The 15Th Annual ISNA-CISNA Education Forum Welcomes You!
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15th Annual ISNA Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 The 15th Annual ISNA-CISNA Education Forum Welcomes You! The ISNA-CISNA Education Forum, which fosters professional growth, development, and provides support to many Islamic schools, is celebrating its 15-year milestone this April. We have seen accredited schools sprout from grassroots efforts across North America; and we credit Allah, subhanna wa ta’alla, for empowering the many men and women who have made the dreams for our schools a reality. North America is home to over one thousand weekend Islamic schools and several hundred full- time Islamic schools. Having survived the initial challenge of galvanizing community support to form a school, Islamic schools are now attempting to find the most effective means to build curriculum and programs that will strengthen the Islamic faith and academic excellence of their students. These schools continue to build quality on every level to enable their students to succeed in a competitive and increasingly multicultural and interdependent world. The ISNA Education Forum has striven to be a major platform for this critical endeavor from its inception. The Annual Education Forum has been influential in supporting Islamic schools and Muslim communities to carry out various activities such as developing weekend schools; refining Qur’anic/Arabic/Islamic Studies instruction; attaining accreditation; improving board structures and policies; and implementing training programs for principals, administrators, and teachers. Thus, the significance of the forum lies in uniting our community in working towards a common goal for our youth. Specific Goals 1. Provide sessions based on attendees’ needs, determined by surveys. 2. Increase number of focused and specialized sessions given by experts (Muslim and non- Muslim). 3. Promote more independent Islamic high schools in the U.S. 4. Reward attendees with professional development credits. 5. Create task forces to research solutions for unique problems faced by Islamic schools. 6. Provide stronger networking during and after the forum. May Allah SWT reward the efforts of our educators and the institutions supporting the cause of Islamic Education in North America. ISNA Program Development & Educational Services Department 1 15th Annual ISNA Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 ISNA-CISNA 15th Annual Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 EDUCATION FORUM PROGRAM COMMITTEE Sadeq Al-Hasan Email: [email protected] Sufia Azmat Email: [email protected] Iman Hashem Email: [email protected] Kathy Jamil Email: [email protected] Hanan Abdullah Email: [email protected] Necva Ozgur Email: [email protected] Patricia Salahuddin Email: [email protected] Magda Elkadi Saleh Email: [email protected] Muhammad Aftab Diwan Email: [email protected] Kem Hussain Email: [email protected] Mukhtar Ahmed (ISNA Programs Director) Email: [email protected] Basharat Saleem (ISNA Conventions Director) Email: [email protected] Urooj Qureshi (Programs Assistant) Email: [email protected] 2 15th Annual ISNA Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 Table of Contents: Ziad Abdulla- Professional Development Appraisal System and Eduphoria: Practical Experience in Islamic School …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………5 Amira Al-Sarraf-Red Flag Resumes: Critical Lessons Learned in the Hiring Process….………………..…………….7 Omaira Alam-Instruction in Special Education: Classroom Strategies for the Muslim School…………….…..18 Omaira Alam-Encourage the Curious: The Case for Creative Engagement in Islamic Schools ..................33 Azra Ali- Cooperative Learning is Engaged Learning……………………………………………………..……….………………48 Asma Ahmadi , Rania Lawendy-Demystifying Data: Becoming Data Literate…………………………………………59 Banu Avsar Erumit, Khadija E. Fouad-Applying Inquiry to Science Lesson Design. ………………………………67 Lina Barbir- Arabic Language Class: Learning Islam through your Activities in Arabic Class ………………….72 Tatiana Coloso, Aishia Neal- Hands-On, Books Closed: Tackling the Islamic Studies Weekend School Effectively…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….78 Amal Sakr Elhoseiny, NaCheda Baroud Tizani, Thouraya Boubetra-Setting the Stage: Innovative Ideas to Encourage and Engage Learners in Arabic Class…………………………………………….............................…………..86 Khadija E. Fouad- Biological Evolution: Wading into the Controversy-Strategies for Teaching Muslim Students and Islamizing Lessons…………….……………………………………………………………………………………….……103 Muzaffar Iqbal-Teaching Science from an Islamic Perspective: Mastering Science Education………………107 Mehnaz Kafray, Shereen Qaddoura-Resources: Classroom Management that Works! ………….…………..118 Salman Khan-Guidance Counselors: The Undervalue and Overlooked Essential…………………..……………...126 Mahmoud Mansour- A Modified Way for Teaching Arabic Grammar: The Content Based Learning Approach ……………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..130 Jelena Naim- Data Driven School Improvement with MAP Assessments………………………………………………141 Lamya M. Najem – Classroom Technology: A Tool to Enhance Arabic Learning………………………………..…149 Farah Naz-The SIOP Model for Islamic School-A Research Based and Validated Instruction Approach for Teaching all Learners Effectively ………………………………………………………………………………………………………...156 NeCva Ozgur –Developing an Exceptional Board: Moving for Working Board to Exceptional Board………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….………..…174 3 15th Annual ISNA Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 Aiysha Sayeed, Fayi Abdi –The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in Elementary Grades…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..…186 Freda Shamma –Basing the Language Arts Curriculum on an Islamic Worldview……………………………..…191 Leila Shatara –Effective Supervision and Practical Evaluation of Teachers……………………….……………....…203 DISCLAIMER: ISNA makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of printed material or presenter opinions and statements, and expressly disclaims liability for errors, omissions, and content in communications 4 15th Annual ISNA Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 Professional Development Appraisal System and Eduphoria: PraCtiCal Experience in an Islamic School Ziad Abdulla Abstract This paper shows one of the successful and easy way of evaluating our teachers and staff at the Islamic schools in the U.S. PDAS as an appraisal system and Eduphoria as a technology tool will make the evaluation and the documentation professional and easy to use and reference to. The PDAS is a teacher evaluation system created by the Texas Education Agency following the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 1995. The goal of the PDAS is to advance the level of the professional practice of teaching in Texas. The evaluation criteria incorporate the learner- centered proficiencies and promote continuous professional development. About the Author Ziad Abdulla is the Assistant Principal at IANT Quranic Academy, Richardson Texas. He obtained his Bachelors degree in Jurisprudence, Legislation and Guidance of Islam, a Diploma in Education Rehabilitation from the University of Jordan and he received his Masters in Islamic Education from Al-Albayt University, Jordan. The 2013-2014 school year marks his 23rd year as an Educator, five years as an Assistant Principal and 18 years as an Islamic Studies, Quran and Arabic teacher. He is also currently an Arabic professor at Richland College, and lecturer of Arabic and Islamic Sciences at Suffa Islamic Seminary. He is also a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Professional Development Appraisal System and Eduphoria: Practical Experience in an Islamic School The Appraisal Process Steps: 1. Teacher Orientation. 2. Teacher Self Report (TSR). 3. Walkthrough. 4. Formal Classroom Observation. 5. Student Performance as seen in the Campus Performance Rating and AYP 6. Summative Annual Report/Conference 5 15th Annual ISNA Education Forum April 18-20, 2014 PDAS: The PDAS includes fifty-one evaluation criteria organized in eight domains. The eight PDAS domains are: • Domain I: Active, Successful Student Participation in the Learning Process. • Domain II: Learner-Centered Instruction. • Domain III: Evaluation and Feedback on Student Progress. • Domain IV: Management of Student Discipline, Instructional Strategies, Time and Materials. • Domain V: Professional Communication. • Domain VI: Professional Development. • Domain VII: Compliance with Policies, Operating Procedures and Requirements. • Domain VIII: Improvement of Academic Performance of all Students on the Campus. Each domain has a certain amount of criteria that the evaluator will look for and then score it based on four performance levels as follows (Exceed Expectation, Proficient, Below Expectation, and Unsatisfactory). All this has to have evidence in light of the quality and quantity. Quality focuses on the Strength, Impact, Variety and Alignment (SIVA) of the teaching behavior and how it relates to student success. Quantity relates to the frequency and number of students for which the teaching behavior actively resulted in student learning. Eduphoria: Eduphoria is a technology tool under the name “SchoolObjects:PDAS” which provides a web- based total PDAS management system, giving teachers and principals a single tool to create, submit and monitor PDAS. Conclusion: PDAS is a professional appraisal system used in Texas, but can be used anywhere else, especially at our Islamic Schools. At IANT Quranic Academy we are using “Eduphoria”