Pre-school Classroom Observation form

by Jack Day - Early Childhood Coordinator

The pre-school observation form is a checklist for administers or coaches to use when observing in pre-school classrooms. This checklist includes a list of observable developmentally appropriate instructional practices and components in the areas of the pre-school curriculum, early childhood content standards, teacher-child interactions, and the classroom environment.

The teacher and instructional assistant establish a daily routine with their students. The daily routine includes the following elements: planning time, work time, clean up time, recall time, large-group time, small-group time and outside time. In a developmentally appropriate early childhood program, the teacher and instructional assistant nurture each child’s social/emotional, physical and cognitive development by basing all practices and decisions on theories of child development, individually identified strengths and weaknesses of each child identified through authentic assessment and the child’s interests and cultural background.

Click HERE to download the observation form

The Six Traits, Writing Portfolio & The Writing Continuum: The District Assessment Plan

by Deborah Ortiz

Hello all and welcome back to another wonderful year of writing!!!! Writing is such a joy and we want students to be writing everyday in all subjects. We are posting the book, The Six Traits, Writing Portfolio and The Writing Continuum: The District Assessment Plan, in the handouts section of the blog so that you can pull up any section you need. You may also request a hard copy from your Literacy Coach. Writing is a process and we know it is critical for writers to be very engaged in the process. We are all writers…share your works with your students as well as your love for writing.

Always read and celebrate literature with yours students, share the books you love. One book that I love to read is Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, by John Steptoe. This African tale was collected from people living near the Zimbabwe ruins. The illustrations in the book bring the flora and fauna of the Zimbabwe region to life. John Steptoe has created a book about true beauty, replete with stunning paintings which invite you into the magnificent world of his ancestors and their land.

Download the The Six Traits, Writing Portfolio and The Writing Continuum: The District Assessment Plan (PDF 6.15 MB) HERE.

Reading Stations...a video

Bethune Elementary Kinder teacher, Mrs. May, shows how the kinder classroom circulates through reading stations.



Video recorded by John Kain and video edited by Mrs. May.

Revised ELL Manual - Sept. '09

See the revised Sept. 2009 Phoenix Elementary School District No. 1 ELL Manual . Revisions or additions to the manual include...

• FAQ = Compensatory Instruction.....Added
• Compensatory Instruction Student Data Roster.....Added
• Home Language Survey.....Revised
• WICP=Written Individualized Compensatory Instruction Plan.....Revised

Updated ELL Flow (PHOLTE) Chart

There is now an updated ELL Flow (PHOLTE: Primary Home Language other than English) chart. The flow chart is used by P.E.S.D. teachers and staff to develop a course of action once the Home Language Survey is completed for each new student.

WHAT Unpacked Standards? Calendars? CFA’s?

by Deborah ORTIZ

Rigorous expectations are the first step to ensuring a high quality curriculum... Developing pacing guides, a common calendar and common formative assessments from the Arizona State Standards will assist teachers in planning effective instruction for each grade level. Teachers, coaches and PESD support staff have come together to “unpack” the standards into their core concepts and critical skills needed to be mastered. Initially, WESTED provided instruction and information about unpacking the standards. A committee of educators then began the work of unpacking the standards and calendaring when they should be taught. Some core materials were also aligned to those unpacked standards. Principals were also then engaged in in-service with WESTED, where more instruction relative to “unpacking” the standards took place. This is on-going work which will continue to take place across the District.

We refer to the unpacked standards and calendaring as Pacing Guides. Pacing enables districts to specify the instructional time it takes to teach critical skills and concepts to master. It also ensures that all students receive instruction in those areas deemed critical by the educators in the District. The process needs to be implemented consistently and reviewed to ensure its success. Teachers should write notes on their calendars indicating successes and challenges; to be shared during revision sessions.

Now, during the fall break, the team will come together to learn about and develop Common Formative Assessments (or as we lovingly refer to them, CFA’s). During this upcoming workshop, educators will use resources from Galileo and other assessments to address the CFA alignment of the unpacked standards. We all know that the BIG THREE are: Standards, Instruction and Assessment. It is important that teachers collaborate on standards-based lessons. This is what is expected to happen at grade level meetings at each site; at each grade level. We know that teachers need time to share instructional strategies and analyze how their instruction is working so that the needs of all students are met.

We know that these tools: Pacing Guides and CFA’s, will help us align our curriculum and keep us all on the same page. We are very excited to have a strong team of Reading Interventionists working with our Literacy Coaches, and classroom teachers to ensure the success of all PESD readers!!! Most importantly, we do not want to lose sight of the most important reason to do this work: we all want to share our LOVE of reading with each other as well as the joy it continually brings us in our lives. We, in the PESD family are life-long readers.

Round 2 ELD Training

The Department of Language & Literacy will be providing Round 2 ELD state trainings in three sessions for P.E.S.D teachers. The sessions will be at Emerson Court – PDC B. The Professional Development Department will notify teachers which session they will be attending. If you have any questions, please contact Becky Vega via email or X2901.

Round 2B: 8:30 – 4:00

• Session 1: Sept 29 & Oct 01
• Session 2: Nov 2 & 3
• Session 3: Dec 3 & 4

Round 2C: 8:30 – 3:30

• Session 1: Oct 22 & 23
• Session 2: Jan 28 & 29
• Session 3: Feb 8 & 9

Round 2A: Aug 21 – Aug 28 – Sept 11

ELD 101

by Deborah Ortiz, Director of Language and Literacy

Yes, it is true, we are being monitored for our implementation of the 4 hour ELD block. The Arizona Department of Education has selected 6 schools to monitor in October. They are: Herrera, Whittier, Kenilworth, Bethune, Edison and Heard. What will the state be looking for?

• READING
• WRITING
• ORAL CONVERSATION
• GRAMMAR
• VOCABULARY

ELL students are to be taught in a separate 4 hour block. The teachers are to be highly qualified. Students are to be speaking at least 50% of the time. All teachers are to ask students to respond in a complete sentence. LOTS of language teaching should be observed in those classrooms.

Each teacher should have their lesson plans in a notebook clearly marked. This notebook should contain the AZELLA roster as well. Teachers teaching ELL students in mainstream using ILLP’s must be highly qualified and implement the 4 hour block during their content class.

Reading, Writing, Oral Conversation, Grammar and Vocabulary are the subjects of the 4 hour block. Minutes for each subject change based on the language level of the students. When a student scores proficient on the composite score of the AZELLA, they are moved to mainstream classes but teachers must still emphasize language acquisition because these students are not fully proficient…remember, they are judged on the composite score not each sub-score (reading, oral and writing).

Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students year 1 and 2, ELLAR students and ELL students are eligible for Compensatory Instruction if they are not meeting or exceeding on state and district assessments. Highly Qualified teachers provide instruction after school and in the summer to eligible students. The focus of the instruction is reading, writing, oral conversation, grammar and vocabulary.

What in the name of tarnation is an ILLP???

by Deborah Ortiz, Director of Language and Literacy

It is an Individual Language Learner Plan for English Language Learners who are NOT in the SEI/ELD classroom.  Schools may place ELL students in mainstream classrooms if the school has 20 or fewer ELL students in a 3-grade level band. Those mainstream teachers then become responsible for implementing the 4 hour block for those ELL students. Those teachers must also be highly qualified as evidenced by the SEI Attestation form filed with the required information.  We have  ELL students on ILLP’s at  some schools in Phoenix Elementary School District #1.  The plan itself is about 7 pages and is to be kept in the teacher’s roll book, in the blue ELL file and at District Office.

Waterford / ELLis Newsletter

For tips, contacts, ideas, and important dates for Waterford and ELLis users click on the following link to view the newsletter. Click.... Waterford/ELLis Newsletter

Read a previous blog post, Waterford and Ellis in Phoenix Elementary #1 Classrooms to learn more about these programs.

SEI I and II Training

PESD teachers needing to complete SEI l or SEI ll, the following courses are being offered on Saturdays at Emerson Court from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through the Department of Language & Literacy.

• SEI l (Provisional) – October 3, October 24, November 14, December 12 and January 23
• SEI ll (Completion) – September 26, October 24, November 14, December 12 and January 23

Current ELD teachers who will be taking Round 2A, 2B, & 2C do not need to attend these classes.

Registration is required, and those enrolled must attend each session. Certificates will not be issued for partially completed hours. These classes are 301 eligible.

Please address questions to Becky Vega at x2901. To register for either SEI 1 or SEI 2 email by a click here.

ELD Classroom State Training

ELD Classroom State Training is scheduled on the following dates.

• Round 2A will be held on August 21st, 28th and Sept. 11.
• Round 2B training will have two sessions.
  

Session 1 Sept. 29th and Oct 1st
Session 2 Dec. 3rd and 4th

• Round 2C also will have two sessions

Session 1 Oct. 22nd and 23rd
Session 2 Jan. 28th and 29th

All sessions will be held in the Professional Development Center (PDC).

Questions? Contact Deborah Vasquez or Becky Vega