August 15, 2017 at 9:30 AM - SAA Weekly Meeting

           Respect - Responsibility - Effort

1.  Book Review:   "Culture, Poverty, and Education" Last spring we purchased the book and assigned chapters.  We will pick up on the book discussion on Tuesday, August 22nd.

2.  Opening Meeting Review:  Discuss Beginning of the year meetings and schedules. 

3.  Weekly SAA Meetings:  Scheduled for 9:30 AM on Tuesdays at the Special Education Office.  Darli will provide the list for meeting refreshments.  If you have any agenda items for discussion, please let me know prior to the meeting so that I can put it on the agenda.

4.  Teacher Evaluation Instrument:  (Dr. Gibbons)  Questions and concerns about the teacher evaluation system.  Please make sure you are getting into the new teachers' classrooms in August and touching base with them.  Also, Priority for observations are again with your high and low performing teachers. 

5. Lunch Program We visited at the end of the 2016-17 school year about negative lunch balances remaining from the previous year.  See list provided for all negative balances.

6.  New/Transfer Teachers:  New and or re-assigned teachers need to be updated.  We will begin updating the purchase order/requisition/inventory systems with these changes.  Staff will be given the month of September to update their inventory.

7. Bus Program:  Discuss any questions or concerns with the morning and afternoon bus route schedules. 

8.  Monthly District Program Meetings:  SEA, Food Service Personnel, Custodial/transportation, Para/Office Support Staff

9. 6-12 Resource Officer and Behavioral Mental Health Counselor:  Discuss questions and concerns about the two grant supported positions in place at SMS and SCHS. 

10. 2017-18 Requisitions:  Everything that has been ordered should have been shipped and/or received.  If you have any questions, please contact Sally.

11. New Hires and Resignations: The board approved all resignations and new hires as presented.  Please review the board meeting prior to the meeting to make sure any resignations or new hires are listed.

2.  Extra-Duty Contracts: If you have any extra-duty contracts/assignments please get them turned into the district office as soon as possible.

13.  Professional Files:  The teacher professional files must be updated annually.  Your Office manager is responsible for keeping these files updated. Building/Program administrators are responsible for assisting the Office Manager in keeping these files current.  Also, please make sure your new hire folders have all required documents. 

14.  Title I:  Dr. Gibbons will distribute some Title I school-wide program forms.  Remember, ALL buildings are required to complete and submit your program information.

15.  State Standards Update:  The Nebraska Department of Education recently released more information on the 2016-17 State English Language Arts Assessment.

· Change in Proficiency: It is likely that the percentage of students who are proficient in a school/district will be different from other NeSA assessments. We expected this change in proficiency and have been communicating this expectation for over a year. The rigor of these assessments was increased to reflect the increased rigor of the College and Career Readiness ELA Standards.

· Comparability to NeSA-R or NeSA-W: In fact, NDE discourages comparing results of NeSA-ELA with NeSA-R or NeSA-W. NeSA-ELA is a brand new test and misconceptions are likely if results are compared to the past tests. NeSA-ELA and NeSA-R are aligned to different standards and so it is impossible to determine trends in student achievement. Results from 2017 create a new baseline year for NeSA-ELA.

· Reflection on Teachers and Students: Changes in proficiency do not reflect poorly on students or teachers. The new ELA assessment raises the bar, and curriculum and instruction must be adjusted to meet these increased expectations of the College and Career Readiness ELA Standards.

· Embargo: All NeSA data is currently embargoed and should not be released to the public. At this time, this data is still preliminary. Data can be shared internally with district/school staff. Individual scores can be shared with students and their parents/guardians. NDE is working on timelines for public release, which will include the lifting of the data embargo.

The performance level descriptors are as follows:

• Level 1 learners demonstrate advanced proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level, as specified in the assessed Nebraska College- and Career-Ready Standards. These results provide evidence that the student will likely be ready for academic success at the next grade level.

• Level 2 learners demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level, as specified in the assessed Nebraska College- and Career-Ready Standards. These results provide evidence that the student will likely be ready for academic success at the next grade level.

• Level 3 learners do not yet demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge and skills necessary at this grade level, as specified in the assessed Nebraska College- and Career-Ready Standards. These results provide evidence that the student may need additional support for academic success at the next grade level.

The State Board of Education decided to use the temporary names of Level 1, 2 & 3 due to the fact that there are additional transitions on the horizon in 2017-18. The Board wanted to be sure the new names are purposeful and work in the new assessment system.