EdCal EdCal v49.20 3/11/19

March 11, 2019 EDCAL   1 Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators Volume 49 | Number 20 | March 11, 2019 Applications open for 2019 NAESP National Distinguished Principal The National Association of Elemen- tary School Principals, in partnership with ACSA’s Elementary Education Council, is seeking to identify an exceptional elemen- tary school principal to represent California as its National Distinguished Principal. April 1 is the deadline to submit nomina- tions, and that is not an April Fool’s joke. The NDP program was established in 1984 to recognize Pre-K-8 level principals who set high standards for instruction, student achievement, character and climate for the students, families and staffs in their learning communities. The program is based on three fundamental ideas: •  Children’s attitudes toward learning and their perceptions of themselves as life- long learners are established in the begin- ning school years. •  The scope and quality of children’s Women’s History Month Castro Valley USD Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi was honored as a California Woman of the Year for Senate District 10, as nominated by Sen. Bob Wieckowski. Here she poses at a ceremony with mem- bers of ACSA Governmental Relations. L-R, Legislative Advocate Martha Alvarez, Ahmadi, Legislative Advocate Cathy McBride, Senior Director of Policy and Governmental Relations Edgar Zazueta. Castro Valley superintendent named a CA Woman of the Year A prominent school district lead- er was an honoree in a state Capitol ceremony last week. Parvin Ahmadi, superintendent of Castro Valley USD, is the 2019 Woman of the Year for Senate District 10, Sen. Bob Wieckowski announced. Ahmadi and other Women of the Year honorees were recognized during a ceremony on the Senate floor. “Superintendent Ahmadi is a statewide educational leader who has dedicated her professional career to educating all students and enhancing their learning opportunities so they can achieve their goals,” Wieckowski said. “For over 30 years, she has worked in several positions in our educational sys- tem, including as a teacher, site adminis- trator, assistant superintendent and now as a superintendent who also teaches Periodicals Dated Material aspiring superintendents. Her commit- ment to public education, students of all ages and social justice is recognized throughout our community.” Ahmadi, also a member of ACSA’s Board of Directors, has been superin- tendent of CVUSD since 2015. She started her career as a teacher in San Jose and taught there for 10 years before moving to Fremont USD. She worked there for 13 years as a teacher and a site administrator, before becoming an assis- tant superintendent. She then served as superintendent of Pleasanton USD for five years. In 2017, Ahmadi was appointed to the Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education and is currently working with other advocates See AHMADI, page 4 educational experiences are determined primarily by the school principal, who establishes, through the important work of teachers and the support of caring par- ents, the character of a particular school’s program. •  The dedication and enthusiasm of the outstanding principals who guide children’s early education experiences should be See NDP, page 4 SPI Thurmond congratulates Schools to Watch Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion Tony Thurmond announced that 16 high-performing California middle schools have been newly recognized in the 2018- 19 Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage program. They join 33 previously chosen schools whose sustained progress will allow them to retain their “Schools to Watch” designation. “These middle schools make a great impact on students, and I want to thank the staff, administrators, teachers, and parents at these schools for ensuring all students get the education they need to realize their potential,” Thurmond said. “These schools study and support students’ needs, which helps close achievement gaps and creates a better future for these young students.” These high-performing model schools demonstrate academic excellence, social equity, and responsiveness to the needs of young adolescents. For example, Creekview Ranch School in Roseville created “Raptor Time,” embedded four days per week in the school day to offer student support and en- richment opportunities. Southridge Middle School teachers participate in instructional rounds to observe best practices, cognitive tasks, and learning targets, and then provide consistent feedback to staff and admin- istration. In Ray Wiltsey Middle School, which has a schoolwide International Baccalaureate model, all students partici- pate in student-led conferences where they analyze academic progress and set individ- ual academic goals for improvement with their families. The 16 newly designated “Schools to Watch” schools are: •  John Burroughs Middle School, Los Angeles USD. •  Creekview Ranch School K-8, Dry Creek Joint Elementary SD. New PACE brief. Policy Analysis for California Education has a new brief out that updates a 2018 analysis of the California Dashboard. The brief also identifies continued low use and potentially troubling equity gaps. De- spite the shortcomings of the update, there is high support for the Dashboard and a strong preference for the new Dashboard over the old. The brief can be accessed on the PACE website at http://bit.ly/2VC4vBU. CAST video. A new video “California Science Test (CAST) and the Next Gen- eration Science Standards” provides an overview of the CAST and describes how it aligns with the California Next Generation Science Standards. This video is especially helpful for teach- ers, parents and students. It explains how the CAST is designed not only to measure student progress, but also to encourage and reinforce the innova- tive ways in which science is taught in classrooms throughout the state. You can access the six-minute video at http://bit.ly/2H8hrLS. CAAASA conference. The Califor- nia Association of African American Su- perintendents and Administrators is en- couraging registrations for their annual Statewide Professional Development Summit scheduled for March 27-29 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove. This year’s conference, “Creating an Equitable Education for African American and Other Students of Color,” will focus on highlighting policies and practices that promote education equity for African American and other students of color. The goal of the conference is to provide strategies, solutions, and resources that educators can use to ensure that students are able to achieve academically and excel in life. ACSA and a number of other education groups is a co-sponsor of the event. Please go to www.caaasa. org to register. See STW, page 5 Blended learning symposium coming to Carlsbad in May ACSA is pleased to announce that the association is partnering with CUE (Com- puter Using Educators) on the BOLD: Blended and Online Lesson Design Sym- posium happening May 4-5 at Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad. “We hope this will provide an excellent learning opportunity for our members, who are all well-aware that technology is a now, and future, critical component of educa- tion,” said ACSA President Holly Edds. “Although all schools have moved into the world of ed-tech, there is a wide spectrum of how far along schools statewide are right now, and this should help those districts who feel they need a little boost in this area.” This event is designed for districts who are struggling to design modern classroom environments that enhance learning and for those seeking to dig deep into 1:1 lesson planning. With live demonstrations and expert speakers, this is an event not to be missed. Teachers, administrators, and district leaders will take a deep dive into the world of blended and online lesson design. This event will challenge all educators to meet and lead their students in the 21st century with a focus on the symbiotic relationship of learning environment design, digital learning systems, and rethinking traditional lesson design as the essential components to launching a personalized 1:1 learning environment. See BOLD, page 5