Live Possip Demo – November 17th, 2021

Join us for a live demo with Possip on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 from 2:00 – 2:30 PM CT! Click HERE to register! 

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5 Ways for Teachers to Recharge Over the Holidays

As a teacher, you probably hear the phrase, “You must love it, you get so many breaks!” a little too often. These well-intentioned words can feel frustrating at times because teachers NEED these breaks to rest and recharge. This year, Possip encourages teachers to use their holiday break to really, truly recharge. You absolutely deserve it! Here are a few ways you might consider spending your much-needed time off and recharging over the holidays!

 

1️⃣ Put the Work Aside

 

A holiday break should be exactly that, a break. It might feel tempting to try to look ahead and lesson plan or grade a few papers. However, intentionally taking time away from work actually allows you to show up fully recharged. Set yourself up for success by finishing up grades and planning as needed before break begins. If possible, consider leaving all work-related electronics at school as an intentional boundary. If you really just can’t stay away, consider browsing Pinterest for new ideas, or read a novel your students are currently reading in English. 

 

2️⃣ Invest in Yourself

 

You should definitely take time to rest, but an elongated break is also a wonderful opportunity to invest intentionally in yourself. Consider reading a new book, practicing meditation, or spending time writing. With the new year just around the corner, now is a wonderful time to write and reflect. Take some time to slow down and invest in YOU. By this time of the year, teachers may feel like they are operating out of a place of depletion or exhaustion. Use this holiday break to fill up and care for yourself. Here is a list of 2021 Best Sellers on Amazon!

 

3️⃣ Set a Goal or Intention

 

Every year I was a teacher I looked forward to the holiday break. I dreamt about sleeping in, slowly sipping morning coffee, and lounging around home eating too many cookies. Every year, the break would come and then quickly pass, leaving me wondering where all the days had gone. Eventually, I started to set goals or intentions. I challenged myself to exercise daily, learn a certain number of new recipes, or read and finish a book. These goals were not overambitious or strenuous. However, they did allow me to spend my time more intentionally, which left me feeling a bit more accomplished. Think about all the times you said to yourself, “If I had time I would…” Pick one or two of those things and do them for yourself.

 

4️⃣ Consider Supporting Your Students and their Cultures

 

If your students play local sports or participate in clubs, like drama or music, consider supporting them by attending an event. Learn more about your students’ cultures and holiday traditions. Read a light-hearted book over break with your students, and chat with them about it when you all return to school. It can be difficult to prioritize celebrating students and building relationships with our classrooms while still prioritizing instructional time during the school day. Use this time away from school to consider learning more about the families within your schools in a non-academic way.

 

5️⃣ Connect with Family and Friends

 

During the school year, it can feel like our social circles get smaller and smaller. After spending so much time with others all day, it can be difficult to commit to socializing even more. Consider using this break to connect with others. Catch up with friends and go see a movie or explore outside! Take a trip with a loved one or try out a new restaurant. Don’t attend functions or get-togethers you feel obligated to, but do spend time with people who feel energizing!

 

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This year, Possip is encouraging all teachers to think about what brings them joy, connection to self, and energy, and then make time for that over the holiday break. It’s difficult to operate from a place of feeling overspent and overwhelmed. We hope you are able to find ways that help to recharge over this holiday season with intention.

 

Check out our recent blog: Finding Thankfulness During a Pandemic

 

 

 

 

 

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Closing the Feedback Loop

Another power-packed 30-minutes in a series of talks that helps partners maximize use of Possip! Tune in to learn best practices for following up after reading Possip reports. How to manage one-on-one follow-up and what to share with your family and staff communities. 

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Family Trends from Week Ending on November 5th

Possip Reporting Team Lead, Amanda Richards, writes about the top 10 family feedback trends pulled from our Possip Pulse Checks from the week ending on November 5th, 2021.

 

Top 10 Feedback Trends from Possip Families

This past week, over 6,000 family members shared through Possip Pulse Checks! 76% of families were happy this week.

What is top of mind for families this week?

We wanted to start with two noteworthy trends that didn’t make the top 10 trends, but we wanted to highlight them for you:

1. Families are sharing an increased amount of feedback on the school schedule. Specifically changing school start times, changing lunch duration, and time for students to get to classes. 
2. We are noticing an increase in families who have students in 504/Special Education programs requesting more support. Families are advocating for more accommodations, quicker evaluations, and more staff to support students learning needs.

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Top 10 Trends 

1. Feedback on mask usage and COVID safety measures on campus. Families asked questions about vaccination mandates in specific districts and how schools are continuing to keep students safe at school.

2. Feedback around having smoother carline logistics and ideas to increase student safety at dismissal due to carline.

3. A desire for more extracurricular activities and requests for more social and fun opportunities for students.

4. More frequent communication with their school leaders and more general school updates throughout the week.

5. Feedback around curriculum feedback and ensuring learning is high quality. Families are asking for things like less screen time in class and more opportunities for advanced learning in the curriculum. 

6. Requests for support with bullying in schools. In addition, families shared that either their child is being bullied and are asking for more interventions or that families are advocating for general bullying prevention in school.

7. Feedback about increasing teacher communication to families. Parents want more frequent and consistent updates about what is happening in the classroom and want to build a relationship with the teachers. Similarly, we’ve heard families want a timely response from teachers when they email or call. 

8. Requests for transportation needs and feedback about bus routes, late busses, or bus driver feedback. As a result, we’ve also heard families note that they feel attendance policies should take late busses or bus availability into account during this time.

9. Requests for more academic support for students. Families want more individualized tutoring, differentiation, and opportunities to catch up on learning if they are struggling. 

10. Ideas and feedback about the content of school communication. We heard families specifically share that they want to hear when lockdown drills are happening on campus and want year-long school calendars provided proactively.

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Thank you to all that contributed to the family feedback trends week ending on November 1st to November 5th, 2021.

You can read more of our trends blogs here!

If you have questions about these trends, how to resolve them in your school or have feedback on our trends blog, please reach out to amanda@possip.com! 

 

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Guide to Parent-Teacher Conferences

Sara Peters, Possip Team Member and former Elementary School Teacher, provides a wholesome breakdown (based on school-level), to create a guide to parent-teacher conferences. 

 

Fall is in the air, the school year is in full swing. It’s also School Conference time. The Fall Conference, for many families, is the first in-depth glance into how their student is progressing academically.  Generally, reviewing (beginning of the year) assessment data is a central part of conferences.

So, what are assessments?  Why are they important?  When do they happen?  How do you, as a parent, better understand their significance?

We went straight to the experts to make sense of assessments!  We spoke with  Stephanie Fuhs, Assistant School Leader at KIPP Jacksonville Public Schools, and Savannah Staley, former High School English Teacher at LEAD Public Schools in Nashville, TN. Before breaking down what to know at each grade level, there are a few important things to know across the board:

• Assessments can look different at each school, each grade, and in each state, but there should be a clear assessment policy

• Assessments are an essential part of ensuring student’s individual needs are being met and critical to strong instruction

• In many instances, the pandemic has interrupted or affected assessments, especially at the state level

• State testing happens in all states at the end of the school year, beginning in Grade 3

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To begin, it’s important to understand three basic “types” of assessments: 

1️⃣ Diagnostic assessment measure what students know and help teachers tailor instruction to fit student needs and are generally given at the beginning of the year or unit of study.

2️⃣ Summative assessments occur after instruction and are assessments of students’ learning of the material taught.

3️⃣ Formative assessments happen during instruction, are often less formal, and are meant to provide feedback to both teachers and students.

 

Assessments in Elementary School (Pre-K-5)

If you are a parent/family member of an elementary school student, you can expect:

• Standardized State Assessments.  These measure student mastery of the state standards. As a condition of receiving federal funds, states must administer assessments in mathematics and English language arts every year in 3rd through 8th grade (and only once in ninth through 12th grade.)  Last year, many states allowed students to “opt out” of these state tests because of the pandemic.  It’s important to note that these tests can be stressful especially for younger learners, so don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or counselor to see how you can help lessen the stress.

• NWEA (or MAP Assessment/Testing).  This is a normed based assessment that measures student achievement against their peers across the country. Schools typically use this to get an understanding of where kids are academically in math, reading, and science.  Parents should receive a “Parent Report” to help them understand their student’s scores.  

According to Fuhs, who is also a former elementary classroom teacher,

“MAP is generally administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.  While it is sometimes used as a ‘screener’ for Gifted/Talented programs, it is not a determinant of promotion to the next grade.”  

• At the school and classroom level, in elementary school, you will often see the use of literacy and math assessments, as these important foundational skills are taught and developed.  Dibels is a widely used literacy assessment. It is a phonics/reading assessment that measures a student’s ability for foundational reading skills and progresses based on age. DRA is another reading assessment that measures a student’s ability to read fluently and comprehend.  These are assessments that students might take more frequently to see how they are progressing (ie, formative assessments).

 In terms of Math, it’s important to understand what the school, district, and/or teacher uses to assess learning.  Some commonly used assessments include:

• Georgia Numeracy Project (GNP) assesses students’ mathematical thinking and usage of strategies and is generally used at the beginning of the school year.
• Star Math assesses students according to nationally normed data, providing a percentile ranking and approximate grade-level equivalent.
• Freckle assesses students according to their knowledge of grade-level standards.  This assessment is meant to be a summative assessment, used at the end of the year.

 

Assessments in Middle School

If you are a parent/family member of a middle school student, you can expect:

• They will still use Diagnostic, Formative, and Summative Assessments. 
• State testing will occur at each grade level in middle school.
• MAP Testing is often still used in middle school for diagnostic purposes. 
• At the classroom level, students can expect formative assessments—including verbal “checks” for understanding like “exit tickets”, quizzes or projects.  And lastly, you likely remember mid-terms and end-of-unit tests which are commonplace summative assessments.

In middle school, it’s important to note that assessments have a slightly different secondary purpose.  Many of the foundational skills assessed in elementary school are already in place for middle schoolers.  For students in Grades 6-8, assessments are also used to teach students goal setting and time management as well as empowering students to take an active role in their own learning process. 

Assessments in High School

If you are a parent/family member of a high school student, you can expect:

• They will still use Diagnostic, Formative, and Summative Assessments. 
• 9th and 10th graders are usually tested at the state level for English Language Arts and math, at least once, per the federal guidelines.  For some states, you must pass the state tests in order to be promoted to the next grade or to graduate, so it’s important to understand the implications of the assessments given. 
• You can also have School/Classroom-based Assessments and AP (Advanced Placement) Assessments. Students can earn college credit for taking and passing these AP exams.  We chatted with former high school teacher Savannah Staley to find out what is important to know for these types of assessments. 

Here is what Savannah Staley mentioned about School/Classroom-based assessments and AP (Advanced Placement) Assessments:

“Oftentimes, assessments like tests and quizzes are more about time management and judgment than the actual assessment” offered Staley, who taught English at LEAD Public Schools in Nashville, TN.  “Students assume a lot more responsibility for understanding when assessments are, preparing for them, and understanding why they are important.” 

Staley provided some helpful tips for both students as parents as they navigate high school assessments. 

For students, Staley suggests the following: 

• Be Proactive: Classroom assessments should be listed on the Syllabus, so you should know when they are what they will assess.
• Ask if the teacher has a Revision Policy – oftentimes, especially for interim exams, teachers will let students “make-up” a test or gain points back for correcting errors.
• Understand how assessments are weighted— as mentioned above, at the high school level, teachers are looking to help students develop time management skills as well.  So if a quiz is only 10% of your final grade, and the end of the unit test is 50% of your final grade, that should dictate how students spend their time.

For parents, Staley suggests the following:

• Know where you can find your student’s grades—increasingly, these are stored online in student/parent portals, but you can always ask the classroom teacher.
• Be an advocate for your student, and encourage your student to advocate for themselves.  Stress around assessments is common, and teachers are generally aware of the stress students can feel around big tests, especially as students are reacclimating to the classroom.
• At the high school level, it’s important for you and your student to understand the implications of assessments.

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Do you still have questions? Here is an email or call guide to help you ask the right questions to your student’s teacher or guidance counselor!

For Elementary School:

Dear Classroom Teacher or Principal,

My student NAME is in the ____ grade.  I have questions about what assessments SCHOOL is using. 

What tests does the school use?  Why are they important?  When are they given?  Will I get a copy of my student’s results?  If so, what if I don’t understand them?

What tests are used in the classroom to determine reading and math placement?  How often are these given?

When is the STATE test given?  What is important for me to know?

Thank you!

Parent

At the Middle and High School Level:

Dear Guidance Counselor or Teacher,

My name is _________ and I have a child in ___ grade.  I’m wanting to better understand classroom and school-level assessments administered.

When is the state test given?  What are the implications of this test?

Does SCHOOL use MAP or something similar?  Will I get a parent report?

Can you provide me or my student a calendar for classroom assessments so I can help them be prepared?  Can you help me and my student understand the make-up or revision policy?

How can I best support my student as it relates to assessments and testing?

Thank you!

Parent

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We hope this guide for parent-teacher conferences benefits parents and teachers in understanding what is to be expected and how to discuss their child’s academic progress!

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Finding Thankfulness During A Pandemic

Amanda Richards, Possip Reporting Team Lead, discusses the impact that thankfulness can have and ways to help you find thankfulness during a pandemic.

 

Last year around this time, I wrote a blog on some gratitude strategies for teachers and students to use inside and outside of the classroom. Even though a year has now passed, the importance of finding thankfulness during a pandemic and building intentional gratefulness still feels like a big need in our current context. Giving thanks may feel contradictory during difficult times, it can make a huge impact on mental health. Thankfulness has been proven to improve relationships, increase work motivation, and improve your overall health. Knowing all that, I will definitely take an extra scoop of gratitude on my mashed potatoes this holiday season! 

 

But seriously, how can we continue to do small things each day to feel more thankful. Especially as things start to reopen and life is somewhat starting to return to a new normal. By beginning to practice intentional gratitude will be key to lifelong “happiness” habits.

 

Here are five strategies to try out this holiday season

 

Be present and appreciate the little things 

Seeing challenges as opportunities

Be intentional about your inputs 

Celebrate and encourage positive self talk 

Spend time with loved ones and do things you love

 

1. Be Present and Appreciate the Little Things

 

I’ve always tried to be a “stop and smell the roses” kind of person, but I found that hard to do during the pandemic when I really wasn’t smelling anything except the inside of my apartment. Now that things are reopening. I’m really trying to stop and be present, and appreciate the small things that bring joy. Being grateful in your day-to-day situations can actually create something psychology calls “positive memory bias” that allows you to recall positive memories more frequently throughout life. Set alarms for “gratitude moments” during your day, leave sticky notes around your house or in your car as a reminder to find something you’re thankful for today or find an accountability buddy for gratitude to text throughout the day. Whatever works for you, it can help to remind yourself to be present, appreciate the little things, and start building gratitude “muscle memory”. 

2. Seeing Challenges as Opportunities

 

Isolation, death, grief, financial struggles–just a few reasons why the pandemic has been a challenge for many people. Although this is all true, valid, and important to the process, it may be helpful for some to think about how the pandemic has provided new or positive opportunities. A psychology term called “benefit finding” refers to the process of mentally listing out all of the positive things associated with a challenge. Research has found that some people find a greater appreciation for their own personal strength, increase feelings of self-reliance, strengthen relationships, have more compassion, or find new spiritual beliefs. Try to focus on and intentionally pick out the “benefits” you have encountered during this challenging time. 

 

3. Be Intentional About Your Inputs

 

Personally, any time I watch a dark or negatively emotional tv show, my whole day is thrown off. Once the evening finds me, I find it hard to fall asleep. Being intentional about what you are watching, reading, listening to, and “taking in” can help keep positive and grateful emotions flowing. For me, The Science of Happiness podcast is always a positive “input” and I learn more about topics like gratitude. Here are a few more podcasts you may want to add to your “Gratitude Input List” this holiday season!

 

4. Positive Self Talk

 

Most times, you are your biggest critic. I know I can relate! Make sure to keep the inner thoughts you have positive and realize when those thoughts become negative. When we keep our thoughts about ourselves positive, that positive self-talk can spark gratitude towards other things in our life. As you become aware of your internal monologue, find a few specific questions to ask yourself:

• Are my thoughts positive right now?
• What is one good thing about my current situation?
• What helpful things did I learn from this situation?
• How can I bring joy to this situation?

Use one of these questions or find another question that you connect with to ask yourself throughout the day. Positive self-talk will not only make you feel more grateful, but it will also decrease stress and improve your immune system. 

 

5. Spend Time with Loved Ones and Doing Things You Love

 

You’ve probably had some time to take on new hobbies, experience new outdoor activities, or find at least one new routine you enjoy during quarantine. Continue doing that and prioritizing finding things you enjoy doing. 

 

On a similar note, you’ve probably had more time with loved ones than ever before. Many, including myself, know the benefits and hardships of seeing maybe a little too much of your loved ones. However, I undoubtedly would never give up the quality time I was able to spend strengthening relationships with family and close friends. Research shows that social support and spending time with loved ones can lower stress, improve recovery time for illnesses, and positively benefit your overall mood.

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All these benefits of gratitude make me grateful for gratitude! And Possip is grateful for YOU! We hope you all have success in finding thankfulness during a pandemic.

 

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Possip Spotlight: Making Every Parent Known at Amqui

Amqui Elementary, in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is a tight-knit school community led by Principal LaToya Cobb. Amqui’s school culture is a reflection of the leadership of Principal Cobb– which influences the students, teaching staff, and parent body. As an MNPS School of Innovation, Amqui uses Possip weekly to learn from parents and has since 2018. We talked to Principal Cobb to understand how she uses parent voices to inform her decision making and how it helps her with leading a school during a pandemic.

What did you learn through Possip last year?

“Last year was interesting because we were virtual and in-person. Through our Possip surveys, I learned that virtual learning was difficult for a lot of our parents, especially families of ELL students. So I loved that a lot of our Hispanic parents completed the survey because it can be translated for us. [In spite of the challenges of last year], we learned that parents appreciated our safety protocols.”

Amqui Fun Fact:

Students and staff participate in “villages”– groups across grade levels that compete and have fun together through different initiatives throughout the year. The villages help reinforce MNPS’s goal to “Make every student known” at Amqui. Not only are students known, however.

Parents and teachers are known too.

How is what you learned last year informing your decision making this year?

“When we returned we kept the safety protocols up, and parents are still appreciative of the protocols, which is something I’ve noticed in this year’s Pulse Checks. Leading a school during a pandemic, [it’s good to know] they’re happy that we’re standing at the door passing out masks to students as they enter the building. They’re happy that we’re taking temperatures. Possip is a quick way for parents to give some input in a non-threatening way. They feel comfortable giving feedback through the platform.”

Why is parent voice important to you?

“It’s important because we’re partners. We have to work together [with parents]. Parents know their children best. Collaboration [with parents] is very important for us, so we can know how to best meet the needs of kids. 

And if [students] see that there’s a partnership, then they perform better in the classroom, whether it’s academically or behaviorally, because they know that their parents are supporting us and them. 

We’re at a school where we don’t have a lot of parental involvement. Our parents do care about their students. When we have events that showcase the students’ learning, they will show up. But, most of our parents are either working parents or they’re taking care of their kids. So they aren’t able to come into school and volunteer. 

Possip is a way for us to get the feedback [we need] from parents because we don’t always have face-to-face conversations or interactions with them. Information from Possip allows us to know what programs we can put in place, what works, what doesn’t work, and times that work best for families. I love that we can have a Bonus Question. We can gear towards something coming up at the school to get feedback on.”

Have you ever used Possip highlight quotes or praises to encourage your staff? What are some ways that you like to do that?

“I always read my reports, and then I’ll do Possip shout outs, so I will cut and paste quotes directly from the parents and put them in an email to shout out the teachers. My teachers really love that recognition [from Possip]; it validates their work. It’s always good to get praise, but when we get it from our parents, that’s really great.

We do Possip Spotlight emails, mention the Pulse Check in our newsletter, and recognize our teachers every month through something called “Teacher on Fire.” We take Possip feedback and some other factors into account to determine who receives Teacher on Fire.

I refer to Possip when I’m having meetings with my supervisor. I can point to the data and say, ‘my parents are really happy here. Over 90% of parents are saying they’re consistently happy with the school this week and what’s going on. Or this is the feedback.’

And when we get feedback on something we need to work on, I take in that [parent feedback] and meet with the leadership team. We discuss how we can change certain processes. If we cannot change them, in the next parent meeting, I explain why we do things the way we do.

We always want to encourage our parents to give more feedback and positive praise for our teachers because it’s a valuable tool for us and we need their feedback.

Information from Possip is really good for me as the leader of the school. It helps me know what teachers are doing a really great job in the parents’ eyes, and also helps me receive feedback on things we may need to consider.”

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Thanks to Principal Cobb for the spotlight! Learn more about Amqui and why it’s as Principal Cobb says, “the best kept secret in Madison” by visiting their website: https://amqui.mnps.org/. Leading a school during a pandemic and teaching are not easy. Our Possip partners are supporting their students, family, and staff in powerful ways. Read more Possip partner spotlights here.

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