Taking Care of Business

1
Taking Care of Business

• Making Students in the Middle Grades Accountable
  for Their Work and Their Learning

Smart Intermediate School
2
Power of I

• Initial Response to MMGW
• Struggles
• Team Approaches
• Data/Positive Changes
• New District Power of I Policy

3
Zeros

• Why do teachers give zeros?
• Is this consequence working?
• What is the negative impact of zeros?
• Why are you here?

4
Effect on Grades

• The purpose of the Power of I is to improve
  student achievement.
• I means that work is missing or does not meet
  district standards.

5
The POWER of the I

• Creates a true learning curve
• Doesnt let students Off the Hook
• For learning
• For delivering quality work
• For completing challenging work
• For becoming responsible citizens

6
The POWER of the I

• Creates a Culture of High Expectations
• Forced to Pass
• You dont get to choose not to work.
• Failure is not an option.
• Improves the Quality of All Student Work

7
The POWER of the I

• Allows Teachers to Really Teach to Standards
• Teachers really know what students can do
• Sends the Right message to students
• The blame game points back to the student
• When students come home with an F or a zero, they
  (and their parents) often blame the teacher
• When students come home with an I, the student
  is responsible

8
The POWER of the I

• When assignments arent ready, or they are
  incomplete or seriously below the standard and
  quality of expectation,
• WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO?
• A, B, C or I Incomplete

9
Demographics

• Enrollment 554
• Free Reduced Lunch 73.3
• Students Identified SPED 16.9
• White 66.7
• Hispanic 11.7
• African-American 13.2
• Biracial 5.2
• American Indian 1.2
• Asian 1.8

10
How Smart began

• Determined Scope of Implementation
• Whole School School Improvement Team (SIT) and
  Summer Conference Participants
• Must be building-wide some schools tried by
  teacher or team but struggled
• Teams made it work for their student's needs
  within building parameters

11
How Smart began

• Created a Culture of High Expectations for All
  Stakeholders
• Get commitment from all staff members (have a
  plan)
• Communicate expectations with students, parents,
  district office, board of education members, the
  high school/s and elementary schools in the
  feeder pattern (have a plan)

12
How Smart began

• Got Stakeholder Support
• Principal, Superintendent, BOE
• Parents
• Business community or local school advisory
  council

13
How Smart began

• Communicated Requirements
• Principal to Teachers
• Reach consensus on the scope and exact
  implementation issues
• Rogue policies or lack of implementation even by
  a few will send a mixed message to students and
  sabotage the policy
• Set up a committee to chart the progress
• Be open to teacher frustrations and
  implementation snags help to work out the bugs

14
How Smart began

• Communicated Requirements
• Principal and Teachers to Parents
• Initial letters sent home
• Outline the policy and the availability of extra
  help
• Open House
• Newsletters
• Student Handbook
• Website
• A progress chart

15
How Smart began

• Communicated Requirements
• Teachers to Students
• Course Syllabus (required)
• Assignment sheets (required in writing to
  students)
• Rubrics (required, specific, vertical and
  horizontal)
• Availability of extra help (required, multiple
  opportunities preferred)
• Encouragement a MUST for successful
  implementation (for students and teachers)

16
How Smart began

• Communicated Requirements
• School
• Staff meeting agendas
• Team meeting agendas
• Department meeting agendas
• School Improvement Team (SIT) Focus Group must
  keep all teachers informed of implementation
  issues successes and snags

17
Initial Struggles for Smart

• Students thought teachers were bluffing
• Team Consensus much discussion and negotiating
• Why isnt it working for every student?
• Time for extra help
• Does every assignment count?
• Cant wait too long should be preventative not
  a gotcha
• Exploratory teachers no longer have students in
  class after term over

18
8th Grade

• Phone calls home
• Extra time before and after school
• Working lunches
• I make-up days
• Team SSC
• Unity among teachers
• Exclusion from field trips

19
7th Grade

• Unity among all of the teachers
• Expectations and grading scales showing A, B, C,
  or I posted in every classroom
• Phone calls home
• Letters and e-mails home
• Extra time before or after school
• Working lunches with cooperation from all
  teachers in the building
• I make-up days
• Team SSC
• Return to school after the year is over to
  complete missing work

20
6th Grade

• All teachers in agreement on how it would be done
• Extra time in classes
• I days
• Calls, letters, e-mails home
• Any missing assignment at midterm time was an
  I, and if the midterm was not returned signed,
  then there was a call home
• Team SSC
• Before and after school help
• Field trip requirements
• Working lunches

21
6th / 7th grade Exploratories

• Teachers can more easily cooperate with core
  teachers (Reading, Math, Science, and Social
  Studies) in assisting students to complete all
  work (ie. I days)
• Teachers are more apt to excuse the above
  students for work missed during I days

22
8th Grade Electives

• Electives can be worth high school credit (ie. a
  foreign language) making all work completion more
  important
• It is imperative that teachers pulling students
  from electives cooperate with the electives
  teachers providing assistance in completion of
  ALL missing work

23
Ongoing Concerns

• The philosophy should apply to which assignments
• Some students develop a learned helplessness
• Make certain the policy is proactive not a gotcha
• Allow further adjusting or tweaking
• Make sure the policy fits our school and our
  clientele

24
Effect on Grades

• DAVENPORT COMMUNITY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS
• POWER OF I GUIDELINES
• 1. Students no longer receive zeros when work is
  not turned in they receive an I.
• Students do not have the option not to turn in
  work.
• Late work is just that late but it must be
  completed if teachers are to correctly determine
  if students know and understand the standards
  being taught and assessed.
• 2. Students will receive an I if work is below
  C level, using the districts grading guideline
  of 68.
• 3. Students are given the opportunity to
  complete I work during the school day, after
  school, Saturday school, or whatever fits the
  buildings parameters for extra help and extra
  time.

25
Effect on Grades

• 4. Students who have an I may be allowed to
  participate in extra-curricular activities
  (ungraded activities) only if they are actively
  engaged in completing the work at C or above
  level.
• 5. Students parents will be contacted and their
  assistance solicited.
• This must begin early.
• 6. Solution focus process will be followed for
  students with significant Is or poor quality
  work.
• 7. Students who receive an I or turn in poor
  quality work for the first three quarters will
  have a minimum of two weeks after receiving their
  report card to receive the earned letter grade.

26
Creating a Culture of High Expectations

• Emphasis on New Content
• Rubrics Are Required for Power of I to work
• Quality Teaching Is a Necessity
• Extra Help Is Required

27
Creating a Culture of High Expectations

• Higher Order Thinking Skills
• Teach to the rest what you teach to the best!
• Design more activities and assessments at the
  meets or exceeds level most activities and
  assessments are at or below basic

28
Current and Over Time

• Smart Intermediate School
• Grade Distribution at A, B, C level
• 2006-07 93.1 1st Semester
• 2005-06 92.6
• 2004-05 86.5
• 2003-04 82.2
• 2002-03 86.7

29
Williams Closed theAchievement Gaps
30
Williams Academic Success Honor
Assemblies 2005-2006 2006-2007
1 3
31
Smart Discipline Data

• 2004-05 2005-06 Decrease
• Referrals 1727 1230 28.8
• Suspensions 224 152 32.1

32
Williams Discipline Data

• Time Outs Down
• Referrals Down
• Suspensions Down

33
ITBS Grade Data Trend-Current 8th Grade Two Year
Growth
34
ITBS Grade Data Trend-Current 7th Grade One Year
Growth
35
Schedules

• 7th 8th Grade has 1 Hour Core Classes.
• 6th Grade has 45 minute (Science, Social Studies
  Language Arts) and 72 minute (Math Reading)
  Core Classes.
• All Grades have 40-45 minute exploratory classes
• Perception Surveys

36
Nuts and Bolts Assistance

• Get organized for accepting late work
• Consider students to attach a cover sheet with
  the title and date of the original assignment
• Designate a place in your room for quick student
  access to all assignments
• Consider keeping an assignment notebook with a
  page for each day of class assignment sheets,
  rubrics, handouts, etc. can be slipped into clear
  pockets

37
Nuts and Bolts Assistance

• Expect adjustments to the policy to be suggested
  and have a plan for how to deal with each
  recommendation (some will be good)
• Use the sample letters as samples, but please
  revise them to fit your school/community

38
Contact Information

• Frank L. Smart Intermediate Phone [phone]
• Williams Intermediate Phone [phone]
• www.davenportschools.org/smart
• Jennie Weipert weipertj_at_davenportschools.org
• Scott McKissick mckissicks_at_davenportschools.org
• Kamie Swanson 7th Grade Resource
• swansonk_at_davenportschools.org