NFUSSD 2016

Inside

Keynote Speakers

Conference

Agenda

Think Tank

Sessions

Concurrent

Sessions

School Tours

Spouse Tour

Hospitality Event

Conference Center

Map (on back)

For additional

information regarding

the conference or

travel arrangements,

please contact

Ladonna Patterson

by calling (304) 528-

5043, or visit the

NFUSSD website at

www.nfussd.org.

Welcome to Huntington, West Virginia and Cabell County Schools

National Federation of Urban & Suburban School Districts October 9-11, 2016

“Making the Most Impact for Students” Cabell County Schools is proud to be serving as host for the annual conference of the National Federation of Urban and Suburban School Districts (NFUSSD). Over the past few years, the teachers and support staff of Cabell County have been in the process of recreating ourselves and constructing a culture of achievement that will equip our students for excellence in the 21st century. Student success depends on a rigorous, competitive curriculum, delivered with real-life experiences relevant for our technology savvy students, tempered with teacher-student relations that maximize student engagement. When you visit our schools, you will see students engaged in meaningful work. You will see teachers participating in professional learning communities focused on a team approach to ensure successful learning for all students. You will also note teachers taking on the role of instructional leaders, successfully solving the classroom challenges to ensure our students have the best learning environment possible. We are empowering our students to meet their goals in order to achieve their dreams. On behalf of all of us at Cabell County Schools, we hope you feel welcome and enjoy your stay in Huntington!

William A. Smith

Superintendent

Board of Education

Mary Neely, President

Skip Parsons, Vice

President

Karen Nance

Gordon Ramey II

Rhonda Smalley

2850 5th Avenue

Huntington, WV 25702

(304) 528-5000

www.cabellschools.com

“Making the Most Impact for Students”

NFUSSD 2016 Keynote Speakers

Brian Wiebe, Executive Director, Horizon Education Alliance (HEA)

Brian has worked as an educator for 25 years in early childhood, middle school, high school and higher education as teacher and administrator, serving for 10 years as Executive Director of the Goshen College Music Center. Prior to leadership at Goshen College, he taught at Central Christian School in Kidron, Ohio and at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. At the Music Center, he was responsible for all outreach community programming that grew out of the Center’s first decade, also overseeing operations and fundraising. He played a significant role in Elkhart County's strategic planning process beginning in 2010 that led to the creation of the HEA in 2012, and became HEA’s first executive director in October 2012. He has a master's degree in music from Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a master’s in arts in Intercultural Leadership from Goshen College.

Bill Haithcock, Principal, Harborside Academy

Bill is a 1991 graduate of Kenosha’s Carthage College with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and cognitive disabilities. He earned his Master’s degree in 1996 from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with an emphasis on emotional disturbances. Bill also earned a second Master’s degree in Administration from Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL. Mr. Haith-cock began his career with the Kenosha Unified School District in 1992 as a teacher at Whittier Elementary School. He has also served as a site leader for the school district’s Life & Leisure summer school program. He served as teacher consultant with the Total Interagency Model of Education (T.I.M.E.) Program located at Hillcrest School. His responsibilities in that job included development and implementation of the school’s improvement plan, serving as the program’s instructional leader, coordination of the program with the community agencies involved, budget management, staff development, student discipline, leadership of the program’s site council, and implementa-tion and development of Hillcrest School’s summer school plan, among other duties.

Mr. Haithcock is also a noted and sought-after speaker at the local, state, regional, and national levels on such topics as student discipline, conflict resolution, bullying prevention, school data analysis and inclusion to name just a few. He was selected as the Kenosha Unified School District Special Areas Teacher of the Year in 1997, was nominated for the prestigious Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowship, and was named Wal-Mart Kenosha County Teacher of the Year in 1998. He was named Kenosha Unified School District Adminis-trator of the Year in 2007. Before the opening of Harborside Academy, Mr. Haithcock served with distinction as principal of John Bullen Middle School, championing the regular educational program as well as the school’s anti-bullying theme. He holds a Wisconsin pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade principal license.

Think Tank Session 1 “College and Career Readiness”

What is working in school districts and what are the big rocks hindering students achieving college and career readiness for the 21st century? This session will generate discussion on strategies which districts are implementing to prepare students for post-secondary education or for jobs in an ever-changing global economy.

How are school districts meeting the demand for a skilled workforce that will prosper by creating innovations as technology and knowledge grows exponentially for the next decade?

Please bring some examples of current strategies being implemented in your district to share with the attendees.

Think Tank Session 2 “Teacher Impact on Student Learning: Visible Learning”

According to Rand Education Research among school-related factors, teachers matter most as a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership.

With budget cuts and increasing number of retirements, how are districts addressing capacity in building teacher effectiveness throughout the school district in order for every student to have a quality teacher and learning experience?

How is critical knowledge loss through attrition diminished by a district? Who is accountable for developing the effectiveness of teachers? What support structures are in place for struggling or new teachers?

Conference Agenda Unless otherwise noted, events take place at the Big Sandy Superstore Conference Center. Sunday, October 9, 2016 12:00 – 2:00 PM Registration (Conference Center Lobby) 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM Opening General Session (Grand Ballroom) Entertainment - Cabell Midland High School Collegium

Musicum

Posting the Colors - Huntington High School JROTC

Introduction of NFUSSD President – Ron Duerring, NFUSSD Executive Consultant

Welcome - Sarah R. Meier, NFUSSD President

Introduction of Guest Speaker – William Smith, Superintendent, Cabell County Schools

Guest speaker – Brian Wiebe, Executive Director, Horizon Education Alliance

3:45 PM Refreshments (Conference Center Lobby) 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Concurrent Sessions (Breakout Rooms) Think Tank Session 1 – “College and Career

Readiness” (Tech Room 1)

Think Tank Session 2 – “Teacher Impact on Student Learning: Visible Learning” (Tech Room 2)

Roundtable for Board Members (Rhododendron Room)

Roundtable for Superintendents (Dogwood Room)

5:30 PM President’s Reception (Grand Ballroom) Entertainment – Kala DeHart and RiverTown

Hors d'oeuvres

Cash bar

Greetings – Sarah Meier, NFUSSD President

6:30 PM Dinner/Evening on your own 7:00 PM Executive Committee Meeting/Dinner (Marshall Hall of Fame Café)

Concurrent Sessions - Tuesday

“Year-Round School: Changing the Conditions to Eliminate Summer Regression” (North Kansas City Schools) It is estimated that by fifth grade a middle-income student is approxi-mately 3 years ahead of a low-income peer. While students can learn at the same rate during the traditional nine months of school, regression over the summer occurs for many. Learn about the impact of year-round school from North Kansas City (enrollment 19,131). Understand rationale for additional days and use criteria to identify schools in your own district that might benefit. Avoid any pitfalls in communicating and implementing this progressive concept.

“CTE Academies” (Cabell County Schools) Career academies were developed with the aim of restructuring large high schools into small learning communities and creating better pathways from high school to further education and the workplace. Operating as schools within schools, career academies are organized around such themes as health sciences, law, business and finance, and engineering. Academy students take classes together, remain with the same group of teachers over time, follow a curriculum that includes rigorous academic courses as well as career-oriented courses, and participate in work-based learning activities. Learn about how Cabell has implemented this initiative as we walk you through our development process and goals for the future.

“Thinking Functionally about Behavior” (Granite School District) Granite is addressing classroom behavior and its relationship to academic learning through behavior initiatives, supports and training, and tools and resources imple-mented in a three-tier model. Behavioral Health Assistants, with a specific job description and requisite training, have been provided to all schools; Granite’s PBIS model is being implemented through cohort training K-12. An online behavior data management system for recording minor behavior incidents and office referrals has been provided to all schools so that student behavior data can be effectively tracked and evaluated. A highly-trained Behavior Response Support Team (BRST) has been integrated into five at-risk pilot schools with the expectation of their being a highly mobile and expertly trained resource for all schools in the future.

Monday, October 10, 2016 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Registration (Conference Center Lobby) 8:30 AM Buses Depart for Spouse Tour 9:00 AM Buses Depart for School Tours 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM School Tours Tour 1 – “Impact on Student Learning”

Huntington East Middle School (CREW, VOMP/ Restorative Justice)

Tour 2 - “Career Readiness” Cabell Midland High School (Career Academies)

Tour 3 – “EL Education” Explorer Academy

11:30 AM – 12:45 AM Luncheon and Networking Session (Huntington High School, Room D144) Huntington High School JROTC to Greet Guests

Scratch Cooking Demonstration - Rhonda McCoy and Cabell County Schools Cooks

1:00 PM – 2:15 PM School Tours Continue Tour 1 – “Impact on Student Learning”

Explorer Academy (EL Education)

Tour 2 - “Career Readiness” Barboursville Middle School (Career Literacy)

Tour 3 - “EL Education” Highlawn Elementary

2:30 PM – 6:30 PM Hospitality Event at Heritage Farm Museum & Village Farm Tours

Entertainment – “Of the Dell” Beatles Tribute Band

Hors d'oeuvres

6:30 PM Buses Depart for Hotel 7:00 PM Dinner/Evening on your own

Concurrent Sessions - Tuesday(Continued)

“Performance-Based Grad-ing” (Granite School District) Grades are intended to communicate progress toward mastery of articulated course content standards to students and parents. They are intended to indicate what a student knows and is able to do with respect to course objectives that have been explicitly taught. They encourage the student to act on feedback and the teacher to adjust and individualize instruction. Intent on moving to proficiency-based grading system wide, Granite is currently piloting PBG in various elementary and secondary school environments. Support of such an effort requires attention to such issues as extra credit, penalty for late work, multiple opportunities for assessment, and accountability for student behavior, participation, punctuality and effort. Granite will share four years’ worth of research and decision-making that have led to proficiency-based grading becoming an expectation district wide and bolstered the work of PLCs in the areas of common formative and summative assessments and scoring rubrics for them. “Organizational Health” (Cabell County Schools) Assessing the Organizational Health of key leadership teams through-out an organization on an annual basis provides an objective and reliable method of focusing organizational energies on continuous improvement for leaders and members of their units. For the past nine (9) years, Linda Alexander and Dr. Marvin Fairman of Organizational Health Diagnostic & Development Corporation (OHDDC) have been working alongside Cabell County Schools central office administrators in providing leadership training and development for all principals and key faculty leaders. As a result of their collective efforts, most of the district’s principals have built the leadership capacity of faculty leaders and have systems in place so that faculty members are able to function as highly-effective, interdependent teams, resulting in improved student perfor-mance. During the course of Cabell’s work with Organizational Health, the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) endorsed the com-pany’s diagnostic and development process.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Registration (Conference Ctr. Lobby) 8:30 AM General Session (Grand Ballroom) Entertainment - Huntington High School Theater

performing selections from “Romeo & Juliet the Musical”

Introduction of Guest Speaker – William Smith, Superintendent, Cabell County Schools

Guest speaker – Bill Haithcock, Principal of Harborside Academy in Kenosha, WI

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM Concurrent Sessions/Think Tanks (Breakout Rooms) Think Tank Session – College and Career Readiness

(Tech Room 1)

Session 1 – “Year Round School” North Kansas City Schools (Tech Room 2)

Session 2 – “CTE Academies” Cabell County Schools (Dogwood Room)

Session 3 – “Organizational Health” Cabell County Schools (Rhododendron Room)

10:45 AM Refreshments (Conference Ctr. Lobby) 11:00 AM – 12:15 AM Concurrent Sessions/Think Tanks (Breakout Rooms) Think Tank Session – “Teacher Impact on Student

Learning” (Tech Room 1)

Session 1 – “Thinking Functionally about Behavior” Granite School District (Tech Room 2)

Session 2 – “Performance-Based Grading” Granite School District (Dogwood Room)

Session 3 – “Organizational Health” Cabell County Schools (Rhododendron Room)

12:30 PM Luncheon (Grand Ballroom) Entertainment - Cabell Midland Jazz Knights

Preview of 2017 NFUSSD Conference

1:15 PM General Session (Grand Ballroom) Think Tank Session Reports

Delegate Assembly Business Meeting

Installation of 2017 NFUSSD President

Closing of 2016 NFUSSD Conference

3:00 PM Afternoon/evening on your own

Tour 1 – “Impact on Student Learning” (Explorer Academy and Huntington East Middle School)

EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) schools are models of comprehensive school reform

based on the educational ideas of German educator Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound. There

are more than 150 Expeditionary Learning Schools in 30 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. They

are exemplified by project-based learning expeditions, where students engage in interdisciplinary,

in-depth study of compelling topics, in groups and in their community, with assessment coming through

cumulative products, public presentations, and portfolios. Explorer Academy is the first EL Education

School in West Virginia, opening its doors in August 2015. The staff and administrators spent two years

training and implementing EL Education practices prior to opening the school.

Huntington East Middle School (HEMS) is the feeder middle school for Explorer Academy. The HEMS

staff embraced a professional services agreement with EL Education in August 2015 to incorporate the

culture practices and learning target protocol throughout the school, paving the way for a

smooth transition for Explorer Academy students entering the school as sixth graders in August 2016.

The school continues to explore additional aspects of EL Education as they grow in their understanding

of this school reform model.

Tour 2 - “Career Readiness” (Cabell Midland High School Career Academies and Barboursville

Middle School Career Literacy)

This tour will showcase how Cabell County is preparing its students for life after high school. Cabell Mid-

land High School is the largest school campus in the state of West Virginia and has been

implementing an academy model since 2010. The current academies include Health Sciences, Fine

Arts (both performing and visual), Childcare and Teaching, Law and Legal and Agri-Science. In addition

to these career academies, Cabell Midland High School focuses on transition to high school with a very

active ninth grade academy. In 2016, Barboursville Middle, a Cabell Midland High School feeder,

implemented Career Literacy to assist with the career readiness initiative. Participants will see how

literacy can be used to enhance a career-readiness initiative to prepare the workforce of the future.

School Tours

Tour 3 – “EL Education” (Highlawn Elementary and Explorer Academy)

Imagine a learning environment where children are encouraged to discover themselves as they face

challenges; learn and grow from defeat in a setting that embraces collaboration, discovery and

community; where nature and the arts are embraced and students learn to become stewards of the

earth. EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) embraces these values and core practices

while providing students with a rigorous curriculum that connects learning to real-world issues and

needs. Guests are invited to discover the world of EL Education in action by visiting two

EL Education Schools in Cabell County. Explorer Academy began their journey as a K-5

EL Education School in the 2014-15 school year. Both teachers and administrators have been

engaged in learning the core principles and curriculum for more than two years and take great pride in

putting their learning into practice. Highlawn Elementary began in the 2015-16 school year in grades

3-5. Both schools are on the same path, but at different points along the journey. Participants will

witness EL Education at its best with real life teachers and children interacting, discovering and

learning in two very diverse schools.

Spouse Tour (Concurrent with School Tours)

Enjoy a welcome dose of West Virginia “Wild & Wonderful” hospitality on a fun-filled tour of Cabell

County. After leaving the hotel, we will first travel to Milton, West Virginia. Along the way, you’ll be

entertained by a narrated history of Eastern Cabell County. A VIP tour of the Blenko Glass Company

and a live demonstration of West Virginia glass blowing at its finest await your arrival in Milton. This

part of the tour will also give you time to browse the Visitor’s Center and Glass Shop.

Our next stop will be Barboursville Park, a great spot to remind you of why West Virginia is often

called “Almost Heaven.” Lunch will be provided from nationally-renowned Stewart’s Original Hotdogs.

While enjoying the beautiful park setting, we have a special bit of home grown entertainment for our

tour group. After lunch, we head to Huntington’s Old Central City antique district to explore a number

of the Mountain State’s finest antique shops. We will conclude our tour with a short drive to Heritage

Farm Museum & Village to meet up with the rest of our conference group for an outstanding evening

event.

Wild, Wonderful West Virginia Hospitality Event

This year’s hospitality event will be

held at Heritage Farm Museum &

Village and is being sponsored by

ZMM, Organizational Health, and

Bowles Rice. Step back in time

with a guided adventure into days

gone by – a time of one-room

schoolhouses, blacksmith shops,

country stores and log

homes. Hors d’oeuvres will be

served in Heritage Hall and live

music will be performed by the

band “Of the Dell” from Huntington,

West Virginia. Visit their website to

learn more: www.heritagefarmmuseum.com

Big Sandy Superstore Conference Center Map