All Roads Lead to OZ: Teacher Development and School Reform Presented by: Dr. Rebekah McCloud [email protected].

All Roads Lead to OZ:Teacher Development and School ReformPresented by:

Dr. Rebekah McCloud

[email protected]

Nap Ford Community School

What: Public Charter School (Orange County); PK-5

Size: 157 students, 25 staff members, 7 classroom teachers

2006-2007 School Goals

By June 2007, we will develop and implement an ongoing assessment process.

By June 2007, we will develop a curriculum matrix for our core curriculum cluster.

By June 2007, we will implement with fidelity a school-wide 40 Developmental Assets Program. The four themes of learning will be as follows: Citizenship, Goal Setting, Human Development, and Entrepreneurship.

By June 2007, we will implement the CHAMPs Program (Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, and Participation) school-wide as a part of our behavior management program.

Principal’s Vision

From Good to Great…

Oh, the Places We’ll Go!

Teacher Goals

Teachers will improve their performance by: Assessing (systematically) students abilities, needs, and

knowledge Using diagnostic information to inform their practice Utilizing scientifically-based research to develop instruction Developing quality robust (rich and dense) instruction Providing interventions and strategies to decrease the “gap” in

learning Being involved in scientifically-based professional development Being involved in a mentoring program

Academic Goals

Students will focus their efforts on improving their: Math: computation, number sense

Goal 1: Develop learners who have an operational knowledge of mathematics (including automaticity with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts).

Goal 2: increase student knowledge of number sense. Reading: vocabulary, spelling, writing

Goal 1: develop fluent, on grade level readers Goal 2: Increase student performance on comprehension and

compare/contrast skills Writing: grammar and punctuation, fluency

Goal 1: Develop fluent and reflective writers Goal 2: Increase student knowledge and command of the

mechanics of writing

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

Every student will leave Nap Ford Community School at or above grade level.

Every student will leave Nap Ford Community School as a self-directed individual.

Every student (grades 3-5) will achieve at a level 4 or above on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT).

Departmentalization

What is it? Research supports the idea that teachers give their best

performance when they teach in the area of their strength (based on their academic knowledge and/or training).

Why was it done? To positively impact student performance is dramatically. To allow teachers to give their best and for students to

receive the best teachers have to offer.

Departmentalization

How it was done: Teachers were teamed

one taught math, science, health/wellness the other taught reading, language arts/writing, and social

studies.

Teams were divided by grades Kindergarten team ( two teachers) Second/third grade team Fourth/fifth grade team PK and First grade were a stand alone classes

Departmentalization

Outcomes: Survey Results

Overall, departmentalization worked at Nap Ford Community School (67% agreed)

Departmentalization worked for you. (67% agreed) You would be willing to do departmentalization again. (67%

agreed) Your students liked working with two teachers. (67% agreed) Student academic performance was enhanced because of

departmentalization. (67% agreed) Parents understood departmentalization. (100% agreed) Parents liked departmentalization. (67% agreed) You liked teaching two groups of students. 100% agreed)

Departmentalization

What teachers said: What did you like most about departmentalization?

Coordinated discipline, planning with a partner Be able to teach what I specialize in and at my strengths. I liked having two different groups of students and I liked

being able to teach math twice a day.

Curriculum Support & Professional Development What is it?

Planned professional development provided by the Principal, CRT, Reading Coach, Reading Specialists, Mentor

Ad hoc support (in and out of the classroom) Modeling, co-teaching

Why was it done? To provide teachers with up-to-date, cutting-edge

instruction; to model techniques, to provide a dialogue, to provide practice.

Curriculum Support & Professional Development How was it done?

Three Wednesdays a month there was a schedule workshop. Whole group Subject matter Grade level

Curriculum Support & Professional Development Outcomes: Survey Results

You received curriculum support from the principal. (67% agreed)

You received curriculum support from the CRT. (67% agreed)

You received curriculum support form the reading coach. (67% agreed)

You received curriculum support from your mentor. (67% agreed)

Curriculum Support & Professional Development What teachers said:

What did you like most about the curriculum support you received? Always being able to ask any questions I had. How to utilize the manipulatives aligned with the

curriculum. I was able to implement some of the strategies and they

worked well.

Curriculum Prioritization

What is it? Prioritizing what it taught and then developing a plan (mapping)

for the curriculum

Why it was done? Curriculum was being implemented in a hodge-podge, hit or miss

type of fashion. Many of the teachers, most new to the profession, do not know

(with specificity) what they are to teach and/or how. Our school is resource-rich, yet I believe teachers are

overwhelmed by the sheer number of resources and not having an understanding of how to utilize the resources.

There was a great deal of overlap in what is being taught. There was no integration between and among the curricula.

Curriculum Prioritization

How was it done? I introduced the faculty to the idea of mapping the curriculum.

Notion was discussed several times Had been a goal for the previous four years. At some point it had

been addressed by the previous administration, but it was not completed.

Registered team for the Prioritizing, Mapping, and Monitoring the Curriculum workshop

After attending the workshop, meeting with the faculty Teachers looked at a benchmark and come up with an essential

question Scheduled four meetings: one each Wednesday in April. At the

end of the process, the expectation was that teachers would produced a draft document as the team would be attending another workshop in May.

Curriculum Prioritization

Outcomes: Team identified essential, important, condensed

for most of the standards and benchmarks. Essential questions in the process of being written

for each benchmark. teachers had to learn to read and decode the

benchmarks. Meaningful questions surfaced; rich discussions Several teachers made changes to what and how

they teach

The Overall Experience: Teachers What did you like most about your experience at NFCS during

the 2006-2007 school year? I loved the staff I worked with. I loved the students. And I loved

that everyone had confidence in my abilities as a teacher. I truly felt a part of a family. I loved my staff morale and the

parents I worked closely with were supportive and encouraging. My Principal was an excellent leader and role model. She set

high expectations and contributed heavily to my first year experience.

I felt needed at Nap Ford and appreciated by so many ends of the spectrum.

The departmentalization and the ability to talk with the principal whenever I needed help.

The Overall Experience: Teachers What did you learn during the 2006-2007

school year? I learned a lot! I learned a lot about classroom

management, for which I am very grateful. I learned how to have patience and how to assert

myself when necessary. How to effectively educate children. Set a solid foundation during the first few weeks of

school and then build on it.

The Overall Experience: Teachers What did you like least about your experience

at NFCS during the 2006-2007 school year? The inconsistencies and having to be the one to

answer to parents about some of the inconsistencies that were out of my control.

I had a difficult time dealing with all the changes that were taking place.

Adjusting to a lot of changes and adapting to school wide behavior issues.

The miscommunication and lack of follow through.

The Overall Experience: The Principal There are a few changes I would make.

I would start the change process in a more explicit manner and earlier on. Because I was philosophical/theoretical, even textbook in my approach, we lost valuable time.

I was too myopic to realize that I was speaking mumbo jumbo, academic jargon; and the teachers were too polite to say so!

The Overall Experience: The Principal I would start earlier helping teachers to know what

questions to ask. I’d follow up with my good teacher question, “So, what

questions do you have?” Most of the time there were no questions and I always felt

things were as clear as mud. Sadly, my attempts to bring clarity further muddied the waters. Each time I approached the topic I talked for a longer period of time and then asked the same question. I always got the same response (plus a few yawns and glances at the clock grew more frequent).

The Overall Experience: The Principal What did I learn about my role as the school’s

instructional leader? To be more patient and less assumptive in my

approach. “New teacher” does not equal ready to hit the ground

running. Teacher preparation may not be enough I must be willing to start with the basics. It’s so noted

and counted done.

The Overall Experience: The Principal What did I learn about my role as the school’s

instructional leader? Starting at the beginning is the biggest lesson I’ll

take away from this experience. My job is to meet my teachers where they are and

take them as far as I can. Boy, the more I do this leader stuff, the more it

resembles teaching!