NWREL News
Flashback
NWRCC Focuses Support on Rural Schools Not Making AYP
Symposium participants Christina Linder, Director-Certification from the Idaho State Department of Education; Claire Gates, NWRCC staff; and Anton Jackson, Mathematics Initiative Specialist from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, simulate a sixth-grade classroom activity involving communication through data.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Northwest region is its rurality. Of the more than 5,200 schools in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, 39 percent are designated as rural. A variety of NCLB-related issues have been identified as of particular concern for rural schools, including recruitment and retention of qualified teachers, administrator turnover, student achievement and dropout, access to advanced placement courses, and effective professional development. In particular, an examination of regional AYP data for rural schools suggests a significant need in the area of mathematics.
To address this need, the Northwest Regional Comprehensive Center (NWRCC) is focusing on helping build the capacity of State Education Agencies (SEAs) to provide support to rural schools and districts not making AYP in mathematics. As a first step, staff with mathematics curriculum and/or Title II-B responsibilities from SEAs in the NWRCC region attended the Addressing the Unique Mathematics Education Needs of Rural Schools—A Symposium for Northwest SEA Leaders at NWREL last fall.
Assessment Workshop Offers a Host of Writing Activities for Early Grades
Teachers of PreK–second grade from Oregon and California learned ways to enrich their students’ writing experiences across the curriculum content areas at the January 29–30 6+1 Trait® Wee Writers’ Institute at NWREL. Carolyn McMahon, co-author of the bestselling teaching guides, Wee Can™ Write: Using 6+1 Trait® Writing Strategies with Renowned Children’s Literature and Wee Can™ Count: Teaching Beginning Mathematics Using Renowned Children's Literature for Grades K and 1, shared strategies for teaching and assessing beginning writers using books children know and love. Co-facilitator Connie Spiegel guided participants in the hands-on activity of scoring writing samples using clear, concise, and visual rubrics that are student and teacher friendly. Participants got a sneak peak at the newest guidebook in the series, Wee Can™ Celebrate: Daily Journal Prompts Using 6+1 Trait® Writing Strategies for Primary Learners, available now at http://www.nwrel.org/comm/catalog/.