Building Effective Smaller Learning Communities Across Disciplines

1
Building Effective Smaller Learning Communities
Across Disciplines

• April 29, 2009
• New Performing Arts High School
• Tips for Building A Master Schedule to Meet the
  Needs of Small Learning Communities
• Presenter Shelley Loftus
• School Improvement
  Facilitator, District 2
• sloftus_at_lausd.net

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Todays Objectives

• Determine needs of small schools and prioritize
  goals / actions.
• Identify issues impacting the building of a
  master schedule for small schools / SLC/s and
  discuss strategies for addressing concerns.
• Discuss tasks and timelines associated with
  building the master schedule.

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SLC/ Small School Dreams and Nightmares

• Reflecting on todays objectives, take a few
  moments to write down your
• Small School master nightmare
• Dream come true master schedule success

4
Smallness and Beyond

• How do we maintain smallness while adhering to
  the District Guidelines and requirements?
• How do you balance personalization, academic
  rigor and pragmatism?
• How and where do we compromise

5
SLC Attributes Summer 2004

• LAUSD has a history of SLCs
• School Within a School programs Humanitas,
  Perkins Programs, Magnets, Academies, and others
• Goal for these programs was and is rigorous,
  personalized, thematic and interdisciplinary
  instruction

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Bulletin 1600 and The 8

• October 2004 LAUSD Board of Education approved
  Bulletin 1600 to address the size and
  constraints of large high school campus life.
• All High Schools were to create SLCs.
• Eight attributes were guidelines
• Unifying Vision
• SLC Identity
• Rigorous, Standards-Based Curriculum, Instruction
  and Assessment
• Professional Development
• Equity and Access
• Personalization
• Accountability Distributed Leadership
• Collaboration, Parent Community Engagement

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What do we need to know to create a master?

• Who are our students and what are their needs?
  
• What classes must / can we offer?
• What are our staffing and credential needs?
• What are the issues at our school?

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Who are your students?

• Use of data will help identify and analyze needs.
  
• SLC Identification
• Special Education
• EL Learners
• ESL
• Intervention Needs
• Honors AP

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What classes are needed?

• SLC Vision
• Personalization (9th grade house, advisories)
• A G ( Default Curriculum)
• Career Pathways CTE
• Electives
• Who determines what classes electives will be
  offered?

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A-G Curriculum

• History 2 years
• English 4 years
• Mathematics 3 yrs required, 4 recommended
• Laboratory Science 2 yrs req., 3 recommended
• Foreign Language 2 yrs req., 3 recommended
• Visual Performing Arts 1 year required
• College Prep Elective 1 year required

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A - G LAUSD Board Resolution June 2005

• Adopted June 2005
• 2006 2007 - access
• Fall 2008 - must enroll
• Fall 2012 - Entering 9th graders must
  complete to graduate in June
  2016

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Staffing Small Schools

• What credentials are needed?
• English Foreign Language
• Math Health
• Social Studies P.E.
• Science Visual and Performing Arts
• Technical/Business
• Issues PE requires 400 minutes every 10 days
• Fitnessgram required

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NCLB

• Federal legislation requires all teachers to be
  highly qualified in core subjects
• Core subjects are
• English
• Reading/ Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Foreign Languages
• Arts (includes dance, music, art)
• Social Sciences (includes economics, history,
  geography, and civic/ government)

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• How do you staff small schools to assure equity
  and meet the diverse student needs?

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Staffing ConfigurationsMiddle Schools PLEs

• Cores For Multiple Subj. Teachers
  (6th)
• Teams Teachers w/secondary
  credentials
• teaching
  students in their PLE
• Help! Middle School
  Authorizations
• Prob or
  Permanent teachers may
• apply to
  teach a designated subject
• gr. 9 or
  below must verify 12 units in the
• subject good
  for 1 year is renewable
• (see
  www.teachinla.com)

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Staffing Configurations High School SLCs

• Subject Area Credentials
• Help! Board Permits- allow prob. and
  perm.
• teachers to teach a
  designated subject
• must verify 18
  semester units valid for 1
• year no cost.
• Committee on
  Assignments for
• elective courses
  verify special skills valid 1
  year no cost. ( 2 per. prob, any perm)
• One Period Coach
  to coach one period of a
• competitive sport
  

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Demands on the Master Program

• Equal access to all graduation requirements
• Students with special needs, including gifted,
  have additional instructional needs.
• Class size - balance A-G with electives
• Common Conferences
• Teacher Preferences / Strengths

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Other Requirements

• Intervention classes
• Teacher credentials
• Double block English Math support
• Support for English Learners
• Multiple Pathways for technical arts

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What to do?!

• Remember...the jobs our students will have in the
  future dont even exist yet!
• Goal College and Career ready
• Requires thoughtful discussion planning

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Compromise Solutions

• Passport classes
• Partner with local community colleges to provide
  high level academic classes
• Differentiate instruction using SDAIE
• Explore 7-period day, 4x4, zero periods
• Analyze data to build programs (ex honors)
• Encourage multiple credentials

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Additional Scheduling Options

• Regional Occupational Program (ROP)
• Community College and University Partnerships
• Adult School
• LAUSD Virtual Academy (LAVA)
• Independent Study
• Skills Centers

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The Balancing ActPrioritizing small school
benefits

• What compromises are acceptable?
• What are you not willing to give up?
• How do you ensure academic rigor?

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Middle School Sample Schedule

• Personalized Learning Environments
• Cores and Teams

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High School Sample Schedule

• Small Schools, Magnets,
• Small Learning Communities (SLCs)

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Tasks and Timelines

• Determine needs and priorities
• Determine participants to build the master
• Agree on timeline and publicize

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The dream revisited

• What have your heard today that will help you to
  build a master schedule for small schools?

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Additional Questions

• What questions, clarifications or concerns do you
  have?