Wisconsin Record of Service

October 2010

Great Lakes West State Manager: Anna Koelln

Response to Intervention

The response to intervention (RTI) team has continued to refine the RTI guidance document as well as create common language about RTI and balanced assessment terminology following a Great Lakes West-facilitated cross-divisional RTI and assessment meeting on August 3, 2010, in Madison, Wisconsin. Great Lakes West staff will facilitate a second cross-divisional meeting on October 21, 2010, in Madison in order to continue the conversations and work to develop common language and consistent messages in RTI and assessment.

Great Lakes West also supported Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) staff attending the RTI Innovations Conference October 7–8, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to the conference, Great Lakes West hosted a meeting to identify how conference topics and content can be applied to the current RTI work in Wisconsin.

Teacher Quality

The group of education stakeholders, including DPI, that comprises the Forum on Advancing Educator Effectiveness (FAE2) concluded nearly a year of planning on August 12, 2010. The group was preparing to hold stakeholder dialogues at the annual statewide conferences of participating associations this fall and winter. As FAE2 participates in these conferences, Great Lakes West will continue to support DPI involvement by capturing stakeholder feedback. This feedback will inform DPI staff of possible next steps and areas of need related to educator effectiveness throughout Wisconsin.

The conferences at which FAE2 members and Great Lakes West will be present include the following:

October 27–29, 2010	Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) Annual Convention, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
October 28–29, 2010	2010 Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) Convention, Madison, Wisconsin
December 2–3, 2010	Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education (WACTE) Conference, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
January 12–14, 2011	2011 Every Child a Graduate Conference, Madison, Wisconsin
January 19–21, 2011	Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) 90th State Education Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Assessment

As a result of the positive feedback and success that the assessment team experienced during the August 3, 2010, cross-divisional meeting with their RTI colleagues, Great Lakes West was asked to support another cross-divisional effort. Great Lakes West will facilitate a series of planning sessions with the Assessment, Special Education, and Title III divisions of DPI. These three divisions are coming together to create common language for a DPI accommodations guide. The cross-divisional planning will help establish a purpose and content for the guide, which will be presented at the Every Child a Graduate Conference in January 2011.

Wisconsin Standards

Wisconsin has adopted the Common Core State Standards and is in the process of preparing schools and districts to implement them. In order to successfully implement the new standards, Great Lakes West will support DPI efforts to engage stakeholders to create consistent messaging about what the new standards mean and how they can be used in Wisconsin.

DPI continues to develop plans to support schools and districts with implementing the new Wisconsin standards. Great Lakes West will help develop and facilitate DPI common core content and processes in conjunction with cooperative educational service agencies (CESAs) and professional organizations so that schools and districts will be supported in the implementation phase of the common core.

Forum on Advancing Educator Effectiveness

Great Lakes West and the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (TQ Center) continue to facilitate the collaborative Wisconsin group, the Forum on Advancing Educator Effectiveness (FAE2). Great Lakes West and the TQ Center currently are preparing a teacher effectiveness and a principal effectiveness document, both of which will be reviewed by FAE2 to provide feedback. DPI staff will review the documents to ensure that they align with guidance that DPI is developing on teacher and principal effectiveness in Wisconsin. The FAE2 work will conclude this month and will be followed by a series of stakeholder engagement activities at statewide conferences this fall.