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Making Middle Grades Work: Ten Practices to Support Student Achievement

Making Middle Grades Work: Ten Practices to Support Student Achievement. December 7, 2007 Alabama School Board Association Blount County Schools Curriculum Coordinators: Stoney M. Beavers Mitchie Neel.

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Making Middle Grades Work: Ten Practices to Support Student Achievement

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  1. Making Middle Grades Work:Ten Practices to Support Student Achievement December 7, 2007 Alabama School Board Association Blount County Schools Curriculum Coordinators: Stoney M. Beavers Mitchie Neel

  2. The mission of the Blount County Board of Education is to provide the highest quality of education while meeting the needs of all students and creating lifelong learners. James E. Carr, Superintendent Mitchie Neel mneel@blountboe.net Stoney M. Beavers sbeavers@blountboe.net

  3. Teaching Strategies • School Improvement • Scheduling • Credit Recovery • Student Support • Changes • More, More, More…. Session Agenda: • Writing • Student Academies • Professional Academies

  4. #1: Focus on Writing Instruction • System Task Force • Model Lessons and Resource Notebooks • District Support Team Initiative • Writing Consultant and More Model Lessons – Job-embedded professional development • ASCA Grant and PD Funds • ETS Criterion On-line Essay Grading (Title I and At-Risk)

  5. Writing RESULTS!

  6. #2: Grade Level Academies • Background • Pilot Project • Expanded to 9th grade, then 7th and 8th • If you can’t do Academies, maybe you could… • Extend “blocks” for reading and math content areas • Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration

  7. Grade Level Academies - RESULTS • Increased Student Engagement – HSSSE • Increased Student Achievement • Writing Assessment • AHSGE • Students Exceeding Standards • ACT/SAT

  8. Percent of Students Exceeding the Standard in Reading– Grade 11

  9. Grade Level Academies - RESULTS • Increased Teacher Collaboration • Advanced Professional Development • Differentiated Instruction • Intervention • Cross-curricular Instruction • Curriculum Mapping • Horizontal and Vertical Teaming and Planning • Advanced Placement 2007-2008 • Shared Accountability

  10. #3: Professional Academies • Content Focused • Conducted in the summer (2007- English/ Language Arts) • Day 1: Data Analysis and Standards Review • Day 2: Vision/Getting There/Best Practices with a Consultant • Day 3: Application and Planning/Pacing Guides • Ongoing: Follow-up throughout the year • Resources • Burke’s Essential Lessons • Academic Workouts • Mini Math Academy • Math’s Cool, Algebra’s Cool • Resources/Recommendations/Pilot

  11. #4: Focus on Teaching Strategies • ARI-PAL School at Hayden Middle School • Focus on Format/Structure of Lessons • Focus on Increased Student Engagement • Accessibility to Training • Strategic Teaching Strategies Professional Development in a Demonstration Setting • Stand Alone Trainings • School Based Trainings

  12. #5: School Improvement Efforts • School Leadership Teams that INCLUDE Middle School Grades • District Leadership and Support Team • Continuous Improvement Plans • More Focused and Consolidated Planning • School Improvement Specialists • Mini-Improvement Summit • Professional Development! • Marzano Project • PLC Development

  13. #6: Scheduling • Identify areas of concern and make these top priority when planning and scheduling. • Remediation Classes • Study Skills Classes • Creating the Academy Groups • Advanced Placement • Common Planning Times • Student Requested Elective Rotations

  14. #7: Credit Recovery • Summer Read! • Early Intervention • Career Focus • Night School Do you know about….. SDE Credit Recovery Guidelines?

  15. Summer Read Graduates!

  16. #8: Student Support • CHES • Cleveland Helping Every Student Succeed • Hayden Dens • PHS Tiger Camp! • Class Nights…or Days (Beginning of Year) • No zeros on homework policies • Homework Cafe

  17. #9: Change the Way You Do Business! • Reduce or Eliminate Suspensions • ISS • Out of School • Friday Mornings • Saturday School • Data Analysis>Targeted Instruction • School-wide Management (agenda books, study skills, organization)

  18. #10: More, More, More….. • Purposely Developing Instructional Leadership Skills of System Administrators • Implementing Data Meetings and Walkthroughs at ALL Levels • Making Professional Development to Train and Equip Teachers to Address the Identified Needs a HIGH Priority • Creating a District Improvement Plan • “Pushed” down goals • Shared goals • Monitoring implementation of CIP at ALL schools • Teacher Induction & Mentoring Program

  19. Making It Work! • Review and study data. • Set priorities and goals based on need areas indicated in the data. • Create instructional plans based on the data and your identified needs. • Monitor the implementation. • Conduct data meetings and walkthroughs. • Train and/or retrain! • Be cohesive, comprehensive, and collaborative.

  20. Questions?

  21. The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher. Thomas Huxley

  22. THANKS! The mission of the Blount County Board of Education is to provide the highest quality of education while meeting the needs of all students and creating lifelong learners.

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