Transparency Files – Page 5 – A Floor, But Not a Ceiling

The Transparency Files: OJCS Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Talk about a niche blog post!

I recognize that I am really narrowing my audience here, but I do think there is some value in sharing aloud (rather than just emailing the contents to our current middle school parents) our thought process around how we structure our parent-teacher conferences in our middle school. Part of the value is that some of the big ideas live beyond that narrow lens, impacting how we view parent-teacher conferences as a school and – more widely – how we view parent engagement and parent partnership. Part of the value – I hope – is that we get some feedback from our current parents and from other schools and school leaders that will positively impact our thinking. It can sometimes feel like you are blogging into the wind, but every now and again, I do get meaningful feedback from a blog post. Here’s hoping this is one of them!

Last year, in a blog post that was more focused on a new-and-improved report card format, we did introduce the following change to our middle school parent-teacher conferences:

With a large number of middle school students and a fair number of middle school teachers, we are going to try to provide a larger window of time with a more strategic number of mutually selected teachers. Instead of signing up for individual conversations with any or all teachers, we are going to be asking for parents to sign up for a 15-minute window and a request for one or two teachers they feel strongly need to be present. Then we will meet as a full middle school faculty and assign teachers to each middle school conference, using parental request and who we believe to be important in the conversations that should happen to best support each child.

I added the boldface above, because that sentence did not seem to be clear (enough) to many families last year and, thus, unintentionally became a source of tension. That is something I am hoping to avoid this year…

Let’s start with the observation that the entire model and structure of traditional parent-teacher conferences is likely obsolete. Why? Let’s count the reasons…

Meaningful parent partnership requires frequent conversation. Two high-leverage, really brief engagement points do not lend themselves to relationship-building.
If the mantra for parent-teacher conferences (and report cards) is “No surprises!” and we’ve done that work already (see above point), then what exactly are these brief encounters designed to accomplish?
How much can you really discuss/show/ask/learn in such brief windows of time? With people running behind schedule, knocking on the doors, etc. – even if you are lucky enough to be having a meaningful moment of engagement, you will likely still wind up frustrated to have it truncated by an artificially imposed time limit.

So why do we still do them?

Well, despite their challenges, they do tend to succeed in bringing more parents into the school and into conversation with their children’s teachers. Brief conversations are better than no conversations. Some opportunity for relationship-building is better than no opportunity for relationship-building. So to the degree that they can and do lead to constructive conversations, it is worth continuing to try to improve upon them.

And that leads back to the changes we made last year for our middle school…

With our North Stars clarified and our culture evolving, we have an opportunity to revisit our programs and processes to be sure they are in alignment. The move to adjust our middle school conferences was designed to ensure that we would land with a format which would provide parents with meaningful and actionable feedback, and provide us with the same in terms of inviting valuable feedback from parents – all in the service of helping our students “own their learning” and that there be “a floor, but not a ceiling” for each student.

Because we view this as a partnership, we believe it is important that both parent and teacher voice contribute to the conversation, and to determining who sits around the table. Unlike the public board at the middle school and high school levels, we don’t believe a process which only honours parent choice serves our needs. As we said above, when it is time to decide who should sit around the parent-teacher conference table, we “meet as a full middle school faculty and assign teachers to each middle school conference, using parental request and who we believe to be important in the conversations that should happen to best support each child.”

Why? Why not just let parents decide who and how to spend their valuable, ever-so-short, window of time?

Well, it is the same reason we don’t do it in the Lower School. We believe that each part of our curriculum is important and that who your child is – how they behave, how they are feeling, their academic growth, etc., – across different teachers is valuable for parents to know. We don’t feel like you will have a full picture of your child and we don’t feel that we can get the feedback we need to serve your child, without having diverse representation. If we had more time, we’d have the full 7-9 teachers around a larger table. But we don’t. So we give parents and teachers an opportunity to build a smaller team to meet in partnership.

It is worth noting that any parent at any time can request any meeting with any teacher. It is not like this is your only opportunity to have 15 minutes with your child’s Math Teacher. Or French. Or Hebrew. But for one of two nights a year, it is a wonderful (even with its structural flaws) opportunity to come together as a team of people who care deeply about your child to share what is working, discuss what might not be, plan for what could be, strengthen our own relationships, and chart a course for a successful next term.

We are looking forward to a wonderful week of conferences. See you there!

The Transparency Files: The OJCS 2019-2020 Faculty

I realize that I may have squeezed out five blog posts over the last two weeks, but that for many of you, this is the annual post you have been waiting for…

It is amazing to note that we have reached this point in the calendar and that the final two weeks of school are in front of us! It has been such an extraordinary year here at OJCS and we are already busy planning for the next one. I can appreciate that no one – including me! – wants to wish their summer away, but we are so excited about what is in store that we almost cannot wait to begin again!

Speaking of next year…

As you hopefully have already heard, we are saying goodbye to Rabbi Finkelstein and Noga Reiss who will be retiring at the end of this school year after long and distinguished careers at OJCS. [Hopefully you are planning on attending their Retirement Tea on Sunday, June 23rd at 3:00 PM here at the school. Email the office to RSVP.] These two faculty members have contributed much to our school and each will be missed.

The search process to fill Rabbi Finkelstein’s and other existing and new positions is underway and we will continue to update you as we make hires between now and the beginning of next year.

Looking back at last year’s post, I am struck by how many new structures and departments we introduced and that here, a year later, how much more stable we have become. Last year, we introduced new schedules, increased contact time with both Hebrew and French, a new Department of Special Education, and a new Educational Leadership Team. This year, we are simply letting you know who the key ingredients to the meal we are cooking together will be…

It does not mean that we are content or don’t have lots of work still ahead of us in order to become the school we seek to become! In order to reach those “North Stars,” our teachers are looking forward to a year to live them more fully, to make sure the strategies we have developed (such as “prototyping”) are understood, to give us all a chance to better understand the whys and hows of classroom blogs, to implement a new homework philosophy, to truly strengthen the “J” in OJCS, to open our makerspace, and to launch a powerful new partnership to enhance French language education. This will be more than enough to keep us joyfully busy into next year and beyond…

Finally, you will see below a few places where we have decided to absorb the cost of splitting classes, not just because enrollment in those classes may be going up, but because our promise to parents of personalization requires us to staff according to need, not to numbers, and we intend to deliver on those promises.

OK, I think I have given a lengthy enough preamble. Let’s get excited about this gifted and loving group of teachers and administrators who will partner with our parents in the sacred work of educating our children. I know I am!

The 2019-2020 OJCS Faculty & Staff

Lower School General Studies Faculty

Kindergarten: Janet Darwish, Dora Scharf (French) & Taylor Smith (EA)
Grade One: Ann-Lynn Rapoport & Dora Scharf (French) [TWO Classes]
Grade Two: Lianna Krantzberg & Dora Scharf/Aaron Polowin (French) [TWO Classes]
Grade Three: Faye Mellenthin & Aaron Polowin (French)
Grade Four: Julie Bennett, a French Teacher (Core) & Aaron Polowin (Extended) [TWO Classes]
Grade Five: Melissa Thompson, a French Teacher (Core) & Aaron Polowin (Extended)

Lower School Jewish Studies Faculty

Kitah Gan: Shira Waldman
Kitah Alef: Ada Aizenberg [TWO CLASSES]
Kitah Bet: Bethany Goldstein [TWO CLASSES]
Kitah Gimmel: Sigal Baray
Kitah Dalet: Yardena Kaiman [TWO CLASSES]
Kitah Hay: Gonen Sagy

Middle School Faculty

Grade 6 Educational Assistant: An Educational Assistant
Science: Josh Ray
Mathematics: Chelsea Cleveland
Language Arts: Mike Washerstein
Social Studies: Deanna Bertrend
Extended French: Stéphane Cinanni
Core French: French Teacher
Hebrew: Gonen Sagy (Level I) & Ruthie Lebovich (Level II)
Jewish Studies: Mike Washerstein
Rabbinics: A Rabbinics Teacher

Specialists

Art: Shira Waldman
Music: A Music Teacher
PE: Josh Ray, Faye Mellenthin (Grades 1, 2 & MS Girls) & Linda Signer (K)
Library: Brigitte Ruel

Department of Special Education

Keren Gordon, Vice Principal
Sharon Reichstein, Director of Special Needs
Linda Signer, Resource Teacher
Brian Kom, Resource Teacher
Chelsea Cleveland, Math Resource
Shira Waldman/Sigal Baray, Hebrew Resource*
French Teacher, French Resource*

Education Leadership Team

Melissa Thompson, Teaching & Learning Coordinator
Deanna Bertrend, Student Life Coordinator

Administration

Josh Max – IT & Technology Support
Ellie Kamil – Executive Assistant to the Head of School
Head of Jewish Studies – Head of Jewish Studies
Development Director – Director of Development*
Jennifer Greenberg – Director of Recruitment
Keren Gordon – Vice-Principal
Dr. Jon Mitzmacher – Head of School

We are moving full steam ahead with candidates for all the above positions and between our extraordinary returning teachers and the quality of the candidates we have met thus far for new teachers, we know that the future is bright at OJCS.

*New position for 2019-2020.

This likely ends my weekly blogging for the season. I will be away with our Grade 8s next week on their GRAD Trip to NYC (follow us on social media!) and then it is OJCS Graduation, Last Day of School and Faculty Pre-Pre-Planning (our PD days where we pivot towards the next year). I will blog through the summer if and when there is what to share. Our office remains open, of course, but administration will take staggered vacation throughout the summer to make sure our saws are fully sharpened for 2019-2020.

The Transparency Files: Evaluation of Self

Although the weather outside is only finally warming up, it is actually June and we have reached our final month of this amazing 2019-2020 school year! It is hard to believe how much has happened this year and how much we still have on tap for the final weeks! Circumstances led me to switch up the order of my annual series of closing “Transparency Files” blog posts. This year, I began with the results of the Annual Parent Survey and the results of the Annual Faculty Survey (shared directly with Faculty), am now moving here to my self-evaluation, and will finish with a discussion of next year’s new initiatives and conclude with an introduction of the 2019-2020 OJCS Faculty.

So let’s lean in…

We are in that “evaluation” time of year! As Head of School, I have the responsibility for performing the evaluation of staff and faculty each year. Fittingly, they have an opportunity to do the same of me. Our Annual Faculty Survey presents current teachers and staff with the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback of my performance as Head of School. Please know that I have already shared the results and analysis with the faculty and have sent the full unedited results to our Board’s Head Support & Evaluation Committee as part of their data collection for my evaluation.

You are welcome to review last year’s self-evaluation post before moving onto this year’s…

This year’s self-evaluation is based on goals created for this year (which was done at the beginning of the year in consultation with that same Head Support & Evaluation Committee). You will not find a complete laundry list of my day-to-day responsibilities. [I am focusing here on more of my “principal’s” responsibilities, not as much on my “head of school’s” (i.e. fundraising, marketing, budgeting, etc.)] You will find selected components [there are more goals in each area than I am highlighting here] for the 2018-2019 OJCS academic year:

Establish steady and measurable growth of the student population

Establish and drive a recruitment plan to promote the school and attract new students.
1. Develop a recruitment strategy with the Admissions Director by December 1st.
2. Review and track recruitment effectiveness and make adjustments as required (ongoing, but December – April is the key period).
Design and execute a retention strategy and plan.
1. Develop a “moves management” database for all current families and launch weekly retention meetings with Admissions Director by first week in December.
2. Annual Parent Survey is taken each May, shared with families and utilized in plans for the following years (when appropriate).
3. Complete exit interviews/surveys with students and parents to better understand reasons for leaving are done as decisions become final in the Spring.
4. Parent Ambassador for all new OJCS families to launch the first week of school.
Strengthen pipeline with Ganon & Early Beginnings.
1. Meet with directors to share updates and solicit feedback twice-yearly (December & May).
2. Schedule engagement opportunities for Ganon and Early Beginnings JKs w/OJCS K for November.
3. Develop a plan for the ongoing transition of Ganon’s JK to OJCS by February.
Deepen relationships with synagogues.
1. Re-launch the Rabbinic Advisory Committee in November with a goal of identifying concrete engagement opportunities for OJCS and each synagogue.
2. Meet with each Rabbi by January to identify a specific engagement opportunity for Jon (speaking, Shabbat dinner, etc) and a select group of prospective parents.

OJCS is a school of excellence (through our work with NoTosh we aspire to be “the best school in Ottawa”)

Translating our “North Stars” (“The OJCS Way”) into a strategy document.
1. Work with NoTosh to revise final strategy document by December 1st.
2. Translate the strategy document into a slide-deck for presentation to teachers/board/parents by January.
3. Create parent collateral to help drive external identification of “The OJCS Way” with “excellence”.
Connecting the dots between our work with NoTosh and our work with Silvia Tolisano.
1. Meet with members of the NoTosh Design Team and the Silvia Cohort to keep everyone on the same page (ongoing).
2. Encourage at least 10-15 prototypes through the prototype protocol.
Clarify what role the CAT-4 plays in evaluating academic “excellence”.
1. Analyze CAT-4 results with teachers to evaluate how useful they are in shaping instruction.
2. Based on data and “The OJCS Way” blog out results while holding individual parent meetings (as needed).
Create a technology plan for teachers, students and school.
1. Work with Technology Director to develop plans for current and desire technology in the school.
2. Work with teachers – and then parents – to decide which devices students will need to have (both in school and at home) in which grades.
Develop a comprehensive Professional Development (PD) plan.
1. Ensure that each teacher has a signed Professional Growth Plan (PGP) by November.
2. Work with new Coordinators to see what common themes arise from PGPs and decide where and how to address over the course of the year (PD days, faculty meetings, conferences, resources, etc.).
(Constantly) improve faculty morale.
1. Launched “Positive Notes” prototype in January
2. Results from the Annual Faculty Survey indicate success.

OJCS inspires Jewish journeys in its students, families and community.

Deepen and develop personal relationships with holiday and Shabbat experiences.
1. Invite children’s classes to house for Sukkot (September).
2. Begin rotating families through for Shabbat dinners.
3. Prototype at least one holiday workshop with PTA.
Expand holiday family experiences.
1. Make sure each grade has at least two Kabbalat Shabbat experiences at school.
2. Grow our annual Chanukah and Passover celebrations to deepen family engagement.
3. Coach a few teachers who have family engagement as part of their PGP to maximize their prototypes.
Thought-leadership.
1. Make sure blog has appropriate balance, including connections between the way Judaism is lived in school and how it could be lived at home.
2. Work with local synagogues on Shabbat and holiday programming.

I am pleased to say that we managed to hit many of the above goals and are on our way to hitting the rest! Here are some things to focus in on…

…we just recently met with our friends at the SJCC and Ganon Preschool to deliver preliminary plans for the next two years of transition of JK from Ganon to OJCS and we are holding meetings this month between JK and SK teachers to launch new initiatives in 2019-2020.

…we are pleased to be cosponsoring a Shavuot program this week with Congregation Beit Tikvah and co-facilitating a Shavuot program with Kehillat Beth Israel.

…we are meeting with PTA leadership this week to pass along feedback from the Annual Parent Survey and to explore ways to engage more parents in holiday workshops or other parent education opportunities. This is an area we are desperate to improve in next year.

…we have drafted a BYOD (bring your own device) policy for Grades 4-8, which will be sent to parents later on this month.

…the schedule kinda got away from us, but we do have a final K-5 Kabbalat Shabbat on June 21st at 3:00 PM!

Those are just some highlights! As always, your feedback – whether publicly commented here, privately shared with me through email or social media, or directly shared through conversation – is greatly appreciated. As I told our teachers, I look forward to getting better at my job and I am thankful for the feedback I receive that allows me to try.

The Transparency Files: Annual Parent Survey

This is probably a couple of weeks later than I had hoped, but I am pleased to share with you the results of this year’s Annual Parent Survey! If you want a full comparison with last year, you can reread those results or toggle back and forth. What I will try to do here, is to capture the highlights now that we have a baseline for comparison.

The first thing to name is that the percentage of students represented in this year’s survey is lower than last year, even if it captures slightly more students. Last year’s survey covered 81 students and this year’s covers 84. Also, the survey is per student, not per family, which means that it is even less representative than that. In the service of anonymity, we have no way to know how many families the survey actually represents. Finally, for most of the sections below, only 70 students – or roughly 40% of the school – is represented in the results. (Surveys of 14 students did not include data outside the opening and closing questions.) We would love to see that number at 70% or higher in the future to be more sure that the results are valid, but as always, we believe that all data is valuable data.

Whereas it is common wisdom that folks with concerns are usually more likely to fill out these surveys, the truth is that it would only strengthen these numbers, because by and by they are pretty good! More than being worried about the motivations for why families do or don’t fill out surveys, we are most concerned that our families feel that they have an opportunity to provide us with feedback and, even more important than that, that the school factors in parent voice as it makes decisions. We can only hope that we prove to families each year that we do take voice seriously, we do lean into healthy critique, and we do want to hear from them. We will revisit when we give the survey, how long we keep the survey window open and how we could incentivize folks to fill them out. We will aim for over 50% next year and 70% in the years to come. In the meanwhile, let’s celebrate the parents who did participate and try to make meaning of what they are telling us.

As was the case last year – and is usually the case everywhere – it is the parents of our youngest students who are the most invested with decreasing participation as the years go on. It is, however, a bit more representative than last year’s group.

This percentage is higher than last year and is confounded a bit by the fact that families who are moving out of Canada for example, or who are graduating would sit in the same “No” with families who attritting before Grade 8. That the percentage is higher has some logic because our attrition rates are down again heading into next year, but I cannot unpack the “No” box while maintaining anonymity. All of this to say is, if it is true that our most critical parents are filling out this survey, the overwhelming majority intend to continue at OJCS. That says a lot about them and about us.

Let’s look at the BIG PICTURE:

So I will remind/tell you that for this and all categories, we look at the range between 7-9 as the healthy band, obviously wanting scores to be closer to 9 than 7, and looking for numbers to go up each year. Last year, our score was 7.13 and this year it is 7.20. Is it healthy? Absolutely, although still closer to the low end of the band than we would prefer. Did it go up? Yes, although not as much we would like considering how much better a school we have become by a variety of other measures. Is there a disconnect between what the school believes is true and what parents see and believe? Is this a failure of communication? These will be important questions for us to chew on. Let’s dig deeper…

A few things jump out…

The topline number is essentially unchanged (7.17 to 7.11), while remaining lower in the healthy band than we would like to see.
Unlike last year, the score for “learning LEVELS” and “learning STYLES” is exactly the same, which leads me to wonder if people understand what we’re actually asking about (are these actually good or clear questions).
Even the ones that are below the healthy range (in the 6s) are actually all up from last year, which hopefully means they will enter that range soon.
I am pleased to see parents have pushed the question about individualized attention into the healthy range (7.09) as it is a core value of the school.
Our lowest score (6.56) is connected to homework, which we had already identified as a critical concern. We hope that the new Homework Philosophy we shared out just a few weeks ago will help see that score rise when it is implemented next year.

So here is where having comparison data is actually helpful. Each score in this section is lower than we want it to be and each score in this section is higher than it was last year. (Remember that we think 7-9 is the healthy range; a “5” still means “satisfied” on the scale).
The topline number is still below a 7 and that still remains unacceptable. It may round up, but next year it has to get there on its own.
The biggest improvements in this section are connected to our ability to meet the needs of students with IEPs and we know it is connected to our having hired a Director of Special Education this year. We also know that it is not yet where we want it to be, but this is a clear example of where parent voice, aligned with teacher and student voice, leads to meaningful action. (Fill out those surveys y’all! We really do pay attention.)

As was the case last year, there are no huge bombshells, but there are some things worth pointing out…

The topline number is essentially the same (7.27 to 7.24).
Our lowest scores (and we added two new sub-questions in this category) deal with French and we are excited to see those numbers begin to approach healthy levels as we move forward next year with the intense professional development for our French Faculty that we announced earlier this week. We are a bit disappointed that the added contact time and rigor have not yet registered, but we know they were steps in the right direction. Our newest families have the same high expectations of us that we have for ourselves, and now it is time for the school to deliver on its promises. This is another clear example of where parent voice, aligned with teacher and student voice, leads to meaningful action. (Fill out those surveys y’all! We really do pay attention. We even wrote it twice to be sure you noticed!)
From the comments in the experimental section on French outcomes, it is very clear that we do, in fact, have three populations at OJCS. We have families who are satisfied with what we presently offer with a “Core” and “Extended” program. We have many families who want to see the quality of those programs increase, especially the ones who are counting on our ability to graduate students out of “extended” into Grade 9 immersion programs. We also, however, have families who would like to see us – at least as an option – provide an analogous immersion experience to the public board. This conversation, as we said, is just beginning.
We noted last year that we were counting on Art, Music and PE to be improved by assigning them teachers who could focus more exclusively on these specialties and we are pleased that each score has gone up!

With regard to Jewish Studies, we are very pleased that all our numbers are significantly up from last year and have entered the healthy range (one score needs a little rounding to get there, but still)! Reading last year’s results, I said that, “I fully expect that the changes we proposed for Jewish Studies – emphasis on Hebrew fluency, reinstitution of structured tefillah, etc. – will lead to higher scores in the year to come.” Well…we made those changes and it is wonderful to see that they landed with our families.
We clearly have work remaining to bring our hot lunch program, our field trips (both quantity and quality), and helping our friends at the JCC with feedback about after-school programming to bring those scores into the healthy band…speaking of after-school programming…

From our experimental section, we gain this data point. If we have at least 40 students, as is indicated, expressing interest in a French after-school experience, we have a responsibility to figure out the how and the what. Stay tuned.

I will hold most of my comments on my own scores for an upcoming “Transparency Files” with my full self-evaluation. Here, I will simply say that I am relatively pleased with stable scores in the healthy range.
My lowest score is in providing learning for parents…and I agree! I am legitimately struggling to figure out how to do this better with the busy lives of our parents. Last year I tried to teach a weekly class, but we couldn’t carry a critical mass week-to-week to make it viable. I’m open to suggestion (like, please do) on how to do this better. Help me to help you to help me.
Our lowest score in this area (ticked slightly down from last year’s 6.97) is about our “code of conduct” and we are pleased to share that we are working on launching a new, school-wide behavior management system next year based on the “7 Habits” and anchored in our “North Stars”. I will be surprised if this score doesn’t go up next year.

Last data point:

Remember this question was scaled 1-5. Our score is interestingly unchanged at 4.14. I’m not sure how much more room to go up there is, but it is a windmill we will gladly tilt at.

So there you have it for 2018-2019!

Thanks to all the parents who took the time and care to fill out surveys! In addition to the multiple choice questions, there were opportunities for open-ended responses and a couple of experimental sections. Your responses added an additional layer of depth; one which is difficult to summarize for a post like this. Please know that all comments will be shared with those they concern as you have seen that we really do use this data to make enhancements and improvements each year. By the by, we are pleased with how well satisfied our parents are with how the school is going…but be assured, just like with everything else, we expect to see growth and progress in a school where there is “a floor, but no ceiling”.

In the next few weeks, I will look forward to sharing my self-evaluation, an exciting enrollment update, and to introducing the 2019-2020 OJCS Faculty!

OJCS & CFORP Launch 1st Private School Partnership

As a follow up to the announcement OJCS recently made to invest nearly $50,000 to enhance French education, we promised to share back once we actually signed the contract to let our families and community know how we plan to spend that investment. It took a little longer than anticipated to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s”, but now that everything is signed, we are thrilled to let you know that the Ottawa Jewish Community School will be the first private school in Ontario to partner with the Centre Franco-Ontarien de Ressources Pédagogiques (Franco-Ontarian Centre for Educational Resources) or CFORP to implement the TACLEF program.

CFORP will introduce TACLEF, La Trousse D’acquisition de Compétences Langagières en Français (loosely translated as a “French language acquisition ‘kit'”) to the French teaching staff at the Ottawa Jewish Community School and to offer individual mentoring in its use for a period of two school years. This approach strengthens team building and permits a better understanding of a skills-based teaching/learning approach as it develops language proficiency in French language learners.

Here are the highlights from the contract:

The plan entails a gradual implementation of TACLEF covering two school years that targets the use of the resource tool through the two processes presented on the TACLEF website:

la précision initiale des acquis langagiers (Initial Assessment of Language Proficiency)
la planification des interventions ciblées (Planned Intervention)

Implementation supposes:

a detailed implementation plan for the school,
graduated training sessions for staff,
individual coaching sessions for each teacher using the resource tool in his or her classroom (focus on skills such as use of resources, planning and choosing strategies based on data, communicating outcomes, curriculum alignment, etc.),
an open dialogue based on commitment, strategic planning of learning outcomes, data analysis, reflective practices and professional dialogue.

At the end of the consultancy, the OJCS will have built the staff’s capacity to assess, support and guide French language learners in the development of their French language skills and in improving outcomes in all subjects taught in French.

Approach

The following steps will ensure the efficient implementation of TACLEF:

initial planning session between project leader and the school’s leader and/or administrative staff to determine details;
technical integration of the website into the school’s system with the CFORP;
two full day training sessions during the first school year;
on site coaching for each teacher attending the training sessions;
follow up meetings between the project leader and school leader (on or off site) to assess needs during implementation;
coaching follow-up (on or off site) according to assessment,
year-end meeting between project leader and the school’s leader to review success of implementation, modify according to needs and plan the next steps.

Deliverables

detailed implementation plan;
two training sessions on the use of the resource tool: (September – October or according to school calendar);
individual coaching for each teacher attending the training session:
- year 1: ½ day following each session and the equivalent of ½ day during the rest of the year (on or off site); total of 1½ scheduled days per teacher,
- year 2: equivalent of one full day during the year, scheduled according to the second-year plan, total of 1 scheduled day per teacher,
- follow up support with curriculum planning and resource selection as they pertain to the skills and strategies used during the implementation of TACLEF;

planning session at the end of year one (May 2020);
activity report during implementation (June 2020);
identification of benchmarks and key performance indicators;
final report at the end of the contract (June 2021).

To take it out of jargon, what is most important to us is that this consultancy provides two years of professional development for OJCS French Faculty from the same folk who train the immersion and Francophone programs in the public boards, including multiple in-person observations and direct training. It gives us shareable tools for benchmarking and tracking individual students over time. We will end the consultancy with new and updated French curriculum and with the tools to build individualized paths forward for high achieving students from the OJCS “Extended” program to full immersion programs at their next schools of choice. These tools, the curriculum and the paths would be ours after the consultancy and would become part of the budget moving forward.

I’d like to give a lot of credit to our current French faculty who invested a lot of time and energy researching growth opportunities and have shown a willingness for honest reflection that is both rare and refreshing. It takes strength to make yourself vulnerable and to be open to critique. It is a quality we have to model if we are to ask it of our students, and here, with a topic that can elicit strong emotion, I am proud to have a school where we can name we are a work in progress – and, more importantly, chart a path towards greater excellence. We look forward to walking that path towards greater excellence in French education, informed by parent voice, in the years ahead.

I did want to take a moment to provide a bit more data with regard to how the hours of French instruction are divvied up at OJCS and the French immersion programs that our graduates of “Extended French” are eligible to transition into when they get to Grade 9. There were, understandably, a lot of questions from parents (particularly parents at the younger grades) at our last gathering and, disappointingly, we did not have all the answers at the time. We have spent (a surprising amount of) time on websites and on the phone to confirm both the hours and how they are spent and just so folk can have accurate data upon which to inform opinions, we did want to report back.

Our understanding, if we want an “apples to apples” comparison, is that students in French immersion at SRB in Grades 7 and up have 750 weekly minutes in French allocated as follows:

French 200 min
Physical Education / Dance 200
Health 40
Science 150
History / Geography 150

In comparison, students in “Extended French” at OJCS in Grades 7 and up have 400 minutes in French allocated as follows:

French 240 min
History / Geography 160

Clearly, 750 is more than 400, and no one is making an educational argument that when it comes to language acquisition that more isn’t better. However, if we are looking to see how to close the gap and/or what best prepares our graduates for success in the high schools that 90% or more of them will attend, what jumps out is “Science” and “PE” for different reasons. We have always understood that use of PE, Music, Art, etc., could provide an easy opportunity for additional language support and could provide an easy way to close the French gap. (Even if we haven’t always capitalized on the opportunity.)

Science is more complicated (both because we appear to offer more contact time in Science than SRB and because it would require additional staffing/tracking), but knowing that it is essentially science vocabulary that our students are lacking to bridge the gap may, through the consultancy, open up solutions that don’t automatically require us to reinvent the school.

What remains clear – and I’ll have more to say when I share back the Annual Parent Survey data – is that we actually have three groups of parents when it comes to French education. There remains parents for whom this is not their most pressing issue and remain satisfied with “Core French”. There are parents who are primarily invested in seeing their children be successfully prepared for Grade 9 French immersion in their next school of choice. That has, up until now, been the stated goal and that outcome has been the one that has perennially been questioned. In many ways, this consultancy was originally conceived to address that challenge. But what came through in the French Town Halls (and survey data) is that we additionally have parents who are as concerned, if not more, by French outcomes arguably more significant than high school readiness. Meaning, that although it might be necessary that our graduates be adequately prepared for high school, it may not be sufficient for the French education they believe their children should receive.

Part of our desire to use this consultancy is because of the work they do with Francophone schools in our province. We will have the opportunity to better understand what we presently do and to chart a path forward to wherever we believe we should be headed. This conversation is just beginning and we are excited to see where it goes…

Postscript: This will not be my only blog post this week! The promised post on the Annual Parent Survey is still coming out. I thought it important to close this loop, as promised.

The Transparency Files: NEW OJCS Homework Philosophy

In January, I blogged about what was then a pending conversation our faculty was going to have in order to revisit and realign our school’s homework philosophy with our “North Stars”. In that post, I suggested some likely ideas that I imagined would make their way in, based on all the work we have done these last two years making our beliefs about teaching and learning more explicit.

We created a “HW Task Force” consisting of both teachers and administrators. We surveyed parents, teachers and students to better understand what currently is and what each stakeholder group is looking for in the future. We examined current research. We met multiple times and then drafted a document for the full faculty to review and edit, which they have now done.

So without further adieu, I am pleased to share out…

OJCS Homework Philosophy & Guidelines

Introduction
Philosophy
General Homework Principles
Homework Guidelines in Lower School Grades
Homework Guidelines in Middle School Grades
Characteristics of Effective Homework Practice
Parent, Student, Teacher, and Administration responsibilities
Homework Philosophy & ‘7 Habits’
Implementation Strategy [To Be Created]

1. Introduction

The purpose of the OJCS Homework Policy is to provide guidelines for teachers, provide for consistency through the grades, and to educate parents who have questions about homework. A school policy regarding homework, along with clear expectations for teachers as to what constitutes good homework, can help to strengthen the benefits of homework for student learning.

This policy addresses the purposes of homework, amount and frequency, and the responsibilities of teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

The OJCS Homework Policy is based on research regarding the correlation between homework and student achievement as well as best practices for homework.

2. Philosophy

The philosophy at the Ottawa Jewish Community School regarding K-8 homework is that homework should only be assigned that is meaningful, purposeful, and appropriate. Most learning will take place during the school day (except when utilizing an explicitly “flipped pedagogy”). Homework will serve to deepen student learning and enhance understanding. Homework should be consistent with the school’s “North Stars” and strive to incorporate creativity, critical thinking, authenticity, and student ownership.

Legitimate academic purposes for homework include:

practicing a skill or process that students can do independently, but not fluently,
elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students’ knowledge,
enabling students to finish classwork that they were unable to complete in class, and
providing opportunities for students to explore topics of their own interest.

Non-academic purposes for homework include:

developing better study habits and skills,
developing independent problem-solving skills and better time organization, and
greater parental appreciation of, and involvement in, schooling.

We understand today’s busy schedules and demands on parent and student time. Most learning is done in school, but like learning a foreign language or learning to read, reasonable and age-appropriate practice and repetition is exceptionally beneficial in certain subject areas. We also recognize that in the 21st century the barriers between bounded times and spaces for learning are ever-shifting and, so, we remain flexible to new ways to provide our students with authentic opportunities to learn and to explore.

3. General Homework Guidelines for all Grade Levels

Homework is not to be used to teach a new skill (with the exception of explicitly “flipped pedagogy”).
Teachers may not assign regular homework if it is not purposely enhancing their program expectations.
An average amount of daily homework – not including nightly encouraged reading, but including daily/weekly homework assignments, preparing for quizzes/tests/exams and work on long term projects – should not exceed:
- 20 minutes for Kindergarten
- 30 minutes for Grades 1 – 3
- 45 minutes for Grades 4 & 5
- 60 minutes for Grades 6 – 8.
Homework should be purposeful and meaningful to students. Legitimate purposes for homework include practicing a skill or process that students can do independently but not fluently, elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen student knowledge, and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of their own interest.
Reading is an integral part of learning should be encouraged separate, above and beyond required homework.
Practicing second-language and third-language skills is a consistent part of homework in a trilingual school.
Homework will reflect the accommodations and modifications of curriculum that are stated in a student’s IEP or Support Plan.
Homework will not be assigned over holidays.
Teachers should distinguish for students (and parents) between homework that is required and work that is recommended to support learning.

4. Homework Guidelines in Lower School (K-5)

In these grades, with the exception of reading and being read to, there is little proven correlation between homework and achievement.

In the primary grades (K-3), homework should consist primarily of reading, plus a limited number of independent exercises to reinforce previously taught basic skills.
At the upper grades (4-5), homework may additionally consist of completing, practicing, preparing, or extending core academic skills and is designed to build independent study habits.
It is recommended that homework assignments in the Lower School be given out on a weekly basis for the following week. (For example, the week’s assignments are given on a Monday and are due the following Monday.) This allows families to coordinate schedules and identify the blocks of time for homework that make sense.
Except for reading, homework at the elementary level should not be given over holidays or extended school breaks.
Long-term assignments should be limited in number and duration. Project-based assignments should primarily be undertaken and completed in the classroom. These tasks should not require significant assistance from parents or costly materials. These assignments should include clear checkpoints to monitor progress toward completion.
If your child is becoming frustrated or not able to independently complete the homework, please indicate this in an email to the teacher so that additional support can be offered the following day.
Please note that in order for homework to be authentic, to be meaningful, personalized, etc., that the amount of homework will likely ebb and flow naturally during the year.

5. Homework Guidelines in Middle School Grades (6-8)

In the Middle School grades, in addition to reading, research indicates that there are benefits to a moderate amount of meaningful, specific and deliberate homework to develop independent work habits, cultivate a sense of responsibility and help reinforce and enhance learning expectations.

Homework should be assigned during the school week on a regular basis.
Teachers should coordinate scheduling of tests and projects.
Long-term assignments for Middle School grades should be limited in number and duration. These assignments should include clear checkpoints to monitor progress toward completion. All deadlines will be posted on the class blog.
When assigning group projects, teachers should allow in-class collaboration time with specific tasks to be completed independently; however, these tasks should not require significant assistance from parents or costly materials. [We recognize that projects like STEAM Fair and/or Genius Hour can sometimes inspire a desire to do more. Our commitment is to manage expectations with students to keep this within reason.]
Except for reading, daily/weekly homework at the middle school level should not be given over holidays or extended school breaks. [There is some discretion for students to use breaks towards longer term projects, but without any expectation of work being done on religiously proscribed days. This is especially important for group projects.]
Adjustments to a homework program can be made for middle school students preparing for their b’nei mitzvot as they are spending (at least) 10 minutes per night during the year leading up to their b’nei mitzvot and more than that in the month prior.
Study Hall, with teacher support, will be offered during Nutrition Breaks as an added support, should it be needed.

6. Characteristics of Effective Homework

This section addresses practices to help increase the benefits of homework while minimizing potential problems. Homework is more effective when…

…the purpose of the homework assignment is clear. Students should leave the classroom with a clear understanding of what they are being asked to do and how to do it.
…it does not discourage and frustrate students. Students should be familiar with the concepts and material (unless it is an explicitly “flipped” pedagogy, i.e. Math).
…it is on a consistent schedule. It can help busy students and parents remember to do assignments when they are consistent. (Of course, it must be necessary and not just because “it’s Wednesday”.)
…it is explicitly related to the classwork.
…it is engaging and creative.
…part of the homework is done in class.
…it is authentic.
…feedback is given. Follow-up is necessary to address any comprehension issues that may arise.
…it is differentiated and, ideally, personalized.
…it reviews past concepts to help retention over the course of the year.
…it provides student choice (when applicable) and distinguishes between required homework and recommended homework.

7. Responsibilities

Students are responsible for:

knowing where to find homework on the blogs and sharing with parents.
ensuring understanding of homework expectations and asking for clarification or help when needed before leaving the classroom.
keeping track of what is expected through an organization strategy (agenda book, e-agenda, calendar, etc.)
regularly completing assigned homework in a timely manner.
managing time by staying focused, on task, and planning effectively for long-term projects.
bringing home all necessary materials
putting forth their best effort to produce quality work.
completing or making up missed assignments and tests if required by the teacher.
contacting a teacher in advance of a due date to request an extension and to provide a valid explanation.

Parents/Guardians are responsible for:

helping to oversee what is for homework as child develops habits (this could be checking their agendas, e-agendas, classroom blogs, etc.).
being an advocate for their child, while encouraging the child to advocate for himself/herself.
encouraging reading, which might involve accessing audiobook to accompany the book, at all grade levels.
providing an appropriate environment, including necessary supplies, for homework to be done.
providing a healthy balance between homework, extra and co-curricular activities, and family commitments.
contacting the teacher if their child is not consistently able to do the homework by himself/herself within the time guidelines, or if challenges or questions arise.

Teachers are responsible for:

sharing expectations for homework with students and parents early in the school year.
designing homework assignments that clearly articulate their purpose and expected outcome, allowing for student questions and planning.
providing timely feedback to students.
ensuring any homework assigned is directly related to the classroom instruction and consists of clear, purposeful, and authentic activities.
assigning homework that is appropriate and differentiated as needed.
teaching the skills necessary for the students to complete the homework and become successful independent learners.
being careful not to assign too much homework or homework that frustrates or discourages the students.
communicating with other teachers of the same grade to be mindful of their overall workload.

Administrators are responsible for:

monitoring homework quality and quantity.
communicating homework expectations with parents.

8. The OJCS Homework Philosophy & Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits’

At OJCS, we want to empower students with key leadership and life skills through our continued adoption of Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’.

The chart below outlines how our homework policy and philosophy is aligned with each habit:

9. Implementation Strategies

And this section was – and still is blank.

Why?

Because this is the hard part! It is easy(-ish) to write out a philosophy and guidelines. Putting it into practice in a way that is consistent and clear to all? That is hard work!

This is why the task force is still moving forward! Our goal is to finalize an implementation strategy in time for it to be shared with our faculty as part of preparing for the 2019-2020 school year, along with additional information for parents. The conversations so far have been especially rich and I am looking forward to seeing how the project comes to conclusion.

Watch this space…

OJCS Announces $50,000 Investment in French Education

File this under “promises made; promises kept”.

We are thrilled to share that our school will be making a $50,000 investment to ensure an increasingly excellent French education, to grow the number of students who successfully transition into French immersion programs in Grade 9, and to increase the odds of their success once placed. This comes directly from the hard work of our French Language Faculty, the changes we began this year as a result of beginning this conversation last year, the leadership of our Board and the generosity of our donors. This is a great day for those who already know a Jewish day school education does not preclude an excellent French education; it is an even better day for those who want to believe it, but needed a little more than anecdotal evidence to go on.

If you are new to this conversation, I encourage you to read my blog post from last February which lays out a detailed history of French education in Ontario, how it impacts OJCS and what the state of affairs was like when we began this work last school year.

Here are a few reminders and updates:

We continue to acknowledge that small sample sizes make statistical analysis complicated. We remain committed to annual surveys of our alumni and frequent check-ins with the high schools in our community. We do know, for example, that 50% of the students who graduated OJCS last year from French Extended are currently in Grade 9 French Immersion in high school (the other 50% opted out). They report being successful and having been adequately prepared. It may not be statistically significant (this was not a large class), but it lines up with last year’s data and the ample anecdotal evidence we do have that OJCS students can and do successfully transition from “Extended” to “Immersion” in Grade 9.

Here is what we committed to for this school year:

Conversations with parents about their hopes and expectations for maximal French contact time will begin during the admissions process. Students who may require additional support to place into “Extended” need to be identified early.
The selection process in Grade 3 will be more rigorous, begin earlier, come with more parental engagement, etc., so that students who do continue into “Extended” for Grades 4 and higher are even better prepared for Grade 9.
We will increase the rigor and immersive experience of what contact time we presently make available. We need to squeeze every moment of immersive French possible. This includes a philosophical shift in K-3 that raises the bar – rather than aim towards the middle and wait to see who rises up, we will aim towards immersion and stream those who struggle.
We adjusted our schedule to increase contact time with French. Students in OJCS have more contact time with French in each grade (except K which was already frontloaded).

Here is how our French Language Faculty put it when we met with parents twice yesterday at our “French Q & A Sessions”:

Vivre en français à OJCS

At OJCS, the FSL (French as a second language) faculty has made a commitment to speak French with their students everywhere in the school, so if you walked through our hallways, you would hear us speaking French to our students, increasing the interaction and contact time with our students.
Our enhanced FSL program with its consolidated class time (blocks of periods), all within a trilingual school where the francophone culture is alive and regularly celebrated, produces students capable of successfully communicating and learning in French.
Students practice their language skills in various environments, such as on the playground, and during coaching on our various OJCS sports teams.
Our FSL faculty is committed to offering authentic OJCS learning experiences.

While we believe we are on a gradual path towards clarity around French outcomes and increased excellence in French education, we are also aware of how serious an issue this is for a meaningful percentage of our families. We have also seen how the use of consultancy has jumpstarted innovation and growth at our school. What we are announcing here is going to do for French what our other consultancies have done for OJCS – dramatically speed up the process of moving from good to great.

We have identified a few different consultancies that would provide OJCS with the following features:

One to two years of professional development for OJCS French Faculty from the same folk who train the Immersion and Francophone programs in the public boards, including multiple in-person observation and direct training.
Shareable tools for benchmarking and tracking individual students over time.
New and updated French curriculum.
Individualized paths forward for high achieving students from the OJCS “Extended” program to full Immersion programs at their next schools of choice.

The tools, the curriculum and the paths would be ours after the consultancy and would become part of the budget moving forward.

We are in the process of finalizing our consultancy and will share out additional information when confirmed. Additionally (not part of the $50K), we are also committed to adding French Resource. We feel this will bring much needed support not only for students who have IEPs, but for any student who struggles. [Yes, we are committed to adding Hebrew Resource as well.]

We enjoyed the opportunity to share our progress and our plans with parents. We appreciated the candor and the tough questions we were asked. We are pleased to share it more widely here. Interestingly, we heard similar feedback that we heard last year about three areas. One we tried to do something about and couldn’t get it off the ground; two we need to pay even closer attention to…

There was a very positive response to the idea of OJCS offering French enrichment as part of an after school program and/or as part of a summer day camp experience. We surveyed parents last year about it for this year and did not get a critical mass. We will try again.
There was a strong feeling that using Grade 4 as our arbitrary split into “Core” and “Extended” is unnecessary and that we are missing an opportunity to increase the immersive exposure in Grades K-3 when it could potentially have even more value. We addressed this issue this year with a philosophical shift (aiming higher), but we could also choose to address it structurally (actually streaming earlier). This will be worth exploring through consultancy.
There remains a meaningful percentage of our families (particularly ones who are from and/or are familiar with the model in Montreal) who would like to see us offer a full immersion track, if not embrace a full immersion model. Although our cultural context is different, we do have a responsibility to pay attention to these families. We will continue to survey and assess this need; we will also try to better calculate the opportunity cost of not having it – who is not coming to OJCS (and, thus, not getting a Jewish day school education) because we can’t offer it.

This is where you come in. We desperately want to know what you think…

…what questions did this answer for you?

…what questions did this raise for you?

…what do you want to know more about?

…what else do you want us to know?

We cannot encourage you more to email, comment or come in for a conversation. We need all voices heard as we work towards clarifying and enhancing our French mission and vision – next year and in the years ahead.

The Transparency Files: Why Do We Give Homework?

That’s not rhetorical. It is an actual, live question that we are finally ready to begin answering here at the Ottawa Jewish Community School, as promised.

It is reasonable to conclude that there are various philosophies about what the purpose of homework ought to be and that there is ample research to be found supporting just about all of them. For our school, however, the conversation comes with a context. Considering who we are and what we believe to be true about teaching and learning, what ought to be the role of homework here?

What is our current homework policy?

We have a simple 10 minutes that incrementally increases by grade level (outside of reading) formula for estimating the appropriate time it should take a typical student to complete his or her homework.

Part of the impetus for taking this on is that not only does that policy seem not to hold true often enough, it fails to address the whys and whats of homework. It only speaks to, “how much?” We can do better.

The purpose of an OJCS Homework Policy, once re-imagined, will be to provide guidelines for teachers, provide for consistency through the grades, and to educate parents who have questions about homework. A school policy regarding homework, along with clear expectations for teachers as to what constitutes good homework, can help to strengthen the benefits of homework for student learning.

This policy will need to address the purposes of homework, amount and frequency, and the responsibilities of teachers, students, parents, and administrators. The OJCS Homework Policy will be based on research regarding the correlation between homework and student achievement as well as best practices for homework.

Without having had all the conversations we will be having, I do think based on the conversations we have had, that there are philosophical conclusions consistent with who we are that we can put up front that will inform the policy once complete. The philosophy at the Ottawa Jewish Community School regarding K-8 homework is that it should only be assigned if it is meaningful, purposeful, and appropriate. Homework will serve to deepen student learning and enhance understanding. Homework should be consistent with the school’s “North Stars” and strive to incorporate creativity, critical thinking, authenticity, and student ownership.

There are also some commonsense practices we believe will help to increase the benefits of homework while minimizing potential problems.

Homework is more effective when:

…..the purpose of the homework assignment is clear. Students should leave the classroom with a clear understanding of what they are being asked to do and how to do it.

…..it does not discourage and frustrate students. Students should be familiar with the concepts and material (unless a flipped pedagogy is being employed).

…..it is on a consistent schedule. It can help busy students and parents remember to do assignments when they are consistent.

…..it is explicitly related to the classwork.

…..it is engaging and creative.

…..it is authentic.

…..feedback is given. Follow-up is necessary to address any comprehension issues that may arise.

…..it is personalized.

This is not to suggest that we are not presently trying to live up to the above in our current practice. But it is to suggest that our written policy fails to provide teachers, parents or students with sufficient guidance to ensure that all students in all grades are doing appropriate homework – appropriate quality, appropriate content and appropriate length.

As with every other initiative or project we undertake at OJCS, our conversation and conclusions about homework will be done collaboratively and transparently. We look forward to these conversations, to doing the work, and to sharing it out when done.

The Transparency Files: CAT*4 Results

In the lull between parent-teacher conferences, I spent my time reading and analyzing the results of this year’s CAT*4 testing. [I strongly encourage you to reread (or read for the first time) my philosophy on test-taking and how we planned on both sharing the tests with parents and utilizing the data in our decision-making.] We are in the process of providing our teachers with the data they need to better understand their students and to identify which test results fully resemble their children well enough to simply pass on and which results require contextualization in private conversation.

In terms of sharing out the results publicly, which I will happily do, there are a few things worth pointing out:

Although we do have prior years, they are not “apples to apples” enough to plot as comparison data. This is mostly because of our decision to change our testing window and partially because we don’t have enough grades taking the test often enough. (I have data on spring tests from two and three years ago for grades 3 & 6.) If that changes, part of this annual analysis will consist of tracking the grades over time to see if…
- The same grade scores as well or better each year.
- The same class grows at least a year’s worth of growth.

The other issue is in the proper understanding of what a “grade equivalent score” really is.

Grade-equivalent scores attempt to show at what grade level and month your child is functioning. However, grade-equivalent scores are not able to show this. Let me use an example to illustrate this. In reading comprehension, your son in Grade 5 scored a 7.3 grade equivalent on his Grade 5 test. The 7 represents the grade level while the 3 represents the month. 7.3 would represent the seventh grade, third month, which is December. The reason it is the third month is because September is zero, October is one, etc. It is not true though that your son is functioning at the seventh grade level since he was never tested on seventh grade material. He was only tested on fifth grade material. He performed like a seventh grader on fifth grade material. That’s why the grade-equivalent scores should not be used to decide at what grade level a student is functioning.

One final caveat about why share out grade and class averages at all when so much of our focus is on personalized learning and individual growth…

Here, my thinking has been influenced by the work I was doing prior to coming to Ottawa, in my role as Executive Director of the Schechter Day School Network and then part of the transition team which helped create Prizmah. I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had with colleagues about the different challenges Jewish day schools often have from their secular private school and high-achieving public (and/or gifted programs and in the States and/or magnet and/or charter) school neighbors. The biggest difference comes down to a philosophy of admissions. [Please note that although a primary audience for my blog are OJCS parents, other folk read as well, so I am including references to forms of public education that are commonly found in the States.]

Most Jewish day schools attempt to cast the widest net possible, believing it is our mission to provide a Jewish day school education to all who may wish one. We do not, often, restrict admission to a subset of the population who score X on an admissions test and we do not, often, adjust birthday cutoffs or recommend grade repeating to maximize academic achievement. However, schools who we are most often compared to in terms of academic achievement often do one or both. If you then factor in whether or not you exempt special needs students from the testing and whether or not you explicitly teach to the test, you may have quite an uneven playing field to say the least.

To reframe and reset the discussion:

Jewish day schools have an inclusive admissions policy, but are expected to compete equally with elite private and high-achieving public (and gifted and, in the States, magnet and charter and suburban public) schools who have exclusive admissions policies or homogeneous populations.

So, in light of all of that – if a Jewish day school with an inclusive admissions policy, a non-exempted special needs population, and a commitment to “not teach to the test” – if that kind of school could demonstrate that it was achieving secular academic excellence on par with elite schools; well to me that would be news worth sharing.

So with all those caveats in mind, in the spirit of full transparency, and with the attitude that all data is valuable data, allow me to present this year’s results:

The bottom line of this graphic is that each grade in the Ottawa Jewish Community School scored, with a few exceptions, at a mean grade equivalent a full year higher than their current grade. There are a few (Grade 3 Writing, Grade 3 Spelling, Grade 6 Writing, Grade 6 Spelling and Grade 6 Computation) that are closer to their current grade. [Part of our ongoing analysis and annual comparison would be to learn more about our current spelling and writing outcomes. Part of our deeper investigation is whether there is a way to layer on standardized French and possibly Hebrew tests to learn more about those important outcomes.] There are a lot of grades/topics whose averages are significantly higher than that, but let the boldface sink in for a bit.

Too much time dedicated to Jewish Studies? Nope – a high-quality Jewish Studies program enhances secular academics. Too much time dedicated to Skyping or blogging? Nope – an innovative learning paradigm not only positively impacts student motivation, but leads to higher student achievement.

I can sense the tone of triumphalism in my writing and, although I am extremely proud of our students and teachers for their achievements, I do not wish to sound boastful. But with the state of Jewish day school education being what it is, when there is good news to share…share it one must! I firmly believe that Jewish day schools with dual-curricula (and in our case tri-curricula!) and innovative pedagogy and philosophy produce unmatched excellence in secular academics. Here in our school, we will have to prove it year after year, subject after subject, and student after student in order to live up to our mutually high expectations, but what an exciting challenge it shall be coming to school each day to tackle!

The Transparency Files: The OJCS Report Card Prototype

The season is upon us! We are busily filling out report cards and eagerly preparing for parent-teacher conferences. We are also continuing to innovate and to prototype, so it should be no surprise that a few changes to both are in store.

Let’s first talk about what will not be different about report cards and then what is different…

As we have discussed, the arc of our journey to reinvent and revitalize our school has begun to take shape. Last year was about values. We spent significant time clarifying our value proposition which is now expressed in our North Stars. As we begin to live those values, we are spending this year focusing on strategy. The strategies we put in place are designed to help bring us closer to our North Stars – they are how we bring “The OJCS Way” to life. The “7 Habits Prototype” is a strategy that will help us create a community of kindness, drawing us closer to being a place where “each person is responsible one to the other” and where “we learn better together”. Increased informal educational experiences like the “Middle School Retreat” are a strategy for infusing our community with “ruach”. The use of Silvia Tolisano and the “Silvia Cohort” is a strategy. Etc.

What we have launched our journey with, is time spent on the why and how of learning – what do we believe to be true about teaching and learning and what does that look like in a classroom or a school? What we have not spent time on – nor will we in this year – is the what we are teaching (with the exceptions of Lower School Jewish Studies, which has a new curriculum and Middle School Jewish Studies, which has new benchmarks). So the one thing that has not changed in our new report card prototype is the what. You will find the exact same topics and subjects from last year.

Let’s focus on what is really the only meaningful change, the commentary.

Report cards are not the best place to summarize activities or curriculum. For as long as we use the ministry standards as a floor for General Studies, we can provide parents with more detail than they would ever need about what we are teaching. Furthermore, our handbooks, our website and classroom blogs provide parents with all the information about topics and activities they need to stay current. And even if, with all that, there are some curricular highlights we want parents to have top of mind, we can share them at the Parent-Teacher Conferences. Report cards, therefore, are a place for providing parents with meaningful feedback about their child’s growth. We are looking for a “less is more” approach that breaks the commentary into two sections: “Feedback” and “Next Steps”. This approach is a strategy for ensuring “a floor, but not a ceiling” for our students and to give them an opportunity “to own their own learning”.

Let’s give a few concrete examples:

Rachel has earned an “E” in Grade 2 Jewish Studies.

Feedback:

Rachel has excelled in her quizzes, homework and projects this term. She consistently uses Hebrew in class and shows mastery over Jewish Studies content.
Rachel has a particular passion for Tefillah and frequently volunteers to serve as prayer-leader.
I’ve noticed that Rachel has some difficulty working in groups – when given the choice, she almost always prefers to work alone.

Next Steps:

I would like to see Rachel push herself even more with her conversational Hebrew. I am going to create a Voicethread account for Rachel so that I can give her a few conversational prompts a week for her to orally respond to.
Next term, I am going to assign Rachel a few more complicated prayers that I know she is capable of learning.
We are going to spend time next term skill-building around group learning so that Rachel can benefit from others and others can benefit from her.

Michael has earned a 65% in Grade 5 Language Arts.

Feedback:

Michael was benchmarked at a 4.2 (Grade 4, Two months) reading level on his last reading assessment. This represents appropriate growth for Michael based on his end of Grade 4 assessment (4.0) and is consistent with his IEP.
Michael’s oral expression continues to surpass his written expression, but he is finding success with the voice-to-text accommodation we have made this year per his IEP.
I am concerned that based on his homework, quizzes, and tests – even with accommodations – that Michael is not putting in enough time at home to be as successful as he is capable of being.

Next Steps:

I would like to see Michael expand his reading repertoire to include more just-right books and more genres (he tends to stay with graphic novels). This will help him continue to grow as a reader next term.
While we continue to make appropriate accommodations, I do want to see Michael take the next steps with his writing, which will focus on writing strong paragraphs, with a topic sentence and supporting sentences.
I would like to work with you and Michael on establishing successful study habits at home so that he has every opportunity to present his best work.

Solomon has earned a 78% in Grade 7 Math.

Feedback:

Solomon received an 83% on his Unit Test, averages 74% on his quizzes and tests, and dutifully completes homework and participates in class.
I’ve noticed that Solomon’s written work doesn’t always reflect his ability to explain math concepts. I have observed in class that he does not always check and recheck his work before turning in assignments and tests.
Solomon is having particular difficulty with multistep word problems. He has the necessary computational skills, but sometimes cannot unpack word problems into their appropriate steps.

Next Steps:

I will encourage Solomon to employ new strategies for checking his work (such as putting a check mark next to each one he has rechecked) to ensure he is putting forth his best effort.
I am going to provide Solomon with individualized word problems this term – and will conference with him – to help him build skills.
Here is a link to a section of Kahn Academy that I encourage Solomon to visit if he is interested in pushing himself. I believe Solomon has the ability to be an “A” student if he puts in the time!

Last thing…based on strong feedback we will be emailing report cards to parents on Friday, November 23rd.

The Bonus Middle School Parent-Teacher Conference Prototype

We are also very excited to introduce a new prototype for Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences that we think will go a long way towards ensuring that these important conversations are aligned with our “North Stars”. This new format will provide parents with meaningful and actionable feedback, and provide us with the same in terms of inviting valuable feedback from parents – all in the service of helping our students “own their learning” and that there be “a floor, but not a ceiling” for each student.

With a large number of middle school students and a fair number of middle school teachers, we are going to try to provide a larger window of time with a more strategic number of mutually selected teachers. Instead of signing up for individual conversations with any or all teachers, we are going to be asking for parents to sign up for a 15-minute window and a request for one or two teachers they feel strongly need to be present. Then we will meet as a full middle school faculty and assign teachers to each middle school conference, using parental request and who we believe to be important in the conversations that should happen to best support each child.

We are very excited about this change and the kinds of conversations we believe it will yield. Please know that our parents are always welcome to schedule meetings with any and all of our teachers – before or after parent-teacher conferences. If you have additional questions or concerns, you are encouraged to let us know!