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Without further ado I'd like to introduce our Superintendent, Dr. David Cash.
(applause)
Well hey, good morning everybody.
For good luck today I have a
a message in a bottle from one of our administrators so
during my "Grill the Superintendent" session, if anyone grills me I've got my flame
retardant
vest on. If I get grilled too hard and you see me sticking my hand in my pocket it's
just that I'm
I hope you had a great summer with your family
and your friends, and you're able to get off to some exotic location
and if not, it's tough to beat Santa Barbara
for a staycation. This morning we're welcoming over 70
new certificated staff into our district.
(applause)
And we're talking about teachers, counselors, psychologists
speech and language specialists, new assistant principals,
new special education program coordinators,
preschool coordinator and a community resource coordinator,
over 70 new certificated staff, and I can say to everyone
let's get ready for an incredible year. I want to talk a little bit about that this
morning before we get started.
We have a convergence of two
incredible events happening simultaneously in education.
It's unlike any time in the history of our state.
The state has revised its way it's going to allocate
our meager revenue through the local control funding formula, and that represents
the most significant change, even more significant than Prop 13
since 1850 for the state of California
and you tag that with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards
and I have to say, wow, it is exciting times to be a public educator
in California. Our theory of action in Santa Barbara has been the same
for the past two years. If we're successful
in focusing on learning, stimulating curiosity
in ourselves and in our students, and if we work together
as colleagues and professional learning communities
student learning outcomes will improve all
throughout our district. And this past June for those of you that I had the
opportunity to speak to
in our professional learning days, I told you that I believed it was up to us
to give every child, every chance, every day, and that's not just a trite saying
that is something that I believe is in the heart
of every one that sits in this room. And no one
and I repeat, no one else
gets to do that. It's us, the people in this room
that have the obligation, the responsibility
and, I believe, the opportunity
to change our community through our K-12 education.
It's us. Me,
you and your colleagues. That's awesome. That is incredible.
Our work has to be about children.
It can't be about us, the adults.
It always has to be about the kids
in our schools. And our focus is on the classroom.
How can we continue to support student learning
and the great teaching that occurs throughout our district? When I say
every child, I mean every single child in our district.
Not just the ones that you like.
Not just the ones that look like you.
Not just the ones that learn like you.
But every single child.
And I would have to ask
that we work hard this year to ensure that no student is anonymous
in our schools, in who they are, or what they need.
You ask any child what matters most to them
about school, we'll have some that will tell you. you know I really dig the quadratic equation.
We'll have some that will tell you
you know Shakespeare really turns me on, but the bottom line for every kid
year after year after year is being in a class
with a teacher who knows who they are and likes them
has a relationship with them.
Nothing matters more to our students
than knowing they are not anonymous
in our classrooms. So I'd ask what strategies
are you going to have in place this year
to ensure no student is anonymous in your classroom
and in our schools. And I would also ask
let's make those strategies intentional and not just
we hope that kids will go through the year not being anonymous.
It's every child, every chance, and there's obvious constraints to
every chance, both
human and material. No one can work 24 hours a day
though, boy there are times when I think some of you do that
and there is no way that the state is going to
tomorrow, next week, next month, say hey, you know Santa Barbara, it's a pretty
cool place
here's an extra 100 million for you to educate those kids down there.
So it's not gonna happen so we have obvious constraints in every chance
but I would ask ourselves in the academic area let's work hard to
differentiate instruction for our kids.
We know we need to meet them where they are - at grade level, above grade level
below grade level, for all of our special need kids
for our English learner students, let's give them every chance to be successful.
And in the social-emotional area, I'm so excited about the work that Santa Barbara
Junior High School did this past year.
I want to give a big shout out to their staff and their community for
implementing restorative approaches
and allowing us to think that we could move that on
to the rest of our junior highs and Santa Barbara High School. Great job Santa
Barbara Junior High School. (applause)
I think probably of every process we engage in, that might have the most power for us
in changing our students' experiences at school.
It's every child, every chance, every day, and I tell people that
if you don't roll out of bed
every morning determined to make a difference in the lives of
the children that you will meet
in your classrooms, in our schools then you should just go right back to bed.
You know, I tell everybody this.
This is not a job, being an educator.
It's much more than that.
We, as I said, have the opportunity, the obligation,
the responsibility, for educating all the students
in our community. There's no days off in education.
You all know our students learn a lot more about us
in what they watch us do, as opposed to what we tell them.
So I would say again, let's be intentional in how we act,
how we relate to our kids, and what we do each and every day.
As I shared with you also this past June
we're about to implement the Common Core and we've created our four quarter plan,
And I'll apologize upfront because that name came from
three guys who previously had football experience
and so it was the easiest way for us to remember how we would look at
implementing
what I think is probably one of the most revolutionary changes
in the history of American education, the Common Core State Standards.
Four quarters. First quarter for those of you that don't recall
never heard it, don't remember, is to know the content standards. And our outcome
there is we want teachers to develop
units and lessons of study based in the Common Core.
The second quarter is we're going to assess our instructional materials.
We've developed what we think is a pretty good draft of a cultural proficiency
template.
We need all of our materials, our lessons, our units
to be culturally proficient to ensure that no student in our class doesn't see
themselves
in the instructional materials that we're providing or
understand the opportunities that they will have as a result of learning
the content that you are teaching. The third quarter we're going to work on
instructional strategies, pedagogy.
As I stated earlier we need to work on continuing to understand how to
differentiate instruction, perhaps
one of the more important tasks we'll undertake.
We also need to know how
to ensure that our lessons are grade level
rigorous. Don't want to be in a tenth grade English class
and see the assignment be students coloring the cover
of the book they just read.
I don't believe that's a 10th grade English
rigor. And we want our students to utilize 21st century skills
in the lessons that you design. We want them to think critically,
we want them to collaborate, we want them to communicate what they know
and what they can do to each other, and the world around them. And then the last quarter, the
fourth quarter we're going to work on assessment. We need to create and
maintain a technology infrastructure.
And I think we've got a good start on that, but everybody
we all need to take a deep breath on technology infrastructure.
No matter how hard we work, no matter how many people we hire,
no matter how much money we spend, technology will still screw up.
There's no doubt about that. If I could
have 10 bucks for every time I've called DirecTV
I wouldn't be standing here. I'd retire.
We need to be flexible and understand
that that is the reality regarding the infrastructure for technology.
Another outcome
is we need to create technology learning environments in our
classrooms.
Our kids do not see this as a tool.
This is not replacing a text book,
a pencil. They're using it within which to learn
and I would say, like I said in June to all of us,
we can't let our own limitations and understanding technology
get in the way of the opportunities for our students in the 21st century.
And the last thing that we need to do in our fourth quarter is we need to look at
our assessment practices. Isn't it time we had a new report card for our
elementary schools?
(applause)
You know I gotta tell you I was scared to even say that out loud
the last two years
because I knew how true it was, and by saying it out loud I'm committing
myself and our district to reexamining an archaic
reporting system and providing our teachers
our parents and importantly our students with an opportunity to understand
how they're doing, when they're doing it
and what they need to do to improve.
We also need to develop formative assessments as well
throughout our district
and we're fortunate, we think we've found a tool that will help us do that
and there'll be more about that as we move into the fourth quarter.
Our vehicle for Common Core implementation is very straightforward,
it's professional learning communities.
That is not a program
it is a process by which teachers collaborate and communicate
regarding students and teaching and learning
in their class. And I want to promise you this,
I'm gonna say it a couple times, we will go slow
in order to be strong in implementing professional learning communities.
For 2013-14 our PLCs are going to work on
one question, and one question only.
What is it we want our students to learn?
Essentially quarters 1 and 2 of our four quarter plan
there are other important questions that PLCs ask:
How will we know if each student is learning each of the standards?
What are we going to do when they don't learn any of the standards?
And what do we do for kids that already know it? How do we enrich and
extend their learning?
We will work on those questions starting in 14-15.
Again, we're going to go slow,
to be strong in implementing PLCs.
We will only be working on one question:
What is it we want our students to learn?
And that will be, we will help determine that
through the design and implementation of
the Common Core lessons and units. Our district has
one non-negotiable goal: improving student outcomes.
And as a district we're going to be tight on these three things throughout this year
and the years to come.
Implementing the Common Core through the four quarter plan,
cultural proficiency, including restorative approaches,
and technology learning environments. Again
we cannot let our own limitations in technology
limit the opportunities for our students in the 21st century.
Again, I want to be very clear
for next year we're gonna go slow in order that we can implement it
strong. We'll only be focusing on
one question: What is it
we want our students to know? Our focus will be on 21st century standards, the
Common Core, and not on the California Standards.
I'm not going to talk at all about the California Standards Tests.
I don't believe a narrow, mile-long, inch deep approach to learning and assessment
represents anything good in education.
(applause)
We're going to work toward the creation of
a system of K-12 education where the islands of excellence throughout our
district are connected into a system of excellence.
Where the structure of school is collaborative, where no one
works in isolation. Our goal is to provide students
with a guaranteed curriculum
that all students learn it regardless
of what class they're in. We need to have a balanced assessment
that includes formative assessments designed to improve instruction
and summative assessments designed to communicate
the results of student learning
at specific periods of time. In a coherent system
teachers, principles and district staff
are not viewed as the cause of problems, but instead
are viewed as the ultimate solution of problems because it's through the
professional learning communities we'll build individual capacity
to learn, grow, change; and collective capacity
beyond our wildest dreams to improve student learning outcomes.
We, in this room, are the system
it's not something separate from each of us.
The system doesn't reside at 720 Santa Barbara Street.
And it doesn't reside in Sacramento.
We are the system, all of us
should strive each and every day to be as good as we can
during our own individual learning, and our collaborative work
understanding that everyone, all of us
everyone in this room must make a positive contribution
to improving our system. After all
it's you, it's me
it's us, it's our system.
Right now I believe we're only limited by what we can't imagine.
If we focus on the new standards, I believe we can be creative,
we can be inspiring, and we can be connected to each other across grade
levels and across disciplines.
And we can importantly re-engage in our work
and even more importantly, re-engage our students.
As I said I cannot imagine a more exciting time in public education.
Remember our work is always about the students.
So, let's forget
about always coloring within the lines.
Let's forget about teacher's editions.
Let's eliminate the scripted lesson
as the template for instruction. (applause)
Let's not focus on covering
the material. Let's not be stuck
in 55- or 110-minute units
of instruction. Instead I'm going to challenge all of us right now to begin
thinking way outside the box.
To learn from each other. Believe
in each other. Focus on the standards
not the textbook. Engage students in solving problems that we give them
but even more importantly, encourage students to create problems
that they're interested in, and then give them the time
to solve those problems. Like I said it is an incredible time
to be an educator. We're not going to be perfect in this.
We're gonna make lots and lots of mistakes. And in fact
if we don't make mistakes, I'm going to believe we didn't take advantage of
this opportunity.
So I'm going to
ask you to do what my grandmother,
a Lakota Sioux, would ask me to do, and that is
if we can walk together as a system for this year,
this coming year and the years to come, I believe we will learn together.
And I can honestly say, I can think of no better group of educators
I'd rather walk with than those of you in this room.
So let's have a great year, let's take advantage
of what's right in front of us, right now and do the best that we can for our kids.
Have fun today, and I can't wait to see you in your schools.
Thank you very much.
Alright, see you in your classrooms.