HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-10-12-DIAMOND-minMarlon L.Davis,M.Ed.(781)861-2460
Principal mdavis@lexingtonma.org
Fax:(781)274-0174
Diamond School Council Agenda
October 12,2023 -7:00am
Attendees:Marlon Davis,Christy Bell Prasad,Joyce Dvorak,Chhandomay Mandal,Amelia Brower,Yu Wu,
Howard Wolke,Remy Coombs,Katina Lawdis
Liz Sharp (non-voting member -note taker)
A.Welcome
a.Election of co-chair:
B.Approval of Minutes;May 18,2023
C.Updates
a.Principal
i.This week has been challenging because of the events in the Middle
East.Today’s meeting will be cut short so that a message to families
can be finalized and out today.A message to students during homeroom
will go out today.We have been working hard to get this right and make
sure everyone feels supported on all sides.Everyone should feel heard
and safe.
ii.Next meeting we will look at the Innovation Plan.
iii.Teachers have been working on getting up to speed on Teacherease,
our new report card system.
1.We will be offering FAQ’s for Teacherease,along with workshops
for parents.
a.Also,a timeline will be distributed out to parents next week.
2.The site will be open to parents after trimester one.
3.We want to be sure everyone understands why we have shifted to
Standards Based Instruction.
a.The impact on instruction is the goal.
b.Differentiation and providing students what they need.
c.The system allows us to provide the feedback.
d.Questions on how to prepare our students for the LHS
system of grading is still being worked on.On-going
conversation.
e.Increasing rigor is not necessarily related to standards
based instruction,it is a pedagogical challenge.
f.The more we can use data of what a student knows and
where their learning goals are,will get them there.
iv.Social Emotional Learning will be another initiative.
1.Counselors will use WIN blocks for friend groups.
2.They will consider wrap-around support.
3.DEI work will be encased in this work.
4.Restorative Justice will also be included.
v.We need to think about how to move the needle on MCAS.We dipped in
certain areas,state-wide.
1.As we unpack the data,we recognize the gaps for our
marginalized students.
2.School council will be asked for ideas
b.Staff
i.LHS has not necessarily acknowledged the challenges we have had at
the middle school level which are not related exclusively to grading.
ii.The last three years for SBG was during Covid,so it’s really hard to
separate out.SBG does provide the best information on what a student
understands and can do.Polling LHS could be very complicated now.
c.Parents
i.Parents are asking about how to access Teacherease and what grading
will look like this year,particularly for 8th grade students.Is there a
timeline?
ii.Are there any plans for surveys from LHS freshman teachers on how
students have adjusted?
iii.Still confusion on what “meeting”means as translated to a letter grade
that they will see in high school that doesn’t capture the effort.
iv.Students also need to know that “M”doesn’t translate to an “A”at LHS.
D.Open Discussion (notes incorporated above)
E.Meeting Adjourned:7:34 am
F.Next meeting:November 16,2023