The Confusing World of EA*

*Education Acronyms (I made this one up) are very common in the education world- so much so that sometimes we confuse ourselves!  Everyone knows what USA stands for, but what about EEP or IEP?  I am going to list and try to explain some of the many acronyms you may encounter in our schools.  See how many you already know and, just for fun, give yourself a point for each one that you correctly identify!

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).  This law ensures that our schools and programs are accessible to all.  Last year we created a new door at the high school due to concerns about egress for students in wheelchairs during an emergency.

ADM
Average Daily Membership. We are required to report the number of days a student attends school (this is divided by the number of school days to find the 'average").  The ADM determines some state funding. 
AP
Advanced Placement. This program provides courses for our high school students to complete that are at college-level.  AP classes available at Raymond High School include:
AYP
Annual Yearly Progress.  This term was used to determine whether schools were on track with proficiency levels for students in reading and math.
CTE
Career and Technical Education. CTE provides high school students the opportunity to take career minded courses including Animal and Plant Science, Culinary, Biotechnology, Pre-Engineering, Careers in Education, Welding and more.  Our students take these classes at the SST (Seacoast School of Technology) in Exeter during the school day.  Many of these classes provide internships, college credit, and a view of what their chosen career may be like- all to help our students make an informed decision about their future (and a possible head start in college).
DIBELS  
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. We use this assessment to screen our youngest students in such things as phonic awareness, fluency and reading comprehension.  We can then provide help to "catch up" those students.
DOE or NHDOE
New Hampshire Department of Education.  New Hampshire's oversight of our schools.  According to their website, "The NHDOE is committed to helping students, parents, and educators (including teachers, principals, superintendents, and school communities) meet the educational needs of each student. This site provides a wealth of data and information about the NHDOE's programs, services, and initiatives at the fingertips of every citizen."  
EEP
Educator Effectiveness Plan.  This new plan is how teachers in Raymond are evaluated through a system of observations and documentation.  We are in the second year of a pilot of this plan and will be finalizing it at a School Board meeting this spring.
ELA
English Language Arts. This refers to our curriculum that covers to reading, literature, writing, speaking and listening.
ELL
English Language Learner.This refers to a student whose first language is one other than English.  An ELL teacher may work with a student on curriculum, adjusting or even understanding common English expressions.
ESEA
Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  The intent of this law is to ensure our students are college and career ready.  More information on this can be found in my blog of 2/10/16.
FA
Formative Assessment.  These are given to students as practice, to see what a student has learned and identify any gaps in learning.
FERPA
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.  This law protects the confidentiality of student records 
GED
General Equivalency Diploma- this has been replaced with HiSet 
GPA
Grade Point Average. This is calculated on a 4.0 scale (the same scale used in colleges.) Our letter grades (A, B, C etc) are converted to a 4.0 scale for graduation purposes.
HiSet 
High School Equivalency Test.  According to their web site, this provides "out-of-school youth and adults with the best opportunity to demonstrate their high school-level proficiency and their readiness for higher education or the workplace".  Students who have left high school can enroll in a HiSet course and work towards earning an alternative to a high school diploma.
HR
Human Resources.  I would need a whole page to fill this in!  New hires, insurance, accruals, benefits, contracts, FMLA, workman's comp, ID badges, leave requests, certification of paras and teachers, advertising, medical records, professional development, substitutes, volunteers, training, child care benefits and so much more! 
IDEA
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This federal law is to ensure that all children with disabilities have a "free and appropriate public education" (FAPE) to meet their special education needs.
IEP
Individualized Education Plan. The IEP is a for a student with a disability that  The plan describes the strengths of the child and the concerns of the parents for enhancing the e IEP is required by federal law for all exceptional children and must include specific information about how the student will be served and what goals he or she should be meeting.
IHGMS
Iber Holmes Gove Middle School. Our middle school is named after Ms. Gove who was a former Raymond educator. 
NAEP
National Assessment of Educational Progress. This is called the “Nation’s Report Card,” and assesses the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students. It provides data to compare the performance of students across the nation. Raymond is often randomly chosen to have this assessment given to some of our students.
NCLB
No Child Left Behind. NCLB was the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The goal of this law was for all public school children to be proficient or above in reading and mathematics by 2013-14.  It has been replaced with ESEA.
NEASC
New England Association of Schools and Colleges.  This committee is responsible for the accreditation of high schools through a review process that is done every 10 years.  Raymond High School is accredited through NEASC with our next review scheduled for 2018. 
NHSBA
New Hampshire School Board Association.  This association provides training for new local School Board members and serves as a resource when we are writing policies. 
NWEA
Northwest Education Association. These are a set of computer based assessments for reading and math.  We may use these as "benchmarks" to see how far an individual student has progressed in his/her learning over the course of  the year.
PD
Professional Development. The term refers training, conferences, workshops or courses any of our certified staff may take in order to keep their teaching current and to improve their skills.
PLC
Professional Learning Communities. PLCs refers to teams of teachers who collaborate, make decisions and plan instruction. Teachers often use this shared time to look at classroom or school wide data and plan interdisciplinary lessons.
PSAT
Pre-Scholastic Assessment Test. Normally taken by high school students as a practice test for the SAT.We currently have our sophomores take this both for practice and to assess their learning.
REA
Raymond Education Association.  This is the union that represents our teaching staff.  They are involved in negotiating for contracts, helping to settle grievances, and working with the administration.
RESS 
Raymond Education Support Staff.  This union represents all of those workers who support us:  custodians, food  service workers, paraprofessionals and secretaries. 
SA
Summative Assessment.  This is an assessment usually used at the end of a unit or topic to determine which competencies have been met by students.
SAT
Scholastic Achievement Test. The SAT is often taken by high school juniors and seniors as part of their admission process to college. This test assesses student verbal, mathematical and writing skills. New Hampshire is currently using the SAT to test our high school juniors instead of the Smarter Balanced test.
SIS
Student Information System. SIS is a software application used to manage student data such as attendance, report cards etc.  The software used by the Raymond School District is Powerschool.
SST
Seacoast School of Technology.  See CTE above. 
STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. A STEM curriculum emphasizes connections between these four fields. Students are also introduced to engineering design process and encourages them to be creative.(You might also see "STEAM" which adds "art" into this process- give yourself an extra point for this one.)
USED
United States Education Department. The USED provides federal assistance to state and local agencies education agencies.  They also establish polices and writes legislation prohibiting discrimination. It seems like this should be US Department of Education- so give yourself an extra point for this!

I know I did not cover all of the acronyms associated with schools, but I hope this will answer some of the questions you might have had.  Just for fun, you can rate yourself!

EA* Knowledge Rating Scale:

Number Correct        GPA

0-5                              1.0 
6-10                            2.0
11-20                          2.5
20-29                          3.0
30-34                          3.5
35+                             4.0

What are 'Performance Assessments'?

The world of education is filled with  acronyms and buzz-words.  You may have heard of  'Performance Assessments' and wondered what this means.  Probably the easiest way to think of this is to remember those "hands-on" projects many of us did in school:  a map of the United States made out of clay, a poster on cells, or a report on George Washington.  Today's performance assessments are much more than that.

Some of what you see in a performance assessment sounds familiar:  group projects, portfolios, essays, etc.  But the purpose of a performance assessment is for students to have a deeper knowledge of a subject and to put learning into the students' hands.  (I know when I made that clay map of the United States back in 5th grade, it was easy to do and didn't require much thinking.) Performance Assessments also provide teachers and parents with an opportunity to see what each student knows and what each one is able to do.

A performance assessment that includes a clay map might be a group project where students would learn teamwork, cooperation, responsibility, and leadership skills.  The students would each be responsible for a part of the project:  perhaps focusing on one period of time in US history with one student investigating the politics of the time; another student learning about the culture and arts; and another investigating significant events. The project might include a handmade dress made in the style of the period (as one student did at the high school for a performance assessment) and another might create a diary of a person from that time.  Think of how rich these experiences are for a student and how much research and learning goes into this kind of assessment- as opposed to an assessment that just involves multiple choice, fill in the blanks and true or false.

Recently, our high school teachers were involved in a 5 year grant that led them through the process of including performance assessments in their teaching.  Their work was held up as an example for other schools in the state.  They were then invited to present their work at a National Conference this past February.  Over half of the high school teachers are involved in this initiative!  I am proud of the work I see our students doing: they are creating, analyzing, and demonstrating their knowledge in ways that really show what they know and can do.

Our goal is to have all students taking part in performance assessments as part of their work in our schools.  Teachers are currently writing competencies and will be including performance assessments as part of a student's evaluation.  Don't be surprised when your student becomes an "expert" on a topic while creating something wonderful to show what they know and can do!

Full Day Kindergarten

For the 2016-2017 school year, the Raymond School District will be able to offer full day kindergarten to all students.  Prior to this, some students had full day kindergarten based on need and the number of openings that were available.  For the first time, thanks to our voters, this is available to all Raymond students.  Listed below are some of the requirements to enroll in kindergarten and some upcoming important dates.

• According to School Board Policy JEB "Entrance Age Requirements":

 A student may enter Kindergarten if his/her chronological age will be five (5) before September 30 of the year of entering school. A birth certificate must be presented upon registration as proof of the date of birth.

• According to School Board Policy JFAA, "Admission of Resident Students" and RSA 193:12, II:

Children entering school for the first time must have proof of physical examination, immunization records, a copy of the child's birth certificate, and proof of residency satisfactory to the Superintendent or his/her designee. Principals or their designees will meet with new children and parents and explain school programs.

These policies and all School Board Policies can be found at: www.sau33.com 
under "School Board".
 
An information night will be held on April 7, 2016 from 6:00-7:00 PM in the elementary school cafeteria.  Teachers and administrators will be there to explain the kindergarten program and answer any questions families might have.  Kindergarten screenings and registration will take place on the following dates:  April 21, May 19 and June 21.  Please call the elementary school at 895-3117 for an appointment for your child and plan on 30 minutes for the screening and registration process.

This is an exciting time for Raymond students:  full day kindergarten is the best way for us to start all of our students on a path of success.  I am very excited about this change!

Sharing Town and School Resources

Sharing Town and School Resources

There was a time that I remember school and town did not get along.  I think some of the  reasoning went like this:  "If they get all the money, we won't get our stuff approved". I prefer the way things are now- everyone working for the benefit of the entire community.  With that in mind, Raymond School District and Town Officials held joint meetings to investigate sharing resources.  Some of our discussions included:  Technology, Maintenance and Facilities, Human Resources, Payroll, and contractual obligations.  

Technology:  Bailey Rigg, Technology Director for the Raymond School District, discussed ways in which the school district would be able to help the town.  He met with Ernie Creveling on several occasions to set up a timeline and what would work between the town and school.  Bailey believes that some of the software used by the town could be phased out if the town used google apps.  He has been working with town employees and they have been invited to school district trainings 

Facilities and Maintenance:  Todd Ledoux and Steve Brewer met with the committee to discuss areas that are already being shared as well as ideas to continue this relationship. The following are just some of the resources that are shared between the town and school: 

• Town helps with plowing the school area, and depending on the severity of the storm, school staff work collaboratively to address the circumstances.

• School helps with scheduling after school activities for recreation (the District purchased scheduling software for the town to use in this area)

• Fields, maintenance, irrigation, use and general operations need to keep the fields in good shape and used by the public

• Electricity contract, both the Town and SAU are part of an electric utility contract that enables both uses to purchase electricity at reduced rates. This contract is in place for another year.

• School District Superintendent and a combined effort of Raymond Dispatch/Raymond Police and Craig Sykes (DPW) work to address road conditions regarding a “no-school” announcement.

• There is a continual and consistent flow of equipment and staff time and cooperation between the DPW professionals and SAU staff as required. This one on one approach is the most effective and functional way that demonstrates the positive working relationship between the two public agencies.

• Summer programs and summer recreation is a shared community program that addresses the needs of Raymond Recreation and Raymond Residents. (School District purchased scheduling software for the Recreation Dept to use when scheduling events in any of the school buildings

•  The SAU and building facilities hosts the Board of Selectmen meeting and all land use Board(s) meeting and public hearings.

• RCTV has invested time and money into the “studio” and necessary infrastructure (camera, microphones, etc) to be able to video, and live stream meeting and events held at the High School
• Trainings for the school custodial staff will be shared with town staff

Payroll and Finances:

School and Town Officials met to discuss Finances including the software used by the town and the software used by the school district.  The town uses MuniSmart while the school district uses Munis.  Account numbers would need to change if we tried to merge these two.  .After considerable research done by the SAU Finance and Business Department and the Town's Finance Director, the cost benefit analysis to merge to one system (MUNIS) was not a viable option. We spoke to communities who have tried to “merge” into one operating system and their advice was NOT to move in that direction. The costs in these cases were double what was originally anticipated and the performance and levels of service were not sufficient to meet the needs of the various disciplines, particularly Town Clerk/Tax Collector.  The Town Clerk requires software that integrates with the software used by the Division of Motor Vehicles- Munis does not currently do this.

• The Town has taken advantage of the purchasing vendor for supplies associated with the SAU and continues to support that service.

Human Resources:

There was considerable discussion regarding the need by both organizations to address the “Human Resource” requirements of each organization.  Both the SAU and Town do not have highly qualified and trained individual to serve in this capacity. There were various concepts discussed on possible personnel solutions to address the joint need and possible job sharing to address this need.  However the more that the job sharing concept was explored, it became clear that the Human Resource needs of the SAU and the Town were quite different.  The final conclusion was to seek personnel in each area and move in that direction with possible joint and cross training in the future.

Final Summary and Conclusion:

This initiative has been beneficial from the stand point that both Public Officials, School Board and Board of Selectmen, met on a regular basis to discuss various mutual concerns and issues facing the residents of the community. It was the committee’s recommendation that we continue having mutual and positive discussions regarding services, performance and financial impact to the taxpayer.I look forward to continuing the conversation.

How Does a Recount Work?

On Friday, March 18 at 6:00 PM there will be a recount of the votes for Warrant Article #2 in the high school cafeteria.  How does this work and what does it mean?

First, the voting last week had a bond on it that, if approved, would provide money to build an addition and eliminate the portables at the elementary school.  This vote had to be approved by 60% of those who voted either "yes" or "no" on this article. A total of 1456 voted on this article with 855 voting "yes" and 601 voting "no".  This meant, the article failed by 19 votes.  A small number when you consider the number of voters who came out to vote!

A recount was asked for.  Anyone can ask for a recount with ten legal signatures agreeing to this recount and a $10.00 fee.  This request is given to the School Board Clerk.  The School Board Clerk, Linda Hoelzel, sets the date and time for this and it  cannot be earlier than "5 days, nor later than 10 days after receipt of the application."  By the way, the ballots were all sealed in a box following the voting.

Since this is a School District Article, the School Board acts as the  "Recount Board" along with the School District Clerk and the School District Moderator.  This recount concerns a warrant article and not the election of a board member, so all the board members can participate as the board of recount and it is the board members who were elected at this year's meeting who do the recount.

 According to the "New Hampshire Election Procedure Manual:  2014-2015", the"process to be used in conducting the recount is left to the discretion of the Board of Recount." Observers should be present for each team of counters-they are allowed to see the ballot, but not touch it.  If "the observer wishes to protest how the recount team is counting a particular ballot he or she needs to do so at the moment in time when that ballot is being counted by the team."  The Manual further states that,"At some point,..... all the protested ballots should be ruled on by the Board of Recount."

 Following the recount, a determination will  be made on this bond issue- either, yes, the elementary school project is going forward (because the voters approved this by 60%), or no, it will not happen this year.  This has been a very interesting year for voters!

The Results Are In

This week we had voting on both school and town issues.  The number of people who came out to vote is encouraging- 1533 voters!  Depending on what side of an issue people supported there is "good news" and "bad news".  I will report on the votes on the school side of things.

First, I want to congratulate our two new School Board members:  Joe Saulnier and Andrea Peterson.  They will be sworn in over the next week and take their place on the School Board at the March 16 meeting.

Article 2 was for approval of a bond to build an addition on the elementary school and finally remove the aging portables.  Since this is a bond, this article needed to win by a 60% vote.  The final tally was 855 "yes" votes and 601 "no" votes.  This means that the proposed building project failed to be approved by 19 votes.

Article 3 had to do with the school district's operating budget.  The proposed operating budget of $23,285,667 was approved by a vote of 1140 "yes" to 319 "no".

Article 4 was a new contract for our  teachers.  This contract is for two years beginning in the 2016-2017  school year.  This article was approved by a vote of 885 "yes" votes to 597 "no" votes.

Article 6 concerns the spending of Capital Reserve Funds.  One of the big projects that this will fund is an access road at the high school.  996 voters approved this article while 472 voters voted "no" on this article.

Article  7 concerns a citizens petition for the after-school program.  This article also passed with 1135 "yes" votes and 337 "no" votes.

This was a wonderful showing of voters. Thank you to all who  showed up to  vote for these important issues.

An Important Date

My dad was in the Navy for over 23 years- all of my growing up years  We were taught to care about others and to appreciate our country.  After becoming an adult and moving out on my own, I realized the importance of these family values:  with all its faults, our country still provides the best opportunities for everyone.  We will never be perfect- nothing ever is.

Along with this lesson, comes an obligation to vote.  My father (and now me) thought of voting as an important right- a right that none of us should give up.  All my life, I have heard people complain about the government, the schools, the politicians, laws that we need to follow, and so many other things.  Some of these same people have told me that they "never vote".  Their reasons are usually the same: "My vote won't matter"; "It wouldn't make a difference anyway"; and "It's only one vote".

Last year one of our School Board members won by one vote.  Who knows what changes or differences in our district have occurred this past year due to one vote? This year we have several important warrant articles and openings on both Town and School Boards.  Your one vote is important.  Don't give up this right- let your vote speak to these decisions.  Your opinion is important and shapes the way our schools, town, and government improve and go forward.  Voting will take place next Tuesday, March 8 from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM at the middle school.