SLC Project Leadership

MHS’ PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope)

MHS’ PATH Process•20-25 Staff involved in creating the PATH (teachers and administrators who had demonstrated interest in and commitment to school reform)

•2 Day leadership retreat once each year (years 1-3)

•Facilitated PATH process

•Begin with BIG Vision/North Star (Where do we want to end up and what will it look like when we’re there?)

•Move from BIG Vision to “NOW” (What do we look like/feel like now?)

•Sequence from “NOW” to who to ENROLL (What staff/stakeholders do we need to enlist/engage?) to RESOURCES (what to we need to be stronger?)

•Develop milestones and performance indicators for your SLC PATH (1 year, 3 years, etc.)

Your Project Rationale

• Clarity of your need.

• Institutional support.

• Commitment to your vision.

• Specific goals and objectives.

Unifying the School Community

• The need: quantitative vs. qualitative . . .data driven need.

• The support: anchor it to something bigger than your school . . . de-personalize it from any one individual.

• The vision: know where you are going and how you will get there . . . set benchmarks.

• The goals: be clear about first things first, identifying sure wins and build upon previous successes.

Struggles, Changes, and Modifications

• Agreement about the need – first few years you’ll have constant interference.

• Unifying the puzzle pieces – be clear and consistent how specific elements fit together.

• Supporting risk-takers – acknowledge publically and defend privately.

• Those not directly involved – some will be directly, while other indirectly.

• Change is good and natural – support and welcome adjustment.

• The “train” talk – be clear and expect criticism.

Our Plan

A focus on relationships – teaming at 9th and 10th grade (smaller learning communities for both adults and students)A focus on relevance – career pathways focused around skill sets and industry-based needs.A focus on rigor – dual high school/college credit beginning early in a student’s high school career and Advanced Placement opportunities with no prerequisites.

Plant Seeds (right place, right time)

Nurture Teacher Leadership

Provide early support to risk-takers

Use selective listening/hearing

Don’t be afraid to push, add, expand

AND . . .

Remember . . .

Meaningful and sustainable reform is not an EVENT. It’s a PARADE! You have to keep

‘marching and waving,’ keep reinforcing the vision, the beliefs, the actions, the

rationale, as you parade down the road because you’re

constantly passing in view of a NEW audience.

THE PARADE METAPHOR

School-level and District-level Excel workbook data collection (student demographics, SLC structures and strategies, reading, math, graduation, postsecondary placement, other outcomes)

Executive Summary (1-2 page overview of achievements and continuing challenges)

Project Narrative (data and narrative aligned with measureable objectives and performance indicators)

Budget Report (standard form)

Budget Narrative (how funds were spent by category)

External evaluator report (if applicable)

Achievement Indicators (2005/06 Baseline year for all achievement indicators except OAKS.

Due to benchmark recalibration, 2006/07 is the earliest valid year for OAKS performance comparison.)

1) Increase by 5% the number of students taking rigorous coursework, as defined by Advanced Placement and dual high school/college credit enrollment.

2) Increase by 10% the number of students performing in the “meets” and/or “exceeds” range on Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) in reading and math.

3) Maintain an Oregon University System persistence rating that is above state average.

4) Increase by 5% the number of students receiving personalized support (supplemental instruction) in math and reading.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT (project narrative example)Project Objective Status Comments

Increase by 5% the number of students taking rigorous coursework, as defined by dual high school/college credits and Honors and Pathway Diplomas earned.

Target exceeded:4,806 college credits were earned through College Credit Now and Advanced Placement coursework, representing a 62.7% increase over baseline (2005/06) data and the number of Honors and Pathway Diplomas awarded has increased by 16%.

Our dual high school/college credit program is at the core of our educational mission. According to our postsecondary data, 89% of students who earn dual credit during their senior year enroll in college the fall following high school graduation, whereas only 43% of “all” graduates do.

Increase by 10% the number of students performing in the “meet” or “exceed” range on Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in reading and math.

Target exceeded: Performance among “all” students has increased by 24.2% in reading and 13.9% in math, over baseline (2005/06) data.

Student subgroup achievement in reading has increased at percentages significantly greater than increases in achievement among “all” students, resulting in a narrowing of the achievement gap. In math, subgroup achievement has increased at percentages equal to or greater than “all” students.

Achievement Indicators (2005/06 Baseline Data for all achievement indicators.)

1) Increase by 20% the number of business partnerships and internship opportunities.

2) Increase by 10% the number of students engaged in and completing career pathway coursework.

3) Reduce the freshman fail rate to at or below 10%, increase the attendance rate to 94%, reduce administrative referrals by10%, increase the graduation rate to 82%, and increase postsecondary enrollment to above state average.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT (project narrative example)Project Objective Status Comments

Reduce the freshman fail rate to at or below 10%, increase the attendance rate to 94%, reduce administrative referrals by 10%, increase the graduation rate to 82%, and increase postsecondary enrollment to above state average.

Three of four targets exceeded and one of four not met:The freshman fail rate of 8% represents a 22% decrease over baseline data, the administrative referral rate has decreased by 48%, and the graduation rate of 91% represents a 9% increase.MHS’ postsecondary enrollment remains slightly below state average and has decreased 1% compared to baseline data.

This year, we have implemented several new strategies to increase postsecondary enrollment, utilizing a College Access Challenge Grant award, including:•Doubling the number of students mentored by ASPIRE volunteers•Offering more than $10,000 in dual credit scholarships for economically disadvantaged and first-generation students, and offering more than $7,000 in scholarships for recent graduates not currently enrolled in college•Increasing the number of college campus visits and college recruitment activities

Achievement Indicators (2005/06 Baseline year for all achievement indicators. No baseline data

for indicators 3 and 4.)

1) Increase by 15% the number of students participating in school-based clubs, sports, the afterschool program, and other activities.

2) Establish a required PAWS (Pro Academic Ways to Success) class as part of freshman teams.

3) At least 85% of freshman students, on average, will report that they had a positive relationship with their team teachers.

4) Increase by 2% the number of students reporting they had a positive learning experience at MHS, as measured by senior exit surveys.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT (example)

Project Objective Status Comments

Increase by 15% the number of students participating in school-based clubs, sports, the afterschool program, and other activities.

Target exceeded: Club participation has increased 20% and afterschool program enrollment and participation has increased 16%, this year over last, and 50% over baseline (2005/06) data.

MHS’ 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, which funds the afterschool program, ends this year. We believe the program is critical for our students, especially at the 9th/10th grade level, and we are uncertain how we will continue to fund an afterschool program in the current budget climate. Presently, we intend to operate a skeletal program (homework help and a few clubs) using fees and other fundraisers.

Achievement Indicators (2005/06 Baseline year for all achievement indicators. No baseline data

for indicator 3.)

1) Increase by 20%, annually, the number of staff implementing Common Formative Assessments.

2) Increase by 20%, annually, the number of staff engaged in collaborative work.

3) Increase by 5%, annually, the percentage of students reporting that MHS provided a safe learning environment, as measured by senior exit surveys.

4) Implement a daily bell schedule that supports enhanced credit opportunities.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT (project narrative example)

Project Objective Status Comments

Increase by 20%, annually, the number of staff engaged in collaborative work.

Target exceeded: 100% of licensed and administrative staff participate in bi-weekly Embedded Staff Development/Professional Learning Communities.

This year’s Embedded Staff Development is focused on Power Strategies for Effective Teaching, developed by The Leadership and Learning Center. The strategy of focus, for a given week, is introduced and modeled to staff, they are given two weeks to implement it in the classroom, and they return to Embedded Staff Development with evidence (student work, assessment results, etc.) of having used the strategy and a reflection on how well the strategy worked.

“ . . . An abundance of thanks for your work as project director in heading up the very successful SLC project at MHS. Please extend our gratitude to the teachers, students, and administrators who are inspirational to those of us at the Department of ED who read about your successful activities.

As I read through the APR, I found myself continually impressed by McMinnville’s goals and success in meeting the goals . . . The goals are huge—they go to the heart of educating kids—and your success is outstanding! I have great faith in your summary comments that ‘student performance indicators validate our project, and the majority of our staff is committed to our reform. SLC structures and strategies are now ingrained in our school culture.’ In summary, the SLC Project within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education is very pleased with the substantial progress McMinnville has made as a smaller learning community.”

--SLC Program Officer, U.S. Dept. of ED