Blended Learning Model Provides Unique Credit Recovery Program

In an effort to better serve its 3,800 students, Casa Grande Union High School District found a way to better utilize its Title I budget while providing a much-needed Credit Recovery System. They transformed one of their four high schools into Desert Winds Learning Center, utilizing third-party vendor, Edgenuity.

Students who attend Desert Winds Learning Center are typically very far behind due to poor time management skills, and feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they need to do in order to graduate from high school. The Edgenuity model provides an alternate pathway to successful completion of academic requirements, using teamwork and a personalized program for each student.

An online platform is used for most curriculum delivery, with content and instruction provided by Edgenuity, in alignment with state standards. Instructors are highly qualified in all core content. The curriculum can be modified and/or supplemented for each individual student. Instructors meet with students twice a week, and coaching is provided by Edgenuity to all teachers. Students concentrate on two subjects at a time. This schedule can be collapsed to just one course, if necessary for student success. 

Although the Blended Learning Program is rather new at Casa Grande, early results are promising with this unique combination of online delivery and personal teaching.  Casa Grande administrators invite anyone interested in this model to visit Desert Winds Learning Center.

Paula S. Wirth, APR
Education Consultant

Teacher Evaluation: An Amazing Opportunity for Data Driven Professional Development

Laurie King

With high quality evaluation instruments, aligned support materials and effective feedback, evaluations can be the best professional learning an educator receives. The Maricopa County Education Service Agency (MCESA) is collaborating with 11 local school districts to implement Educator Goal Plans (EGPs), tied to online and face-to-face resources that provide data-driven differentiated support to educators. 

In an article in American Educator magazine, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote, “I believe that we have a broken system – a system of training, induction, evaluation, professional development and promotion that is an artifact from an earlier era.” He also wrote, “…teachers should be treated as professionals: they should have the support, tools and opportunities to perform at their full potential by having timely and accurate data about their students to inform instruction; they should have time to consult and collaborate with their peers; and they should be evaluated, compensated and advanced based in part on student learning.”

Laurie King, director of Learning and Communication Systems for MCESA, shared information on their educator goal plan. Educators participate in an individualized EGP system of support that is aligned to the school’s year-long professional development plan, and to specific individual needs derived from teacher evaluation data; and building-level administrators collaborate with teachers to develop professional development action plans.

Using a robust data system, educators are able to understand how their professional effectiveness ratings are calculated, and understand the necessary steps to improve. It’s a win-win for educators and students!

Linda Jeffries
Alhambra Elementary School District

Maximal Use of Arizona Land for Education

Shirley Dye

Shirley Dye, Governing Board member for Payson Unified School District, has been actively involved in maximizing use of public lands (Federal and State Land Trust) for education. She has met with state legislators, county representatives and numerous others interested in public land reform. Dye and other members of the Trust shared information on what state trust lands are and how this funding is used for education.

According to Dye, State Land Trust funds actually date back to Arizona’s statehood. Arizona used to have plenty of money for education, but she believes federal government overreach has led to a decline in tax proceeds from public land use for education funding.  By acquiring the public lands that were supposed to be transferred to Arizona in 1912 at Statehood, she feels the state would have a lot more land under production. She added that tax revenues from these lands could fund our schools without the use of federal money and all the strings. 

Arizona has only about 14-16 percent private land for a tax base, with large portions of land under control of military bases, tribal lands, state trust lands and federal public lands; none of which are taxable. Arizona and other western states have never had their public lands ceded to them; yet Arizona has a dedicated percentage of state trust lands (not the same as public lands) set aside by the Constitution specifically for education income.  Recently very little of the trust land has been leased to private operations, like cattle grazing and shopping centers, whose lease proceeds go into the school coffers.  The interest income on the trust funds from sold lands has been minimal due to the economic downturn, and the principal cannot be touched. 

According to other panelists, an obvious way to increase the money available for education and other budget items is to get more land placed under production.  How can governing board members help? A first step would be to support Arizona Representative Bob Thorpe’s HB 2700.   

Linda Jeffries

Alhambra Elementary School District

A Sneak Peak into Substitute Training

Bethany Loucks and Meredith Brooks

“Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges”

-Joyce A. Myers

Belinda Boblett, professional development director, Meredith Brooks, principal, Bethany Loucks, principal and Dr. Nidhi Sharma, TAP Master presented on how their district collaboratively prepares substitute teachers to effectively continue instruction in the classroom.

The purpose and requirements expected from potential substitutes include:

• Application
• BINL screener and test
• Fingerprint clearance card
• Professional development
• Shadow highly effective teachers
• Immunization clearance
• Substitute certificate 

Beyond the screening process, newly hired substitutes attend a three-day training to review lesson plans, PBIS strategies, curriculum requirements, duties, and professional district standards. Substitutes will also shadow highly effective teachers to learn strategies and create relationships in professional learning communities.

Emily Broome

Isaac School District #5

Liability Concerns Related to Discipline of Students with Disabilities

Denise Lowell-Britt

Education has been deemed a property right in Arizona, therefore adequate due process must be provided to all students, according to Denise Lowell-Britt, Udall Shumway, PLC. The main elements of procedural due process are notice, an opportunity to be heard and a fair hearing.

There are different levels of due process for different consequences. Less due process is required when the consequences relate to extra-curricular activities, detention and suspensions of less than 10 days. Governing Board involvement is necessary in cases of suspension greater than 10 days and for expulsion.

Districts should be aware of the legal sources that can guide student discipline, including federal and state constitutions, Title 15 of Arizona Revised Statutes, federal law and regulations (IDEA and Section 504), case law and Governing Board policies and regulations.

Students with disabilities are entitled to additional and different due process from students without disabilities. Lowell-Britt noted that failure to strictly comply with legal requirements can result in substantial legal liability, resulting in high human and monetary costs.

Judi Willis, APR
PR Consultant

Creating an Academic Infrastructure

Teachers from Fowler Elementary School District presented the framework necessary to implement a horizontal articulation process.

Attendees learned how to create the academic infrastructural to successfully implement articulation groups, how to synthesize their learning to a horizontal articulation model in their own school or district.

Before the full implementation of Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, Fowler recognized that teachers could no longer afford to work in isolation if students were to be successful.

Terry Locke
Chandler Unified School District

Community Advocacy: Your Recipe for Success

Tamara Caraway

Practitioners Donna Davis, Senior Mobilizer, Expect More Arizona, Laura Cummings, Parent Advocate, Madison Elementary School District, Julie Bacon, Governing Board President of the  Paradise Valley Unified School District, Tammy Caraway, Executive Vice President of Hunt and Caraway Architects, and Jill Hicks, Outreach Specialist, Washington Elementary School District gave strategic tips on how to best engage your district, parents, staff and community members and connect with them through diverse models of advocacy.

Each presenter spoke from experience about groups that are working in their districts such as the Madison CAC Citizens Advisory Committee, Paradise Valley’s United Parent Council, Washington District’s Business Advisory Team and various districts’ Educational Foundations and Communication Committees.

 

Each panelist spoke on the perspective that their district focuses on including:

What’s in it for your district? – Julie Bacon – Paradise Valley Unified School District

•       What is currently in place for community engagement and what is needed?

•       Who can you connect with to get the message out about your district?

What’s in it for your stakeholders?  Jill Hicks, Washington School District

•       Why your district needs a different kind of community group

•       Developing rewarding partnerships  

•       Gaining and sustaining momentum

What’s in it for your community?  Tammy Caraway, Hunt and Caraway Architects – representing the Business Community

•       Developing your message

•       Sharing the message with retirees and those without children in the district

•       Connecting with the business community

What’s in it for your state? Laura Cummings, Madison District’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee

•       Developing relationships with elected officials, through a collective VOICE

•       Developing voters’ trust with transparent and factual information

Donna Davis from Expect More Arizona shared her tips on communicating with retirees and those who do not have children attending your district schools. Additionally, the group collaborated on a Community Mapping Matrix to show where the assets are to begin engaging the entire community.

ASA has a Community Advocacy group that meets quarterly. To join the advocacy conversation and gain ideas and strategies to engage your district and community, contact Nedda Shafir at nshafir@cox.net or visit the ASA website.

Nedda Shafir, M.Ed.

Shafir Consulting