Franklin/Jefferson/Lincoln Regional Meeting

September 24, 2009

Minutes

Present: Tina Acker, Debbie Armendariz, Loretta Benjamin-Samuels, Lisa Blount, Tom
Brueckman, Margaret Calvert, Peyton Chapman, Scott Choate, Allison Couch, Kevin
Crotchett, Joe Galati, Tanya Ghattas, Chris Gutierrez, Cynthia Harris, Toni Hunter,
Conrad Hurdle, Shay James, Ben Keefer, LaShawn Lee, Aurora Lora, Andy McKean,
Robi Osborn, Willie Poinsette, Susan Poscharscky, LaDrena Rhodes, Cindy Roby,
Lynne Shlom-Ferguson, Lemil Speed, Sarah Taylor, Van Truong

School Improvement – Lynne Shlom-Ferguson

Has read all SIP’s, looking at where PD is and help align SIP with PD plan.
Overview of Regional SIP’s focus is on writing. Discussed where various schools are
with their writing PD.
Next steps – what are students not yet doing? What will teachers do to address
these needs? These are things we are looking for in final SIP’s.
Final SIP’s due 9/28/09, some flexibility on this date. Toni will address SIP’s in
Goals Conferences.
School liaison’s have copies of SIP’s on shared file so AC’s have access to them.

Strategy of SIP – Ben Keefer

Discussion on his SIP strategy, lowest area, looking at feedback from teachers,
working on conventions on trimester basis. Giving students more practice, analyzing
samples and collecting data. Uses scoring guides with focus on specific’s, not a common
scoring guide. Uses scoring guide from www.traits.org.

Tressa Bauer did great presentation on mini-lessons.

Strategy of SIP – Tina Acker

Using data analysis and how it relates to SIP. Sharing this with Site Council.
Staff members are assigned to various committees to work and then come back and share
with S.C. Focus on writing and discipline and how academics and discipline issues
connect. Uses an Incident Report to obtain data to enter into data base. When looking at
students who are not meeting bench marks there is a real connect with academics and
discipline issues. With this information in hand an intervention program was started with
a game room, incentives and additional support provided to students. These interventions
have proved to produce positive outcomes, students improving.
In looking at common writing assignments and scoring during a staff meeting this
was found to be informative and provided dialog that helped teachers realize they might
need to step up their level of instruction.

PD Plan – Allison Couch

Leadership team meets 2 times per month to work on 2 hour late opening PD.
Their focus is on 2 strategies; Writing to Learn and Teaching Writing. Allison provided
2 handouts; Instructional Strategy and Cycle of Inquiry to further explain their work at
East/West Sylvan.

PD Plan – Margaret Calvert

Provided handout – Cycle Inquiry. Instead of working in staff meetings they
work in teams both within curriculum content areas and cross-curriculum areas. Have
been working with Linda Christensen on key indicators to know if they’ve
been successful at the end of the year.

Introduction of Regional Support Team – Lynne Shlom-Ferguson

Lynne gave overview of work being done by the RST, how to access them and
have them help in schools.
Lynne talked about the Shared Drive with database that has been set up to track
school needs and action steps. This helps keep needs organized and at the forefront of
planning to provide support and to help problem solve.

Question – How will school needs be paid for?

Answer – Toni – She would like schools to look at their Consolidated budgets and
Student Body Funds first to see if they can pay for the need. If not they can ask Toni and
the need will be evaluated on a school by school basis. Toni has some funds that may be
able to help in some cases.

Question – Is there a world language textbook adoption this year?

Answer – yes, in January.

Question – How does Marcia Arganbright’s Central Office Team and RST cross over?
Answer – Marcia’s team provides training for the RST’s every week. CST’s provide
PLC training also and will provide support if or when RST’s are not able to. CST does a
lot of work in Core Curriculum design.
Schools should work through their liaison to access RST for help.

Question – Where does Harriet Adair fit in with the new reorganization?
Answer – Working with a team to re-evaluate the PreK-8 model.

ELL Update – Lisa Blount

Information from State Meeting she attended:
- How to sign up for Transact Support
- Essential that master schedule showing ELL classes be turned in by Wed. a.m.
Title III funds will be withheld if PPS is not in compliance. Lisa offered to help anyone
who is not sure how to show these classes in their master schedule, she will need them by
Friday 9/25 in order to help with adjustments that may be needed.
- State says ESL teachers have to be using ESL Curriculum during their ESL
classes, not regular texts.
- State will also be looking at how ESL FTE is being used.
- State scheduled to visit in November to check on compliance. We will not know
which schools they will be visiting.
TAG Update – Kara Mortimer
School SIP needs to show plan for helping teachers know who is TAG identified.
If you need Esis instruction on this Kara can help.
To be in compliance we must turn in Quarter 1 checklist to Deputy
Superintendent who will then report to Pat Thompson.
Upcoming – there will be 5 TAG Coordinator meetings. If the TAG coordinator
is the principal, they will meet after Leadership Academy on 10/1. If there is a
designated person other than the principal who is the TAG coordinator they will meet on
10/8.
There is a resource packet coming from the TAG office for communicating to the
parents.
TAG Parent Meetings – decided by cluster how to handle. Decided as follows:
- Jefferson Cluster mtg will be 10/13 @ 6:00 p.m.
- Lincoln HS will be 10/6
- Ainsworth, Bridlemile, Chapman, Forest Park will be 10/12
- Skyline will be Oct. 19
- East/West Sylvan – doing their own
- Franklin Cluster – 10/21 @ 6:00 p.m.

Toni’s Announcements:
- Minutes will be sent out next week
- Next Thur. – Leadership Academy, PLC, PD, will breakout in School Alikes,
there will be a writing guide presentation, and briefings. Afternoon sessions will be
Principal and/or Central Office staff.
- HS Meeting on 10/8, 1:00-2:30 will be Key Results, will convene at 2:45 for
Nuts and Bolts.

Question – What about conflicts on calendar with HS and Immersion meetings on 2/11 &
4/8?
Answer – Toni will look into it.

Question – What about coverage for Principal’s out of buildings for meetings?
Answer – Contact Susan P. – Toni will evaluate on school by school need.

Question – What to do about IB and Foundations meetings conflict, first one 9/30?
Answer – Not much we can do since the first one is soon, 9/30. You decide which one
you will attend. If you have an AP, VP, divide and conquer.

Recommendation for reading: “Close Encounters of Third Grade Kind” by Phillip Done.
Also “Never Work Harder Than Your Students”.

- Invitation from Ken Brock to preview a Grading, Assessing & Reporting

program for RFP. Time for demonstration is set of Monday, 10/5 in the afternoon. If this
conflicts with your staff meeting feel free to decline attending.
 Toni will let Ken know some folks would like to attend but can’t due to staff
meetings, see if he can offer an alternative time. Toni would like to add Ken Brock to a
future Regional Meeting agenda.

Question – Can we rank “future items” on agenda for upcoming meetings? Teacher eval
tips would be good to talk about soon before evaluations are started.
Answer – Will plan to put it on next months agenda.

- Equity will also be on next months agenda.

Suggestion – Have HR folks bring HR performance perspective to Evaluation process.

Suggestion – Have information session on how Special Ed classes are put into buildings.

Suggestion – Would like to have training on classroom management in the future.

Question – Can VP’s get college credit for meeting attendance? Also what about PLC
attendance?
Answer – we’ll investigate

Question – What about credit for when you present at Leadership?

Answer – Toni will take to Ex Comm and our University contacts.

Toni’s question to group – Did teachers get their planning time on 9/16 (PD) day?
Answer from group – Most did with exception of Franklin who is working on a solution.
Suggestion – Ben offered that having planning prior to PD worked well for his school.

- Toni noted teacher absenteeism was very low on the Professional Development
day, Sept. 16th.

Question – Does Franklin need to do a waiver for Finals days?

Answer – yes, can still do waivers but probably not a contract exception, since this is
approved by PAT. However, you can talk to your building PAT person.

Adjourned at 10:45