Teachscape Next Year

Six principals met prior to our Principal Meeting last Thursday to discuss the use of Teachscape in our buildings. The group represented four regions and a good mix of small and large schools. From this meeting we determined that we need the support of our fellow Teachscape principals to help us make the most use of this tool in our buildings.

Next year we have scheduled support! With every Palisades principal meeting, I will host a 7:30 a.m. gathering of Teachscape principals to share best practices using the Teachscape tool. In the short time that we met last week, two great, practical strategies were shared.

• From Gwen Rodrigues at Immaculate Conception, Mount Vernon – Gwen uses the reports in her Professional Learning Communities. She offers data from the ITBS test and Teachscape to her grade level band PLC’s. They are asked to consider the Accreditation goal of increasing reading comprehension. Gwen asked that they review the data and determine strategies to address the goal. Key to this process was giving teachers time to digest the data, and then to determine the grade level band strategies.
• From Ann Austin at Queen of Angels School, Port Angeles – Ann works with the school staff in looking at the data overall. Teachscape helped identify the school-wide use of grouping formats (whole group, pairs, small group), skill sets (listening, speaking reading, . .), and learning materials (worksheets, interactive whiteboards) which when presented was useful in opening up a discussion about school culture and ways of increasing the level of student engagement.

If you are a Teachscape principal, or you are considering investing in this tool and want to know more from the principals, take a minute to write this time in your calendar. Every Palisades principal meeting next year at 7:30 a.m.

Questions? Please contact Kristin Dixon at kristin.dixon@seattlearch.org