YEARLONGFIELDWORKACTIVITIES

NAME: OliviaRangel
2016

SITE: NewarkMemorialHighSchool

YEAR:

FALL2015SPRING

FALL2015
WINTER2016
SPRING2016

OBJECTIVE

SAMPLEACTIVITIES

Becomefamiliarwithschoolleveland
districtplans

CAP
E

ReviewWASCplansforPBIS
ReviewtheMissionStatementand
Visionoftheschoolforaclassproject

DistrictBoardMeeting

Date&WhatILearned

November2015

WhileIhadreadthestatementsandgoals
before,thistimeIsawtheminadifferentlens.
ThistimeIthoughtaboutimplementingthese
goalsasanadministrator.Themissionstatement
seemedwordyandthevisionwaswrittenthree
yearsago.Theynolongerhadvaluetothestaff.
Thisdoesnotmeanthattheyshouldbetossed
asideandnotconsidered,butarevisionshould
bediscussedsoon.Thisactivityalongwith
readingBlankensteinsbookhasshowedmethe
valueinnotjustgettingbuyinforaconcept
thatnooneconnectedwith,butdevelopinga
commongoalthatallteachersareinvestedin.

February2016
Thedistrictdiscussedtheintricateprocessof
allottinglargefundsinordertofinancefuture
projects.Theseprojectsincludethemergingof
twoschoolsandmovingourclassroomstoward
atechnologicallyadvancedfuture.Iobservedthe

FlexTimeMeeting

intricatepreparationandsolicitinginvolvement
fromthecommunitytoensurethatthedecisions
werethatofmultiplestakeholdersandnotjust
oneperson.

May2016
Thecurrentprincipalhadagoaltoincludeflex
timeinnextyearsschedule.
Flextimeisa30
minuteperiodofthedayinwhichstudentscan
relearnconceptsthataredifficultforthemto
understand.Teacherswouldbeavailableto
reteachstandards,providetutorial,provide
directsupport,orholdseminarstoencourage
learnerswhoareadvanced.Forsomestudents,
theretaughtsessionswouldbemandatoryif
theydidnotmeetbenchmarks.Thisispartofa
multitieredsystem,whichlevelofsupportsare
providedtoallstudentsinordertoensurethey
areachievingthestandards.Theactualamount
oftimeweekly,checkinandcheckoutmethods,
andlogisticsoftheprogramhadyettobe
determinedatthispresentation.Whilehisgoalis
admirable,theideasandsupportfor
implementationwerelacking.Then,hetoldthe
staffthathewouldnotbereturningforthenext
schoolyear.Allbuyinwaslostatthat
point.Sincethiswasanewconcepttome,the
trainingwasextremelyinformativeand
applicable.WhileIbelievethatthiswouldbea
beneficialprogramespeciallyforstudentswith
specialneeds,itneedstohavethefullbackingof

Becomefamiliarwithspecialeducation
procedures

SpecialEducationCredentialProgram
Moderate/Severe
MonthlySpecialEducationStaff
CaseloadIEPstoattend,schedule,
collaboratewithteam,write,andrun
entireIEP

MonthlyPLCandDepartmentMeetings

CAASPDistrictCoordinator

Becomefamiliarwithtestingprograms

staffandadministration.
Previously
ThirdTuesdayofeverymonth
ThroughouttheyearDependenton
studentsIEPdate
Asaspecialeducationteacher,mycredential
programthoroughlyreviewedthestate
proceduresandguidelinesforsupporting
studentswithspecialneeds.Mostofthe
informationlearnedwaslearnedinmyprogram.
Monthlythespecialeducationteam,inmy
districtmeetstoreviewthedistrictlevel
proceduresforspecialeducation.Sometopics
include:writinganeffectivetransitionplan,
differencebetweenservicesand
accommodations,andwritingeffectivenotesin
thenotespage.

Duetocourtcasesandnewdevlopementsin
specialeducationlaw,thereisalwaysmore
opportunitytolearn.Throughtheconinuted
supportofdistrictleveltrainingandsite
PLC/deparmentmeetings,thosechangesand
newinformationcanbeprovidedtoallstaffand
implementedwithintheclassroom.WhileIhave
alotofknowledgeinthisarea,Iamneverdone
learningbecauseoftheeverevolvingand
improvingbeingthatiseducation,especially
specialeducation.
May2015and
May2016

(CSTs,CAHSEE,SAT,orotherlocally
developedassessmentsystem)

AttendedastatemandatedCAASP
trainingfordistricttrainers.

Assistinthecorrecttestdistributionto
studentswithspecialneedsaccordingto

FortheCAASP,thedistrictchosemeto
completeonlinetrainingssothatImaytrainthe
otherteachersinourdistrictadministeringthe
CAASP.Partsofthejobincludedconferencing
withpeoplefromthestate,creatinga
PowerPointpresentationwithinformation,and
usingSEIStogeneratealistofstudentswith
theirlistedaccommodationsandmodifications.

Thisyeartheprocesswasmorecomplexasit
utilizedtwocomputers(oneforteacherandone
forstudent)tocompletethetest.Thisallowed
metogainmoreexperiencewiththetechnology
ofthedsitrict,schedulingusageofcomputers
withappropriateapplications,andcreatinga
FrequentlyAskedQuestionssheettosupport
teachersthroughthischange.

January2016
Asthecoordinatorlastyear,itwasverydifficult
totrainstaffonanewtestingthatdidnothave
anofficialtrainingfortheLEArepresentatives.
Utilizingtheonlinewebcastsandpowerpoint
presentations,Icreatedajumbledtraining.This
year,sincethestatewasmorepreparedandI
wasabletocreateadistrictpresentationthatwas
thoroughandcohesive.Theformatallowedme
toanswermanyquestionsandsupportmy
teachers.

Throughoutthisprocess,Ilearnedhow
importantitistonotetheaccommodationsand

theirIEPandnotingtheaccommodations
andmodifications.

Planandfacilitateaprofessional
developmentactivity.

Becomefamiliarwithbudget
procedures

PBISProfessionalDevelopmentplanning D
andimplementation

Attendanceatboardmeeting

modificationsneededforeachindividualchild.
TypicallythissectionoftheIEPisquickly
reviewedandnotalwayschangedtomeetthe
needsofthekids.Thisleftalotofworktobe
doneweeksbeforethetestwasadministered.
ThisyearwemadesuretotrainallSpecial
EducationStaffhowtothoroughlyfilloutthe
TestingPageoftheIEPinordertomakesure
thestudentaretestingusingtheappropriate
means.
June2015
June2016
Throughoutthisprocess,Ihavelearned
effectiveandineffectivemethodsofleadinga
group.Ihavelearnedstrategiestoassistteachers
withclassroommanagement.ThePositive
BehaviorInterventionSystemsteamhas
exhibitedhowateamcanoperateandfunction
withoutthedirectworkofanadministrator.The
teamhasalsotaughtmehowtoprepareforan
engagingPDandelicitteacherfeedbackthrough
surveysanddebriefs.

Thisincludedgainingknowledgeinavariety
ofmethodsofcommunicatingtheinformation.
Ourteamutilizedgallerywalks,teambuilding
activities,googleslidespresentations,youtube
videos,groupprojects,surveys,roleplay,and
moretoteachtheteachersaboutPBISthrough
outtheyear.Thisallowedustoidentifywhat
engagesthemoststaff,sothatwecanplanfor
thefuturetrainings.
February2016
Attherecentboardmeeting,thesuperintendent

DiscussionwithSSCCoordinatorand
PrincipalabouttheSIPSA

MeetingwithAdministratoraboutbudget
forPBISnextschoolyear
ReviewofSSCBudgetforEDLD6675

presentedabudgetplanfortherecentrevenueof
sellingaparceloflandtoahousingdevelopment
agency.Thesuperintendentwascarefulto
includehowthebudgetplanwascreatedafter
seekingtheinputfromparents,teachers,district
andsitefaculty,andotherstakeholders.The
intricatedetailsofhowthe18.7millionwasto
bespentalongwithfiguresandvisualswasso
thorough.Theamountoftimetodiscussthese
aspectsledtheboardtopostponemakinga
completedecision.Rather,theboardvotedthe
mostpressingissuesintoactionandwaitedfor
furtherinformation.

January2016
AsthePBISfacilitator,Ineedtopresenta
budgettotheteaminordertoplanourevents.In
ordertoseekoutfunds,Imetwiththeprincipal
andSSCCoordinatortodeterminewherethose
fundswouldcomefromandhowmuchwehad
inplace.TheSSCcoordinatorreallyillustrated
theallotmentsoffundsfortheSIPSAfunds,
whileMr.Moralesshowedmethedistributionof
fundsforcategoricalfunding.Thisshortmeeting
gavemeabasicintroductionintothevarious
fundingsourcesandhowtoeffectivelydistribute
theamountwithstakeholderinput.

April/May2016
AfterdeterminingthattheSSCwouldnot
havefundsforPBIS,theprincipaldidnotethat

Assistwiththeplanninganddeliveryof
aschoolordistrictlevelparentevent

ReportCardNight

CAASP/CAPATrainingforentire
Moderate/Severestaffindistrict

hewouldbefundingoneofthelargestportionof
PBISspendingthefollowingyear:theweather
proofbannersandsignsfortheentirecampus
andeachclassroom.Thepocketofmoneyleft
overfornextschoolyeardoesnothaveadefined
amountsinceitisplacedinacategorywithother
siteinitiatives.
Ialsogainedaplethoraofknowledgeabout
schoolfinancesandbudgetthroughMr.
Fanningscourseandtheactivitiescompletedfor
thecourse.Thefristactivityofobtainignmy
sitesbudgetandreviewingthenumbersand
categorieswasinsightfulandledtofurther
productivediscussionswithanothercohort
member.
November2015
ActingasastandinfortheActivities
Director,Ilearnedhowtorunaschoollevel
parentevent.Ihadtoensurethatthestudent
volunteersandteacherswerepreparedforthe
parentsarrival.Ihadtoensurethatthestudents
knewtheproceduresandrulesrevolvingaround
givingreportcards.Myrolewastosupportboth
administratorsandparents.

March2016
Thedistrictsentmetoastatewidetrainingon
becomingacoordinatorandtrainerforNUSD
ontheCAAandCAPAmodifiedassessment.
Thetrainingtaughtmetheinformationthat
wouldneedtobeconveyedtothetraineesas
wellasresourcestosupporttheirlearning.This

Becomefamiliarwithstaffevaluation
processes

ParticipationasanE3PeerCoach
Districtsevaluationsystem
AttendE3TrainingSession

E3VideoReviewprocess

yearwasmysecondyeartakingonthisproject,
andthestatesimprovedorganizationallowed
formypresentationtobeimprovedaswell.The
staffwasveryresponsivetomyconcise,yet
informativepowerpointthatincludedthe
pertinentinformationforthestafftoproperly
administerthesetwoassessment.
14/15and15/16SchoolYear
EveryThursdayinOctober2015
Thetrainingprocessforthispeerevaluation
willbebyfarthemostusefulforan
administrator.Throughthisprocess,Ihave
memorizedsomeofthestandardsforbest
teachingpractices,learnedtoadequatelyobserve
ateacher,andhowtogivequalityfeedbackfor
teacherimprovement.Onefavoritetrainingtopic
waslearningtocalibratemyobservationswith
thoseofotherpeercoaches.Thistaughtmehow
tolookthroughanobjectivelensandfilter
personalopinions.

February2016
TheevaluationprocessofNUSDisreallygeared
towardteachersimprovingtheirperformance
throughtheassistanceofapeercoach.The
administrator,teacher,andI(peercoach)sat
togetherreviewinganhourlongvideoofa
lessondonebytheteacherbeingevaluated.The
processwasveryconstructiveandprovidedthe
teacherwillstrategiesthatcouldfurtherenhance
thatlesson.Theteamworkstogethertoevaluate

Becomefamiliarwithpersonnel
selectionprocesses

FormativeAnalysisand
ReflectiveConversationWrapup

Interviewfordistrictnurseand
mild/moderatespecialeducationteacher

thelessonitself(nottheteacher)andimplement
aplanforthenextlesson.Curriculum,supports,
andstrategiesareputinplacetoensurethatthe
lessoncanreacheachstudentsinvolved.

April/May2016
InthefinalcomponentsofE3,the
administrator,evaluee,andI(peermentor)met
toprovidetheevalueewithconstructive
criticismandfeedbackonhisinstructional
practices.Themeetingwasnotmeanttobe
contentious,buttheevalueewasconcerned
aboutsomeoftheadvicegivenbythe
adminsitrator.Thiswasnotacomfortable
situation,buttheadministraotrinvolved
appropriatelydeescalatedthesitutionand
providedagreatexampleforthefuture.Ialso
feltverycomfortablegettinginvolvedandacting
asasupporttobothpartiesmovingthemeeting
forwardandnotallowingtheentiremeetingto
bejeopordized.
January2016/February2016
WhileIhaveexperiencedtheinterviewprocess
foravarietyofpositions,thedistrictreallyhas
improvedtheprocessinthelastcoupleofyears.
ThetwoitemsIlearnedfromthisexperience
wererepresentationfromvariousstakeholders
andprovidingequalopportunityforall.The
teamconsistedofvariousrepresentativesfrom
differentfocusgroupssuchasclassified,
administrative,certificated,andjobsimilar.For
example,whileinterviewingthemild/moderate

Learnaboutstudentdiscipline

EquityPlanResearch
B
ParticipationinAdmin.TeamMeetingto
discussparticularstudentsneedsand
supports.
PBISteamparticipationincreatinga
interventionsflowchart.

DevelopmentofBehaviorPlanfor

teacher,theteamwasmadeupofaM/M
teacher,ageneraleducationteacher,the
principaloftheschool,aparaprofessional,and
myself.Theequalopportunitycomponentcomes
intheformofaskingallintervieweesthesame
questions.Whenastaffmemberstrayedfrom
thelistofquestionsprovided,theadministrator
notedthattheothercandidateswouldneedtobe
offeredthesamequestionforfairness.The
questionwasnottoclarifyaresponse,butanew
scenarioquestion.Theteammemberwas
shockedbythisandapologized,buthermistake
wasalearningexperiencefortherestofus.
November2015
December2015
August2015
Effectiveclassroommanagementiskeyto
beingaqualityteacher.Throughdiscussions
withthePBISteamanddoingpeerobservations,
itwasobviousthatNMHSneededtodevelopa
consistentsystemtosupportourteachersand
positivelyreinforceourstudentsforgood
behavior.Inordertodevelopafunctionalflow
chart,Ineedtolearnhowtocreateonline
surveysandhowtomakeanappealingchartson
thecomputer.MyteammatesandIworkedon
thistogetherandourvariedareasofexpertise
madeforaflowchartthathadthevoiceofour
staff,waseasytofollow,createduniformity,and
inspiredthestafftoutilizeitinorderto
minimizebehaviors.

student

Becomefamiliarwiththedaily
responsibilitiesofaschool
administrator

Interviewtwoprincipals.

April/May2016
WhileIhavesatinonrevisingmanybehavior
plansinthepast,thiswasmyfirsttimewriting
onefromscratch.Theprocessisnotmuch
different,butpresentingthebehaviorplantoa
parentforthefirsttimewaswhereIgainedthe
mostexperience.Asthecasemanagerofthis
student,Iamverycomfortablewiththeparents
andthoroughlydescribedtheneedandreasoning
utilizingdatatakenbystaff.Withthesupportof
hisIEPteamincludingthebehaviorspecialist,
thebehaviorplanwaseasytowrite,present,and
implementafterapprovalfromtheparents.As
anadministrator,Iwouldhavetoknowhowto
supportmystaffwiththesedifficult
conversationswithparents.Myprevious
experiences,includingthisone,preparesmefor
thisrole.
October2015
BothadministratorsIinterviewedarehighly
regardedinthedistrict.Fromtheseinterviews,I
learnedefficientandqualitywaysofleadinga
teamwhilegainingtheirsupport.Onethingthat
stoodouttomewastheactivewaythese
principalsengagedtheparents.Therearemany
facetstothisjobandparentinvolvementmaybe
themostdifficulttoactivate,butitisvital.
Theothervitalpieceofevidenceisthe
correlationofdistrict/sitegoalsandSIPSA
funding.WhileIhadsatonStudentSiteCouncil
fortwoyears,therelationshipbetweengoalsand
fundingwerenotclearuntiltheseinterviews.

Becomefamiliarwithroleofschool
board

Attendanceatarecentschoolboard

Sincethen,Ihaveaskedtomeetmore
frequentlywithmyprincipaltolearntheother
intricatecomponentsofbeingaprincipalthatare
notasobvious.
February2016
Whilethiswasnotmyfirstschoolboard
meeting,thistimeIfocusedonthedifferent
rolesoftheschoolboardanddistrictemployees.
Theformatofthemeetingisatraditionalone,to
ensurethatequityandaccountabilityarein
place.Theschoolboardpostedaclearagenda
andkepttoitduringthemeeting.Whenlistening
topubliccomment,theboardrespectedthe
boundariesofthecommentaryandenforcedthe
3minutemaximumrule.Whenvoting,the
schoolboardmadesuretoheartheinformation
necessarytomakeapropervote.Inthismeeting,
itwasapparentthattheschoolboardactedinthe
bestinterestofthestudentswhilerepresenting
thecommunityvoice.Inthismeeting,theboard
actedprofessionally,kepttotheagenda,engaged
appropriatelywithstaffandcommunity,and
clearlystateditemswithpurpose.Itwasgreatto
seeacohesiveunitworkingtogether.Thishas
notalwaysbeenthecaseinNUSD.

Becomefamiliarwithschoolwideschedule

HighSchoolMaster
Scheduling

March2016
Theheadcounselor,theassistantprincipal,and
theregistrarofourhighschoolallowedmetosit
inonamasterschedulingsession.Thefirst
surprisingthingwaslearningthatthiswasone

HighSchoolMaster
Scheduling

ofover10projectedsessionstocompletethis
project.Thesecondsurprisingthingwashow
muchinputtheygatheredpriortothismeeting
fromthedistrict,collegeboard,teachers,and
departmentheads.Thefinalinterestingfactoris
theinstrumenttheyusetoplan.Itlookslikean
extremelycomplicatedgameboardthatis
impossibletounderstand.Aftersometimein
thismeeting,Iwasabletograsphowtheboard
andteamfunctionedaswellaswhytheinput
fromvariousstakeholderswasvital.Theprocess
waslikeapuzzle,whichmademewanttoadd
input.Whiletheteamheardmyideas,my
inexperienceseemedtoshinethroughbecause
therewasalwaysafactorthatIdidnotconsider
suchasstudentnumbersorstaffpreference.This
experiencewasveryenlightening,andIhopeto
sitinonanothersessiontolearnmore.

April2016
Aftergainingsomuchknowledgefrommy
previousmeeting,Idecidedtositinonanother
one.Thistimetheteamwaslookingatagraph
thatwascreatedbytheonlineregistration
system.Themajorityofjuniors,sophmores,and
freshmanhadalreadyregisteredforcoursesfor
nextyear.Thegraphgavethenumberof
studentsregisteredforeachcourse.Theteams
objectiveforthedaywastodeterminehow
manyclasseswereneededpercourseandthe
FullTimeEmploymentneedacrossboard.
Calculators.highlighters,snacks,andpencils

Becomefamiliarwithasitethatserves
studentsofdifferentgradelevels,
socioeconomic,racial,language,andcultural
backgroundsthanthestudentpopulationat
yourcurrentsite

VisitMt.EdenHighSchool
AE
anddiscussionwithtwo
teachersatthissite(mathand
english)

litteredthetableprovidingalltheneedsofthe
day.Thisteamneverwastedtimeandarereal
problemsolvers.Theteammembersrespected
oneanothersvoice,calledstaffformore
informationwhennecessary,andmadeit
throughScience,Math,andEnglishthisday.
Theireffectivenessasateamwasadmirable.
Towardstheendofmytimeobserving,Iwas
doingthesimplemathtofigureapproximately
howmanyclasseswereneededpercourse.
May2016
Whenspeakingtothetwoteachersfrom
MountEdenHighSchool,thereweren'tvery
manydifferencesintheirportrayalofthe
functionsofthisschool.Thesetwoteachersfelt
likethereareinitiativesinplacetomakea
differenceatthesite.Theirconcernswiththese
initiativeshavetodowithstaffimplementation
andadministrativesupport.Thisisexactlywhat
mostarealsoconcernedaboutatNewark
MemorialHighSchool.Thedemographicsof
theschoolsevenseemsimilar.Thetop3
ethnicitiesrepresentedatNewarkMemorial
HighSchoolareHispanic,White,andAsian.
WhileatMountEdenHighSchool,itis
Hispanic,Filipino,andAsian.Themost
surprisingfigureIfoundbetweenthetwo
schoolsisthatthegraduationrateofNewark
MemorialHighSchoolisat92%whileMount
EdenHighSchoolisat87%.Yetwhenlooking
atthequalificationsforUCandCalState
schools,only35%ofthosegraduatingfrom

NMHSqualifyforthesetypesofschoolswhile
41%ofgraduatesfromMEHSdo.Eventhough
atMountEdenstudentswholabelledELLare
doublethenumberofNewarkMemorial,
studentsatbothsiteshave1ELDcoordinator
and2bilingualaides.Asforthesocioeconomic
statusoftheschool,47%ofNMHSpopulation
isonfreeandreducedlunch,MEHSitis63%.
Themathteachernotedthestrugglesheis
havingcurrentlyinhisDepartmentasthey
switchtoCommonCoreStateStandards.At
NewarkMemorialHighSchooltheseissuesin
themathdepartmentarenotasprevalentdueto
anewprogramthatreallysupportsstudent
learningandstaffimplementationofthe
commoncorestandards.EvenintheEnglish
Department,itseemsthatNMHSisfurtherin
theCCSSprocessthroughtheirdevelopmentof
commonbenchmarks,asMEHScontinuesto
receivebasictrainingonCCSS.Regardless,the
driveanddedicationthatthesetwoteachersat
MEHShavefortheirstudentsisexemplary.
BothteacherswerebornandraisedinHayward
andwanttomaketheircityandschoolabetter
placeforstudents.Thisissimilartoteachersat
NMHSwhogrewupinthisareaorjust
developedapassionforthisareaovertheyears.
Asanadministrator,Iwillrememberhowthe
teachersinthisinterviewfeltthelackofsupport
bytheiradministrationandkeepinmindthe
importanceoflookingatthedemographicsof
theschoolIamplacedat.