You will post your one major or 2 minor contract grading projects for the "A" or "B" grades on this page. (refer to the contract grading policy under "Course Information") Under the subject line put your full name, and the title(s) of the project(s). Then under the message section answer the usual questions:

Who is involved?, What are you going to do?, How will you document it?, How will you present the findings? or any other important detail.

The governace team will respond with approval or seek additional information. Proposals are due November 15, 1998

-- Anonymous, September 30, 1998

Answers

Contract for "A" Proposal -- Participate in a Mentorship Program

Starting this year, the student TechMaster program at Proctor High School will earn one credit toward graduation. Throughout this year (especially in the beginning portion), I would like to develop a course guide, training outline and basic curriculum to enhance the program. Mentoring a student will allow creative and innovative uses of technology while teaching computer ethics. Students will be selected on their computer knowledge, performance in class, attendance and attitude.

I would also like to work out a "PR" plan to spark the interest of other students who have advanced computer skills. Methods of promoting student interest will also be explored. Utilizing our students is the best way to get them actively involved and interested in their education.

Contract for "B" Proposal--Computing skills used to enhance documents, classroom handouts, presentations, etc.

For this contract for grade, I would like to demonstrate the infusion of technology resources within the educational setting. Basic computing skills can be learned by most people with reasonable training time. Skills such as graphic design and layout are not taught through one course or a few months of training. They are skills that are acquired over time. Many people do not realize the commitment of time needed to learn different applications -- technology will not provided advanced skills overnight.

I will assemble varying levels of my own computer generated work to demonstrate the many levels of computer skills used in our schools. This project will emphasize the need for skilled technology-based professionals within education and how technology is now used in every facet of educatio.

Both contract for grades will be presented in research paper format.

-- Anonymous, October 19, 1998

Proposal for "B" Grade

Children coming from unhealthy families have greater struggles ahead than children reared in healthy families. For my "B" project, I would propose designing a family mentoring program for families in Douglas County Wisconsin. This project would include researching family mentoring programs already in place as well as a needs assessment for families in Douglas County. The final project would be presented in the form of a proposal to Douglas County Department of Human Services including a plan for implementation of a family mentoring program.

Proposal for "A" Grade

For this project, I would like to teach a session for the Cohort on child abuse and neglect issues. I would hope to teach the class before the two sessions included in the Toxic Child Series that are addressing similiar issues in a broader format. Specifically, the sessions on Feb. 3, 1999 on Sexual Abuse: Prevention, Intervention, and Referral and March 3, 1999 on Intervention & Referral: Community resources, insurance issues, welfare laws, mandatory reporting in Minnesota, and other issues. I would plan to examine more closely the issues of working with children from unhealthy homes where abuse/neglect and domestic violence are present in their everyday lives. Inluded in my presentation would be the dynamics of child abuse and neglect as well as tools for responding to the abused/neglected child. I believe a class presentation would also afford participants more opportunity for open discussion of the issues than will be provided for in the larger more formal Toxic Child sessions.

-- Anonymous, October 25, 1998

Contract for a "B" Grade:

I am going to attend 4 computer training sessions taught by Scott Fitzsimmons and create a project using techonlogy in foreign languages. I'm not exactly sure yet what I am going to do for sure as I have not taken the courses yet. Once I see what is available I will choose something I have learned and alter it into a Spanish Lesson. "Espaqol Interactivo" I am leaning toward some sort of slide show right now. I plan on utilizing this into my classroom and/or in fron of the Cohort group. Courses are offered Thurs. Nov. 5, Nov. 12, Nov. 19, and Mon. Nov. 23. from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Contract for an "A"

I would like to teach a lesson using a multi-media project to the Cohort program that pertains to some aspect of foreign language. Also, I could give insights on how they could tailor this to their own subjects.

Could someone get back to me and let me know a time I could do this and also if I would have access to the technology equipment and UMD?

-- Anonymous, October 27, 1998

Proposed project for a grade of "B"

I am interested in participating on the Governance Team. I would like to be a part of the decision making process regarding how our graduate work will progress. I would like to participate in the spring if possible.

Proposed project for a grade of "A"

I would like to teach a lesson on teaching through grouping students together. I am currently teaching a Geometry course (CPM - College Preparatory Math). The course is set up so that students work daily in teams. The research as well as my own observations has shown the advantages for all students. My role as teacher has changed tremendously. I am more of a facilitator than a traditional teacher. I feel I could teach this method to the class. I think it would be beneficial for all to try in their particular classrooms.

-- Anonymous, October 30, 1998

Proposal #1

This school year I will be part of the inservice group for the reading graduation standard at grade four. (The group consists of five, grade four teachers who are advised by Becky Ardren - reading/ language specialist for I.S.D. 709.) My role will be to attend the necessary meetings to plan lead up activities which prepare students to meet the standard , and then to inservice other 4th grade teachers in the implementation of these activities as well as the actual administration of the standard package. I will submit written work done by the group, plans for presentations, my self-evaluation and evaluations from participants.

I am submitting this project as the requirement for a grade of B. I am asking that it be considered a major project to fulfill my requirement for this grade through May.

Proposal #2

Below is a letter which explains the mentorship program that I would like to facilitate. This proposal has been approved by I.S.D. 709 and would be under the supervision of Carol Basig. I would submit a journal entry summarizing each session as well as a self- evaluation , and evaluations from participants.

Dear___________,

My name is Kris Downs. I am a 4th grade teacher at Piedmont School. I am also in the process of working toward earning my masters degree through the U.M.D. Cohort Program. As part of my course work, I would like to facilitate a group to support beginning 4th grade teachers.

We would meet once a month to discuss topics which you feel you would like some help with , or just to share some ideas which might make your work easier. This is meant to be a place for sharing without an evaluative component.

Topics for discussion may include, grading, parent communication, classroom management, literature groups, graduation standards, etc. The group will spend time during our first session to decide on which topics will meet the specific interests / needs of the group.

Teachers who participate in these meetings may earn one inservice credit for 10 hours of participation. Meetings will take place monthly at Piedmont , from 4:15-5:45, November-May. The first meeting will be held on Thursday, November 19th.

For planning purposes, it would be helpful for me to know ahead of time who will be participating. Please return the form below to me ASAP. I hope to meet with you soon!

I am submitting this proposal as the requirement for the A grade. I am asking that it be considered a major project to fulfill my requirement for this grade through May. Thank you!

-- Anonymous, November 03, 1998

To receive a "B" I plan on participating in a seminar entitled "Grantsmanship for Beginners" which is sponsored by the Minnesota Council on Foundations. I will be attending this seminar on December 8, 1998 for one day.

At this seminar we will (according to the program brochure)...

-Closely examine the most commonly used grantmaker directories to assist fund raisers inidentifying potential funders in a more informed and well researched manner.

-Review the proposal development process by highlighting the key elements of a grant proposal, including development of the budget.

-Provide a panel discussion with varioous Minnesota grantmakers to learn more about their proposal review and decision-making processes.

By attending this seminar I hope to acquire some valuable and important information to help form my skills and knowledge base sufficiently enough to enable me to start writing grants for various work-related projects.

After attending this seminar I plan to post my reflections and observations about it on this discussion page. I would also be willing to put together what I have learned into a brief report that could be shared with the members of my Cohort.

For the "A" requirement I plan to participate and help to facilitate the Lake Superior School District bond election process (they want to build a new high school in Two Harbors) this winter. I have been actively involved with the facilities steering committee and have written a series of articles for the Lake County Chronicle on the meetings. I will continue writing for the newspaper. I will also be giving talks to staff and students about the bond issue as well as working very closely with the bond election consultant that the District has hired. I am currently an Administrative Intern for Supt. Avelsgaard.

Throughout the bond election process I will be keeping a journal that highlights and records the process as it happens. I also plan on developing a workable bond election outline that could be given to other districts planning a bond election. I will be available to present a Power Point presentation to the Cohort if anyone is at all interested in the process.

I hope that these activities will be enough for me to receive an "A" for the 1998-99 school year.

-- Anonymous, November 05, 1998

Criteria for an "A"

I would like to teach the cohort my area of specialty. This would be the area of special education. Specifically what curriculum can be used in the classroom and what NOT to teach in the classroom.

Agenda

Quiz Introduction of American Indian Curricular Frameworks Activities from the Curriculum-"Boarding School Experience" Walking through a chapter-"Family Life" American Indians-What Not to Teach Tie into Graduation Standards Questions and Answers

This presentation will take approximately 2 hours, depending on the amount of questions. I would also like to do this for the first deadline of January 30. The cohort will also be asked to fill out a survey for the presentation.

Criteria for a "B"

I would like to attend two conferences this year. One conference will be the 17th Annual Johnson O'Malley conference on April 29th and 30th. This is a conference hosted by the Dept. of CFL- Office of Indian Education, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, and the Fondulac Community and Tribal College. the 16th Annual JOM Conference had over 550 participants and 80 presenters. Some of the key issues included language loss, gangs, FAS/FAE, and parental involvement. To document my participation I will write a two-page summary of presenters and keynote speakers.

I would also like to attend a FAS/FAE workshop that will be put on this spring by the Dept. of CFL. This workshop will discuss the etiology of FAS/FAE, how it affect's the child's learning, and what teachers can do to support students with FAS/FAE. To document my participation I will write a two-page summary of the workshop.

Thank-you Valerie Tanner

-- Anonymous, November 05, 1998

Error in my contract posting.

My area of specialty is Indian Education, not Special Education

Also, because of the way the computor interprets the typing, the agenda is difficult to understand.

Valerie Tanner

-- Anonymous, November 05, 1998

Proposal for an "A" grade:

During these two years of classes & research for the Master's degree, I hope to focus on underachieving, "disenfranchised" learners -- what factors contribute to that status, and strategies that provide the most promise for moving these students rather quickly to a more successful educational journey.

These goals tie into the two proposals I am making in contracting for an "A" grade: 1) On October 15th, I attended the Education Minnesota conference in St. Paul. The main attraction, for me, was a presentation by Sharon Stenglein, the math person for the MN Dept. of Children, Families and Learning, on "When Students Haven't Passed the Math Basic Skills Test." I intend to write up what I learned in a user-friendly format, and use the information for my own students' benefit, and to inform other teachers about Sharon's ideas. I will likely have some opportunities to share the information with fellow math teachers: the math curriculum specialist for our district would like me to talk about the information at our district math committee (of which I'm a member) meeting, and also possibly at our yearly regional math get-together in February. 2) I am presently reading two books that will shed some light on the students on whom I plan to focus, and will hopefully give me some ideas for success. One is "White Trash: Race & Class in America"; the other is "The Autobiography of Malcolm X". (Of course, I don't mean to say that these students are "White Trash," but the book is a series of sociological studies, many authored by people who were not expected to "succeed," but who, in many cases, became professors and researchers.) I propose to write a paper on the discoveries that might help my students, and on ways to incorporate these discoveries in my work.

-- Anonymous, November 07, 1998

Contract for B

Deb Berntson is the Media Generalist and I am a third grade teacher at Lowell. We would like to work on a project to integrate the classroom reading series for third grade with the Resource Management Standard of the Minnesota Profile of Learning.

We will use the form supplied in the package to document steps completed and determine student performance. We would use the checklist and rubric to evaluate student learning.

Contract for A

I am developing a format for completing the Writing Standards for third grade. The Package includes four writing tasks that require students to write, conduct an oral presentation, and do research. I am developing a teacher friendly curriculum guide to complete the package. It correlates to the reading series already being used in our school district.

-- Anonymous, November 07, 1998

Contract for B

Last summer I attended the Fiction Works 1998 Institute at The College of St. Scholastica. This Institute involved two weeks of reading, journaling, and discussing adult fiction with other teachers throughout the state. The instructors for the course were two professors from CSS and Becky Ardren, the Reading Curriculum Specialist with ISD #709. Part of the Institute included instruction involving children's literature. For this project, I would like to write an overview of this Institute and a description of the final project I taught in the Media Center with the fifth grade classes.

Contract for A

Cindy Upton, a third grade teacher at Lowell, and I would like to integrade the classroom reading series with the Resource Management Standard of the Minnesota Profile of Learning, taught in the Media Center.

We will use the form supplied in the package to document steps completed and determine student performance.

The checklist and rubric will be used to evaluate student learning.

-- Anonymous, November 07, 1998

For Contract B Proposal I attended a conference on shared decision making in October. I will write a paper evaluating the workshop and what it means to educators in the classroom. For Contract A Proprosal I am currently involved with the local township recreation committee. We applied for and have received a grant from the MN DNR as well as St. Louis County. The township is developing a recreation center next to the school that I teach at. The grant includes adding to the existing playground as well as adding a soccer field and improving the current baseball and soccer fields. I will document the progress of the committee as well as my own personal committment to the program.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1998

Contract for a B....

As part of my B contract....I will be attending the Ties 98 conference in Minneapolis on Sunday, November 22nd and Monday, November 23rd. This conference is known as The Great Technology Get- Together and is Minnesotas showcase for educational technology. This conference is full of various sessions/presentations relating to technology in education. There is also a very large exhibit hall displaying the latest gadgets and solutions needed in the educational world today. I will be posting a written overview of the many things that I find worthwile and beneficial. I would also be open to presenting my findings to the Cohort group if needed.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 1998

My contract grade for a "B" will consist of attending the conference on Leadership and Technology in Alb, NM on Nov. 11-14. I will bring back and give information either via the internet or in class. I would like to do a presentation with the Power Point.

My "A" grade will consist of working with the community and setting up a program to involve parents with technology to improve parental involvement. Our students are very technology literate, but our parents struggle in this area.

-- Anonymous, November 23, 1998

Proposal for a B grade.

I would like to write a 3 - 4 page summary/reaction paper on the autobiography of Guy Dowd. He was a national recipient of the Teacher of the Year award. The book is called "Molder of Dreams" and it paints an inspiring picture of the compassion, dedication, and the commitment it takes to be considered a master teacher. It also is a vivid reminder that a teacher is more than a disseminator of knowledge. He is a vital part of the growing up process for the children of today. It is a must read for those of us who would be molders of dreams.

Proposal for an A grade.

We have installed a new curriculum at the Duluth Public Schools called the Core Plus Mathematics Project. It is an activity based course that integrates four of the five high standards in mathematics. It was selected as an alternative for the traditional curriculum of Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra, and Pre-Calculus. It is understood that students must complete three years of this course in order to gain the math standards and graduate from high school.

The caliber of student enrolled in this course makes it a challenge. Over 50% of these students have not passed their basic 8th grade tests in reading and math. This new curriculum is very reading and writing intensive and for many of the students it has been a struggle living up to expectations in a math class that is like no other that they have experience.

I have started after school study groups for Core Plus students. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30, in my room I have started a tutoring program designed to meet the additional needs of the students who need extra time and attention in order to successfully complete this course. I expect all of my students to compile a portfolio of their work in that class. I am also building a portfolio for the class and the after school sessions are ideal for students who want to get caught up or get their work in order.

We have six sections of Core-Plus Math and the the other teacher who shares the responsibility of these classes with me is a new teacher who began his career this year. He has agreed to work with me on this project and the time after school will also serve as a mentoring/sharing time so that we may approach the class with a common perpsective.

I have also started donating 2 (or more) of my prep hours per week to being available in the student support room where many of the students on IEPs have directed study. Many of these students are taking Core Plus Math and the case workers are having a difficult time assisting them in this very different style of mathematics class.

-- Anonymous, November 25, 1998

Contract for Grade Proposal Second Term

Proposal for 'B' Grade

For my 'B' project, I will read the book,"Savage Inequities" by Jonathon Kozol and submit a book report.

Proposal for 'A' Grade

For my 'A' project, I will draft a booklet for reporting child abuse and neglect in Douglas County, WI for mandated reporters. The final project will be a finished booklet to be distributed to schools within the four school districts contained within Douglas County, WI.

-- Anonymous, February 12, 1999

Contract for Grade: Semester 2

asked in the MEd Cohort III Q&A Forum

Second Semester Contract for an "A" by Christine Osthus

The two projects I would to do for the second semester for an "A" grade are: l) Attend a conference and write a report concerning the useful things I learn at the conference and how I intend to implement them. The conference is the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs in February at Rochester, Minnesota. The conference has inspiring speakers -- last year, Carol Bly, and this year, Marc Yudoff, President of the University of Minnesota. It also offers various workshops, break-out sessions, and displays concerning effective ways of working with students in an "alternative" school setting.

2) Volunteer to be a member of a state-wide committee of educators whose focus will be implementing the grad rule in alternative schools. This committee will meet in February, April, and once more in the fall in the Twin Cities. For my project, I would summarize and comment on the work of the committee, and ways in which other alternative sites work.

If there is a problem with utilizing either of these projects, I would like to serve a term on the Governance Team, and/or read and comment on E.D. Hirsch's Cultural Literacy.

-- Christine Osthus (costhus@d.umn.edu), February 14, 1999

Contribute an answer to "Contract for Grade: Semester 2"

sroseen@d.umn.edu

-- Anonymous, February 14, 1999

This is Linda Harts Contract for Grades Proposals for Cohort 3. Second semester February 1999

Proposal #1

In early February 1999, I attended a Bureau of Education & Research seminar in Minneapolis. Susan Hixson presented useful ideas from her resource handbook titled Making the Best Use of the Internet and Other Technology Tools in Your Classroom Program (Grades K-2). I would like to write about the seminar and share practical ideas learned from taking this computer seminar.

Proposal #2 I have started a tutoring program with a Proctor High School junior named Kristi. Kristi is very interested in becoming an elementary teacher. With the cooperation of her high school guidance counselor, Kristi will receive 1/2 credit for volunteering an hour each day in my first grade classroom. Kristi is using her study hall and lunch time to create this tutoring experience. I have matched Kristi with a first grade girl who needs one on one help in reading and writing. Kristi and I will work on setting goals for this tutoring experience. We are talking of expanding this program because more high school students are showing an interest in volunteering and tutoring during the school day. I look forward to sharing the results of this new partnership.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 1999

One item from the "B" category: I would like to be a representative for my cohort members on the Governance Team during the next quarter (semester).

I will notify cohort members at least one week in advance of our meeting and will ask them to let me know of any questions or concerns that they would like me to bring before the Governance Team.

I will relay any answers/comments from the Governance Team back to the cohort members during the next time we meet as a class. If an answer or comment is urgently needed, I would post it on the Web site.

One item from the "A" category: I will participate in a local service project.

I will help facilitate a parent support group for parents of middle school aged students with special needs of any kind. I will work with the ARC representative, Reenie Engstrom, to accomplish this. The meetings will be held once every month, except during December, and will have varied topics of discusstion. Each meeting will last for about two hours and will provide parents with a time to bring questions, concerns and new insights to the group. I will also help to schedule speakers on special topics related to concerns of the group.

At the end of January, I will write a summary of what the group has accomplished, the status of it, and how parents have been able to use the information that we have discussed at each of the meetings we've had up to that point. I will also write a final summary in May of the progress that the group has made in the months from February through May.

-- Susan Janson (lswjanson@aol.com), November 15, 1998.

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I will continue to work on extensions of both contract proposals from last semester through May 1999. My contracts were: for a "B", I will be part of the governance team. For an "A", I will continue to be a co-facilitator of a parent (of a child with special needs) support group that meets once each month. At the end of this semester, I will write up thoughts on being a part of the governance team, as well as another "insight" paper regarding my experiences as a co-coordinator of the parent support group.

-- Susan Janson (lswjanson@aol.com), February 08, 1999.

-- Anonymous, March 02, 1999

For Spring Quarter my contract for grade will be as follows (if satisfactory):

For a "B"...

I plan on reading the text, "On Writing Well" by william Zinsser, a guide to writing non-fiction. I will then write up a short paper reflecting on the book and how I feel it relates to me in a professional and academic sense.

For an "A"...

I would like to spend a half hour presenting to the cohort group on my area of expertise, which is bond referendum elections. I will talk about the ways a bond referendum election should be run and discuss the role that teacher scan and shuold play in the process. I will use the Bond Election Guide that I created for my "A" grade for Fall and Winter Quarters.

-- Anonymous, March 25, 1999