Welcome to the ACCESS Newsletter
Happy November! 

The frenzy of fall has subsided. You’ve carved your pumpkins, planted fall flowers, and pulled out your cozy sweaters. You’ve polished off the last of your Halloween candy, and now you get to take a deep breath of crisp air and settle into November – the very best month of autumn. November is a month to remind us to be thankful for all the positive things happening in our life. We want to take this opportunity to express gratitude for all educators. We are grateful for your resiliency, persistence, positivity, and commitment.
 
This month we focus on making students’ thinking visible. Making students’ thinking visible is a high-leverage skill that shows up in the Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System Framework in all Performance Areas.

This month, we spotlight the nine DTGSS pilot leads. Their dedication, support, energy, hard work, flexibility, and feedback have been instrumental to ensure successful statewide implementation of our newly revised learning-focused evaluation system, The Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System.

If you would like to nominate an educator to be recognized in the Spotlight section, please email Angela Socorso.

It’s November. It’s a time for practicing gratitude and staying grounded in the present moment.  As you embrace the challenges that each day brings, may you remember to keep going and not give up. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always try one more time.” (Thomas A. Edison)
We are honored to work with these amazing leaders who have taken the initiative to pilot the new teacher evaluation system in their school or district. Their support, hard work, flexibility, feedback and patience are valued and appreciated. Shout out to the following pilot leads: 
Karen Blannard
Indian River School District
Shoutout to Karen for her focused insights and feedback to ensure administrator training is engaging and meaningful.
Jason Cameron
Seaford School District
Shoutout to Cam for his expertise and feedback to ensure the DTGSS process is manageable and has the greatest impact for both teachers and leaders.
Patrick Gallucci
First State Military Academy
Shoutout to Patrick for his commitment and dedicated to the DTGSS system and process.

Peter McClure
Sussex Montessori
Shoutout to Peter for his willingness to 'dive' right into an evaluation system as he commits to align the DTGSS Framework to a Montessori setting.
Steven Norman
Positive Outcomes
Shoutout to Steve for his positive attitude, constant support, and unwavering dedication to his teachers.
Ned Southward
MOT Charter
Shoutout to Ned for his commitment to the process and providing valuable feedback for both the process and training. His feedback is valued and appreciated.
Joseph Jones
New Castle County Vocational Technical School District
Shoutout to Joe for his positive attitude, commitment, compassion, and unwavering support to ensure successful implementation statewide.
Travis Moorman
Lake Forest School District
Shoutout to Travis for his long-term commitment to the entire evaluation redesign. Travis served as a member of the Steering Committee in 2018 and has stayed true to the process through implementation. His expertise and support are valued.
Angie Porter
DSCYF
Shoutout to Angie for her high energy, support, and positive attitude. Angie willingness to share and connect are valued.
Making Students Thinking Visible
Making Students' Thinking Visible means to create a robust talk environment for all students where they are both challenged and enabled to think deeply, frequently, and critically. Students are supported to interact with one another while developing deep understanding of the concept being taught. By Making Students’ Thinking Visible, students become active thinkers about the content.

Making Students’ Thinking Visible brings together six strands of successful teaching and learning. It’s a combination of these strands that produce the desired results in student learning. (Skillful Teacher, Saphier, J. 2018).
Six Strands
of Making Students' Thinking Visible

Classroom Climate: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
High Level and Critical Thinking, 3.2
Student Engagement: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
21st Century Skills and Common Core: 3.1
Academic Vocabulary: 3.3
Social-Emotional Learning: All Performance Areas
“When teaching and learning are visible there is a greater likelihood of students reaching higher levels of achievement."
-John Hattie
Specific looks and sounds for Making Students’ Thinking Visible:
  • Asks students to explain the thinking behind their answers whether they’re right or wrong.
  • Asks students if they agree or disagree with another student's answer.
  • Asks students to comment or add on to a student’s response or idea.
  • Creates and then facilitates dialogue between students about their ideas.
  • Asks follow-up questions that are similar to ones just discussed to see if students really understands.
  • Uses wait time. Allows students to struggle and dwells with the student’s thinking, sticking with them.
  • Asks students to take responsibility for helping others who don’t get something as quickly as they have.
Making Students' Thinking Visible Resources
Educator Resources
  • ACCESS eNewsletter: Read Delaware’s monthly eNewsletter focused on school staff evaluations. View previous issues here. 

  • DTGSS Schoology group: Get DTGSS information specific to teachers and administrators. Find downloadable resources, including training and overview materials. For access, enter Schoology code: X8WB-ZKQJ-M585J or email NewTeacher.Evaluation@doe.k12.de.us