JANUARY - Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals

JANUARY“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves.The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce☐Michigan Merit Exam (MME): MME preparation is in high gear starting in January. There are a number ofimportant deadlines for you to make note of:• Jan. 11 - Deadline for Schools to Pre-Identify students and order materials on the BAA Secure Site.• Jan. 21 - Week long window for Preliminary Accommodations Roster• Jan. 28 - Window through March 12th for ordering additional Day 3 materials from the BAA Secure Site.Check this MDE link for additional information on MME testing.☐☐Mid-Year Reviews: Last month's checklist included these reminders about mid-year reviews and it's a good ideato go over them again:• “The performance evaluation system shall include a midyear progress report for a teacher who is (in thefirst year of probation), or who received a rating of minimally effective or ineffective in his or her mostrecent annual year-end evaluation. This report shall be used as a supplemental tool to gauge a teacher’simprovement from the preceding school year and to assist a teacher to improve.” MCL 380.1249(2)(b)• “Be based at least in part on student achievement, be aligned with the teacher’s (IDP) under subdivision (a)(iii), Not take the place of an annual year-end evaluation.” MCL 380.1249(2)(b)• “Include specific performance goals for the remainder of the school year that are developed by the schooladministrator conducting the annual year-end evaluation or his or her designee and any recommendedtraining identified by the school administrator or designee that would assist the teacher in meetingthese goals.” MCL 380.1249(2)(b)(iii)Check the Principal’s Help Desk for a list of possible support materials you can recommend to teachers in a variety ofareas (PHD).Your Goals: The mid-point in the year is a great time to look back at the goals you set for the year. Have youbeen chipping away at them? If not, create an action plan that includes set aside time on your calendar to accomplishyour goals. Collect any documentation you may need if your Supervisor monitors your goals so that you aren’t rushingaround to compile goal support just before your evaluation.KEY: Principal’s Help Desk (PHD) • Ed Leader's Network (ELN) • Model Student Handbook (MSH) • Principal Workshop Session (PWS)1

JANUARY☐☐☐Budget Requests for Next School Year: Involve team and curriculum leaders as you identify purchasingneeds in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Use a four-question test for purchases:1. How will materials advance what students should know and be able to do?2. How will we assess that?3. What knowledge will teachers need to use materials effectively?4. What do we want to purchase?Involve department chairs by having each department submit a projected list of needs for the 2012-13 school year, thiswill allow you to plan accordingly.School Improvement Goals: Meet with your School Improvement Chairs for a status update progressiontoward goals. Document your progress and send an email to the staff with a mid year School Improvement progressreport. Highlight things that still need to be accomplished and/or reinforced.Monthly Meetings: Here are two items you should consider adding to your staff meeting agenda this month.• Staff Meeting Icebreaker of the Month: Ask people to get up, pair up, and chat for 2 minutes with eachother about whatever interests them. You’ll be the timer. When 2 minutes are up, you’ll blow your whistle ormake some other sound loud enough for everyone to hear. When they hear your signal, everyone is to find anew partner and chat for the next 2 minutes.• New Teacher Meeting Topics of the Month and Mentor Teacher Checklist: Provided by Lisa Newman,Rochester High School Assistant Principal. (PHD) E-mail the mentor checklist to your mentor teachers eachmonth to encourage conversation with untenured teacher mentees.KEY: Principal’s Help Desk (PHD) • Ed Leader's Network (ELN) • Model Student Handbook (MSH) • Principal Workshop Session (PWS) 2