What a week!
First, many, many thanks to all who participated in MCAS, had their rooms moved by MCAS, had to make quick changes because of additional spacing needs, who prepared and reinforced concepts for our students in advance of MCAS, proctored MCAS, or welcomed staff into their spaces because of classroom changes... so, basically, everyone.
We had an incredibly smooth testing week. There were a couple of hiccups which were fixed quickly, and we had one reported security incident that was determined by the state to be minor and did not result in a voided result.
Overall, great job. We have nine MCAS makeups for next week, after which we can turn our attention to the math test in May.
PARCC Pilot
The PARCC pilot will be given to about 80 students on Monday and Tuesday. The full roster was published on the high school conference. The only rooms impacted are on the main floor of the math wing, and the test is timed - so after 90 minutes we know it is over!
Assemblies
We rarely have full-school assemblies, so the respect and focus shown by our students today as our Student Government and Peer Buddies co-sponsored our speaker as part of the "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign. We are hoping that this discussion opens up a bigger conversation about some other words that are used insensitively by our students.
At any rate, many thanks to Ms. Ryan, Ms. Brown, and Ms. Tighe for spearheading the effort!
Looking Ahead
The coming weeks will hopefully bring some more details in terms of scheduling - we are still waiting on final decisions in terms of budget, which remains in discussion at the School Committee level. Hopefully, we'll have some answers within the next couple of weeks - but we are starting to run some different scenarios that will give us a sense of what courses can and will run - and where.
If you have questions about evaluation portfolios, please see your evaluator. If you handed in a formative last year, and have questions about what your summative should include (if you are year two), feel free to ask. By the same token, teachers who are non-professional status should similarly confirm what is needed for the summative, as those deadlines are rapidly approaching.
If you haven't already done so, and you have an iPad or iPhone, download the Medway sports app. It is awesome! Many kudos to Mr. Pearl for making it happen.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Weekly News & Notes
So that's what a five-day week feels like... just in time for more snow Monday!
MCAS and PARCC
Over the next couple of weeks, you can expect to see some of the instructions regarding MCAS and PARCC tests. The MCAS will be administered on March 18, 19 and 21. Thanks to all who caught the couple of errors in the instructions that were there and in advance for your flexibility with that week. Without question, the shifting of classrooms, the moving of students around the building, and the scrutiny with which we all follow the procedures that week is complex, so the cooperation we have from everyone is appreciated.
We will hold a sophomore class assembly the week of March 10, probably the morning of the 14th on the early release day, to review procedures.
As for the PARCC pilot field test that Medway is administering, there will be additional information regarding our procedures for that test administration forthcoming. That test will be given to only about 80 students identified from four randomly selected 9th grade classes. The complete roster and few classrooms that are being impacted for moving will be posted as part of a full procedure in the high school conference.
Scheduling
We are starting the scheduling process for 2014-15 and have looked at the course selections for the coming year already with the department leaders. While we do not, as of yet, have a sense of the incoming 9th graders or what our staff requests will yield, particularly as the budget is not yet approved, we are starting to see certain projections come together. Fortunately, many of the new electives included in our program of studies are currently looking like they have strong enrollments. Hopefully, we will be able to offer many of these courses, efficiently schedule our classes, and look at all the variables with some time to spare.
As always, as information becomes more readily available, we will try to keep you posted, particularly as the board starts coming together for next year. Please be patient and understand that right now NOTHING has been decided.
Finally...
The world lost one of my favorite comic minds this week, as Harold Ramis passed away. I'm not sure if this is mathematically or scientifically accurate, but it's worth a smile at the end of the week:
MCAS and PARCC
Over the next couple of weeks, you can expect to see some of the instructions regarding MCAS and PARCC tests. The MCAS will be administered on March 18, 19 and 21. Thanks to all who caught the couple of errors in the instructions that were there and in advance for your flexibility with that week. Without question, the shifting of classrooms, the moving of students around the building, and the scrutiny with which we all follow the procedures that week is complex, so the cooperation we have from everyone is appreciated.
We will hold a sophomore class assembly the week of March 10, probably the morning of the 14th on the early release day, to review procedures.
As for the PARCC pilot field test that Medway is administering, there will be additional information regarding our procedures for that test administration forthcoming. That test will be given to only about 80 students identified from four randomly selected 9th grade classes. The complete roster and few classrooms that are being impacted for moving will be posted as part of a full procedure in the high school conference.
Scheduling
We are starting the scheduling process for 2014-15 and have looked at the course selections for the coming year already with the department leaders. While we do not, as of yet, have a sense of the incoming 9th graders or what our staff requests will yield, particularly as the budget is not yet approved, we are starting to see certain projections come together. Fortunately, many of the new electives included in our program of studies are currently looking like they have strong enrollments. Hopefully, we will be able to offer many of these courses, efficiently schedule our classes, and look at all the variables with some time to spare.
As always, as information becomes more readily available, we will try to keep you posted, particularly as the board starts coming together for next year. Please be patient and understand that right now NOTHING has been decided.
Finally...
The world lost one of my favorite comic minds this week, as Harold Ramis passed away. I'm not sure if this is mathematically or scientifically accurate, but it's worth a smile at the end of the week:
Friday, February 14, 2014
Weekly News & Notes
A few minor items of note:
1. The last day of school, right now, is scheduled for June 23. We think.
2. If you are at all interested in looking at grade distributions for specific courses or classes, or comparing mid-year exams to quarterly grades, or even looking at year-to-year performance (which is difficult to justify given the change in clientele), just ask. We can print out just about anything or export to Microsoft Excel. For a great template/method at dis-aggregating the data, Frank Hoek did some work with this last summer, and his analysis was terrific.
3. Thanks to all, as Dot mentioned, for the flexibility with scheduling. We know there were some hiccups and even some errors, but we have the basis for next year already being laid. The incoming 9th-graders will be presented with information the week after vacation, and by mid-March, the build will be well underway.
4. The 2nd annual Medway Clean Sweep will be April 12. Activity advisors: you can expect more information to be forthcoming!
5. To those who are traveling next week, do so safely. To those staying put, do so safely - and without much more snow to shovel!
Finally, just because we can all use a laugh at some bad reporting - pay no mind to the name of the young man coming down the hill on the sled:
Have a great week, all!
1. The last day of school, right now, is scheduled for June 23. We think.
2. If you are at all interested in looking at grade distributions for specific courses or classes, or comparing mid-year exams to quarterly grades, or even looking at year-to-year performance (which is difficult to justify given the change in clientele), just ask. We can print out just about anything or export to Microsoft Excel. For a great template/method at dis-aggregating the data, Frank Hoek did some work with this last summer, and his analysis was terrific.
3. Thanks to all, as Dot mentioned, for the flexibility with scheduling. We know there were some hiccups and even some errors, but we have the basis for next year already being laid. The incoming 9th-graders will be presented with information the week after vacation, and by mid-March, the build will be well underway.
4. The 2nd annual Medway Clean Sweep will be April 12. Activity advisors: you can expect more information to be forthcoming!
5. To those who are traveling next week, do so safely. To those staying put, do so safely - and without much more snow to shovel!
Finally, just because we can all use a laugh at some bad reporting - pay no mind to the name of the young man coming down the hill on the sled:
Have a great week, all!
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