With the help of students, Greenfield Exempted Village Board of Education members learned more about how a visible learning initiative is being implemented at Rainsboro Elementary.
As reported previously, the district’s multi-year Visible Learning Plan began with the start of the new school year. It’s during the first year that the focus is on learning dispositions and clarity in teaching and learning, before moving on to other facets of the program that is based on professor John Hattie’s years-long, worldwide research.
At this week’s school board meeting students, aided by a slide presentation, highlighted one of the learning dispositions: embracing challenges, perseverance, taking ownership, continually growing, and being engaged in learning.
Each learning disposition is an integral building block in the journey to creating visible learners. Another part of that path, according to Rainsboro Principal Maggie Lyons, is something called teacher learning walks, which are a brief classroom visit where teachers go into other teachers’ classrooms to learn from them by observing what they have posted around the classroom, not only concerning learning dispositions, but for student involvement and engagement.
The visible learning plan is meant to help students use learning dispositions, learning intentions, and evaluate their learning by success criteria so that learning is visible to the learners as well as to staff, administrators, and the learners’ families.
Lyons also discussed Rainsboro’s involvement with the National Network of Partnerships Schools grant, which Rainsboro and McClain are a part of. The grant focuses on parental involvement and fostering home/school relationships so that there is a greater connection with school districts and the families they serve.
To facilitate that connection, Rainsboro’s teacher/parent team has created a building plan that includes academic goals, a goal to further a positive building culture, and a goal associated with connecting visible learning to school and home.
In other business, members of the McClain Cadet Corps presented information regarding the Purple Star Award, a designation made available from the Ohio Department of Education to qualifying schools that apply.
Master Sgt. John Wilson, who leads McClain High School’s Cadet Corps, along with cadets Landon Wheeler, Shia Muse and Andrew Surritt, presented the information to the school board, explaining that the designation is for schools that are committed to students and families associated with the military.
To qualify, a school must meet requirements regarding its support of the military and its families. Currently, GEVS has several ongoing programs that fit that bill, which include the McClain Cadet Corps, annual Veterans Day celebrations, and a military appreciation night at sporting events. Other things being worked on are the formation of a military family committee for military-connected students, and a resolution from the board of education publicizing the district’s support of military students and families.
Once all requirements are complete, the application will be submitted to the state for consideration for GEVS to receive the designation.
In her report, superintendent Quincey Gray thanked all the students who participated in the meeting and Lyons for what she and her students shared, adding that it was very good to see students back on Monday after last week’s snow days.
She also said that Greenfield Middle School students took work packets home Monday in case there was a need to designate a future snow day as a remote learning day. As a reminder, Gray said that on Friday there will be a two-hour early dismissal so that district staff can have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
The superintendent also said the Building and Grounds Committee and Athletics Committee met last week to review the final drawings for a locker room/lobby extension project. From there, the architect will finalize the drawings in order for the project to be put out for bid.
In other matters, employment recommendations approved by the board were for certified substitutes Caitlyn Fletcher, Lisa Corbin, Richard Castle and Linda Wright.
Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the Greenfield Exempted Village School District.
