SDW Exceeding Expectations

Off the heels of the public release of the DPI school and district report cards, I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU for all of your hard work! No matter the successes or dips we saw across all of our schools, TOGETHER we collectively achieved our highest district ranking in 5 years!

We celebrate being second only to Appleton with our rating on the DPI district report card when ranked against the ten largest school districts in the state. Our district score is 70.4.

We celebrate the following schools that are significantly exceeding and exceeding expectations:

Significantly Exceeds Expectations

Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy 88.4

Rose Glen Elementary 88.3

Banting Elementary 87.4

Meadowbrook Elementary 86.4

Waukesha STEM Academy (K-8) 83.2

Exceeds Expectations

Lowell Elementary 82.7

West High School 81.2

Hillcrest Elementary 79.6

Bethesda Elementary 74.2

Waukesha Academy of Health Professions 70.8

Collectively, we not only work with the colleagues in our respective buildings, but together we do build the district imprint on student learning and success.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we are tired. We must take time for ourselves. We must find gratitude for our friends and family during this upcoming break. We must raise a glass and know that we have accomplished much and yet in the spirit of "getting better at getting better", we always want more for ourselves and especially our students.

Thank you for your dedication, your resilience, and your commitment to educational excellence in the School District of Waukesha!

Celebrating Our Middle School Vertical Literacy Teams' Impact on Student Learning

Secondary Literacy Update:

On Monday, November 8th, all of our literacy professional learning communities across all of our middle schools, came together to share and celebrate our collective impact on student learning. The purpose: 

• To strongly connect the why and how of our teaching to what students are learning.

• To celebrate our collective expertise and successes across buildings and professional learning communities. 

• To see and feel our impact on students and each other.

Here are some ideas and student work examples that were shared:

Grade-Level Priority Standards:

Instructional Impact on Student Learning:

Student Work Examples:

If you are interested in seeing all of the teams' ideas that follow the same format, as shown above, check them out by clicking here. A huge thank-you to Natalie Guevara, a Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy lead teacher at Les Paul Middle School, for helping lead the work with our entire middle school team. Natalie, your bravery as a teacher, Marine, and facilitator of our curriculum-creating student panel gives everyone around you energy and empowerment. Thank you.

Instructional Planning

As a district one of our focus areas this school year is planning and preparation to ensure equitable outcomes for all students. This focus area aligns with the WI Educator Effectiveness System which uses the Danielson Framework for Teaching for professional growth and development for educators. The first domain of the Danielson Framework for Teaching is Planning and Preparation. Our Planning and Preparation Adult Learning Framework focuses on two components within the planning and preparation domain; Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (1b) and Designing Coherent Instruction (1e). These two components are essential to intentionally planning instruction to meet the needs of all learners. 

When lesson planning it is important to plan for the “edges”. This means that you plan for your learners that are disengaged in learning and not achieving at the same level as their grade level peers. This may include students with learning or behavioral disabilities, English language learners, and/or students of color. Including supports and scaffolds, different cultural heritages, and student interests in your lesson planning will not only benefit underperforming students but also students who are performing at or above grade level. Intentionally planning for a few can have a huge impact on the overall achievement of the class. 

Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) is the instructional framework that is expected to be used when designing coherent instruction. Daily lesson plans following the GRR framework include focused instruction, guided instruction, collaborative learning, and independent learning. Designing coherent instruction involves aligning learning activities to instructional outcomes. Intentionally selecting WICOR strategies that enhance student's learning experience. Creating data-driven small groups and using formative assessments regularly in daily instruction to guide instructional decisions. Also, being mindful that the pacing and structure of the lesson allows time for students to process their learning and engage in discussion, critical thinking, and reflection. Designing coherent instruction is a high-leverage practice that leads to significant gains in student achievement.

An analogy I once read compared lesson plans to a road map. For both you need a final destination or end point. Without that you're just on a road to nowhere and taking your students/passengers along for the ride. Planning and preparation are key if we want to see achievement gaps close and not widen. As educators it is our responsibility to demonstrate knowledge of and design coherent instruction for each and every student that enters our classrooms. If we want equitable outcomes for all students it starts with intentional planning and preparation.