a publication of Fulton County Schools

SLOS

Learn more about Student Learning Objectives

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REVISIT THE FIRST DAY

See what the first day looked like around Fulton County

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LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

Meet the employees who will be honored at this year’s event

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MEET “25” TEACHERS

Two teachers share their thoughts on teaching at “25”

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INSIDERFulton County School System

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Aspiring Leaders program offers teachers chance to walk in administration’s shoesWhen Riverwood International Charter School teacher Sheri Smith learned last spring that she was being considered for the district’s

fi rst Aspiring Leaders program, even though she had no intention of ever leaving her classroom, she knew it was an opportunity she

shouldn’t let pass her by.

“I believe you should never pass on any opportunity that is extended to you because you never know what you might learn from it

or where it may take you,” Smith says. “I knew through the Aspiring Leaders program I would be able to meet a group of new people

while also continuing to develop as a teacher.”

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Smith, along with nine other Fulton County teachers, spent six weeks of their summer in the Aspiring Leaders program which was made possible by a grant from the Chick-fil-A Foundation. In simplest terms, the Aspiring Leaders program is a four week internship and a full year mentorship with members of Superintendent Avossa’s cabinet. The goals of the program were:

•To provide high performing/potential teacher leaders the opportunity to explore leadership careers in FCS (administrative and central office positions) as part of an overall retention and leadership development strategy.

•To build the leadership capacity of high performing/potential teacher leaders in the district.

•To have the district benefit from the

knowledge and skills of high performing/potential teacher leaders in the district.

Northview High School Assistant Principal LaToya Miley was selected to coordinate and manage the project and jumped at the chance to be able to help support aspiring leaders.

“As program manager, I have a chance to collaborate with aspiring leaders and to share how I went from being a teacher leader to going into administration,” she explains. “By exposing a group of teachers to professional opportunities that exist outside of the classroom, it has given me a chance to influence change.”

After Miley was on board, it was time to select the participants. Principals were given a survey with five essential questions they used to nominate a teacher from

their school. A total of 52 candidates were nominated and that group was later narrowed down to 10, including:

•Shauna D’agostino: Westlake HS•Kimberly Richards: Dolvin ES•Amy Bradshaw: High Point ES•Allison Bridges: E.C. West ES•Scott Hetherington: Milton HS•Darren Clay: Randolph ES•Jan Jackson: Stonewall Tell ES•Stephanie Clower: Johns Creek HS•Sherri Smith: Riverwood HS•Erin Nusnbaum: State Bridge Crossing ES

While the teachers were being selected, Cabinet members were being asked to submit a project in their area that they’d like assistance with. A group of assistant principals then interviewed the program participants to match each candidate with the best project member based on what they needed and the skill set needed for the project.

“The goal of the program was to bridge the connection between what happens at the school level and what happens at the Cabinet level ,” Miley says.

The program officially kicked off at the end of June when participants and cabinet members spent the day at the Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy. The Aspiring Leaders then spent some time shadowing their Cabinet member to learn the ins and outs of their jobs.

According to Jan Jackson, now a curriculum support teacher at C.H. Gullatt Elementary, the lessons she learned shadowing Dr. Avossa were invaluable.

“I joined the program because I wanted to learn the other side and how all of the different departments work together at the administrative offices to maintain the FCS Brand,” she says. “The biggest lesson I learned came out of a conversation I was having with Dr. Avossa one day. He told me to ‘always begin with the end in mind.’ That has really stuck with me because he’s right –

“The thing that meant the most to me was meeting so many wonderful people who help make this district what it is today! From the district level to the school level, there are so many diverse types of leaders. The impact these people are making in their own environment for the betterment of the entire system simply amazes and inspires me!”

Amy Bradshaw, High Point ES

“The Aspiring Leaders Program was an eye opening experience about central office. I really began to realize how much central office wants and encourages teacher feedback. Dr. Muri is a real person who even eats microwaved lunches instead of leaving the office for a break! He is not nearly as intimidating as I expected and on multiple occasions I saw him actively working to advocate for teachers. He used to be a teacher, and he really does think about us in every decision made. It’s not an us versus them; Dr. Muri and the Academic Department want us to feel involved in the plan for Fulton’s future.”

Allison Bridges, E.C. West ES

“My best take-away from this summer was developing a better understanding of the decision making process in our school district.”

Scott Hetherington, Milton HS

“The experience was extremely beneficial in understanding how decisions are made in the district. I wish every teacher could have this opportunity. I think it would change a lot of perceptions in the county.”

Shauna D’Agostino. Westlake HS

“I was awestruck with the professionalism in Fulton County. Working side by side with Cabinet members, I truly believe that they wanted to hear from us and wanted our perspectives. Now, the concept of ‘they’ is now ‘we’ in my mind as I feel that Fulton County is bridging the gap for all of us to better communicate our ideas, our strategies and our initiatives to help those who mean the most in this county...our students.”

Stephanie Clower, Johns Creek HS

Aspiring Leaders offer their thoughts on the program

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it’s much easier to accomplish something if you first research what the outcome should look like and then build a plan to get there.”

Each participant spent four weeks “working” for a Cabinet member on a specific project. For State Bridge Crossing Elementary teacher Erin Nusnbaum, she developed the superintendent’s Staying Connected tour for 2014-15. It included everything from analyzing feedback from last year’s visits to developing the presentation for this year’s visits.

“I’ve always known that I eventually want to move into a leadership role,” Nusnbaum says. “I just never knew what options I had other than becoming a curriculum support teacher. But this experience has opened my eyes to other opportunities and it also allowed me to develop skill sets that I never knew I possessed before.”

Helping participants understand their strengths as a leader is a key component of the program. They engaged in a book study and a high-level of professional learning and dialogue during their weekly Leadership Forums. The mini-Leadership Forums were designed to last 2-3 hours, and provided exposure to areas of learning outside of school-based professional learning.

Even though Smith doesn’t want to leave the classroom, the experience was an opportunity to “walk in someone’s else’s shoes for a while,” and one that is now benefiting her students. She worked with Dr. Scott Muri, Deputy Superintendent for Academics, on personalized learning. Now her students are exploring the concept thanks to a project she developed for them.

“I like teaching career tech because it’s relevant and automatically something

students can relate to,” she says. “I always struggled with our change management unit because what does a teenager know about change management? Thanks to my experience as an Aspiring Leader, I’m now able to adapt the unit so they can understand it better.”

Teachers received a stipend for participating and will continue to provide support to their assigned areas in central office throughout the school year. The Aspiring Leaders program will continue next year, hopefully on a larger scale, with this year’s participants helping to develop the program.

“As a teacher, I know that it helps to have someone to reach out to at central office,” Nusnbaum says. “I’m back in the classroom now, but I’m still using the experience I had over the summer to be an advocate for administration.”

The Talent Division and the Department of Assessment have developed a Q&A to address questions, concerns and feedback related to this year’s additions of student learning objectives and student growth percentiles to TeacherKeys. For more information, read the entire Q&A posted on the Employee Portal: http://tinyurl.com/jvpaljt

What are Student Growth Percentiles?

The Georgia Student Growth Model – Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs) – is a growth model that describes a student’s growth relative to his or her academic peers – other students statewide with similar prior achievement.

What is a Student Learning Objective?

District determined SLOs are course-specific, grade level learning objectives aligned to

curriculum standards focused on student growth. SLOs give parents, educators, school systems, and state leaders an additional means by which to understand, value, and recognize academic success in the classroom.

Why are we implementing SLOs?

School districts must implement SLOs in accordance with Georgia Department of Education guidelines. We also believe SLOs give parents, educators, school systems, and state leaders a clear understanding of how much students learn and grow in a given course by the conclusion of the course.

According to Danita Pettiford, program manager for SLOs, we can now focus on growth students make in all subjects. “[SLOs] allow teachers to plan for student success by ensuring that every minute of instruction is moving students, teachers and schools toward the common vision of exemplary

instruction and high levels of student academic growth,” said Pettiford.

How was this year’s SLO schedule set?

SLO windows are set based on the length of the course. Full year courses typically have a five-week window. Each school has the autonomy to determine its SLO schedule. The TKES system window opens the first week of school to allow schools and districts maximum flexibility in scheduling. Pre- and Post- test data will be tied to the teacher who has taught the student for 65% of the course.

If the SLO for my year-long course is delayed to January, how will this impact my growth targets?

Courses delayed to January will have targets readjusted based on pretest data.

The nuts and bolts of Student Learning Objectives

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Fulton County Schools prepares to honor Employees of the Year at annual Legacy of Excellence event

2014 Teacher of the Year – Jennifer Sweigart of Hillside Elementary SchoolSweigart began her teaching career at New Prospect Elementary School and Alpharetta Elementary School before joining the Hillside faculty in 2009. During that time she has taught third and fourth grade, as well as EIP (Early Intervention Program) reading and math classes that span kindergarten through fifth grade. She also has been a Teacher of the Year finalist, a member of the Local School Advisory Council and has represented her school at the district’s Summer Summit for teachers and Title I Boot Camp. Her experience as a teacher-leader has assisted her peers as she also has served as a Common Core Georgia Performance Standards facilitator and a School Quality Review team member.

2014 Principal of the Year – Kindra Smith of Roswell North Elementary SchoolKindra Smith joined the Fulton County School System in 1995 as a teacher at Crabapple Crossing Elementary School and then became an assistant principal at Northwestern Middle School. She was named Roswell North’s principal in 2010.

The experiences over her 19-year career have equipped Smith with the skills to lead a student-focused learning environment while also driving school improvement. She prides herself on helping her staff create a school culture that encourages success for all.

2014 Support Professional of the Year – Larry Keen of Transportation ServicesA driver for the past six years, Keen safely transports hundreds of students to and from school every day, cheerfully delivering students to High Point Elementary School, Ridgeview Charter School and Riverwood International Charter School.

* Refer to Legacy of Excellence website to see other Employees of the Year.

2014 School Professional of the Year – Olivia Gonzalez of Riverwood International Charter SchoolOlivia Gonzalez works as a bilingual parent liaison at Riverwood. Over the six years she has worked at Riverwood, Gonzalez has been an integral part of the school’s engagement efforts. A long-term member of the school’s governance council and PTA, she has also organized the school’s English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes for parents. Each year she recruits Spanish-speaking college representatives to meet with parents and explain, in their language, the college application process and the importance of higher education for students. She also provides written and verbal translation to parents and has organized transportation to school events, such as graduation, for families without a car.

Sponsored by Fulton County Schools and the Fulton Education Foundation, the Legacy of Excellence Awards are held each fall to

recognize outstanding principals, teachers and professionals from each individual school and central offi ce. The school system also

selects the Principal of the Year, Teacher of the Year and School and Support Professional of the Year.

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have ‘stolen’ a lot of ideas from,” Tweedy says. “As a new teacher, I am constantly reflecting on my delivery to the students. I believe that this will help me continue to grow and improve as an educator.”

With her 25 years of experience, Moreland says she always finds teachable moments every year.

“I am interested in teaching the whole child;

Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade students won’t be the only ones starting at a new school this year. Fulton County Schools hired 725 teachers for the 2014-2015 school year. Among the new teachers, there are many experienced teachers as well.

One of these more experienced teachers is Caryl Moreland, a 9th and 10th grade math teacher at Banneker High School who has been teaching for 25 years.

“I believe I was called to teach,” Moreland says. “What I like about teaching is to be able to help a child realize their true potential. I think it’s important to help a child find direction.”

On the opposite end, Brittany Tweedy is currently a 5th grade teacher at Wilson Creek Elementary School. Now in her second year of teaching, the 25-year-old says teaching runs in her family.

“Growing up, I was the little girl who played pretend school,” Tweedy says. “I had an entire classroom set up in my basement and I spent many hours teaching my invisible students. As a teacher, I enjoy finding creative ways to help students ‘get it.’ My goal is to make learning fun even when things are challenging. I hope that students can look back one day and say, ‘I learned so much in Ms. Tweedy’s class and had a lot of fun doing it.’”

These two teachers may not have been teaching for the same amount of years, but both did take some time this summer to prepare for the upcoming school year.

“Last year was difficult for many reasons, so I let go of the negatives first,” said Moreland. “I always spend time figuring out what I can do better every year. I read and plan to get things started, and then I revise where necessary.”

While making lesson plans, Tweedy often thought to herself , ‘Would I have enjoyed this as a student?’

“I have had some really great mentors who I

therefore, I have moments when I teach life skills, awareness in general, self-reflection as well as those wonderful ‘ah-ha’ moments when they can figure out the math,” said Moreland. “I always start with a positive attitude that the year will go well. This helps me rise above any difficult moments.”

A positive attitude is something Tweedy has in common with Moreland.

“You never know what curveballs will be thrown your way, so I try to always have a go-with-the-flow attitude,” Tweedy says. ”Sometimes you have to throw the plan completely out of the window and go with the needs at the time. I am becoming more comfortable with this and continually adding more tools to my tool box for these situations.”

One more tool that Tweedy can add may be some advice from Moreland to new teachers.

“Always plan your lesson and try to figure out a way to pique the interest of your student,” Moreland says. “Don’t get so focused on the curriculum that you miss what a child might really need to be successful in your class and beyond. Be human so you can be relatable. Always, always be consistent. Whatever rules you set must apply to all students; they expect you to be fair. Also, if you constantly bend your rules, students will always look for the loophole. Last but not least, try to learn your student’s names within the first two weeks. They will feel important and try to please you.”

No amount of advice could prepare a new teacher for the first day in the classroom. Luckily, Tweedy says she isn’t nervous.

“I don’t feel nervous, however, I feel pressure to do my very best,” Tweedy says. “I work in a building full of very talented professionals and I hope to be as confident and skilled as they are one day. For now, I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

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786 Cleveland Avenue S.W. • Atlanta, Georgia 30315-7229404-768-3600 • www.fultonschools.org

Powered By: $ FFinancial fun FACTS $ Consumer Beware: Lookout for these 8 Scams of the Year

According to the Better Business Bureau, these are the biggest scams from 2013 to watch out for this year. Never give out personal in-formation, and beware as some of these can be quite convincing. 1. Medial Alert System- This scam promises a “free” medical alert system that a family member already paid for, but they still ask for

bank account information to “verify identity,” which results in a monthly service fee and the alert system never arrives. 2. Auction Reseller Scam- Some scammers try to fool eBay sellers into shipping goods same day without receiving payment. Remem-

ber to always confirm with your eBay and PayPal accounts before shipping. 3. Arrest Warrant Scam- Con artists can change caller ID allowing them to pose as the police. They say there’s a warrant out for your

arrest, but you can pay a fine to avoid criminal charges. Of course they only take payment by wire transfer or prepaid debit card… 4. Invisible Home Improvements- This type of scam is hard to spot and thus the easiest to take advantage of. It usually involves

shoddy workmanship from unlicensed or untrained workers doing repairs or improvements on areas of your home that you can’t see: roofs, chimneys, air ducts, crawl spaces, etc.

5. Scam Texts- They look like a text from your financial institution asking you to confirm information or “reactivate your debit card” by following a link on your smart phone. Scammers get your banking information , and sometimes your ATM and PIN number. You may also even inadvertently download malicious software that gives the scammer access to anything on your phone.

6. Do-Not-Call Scams- Scammers call pretending they’re government officials confirming your enrollment in The National Do Not Call Registry. They’ll ask for your name, address, and social security number. Sometimes they’ll ask for a fee, too.

7. Fake Friend Scam- If you have ever accepted a friend request on Facebook from someone you already thought was your friend, you may have just friended a scammer. People’s online identities can get stolen and used to create fake profiles which can be used to “recommend” sketchy websites that download malware, use your account to scrap information on your friends, impersonate a trust-worthy person.

8. Affordable Care Act Scam- Scammers call claiming to be from the federal government saying you need a new insurance card, how-ever, before they can mail the card, they need to collect personal information.