Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast

Happy Friday!

Thank you, again, for the hard work and effort in Week 9! As mentioned in the heading, our current state of progress is clearer and even though we have some data sets yet to be complete, our target dashboard is complete and useful for keeping track of our district’s overall progress. Our work is cut out for us as we strive to reach our performance targets.

This week’s Wrap-up has no overall theme but will be a hodgepodge of information.

The Right to Read

The Right to Read film by Levar Burton was screened for the attendees of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators Fall Conference this week. The Right to Read is being referred to as “the greatest civil rights issue of our time” and the film focuses on the use of structured literacy and Science of Reading practices as the key to schools being able to give our disadvantaged youth access to the American Dream by making certain that they are able to read. It is important that each of us see this film and understand how it will impact our educational system, not just in Arkansas but around the nation as many states have already experienced.

The Science of Learning

We are all familiar with the Science of Reading but be prepared for another research-based professional development called the Science of Learning. The Science of Learning, like the Science of Reading, is the understanding of how our brains really learn. The foundational theory and the “next big thing” in education is the Cognitive Load Theory.

Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory is a well-known educational theory that focuses on how cognitive load, or the mental effort required for learning, impacts the learning process. The theory emphasizes three types of cognitive load:

1. Intrinsic Cognitive Load: This is the inherent complexity of the learning material itself. Some topics or tasks are naturally more complex and demanding on cognitive resources.

2. Extraneous Cognitive Load: This is the cognitive load imposed by the way information is presented or the learning environment. Poorly designed instructional materials or confusing teaching methods can increase extraneous cognitive load and hinder learning.

3. Germane Cognitive Load: This is the cognitive load that is actually beneficial for learning. It represents the mental effort invested in making sense of the new information and integrating it with existing knowledge.

The goal of Cognitive Load Theory is to reduce extraneous cognitive load and optimize germane cognitive load. This can be achieved through instructional design that presents information in a clear and organized manner, minimizes distractions, and provides appropriate guidance. By doing so, students can focus more on understanding the content and less on struggling with the presentation.

Eric Saunders from DESE has published a book through Solution Tree called Stick the Learning. This book ties Cognitive Load to further concepts such as desirable difficulties. This sounds similar to terms familiar to us such as productive struggle and rigor. However, this is about balancing the Cognitive Load within your lessons so real learning occurs. Here are some takeaways:

* Retrieving information from students is more effective than putting information in. ⅓ of the time should be providing new information and ⅔ of the time making them recall it.

* CFAs should include formerly introduced standards along with new ones so the recall continues throughout the school year.

* When planning lessons, do not let rigor override student ability, and do not let engagement strategies override the quality of the lesson.

Closing

I want to thank Danny Minton, Charles Morgan, Craig Bentley, Mark Hobson, Kristine Albin, Dax McMellon, and Kallye Gates for putting together and being a part of our groundbreaking ceremony for the Hensley Activity Center this morning. Their work and their words are much appreciated.

I also want to thank Patty Pate, our retired Gifted and Talented Coordinator, for helping Mrs. Simms put on our quiz bowl tournament. The tournament she helped organize raised over $3,000 for our GT program!

The Bearcats take on Malvern in Malvern tonight. If you cannot make the trip you can stream the game live on the Bearcat Foundation YouTube page.

Last night was a big night in Jim Rackley Gymnasium as our volleyball teams hosted Bauxite for a ‘throwback’ night. Janice Whorton, former volleyball coach, and Mena Middle School Counselor, was honored along with the 2014 state champion volleyball team. Both junior and senior Ladycat Volleyball teams won their matches.

Next week will be a busy Homecoming Week and includes our book fairs at Holly Harshman and Louise Durham. We also have the Be Pro Be Proud truck coming to visit Mena High School.

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all you have done this week to help us reach our district targets and work toward your professional goals, as well. As we wrap up another exciting week of exploration and discovery, our journey through the world of data has been nothing short of enlightening. Week 8 and the weeks to follow will be all about peeling back the layers and looking beyond the surface to reveal the intricate narratives and valuable insights concealed within the data we have.

Making Sense of the Data

We recently received our building scores for accountability and over the next few weeks, we will be meeting together at various times to make sense of the data and what we need to do with it. The purpose of the Educational Support and Accountability System is to ensure high-quality education for all students and to make progress in closing any achievement gaps. As we delve into our data, we will have this same purpose. We want to work together to identify any areas where we may need to provide additional support and determine what that looks like at each level. District leadership team members met recently to work on district and building-level improvement plans. District targets for reading, math, science, engagement, and instructional practices will drive our actions with the intention of addressing areas of need both for staff and students. Building teams will work together to build their action plans so that the work corresponds to the needs in each building and with each area of instruction. For example, our district target for reading is 70% on level with an action plan that includes reading, writing, and vocabulary daily. That will look different in 7th grade than it does in 3rd grade and it will look different in PE versus social studies; so the work looks different, but the plan is the same.  Students will have access every day to reading, writing, and vocabulary. 

To ensure validity in the work, we will look at trend data for multiple subgroups over a three-year period. Our focus is on growth and achievement. While the ACT Aspire is leaving us for ATLAS, the data is not. It is important for us to use the data we have for the purposes that it is intended. Summative assessments help us to see trends and instructional areas of growth or gaps. They also help us to see growth over time which can provide insight into our instructional practices. Once we review the data together, we will focus on three questions:

* What instructional strategies can I use to help move my students to the next level?

* How can my team embed Literacy and Numeracy skills in day-to-day instruction?

* What resources do we provide to stakeholders to support growth and achievement, and how can we help them better understand how to use those resources?

This is ongoing work that we will do together to the benefit of both staff and students. You work diligently every day to provide the highest quality instruction to our students. Delving into the data can help to focus the action steps that need to be taken and ensure we are using our resources effectively. The goal of the district leadership team is to make sure we support district staff in this work. We look forward to the next steps.

Congratulations to Mena Middle School!

I received this email on Tuesday…

Dear Superintendent Smith,

Congratulations! Mena Middle has been recognized by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas as a school where students demonstrated high growth on the ACT Aspire!

As you may know, the OEP creates an annual report entitled the Outstanding Educational Performance Awards where we recognize schools with high student academic growth. We think growth is the best indicator of the positive impact that your school is having on students.

In our Middle School Level report published today,

Mena Middle received the following award:

High Overall Growth (Southwest region)

Recognition

I apologize for not using this Wrap-up to recognize some very important people who have had their calendar recognition days recently. First, I want to recognize and thank our technology professionals for all that they do. Nathan Stone, Lorrie Henry, Chuck Cox, and Cindy Brevik are invaluable for all of their expertise and support. Since our current tech ticket system has been in place, there have been 1,480 technology problems solved or requests honored. Our ticket system began 22 months ago and that translates to 67 responses a month on top of their normal duties. That kind of response is terrific!

Second, our custodial staff who are employed by Mena Public Schools are Rodney Dominguez, Keri Duer, Maddie Fletcher, Cheryl Goodner, Leo Barge, and Mitch Milne. These people are our front line against illness and they keep our buildings presentable. Our outsourced custodial team from SG360 complements what our district custodians do and we appreciate it very much.

Third, every October is National Principals Month, and our team of Samantha Sellers, Tamara Smart, Todd Coogan, and David Maxwell, are working hard every day to accomplish our mission and prepare our students for their next stages in life. Communicating with staff, parents, and students, they deliver our vision. We have a great team of leaders at Mena Public Schools.

Closing

Nick Bero of Bero Arts will be creating an original wood sculpture at Louise Durham Elementary over the next few days. He and Kenneth Day, another local wood sculptor from Wickes, will be turning the large stump left from the Pin Oak tree that died a couple of years ago into something quite unique. This will be a terrific artistic and educational experience for the students and staff at LDES. If you are not on that campus and have the opportunity, go check it out.

This week we welcomed a group of students from Elmgreen School in London while Elmgreen welcomed several of our students. This is a short-term exchange program with a special purpose and that is to create a documentary film. As the film crews and students interact within our school walls and our community, please make them feel welcome. This is a wonderful experience for not only our students who are overseas but also for our community.

Come out to Bob Carver Bearcat Stadium tonight and support the Bearcats take on Nashville in another conference game.

I want to congratulate our outstanding Quiz Bowl teams! Their hard work, dedication, and impressive knowledge have propelled them to great achievements. Our success in Quiz Bowl is a testament to our students’ intellectual prowess and teamwork.

Construction work on our new activity center should begin by mid-next week. Be prepared to adjust to the congestion in and around our bus loop.

It was a great week of learning at Mena Public Schools!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

As we wrap up Week 7 and our first 31 days of the school year, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for everyone's tireless efforts in fulfilling our district's mission. Teachers, staff, and administrators are going above and beyond to meet our district’s performance targets and create an effective learning environment. This week, we have reached a significant milestone with the release of our state-issued school report card, a valuable tool for assessing our strengths and areas for growth.

In addition to the state's evaluation, we have also gathered invaluable feedback from our community through a start-of-school survey. The insights we have gained offer a comprehensive view of how our efforts are resonating with the community and provide direction for our ongoing journey in educational excellence. Thank you for your continued dedication; you are the backbone of our district's success.

State Report Card & ESSA School Indices

All school report cards are out and can be viewed at myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov. I have also made a folder for all building reports to be viewed here. All earned a ‘C’ and PCVA remains a ‘D’. Mena Middle School and Louise Durham Elementary were ‘B’ schools last year. The decline is mostly because we dropped 6 points on the ACT Aspire. But, also, our chronic absenteeism cost us some points in their calculations and that also has an impact on the test scores. There is a report in the folder that is linked above that shows the chronic absenteeism amounts for each school.

Remember that we have the new ATLAS system now and can build our own assessments from it to measure growth throughout the year on just about everything as we did with reading last year. It is very important that those of you who can build Common Formative Assessments (CFA) with ATLAS so that students are familiar with the style, format, and especially the rigor of those questions. The ATLAS system is replacing the ACT Aspire to use in measuring our academic attainment.

We will continue to push toward our target performance for this year and have a better idea of how we will do at the end of the year, more than we ever did with the Aspire test.

A Good Start

Here is a summation of the Thought Exchange sent out through Thrill Share last week. (Summaries are created by Thought Exchange):

Key themes and sentiments

* Overall Summary

The responses indicate that the majority of parents are satisfied with the beginning of the school year, with many praising the teachers, communication methods, and the positive impact on their children's attitudes towards school. Some parents have experienced challenges, such as issues with paperwork, communication, and specific concerns for children with special needs. Overall, the start of the school year has been largely positive, with a few areas for improvement.

* Summary of the Highest Rated Thoughts

The beginning of the year has been largely positive for the participants and their students, with many children enjoying school and feeling excited to attend each day. Parents appreciate the open communication with teachers and staff, as well as the structured routines that help set their children up for success. Some students are thriving and learning new things, while others are adjusting well and feeling safe in their school environment. A few participants mentioned the importance of having a good relationship with teachers and the impact it has on their children's motivation and happiness. However, one participant suggested providing chairs for grandparents who may have difficulty standing in waiting lines due to health issues.

* Summaries of each of the categories

All of the thoughts were sorted into four key themes: Positive Experiences, Communication, Organization, and Supportive Staff. The following summaries explain those themes.

Positive Experiences

The responses indicate that participants have had mostly positive experiences with their children's education this year. Many mentioned that their children are enjoying their classes and teachers, and that communication between parents and teachers has been easy and convenient. They also appreciate the structure and routine that the school provides, as well as the extra time that some schools have given for drop-off and pick-up. However, some participants have experienced issues with communication, paperwork, and overcrowded buses. Overall, the participants seem to be satisfied with their children's education this year.

Communication

This response focuses on the topic of Communication, with participants discussing aspects such as emails, text messages, SeeSaw, Open House, and other methods of communication. Participants generally have a positive perception of Communication, noting that it is convenient, organized, and helps keep parents informed. However, some participants have noted issues with Communication, such as not receiving emails or text messages, or not being able to hear during Open House. Overall, Communication is seen as an important part of the school experience, helping to keep parents and students informed and connected.

Organization

The responses focus on the topic of Organization, with participants mentioning aspects such as communication, open house, paperwork, and routine. Participants generally have a positive perception of Organization, noting that it helps with communication, provides structure, and helps students feel safe and comfortable. However, some participants have noted issues with communication, paperwork, and open house, suggesting that there is room for improvement in these areas.

Supportive Staff

The participants mentioned various aspects of Supportive Staff, such as communication methods, open house events, and the relationship between teachers and students. They also shared their perception of Supportive Staff, which was generally positive. They appreciated the organization of open house events, the communication between teachers and parents, and the care and attention given to their children. They also highlighted the importance of having a good relationship with teachers and staff, as well as the need for clear communication and a safe environment for students.

Closing

A special thanks goes out to the City of Mena and the Mena Fire Department for hoisting our large American flag at our last home game. They enjoyed doing that so much that they will do it again at tonight’s game. So, come to Bob Carver Bearcat Stadium tonight to support the Bearcats as they take on Arkadelphia and support our city’s emergency services as they add to the spirit and atmosphere for tonight!

Our volleyball teams continue to have a great season as the seniors defeated Magnolia last night. Their tournament in Paris tomorrow has been postponed to October 7th.

Some of you may want to take advantage of the Refer a Friend with ESS, our substitute teacher service. For every person you refer to ESS to be a substitute teacher, ESS will pay you $100 if they sign up. I was told that there have been teachers who made thousands of dollars through this program.

Here are the results of the Thought Exchange for Artificial Intelligence for teachers. ChatGPT is being used in several ways. We will have professional development opportunities available soon.

Those of you who have your dental and vision insurance with the school will appreciate this message from P.T. Plunket at Mena Insurance,

“Very happy to report that the dental and vision plan are getting a rate hold/zero increase for the upcoming plan year. In this environment that is a big win.  Happy for the district and for your members”.

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all the effort put into Week 6! It has been a productive week here at Mena Public Schools as our District Targets are beginning to come to light and building plans are being implemented. Our Walkthrough data is becoming very informative to us as to the teaching that is happening throughout the district. This information is helpful to all of us because if we know where we are going and we stay on the right path, we will reach our destination.

In this week’s Wrap-up, I want to emphasize the importance of using data to guide decisions and tell you about a resource that may just about end all of your menial, time-consuming job tasks.

Don’t Just Hope, Know

You have heard me say it before, "Don’t just hope, know." It is more than just a catchy phrase; it is an entire mindset shift that we are adopting across our school district and within our PLC teams. Hope is terrific; it keeps us aiming high and dreaming big. However, when it comes to the fine details of shaping the futures of our young people, we need more than just hope in our arsenal.

For our teachers, this is all about refining your craft. Do not just cross your fingers and hope your teaching style is resonating. Dive into the data, dig into those student assessments, and take a hard look at engagement levels. Knowing is power, folks! When you "know," you can focus in on what is clicking and what needs a bit more attention, elevating how we reach each student at their level.

And let us not forget our administrators. This mantra is your friend, too. Data does not lie, and it helps you make decisions that are not just well-intentioned but well-executed. Whether you are pondering over funding priorities or gauging the real-world impact of our latest professional development workshops, data provides you with the roadmap. Follow it to set achievable yet challenging goals and to steer us steadily toward them.

This is not just a minor shift; it is a transformation. We are swapping out a culture of hopeful guesses for one grounded in data-driven certainties. That leads to a heightened sense of responsibility, fine-tuned interventions, and better outcomes for our students. So when you hear, "Do not just hope, know," remember it is our rallying cry for an educational setting where we are all better prepared, continuously improving, and always pushing for success.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

On Tuesday, our board approved an Artificial Intelligence policy, and on Thursday, Mrs. Buckley and I attended a workshop for district leaders about artificial intelligence. Robin Finley, Federal Programs and Technology Coordinator from Alma Public Schools presented to us. She also has a website called Teachtime to be a resource for teacher technology. Her presentation is at this link but I want to explain some more about how learning to use this technology will make your job easier in so many ways.

You know I would have been a programmer in another life, so trust me when I say AI is not just for Silicon Valley. It has real, practical applications that can help us out in the classroom and the office.

Here are some examples:

1. **Grading**: You know how time-consuming grading can be. Tools like Gradescope can do the heavy lifting for us, even for written answers. That means more time for you to engage with our students.

2. **Tailored Learning**: Platforms like Squirrel AI adapt to each student's learning pace. Imagine being able to give every student a personalized learning path without burning the midnight oil.

3. **Resource Allocation**: AI, such as ChatGPT can suggest additional exercises or resources based on how our students are doing. It is like having an extra set of eyes that helps us focus our efforts where they are needed most.

4. **Cutting Red Tape**: Think about all those admin tasks that eat into your day. AI chatbots can handle scheduling and FAQs, freeing you up to do what you love—teaching.

#### Real Talk: Examples

1. **Georgia State University**: They used an AI chatbot to field over 200,000 student questions. That is a lot of time saved, which they redirected to improve student engagement.

2. **Newtown Public School District**: By using AI to sift through test scores, they pinpointed learning gaps and adjusted their teaching strategies. That is data put to good use.

3. **Mena Public Schools**: ChatGPT can create programming code based on you explaining what you want your programs to do. This has been helpful to me in writing Google Apps Scripts to automate some of the data processing I use to create reports for our dashboard.

#### Your Next Steps

Look, AI is not some pie-in-the-sky idea; it is a tool we can use today to make our jobs easier and our teaching more effective. If you are intrigued but do not know where to start, our tech crew is here to guide you. I have asked Cindy Brevik to begin creating AI PD for us. Let us use tech to not just meet but exceed our goals for our students.

Do you use AI already? If so, please use this Thought Exchange to give us all examples of the best use and resources. Here is another link to a long list of AI resources for teachers but a primary tool that is still free for now is Eduaide.ai.

Closing

It was a really good week at Mena Public Schools!! Let us keep pushing the envelope and make Mena Public Schools a place where we are not just keeping up with the times but setting the pace.

There is no football game tonight due to this being our bye week and school will be closed on Monday. So, I hope you have a chance to relax and enjoy a little bit of a break before hitting the ground running again on Tuesday.

We wish our senior volleyball team good luck as they compete in the Lakeside Tournament tomorrow!

There are several fundraisers going on to support our clubs and programs: JAG, FFA, Band, and there may be more. Please help these groups out if you can.

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all you have endured this week to accomplish the mission of our school district! We are already a month into this school year and our pace and rhythm are starting to set in. Across our school district, teachers, staff, and administrators are putting in tireless hours and immense effort to create a nurturing and effective learning environment for our students. Our community recognizes and deeply appreciates this dedication, understanding that it takes a collective effort to shape the future leaders of tomorrow.

Everyday Valor

At tonight’s football game against Riverview, we will take a moment to honor those who serve with a large American flag displayed from our city’s new fire engine. This is to commemorate 9/11 and honor those people. But let us feel just as proud of the service we are providing on a daily basis.

As we mark another year since the devastating events of September 11, 2001, our hearts are heavy with the memory of the lives lost and the families forever changed. The images of firefighters, police officers, and ordinary citizens rushing into danger to save others are indelibly etched into our collective consciousness. These heroes, who emerged from the ashes of tragedy, exemplify the very best of the human spirit—courage, selflessness, and an unyielding commitment to put others first.

But heroism is not confined to moments of national crisis. It is also found in the quiet, everyday actions of individuals who dedicate their lives to serving others. As the Superintendent of Mena Public Schools, I am privileged to witness a different kind of heroism that, while less dramatic, is no less impactful—the heroism of teachers who rescue young minds from the clutches of ignorance and despair.

Just as the first responders on 9/11 navigated through smoke and fire to bring people to safety, teachers navigate through the complexities of human emotion and intellectual barriers to guide their students toward enlightenment and emotional well-being. They don't wear capes or badges, and they don't make headlines, but every day they enter their classrooms with a resolve as strong as steel. Their mission? To ignite the spark of curiosity, to tear down the walls of doubt, and to build bridges to a future filled with promise and potential.

One of those heroes was honored today - Annita Hendrix. Annita teaches History for us at the high school and has been at Mena Public Schools for 36 out of a career total of 37 years! In today’s pep rally at the high school, Annita was recognized as this year’s winner of the Arvest Bank’s We Love Teachers Award. This was a surprise for her and we are very honored to have such a worthy educator in our community. Here is a short bio used in her recognition ceremony.

District Targets

We are still working on gathering baseline data for our academic targets for the year but our attendance and discipline targets are being tracked. There will be another website like the one we had last year that will be our staff and community dashboard. It is important that we all are aware of our progress as we advance through this school year. Here are a couple of graphs that are ready now.

Closing

Thanks to those who took the time to participate in last week’s Thought Exchange. Here are the results. The public exchange has not been created and released yet. That information was good but now that we are a bit further into the year, what other observations do you have that will help us with our planning?

The Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is offering equipment and materials grants for Advanced Placement (AP) courses.  A grant may be requested for an AP course being taught at a high school that has not recently received a grant for the course. The application is here. Also, more grants have been added to this page I shared last week.

Another opportunity that we have is The Writing Revolution. To connect the science of reading to writing, DESE is excited to partner for a third year with a team from The Writing Revolution to offer Advancing Thinking Through Writing. This synchronous course will be offered for the 2023-2024 school year and is open for all content teachers in grades K-12 to participate introducing participants to the Hochman method, an explicit set of sequenced strategies for teaching expository writing that can be integrated into any content. There will be multiple cohorts of training beginning this September. If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, please let us know and we will add you to the list!

Districts interested in participating should assemble a team of educators and at least one administrator or specialist. Specialists could include but are not limited to instructional facilitators, gifted and talented specialists, content area leaders, and special education advisors. An administrator could include but is not limited to a principal, assistant principal, curriculum coordinator, or program administrator.  

There is not much else to report except that our students continue to be active and successful in many ways.

Hey! There were only three teachers out today! That is awesome!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all that you did this week to further establish a good tone and high expectations for the new school year. The back-to-school issues of the past do not seem to be as prominent this year, but I do not want to take anything for granted so, please, take a little time to give us some feedback on the start of school. We will be asking our community the same question in a different Thought Exchange to compare your thoughts to theirs.

In this week’s Wrap-up, I will tell you about the progress that has been made toward our district goals, which will be referred to as targets this year. I will also give more insight into this year’s budget along with some other tidbits of information.

Strategic Planning

The district leadership PLC team has been working through the strategic planning process to develop this year’s performance targets. Strategic planning serves as the cornerstone for educational success, acting as a roadmap that guides schools toward achieving their long-term vision and mission. By setting clear objectives, aligning resources, and fostering a culture of accountability, strategic planning enables educational leaders to create an environment where both staff and students can thrive. This proactive approach not only helps in addressing current challenges but also anticipates future needs, ensuring that students are equipped with the skills and knowledge they require for lifelong success. Through strategic planning, we can cultivate a collaborative atmosphere that encourages innovation, nurtures relationships, and ultimately, elevates the quality of education for our students.

Today we met with specialists from the DeQueen-Mena Educational Service Cooperative to set targets and establish the method and frequency of measurement. We also discussed observation and walkthrough details to look for to ensure high-impact instruction, fidelity to curriculum, and that all grade-level standards are being taught. There is a lot of background information leading up to all of these targets that cannot be put in one Wrap-up, but these are the targets we want to reach as a district. Each building will determine its current performance and its own target levels to either meet or surpass the district’s targets.

* Attendance: 93.5%

* Discipline Incidents: -10%

* ELA: 70%

* Math: 60%

* Science: 50%

* Four-Year Graduation Rate: 94%

* Five-Year Graduation Rate: 98%

The academic goals will be measured by the number of students meeting or exceeding grade-level standards. The starting point for ELA is based on our own methods from last school year, while the math and science are based on the ACT Aspire data. We will update attendance and discipline weekly, academics monthly, and on-track graduation quarterly. We will add Common Formative Assessments (CFA) as they are available through ATLAS and not all areas are ready at this time. Further details and information will be provided during PLC team meetings.

Take Your Legislator to School Month

September is Take Your Legislator to School Month. This is a significant initiative aimed at bridging the gap between educational institutions and legislative bodies. During September each year, Arkansas lawmakers are invited to visit schools in their districts to gain firsthand experience of the educational environment, the challenges faced by educators, and the needs of the student body. This initiative fosters open dialogue and mutual understanding between two entities that play a crucial role in shaping the future of education. By walking the halls, sitting in classrooms, and engaging with teachers, staff, and students, legislators can acquire a more nuanced understanding of educational realities. This, in turn, informs better policy-making, ensuring that laws and budgets are crafted with a comprehensive understanding of their impact on schools. It is an invaluable opportunity for educators to advocate for their needs directly, and for lawmakers to become more effective champions for education in the legislative arena.

If you feel so inclined, contact John Maddox and Terry Rice and invite them to experience some time at Mena Public Schools. This is an especially important initiative this year with the impact of LEARNS becoming more realized.

Budget Information

I have written before about our federal ESSER and ARP funds being depleted but I have not explained how our usual federal funds, the most prevalent being Title I, have been impacted over the last few years and how returning to life as normal will impact those funds, as well.

In 2020 when schools shut down, the allocation of title funds for that year was not spent. This created a large carry-over amount for 2021 and because of ESSER and ARP, we could not spend all of those funds, either, so our carry-over amounts accumulated. This made it easy to approve requests for supplies and travel in the last two years but all of the added carry-over has been reduced to normal amounts.

Another important factor impacting the amount of federal dollars available for supplies and travel is the new LEARNS minimum salary requirement. The increased salary funding did not account for employees paid through federal funds so what we normally would have available for extra supplies, materials, professional development, and learning programs is now being used for salaries.

It is a good thing that you all are earning more. I have written several times that these raises will improve the standard of living and tax base for this community. However, this also means that our typical amounts of these funds for the things we need have been decreased.

As our budgets become more constrained, grants are a great way to get some of the things you want for your classroom or program. Several of you have successfully won a variety of grants that have benefitted our school system very much. As a district, we currently have secured grants for school safety, school-based mental health, math curriculum, literacy resources, outdoor classrooms, snacks, playground equipment, and health and wellness supplies. Grants can be challenging to write, but they offset costs and allow us the opportunity to direct funds in specific areas. The grants link in this paragraph will take you to a page full of grant opportunities. If you find a grant you would like to write for and need help, reach out to our office and let us know. We will help write grants or help form a team that can work together.

Closing

It has been a great week at Mena Public Schools and as we finish September with a strong plan for accomplishing our performance targets, it will get better.

The Bearcats will be traveling up to Northwest Arkansas this afternoon to take on Lincoln tonight and congratulations to our Junior High Bearcats for defeating Lincoln on Tuesday. Volleyball and golf were victorious this week and we had our first cross-country meet of the year with the Bearcat runners performing very well.

Our students are very active in so many other activities from drama to maker space to Project Prevent to eSports to gardens… the list goes on and on. This week included our community members, as well, as Louise Durham hosted Grandparents Day yesterday afternoon with a good time had by all. Those things take a lot of planning and effort; so, thanks go to all of the staff members who keep our students engaged in so many ways!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a nice weekend!!

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Happy Friday!

Thank you for all of your efforts this week. I hope that your routines are starting to be settled and that your students are getting back into the learning mode. We have had a good week at Mena Public Schools. Just as noted in last week’s Wrap-up, the district leadership PLC has met and is working toward establishing our district goals for the year. We are also planning this year’s budget.

In this Wrap-up, I will provide some insight and information related to both of these tasks and other tidbits of helpful or useful information.

Setting SMART Goals

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives that provide a clear and shared focus for a team's efforts. In the context of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), SMART goals serve as a framework for collective inquiry and action research, helping educators to focus their efforts on effective teaching and learning strategies that can be measured and assessed over time.

This week, our district leadership PLC met to make plans for establishing those SMART goals. This team is made up of the administrators with the addition of our interventionists to operate as what PLC designers call a guiding coalition. It is designed to work as a PLC for the district to do collective inquiry and action research.

We looked at the results of the Thought Exchange from our District Convocation. The AI in the program summarized the collective thoughts of everyone who responded. Based mostly on your feedback, it was decided that we would not use the ACT Aspire data from last spring to be our baseline, which means that we will have to establish a baseline from another source. This will require some more time so the September 15th timeline to build our data dashboard may have to be extended. Keep in mind that it is okay to slow down and push deadlines in order to have consensus and to be confident in what your PLC team decides. You know, sometimes to move fast you have to go slow. That is my best Yogi Berra impersonation.

The Right to Read

The Arkansas Right to Read Act is a state legislative initiative aimed at boosting literacy rates among K-12 students. The act mandates evidence-based reading instruction with a focus on phonics and phonemic awareness, especially in early grades. It requires regular student assessments to identify those at risk of reading difficulties and prescribes targeted interventions. Additionally, the act calls for professional development for teachers in the science of reading and encourages parental involvement to support children's literacy at home. The ultimate goal is to improve educational outcomes by ensuring that all students are proficient readers.

This is the year that our Science of Reading status is to be reported to the state. That is your proficiency or awareness depending upon the grade level or subjects you teach.

Budget Information

Our budget for this year is not finished but we are seeing that living within our means will be required. The millions of dollars in federal funding that were appropriated to us in the COVID response made it very easy for us to approve many expenditures because of the direct impact of that money and the offset of other expenses we would normally have to face. We no longer have those funds so all expenses will fall on the district, federal, and categorical funds we get every year and we will be watching budgets very closely.

One expense in particular is professional development. We have been using Title I carryover and ESSER funds to accommodate your requests over the last three years. This year, Title I has all been allocated to salaries, supplies, and programs tied to literacy, which leaves our categorical professional development fund as the primary source for registration fees, hotel rooms, and travel expenses.

In conjunction with the expenses for professional development is the cost of a substitute teacher for those who need one. This is an expense we have to work to reduce. Below are two graphs that show how our sub expenses compare to some schools around us our size and how we have trended through the years.

We know you cannot help many of the reasons for substitutes but there are some that you can. Any requests to attend this year will be carefully considered before approval. Please help us try to bring this expense down.

Closing

It has been a great week for the Polk County Fair! Our students in 4-H and FFA who exhibit livestock, produce, and art have been really impressive with their winnings. Tonight is the premium sale. If you are not going to watch Bearcat Football, check the sale out to see the livestock projects being recognized as the best. There is a lot of hard work and effort that goes into those projects and it began months ago.

Thank you to all of you who have been or are working the booth at the fair or have been out there supporting our students and our county. I really appreciate the teachers who coordinated the art exhibits from our elementary schools. Those were fantastic!

Our athletes are in full force! Good luck to the Bearcats as they travel to take on Centerpoint. Our Junior High Bearcats had great wins over Centerpoint last night. Our volleyball and golf teams continue to compete well. Senior high volleyball defeated Magnolia this week to remain undefeated and boys golf won a big match this week.

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all you did this week to successfully complete the first full week of our new school year. Getting through the first full week is tough enough without the added heat wave but we have dealt with it patiently and will be getting some much-needed relief from the weather next week.

In this week’s Wrap-up, I want to share some insights gained from Mrs. Buckley’s first LEARNS workgroup meeting for school accountability and provide other tidbits that may be of interest to you.

A Shift in the Purpose of Assessment

The first assessments from the new ATLAS system will not be ready until September 15th but the planning for their use began months ago. After hearing the report from Mrs. Buckley about accountability, I can tell that our use of the assessments will be more about testing our teaching than it will be a reflection of student ability. We will not be using the interims as tests for grades in the gradebook. We will be using the interims like scientists or investigators to test strategies, and establish what is working and what is not to create best practices for delivering the curriculum to our students.

I know that many of you operate in this way already, especially those who have worked for several years to establish strong PLCs. You use assessment to drive instruction by determining if students are learning grade-level standards and adjusting approaches when they are not. The buildings and the district will use these assessments in the same manner to determine if our overall instructional practices are getting results for our students.

More on Accountability

In this first in-person LEARNS Accountability meeting, the focus was on student growth and accountability models. Arkansas has used the Value Added model for student growth over the last several years and while it is highly effective, there is room for improvement. Value-Added typically weighs individual student achievement in higher proportion than student growth which is not in line with the state’s goals for schools. To address this, the formula used will be adjusted so that student growth and achievement are more evenly weighted. Measuring growth in greater proportion provides a focus on student achievement over time and across groups, allowing for more specific data that can then be used to drive instruction.

In the September accountability meeting, the focus will be on the School Quality and Student Success indicators. There are several factors included in the SQSS such as attendance, graduation rate, on-level reading, and community service, and for each indicator, it is important to know the purpose, how much impact it has on student success, and to what extent a school has control over that factor. If you are interested in offering input, review the SQSS factors at My School Info and share your thoughts with Mrs. Buckley.

Employee Health Insurance

There is some good news for us who are insured with the state’s public school employee insurance plan. The Arkansas Legislative Council’s oversight committee for the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) was presented with a budget proposal this week. On slide ten of this proposal, the numbers indicate a reduction in employee contributions for every plan. Some have more than others, so I encourage you to take a look at them.

The EBD was restructured by the legislature two years ago because it was losing money. As a result, rates went up for both school districts and employees. An oversight committee was established to make sure that the state employees could rely on a sustainable insurance system and make budgetary decisions. This reduction in employee rates shows that the restructuring and the oversight seem to be working well on our behalf.

Tech Update

Please be aware that our Chromebooks were updated this summer to the operating system needed to take ATLAS assessments. However, some of the programs we use for student interventions have had upgrades that require more than ATLAS and our Chromebooks may or may not be able to accommodate. Our tech crew is updating Chromebooks so we will be able to use all of these tools but this is taking some time and some of the older Chromebooks may not update any further. If that causes problems using our intervention software, we will get that fixed.

Closing

Our Ladycat Volleyball season has started strong and we had a very good home opener last night. Our Bearcat Football season begins tonight at 8 o’clock in Bob Carver Bearcat Stadium. Please come out and support these teams and band members when you can. Hopefully, it will be a little cooler at kick-off with the later start.

We are also hosting football and volleyball players and coaches, band members and directors, and parents from the Cossatot River School District, to give them the gameday experience. These are two new sports for this district. Please welcome them as soon as you have the opportunity.

It was a really good week at Mena Public Schools!!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

Thank you for all of the hard work and effort in the days leading up to last Wednesday and our students’ first day of school for the 23-24 school year! These first three days have been rather smooth with only minor issues that were easily resolved or are being resolved. This speaks to the foresight each of you used to prepare to begin school with our students as your focus.

This Wrap-up will be short as I only have a few things to update you on.

Our Academic Goals

The building principals met with Mrs. Buckley and me this morning to review how the first days have been and to set some deadlines for creating our goal-monitoring dashboard. We will start to screen and pre-test students next week to develop baseline data to build from as we are not going to use the ACT Aspire data as our starting point this year.

It is our goal to have all of our baseline data, building goals, and Professional Growth Plans (PGPs) completed by Friday, September 15th. Our interventionists have developed plans for the early assessments to be given to our students in multiple academic areas. This will give each PLC team in every building the data they need to start driving instruction.

Last year, reading was our only academic goal but this year we will add math, science, social studies, and writing, to the list of academic goals with ‘on grade level’ being the threshold of concern. The buildings will establish their SMART goals and the district will use them to base our overall goals. We will continue monitoring behavior and attendance, as well.

Speaking of attendance, Mrs. Buckley was informed by one of our DESE officials that attendance will likely no longer be included in the formula for the school report cards. We will know this for certain in the weeks to come. Also, DESE will be creating the definition of ‘on grade level’ for Arkansas this year, which means that our threshold could be too low or high depending on what those definitions are.

Details of our academic goals will become clearer for everyone as we work through this beginning process.

Attendance Goals

We will continue to shoot for a 96% attendance rate for our students and focus on overcoming chronic absenteeism. Besides that, we will also create targets for employee attendance. Each building and department principal/supervisor has last year’s attendance and will be making plans for improvement. We each need to be doing at least as well as the students where attendance is concerned but we are also sensitive to the reasons employees miss work and will take that into consideration.

Closing

Thank you again for making the start of school a success! Come back Monday prepared to go full throttle at our mission and vision. At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a nice, restful weekend!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Happy Friday!

This is the last Friday of the school year and the last Wrap-up, too.

Tomorrow will be graduation day for the class of 2023 and our culminating event to put our product into the marketplaces of the world. Although much of the fanfare takes place at the high school, each one of you who taught these graduates from Pre-K to twelfth grade, had the academic and social influence that it took to get them to this stage of life. Not only the teachers but also the paraprofessionals, food service workers, bus drivers, maintenance, tech support, and especially the secretaries. You all are responsible for this latest graduating class.

Today, the seniors had their Senior Success Assembly at UBC where each one was recognized for their NEXT. This is the next step in their professional lives. All of them were recognized for the choice they have made to continue their education by remaining in academic institutions or continuing it by entering the workforce. There were several representatives from colleges, the military, and industry who were all there to welcome this class to their NEXT.

Before the assembly, I had a conversation with Brad Castor, Director of the Rich Mountain Electric Coop, and he commented on the pride he felt for the school and that type of assembly. So, I want to thank Mr. Maxwell, Mrs. Ashcraft, Mrs. Hobson, and Mrs. Plunkett for organizing today’s ceremony. We should all be proud of the class we have produced but should take a lesson from them and determine our own NEXT. Nothing is ever done, complete, or perfect. We should always look for our next opportunity, strategy, technique, or idea, that makes us better in order to make an even better-prepared graduating class of 2024 and beyond.

Closing

Our final report on our District Goals was given to the board Tuesday night and not much changed since the last report. We have stayed on track to meet expectations for discipline referrals and reading levels; however, attendance averaged 92.5 percent. I informed the board that even though we did not meet our attendance goal, the state average is usually around 85 percent. I also told them that our ACT Aspire reading levels will matter the most when school report cards come out next fall and we will not know how we did until sometime this summer. Nevertheless, we had an outstanding year and you should each be proud of our accomplishments and your contribution to these successes. Let us not be content, however, but strive to get even better in 2023-2024.

In another portion of my report to the board, I was honored to inform them that Mena Middle School Math Teacher, Chelsea Johnson, was recognized by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a High-Impact Teacher. This means that she was responsible for more than a year’s worth of academic growth in math for her students. This is a new designation by the department under the leadership of our new Secretary of Education, Jacob Oliva, and it is determined by ACT Aspire scores.

Our Thought Exchanges are still open. Please take some time to respond to the two Thought Exchanges - one for reflecting on all of our goals and one for reflecting on the goal we did not attain - attendance. This will help us this summer as we plan for next year. These will close on Tuesday, May 23rd, with results shared on Wednesday the 24th.

We will have our end-of-year celebration on Wednesday, May 24th, in the PAC at 11 am with lunch immediately after. Our lunch is being prepared by Christ Community Fellowship and it is sponsored by American Fidelity, RePops, Montgomery Shelter Insurance, Farm Bureau, Edward Jones, and Non-Stop Fitness.

Please use this form to notify us if this is your 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, or 30th year at Mena Public Schools or if you achieved major accomplishments this year such as an advanced degree or credential. We also want to recognize accomplishments in your classrooms related to our district goals.

Congratulations to our retirees! Yesterday was the reception for Malea Ellison and Staci Brooks at Mena Middle School and today there is a reception for Patty Oglesby and Brent Tibbs at Louise Durham Elementary.

This will be the final Wrap-up for this school year but I will use this forum through the summer, if needed, to provide you with information and updates. Please keep an eye on your email.

It was a really good week at Mena Public Schools!!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a great weekend!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com