Confessions, Reflections, and an Old Dog

My husband and I are blessed with five children. Our two biological children are grown and living on opposite coasts. Both are very successful in business and have full lives. It’s gratifying to see them thrive. Our three adopted children are equally amazing to watch as their personalities develop. Until recently, all three children were in public school.

As a K–12 educator I have to admit that I had a particular vision of education in my mind’s eye. I saw traditional brick-and-mortar schools. However, one of our children was not doing well in school. While he is very intelligent and on track academically, he is still working out some behavioral issues stemming from his early years before he came to us. One thing I learned as an adoptive parent is that every child is unique in how they experience similar events. Some children shed a negative event as if it never touched them, while other children hold on to the event for years.

After watching our son act out in disruptive and potentially dangerous ways, we decided to homeschool him. We are still hoping that this will be a temporary measure, and that we can reintroduce him to public school next September. The decision was painful to make. I could never have imagined that any of my children would be homeschooled. I am a K–12 educator through and through. I live and breathe brick-and-mortar schooling.

This past December, nine of us spent Christmas together (our children, our daughter-in-law and our soon-to-be-born granddaughter—Who’s a proud grandmother!?). Watching our children as they enjoyed each other’s company made me think of why we put so much emphasis on education. We want our children to grow up to be happy and productive people. The experience made me reconsider my angst regarding homeschooling our child. It also made me realize that we aren’t just preparing him for the next school year; we are preparing him for life! And since that is the case, why would it matter if he took a few months before being ready to return to a brick-and-mortar school?

After all the hand twisting and teeth gnashing as we made our decision, I am happy to report that homeschooling (for this particular child, at this particular time) has been just what the doctor ordered. I didn’t know how far virtual schools have come in the past decade. While I write at my desk, I can hear my husband and my son working together down the hall. I hear rich and interesting stories coming from the computer. I see our son participating in interactive activities and games. While he works, he asks my husband poignant questions, and without prompting explains how different concepts can be applied in other ways. The experiences are varied, challenging, far-reaching, and appropriate for his age.

Who knew that using a virtual school to educate our son would be such a rich experience? I began to realize that there has been another benefit too. I can see my husband and my son’s relationship growing. It’s beautiful to see my son grow as a student and as a person.

I still want him to return to public school in September. But that desire is based on the need for him to interact with other children on a daily basis, not for access to a “better” learning environment. The virtual school is a great learning environment. I have learned a great deal from this experience. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Victoria Pagonis

Founder and President
Standards Solution

A Literacy Guide of High Standards

Recently, while conducting research for a workshop on applying backward design to the creation of English language arts units, I found a comprehensive and impressive literacy guide from North Plainfield. I don’t know anyone in North Plainfield, and we have not conducted business with the district, but I wish we did. I’d like to meet the supervisors that created this helpful guide.

I remember when I first began my teaching career; I looked for curricula to guide my instruction. But all that I found were textbooks and decade-old documents that had nothing to do with the existing instructional resources. When I became a curriculum director in a new district I found even older and even less helpful guides (I soon corrected that). That is why I’m so impressed with North Plainfield’s Cross-Curricular Literacy Guide 2012-2013.

The guide is not their curricula; it is a 176-page document that provides explicit information on the district’s accountability guides, their literacy programs and procedures, their UBD template, and resources for each grade-level configuration. One of my favorite elements in this guide is the emphasis on data. Every grade levels’ literacy profile is displayed in detail. Most impressive is the direction it provides for purging profiles and the exact years that instructors are to send home identified student products.

As an educator that has evaluated literally tens of thousands of student essays, I know the criteria for quality writing at each grade level. Yet I haven’t met many educators that can define the very specific elements that one should see when reading quality text. In North Plainfield’s guide they do exactly that. They define the “Standing Ovation Checklist” for different genres. I have to admit, given the opportunity I would revise some of their elements, but I am so impressed that they provided these documents to their instructors.

I get excited when I discover districts that know how to support their educators. North Plainfield must really care about the quality of their instructional practices. They must know that we all need guidance, resources, and direction. They must also know that when the administration communicates clear expectations for instruction and assessment, that their teachers project that clarity in their instruction.

Lastly, I think that North Plainfield drew many healthy lines in the sand. They included a lot of topics that many other districts consider controversial. The guide presents templates for teaching cursive writing, extending the history, science, and technical literacy standards to mathematics, and using a humanities approach in high school English classes. Many districts struggle with these issues, and make choices but don’t necessarily highlight them in publicly available guidance documents.

Here’s to you, North Plainfield, for defining your instruction and assessment practices. Congratulations on making hard choices and standing by your decisions. Bravo to the smart educators that compiled this thorough, useful, and clear-cut guide.

North Plainfield School District Cross-Curricular Literacy Guide

Victoria Pagonis

Founder and President
Standards Solution

Entrance Activities that Encourage Student Participation

The concept of engaged learning has recently been brought to the forefront in part due to the new teacher evaluation system and theorists that include this concept in their rubrics such as Danielson, Marzano and Stronge. Personally, I am happy that they chose to include this topic in their rubric because creating an engaging classroom is at the heart of learning. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!

Silent Tasks

One technique that I utilized in my classroom was to post a task on the board for students to complete when they first entered my classroom. Quite often, the message would read, “Without talking…” The students then had to apply a concept that would address the concept that I was teaching that day. If we were working on division, the directions might state, “Without talking, divide the class in half.” The students received no other directions other than that. At first, if there 25 students, the students would separate into groups of 12 and then look at me with silent but upset eyes as if to say, “What do we do? We do not have an even number.”  Then I would say, “What are your choices?  Look around the room. Reread the directions. How can you solve this problem?” Eventually, a student would come up and take my hand and lead me to one of the groups. Or the students would motion for one student to pretend to be cut in half and would put his/her feet in both groups. Whatever solution they devised, we often concluded the activity with laughter and discussion of what could have worked and how they could apply the concept to new situations. My silent tasks were a great way to initiate an engaged lesson. My students honed their skills of collaboration and problem solving while at the same time having fun.

Who am I?

Another technique that an instructor might want to try is to create cards with words or names regarding the topic of the lesson plan or unit and play the game, “Who am I?”  When students enter the class, the instructor attaches one of the cards on the back of each student so that he/she cannot see it. Then the students walk around and ask each other questions about their person or name and try to identify who they are. If the student guesses their name or word correctly, then he/she sits down.  For instance, for a workshop that I recently developed I made a list of education buzz words (NCLB, Bring Your Own Device, Student Growth Objectives, etc.). It was a great way to get my participants involved, social and thinking. But this concept could be repurposed for various levels and subject matter. For example, if your class was reading a novel then the instructor could use the names of different characters. If a science teacher was working on a unit in physics, then he/she could use lists of terms and words. In an art class, the students could be famous artists or to represent techniques.

Gallery Walk

One collaborative technique that requires all students to share or apply existing knowledge is to use a gallery walk. Students enter the classroom and are invited to visit each poster board and contribute his/her knowledge to the topic. For instance, in fifth grade students are introduced to simplifying equations. Thus, one gallery walk for this grade level could include several poster board with equations at the top. Students are then asked to simplify one term and then go onto the next poster.  In a history class the instructor might invite the students to identify and write the name of one event or person under the name of each topic or era listed at the top of the poster board.

Perspective Positions

Lastly, one technique that gets students to interact with one another is the use of perspective positions.  The way it works is that you put a question on the board, and ask the students to stand at one end of the room if they believe one thing to be true, the other side of the room for students that believe the opposite, and in-between for those who are not sure.  Next, you would ask the students to take ten minutes and try to convince the other students to stand in their corner.  You listen to the students’ discussions and evaluate if they represented the facts correctly and if they able to employ persuasive techniques to convince their classmates of their position.

There is a lot of value in getting students engaged the minute they enter the classroom. When we employ engaged entrance activities, we initiate learning as soon as students enter the classroom. We get our students thinking and applying existing knowledge. We encourage collaboration. We foster problem solving. And we introduce the topic of the day’s lesson.

Victoria Pagonis

Founder and President
Standards Solution

My Favorite Educators

I have five favorite educators. To become one of my favorite educators, which I often reference by displaying the fingers on my right hand and explaining each educator’s attributes, you have to be better than me. Actually, you must have the attributes that I want to possess but don’t know if I ever will.

My thumb represents Diane, an ELL teacher. I worked with Diane when I was the Assistant Superintendent in Kinnelon, NJ. She provided services to all of the district’s ELL students. As her supervisor, I knew her to be a competent and creative educator that made all of her students feel special and welcome. But what struck me most was her commitment to her students. After I left Kinnelon, I discovered that she gave her time and money to a local synagogue to help her students’ families. I was awestruck when I heard this. I love children and adored my students, but hers is a sense of commitment to children and their families that I will work all my life to possess.

My index finger is for another Kinnelon instructor affectionately known by all as Doc. Maryjo and I still work together from time to time. She has a Ph.D. in Physics. I am always impressed with individuals who work in the K-12 arena with high level degrees in content areas. What makes MaryJo spectacular is how she translates the most challenging content into digestible pieces that all students (even adult learners) can understand and (even more impressively) can apply in real world settings. That is saying a lot. I know a lot of brilliant people, but no one is like MaryJo. She is brilliant in her ability to translate that knowledge into student progress.

My middle finger is reserved for the most skilled teacher I have ever met. Elizabeth and I met when I worked in Mine Hill, NJ. Liz was a committed first grade teacher. Every year, her students progressed more than any class, and in every core area. I remember when a colleague, who was a former superintendent, was walking around the building with me observing student work. She commented that her students displayed excellent work for third graders. With a large smile I said, “That would be good, except that these students are in first grade!” My colleague was astonished. I also remember when they took the NJPASS. At that time, it was a new test, and neither she nor her students had ever seen it before. Most first graders in NJ did not get a passing score that year. Every one of Liz’s students scored advanced proficient in English and mathematics. There are so many other instances I could describe that show how her students exceed every other class I have ever seen, in any district, in the past twenty years.

My ring finger belongs to a first year teacher in Vineland, New Jersey. I was assisting a school to assure student success on the NJASK when I met Maria. During an in-class support period, despite the fact that she was a really strong first year teacher, she implemented a math lesson the way that she thought the textbook intended, but she totally missed the target. Afterward, I told her something that I’ve never said to any educator. I said, “That was the worst lesson that I ever saw.” She was not even stunned. Because Maria wanted to be an excellent teacher she listened with great earnest as I explained how to identify the crux of the lesson, and how to identify when students were not successful with particular elements of the lesson’s objectives, and how she and her aide could create activities that address each component of the lesson. She was a sponge. For the next few hours, she and her aide sat in that room looking at the upcoming math lessons and avidly discussing how best to present the lesson’s objectives, how to identify student needs and strengths, and how to remediate on the spot to address each student’s needs. It was truly beautiful to see. Maria embodies the true meaning of professionalism. Even though a large percent of her students came to her classroom with scores on the NJASK of partially proficient, by the end of that first year they left as near-advanced or advanced-proficient students. That is what I call a first year teacher!

Lastly, my pinky finger represents a married couple, Roberta and Alvin (Maybe it’s not fair to allocate one finger for two educators, but they are married, and it’s my finger). They are a power couple from Long Branch, NJ. Alvin took over a high school badly in need of direction, and turned it into FOUR highly successful academies. Roberta worked with compassion, strength and single-mindedness to bring all of her elementary and middle schools to high performance on the state tests. Literally every conversation I’ve ever had with them regarded methods that they could employ to bring their district to higher and higher levels of success. I am an exhausting person with my intensity and passion for education, but these two would bring me to my knees. They are relentless in their desire to achieve the best.

So there you have it; fiveish educators that are better than I ever hope to be. Every day they inspire me. It is my greatest hope to one day be as committed as Diane, as knowledgeable as MaryJo, as able as Liz, as tenacious as Maria, and as passionate as Roberta and Alvin. These educators are the best in the field and I proudly hold them up on my five fingers!

Victoria Pagonis

Founder and President
Standards Solution

That Little District in Warren County

 








Several years ago, my husband and I purchased a large home in Allamuchy Township with the intent of filling it with children. To become foster parents, we attended months of training and what seemed like even more months of intrusive and awkward meetings with DYFS workers. Within a week of completing our training, we were offered the opportunity to foster (and possibly adopt) three siblings. We were thrilled! Within a day of meeting our children, we knew that we never wanted to separate from these beautiful beings.

We registered the children for school with a mixture of concern and trepidation. Our children had many needs. We expected the school system to be resistant. I could not imagine that it would be “fun” to have us as parents. My husband and I have very loud and poignant opinions about all things pertaining to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Nonetheless, what we found was an overwhelming amount of acceptance and support for our children.

The Allamuchy Township School District exceeded my expectations. In my career, I have worked with over 60% of the schools in New Jersey and countless other districts in the tri-state area. At no point did I plan to be critical or negative toward the district’s educators, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to be. As a parent, I think that we should leave our school system alone, unless an incident occurs where we have no choice but to intervene on behalf of our child. For my biological children, such a time happened only once in their entire public school careers.

Even though I do not believe in interfering, that does not mean that I do not pay very careful attention to what is going on. What we found at Allamuchy Township were over-the-top caring educators. Our oldest adopted child went from being a “C” student from an Abbott district to being an “A” student in Allamuchy. She also went from being partially proficient on the NJASK to close to advanced proficient in just two years. Her success was due in part to her hard work and our emphasis on academic success. But mostly, her success came from the sixth grade English teachers in Allamuchy.

I am not saying that Allamuchy is an educational Shangri-La. The district’s curriculum is weak. It does not capture the Common Core Standards, and the pacing chart is a list of months with no associated content or activities. I am always disappointed in a district’s administration when teachers do not have clearly defined objectives, activities, and resources. That means that the instructors must define instructional activities on their own. In this case, the instructors were brilliant! Our daughter never used to read, and now she reads every chance she gets because the school assigns challenging, engaging literature AND activities so often that reading has become second nature to her.

Her teachers have made a significant impact on who she is and who she will become. My husband and I were inspired by her social studies instructors. We still joke that we want to sit in on their classes. We also believe that she will choose a career in the field of science because of her science instructor. This past summer, during our family reunion, our daughter spent an inordinate amount of time playing in rivers and streams looking for “critters.” When I saw her with those ugly, black, slimy, snail-like animals, all I thought was, “Oh my, our princess is touching dirty animals.” But don’t worry, I never said that. What I said was, “Wow, that is so cool.  What is that?” After I got over my discomfort of her touching and exploring the riverbanks, I realized that she was passionate about any living creature due to her science teacher’s passion for the life and environmental sciences. And for anyone that knows me, knows that I say, “Math is THE most important subject for a young lady. Be a strong mathematician and you can write your ticket to your chosen university;” just know that I am smiling. Allamuchy’s practices (not necessarily their curriculum) are fully aligned with the very rigorous, very challenging Common Core. That is saying a lot!

Our sons too have had exceptional experiences. They are both young children with great needs. Nevertheless, once again, the district exceeded our expectations. Our sons’ teachers text or email us if there is EVER a problem. In my opinion, the major reason why our children went from 0 to 10 in a few short years is due to the instructors’ efforts, intelligence, and hard work.

In terms of teacher effectiveness, Danielson, Marzano, and Stronge would be proud. These instructors created quality lesson plans with far reaching instructional materials despite the absence of clear curricula. They established caring classroom environments and worked with us hand-in-hand to assist our children in reaching their academic potential. And they even displayed progress as measured by test scores, what the Harvard theorists call the “value-added model” of teacher evaluation.

So on the cusp of completing our adoption, we’re on our way to begin a new life with our children. I selected a community with schools that are ranked 10 out of 10. We are looking at blues skies and academic rigor as we go forward. But we will not forget the small district in Warren County that made such a large and significant impact on our children’s future. Thank you, Allamuchy Township School District instructors.

Victoria Pagonis

Founder and President
Standards Solution

To PARCC or not to PARCC

If our students are going to succeed on assessments with content and formats they’ve never seen, on a novel online interface, then we need to assist them by providing strategies and experiences throughout the year that they can apply on testing day. Take for example the English assessments. Students need to know three new and very challenging genres: the Narrative Task, which includes literary and informational text; the Research Simulation Task, which requires students to analyze three pieces of informational text, of which one may be multimedia; and the Literary Analysis Task, which in the past was only taught in high school honors or advanced placement courses.

For the upcoming school year, districts should train all of their instructors on very explicit PARCC concepts and implement targeted PARCC lesson plans. Standards Solution has 20 reading, 20 writing, and 20 reading PARCC lessons plans with unique content for every lesson (540 in all) on every grade level, grades 3-11. During the next school year districts should consider how they can begin integrating the PARCC concepts into existing practice. Two years from now, districts should be integrating PARCC concepts into daily instruction. For students to succeed on PARCC, administrators need to move their entire district to one place. That’s a difficult task without a specific plan in place that uses high quality resources. 

To assure a rigorous and thorough understanding of PARCC, Standards Solution has developed numerous workshops: workshops that introduce the assessments’ major components and specs; workshops that provide an in-depth understanding of the ELA and math assessments (each conducted over a full day); and workshops that hone in on specific elements, such as Creating Quality Literary Analysis Tasks and Preparing Students for PARCC’s End-of-Year Mathematics Tests. But workshops alone cannot fill the bill. We provide assistance in the classroom with demonstration lessons (covering all aspects of the Common Core and PARCC), student product reviews, and targeted in-class support.

When we work with districts we provide them with access to our online software systems. There’s the Improved Instruction System with its 50,000 Common Core items, lesson plans, and workshops, and our Assessment Analyzer which houses our online assessments and our online formative assessments with technology-enhanced items and prescriptive lesson plans. 

But even with all of these resources, a workshop is a “tell me,” a demonstration lesson is a “show me,” and a student product review and in-class support is a “keep coming back until I make these concepts my own.” I think that we are different from other professional development companies. We do not want to work with a district on the same goal for more than three years. We want to assure that the district will be successful in the long term without us. Instead of “lean on my perspective,” we embrace the “teaching a person how to fish” philosophy. 

Victoria Pagonis

Founder and President
Standards Solution