Journal of Progress
Successes and challenges on the journey,
including growth in the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership
September 2014:
Recruit 3rd grade team members to provide intensive intervention after analyzing test scores in the areas of phonological awareness to develop their decoding skills for the school year 2014-2015.
Leadership Reflection: Inspire a Shared Vision
I spoke to my team with genuine conviction about the higher meaning and purpose of our work and discussed with them how we could address the Tier III students' needs. I proposed conducting a class during 30 minutes of lunch time everyday with 3 of each teacher's most struggling students, if we have the approval of those students' parents.
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October 2014:
Discussed the results of our initial assessments with the teachers of my grade level, and requested that they given further assessments to their most struggling students so that we can narrow down by the entire grade level as those that need Tier III assistance. The additional assessments are PDST (Phonics/Decoding Screening Test), Word Pattern test, HFW (High Frequency Words test), and DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills), as well as BPST (Basic Phonics Skills Test). As the E.L. Coordinator, I assigned all of our grade level's time with the bilingual aide to our two new teachers instead of the two experienced teachers to assist them with struggling students. The instructional coach was also scheduled to meet with the new teachers to assist them with their needs.
Leadership Reflection: Model the Way
I set a personal example of what I expect of others by following through myself. Children are entitled to extra support if they are struggling, and it is my responsibility to address this issue through intervention, in order to assist students in their care.
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November 2014:
Team members were given a survey to take relative to our own professional learning community, reviewed the results, and shared them with all team members. Continue developing relationships with all team members.
Leadership Reflection: Enable Others to Act
By providing a survey for the team members, I am attempting to develop cooperative relationships among the people that I work with. Also, I am willing to become vulnerable to their criticism of my leadership skills as the grade level chair in order to continue building our grade level team as part of the school's professional learning community.
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December 2014:
I was nominated and elected Teacher of the Year at my school site by all of the teachers and classified employees. I was very happy to know that all members of my team voted for me.
Leadership Reflection: Model the Way
I believe that I was elected as Teacher of the Year because the staff knows my philosophy of leadership and have been very supportive for many years and I feel that I give the members of the team lots of appreciation and support for their contributions.
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January 2015:
After all permission slips received by identified students for Tier day at lunch on targeted skills. All students were given access to Chromebooks which is an area that I need to focus on for myself to become more proficient.
Leadership Reflection: Challenge the Process
By working with all of these students during lunchtime (because many of them couldn't stay afterschool), I am seeking out challenging opportunities that test my own skills and abilities, in the hopes that they will progress substantially.
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February 2015:
Teachers were invited to come in during lunchtime intervention to view the instruction their students are receiving in order to bring those strategies back to the classroom.
Leadership Reflection: Model the Way
By inviting the other teachers to come in my room during lunchtime intensive intervention, I believe I am setting a personal example of what I expect of others.
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March 2015:
All members are now used to rotating roles during PLC meetings, and each member has taken a leadership role within the school. Students are being tested for 2nd trimester and teachers are sharing and analyzing test scores. Publicly thanked all team members for working in tandem with each other and as one unit for the benefit of all students. I am going to advise my grade level that I will train them as well on GLAD strategies (Guided Language Acquisition & Design) that focus on assisting English Learners. The District Office has asked me to provide training to the District, but I will focus first on my grade level. As a teacher leader for CRLP at UCLA, I have been asked to present for 2 days on strategies related to English Learners relative to common core standards. I was provided additional resources from Pat Denton relative to Core 6, which I am ordering for myself and I will ask my grade level if they would like a copy as well.
Leadership Reflection: Enable Others to Act
By rotating roles within our PLC, I believe I am teaching others and ensuring that they grow in their jobs by learning new skills and developing themselves.
---------------------------------------------------------
APRIL 2015:
The Principal came into our PLC and advised us that our students were second in growth in their fluency proficiency for the entire school site. We went into the Principal's office to request that we be able to stay together as a team in 3rd grade. For the first time, I truly feel that we are a team that is working together for the benefit of all the students! I highlighted the successes of our team by publicly acknowledging their accomplishments through our weekly "Attitude of Gratitude" which is a weekly email disseminated to all staff members by other staff members for work well done.
Leadership Reflection: Encourage the Heart
I made sure to give all of the members of the team lots of appreciation and support for their contributions.
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MAY 2015:
As a team, all members have rotated all roles within a grade level PLC and feel confident taking any of the roles. Also, all members have participated in formal training, and then trained the rest of the team. We have worked together to get all of our end of the year work done and then are now familiar with all of the processes involved.
Leadership Reflection: Enable Others to Act:
All members now feel confident in their abilities and we are all meeting with each other everyday to collaborate during school, at breaks and during lunch.
September 2014:
Recruit 3rd grade team members to provide intensive intervention after analyzing test scores in the areas of phonological awareness to develop their decoding skills for the school year 2014-2015.
Leadership Reflection: Inspire a Shared Vision
I spoke to my team with genuine conviction about the higher meaning and purpose of our work and discussed with them how we could address the Tier III students' needs. I proposed conducting a class during 30 minutes of lunch time everyday with 3 of each teacher's most struggling students, if we have the approval of those students' parents.
---------------------------------------------------------
October 2014:
Discussed the results of our initial assessments with the teachers of my grade level, and requested that they given further assessments to their most struggling students so that we can narrow down by the entire grade level as those that need Tier III assistance. The additional assessments are PDST (Phonics/Decoding Screening Test), Word Pattern test, HFW (High Frequency Words test), and DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills), as well as BPST (Basic Phonics Skills Test). As the E.L. Coordinator, I assigned all of our grade level's time with the bilingual aide to our two new teachers instead of the two experienced teachers to assist them with struggling students. The instructional coach was also scheduled to meet with the new teachers to assist them with their needs.
Leadership Reflection: Model the Way
I set a personal example of what I expect of others by following through myself. Children are entitled to extra support if they are struggling, and it is my responsibility to address this issue through intervention, in order to assist students in their care.
---------------------------------------------------------
November 2014:
Team members were given a survey to take relative to our own professional learning community, reviewed the results, and shared them with all team members. Continue developing relationships with all team members.
Leadership Reflection: Enable Others to Act
By providing a survey for the team members, I am attempting to develop cooperative relationships among the people that I work with. Also, I am willing to become vulnerable to their criticism of my leadership skills as the grade level chair in order to continue building our grade level team as part of the school's professional learning community.
-------------------------------------------------------------
December 2014:
I was nominated and elected Teacher of the Year at my school site by all of the teachers and classified employees. I was very happy to know that all members of my team voted for me.
Leadership Reflection: Model the Way
I believe that I was elected as Teacher of the Year because the staff knows my philosophy of leadership and have been very supportive for many years and I feel that I give the members of the team lots of appreciation and support for their contributions.
-------------------------------------------------------------
January 2015:
After all permission slips received by identified students for Tier day at lunch on targeted skills. All students were given access to Chromebooks which is an area that I need to focus on for myself to become more proficient.
Leadership Reflection: Challenge the Process
By working with all of these students during lunchtime (because many of them couldn't stay afterschool), I am seeking out challenging opportunities that test my own skills and abilities, in the hopes that they will progress substantially.
------------------------------------------------------------
February 2015:
Teachers were invited to come in during lunchtime intervention to view the instruction their students are receiving in order to bring those strategies back to the classroom.
Leadership Reflection: Model the Way
By inviting the other teachers to come in my room during lunchtime intensive intervention, I believe I am setting a personal example of what I expect of others.
----------------------------------------------------------
March 2015:
All members are now used to rotating roles during PLC meetings, and each member has taken a leadership role within the school. Students are being tested for 2nd trimester and teachers are sharing and analyzing test scores. Publicly thanked all team members for working in tandem with each other and as one unit for the benefit of all students. I am going to advise my grade level that I will train them as well on GLAD strategies (Guided Language Acquisition & Design) that focus on assisting English Learners. The District Office has asked me to provide training to the District, but I will focus first on my grade level. As a teacher leader for CRLP at UCLA, I have been asked to present for 2 days on strategies related to English Learners relative to common core standards. I was provided additional resources from Pat Denton relative to Core 6, which I am ordering for myself and I will ask my grade level if they would like a copy as well.
Leadership Reflection: Enable Others to Act
By rotating roles within our PLC, I believe I am teaching others and ensuring that they grow in their jobs by learning new skills and developing themselves.
---------------------------------------------------------
APRIL 2015:
The Principal came into our PLC and advised us that our students were second in growth in their fluency proficiency for the entire school site. We went into the Principal's office to request that we be able to stay together as a team in 3rd grade. For the first time, I truly feel that we are a team that is working together for the benefit of all the students! I highlighted the successes of our team by publicly acknowledging their accomplishments through our weekly "Attitude of Gratitude" which is a weekly email disseminated to all staff members by other staff members for work well done.
Leadership Reflection: Encourage the Heart
I made sure to give all of the members of the team lots of appreciation and support for their contributions.
--------------------------------------------------------
MAY 2015:
As a team, all members have rotated all roles within a grade level PLC and feel confident taking any of the roles. Also, all members have participated in formal training, and then trained the rest of the team. We have worked together to get all of our end of the year work done and then are now familiar with all of the processes involved.
Leadership Reflection: Enable Others to Act:
All members now feel confident in their abilities and we are all meeting with each other everyday to collaborate during school, at breaks and during lunch.