The post Mar 2024: What We Are Thinking About – Monthly Round Up appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Friday 29 March 2024
Thursday 28 March 2024
Tuesday 26 March 2024
Thursday 21 March 2024
What To Say To Feedback On Things You Can’t Control
Have you heard feedback on things you can’t control?
“I cannot believe school was delayed again! It was only rain! Don’t people know how much of a hassle this is?”
“The cafeteria food is awful! Too much fat and sugar, and the kids just waste it!”
“The school calendar makes no sense. Why is there another winter break in February? What am I supposed to do with kids off for 3 days?”
We have all received feedback that we might understand (and even agree with!), but where the decision isn’t ours to make or we can’t control the situation. Explaining that to an irate parent can only make them more frustrated because they might think you don’t hear them or don’t want to. If you just stand by the decision, it can seem like you are being defensive or dismissive. Both scenarios can break trust and leave everyone feeling dissatisfied or more upset.
Cate Reed, seasoned administrator, current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, and Possip Reporter, highlights ways to accept and address feedback when the situation is outside your purview.
There is hope – keep striving for a feedback-rich culture! While receiving feedback about something over which you have no control can be challenging, you can take steps to make the feedback and the interaction productive!
Acknowledge the Feedback and Appreciate the Person Sharing It
Begin by acknowledging that you have received the feedback. This shows that you are open to communication and value the input of others. Thank the person for taking the time to provide feedback. Even if the feedback is difficult or you disagree with it, expressing gratitude for their perspective can help maintain a positive tone.
Next Step: Send a quick email, a voice note, or even a text stating you acknowledge receipt, and thank them for taking the time to reach out.
The post What To Say To Feedback On Things You Can’t Control appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Monday 18 March 2024
Navigating Your Child’s Needs and IEP
As a former teacher and a parent of a twice-exceptional child with an IEP and an ALP, I have always had to be an advocate for my child. I learned during the pandemic that navigating an IEP in a virtual environment required even more!
Adie Tate is a Possip Team Member, former teacher and mom to Henry, 11 and Owen, 8. This post was originally published in November 2020 in response to at-home virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have updated the content and provided additional ideas.
As I navigated the new waters, I found a few strategies that help me be a better advocate during in person or virtual learning. Every situation is unique, but as a SpEd parent, here is what I have found to be helpful in advocating for my child.
For background, here is a high-level reflection on fulfilling the promise of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
1. Know your child’s IEP or ALP
You likely already know your child’s IEP well. Understand what accommodations are listed and why they are there to support your child’s learning. Knowing my child’s IEP or ALP helps me prepare before I meet with providers and teachers. I make a list of things that need to stay the same. I also make a list of things that need to be modified given our current situation.
2. Ask for accommodations that are not in the IEP if they make sense for your current environment
You can ask for what your student needs. These accommodations can be written in later if needed. There is no reason for your student not to have what they need because something is not on paper yet.
3. Read and respond to emails with extra grace
Tone and intent can be hard to come across in emails. When teachers and parents are not able to do quick “check-ins” in person or via phone, email is more widely used. Giving grace will go far. If you have specific feedback you’d like to share, consider using a template like the example in this article, “How to Write An Email With Feedback to a Teacher“.
4. Communication smooths many bumps
Over-communicate anything you are doing at home to support your child. Communicate with providers on a regular basis, especially if you feel like something is not going well. Here are 6 Ways Parents Can Support Strong Teacher Communication and build a strong relationship at any point in the year.
You may even want to put a reminder in your calendar to send your child’s teachers and providers a weekly update. Or let them know you’ll be using Possip to provide your routine updates.
And pat yourself on the back! Your child, your child’s teachers and providers, and your community thanks you for all you are doing to make your children successful.
The post Navigating Your Child’s Needs and IEP appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Tuesday 12 March 2024
Crafting A Strong School Calendar
Ensuring your school calendar meets the needs of everyone can sometimes feel impossible. Families have kids at different schools, staff have different childcare needs, and people celebrate and observe various holidays. With so many different people having different interests, it can seem that every decision is a domino to another one. Creating a calendar that addresses most objectives (not even all!) can make solving a Rubik’s cube look easy.
Cate Reed, seasoned administrator, current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, and Possip Reporter, offers a step-by-step guide to creating and managing the school calendar.
However, there are ways to make it easier and to help families understand both the complexity and the things you need to consider. As this article emphasizes, a great calendar can be a key enabler of a great school.
Step 1: Start With Your School Calendar Goals
Before all else, consider the educational goals and objectives of the school. For example, if your school puts a large emphasis on your yearly testing, ensure you provide enough classroom time prior to that so kids are fully prepared.
Step 2: Use Regulations as the Boundaries of Your “Sandbox”
Next, we know that some things are out of your control like the number or days or hours that your state requires. You have to consider the number of inclement weather days you have to build in. Even the local teachers’ contract might dictate any number of factors. Use those parameters as your starting place, so that you don’t end up having to adjust on the back end.
The post Crafting A Strong School Calendar appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Friday 8 March 2024
A Welcoming School Climate: Creating Spaces for Safety, Inclusion, and Belonging – Event Recap
This week, Possip was proud to host our second webinar in our series of three. We have been examining what our data says about parents need for their children in terms of a strong school climate. This session, “A Welcoming Climate”, focused on the needs students have of social safety and a feeling of love and belonging.
Session 2 Panelists:
Key Takeaways for a Welcoming School Climate
- First we revisiting the importance of understanding of Maslow’s Hierarchy. We looked at its application in educational settings, with a spotlight on love, belonging, safety, and security.
- This is the second of three sessions viewing Pulse Check data through the lens Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
- Next, we dug into the data. The panelists discussed the prevalence and impact of bullying, fighting, and student interactions. Furthermore, they emphasized the significance of these issues as they present in the data at different school levels and types.
- Watch as Mariana Merritt walks through the national data that speaks to why we might be seeing so many instances of bullying. Comments from parents trend around looking for schools to fulfill their children’s need for connection:
Children Need Connection
- Throughout the webinar we explored successful strategies for fostering safety and security in this welcomign school climate. To do this, we looked at how some Possip Partners leverage Possip feedback to inform initiatives aimed at combating bullying and enhancing student relations.
- Listen as Erica Faulkner speaks to innovative schools rethinking the model of one curricula for all. Instead, she advocates for instruction led by educators who see who children are and how they best learn:
Children Need To Be Seen As Individuals
- Next, we explored the critical role of love and belonging needs. One of the top parental feedback trends revolves around the importance of teacher communication and professionalism.
- Shani noted that Possip has developed a self-evaluation tool for school leaders. This will help you determine how well you are communicating and incorporating families into your improvement plans. That tool can be found here. (For a limited time, you can join our membership portal for free with the code FREEMEMBER!)
- Finally, we presented case studies and actionable strategies from schools. Additionally, we dove into how schools have successfully addressed these needs, supported by Possip’s platform.
- Check out Shani’s explanation of explaining steps to communicate and invite meaningful input from families and students:
What You Can Do to Foster a Welcoming School Climate
In all, the panel shared reflections and insights from their work with schools. They offered practical solutions and recommendations for improving family engagement and fostering a welcoming school climate.
This event underscored the power of community feedback. It’s vital to strategically communicate to create educational environments where students feel safe, included, and connected so they can move into the top sections of Maslow’s hierarchy.
To that end, we’re excited to host our third and final session in this series, “Empowering Leadership in Schools: Fostering Self-Discovery and Contribution”, on April 4. Register here to join us as we discuss the top two tiers of Maslow’s hierarchy and what parents say they need for their students in terms of self-esteem and self-actualization.
The post A Welcoming School Climate: Creating Spaces for Safety, Inclusion, and Belonging – Event Recap appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Thursday 7 March 2024
Wednesday 6 March 2024
Testing: How Families Can Help Students Prepare
Throughout the first semester, districts work hard to prepare students for the second semester of district, state-level, and national testing. With the number of exams and tests given throughout the year, it can feel overwhelming.
Elizabeth Janca, experienced school administrator, former campus testing coordinator, licensed professional counselor, and Possip Reporter shares ways to prepare for testing throughout the year.
Accordingly, knowing what tests to expect to take, what to do the night before, and what to do the morning of can help students and families prepare.
Know What Tests Are Coming
You can find a lot of information for state and national testing online, but you can also reach out to your campus testing coordinator for that information as well as school/district test information. To that end, it is important to know includes estimated dates, the purpose of the test, and what format and schedule to expect.
School/District Testing
Note: Texas will be used as an example for this article.
MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)
- Estimated Dates: Beginning of the year and end of the year
- Purpose: Used to determine student progress throughout the year and where they are in comparison to the national averages
- Format and schedule: Schools may give a combination of Math, Reading, Language, and Science on the computer. There is no time limit, but many schools will run this similar to how STAAR will run so that students can get used to the format and schedule.
9 Weeks or Semester Exams
- Estimated Dates: At the end of a grading period
- Purpose: Used to assess what knowledge students have learned
- Format and schedule: Core subjects are often given in class and may have a class period time limit
Common Assessments
- Estimated Dates: Early December and March
- Purpose: Used to determine what state-tested knowledge students have learned
- Format and schedule: Often used as a practice for state testing and modeled as such. Math, Reading, and Science may be given with a 4-hour time limit.
State Testing
Note: Texas will be used as an example for this article, but you can find a list of standardized tests by state here.
STAAR
- Estimated Dates: April and May. June and December for EOC retakes only
- Purpose: Used to determine student knowledge, eligibility for grade level promotion in 5th and 8th, and school evaluation. High school EOCs are required to pass for high school graduation
- Format and schedule: Reading and Math given from 3rd through 8th. Science is given in 5th and 8th as well as Social Studies in 8th grade. High school EOC courses Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U.S. History. Students receive 4 hours to complete the exam.
National Tests - High School Only
ACT (American College Testing)
- Estimated Dates: Most U.S. states offer the ACT seven times a year in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July.
- Purpose: College application exam
- Format and schedule: English, Math, Reading, Science, and optional writing. About 3 hours without the writing portion, 4 hours with the writing portion
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)
- Estimated Dates: Administered in March, May, June, August, October, November, and December.
- Purpose: College application exam
- Format and schedule: Reading, Writing & Language, Math. Students are given 3 hours to test.
AP (Advanced Placement) Tests
- Estimated Dates: AP Exams are administered over several weeks beginning the first full week in May
- Purpose: College credit exams
- Format and schedule: A wide range of classes are available, but it depends on what your high school selects to offer. Most exams are 2–3 hours long.
Test Preparation Basics
In order to prepare for these exams throughout the year, students are encouraged to make sure to attend classes and complete the work, go to any tutoring offered, and take practice exams seriously.
The night before any test, students should go to bed early and get some sleep. If anxiety is keeping them up, encourage them to use coping skills to try to relax. Some of these skills such as breathing exercises can also be helpful before and during tests. Practice these in advance and encourage your child to take a break during the test to regroup if they need to.
On the morning of testing, it’s important to encourage students to eat breakfast to ensure they have fuel for the day. Remind them to keep calm as they enter school and follow policies set by the school to determine what room to go to and what items they need.
Above all, give them a confidence boost! They may not know every answer, but they have worked hard and can use this opportunity to demonstrate what they know and what a great thinker they are! Make sure to encourage your child. Additionally, let them know that you see the work they’ve done and the effort they are putting into these big academic milestones!
The post Testing: How Families Can Help Students Prepare appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
Tuesday 5 March 2024
Responding to Feedback About IEPs
Overwhelmingly our special population’s teachers and staff receive and deserve praise for the services they provide for their students. However, there are times when families express concerns about the services or structure of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). At Possip, we see feedback about IEPs and special population services provided by families or staff usually fall into three categories. Those three categories include: “Quality and Frequency of Related Services”, “Accommodation and Referral Requests”, or “Director/Leadership Feedback.”
Elizabeth Janca, experienced school administrator, licensed professional counselor, and Possip Reporter shares ways to respond to family feedback regarding IEPs.
We know staff and administration want to respond feedback about IEPs. Families need help and we want to provide empathetic responses and effectively address frustration. To that end, we’ve analyzed family and staff questions and concerns we’ve seen in Possip reports and provided suggestions for next steps.
Feedback about IEPs: Quality and Frequency of Related Services
“My student is not receiving speech therapy services.”
Next step suggestions: For comments regarding the frequency of therapy services, ensure families know who their case manager is and how to reach out to them. Sometimes staff vacancies are the cause for services not being provided. If this is the case, communicate to families the reason and a plan of action to address the lapse in services.
“Need more training for teachers regarding accommodations for dyslexic students.” (from a staff member)
Next step suggestions: For comments regarding additional training, ask your special education department to present staff training for that topic. In this case, we would ask the SpEd department to do a training on dyslexia. The training should center on tips that are effective and easy to implement in the classroom
The post Responding to Feedback About IEPs appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.
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