Posts Tagged ‘CDE’

Celebrating Constitution Day – Monday, September 17

September 11th, 2012


The United States officially recognizes September 17 as Constitution and Citizenship Day in commemoration of the September 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution.

Constitution Day is a time for reflection and learning that focuses upon the legacy left by our forefathers who constructed the most influential document in American history. As educators, Constitution Day provides an opportunity to develop the habits of good citizenship, democracy, and responsible leadership in our upcoming generation.

Constitution Day is for Every Student

In honor of Constitution Day, all educational institutions receiving federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the U.S. Constitution.  All students in the Thompson School District will engage in teacher-developed lessons addressing grade-level appropriate concepts aligned with civic education, our government framework, and the historical and current implications of our nation’s Constitution.

There are a many great resources available to students to learn about the Constitution in our school and classroom libraries.  However, some of the most engaging resources are found on the Internet as developed by national foundations dedicated to this cause.

The National Constitution Day Center

The National Constitution Center is the first and only nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution and its legacy of freedom. Located two blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Historic Philadelphia, the Center illuminates constitutional ideals and inspires active citizenship as a state-of-the-art museum, a civic education hub and a national town hall. A wide range of resources are available to both teachers and students at the elementary, middle and high school level. Students can take turns taking the quiz, Which Founder are You? and see which founder they are most like. Or, students can take a sample Naturalization Test and learn what it takes to become an American citizen. Fun and educationally strong games can be accessed at the National Constitution Day Center as well. The Bill of Rights Game engages elementary-aged students in a simulation to reconstruct the Bill of Rights and find the missing freedoms.  Interactive videos like the Constitution Hall Pass engage students in deepening their understanding of United State’s great “experiment with democracy” After interacting with the video, students are prompted to discuss the following questions:

  1. How is the United States “an experiment in democracy?” How is it like a swinging pendulum?
  2. What’s the meaning of “No taxation without representation,” and why did the colonists feel so strongly about it?
  3. Who was the Father of the Constitution? How did he help shape the Presidency? Who else helped shape the Presidency?
  4. What is the Electoral College, and why does it exist? How does it work?
  5. Can you name some famous Presidents from history who had an impact on the office?

The Center for Civic Education

The Center for Civic Education is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to fostering the development of informed, responsible participation in civic life by citizens committed to the values and principles fundamental to American constitutional democracy. The Center offers a wide range of curricular materials, teacher trainings, community-based programs, and other free resources including the National Standards for Civics & Government.

Their website hosts various lesson plans developmentally appropriate for Kindergarten through High School students. The Matching Game introduces kindergarten students to the Constitution. Students participate and learn what the Constitution is and what it does for them. They learn key images related to the Constitution and its history. In their lesson, What Basic Ideas about Government Are Included in the Preamble to the Constitution, is appropriate for 5th and 6th grade students.  This lesson explores some of the ideas in the Preamble to the Constitution. Students read the Preamble and develop definitions for the six key phrases in the document. Finally, To Amend or Not to Amend, That’s Been the Question is a lesson designed for 9th and 10th grade students. This lesson asks students to examine recent proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution, analyze them for public policy triggering mechanisms, and compare and contrast them to amendments that have been ratified.

Colorado Libraries Support Constitution Day

Free Constitution Day resources have been assembled by certified teacher librarians and hosted on the Colorado Department of Education.

We hope these prove valuable to librarians, teachers, faculty and the general public, any group creating an exciting commemoration. Some of the materials are bookmarks, lesson plans, links to the Bill of Rights and Constitution, games for youngsters, bibliographies, and lots more. Visit the pages below for free materials for you to download and copy as well as links to additional items.

Included are reading lists appropriate for adults and children. Constitution Day coloring books, toolkits, bookmarks, and word puzzles.

Other Great Resources

The Library of Congress has created a collection of Teaching with Primary Sources that targets Constitution Day as well as an additional resource bank for Constitution Day.

And, as you may also know, all educational institutions that receive federal funding from the US Department of Education are required to honor this key historical event with educational program pertaining to the Constitution.

The official, federal Constitution Day! website is packed with resources as well. This resource bank was compiled by the National Constitution Center.  The National Archives has also compiled a resource bank of excellent materials.

I really like what the State of California has compiled for their Constitution Day resource bank. They have a good collection of resources developmentally appropriate materials by grade K-12. They link to a copy of the Constitution written in Spanish that is helpful.

Especially for Elementary Students

Would love to learn from you – What resources do you use in your classroom to support Constitution Day?

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Colorado Integration Project Teachers Collaborate at National Gates Foundation Convening

June 30th, 2012

It was hot when we left Denver on June 18, but is was hot and sticky when we arrived in Atlanta with minutes to spare prior to the opening of the My Group Genius National Convening at the Marriott Marquis.  Approximately 20 Thompson educators, administrators and Superintendent Ron Cabrera made the trek to Atlanta funded by our philanthropic grantors, the Colorado Legacy Foundation. This was an exciting pilgrimage for our group as it was an opportunity to collaborate and learn from other participants engaged in work of systematically integrating the Common Core State Standards in Math and English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.

During the intensive three day convening, Thompson educators along with members of the Colorado Integration Project districts and educators from New York, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Ohio, and Florida engaged in a dynamic gathering of people from diverse backgrounds dedicated to changing lives through changing education practice. The conversations focused on what was working for the districts that were using the Math Design Collaborative and Literacy Design Collaborative tools, and what wasn’t. Our opportunity to engage in these conversations was critical, as many of the participants were a year ahead of us in their implementation.  Colorado, being in the second wave of pilot states engaging in this national work, was able to learn from others and bring our own learning to the table as well.

The Math Design Collaborative (#mathcollab on Twitter) is a network of teachers using sets of Formative Assessment Lessons developed by the Shell Center for Mathematical Education. All the tools developed and piloted will eventually be available to all educators, around the globe, for free.  This open source idea is mirrored in the work of the Literacy Design Collaborative (#litcollab on Twitter), which supports teachers as they learn to design powerfully engaging and rigorous modules of instruction based on the new Common Core standards in literacy.

The Common Core State Standards were designed to “provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers” (CCSS, 2012). The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set an ambitious K-12 education goal: to graduate all students college-ready. Currently, only a third of American students graduate on-time with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed beyond high school.  Gates has strategically focused on effective teaching, strong standards, curriculum and assessments as the path to raise the level of learning in our schools.

Furthermore, the Gates foundation believes in providing high level support to the school and district leaders who are tasked with the responsibility of making this work flourish in their professional communities.  And so, during the convening while there were breakout collaboration sessions for the math and literacy teachers, there were also interactive sessions for the administrators. In order to support teachers, administrators need a strong understanding of world class instruction, formative assessment, and engaging curriculum design as well as the organizational structures they must support to make this happen.

In November, 2011 the Colorado Legacy Foundation named Thompson School District an integration partner and provided $1.7 million in monies to support Colorado’s Educator Effectiveness goals. “With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy” (CCSS, 2012).  With Thompson students prepared for their future, we fulfill the duty to our community as public school educators.

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Will the New State Standards Transform Education?

August 10th, 2010

Hope by MatteoSP CC

Yes!  But only if we Colorado educators make it so…

As we return to the classrooms this fall, we know that we have one year to familiarize ourselves with the new state standards before being required by law to implement them in December, 2011.

If you attended one of the regional meetings facilitated by the Colorado Department of Education, or visited their site about the new state standards, then you know that the state has a strong desire for districts to revolutionize instructional practice and that their worst fear is losing this opportunity to do so.

They want the new standards to be the catalyst that transforms education in Colorado.


They want our schools to focus on the dispositions, skills and knowledge students need to be successful in the 21st century.


They want our schools to shift their focus from basic skills which hang on the lowest rung of Bloom’s Taxonomy to those which rest on the highest rung of that ladder and involve analysis, application, and creation.


They want students actively engaged in relevant, authentic 21st Century tasks that support critical analysis, problem solving, creative and innovative thinking across a wide range of topics and through a global perspective.

They know that the only way we will close the global achievement gap described by Tony Wagner, is to reverse current practices that have reduced deep learning to skill and drill practice sessions designed to increase student achievement as measured by the current state assessments.

We in Thompson believe we can use this opportunity to reflect upon the new state standards, and those currently being aligned with the Common Core in reading and math, and transform the educational experience for each and every child in our community.

We will use this school year to delve into the new standards, understand the possibilities and potential for robust learning within them, work collaboratively to develop a shared vision for common student outcomes in all of our courses, share these with families and students, and leverage our resources and systems to support teachers and schools with the materials, knowledge, skills and innovative pathways to make this transformation a reality.

Using the Teaching & Learning Cycle, we will begin by focusing on the questions:

  1. What should all students learn and why?
  2. How will we know all students have learned?
  3. How will we teach to ensure all students learn?
  4. How will we respond when students don’t learn or learn prior to expectation?

This year we will focus on the first two questions. This will provide us a strong foundation to really understand what we want students to know and be able to do.

The new assessment design is still in play. The assessment committees are beginning to meet and hopefully have the opportunity and wherewithal to give themselves the chance to really do some out of the box thinking about assessments.

Few educators I know believe much will change unless the assessment system changes in a meaningful way.  They know that we can incorporate all the higher level learning targets we want but if these targets are not assessed by the state, the pressure to ensure the mastery of the skills which are assessed will continue to be the main focus of school based work.

However, I believe we should put aside our skepticism for a while. Let us capture this opportunity to build a vision of new possibilities. Let us reframe our capacity to challenge our students to achieve, empower them to learn, and inspire them to succeed in the present and the future while using these new standards as a catalyst for that transformation.

I  know that I am looking forward to discovering how we can use this opportunity to strengthen our vision of learning across our community, together.

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Enhancing Collaboration using Educational Belief Systems

June 6th, 2010

If I asked you, “What is the goal of education?” how might you answer?

Would you say you feel the the goal of education is to help students be all they can be?  Or, might you explain that it’s really about providing students the foundational skills to ensure they have what they need to be college and career ready?  Or, would you suggest that the true goal of education is to enrich a democratic society, foster equality, equity, and a brilliant civilized world.

What are your hunches about the similarities or differences between what you think and what your educational colleagues think? And, that of your superiors – or your students’ families – or your students themselves?

Arthur Costa and Robert Garmston, authors of, Cognitive Coaching: a Foundation for Renaissance Schools, categorize how a person answers that question into five Educational Belief Systems.

  • The Cognitive Processor believes the goal of education is to develop student’s ability to think clearly, use intellectual reasoning to solve problems, and make rational decisions.
  • The Self-Actualizer believes that education should nurture the individual child’s unique potential to allow full development of his or her creativity and sensitivity, and encourage personal integrity, love of learning, and self-fulfillment.
  • The Technologist believes the purpose of education is to diagnose the learner’s needs and abilities, and design instructional strategies that develop skills and competencies in a step-by-step sequential manner.
  • The Academic Rationalist believes education should transmit to young people the basic knowledge, skills, traditions, academic concepts and values necessary to interpret, participate in, and further heritage and traditions of our country.
  • The Social Reconstructivist believes the purpose of education is to create an intense awareness of the critical social, global, and environmental issues and develop a consciousness of responsibility and reform to ensure the survival of society.

Educational belief systems are highlighted during Cognitive Coaching Foundation Training to help educators uncover their own particular viewpoints that may create bias and distract from effective listening.  Educators who understand these belief systems are also able to use this understanding to listen for themes that indicate identity, values, and as well as core beliefs.  Paraphrasing these beliefs may cause cognitive shift through consciousness raising.  Questioning through the lens of these five educational belief systems can support those being coached by increasing their flexibility in thinking.

As a director of curriculum and instruction I have found success in conducting mini-lessons around these educational belief systems with educators:

  • to develop and increase trust among staff, students and families
  • to activate readiness and a positive mindset for ensuing change and/or reform whether mandated or site initiated
  • to build stronger collaborative practices among teams of educators

A recent example has been teaching teacher leaders about these educational belief systems, and then prompting them to read the Overview of State Standards Changes provided by the Colorado Department of Education on the development, design, and intended outcomes of the new state standards.  After the reading, I lead one small group into thinking about how an educator with a cognitive processor belief system might find value in the new state standards, and then another small group thinking through the same prompt from a self-actualizer perspective, and another using the technologist viewpoint, and so forth with the academic rationalist and the social reconstructivist viewpoints.  We have found that there is much to value about the new standards from each of the educational belief systems lenses.  As a large group we remixed and shared our thinking about how this knowledge might shape our introduction of the new standards with educators across our district.

Another example was as a presenter at the Tointon Institute for Educational Change, where I recently led 12 school leadership teams to think through an upcoming initiative or change through the lens of each educational belief system.  We found that each of the schools, who had very different initiatives and projects underway, was able to successfully use these belief systems to enhance their individual perspectives on the reform and hypothesize their positive and/or negative connections to it. The school teams were eager to share their new thinking about educational belief systems with their building colleagues with the idea that this knowledge would enhance their ability as a system to 1) understand each other’s personal perspectives and viewpoints which would, 2) lead them to more effectively implement change.

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CDE Posts New Resource to Support Standards – Crosswalks

March 17th, 2010

In order to help all of us better understand the new Colorado state standards, the folks at CDE created matrices that crosswalk the the alignment between the old benchmarks and the new student outcomes.

If you are a teacher leader providing site-based support, or a very interested teacher – take some time to check out these tools at http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/UAS/Crosswalk/CAS_Crosswalk.html

Here you can download each of the crosswalks by content area.  You can be certain that our P-12 Councils, Instructional Coaches, principals, TOSAs and other curriculum leaders will be using these vital resources to support our district transition towards the new standards.  You can access the actual standards documents here.

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