question: “what is the right balance to create the most buy-in of people within the organization when considering first order change versus second order change?” Our thoughts and ideas with respect to this question naturally moved towards the work being done on OCSU’s shift to Proficiency-Based Learning (PBL).

For some time now, PBL in OCSU has been an example of second order change. Administrators and teachers have been what I like to say “playing in the sandbox.” They have been creating new assessments and learning scales that are in student friendly language, personalizing learning, developing proficiencies, and reporting out on student progress in new ways. PBL is clearly a break from the existing structures and models that made up public education in the 20th century that many educators are accustomed to.

When considering second order change, we need to think about how first order change may play a role, as well as those who may have lived in the first order change paradigm. It makes me think of the TedTalk on the “Myth of Average” by Todd Rose, which I encourage people to watch. Todd Rose asks us to consider the design process and how we need to design to the edges instead of designing to the middle or average. For educational purposes, I take that to mean that if we design a model of education that fits the average teacher or student instead of a model of education that is flexible and meets the needs of all stakeholders we will fail to be inclusive of their needs. However, if we design to the edge and incorporate all viewpoints, we can build our systems with a blend of “from the ground up” and the “top down.”

Needless to say, second order change is exciting and important work for our systems. The PALs crew, which consists of teacher leaders plans to continue to explore first and second order change as they work within the OCSU committees that are focused on: Curriculum & Assessment, Proficiency-Based Learning, Professional Learning, and EST/MTSS. The intention of these committees is to support the goals outlined in our Continuous Improvement Plan.

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Last week the OCSU Administrative team had their annual retreat. This was a great opportunity to build new relationships, reconnect old relationships, and continue the work towards our vision and strategic objectives. One of our strategic objectives focuses on the implementation of proficiency-based learning (PBL). Unbeknownst to me, Superintendent Davis had scheduled me to lead a professional development workshop for the admin team during one of our mornings of the retreat on PBL. I wasn’t sure if this was part of some OCSU ritual that occurs for the new folks and I am sure that hazing is illegal but considering I am always up for a challenge I sheepishly agreed. Talk about pressure and first impressions!
Joking aside, the intention of the workshop was to model what it might look and feel like for a student to be in a proficiency-based classroom, as well as to connect the 10 principles of PBL and learning and the brain. These are big and broad topics and truth be told, we could spend weeks and months on the research. However, for this session, I wanted to provide a foundation and then allow the team to invest time in area of interest. As I have come to learn, there are a variety of entry points into the PBL world. Our learning outcomes for the morning were:

• I can hypothesize how my learning today connects to a student’s experience in the classroom.
• I can construct a logical argument that makes connections between the 10 principles of PBL and learning and the brain.

I provided the admin team with a variety of resources and activities to dive into these topics in what is called a “playlist.”

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​Each principal was to create a goal and plan for how they would meet these learning outcomes. In the end, principals were asked to complete a performance task (in groups) that would demonstrate their learning. By the end of the workshop, my cheeks were sore from laughter and excitement with the products the teams had created. Along the way there was some authentic teachable moments that we all reflected upon as our session closed.

Overall, I was truly thankful for the level of risk-taking, engagement and learning that happened with these school leaders. Best of all, each principal came away with a product that they will take to various stakeholders to communicate the importance of PBL as a model of education that OCSU is moving towards.

Our final blog post of the school year is written by tech guy, Jeff Coburn.

Every time you check there seems to be more news on cyberattacks and threats.  There are two things you can do to combat these threats:

1. Shun all technology (phones, computers, television, digital can openers, etc.), live completely independently and off-the-grid (solar, wind, sheep-treadmill-powered generators), and hide your money in a mattress.  Or…
2. Be as well-informed as possible about what to do.

Let’s focus in this post on option #2…..
 
Here are a few simple things you can do to keep yourself safer when living in an online world.

• Don’t panic!  Mistakes happen when people panic.  If you get an email or a popup that seems fishy, the best thing to do is take a step back, access your situation, and don’t freak out.  Freaking out rarely solves anything…

 

• Avoid the unknown.  If you don’t know who the email is from, avoid clicking links or downloading attachments until you can verify the person’s identity.  
  • For businesses, go to their website to directly access information instead of using links in emails whenever possible.  (For example, if you get something from your bank stating “click here to check on your account”, do NOT click the link…instead go to the bank site directly, login, and deal with whatever you need to. ) Hackers can make “fake” sites look very legitimate.
  • For individuals, rule of thumb is to “not trust strangers”….figure out who they are and what they are about first, then act accordingly.

 

• Don’t pass it along.  If you get a suspicious email, don’t forward it to friends.  Doing so can increase the chances someone else will accidentally click on the bad link.  (Not a good way to keep friends…)  If you can take a screenshot of the email, pass that along instead, or you can describe the email (who it is from, the contents, etc.) without forwarding it. 

 

• The only constant is change.  Change important passwords (work and home) frequently.  It may be a huge pain in the derrière, but it is better than getting hacked.  Also use “strong” passwords: at least eight characters, combinations of uppercase and lowercase, numbers, special characters, etc.

 

• Really, don’t panic….  This is worth repeating.  Hackers are like animals or small children…they can smell fear.  (If someone tried to hack my bank account, they would probably just laugh when they found out there was nothing in it to begin with, but still…)

 

• When in doubt, check it out.  If you think you have a bug, run a virus check.  If you think you’ve been compromised, change your passwords.  If you think you have an issue, check with your friendly neighborhood techie for another opinion.

For more tech tips from Jeff, check out his YouTube channel.

This week's blog post was written by Karen Devereux, literacy coach at Barton School.

​Whether you are a teacher who regularly provides independent reading time to your students, or one who has let independent reading time slip away because of the constant pressure to teach more, or the feeling of guilt that independent reading is something students can do at home, Whose Doing the Work?, by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris has some ideas that might cause you to rethink your approach to independent reading in your classroom. 
 
            “The most important aspect of next generation independent reading is the emphasis on reading for its own sake.”  Yes, we sometimes want students to document their reading, but reading for meaning and pleasure has to be the ultimate goal.  For this to happen successfully, teachers need to understand the explicit connection between read aloud, shared reading, guided reading and independent reading.  We need to understand the concept of independent reading as “the pot of gold at the end of the gradual release rainbow, the place where students can discover their power and the power of books.”  It is about more than just teaching children to read so that they can, we have to teach children to read so that they will! 
 
            For independent reading to lead to students “reading for its own sake”, teachers have to do more than just provide the time.  We have to lead children to “discover that they don’t need help to read the books that interest them!”  We have to provide the time for them to “discover the intrinsic joys of reading.”  We have to recognize independent reading as an opportunity to confer with individual students as they work with text that is just right for them.  “No other structure or time during the school day offers such an opportunity to so naturally meet students’ individual reading needs.”  It is more than just providing time to silent read.  It is about providing opportunities for students to become stronger and more independent as a result of successfully solving problems.  It is also a time where teachers can observe what things have been taught well and places where instruction may need to change.  Next generation independent reading goes way beyond the teacher sitting at their desk modeling reading behavior.  The teacher is the mastermind behind the scenes who is allowing students opportunities to read, discuss, and share in an environment that is safe and respectful.  It is the place where students can read texts that change who they are, as individuals, and as members of their classroom community. 
 
            This is beginning to sound like a lot more work for the teacher than the old- fashioned independent reading block!  The good news is that students really are doing a lot of the work!  Students are selecting the texts that they read and may be taking brief notes.  Students are building stamina and learning to talk about their reading.  Most importantly, students are learning to self-regulate when it comes to developing as readers.  They are in control of where they read, what they read, how they stay focused and how they use the tools that they have been given.  Students have the power to be the kind of readers that they want to be.  The teacher’s job is to use this time to get to know their students as readers.  What more valuable formative assessment data could there be?

This week's blog post was written by tech guy extraordinaire, Jeff Coburn.

When I think of the word “etiquette”, an image develops in my mind of someone prim and proper, pinky outstretched, as they quietly sip on their tea.  With that in mind, here are some “prim and proper” suggestions I would like to recommend around email etiquette.  (Several are from personal experience…hopefully you can learn from my mistakes) 

• Address the email last. There have been plenty of times where I have sent an email before it was finished by accidentally clicking the wrong button (I think my tea sipping pinky gets in the way).  A good way to avoid that is by not addressing the email until you are done composing it.  This may feel counter-intuitive in the beginning; most people think “who do I need to talk to?” and then “what do I need to say?”, but doing the email addresses last helps me with premature sends, as well as oftentimes forcing me to skim over the email one more time before sending it out.

• Walk away when you are up in flames.  Frustration is a part of life. If you find yourself frustrated, mad, or generally PO’ed about something, the best bet is to walk away from email for a while.  Once you have a cooler head, then compose your thoughts.  If needed, write something in a word processing document first, then let it sit on your computer for awhile.  If you’re still rip roaring mad, consider whether you should talk to the person directly instead (yes, we can still exercise verbal communication).  Don’t send something you will regret later or that will make things worse.

• Use subjects that make sense.  The subject line should be like a bumper sticker: here is my main idea in as few words as possible.  The person should know what the general idea will be about before opening the message, and the subject should help the recipients search and find the email later.  Also, please avoid using ALL CAPS for subjects (or email messages, for that matter)…no one wants to feel like they are being yelled at.

 

• Know when to Cc: and when to Bcc: The Cc: (carbon copy) and the Bcc: (blind carbon copy) can be powerful tools when used right.
  • Cc: - Commonly used when you want to include someone on a message as an “oh, by the way….”.  You send emails to people you want answers from, a dialogue with, or action from.  You Cc: people that you only want aware of the situation.
  • Bcc: - Most people shy away from blind carbon copying people for good reason: it feels like “tattling” or talking behind someone’s back.  If you send an email to someone and Bcc: it to someone else, the original recipient will not know the Bcc:’ed person has a copy.  There are, however, some instances where using the Bcc: makes sense.  For example, if you want to send a message to a group of people but not share their email addresses (maybe they don’t all know one another), that is a good use of Bcc.  Another great utilization is to prevent a slew of “reply all” messages to the masses; if you leave the “to” blank, the Cc: blank, and in the Bcc: add individuals or a group, only the original sender will get the reply if someone hits “reply” or “reply all”.  That will cut down on unwanted clutter in everyone else’s mailboxes and ensure they still consider you the bee’s knees.  If you need help using Bcc:, find a tech to walk you through it. 

Hopefully these suggestions assist in your proper use of email and cements your standing as a respectable online communicator. (And with that said, I’m off to view one of the classics…pretty sure there is a Three Stooges rerun on right now.  That Shemp is genius!) 

Happy computing!
Jeff C.

For more tech tips from Jeff, check out his YouTube channel.

Here in OCSU we are in our ninth year of working in professional learning communities (PLCs). As I reflected on the work that was accomplished during PLCs this year, I realized that all OCSU staff have a lot to be proud of, and I’ve been reaffirmed in my commitment to this important strategy of continuous improvement.
 
The work of John Hattie, Michael Fullan, and Rick Dufour all point to the fact that PLCs are one of the most effective ways to improve teaching and learning. Each of these educational researchers has identified similar areas of focus that apply to working in PLCs.
 
Dufour ("What is a Professional Learning Community?" http://www.allthingsplc.info)

• What is it we expect our students to learn?
• How will we know when they have learned it?
• How will we respond when some students do not learn it?
• How will we respond when some students already know it?

 
 
Hattie (Visible Learning for Teachers, p. 70):

• What is it we want students to know and be able to do?
• How will they demonstrate that they have acquired the essential knowledge and skills? Have we agreed on the criteria that we will use in judging the quality of student work, and can we apply the criteria consistently?
• How will we intervene for students who struggle and enrich the learning for students who are proficient?
• How can we use the evidence of student learning to improve our individual and collective professional practice?

 
Fullan – (Coherence, p. 126):

• Internal accountability is based on the notion that individuals and the group in which they work can transparently hold themselves responsible for their performance.
• Successful schools build a collaborative culture that combines individual responsibility, collective expectations, and corrective action.
• Internal accountability must precede external accountability if lasting improvement in student achievement is the goal.

 
Whether you were in a math group analyzing student work from a new math program, or a group working on identifying proficiencies in your content area, you were working toward the principles mentioned above. Your meeting minutes and exit ticket responses reflected the fact that you were learning from your colleagues and improving outcomes for your students.
 
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who led PLCs this year – facilitating meetings, creating agendas, and sending out reminder emails to your group. We would not be able to do this work without you!
 
And a big thank-you to all of you who actively participated in improving your own practice through PLCs. Your dedication and commitment to lifelong learning is noticed and appreciated!

​As schools in Vermont transition to a proficiency-based learning (PBL) system, each supervisory union is beginning the transition in a way that works for them. In OCSU the transition began at the high school level a few years ago, continued with a team of teachers and administrators attending a seminar series on PBL during the 2014-15 school year, and extended this year to middle school teachers. Also this year, teams of teachers from three of our schools are attending a seminar series led by the Center for Collaborative Education, and a team of teacher leaders and administrators is working on a timeline for bringing the rest of the OCSU community on board. The team is considering the information needed by all stakeholders (students, teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, community members), and the best way to share that information.
 
At Lake Region the entire staff worked on articulating learning expectations and developing a system for students to collect, reflect, and report on evidence towards those learning expectations (the LR Folio). Each department at Lake Region has articulated their proficiencies and is working on building/revising their proficiency scales. High school teachers are also working to determine how students will demonstrate proficiency through flexible pathways and work-based learning experiences.
 
During PLCs this year, middle school teachers began to determine proficiencies and have articulated their “I Can” statements. This work will continue next year as those teachers build out their proficiency scales while examining student work. These tasks are directly connected to the principles of PLCs, which focus on what we want students to know and be able to do.
 
Proficiency-based learning has ten guiding principles, one of which states: “All forms of assessment are standards-based and criterion-referenced, and success is defined by the achievement of standards, not norm referenced grades.” As we develop common assessments across OCSU we are aligning those assessments with standards and scoring them based on the standards as well.
 
One large shift that will need to happen is in our reporting system. In a proficiency-based learning system, the emphasis is on the learning and we need to be sure we are reporting it as such. We also are cognizant of the fact that any changes need to be manageable for both students and teachers, and communicated clearly to parents and community members. Next year there will be teams from two OCSU schools piloting a new tool as part of our reporting system. Based on their experiences, a plan will be developed to be used by all OCSU schools.
 
This is an exciting time for education in Vermont, with lots of opportunities for our students. OCSU is fortunate to have educators who embrace change and model life-long learning. I’m happy to be on this journey with all of you!

​On the evening of March 29, 2017 a group of OCSU students, teachers, administrators and board members gathered in the multi-purpose room at Lake Region to brainstorm and imagine what a student who is prepared for the world looks like. The meeting was facilitated by Beth Cobb, superintendent of the Orange East Supervisory Union. After a brief discussion of OCSU’s mission and vision statements, participants watched a video about schools and students in the 21st century. Beth then facilitated a fishbowl activity with students and teachers discussing what students need in order to be prepared for life after high school. 

​After this, we divided into small groups to have deeper discussions and to create a picture of a student who is prepared for the world. 

​As groups shared their pictures it was amazing how many commonalities there were. The wordle below shows the qualities and skills the groups felt were essential. Before we went our separate ways we identified some next steps, one of which is figuring out how to support schools so that all students truly are prepared to be successful. 

​We’d love to hear from people interested in being part of this work in the future. Please comment below to share your thoughts!