West Hempstead Weekly Update

Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming out tonight to this budget meeting. As you know, one of our top priorities is maintaining a high-quality education for our students while being fiscally responsible.

Unfortunately, despite a proposed tax levy increase of 2.34% and utilizing a major portion of our reserves, we still face difficult decisions for the upcoming school year. This is largely due to significant increases in health insurance and transportation costs totaling approximately $2.5 million.

Even after the tax levy increase, we are projecting a budget shortfall that will require us to excess eight teaching positions across the district. This is an unfortunate but necessary step to balance the budget.

We are still awaiting the Governor's budget proposal's final details on state aid. However, based on various indications, the aid will only partially cover the funding gap we face at best.

While these are challenging times, I want to assure everyone that we are committed to making responsible fiscal decisions while minimizing the impacts on student learning as much as possible.

With the solar eclipse making its eagerly anticipated display this past Monday, excitement filled the air as students and staff in our district eagerly gathered to witness this rare astronomical event. Equipped with solar glasses, they observed in awe as the moon passed before the sun, creating a breathtaking sight in the sky. Teachers took the opportunity during the day to incorporate this natural wonder into their lessons, discussing the science behind eclipses and the importance of protecting one's eyes during such events. It was a moment of wonder and learning, bringing the school community together in a shared experience of the beauty and mystery of the universe.

Or, as a student said, "This is the greatest thing ever!"

Renowned trumpeter Damien Pacheco conducted a workshop for our students on Monday, April 8th. This presented a remarkable opportunity for our students to learn from one of New York's finest trumpet players. The workshop took place from 9:30 to 11:30 in the auditorium. Visit his website at https://dapamusic.net/ for more information.

This year, we are thrilled to share our students' remarkable growth in the ELA assessment. Their confidence levels were impressive, reflecting their hard work and dedication to mastering key skills. Here are some highlights of their achievements:

• Genre Identification: Students easily identified the genre of passages, demonstrating a deep understanding of different types of texts.

• Annotation Skills: Students effectively "road mapped" or annotated passages, utilizing scrap paper and digital tools to enhance their comprehension.

• Question Understanding: Students clearly understood the questions asked, enabling them to eliminate incorrect answers and prioritize effectively.

• Passage Structure: Students successfully identified the structure of passages, showcasing their ability to analyze texts at a deeper level.

• Response Structure: Students were proficient in structuring their responses for short and long questions, using transitions to introduce and explain text evidence effectively.

• Literary Language: Students were comfortable with literary language and testing vocabulary, further enhancing their comprehension skills.

• Improved Stamina: Students displayed improved stamina, indicating their readiness to tackle challenging texts and questions.

• Effective Use of Tools: Students used the copy/paste feature to cite and explain evidence, resulting in more detailed and well-supported responses than in previous years.

We are incredibly proud of the growth our students have shown in their ELA skills. Their achievements are a testament to their hard work and dedication, as well as the support and guidance our educators and staff provided. Congratulations to all our students on their outstanding performance!

This comes from the article, The End of Foreign-Language Education, and with it comes new ideas and changes that could be quite uncomfortable for some people.

"Within a few years, AI translation may become so commonplace and frictionless that billions of people take for granted the fact that the emails they receive, videos they watch, and albums they listen to were originally produced in a language other than their native one. Something enormous will be lost in exchange for that convenience. Studies have suggested that language shapes the way people interpret reality. Learning a different way to speak, read, and write helps people discover new ways to see the world—experts I spoke with likened it to discovering a new way to think. No machine can replace such a profoundly human experience..."

"...But most students will likely never achieve anything close to the fluency required to tell whether a translation rings close enough to the original or not. If professors accept that automated technology will far outpace the technical skills of the average Russian or Arabic major, their focus would ideally shift from grammar drills to developing cultural competency, or understanding the beliefs and practices of people from different backgrounds. Instead of cutting language courses in response to AI, schools should “stress more than ever the intercultural components of language learning that tremendously benefit the students taking these classes,” Jen William, the head of the School of Languages and Cultures at Purdue University and a member of the executive committee of the Association of Language Departments, told me."

Yong Zao discusses how "[i]t’s difficult for schools to add new courses to teach global competence as most are already crowded with too many required courses. The optimal place to teach global competence is foreign language courses, which should focus on other cultures, other languages and global issues.

Of course, this would require changes in assessment, content and teaching methods in these courses.

There is a small percentage of students with a strong interest in foreign languages; schools could offer different courses or encourage students to learn online from native or near-native speaking teachers.

But the overall idea is very simple: if machines can do better than most human foreign language learners in communicating in another language and traditional foreign language courses have generally failed to make students competent, the primary focus of foreign language courses for the majority of students should be culture and global competence."

“The New York State Testing Program began transitioning to a computer-based testing model in 2016 when the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) started using Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM). DLM is a computer-delivered adaptive assessment measuring a student’s achievement of the ELA and mathematics learning standards at a reduced level of depth, breadth, and complexity. This assessment provides the opportunity to customize the assessment to the individual abilities and needs of the student, is designed to measure a wide range of proficiencies of students, is more efficient to administer and score, and provides useful information to teachers to inform future instruction for the student. The NYSAA Science transitioned to DLM in spring 2018.

The transition to computer-based testing for the Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics testing program began with optional participation in computer-based field tests in 2016. This was followed by optional participation in CBT in the spring operational tests in 2017 and schools have been provided the opportunity to choose their testing format since that time.” - Betty A. Rosa, Commissioner

Please click here for more information.

The Designing Learning framework is an educational approach #WHe uses to engage students and close the aspiration gap. The framework encompasses several key principles aimed at enhancing the learning experience for students and staff:

The Designing Learning framework consists of Connection Before Content, Acceleration not Remediation, Rethinking Success Criteria, Higher-Level Thinking, Student Agency, Authentic Work, and Technology Infusion.

With "WHe" as our theme this year, #WHe are inspired to explore, discover, and achieve future wonders. Allow me to share some of the ways one could envision completing the idea of "WHe" throughout this remarkable journey:

• Wonder and Curiosity: Let us ignite a spark of wonder and curiosity in every aspect of our learning. Encouraging students and staff alike to question, explore, and seek knowledge beyond the ordinary.
• “WH”olistic Education: Emphasizing the growth of the whole individual – social, emotional, and academic. We aim to provide opportunities for personal development and well-being in addition to academic excellence.
• Empathy and Humanity: "WHe" stands for "We" as well, reminding us of our collective responsibility to foster empathy, compassion, and kindness. We will create a supportive and inclusive community where everyone feels valued.
• Waves of Change: As a theme, "WHe" also signifies the ever-changing tides of life. We will adapt to new challenges, embrace innovation, and be resilient in the face of uncertainty.
• Expressions of Art and Culture: "WHe" encompasses the essence of artistic and cultural expressions. We will celebrate creativity, appreciate diversity, and nurture talents in various forms.
• Wellness and Health: Prioritizing physical and mental health, creating a safe and nurturing environment where everyone can thrive and grow.
• Leadership and Collaboration: "WHe" represents collective wisdom and the power of collaboration. We will empower our students to be leaders in their own right while fostering teamwork and cooperation.

By Art Costa, Bena Kallick, and Allison Zmuda

There is a growing recognition that mastering subject-area knowledge alone will not be sufficient to prepare your children for their futures. They will need deliberate practice and focused attention to grow their capacity as efficacious thinkers to navigate and thrive in the face of unprecedented change. Habits of Mind are a universal framework for thinking and are as essential now as when we first introduced them 30 years ago. Habits of Mind are dispositions people use when confronted with problems and situations to which answers are not immediately apparent. When we draw upon these intellectual resources, the results that are produced are more powerful, of higher quality and of greater significance than if we fail to employ those intellectual behaviors.

Email: drehman@whufsd.com
Website: www.whufsd.com
Location: 252 Chestnut Street, West Hempstead, NY,
Phone: 516-390-3000