Darbie Dennison & Carren Poff Ensuring Student and Teacher Success through School Transformation
Feb 25, 2016
Darbie Dennison & Carren Poff
Ensuring Student and Teacher Success through School Transformation
Demographics
740 students 38 classroom
teachers High poverty rate
African-American1% American Indians
1%Asian2%
Multiracial1%
Hispanic53%
White42%
Ethnicity
Free and Reduced Lunch Rates:• Elementary Average (5 schools) 84.7%• Ontario Middle School 78.4%• Ontario High School 65.4%
Current Status Successes:
We have made gains in reading, math and writing over the last two years
We have continued to close the achievement gap between whites and Hispanics
Areas of Concern: OHS still struggles with a low graduation rate We still need to develop a viable math
intervention program
OHS 2012 Reading3 year trend
Reading Sub GroupsEthnicity
Reading Sub GroupsGender
Reading Sub GroupsEconomic Disadvantage
OAKS Writing Improvement
% Met/Exceeded
Year OHS State
07/08 30 56
08/09 43 55
09/10 39 53
10/11 52 68
11/12 56 67
OHS 2012 Math3 year trend
Math Sub GroupsEthnicity
Math Sub GroupsGender
Math Sub GroupsEconomic Disadvantage
3-year trend in Graduation Rate
Data Driven Decisions Super Spread Sheet
Houses student information data, used by teachers to quickly access data
Teacher can quickly filter lists of their students, and their programs such as ELL, Sped, TAG, test scores.
IObservation Protocol Portal for recording teacher observations, discussions
and reflections. Big 3—Behavior tracking
Google doc that allows teachers to document and/or assign lunch detention for dress code violations, tardies, and disrespect toward staff.
Successful Programs We Hope To Sustain
Curriculum alignment with the CCSS & proficiency- based grading
Language! intervention program Project Lead the Way Freshman Success Aspire Community Mentor Program Increased college credit opportunities Summer school programs Challenge Day!
Alignment to CCSS and Moving to Proficiency-
Based Grading
Goal 1: Teachers across departments will align their curriculum with state content and Common Core State Standards by June of 2013.
Goal 2: Teachers will implement a proficiency-based assessment model that is aligned with their content standards and CCSS during the 2013/2014 school year.
WHY PROFICIENCIES?
In The Past
1. Teachers taught what they liked ~ no common standards, and no school-wide system to measure growth
2. No tracking of standard skills and no standard grammar/writing expectations or testing norms—other than state tests
3. Hesitancy to embrace research-based changes as they became available
4. No common language defining student skill levels or what needed to be taught each year
5. Over-reliance on completing daily practice for grades and extra credit
6. Behaviorally-based grading systems7. Writing samples at teacher’s discretion . . . with some
students never receiving a score-just a grade based on number of paragraphs
8. Over-reliance on novels 9. “We have arrived ~ no updates necessary” attitude
Now1. Common departmental skills taught, tested, and tracked2. Alignment of standards taught and tested across all grade levels3. Departmental agreement on common grammar, writing
systems, or skills tracking4. Weekly PLC’s to track, share, and discuss progress5. Graduation requirements, skill proficiency, and work samples
have new level of importance6. Nation has adopted (and is rolling out) Common Core State
Standards7. Reliance on test scores only to prove proficiency8. More experience with informational text & focus on skill rather
than story 9. No extra credit to muddy the measurement waters!10. ALWAYS EVOLVING
HOW WE GOT STARTED …
What Does it Take?
Developing Learning Targets
Literary Device: Grade-level Focus
Leveling “Sub Skills”
Work Sample Safety Net
6 PERSUASIVE
WORK
SAMPLES
BANKED
6 EXPOSITORY
WORK
SAMPLES
BANKED
IF STUDENT DOESN’T PASS OAKS WRITING, THEN ….
IF PASSING WORK SAMPLES NOT FOUND IN THESE, STUDENT CAN USE AS A BASE WRITING IN WRITING LAB TO MEET STATE REQUIREMENT – NOT
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
RUBRICS AND GRADING…
Assessment and Grading Procedures
Practice is not graded, but feedback will be given!
Proficiencies are sole source of grades for the class
No extra credit . . . either you know it or you don’t
To Pass Course Student Must: Have an average of 70% (2) or higher on
each Learning Target at the end of each semester and
Pass the course with an grade point average of 70% (2) or higher
Students track their progress at end of each unit for parent report
MARZANO GRADING SCALE
DRAFTNot Proficient
0-1.9Below 70%
Inc/F
Advanced Proficient
3.0-3.59
80%-89%
B to B+
HOW MARZANO GRADING SCALE WORKS WITH TRADITIONAL
GRADING
GRADE WEIGHTS
PROFICIENCIES 80%
CAREER RELATED LEARNING STANDARDS (CRLS)
10%
MIDTERMS/FINALS 10%
PLANNING…
UNITS
LEARNING TARGETSALL OF THESE ARE TESTED FOR PROFICIENCY IN EACH UNIT
6 SIX WEEK UNITS
UNIT 1 UNIT 2 UNIT 3 UNIT 4 UNIT 5 UNIT 6
Yearly Plan
Practice and Proficiency Examples
Example of Practice and Proficiency
Misc. Details• Every assignment mirrors proficiency• Attach Learning Targets or Writing rubric to
every pertinent assignment • Secure proficiencies/testing environment• Formative assessments used regularly –
attempt to make them as “hands-off” for teacher as possible
• Late work policy left to teacher• One retake opportunity for each proficiency
per semester
CREDIT RECOVERY…
Credit Recovery Reports
Parent/Student Notification
Options to Complete Credit Recovery
• Odysseyware• Summer School• Complete failed proficiencies after school by end of first semester
KEEPING PARENTS/STUDENTS INFORMED AND INVOLVED…
Optional Weekly Schedule
Student/Parent Support After/Before school help End of Unit Tracking and letter home Multiple formative assessments Practice format mirrors proficiency format Use of Power Teaching methods Constant connection between Learning Targets and class
work Posted Learning Targets Connection between CRLS and success on proficiencies Clear parent communication of skills Acknowledgement of practice or lack thereof Upload daily to Family Link so parents can track grades Departmentally cohesive and collaborative approach to
parent teacher conference potential questions and issues
END-OF-UNIT LETTER
Learning Targets Posted
Other Collaborative Classroom Management Tools
HOW WE HAVE CREATED CONSISTENCY…
Department Mini Lessons
Everyone teaches using standard material in first few weeks:• Plagiarism• Annotation• Inference• MLA• Summary paragraph
Collaboration Weekly department meetings Intentional and regular
deprivatization United group Dept. letters home Dept. discipline policy Dept. expectations for students Dept. “script” for conferences
BENEFITS…..
Benefits for Students and Staff
Students, parents, and teachers are aware of strengths and weaknesses
Everyone knows what will be learned for the semester/year.
Students have little to argue about with grades
Teachers can be vigilant regarding skills and strength of teaching
Higher expectations of students and teachers
Because teachers are teaching simultaneously, we will be more inclined to share resources and strategies
Future Potential Higher skill base Higher expectations Higher test scores Fewer interventions needed Students prepared for college or the work
force More structure for interaction between
schools, grade levels, and curriculums Unified departments
Language! Reading Intervention
A comprehensive literacy program:Secondary students who need to advance their comprehension, composition, vocabulary, and grammar abilities
Project Lead The Way Engineering
Intro to engineering Principles of engineering
Bio-medical Science
Freshman Success In 2010-2011 freshmen passed 98% of
their classes, up from 87% last year. Locally built curriculum:
Organizational strategies Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary Four year plan & career investigation College field trip Team-building Motivational speakers Reading Strategies for Informational
Text: Texts and Lessons by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke
Guided study hall/time management/study skills
Teachers Chosen Ability to build strong relationships with
students Quick wins Organizational Strategies Team Building Basic Skills
Whole Brain Teaching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBeWEgvGm2Y
Aspire Community Mentor Program
Access to Student Assistance Programs In Reach of Everyone http://oregonstudentaid.gov/aspire-web-links.aspx
Community Mentors 42 ASPIRE Advisors for 2012-2013 Revise the program for this year. Invite both long-
term and short-term volunteer opportunities
Career Fair 52 organizations, over 70 representatives
presented during our 2012-2013 event
Aspire Community Mentor Program
College Visits: 150 senior students went to the ID/OR
College Fair 52 senior students attended National College
Fair in Boise 13 students attended United States Hispanic
Leadership Conference (USHLI) and visited U of O and OSU
160 freshman students went to the Success field trip and visited B.S.U and College of Idaho in the Spring of 2012
Over a 100 students went to T.V.C.C. to explore career opportunities
25 colleges and universities visited OHS to explain admission, programs, and scholarship
Increased College Credit Opportunities
FFA Intro to Ag Shop Adv. Ag Shop Animal Science Horticulture Farm Business
Management Ag. Computers Ag. Issues Ag. Marketing
Honors Senior English Honors U. S. History Accounting College Algebra Honors Government Word Processing II Computer Applications
Summer School Program Credit-recovery
Currently using Odyssey ware, but working on transitioning to a proficiency-based recovery system
Proficiency recovery If a student is short of passing the required number of
proficiencies, they will only be required to be re-taught and re-take the proficiencies lacking
8th/9th transition students Students who failed two or more classes in 8th grade
were required to attend summer school at OHS
Challenge Day!
Key Personnel funded by SIG
.5 administrator 2 instructional coaches College/career specialist ISS supervisor SIG manager/tech coach
Work Groups: Bridge to Sustainability
The work groups will accomplish the following goals:
Create strong school-wide systems we can sustain Empower teachers to invest in school-wide
improvement Build leadership capacity
The Site Council is at the top of the reporting structure for the three work groups:
Curriculum and Instruction Safe and Civil Schools Response to Intervention
Curriculum and Instruction
Advancing our transition to proficiency-based assessment
Developing a sustainable system for students to complete their senior project requirements Already assigned the 25 requirements to be
supported by various departments and/or individuals
Held a Senior Extravaganza to launch the program and inform seniors and their parents
Safe and Civil Schools Creating a sustainable behavior management system
that will function for administrators, teachers, and especially students. Classroom strategies
CHAMP SLANT VOICE level
This group has already accomplished some early wins.
The Big 3—Google docs behavior violation report
Revised and clarified dress-code Teacher work group is collaborating with
administration to create systems to address school wide systems of interventions for students.
RTI—Response to Intervention
Developing an academic intervention system that addresses the needs of our at-risk students across the curriculum
Continued Focus on the Improvement of Instruction
Implementing Engaging Instructional Strategies:
Marzano: The Arts and Science of Teaching
The work of Dr. Kevin Feldman
Safe and Civil Schools classroom strategies
**All focus on our Non-Negotiables for Instruction
Monitoring Implementationof Improvement
IObservation Protocol Offers a platform to have safe discussions about
classroom observations Instructional Rounds
Administrators and Instructional Coaches are making instructional rounds together to calibrate observation data
Learning Walks Dr. Kevin Feldman will be working with staff
on learning walks for two days this year.
Sustaining Continuous Improvement
Developing Instructional Leaders Investing in teacher training, encouraging even
our top teachers to improve their craft Creating a collaborative environment that allows
teachers to openly ask/share strategies, ideas and materials
Data-teams Working to develop proficiency-based
assessments, and lessons that embed research-based teaching strategies
FOR MORE INFORMATION …
ONTARIO HIGH SCHOOL1115 W. Idaho Ave.Ontario, OR 97914
541-889-5309Darbie Dennison--
[email protected] Carren Poff – [email protected]