Extended Bell Schedule

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Extended Bell Schedule

• WHY?
• Meadowdale Middle School
• January 23, 2009

2
Student Achievement Data

• Only 1 of 11 Black 8th grade students passed Math
  WASL
• Only 3 of 34 7th grade Special Education students
  passed Math WASL
• Only 2 of 21 8th grade Special Education students
  passed Math WASL
• Only 34 of 83 Low Income 7th graders passed the
  Math WASL
• Only 23 of 55 Low Income 8th graders passed the
  Math WASL
• Only 6 of 34 Special Education 7th graders passed
  the Reading WASL.

3
Continued

• White 7th grade students (current 8th grade
  students) are at risk of failing AYP in Math,
  this year. Last year, they passed AYP only by 2.
• 31 of our 7th graders failed the Reading WASL.
• 47 of our 7th graders failed the Math WASL.
• 26 of our 8th graders failed the Reading WASL.
• 39 of our 8th graders failed the Math WASL.

4
Vision for New MMS

• Relevant Staff Development Adequate Prep Time
• Small Learning Communities
• Team Teaching
• Personalization
• Multidisciplinary Curricula with Block Scheduling

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Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment

• 1. More time to go deeply into curriculum
• 2. More time for guided practice
• 3. More time to promote differentiation
• 4. More time for project based learning,
  simulations, debates, socratic seminars, labs,
  mock trial, etc.
• 5. Time for warm-up, full lessons, and summary
  all in one class period

6
Continued

• 6. Activities would be less rushed
• 7. Promote learning for all ability levels,
  especially slower learners
• 8. Time for pull-out para-educator specialist
  support within the class period

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Continued

• 9. Less overwhelming for students
• 10.Counselors could be more involved and have
  more opportunity to observe students.
• 11.Can provide time in music for group practice,
  grouping by sections, and individual practice
• 12.Less brain switching for kids

8
Continued

• 13.More opportunity to be intentional with
  planning relevant and engaging learning
  activities.
• 14.Time to assess the Learning Target on a daily
  basis to inform the next days lesson plan.
• 15.Promote retention of learning by completing
  big ideas in one day.

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Continued

• 15.Longer periods for PE, which promotes greater
  understanding of sports due to more playing time.
• 16.Scaffold learning more in one period rather
  than over two days.
• 17.Promotes opportunity to practice and implement
  more formative assessments
• 18.Promotes opportunity to practice and implement
  standards-referenced grading

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Continued

• 19.Promotes opportunity to personalize student
  learning and allow students to take ownership of
  their learning process.
• 20.Provides time to check for understanding in a
  meaningful way.

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Academic Interventions

• 1. Students can focus on a few classes each night
• 2. Learning Support, Para-Educator, and
  Specialists can support student learning within
  the class period by assisting with
  differentiation.
• 3. Time to embed literacy strategies into all
  content areas.
• 4. Study Club model could be modified and move
  into the school day!

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Culture Climate

• 1. Fewer passing periods less unstructured
  unsafe time in the hallways
• 2. More time to connect with students, build
  rapport, and promote relationships
• 3. Longer planning period
• 4. Less traumatic transition to high school
• 5. More opportunity to improve transition to
  middle school by replicating elementary reading
  writing workshop model.

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Continued.

• 6. More relaxed pace, less stressful for
  students.
• 7. Reduce the frequency of teachers needing to
  provide passing period supervision

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Construction of New MMS

• 1. No lockers in the New MMS, so time to practice
  carrying less per day
• 2. PE will be without a locker room from Fall
  09- Winter 10 this will allow for students to
  dress PE appropriate (like elementary) on PE
  days.
• 3. Music will be without their teaching space for
  1 ½ school years this will allow for less
  stress by reducing transitions per day

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Continued.

• 4. PE Music may need to share space in NEW Gym
  for ½ - 1 ½ school years this will allow extra
  class time to utilize nearby facilities, fields,
  etc.
• 5. Promotes student safety by reducing student
  traffic through construction zone
• 6. Tech Ed is in a temporary facility for 2 years
  may reduce stress

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Concerns

• 1) Can students stay focused engaged for longer
  period of times? Is it developmentally
  appropriate?
• 2) Instructional strategies must change to not
  fill time with busy work or bore students.
• 3) Wont see students every day can they
  remember the last lesson?
• 4) Not enough time to research pros/cons to
  begin professional development

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Continued

• 5) 1st order change however, can provide
  opportunity to achieve 2nd order change if change
  in teaching practices is embraced.
• 6) Planning period is every other day.
• 7) Daily practice for music math will be
  compromised.

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The Proposal
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• Winter 09- Ad Hoc Committee explores extended
  bell schedules makes a recommendation to Staff
  by April.
• Commitment to Professional Development Spring
  09 thru Spring 11.
• Spring 11 MIC will review student achievement
  data, implementation gap of best practices in
  Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment will
  present to staff results of 2 year trial of
  Extended Bell Schedule.
• Spring 11 Staff will vote on Bell Schedule for
  New MMS.