The Best Practices of Title I Superlative Highest...

The Best Practices of Title I

Superlative Highest Performing Reward Schools

May 2013

2012 Maryland

Superlative Highest Performing Reward Schools

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Lillian M. Lowery, Ed.D. State Superintendent of Schools

Charlene M. Dukes, Ed.D.

President Maryland State Board of Education

Penelope Thornton Talley Chief Performance Officer

Mary L. Gable

Assistant State Superintendent Division of Academic Policy

Ann Chafin

Assistant State Superintendent Division of Student, Family, and School Support

Maria Lamb

Director, Title I Division of Student, Family, and School Support

Martin O’Malley Governor

Maryland State Department of Education 200 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201

www.MarylandPublicSchools.org 410.767.0100

410.333.6442 (TTY) 1.888.246.0016

The Maryland State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, or disability in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs.

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Message from Maryland’s State Superintendent of Schools…………… 3

Use of Data……………………………………………………………………………………………. 4

Parental and Community Engagement………………………………………………… 5

Instructional Strategies………………………………………………………………………… 6

Technology …………………………………………………………………………………………… 7

Superlative Reward School Demographic Details ……………………………… 8

Superlative Reward Schools

Adelphi Elementary School…………………………………………………………………… 9

Concord Elementary School…………………………………………………………………. 10

Dogwood Elementary School………………………………………………………………… 11

Lewisdale Elementary School………………………………………………………………… 12

Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School ……………………………………………… 13

Pocomoke Elementary School………………………………………………………………. 14

Robert Frost Elementary School…………………………………………………………… 15

Seat Pleasant Elementary School………………………………………………………… 16

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A MESSAGE FROM THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to share with you “BEST PRACTICES: TITLE I SUPERLATIVE HIGHEST PERFORMING REWARD SCHOOLS,” which documents the academic achievement and successes of eight Maryland public schools.

These eight schools, from four local school systems, met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years (2010-11 and 2011-12) and are in the top 10% of all Title I schools showing the most improvement on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) between 2007 and 2011. Additionally, these eight schools made a gain of at least 18 percentage points for “all students,” on the MSAs despite their status of having a student body population of 50% or more economically disadvantaged students. For these incredible accomplishments, these schools earned the coveted distinction of Superlative Highest Performing Reward School.

It is important to note that of the 30 Title I schools across the state named Reward Schools – those recognized as being either high performance over two years or high improvement since 2007 – only eight were awarded this distinction.

Not only am I encouraged by such progress, but I am also motivated by the prospect of continuous gains of equity, excellence, and efficiency in Maryland public schools. On behalf of all who work so meticulously to see that our children have every possible opportunity to learn, I offer this publication as a blueprint to help steer Maryland’s path forward for all students because it demonstrates that any child, in the right environment, with committed educators and leaders, can be successful.

Sincerely,

Lillian M. Lowery, Ed.D. State Superintendent of Schools

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Use of Data

A “Who’s on Track Board” in the principal’s office is used to monitor

individual student progress monthly.

Adelphi ES

Teachers and students

monitor student progress via a

classroom data wall.

Adelphi ES Mary Ann Winterling ES

Emphasis on the use of formative data gives

teachers and the leadership team

information on how learning is progressing

and supports the decision making for educational interventions through

instructional best practices and research

based programs.

Dogwood ES

Continuous review of student and cultural

data for making academic alignments

as needed.

Lewisdale ES

Investing resources on focused professional

development based on data trends.

Lewisdale ES

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Parental and Community

Engagement

A Bilingual Assistant and/or a Bilingual Community

Outreach Assistant provide support for non-English speaking students and

especially their parents, by translating during all school

functions, parent conferences, Student

Instructional Team meetings, and IEP meetings.

Adelphi ES

Robert Frost ES

Provides parent professional

development and workshops to discuss topics generated from

the parent survey.

Dogwood ES

The afterschool

program provides an opportunity for

students to become actively involved within

the community.

Pocomoke ES

PROJECT INTERVENE is a program, located at

two local area churches, offering

reinforcement in the areas of reading and

math skills.

Pocomoke ES

Implements strategies to encourage more

parental participation, such as Reading

Nights, and an Autism Awareness Support

Group.

Seat Pleasant ES “Chit, Chat and Chew” is a monthly meeting between parents and

the principal.

Seat Pleasant ES

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Instructional Strategies

Two staff members are dedicated to support the

students’ academic achievement.

Concord ES

Focuses on small group instruction for students with academic issues, emotional

difficulties, or economic disadvantages.

Adelphi ES

Mary Ann Winterling ES Seat Pleasant ES

FOcus is on building the capacity of the teachers

providing the instruction; aligning instruction to

curriculum and assessment; identifying and responding to areas where students struggle

and using data effectively. The strategies used

include informal and peer observations with

feedback to teachers; Accountable Talk; and

data utilization.

Concord ES

Teachers initiate intervention programs explicitly targeted to

address students social/emotional and

academic needs.

Dogwood ES

Provides a variety of diverse efforts such as

differentiated classroom instruction, extra-curricular activities, character building opportunities and cultural

experiences.

Dogwood ES

Successful implementation of “Response to

Intervention” strategies particularly in grades K-2 for reading and providing various extended learning opportunities are keys to

success.

Lewisdale ES

Special education, ELL and regular education teachers plan together to monitor student progress weekly through grade-level team

meetings.

Mary Ann Winterling ES Seat Pleasant ES

Key strategies are developing appropriate tasks, using high level

questioning, and providing timely feedback to students.

Mary Ann Winterling ES

Incoporates awareness activities initiated by the

school nurse, counselor, and physical education teacher.

Pocomoke ES An Afterschool Program and

Summer School Program help students with academic

needs.

Robert Frost ES

Differentiated reading and math instruction takes place through engaging activities in small group settings.

Robert Frost ES Seat Pleasant ES

Reducing class sizes has been

instrumental to success.

Lewisdale ES Seat Pleasant ES

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Technology

SMART Technology such as Smart Response Systems

are used to conduct formative assessments, as well as interactive lessons

for students during instruction.

Pocomoke ES

All teachers have laptops that can be linked to the

Interwrite Board.

Concord ES Robert Frost ES

Uses Safari Montage, a video clip

repository, to provide real-world

examples of concepts.

Concord ES

Robert Frost ES

Web-based computer instructional programs are supplemented to

support the curriculum for enhancing the students’ learning.

Concord ES

Lewisdale ES

The Area Technology

Coordinator trains classroom teachers regularly on how to effectively integrate

technology into classroom instruction.

Lewisdale ES

Student needs are helped with Wireless Generation, the systemic web-based program that documents

reading instructional levels and monitors students’

progress towards reading proficiency.

Mary Ann Winterling ES

Technology is used that includes: Discovery Education; Odyssey Math from Compass Learning; KidBiz by Achieve 3000; Study Island; Imagination Learning;

Imagination Station; FAST Math; First in Math; GOOGLE Mail and GOOGLE Drive; and Edmodo.

Robert Frost ES

Most classrooms have computers

to support independent

student work and differentiated instruction.

Lewisdale ES

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Title I Superlative Reward School Demographic Details

School Adelphi Elementary

School

Concord Elementary

School

Dogwood Elementary

School

Lewisdale Elementary

School

Mary Ann Winterling Elementary

School

Pocomoke Elementary

School

Robert Frost

Elementary School

Seat Pleasant

Elementary School

Local Education Agency (LEA)

Prince George’s County Public Schools


Baltimore County Public Schools


Baltimore City Public Schools

Worcester County Public Schools



Student Enrollment

603 321 615 667 377 389 281 318

Grades Served

K-6 PreK-6 PreK-5 PreK-5 PreK-5 PreK-3 K-6 PreK-6

Subgroup Population

Amer. Indian: 14 Asian: 11 Black/African American: 183 Hispanic: 377 White: 14

Amer. Indian: * Asian: * Black/African American: 293 Hispanic: 16 White: *

Amer. Indian: * Asian: 19 Black/African American: 533 Hispanic: 33 White: 13

Amer. Indian: * Asian: 14 Black/African American: 81 Hispanic: 551 White: 11

Amer. Indian: * Asian: * Black/African American: 375 Hispanic: * White: *

Amer. Indian: * Asian: * Black/African American: 166 Hispanic: 22 White: 171 Two or More: 23

Amer. Indian: * Asian: 13 Black/African American: 132 Hispanic: 125 White: *

Amer. Indian: * Asian: * Black/African American: 272 Hispanic: 39 White: *

% FARMS† 85.74% 77.26% 69.11% 85.91% 92.84% 67.9% 81.14% 81.13%

% Special Education

6.2% 7.8% 9.3% ≤ 5 % 16.4% 9.4% 25.6% 25.7%

% ELL‡

50.5% ≤ 5 % 5.7% 59.7% N/A ≤ 5 % 33.4% 8.8%

*No students or fewer than 10 students in category ≤ 5 % Indicates the percentage for the category is ≤ 5 and the corresponding counts have been suppressed. †Free and Reduced Price Meals ‡English Language Learners

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Adelphi Elementary School Collaboration

The motto at Adelphi Elementary School is “Imagine your possibilities. Believe in your capabilities…Achieve Success.” In order to achieve this success, the principal, teachers and staff have developed a strong atmosphere of collaboration. Forging a team of dedicated teachers is one of the major strategies Adelphi Elementary School points to for its success. The teachers are constantly in communication with one another, from the monthly Vertical Collaborative planning meetings and bi-weekly content/grade level planning meetings to the informal conversations throughout the school where the staff constantly talking about what is working and what needs more work. The staff at Adelphi Elementary School take risks to try new strategies to advance the learning of the students. Teachers discuss how much they learn from one another and how much they enjoy teaching one another as well as the children. This collaborative atmosphere gives teachers the opportunity to try new things and discuss with their colleagues what is successfully helping the students and what else may work when something is not helping. The teachers innovate, partner, and provide instruction to a very large English as a Second Language (ESOL) population. Additionally, the teachers mirror the same philosophy with the students— do not be afraid to take risks, to work together, to learn from one another. Teachers at Adelphi Elementary School use student-led discussions and student-led questioning as a school-wide strategy. This collaboration among and across teachers and students teaches everyone how to go deeper into the learning, make inferences, and gain full understanding of the objectives being taught. This evidence based learning takes time and effort- lucky for the students at Adelphi Elementary School- they have the teachers to do it.

For a video about collaboration at Adelphi Elementary School, please visit:

http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/esea_flex/TitleISRSV


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Concord Elementary School Accountable Talk

At Concord Elementary School teachers teach students how to frame their thinking and to support why they believe an answer is correct. This method, called Accountable Talk, uses conversational stems to begin conversations in a supportive way. It encourages students to participate and establish a clear line of thinking. A valuable piece of the “principles of learning,” Accountable Talk empowers students to state a position and defend that position. Accountable Talk allows teachers to guide the conversation. The teacher gives the students the questions and lets them think for themselves while they take turns talking about it. The teacher is the facilitator. When students defend their position, they expose their learning. They tell how they are thinking and in the process expose any errors in thinking. This allows the teacher the opportunity to correct the misunderstanding while praising the effort. The teachers at Concord Elementary School peer coach one another in this strategy. They observe one another and discuss what went right and what went wrong. They observe one another’s best practices so they can replicate them when appropriate. The teachers also have collaborative planning time. They plan the work and then work the plan. They have 45 minutes every day where they meet to plan and look at the instruction that is coming up for the week and identify what skills are to be taught. This capacity building of the teachers is critical to the success of the school.

For a video about Accountable Talk at Concord Elementary School, please visit:



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Dogwood Elementary School Effective Questioning

Teachers at Dogwood Elementary School in Baltimore County use Effective Questioning to stimulate and support student thinking and learning. This strategy minimizes the amount of “teacher talk” in a classroom and focuses on getting the students to delve into their own thinking. Rather than modeling a lesson, the teacher facilitates the discussion by asking thought provoking questions and drawing the learning from the students. Students talk with peer partners or in groups, questioning and working together to solve problems with the recognition that there is often more than one answer. Effective questioning emphasizes the importance of thinking and process. Questioning students and allowing them to talk through their thinking helps the students develop deeper understandings of the lessons. It allows students to explain where they are getting confused and allows teachers to identify multiple ways to re-teach the concept to the child in need. The process empowers students as they work together and teach one another. Students become effective thinkers and become experts in how to utilize the information they are learning.

For a video about Effective Questioning at Dogwood Elementary School, please visit:



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Lewisdale Elementary School Response to Intervention (RTI)

Teachers and staff at Lewisdale Elementary School are committed to developing critical thinkers and lifelong learners by cultivating their unique talents and potentials while providing a safe and nurturing environment that fosters integrity, creativity, and respect. One of the major strategies teachers and staff have employed to create these lifelong learners is the Response to Intervention (RIT) method of academic intervention. Lewisdale Elementary School teachers found that one of the prevailing problems within the school was that many children entered school beyond the early development stages with limited or no formal education experiences. The limited exposure to early learning opportunities put the students at a greater disadvantage than peers who had been afforded the opportunity to enter school on time. In order to combat this problem, dedicated teachers began using RTI to narrow this learning gap. RTI is an early intervention strategy with frequent progress measurement and increasingly intensive research based instructional interventions for children that continue to have difficulty. This method also focuses on using data, both academic and cultural, to make adjustments and create alignments when they are needed. It allows the school to invest in professional development based on data trends and allows the teachers and students to monitor their own progress— truly creating lifelong learners.

For a video about RTI at Lewisdale Elementary School please go to: http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/esea_flex/TitleISRSV


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Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School SMART Goals

At Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School teachers and staff focus on a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely- a SMART goal. Like most schools, students at Mary Ann Winterling enter school at different levels with diverse needs. With a focus on SMART goals, teachers are able to better tailor their small group instruction and academic strategies toward the needs of each individual child. SMART goals define the target, a databoard tracks the progress, and teachers plot the strategy. Teachers use middle of the year (MOY) assessments to define the academic needs within the groups, and then create action plans and instructional plans based around the SMART goals. The teachers and staff work together to meet the goals. When they do not meet them, they figure out why and determine what can be adjusted to meet success. They use peer observations, professional development, collaborative planning meetings and faculty meetings to give teachers the opportunity to work together to create a lesson plan, teach the plan, then reconvene to talk about how it worked or did not work. The SMART goals act as a springboard for all the pieces the school has put together to ensure that students are successful. Creating strong smart students is the goal, but the lessons learned by the staff along the way might just be the “best lesson learned” of all.

For a video about SMART goals at Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School please go to: http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/esea_flex/TitleISRSV


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Pocomoke Elementary School Project Intervene

For Pocomoke Elementary School it really is a village working together to raise their children. With a population that is approximately 70 percent economically disadvantaged, Pocomoke uses Project Intervene, an afterschool program, to provide extra help to needy students and to build the students’ confidence. Resource teachers collaborate and plan with the principal and teachers. These resources teachers then work one-on-one with targeted students during the regular school day. The targets skills are then reinforced when students participate in Project Intervene at the end of the normal school day. Participating students are bused to two local churches where they are met with high expectations for academics and character development. Project Intervene creates a safe and nurturing environment where students can gain extra academic help as well as participate in character building activities. The academic work is aligned with the work students are doing in the classroom. One night a week the homeroom teachers from the school meet with the Project Intervene teachers to break the groups down into even smaller components. The open dialogue with the teachers is instrumental to the success of the program. The help is hands-on and the non-threatening environment of the church also makes parents feel more comfortable participating. In addition to the children’s program, there are parenting workshops on site and opportunities for parents to come in and work directly with their children. Parents receive materials to work with the students at home. The program is staffed by volunteers, adding to the community participation and feel of the program. Students feel loved and supported by the community they live in and get one-on-one attention.

For a video about Project Intervene at Pocomoke Elementary School, please visit:



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Robert Frost Elementary School Bilingual Community Outreach Assistant

Robert Frost Elementary School hired a bilingual community outreach assistant to provide support for non-English speaking students and especially their parents. With a population that is 44 percent Hispanic, teachers and staff were concerned about the lack of communication between school and home. With the belief that communication and parental engagement are imperative tools for the success of students, the principal sought a community outreach assistant that could help to bridge this gap. The bilingual community outreach assistant translates at all school functions, parent conferences, student instructional team meetings, and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings. The ability to communicate both linguistically and culturally with the families of the students is an invaluable resource for teachers and staff. Working together, the school and the families are able to help students acquire the skills and develop the knowledge that will enable them to become productive citizens and lifelong learners in a technologically diverse society.

For a video about the bilingual community outreach assistant at Robert Frost Elementary School please visit: http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/esea_flex/TitleISRSV


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Seat Pleasant Elementary School Small Group Instruction

Teachers at Seat Pleasant Elementary School in Prince George’s County focus on small group instruction in every classroom to provide students more individualized attention. Through small/flexible grouping, the teachers are able to differentiate instruction and re-teach standards not met by students. Seat Pleasant accomplishes this in part by using a co-teaching model. With specialists and the teacher of record in the classroom, most students have access to multiple teachers throughout a lesson. The students learn more with the individualized and differentiated instruction and their progress is accelerated. The focus on teachers, planning, and small group instruction allows the school to focus on all students. A child who is higher performing receives more rigorous advanced instruction, whereas a child who is struggling receives more individualized attention where the lesson can be further broken down. Small groups also allow teachers to focus on behavior and reward positive behavior. Teachers work to catch students “doing good.” All classrooms are inclusion classrooms and Seat Pleasant has a large Autism population. Multiple teachers and small groups allow more focused attention on the individual needs of each of these students. Students are able to move at their own pace while being guided by a teacher and teachers can observe individual students to identify their specific needs. Students are then able to own their learning while being continuously supported.

For a video about small group instruction at Seat Pleasant Elementary School, please visit:



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Maryland State Department of Education 200 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201

www.MarylandPublicSchools.org 410.767.0100

410.333.6442 (TTY) 1.888.246.0016

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/

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