December 2022

As 2022 comes to a close,

let us take a look back at

the best posts of the year:

CAASPP Results

The year began with the release of the 2021 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.  The results show a preliminary view of the adverse effect that COVID-19 has in education.

2021 CAASPP Results

Living with COVID

Year 2 of the post-COVID era is here, and so is this virus.  COVID will become a permanent part of our lives for the foreseeable future.  We must adapt and continue to work on a solution to this health problem.

Living with COVID

Class of 2022

A message to the class of 2022.  Congratulations on reaching this point in your educational journey.

Class of 2022

Summer of 2022

A nice break is welcomed as schools shut down, this time for the summer break.  Whether you attend summer school, or enjoy some leisure time, we look forward to seeing you for next school year.

July 2022

2022 CAASPP Results

In January it was just a preview and the outcome was below standard.  Then, in October, it was a full release of the 2022 CAASPP and the results were much worse.

2022 CAASPP Results

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2022.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Returning from Fall Break

It is the final weekend before returning to education from the Fall Break.
Educators became rested and recharged as Thanksgiving was celebrated.
Teachers and students come back to school prepared for the winter that is to come.

After the Fall Break education goes through an adjustment period of limited time that allows for maintenance to be performed heading into the Winter Break.  Students, Teachers, Administrators, and Parents, have been collaborating since returning from Summer break on that first day of school.  Before the Winter Break arrives it is a good time for all stakeholders in education to prepare for the second half of school, that last day of class.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2019.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

A Look Back at 2018 (Part 2)

July 2018

Start with the 4th of July holiday then end with the 4th Annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit to kick off the new school year  with the theme of "Educating the Whole Child" #CATeachersSummit

August 2018

"When We . . .get ready to go Back to School let's make sure that we:
-Make Time to Prepare.
-Gather the Necessary Resources.
-Examine and Explore Each Site.
-Start with a Positive Attitude.
-Believe in Success."

September 2018

"What has taken place in our schools and classrooms.
-Have we done the best we can to welcome back our students and their parents?
-Are we prepared to provide the best education we can?"

October 2018

"Need a STEAM idea to celebrate? Look no further than Jack-o-Lanterns."

November 2018

Election.  Armistice 100th Anniversary.  Thanksgiving.

December 2018

Winter Break.  Holidays.  Welcome 2019.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

A Look Back at 2018 (Part 1)

January 2018

"The challenges that they will face are most likely to be solved by those who can draw upon a diverse education experience covering multiple subjects and areas of knowledge.

They will need to develop unique skills that adapt to new technologies, in a constantly changing world, where creative minds collaborate across time zones, geographic regions, cultural areas, and multiple languages."

CA EL ROADMAP

Vision:

"English Learner Fully and Meaningfully Access and Participate in a 21st Century Education from Early Childhood Through Grade Twelve That Results in Their Attaining High Levels of English Proficiency, Mastery of Grade Level Standards, and Opportunities to Develop Proficiency in Multiple Languages."

Mission:

"California Schools Affirm, Welcome and Respond to a Diverse Range of English Learner Strengths, Needs and Identities.

California Schools Prepare Graduates with the Linguistic, Academic and Social Skills and Competencies they Require for College, Career, and Civic Participation in a Global, Diverse, and Multilingual World, thus Ensuring a Thriving Future for California."

February 2018

+Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, FL+

March 2018

Students March in Solidarity to Parkland

April 2018

"Less and less time remains left in which progress can be made and assessed; but time, nonetheless, remains.  Educators can still advocate for struggling students.  Students can still request help from teachers.  Teachers can still guide students and collaborate with educators."

May 2018

"Students get ready for End-of-Year activities.  Seniors finalize their checklists as they prepare for graduation and start to get sized for caps and gowns; while Eighth and Fifth graders, in addition to Kindergartners, prepare for their promotion ceremonies."

June 2018

Summer! (Both School and Vacation)


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Reflecting on 2018

"Reflecting on 2018 - A guide on how to reflect and look back at the year that has passed".

As 2018 comes to an end educators and students should take the time to review and assess what has been achieved this year.  There is much that has taken place over the past 12 months and all has had an impact in our day to day education.  Every year begins with hope and a vision of a brighter future.  Every year ends with longing and nostalgia, in some cases even a bit of regret, over the decisions made and events that shaped the year that was.

As it is true of education, doing an overall assessment can be quite an overwhelming task to take on even when it is a self-assessment.  It is always good to have a partner to help through this process: a colleague, a friend or classmate, parents and relatives can be of great help and provide assistance and feedback.

Begin by making a list of all the events that you remember and/or were a part of, for example: 

1) Students in the classroom.
2) Teams and Clubs.
3) After-School Activities.
4) Sporting Events.
5) Art, Movies, Music, Television shows.
6) Society, Politics, and Government.
7) An "In Memoriam" to those who passed on.
8) Challenges not met.
9) Accomplishments Achieved.

then proceed to give each a rating or value of your choice:

- Stars and check marks.
- Impact in our life.
- Significance of the event.

and finally, reflect on how you have grown over the year.

Doing this, not only to end the year but on a regular basis, can help with grow and development in addition to helping with emotional understanding on how each of us was shaped and molded by the year that was 2018.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

December 2017

The final month of the year is here!
The arrival of December marks the end of 2017.
Educators prepare the last student lessons of the year as the winter break approaches.
December is the last chance that for students to end the year with a positive learning drive and to recharge the desire to continue to study for when they return next year.
Teachers and administrators take stock and reflect on all that has been accomplish in the classroom and at school while looking and planning ahead for what remains to achieve in the upcoming year.

We are at the most significant transition point in time of the academic school year where many changes and transformation can still take place, if we want to achieve the goals set at the beginning of the school year.
The journey that students, teachers, parents, administrators, and all school and education stakeholders have embarked upon has reached its unofficial midpoint.
As the countdown of the year approaches, it would be good to take time to reflect and focus on some key core principles that will aid in the development of education:

-Look back at what has been accomplished since the beginning of the year.

-What are the educational goals that were set, and how are they becoming a reality?

-Reflect on those memorable lessons and class projects. What made them become so?

-What relationships have we develop with classmates and staff to help us grow?

-How have we collaborated with others and can we do more to reach out and support them even further? 

-What is our educational vision for when we return to school after winter break?


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2017.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

December 2016

It is finally here!

The final month of the year is here.

December has arrived and with it this year we have known as 2016 comes to an end.

In education we are coming back from the Fall break, and heading into the Winter break, while trying to do as much learning as possible in the little time in between.

There will be those who will attempt to dismiss all learning until we return next year, but we must not let this take place.

There is too much to loose if we do not continue on not just in learning, but in time and effort.

This is a challenging time for students, teachers, parents, administrators, and all who make education possible, but we can all continue to support each other just a little bit longer, then we can all head into the winter break, the final break of the year, knowing and feeling well about where we are in our educational path.

Before we all head off into that wonderful winter break, and holiday parties, let's make sure that we have done our best so we may close the year in an equal manner. 



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

November 2015

As the month of November begins,
we are given an extra hour.
We are also reminded that the year is culminating.
All that remains is December to go before we begin 2016.

Education will have a series of breaks in the fall and winter, but the learning process of students will continue developing.
Growing as they grow in both skills and knowledge.
As they have grown since the beginning of the school year. 

It begins to get cooler and the nights are a little bit longer.
Its a great time to bundle up and keep warm.
We can envelop ourselves in knowledge and learn, study, and share it.
We are ready to finish this year and continue to become educated.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

APRIL 2015

Manuel R. CortezRodas
(Chief Educator/Founder)

April has arrived, and with it, the season of spring which brings the signs of rebirth.  

There is much that is associated with this month and have included a few examples to consider:

• Spring showers, which are urgently needed in California.
• It is, as it is written in hashtag, #NationalPoetryMonth or #npm15
• The beginning of the last three months of school (Apr, May, Jun).
• Graduates blooming from our high schools as the Class of 2015. 
• The continuing duty and debate of year end education assessment.
• Spring Break 2015!!!

MRCR Education is doing its best to continue presenting and sharing information that can be of assistance to educators prepare in that final stretch of the 2014-15 school year.  

The MRCR Education Logo
(Inspired by the Mayan representation
for "TUN" meaning: Stone, Year)

Please continue to follow us on Twitter @mrcreducation for the latest updates from MRCR Education and its resources on the areas of English Language Developement (ELD) Education, STEAM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), and HAST (Humanities, Arts, Science, Technology) Education, in addition to other educational themes and topics. 

We look forward to your feed back! 

Thank You. 




Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

The Closing of a School Year

Closing the School Year

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

For most of us, in education, this is the time in which we close the school year.  A journey that began close to 9 months ago is now ready to continue as it goes on, developing an educational path for students to continue to travel on.  Students have been with us for the length of the school year, others have left us, while others have just joined us this year.  Yet we, as educators, take them all into our classrooms, and do our best, to share with them, the knowledge we know how to educate them on.  Each educator using all their skills and abilities to make sure that each student has access to the knowledge we have, the knowledge we believe they should know, the knowledge that will help them continue on in life as they make decisions constantly.

Closing the School Year

As educators, we must acknowledge that we have a limited time in which to educate students, and that this time comes to an end.  As the school year comes to an end, so too comes the time and day in which we have to close the school year.  We must turn in our grade books and complete all the school paper work, we must also be fair with our student's work and grading scale.

Saying Goodbye

Over the year we have share a significant portion of time in our schools, in our classrooms, and with our colleges, and students.  This is a time for us to sometimes say goodbye, knowing that it may be the last time we either see or say something to them.  The ones we have confidence in, that we know are strong students and should have the tools to succeed, are the ones we take pride in when we say goodbye to them.  But the ones that we fear for, and we see as fragile, are the ones that make saying goodbye like a shield giving rite.  We hope the best for them.  That they be able to continue to grow, and be given a chance to become strong.

Memories

No doubt, we have also created and accumulated memories throughout the school year.  These memories are diverse and varied, and serve as a reminder of moments in time which have some learning significance to us: Our first day in school getting ready to welcome back students, seen some of them there already, ready to start learning.  The individual and collective solutions that they came up with to solve that challenge we presented them with.  Field trips, fundraisers, indoor recess on ill weather days, and days that were just ill.  All this are memories that we will carry with us as we move on with our education, and we continue on with traveling the path.

Separation

We will become separated from those with whom we have spent an entire academic school year.  We hope that all of us have played a significant part in what will become our academic lifetime.  Throughout the school year, bonds have formed and develop between teachers and students, students and students, teachers and teachers, and many other bonds that have help strengthen our educational experience, and have made it a positive one.  Now we must separate a bit from each other, to allow for growth, and allow for development.

 

Storing

Now, at the end of the school year, we begin the process of storing that which we want to treasure.  We separate memories as we say goodbye not just to our students, but to a whole school year which is now concluded.  We store these treasures and keep them safe, as one day soon we may need them, as we depend on them for wisdom and advice, for many school years to come.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Closing The Year

Closing the Year in Education

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

As the year comes to a close, we, as educators, should take the time to look back and reflect on all that has taken place and has been achieved with our students, in our classrooms, and throughout our schools.

January-June (Last Year's Class)

Last Year's class was with us for the first half of the year.  We help to guide them as they concluded their school year, and prepared to move on to their next grade level.  We did our best to accommodate the learning needs of each of our students, and gave as much of our time as we could to ensure that every student in our classroom received the most excellent of education so that they may become successful learners for years to come.

July-August (Summer Time)

Summer time is not a stoppage of education, but rather a break for both students and educators to transition into the next educational year.  Summer time presents a time for students to catch up to grade level if they have fallen behind, or to get ahead if they have demonstrated the knowledge needed to pursuit further education.  For educators it is a time for lesson planning and adjustment, as well as thoroughly thinking about the responsibilities we have as educators and the role we have in the education of our students.

September-December (Next Year's Class)

Next Year's Class is with us now, and we have done our best to be prepared in order to meet the needs that each of our students will have.  As the year comes to a close, it is once again time to regroup and refocus our attention toward our students, so that they may become successful learners in the year to come as they prepare to advance to the next learning level in school.

We have reached the end of another year as educators.  As we look back and reflect on the accomplishments that have been made possible, let us keep looking forward toward the next class of students.  They are going to become the future of education throughout our nation.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.