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.

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How to Share Hard Family Feedback with Teachers

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Join our community of Possip Members to get ahead of the trends, access free resources, and more!

If you are already a #PossipPartner, good news! Your Membership is on us. Use coupon code: POSSIPPARTNER to start enjoying your membership today!

If you are not yet a Possip Partner, we are offering a limited-time promo code for non-partners. Use the coupon code: FREEMEMBER to get started.

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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.
    • A recap of Session 1 (Foundations of a Strong School Climate: Operational Excellence) can be found here! 
    • To sign up for Session 3 (Empowering Leadership in Schools: Fostering Self-Discovery and Contribution – Apr 4, 11 EST / 12 CST), click here!
• 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.

You can watch the full recording of the event in Possip’s Membership Portal. Use code FREEMEMBER when registering.

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Uniforms & Dress Codes: Pros, Cons, and How to Manage

Unlock a world of exclusive content and insights for leaders who listen!

Join our community of Possip Members to get ahead of the trends, access free resources, and more!

If you are already a #PossipPartner, good news! Your Membership is on us. Use coupon code: POSSIPPARTNER to start enjoying your membership today!

If you are not yet a Possip Partner, we are offering a limited-time promo code for non-partners. Use the coupon code: FREEMEMBER to get started.

SIGN UP NOW or sign in below.

The post Uniforms & Dress Codes: Pros, Cons, and How to Manage appeared first on Possip | Engagement Platform | School Feedback Survey.

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!

Click here for Top Ten Testing Tips For Parents & Schools!

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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

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Possip: Harnessing Positive Gossip and Empowering Communities

Last week, we were excited to see our Possip CEO and co-founder, Shani Dowell, recognized as part of Nashville’s Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship Day. You can review the details in this article. In case you didn’t know, Possip stands for “positive gossip” – we’ll explore that more thoroughly later in this post. 

The Possip team celebrates Black entrepreneurism by telling the story of Possip and Shani Dowell’s vision for collecting and using positive gossip.

Possip’s platform hasn’t just transformed how schools receive and use feedback. Possip has redefined community engagement in the educational process. Shani’s vision for transparent, effective communication between schools and families has extended far and wide reaching even beyond schools into other sectors. 

The Genesis of Possip

Motivated by her own experiences as a parent and her background in education, Shani identified a recurring problem. There seemed to be a lack of a streamlined, fear-free channel for parents to voice their needs, ideas and praise about their children’s schools. This realization led to Possip, a platform designed to facilitate two-way feedback between parents and schools. 

Shani’s vision was clear: to empower parents and schools with the tools needed to collaboratively enhance the educational environment for students. She made history by being the first Black woman in Tennessee to get more than $1 million to help start her business, Possip. But her work with Possip has not been just about coming up with a new idea. It’s also about overcoming challenges and breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks in the edtech industry.  

Dowell shares, “Part of the genesis for Possip came from my own experiences in school.  I went to amazing schools – but spent almost three hours each day on the bus.  This meant the opportunities for my parents to be engaged or volunteering at school were few.  Also, I was often on the bus crossing demographic lines and neighborhoods. I wanted for future families to feel entitled, empowered, and able to contribute their ideas and perspective – and not feel limited or confined.  During Black History Month I borrow inspiration from the idea that Black History is also a celebration of the power of community. Possip aims to tap into the power of community to strengthen schools and organizations.”

Positive Gossip: What Possip Stands For

“Possip” is a mash up of positive + gossip. The human brain is actually hard wired to gossip.  Shani believes we can tap into that instinct for positive outcomes – and channel the gossip productively.  In other words, we can bring the positive gossip happening in the community and on playgrounds inside the buildings.  A principal in Tennessee encapsulated the sentiment perfectly: “My heart pounds when the Possip report is delivered. It’s like getting a package in the mail…What truth am I gonna hear this week?” 

Possip invites respondents to share concerns. We’re equally (and maybe even more importantly) focused on celebrating successes and acknowledging the hard work of educators and staff. The majority of responses in Possip’s quick, 1-minute Pulse Check© surveys are overwhelmingly positive. The Possip staff and reporters see responses from parents like “Mr. Fang es muy buen maestro” (translation: “Mr. Fang is a very good teacher:) and “You guys are doing great so far. I have no complaints and I love all of the extra curriculums available to all kids.” 

Staff members also praise each other with notes such as, “I believe the leadership admin team sincerely cares about every kid and every staff member. I believe they are all doing everything they can to support teachers, students, and parents…. I value the positive relationships I have with my coworkers….The 2 office ladies are goddesses and need a raise ”.

Possip's Impact to Date

Data from the 2022-23 school year reveals that Possip served 1,184 schools and heard from over 265,500 unique family voices. Families, staff, and students across the country used 68 different languages to express their praise, concerns, and ideas with their administrations. With this platform, schools averaged outreach to their communities 13 times throughout the school year, moving beyond the confines of annual surveys. Since Possip’s inception, we have received over 1.55 Million responses from families, staff, and students accross the nation.

The 2022-23 feedback trends identified through Possip range from communication and student discipline to school safety and carline logistics. They highlight the platform’s role in addressing both everyday logistical issues and deeper systemic challenges. Such insights empower schools to make informed decisions, enhancing both the learning environment and community relations. In addition to identifying and tracking trends, the Possip Reporting Team categorizes and triages responses so that administrators can quickly see what their community is saying. The Possip team provides resources and tools to help jumpstart conversations or plans to address trends when needed.

The accolades from customers underscore Possip’s effect. A Resource Coordinator in Ohio noted, “We’ve been able to utilize these [Possip] reports to strengthen our communication methods and information shared with our families, as well as give positive feedback to our staff. Love POSSIP!” Meanwhile, a family member in Texas highlighted the platform’s role in providing a safe space for voicing concerns, thereby fostering a proactive community spirit.

Looking ahead, Possip is poised for even greater impact. Dowell shares, “Schools are a beautiful place to start and launch an idea.  Schools include the diversity of humanity. Now, as Possip expands our work outside of school buildings, we have the same opportunity. We’re excited to help maximize the power of the community and people to make organizations and systems even stronger.”

Possip stands as a testament to the power of vision, persistence, and the belief in making a difference.

Review Possip's most used research and resources from 2023 here!

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