Mike Falick's Blog

Evel Knievel: 1938-2007

If you were 8 in 1973 and didn't have this toy, you really missed out (on the opportunity to grind your knuckles on the concrete as you tried to get Evel to jump over whatever you set up).

RIP Evel........

Here's Evel's 1971 jump at the Astrodome:

Painting the Clouds: The Problem with Teaching to the Test

One of the blogs I read daily is David Warlick's 2¢ Worth blog.  David is an education futurist who speaks all over the country.  (He will be in Houston on March 28, 2008, to speak at the Houston A+/American Leadership Forum Convocation.

I thought you would enjoy his perspective taken from his post today on why teaching kids to pass "the test" is really like trying to "paint the clouds."

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Painting the Clouds

November 30th, 2007

First, I want to say, I am certain that the two people I’ll be referring to a  good, caring, talented educators, with the very best intentions at heart.  I feel a bit uncomfortable and even sneaky reporting on the conversation here, but I am pretty sure that this is important — either in terms of my objections or in terms of finding, from you, that I’m wrong.

It was a teacher and a principal of an elementary school in a rural county of North Carolina.  I asked my usual question, “What’s knocked your socks off?”  The young one, the teacher, 4 years experience, started telling me about a web service that they are excited about.  She was practically bubbling.  I listened.  Then she described an online assessment service that was tied directly to the North Carolina standards, and that it would enable the teachers to frequently test their students’ mastery of specific standards,  evaluate their strategies, and adapt.

Now normally, I’m losing interest at this point, but she was so excited, I have to say it was contagious.  My skeptic antenna stayed put, and I started proding with questions.  The principal, then, described the assessment tool that they were currently using, and how it worked, and I interrupted.  “So how good has your current assessment tool been at predicting performance on the state’s End of Grade test?

She looked at me, and said, “Terrible!”  She said, we were so excited and proud, and proud of our students, when testing time came, because they were doing so well with the assessments.  But then, the test scores came back and they were very bad (don’t recall the descriptive word she used).  This is why they are so excited about the new tool, that seems better aligned with the style of the NC tests.

OK, most of the readers here know where I’m going with this, so there’s no need to elaborate.  But as we were climbing to our cruising altitude last night, approaching the Appalachian mountains, I thought, we’re trying to paint the clouds.  Our kids are not a picket fence with identical rails you can paint.  They’re all different, they all have different strengths and weaknesses, talents and challenges, surfaces and depths — and they’ll all need to know different things for their futures, futures we can’t even describe.  Certainly they need to learn certain basic literacy skills (which we’re still trying to redefine).  And we need to be sure these skills are attained.

But when we teach kids how to pass tests, we’re trying to paint a picture on to something that just won't hold it.  Looking out to the west, and seeing the setting sun shine through the ubiquitous clouds of the Smokies, I felt that this is how to get your picture.  Not by painting the clouds, but by showing the sun shine through the clouds.  Empower learners to surprise you with their brilliance.

And, perhaps even more important, what did those children think, when they’d been so successful with the schools assessment practices, only to fail the state test.  What do schools mean to these children.  How long will they stay in those schools?

Recap of Tonight's Board Meeting

Our Board held its regular monthly meeting tonight.  Here's a recap of the issues discussed and actions taken on tonight's Agenda.

• Trustee Dave Converse delivered the invocation.
• We had four special presentations:
• Our November Employee of the Month is Cheryl Laucher, the Librarian for Spring Woods Middle School.
• Our November Volunteers of the Month are Curt Martin and David Slattery who jointly lead the Bond Advisory Committee.
• We then acknowledged the District's Gold Performance Acknowledgements for our schools based on performance on TAKS, AP/IB results, advanced course completion, students completing the recommended high school curriculum, SAT/ACT results, and results of the Texas Success Initiative.
• Our final special presentation was the presentation of a Grant from Washington Mutual for the District's Leadership Academy.
• We then had Citizens Participation.  No one spoke during Citizens Participation.
• Next was a Public Hearing on a new section of the Tax Code dealing with taxable personal property in transit.  We had no speakers on this issue.
• Each Board member then gave liaison report.
• We then received our Quarterly Energy Report.
• The Board then continued with our ongoing revision of our Board Policies with first readings of TASB Policy Update 81, DEA (Local) Compensation and Benefits: Salaries, Wages, and Stipends, and CFE (Local) Accounting: Payroll Procedures.  We then adopted the revised BF (Local) Board Policies.
• We then approved the Budget Status Summary Report with Budget Amendments as of October 31, 2007 and the Facility Improvement Program Monthly Status Report as of October 31, 2007.
• The Board then approved a number of contracts, including the acquisition of the 85 new buses promised in the recently passed Bond election.
• We approved the District's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year ended June 30, 2007, and the sale of property.
• We also approved a resolution to tax taxable personal property in transit and a resolution to purchase the buses, and our consent agenda.
• We concluded our meeting with a discussion on the status and implementation of the 2007 Bond plan including a discussion concerning the formation of the Bond Oversight Committee.

Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum Family Fun Day is December 8 from 1p-3p: Art Projects and Cookies!

Spring Branch's Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum, located at 901 Yorkchester (on the North side of the Westchester Academy for International Studies, is hosting one of its Family Fun Days on Saturday, December 8th, from 1p-3p.

Definr: The Fastest Online Dictionary

Tired of dictionary.com?  Think it's too slow or not comprehensive enough? 

Then definr is for you.  It is lightening fast, suggests words if you misspell your choice, and even completes your word so you don't have to type as much.

National Teachers Hall of Fame: Nominate a Deserving Spring Branch ISD Teacher

Here's an opportunity to recognize the work of your favorite teacher.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame is accepting nominations now through January 2, 2008. 

The Hall of Fame "is the only facility of its kind dedicated to recognizing career teachers, to preserving and promoting education, and to serving our country by inspiring others to enter the teaching profession."

The factors the National Teachers Hall of Fame uses to determine inductees into the Hall of Fame:

1. Extent of formal education and degrees held. May also include special achievements like National Board Certification.
2. Honors received including, but not be limited to: The Disney Awards, National and/or State Teacher of The Year, Christa McAuliffe, Readers Digest, US WEST, Learning Magazine, Milken, Tandy, and Golden Apple.
3. Professional Profile, including what brought them into the teaching profession and any personal accomplishments or student achievements.
4. The philosophy which guides the nominee's teaching and the extent of dedication to the profession of teaching. As a corollary, who is the nominee and what makes this individual an exceptional person and teacher.
5. Depth and breadth of knowledge of teaching and, as important, what nominees have done/are doing with that knowledge. In other words, are exceptional and/or innovative teaching practices reflected in the nominee's work?
6. Ability to identify the most pressing educational issues facing our country and to offer plausible solutions.
7. Professional Development/Involvement, including attendance and leadership at meetings and seminars to keep current in their field and the profession, and the extent to which nominees share their personal expertise with colleagues and others.
8. Quality of letters of reference and specific affirmation of contributions to education of children and the profession.
9. Significant contributions involving, benefitting, and serving students, school, profession, community, and society; quality of responses (creativity, clarity, conciseness).

For more information about the selection process, see: Selection Committee

So if you know a teacher who deserves this honor, fill out the nomination form by January 2, 2008. 

Happy Thanksgiving: The History of Thanksgiving (and My Prior Thanksgiving Day Posts)

The History Channel has posted the history of Thanksgiving.

From the History Channel website:

Ever wonder what the pilgrims and their Native American guests really ate at the first feast? The truth may surprise you. Contrary to popular belief, they didn't sit down to a meal featuring turkey, corn, cranberries, and pumpkin pie (in fact, they didn't even have forks!).

Travel back to Plymouth and discover some of the humble origins of Thanksgiving traditions we celebrate today and what the original celebration was actually like!

Please feel free to click on the links below for my Thanksgiving posts from

2006: (HAPPY THANKSGIVING: Here are 23 Things You Probably Don't Know About Turkeys)

2005: (Mickey Herskowitz's tribute to his son).

Project Gutenberg: Over 100,000 Free Books Online

One of the largest available free education resources for books on the internet is Project Gutenberg.

There are over 20,000 free books in the Project Gutenberg Online Book Catalog. 

A grand total of over 100,000 titles is available at Project Gutenberg Partners, Affiliates and Resources.

You can also visit Project Gutenberg Australia for an additional 1,500 books.

Just in Time for that Thanksgiving Road Trip Here are 27 Free Games to Keep Your Kids Entertained

Just in time for that Thanksgiving road trip, Travelhacker gives us 27 free games to keep your kids entertained on a road trip.  Here they are (including after the jump below):

27 Free Games to Keep Your Kids Entertained on a Road Trip

By Christina Laun

While the idea of driving hours with a car full of children may send shivers down the spine of even the most patient of parents, a family road trip doesn’t have to be a stressful endeavor. There are tons of games you can play with your children that will keep the “are we there yets” at bay. Best of all, they won’t cost you a thing. Here is a list of some road trip games and activities you can play with your children.

1. The Grocery Game: Whether you want to challenge your memory or just whet your appetite for lunch, the grocery game is a great way to pass the time on your drive. One person starts with naming something that can be bought at the grocery store that starts with the letter ‘A’, such as “apples”. The next player would have to repeat the first person’s answer as well as add on a food that begins with the letter ‘B’. If you mess up, you’re out, and the game continues until only one memory-gifted player remains. If you get bored with groceries, try using another topic.
2. The Geography Game: Help your kids refresh their geography lessons while on the road with the geography game. The game begins with a person naming any place in the world, London for example. The next person then has to come up with a place name that begins with the last letter of the first location. So in this case, the next place would have to start with an ‘N’, like Nepal for instance. The game continues on until someone gets stumped, and no place can be used more than once. The game can be played with any topic, so give celebrity names, movies, animals or anything else you can think of a try.
3. License Plate Bingo: To play this game you’ll need to bring along a few writing utensils and have paper to use for game cards. If you’d like, you can print out game cards ahead of time here. There are a few variations of this game, so you can either write down the names of states as your bingo squares or random letters and numbers. As players see the states or letters and numbers on passing license plates they cross them off. First player to get 5 in a row wins, and it might be a good idea to keep a few prizes on hand for the lucky winner.
4. Card Games: Never underestimate the power of card games to keep your kids entertained. Bring along a set of cards from home and challenge kids to play their old favorites like old maid, go fish, and rummy. If you want to find new games, check out a book on card games at your local library or print out instructions for kids games here.

Texas Education Agency Releases Revised Dyslexia Handbook: Details Procedures to Follow to Identify and Provide Services to Students with Dyslexia

The Texas Education Agency has released the Revised Dyslexia Handbook which details procedures for school districts to follow to identify and provide services for students with dyslexia.

The Handbook also provides a valuable resource for the State of Texas' and Federal laws concerning dyslexia and the services to be provided to identified students.

The Handbook is currently available here.

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FROM THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY:

DATE: November 6, 2007

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT: Revised Dyslexia Handbook

In November 2006 the State Board of Education (SBOE) reviewed and approved The Dyslexia Handbook Revised 2007: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders. This handbook replaces all previous handbooks and guidelines and introduces legal changes with the addition of Texas Education Code (TEC) §7.028(b) and with revisions to Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §74.28(c) and (h).

The handbook contains the SBOE-approved procedures concerning dyslexia and related disorders and provides guidelines for school districts to follow as they identify and provide services for students with dyslexia.  Additionally, the handbook provides school districts and parents/guardians with information regarding the state’s dyslexia statutes and their relation to the following federal laws: the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, §504, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

In addition to the handbook resources for schools and parents include a State Dyslexia Network, a State Dyslexia Consultant, and a hotline (1-800-232-3030, ext. 1410) at regional Education Service Center (ESC) 10.  There are also designated consultants at each ESC available to assist district stakeholders with implementing state law and SBOE rules and procedures regarding dyslexia.  Please see Attachment A in the handbook for the contact information for the State Dyslexia Consultant at ESC 10 and for each regional Education Service Center.

The revised handbook is currently available in electronic format in both English and Spanish at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/elar/index.html. 

Click on the appropriate link under “Documents.” The handbooks are also available for purchase from the Texas Education Agency Publications Division and the order form may be obtained at
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/elar/OrderForm.pdf.

If you have questions regarding issues related to dyslexia, please feel free to contact Sarah Crippen, Director of English Language Arts and Reading, at (512) 463-9581 or your ESC Dyslexia Coordinator.

Sincerely,

Susan Barnes

Associate Commissioner for Standards and Programs

Attachments:

Education Service Center Dyslexia Contacts