SCOE Bulletin
The SCOE Bulletin is a Sonoma County Office of Education publication for teachers and administrators that is published four times per year and distributed throughout Sonoma County.
Teacher Effectiveness | April 2012
As part of a cross-county project, local districts are exploring strategies for developing and evaluating teacher effectiveness. This SCOE Bulletin provides background on this effort.
Lessons from the Leadership Network | Jan-Feb 2012
The Sonoma Leadership Network, now in its seventh year, has identified key best practices for improving schools and is helping put those practices into action.
Reading, Writing & the Common Core | Nov-Dec 2011
This publication takes a closer look at the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, including their relationship to literacy learning across the curriculum.
Transitional Kindergarten | Sept-Oct 2011
In this SCOE Bulletin, the new legislation mandating Transitional Kindergarten is explained and two local programs, KinderSKOR in Windsor and Kinderprep in Healdsburg, are profiled.
Formative Assessment | April 2011
This SCOE Bulletin explores formative assessment and the important role it plays in improving instruction and advancing student learning.
Related Resources | Supporting Staff Discussions
SCOE has compiled several resources to support staff discussions about formative assessment, including an Activity Guide (pdf), Self-Study Survey (pdf), and video clips of teachers using formative assessment.
Video: Student Interviews | Math teachers across the grade levels question students about how to compute area. The clip shows how student understanding varies across the grades and how listening to students can help teachers adapt their instruction for improved learning.
Video: Questioning | This high school teacher ends her lesson by having students write a statement that synthesizes their thinking or poses a new question they have as a result of the lesson. In this example, students share verbally, but a teacher could also collect responses on exit cards.
Video: Verbal Exit Cards | In another variation of the Exit Card strategy, an elementary ELD teacher has each student say a sentence using targeted vocabulary before they leave class.
Video: Whiteboards | A middle school teacher uses whiteboards to check understanding as she moves through a lesson. She reviews key vocabulary when she sees that a substantial number of students are making errors.
Common Core Standards | Feb 2011
This publication provides background information about the common core standards and highlights key components of the new language arts and math standards.
2010 Archive
Achievement and School Culture | Dec 2010
This SCOE Bulletin introduces Dr. Anthony Muhammad's ideas about the connection between highly effective schools and their faculty culture. Video clips, an activity guide, and a self-study survey are available for schools interested in further study of this topic. | Text | Audio | Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 | Activity Guide (pdf) | Self-Study Survey (pdf)
Distinguished Schools | May 2010
Meet our county's ten Distinguished Schools and learn about the signature practices that characterize these exemplary sites. | Text
Student Engagement | March 2010
Strategies for increasing the quality and quantity of student response are highlighted in this SCOE Bulletin. The accompanying video shows the use of rehearsal strategies in a fourth-grade classroom. | Text | Audio | Video
PLC Teams | January 2010
Learn about the power of high-performing Professional Learning Community (PLC) teams and how they can result in improved learning. The video shows a team from Whited School in a PLC meeting. | Text | Audio | Video
2009 Archive
Student Interviews | November 2009
Interviews can challenge our assumptions about what students know and lead teachers to adjust instruction. Learn more and watch a video of students explaining their understanding of equivalency. | Text | Audio | Video
AVID Strategies | October 2009
AVID is closing the achievement gap and making college accessible to all. Five key AVID strategies are explained in this issue of the SCOE Bulletin. The accompanying videos show two strategies in action at Roseland University Prep. | Text | Audio | Video: Socratic Seminar | Video: Philosophical Chairs
Data-Driven Decision-Making | September 2009
This publication presents an overview of how educators can use data to make instructional decisions. Four related videos show how assessment data can be accessed and analyzed using technology tools. | Text | Audio |
Video: CST |
Video: CELDT |
Video: Formative Assessment |
Video: DIBELS
Data Trends | August 2009
This issue presents an analysis of Sonoma County's enrollment and achievement numbers and highlights some issues the numbers have raised for educators and the community at large. | Text | Audio
J.X. Wilson School | March 2009
J.X. Wilson School has implemented an improvement strategy that has yielded impressive results for its diverse student population. This issue profiles the school's action plan. | Text | Audio
Tackling Text | January 2009
SCOE language arts specialist Lynn Fitzpatrick provides ideas for what teachers can do before, during, and after a lesson to enhance reading comprehension among upper elementary and secondary students. | Text | Audio
2008 Archive
Response to Intervention (RTI) | December 2008
This SCOE Bulletin introduces the key ideas of Response to Intervention and the RTI pilot program under way in Sonoma County. | Text | Audio
Improvement Strategies | November 2008
Three elements of school improvement are discussed: increasing teacher knowledge and skill, building student engagement in learning, and providing challenging academic content. | Text | Audio
Contact
- Suzanne Gedney, Communications Specialist
(707) 524-2620,
