Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs):

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Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs)

• Implementing Maryland Career Clusters

Susan Oskin, Program Specialist Maryland State
Department of Education Division of Career
Technology and Adult Learning
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SLC Elements

• Autonomy
• Identity
• Personalization
• Instructional focus
• Accountability

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SLC Common Features
Each school is unique to the community thatit
serves . . .

• 300-500 students in a heterogeneous mix
• A non-exclusive admissions policy
• A consistent educational experience for students
  over an extended period of time
• A coherent focus with an aligned curriculum

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SLC Common Features

• A cohesive group of teachers that collaborates
  and discusses the needs of their students
• A sense of shared leadership and investment
• Involvement of families, business, and
  postsecondary education.

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SLC Design Configurations

• 9-12 Vertical SLCs
• All grade 9-12 students grouped into SLCs
• 9th Grade academy
• 9th Grade students and selected teachers are
  assigned a contiguous space for intensive
  academic and social skill building
• 9th Grade students select vertical SLCs
• Grade 10-12 Vertical SLCs
• Grade 9-10 houses
• Grade 11-12 Vertical SLCs

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Factors to Consider in SLC Design Selection

• Academic Readiness at Time of Transition
• MSA Performance of Entering 9th Grade
• NRT Performance of Entering 9th Grade
• Taking and Passing Algebra and Geometry in
  Middle School

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Factors to Consider in SLC Design Selection

• Effectiveness of Current HS Academic Program
• MSA (Geometry) Performance
• HSA Performance

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Factors to Consider in SLC Design Selection

• Enrollment Overall and By Grade
• Total HS Enrollment
• 9th Grade Enrollment
• Mobility
• Existing programs and resources
• CTE
• Magnet

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Factors to Consider in SLC Design Selection

• Guidance and Advisement
• Admissions Requirements(e.g. Magnet or Signature
  School) ?
• Well Developed Career Development Program
  Completed by Grade 8?
• Number of Sending Middle Schools

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Factors to Consider in SLC Design Selection

• Teacher-student ratio
• College/University programs and partnerships
• Interest Teacher and Student Surveys
• Space

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SLC Guidelines for Organizing People, Space and
Time

• Divide students and faculty
• Determine function of leaders
• Determine location
• Schedule
• Central Office/BOE Support a must

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SLC Identity
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Career Clusters
Maryland State Department of Education

• Arts, Media and Communication
• Business Management and Finance
• Construction and Development
• Consumer Service, Hospitality and Tourism
• Environmental, Agricultural and Natural Resources
• Health and Biosciences
• Human Resource Services
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology
• Transportation Technologies

Smaller Learning CommunitiesWhat are the
Career-Focused Areas?
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SLC Identity

• Career Clusters and Pathways- overlapping
  features using career pathway definitions,
  cross-cluster skills and cluster content.
• Humanities

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Essential 1

• 300-500 students per small learning community
• Helps keep teacher preparations to 1 or 2
  subjects
• Small enough for all teachers to know all
  students
• Large enough for teachers to be able to plan
  together in groups
• Typical ratio of administrators and counselors to
  students in a school

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SLC Example Design 3

• Grade 9-10 Lower Houses of Excellence
• Grade 9 (387 students)
• Grade 10 (362 students)
• 3 MESS Teams each
• Looping or new teams in grade 10?
• Grade 11-12 Upper Houses of Excellence
• 3 vertical SLCs organized around career clusters
• with 2 or more pathways

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Essential 2

• Academic core and concentration
• 4 credits in college prep/honors English
• 4 mathematics credits Algebra I, Geometry,
  Algebra II and above
• 3 science credits at the college prep level four
  courses with block schedule
• Three credits of social studies four credits
  with a block schedule
• Mathematics in the senior year

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Essential 2

• Sample Concentrations
• Mathematics and science concentration four
  credits in each field, with at least one at the
  Advanced Placement level
• Humanities concentration four credits each in
  college-prep-level language arts and social
  studies, with at least one at the Advanced
  Placement level and four additional credits from
  foreign language, fine arts, journalism, debate,
  etc.
• Career Technology Education four credits in a
  planned sequence of courses within a career
  cluster pathway

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Essential 2

• Model Program Sequences - K-16
• Include postsecondary options
• Dual enrollment
• Tech Prep
• UM Program of Professional and Technical Studies
  (BS Degree)
• Advanced training
• Articulated credit

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Essential 3

• Transition program, make sure all students get to
  a certain point by grade 10, including
• 2 credits of college preparatory English
• 2 out of 3 math courses of geometry, algebra, and
  algebra II
• 2 lab-based college preparatory science classes

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Essential 4

• Student and Staff Placement
• Cohort Groups
• Interdisciplinary Teacher Teams

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Essential 5

• Common Planning Time
• Time for subject area, across subject areas and
  career cluster teachers to align curriculum,
  instruction and assessment
• Consistent place on schedule and location
• Agenda and summary always!
• Rules of operation
• Parking lot

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Essential 6

• The School Schedule
• Core pathway courses and cross-cluster electives
  (I.e. program sequences)
• Double Dose instruction
• Advisement system
• Structured system of extra help
• Common Planning
• Computer Lab usage

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Essential 7

• A Structured System of Extra Help
• Tiers of extra help for students with different
  levels of need
• Two or more grade levels behind
• At middle school level
• Fall below a C in a core subject
• Voluntarily seek assistance
• Involvement of parents

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Essential 7

• A Structured System of Extra Help
• Offer help early
• Tied to work student doing as a normal part of
  the school routine
• Supplement dont repeat
• Frequent and regular
• Easy to access sometimes required
• Goal setting important (school level, teacher
  level, student level)
• Relationships over time
• Volunteers and technology help
• Avoid pull out programs

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Essential 7

• A Structured System of Extra Help Types
• Peer Tutoring
• On-line Tutoring and Computer-Assisted
  Instruction
• After School Programs (and Morning and Saturday
  Programs)
• Mentoring
• In-Class Programs
• Summer School/intersession
•  

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Essential 8

• The Advisement System
• A system in which each teacher in
• the school is assigned to mentor a
• group of students throughout the
• years they are at the school.

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Essential 8

• Purpose of Advisories
• Help students, with support of parents,
• set school goals, select courses, review
  progress, and
• make adjustments as necessary
• Services may include
• One-on-one advice
• Regular progress reviews
• Annual meetings with the student and parents
• to review progress and select courses for the
• next year
• Ongoing communication with parents
• Periodic classes in which a series of guidance
  activities is conducted
• Additional services and resources for students as
  needed.

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Essential 8

• Five Key Dimensions for Advisories
• A Clearly Defined Purpose supported by the
  community
• Organization
• Advisory Program Content
• Assessment
• Leadership

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Essential 9

• Engaging instruction
• Emphasis on literacy
• Emphasis on numeracy
• Emphasis on Science Concepts and Processes
• Common Course Syllabi
• Integration of subject matter/Mapping courses
• Challenging assignments and projects/system
• of projects
• Common assessment methods and grading practices
• Related Work-based learning opportunities

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Essential 10

• Data driven
• Student Achievement
• Student Participation
• Program Completion
• Post High School Success

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7 Steps

• Define outcomes
• Identify SLC design, select staff and build
  cohort teams
• Create a distributed leadership and
  decision-making structure.
• Each SLC
• Building Leadership Team
• System of Teams
• Advisement
• Professional Development
• Business Advisory
• Data/Evaluation
• Content- Dept. and MESS/Career Cluster

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7 Steps

• 4. Establish a challenging curriculum.
• Provide a structured system of extra help to
  support student success.
• Design a guidance and advisement system.
• Develop a plan for collecting and analyzing data.

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How to Deal with theImpact of SLCs

• Leadership and decision-making structure
• School schedule
• Location of classrooms and physical space
• Personalized services guidance, attendance,
  discipline
• Transition from one SLC to another

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For more information,
please contact Susan Oskin Maryland State
Department of Education 200 West Baltimore
Street Baltimore, MD 21201-2595 410-767-0635
or soskin_at_msde.state.md.us