SAC Meeting
Friday, September 1
8:00 – 10:00 AM
Office Conference Room
Members present:
John Rudzik
Roz Wolfe
Libba Lyons
Cristy Grube
Amanda Ream
Kelley Cooke
Barbara Estevez
Guest: Larry Holbrook
I. Welcome…Cristy Grube, SAC Chairperson
Meeting called to order at 8:15 a.m.
II. Approval of June 20, 2006 Minutes…Grube
Minutes approved.
III. Leap Pad Presentation…Larry Holbrook
Leap Desk: “Links to Lessons”
Provides instruction and practice for primary grades children in letters sounds, phonological awareness; assesses and creates reports for teachers, parents and students; remediates. Aligned to Hartcourt, Houghton Mifflin, DIBELS.
The leap desk maintains performance and progress data for up to 40 students; can print results on the computer. Mr. Holbrook will replace letters if broken or lost.
4 different modes:
1. Learning mode: Many children come who are not prepared to learn to read; this program will help them begin to understand letter sound correlation. Shows children the letters, how to write them, and the letter names. Then demonstrates the letter sounds. Children can chose letter pieces, place them in a card, and hear the letter sounds placed together to make a word.
2. Administration mode: add, edit, and delete students; each child has his own card with his own i.d. Once the student account is created, every time the child places his/her card in the leap desk, every response is recorded and assessed.
3. Assess mode: letter names, sounds, phonological awareness. This will allow kindergarten teachers to easily and quickly assess their students. Each assessment lasts 2-3 minutes. Once the assessments are done, the program will return to those areas that the child has not mastered.
4. Adapt mode: gives practice to the child in each area that the child has not yet mastered. Works with the child to help him/her learn the word. Uses tactile, writing approaches. Introduces and remediates. Keeps track of material covered.
Links to Lessons:
How do teachers use this in the classroom?
Teacher uses the activity list to find the specific lesson that the teacher wants to use. Can be used as a center activity. Can be tailored to specific needs (ESOL, ESE). Describes for the teacher how the activity can be used, how many students can use it, the students for whom the activity is appropriate. Provides also black-line masters to accompany the lessons.
In-
What about DIBELS? Based on DIBELS results, activities are based on specific issues that become apparent from DIBELS testing.
Also provides activities aligned to Houghton Mifflin series currently in use. Upgrades will be available via internet if the series changes.
Assessment results:
Grades results instantaneously. Creates reports instantaneously that show which letters, skills the child has mastered, not mastered, and the nature of the errors the child has made. Shows the dates that the assessments took place. Graphically shows child’s progress on each skill. The child will attain mastery status when the child is successful with the skill twice. Once the skill is mastered, the system will not bring that skill in again, except periodically just for refreshment purposes. System automatically chooses 25% of mastered skills to reassess periodically to make sure that the child still is capable.
Parent report:
Tells parent which letters that the student knew, those they did not know, letter sounds, phonological awareness (riming, blending, initial and ending sounds); gives information about actions that parents can take to help their children learn. Provides prescriptive activities based on the child’s assessments. Also, can provide global advice for parents on activities they can do with their children to help them master literacy skills. Translates parent reports into Spanish instantaneously, as needed.
Leap Track Program:
We have this in both 3rd and 4th grade. The Leap Pad program allows readers to sound out, and read books. Leap Pads instruct children in their initial use in 12 different languages. Connects words with pictures.
Leap Track takes the Leap Pad to the next level. Blank cartridges, 12-port leap port: load the child’s name on the cartridge; load assessments onto the cartridges, by level. Research of Leap Track assessments revealed correlation to 96 -99% accuracy of FCAT level scores predicted. Uses skill cards for each subject. Skill cards provide learning and applications. 8-9 minutes per side. Incorporates wait time into the questioning process. Will not allow “shotgun” responses. Practice provides review and remediation of errors. Allows student to continue working in a series to work up to grade level. Provides individual student reports showing student progress. Makes suggestions for series or level changes for those students who are not progressing at the current grade level. Will also alert teachers to those students who have mastered all of the skill sets. Describes date, time required to complete skill cards. Assesses 100% of Sunshine State Standards; identifies all state standard and student progress on each standard.
Provides parent reports (also translated in Spanish as needed).
If child does not master a skill, Leap Track offers other opportunities to learn.
The skill cards provide alternative approaches for learning the skills.
How long does it take to train teachers to use Leap Track? (one and a half hours) Training includes set up, use. Provided by Mr. Holbrook.
Teachers can create class-wide reports: shows skills not yet mastered, and which students have the weakest skills.
Matching student skills to skill cards: It is possible for teachers to chose their own activities. Teachers can identify a specific skill, and choose the skill card that addresses the specific skill that they want to teach. They are graded activities, so the work that the students do is assessed in Leap Track as they do the practice.
Picture dictionary for Spanish speakers: meets the needs of Spanish speakers learning English. Records the child’s voice. Plays back. Works on the Leap Pad. Teaches over 2500 words. Two-book collection.
IV. Vote on Leap Pad Expenditures…Grube
Motion presented and unanimously approved:
14 Leap Desks for K-1 classrooms: puts Leap Desks in all classrooms. $8,330.
14 Mind Stations: $1400.
Leap Pads/Quantum Pads for every classroom: (with a/c adapters, headphones) $2280.
Spanish/English: Picture Dictionary kits (2 sets): $738
Total expenditure approved by SAC: Not to exceed $13,300.
Math programs for grades 3-5: Leap Track software and ports; leap pad kits $8360; math books. To address School Improvement Plan math interventions. To be discussed in the next SAC meeting.
Links to Lessons software in every K-1 classroom.
2nd grade:
Leap Track: placed on the school server? Could be loaded on each classroom at not additional cost. We could order one port per grade level.
V. Keyboarding Presentation…Estevez
Writer Plus: Teaches typing skills; use 30 mintues per day for 6 weeks, students become fluent typers. Start in 3rd grade. Includes printer and laptop.
VI. Vote on Keyboarding Expenditures…Grube
Recommendation: ask 3rd grade teachers if they want the keyboarding devices in their rooms. We could create an after school program to help students later who miss the 3rd grade training window.
Motion: purchase Writer Ultra Lab. Includes:
·
30 Writer Units
·
1
·
6 IR Receivers
·
30 cases
·
1 Forming Habits of
Success - Resource Guide
·
30 AA Duracell
·
Ready, Set, Go!
Keyboard Instruction Video Series
·
3 Poster Set,
Completion Certificates
·
Dell
or HP/Compaq Laptop Computer
·
HP Deskjet Printer
·
Two PowerHubs (for
file transfer to multiple units)
·
ClassOptions Utility
Suite with Quizmaker
Cost:
$6,962.80.
SAC voted unanimously to approve
this expenditure.
(30 Keyboarding devices. Approved unanimously by SAC.
VII. Begin Overview of School Improvement Plan…Rudzik
Review of A money expenditures. Handouts detailing expenditures provided to members.
VIII. Open Agenda (Time Permitting)
Two first grade teachers request to attend (First Grade Conference for Florida Teachers) in Orlando November 2 and 3. Cost: $358. Approved unanimously by SAC.
IX. Adjourn 10:10 a.m.
Our next SAC meeting will be held on September 29th at 8AM in the Office Conference Room. Topic: Update on Implementation of Purchased Items & Overview of Reading Initiatives.