Smaller Learning Communities

Duval County Public SchoolsJacksonville, Florida

Overview and Structure

Smaller Learning Communities

What is an SLC?

A Smaller Learning Community (SLC) is a smaller division within the large high school where groups of students are assigned to a dedicated administrator, guidance counselor, teacher team, and support staff.

What is an SLC?

The primary purpose of an SLC is to create a personalized learning environment to meet

the individual needs of students.

Each SLC should have grade level interdisciplinary

teacher teams (Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies, Elective) that share the same

students.

SLC Structures

• Career Academies • Freshman Academies or Ninth Grade

Academies• Community Plan or House Plan• Schools-Within-a-School• Magnet Schools

SLC Structure

Principal

A House Admin

Guidance Counselo

r

Teachers of A

House

B House Admin

Guidance Counselo

r

Teachers of B

house

C House Admin

Guidance Counselo

r

Teachers of C

House

Student Placement in Smaller Learning Communities

Career pathways or Interest-based curriculum determine placement in an SLC.

Special interest programs reside within each SLC:• Acceleration programs (AICE, I.B., Early College)• Career Academies (Medicine, Finance, Logistics)• Interest based programs (ROTC ,The Arts)

Each SLC has the required curriculum, rigor, and relevance for student achievement and promotion.

SLC vs. PLC

SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Team members represent all disciplines and fill gaps in teacher/student relationships

• Discussions focus on student success

• All about “what works with shared students”

• Data discussions focus on academics, attendance, and discipline of shared students

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Team members represent subject area and fill gaps in subject area knowledge

• Discussions focus on curriculum

• All about “lesson studies”

• Data discussions focus on benchmarks

SLC vs. PLC

SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Discuss testing schedules and work loads

• Discuss relationship building

• Modeling teaching behaviors around classroom management

• Based on student schedules with shared students

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Create common assessments and common lesson plans based on learning schedules

• Discuss data from common assessments

• Modeling teaching behaviors around subject area

• Based on subject (all grades)

SLC Grant Goals and Objectives

Goal 1 : To provide all high school students with a

personalized learning environment.

OBJECTIVES• Enroll all students in a smaller learning community• Ensure that all teachers and administrators will

participate in staff development• Translate in-service concepts into classroom

practice• Increase parent and community involvement

SLC Grant Goals and Objectives

Goal 2: All students will become invested in their education, achieve academic success, and reach their full potential.

OBJECTIVES

• Enable students to read at or above proficiency level• Increase proficiency in mathematics• Increase the 9th grade promotion rate• Increase the graduation rate• Increase enrollment in postsecondary education• Increase enrollment in AP courses• Increase scores of 3 or higher on AP examinations• Increase percentage of dual enrollment students• Increase satisfaction with target schools’ SLC structures and

strategies

Scheduling and Configuration

Smaller Learning Communities

SLC Configuration

Upper Division

Career Connection College Level Work Transition Program

Capstone Course/Project

Lower Division

Keystone Course/Project

Electives and Physical Education Shared by

All Schools

Early College High School

Engineering Career Academy

Math/Science School

Humanities School

All upper division students will have access to all accelerated courses. Schools will differentiate based on career focus/major area of interest.

Lower division focus will be on core academics.

Grade 9 Grade 9 Grades 9-10 Grades 9-10

Grades 10-12

Grades 10-12

Grades 11-12

Grades 11-12

Schools Within Schools

Upper Division

Career Connection College Level Work Capstone Project for

Career Academy students

Lower Division

Keystone Course/Project

Electives Shared by all Communities, but

can be associated with one Community

Omega Community

Career Academies within

a Community

Math/Science Community

Humanities Community

All students will have access to acceleration courses.

Lower division focus will be on core academics, personalization, and identifying with the community. Proposed Staffing: Assistant Principal, Guidance Counselor

9th grade academy prep

9th Grade Program

Grades 9-10

Pre IB, Standard, Honors,

Keystone

Grades 9-12

Grades 10-12

Grades 10-12

Grades

11-12

IB program

AP courses, standard coursesJROTC,

AICE Scholars programs

15

Structural Design Schools – within – Schools

Gr 11-12

Gr 9-10

Upper Division – 300 to 400 students

• Career Connections

• College-level course work

• Differentiate on basic career focus

Lower Division – 400 to 500 students

• Focus on core academics

• Share electives

Scheduling Points for Consideration

• Team size and class size• Teacher teams built around core

academic courses by grade level• Teacher certification• Limit course preps where possible• Teacher adjuncts where necessary

Scheduling Points for Consideration

• Equitable mix of students with varying ability levels and special needs in each SLC

• Availability of intensive courses in each SLC

• Open access to accelerated and enrichment courses in each SLC (honors, AP, AVID)

• Themed electives driven by the SLC focus

• Scheduling requirements unique to academies

Team Meeting Frequency and Protocols

Smaller Learning Communities

SLC Meetings

When At least twice monthly Who All members of the Smaller Learning Community

Where House Administrator designates

according to meeting goals

SLC Grade Level Team MeetingsWhen Formal weekly meeting Additional informal meetings

as needed Who Grade Level Interdisciplinary Team Members

Where Consistent location determined by the grade level team

Grade Level Teacher Team MeetingsBeginning of the Year

• Formal weekly meetings• Teams often meet more often on an

informal basis during this time• Establish team expectations • Acclimate new members • Develop an awareness of shared

students • Identify Early Warning students

• Formal weekly meetings continue• Promotion rate becomes the grade

level team’s main focus• Interventions to meet student needs

are established• Academic performance, discipline,

and attendance are frequently discussed

• Incentives and recognition

Grade Level Teacher Team MeetingsMid- Year

Grade Level Teacher Team MeetingsEnd of Year

• Formal weekly meetings continue• Bubble students become main focus • Closely monitor promotion rate• Closely monitor progress toward

grade level team SMART goal• Incentives and Recognition • Teacher teams begin planning for

next year

Team ProtocolsSetting Expectations

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

What expectations will your

group set to encourage positive behaviors?

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

What expectations will your

group set to foster a collaborative, collegial environment?

Setting Expectations

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS

• Safe and civil behavior

• Respecting one another

• On-time• Prepared• Parent contact rules• Grading expectations

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

• Professional, collegial behavior

• Conversations stay solution-focused

• Open sharing of best practices

Team Meeting Evaluation

Areas of easiest agreement: What was decided upon swiftly and why?

Perceived sticking points: Areas that could result in some conflict?

Questions and concerns: What remains unclear?

Team Meetings -RtI and Shared Expectations

Teachers agree to the RtI process as a team and set a shared course of action:

• When do teachers intervene?• Is there a standard procedure, or is each approach unique?• Assessments

Each teacher has his own responsibility in the RtI

process – how are those responsibilities distributed?

Team Meetings -RtI and Shared Expectations

Is there a set end based on attainable student goals, or is

the RtI process vertically integrated for students throughout their schooling?

Beyond the team teachers, what other community members are involved?

• Parents• Counselors• Administrators• Mentors

Team MeetingsRtI Next Steps

• Find out your shared students• Monitor progress: academics,

attendance, discipline• Encourage students to be aware of

their promotion status• Solidify relationships with students• Be proactive in offering assistance

and seeking solutions

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

SMART Goals are:

• Specific• Measurable • Attainable• Relevant• Timely

SMART Goals

Which SMART goals would you set as a team?

• Use the data• Adjust for your own learning curve• Compare your goals to the school,

district, and state goals• How will your goals be measured?• Qualitative/Quantitative?

Q & A

Question &

Answer Session

Thank You

Smaller Learning Communities

Duval County Public SchoolsJacksonville, Florida

Participants and Their Roles

SLC Team Meetings

Participants and Their Roles

All roles may be permanent or may rotate among team members:

•FACILITATOR•RECORDER•TIMEKEEPER

Participants and Their Roles

• TEACHER MEMBERS form the grade level,interdisciplinary, instructional team, sharing

at least 80% of the same students.

Role: All Teacher Members should attend regularly and actively contribute to teammeetings. They may also assume more specific roles, including facilitator, recorder, or time keeper.

Participants and Their Roles

• SLC SPECIALIST acts as the facilitator for the grade level team. As the team develops, the specialist’s role evolves to a support function, providing additional resources and expertise as needed.

• SLC GUIDANCE COUNSELOR adds additionalinsight concerning shared students and should be available for team meetings upon request.

Participants and Their Roles

• SLC ADMINISTRATOR provides information, direction, and support for the team as needed or requested. The SLC administrator also acts as a liaison between the team and the administration of the school.

• INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES provide information

and support to Teacher Members as requested.

Topics of DiscussionSLC Team Meetings

Topics of Discussion

A successful grade level team meeting focus is

student-based. Topics of discussion include:

• Status of students: Academic performance, Attendance, and Discipline

• Interventions and RtI• Collective team responsibility for student

success• Relationship building activities

Topics of Discussion

1st & 2nd Meetings

• Establish day and time for meetings • Agenda

• Meeting Expectations • Team’s Expectations

Topics of Discussion

3rd Meeting Through Mid-Year

• Student Status• Decision Making/Consensus• Support staff

Topics of Discussion

Mid-Year to End-of-Year

• Student Status• Decision Making/Consensus• Promotion/Retention• Support Staff

DataSLC Grade Level Teams

Use of Data

Data is used to assist interdisciplinary grade level teams in meeting the needs of their shared students.

SLC Specialists, SLC Administrators, SLC Guidance Counselors, and Instructional Coaches play a vital role in supplying data not readily accessible to grade level teacher team members.

Types of Data

Typical student data required for teams include:

• GPA• Standardized Test Scores / Cluster Breakdowns• Demographic Profiles• Discipline Records• Attendance Records• ESE Status• ELL / ESL Status• Free and Reduced Lunch Status• Grades• Retention Status

Types of Data

Additional data useful to teams include:

• Class and Team Profiles• NCLB classifications, including lowest

performance quartile designations• Bubble students

Name Number Sense

Measurement Geometry Algebraic Data Analysis

ESE

Adams XBoyd X X LFordFowler X XHarrington 504 PLANKirk XMcGee X XRoberts XRodgers X X X X X JSmith XSmith X X X KTaylorWellington X

Sigma 9th Grade Bubble Students MathFind your bubble students. Have you had a data chat with these students?

Sigma 9th Grade Bubble Students Math

Find your bubble students. Have you had a data chat with

these students?

Name Words Main Idea Compare Reference ESE

Adams X

Boyd X L

Ford

Fowler X X

Harrington 504 PLAN

Kirk X

McGee X

Roberts X X

Rodgers X X X X J

Smith X

Smith X X K

Taylor X

Wellington X

Sigma 9th Grade Bubble Students Reading

Find your bubble students. Have you had a data

chat with these students?

Sigma 9th Grade Bubble Students Reading

StuNumb First Name

Last Name

Street Address City State ZIP Home

Phone Sex Ethnic DOB AGE Grade HR Lunch ESE ESOL DPP Retained GPA1 WGPA1

1 Jacksonville Fl F W 30-Jun-93 17.90 9 901F J 2.07 2.072 Jacksonville Fl M B 15-Sep-94 16.60 9 901H 2.54 2.543 Jacksonville Fl M M 27-Dec-94 16.30 9 901H J 2.77 2.774 Jacksonville Fl F B 01-Feb-95 16.20 9 901H 1.82 1.825 Jacksonville Fl M B 13-Dec-95 15.30 9 901H 3.46 3.466 Jacksonville Fl M B 17-Jan-96 15.20 9 901H 1.64 1.647 Jacksonville Fl F B 13-Mar-96 15.00 9 901H 2.89 3.328 Jacksonville Fl F W 18-Apr-96 14.11 9 901H 1.23 1.239 Jacksonville Fl M H 24-Dec-94 16.30 9 901H 1.14 1.43

10 Jacksonville Fl M B 27-Jun-96 14.90 9 901H 2.92 3.5411 Jacksonville Fl M W 16-Aug-93 17.70 9 901F W R 0.23 0.2312 Jacksonville Fl M B 13-Aug-96 14.70 9 901 2.50 2.64

13 Jacksonville Fl F B 28-May-96 14.10 9 901 2.23 2.23

14 Jacksonville Fl M B 10-Apr-96 14.11 9 901H 1.12 1.1215 Jacksonville Fl F B 02-Sep-95 15.70 9 901 1.71 2.29

16 Jacksonville Fl M B 24-May-92 18.10 9 901F 0.15 0.15

17 Jacksonville Fl F B 24-Mar-93 18.00 9 901F J 2.00 2.0018 Jacksonville Fl M B 06-Mar-95 16.00 9 901 W 3.23 3.2319 Jacksonville Fl M B 17-Dec-94 16.30 9 901 K 2.76 2.7620 Jacksonville Fl F B 22-Aug-95 15.70 9 901H J 1.00 1.0021 Jacksonville Fl M W 06-Oct-94 16.50 9 901H 0.62 0.9222 Jacksonville Fl M B 11-Jul-95 15.80 9 901 0.85 0.8523 Jacksonville Fl F W 15-Feb-94 17.10 9 901 0.54 0.5424 Jacksonville Fl   M B 10-Sep-93 17.60 9 901H R 0.08 0.08

25 Jacksonville Fl F B 16-Oct-95 15.50 9 901H K 3.15 3.15

26 Jacksonville Fl M W 16-Apr-95 15.11 9 901H W R 0.15 0.1527 Jacksonville Fl F B 31-Jan-96 15.20 9 901R 3.20 3.6028 Jacksonville Fl M H 17-Jan-96 15.20 9 901H 2.43 2.8629 Jacksonville Fl M W 21-Feb-95 16.10 9 901R W 1.31 1.3130 Jacksonville Fl F B 31-Jul-94 16.80 9 901F 1.46 1.46

STUDENT DATA: ADS

Uses of Data byInterdisciplinary Grade Level Teams

• Setting the team SMART Goal• Designing approaches to meet the

SMART Goal• Evaluate effectiveness of instruction• Differentiate instruction• RtI• Set individual student academic,

disciplinary, and performance goals• Define measurable standards for

awarding performance incentives

Uses of Data byInterdisciplinary Grade Level Teams

Breakout Session with Interdisciplinary Team

Members from Duval County Public Schools:

First Coast High SchoolForrest High SchoolLee High SchoolTerry Parker High School

Session Activity

Using Data as a Grade Level Team to

Design Student Interventions

Student MeetingsSLC Grade Level Teams

Student Meeting Protocol

• Five individual students per meeting date • 10-12 minutes per student• The team provides suggestions for student

goals and incentives• Students complete and sign student

success plans• The team sets a follow-up date with the

student in which data is analyzed and an exit from the plan is afforded if goals are reached.

Student Success Plan for Robert E. Lee High School

GOALS FOR STUDENT: 1. Taking better notes

2.

Turning in assignments (Class work/Homework)

3. Earn at least a C+ or B on exams

On _9/15/11_________________ ____XXXXXXX XXXXXXXX_____________________________ will begin this contract that will ensure her success at Robert E Lee High School. This contract will be used to chart the progress of the aforementioned student.

ACTIONS TO REACH GOAL: 1. Study 30 minutes per day at home. (Provide student with a study log in which the parent will sign).

2.

Focusing more in class while ignoring distractions. (Follow up with teachers to ensure this goal is being attained).

3. Attending tutoring sessions. (Monitor tutoring sign in sheets to ensure attendance).

Special Note: The consequences mentioned above are null and void if student commits an act that would require a suspension and/or expulsion. REWARDS IF GOALS ARE MET: 1.

Attending incentive gatherings

2.

Flash Drive

3. IPOD Shuffle

By signing this contract all parties agree to the stipulations in the document and will following accordingly. The following contract will be reviewed on (date) __________.

_______________________ ___________________________________Printed Student Name Student Signature/Date

_______________________ ___________________________________Printed Teacher Name Teacher Signature/Date

Benefits

• Consistency for Students

• Clear expectations

• Opportunities to build relationships

Factors for Success

• Open communication

• Proficiency in coordinating Success Plan Meetings

• Having a common vision

• Commitment to success for all students and each other

Interdisciplinary Team Factors for Success

• Balance academic challenge with support and intervention.

• Encourage students to take ownership for their education.

• Meet the cognitive, social, and affective needs of each student.

• Encourage students to develop healthy relationships.

Student ResponseSLC Grade Level Teams

A Process That WorksSLC Grade Level Teams

Outcome Data

Tardies: Sigma 9 for 2010-2011

Q1 Q2 Q3

Outcome Data

First Coast High School Disciplinary Record Since Implementation of SLCs

Outcome Data

Sigma 9 Attendance Compared to other IT at FCHS (2010/11)

Outcome Data

There is an increased promotion rate on interdisciplinary teams that meet and discuss students on a regular basis.

EVIDENCE: RETENTION RATE/PROMOTION RATE

Sigma 9: 1.4% 9th grade retention rate for the 2010/2011 school year.

Final Q & A

Question &

Answer Session

Thank You