Small Learning Community

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Small Learning Community

• Presented by
• Patricia Barnthouse, Curt Bedford, and David
  Davis

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What is a Small Learning Community?

• An Interdisciplinary team that shares a few
  hundred students in common responsibility and for
  their educational progress concentrated on the 3
  Rs (Rigor, Relevance and Relationships)

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Five Elements of the SLC

• Self Determination
• Identity
• Personalization
• Support for Teachers
• Functional Accountability

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Five Elements of the SLC

• 1. SELF DETERMINATION
• The SLC Teams set their own ground rules for team
  success.
• Includes
• Behavior
• Academic Rigor

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Five Elements of the SLC

• 2. IDENTITY
• Formulate a potential program of study that
  originates with the vision and interest of both
  the students and staff.

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Five Elements of the SLC

• 3. Personalization
• Teachers have ability to identify and respond to
  students particular needs

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Five Elements of the SLC

• 4. Support for Teachers
• SLC interdisciplinary team members take an active
  role in professional development and collaborate
  into fashioning programs.
• Rigorous
• Relevant
• Cohesive

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Five Elements of the SLC

• 5. Functional Accountability
• The SLC teams will be under the auspices of
  various assessment tools.
• The assessment tools will indicate a success
  level under the guidelines of 3 primary goals of
  the SLC grant.

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Five Elements of the SLC

• Primary Goals of the SLC Grant
• Increased Academic Achievement for All Students.
• Improving School Climate
• Increased Parent and Community Involvement and
  Engagement

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Small Learning Community

• Technical version aside-----
• What does this grant mean to NHS?
• Dr. Wise has brought the Christina School
  District into the national push for SLC
• We are in the 4th Cohort of districts throughout
  the country to" jump on board.

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Small Learning Community

• The SLC grant is formatted for intense planning
  and study over a 3 year period.
• After the 3 year process, the foundation of
  success for this program will now be the culture
  of the building.

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Small Learning Community

• What does this mean as a building?
• Currently the average Core 10th thru 12th grade
  teacher sees 164 students per day the average
  SLC Core teacher sees 125 students per day.
• No formal interdisciplinary collaboration in the
  10th thru 12th grade academic day. The SLC team
  currently has one team planning period plus an
  individual plan.

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Small Learning Community

• Interdisciplinary Teams (PLT)
• Team Plan is an opportunity for collegial
  conversation
• Academic endeavors
• Instructional Strategies
• Student Strengths and Weaknesses
• Time for Parent Conferences and Student Summits.

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Small Learning Community

• Professional Learning Teams
• The traditional schedule allows few opportunities
  for collaboration between regular and special
  education educators.
• SLC team plan allows daily opportunity to
  collaborate the instructional strategies that
  meet the diverse needs of the student population.

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Small Learning Community

• Technical version aside----
• What do we look like now and how will we look in
  the future?

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Small Learning Community

• 2004-05
• Traditional scheduling for 10th thru 12th
  graders.
• 9th Grade SLC consisting of
• 4 academic teams, each with 4 Core teachers
• 1 Assistant Principal
• 1 Guidance Counselor
• 2 Disciplinarians
• 1 Behavioral Interventionist
• 1 Common Team Plan
• 1 Individual Plan

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Small Learning Community

• 2005-06
• Traditional Scheduling for 11th 12th grade
  students.
• Expansion of SLC to include
• 4 Academic Teams housing 9th 10th grades
• Instructed by 8 Core Teachers
• 2 Assistant Principals
• 2 Guidance Counselors
• 4 Disciplinarians
• 1 Behavioral Interventionist
• 1 Common Plan
• 1 Individual Plan

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Small Learning Community

• 2006-07
• Expansion of the SLC to include ALL grade levels
• 4 Academic Teams that will house ALL grades
• Instructed by the number of Core Teachers needed
  to meet Academic Needs
• 4 Assistant Principals
• 4 Guidance Counselors
• 4 Disciplinarians
• 2 Behavioral Interventionists
• 1 Common Plan
• 1 Individual Plan
• Modified Block Scheduling

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Small Learning Community

• How do we make this happen?

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Small Learning Community

• STEPS
• Establish who will be a part of the 2005-06 SLC
• Solidify necessary Professional Development (PD)
• Develop a Team Identity

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Small Learning Community

• STEPS
• Evaluate all course offerings
• Re-evaluate the scheduling process
• Establish opportunities for open conversations
  that will assist in developing the criteria to
  submit team course selections for potential
  academic focus.

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Small Learning Community

• STEPS
• Increase the SLC Design membership to mirror the
  diversity of the staff and student population.

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Small Learning Community

• EVALUATION TOOLS
• Student Matriculation to the next grade
• Student Attendance
• Teacher Attendance
• Discipline Records
• Staff and Student Inventories

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Small Learning Community

• Thank You !