Welcome to the ACCESS Newsletter
Celebrating Winter!
 
Winter is a great time to reflect on everything that has happened this year - both challenging and positive - and to make wishes and plans for the year ahead. Now is the time to reflect on our own professional journeys as well as how we can grow and develop to be better for our students and each other. As educators, we strive to grow in our practice, to build greater competence in teaching and learning, to become better in culturally responsive ways, and to create learning environments where all students are eager to participate and take initiative. We want all students to have a sense of fulfillment in school and positive feelings of well-being. As we begin the new year, we must work collectively to validate, affirm, build and bridge so that we are creating opportunities for meaningful experiences in schools.

“This is important. You can do it. And I won't give up on you!” These messages expressed by Dr. Jon Saphier go to the heart of what we believe as educators. The ability to do something, anything competently - mathematics, race car driving, dancing, public speaking - is primarily determined by the effort we invest and our belief that we can become proficient at it. For students to accept this message, they must hear that their teachers believe in their capacity. Students must be surrounded by environments that send these messages based on what we, as educators, say and do.

In this edition of ACCESS, we will explore ways in which we can foster a learning environment (Performance Area #1) that supports all students to learn. The extent that students feel known and respected and that their individual culture and identity is valued, is influenced by two high-leverage practices: setting standards and communicating expectations.

We also spotlight four educators who, through their daily interactions and communications, demonstrate high expectations for learning and achievement. These educators do not “just talk the talk” of a growth mindset, but they embed high standards and high expectations into every aspect of what they do in their school environments, modeling for both staff and students how to make their efforts more effective. 
Celebrating the DYNAMIC DUO at Seaford Central Elementary!
Becky Neubert,
Principal
Chandra Phillips,
Assistant Principal
These school leaders are doing what it takes so that their teachers and students can have the best possible learning environment and experience. Becky and Chandra show up in big ways to help everyone.
Celebrating Dr. David Carter
Assistant Principal, Indian River High School, Indian River School District
We celebrate David's leadership skills in building relationships with his students. Click here to view his video on
Building Relationships to Bridge the Equity Gap.
Celebrating Shannon Rolph
3rd grade teacher, Frederick Douglas Elementary, Seaford School District
We celebrate Shannon's willingness to open her classroom to the DOE team to observe pilot implementation of the revised rubric as well the post observation conference.
To nominate an educator to be recognized in the Spotlight section, please email Angela Socorso.
Standards and Expectations
Standards: Our level of performance or degree of rigor; the bar we set. 

Expectations (belief): Our level of conviction that all students can achieve what we ask of them. Our belief about students' ability to achieve.
Demonstrating/modeling high expectations for learning and achievement for all students can be found in all Performance Areas of the Delaware Teacher Classroom (DTC) tool. The table below highlights examples of where standards and expectations show up in the framework. View the DTC tool here.
Click here to learn more.
Quadrant 1: I have high standards and the conviction all can achieve.

This is where we all strive to be.

We are using the language and acting on the belief that all of our students can get there.
Source: Research for Better Teacher, 2021
All students deserve to be in classrooms that are characterized by high standards and high expectations.

How do we set high standards and communicate high expectations to staff and students?

▪     What would we say?
▪     What would we do?
▪     When and where would we do it?
CLASSROOM ARENAS

An ARENA of classroom life is a place, structure, setting, or interaction in which regularly recurring events happen and can be observed. 
 
Arenas represent opportunities for teachers to communicate behaviorally to students what is important and that they believe that the students have the capacity to achieve. 

Arenas are places where teachers communicate expectations messages to students ("This is important, you can do it. I won't give up on you.") through a variety of words, actions, and classroom policies/procedures.
Communicating High Expectations
Read more about Arenas 1, 2, 3, and 8:

  1. Calling on Students (1.3).
  2. Responding to Students (including when students don’t answer) (1.3).
  3. Giving Help (1.3).
  4. Changing Attitudes Toward Errors (1.3).
  5. Giving and Negotiating Tasks and Assignments (3.1).
  6. Feedback According to the Criteria for Success (2.3).
  7. Framing Reteaching (1.3).
  8. Tenacity When Students Don’t Meet Expectations (1.2).
  9. Grading (2.3).
  10. Grouping (1.2, 1.3, 3.2).

*Source: Saphier, J. Haley-Speca, M., & Gower, R. (2018). The Skillful Teacher. (7th ed.).
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 [email protected]