March 29, 2024

NHS, Thomas Jefferson staffs show what they’ve learned

SAMs allow principals more time among students

At the May 18 Newton Community School District board meeting, staff members from Newton High School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary School went through their campus’s programs or systems that are working well.

One of those programs is getting a principal out among students more.

The effectiveness of school administration managers, which were newly implemented in Newton over the past school year, has been debated from time to time.

Thomas Jefferson Principal Lisa Sharp, along with School Administration Manager Tom Bartello, made a presentation at the May 18 board meeting about how a SAM can help a principal be more effective. School campuses are host to at least one board meeting each year.

Since a special budget meeting ended up causing Thomas Jefferson’s host meeting to be moved, host Newton High School was joined by Thomas Jefferson leaders in presenting at the May 18 meeting.

Newton High School Principal Bill Peters brought with him Library Media Center Director Ann Nelson, language arts teacher Mark Burnett and science teacher Chris Forsyth.

They discussed an “Expanded Process Map” that focuses on learning strategies and speaking a common-core language across all campuses in the district. Burnett said the September professional development day was used to show how Iowa Core standards are maintained as course curriculums grow.

“These are living documents,” Burnett said. “They aren’t static. It becomes real; it becomes archival, and it’s something we can use when the state (department of education) comes through. We are mapping our courses.”

Nelson said depth of knowledge has four levels of complexity, and most standard tests are scored in that fashion.

“If we want students to do well on these tests, we need to make sure we are teaching at that level,” Nelson said. “We went over some available databases and apps to make sure all teachers know how to utilize these resources.”

Forsyth talked about the technology side, including online calendars, electric document delivery and a program called “Schoology.”

Sharp and Bartello, in their presentation, pointed out how Bartello, as a SAM, allowed Sharp to get out into the hallways more, and into classrooms.

“Last year, I counted how many walkthroughs (of classrooms) I got done throughout the year,” Sharp said. “I counted 41 — not too impressive. This year, with a SAM, I’ve been able to do 231 so far, or 190 more (without about two weeks of school remaining). I have appreciated so much how Tom has been able to take on managerial tasks, so more than numbers, I’ve been able to learn the curriculum and really help with coaching.”

Sharp said she has been able to get out into the classrooms more, and she was able to increase her time spent on instruction by more than 12 percent, and her extra time was used in a variety of ways. The estimate for the 2013-14 school year was about 42.5 percent of Sharp’s time was on instruction, but that is up to 55.3 percent for 2015-16.

“Since October, that number is actually up around 60 percent,” Bartello said. “And that time is broken down in a way that includes 18 percent on collaborative meetings, 15.1 percent in decision-making groups, 11.9 percent in walkthroughs and 8.6 percent in instructional one-on-one conversations with teachers.”

Sharp said being around students is sometimes a way of hitting a mental reset button.

“If I’m having a tough day, I just go into a classroom and watch the kids,” Sharp said. “That always brightens my day.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com