Dr Luce presentation

							Wade Hampton High School




      Freshmen Academy
The Academy is the Foundation

            for…….

Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
           Freshman Academy Statistics
                         2003 2004- 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008-
                           -  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
                         2004
Students Retained in      111       75           51           31           41           45
9th Grade
Of Students retained,                47           37           4            4            8
number repeating for
2nd year
Of Students retained,                28           14           0            2            3
number repeating for
3rd year
9th grade enrollment             433 to 399   412 to 398   371 to 384   437 to 418   441 to 421
from beginning to
end of year


Number of 9th                       191          183          149          164          148
graders qualifying for
free or reduced lunch
9th grade attendance              92.05%       93.58%       95.47%       95.21%       96.14%
rate
9th grade average        1.975     2.274        2.793        3.030        3.081        3.074
GPA
                                   EOC’s

            2004-      2005-         2006-        2007-        2008-        2009-
            2005       2006          2007         2008         2009         2010

ALG 1        70%        70%           68%          78%          79%          80%

ENG 1        73%        71%          66.6%         77%          79%          90%

PHYS SCI     22%        55%          58.8%         66%          73%

BIOLOGY    Not Used   Not given     Not given    Not given    Field Test   Field Test

US         XXXXXXX    Field Test    Field Test   Field Test     63%
HISTORY
OVERALL      55%       64.4%         64.5%        74.0%       73.65%
*
                   Organization
   Most core classes for Academy students are on the 2nd
    floor of the building
   Not departmentalized
   Most have a common lunch
   Freshmen lockers are mostly on the 2nd floor
   Academy administration on either end of the FA hall
   FA coordinator in the heart of the academy hallway near
    teachers
   Academy teachers use promethean boards, Activotes,
    Eduware, document cameras, Movie Maker, PhotoStory,
    and laptop carts
            Academy Retreat
   Team building
   Review of Data
   Set Goals based on past year’s data
   Agree to common practices
   Align discipline plan
   Professional Development
              Mission and Goals
Mission:
 The FA strives to provide a supportive environment and lay
  the foundation for academic, social, and personal success
  to ensure a positive transition to and through high school.
Academy Goals:
 #1 Increase overall End of Course Test pass rates by 5%.
 #2 Reduce freshman retention rate by 5%.
 #3 Increase the number of students involved in
       extracurricular activities.
 #4 Support students academically and socially to improve
        the graduation rate
          PLC Grant
Major Goals:
 Improved teacher collaboration
 Improved professional development
  opportunities
 Streamlining practices
 Improved student support
 Improve student achievement
What does this mean for
         us?
                Conferences
                 Workshops
                 Substitutes
              Travel expenses
                  Supplies
          Books or Audio books for
                book studies
              PLC principles
 The very essence of a learning community is a
  focus on and a commitment to the learning of
  each student
 Members of a PLC create and are guided by a
  clear and compelling vision of what the
  organization must become in order to help all
  students learn
 Members work together to clarify exactly what
  each student must learn, monitor each student's
  learning on a timely basis, provide systematic
  interventions that ensure students receive
  additional time and support for learning
 The adults in the organization must also be
  continually learning
                         PLC (cont.)
         The ONE Thing
       In a Professional Learning Community, “learning” rather than
        “teaching” is the fundamental purpose of your school.

       Three Big Ideas
   Focus on Learning
   Collaboration
   Focus on Results
       Four Corollary Questions
   1. What should students know and be able to do as a
    result of this course, class, or grade level?
   2. How will we know that the students are not learning?
   3. How do we respond when students do not learn?
   4. How do we respond when students learn more?
             Academy Practices
 Positive Office           • Referrals to Freshmen
  Referrals/TAG               Transitions Tutor
 Students of the Month     • Integration of lessons
  Luncheon with Principal   • Bi-weekly meetings
                            • Common Course Syllabi and
 Staff Spotlight
                              Assessments
 Academy Cup               • Freshmen Success class
 Monthly Newsletter        • Freshmen Mentoring Program
 Letters home about          for students failing courses
  achievement               • Goal Setting Sheet and
 Incentives for positive     incentives in all classes
  student achievement       • Common FA teacher and
 Regular Achievement
                              student shirt
  Meetings with Academy
  Coordinator
             Academy Meetings
    Analyze achievement data (MAP, progress
    and grade reports, EOC results
    Teachers share best practices
    Professional Development
    Book Studies: Learning by Doing, Discipline with
    Love and Logic, Not Quite Burned Out
    Discuss students in need of intervention
    Nominate Students and Teacher of the Month
    Presentations from workshops
   Celebrate Successes
               Communication
    Monthly newsletters with students of the
    month, stories about engaging lessons, special
    events, upcoming dates, tutoring information,
    “Around the Academy” pictures
    Send home letters when students are in danger
    of failing
    Send home rewards for students achieving
    Freshmen Coordinator and AP call home
    TAG- Ms. Kidd
       Instructional Strategies
Focus within the Academy:

 Cornell Notes
 Graphic Organizers
 Lesson Integration
 Differentiation –Product, Process, Content
 Literature Groups
 Student Notebook Assistance Program
• Developed in 1949 at Cornell
  University by Walter Pauk.
• Designed in response to frustration
  over student test scores.
• Meant to be easily used
  as a test study guide.
• Adopted by most major law schools
  as the preferred note taking method.
           Graphic Organizers
 After examining 135 studies, Luiten concluded
  that forms of advanced organizers gave learners
  ways to conceptualize ideas, structure their
  thinking, better comprehend what they know
  and solidify the learning as theirs.
 The Report of the National Reading Panel 2000
  reported that using graphic organizers regarding
  the content of social studies and science
  passage facilitates memory and content area
  achievement.
 Brain research suggests that graphic organizers
  may be one of the most important strategies
  used to dramatically improve student
  achievement.
      Literature Circles
 A way to differentiate instruction: Process
 Hold kids accountable for roles and
  responsibilities to a group
 Allows different learning styles to be
  addressed
 Promotes reading comprehension of any
  text
      Student Notebook Assistance
               Program
We provide:
 Dividers with tabs
 Cornell notes sheets for each subject
 Sample Graphic organizers
 Important Web sites
 FA teacher directory
 Academy Rules and expectations
 Syllabi
 Graduation and College Requirements
 Tutoring information
 Standardized Testing Dates
 Final Exam Schedule
 Textbook Procedures
    3 Tiered system of support
 Tier #1: Freshmen Transitions Tutor goes
  into classes or pulls students out for
  individual help
 Tier #2: Free after school tutoring in all
  core areas with free transportation home
 Tier #3: Free online subscription to USA
  Test Prep in EOC courses
 Coordinating it all, using data, is the FA
  Coordinator and AP
The Academy is the Foundation
          for…….


Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
That's All Folks!