Student Achievement: What Do We Really Want to Measure?

Since 2002 and No Child Left Behind, education reform has held schools accountable for student achievement based on test scores.   Twelve years later, there is still a large focus on high stakes tests.  Schools are measured by how well students perform on one test.  More and more schools will soon be labeled SINA- Schools in Need of Assistance.  Are we focusing on the right things? Is a test score alone what we want to use to hold our students, our teachers, and ours schools accountable for student achievement?

We should want more for our students at Southdale.  As a building leader, I am more confident in evaluating student achievement based on their student leadership notebooks than their score on the Iowa Assessments.  The Iowa Assessments is one way of measuring student achievement and can be useful to chart growth over a year’s time.  However, watching a student at Southdale share their leader notebook with their parents or a community member is informative, reflective, inspiring, and powerful.

As a Leader in Me (LIM) school, each of our students prepare and utilize a leadership notebook.  The data notebook is a compilation of evidence of what students are learning.  Students at Southdale are responsible for their learning.  They know what is expected of them in each of the subjects.  They also spend time tracking their goals, and reflecting on their behavior. Students clearly understand their goals, can articulate their strengths and weaknesses.  The students have weekly reflection time to write about what they did well during the week and how they want to improve.  There is ample data testifying to what they are learning and what they have achieved over the days, weeks, and months of school.  These notebooks are also a great communication tool.  Parents view the notebooks weekly and can also write positive comments to their child celebrating their growth.

As a profession, we are encouraged to focus on evidence based practices. Evidence suggests at Southdale, that utilizing leadership notebooks is the right work.  

Inspiring Leaders

Southdale Elementary is a Leader in Me school.  We are committed to inspiring each and every student to "release their inner leader."  Every Leader in Me school has a lighthouse team.  Our lighthouse team at Southdale meets regularly to orchestrate leadership opportunities for our students and our staff.  This year some of our goals include:
100% student led conferences, Leadership Night for parents and community, and monthly leadership assemblies.
We welcome your questions and feedback.  If you would like to know more about a Leader in Me school you can check out this website: http://www.theleaderinme.org/
Ask your child about their classrooms mission statement, as well as their personal mission statements. Here are a few examples from our school: "Learning to Succeed" , " We believe kids should have fun and synergize.  We will follow school and classroom expectations.  We will always try our best.  We promise to be leaders and friends to all." " All students will be ready to learn to achieve their goals through a quality education in a welcoming classroom.  We want kids to be respectful and responsible anywhere they go."  Great happens here.

It's Cool to be Kind!!!

May is Kindness month.  This year we are celebrating with North Cedar and Cedar Heights.  Each week has a theme:  Use kind words, Helping Hands/Cooperation, and Random Acts of Kindness Week.  If students happen to have a "Cool to be Kind" t-shirt we would ask students to wear them on Fridays during the month of May.  May 24th will be our Incredible Kid Day event, each student in our building will receive a letter from one special adult.  Please get those letters in by May 17th.

Take Charge of Your Body Program

Lincoln Students Learn about a personal safety plan. 

Every child deserves a safe and happy childhood, a childhood that doesn’t include sexual abuse.
Take Charge of Your Body teaches children how to distinguish between positive, healthy touching and inappropriate, unwanted touching.
This curriculum is presented to children in an age-appropriate manner by trained professionals and volunteers.  Children learn a personal safety plan.  NO, GO, TELL

NO     Say “NO” to unwanted touches
GO   Get away as soon as you can
TELL   Tell an adult you trust and keep telling until it stops

Take Me to your WISE Leader

Students in grades K-3 are learning about Mindfulness. We will be using a curriculum called MindUP!  This program is dedicated to helping children deepen their understanding of their own mental processes.   Students learn about three parts of the brain; the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus.  The prefrontal cortex is our wise leader which helps us solve problems and make wise choices.  The amygdala is our security guards and helps us react fast when there is serious danger.  The hippocampus is our scrapbook or memory keeper.  Have your child demonstrate the parts of the brain and show you their mindful breathing. 

UNI Counseling Students

This year we have a wonderful opportunity to house the UNI Practicum Counselors.  There will be two different groups of counselors at Lincoln.  The first group will be here for 8 weeks, and the second group will be here after spring break.  They will be working in classrooms, meeting with groups of students, as well as meeting with individuals.  These five counselors pictured below are phenomenal and the buildings they end up in as the school counselor will be lucky to have them.  We are grateful for their hard work and help in classrooms as well as in our Dance Marathon!  

Featured from left to right: Mrs. O'Loughlin, Mr. Houser, Ms. Jenna, Mrs. Lussenhop, and Miss Liz

Watch for Body Langauge!

This week the focus for guidance is noticing people's feelings.  I am encouraging students to watch for body language.  Often we can get our words to lie, but our bodies won't.  For example,  have you ever walked up to someone and said, "What's wrong?"  and they replied, "Nothing."   Yet you knew something was wrong.  I am helping kids to learn that if you notice something has happened to hurt someone else we need to stop the hurt and ask them how we can help. 

A fifth grader this week  reminded me how important it is not only to stand up to bullying behavior, but to help the person being bullied.  When you notice a person has received a negative comment or hurtful action towards them, try to "fill their bucket" with kindness and caring. 

Here is a video I showed in grades 3-6.  Check it out!