Week 33: Measuring the Impact of our Work

Happy Friday!

As we wrap up another productive week, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each of you for your dedication and hard work. Your efforts continue to make a significant impact on our school’s performance targets and fulfill our mission and vision to impact our community. In this week's update, we delve into several key areas that are essential to our collective success. We will discuss the newly implemented roster verification procedures, provide insights into the Teacher Value-Added Growth Scores (TVAGS) module, and evaluate our efforts to apply these systems fairly and beneficially across our staff. These topics are crucial as they help us refine our processes and align our goals toward fostering an enriching learning environment for our students. But, first, we will recognize some special people in the district.

School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

This past Tuesday, we celebrated School Bus Drivers Appreciation Day, honoring the dedicated individuals who ensure the safe and timely transportation of our students every day. Our bus drivers are the first to greet our students in the morning and the last to say goodbye in the afternoon, playing a crucial role in their daily lives. We extend our heartfelt thanks to these unsung heroes of the Mena Public Schools for their unwavering commitment, exceptional care, and the significant role they play in making our educational environment accessible to all. Their efforts do not go unnoticed, and we are deeply grateful for their service.

Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day

This past Wednesday, we also took a moment to celebrate National Administrative Professionals Day, recognizing the invaluable contributions of our administrative assistant staff. These dedicated professionals keep our school's operations running smoothly, managing countless details with efficiency and grace. They are often the backbone of our educational institution, supporting every facet from daily administration to strategic initiatives. We sincerely appreciate their hard work and commitment, which significantly enhance our school environment and community. Thank you to our administrative professionals for everything they do to support Mena Public Schools.

Roster Verification

Roster verification is a critical process for our district, aiming to accurately align teachers with the students they have instructed, particularly in state-tested subjects. This alignment is vital because it directly impacts the Teacher Value-Added Modules within the LEA Insights system, which are used to measure teacher effectiveness based on student growth scores. Student growth, as defined by Arkansas's value-added growth model, is measured by assessing how much a student has grown academically compared to expected growth, considering their previous achievements. This model helps ensure fairness by accounting for variables outside of a teacher's control, such as a student's past performance and demographic factors.

As teachers, it is essential to understand that your participation in roster verification influences not only your professional impact but also the broader educational outcomes for our students. By ensuring your roster accurately reflects the students you have taught, you contribute to a more precise and fair assessment of educational impact across our district. Your principals will be instrumental in guiding you through this process, providing further details and support as needed. They are tasked with verifying that all teacher rosters are correct before the district's final verification, underscoring the collaborative effort required at every level of our educational community to maintain high standards of accountability and effectiveness.

Teacher Value-Added Growth Measures

Following the completion of roster verification, it is crucial to understand how the Teacher Value-Added Growth Scores (TVAGS) module functions within LEA Insights. This module is designed to evaluate student growth by accurately linking teachers to the students they have taught and measuring the students' academic growth. The system takes into account a student’s past performance to project expected growth, thus providing a fair assessment of educational impacts across various demographics and prior achievements.

The TVAGS module in LEA Insights is an invaluable tool for educators, enabling the exploration of individual and group student growth scores, which are crucial for understanding and improving educational outcomes. Teachers can use this module to identify trends in student growth across different subjects and grade levels and assess whether students are growing as expected based on their previous achievements. This deeper insight allows for targeted instructional strategies and enhanced educational support where needed.

It is important to note, however, that while TVAGS is a powerful tool for understanding student growth, it is not intended for use in formal teacher evaluations. Instead, these insights should be used to foster professional learning communities (PLCs) and collaborative discussions among educators, aimed at refining teaching practices and enhancing student learning experiences. By engaging with this module, teachers and administrators can more effectively plan and act to support each student's educational journey, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As part of the new LEARNS Act, the Teacher Value-Added Growth Scores (TVAGS) module is a relatively new addition to our state’s educational system, and as such, its application and implications are still being carefully considered. Currently, it does not apply to every teacher. The decision to extend its use more broadly will depend on ensuring that it can be implemented in a manner that is fair and equitable for all educators. This careful consideration is crucial to maintaining trust and accuracy in how we assess and support our educators and, ultimately, our students. As we gather more data and feedback, we will refine the system to ensure it serves the best interests of our educational community.

Closing

This past week, our school community was treated to exceptional performances by both the choir and band, showcasing the incredible talent and hard work of our students. Under the skilled direction of Ms. Abi Tilley, the choir delivered a captivating performance, filled with harmonious melodies and powerful expressions that touched the hearts of everyone in attendance. Likewise, our band, led by Mr. Charles Morgan and Mr. David Chaney, performed brilliantly, demonstrating their musical prowess and dedication through each note played.

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of attending the 97th Arkansas FFA State Convention in Hot Springs, where it was an honor to witness my former teaching partner, Mr. Mike Collins, be inducted into the Legendary Owl Hall of Fame for his exceptional contributions as an agriculture teacher. In addition to this prestigious recognition, our Mena FFA students made us incredibly proud by excelling in leadership contest finals and securing the overall yearly sweepstakes, surpassing all other chapters in achievement. This outstanding performance is a testament to the hard work of our students and the guidance of their advisors, highlighting their dedication, skill, and leadership. Congratulations to all for representing Mena Public Schools with such distinction and honor at the state level!

Our baseball, softball, and track athletes are all competing in post-season meets and tournaments right now and we wish them the best of luck and know that they will represent Mena Public Schools very well.

If you are reaching a years-of-service (1, 5, 10, 15, etc.) milestone this year or if you have made any significant achievements, please take a moment to fill out this form. Your response will ensure you receive the recognition you deserve for your years of dedicated service.

Remember that schools and offices are closed on Monday for the last long weekend of the school year.

It was another good week for us at Mena Public Schools!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a nice long weekend!

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