NYS Middle School Association 30 th Annual Middle Level Conference

1. Collaboration Does Make a Difference NYS Middle School Association 30th Annual Middle Level Conference Rochester, 22 October 2010, Session 2 Janet Angelis Know Your Schools~for NY Kids

2. Collaboration Does Make a Difference • Share evidence of collaboration in middle schools with consistently higher-performing students • Highlights from 28 case study schools • Exemplify best practice as it relates to school organization and structure. • Opportunities to reflect on these practices in participants’ own settings.

3. For each pair of statements, underline the phrase or phrases that best describe your own situation.

4. We can do this together. • JFK Middle School Fire up the collaboration. Get department people to work across the curriculum. Pull out the data and use it as a magnifying glass to clarify what we are doing in the classroom. . . . Be reflective. - A.L. Leonard principal

5. What we do well is the relationship between teachers and students and from teacher to teacher. . . . The whole school is one big family team. Kids see the team spirit and know that we have that kind of relationship with them also. - West educators

6. Collaboration = 1 of 5 Key Elements in Higher-Performing MS in NYS The other 4: • Trusting and Respectful Relationships • Social and Emotional Well-Being (students and staff) • Evidence-Based Decision Making • Shared Vision of Mission and Goals (high expectations for all)

7. Findings Consistent with Other Research • Fullan; Lieberman; Hargreaves; Bryk and Schneider; et al. • Essential Elements • This We Believe

8. NYKids cf. NMSA This We Believe

9. Know Your Schools~for NY Kids (Just for the Kids-NY) http://knowyourschoolsny.org www.albany.edu/aire/kids University at Albany School of Education

10. Background Results of a study conducted 2006-7 2nd in a series of 5 studies in NYS • Elementary schools (2005) • Middle schools (2007) • High schools (2008) • Middle school science (2009) • Critical Needs (2011) Sample selection relies on achievement data (NY state assessments) over time (2003-5 for MS)

11. Study Samples • 10 consistently HP schools with 6 similar but consistently APs, based on NYS assessment data (Grade 8 Math & ELA). (MS Sci: 7 HP, 3 AP) • Favor poverty (F/RL) • Urban, rural, suburban • Open admissions • State average per pupil expenditures

12. Just for the Kids–New York Best Practices Studies 2005-9 Higher-performing Elementary Schools Higher-performing Middle Schools Higher-performing High Schools Higher-performing Middle Schools-Science

13. The Schools The HP Middle Schools (MS & Sci) Niagara - Niagara Falls Port Chester-Rye – Port Chester Queensbury Sherrill – V-V-S MS South Glens Falls - Winch Utica –JFK Wayne - Armstrong Westbury Binghamton - West Bolivar-Richburg Geneseo Greene Holland Huntington - Finley Jamestown - Jefferson Johnson City NewRochelle - Leonard

14. 2-day site visits Semi-structured interview protocols with teachers and administrators For science study, classroom observations Documentary evidence collection Analyzed and wrote case studies for each site Cross-case analysis to develop best practice frameworks and reports The data Methodology

15. Collaboration: 3 Essential Components • A climate of respect and trust • Structures to support it • An expectation of collaboration Everyone is responsible for teaching all children. - Jefferson principal

16. Collaboration, Trust, and Respect A self-reinforcing, positive cycle trust more collaboration formal/informal collaboration more trust

17. Collaboration, Trust, and Respect It was a struggle. . . . At that point, I just asked myself, “Am I on an island here, or do I have somebody to help me that I believe in?” So that’s how we develop most everything. . . . We didn’t just change [things] for certain kids; we changed them across the board. Because if I was too wordy for her kids, guess what? I was too wordy for a third of my kids, too. - Oliver Winch science and special ed co-teaching team

18. I can work with any faculty member in this school, which is a credit to the administration for picking the right people. • J.T. Finley teacher It’s hard to work in our structure if you want to work independently; you have to be collaborative. - Geneseo principal

19. Trusting and Sharing: A Way to Work The collegiality amongst the five of us [subject area team], you can’t ask for much more. You really can’t. “I need this.” Cut, paste, bang, take. Take. Take. You change what you need to change. “Mr. X, I’m taking your name off this.” “I don’t really care.” Seriously: take, use, help, ask questions, come in, clarify. - Oliver Winch science teacher

20. Collaboration and Respect: Looking for and Building on Strengths • Acknowledge what teachers and students do well • Look for strengths and build on them to fill gaps – including in state assessments • State assessments measure program > students • (Contrast deficit models) We communicate from one grade to the next. We respect teachers in the grades below. V-V-S teacher

21. We believe that every child has a special gift. Our vision is to get that gift to come out. • Port Chester teacher Showing them they can do it no matter what. Don’t stress the disability. • West teacher

22. Collaborative Structures: Who Meets? • Teams, Departments, Grades • Specialists - teachers • SBDM/SDM, other school-community bodies • SSGs (teachers, specialists, families) • Committees: hiring, text selection, prof. dev. • Students, families Now we meet every other day for 42 minutes. . . . Before that we didn’t notice the kids as much – didn’t focus on them. The team time has allowed the school to focus on students. - Holland teacher

23. Collaborative Structures: Schedules Typical meetings and schedules: • Team: several times/week; daily or more • Grade-level: several times/month (student focus) • Department: twice/month (curriculum focus) • Special ed – regular ed: daily • Daily opportunities for students to get help (AIS, tutorials, labs, etc.)

24. Collaborative Structure: Teams • Responsible for instruction • First line of intervention • Bring in social services, parents, et al. as needed • Usually include special educators Sharing information about a shared group of 120 students, we are never alone. - West teacher

25. Sample Team Schedule, Port Chester MS

26. Collaborative Structures, Schedules I meet once a week with my department, every day with the teams; we’re scheduled for it. The team meetsdaily. - Finley special educator Three out of five days, we have a scheduled period where the whole grade team meets. Special ed is included in that. We talk about all the kids who need help, across the curriculum, about the curriculum. . . . We can meet all five days if we want to. - Greene science teacher

27. Each team has a team leader. Each department has a department head. . . . They teach. They have one less duty a day so they can . . . collaborate with teams and departments. Teachers meet informally at many times during the day, and many departments meet daily first thing in the morning. Departments meet at least once a month formally and teachers also meet on half days. - J.F. Kennedy principal

28. Committees (school, community members) e.g., Hiring, Text Selection, Professional Development Team Members, Prof. Development Plan, Utica Teachers – 5 Parent - 1 Higher Ed – 1 UTA Pres – 1 TC Director – 1 Administrators – 5 Teaching Assist. – 1

29. Collaborating with the Community • SDM not “Some Day Maybe” • Curriculum Councils • Strategic planning teams • Hiring committees The schools don’t stand separate and apart from the community. • Huntington administrator

30. Community We can’t do it alone. . . . Parents are involved here. The faculty makes decisions collectively and the PTA is very involved. They want what is best for all the students, not just theirs. • Westbury principal

31. Collaborative Opportunities for Students • Collaborative classrooms • Multiple opportunities to connect • Multiple opportunities for special attention – lunch, after school, tutorials • Opportunities to affect school policy • Recognition for more than academics and athletics I love to learn new things with students! - Port Chester teacher

32. Students – Structure to Help Them Connect • Clubs and sports • Dedicated activity period • Identify the interest(s) of those most at risk • Recess for all • Keep up with changing demographic • Guide rooms We want to create enough niches to connect with students and parents in many difference ways. - V-V-S administrator

33. Students -- Recognition • Lunch with the principal • Awards Focus on the high-achieving students. Call their names [on the PA], not the detention students. - Westbury teacher

34. Collaborative Structures: Other Examples • Room assignments • Looping (“vertical teams”) • Instructional leaders We put classrooms and department offices in the same wings to increase communication. - J.F. Kennedy principal

35. Our faculty meetings have turned into professional development; it’s very interesting. - Oliver Winch science teacher

36. Collaboration Expectations: What Do They Talk About? • Student performance/needs – individually and collectively • Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction • School policy • Professional learning The center of the conversation is always how can we help kids do better. . . . Keep that focus all the time and it really helps direct where we need to go. - Johnson City principal

37. Collaboration about Curriculum • Departments do own mapping – not handed down – and revisit it continually • Teams plan and do interdisciplinary units – all core subjects, some, with “encore,” etc. • Include special educators • May cross school levels – V-V-S Congruency meetings We’re always tweaking things [re the science curriculum]. - Armstrong (Wayne) science teacher

38. Collaboration about Assessment • Daily, formative assessment by teachers • Some departmental assessments by district • Analyze state data; address program needs I’m constantly refining the unit as student needs appear; I do a lot of monitoring as students are working. Then I’ll meet with the group to talk about what I saw. - Niagara teacher

39. When I think of our science program and how well they do, I do believe it’s because we have Core Groups. . . . We’re always looking at what each other is doing so that we make sure we’re covering the curriculum, we’re covering it in the right places, people are revisiting it, and the kids are getting everything they need so that they can be successful on those assessments. - Johnson City administrator

40. Collaboration about Instruction • Literacy across the curriculum – with support • “Procedure/operations” terms • Know others’ standards but responsible for own We are all teachers of reading, so we always embed reading instruction in our science instruction. - Winch science teacher

41. Collaboration about School Policy • Homework • Discipline • Hiring • Programs and texts We have a shared discipline philosophy. We share the way we do everything. Every one of my colleagues helps. Everyone knows the expectations for behavior [as well as] academics. - West teacher

42. Collaboration = Professional Learning • Team time • Teacher Study Groups • Teachers Sharing New Skills - workshops Our teams are so small that they are always together and always talking. A big part of professional development comes from common planning time and common team time. - Holland teacher

43. Collaboration: Expectations of Leaders From the Queensbury Administrator Interview Questionnaire: • Describe a time when you had strong convictions about a course of action but were then convinced to try another approach. How did it work out? • Describe your experience working as a team member – what makes you an effective team player? • How do you collaborate with colleagues? Please give examples.

44. Even if we don’t all agree, what we are arguing over is what the best thing for kids is. • West teacher I have to say that the reason for those high scores is because we work collaboratively, professionally from 6th to 8th grade. - Oliver Winch science teacher

45. Collaboration: A Case in Point Port Chester Middle School Classroom We are superstars at collaboration. Teacher Every teacher is a teacher of literacy. Principal

46. Collaboration Port Chester Middle School Total Enrollment: 790, gr. 6-8 2005-6PC MS state cf. 2009

47. You need to work as a team; there’s nothing a teacher can accomplish alone. Teacher We are all ELA teachers. Teachers Grade 8 ELA results, 2006 J. Marino, 2007, Port Chester MS: Best Practices Case Study

48. Rebuilding the Wheel You have to have staff involved in decision making. We have 8 or 9 new teachers coming in next year. We need to go back and rebuild the wheel to keep the wave going. . . . We need to constantly overhaul and do tune-ups. - Port Chester MS Assistant Principal

49. Continuous Improvement Once you’re successful, getting that extra 5 or 10% is very, very difficult. But we’re not happy at 90%; we’re not happy at 95%. We’re not even going to be happy if we reach 100%. We’re always seeing ways that we can . . . Improve. - Armstrong (Wayne) teacher

50. Catch as catch can Expectation not articulated or clear Intermittent discussions Less decision making Each teacher responsible for own subject area Teachers left to own devices Teachers handed a curriculum New teachers “wait their turn” Scheduled time Expected Ongoing discussion of C,I, A, and student performance Decision-making ability Teachers reinforce skills across subjects Coaching, PD, support provided Teachers build living curriculum New teachers expected to play active role AP HP Collaboration