Well, the first day is done and so it was good and blah. The first session was a bust. I really wish they would put little notes at the end of session descriptions that some something along the lines of same carp we've been saying for three years, nothing new.
The second session was highly entertaining and I actually had an epiphany about RtI. I now totally understand how RtI fits in with NCLB, IDEA and SpEd. And I realized that everything we're currently doing is kinda stupid... especially for high school students. Yeah. Serious revaluation needed, plus a shift in what we offer our students. And some major brainstorming on how to do with no money, no added classes and not removing curriculum from what teachers are currently doing. Conundrum. At least I can now have the conversation with our Special Services person and be reasonably sure that we're speaking the same language.
Third session, I had planned to her session on assessment, but discovered that a session I really needed to attend had been changed to that time. Sadly. However, it was an important session, and gave me a complete, total and informative schedule of assessment for reading with tests and benchmarks for high school (or rather, what to do with current benchmarks as they exist which only go up to 6th or 8th grade). Did I mention with free tests. Yeah!
Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything I wanted to attend for the 4th session and my feet really hurt, so instead I set off to find some solitude, coffee and a live internet connection. My hotel only offers internet connections in the room for 10$ day! 10$! No wonder the bailout is failing, with all these business people expensing crap like this! They claimed to offer free wireless in the lobby, but I saw no one able to make an actual connection during the entire day. And this downtown Seattle! Internet capital... pffffft.
Tomorrow is another full day of mostly RtI sessions. Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in the one I missed on assessment as well.
The second session was highly entertaining and I actually had an epiphany about RtI. I now totally understand how RtI fits in with NCLB, IDEA and SpEd. And I realized that everything we're currently doing is kinda stupid... especially for high school students. Yeah. Serious revaluation needed, plus a shift in what we offer our students. And some major brainstorming on how to do with no money, no added classes and not removing curriculum from what teachers are currently doing. Conundrum. At least I can now have the conversation with our Special Services person and be reasonably sure that we're speaking the same language.
Third session, I had planned to her session on assessment, but discovered that a session I really needed to attend had been changed to that time. Sadly. However, it was an important session, and gave me a complete, total and informative schedule of assessment for reading with tests and benchmarks for high school (or rather, what to do with current benchmarks as they exist which only go up to 6th or 8th grade). Did I mention with free tests. Yeah!
Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything I wanted to attend for the 4th session and my feet really hurt, so instead I set off to find some solitude, coffee and a live internet connection. My hotel only offers internet connections in the room for 10$ day! 10$! No wonder the bailout is failing, with all these business people expensing crap like this! They claimed to offer free wireless in the lobby, but I saw no one able to make an actual connection during the entire day. And this downtown Seattle! Internet capital... pffffft.
Tomorrow is another full day of mostly RtI sessions. Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in the one I missed on assessment as well.
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