Goodhue County Education District
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Inside this issue
  • Happy New Year
  • Difference Makers
  • 2016-17 MTSS Implementation​ 
  • Reading Comprehension at the Secondary Level
  • Back to School: Special Education 101
  • Dr. Seuss's IEPs
  • In the Spotlight: Professional Learning Opportunities
    • Infinitec: Infinite potential through technology
    • Whitewater Learning: E-education for Educators
Important Upcoming Events/Meetings
August 9, 12:00 - 4:00 pm: Principals Meeting, RBEC
August 17, 12:00 - 3:00 pm: Superintendents Meeting, RBEC
August 18-19: MDE Special Education Compliance Training
August 24-Sept 1, 7:30 - 3:30; GCED Back to School Workshop 
August 24, 7:30 - 3:30 pm: Teaching, Learning, and Compliance, RBEC
August 25, 7:30 - 3:30 pm: GCED Day, RBEC
Augsut 25, 7:30 - 3:30 pm: GCED Education Minnesota Union Meeting
August 30, 4:00 - 6:00 pm: RBEC Open House
September 6: First Student School Day
The Progress, Aug/Sep 2016:  ​Volume 2, Issue 1

The Progress archive
Click here to view past issues from the current school year.
Comments? Suggestions for new articles?
Contact Jillynne Raymond, Editor, The Progress,
jraymond@gced.k12.mn.us

Happy New Year! 

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by Cherie Johnson, GCED Executive Director

Welcome to the 2016-17 school year!  This will be an exciting year for the River Bluff Education Center and we are glad that you will join us.

The ongoing collaboration with the stakeholders of our district will continue to advance our vision to prepare self-directed learners who are collaborative problem solvers.  The Goodhue County Education District is committed to ensuring that every student achieves rigorous academic standards.   By applying research findings, best practice, fiscal responsibility, and technology, we are committed to preparing young people to realize their potential and to thrive in the larger community. 

Our reputation in serving students throughout the county is stronger than ever.  Yet, the challenges facing public education have never been greater.  I am confident that our partnership with parents, community members, students, and staff members will foster increased academic rigor, innovation, high expectations, and continued improvement.  Best wishes to all of our students, staff, parents, and community members for another successful school year.

Difference Makers...yes, that is YOU


   "We each wish to make choices that impact our future in a positive way, yet without         realizing it we often limit ourselves. There are beliefs that drive every behavior. These hidden attitudes support our motives, habits and actions and will either advance us, or hold us back. I encourage my listeners to reflect, refocus and discover their own possibilities."
​ 

​- John Crudele

We are excited to welcome John Crudele as Keynote Speaker for our GCED Day, August 25th. John is a "unique and exceptional fit" for education programs. Positive, upbeat, substantive keynotes help support participants' professional experiences, change and growth. He full understands and embraces that all educators are DIFFERENCE MAKERS. 


John Crudele, Keynote Speaker
GCED Day
Thursday, August 25, 2016
2:00 - 3:15 p.m.
River Bluff Education Center Cafetorium
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John Crudele 8/25/16 Keynote Speaker

2016-17 MTSS Implementation  

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by Jillynne Raymond, GCED Assistant Director of System Development

The WHY remains the same....

WHY implement a MTSS?
  1. All students deserve to achieve in order to become the very best they can be.
  2. We need to give our students the help they need, when they need it.
  3. Problem solving takes a team and it’s not easy; the system needs to support these efforts.

The WHAT remains the same...

WHAT is MTSS?
MTSS stands for a Multi-Tiered System of Support, which provides a continuum of effective supports aligned to all students’ needs for achieving high expectations. Achievement is key. Tiered interventions can help us go beyond a year’s worth of growth.

It is essential that we have a system in place that supports our students and our staff members on this important pursuit. The system and resources need to align to meet students’ specific needs.

HOW will we proceed with implementation in 2016-17? Everyone will continue to do the good work they have been doing with MTSS. Elementary schools especially are busy learning how to work with student data to inform intervention design. This includes using students' data to compare progress to their peers in their classroom and in their grade level.

With our assessment framework, this is a year of tradition as districts are using different products. At the principals meetings this year, we will assess our framework and the products used to inform our decisions for 2017-18. We will have 2 key focus areas of our work this year:


#1 - ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

         > 2016-17 Districts are using different assessment systems during this transition year
                           CF:        Aimsweb/STAR
                           GCED:    FAST
                           GD:        FAST
                           KW:        Aimsweb/STAR
                           LC:         Aimsweb/NWEA
                           RW:        Aimsweb/STAR
                                         FAST (Sunnyside only)
                           ZM:         FAST
 
         > GCED Superintendents Council/Principals Group will evaluate assessment systems  to inform 2017-18 Assessment Framework
         > 2016-17 GCED Wide Assessment Framework Calendar is available on website.

#2 - BEHAVIORAL CONTINUUM
  • GCED will work with each site to design and build their Behavioral Continuum of Supports
  • GCED will work with each district to align sites' Behavioral Continuum of Supports
  • This is a work group team that will meet 2 - 3 times this year to build and to align this behavioral continuum. Jillynne Raymond will work with site's administrator or designee to schedule the meetings. 
  • Principals are asked to complete the Google Form to identify their team made up of:
    • Administrative Representative
    • School Psychologist
    • Social Worker(s)
    • PBIS Representative (or equivalent)
    • General Education Representative
    • Special Education Representative
Please remember that all MTSS resources can be found on the GCED website; including the 2016-17 MTSS Manual. 


Reading and Math Longitudinal MCA Data by District


MCA Reading Grade 3, All Member Districts
File Size: 245 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Reading Grade 5, All Member Districts
File Size: 246 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Math Grade 8, All Member Districts
File Size: 246 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Math Grade 3, All Member Districts
File Size: 245 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Math Grade 5, All Member Districts
File Size: 244 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Math Grade 8, All Member Districts
File Size: 246 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Reading Grade 10, All Member Districts
File Size: 245 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MCA Math Grade 11, All Member Districts
File Size: 242 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Reading Comprehension at the Secondary Level

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.

​Research demonstrates...

Questions have sometimes been raised about the extent to which reading skills of struggling adolescents can be remediated ...

....Results of both group and individual analyses indicate these older struggling readers can be remediated and for some, gains of two, three, four, or more years can be accomplished with only 1 year of instruction. While two to three years of gain for students who are four to six years behind by no means closes the achievement gap, these findings are encouraging in providing information on which modality of instruction closes the achievement gap best,,,

...While more research still needs to be conducted in this area, this study lends credence to the different requirements this unique population of students may need in order to close the achievement gap in acquiring adequate reading skills.
​
(Calhoon, M. & Prescher, Y., 2013; Vaughn et al., 2010, 2011, 2012)
By Jillynne Raymond, GCED Assistant Director of System Development

In the 2010-11 school year Minnesota adopted the new MN 2010 ELA (English Language Arts) Standards.  Minnesota exercised its right to expand on the common core standards to include more standards. This was fitting for Minnesota, which is a state that is known for its high standards. Do you remember the intention behind adopting these standards?

1. In theory, using common core standards better supports  students' learning when moving between states.

2. The level of text complexity in the new standards increased to meet the demands to prepare our students to be College and Career Ready. Q: Do you know what the two professions with the highest text complexity needs do not require a 4 year degree?  A: Auto mechanics and Informational technology 

All of our member districts are tackling literacy in the elementary schools. Plans are in place to help support the MN World's Best Workforce goal that ALL children will be reading well by third grade. I truly believe that all of this work will catch up to us so that by the time these students are secondary students they will all reading well and able to access complex text across the content areas. 

To support secondary students' literacy growth at the secondary level, it is important to keep in mind that all teachers help build literacy skills in their content areas through the use of effective strategies. In essence, all teachers are reading teachers. As educators model and apply reading strategies to their particular content area, students will learn how to do the same. 


Reading is an interactive process that involves the reader making of meaning of the text. In order to help students access more and more complex text, it is important that educators (1) help students understand the purpose for their reading and (2) help students learn and use strategies that help with their comprehension.
  •  Before reading strategies are used to activate prior knowledge (and/or to fill in the gaps with prior knowledge), to examine text structure, to establish purpose of reading, and to review/clarify vocabulary.

    Strategy examples include: Reciprocal Teaching, Marzano's 6-Step Vocabulary Acquisition Model, Predicting, Anticipation Guide, K-W-L Charts, Graphic Organizers

  • During reading strategies help students self-monitor comprehension, to infer, to confirm or reject predictions, to visualize, to identify main ideas and supporting evidence, to question to clarify, and to summarize.

    Strategy examples include: Reciprocal Teaching, Read/Think Aloud, Note-Taking, Text Connections, Graphic Organizers

  • After reading strategies are used to assess if the purpose was met, to paraphrase important ideas, to identify main ideas and supporting evidence, to compare and contrast ideas, to make connections with the text, to evaluate the text, to draw conclusions, and to synthesize information. 

    Strategy examples include: Reciprocal Teaching, Text Connections, Graphic Organizers, Written Constructed Responses, Journal Responses, Discussion as a Way of Teaching

During the 2015-16 school year, our instructional coach team worked with interested staff on Reciprocal Teaching as an intervention. It is also an effective comprehension strategy that benefits Tier 1 instruction in many grade levels and content areas. Do you want to introduce your staff to more specific comprehension strategies? We are here to help support your efforts.

Our MTSS implementation work will focus on  As a part of secondary focus with MTSS this year, we will work together to build a reading comprehension toolkit appropriate and effective for the secondary level. ​You may also contact your instructional coach or Jillynne Raymond for further assistance. 

Back to School: Special Education 101

Dr. Seuss's IEP 

IEP Goals
  • Include at least 2 objectives for each goal.
  • If you have a transition IEP it must include:
  • Post-secondary goal, and
  • Employment goal
  • Either the PLAAFP, Annual Goal, or Short Term Objectives must have a measurable baseline/starting point. Do not use vague or subjective terms; i.e. define what is meant by “improve” (improve from _____ to _____)
  • Using “age appropriate” and “grade level” are not measurable unless the IEP clearly describes what this means.
  • If direct instruction or  a service is provided, there must be a goal specific to it.
  • Always ask:
  • Are the goals measurable?
  • Are the education needs addressed in the PLAAFP?
  • Are all of the other education needs addressed from the PLAAFP?
  • Annual goals that relate to attendance, passing state assessments, earning passing grades and/or earning credits for graduation are goals of all students and are not considered specialized instruction.
    ​
​Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
  • When reviewing an IEP to determine if LRE explanation is in compliance, ask the following three questions:
    • Does the LRE clearly describe why the nature and severity of the student’s disability is such that s/he must be removed from general education to receive services?
    • Does the IEP describe what the student is missing when not participating with nondisabled peers in the general education class.
​Service Grid
  • Service grid needs to match the documented disability.
  • Time of service needs to be reasonable and align with IEP. 


Do you like these IEPs?

I do not like these IEPs
I do not like them, geez Louise
We test, we check
We plan, we meet
But nothing ever seems complete

Would you, could you
Like the form?

I do not like the form I see 
Not page 1, not 2, not 3
Another change
A brand new box
I think we all 
Have lost our rocks

Could you all meet here or there?

We could not all meet here or there
We cannot all fit anywhere!
Not in a room
Not in the hall
There seems to be no space at all

Would you could you meet again? 

I cannot meet again next week
No lunch, no prep
Please hear me speak
No not at dusk. No not at dawn
At 4pm I should be gone.
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​

Could you hear while all speak out?
Would you write the words they spout?

I could not hear, I would not write
This does not need to be a fight.
Sign here, date there
Mark this, check that
Beware the student's ad-vo-cat(e).

You do not like them
So you say
Try again! Try again
And you may.

If you will let me be,
I will try again
You'll see.

Say!

I almost like these IEPs!
I think I'll write six thousand three.
And I will practice day and night 
Until they say 
​"You've got it right!"

Author Unknwon

Progress Monitoring,
  • No matter what the method, documentation must be in the file to show all required components of a written progress report including:
    • Date,
    • Progress on goals and objectives, and
    • The extent to which progress is sufficient for the child to meet the goal by the end of the year.
  • Progress reports should report measurable progress, whether that is on goals or objectives.
  • Progress should be specific to the target set such as percent, date, etc.
  • In order to report on progress, data must be kept on students reaching the targets set for the goals and objectives.
  • If a student is not making progress on her/his goals then the IEP team must meet to discuss and adjust.
​ Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
  • When reviewing an IEP to determine if LRE explanation is in compliance, ask the following three questions:
    • Does the LRE clearly describe why the nature and severity of the student’s disability is such that s/he must be removed from general education to receive services?
    • Does the IEP describe what the student is missing when not participating with nondisabled peers in the general education class.
Evaluations
  • Need to have a summary paragraph for every evaluation.
  • Be certain to address all criteria areas you are evaluating.
  • Need to have person with correct licensure on the team.

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​
​In the Spotlight:  Professional Learning Opportunities 


Infinitec: Infinite potential through technology

Remember that all districts have access to Infinitec at www.myinfinitec.org/. Check out the resources below.

Books That Grow
This great website called Books That Grow is worth checking into. Here you will find books that let you
alter the reading level. Teachers can create classes, assign books to students and choose the reading
level. Books can be search by interest level and read on a computer, Android tablet or iOS device. Take
advantage of text-to-speech through the operating system of Google extension. Some books have teacher
guides and there are plans to create comprehension guides in the future.

Executive Function 101 eBook
This free eBook is written for parents or those wishing to learn more about executive function (EF). It
explains executive functions in a clear, understandable way and discusses the areas in which these
struggles impact a child: learning, behavior, emotions, social situations and relationships. Tips for sup-
port and practice in specific areas are included.
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Whitewater Learning: E-education for Educators

Whitewater Learning may be accessed at whitewaterlearning.org/login/. See sampling of course titles below. Whitewater Learning is an excellent individual resource (college credit available), PLC resource, or schoolwide resource.

If you need help with usernames/passwords or other issues, please contact Cindy at cluhman@gced.k12.mn.us.


  • African American People: Communication, Perceptions, Behaviors, and Beliefs©
  • Alignment of Standards-Based Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and Learning Environment©
  • Best Practices for English Language Learners©
  • Bloodborne Pathogens and Right to Know©
  • Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities in High School©
  • Cyberbullying: Hateful, Harmful, Insidious – 6 Students Speak Out©
  • Data Driven Decision Making: An Introduction©
  • Differentiated Instruction©
  • How to Read and Utilize Instructional Data©
  • Project-Based Learning©
  • Teaching Reading: Evidence-based Best Practices©
  • Traumatization of Youth and Adolescents: Implications for Educator Practices and Student Success©
  • Word Study: A Tool to Improve Reading, Spelling, and Writing©
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Privacy/Disclaimer Statements
District Policies
Goodhue County Education District, 395 Guernsey Lane, Red Wing, MN 55066         651-388-4441      
Goodhue County Education District is a group of six southeastern Minnesota school districts: Cannon Falls, Goodhue, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Lake City, Red Wing and Zumbrota-Mazeppa. Working  together, the districts provide effective and efficient educational services and funding for special education programs, staff development, extended and alternative summer school services.