|
May 2001 |
Accelerated Schools
Project |
|
INSIDE Page 1 Greetings from the Director, General
Information, Building a Better Railroad Page 2 Notes,
Updates on Training/Network Opportunities, Reflections Staff Development at
WOW Page 3 Update/News
from Lafayette Bloom Back on Track
Accelerated Middle School,, And the
Answer Is . . . Inserts Leadership Questionnaire,
Call for Presentations |
Greetings from
the Director |
|
It
is a brilliant spring morning as I write these comments to you and I find it
hard to stay inside. I know that many
of you are either on spring break or getting ready to take a break and by the
time you receive the newsletter spring break will likely be only a
memory! Nonetheless, I trust the
break affords you the renewed energy to finish the school year well. Reflecting
on the 2000-2001 year is important for all of us. As a network of schools we've had a good year. Five of our schools were recognized by the
state for their improved test scores. We offered our first Powerful Learning Lab
at Kinder Elementary in November. We
trained over 70 new personnel from our 26 schools in a variety of training
settings. Nearly a third of our
network schools are completing their second year as accelerated schools and
have experience the 2nd year evaluation. The self-assessment that is required in preparation of the
evaluation is so helpful. It provides
schools with the opportunity to plan ahead as well as celebrate
accomplishments. The
work we do is hard. Finding time for
self-assessment or reflection in our day is close to impossible, but my
encouragement to you is to carve out a few minutes each day to really think
about your practice. The work we do
is too important not to take time to reflect. It is in reflection that we get better and begin to understand
the awesomeness of our work with children and their families. On
occasion I have the opportunity to interact with teachers who are working on
their National Board Certification and even read some of their entries. As you know, the entire application
process is centered on reflection of the teaching/learning processes. I recommend that some of you seasoned
teachers seriously consider working on your National Certification. It is an arduous task, but well worth
it. My hypothesis is that once you go
through the process your classroom practice will never be the same again and
your students' capacity for learning will increase. In fact, there is evidence that students in classrooms of
Nationally Board Certified teachers do have increased achievement (see
"The Accomplished Teaching Validation Study" -- executive summary
available by calling 703/465-2700).
We've included an entry written by Mark Kennedy at WOW that is part of
his National Board Certification application. Mark's reflections on professional development are what I hope
for all of our accelerated schools' teachers. There
are many other important pieces of information in this newsletter, so read
carefully! Finish your year well, be
refreshed over the summer break, and I look forward to working with you again
in 2001-2002! |
|
|
Dayton Satellite Center
for Accelerated Schools Dr. Julie K. Biddle,
Director (julie.biddle@notes.udayton.edu) (937/229-4517) University of Dayton The ASP Newsletter is
published three times a year by the ASP Satellite Center at the University of
Dayton. Vickie Hodges, Communications
Coordinator (Vickie.hodges@notes.udayton.edu)
(937/229-3870) |
|
|
Building
a better railroad "It is often pointed
out that the railroad industry became obsolete because it behaved as if it were
in the business of operating trains instead of transporting goods and
people. New technology may not
transform schools but it may make them obsolete because schools behave as if
they are in the teaching business and not the learning business." Source: "Technical
difficulties," by Ronald A. Wolk, Teacher, February 2001. |
|
|
|
|
|
Notes
. . . v
Have you checked out our website?
http://soeap.udayton.edu/support/accel/oasn.html. v
Have you filled out and returned the data collection tool yet? If not, please do it today! v
Reminder: All
schools must contact the Satellite Center regarding their Basic Partnership
Agreement or Affiliation Status -- mailings regarding this have been sent to
each school. v
See the enclosed "Leadership Survey." It is an opportunity for you to voice your
opinion. We encourage you to complete
and return it to us. It will help us
as we continue to look for ways to improve learning opportunities. v
We are considering holding Grant Writing Workshops either around
August 15 or in September. It would
be held on Friday night and Saturday.
If interested, please contact
Julie by phone (937/229-4517) or email (julie.biddle@notes.udayton.edu)
or Vickie (937/229-3870) (vickie.hodges@notes.udayton.edu). We are planning to offer
"Introduction to Grant Writing" as well as "Experienced Grant Writers"
seminars. v We have tentatively
scheduled our 1st Annual Regional Conference for Friday
night/Saturday, November 2 & 3, 2001.
More information to follow in our fall newsletter, but mark your
calendars now! |
|
|
Update on Training/Network Opportunities for 2001-2002 9-Day Training For Ohio
Accelerated School Network (Included in Basic
Partnership Agreement) Initial coaches' training
-- June 18-22, 2001 or October 1-5, 2001 Powerful Learning
--November 5-6, 2001 (Monday and Tuesday) Inquiry -- February 4-5,
2002 (Monday and Tuesday) Additional
Training/Networking Opportunities Principal/Administrator
Institute --August 9-10, 2001 (other 4 dates TBA) Introduction to ASP -
September 20-21, 2001 National ASP Conference
--January 20-23, 2002, Austin, TX (all expenses are encumbered by schools) Powerful Learning & Inquiry -- May 1-3, 2002 |
|
|
Reflection on Staff
Development at WOW by Mark Kennedy I
have attended district and out of district inservices and workshops, but none
have had the impact on my daily teaching and classroom practices as those at
this school. In all my years of
teaching I have never seen a staff come together so willingly and work
together to hone their craft. The
staff generously shares ideas, suggestions, materials, and support with one
another. All are working
together with student achievement as
the goal. Through these sessions I have
made major changes in policies that influence my classroom management and
instruction. I can now use running
records and story retellings to determine the instructional needs of each
child, then provide "just right" reading materials for each child
in my literacy block using our guided reading books. I know when I share ideas and materials
with the staff, that my suggestions are well-received by the staff and I'm
not thought of as trying to show off or "one-up" someone. My students see other staff members and me
carrying books and journals to lunch on staff development days, and often
remark on how all the teachers have the same books and ask what we will be
talking about that day. They see our
school as a learning environment for students as well as teachers. My students also want to know if I will be
sharing any of their work with the other teachers. Our students truly enjoy having their work on display in the
halls and shown to other teachers and visitors to the building. They will go to, grab by the hand, and
lead to their work any willing individual and eagerly point out, "see
what I did!?!" When I make it a
point to tell the children what we talked about in staff development sessions
and how we will all use the new information to make our school a better place
for learning, then the students see the staff and me practice what we preach
about learning lasting a life time. I have seen these new instructional methods and attitudes really work with the students. Stories are enjoyed, read, and written enthusiastically in all subject areas. Parents regularly comment on how much better their children are doing in school. Our standardized testing has shown that the students are making more than one years academic growth during the school year. There are smiles on the faces of children and staff -- as we pass each other in the halls hands wave and hugs are freely exchanged. The hallway walls are alive with student work -- their academic growth is evident in the ever increasing complexity and sophistication of their work as one display is removed and a new one is revealed. The classrooms echo the sound of students working, reading and being read to -- students are actively engaged in authentic learning activities. It is a wonderful student-centered world. |
|
|
|
|
|
Call
for Presentations Fifth
National Accelerated Schools Conference l
Austin, TX l January 19-23, 2002 PRESENTER INFORMATION: (Please type information) Mr. Ms. Dr. Last Name First
Name Title School and District
Names Mailing Address (OWork or OHome) City
State Zip ( ) ( ) Work Telephone Number Fax Number Email Address If team presentation, list co-presenters with
mailing addresses. Additional names
may be submitted on separate page. DETAILED DESCRIPTION: Please use the following format to describe your
presentation. All descriptions must
be typed or computer generated. TITLE OF PRESENTATION: (10 words or less) SESSION OBJECTIVES: (Please list up to 5) RELEVANCE TO ASP: DESCRIPTION:
In the box below, write a 40-word summary of your session for the
conference program. It is important
that your description be concise and jargon-free. What is your preferred
presentation format: O Breakout
O Roundtable
O Pockets of
Success EXPERIENCE AND GRADE LEVELS: (Check all that apply) O
BEGINNING O
INTERMEDIATE O
ADVANCED For those with one year For those with 2-3
years For those
with 4 or more years experience in ASP experience in
ASP
experience in ASP O
Primary O
Intermediate OJunior
High/Middle O Senior
high O
Parents/Community AUDIO VISUAL NEEDS: The
following items will be provided without cost if requested at the time of
proposal submission. All other
equipment must be arranged for by the presenter through the hotel and the
cost is the responsibility of the presenter. O Overhead
Projector and Screen O TV/VCR STATEMENT OF
UNDERSTANDING: If I decide to take
part in this program, I agree to 1) register for the conference and pay the
registration fee; 2) provide 50 copies of presentation handouts; 3) to appear
at the date and time scheduled. As a
lead presenter it is my responsibility to notify each of my co-presenters (if
applicable) regarding the status of the proposal as well as the date and time
of the presentation. LEAD PRESENTER
NAME____________________________SIGNATURE_____________________________ Proposals
must be received by September 1, 2001 Southwest
Center for Accelerated Schools 10100
Burnet Road, PRC-CMS 1.143, Austin, TX 78758 (fax) 512-232-7028 (email) hamill@mail.utexas.edu |
|
|
Dayton Satellite Center for
Accelerated Schools Leadership Questionnaire 1. Would you be interested in attending a
leadership focus group? Yes or No 2. Would you be willing to read various texts
related to leadership if you were part of the decision-making body that chose the
text? Yes or No 3. Would you commit to attending quarterly
meetings of the focus group? Yes or
No 4. What time of day is best for you? ____ Morning (9:00 a.m. - Noon) ____ Early Afternoon (Noon - 3:00 p.m.) ____ Later Afternoon (4:00 - 7:00 p.m.) ____ Evening (7:00 - 10:00 p.m.) 5. What text titles most interest you? Check any that apply ____ Leadership in Empowered Schools by
Paula Short & John Greer ____ The Human Side of School Change by
Robert Evans ____ Restructuring Schooling edited by
Joseph Murphy & Philip Hallinger ____ Restructuring in the Classroom by
Richard Elmore, Penelope Peterson & Sarah McCarthey ____ Leadership and the New Science by
Margaret Wheatley ____ Cognitive Coaching by Costa &
Garmston 6. List additional favorite leadership
authors or texts you'd be interested in discussing in a focus group setting. |
|
|
Update/News from . . . Lafayette Bloom Back on
Track Accelerated Middle School This school is in its second year of
existence. Lafayette Bloom is part of
Cincinnati Public Schools and is located in the West End of downtown
Cincinnati. The Back on Track Program was created to serve
sixth and seventh graders who have failed at least one time in the past. Sixth graders have the opportunity to
complete grades six, seven and eight in two years instead of three. Seventh graders have the opportunity to
complete grades seven and eight both in one year. Parents and students must complete an interview and sign a
contract to enter the program. The
contract states that students will agree to come to school regularly, wear
uniforms and attend a fifth quarter during the summer if needed. Parents must agree to attend five-week
conferences to check on student progress.
Last year, 200 seventh graders completed the requirements to move on
to high school one year early. We
held two separate promotion exercises; one at the end of the regular school
year and the other at the end of the fifth quarter, which is our summer
program for students who didn't meet the standards during the regular school
year. The Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) is the
guiding force for the Back on Track Program.
During the first year of the program, staff were trained in all areas
of the ASP. By the middle of the
year, the vision statement was created as a result of collaboration among
teachers, students, parents, and school partners. By the end of the year, cadres had been formed for the purpose
of taking stock. In May 2000, all
stakeholders were surveyed as part of the taking stock data collection
process. During the first half of 2000-2001 school year,
taking stock cadres are in the process of preparing findings to present to
the school as a whole regarding our present situation. After this, we will begin setting priorities. As of December 2002 we had approximately
20 staff members trained as coaches. We are very excited about the work we are
doing. Moving a student in the right
direction who has previously failed. Warmest regards to Anthony
Smith, former Bloom Principal, as he becomes Principal at Taft High School in
Cincinnati -- He will be greatly missed! |
|
|
And the answer is .
. . The
language arts teachers at Dayton Catholic posed the following to their sixth,
seventh and eighth grade students: "What makes our school an accelerated school? If someone came in off of the street
asking this question of you, what would you say?" Below you will find a
couple of samples of the very interesting responses: "What I think about our school being
accelerated is that we learn and do things differently than public school and
I think accelerated schools achieve higher than public schools. I also think that we have more parent
involvement and the teachers really care about the students and the learning
process. I think that the teachers help the students get a one-one
relationship with their parents. My
last thing is that we are accelerated because students can have a
relationship with their teachers and that's why we have meetings, so
everybody can get involved and everybody's opinions are heard." Duell Williams "I read your question, it was very
interesting because we have talked about it a lot before. If someone came up to me and asked me why
our school is accelerated, I would explain to them the way the teachers
basically teach together or as a whole.
For example, the Science Fair.
When we did the Science Fair we just didn't have to do it for the
science teacher but for the Language Arts and Math teachers. Our Math teacher helped us chart and graph
our data. The Language Arts teacher
helped us write what we learned, how we came up with the topic, etc. Last but not least, the Science teacher
that helped us come up with our topic and helped us with any difficulties
that we may have ran into. That is
why I think our school is an accelerated school. Another thing is when a student doesn't fully understand, the
teachers will get the students to teach them to see where they both are at
academically."
Karie Starkey |
|
|
|
|
Dayton
Satellite Center for Accelerated Schools
University
of Dayton
300
College Park Drive
Dayton,
OH 45469-0510