Turlock Unified School District
Educational Services Department
Newsletter | 2017-2018
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Heidi Lawler, Assistant Superintendent
Gil Ogden, Director of Student Services
Jay Brem, Director of Technology and Innovation
Marjorie Bettencourt, Director of Assessment and Accountability
Shellie Santos, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
David Lattig, CTE and Program Equity
Alice Solis, Director of Special Education
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Heidi Lawler, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
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As we work to ensure all TUSD students are well prepared for the next grade level or graduation, our teachers’ efforts to provide opportunities and increase student learning are highly evident. From progress in mastering standards to numerous performances, productions, and competitions, TUSD students are having an outstanding year! Most remarkable about 2017-18 is the increased collaboration and effectiveness of our grade level and content area PLC teams. While we continue to analyze results and adjust our practices to improve student learning, teacher teams are becoming more and more adept at the process of determining which students require intervention or enrichment based on assessment data. The Ed Services Team appreciated opportunities to observe student learning and teacher collaboration in action during the year and is looking forward to supporting teachers throughout 2018-2019. We will continue to seek teacher input in numerous forums, including curriculum committees, the Educational Rounds team, and the Equity Task Force. TUSD is fortunate to have so many outstanding and dedicated educators, and, as we finalize year-end activities and plan for next year, we’ll continue to work collaboratively to meet student needs and continuously improve in everything we do to increase student learning. TUSD, where…
All means ALL
!
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Shellie Santos, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
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Professional development is a way for individuals and teams to expand and/or deepen their skills as educators. During the 2017-2018 school year, PD focused on: professional learning Communities, English learners, NGSS, and Eureka/ MVP training. What was accomplished and what lies ahead?
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Professional Learning Communities
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Principals participated in monthly leadership trainings facilitated by Paul Farmer, Solution Tree associate. Each school site received on-site embedded coaching. PLCs focused on the “3 Big Ideas,” learning for All, collaboration, and student results. There are 60 teachers attending the PLC Institute in Santa Clara June 25-27. Sites will continue to receive support and their questions answered from their Solution Tree coach during the 2018-2019 school year.
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All staff received PD on best practices to support EL students. The ELD instructional coaches provided training on integrated/designated ELD as well as ELPAC tasks. 90 staff members were trained to administer the summative ELPAC. GLAD trained teachers received a full-day of follow-up training in addition to voluntary trainings each trimester. There are 48 teachers registered to participate in a new GLAD cohort with training scheduled for May 22 & 24.
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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
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A total of 350 teachers participated in NGSS training facilitated by SCOE STEM directors. The training consisted of an NGSS overview, and an integrated lesson for TK-6 teachers. Grades TK-8 received make and take science units. The high school team developed their science pathway and course descriptions. Next year, based on teacher request, we will continue to support implementation of NGSS with additional consumable kits, identification of essential standards for grades 7-12, as well as grade specific trainings from our two science instructional coaches.
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New teachers participated in module training offered through SCOE while grades 7-8 received training on the major work of the grade band from Great Minds. Math 3 teachers received 4 days of MVP training from the MVP authors. Thank you, to the grade level leads, for determining essential standards. All will be provided with their grade level math Essential Standards Chart prior to summer break.
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2018-2019 Professional Development
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During the 2018-2019 school year, teachers can look forward to PD opportunities in the following areas: Math-Core Curriculum, ELA/ELD Core Curriculum, History Social Science, NGSS, Literacy, Writing, PLCs, and Small Group Instruction. If you have a specific request/need, please contact the Office of Curriculum and Instruction.
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Marjorie Bettencourt, Director of Assessment and Accountability
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TUSD’s window for the spring state testing system, the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), will close on May 25, 2018. Students in grades 3-8 and 11 will receive scores for the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. For more information regarding these scores, visit
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/assessments/scores/
. Students in grades 5, 8 and 12 (and identified students in grades 10 and 11 enrolled in their last science course) also participated in the field test of the California Science Test. Since this is a field test, scores will not be reported. More information will be included on the Individual Student Score Reports mailed home this summer.
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Local Control Accountability Plan Update
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The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) Cohort met to prioritize and recommend actions to increase and/or improve services for all students. Input was gathered from over 2,395 LCAP survey responses, as well as site and district staff and/or department meetings. Additionally, the Cohort analyzed the effectiveness and implementation of the 2017-18 LCAP actions by reviewing data correlating to the actions. The draft of the revised 2017-2020 LCAP will go the Board on May 15th, followed by a public hearing on June 5th, and adoption on June 19th It will then be forwarded to Stanislaus County Office of Education for approval.
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Jay Brem, Director of Technology and Innovation
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A big, big thank you to the administration and staff at Earl and Crowell for allowing our Tech Ambassador Team to host TechFests at their sites during the month of March! Our team was able to take over a staff meeting to put together a mini ed tech workshop and offer different sessions based on interest and ability level. Some of our session topics included Google Slides, Google Draw, and Classcraft. You can see the specific sessions for Earl
HERE
, and those for Crowell
HERE
. An example of the resources our team provided during the events can be seen at the Google site
HERE
. As our various technology committees and groups prepare for the 2018-19 school year, we plan to provide a range of professional development and technology-focused support in the spirit of these TechFests. Look for more updates and resources on our
EdTech in TUSD website
, after/during school PD opportunities, and workshops.
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Gil Ogden, Director of Student Services
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Bullying is different from just playing around or peer conflicts. It occurs when a student, or group of students, repeatedly hurt or humiliate another student. Bullies typically do not realize that bullying and harassment often cause lasting physical and mental harm, marginalize diverse students and negatively impact the entire school culture.
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Let's Make Bullying Uncool
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In Turlock Unified School District we are unfortunately aware how much bullying and cyberbullying may disrupt the education of a student. Thus, TUSD is in the process of training all staff in the No Bully System to prevent and respond to bullying, depending on the severity of the incident.
The goal of the No Bully System is to have each TUSD school join with parents to prevent student bullying and cyberbullying through building a culture where every student is accepted for who they are.
It is critical for all staff in TUSD to interrupt student disrespect and aggression and refer ongoing incidents of bullying or harassment to a trained staff member.
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David Lattig, Director of Career Technical Education
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The Career Technical Education program has been very well supported by the community over this past school year. Such support has been seen in our LCAP survey data, new and continuing partnerships with local business leaders, and increased on-the-job training opportunities for our students. The second annual TUSD and Industry Collaborative Breakfast was a successful event with more business partners expressing their desire to support our CTE programs as well as our themed-based elementary schools.
The CTE office will start connecting these new partners with our schools in the fall.
As a member of the Turlock community, we are proud to lead by example as we ask our partners to give students work site experiences. Several departments will continue to hire student interns this summer. Maintenance and Operations will be hiring one business student to assist and learn about office administration and support. The same department is hiring five students to work alongside maintenance and custodial personnel. Our technology department is hiring two interns to learn about technology maintenance and support. The CTE office is also hiring two interns to work at the District Farm. All of these paid positions will help students learn how to apply the skills they have learned in our CTE program.
Much gratitude is to be extended to all the CTE teachers who spend so much time traveling with students around the state. FBLA, FFA, HOSA, and FCCLA advisors spend hours preparing students for competitive and leadership development events. Taking this time truly makes a difference in students’ educational experience, and helps them further apply their skills. TUSD students have brought home countless awards this year and many will be competing at the state level over the next month! Thank you CTE teachers for all you do to provide these opportunities for students.
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Alice Solis, Director of Special Education
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Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Strategies to Help Support Teachers
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It’s not unusual to have one or two students on the autism spectrum in a classroom. In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that one in 150 children were identified with the disorder. Today, that number is one in 68—with boys at five times higher risk than girls. Children are going to have varying degrees of challenges with the common areas considered part of autism, including communication, behavior, social awareness, and sensory integration. Supports vary from child to child.
Strategies to help you support the varying needs of students on the autism spectrum:
Use Visuals.
Using visuals can help students with ASD in a wide range of areas—from understanding rules to explaining social situations.
Structure Your Day.
Routines are doubly important for students who require a tight structure. In addition to a posted class schedule, students on the spectrum can benefit from a personal daily schedule with built-in visuals.
Tell a Social Story.
Using “social stories,” can help guide students through interactions with peers and teach social norms.
Use Direct Language.
Your student with ASD will likely not understand non-verbal cues. Children with ASD have a difficult time reading nonverbal cues and gestures like facial expressions. Use direct language to communicate exactly what you want the student to do.
Keep It Simple.
Keep oral directions short and to the point. Suggest only giving only one or two directions at a time.
Take a Break.
Sometimes students just need a quiet place to retreat.
Create a Culture of Understanding.
Recommended readings to begin those discussions:
Al Capone Does My Shirts
, by Gennifer Choldenko, and
Colder Than Ice
, by David Patneaude.
Children with autism are children. Treat them as you would any other student—tap into their interests, allow them to showcase skills, support them as needed, and celebrate their successes.
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Turlock Unified School District
Educational Services Department
209.634.0843 (Office)
209.656.1674 (Fax)
https://turlockusd-ca.schoolloop.com/edservices
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