" John Gaylord is one of the most supportive and professional administrators I have ever had the pleasure to work with. John is one of the hardest working people I know. He pours his heart and soul into the school. We don't mind working hard because we know that John is working harder."
-Quote from 2012-13 anonymous teacher survey-
Left: This is a note from ES Assistant Principal, Anne Gardon. She is the first assistant principal in the 101 years of Seoul Foreign School's history and the first assistant principal I have had in my 16 years as a principal in three international schools.
At SFS, Anne worked ten years as an ESL teacher, two years as an elementary counselor and just successfully completed her first year as elementary assistant principal.
Staff Accountability for Implementation of Curriculum:
The ES is developing new grade level overviews for parents so that they have a clear understanding of how the curriculum spirals throughout elementary school. These overviews will also highlight what parents can expect to see in every classroom. These documents serve to ensure that grade levels deliver consistent programs and help teachers hold each other accountable for curriculum planning and delivery.
Accountability for implementation of curriculum is also built into our electronic curriculum maps (Rubicon Atlas); these are referenced during and after classroom observations, at grade level meetings, and also monitored by a team of ‘coaches’ comprised of teacher leaders, the school-wide Curriculum Coordinator, the Elementary Curriculum Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and Principal.
Our Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) process includes classroom observations, monitoring of teacher planning, as well as assessment and instructional practices, contributions beyond the classroom, and professional development. The TPA includes elements for supervisor evaluation and teacher evidence and reflection. Faculty keep an evidence portfolio; this is reviewed at the end of each year when I meet with teachers about their Annual Learning Plans.
I have developed an Elementary Leadership Team who also observe teachers’ delivery of curriculum to provide positive feedback and suggestions that help teachers deepen students’ enduring understandings in each subject area. The Assistant Elementary Principal and the Elementary Curriculum Coordinator are a part of this team. Expectations have been established in subject areas and are clearly communicated to teachers as to what we are looking for in our visits. Our observations are communicated to them in individual meetings directly after the observations. We have to be as transparent with teachers in observations as we ask teachers to be with students concerning assessment. Timely feedback is most important for students and teachers. Teachers see us as a team working to help them become better teachers and thus helping our students learn most effectively. Establishing positive relationships with teachers before the observations builds trust, enabling faculty to accept constructive feedback.
When creating the elementary master schedule, I developed regular common planning times for teachers throughout each six-day cycle. This allows for frequent and regular communication. We create common assessments and review results in these meetings. Calibration of grading helps parent confidence in our program; for example, teachers grade other class’s Six + One Write Traits writing prompts three times a year.
I have also found it extremely useful to allow teachers time to meet each quarter in the school day to plan a trans-disciplinary unit with our School-Wide and Elementary Curriculum Coordinators and Ed-Tech Integration specialists. The planning of our fourth grade play, based on standards and benchmarks across various subject areas, is a good example of one such unit. Students reflect on the entire process; this reflection plays a pivotal role in evaluating the learning.
I also established the use of student folders that are passed along from one grade to the next each year. The folders contain pertinent information about each child’s learning: DRA results and tests, Six + One Write Traits beginning and end of year assessments with scoring guides, as well as year end math assessments, and MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) results, and if relevant, any ESL WIDA or learning support data. Teachers receive these student folders at the beginning of the year. Students are assessed again in the fall to ascertain starting points for review after the summer break. We have been able to digitize much of the information in these folders.
We conduct the MAP tests three times a year. In the fall the tests help the teacher and students to provide goals for the year, which are communicated, to parents at the first of two parent conference sessions conducted during the year. We discuss the fall MAP reports and how teachers’ instruction will be driven by the results. Some of teachers Annual Learning Goals may results from students’ needs as identified by the MAP results.
I standardized parent conferences at the beginning of each year so that teachers use a common template that highlights the most important topics they need to share with parents. This way, every parent receives similar information. This has formalized conferences and made this time with parents more meaningful and effective. We also devote time to listening to the hopes and dreams of the parent for their child. In this way, we communicate that we are doing everything for the student in partnership with the parent. At the middle school level, I have had the distinct pleasure of implementing student-led conferences. Students at this level have also created electronic learning portfolios that demonstrate the school's learning outcomes and showcase learning across disciplines.
Teachers play an important role in the SFS curriculum development process; as well they should in any school. I do not operate from a top down model, but a collaborative one. We have revisited and redeveloped every part of our curriculum and the teachers support our curriculum. During the hiring process, I let teachers know the expectations of an SFS teacher and explain the clear curricular expectations of all teachers. My task is to ensure that all the classes are teaching the same standards and benchmarks, while at the same time preserving the joy and spontaneity of learning and instruction.
At SFS, Anne worked ten years as an ESL teacher, two years as an elementary counselor and just successfully completed her first year as elementary assistant principal.
Staff Accountability for Implementation of Curriculum:
The ES is developing new grade level overviews for parents so that they have a clear understanding of how the curriculum spirals throughout elementary school. These overviews will also highlight what parents can expect to see in every classroom. These documents serve to ensure that grade levels deliver consistent programs and help teachers hold each other accountable for curriculum planning and delivery.
Accountability for implementation of curriculum is also built into our electronic curriculum maps (Rubicon Atlas); these are referenced during and after classroom observations, at grade level meetings, and also monitored by a team of ‘coaches’ comprised of teacher leaders, the school-wide Curriculum Coordinator, the Elementary Curriculum Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and Principal.
Our Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) process includes classroom observations, monitoring of teacher planning, as well as assessment and instructional practices, contributions beyond the classroom, and professional development. The TPA includes elements for supervisor evaluation and teacher evidence and reflection. Faculty keep an evidence portfolio; this is reviewed at the end of each year when I meet with teachers about their Annual Learning Plans.
I have developed an Elementary Leadership Team who also observe teachers’ delivery of curriculum to provide positive feedback and suggestions that help teachers deepen students’ enduring understandings in each subject area. The Assistant Elementary Principal and the Elementary Curriculum Coordinator are a part of this team. Expectations have been established in subject areas and are clearly communicated to teachers as to what we are looking for in our visits. Our observations are communicated to them in individual meetings directly after the observations. We have to be as transparent with teachers in observations as we ask teachers to be with students concerning assessment. Timely feedback is most important for students and teachers. Teachers see us as a team working to help them become better teachers and thus helping our students learn most effectively. Establishing positive relationships with teachers before the observations builds trust, enabling faculty to accept constructive feedback.
When creating the elementary master schedule, I developed regular common planning times for teachers throughout each six-day cycle. This allows for frequent and regular communication. We create common assessments and review results in these meetings. Calibration of grading helps parent confidence in our program; for example, teachers grade other class’s Six + One Write Traits writing prompts three times a year.
I have also found it extremely useful to allow teachers time to meet each quarter in the school day to plan a trans-disciplinary unit with our School-Wide and Elementary Curriculum Coordinators and Ed-Tech Integration specialists. The planning of our fourth grade play, based on standards and benchmarks across various subject areas, is a good example of one such unit. Students reflect on the entire process; this reflection plays a pivotal role in evaluating the learning.
I also established the use of student folders that are passed along from one grade to the next each year. The folders contain pertinent information about each child’s learning: DRA results and tests, Six + One Write Traits beginning and end of year assessments with scoring guides, as well as year end math assessments, and MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) results, and if relevant, any ESL WIDA or learning support data. Teachers receive these student folders at the beginning of the year. Students are assessed again in the fall to ascertain starting points for review after the summer break. We have been able to digitize much of the information in these folders.
We conduct the MAP tests three times a year. In the fall the tests help the teacher and students to provide goals for the year, which are communicated, to parents at the first of two parent conference sessions conducted during the year. We discuss the fall MAP reports and how teachers’ instruction will be driven by the results. Some of teachers Annual Learning Goals may results from students’ needs as identified by the MAP results.
I standardized parent conferences at the beginning of each year so that teachers use a common template that highlights the most important topics they need to share with parents. This way, every parent receives similar information. This has formalized conferences and made this time with parents more meaningful and effective. We also devote time to listening to the hopes and dreams of the parent for their child. In this way, we communicate that we are doing everything for the student in partnership with the parent. At the middle school level, I have had the distinct pleasure of implementing student-led conferences. Students at this level have also created electronic learning portfolios that demonstrate the school's learning outcomes and showcase learning across disciplines.
Teachers play an important role in the SFS curriculum development process; as well they should in any school. I do not operate from a top down model, but a collaborative one. We have revisited and redeveloped every part of our curriculum and the teachers support our curriculum. During the hiring process, I let teachers know the expectations of an SFS teacher and explain the clear curricular expectations of all teachers. My task is to ensure that all the classes are teaching the same standards and benchmarks, while at the same time preserving the joy and spontaneity of learning and instruction.
Right: A end-of-year note from elementary ed-tech specialist, Sarah Carpenter. Our 1:1 program and emphasis on technology integration have been important school-wide initiatives the past few years.
Staff Accountability for Implementation of School Initiatives:
Faculty create an Annual Learning Plan (ALP) at the beginning of each year. This plan dovetails with the Teacher Appraisal process, curriculum development and any other school-wide initiatives so that efforts are continuous and coherent. Additionally, K-12 subject curriculum leaders collaborate with faculty to identify specific subject goals that may be a part of the ALP; these leaders also make recommendations for staff development.
The ALP is comprised of three measurable goals: one related to school-wide initiatives, another related to divisional or grade level work, and another personal goal related to professional growth and development.
Areas for school-wide initiatives the past few years focused on updating curriculum maps, reviewing and adopting standards and benchmarks in core subject areas, assessment, and technology. Divisional goals complemented school-wide initiatives, but goals at this level became more grade or content specific and may have added elements like using data points to measure student learning. Personal/professional goals ranged from pursuing topics related to initiatives and goals to completing coursework for an advanced degree.
I meet annually with faculty about these goals and reference these throughout the school year when doing classroom observations, meeting with grade level teams, and discussing progress with the leadership team. I report regularly to the Head of School on individual teacher progress toward school-wide and divisional goals. These are also discussed more broadly in on-going Principal Curriculum Meetings that involve the Curriculum Coordinator, Asst. Head of School – Academics, Principals, and the Head of School.
Staff Accountability for Implementation of School Initiatives:
Faculty create an Annual Learning Plan (ALP) at the beginning of each year. This plan dovetails with the Teacher Appraisal process, curriculum development and any other school-wide initiatives so that efforts are continuous and coherent. Additionally, K-12 subject curriculum leaders collaborate with faculty to identify specific subject goals that may be a part of the ALP; these leaders also make recommendations for staff development.
The ALP is comprised of three measurable goals: one related to school-wide initiatives, another related to divisional or grade level work, and another personal goal related to professional growth and development.
Areas for school-wide initiatives the past few years focused on updating curriculum maps, reviewing and adopting standards and benchmarks in core subject areas, assessment, and technology. Divisional goals complemented school-wide initiatives, but goals at this level became more grade or content specific and may have added elements like using data points to measure student learning. Personal/professional goals ranged from pursuing topics related to initiatives and goals to completing coursework for an advanced degree.
I meet annually with faculty about these goals and reference these throughout the school year when doing classroom observations, meeting with grade level teams, and discussing progress with the leadership team. I report regularly to the Head of School on individual teacher progress toward school-wide and divisional goals. These are also discussed more broadly in on-going Principal Curriculum Meetings that involve the Curriculum Coordinator, Asst. Head of School – Academics, Principals, and the Head of School.
Left: Note from Sun Mee Yoon who served as a Junior Kindergarten assistant for two years. I wrote a recommendation letter for her to attend graduate school at Columbia University to become an early childhood teacher; she was accepted.
Staff Accountability for Engaging in Professional Growth as a Life-Long Learner:
It is vital that a school invests in its teachers by providing opportunities for professional development. When teachers attend seminars, workshops or conferences, the expectation I have for them is to share their knowledge with others voluntarily in an after-school ‘Teachers Teaching Teachers’ program. At SFS, I had two of my teachers trained in Smart Boards and within a year, every ES teacher was trained to Level One on Smart Board usage.
It is most important for teachers to remain current with best practices. In the past few years, five elementary teachers completed Masters degrees (with the incentive of the school’s tuition assistance program) and several have received or are working on certification for technology integration through the COETAIL program (funded by their own individual professional development funds). The director of the COETAIL program, Jeff Utecht, visits SFS on a regular basis; seven ES teachers have completed or are currently enrolled in his courses. Through their involvement in this study many of the 21st Century activities I mentioned previously were completed. Divisional budgeting also supports various endeavors, especially those related to subjects being reviewed in our curriculum review cycle. In addition, if a school-wide initiative like assessment is part of strategic planning or WASC action plans, then the school dedicates additional funds toward bringing in experts from the field for faculty workdays.
Sometimes efforts in this area involve shared funding. I have brought in Guided Reading experts for elementary teachers, Susan Misner for work on 6 Traits, Dr. Helena Curtain, Dr. Virginia Rojas and Mandarin language expert, Greg Duncan. We contracted Bambi Betts to work with us on assessment for the ‘12-‘13 and ‘13-’14 school years. As we adopted the One-to-One laptop program, we brought in several people to help in the process, the Meteri Group, Alan November, 1:1 guru Pamela Livingston, Dr. David Jenks, and Jeff Utecht. We have also dedicated a large portion of our budget to training in Understanding by Design principles. Whenever we bring in specialists, we ensure that parent evening presentations are also given so that we can maximize the professional expertise of these individuals and instill confidence with our parents.
SFS values the ‘whole child.' Search Institutes’ 40 Developmental Assets’ surveys are given every third year at SFS. These results are shared with parents at informal coffee mornings. Ideas on how to help build their child’s assets are given to parents in my weekly parent newsletters. ES counselors meet regularly with parents and a book study of ‘Sparks’ was conducted last year in order to raise parent awareness and enlist their partnership in developing the social/emotional well-being of students. We also have had Dr. Josephine Kim visit us on several occasions to speak to our community, parents, students and teachers about emotional health and Libby Stevens visits us annually to work with students and parents on transitions.
Professional development is a valued component of annual goal setting; teachers also report each year on workshops they attend and we track this information to support related WASC and Strategic Planning action plans. Leading schools understand the importance of supporting and developing teachers. "The most important variable in the achievement of students is the quality of instruction they receive on a daily basis." (Marzano, 2003; Hattie, 2009) It is incumbent upon schools to ensure that students receive the highest quality instruction; this is achieved through a commitment to quality professional development.
Staff Accountability for Engaging in Professional Growth as a Life-Long Learner:
It is vital that a school invests in its teachers by providing opportunities for professional development. When teachers attend seminars, workshops or conferences, the expectation I have for them is to share their knowledge with others voluntarily in an after-school ‘Teachers Teaching Teachers’ program. At SFS, I had two of my teachers trained in Smart Boards and within a year, every ES teacher was trained to Level One on Smart Board usage.
It is most important for teachers to remain current with best practices. In the past few years, five elementary teachers completed Masters degrees (with the incentive of the school’s tuition assistance program) and several have received or are working on certification for technology integration through the COETAIL program (funded by their own individual professional development funds). The director of the COETAIL program, Jeff Utecht, visits SFS on a regular basis; seven ES teachers have completed or are currently enrolled in his courses. Through their involvement in this study many of the 21st Century activities I mentioned previously were completed. Divisional budgeting also supports various endeavors, especially those related to subjects being reviewed in our curriculum review cycle. In addition, if a school-wide initiative like assessment is part of strategic planning or WASC action plans, then the school dedicates additional funds toward bringing in experts from the field for faculty workdays.
Sometimes efforts in this area involve shared funding. I have brought in Guided Reading experts for elementary teachers, Susan Misner for work on 6 Traits, Dr. Helena Curtain, Dr. Virginia Rojas and Mandarin language expert, Greg Duncan. We contracted Bambi Betts to work with us on assessment for the ‘12-‘13 and ‘13-’14 school years. As we adopted the One-to-One laptop program, we brought in several people to help in the process, the Meteri Group, Alan November, 1:1 guru Pamela Livingston, Dr. David Jenks, and Jeff Utecht. We have also dedicated a large portion of our budget to training in Understanding by Design principles. Whenever we bring in specialists, we ensure that parent evening presentations are also given so that we can maximize the professional expertise of these individuals and instill confidence with our parents.
SFS values the ‘whole child.' Search Institutes’ 40 Developmental Assets’ surveys are given every third year at SFS. These results are shared with parents at informal coffee mornings. Ideas on how to help build their child’s assets are given to parents in my weekly parent newsletters. ES counselors meet regularly with parents and a book study of ‘Sparks’ was conducted last year in order to raise parent awareness and enlist their partnership in developing the social/emotional well-being of students. We also have had Dr. Josephine Kim visit us on several occasions to speak to our community, parents, students and teachers about emotional health and Libby Stevens visits us annually to work with students and parents on transitions.
Professional development is a valued component of annual goal setting; teachers also report each year on workshops they attend and we track this information to support related WASC and Strategic Planning action plans. Leading schools understand the importance of supporting and developing teachers. "The most important variable in the achievement of students is the quality of instruction they receive on a daily basis." (Marzano, 2003; Hattie, 2009) It is incumbent upon schools to ensure that students receive the highest quality instruction; this is achieved through a commitment to quality professional development.
