HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-11-DIAMOND-minMarlon L. Davis, M.Ed. (781) 861-2460
Principal mdavis@lexingtonma.org
Fax: (781) 274-0174
Diamond School Council Agenda
April 11, 2024 - 7:00am
Attendees: Marlon Davis, Christy Bell Prasad, Howard Wolke, Remy Coombs, Katina Lawdis, Chhandomay
Mandal, Joyce Dvorak, Yu Wu
Liz Sharp (non-voting member - note taker)
A. Welcome
B. Approval of Minutes: March 21, 2024
C. Updates/Discussion
a. SIP draft - will be discussed at another meeting.
i. Restorative Justice needs financial support.
ii. Other areas that need funding, we won’t see the budget in the plan. It is
as funding is available. Funding should be dedicated and sustained.
iii. Professional development and training is a priority for many of the
initiatives.
iv. Working with LEA rep, to help identify specific funding.
v. As members read the plan, consideration for where to find the funding.
1. For example, a free resource for mental health counseling may be
a possibility. Perhaps available for all of our students.
b. Last meeting discussion around Teacherease and the Red Stop Sign
i. Decision was landed.
ii. “Not meeting” is not technically accurate. Evidence that you are meeting
the standards, but if you are progressing in one standard it is not the
same as not meeting for the whole standard.
iii. We will direct parents to how to determine the difference.
iv. Instead of saying “Not Meeting”, it will say “Click on Details” so that
families will see the red box to get the details for that standard.
1. Waiting for Clarke to approve and then communication will go out
to families.
v. Important to make sure families and students understand the process.
vi. The term “grades” is another confusing term. This cannot be changed by
us, but will be asked to the Teacherease representative.
1. MSLT and LEA will need to review this recommendation. Then
discuss at a staff meeting before we would make a change.
vii. Calculating scores has been discussed as the alternative to decaying
weight. DLCs will be present for the next discussion.
1. Teachers have raised the concern on why the last assessment is
weighted more when there are only 3 assessments.
2. The more assessments, the more opportunities.
3. Teacherease tends to round up.
viii. Experience using the system.
1. Some differences by discipline.
2. Makes sense that the more recent assessments are weighted
more.
3. Teachers are learning how to use the system to make sure the
grading is accurate.
ix. The software architecture seems clunky.
x. Important for students to understand the purpose of the scores.
xi. Students using the system are getting better as using the scores to
understand their strengths and weaknesses and where they can
improve.
xii. PD sessions within the school would be a goal.
c. Learning Process Standards will be revised
i. Working group between the two middle schools
ii. EF skills that get in the way of academic success
iii. The skills that teachers explicitly teach to build these EF skills will be
identified.
iv. A crosswalk will show how each of the standards look by discipline and
how to get “meeting” for each.
v. Teachers will have resources to teach these in the classroom.
vi. LHS says the 9th grade transition is where they have seen the need to
help students develop these skills.
d. The Executive Function Connection
i. Curriculum will be identified in the SIP so that teachers may be able to
teach during class or WIN.
ii. Counseling lessons will also be created for access by all counselors.
iii. Many students don’t have these skills, for example, self regulation.
iv. Need to consider development stages for students.
v. Teachers will need training on how to teach these skills.
1. Resources will be available.
e. Digital Citizenship Coaching at Diamond Middle School
i. Our DLC has the curriculum and has been presenting to students at
each grade level.
ii. Goal is not to scare students but how they can have a more positive
experience in the digital world.
iii. We will plan an overview for school council.
iv. The district is pushing for this initiative and how to roll out some of the
courses being identified.
D. Meeting Adjourned: 7:38 AM
E. Next meeting: May 16, 2024