Joshluth11's Blog

Renaissance and Reformation Bell Ringer

joshluth11 — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:07:08 +0000

Think, Pair, Share: What are the Renaissance and Reformation? What does it mean to you? What do you think the Renaissance and Reformation represents and means? Do you know of any topics or important figures during these times? Express your thoughts and opinions in six and eight sentences?

Maddie and friend enjoying South America cake

joshluth11 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:52:56 +0000

The Plague!

joshluth11 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:29:53 +0000

I just got over the plague this weekend. Anybody have any secrets to getting better faster.

In-Service Reflection

joshluth11 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:01:13 +0000

During the last several weeks, the huge commotion at faculty in-service has been on the grading system at Middleton Middle School. The faculty feels that they are in need of a more technological grading system that will allow them to enter grades and access them more easily than hand written notebooks. Last year the faculty wanted to incorporate a new grading program that would help the teachers accurately grade student’s assignment. A majority of the teachers wanted to break up the grading into four categories for each subjects. The areas would be: 1. Work Habit, 2. Behavior, 3. Content Knowledge, and 4. Average Grade. The Average Grade is the overall cumulative total of points acquired in tests, quizzes and homework. The system that is now implemented has been giving the teachers a lot of difficulties within their grading system. At the collaboration meeting each Wednesday, the entire meeting time was spent trying to fix the grade dilemma. Many teachers have expressed their opinions that the new grading system is going to take more time than what they thought it would in order to keep it accurate and working affectively. In working with the 6th grade team, I have noticed that the new grading program is going to take more time than the teacher hoped for. The first thing is that the teachers need to keep track of the student’s assignments closely. Second the teacher has to keep track of the student’s work habit and behavior on a separate grading system. This in and of itself is an issue seeing as it can be difficult to have to keep backtracking from one form to the other trying to settle on a grade device. The third thing is that teachers need to find out the percentage of content knowledge that is obtained by each individual student. The problem is, how does a teacher assess content knowledge? How does one decide in a whole classroom the individual progress that each student as made in their content area knowledge? The system is very confusing and I believe all the teachers are feeling the same way. I have been watching and asking a lot of questions about the grading system for the last four weeks. To be totally honest, I am still confused and lost about how the grading system is configured and works out for the teachers.
In fact, I would love to enter the grades for the Flex: Atlas class I teach, but I don’t have a computer system that will enable me to do so. So I had to get a new grade book on Mrs. Warwick’s computer to help me keep track of students work the correct way without falling behind in the grading process. The grading process has been a learning experience. The in-service meetings seem to be a complete waste of time because the only true way to figure out the grading system is by learning it yourself or by having another staff member show you. I think the main problem is that the staff at MMS has not been told or explain to how to set up the system. I think that this issue would be easily solved with a technological expert on the program system coming in and providing a two hour meeting and walking the teachers through it step by step. This would allow for them to ask all of their essential questions while finding ways to work the system instead of having it work them.

Week Four Reflection

joshluth11 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:21:38 +0000

I find the Middleton Middle School system to be full of compassionate teachers and faculty members. I have been learning a lot about the school environment and how it is run on a day-to-day basis. The students at MMS are incredibly vigilant and willing to learn with open kind minds. All the staff members have been very helpful to me in my first couple of weeks. During the week, walking the halls of Middleton Middle School has brought me complete joy and happiness. It is everything that I could have hoped for in a school system and everything that I could have hoped for in the realm of teaching. By this I mean that the teachers are all willing to learn knew things that will be more than beneficial to their students; they are more than willing to go the extra distance in order to provide the best knowledge available to all those they come into contact with both fellow teachers and students alike. The teachers have such open minds that it allows for the vast acquiring of any knowledge that comes into their paths. Not only is it beneficial for them, but it is beneficial for their students and their open minds have a way of vicariously spreading throughout the minds of every student. This environment is nothing that I have seen before, not in my years of schooling, nor in my years of interning and observing. I really cannot wait until the day I get my own class and will be able to spread my new found knowledge and learning to the students. I have strived to overcome my own obstacles and I want to instill the lives of young children just like my teachers have done for me in the past. The halls at MMS have brought back memories of going to middle school ten years ago. I still felt as if I was thirteen again. It has allowed me to relive my youth to the fulfillment of understanding how to use those experiences in order to better the experiences of the children that I am influencing now. It allows me to recollect being at that age while combining my years past of wisdom and my lifetime thus far of knowledge and training to better all those who I come into contact with.
During the week, the students started working on the Kids Discover Incas: Scavenger Hunt worksheet on Tuesday. The students had to read a magazine called Kids Discover Incas for three class periods to get an overview of the Inca culture. It was the student’s job to fill in the scavenger hunt worksheet as they followed along during the reading on the magazine. The magazine and scavenger hunt were finished on Friday followed by a video on the Inca society. The students followed directions very well this week as I started to use the board more to help thoroughly explain tasks.
The greatest learning experience of my week would have to be of that had just happened the Friday before. As I was out watching the students play dodge ball, a particular student chose to make a decision that would influence the rest of his school career. He chose to deliberately wind up the dodge ball and throw it directly at the back of my head. I asked two of the other teachers on duty to watch the rest of my class until I could be back to get the class while I walked with the student. I took the student to my mentor teacher to further assist me with the type of punishment that would be needed. The student was asked to put their head on the desk until the period was over. Mrs. Warwick told me to go out and finish watching the class. I brought the class in until the bell rang for school to end. I didn’t get to find out the punishment of the student until I came back to school on Tuesday seeing as I had class on that Monday. I was called into the Principal’s office where I found that they had become well aware of the situation and had begun to take matters into their own hands. The principal had already run the video tapes of the incident and printed out photos for documentation and proof of what had occurred. I later found out the student was going to be suspended for three to ten days depending on the school board’s decision. The school board’s decision might lead the student to expulsion because the incident resolved in the battery of a faculty member.
This experience was difficult for me as well as knowledgeable for me. On one hand, I felt as if I had been disrespected by a student. It was not a great experience to go through something like that as to be put down in a sense of having a ball thrown at the back of my head. On the other hand, it was time for me to learn how to handle matters such as this and who would be critical in the decision making processes and the punishments necessary for given situations. It was something that I had never experienced before and something that I had truly never had cross my mind. It was truly nice to have the support of my fellow staff and to have the support of all those who helped guide me through the situation. This was a learning experience on so many different levels and I will now be able to learn and understand from this situation as to better future occurrences.

Response to Intervention (RTI): A Primer for Parents

joshluth11 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:29:35 +0000

Response to Intervention (RTI): A Primer for Parents By Mary Beth Klotz, PhD, NCSP, and Andrea Canter, PhD, NCSP National Association of School Psychologists A major concern for parents as well as teachers is how to help children who experience difficulty learning in school. Everyone wants to see their child excel, and it can be very frustrating when a child falls behind in learning to read, do math, or achieve in other subjects. Children who have the most difficulty are often referred for an evaluation to determine if they need and qualify for special education services. The term “learning disability” has been used for many years to explain why some children of normal intelligence nevertheless have much difficulty learning basic skills such as reading. Some new federal laws have directed schools to focus more on helping all children learn by addressing problems earlier, before the child is so far behind that a referral to special education services is warranted. These laws include the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004. Both laws underscore the importance of providing high quality, scientifically-based instruction and interventions, and hold schools accountable for the progress of all students in terms of meeting grade level standards. What Are the Essential Components of RTI? Simply, “Response to Intervention” refers to a process that emphasizes how well students respond to changes in instruction. The essential elements of an RTI approach are: the provision of scientific, research-based instruction and interventions in general education; monitoring and measurement of student progress in response to the instruction and interventions; and use of these measures of student progress to shape instruction and make educational decisions. A number of leading national organizations and coalition groups, including the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities and the 14 organizations forming the 2004 Learning Disabilities (LD) Roundtable coalition, have outlined the core features of an RTI process as follows: • High quality, research-based instruction and behavioral support in general education. • Universal (school-wide or district-wide) screening of academics and behavior in order to determine which students need closer monitoring or additional interventions. • Multiple tiers of increasingly intense scientific, research-based interventions that are matched to student need. • Use of a collaborative approach by school staff for development, implementation, and monitoring of the intervention process. • Continuous monitoring of student progress during the interventions, using objective information to determine if students are meeting goals. • Follow-up measures providing information that the intervention was implemented as intended and with appropriate consistency. • Documentation of parent involvement throughout the process. • Documentation that the special education evaluation timelines specified in IDEA 2004 and in the state regulations are followed unless both the parents and the school team agree to an extension. What Are the Key Terms? Response to Intervention (RTI) is an array of procedures that can be used to determine if and how students respond to specific changes in instruction. RTI provides an improved process and structure for school teams in designing, implementing, and evaluating educational interventions. Universal Screening is a step taken by school personnel early in the school year to determine which students are “at risk” for not meeting grade level standards. Universal screening can be accomplished by reviewing recent results of state tests, or by administering an academic screening test to all children in a given grade level. Those students whose test scores fall below a certain cut-off are identified as needing more specialized academic interventions. Student Progress Monitoring is a scientifically based practice that is used to frequently assess students’ academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Progress monitoring procedures can be used with individual students or an entire class. Scientific, Research-Based Instruction refers to specific curriculum and educational interventions that have been proven to be effective –that is, the research has been reported in scientific, peer-reviewed journals. What Role Does RTI Play in Special Education Eligibility? IDEA 2004 offers greater flexibility to school teams by eliminating the requirement that students must exhibit a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement in order to be found eligible for special education and related services as a student with a learning disability. This increased flexibility has led to a growing interest in using RTI as part of an alternative method to traditional ability/achievement discrepancy comparisons. IDEA 2004 addresses RTI procedures within several contexts. Effective instruction and progress monitoring. For students to be considered for special education services based on a learning disability they first must have been provided with effective instruction and their progress measured through “data-based documentation of repeated assessments of achievement.” Furthermore, results of the student progress monitoring must be provided to the child’s parents. Evaluation procedures. The law gives districts the option of using RTI procedures as part of the evaluation procedures for special education eligibility. Comprehensive assessment is still required under the reauthorized law, however. That means that schools still need to carefully examine all relevant aspects of a student’s performance and history before concluding that a disability does or does not exist. As before, schools must rule out learning problems that are primarily the result of factors such as poor vision, hearing, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, lack of appropriate instruction, or limited English proficiency. Early Intervening Services. IDEA 2004 addresses the use of RTI procedures is by creating the option of using up to 15% of federal special education funds for “early intervening services” for students who have not been identified as needing special education, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in the general education setting. The types of services that can be included are central to the RTI process, and include professional development for teachers and school staff to enable them to deliver scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions, as well as educational evaluations, services, supports, and scientifically based literacy instruction. How Can Parents Be Involved in the RTI Process? The hallmarks of effective home-school collaboration include open communication and involvement of parents in all stages of the learning process. Being informed about your school’s RTI process is the first step to becoming an active partner. Both the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities advise parents to ask the following questions: • Does our school use an RTI process? (Be aware that your child’s school may call their procedures a “problem solving process,” or may have a unique title for their procedures, e.g., Instructional Support Team, and not use the specific RTI terminology.) • Are their written materials for parents explaining the RTI process? How can parents be involved in the various phases of the RTI process? • What interventions are being used, and are these scientifically based as supported by research? • What length of time is recommended for an intervention before determining if the student is making adequate progress? • How do school personnel check to be sure that the interventions were carried out as planned? • What techniques are being used to monitor student progress and the effectiveness of the interventions? Does the school provide parents with regular progress monitoring reports? • At what point in the RTI process are parents informed of their due process rights under IDEA 2004, including the right to request an evaluation for special education eligibility? • When is informed parental consent obtained and when do the special education evaluation timelines officially commence under the district’s RTI plan? What Are the Potential Benefits of RTI? Perhaps the most commonly cited benefit of an RTI approach is that it eliminates a “wait to fail” situation because students get help promptly within the general education setting. Secondly, an RTI approach has the potential to reduce the number of students referred for special education services. Since an RTI approach helps distinguish between those students whose achievement problems are due to a learning disability versus those students whose achievement problems are due to other issues such as lack of prior instruction, referrals for special education evaluations are often reduced. Finally, parents and school teams alike find that the student progress monitoring techniques utilized in an RTI approach provide more instructionally relevant information than traditional assessments. What Are Next Steps in Implementing RTI Approaches? There are many specific issues that must be addressed in order to effectively implement RTI approaches. Schools must be prepared to offer a variety of proven instructional strategies; staff must be trained to measure student performance using methods that are sensitive to small increments of growth; parents must be kept informed of these new procedures and made partners in the process. Teams must also determine how they will define an “adequate” response to an intervention—how much progress over what period of time will be the benchmark to determine if an intervention is successful? While forthcoming federal regulations will offer guidance, each school district will need to develop its own procedures based on their state regulations, resources and the needs of its student population. http://www.nasponline.org/resources/factsheets/rtiprimer.aspx

6th Graders Instructions, directions and more directions

joshluth11 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:51:07 +0000

I have found that teaching 6th grade has been a complete treat and joy. But, the fact that the students need to be told instructions and directions numerous time is getting really mind-boggling. I have been working with my lead teacher trying to figure out the problem. She expressed that the 6th graders this year don’t pay attention to directions and to fine detail in assignments. The students grade are being effected by their lack of not following directions. The worst part is that most of their points that are deducted are from coloring. Should the students be taught coloring skills at this level?

South American Regions and Locations

joshluth11 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:53:01 +0000

The students are working on their physical maps of South America. I have noticed that all the students in all three of the periods I taught today never seem to follow directions of how to color the maps. Mrs. Wariwick has explained the guidelines of coloring and labeling of the continent of South America several times. I have been walking around classroom and giving coloring lessons. I thought the 6th graders should have master coloring already.

joshluth11 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:31:48 +0000

South America Political & Physical Maps

joshluth11 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:24:21 +0000

The students are working on their maps on South America at this time. It seems that the students are having trouble following directions.