Pathway Update: October 2021

Pathway Update: Learning and Inclusion - AISC develops and implements inclusive policies and programs for all students with diverse and identified needs to fulfill their learning potential.

Building on efforts from the 2020-2021 school year, the learning support team is continuing to work on meeting a range of student learning needs through the implementation of different supports and services. High school students with identified learning needs can consider an alternative, personalized diploma. Modified curricula and service learning opportunities are being developed to support students pursuing this pathway. The learning support team is also drafting a proposal to make changes to AISC's admissions policy as we further explore how to include students with a greater range of learning needs at AISC.

For some students additional one-on-one support may be needed at school. Under the guidance of the learning support teacher, a paraprofessional is someone with specific training who helps students meet their individualized learning goals. The learning support team is considering further training and professional development opportunities for our paraprofessionals currently on staff.

One other focus for the learning support team as a Futures goal is to help facilitate professional learning on the topic of supporting high-ability learners. Around 30 teachers and teaching assistants are gathering on six early release Wednesdays to learn about different methods and strategies to better support these students.

Need more information? Contact Dave Allen at adavid@aischennai.org

Pathway Update: Learning & Vision for the Learner - AISC integrates the Vision for the Learner as a means to achieve the Mission in Middle School

On Thursday, October 7 during students regular connection time in classes, students were (re)introduced to the Vision for an AISC Learner (VfL) traits of Versatile, Explorers, Thinkers, Innovators, Resilient, Leaders, Ethical, Reflective. Teachers received slides based around the VFL attributes and students did work based on VFL attributes such as sharing examples of how they were innovative during COVID times and grappling with ethical dilemmas in a Kahoot. The Learner traits of Empathetic and Collaborators were not explored on the VfL Orientation Day as these are addressed in Advisory and on the actual Vision for a Learner day respectively.

Once students were given an Orientation to VfL, on Friday, October 8 students chose a project that most aligned with their interests and worked in small groups with teachers for that day, instead of normal connection or independent work time. Students chose from the following options to pursue:

• Books & Cooks

• Coding

• Creative Expressions - Passion Project

• Lego Stop Motion

• Mock Government

• Pizza!

• Ted Talk

• Scuba Diving

• Frida Kahlo Museum

• Virtual Trip to a Zoo

• Where are you really from?

Students produced stop motion videos, cupcakes, pizza, and also short speeches. They connected with other students who have similar interests to their own, and were able to experience the VfL traits in action. Students said: “I had a great day learning this way because it was so fun in the kitchen.” ​​The feedback from students indicated that the project was successful as it helped them to understand the different Learner Attributes. We are continuing to focus on these throughout the year and will have students add reflections and photos like the ones below to their portfolios.

Need more information? Contact Jennifer Bertram at bejennifer@aischennai.org

Community Planning Team Meeting - September 2021

On Thursday, September 16th, the Community Planning Team for 2021/22 came together for their first work session.

The team is composed of administrators, board members, parents, teachers and students from across the school who volunteer their voice to guide the future of our school. 

Please join me in extending a warm welcome and thank you to this year's team:

Administration: Andrew Hoover, Joelle Basnight, Deb Allen, Greg Clinton, Gautami Ramachandhran, Lynn Schneider, Jennifer Bertram, Mike Malone and Ryan McFarland

Faculty and Staff: Mary Kelly Bello, Walter Basnight, Vijay Saravanan, Morgan Wettergren, Vigneshwari C, Gregg Phillips, Mike Simmons, Gemma Adderley, Kala Ganeshan, Nicole Merletti and Mano Krishnan

Board member: Ravishankar Pillai

Parents: Jaya Tambay-Patwardhan (alumni parent), Amudhanvel Dhinagaravel, Lisa Daniels, Gautam Bakthavatsalam, Sunita Kumaran, Priya Bhatkal and Rajesh Gangadhar.

Students: Melchi Michael, Chanak Gautam, Arsh Khanna and Lekhana Gogineni

Traditionally the fall planning meeting provides an opportunity for team members to review the Futures Plan Goals for the year. After a brief explanation of the goals, participants were able to meet with goal leaders to ask clarifying and probing questions.

Team members were also briefed on the Middle States Accreditation (MSA) objectives and the action plans AISC will follow in 2021/22 to move closer to achieving the objectives.

As a reminder, the MSA objectives are:

By 2028, AISC students will demonstrate increased growth rates in reading as measured by:

• Over 90% of Grade 1 to Grade 10 English Language Learners (ELLs) will increase reading proficiency levels based on WIDA assessment criteria.
• Over 71% of students in KG - 8 will demonstrate a year's growth in reading as measured by Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessments System.
• Over 67% of students in grades 2-10 will meet or exceed projected growth in reading as measured by MAP

By 2028, AISC students will demonstrate increased proficiency in writing use as measured by:

• 65% of Grade 1 to Grade 10 English Language Learners(ELLs) will increase writing proficiency levels based on WIDA assessment criteria.
• 55% of students in Grades 2-10 will meet or exceed projected growth in writing as measured by language usage MAP.

By 2028, AISC will support faculty wellbeing that empowers community members to engage and flourish professionally, as measured by:

 A. An improvement in faculty engagement as measured by the Gallup Q12 Engagement* Index will increase engagement 5% annually

a. Baseline Year :November 2019

b. Baseline Data: The Gallup Q12 Survey will be administered annually to measure the progress on meeting the goal of improving faculty engagement.

c. Overall Organization

B. An improvement in job satisfaction as measured by the Gallup Q12 Overall Satisfaction rating a 4.0 or greater annually

a. Baseline Year: November 2019

b. Baseline Data: The Q12 Survey will be administered annually to measure the progress on meeting the goal of improving faculty engagement.

c. Overall Organization

Finally, the team ended the afternoon in generative conversation. They considered identified “uncovering's” about school during the pandemic authored by Will Richardson and Homa Tavangar from the Big Questions Institute. Together they explored which “uncovering” resonated most in our current context at AISC.

We hope you will join the conversation by participating in this year’s Portal Project - a series of dialogues to help us explore what the future might hold and what our next steps may be. For more information visit www.aischennai.org/portal.

As always, you are invited to review the presentation from the Community Planning Team Meeting as well as reference the Futures Plan for 2021/22. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.

Planning Team Retreat - May 2021

Earlier this week the Community Planning Team gathered online for our final retreat of the year. Thank you to all members who participated in this important meeting!

We began our time together by reviewing pathways to be embedded at the end of this year. Those include:

• Learning and Inquiry
• Community and Advancement

What does it mean to embed a pathway? It means that we have made significant progress toward the related pathways such that they no longer need to be an area strategic focus. Instead, these pathways are such a part of the AISC ecosystem that we need only continue to provide professional learning and support in these areas.  For example, the work of Advancement now lives almost everywhere in our school and inquiry can be seen across all grades and disciplines. 

The team then reviewed the progress made toward the 2020/21 goals. Given the disruption of this year, some goals were not achieved and will be carried over to 2021/22. Other goals were partially or completely met, allowing leaders to offer a new goal for the fall.  

Then the team discussed the proposed goals for next year. After offering feedback on the proposed goals, the team approved them, in concept, by consensus.

Two new pathways were also confirmed: Learning and Diversity & Equity and Learning and Research & Development. These exciting new pathways will support our school's growth next year and beyond.

The Learning and Diversity & Equity pathway is defined as:

Next year's goal in this pathways is: To build understanding of diversity, equity and international mindedness at AISC through sustainable professional development, community events and auditing and revising published policies. 

The Learning and Research & Development pathway is defined as:

Next year's goal in this pathway is: Develop and apply a structured R&D model to research and evaluate our commitments to virtual learning, with opportunities to enhance our educational programming.

Everyone is excited to see how the progress toward these goals unfold next year.

The meeting concluded with a preview of some exciting projects emerging in the fall. This included a briefing on our updated leadership structures, a preview of the amazing parent engagement video (premiering at the PCA Volunteer Appreciation Event), a preview of an upcoming conversation series we are calling The Portal Project and, finally, a celebration of our MSA accreditation. 

Look out for the updated Futures Plan for 2021/22 in the early fall!

 

Community Planning Team Mid-Year Retreat

 On Thursday, March 4th, our multi-stakeholder Community Planning Team met virtually to review the progress of 2020/21 goals and to engage in generative dialogue about possible pathways for the future. 

2020/2021 Goal Progress Update

Progress on 20/21 futures goals were addressed by goal leaders in three categories. The goals and action plans for the year can be found in our Futures Plan. 

Goals on track to be completed this year:

Leaders shared a written synopsis of goal progress before the retreat. Then, at the retreat, they offered words of praise, gratitude and celebration to highlight the work accomplished. Goals in this category included:

• Learning & Experiential Opportunities (MS)
• Learning & Innovation in the System (HS) 
• Learning & Innovation in the System (ES)
• Learning & Wellbeing
• Learning & Inclusion in the System

Goals delayed due to COVID and virtual learning:

The leadership team acknowledged that some goals were set aside this year due to complications related to the pandemic and/or virtual learning. For example, the elementary school has been unable to complete their video profile because students have not been on campus this year to collect video clips and testimonials. Goals in this category will likely be carried over to next year and/or will be modified slightly for the future. Goals in this category included:

• Learning & the Vision for the Learner (ES, MS, HS)
• Learning & Experiential Opportunities (ES)
• Learning & Innovation in the System (EY)
• Talent & Professional Growth 
• Community & Environmental Responsibility

Goals ready to embed or redirect:

In some instances, goal leaders have made progress toward the goal such that an additional goal next year has become unnecessary. In other instances, goal leaders have changed direction given our current climate, essentially curtailing the current goal as written. Each of these goals were reviewed with the Community Planning Team and members were encouraged to ask clarifying questions and share their input. Goals in this category included:

• Resources & Data
• Learning & Experiential Opportunities (HS)
• Learning & Innovation in the System (MS)
• Learning & Inquiry in the Curriculum
• Resources & Building Spaces
• Community & Advancement

Generative Dialogue About Two Possible Pathways

The latter half of the retreat, Community Planning Team members engaged in dialogue regarding two possible pathways for the future. The data collected from these dialogues will help the Leadership Team decide on next steps vis-a-vie the pathways themselves and goals set within them. 

The possible pathways are:

Learning & Diversity and Equity: AISC practices equity and international mindedness with intention to develop systemic and dynamic models of diversity and inclusion which develop self-awareness and a sense of belonging.

Learning Into Our Future: AISC continues to learn from, enhance, and develop its capacity as a virtual community while assuring that our on-campus in-person learning model remains a priority. 

As is always the case with planning team meetings, it was a pleasure to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to work together toward a common goal in support of our school’s development. The slide deck from the afternoon is available here. Please feel free to ask any of our team members about the work of the Community Planning Team.

Planning Events in September 2020

Community Planning Team on September 18, 2020

Last Friday our multi-stakeholder Community Planning Team met for the first time this academic year. The charge for this meeting was to align ourselves as a team, embrace new and continuing members, and explore our role in the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) accreditation and self assessment. 

MSA leaders shared strategies and action plans for the objectives included in the MSA report for comment and acknowledged the contribution of the planning team in gathering the ideas and evidence required for the reporting areas of Strategic Planning and Foundational Documents. The team was also briefed on the upcoming MSA Virtual Visit planned at the end of November.

This meeting also represented the handover of the facilitation of the team from Sherriden Masters to Joelle Basnight. Please join us in thanking Sherriden for his support, guidance and facilitation! 

As is always the case with planning team meetings, it was a pleasure to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to work together toward a common goal in support of our school’s development. The slide deck from the afternoon is available here. Please feel free to ask any of our team members about the work of the Community Planning Team.

Planning Team Retreat May 2020

Just over a week ago, the Community Planning Team gathered online, in virtual synchronisation, to approve and add 16 goals to the Futures Plan for the 2020-2021 school year. We were also led to a deeper understanding, and enjoyed hearty dialogue, about the implications for planning as part of the MSA Accreditation process. Thank you Dan and the MSA Coordination Team for the opportunity. I am so happy that I was able to be there to facilitate this experience, and warmly appreciate your flexibility, interdependence, and insight.

	From this event, we now have a clear, systematic perspective on our Futures pathway goals for the coming academic year, and we are refreshed in our perspective with reference to them.
	The event report shows the layout and details of the goals that were approved during this event, and also provides the platform to consider the action plans and onward implications for these pathways.
	AISC remains flexible and dynamic, we will continue to retain direction and systematic oversight of our futures planning model, and enjoy the multi-stakeholder support and engagement from our Community Planning Team.
	The report also outlines the next steps for the 2020-2021 academic year and looks towards the sharing of action plans for the pathways early in the Fall Term, which will facilitate the publication of a full Futures Plan.

Thank you again for all that the Community Planning Team has given to AISC this year! We would not be where we are today without their support and perspective. I have deeply enjoyed working, and learning, with the Community Planning Team this academic year, and warmly look forward to doing both in the future.

Community Planning Team End of Year Event

This week marked the final meeting of the community planning Team for the Academic year 2019-2020. This event is a crucial step in the futures planning process, and has traditionally had three distinct aims;

1. To ensure clarity of our futures planning process, and the futures pathway goals within it.
2. To celebrate and provide insight into the success of the current year’s goals, to the widest stakeholder group
3. To reach consensus on the approval of futures planning goals for the year to come

These aims ensure that AISC has a wide range of community input into the inception and confirmation of the Futures Plan. The Community Planning teams draws from the widest range of any AISC team, enjoying membership by parents, alumni, board and council of advisors members, faculty, administrators, and a number of students.

This year’s aims were no different, and through virtual means, we successfully reviewed the various successful outcomes from the Pathway Goals from the current academic year. We also highlighted areas where the impact of campus restriction and global closure had slowed/paused, or accelerated, the work of these pathways.

The goals for next year were explained and clarified in a parallel process, allowing highly engaged conversations and feedback about the planning for next year, within smaller groups. The pathway leaders moved each small group towards consensus about the pathway goal, and the outline of how to achieve it. Then, in a culminating presentation and consensus step, the AISC Planning Team approved the goals outlined in the latest futures plan, that will be published in the coming months. The photo shows our consensus in action.

In the second session, the Planning Team reviewed the implications for planning, within each of our Middle States Association (MSA) Accreditation standards. These planning statements direct the conversation within our accreditation process, and the planning steps that may be taken after our self study, and site visit are completed.

With over 30 members present, the event was a remarkable success, and I offer my warmest appreciation to the members for the flexibility, dynamism, group coherence and resilience they show when working through this system wide complexity. VIrtual meetings add to this complexity, and they dealt with it admirably.

The Community planning Team will reconvene in September, for further goal review, and action plan discussions.