May ES Meeting Compilation

 

HQT

- Some HQT classes are already full.  When will more be added?  Can students from first session trade to second session when set up if time is more convenient?

Gary has now added a waiting list field for us. You can add your student’s name and your name in this field. You will be contacted if your student will be admitted or if a second section will be added.  

 

- HQT Nicenet- ESs are hoping there will be more training in August on the ES responsibilities for 2007/08.  It is on the schedule for the All ES Meeting.

 

-It was suggested that students using Nicenet in the Fall be required to attend an online training session at the beginning of the year to become familiar with the program.  Then it should be archived for future students to work through.  This year, teachers had to train new kids all year long as they joined a class.

We have already planned to provide this training for our students.

 

- Families having trouble with school-supplied internet.  Inreach often doesn’t work and students get too frustrated to attend Elluminate classes.

Tutoring, other online vendors, college classes, etc. are all options. Our Dept. HQT courses are not the only option.

 

-ESs are concerned about the volume of emails sent and received through each student’s nicenet class.  Currently only one email is sent per month.  Next year, the students will have a regular weekly class so emails should be to a minimum.  ESs would receive special updates so that they know what their students are expected to do. However, keep in mind that any ES with a student taking Personal Professor receives attendance emails for each class.

 

-ES’s do not grade daily assignments for HQT students unless the student is AESS, correct?  Correct, the parent should do this. If the parent fails in their responsibility, the ES should grade and assess the work monthly in order to provide a grade on the report card. The responsibility has always fallen on the ES if the parent doesn’t do the work.  This is when the ES should discuss with the parent their role and provide suggestions to help them. 

 

-It would be more helpful to have HQT instructors email ES groups (based on the students in each class) what chapters in the book were covered and the standards covered.  One ES mentioned that this is exactly what Debbie Kutz does for ES’s of students who take her classes.  Each course has a syllabus with standards to be covered weekly for the entire school year.  There will be no need to email this because you and the parent/student will have the weekly assignments and standards to be covered. This information will be uploaded in Nicenet after June 1st.

-If parents want to use their own curriculum but need an HQT, how do we handle that? They can use a tutor, or use other HQT options. If you are referring to the Dept. classes the student can attend the office hours and obtain help.

-If the HQT can give grades for a course and override the ES’s judgment on a grade then shouldn’t the HQT’s name be on the transcript for that course? It’s similar to the student attending a community college class or other courses. The Dept. ES name and signature will be on the SA only.

-Are any of the HQT courses going to be basic or non-a-g? Those are the kids who need the most help but most of them can not handle an a-g course which is what the courses seem to be gearing toward. Will the HQT instructors have different pacing for different levels of kids? If not, What do we do with our non- a-g kids for HQT? There are other options for HQT other than the dept. classes but if the student wants to enroll in the dept. class then the ES may need to procure tutoring in order for the student to keep up.

-What about new students coming through intake process? The HQT classes are filling up now, so how will they be served? Other HQT options: cp courses, tutoring, online approved options, office hours, community college.

-We are looking at some additional work for those ESs with high school students with no raise in pay for these new changes. We know we are paid more for high school, but the job requirements have just gone up. Could high school pay go up as well? Actually, the pay has gone up and our teachers are being paid more than teachers doing the same job who live in southern CA. However, the reality is that your job is easier when you use an HQT with your students. It takes some of the burden off of you! Most ESs have not yet used this resource so they don’t realize how helpful the HQT’s are in improving the delivery of instruction to your students and lightening your load.

 

Standards Print Out

- Standards Print Out- Is there a way to set this up so it can be saved to a word document.  We could then control the formatting and printing to make it use less ink and paper.  If this is possible, could an ESs then burn to a disk or save on their computer instead of printing it all out?

An ES wondered why we had to print out each student’s completed standards for the year when the information is available online.

WEBfiles records are archived each year so the ES will not have 2007 information available. The ES could download a free pdf program and learn how to pdf files… then they could email the file to the parent and save the information on a disk in case it is ever requested by other parties. Either way, the ES should have a copy available for the student’s file each year.

 

-How long are we to keep student files.  Some ESs have files from previous schools or years of CWCS files from graduated/dropped students.  During this period, what needs to be kept in dropped student files and what can be discarded?

Here is a quote from the ES manual under Record Keeping:  

It is recommended that K-8 records (items not marked in ES Webfiles as being in the ESs possession) be kept for 2 years, and high school records for 4 years. For High School, the ES or the parent should keep supportive documentation for the grades and credits that have been assigned, and any info that will help answer questions that might come from another high school or college: name of texts, topics covered, if it was a-g, projects done, etc. Copies of learning records are kept in the school database, but you may want copies of textbook tables of content, and some work samples in addition to those placed in the school portfolio, as the portfolios collected are sufficient for a school audit, but may or may not be sufficient for questions from other high schools or admission to some colleges.

 

CDs (questions forwarded to Gary Clark)

- CD Wallet- Why are there two Install/Restore disks?  Are they both the same?  Can we use them in place of refreshing computers before giving them to new families?

The two install disks are the same, with the intention that one can be lent to the family at the time that the computer is received to initially set up the computer, to be returned at the next learning record meeting. They can only be used for refreshing Dell Computers.

 

-In the new directions for the use of restore disks on new Dell computers one ES noted the following phrase:

 Please use this disk only for the intended computer.  Using this disk on an unsupported computer will render that computer in an inoperable and unbootable state.  Any pre-existing data will be lost.

We thought that perhaps this may need to be emphasized more fully to avoid a very distressing mistake.

 

- ES’s were unclear about the use of the Refresh/Restore Disks- Can they be used to refresh school owned DELL computers that are transferred from one family to another with the same ES?  Will a PO still need to be created to do this?  The restore disk is to be used on school owned Dell computers for initial set up of these computers to install MS office, AVG, etc and also to be used when transferring a computer to another ES. You no longer need to submit a po to a vendor to refresh/restore a Dell computer. You can do it yourself in minutes when a computer is returned to you for free! (This is only for the Dell computers, and many of the older computers needing refreshing aren’t Dell….  So you still need a PO for those….)

 

 

-What is the procedure for turning in an obsolete computer with Office on it?  Do we need to let IT know that we are reinstalling that license on another computer? No, enough licenses were purchased to account for this.

 

-Can ESs use AVG and Office on their personal work computers at home without paying for a license?  If not, how do we pay for a license? It has been approved for one other ES owned computer used for CWCS work other than the CWCS owned ES laptops.

 

 

All ES’s were unclear about the use of the AVG disk—Can this be used without a PO, or should a PO be placed for use of this anti-virus program on other school owned computers?  The AVG can be used without a PO.

The Office disk cannot be used with non-CWCS owned computers. A separate PO for Microsoft Office must be created that is not related to our license. (These POs can be made through Gov Connection.)

 

 

IFs

- Worldstrides D.C. trip- Will IF pay for any part of this trip? Most students who attend such trips raise their own funds.

 

Guidance

Please note: ESs shouldn’t plan on using UCCP for the Fall. At this time, new rules are such that our students can not individually sign up for their courses. A list of suggested online HQT resources will be presented by the time of the All ES meeting in August.  Science classes still need to attend a hands-on lab for a-g credit.  Also, there isn’t a lab available right now for a-g Anatomy/Physiology or for a-g Physics.  Students should take those classes at a JC for a-g credit. 

 

-Is BYU online considered an HQT?  Will they be on the A-G list?

We are researching to see if they are HQT. If they are HQT then we will provide a list of courses that can be taken for a-g credit.  

 

IT

- Is it possible to work offline and then import learning records? 

No, the database is not set up to work in this manner. The ES can type their learning records into a Word Document and copy and paste if they would like.

-Item from previous agendas: Could an ES survey go to the parents that is separate from the school satisfaction survey and be sent at a different time? We think this might increase the return rate. Also, could it be sent electronically to parents with internet? If parents just have to click a box on the computer screen instead of filling out and mailing a form it may provide more results.

In order to maintain control of the number of submissions per parent (the online form permits multiple submissions at this time) we will continue with the hard copy surveys. Your requests will be considered. Thank you for your suggestions.

 

Writing samples:

At our portfolio meeting there continues to be some disparity in our individual interpretations about what is being required in the way of writing samples for the language and English sections of our portfolios.  The Portfolio Review check sheet states: Portfolio contains two graded writing samples, one for each semester. These may be the reading/writing samples.

Questions are:

What constitutes a “writing sample” if it’s not the writing prompt?  Can ESs use writing in other areas (e.g.: answers to essay questions in content areas; write-ups for life skills or other activities, etc.) as writing samples? The writing sample may be any of these. The above phrase means that the reading/writing growth area samples may be the official writing prompt, or may be another sample from the student’s curriculum with the writing prompts then included at the back of the samples.  However, the writing prompts are designed to help students in 4th, 7th, and 10th prepare to take their exams. The students need to be familiar with all forms of writing genres.

What are Kindergarten and first grade students required to do? Supply samples that show their developing ability… it may be that they are only able to write a few letters or their name.

Do students who have already passed the CAHSEE need formal writing samples?

Yes, the writing prompts are a school requirement.

-We would love to get more and new writing prompts for next year. Can new booklets be made and handed out at the August meeting please? Yes, they are being printed up as we speak!

 

Other:

-Does anyone have parent-friendly CA State Standards, especially for HS math?

http://www.ieminc.org/handbook/statestandards/paroverviewss.htm

-ESs have too many materials to keep at our homes over the summer.  We have to give them out to families.

Intake will give the new families their materials starting August 1. ESs may give materials to their continuing students prior to leaving on summer vacation.