Purple Cow Standards Board of the Month

When you walk into our building, it's clear that we have a strong academic focus. Almost everywhere you look you see celebrations of student achievement, and unlike the holiday themed bulletin boards of yesteryear, our bulletin boards display student work samples with teacher commentary. Classroom instruction becomes transparent because of this visibility of student performance in reading, writing, math, science and social studies. Our only regret is that we've had no way of cataloging and keeping the boards for future reference, until now.

With nearly 50 bulletin boards at CCE, there is no feasible way to digitally warehouse all of them, so we've started by capturing two a month, one primary and one intermediate. After the new boards go up, teachers submit Purple Cow nominations for their colleagues' boards. A team gets together to read all nominated boards and selects one intermediate and one primary board that stands out above all the rest. The competition is steep because the boards are so creative and well done, but usually the Purple Cow is chosen because it presents a new idea that others may want to implement in their classroom or does an exceptional job capturing a moment of time in their classroom.

It's unlikely that every teacher will have the opportunity to read every board each month, but with the Purple Cow highlighted, we are hoping that every teacher will at least read the two Purple Cow Boards that can't be missed. So far, the idea has caught on and one teacher even teases that she's wearing her Purple Cow ribbon in her hair!

I'd love for you to visit our Standards Based Bulletin Board blog created and maintained by our Tech Coach, Melanie Holtsman, to read our highlighted boards. You'll see the start of what we hope will become a long tradition. Make sure you click on pictures to enlarge and print the items. I'd love to hear your comments. Stay tuned for more...

East Meets West

A bilingual one of a kind standards-based bulletin board.

The Kindergarten co-teach duo, Michelle Ellis and Debbie Cothern, have done it again and produced a one of a kind standards-based bulletin board. In 2001, as part of the America's Choice School Design, we were taught to compare student work against standards, and make our students' work visible. At first, we simply stuck to the template they gave us, but gradually the CCE teachers embraced the boards and began to push themselves each month to think outside the box. The boards, especially Debbie and Michelle's, morphed into not only posting student work, standards, and teacher commentary, but began to transform and capture the true essence of what was occurring inside the classroom. Also, early in the design, we learned to post student work over time. Generally, the last board of the year showcases a student's academic progress throughout one school year.

So, how was this particular board born? Earlier this month, Debbie was reading Eric Carle's, Where Are You Going? To See My Friend!, to her students when one of her young learners, A., politely corrected her pronunciation of a Japanese word. The correction began a conversation between the teachers, A., and A.'s mom. They discovered not only was A. eagerly learning how to read and write in English during the school day, but in the evening she was learning to read and write in Japanese! Debbie and Michelle asked to see A.'s work over time, and the idea for their one of a kind, over the top, April standards board was born!

Kindergarten Reading Performance Standards

Kindergarten Writing Performance Standards

Growth in Kindergarten

Listen to A. Read in English and in Japanese

Japanese Skills Block

Japanese Writers' Workshop

Samples of Work Over Time

Japanese Readers' Workshop

English Skills Block

English Writers' Workshop

Writers' Workshop Work Over Time

Beginning of Kindergarten Sample


September 29, 2008

Mid-Year Sample

January 28, 2009

End of the Year Sample

April 16, 2009

Making Connections Between Japanese and English Stories

"Eat well, my pretty chicken," he cried. "Get nice & fat for my stew!"

Creative teachers never cease to amaze me. Just when I think the dynamic duo, Debby Cothern and Michelle Ellis, couldn't possibly come up with another unique standards-based bulletin board, a new idea magically appears. This Kindergarten co-teach team offers an endless supply of fresh ideas when it comes to boards, and each time a new one is due, I wait in anticipation. It's not only in their superb content, but in their unique presentation that inevitably captures my attention. I read their students' work, revel at their imaginations, and eagerly show all visitors that walk into our building the work of our youngest learners.

I fell in love with their board last month, a Response to Literature on The Wolf's Chicken Stew. The black felt background and felt characters are props used by their students in the classroom to story board and orally retell the story, A Wolf's Chicken Stew. On the board, they include photographs of the children working on their story boards in the classroom. They highlight four student's responses in an easy to read color-coded format. The standards, task, and next step are displayed across the top of the board. The one of a kind presentation certainly made it a favorite of mine. And, just wait until you see what they put up this month--It is OVER THE TOP!

Amy's Response to LiteratureOnce upon a time a wolf was eating meals. The wolf liked always rising eating meals. He began to think for the next. He wanted a chicken stew so he searched for a chicken. He spotted one.

He crept to the chicken and stopped. He had a good idea. He thought I will fatten him then bake a little more. Then he began to cook. First he make 100 scumptious pancakes.

And put it on the porch and said be fat. Next he made 100 donuts and put at the porch said be fat. And made 100 pound cake.

And put at the porch and said be fat. And it was the night and the wolf pecked at the door. And the door opened and the chicken said it was not Santa Claus. It was Uncle Wolf.

And the wolf had 100 kisses and that night he didn't have chicken stew. But Ms. Chicken fixed a good dinner and said I will made 100 cookies.

Standards-Based Bulletin Boards Focus Walks

Every other Wednesday, as CCE teachers, we enjoy Early Release. Our students are dismissed 75 minutes early so teachers can have a dedicated time to participate in professional development. The pd topics vary, but one thing remains the same--the content is selected by design. Throughout the year, the Leadership Team is gathering qualitative and quantitative data to make decisions on short-term needs and long-term goals. This information is analyzed and decisions are made for whole group and small group pd topics, much like a teacher would do to prescribe instruction in their own classroom.

So, today our task was to focus walk Standards-Based Bulletin Boards. We decided on this content for several reasons:

1. The End of the Year Survey indicated that teachers would like more feedback on their Standards-Based Bulletin Boards. They pour valuable time and energy into their classroom instruction, gathering of student work, and creation of the board, so specific and constructive feedback to move their work to the next level would be put to good use.

2. The boards allow a window into a teacher's classroom instruction and into students' performance. The quick snapshot breeds collegial conversation about student work and allows teachers to benchmark their own work to the work of their colleagues.

3. Conversations among vertical teams about the standards, tasks, and student work gives teachers the opportunity to see beyond their grade level. They see the span of work produced from Kindergarten through Grade 5 and are able to see the global picture of student performance. The walk also allows teachers to see if we have total alignment K-5 among our subject areas. If there is a gap, it is discussed, analyzed, and solutions brought to the forefront.

Standards-based Bulletin Boards collapse the four walls of the classroom, take student work out of the portfolio crate, and make student performance visible. From a coaching position, days like this are purposeful and powerful, and one I would highly recommend for any school.

If you are in a school were Standards-Based Bulletin Boards are the culture, here are some quick and easy steps to make a day like this happen in your own building:

a) Set up a meeting time of at least one hour.

b) Create a focus walk observation sheet.

c) Walk the hallways--roster in hand--and record the type of board that is up for each teacher.

d) Strategically divide your teachers into small groups. The most effective groups tend to be those that represent multiple grade levels and content areas.

e) Strategically decide which three boards each small group will visit. Boards can be visited more than once, but make sure they are visited at different times.

f) Record the team members names and boards they are to visit on the feedback form. Make copies.

g) Have teachers bring clipboards and pencils with them as they meet, assign one person as the leader of the group, and have them visit the three boards in the order they are listed on the sheet. Each member must fill out a feedback form as they walk.

h) Teachers turn in their feedback forms to the coach as soon as the walk is complete.

i) Coach compiles the data on each board and individually emails each teacher their feedback. (Usually within a couple of days of gathering the forms. Most teachers are eager to hear what their colleagues thought of their board.)

j) Coach keeps a record of which boards were visited so you can provide each teacher with feedback during the next visit if their board was not selected for this visit.

To get a closer look at some of the boards we walked, stay tuned to my next posts.

Standards-based Bulletin Board Focus Walk

We've struggled for years at CCE with how to best provide feedback to teachers on their Standards-based Bulletin Boards. We know that teachers put great energy into analyzing student work and selecting pieces for the board, and then constructing the elements of the board. And, we value the boards because they make student work so visible. We also know the new learning that can be had by a teacher, a parent, and even a student from the reading boards. Therefore, it is critical for individuals to read the boards and for teachers to get feedback on their boards. In the past, we've done that in a variety of ways:

• School coaches have read and given general feedback to the grade level


• Grade levels have focus walked during Teacher Meetings and given either oral or written feedback to one another
  
• Partners have focus walked and given written feedback to one another
  
• Some grade levels have even done virtual board walks through PowerPoint pictures and copying of student work in Teacher Meetings
  

This feedback, in general, has been horizontal (across one grade level), and by and large has focused on positive elements of the board. Rarely, in front of the team, has a teacher gotten constructive feedback on the areas in which they need to grow to make their work deeper.

So, in an attempt to deepen this dialogue and create constructive feedback, we decided to hold a SBBB walk with the entire faculty, during an Early Release Day. Each faculty member was assigned a team consisting of about seven teachers, and were designated to walk three boards. Each member of the team was given a feedback form to fill in as they walked and had collegial conversation. The teams turned in their written feedback at the end of their walk, and I typed into two different categories, Glows and Grows, for the teacher's whose boards were visited. I typed an email to teachers with this message...

Dear Teachers,

As you know, feedback was collected from each
teacher at our Early Release Board Walk. The feedback has been compiled as
it was written on an individual’s feedback form and represents an individual’s
opinion. The feedback is categorized in two ways, glows and grows.
Any positive feedback was listed as a glow and next steps were written as
grows. Groups were highly encouraged to include grows, so if some of the
bullets seem nit-picky, they probably are. I could have edited the comments, but
selected to stay true to this process, so you are receiving everyone’s comments
back as they were written. When reflecting on the feedback, my hope is
that you celebrate your glows and embrace the grows that you agree could be your
next steps. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your
feedback, please feel free to come and see me.

Below is an example of feedback that one teacher received:

Teacher ABC
Glows:
Engaging visually! Certainly captures your attention.
Catchy title that relates directly to the work.
Board is aligned--standards, task, and commentary.
Authentic to work students are producing in classroom.
Detailed commentaries that were in an easy to read table.
Very creative design.
I like how students had their own rubric.
Clearly labeled elements.
Good integration of content.
Student work is terrific.
Mini-lesson topics are evident in the student work.

Grows:
A student and peer conference reflection would be fantastic!
Consider using a left to right lay-out to make the board more reader friendly.
Perhaps, you could add student commentary to the next board.

All in all, the collegial dialogue and constructive feedback was much deeper. I even received email replies back from individual teachers who thought this was the most productive board walk they had done and that it was the most pertainent feedback they had ever received on their board. They felt that walking with teams from various grade levels and content areas allowed the conversation to go deeper than it had in past years. This is definatley a process I hope to try again. And, I can't wait to read the next set of boards that are being put up today.

Boardwalk: A Focus on Student Work

I caught a glimpse of the 4th grade Professional Learning Community doing their standards-based boardwalk today, and thought I’d give you a quick look into this best practice.

At the beginning of each month, excluding December, CCE teachers display a standards-based bulletin board. The boards are an avenue to exhibit student work. The boards specific elements include:
o Title
o Standards
o Task
o Circumstances of Performance
o Student Work
o Commentary.

As you stroll through the CCE hallways, it is not uncommon to see parents or students reading the work on the board. You may also catch a glimpse of an entire classroom of students sitting in front of the board as their teacher reads work to them. Coaches, adminstrators, and visitors read the work and have dialogue about the instruction that led to the production of the student work.

As importantly, teachers use the boards to read student work and benchmark their work against standard pieces. After a new board has been displayed, communities of teachers take a boardwalk. They explain to other teachers the purpose of working on the standard the board exhibits, the classroom assignment or task students were asked to complete, and the circumstances under which the piece was created (individually, in groups, after a teacher conference, during work period… etc…). Then, they read some of the student work and discuss how the work meets the standard (teacher’s commentary). In some instances, like on this board, students have compared their own work to the standard and written their own commentary. This allows for a self-assessment of the piece.

Boardwalks are a great way to bring student work to the table. Comparing student work across a grade level allows teachers to have professional dialogue about work that meets the standard. Boardwalks also allow teachers to see if the student work coming out of their room benchmarks against work from other rooms. Often, this comparing of student work leads to discussion about classroom practice and lessons. This gives entry into sharing ideas and improving instruction. Afterall, isn't that what it is all about?