Secondary Reform

Secondary Reform Team recommendations can be viewed by clicking on the following link:

final-secondary-reform-recommendations-by-option.doc

Currituck County Schools are excited to begin this new year implementing many of the recommendations offered by the Secondary Reform Study group that has met over the past two years.

As we endeavor to meet the challenge of preparing students for life and work in this 21st Century, we will continue to research best practices, focus on student learning outcomes and strengthen transitions between grades and grade spans (elementary, middle, high, post-secondary).

A few of the discussions to consider this year are:

* Curriculum Mapping/Pacing Guides (Rubicon Atlas).  This will be a significant step toward vertical alignment/vertical teaming across the district K - 12.

(http://www.rubicon.com/AtlasCurriculumMapping.html )

*Transitions (CFNC resources and training 6-12) as well as work toward a 21st Century Transition Plan K-12 

(http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/csr/districtleadersmtg/june2007/5transitionplanningfor21stcenturyschoolsdocument.pdf )

*Professional Learning Communities in all schools

(http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/currclum/cu3lk22.htm )

*Relationships, relevance and Rigor at all levels 

(http://www.leadered.com/rigor.html )

*Planning and Researching an Early College High School for Currituck Students

(http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/learnandearnonline/ )  (http://www.newschoolsproject.org/early.html )

The year promises to bring much rich discussion and concrete steps on our quest in continuing  to be a Beacon of Excellence in Education

Here is a press release issued after the State Board of Education meeting last week by the Department of Public Instruction regarding a “core” curriculum:

 http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/newsroom/news/2006-07/20070608-02

Time Magazine Article:  Building a New Student in Michigan

http://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=555715566&pt=Y

Default Curriculum Notes (Click on this link for Discussion Notes)

On November 9th there was a tele-conference hosted by Kathy Taft, State Board Member and Rigor Task Force Chairperson, and Dr. June Atkinson, NC State School Superintendent.  Participating in the conversation were several superintendents from across the state along with several DPI contacts.   Attached you will find the transcript related to the discussion.

 This tied in well with our previous discussions related to a Default Curriculum for Currituck County Schools.

Future-Ready Students for the 21^st Century  The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21^st Century.  This is echoed through the efforts of the Currituck County Schools.

Goal: NC public schools will produce globally competitive students.

• Every student excels in rigorous and relevant core curriculum that reflects what students need to know and demonstrate in a global 21^st Century environment, including a mastery of languages, an appreciation of the arts, and competencies in the use of technology.
• Every student’s achievement is measured with an assessment system that informs instruction and evaluates knowledge, skills, performance, and dispositions needed in the 21^st Century.
• Every student will be enrolled in a course of study designed to prepare them to stay ahead of international competition.
• Every student uses technology to access and demonstrate new knowledge and skills that will be needed as a life-long learner to be competitive in a constantly changing international environment.
• Every student has the opportunity to graduate from high school with an Associates Degree or college transfer credit.

Goal: NC public schools will be led by 21^st Century professionals.

• Every teacher will have the skills to deliver 21^st Century content in a 21^st Century context with 21^st Century tools and technology that guarantees student learning.
• Every teacher and administrator will use a 21^st Century assessment system to inform instruction and measure 21^st Century knowledge, skills, performance, and dispositions.
• Every education professional will receive preparation in the interconnectedness of the world with knowledge and skills, including language study.
• Every education professional will have 21^st Century preparation and access to ongoing high quality professional development aligned with State Board of Education priorities.
• Every educational professional uses data to inform decisions.

Goal:  NC public school students will be healthy and responsible.

• Every learning environment will be inviting, respectful, supportive, inclusive, and flexible for student success.
• Every school provides an environment in which each child has positive, nurturing relationships with caring adults.
• Every school promotes a healthy, active lifestyle where students are encouraged to make responsible choices.
• Every school focuses on developing strong student character, personal responsibility, and community/world involvement.
• Every school reflects a culture of learning that empowers and prepares students to be life-long learners.

Goal: Leadership will guide innovation in NC public schools.

• School professionals will collaborate with national and international partners to discover innovative transformational strategies that will facilitate change, remove barriers for 21^st Century learning, and understand global connections.
• School leaders will create a culture that embraces change and promotes dynamic continuous improvement.

• Educational professionals will make decisions in collaboration with parents, students, businesses, education institutions, and faith-based and other community and civic organizations to impact student success.
• The public school professionals will collaborate with community colleges and public and private universities and colleges to provide enhanced educational opportunities for students.

Goal :  NC public schools will be governed and supported by 21^st Century systems.

• Processes are in place for financial planning and budgeting that focus on resource attainment and alignment with priorities to maximize student achievement.
• Twenty-first century technology and learning tools are available and are supported by school facilities that have the capacity for 21^st Century learning.

• Information and fiscal accountability systems are capable of collecting relevant data and reporting strategic and operational results.
• Procedures are in place to support and sanction schools that are not meeting state standards for student achievement.

As a culmination of the 2005-06 Secondary Reform Study, our team had it’s final meeting of the year at Currituck County High School on Tuesday, June 13 in Lecture Hall A.   39 of the 42 member team were present.

Superintendent Mike Warren brought welcome and greetings to members of the team.  Mr. Warren commended the team for their willingness to be a part of the committee and for the genuine interest in learning what we can do in Currituck County to educate our students ready for a world of work and higher education.  Mr. Warren reminded us of our focus and stated that we will continue the study in the fall.

After the welcome, Mr. Eades, Assistant Superintendent, introduced our first guest of the morning.  Everly Broadway represented the Department of Public Instruction on behalf of Dr. Wandra Polk who was to have been with us.  Everly is the Section Chief for Secondary Math/Science Division at DPI.

Topics presented by Ms. Broadway were:

*  Multi-State Efforts for High School Reform

        The American Diploma Project   

http://www.achieve.org/achieve.nsf/americandiplomaprojet?openforum

        State Scholars Initiative (of which we are a part beginning next year)

http://www.wiche.edu/statescholars/

         CCSSO and High School Network       http://www.daggett.com/

High Schools that Work   www.sreb.org/programs/hstwhstwindex.asp

Partnership for 21st Century Skills  www.21stcenturyskills.org

Center for 21st Century Skills   www.ncbce.org/april05/century21.html

North Carolina Virtual High School

New Schools Project/ Learn & Earn  www.newschoolsproject.org

State Board of Education Policies  www.ncpublicschools.org/state_board

Ms. Broadway talked extensively about the American Diploma Project with which NC is closely aligned.  A thrust of the ADP is to hold high schools accountable for graduating students who are college-ready and hold postsecondary institutions accountable for their success once enrolled.

Everly also talked about the new high school exit standards as well as Graduation Project requirements.

After a short break, Mr. Eades introduced Marvin Pittman, Middle Grades Division Director from DPI. 

Mr. Pittman provided insight on happenings with middle grades education at DPI.  It was affirming that much of what he brought to us has been disussued during our study of Secondary Reform.

Marvin talked about Algebra I at the middle school level and reminded us that much of what was in the Algebra I curriculum is now embedded in the Standard Course of Study for 8th grade Math.  The goal is to have all students ready to be successful with Algebra I in 9th grade.  He also reminded us that Algebra I could no longer be split into Ia and Ib.  This is also true of other content areas such as English, Social Studies and Science courses that may have been awarded 2 credits in the past.

The committee was able to hear the vision for Middle School Education which was expressed both verbally and through documents distributed by Mr. Pittman.  Some of those goals are:

*Prepare students for success and rigorous high school curriculum

* Prepare students to be able to graduate from High School

*Prepare educators to understand and implement the middle school philosophy in all middle grades

* Develop rigorous and appropriate curriculum in all content areas.

Some intitiatives the middle school division recommends are:

Middle Grades Institues Sponsored by DPI

Making Middle Grades Work (SREB)  http://www.sreb.org/programs/MiddleGrades/MiddleGradesindex.asp

Success For All   http://www.successforall.net/

 Schools to Watch   http://www.schoolstowatch.org/what.htm

A focus on a Middle Grades Balanced Curriculum 

www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/ curriculum/balancedcurriculum68.ppt

Mr. Pittman shared ideas about closing achievment gaps not only with subgroups, but also with both high and low performing students.  All students should show growth each year, even if they have Level IV performance.

 Closing the Achievement Gap

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/schoolimprovement/closingthegap/strategies/movement/

In closing, Mr. Pittman challenged us to Empower Parents to ask the right questions to find out what is going on at school, why we teach in a certain way, why we grade the way we do just to mention a few.

Parents are our partners.  We need to be able to explain well in regards to programs and student instruction.

Our final challenge was to honestly look at our beliefs and practices.  What we “SAY” we believe needs to be what you “REALLY” do when it comes to the education of our young people.

Before lunch principals shared some of the “reform” efforts being incorporated at their schools. 

Dr. Donahoe, CCHS Principal, talked about pairings as well as removal of barriers for students wanting to take advantage of higher level courses.

Mr. Godfrey (Moyock Middle Principal) and Mr Wicks (CCMS Principal) discussed moving toward a “balanced curriculum” approach and moving more toward true teaming and scheduling at the middle schools.

After the group came back from lunch, Paul O’Briant, Director of Testing and Technology, gave an overview of preliminary data from EOG’s and EOC’s.  There were areas of growth and decline.  School staffs and Central Office leaders will be evaluating data to develop improvement strategies for the upcoming school year.

This has been a great opportunity for many of us to learn, understand, and begin to see some practical things we can do in Currituck County in our journey to secondary reform.  Our efforts have only just begun.  As we resume our study in the fall, there is much hope that our focus will be more defined and our vision for Currituck County Secondary Schools crystal clear.

In Closing Mr. Eades recognized Mr. Reuben Godfrey who will be retiring and Ms. Audrey Menard who will be moving to Cleveland, Ohio to assume a position as principal.  Thank you so much for your invaluable expertise, support  and commitment during this process.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Rehoboth Baptist Church

After a nice spring break, the Secondary Reform Committee resumed with its’ study of middle and high school reform efforts.  36 of the 42 members of the study group were present at the meeting.

Mr. Keith Eades, Assistant Superintendent, started the day with some conversation that referenced information from previous meetings.  Two articles were distributed for discussion.  One was a “Focus on Equity Study” which informed us about providing access to higher level courses to  provide opportunities for all students to reach educational excellence.  The second article was titled “Accelerating the Learning of Low Achievers” which provided a comparision of the characteristics of “High-Impact” schools and schools that are status quo.  The article compares the cultures, academic core, support, teachers and use of resources to provide compelling arguments for insuring that our schools are indeed “High-Impact” schools making a difference in the lives of ALL students.

After discussion of these artices, the focus of the day was to add another layer of understanding the need for high school re-invention and develop some concrete strategies and priorities to incorporate during the next year.  Mr. Eades shared a powerpoint presentation dealing with components  of transforming secondary schools.  Data from NAEP scores as well as drop-out information were shared.  There was also a focus on the need to incorporate literacy strategies 6-12.

 Selena Jarvis and Jeanne Murray provided a Curriculum Highlight regarding the AP pairing with which they work.  The concept of pairing is one that does lead students in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary way to engage students in a variety of ways.  Some questions to consider:  What are some other pairings that could be incorporated at both middle and high school levels?  What impact does pairing have on student and teacher performance?

 After lunch five groups were developed to  discuss goals and/or address some of the Essential Questions that have been raised during the previous meetings.  The task of each group was to identify one or two goals that could be addressed in the reform effort.

The two middle schools began with a “Breaking Ranks in the Middle” survey which focused on the satisfaction level with the 14 catagories that were addressed.

The three high school groups had the task of identifying either long or short-term goals that could be addressed at the 6-12 level. 

After identifying goals and some healthy, informative discussion, teams were to address :

Challenges with:  

• Institutional practices
• Teacher attitude
• Support/Scaffolding
• Excellence

Groups also provided strategies for:

• District support
• School strategies
• Teacher strategies
• Timeline
• Evidence of completion

——————————————————————————–

GROUP 1 (High School)

Goal:  Require at least one online course for graduation.

Timeline & Resources:  2006-2007

• Start with 9th graders
• Provide 400 laptop computers for students and staff
• Wirelessly connect high school
• Cost-benefit analysis (Books vs Laptop)
• Phase in additional laptops for each freshman class
• All grade 9-12 will have laptops by 2010-2011

Roles and Responsibilities:

District:  Funding for wireless connection, training for technology, IT Staff/services, site evaluation, public relations/advertising, flexible access to community technology resource centers

School:  Training for technology, prefessional development, flexible lab/school hours, program evaluation

Teacher: Be open-minded, flexible, happy

Team 2:  Moyock Middle

Three areas of focus:

Scheduling time each week for teachers to :

1. collaborate on planning
2. instruction
3.  reviewing student work
4.  aligning curricula
5.  encouraging interdisciplinary learning

Developing Teacher/Student Relationships

Increase % of students achieving proficency or higher

Group 3:  Currituck Middle School

Planning time for teachers to:

1. collaborate on planning instruction
2. Review student work
3. align instructional units with standards
4. encourage interdisciplinary learning

7th and 8th grade students participate in programs or services that support college awareness and planning for students and their parents.

Group 4:   

Increase participation in leadership team/enhance leadership practices

• Leadership training for ALL personnel
• Develop a professional learning community
• Develop interdisciplinary teams

Group 5:  High School

Goal:  Development of Freshman Seminar

District:   Provide funding, quality personnel, and higher standards

School:  Scheduling, Initiate community and school partnerships in order to have a successful program

Teacher:  Provide training, team/group planning, develop a common language (overall vocabulary/symbolic literacy)

Timeline:  Year-long…have course implemented Fall 2006

Evidence of completion:  Student success and confidence and reduced student failure 

Goal 2:  Portfolio/Mastery Based Assessment

District:  Passing protfolio’s through all school levels, parent education of process and funding

School:  Training, time, support, technology resources, common language between grade levels

Teacher:  Student-led conferences, general consensus regarding criteria, group and school-wide planning, common language between grade levels

Timeline:  year-long and multi-grade

Evidence of completion:  High % of success, Higher % of parental involvement, Higher % of community involvement, Higher % of Senior Project success.

The day ended by sharing the strategies listed above.

Our next meeting will be June 13 at Currituck County High School.  Dr. Wandra Polk, Secondary Director and Marvin Pittman , Middle Grades Director , both from DPI will be part of our study.

———————————————————————————–

COMMENTS:

1. What is the district’s commitment ot the recommendations made by the group?
2. Group work–Best yet,  Productive conversation and ideas
3. How about National Board Certified Teachers?  They are proven effective for student success and stat of NC keeps statistics on that success.  With that in mind, how will we hold teachers accountable for their performance?  Too many times it is just a warm body to fill a shortage.
4. Are Honors and AP courses the only courses that prepare students for college?  Can academic courses be part of the default college curriculum as well?
5. When you spoke about the Algebra I requirement, it brought to mind the math requirement of the American Diploma Project which will require all students to have Algebra II.  Are you familiar with this?
6. Concerning the goal of removing barriers for acceleration opportunities, what constitutes “barriers”?  And what supports are in place to make sure that students in accelerated opportunities can be successful?  Simply putting more students in Honors and AP courses does not automatically make more students ready for college.

Secondary Reform Meeting 3
 

Monday, March 6, 2006
Rehoboth Baptist Church
 Today the third meeting of Currituck County’s Secondary Reform Study Committee began at 9:00 a.m. with 37 of the 42 members present.

• Mr. Mike Warren, Superintendent, opened the meeting with remarks reminding members of the purpose of the group and some thoughts to consider as the meeting progresses.
  
• Keith Eades reviewed some of the Plus/Delta’s from the February 6 meeting.  An update for the Secondary Reform Blog ( http://currituck.edublogs.org/ ) was given and participants were reminded to add comments so that our thoughts during this process can be considered by everyone. 
  
• Members were reminded of the schedule for airing of the NC Rigor, Relevance and Relationships video that was shown at our initial meeting discussing NC reform efforts.   The dates for airing on Channel 18 local access are March 6-12, April 3-9, and May 8-14.  Air times will be 9:15 am, 1:15 pm and 10:15 pm. 
  
• There was discussion that focused on some of the essential questions (see comments from second Secondary Reform meeting) that focused on some concrete actions/considerations that are either points to investigate or discussions that are currently underway.  A few of the questions discussed were: 
  

• Do we expect every student to graduate ready for college, military, or family wage job?
  
• Are teachers and administrators accountable for challenging all students?  (discussion included the removal of barriers that prevent ALL students having the opportunity to participate in honors and higher level courses)
  
• Do ALL students have the opportunity for a challenging curriculum?
  
• Do we provide structures to support all students to achieve high expectations?
  
• How do we address literacy 6-12?
  
• Do students have a quality educational experience every day?
  
• How can we create a “small” school environment within a 12+ (and growing) school?

Sandy Kinzel, Director of Elementary Education, provided some powerful information on the Role of Literacy in Secondary Reform.  Sandy indicated that students, as they move out of elementary into secondary education, still need to be taught to refine their reading skills and strategies to engage in learning through the content areas.  The ultimate goal of Reading is to construct meaning by making connections.  She made us aware of the Five Targets of Reading Comprehension which are

 1)  Oral Fluency

 2) Comprehension;connections

 3) Strategies

 4) Higher order thinking

 5) Motivation.    

Sandy left us with the challenge of supporting secondary teachers in providing professional development which includes literacy skills in all classrooms.
  ·        Keith Eades led a discussion on the book Secrets of the Teenage Brain.  The book provided research about the adolescent brain and the changes it undergoes.  The information provided validation for many things we already do in the classroom and as parents.  New information and PRACTICAL applications for teachers and parents were also introduced so that we can make direct applications on how we teach and interact with adolescents based on research.  The Book is written by Dr. Sheryl Feinstein. 
·        After lunch, committee members grouped themselves together based on the Breaking Ranks II and Last Best Chance surveys that were completed by middle and high school staffs in December and January.  Groups brought to the table two strengths and two opportunities for growth from each of the surveys based on survey input.  Surveys are one data point that will be used in gathering data/best practices to be considered for Secondary Reform.  Strengths and opportunities for growth discussed were as follows:
·        ACADEMIC RIGOR AND SUPPORT SURVEY:
Strengths:  1)  Each teacher will have a broad base of academic knowledge      
2)      Each high school will identify a set of essential learnings
                  
                  Opportunities For Improvement:
                                      1)  Education is a continuum    Elem -  Middle – High
                                      2)  Teachers design high quality work that engage students
 

• IMPORTANCE VS PRACTICE
  

Strengths:  1)  Strong world/applicable science program  
2)      Strong graduation requirements  -  rigor  -  Preparation for a
a variety of pathways
            Opportunities for Improvement:
1)      Standard requirement for PSAT testing
2)      Provision of time for collaborative cross-curricular lesson plans in order to improve the rate of engaging students
 

• STUDENT SUPPORT
  

Strengths:  1)  69% of faculty satisfied with the student/staff relationships
2)62% of surveyed group thinks the school is successful at  reaching  “hard-to-reach” parents
             Opportunities for Improvement:
1)      66% of the faculty who were satisfied with the perception that   53% of the classes were lecture driven
2)      35% of our teachers satisfied with low % of minority enrollment in advanced courses
 

• LAST BEST CHANCE (Middle Schools)
  

Strengths:  1)  Educators recognize that reading comprehension is fundamental to success
2)  Middle schools look at what teachers, parents, students, community, test scores and what other data say about the performance of the whose school and groups within the school
3)      Teachers are highly qualified and knowledgeable
4)      Teaming practices are utilized
 Opportunities for Improvement:
1)      Instructional time is not being equally devoted to core subjects.
2)      Transitions from elementary to middle and middle to high could be more effective
3)      The curriculum (based on NCSCOS) must be comprehensive and challenge, and allow for the acceleration of learning at all levels.
4)      Middle level teachers, in order to maximize the teaching/learning process, must have the structure and flexibility in the schedule that provides opportunities for teacher collaboration.
 

• The day ended with some considerations for discussion for meeting 4 which will be held April 24 at Rehoboth Baptist Church from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  

Some of the ideas are:
1)      Have a default college preparatory curriculum
2)      Develop smaller learning communities (career academies, academic teams)
3)      Rigor for all students
4)      Require at least on-line course for graduation
5)      Senior Project/Service learning
6)      Early College
7)      More AP pairings
8)      Students graduate with potential of having at least 2 years of college credits
  NOTES FROM PARKING LOT
  Essential Questions: 
 

• One possible partial solution to the “drop-out” rate problem was suggested:  Some states (5 or 6 in the U.S.) require that students go to school until they graduate OR are 18 years old.  Should N.C. look at this?
  

Literacy
 

• Students need to be able to manipulate texts (highlight, make notes, etc. like we do).  Would laptops or DVD of text allow that to happen?  Could they print out and highlight?
  
• As discussed, professional development to track reading across the curriculum is desperately needed.
  

Secrets of the Teenage Brain
 

• The implications of this research needs to be provided as mandatory staff development for all secondary school teachers.  Provide the scientific data and classroom interventions/strategies.  (Possible staff development on 9-High-Yiedl Strategies and Hotskills).
  

Our next meeting will be held April 24 at Rehoboth Baptist Church from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  LINKS:
 NC 2004-05 Drop-out Report
 

http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2005-06/20060301
  Breaking Ranks in the Middle Executive Summary
http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=937&DID=53494
 

Monday, February 6, 2006
Rehoboth Baptist Church Fellowship Hall
 The second Secondary Reform meeting was held with 40 of the 42 members of the committee present.   As stated by Mr. Warren, our goal is to identify areas of improvement in or Middle and High Schools.  Exactly what we need to do is still being determined.  What will reform (improvement as suggested by Rich Dombroski) look like in Currituck County? As we go through the Essential Questions posed and survey results we will get a better picture of exactly what our efforts will be focused toward.
·        Mr. Warren, Superintendent, welcomed the team to the meeting as well as providing some insight and reflection about the reform process.
·        Keith Eades, Assistant Superintendent, reviewed notes from the January 9 meeting which was held at Currituck County High School.  Members were given a hardcopy of the information that had been posted on the Secondary Reform Blog (which can be found at the homepage for Currituck County Schools   www.currituck.k12.nc.us ). 
·        Mr. Eades also distributed shared a vision statement from Dr. June Atkinson, NC State Superintendent, regarding Public Schools for a New Century that outlines her vision for 21^st century teaching and learning in North Carolina. 
·        Members also received a schedule for airing of the NC Rigor, Relevance and Relationships video that was shown at our initial meeting discussing NC reform efforts.   The dates for airing on Channel 18 local access are March 6-12, April 3-9, and May 8-14.  Air times will be 9:15 am, 1:15 pm and 10:15 pm. 
·        Members received a Nov. 7 summary of Thomas Freidman speaking on the need to teach students to learn how to learn, to effectively help students filter through information on the internet, and to insure that the fundamentals of learning foreign language, having great works of history and literature and ethics, mathematics, the arts, and career skills.
·        Dr. Harper Donahoe and Keith Eades led a discussion on Essential Questions (Those questions that need to be addressed and considered in the reform effort) and possible categories.  Much discussion arose regarding the general categories of Rigor, Relevance and Relationships and the fact that everything fell into one of the three categories.  Other discussions felt that the 3R’s are addressed in curriculum, organization, accountability and instructional practices.  The assignment for the group was to assign a number to each of the essential questions:  1- Responsive Relationships, 2- Accountability (authentic), 3- Curriculum and 4- Instructional practices.  The questions assigned to categories will be discussed next meeting.
·        Monique Wilkins-Combs presented information on Brain Based Learning, a best practice in education.  She engaged the group in the complexity of learning and the brain and the implication to classroom teachers.  Activities were conducted to further demonstrate how information is passed through the brain.  This was a good introduction to the book, “Secrets of the Teenage Brain” by Sheryl Feinstein which was given to each member to read before our March 6 meeting.
·        After lunch members were divided into 3 high school groups and 2 middle school groups to evaluate responses from 4 surveys that were completed by middle and high school staffs.  
·        The two middle school groups reviewed data from a December survey conducted with Middle School staff that focused on the recommendations presented by the “Last Best Chance” study that focused on Curriculum and Instruction, Diversity, Educator Preparation, Organization and Culture and Partnerships.
·        Each of the three high school groups discussed data from one of three surveys completed by High School staff.  The surveys focused on Importance vs. Practice, Student Support, and Academic Rigor.
·        March 6 will involve discussion from each of the groups and findings from surveys.
 

Evaluation/Questions
 

Plus-
  

• Facility
  
• Input from various perspectives
  
• Parent involvement
  
• Very informative Brain PowerPoint
  
• Food/Snacks were good
  
• Stayed on schedule well
  
• Interaction with others
  
• Grade/School table groups
  
• Last time eye opening information/this time more productive
  
• Monique’s PowerPoint was Great!
  
• Data excellent opportunity to talk and look at information objectively
  
• Good real and relevant discussions about perceptions and misconceptions about parents & schools and the roles each play
  

Delta-
  

• Fruit
  
• We need to know hard data
  
• Roadmap?  Where are we going?  Big Plan?
  
• Opportunities to discuss essential questions more
  
• More data variety
  
• No time constraints
  
• More time on task
  
• Survey data should have been disaggregated more or both groups work together
  
• Survey simplified/recreated
  
• I need an endpoint.  What are our goals?
  
• Don’t be afraid to redirect or discussion, or provide a bit more direction up front
  
• Most people do not understand the concept of an essential question
  

Secondary  Reform Feedback/Input
January 9, 2006
Currituck County High School
The first Secondary Reform meeting took place at Currituck County High School on Monday, January 9, 2006 with all 42 members in attendance.  

Input from the presentations are as follows:

Secondary Reform

• As we reform the High School Curriculum, do we also need to consider disciplinary reforms?
• What about the 10 months (Sept. to June) school year?  Would a reform be helpful in this area?
• What supports are going to be put in place to ensure students that are placed on a lower Freshman Academy team are prepared to be moved up to a higher level their sophomore year? (Too many students are staying at the same level 9-12 with the same group of students.)
• Rigor and Relevance are somewhat easier to teach to teachers?  How do you teach teachers about the importance of relationships and how to cultivate those?  To me, of the 3 R’s, relationship is the most important because if you don’t  have that, the relevance and rigor become most pointless
• Are they planning the architectural design of the new high school with reform in mind? (i.e. open, universal learning spaces/less compartmentalized?
• Is the county preparing for smaller high schools? Smaller classes?
• An article in Vision (p.29) relates that when a small learning community or school-within-a-school is the ONLY ONE (like Freshman Academy) friction and conflict between the SLC’s and host school is often the result.  Has this been a problem w/ Freshman Academy?
• Do we have any way to track where our graduates are 4-6 years after graduation?   I think we are only as good as the end product (how successful the student is ina career).  Don’t we need to track this?
• Breaking Ranks II suggests that teachers are responsible for now more than 90 students during a given term.  For High School Block System, that means 30 students per class period.  Is that based on a regular schedule rather than block?  30 students seems to be a big class.

Essential Questions

• How can we create “small” school environment within a 1200+  (and growing) school?
• How can the middle school schedule be re-worked to provide equitable/balanced instruction in all areas of the curriculum?
• Are the homes of learners equipped as a learning place?  BASICS:  Dictionary, atlas, expectation of daily study?  Can we change or influence that?
• Is the state going to get rid of the pathways (tracking)?
• RECOMMEND categorizing of the Essential Questions:  Too many discrete questions, i.e. curriculum, teaching strategies, art risk populations, in  regards to 3 R’s.
• What is the success rate of students in the classes such as English and History pairing in the 11^th grade this year?
• How do you challenge ALL students with honors courses and rigor and balance that with really stretching your AG population so that there is growth with those kids as well?
• Does the school schedule make relevant learning possible?
• Does testing promote relevance and rigor?

Creating and Leading Healthy Faculty Groups

• Where do we find TIME to get more teachers to collaborate and participate in Secondary Reform implementation?   So many are stretched thin now.  Implementing change is absolutely necessary, but we have to give teachers time to do it.

PLUS                                                             

• Great Meal
• Good provisions (Folders, etc)
• Parking Lot
• Very well organized and planned
• Love the Thomas Friedman Powerpoint
• Very informative
• Effective Powerpoints
• Expectations explained well
• Facility appropriate for first meeting
• Presenters
• Good Information

DELTA______________________________

• Somehow generate more discussion/comments
• Begin with contact information
• Next time, suggest facility with chairs and tables
• More interaction
• Short surveys/Polls would help
• Time limits- some of the info was cut short
• Not a lot of interaction for us
• More breaks
• Optimistic on time frame for process