Common Characteristics Best Practices

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Common CharacteristicsBest Practices

• Focus for 2006-2007
• Memphis City Schools

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• Purpose
• Develop capacity of principals and teachers to
  create learning environments and practices that
  ensure academic success and social competence for
  all children.

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• What common characteristics do you see in high
  quality schools?
• High expectations for all staff
• Immaculate responsive climate that is conducive
  for teaching and learning
• Promotes positive relationships
• Effective implementation of the S-Team Process
• Students are placed in their least restrictive
  environments
• Budget use that reflects the School Improvement
  Plan (SIP)
• Develops and maintains a competent staff
• Evidence of using formative assessment to drive
  instruction
• Daily Practice on Gateway/ACT
• PLCs/Learning Teams/Study Groups
• Technology integration throughout the curriculum

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Schools post constants throughout their buildings
such as expectations, dismissal procedures, club
info., standards, lesson plans, SPIS, bell work,
project descriptions, rubric, mission, and/or
vision statements.
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Club Information Board
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Schools adopt a name for their hallways, grade
teams or grade levels.
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Lesson Plans are posted outside a middle school
classroom
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Beliefs, Mission, and Vision Statements are
posted in many hallways of schools
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High Schools post standards
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Example of a student work description
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Bell Work and SPIs are posted
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Secondary Example of a Student Work Description
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Make RULES global for all situations. The
following pictures represent rules from
elementary, middle, and high schools.
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Be Kind! Be Safe! The Golden Rule! All of the
rules in life revolve around the above 3
rules. Categorize the following examples into one
of the above rules! 1. Keep
your hands and feet to yourself. 2. Dont use
bad language when speaking to others. 3. Dont
run or walk in the hallway. 4. Dont skip
school. 5. Get to class on time!
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This middle school classroom displays
expectations for the classroom, assemblies,
restroom, etc.
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Most schools monitor the number of fight free
days in their schools to affect behavior and
provide incentives.
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Consequences should be logical! You break it
you fix it! Time out! Loss of privilege. Additiona
l Note or telephone call home!
Office referral! Parent
conference
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Classroom rules, procedures, consequences and
rewards in a middle school.
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REWARDS! Homework pass Classroom library Special
treat Note home Computer time
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Procedures transition students into their next
phase of learning.
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What does the student do next?
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Classroom Procedures
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Data Displays Visible to All Inform all
stakeholders
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High Levels of Parental Involvement
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Family Communication Weekly newsletters Weekly
folders Six weeks curriculum guides School
Newsletters Web page
Monthly or
regular parent workshops and meetings School
Calendar
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Some schools post calendars in English and in
Spanish to inform the community of the schools
monthly activities.
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Parent Involvement Board
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Print Rich Environments
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Hopes and Dreams
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Writing Across the Curriculum
Schools have students keep writing portfolios or
journals. Writing begins with a mini lesson
focusing on a specific language arts skill. Then
that skill is monitored in ones writing.
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Middle S
Middle School Language Arts Word Wall
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Middle School Math Word Wall
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High School Word Wall
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Classroom Library Examples
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Cooperative Groups and/or Differentiated
Instruction
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Centers/Stations established and labeled
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Writing Station
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Middle School Center Board
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Math Initiatives, such as Calendar Math, are
integrated into the daily routine.
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Students are experimenting with a performance
base task in a middle schools science class
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Graphic Organizers and/or Thinking Maps
Tree Map Example
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Double Bubble Map
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Circle Maps
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Daily Independent Reading Time
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Read 180
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Common Planning Time is essential for teaching
and learning success!
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• Teacher Supports
• Mentoring Plan
• Grade Level Planning
• Job embedded professional development
• Book study
• Supportive scheduling
• Literacy Block
• Effective Use of support staff
• Peer observation
• Site visits
• Professional Learning Community
• Connected with outside organization
• Teachers present for each other

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Guided Reading Groups
provide small group instruction time
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Morning Meeting builds a community in the
classroom.
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Small group instruction in a middle school
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High School AP Science students are working on
projects in small groups
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QUALITY WORK posted
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showcases the students work
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Theres a place for everything and everything has
a place. Begin today with learning environments
at your school. Aint no stopping you
now Aint no mountain too high What a wonderful
world
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Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
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I would like to thank the Academic
Superintendents and Curriculum and Instruction
Staff for their direction and assistance. I would
like to thank the following schools, their
administration, and faculty for their
participation Ridgeway Middle, Ridgeway High,
American Way Middle, Geeter Middle, Middle
College High, Egypt Elementary, Holmes Road
Elementary, Hamilton Middle, BTW, Peabody,
andanyone else I left off.