Welcome and Call to Order

The Meeting will be called to order by the Chair.

Mission: The mission of The Museum School of Avondale Estates is to inspire students, teachers and the community to collaborate to develop strong critical thinking, interpersonal and academic skills in our students, which will prepare them for real-world success.

 

Core Values: Responsibility, Respect, Cooperation, Sustainability, Creativity, Kindness

Public Comment

Our Public Comment period is for members of the public to address the board. The board will listen, but may not directly respond to any comments. Please do not use specific student, teacher or administrator names in your comments as our meetings are open to the public and public record. As such, if your comment is about a private matter, please contact the board via email, or speak to the board chair privately.

Email Executive Director, Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh at Katherine.kelbaugh@themuseumschool.org for Zoom access to the meeting.

Public comment (no longer than one page) should be submitted via email to Katherine.kelbaugh@themuseumschool.org. Your comments must be received by 10:00 am on the day of the meeting. Only those emails received during the allotted time will be read aloud and broadcast. Emails received outside of the allotted time will be included in the Public Comments record for the next meeting.

Two public comments were read into the record and to the Board of Directors. The two comment letters are as follows:

I am writing as the parent of a struggling reader. I want to start by saying how incredibly thankful I am for my daughter’s teachers and all that they are doing to help her become a better reader. I know they are doing everything they can, and I appreciate their dedication to my child.

I know I’m not alone when I say that virtual learning was hard. For parents, teachers, administrators, and, most of all, children. Trying to teach a child to read in the virtual setting was, for many, extremely challenging. I sat with my daughter and watched the Heinemann Institute Units of Study videos provided for 1^st grade reading instruction during asynchronous learning and helped her sound out words during the daily reading time. She had a reading tutor. But it wasn’t enough. I started looking into ways that I could better assist her. I found out that while about half of children learn to read easily, the other half don’t. As parents, we’re often only given the advice to “read with your child.” But for many kids, it’s not enough, and that advice leaves parents feeling guilty, like they could have fixed their child’s reading struggles if only they’d read them more bedtime stories. Helping a child who struggles to learn how to read is hard work—I have to sit with my daughter every time she reads to make sure that she is saying the words correctly. I can’t just hand her a book and walk away. I think that type of hands-on approach was not feasible for many families during virtual learning. I am concerned about the potential widening of educational inequities related to a year and a half of lost explicit reading instruction. Some schools have started after school tutoring programs to help address this. TMS administration mentioned to me the idea of reading coaches or an intervention block, but I have not heard if any of these have or will be implemented. My daughter, like many of her friends (possibly even some of your children), has benefited immensely from private tutoring to help her catch up, and I worry about children who cannot access this resource.

In looking into reading instruction, I learned that there is currently a paradigm shift occurring in the way reading is being taught in this country, with a focus on approaches that are consistent with the science of reading---the scientific evidence of how children’s brains learn to read. Early reading instruction consists of two components, comprehension and word recognition.  Many schools have been using an approach called “balanced literacy” to teach word recognition. This approach minimizes the importance of phonics and uses techniques that encourage children to guess at words. For example, in one of the Heinemann Units of Study videos I watched with my daughter, the instructor covered over part of the word and instructed the kids to look at the picture to guess what the word was. For those unfamiliar with this issue, this article provides a helpful summary: https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read. Many schools across the country are shifting to an approach called “structured literacy,” which focuses more on explicit instruction, and some states are passing legislation requiring that science of reading methods be used. In this video, Caitlin Dooley from the Georgia Department of Education discusses the importance of using a structured literacy approach for all children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKVQmNrHReU.

I was very excited to read issue 9 of the TMS newsletter and see that TMS is planning to adopt a reading program based on the science of reading. Local school districts, including City Schools of Decatur and Cobb County, have invested in teacher training to make sure that their teachers are ready to implement this approach. I would love to see TMS be one of the leaders, too. I understand that the TMS Foundation is funding Orton-Gillingham training for a few of the teachers, which is great. But many kids are behind, and I am concerned that training only a few teachers at a time will not be sufficient—time is of the essence when we are trying to make up for a year and a half of learning loss. Furthermore, my understanding is that teachers are not able to select the curriculum that is used in the classroom, so having a strong reading curriculum that uses structured literacy for word recognition would need to be implemented at the school level. Structured literacy addresses 3 of the 5 pillars of reading discussed at Curriculum night—phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency and involves the use of decodable books, rather than leveled readers, as described in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeEC8gYB8Vk. I have heard that the timeline to adopt the new Eureka math curriculum took years. I respect TMS’s desire to make thoughtful decisions about the new reading curriculum, However, we don’t have years to help children who are behind in reading. Starting in 3^rd grade, instruction switches from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” and children who have not mastered reading risk falling behind in all subjects, not just reading. Fully understanding the current shift in reading instruction involves reviewing a lot of complicated, specialized information, and I think TMS would benefit from working with a reading specialist who already knows about all the issues involved, available curriculum, and other resources—both to expedite the process and to make sure that the practices implemented are based on the best evidence. (As an analogy, I analyze data as part of my job, but when I need to do a complicated statistical analysis, I don’t attempt to learn the statistics myself—I work with a statistician who already knows how to do it.) I think that TMS has the potential to excel at reading instruction using structured literacy and to be a model for other charter schools. I have offered my support to help move this forward to both school administrators and the TMS Foundation and am now reaching out to the TMS Board of Directors. As a start, I have offered to organize a Zoom session with a reading specialist to help parents learn how to better support their children’s reading at home. I recently took a 9-hour training course on helping your child learn to read—I learned information that I really wish I had known earlier and that I think would greatly benefit other parents.

Thanks, Ridgely Fisk Green, TMS parent since 2010

Dear TMS Board,

I am writing as a concerned parent and former elementary school educator of a second grade student. My child has been identified as reading on or above grade level but I would argue there are significant gaps in her ability to read. She is unable to decode words that are unfamiliar or spell words using basic phonics rules. While she is able to use her memory and skills such as “que-ing” to get a basic understanding of text, she does not have tools to tackle less common words and more complicated text.

For over a year (during virtual instruction), my child’s reading instruction consisted of links to pre-recorded Lucy Calkins videos and instructed to read for ten minutes indepently. This time was unprecedented and teachers and the school did what they thought was best, but this did not meet the needs of the students and there are significant gaps because of it.

From my understanding, shifts are happening in the school but nothing is currently in place. I applaud the school for recognizing that we need to make changes to the reading curriculum but the end of the year is too late for my daughter. When she enters third grade, far less time will be spent on these foundational reading skills and she will need them to thrive as a reader.

As a former elementary school educator, I acknowledge that my teacher prep did not adequately prepare me to teach reading the way that is backed by science. I also acknowledge that there are many students that I likely failed because of this[1] [2] . I now know better and I will do better and that is all I ask of the school. Research shows that we must shift and teach in a more systematic and explicit format that is backed by science. Reading is a code that can be taught but teachers and students must be given the tools and adequately supported. 

I would also like to highlight the efforts of my child’s teacher, Ms. Eisel-Elder, she is doing a wonderful job and her passion for reading is evident. These comments are not to blame teachers but to look for how we can best support them and students in efforts to create change. 

My questions for the school are:

1. Our current second grade students spent their entire first grade year at home with reading instruction that was lacking and failed to equip them with essential skills. In third grade they will be expected to tackle more complex text with the goal of “reading to learn”. 

What are we doing right now to fill in gaps for these second graders?

1. Per the National Reading Panel (2000), students[3]  in K-2 have to have a strong focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and language comprehension. If those foundations aren't strong, then students will not become skilled readers and will not be ready to shift to “read to learn” in third grade.

What assessments are we using to assess these areas, identify the gaps and then guide our reading instruction?

1. How are teachers being supported during this time? Can this be communicated to parents?

1. Many parents have hired tutors to address the reading needs of their children. Can we as a school also identify families that can not afford this and provide this service?

Thank you for your time,

Andrea Holloway, Second Grade Parent

Approve Previous Meeting Minutes

Approve minutes of the previous monthly meeting.

Approve the Agenda

Chair Kelly Swinks requested the agenda be adjusted to add a report from Advisory Council Chair Tamara Shipley prior to the Finance Committee report.

School Leader Report

Principal Mike Stewart discussed student body demographics and information, full MAP achievement data, and provided an instructional update.

Mr. Stewart reviewed the full MAP data; sharing that TMS students often scored higher than the national median. His presentation included graphics denoting 70% of TMS students scored higher than the national median in math; 82% scored higher than the national median in reading.

Mr. Stewart discussed school leadership's process of researching and exploring evolutions in reading instruction. He noted that adoption of any new instruction approach would necessarily be methodical so as to be impactful to student improvement and to reach all students. He also noted that staff are being responsive to student needs in the moment while anticipating adjustment to reading instruction school-wide. Ms. Yolanda Tickles, TMS 504 Coordinator, elaborated on the need, evaluation process, and process for future adoption of any new instruction. It was noted that the evaluation of programmatic alternatives has involved coordination with the State Department of Education's expert.

His presentation completed with discussion of Dyslexia Awareness Month, Early Intervention Program (EIP) + Tier 1 interviews, and awareness that Exhibit Nights and the Museum model is being re-examined for the potential return to a format closer to pre-pandemic engagements, as appropriate with evolving public health measures.

Executive Director Report

Executive Director Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh covered aspects of TMS Foundation, strategic planning, and academic excellence, among other topics.

Dr. Kelbaugh stepped through details of the proposed TMS Foundation budget identifying key areas of support to the school. She also discussed strategic plan connections between the school and the Foundation.

Finally, Dr. Kelbaugh detailed of her work in the past month in regards to academic excellence, teacher support with TMS Parent Teacher Organization, TMS accreditation, and support of numerous Board-level committees. She also reviewed school body covid statistics, ongoing student recruitment, engagement with student teachers, the expansion + replication task force, playground improvement task force, and other duties.

Update on DeKalb School District Comprehensive Master Plan

Advisory Council Chair Tamara Shipley presented key points in DeKalb Schools' ongoing Comprehensive Master Plan process. She noted that the process had been ongoing for almost a year, with the process drawing towards an end. Ms. Shipley noted that draft recommendations focus on several items of a capital nature including need for new buildings and need for early learning centers in each district. Several other recommendations have capital investment implications such as explorations of program mergers and the importance of K-8 school models to provide for continuity of learning.

Finance Committee Report

Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Tamara Richards presented on the status of the 2021-22 school year budget thus far, September financials and the Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) forgiveness. Ms. Richards noted that per the approved school year budget, TMS is currently running at a deficit, stepping through the contributing factors and noting the consistent fiscally conservative school management and successful grant pursuits have minimized the deficit. She then noted that September actuals do match the month's planned budget. Ms. Richards noted the PPP forgiveness application is underway.

Mr. Grant Gooding from the accounting firm Aprio then reviewed the audit process and findings. He provided a thorough review, noting both financial and non-financial highlights. Mr. Gooding noted that the firm did not find any deficiencies that are required to be reported and did not find any issues of concern, overall. Ms. Richards reminded the Board that the Finance Committee had approved the audited financials after thorough review.

Facilities Committee Report

Mr. Richard Piercy reported on behalf of Chair Jade Yang, noting that a tent had been identified to address outdoor shelter needs but ordering was paused due to re-evaluation of the need. He also shared that Facilities is working with Finance, Dr. Kelbaugh and TMS Foundation regarding an application for the annual state facilities grant.

Governance Committee Report

Governance Committee Chair Richard Piercy asked if Sunday, November 14 as a Board retreat date (4 hours). The retreat would focus on strategic planning. The Board discussed having hybrid participation structure.

Diversity Committee Report

Diversity Committee Chair Cristina Cassidy noted that a tracker for diversity goals will soon be posted on TMS website with associated information/announcement on a near-term weekly school newsletter.

Board Chair Update

Board Chair Dr. Kelly Swinks did not have a report.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:59 pm