BCP Participates in Project CYCLE

(l to r)  UVA Curry School of Education Research Scientist
Sharon Deal;  BCP Academic Coach Sue Lattimore;
 and Wolfe Street Staff Developer Rosemary Byron

The Baltimore Curriculum Project is participating in Project CYCLE; a project focused on the engagement of teachers and mentors in the cycle of development through the use of innovative technology and research-based mentoring/coaching methods.

On Monday Wolfe Street Staff Developer Rosemary Byron and BCP Academic Coach Sue Lattimore met with Sharon Deal,  a Research Scientist from the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education and one of the coordinators of Project CYCLE, for their initial round of mentor/coach training.

Project CYCLE is sponsored by the Baltimore City Schools Office of Teacher Support & Development and is being implemented with the support of thereNow, PD360, and the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education.

Baltimore City Schools has procured a small number of thereNow’s LiveView cameras and the IRIS Connect online platform, which allow instructional coaches to observe teachers remotely. The iris LiveView camera enables an instructional coach to see and hear at a level of detail that even an in-person observation couldn't provide.

iris LiveView gives a remote observer full control of the camera from anywhere in the world, in real-time. That means that with only a computer and an internet connection, an instructional coach can see every corner of a room and hear high definition audio.

These tools will allow participating teachers and mentors to more fully engage in the cycle of development through video capture, review, reflection, and feedback on classroom instruction.

In concert with the thereNow’s LiveView camera and IRIS Connect online platform, participating teachers will engage in the University Of Virginia Curry School Of Education’s My Teaching Partner (MTP) coaching cycle. This component of the project will guide mentors in the use of prompts, protocols, and action plans as they provide meaningful feedback to teachers.
Finally, teachers will also have the opportunity to share their video through PD360, an online platform for sharing video with other teachers in the district.
Together these supports are designed to improve teaching and learning in the district; including, but not limited to, improved instruction, classroom management, teacher retention, mentoring, and student outcomes.

BCP Winter 2012 Professional Development Conference

On Thursday, January 26, 2012 BCP hosted its Winter 2012 Professional Development Conference for over 200 teachers from City Springs School, Collington Square School of the Arts, Hampstead Hill Academy, and Wolfe Street Academy.

BCP provides two professional development conferences and several day-long seminars each year. Principals determine their staff training needs and BCP customizes training to meet those needs. BCP also provides training that addresses areas identified by BCP coaches and leadership staff.

Click here to view the event program (PDF file).

A variety of workshops were offered at the Winter Conference including:

• CHAMPS: How to manage difficult kids
• Challenges in Urban Education
• Literacy Centers: Incorporating Literacy Centers into the Primary
  Classroom
• Maximizing Opportunity to Learn: Engagement Strategies
• Enrichment Activities for DI Lessons
• Effective Firm Up Procedures
• Writing Workshop
• Effective Lesson Planning for All Learning Levels

Presenters included Tara Anderson, Laura Doherty, Nora Hogan, Brenda Kahn, Marvelyn Johnson, Jeff Krick, Susan Lattimore, Jon McGill, Laura Moyers, Ed Schaefer,

Keynote Address

Journalist Shepard Barbash delivered the keynote address. Barbash has been a writer for thirty years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, City Journal, Education Next and other publications.

He is former bureau chief of the Houston Chronicle in Mexico City and is the author of five books, including Clear Teaching, published in January by the Education Consumers Foundation.

Luncheon Speakers and City Springs Choir

Collington Square School of the Arts Resource Teacher Lauren Bevacqua and City Springs School Para Professional Antoine Lewis delivered talks during lunch. This was followed by a performance of the City Springs School Choir.

Thank you

We would like to thank Hampstead Hill Academy for hosting the 2012 Winter Professional Development Conference and the entire HHA staff for making it a success.

Thank you to Chipotle and ADP for sponsoring the conference.

Thank you to Tara Anderson for organizing the conference and to all of the BCP staff members who helped out: Tilda Johnson, Larry Schugam, and Angela Scott.

BCP Fall Professional Development Conference

BCP's Fall Professional Development Conference on October 20, 2011 provided over 300 teachers with a variety of engaging workshops. BCP offers customized workshops throughout the year that meet the staff training needs identified by teachers, principal and BCP staff members.

Common Core Sessions
During the morning teachers participated in hands-on Common Core Sessions, where they learned how instructional programs are aligned with the Common Core State Standards, as well as strategies for effective instruction. The session were conducted by teachers from City Springs School.

1. Common Core Language Arts: PreK- 2nd grade
   Presenter: Ms. Jenae Toulson, City Springs School
2. Common Core Language Arts: 1st and 2nd grade
   Presenter: Ms. Shereen Holmes, City Springs
3. Common Core Language Arts: 3rd - 5th grade
   Presenter: Ms. Laura Doherty, NIFDI Consultant
   
4. Common Core Language Arts: 6th - 8th grade
   Presenter: Ms. Vicky Jennings, City Springs School
   
5. Common Core Math: K-8th grade
   Presenter: Mr. Donnell Spedden, City Springs School

Hampstead Hill Choir and Principal Panel Discussion

During the afternoon break, teachers were serenaded by the Hampstead Hill Academy Choir. This was followed by a Principal Panel Discussion on school accountability, which was moderated by Muriel Berkeley. View video clips of the discussion at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/baltimorecp

Lunch was supported by a generous grant from McGraw-Hill School Education Group.

Afternoon Sessions

During the afternoon teachers engaged in a wide variety of workshops:

1. Math Learning Centers: PreK - 2nd grade
   Presenter: Brenda Kahn, Academic Coach
   Do you have more than one math group? Are you looking for opportunities to move beyond worksheets to provide practice for your students? Do your students struggle with mastering math concepts? This session will focus on the why and how of developing appropriate learning centers that enrich and support our math curriculum and the Common Core Standards. A variety of ideas and practical strategies for creating and implementing learning centers will be shared. We will also look at opportunities for incorporating math concepts and vocabulary into the classroom read aloud.
   
   
2. Active Monitoring
   Presenter: Jeff Krick, BCP Director of Student Support Services
   Why would a teacher wait to read a student’s independent work to know how they are learning? Teachers can use Active Monitoring practices to monitor student understanding and respond efficiently with targeted instruction DURING independent work time. Active monitoring can also be used to target motivation. Come join us and explore these techniques. This session will mix presentation, discussion, and video examples.
   
3. The Power of Words: Developing Vocabulary
   Presenter: Susan Lattimore
   Why is it critical to build our students’ vocabulary, and what does this look like in our classrooms? What techniques are proven to enhance the vocabulary skills of English Language Learners, students with learning challenges, and students who are impacted by poverty? Participants in this session will develop a practical understanding of the above issues, and will discuss how to address them across content areas. We will work together to develop materials and lessons that will jump start any vocabulary program and integrate it effectively throughout the school day.
   
   
4. Interventions: Behavior Management Training
   Presenter: Tara Anderson, BCP Director of Training
   Learn intervention techniques for those students with chronically challenging behavior. We will discuss strategies to correct and redirect disruptive behaviors and long term plans for support and monitoring of individual students.
   
   
5. Power Teacher Grade Book
   Presenter: Devin Stevenson, City Springs School Staff Developer
   PowerTeacher Gradebook is a full-featured grade-keeping application used to record, report, and monitor student performance. It promotes progressive grading methods, including grading student groups, easy creation of formative, summative, and diagnostic assignments, and multiple measures of central tendencies (mean, median, mode). It's designed to allow educators to assess their students' progress from many different angles in order to maximize student achievement.
   
   
6. Language Arts Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Instructional Support for grades 3-8
   Presenter: Marvelyn Johnson, Academic Coach
   PRESENTER: MARVELYN JOHNSON, BCP ACADEMIC COACH
   Are you new to the MSA testing grades? If so, this session is for you! In this session we will review the MSA scoring rubric for Language Arts BCRs and how to motivate and teach students to earn full points for their written responses. We will practice instructional strategies to teach students how to use the Answer, Text detail, Explain (ATE) format to develop complete responses. We will provide sample lesson materials that will help you teach your students how to take their answers from a 1 to a 3.
   
   
7. Impact of Poverty on Education
   Presenter: Jon McGill, BCP Director of Academics
   How can we address poverty and education at the same time? A look at the research into high poverty schools, the effects of poverty on child health and on learning readiness. This session includes information on what makes certain schools succeed and others fail.
   
   
8. Everfi Financial Education
   Presenters: Everfi Staff
   EverFi has built an entirely new framework to finance and deliver innovation into schools in such areas as Financial Literacy, Student Loan Management, Digital Literacy, Substance Abuse, Nutrition, Obesity, and other key issues. We enable students to learn using the latest technology, including rich media, high-definition video, diagrams and avatars. The EverFi platform is typically integrated into core courses to empower teachers and reach all students.

Men of Strength Club
A group of City Springs staff members also participated in a 2-day intensive training to prepare them to implement a Men of Strength Club at City Springs School. The Men of Strength Club, a youth development program of the Washington, DC-based nonprofit Men Can Stop Rape's , is the country’s premier primary violence prevention program for mobilizing young men to prevent sexual and dating violence. The Men of Strength Club, or MOST Club, provides young men with a structured and supportive space to build individualized definitions of masculinity that promote healthy relationships.

Thank you
We would like to thank all of the principals, teachers, trainers, and staff members who made BCP's Fall Profesional Development Conference possible. We would also like to thank McGraw-Hill School Education Group for providing lunch; Merritt Athletic Clubs for donating a one month membership for a teacher; and Lakeshore for donating $400 worth of gift to cards to help BCP teachers purchase school supplies. Special thanks to BCP Director of Training Tara Anderson for organizing the conference.

Merritt Athletic Clubs Support BCP Fall Conference

We would like to thank Merritt Athletic Clubs for donating a one month membership, which will be offered as a door prize during BCP's Fall Professional Development Conference.

With over 27,000 members, more than 800 employees, swimming pools, squash, tennis, racquetball, more than 300 group exercise classes each week, 10 convenient locations, and over 30 years in the health and fitness industry, Merritt Athletic Clubs is the most complete fitness organization in Maryland.

For more information visit: http://www.merrittclubs.com

Lakeshore Supports BCP Teachers

Lakeshore has donated $400 worth of gift to cards to help BCP teachers purchase school supplies. The gift cards will be awarded at BCP's October 2011 Professional Development Conference.

Lakeshore is dedicated to creating innovative educational materials that spark young imaginations, instill a sense of wonder and foster a lifelong love of learning. We would like to thank Lakeshore for their generosity.

For more information visit: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com

McGraw-Hill Sponsors BCP Professional Development Conference

We would like to thank the McGraw-Hill School Education Group for sponsoring the breakfast at BCP's upcoming Fall Professional Development Conference on October 12, 2011. McGraw Hill has been a faithful supporter of BCP's past conferences.

McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of educational materials, information and solutions for the Pre-K through 12th grade, Assessment, Higher Education and Professional markets.

For more information visit: http://www.mheducation.com