A message from Superintendent Joe Quintana

Dear GESD Team Members,

It was recently brought to my attention that some questions have arisen about the statements I made during our District-wide professional development session at Landmark.  I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my comments and explain my vision for our District.

When I addressed the Glendale Elementary School District Team at our annual Welcome Back Celebration in August of 2014, I asked all members of the team to be “All In” as it relates to student learning.  I spoke about the work we have done over the last several years to create a culture of respect, support, and inclusiveness that is welcoming for everyone associated with the District.  “Everyone” includes students, parents, teachers, support staff, administrators and members of our community.  I also spoke about the importance of having student learning and instructional excellence a central part of our culture.

When it comes to student achievement, we must be clear and explicit about what we expect from one another, our students, and other members of the District.  We must establish shared agreements and a common vocabulary which clearly define who we are and who we are not; but more importantly, we must consistently engage in behaviors and practices to ensure student learning and academic excellence, because, after all, this is the reason why we are here.

District-wide agreements will make it possible to articulate clear expectations, and also to establish support and accountability for meeting these expectations. When we are clear about our shared agreements, this will directly and positively affect our students. We will know what we expect students to learn, and we will know the practices to engage in to ensure they are learning. When common agreements and clarity exist, students will move seamlessly from one grade level to the next, or from one school to another within the District.

Establishing and maintaining standards does not strip you of autonomy. There is still room to empower each of you to use your expertise and judgment in determining how you will meet these standards.

What does all this mean?  It means, as a District, we will be clear about:

• What we teach (Essential Standards);
• When we teach it (Pacing);
• Which materials we will use;
• Which assessments we will use to measure students progress; and
• Which interventions we will provide to students who need additional support.

This also means we will be able to act on some of the areas of concern we previously have talked about, but have not yet addressed.  As the challenges of our profession have continued to increase, more and more has been added to our plates, without anything being taken off.  The clarity I speak of will allow us to be more selective in determining the items we have on our plates, based upon what fits within our structure and what does not.

The Educational Services Division, principals, and achievement advisors are currently engaging in conversations to identify our shared agreements and to define Glendale Elementary School District’s instructional expectations.  Before any final decisions are made, we will gather feedback from teacher focus groups about the framework we develop.   The final product will be referred to as the GESD Learning Structure.

We anticipate sharing more specific information as details evolve this spring, and plan to begin the 2015-2016 school year with everyone fully aware of the expectations outlined within the GESD Learning Structure. The District will begin to provide you with the support needed to meet the expectations outlined in the Structure as soon as it has been finalized.

In the end, the alignment created by these efforts will elevate our performance and the academic performance of our students.