NOVEMBER 2002 MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
1. Middle Grades Spotlight
2. Co-Curricular Physical Activity and Sports Programs for Middle School Students
3. Exploring History Through Your Family's Past
4. Community Problem Solving Works for Middle Level Students
5. Lessons About Teacher Professional Development
6. Corrected CAHSEE Passing Rates
7. Changes to the Star Program
8. New CST Blueprints
9. Case Study on Urban School Systems’ Success
10. “Time for Learning”
11. Inviting Students to Learn
12. “(Re)Designing Learning Environments”
13. Web Sites Highlight Ways to Motivate Students
14. “Teaching as a Clinical Profession”
15. Lessons Learned on the Effective Use of Technology
16. Handling Chronic or Life-Threatening Student Illness
17. Grant: NEA Foundation
18. Grant: Teaching As A Priority (TAP) Program
19. Grant: Tobacco Use Education Programs
=============================
1. MIDDLE GRADES SPOTLIGHT
=============================
The premier edition of Middle Grades Spotlight is NOW available on
the California Department of Education Web site. This quarterly
newsletter, produced by the Middle Grades Office, illuminates
recommendations from Taking Center Stage: A Commitment to Standards-
Based Education for California's Middle Grades Students. Additionally,
it will focus on research, resources, and best practices from California
middle schools. Each edition will spotlight schools that are over
coming barriers and challenges and are experiencing positive results.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/middle/
=============================
2. CO-CURRICULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORTS PROGRAMS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
=============================
A position statement (2002) by the National Association for Sport and
Physical Education’s Middle and Secondary School Physical Education
Council suggests that “participation in sport and physical activity
programs outside of the regular physical education program provides
many positive benefits for middle school students.” According to the
article, the benefits seem to far outweigh the detriments. The World
Health Organization (1998) and the Centers for Disease Control (2002)
list the benefits of middle school inclusion in co-curricular sports
as: improved motor skills; enhanced physical and social growth
and maturation; improved self-esteem; controlled weight; fewer
occurrences of hypertension; and reduced depression and anxiety.
http://www.nmsa.org/mssports.htm
=============================
3. EXPLORING HISTORY THROUGH YOUR FAMILY'S PAST
=============================
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2001) recently
reported poor marks in history for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders in the
United States. In an effort to increase students’ interest in the
past, Rick Allen, staff writer and editor for Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development's Newsletters and
Special Publications, has compiled a list of Web sites to engage
students as amateur genealogists. “Surfing for the ancestral Web
sites just may make students more intrigued by history as they
discover how their own family members played a role making it,
whether large or small.”
Ginny's Educational Resource Center
http://members.rogers.com/maclizzard/tch.rsrc.html#refs
Family Search
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp
South Carolina Historical Society
http://www.schistory.org/
Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com/mainv.htm
Ancestors
http://broadcasting.byu.edu/ancestors/
AfriGeneas: African Genealogy and Ancestry
http://www.afrigeneas.com/
Freedmen's Bureau Online
http://freedmensbureau.com/
Hispanic Genealogy
http://home.att.net/~Alsosa/
=============================
4. COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING WORKS FOR MIDDLE LEVEL STUDENTS
=============================
Authors Jann Bohnenberger and Alice Terry discuss the importance of
engaging middle school students in community-based activities (Middle
School Journal, September 2002). The article, “Community Problem
Solving Works for Middle Level Students,” chronicles various projects
throughout the United States, and how young adolescents were able to
make a difference in their communities and for themselves. Community
Problem Solving, not to be confused with other service-learning
initiatives, offers its participants structure, support, and an
opportunity for celebration. Schools wishing to participate in this
national program are offered technical and service support, and have
opportunities to participate on local, statewide and international
levels.
http://www.nmsa.org/services/msj/msj_sept2002.htm
=============================
5. LESSONS ABOUT TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
=============================
The Middle School Journal (May 2002) has published an article
delineating “Four Important Lessons About Teacher Professional
Development.” Editors Nancy Flowers, Steven Mertens, and Peter
Mulhall look at critical issues pertaining to successful school
reform in the middle grades and professional development. Using
data from the Center for Prevention Research and Development
(CPRD), School Improvement Self-Study, a study of 85 Mid South
Middle Start Schools, the following “lessons” were documented:
1) most middle grade teachers do not have middle grade certification,
2) teacher training comes in many forms, 3) a mismatch exists
between the availability of professional development activities and
teacher participation, and 4) teacher professional development
should be based on administrator and teacher input. The full article
can be found in the Reports and Publications section of the CPRD
Web site.
http://www.cprd.uiuc.edu/
=============================
6. CORRECTED CAHSEE PASSING RATES
=============================
The cumulative passing rates for the Class of 2004 are higher than
first reported. Based on the results from the spring administrations
for both 2001 and 2002, an estimated 73% of students have passed
the ELA section and 53% have passed the mathematics section.
Overall, about 48% of the students have passed both sections of the
CAHSEE.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/news/releases2002/rel31.asp
=============================
7. CHANGES TO THE STAR PROGRAM
=============================
The 2003 STAR program reflects a number of significant changes,
including the following: the CAT-6 replaces the SAT-9 as the norm-
eferenced test; a Grade 8 History/Social Science California Standards
Test (CST) will be administered while the Grade 9 History/Social
Science CST will no longer be administered; and test booklets will
be configured with all CSTs first followed by the norm-referenced
test, or CAT-6 (in the past the items for the two tests were
interspersed in the booklets). For information about all of the
changes in the STAR program, including guidelines for matching
students to appropriate tests and a description of the policy on test
preparation, please review resource material available on the
Web site.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/northsouth/nsstar.html
=============================
8. NEW CST BLUEPRINTS
=============================
New blueprints for all of the STAR California Standards Tests (CSTs)
have been posted on the Internet. These revised documents highlight
the standards tested and the numbers of multiple-choice questions for
both the previous and new versions of the blueprints. Standards not
assessable in a multiple-choice format are clearly identified with the
notation "NA." The revisions to the blueprints vary by content area.
Summaries of the revisions for each content area are provided in a
preface to each set of blueprints.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/star/resources/blueprints.html
=============================
9. CASE STUDY ON URBAN SCHOOL SYSTEMS’ SUCCESS
=============================
“While there are 16,850 public school districts in the United States,
one hundred of those districts serve approximately 23 percent of the
nation's students. These districts, many of which are located in
urban areas, also serve 40 percent of the country's minority students
and 30 percent of the economically disadvantaged students.” The
Council of Great City Schools has released a long-term study that
examines actions that urban districts have taken to impact student
achievement. In the report, “Foundations for Success” (September
2002), researchers found that the challenges of urban schools and
districts included: unsatisfactory student achievement; political
conflict; inexperienced teaching staff; low expectations and lack
of demanding curriculum; lack of instructional coherence; high
student mobility; unsatisfactory business practices. The key
findings highlighted the need to establish preconditions to reform.
These preconditions included: focusing on specific student
achievement goals; establishing accountability systems; focusing
on the lowest-performing schools; providing central office support
through professional development programs; promoting the role of the
central office to guide and support the improvement of instruction;
data-driven decision-making; beginning reform at the elementary level
and moving through the grades; providing intensive math and reading
instruction at the middle and high school levels.
http://www.cgcs.org/reports/Foundations.html
=============================
10. “TIME FOR LEARNING”
=============================
Susan Black examines the research regarding instructional time in
“Time for Learning” (American School Board Journal, September 2002).
Many teachers report feeling pressured by curricular demands,
non-instructional classroom responsibilities, and school schedules.
Scheduling pressures and classroom interruptions can interfere with
academic learning time and make it difficult to teach important
content in depth. Black shares strategies that can help educators to
use existing time more effectively.
http://www.asbj.com/2002/09/0902research.html
=============================
11. INVITING STUDENTS TO LEARN
=============================
“Students care deeply about learning when their teachers meet their
need for affirmation, contribution, purpose, power, and challenge,”
writes Carol Ann Tomlinson in her article, “Do Students Care About
Learning: Invitations to Learn” (Educational Leadership, September
2002). When students believe they are accepted, safe, and cared about
in their classrooms, they think of themselves as contributors to the
learning community. When they (students) feel they make a
difference, they are not afraid to share their unique talents and
abilities with the group. Excellent teachers continually engage
students and extend learning invitations to their students through
their words and their actions. When teachers are able to make the
environment and instruction work in tandem, they invite, inspire,
and sustain student learning.
http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0209/tomlinson.html
=============================
12. “(RE)DESIGNING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS”
=============================
The Fall 2002 edition of “Edutopia,” a publication of the George
Lucas Foundation, "explores the opportunity for creating 21st-century
learning environments that focus not only on different kinds of
educational architecture, but on how time is used, teacher and
student relationships, collaboration, the benefits of real-world
projects, and community involvement."
http://www.glef.org/EdutopiaPDF/fall02.pdf
=============================
13. WEB SITES HIGHLIGHT WAYS TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS
=============================
The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development has
compiled a list of organizations that offer strategies to motivate
students. The article “Engaging Students” by Heather Voke
(Educational Leadership, September 2002) provides Web links
directly to featured resources.
http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0209/voke.html
=============================
14. “TEACHING AS A CLINICAL PROFESSION”
=============================
A new Carnegie Challenge Paper, "Teaching as a Clinical Profession:
A New Challenge for Education," summarizes the challenges facing the
teaching profession and offers a conceptual answer – “treat teaching
as a modern clinical profession.” Studies confirm that the quality of
teaching is the single most important factor influencing student
achievement. Calling for an “informed discussion” into the challenges
facing the American education system, author Michael deCourcy Hinds
explores “remaking one of the nation’s largest, most neglected and
under-appreciated occupations into an elite, research-based
profession capable of providing all children with a first class
education.”
http://www.carnegie.org/pdf/teachered.pdf
=============================
15. LESSONS LEARNED ON THE EFFECTIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
=============================
"Computer-based technology is a means, not an end. It is a tool that
can be used to achieve instructional goals, not a goal in itself. Yet many
schools and districts invest time and money in acquiring technology
without clarifying their goals for how best to use this important
tool." "Getting the Most from Technology in School" (WestEd, 2002)
"is for educators and policymakers who want to know how to make the
most of their investments in computer-based technology for schools.
The brief draws on recent reviews of research on technology use in
schools and addresses the question: 'Under what conditions does this
technology have the most benefits for students?'" The report also
provides guidance for developing effective district or school
technology plans.
http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/kn-02-01.pdf
=============================
16. HANDLING CHRONIC OR LIFE-THREATENING STUDENT ILLNESS
=============================
Author Steven C. Schlozman provides suggestions for teachers who
have students with chronic and/or life-threatening illnesses. In the
article, “When Illness Strikes” (Education Leadership, September
2002), Scholzman highlights the psychosocial issues that students
face, and ways in which teachers can support students.
http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/edlead/0209/schlozman.html
=============================
17. GRANT: NEA FOUNDATION
=============================
The National Education Association (NEA) Foundation for the
Improvement of Education (NFIE) offers more than 300 small
grants of $1,000 to $3,000 each year to fund public educators'
"big ideas” in classroom innovation and professional development.
Past recipients have developed resource tools for reluctant learners,
involved community members in teaching about local history, taught
students how to care for butterflies, and developed programs to help
special needs students improve their social skills. For more
information visit the Web site or call 202-822-7840.
http://www.nfie.org/programs/howtoapply.htm
=============================
18. GRANT: TEACHING AS A PRIORITY (TAP) PROGRAM
=============================
From CDE: "The Teaching As A Priority (TAP) program provides funding
to local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit and retain fully
credentialed teachers at low-performing schools. Districts apply on
behalf of their eligible schools. Eligible schools have Academic
Performance Index (API) rankings in deciles 1-5. Funding varies by
enrollment and API rankings." An annual grant application is
required. Proposals are due on November 29, 2002.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/funding/profile.asp?id=263
=============================
19. GRANT: TOBACCO USE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
=============================
The CDE awards and administers grants for projects directed at the
prevention of tobacco use among students in grades 9-12, and at
grade levels 6-8. Grant applications are due on January 15, 2003.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/healthykids/
http://www.cde.ca.gov/funding/profile.asp?id=273 (6-8)
http://www.cde.ca.gov/funding/profile.asp?id=272 (9-12)
This electronic newsletter is sponsored by the Region 8 California Professional Development Consortium (CPDC) administered by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, or to subscribe to our other our free electronic Newsletters for High School or Professional Development issues, email call or fax Christina Doyle: email - cdoyle@kern.org, phone (661) 636-4331 or fax (661) 636-4135.
|
