©2004 NCEE

Archived Information

America’s Choice High School Design

Bob Mackin, DirectorAmerica’s Choice High Schools

National Center on Education and the Economy

High School Regional SummitMay 21-22, 2004

Boston, MA

2 ©2004 NCEE

Who We AreAmerica’s Choice

• Team of Educators

• Not-for-Profit Organization

• Leading Developer of Performance Standards and Assessments

• Track Record of Over 10 years of Standards-Based Reform

• Named in Obey Porter Legislation

• Based in Washington, D.C.

• Regional Offices in New York,NY; Jacksonville, FL; Ft. Worth, TX; Los Angeles, CA; West Orange, NJ and Louisville, KY

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NCEE Regions

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America’s ChoiceGoal/Mission

All students graduate from high school ready for college

without the need for remediation

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StudentPerformance

Standards and Assessment

Professional Learning

Communities

Parent/Guardian And

Community Involvement

High Performance Management, Leadership and Organization

Aligned Instructional

System

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Research Proven Strategies

America’s Choice uses best practices that are research proven, i.e., they work

• Performance standards for students and teachers using student work as the heart of classroom instruction

• Carefully developed and tested materials

• Readers and Writers Workshops that provide strong rituals and routines and result in developing strong reading and writing skills in different genres

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Research Proven StrategiesContinued

America’s Choice uses best practices that are research proven, i.e., they work

• A mathematics program that results in teachers understanding concepts and pedagogy and students experiencing investigations, solution methods and problem solving

• Coaching, mentoring and technical assistance: Job-embedded professional development that contributes to the success of the leadership team and classroom teachers across content areas

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Design Task One:

Standards and Assessment

• Standards-based Instruction in all subject areas with a focus on literacy across content areas

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Design Task Two:

Aligned Instructional System

• Engaging Instruction focused on Literacy and Math– Literacy training for as many ELA teachers as

possible

– Literacy training in content areas for whole faculty

– Ramp-Up programs in ELA and math

– Use of “portfolios” by grade 9 and 10 teams in 4 core academic subjects

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Design Task Two:

Aligned Instructional System

• Engaging Instruction focused on Literacy and Math– Math literacy via the Core Assignments

– Safety net programs

– Project-based learning in Upper Division

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Design Task Three:High Performance Management, Leadership and Organization

• Leadership– Distributed leadership via a Leadership Team

– Principal and Design coach establish a professional learning culture via class visits, focus on student work, clarifying performance standards, building schedule to suit design, etc.

– Principal is vision keeper and communicator of design

– 25 Books Campaign

– Alignment with state standards and state assessments

– Planning for Results (using data to improve performance)

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Design Task Three:High Performance Management, Leadership and Organization

• Small Learning Communities– Lower Division/Upper Division

– Grade 9 teams/Grade 10 teams

– Houses grades 9 and 10

– Class teacher/advisor for 2 years at Lower Division

– Upper Division Small Learning Communities programs

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Design Task Four:

Professional Learning Communities

• Professional Learning Communities– Intensive focus on building a collaborative work

culture

– Regular meetings of faculty in study/critical friends groups, minimally one per month

– Professional staff looks together at data, student work, teaching practice - via teams, critical friends groups, teacher meetings, department meetings, etc.

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Design Task Five:

Parent/Guardian and Community Involvement

• Parent/Guardian Community Engagement– Appoint Parent Community Outreach

Coordinator

– Foster links to community for career-based programs (e.g. internships within academies at Upper Division)

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America’s Choice gets results by:

Raising student achievement in reading, writing and math

Increasing the percentages of students who meet state standards

Closing the achievement gaps among groups of students

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ResultsCastle Park High School

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Taft High SchoolCincinnati High School

Results of Taft High School 9th Grade Students on the Ohio Proficiency Test

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30

40

50

60

70

Writing (%) Reading (%) Math(%) Science (%)

Subject Area

Percent of Students Scoring Proficient and Above

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

Standards and Assessment

Professional Learning

Communities

Parent/Guardian and

Community Involvement

High Performance Management, Leadership and Organization

Aligned Instructional

SystemStudent

Performance

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• Ramp-Up to Advanced Literacy is a key safety net in a comprehensive, standards-based design.

• It targets students who are 2-4 grade levels behind in reading on a standardized measure.

• Its purpose is to bring students up to grade level and prepare them to function effectively in an on-level English class.

What Is Ramp-up?

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The Course

• Organized as a double block. (90 min.)

• No more than 20 students.

• Reading/Writing Workshop structure divided into four interrelated parts:– Independent Reading (15-20 mins.)

– Read Aloud/Think Aloud (15-20 mins.)

– Work Period (40 mins.)

– Closing (5-10 mins.)

• Cross-age Tutoring.

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Required P.D.

• Total of 9 days training plus an additional day of training for principals on monitoring implementation.

• 5 days in summer, 2 days follow-up in fall, and 2 days follow-up in spring.

• Summer training prepares teachers for first 30-45 days of the school year and focuses heavily on the rituals and routines of effective workshop methods.

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Fall And Spring Follow-up

Sessions focus on:

• Student work and assessment analysis.

• Roll-out of next Author or Genre Study.

• Debriefing implementation.

• Teachers’ specific concerns.

Note: 1200 NYC teachers of ELA were trained in the summer of 2003!!