October 2016 Newsletter
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Data and Infinite Campus Training for Schools
Need help building the capacity of your staff around data, Infinite Campus, Tableau, or MAP? The Research & Data Management team is here to help! To request a session, click here. One of our team members will follow up with you to personalize a session for your school's needs. Secondary Teacher Infinite Campus Advisory Committee
Middle school and high school teachers: We want your feedback about Infinite Campus! Please join the Infinite Campus teacher advisory committee to provide input on Infinite Campus issues and usage regarding the grade book, behavior, attendance, and more. The next committee meeting will occur on Thursday, November 3 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM. Participants will be compensated for their participation at the rate of $29.37 per hour. If you are interested in serving on a teacher advisory committee about Infinite Campus, please fill out the form here. A sampling of different content areas and school levels (middle/high) will be selected. Selected members will be notified by October 20. Gallup Student Poll: September 26 - October 28
We will start including Gallup Student Poll completion rates by school in the October 10 Monday Memo. Measuring the hope of engagement of students fits directly into our collective work around Cultural Proficiency and School For Rigor. Through these efforts, we are intentionally creating conditions necessary for ALL students to engage with meaningful and challenging content under the support and guidance of adults who care for and understand their needs as a learner and individual. Administration logistics and FAQ are located here. Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey
We will administer the Gallup Q12 employee engagement survey from October 24 to November 7. All staff members will receive a pre-survey email from Gallup on October 17. Staff can access the survey via the link in the email from Gallup on October 24 or by visiting https://www.gallupmail.com/desmoinesq12.gx and entering their employee ID number as their access code. We are aiming for 100% participation. Logistics and FAQs are located here. A flyer that can be printed and shared to encourage participation is also located here. Harvard Business Review Article: The School Improvement Process
I have to share this interesting meta-analysis article from the Harvard Business Review on the school improvement process. Don't worry, its easy to read! |
NWEA MAP Reports for Teachers
ELA/literacy and math teachers will be receiving guidance on interpreting MAP reports from curriculum coordinators this month. In the meantime, staff may also view this 4-minute video from NWEA about key reports for teachers. Secondary Schools: Iowa Youth Survey
The purpose of the Iowa Youth Survey is to collect information about Iowa youth to better understand their beliefs, values, and decisions about what makes them feel secure, strong, and safe in their communities, schools, and families. All 6th, 8th, and 11th, grade students, excluding those who have completed the refusal of consent form, should complete the survey. The Iowa Youth Survey window is open from September 26 - November 4, the survey takes approximately 40 minutes to complete. All secondary school counselors should have received information regarding the administration of this survey. For facilitator information please use the following link: http://iowayouthsurvey.iowa.gov/images/2016%20Docs/2016%20Facilitator%20Handouts.pdf
Continuous Improvement Updates
Read the monthly updates on the continuous improvement website. September newsletter highlights include current projects on high school master schedules and the print shop. |
UPCOMING DATES
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September 26 - October 28: Grade 5-12: Gallup Student Poll
September 26 - November 4: Grades 6, 8, & 11: Iowa Youth Survey October 3 - November 30: Grade 2: CogAT |
October 7: Grades K-9: Fall MAP testing closes
October 19: Grade 9: PSAT (optional) October 31: Grades K-3: FAST testing closes |
WAIT. WHAT?
Dear Data Diva, I think we have gremlins in the system. I consistently log all my conversations concerning students in the Teacher > Contact Log, but when I went to look for it, IT HAD DISAPPEARED!!!! What am I going to do? Please tell me you can bring it back! - Log-less Lecturer
Dear Log-less Lecturer,
Fear not! Your contact log has not been removed by furry little gremlins! After receiving feedback from all levels in the district, the contact log was moved from Teacher > General to Student Information > General. By moving the contact log into this area, we move you closer to the data connected to the student. You no longer have to bounce away from the data to make notes in the log and then back into the student data to answer a question or reference other information (grade, attendance, behavior, etc.). We hope that this will be more efficient for staff and increase the use of the contact log.
As Always,
Data Diva
Dear Log-less Lecturer,
Fear not! Your contact log has not been removed by furry little gremlins! After receiving feedback from all levels in the district, the contact log was moved from Teacher > General to Student Information > General. By moving the contact log into this area, we move you closer to the data connected to the student. You no longer have to bounce away from the data to make notes in the log and then back into the student data to answer a question or reference other information (grade, attendance, behavior, etc.). We hope that this will be more efficient for staff and increase the use of the contact log.
As Always,
Data Diva
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