AVID

AVID is by invitation only and is designed to further academic achievement by helping students to master advanced level classes with extra support. Students attend an AVID elective class every day where they learn a variety of organizational skills and study strategies. The curriculum of AVID is WICR (Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration and Reading). AVID students are required to take Cornell Notes during classes or use a Learning Log. These notes and logs are then utilized in the AVID elective class and are counted in their AVID grade. The AVID elective teacher should be made aware of any difficulties the student is having in class to allow for intervention necessary. All AVID students must carry binders to class to allow for organization of material presented. The mission of AVID is to prepare students for college. For information on the AVID program, visit their web site or the web site provided by the district.

STAR Reading

- Testing Dates: September, December, May
- Testing takes place during language arts block and takes approximately 20-25 minutes
- Format is 24 multiple choice questions
- Students will read a passage and fill in the blank of a missing word
- The test gets harder as the student does well
- Testing will be conducted by the literacy coach and the classroom teacher(s)

MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a formative assessment in reading and math that is designed to measure student growth and learning needs at important benchmarks in the year: beginning, middle, and end. This benchmark assessment adapts to each student's ability measuring what the student knows, diagnoses instructional needs, monitors growth over time, and provides information to make data-driven decisions related to instructional planning and learning. Please click on the title of the report, which will take you to the NWEA website to learn more about MAP. MAP is an assessment tool developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a non-for-profit organization focused on supporting students and teachers in the learning process. Resource: http://www.nwea.org

FastBridge

Student performance — and academic needs — change through the school year. FAST™ offers brief, evidence-based Curriculum Based Measures (CBM) and Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT) for reading, math and behavioral screening to help you quickly pinpoint those shifts and react with the right support the moment it’s needed. Receive valid, reliable data at the end of each screening period (fall, winter and spring) to identify students who are on track and those who require supplemental or intensive instruction. Plus, receive support to implement appropriate, research-based interventions for at-risk students. 

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Is my absence excused or unexcused?

When a student is absent, a parent is to call the school between 7:30am and 9:00am. If no phone call is made, the school will attempt to contact the parent or guardian. If no contact is made between the parent and the school, the absence will be unexcused.

Absences are excused for: (1) illness of a student, (2) death in the family or of a close friend, (3) critical illness of a near relative [parent/guardian, brother, sister, grandparent], (4) dental or medical appointment when prior arrangments have been made, (5) absence due to a bus problem beyond the student's control, or (6) family trips where parents accompany students.

Absences are unexcused for: (1) running errands for the family, (2) staying home to care for younger children, (3) working at or away from home, (4) visiting friends or relatives without parents or guardians, (5) shopping with parents, (6) minor aches and pains, (7) ordinary weather hazards, or (8) mechanical failure when parents assume responsbility for transportation or missing the bus are both unexcused. Preplanned vacations during the school year are strongly discouraged.

Suspension

Suspension from school is considered an excused absence. Suspension can be from one to ten days. For specific information on procedures relative to student work during suspension, please see INFORMATION AND DISCIPLINE HANDBOOK FOR STUDENTS.

Truancy

Truancy is missing school for an unacceptable reason. Parents of truant students will be notified. Truant students, along with thier parents, will be referred to the court Truancy Review Board. Continued truancy may result in fines, jail terms or loss of welfare benefits.

Tardy Policy

Being tardy is when a student arrives to class or school after the permitted passing period without being excused by an adminstrator or with prior arrangement with their instructor.

Tardy Policy is as follows:

1st -3rd tardy-warning
4th-6th tardy-lunch detention and parent contact
7th-9th tardy- after school detention
10 or more- Create tardy plan and parent conference.
Any questions regarding this policy or the status of your student can be directed to their
Guidance Dean at 525-3182.

WMS Dress Code 2019-2020

Cristol Tiller, Title I Parent Educator

WMS 525-3182

ctiller1@sps186.org

What Makes a Good Assignment

• The team drafts characteristics of what is a good assignment
• One teacher presents their assignment
• Team members ask clarifying questions
• The team look for characteristics that match the charted characteristics
• The team members ask probing questions
• The facilitator asks deeper questions
• The team provides feedback to the teacher

Walk-Throughs

• Teams of 3-4 staff members
• Divide jobs
• Look for evidence/wonderings
• Include observations/student interviews
• As a team, share observations/wonderings
• Record findings to share with faculty

Using Data to Drive Instruction

• Start a frank and honest assessment of current reality based on data
• Set rigorous goals for improvement of student learning
• Turn the data numbers into real students that can't be ignored
• Create plans for those students and hold people accountable for following through

10 Minute Instruction

Direct teacher instruction should be limited to 10 minutes before students are given an opportunity to DO something with the information presented. Fred Jones recommends the practice to Say, See, Do Teaching.
• The teacher explains what to do next ("Listen to me.")
• The teacher demonstrates how to do it ("Watch me.")
• The students practice doing the new skill/task ("You do it.")
• In this manner, the lesson is taught in "chunks", with the cycle repeated every new step presented.

Read Alouds

Read alouds are an agreed upon instructional promising practice used at WMS. Our staff made a commitment to read aloud to each class that they teach every day. Read alouds can be done in many ways:
• Reading a chapter of a novel for enjoyment
• Transitioning with a short story
• Reading an article that is relevant to the curriculum
We read aloud to students to model appropriate reading voice, intonation, and prosody. We also read to students to increase vocabulary development.

Looking at Student Work (LASW)

•One teacher presents their assignment
- The assignment
- The standard addressed
- The scoring guide or rubric
- School-wide identified best practices
• The team gathers as much information about the assignment
• The team discusses the implications this work might have for teaching and assessment in the classroom.
• The presenting teacher reflects on the process