HOW TO TRAIN . . .

HOW TO TRAIN . . . This section of the Pennsylvania Academic Standards Family Connections kit contains all
of the objectives, visual aids, scripts and directions needed to conduct approximately 90
minutes of training to provide an overview that will help parents learn about the contents
and purposes of the kit. There is much more information provided in the kit than can be presented in 90 minutes.
It may be beneficial to provide the overview at one event, then focus on specific topics as
part of other events throughout the school year. The intent is that school parent organizations present this information to parent and family
groups in collaboration with school personnel to help all children be more successful in
school. It would be more fun to do and less strain if more than one person share in organiz-
ing a training session, then take turns in presenting the various segments. The approximate
times listed in the table of contents below allow for an additional ten minutes in case ques-
tions are extensive or a short break is desirable in the middle of the training session. The materials include information on: how to set up the training session; how to involve
parents immediately in the process; what in the kit is of greatest significance; and how
parents can use the kit as a resource to help their children be more successful in school. Each subsection consists of a Presenter Prep Sheet, Presenter Script, Handouts
and Transparencies for presenting an overview of each folder of the kit. CONTENTS Checklist for Training Workshop 1 Training Evaluation Form 3 Training Sign-In Sheet 7 TRAINING SUBSECTIONS I. Welcome/Introduction (15 minutes) 9 II. What the Facts/Regulations Are . . . (15 minutes) 25 III. What About Reading . . . (10 minutes) 43 IV. What About Writing . . . (10 minutes) 71 V. What About Mathematics . . . (10 minutes) 93 VI. How to Foster Success . . . (10 minutes) 111 VII. Closure (10 minutes) 127 HOW TO TRAIN CHECKLIST FOR TRAINING WORKSHOP Establish with school district a date, time and location for your presentation. Prepare flyers announcing meeting; determine with the school district how flyers will
be duplicated and distributed to parents. Determine who in the district has custodianship of the Family Connections kit and how
parents will be able to access its contents. Determine if a process can be set up to
insure that copies of specific pages or sections are easy for parents to obtain. Determine which pages from the kit will be duplicated as handouts and determine
who will make the necessary number of copies. Each PRESENTER PREP SHEET lists
the suggested handouts for that topic. Determine how you will get copies to the
presentation site in time for the presentation. Establish who the districts contact person is for setting up the room where the
presentation is to be made. Try to obtain a classroom or library where seats may be arranged in a semi-circle
or U-shape for the presentation. Avoid auditoriums and cafeterias if possible. Ask contact person to arrange for and have set up the necessary equipment: Overhead projector, screen (pulled down or erected), extension cord
Chairs (and tables) as dictated by the number of participants expected
Easel, easel paper pad, markers and microphone (if needed)
A-V cart, podium and/or table to help organize, present materials Agree with contact person or building principal if refreshments will be available and
who will be responsible for having them in place. Check with school district contact person 3 days prior to workshop to confirm meeting
arrangements. Ask for or bring extra pencils and pens for parents. Prepare SIGN-IN SHEET and EVALUATION FORMS (enough copies to accommodate
your anticipated audience). You may wish to have each of these copied on different
colored paper for ease of use. Show up 30 to 45 minutes early at host site to check that everything is in place. At the conclusion of the workshop, thank contact person and/or host school personnel.
Reinforce need to make kit materials readily accessible. Collect the EVALUATION FORMS. Use them to help plan your next workshop. Then,
package them and forward to the Curriculum Coordinator at your local Intermediate
Unit. Addresses are on page 5. If you are not certain of the Intermediate Unit for your
school, check with a school administrator. Fax or mail the SIGN-IN SHEET to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. That information is
on the bottom of the SIGN-IN-SHEET. HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 1 OF 128 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 2 OF 128 FAMILY CONNECTIONS KIT TRAINING EVALUATION FORM Your School District ___________________________________________ Training Date _________________ Please complete this evaluation form to help us plan for future presentations. Tell the
extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements by circling the number
that best represents your opinion: 1Strongly Disagree 2Disagree 3Agree 4Strongly Agree
1. The presenter was informed and organized. 1 2 3 4 2. The presenter used language that was easy to understand. 1 2 3 4 3. The handout materials were clear and useful. 1 2 3 4 4. The visual aids helped me to understand this presentation. 1 2 3 4 5. The kit provided information that was new to me. 1 2 3 4 6. The presentation gave me clear directions on how to learn about the standards being used in my school district. 1 2 3 4 7. The presentation gave me clear directions on how to access the kit in my school district. 1 2 3 4 8. The presentation told me how to use the kit. 1 2 3 4 9. The presentation told me how to locate other resources. 1 2 3 4 10. I would recommend this presentation for other parents and family members. 1 2 3 4 11. I am going to find and use the kit in my district. 1 2 3 4 12. The information in the kit will enable me to help my child be more successful. 1 2 3 4 Your input is valuable. Please use the space below and on the back to provide any
additional comments or suggestions. HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 3 OF 128 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 4 OF 128 PENNSYLVANIA INTERMEDIATE UNITS Curriculum Coordinator
Intermediate Unit #1
One Intermediate Unit Drive
Coal Center PA 15423 Shula Nedley (IU #2)
Connelley Center
Pittsburgh Public Schools
1501 Bedford Ave.
Pittsburgh PA 15203 Curriculum Coordinator
Allegheny IU #3
1400 Penn Avenue Suite 201
Pittsburgh PA 15222 Curriculum Coordinator
Midwestern IU #4
453 Maple Street
Grove City PA 16127 Curriculum Coordinator
Northwest Tri-County IU #5
252 Waterford Street
Edinboro PA 16412 Curriculum Coordinator
Riverview IU #6
880 Greencrest Drive
Shippenville PA 16254 Curriculum Coordinator
Westmoreland IU #7
RR 12 Box 205
Greensburg PA 15601 Curriculum Coordinator
Appalachia IU #8
119 Park Street
Ebensburg PA 15931 Curriculum Coordinator
Seneca Highlands IU #9
P O Box 1566
Smethport PA 16749 Curriculum Coordinator
Central IU #10
RR 1 Box 374
West Decatur PA 16878 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 5 OF 128 Curriculum Coordinator
Tuscarora IU #11
2527 US Highway 522S
McVeytown PA 17051 Curriculum Coordinator
Lincoln IU #12
P O Box 70
New Oxford PA 17350 Curriculum Coordinator
Lancaster Lebanon IU #13
1110 Enterprise Road
East Petersburg PA 17520 Curriculum Coordinator
Berks County IU #14
P O Box 16050
Reading PA 19612 Curriculum Coordinator
Capital Area IU #15
P O Box 489
Summerdale PA 17093 Curriculum Coordinator
Central Susquehanna IU #16
P O Box 213
Lewisburg PA 17837 Curriculum Coordinator
BlaST IU #17
501 East 3 rd Street Williamsport PA 17701 Curriculum Coordinator
Luzerne IU #18
P O Box 1649
Kingston PA 18704 Curriculum Coordinator
NEIU #19
1200 Line Street
Archbald PA 18403 Curriculum Coordinator
Colonial IU #20
6 Danforth Road
Easton PA 18045 Curriculum Coordinator
Carbon Lehigh IU #21
4750 Orchard Road
Schnecksville PA 18078 Curriculum Coordinator
Bucks County IU #22
705 N Shady Retreat Road
Doylestown PA 18901 Curriculum Coordinator
Montgomery County IU #23
1605 W Main Street Ste B
Norristown PA 19403 Curriculum Coordinator
Chester County IU #24
535 James Hance Court
Exton PA 19341 Curriculum Coordinator
Delaware County IU #25
6 th & Olive Streets State Bldg Media PA 19063 Catherine Balsley
Curriculum Coordinator
Philadelphia IU #26
Parkway at 21 st Street Philadelphia PA 19103 Curriculum Coordinator
Beaver Valley IU #27
225 Center Grange Road
Aliquippa PA 15501 Curriculum Coordinator
ARIN IU #28
2895 West Pike
Indiana PA 15701 Curriculum Coordinator
Schuylkill IU #29
Box 130 Special Ed Center
Mar Lin PA 17951 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 6 OF 128 HOW T O
TRAIN P
AGE 7
OF 128 Pennsylvania Academic Standards Implementation Project FAMILY CONNECTIONS KIT Training Date: ________________________________________ Location (Building, Town): __________________________________________ SIGN-IN-SHEET Trainers Names: _____________________________________________________________________________________ NAME: NAME: School If Parent If Educator (If Parent) (If Educator) District Home Address* School Address* *(Addresses are being collected so that the kit development team can contact you by mail as to the value of the kit in informing you about Pennsylvanias Academic Standards and in helping you help your children to be successful in school and on the state assessment.) TRAINERS: Please send this document to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit via fax, 1-412-394-5969, or via U.S. Mail to Education Division, Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 1400 Penn Avenue, Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4322. THANK YOU! HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 8 OF 128 I. WELCOME / INTRODUCTION WELCOME / INTRODUCTION PRESENTER PREP SHEET Note: Because this is the beginning of the presentation, its crucial for the presenter to be upbeat and enthusiastic about the kit and the activities. This will set the tone for the
rest of the session. The script contains many specific instructions about when to use
overheads and other props. Please make sure you are very familiar with the script
before you give the presentation. Objectives 1. To introduce parents/families to the kit, and to tell them whats in it for them.
2. To relax everybody by giving them a few minutes to try out some of the activities in the kit. Overhead Transparencies Transparencies 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 Handouts Handouts 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4
Optional:What the Facts Are . . ., pp. 1 to 3 Anticipated Questions Why was this kit developed? So that parents can learn about Pennsylvania
Academic Standards and Assessment in order to help their children be successful. Who wrote this kit? A team, consisting primarily of parents from across the state,
was brought together through the PDE/IU partnership.The names of the people
who wrote the kit are listed at the start of each section. Id like to read the whole kit. How can I do that? The kit is available at your
school district and on PDEs web site. Please contact the districts central office
to find out what procedures they will follow to make the kit available. I dont know a lot of educational jargon. Will the kit make sense to me?
Yes. Most parts of the kit are pretty free of jargon, and there are several glossaries
that explain unfamiliar terms. HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 9 OF 128 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 10 OF 128 WELCOME / INTRODUCTION PRESENTER SCRIPT [If applicable, begin by thanking hosting organization for the chance to do the
presentation.] Wed [Id] like to welcome you to this meeting. Youre here today to learn about the
Pennsylvania Academic Standards Family Connections kit [show kit], which was cre-
ated to help explain Pennsylvanias Academic Standards to parents and families. Im
[give name and title], and this is [introduce other presenter with name and title],
and well be telling you about the kit today. This is the second kit that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has made to tell
a group of people about the Academic Standards. The first one, the PSSA Classroom
Connections kit, was distributed to teachers in 1998. That kit was written by teachers.
This one was written by parents and teachers, working together over about six
months. The kit is divided into 7 sections. Each section is in a folder [show a folder], with the
pages loose inside, for easy photocopying. The handouts youll receive today were
copied or adapted from the kit. [Overhead transparency 1.1Sections of the kit.] The 7 sections are listed on the screen. The first section is the What the Facts Are . . . section. It includes an introduction to the kit, a letter from the governor and
another from the state secretary of education. Next there is a section that focuses on
the details and rules of standards What the Regulations Are. This section includes the complete text for Pennsylvanias Academic Standards for reading, writ-
ing, listening, speaking and mathematics. The following three, as you can tell by their titles What About Reading, What About Writing, What About Mathematicstalk about the three
subject areas for which Academic Standards already have been established. The
How to Foster Success section gives families information about partnering with
their childrens schools and working with their children at home. It also includes
information about organizations, books and other resources. The last section of the
kit, How to Train, contains all the information were using today for this presen- tation. This gives you a brief idea of whats in the kit, and well be telling you about
the sections in more detail later. [Overhead transparency 1.2Whats in this kit for families?] Whats in this kit for you? And how can it help you? [Presenter should be especially
upbeat and enthusiastic about this part.] This kit is packed with information. It has the Academic Standards, their history, details about assessment tests, glossaries,
resources, referencesits over 400 pages long. If its about Academic Standards,
its in thereor the kit tells you where you can go to find it. There are answers to your questions. The authors of the kit tried to predict as many of those questions as possible, so they could include the answers. There are also lists
of questions that you might want to ask your childs teachers or the administrators in
your school districts. HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 11 OF 128 There are suggestions. The kit gives you ideas about homework, parent-teacher con- ferences and even books to read to or with your children. It has dozens of games you
can play and activities you can do with your child. Were going to introduce you to some of those now. Please think about your favorite
subjects when you were in school. [brief pause] Would everyone who especially liked
math and science please go to [indicate location in room], and everyone who espe-
cially enjoyed reading and writing go to [a different location].[When this has hap-
pened] Now please break up into groups of [?needs to be an even number, but the
number will depend on the size of the larger group]. Each group will get instructions
for two of the math or language arts activities (Handouts 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4) that are
included in the kit. [Presenter who is not talking can pass these out, or they can be
placed on the tables or chairs before the session starts.] Now youll have [8 minutes
?time can be adjusted according to the way the presentation is running] to work on
this activity. At [give time], please return to your seats. [When theyre back in their seats] Now youve seen some of the activities and games
in the kit. There are many more, and we hope youll use them with your children. [Overhead transparency 1.3Empowerment] There is one more answer to the question Whats in this kit for families? The answer
is empowerment. The information in the kit tells you what you need to know to make a difference in your childrens school lives. It tells you how to do this by work-
ing with your children, with their teachers and with their school districts. Youve prob-
ably heard the expression that knowledge is power. This kit will give you both. Are there any questions? [Pause.Answer any questions.] Helping students learn more about all academic subjects, and learn them better, is the
whole point of Pennsylvanias Academic Standards. The next part of this presentation will
give you more information about the Academic Standards, including student, parent and
school district rights and responsibilities as described in the new legislation known as
Chapter 4 of the Public School Code of 1949. HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 12 OF 128 Pet Portrait Get to know other members of your group by collecting information and picturing
it on a graph. Graphs help people of all ages understand information at a glance. What youll need
Paper
Pencil What to do
Interview the people in the group to find out how many pets,
and what kinds, they have. Make a list showing the number of pets of each type. Make a graph. One kind you might make is a picture graph. For
example, if 3 people have one dog each, draw 3 dogs side by side
to show the dogs. Do the same for the other pets. By looking at the lengths of the lines of different kinds of pets, you
can quickly see which pet is the most popular. Design other kinds of graphs to show the same information. See
how many different kinds your group can make. Handout 1.1 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 13 OF 128 HOW TO TRAIN PAGE 14 OF 128 Geometry Game Look around the room for examples of angles and shapes. Can you
find these? t 90

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