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Education in the First State
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ESSA: Still time to provide your input
Input from community conversations and online surveys will help inform a draft state plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. There still is time to join us for this month's final conversation (
5:30 p.m. tomorrow in Dover) and to take our
online surveys, which close Oct. 3. A second round of community conversations is planned for later this fall.
In December 2015, Congress reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the main federal law governing public education. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). As part of NCLB, Delaware is one of the 43 states operating under ESEA Flexibility.
ESSA gives states more flexibility and provides more state and local control over the accountability process. ESSA implementation will begin during the 2017-18 school year. The 2016-17 school year provides the opportunity to consult with stakeholders, develop Delaware's plan, and submit the plan to the U.S. Department of Education for approval.
In addition to the larger community conversations, department leaders are continuing to collect input through a series of stakeholder consultation meetings. A
Governor's Advisory Committee and
discussion groups on the major aspects of the plan also are convening.
The state aims to complete its draft plan by October 31 with the second draft completed by December 31, following the next round of engagement and feedback. Additional comments will be taken through February. The state will submit the plan to the U.S. Department of Education for approval by March 6.
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Educators focus on trauma's effect on learning
The third annual Western Sussex Summit held at Woodbridge High School earlier this month provided an opportunity for educators, service providers and other community members to focus on the social and emotional needs of students (more photos).
"If you have a fixed mindset, there's a ceiling on everything you do," Patti Albright explained to a packed auditorium at the third annual Western Sussex Summit held at
Woodbridge School District's Woodbridge High School earlier this month. Teachers and administrators passed packs of tissues to their seat neighbors as they learned about the centrality of instilling hope and so-called "future stories" in the minds of their students.
Albright, a former elementary teacher who earned accolades in Texas, shared stories and evidence-based research to illustrate that "seeking first to understand" and using that understanding to support the whole child is key to closing achievement gaps between under-resourced and middle class kids. Albright's presentation is part of a national movement toward trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive practice, an evidence-based approach that has been quietly spreading across the state.
Trauma-informed practice is at the center of the Woodbridge School District, where all schools implement the Compassionate Schools framework, a model developed by the state of Washington's Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Western Washington University staff. The model is spreading statewide through districts and the Delaware Department of Education and is supported by a Casey Family Foundation grant secured and managed by the Delaware Office of the Child Advocate.
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SPOTLIGHT
In preparation for Delaware's College Application Month, seniors around the state are receiving details and assistance on applying to college through school-day assemblies and visits from Higher Education Office staff members and even Governor Markell. Visit the Delaware Goes to College web site for more information and helpful resources on applying to college. This month's Take Note offers a few stories focused on college access supports across the state.
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'Never too early' to start thinking about college
A visit to University of Delaware's Ceremony was a highlight when fifth-graders from Brandywine School Districts's Harlan Elementary visited the campus this spring as part of their school's college access program (more photos).
Fifth-graders at
Brandywine School District's Harlan Elementary learn about college through guest speakers and a campus tour. Middle school students at
Lake Forest School District's Chipman Middle get the chance to meet with college representatives and local employers every Friday.
Both programs are example of how some Delaware schools are expanding their college access efforts to earlier grades in an effort to better prepare students for success after high school.
"We expect our kids to pursue career and post-secondary opportunities. It is never too early to plant and water those seeds," Harlan principal Hekima Wicker said.
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Delaware leads states in Khan use
Counselors support students at Smyrna High School in college access efforts.
Michael Feldman, the instructional specialist at the
Smyrna School District, oversees an in-depth SAT Plan for
Smyrna High School that begins each August with fliers, mailings and announcements to raise awareness of Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy. SAT Resources are placed on the district and high school websites. Letters are sent home to families from teachers and from the administration explaining SAT School Day and the state's free Khan Academy resources.
And then the district digs in. Beginning in the fall, all 11th grade math classes rotate through the computer lab to ensure every student links their College Board account to the Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy. This ensures students have access to personalized study materials on Khan based on their individual PSAT results.
At the same time, Smyrna educators use Professional Learning Community (PLC) time to analyze student PSAT scores from the previous year. After identifying the instructional needs in Grade 11, they use Khan to design one-hour SAT mini-lessons targeting areas of concern.
In preparation for the PSAT, all of Smyrna's grade 10 students are given school time to use Khan Academy during a revamped-study-hall-turned-SAT-prep-class. Teachers are on hand to monitor students and answer questions. Once student PSAT scores are released in December, counselors then visit each class to explain the scores and demonstrate how students can link their College Board and Khan Academy accounts so that every grade 10 student has access to personalized SAT practice as well.
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State awards nearly $10 million in scholarships
Jhaney Hamlett celebrates earning her diploma from Christina's Newark High School in the spring. She is attending Delaware State University on a full scholarship from the state.
A 2016 graduate of
Newark High School in the
Christina School District, Jhaney Hamlett was checking the status of her Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when she saw, "Congratulations!" flash across her inbox. Not knowing what to expect, she opened her email and was stunned to read that she was this year's recipient of Delaware's prestigious Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship.
Hamlett, who was with her mentor and her mother in an office of the New Castle Boys & Girls Club when she received the news, says she just sat there in shock.
The Hebner Memorial Scholarship, which was named in honor of the former Speaker of the
Delaware House of Representatives, provides Hamlett with full tuition, fees, room, board, and books to the University of Delaware or Delaware State University. The scholarship is given to one Delaware student a year who ranks in the upper half of his or her class, earns a combined score of 1000 on the SAT and enrolls full-time at UD or
Delaware State University. Preference is also given to political science majors.
"I turned to my mentor and was like, 'Um, can you read this to make sure you're reading the same thing as me?' " Hamlett said. With her mentor celebrating - and her mother crying - Hamlett said she remained dazed, "I just stared at them because it genuinely wasn't hitting me."
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Other Good News in Delaware's Public Schools
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