Final Exams - The New Frontier

An exciting part of watching new changes in instruction as we look through the Windows Into Classrooms, is seeing the changes in assessment of student learning.  During December these assessments take center stage as students are taking their Final Exams of the semester.  We will look at ways that students are assessed on their learning and progress through the fall.

Performance Tasks have led the change in assessments.  Students are being asked to show their learning through performing tasks that demonstrate skill and knowledge.  The epitome of assessment through performance comes from our Music Appreciation classes.  Most of these students are new to music and this semester they were basically taught how to read the new language of music.  This week, their final exam for the semester was a stunning performance using recorders in the auditorium to a crowd of hundreds.  A true performance of skill, learning, and courage.  We are so proud of their efforts!

Other performance tasks come from the math assessments that will give students real-world problems that students will have to use what they were taught.  As they solve these issues, they must also explain and write how they were able to use their math skills.  Students in honors science classes will tackle hands-on performance tasks that involve using science tools.  Students will demonstrate proficiency at equipment operation as they use the spectrophotometer, the electric balance, and also execute proper slide preparation and biological diagrams using microscopes.  These experiences reflect college-level exams and will prepare students for their next level of education as well.  STEM students are busy building and testing models showing Kinetic and Potential Energy and their importance to our lives.

Many students will be preparing presentations for various classes.  Ag students will be delivering advocacy speeches to encourage their audience to support agriculture in various forms.  Seniors in their English class will deliver powerful presentations involving their work with The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.  Students are reaching deep to make sure their audience understands what is important to their lives.  Freshmen and Sophomores in English are presenting to their classmates about Outsiders and Outcasts, The Joy Luck Club, and Poetry, allowing them to explore the way we interact with the world.  Law Enforcement students, dressed in professional attire, will be speaking in front of the class about jobs in Law Enforcement and encouraging their classmates to explore these careers that are highly needed in today’s world.

At Desert Valley High School, Seniors have been preparing a multi-disciplinary project to present in their English class about the financial, career, or personal learning they have accomplished so far this year.  These presentations take many forms as the students were able to choose how they present their learning.  Taking it one step further, the principal invited parents and the community to the school in the evening so that students can showcase their projects and deliver their message to a larger audience.

Even the traditional exams in the district look differently.  Science classes are using GoFormative to administer digital exams that allow students to answer questions in a variety of ways, including drag and drop, highlighting, and multiple answers.  Math classes will be using an online platform to administer their common final as well and students will be using desmos and other online tools to show their learning.  

Finally, we can’t ignore that most all of the assessments will include some type of writing as a base for students to demonstrate their learning - short answer responses, full essays, and explanations of procedures - to name a few.  Even the presentations have to be written first or prepared through a Google Slide presentation.  After many of the projects, students will write reflective pieces that show how their learning will impact their lives or the world around them.  This exercise of demonstrating learning through writing proves to solidify their understanding of the material.

In the end, Brawley Union High School District is expecting that the almost 1,900 students in our schools will leave for Winter Break full of a variety of learning and knowledge.  Students will also be satisfied that they are able to demonstrate their learning to different audiences - the teacher alone, parents and the community, and even a large audience of hundreds at a music concert.  We are proud of the students and teachers this semester as they have shown their growth in both creating and taking assessments to show student progress and learning.  

Personal Progress Report to BUHSD Staff:

I'm now at a 13 minute 20 second mile.  :(  My goal is to get back on track over the vacation. :)

Cooking and baking has been the family routine lately to keep us connected.

Bringing in my mom and grandma to cook with the Culinary Arts students was a highlight here at the district recently.

#ifnotusthenwho  #hopesquad  #brawleyproud  #scorpionpride

#gratitude

As we move into the winter season and our classrooms get busy with end of semester activities and holiday celebrations, here at the Curriculum & Instruction Department of BUHSD, we’d like to take the time to focus on #gratitude and what we are thankful for in our classrooms. 

In our district, the collaboration between students, teachers, and administrators continues to be a blessing. This entry focuses on those voices in our schools. We reached out to these players and asked this question: If we look through the Window Into Classrooms here at BUHSD, what are you thankful for in the realm of Curriculum & Instruction? #gratitude 

It’s no mystery that as teachers build relationships with their students, it has a positive effect on the instruction in the classroom. Our student voices focused on this concept. Students submitted their responses about their classrooms, but in reality, their #gratitude revolves around the people who teach them.
“They are wonderful teachers who know how to keep their students in check and be fun about it at the same time.”
“Yo estoy agradecida con (mi maestra) porque gracias a ella, he aprendido que no hay límites para ser una gran persona.”
“(My teacher) has taught me that you can’t do everything by yourself and you need to work with other people to be able to make something great and fun.”
“I'm thankful for (my teacher) because he was helpful in class and he was always really funny too.”
“People in band and our teacher have all become my family. We work hard and even on our bad days we work through it and try to achieve as much as we can.”
“(My math teacher) contributes to many fun activities in the Math Club field trips, and inclusively helps students that are not in his math class. #gratitude #MathClub”
“(My teacher) teaches me important things and she loves her work.” 

“This class has pushed me out of my shell … I am a leader because of everything this class and my teacher have taught me. I can truly say I am less anxious socially.”
“My teacher not only works after school, but weekends and holidays too. I am #grateful for her because I know that if my animal for fair gets sick or needs any kind of help I can call her up and she is on her way no matter what time.”
“I am grateful for (my teacher) because she brings us breakfast.”
“I'm grateful for all my teachers this year because they have all taught me new things.”

The voices we hear in these student statements talk about an array of classrooms and teachers. From grand gestures in lessons to small connections to build self-confidence, teachers have impacted the learning of our students.

At the BUHSD schools, students aren’t the only people who are continuously learning. Teachers collectively point at the opportunities to learn and the support they receive as their main focus for #gratitude.
“I am thankful because I have an administrative team that has created a culture where teachers can feel comfortable to try new things and make mistakes.”
“I am thankful for having the opportunity to help students explore mathematics in their community and watch their excitement as they share their discoveries with classmates.”

"I am thankful to be a part of a school that encourages thinking outside the box and using creativity to inspire our young minds.”
“STEM students taught me how to collaborate on a PREZI. Students are my techies!”
“I am grateful to have a job where every day I have an opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of young people.”
“I am grateful to the district and administration for seeing a need within our student body and addressing it, by creating courses intended to instruct our students in how to plan for life beyond high school.”
“I am thankful to work in a noble profession that keeps me in contact with teenagers, who are our future, and keep me on my toes.”
“I'm grateful for students who are willing to try new things as I continue to adjust my strategies to meet their needs.”
“I am grateful for the incredible amount of support for our CTE programs and thankful for the open communication we have to keep improving them!”
“I'm grateful for administrators and teachers who trust me to implement the best interventions for our students during support.”
“I am so very thankful to work with amazing colleagues and students, they are the reason I love working at BUHS!”
“I am grateful for Student Desmos and the learning activities that it provides to the students. These activities keep the students engaged in learning the concepts we are working on and it is fun.”
“I am grateful for the online version of our textbook and the opportunities to use online assignments and assessments through this curriculum.”
I am grateful for our Instructional Aides and their help and knowledge that they share with students.”

“(I’m) thankful for my colleagues in the math department. I get to work with a very supportive team and learn from them.”
“I am thankful for my department (Social Science) and our ability to be flexible and open minded to new ideas. (Our) department understands that we must be flexible in order not to break.”
“I am thankful for a career that lets me focus on my passion and keeps me connected with my community (I love to see how the young people develop into hard working adults).”
“I am thankful for the resources and support of administration,and I am thankful for the friendship between staff both on and off campus.”
“I am thankful to work with so many hard working and talented teachers and administrators that support each other and inspire each other to be better educators in the classroom."

Administrators in the district are united in their #gratitude toward the teachers and their ability to grow and learn as professionals. Their profession is also profoundly impacted by the students they work with each day. They said:
“I’m thankful for classrooms that are no longer dominated by direct instruction but by students in charge of their learning.”
“The teachers at our schools take risks and include me in these risks so I can learn.”
“Teachers at BUHSD usually run toward technology instead of running away from it.”
“I’m thankful for the continued increase in student engagement and collaboration in every class and the willingness of DVHS teachers to allow for more student voice in their classrooms.”
“I'm grateful for the willingness of our teachers to stretch, grow, reach, step outside of their comfort zone - so that our kids can do the same. Thank you.”
“I'm thankful for teachers promoting student voice in activities so that all kids showcase their learning. #gratitude”

As we spend time this month reflecting on #gratitude, we want to also thank you, our stakeholders, for your commitment to learning about our school and classrooms. 

THANK YOU


Personal Progress Report to BUHSD Staff:
Still at 12 minute & 35 seconds! (Don't forget to hold me accountable!)
Our family has been focused on together time with music.
Watching demo lessons and seeing the creativity of our teachers has been my motivation lately.
#ifnotusthenwho #hopesquad #brawleyproud #scorpionpride

Writing Across the District

The 2016-17 CAASPP Results were recently released for schools and students in the state of California.  We are very proud of our staff and students and their strong improvements last year.  In the Area of Writing on the CAASPP, students at BUHSD who Met or Exceeded the Standard in ELA Writing increased almost 16%.  BUHS students alone grew 19%.  

As we look through the Window Into Classrooms, what looks different that has contributed to this growth?  The answer is simple - you will see students writing in almost every class every day, no matter the content.  Although this is a simple answer, the work behind the shift in class activities has been anything but simple.  The teachers and students have worked hard to make writing a central part of learning each day.

At BUHS, the Resource Teacher and Instructional Coaches have developed a system of writing activities that take place in all classes each semester.  Science, History, Math, Welding, Spanish - no matter the subject - students are expressing themselves on paper and explaining more and more.  The ELA teachers have commented that when they explicitly teach writing strategies to their students, it is no longer a new concept.  Students bring with them writing skills they learned in Science or Spanish or even Culinary Arts.

At DVHS and Renaissance, students continuously work together on presentations or projects that are steeped in writing and expression.  Students are connecting career learning with their core content learning, and the work that they produce is full of collaboration and expression.  Google Slide presentations and Google Doc activities are the norms for students to showcase their learning in writing every day.

Students in a PE class recently took time from physical activity to write about their learning of muscle anatomy, function, and weight training exercises.  This learning will lead to them writing their personal fitness plans and goals.  Appropriately in the fall, students in English 2 are writing Gothic stories using storybird.com.  Students across the subgroups are expressing their creativity and creating spooky tales that keep their peers on the edge of their seats in anticipation as the stories are read aloud.

In History classes across the district, students are turning to Chromebooks and Google Classroom and Slides to showcase their learning and explain the importance of historical events.  The writing on Google Docs and Slides has made the feedback process for students and teachers much more efficient and effective at both DVHS and BUHS.  Science teachers have had their students writing lab reports for a long time, but now have learned stronger skills to help students improve their lab writing by increasing their ability to cite claims and evidence with more thorough explanations of the phenomena.   

Students are writing all over the district including in their elective courses and Math.  More importantly, our elective and Math teachers are refining their instructional skills in helping students improve in their technical writing, which in turn helps them express themselves more clearly and effectively in all classes.

All schools in the district have taken student writing and moved it to the forefront of instruction.  We are committed to the WASC Schoolwide Learner Outcomes for both sites that focus on students demonstrating effective communication through writing.  We are proud of the work we’ve done in this area and can’t wait to see how these improved skills help students even more as they graduate and enter universities and the workplace.

Personal Progress Report to BUHSD Staff:

Now at 12 minute & 35 seconds! Ran with PE students for the Baseline Mile Run!

Took the littles snorkeling and have been reading together a lot at night.
Spending a lot of time in classrooms observing lessons and giving feedback.

#ifnotusthenwho #hopesquad #brawleyproud #scorpionpride