Fall 2023

Dear Educators,

We trust you've had an excellent beginning to the new school year. Welcome to the inaugural edition of the ACCESS newsletter for the 2023-2024 academic year. Our mission with ACCESS is to provide you with the latest updates from the Educator Excellence Workgroup and provide valuable resources for teaching and learning.

A fresh addition to our newsletter is the "Educator Voice" segment. Here, you'll have the opportunity to hear directly from Delaware's educators and leaders as they share their firsthand experiences of transformative teaching and learning moments.

Furthermore, we are excited to introduce the "Instructional Corner" section. This segment offers you a chance to explore the collaborative efforts of the Educator Excellence (Ed Excel) Workgroup and the Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development (CIPD) Workgroup. The DTGSS represents a paradigm shift in our approach to the evaluation process and the expectations of our administrative teams when entering classrooms.

Recognizing that this system is geared towards fostering opportunities for teacher growth, our workgroups have been diligently collaborating to align our efforts, all with the goal of providing enhanced support to you, our valued educators.

Finally, please keep in mind that you can find more comprehensive information on the Delaware Department of Education website. The DDOE website houses all the essential details pertaining to the work of the Educator Excellence Workgroup. You can access this website via the link I've included, or simply navigate to it from the Delaware Department of Education's homepage.   DDOE Website.

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Thank you!

This month we celebrate Michael Bleile, Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for the Delmar School District. As an Evaluation Lead, Mike has joined meetings, organized and engaged in DTGSS site visits, and established collaborative structures for engaging with content experts to support teacher growth and skillful teaching. We are very grateful for his leadership and partnership!

Join Matthew Brady and Carol Leveillee in this brief video as they dive into the advantages of the Delaware Teacher Growth and Support System (DTGSS). Matthew Brady emphasizes the critical role of communication, while Carol Leveillee shares how the tagged evidence report has reshaped her professional development strategies. Together, they articulate the benefits of DTGSS compared to the previous system.

Carol Leveillee, boasting three years of DTGSS experience, serves as Principal at Fred Douglas Elementary in the Seaford School District. Matthew Brady, with two years of DTGSS experience, leads as Principal at Laurel Elementary in the Laurel School District.

View principals' interview here.

Making Use of the Third Turn in Teacher Talk

Step into almost any classroom, and the first thing you’ll hear is the hum of voices – the talk – of teachers and students working together. In fact, one of the most valuable, but overlooked, tools in a teacher’s instructional repertoire IS the talk, because that’s where teachers’ instruction comes to life. As Wilkinson and Son (2011) observe, language provides both “the context and the vehicle for learning,” and effective teachers understand how to make strategic use of that language – the talk – as an instructional tool to shape learning opportunities for their students. 

By identifying the options and understanding how to use some of the “talk moves, teachers can make more strategic use of their talk and facilitate more productive discussions in their classrooms.  To read the full blog, access the link here: Making Use of the Third Turn in Teacher Talk

https://www.rbteach.com/resources/blog/library/59

What actions can building administrators engage in now to support their roles and responsibilities as Instructional Leaders?

*Recognize that consistent collaboration with content experts will enhance the quality of feedback, ensure aligned messages, bolster skillful teaching,  and foster teacher growth leading to improved student outcomes.

*Schedule and engage in an instructional rounds with content experts.

*Identify your school/system’s content experts and/or access to external content experts.

Why is it important to strengthen the bond between content experts and building administrators? 

“Collaboration between content specialists and principals contribute to more accurate evaluations, more precise and targeted feedback, and the development of content-specific instructional expertise among teachers.”

Performance Area #1: Learning Environment