Eliminating the Gap: Insights from a School of Poverty that Changed Achievement for all Students
33
Eliminating the Gap: Insights from a School of Poverty that Changed Achievement for all Students Clara Sale-Davis Principal, Freeport Intermediate School Freeport, Texas Jerry Valentine Director, Middle Level Leadership Center University of Missouri www.MLLC.org
description
Eliminating the Gap: Insights from a School of Poverty that Changed Achievement for all Students. Clara Sale-Davis Principal, Freeport Intermediate School Freeport, Texas Jerry Valentine Director, Middle Level Leadership Center University of Missouri www.MLLC.org. Ethnic Distribution. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Eliminating the Gap: Insights from a School of Poverty that Changed Achievement for all Students
Eliminating the Gap: Insights from a School of Poverty that Changed Achievement for all
Students
Clara Sale-DavisPrincipal, Freeport Intermediate School
Freeport, Texas
Jerry ValentineDirector, Middle Level Leadership Center
University of Missouriwww.MLLC.org
Freeport
Intermediate
School
77%
31%White
55%Hispanic
13%African American
We can teach all children.
5.5% 22.3 45%
FREEPORT INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
Student assessment results show NO significant difference in performance between any student groups.
Goal:
FREEPORT 10-Year FREEPORT 10-Year ComparisonsComparisons
Percentage of FIS Students Percentage of FIS Students Passing TAAS/TAKS Summed Passing TAAS/TAKS Summed
Across Grades 7-8Across Grades 7-8
FIS 10 YEAR WRITING FIS 10 YEAR WRITING COMPARISON COMPARISON
7472
79
95.7 96.9 96.1 94.7
100
95.5
100
91.2
92.896 95.4 95.4
8078
97
93
97.6 98.696.3 9593.7
95.7 95.193.3
9289
71
98
75
59
77
8685
62
96
69
85
92
716867
97
90
74
99
68
61
83
89
7367
97
4550556065707580859095
100
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
All Students A. American Hispanic White Eco. Dis.
FIS 10 YEAR READING FIS 10 YEAR READING COMPARISONCOMPARISON
63
7270
83
94.3
98.1 98.796.2
54
98.395.6 96.2
90.5
52
64
97.799.1
96.8
8082 82
9295 96
98 99.4 99.4 98.8 98.1
91.5
97.4 97.8 96.5
9491
94
59
65
80
95
81
88
63
90
93
75
92
88.8
61
64
88
92
76
93
50556065707580859095
100
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
All Students A. American Hispanic White Eco. Dis.
FIS 10 YEAR MATH FIS 10 YEAR MATH COMPARISONCOMPARISON
36
55
77
99 99.1 98.7
93.295.7 94.6
86.2
45
99 99.5 99.194.9
46
71 70
90
9996
99.4 99.4
93.398.9 98.6
91.89692
56
96
3640
8495
68
20
95
100
49
91
95
69
33
9595 99
46
49
89
96
66
22
97
99
2030
4050
6070
8090
100
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
All Students A. American Hispanic White Eco. Dis.
StrategyStrategy
ASSESSMENT
After the instructional focus has been taught, an assessment is
administered to identify mastery/non-mastery students.
“Assessment isn’t something that comes at the end of a unit to find out
what students learned; rather it is today’s means of understanding how
to modify tomorrow’s instruction.”
- Tomlinson(1999)
- The Differentiated Classroom
“Assessment always has more to do with helping students
grow than with cataloging their mistakes.”
- Tomlinson (1999)
-The Differentiated Classroom
Celebrate Success!Celebrate Success!
We added a step!
Estamos Aprendiendo Inglés en FIS
Implications from the Freeport Intermediate School’s Story
• What stands out about FIS—more specifically…– Why have they eliminated the achievement
gap?– What sets this school apart from thousands of
others who want to eliminate the achievement gap?
– How is The Work at FIS so different from the work in other schools?
The Work of transition of the school began with the New Principal
• Personal Characteristics– Personable, charismatic, friendly– Strong-willed, determined, stubborn– Fair, consistent
• Knows Best Educational Practice– Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment– Young Adolescents– ML Programs and Practices– Change/Improvement Processes
The Work of change moved to teacher leaders and eventually to
the whole faculty and community…• Collective Self-Efficacy
– They believed they could make a difference– They then learned they could make a difference – They now know they can make a difference
• Collective Commitment– Belief and hard work produced initial successes – Initial successes evolved into a deeper level of commitment– From more successes total commitment evolved
• Collective High Expectations for All – From small successes came understanding that all students could be
successful– Now the staff will not accept failure
• If you don’t fit, find another place to work.
Key Areas of The Work:Curriculum/Standards
• State Curriculum Standards accepted as essentials for students
• School curriculum aligned with standards
• School curriculum is the TAUGHT curriculum
• Teachers peer-monitor taught curriculum
• Principals monitor taught curriculum
Key Areas of The Work:Instruction/Assessment Cycle
• Teachers teach aggressively to the curriculum
• Formative “common unit assessments”
• Re-teach, maintenance, enrichment
• Continuous collaboration among teachers about instruction to meet student needs
Key Areas of The Work:Organizational Structures
• Established a macro-process for change– FIS’s 8-step process– Becomes concrete “design” to guide work– Helps everyone see the “Big Picture”
• Established Interdisciplinary Team Structure – Team identity and personality – Team commitment to students– Team member collaboration for students– Team proximity for grouping flexibility
Key Areas of The Work: Organizational Structures
• Created the Flexibility to Meet Needs– Non-English speaking classes– In-school suspension learning packets– Double-time for math– Double-time for language arts– Team Time for Academic Excellence class period – Parent Education
• Established a Faculty War Room– Center of faculty problem solving, goal setting, and
planning– Data is pervasive throughout the room– Goals/Objectives are pervasive throughout the room– Faculty-wide collaboration is constant year-round
Outcome of The Work:A New Culture characterized by…
• Commitment to individual student success• Determination to succeed• Willingness to work hard• High expectations of self and others• High expectations for student academic
performance• Collaboration for learning• Caring
Outcome of the The Work:A New Climate characterized by…
• Positive teacher-teacher relationships
• Positive teacher-student relationships
• Positive teacher-principal relationships
• Trust
• Respect
• Collegiality
Bottom line for Freeport Intermediate School:
• The students of Freeport Intermediate School would still be receiving a below par education without the changes over the past decade…
• The weaker teachers who would still be there today are now teaching elsewhere or not teaching…
• FIS would not have changed and maintained without the Principal taking an aggressive stand for excellence…
• The principal stepped up…and then the teachers stepped up…
Eliminating the Gap: Insights from a School of Poverty that Changed Achievement for all
Students
Clara Sale-DavisPrincipal, Freeport Intermediate School
Freeport, Texas
Jerry ValentineDirector, Middle Level Leadership Center
University of Missouriwww.MLLC.org
Electronic Copy of this Presentation
This presentation will be available on-line next week atwww.MLLC.org,the web site of the Middle Level Leadership Center. If you have difficulty downloading it, email Jerry Valentine [email protected] call the Center at (573) 882-0944 for an electronic copy.
Clara’s email [email protected] phone is (979) 730-7241, ask for Carla, Clara’s assistant/secretary.
