Present: Debbi Anderson-Frey, Chuck Atkinson, Sandy Austin, Dana Edward, Sheila Fox, Mike Henniger, Vicki Hubner, Dale Kinsley, Jim Kistner, Rob McElroy, Adrienne Nelson, Shirley Potter, Richard Snyder, Susan Zoller
Regrets: Larry Antil (WCE), Wendy Barrett (BSD), Sherrie Brown (BSD), Bob Keiper (WCE), Marsha Riddle-Buly (WCE)
Charge: Form a work group that will become familiar with the goals of the grant and the state's
new Professional Certificate process and related standards. Create a framework for supporting this professional development process. The work will entail a commitment to several meetings over the course of this next year.
Welcome and Introductions
Adrienne Nelson welcomed attendees and asked them to introduce themselves and their interest or purpose in coming.
Debbi Anderson-Frey Teacher Nooksack Valley Middle School, longtime mentor
Chuck Atkinson Chair Special Ed. Dept, incoming WCE Associate Dean, concerned about
induction years, will be liaison between school districts and WWU
Sandy Austin NVSD Asst. Superintendent, Gates Grant coordinator, assessment, curriculum,
pre-service and new teacher emphasis
Dana Edward WCE Certification Officer, focus on Professional Certification program
Sheila Fox WWU Executive Director Extended Education & Summer Programs, Professional
Certificate program is self-sustaining and falls under her direction
Mike Henniger WCE Chair Elementary Education Dept.
Vicki Hubner NVSD Coordinator of Center for Children and Families, community & school
interested in pre-service and induction teacher support systems
Dale Kinsley BSD- Superintendent, committed to improvement of student learning by improving
instruction
Jim Kistner BSD Principal Sehome H.S., learn how to be supportive and receive support
Rob McElroy BSD Principal Happy Valley Elementary, interest in partnerships, internships
Adrienne Nelson BSD Staff Development Director, Task Force facilitator, Gates Grant
Coordinator, support beginning teachers
Shirley Potter BSD Teacher, Pres. BEA, mentoring new teachers, concerned about retention
Richard Snyder BSD Teacher Squalicum H.S., teaches English, on Gates Grant committee as
lead teacher, just beginning mentoring
Susan Zoller BSD Deputy Superintendent, interested in teaching teachers and partnership
Adrienne Nelson expressed her hope that participants will come to understand the Gates Foundation Grants awarded to Bellingham and Nooksack Valley school districts and the significance of the partnerships specified within.
District Reinvention Grants - Overview and Description
Dale Kinsley outlined the Gates Foundation "reinvention grants" as opportunities for the two school districts to work on system-wide improvement on learning and instruction. Technology is part of the enhanced learning environment goal, but not the focus. Ten districts in the state received these grants based on existing efforts toward whole district improvements, i.e. putting reality behind the phrase that "every one of our kids can learn." One of the Foundation's national missions is to identify ways to change the structure and approach of the comprehensive American high school to adapt to today's world. Basically, districts will be taking this opportunity to:
• Look at learning environments and solutions to improving basic skills learning, particularly reading,
writing, technology - consistent with currently defined standards
• Think about how secondary education can be personalized to keep students engaged in active learning;
define learning consistently with later needs; how to engage community
• Begin working much more closely with the University on teacher preparation, certification, and induction
support
Bellingham School District received $100,000 a year for three years and Nooksack Valley School District $37,000 a year for three years. This funding also brings the opportunity to train leaders and mentors to support new teachers.
Shirley Potter emphasized that if teachers do not have a successful first year, they will leave the profession. The commitment to stay is not the same as in the past. She sees many inductees struggling.
Overview of Grant Components
Creating capacity for on-going learning is an element that Adrienne Nelson finds lacking in today's teaching experience. The big question is how teachers learn to reflect on their practice in terms of student learning. Bellingham School District is beginning to build in structures to foster adult learning and active self-inquiry. One of these is "Lead Teachers," a part of the Gates Grant, designed to provide rigorous trained leadership, based on student learning at every site, personalized specifically to the staff in each building. Bellingham is also moving this year to formalize their mentor program.
Sandy Austin reiterated that Nooksack Valley School District is very interested in working in a partnership with Western Washington University as a way to help increase and understand the tools that are available for teachers, both pre-service and beginning, to help insure their success. As a small district this partnership adds valuable resources not normally available. It also helps tie the Professional Certificate program to existing programs at the District.
Vicki Hubner said that in writing this grant, Nooksack Valley School District recognized that the issues of teacher flight and students who do not succeed in the system are not new to education, but the current active talk of teaching all kids has forced districts to really look at not just teaching, but administration. In her experience, most teachers who fail in the first three years do not fail due to lack of knowledge in their subject areas, but because they are unprepared for the range of learners in their classrooms. As someone who has high exposure to adults who failed in the school system, she hears repeatedly their belief that teachers did not care about them from the beginning. Unless districts begin to address this "disconnect" by improving the way teachers gain skills, tools and strategies in their classroom to handle a wide-range of learners, large numbers of beginning teachers will continue to leave the profession. Anyone can teach exceptional students. The challenge is to teach the students who are not ready to learn or who, like their parents, do not see school as somewhere they belong.
Partnerships between the University and public school districts are also not new, Sheila Fox reminded the group. WWU has placed practicum students and interns in school districts as long as (the University) has been here. The new Professional Certificate, however, starts a new era, because it asks (the University) for the first time to work in a close partnership with schools. Rather than coming back to get 45 credits of post-baccalaureate work to get a continuing certificate, teachers now have to work towards portfolio evidence that they have achieved certain criteria in leadership, in classroom skills, and professional development. They do that in collaboration with a team made up of university and school district people and themselves. It provides the opportunity for the first time to continue the (University's) focus on individuals from pre-service teachers, past the two years of induction and on into their career and into the Professional Certificate.
Sheila's hope is that what the University gains from this partnership is a genuine stream of consciousness about where students start, how they develop, and what happens to them in the early years of their careers. Developing the same vocabulary, introduced at pre-service and into service, is an important part. Even more important is to develop the same concept behind the vocabulary. The closer the partnership team, the more likely this will happen.
Small group discussions: What are the issues in the current delivery model for pre-service and the first three years of teacher development?
Group One - Susan Zoller and Sandy Austin presenting:
This group identified more similarities than differences between pre-service and the first three years of teaching. Expectations have changed. We have to educate all kids . We're beginning to have an understanding of what that means on the students' side, but we need to have a clearer understanding from the teacher's side and the university's side. What are the standards of quality teachers? Just as there are essential learning (requirements) for students, we need to come up with essential characteristics for teaching.
Process:
• Moving from isolation to collaboration and finding ways to do that at University level and continuing on
with someone to support them, be it a mentor or someone else
• Communication about structure(s)
• Powerful learning
• Disposition
• Congruence between value and philosophy
Content:
Need to learn and continually refine
• Assessment
• Teaching in a standards-based environment rather than a unit-based
• Parent Engagement
• Organizing "the day"
Group Two - Vicki Hubner presenting:
Do teachers understand what they are getting into?
• Disconnect exits between pre-service training and reality of the classroom
• Understanding that there is a range of learners; that they are expected to teach all; and understand the
families from which they come
• Teacher as generalist - understanding this at the pre-service level
Looking at the student teaching/mentoring experience
• Lack of articulated standards of good teaching that are agreed upon between the University, the
cooperating teacher, the supervisor, and the principal. What is that student teacher going to learn that
year? How are they going to demonstrate it? What are the benchmarks?
• Same for mentoring. Can they articulate good practice for the new teacher? Do they understand adult
development and learning?
Understanding of standards-based education
• How to gather and use data to lead teaching and learning
Communication skills across the board
• Need to have a shared belief system on why children are at school and that everybody has a responsibility
to teach all children
Re-conceptualizing partnership roles
• Practical consideration of time - if just adding new ways of working on top of old ways, it's not going to
work
Sheila provided needed background on the State Legislature's actions two or three years ago re: teacher testing. What finally passed were rules requiring a Basic Skills Test that will be used as an entry criteria in the College of Education and a Content Test that students must pass prior to entering an internship. The Legislature agreed, after heavy lobbying, to drop the idea of a written Pedagogy Test if all the institutions in the state would use the same instrument to monitor its interns. WACTE, the deans and directors of all state colleges of education, have been working to develop a standard core instrument to be used all over the state. Institutions can add their own components.
Group three - Sheila Fox presenting
Pre-services issues
• Needs to be better communication about the pre-service models used by the University. There are
cooperating teachers and principals who do not know what Western does in pre-service education
• Teachers need broad interdisciplinary education that is contextually powerful. Learning needs to occur
where it needs to occur. Need to be aware of those connections and make it work.
• Need to instill disposition in the pre-service teacher that supports "all students can learn" and that it's their
responsibility to make a positive impact on student learning.
• Need better congruence between what professors, University Intern Coordinators, cooperating and
mentor teachers, principals, expect as outcomes
Induction years issues
• How assignment loads are given
• Criteria for various roles - what are the expectations?
• Isolation - how to support all teacher, especially in first years
• How to prepare mentors and principals to support teachers in induction period
• Compensation - acknowledgement, respect, money, benefits
Follow-up discussion
Dana Edward asked Sheila if the matrix being developed by OSPI for the Professional Certificate program in terms of assuring consistency between universities, be used at the K-12 level. Donna Kehle and Lyn Dyson are going to the training this month. It could perhaps be used, with some modifications, at the pre-service level as well. A copy will be brought to the next meeting to look at the possibility.
Other discussion:
• Rumors about changing endorsement requirements from specific content to general K-12 appear to be
unfounded.
• WAC rules require teaching of reading and writing in the content area rather than general teaching of
reading and writing
• Where in the process does the discussion of administrative roles fit in?
• Teachers do not think the current evaluation system is credible (twice a year). How can schools re-invent
as a team evaluation process?
Adrienne handed out articles about mentoring and induction that are of interest. Think about sharing any others with the group in the future.
Future meetings
Discussion continued on whether or not the goals of this partnership have been clearly defined. It was agreed that the next step should be to develop a Work Plan and problem-solve around the issues identified at this meeting. Dale suggested that a smaller group may be more efficient. Vicki is very concerned that whatever the size of the group, it reflect as much diversity as possible, perhaps including a disgruntled parent. More clarification is needed on specific tasks. There was also a sense that the whole group is not up to speed on certain areas needed to make concrete decisions.
Sheila summarized the list of documents that are needed as background for future discussion:
• Pedagogy instrument being developed
• Mentor criteria (Bellingham will provide)
• Professional Certificate rubrics
It was agreed to let the small group (steering committee) develop a workable structure and timeline for this process.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
September 6, 3:30 p.m., Roeder School, Room 212
Steering committee only (Sheila Fox, Shirley Potter, Richard Snyder, Sandy Austin, Dana Edward, Chuck Atkinson, and Adrienne Nelson) cc: Dale Kinsley
September 25, 3:30 p.m., Roeder School - entire group
Adrienne Nelson will be the contact for these meetings (anelson@bham.wednet.edu)