Granger Junior High School, 2010National City, California

Sweetwater Union High School District1

First Things First: 

How to Create Organizational Structures That Support Student

Success

• To ensure all students realize their boundless potential through a system of learning distinguished by:

• Enrichment and rigor;• Recognizing achievement;• Timely support and intervention;• A safe and nurturing environment;• Building character, respect and trust;• A culture where success in the only option;• A strong partnership between family, school and

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• Align all courses to state standards.• Align all course offerings to the state alignment

(CSTs).• Require all teachers to use strategies from

Marzano’s Classroom Instruction That Works.• Mandatory intervention after school for all students

receiving D’s and F’s.• Requiring all teachers to move “Basic” students to

the “Proficient” level.• Requiring that all 9th grade students be enrolled in

     Algebra or Geometry and Biology.• Schoolwide reading and literacy in each classroom.• End social promotion. 3 M

• NATIONAL CITY o Median household income below state average. o Estimated per capita income: $15,000o High crimeo Large immigrant populationo Bachelor’s degree below state average- only 9%

 • School

o 90% Free and Reduced Luncho Grade 7-9, 1078 Students

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• New motto:

“No Hay Pobrecitos en Granger”

• Socio economic status and ethnic background are not an excuse for failure.

• Everyone will learn and use academic language in every class.• Common strategies will be used with fidelity to increase student

success and learning.

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API Scores: 175 points API Scores: 175 points in 6 Yearsin 6 Years

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Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) support the use of common strategies with fidelity by allowing teachers time to plan and develop ways to implement targeted strategies schoolwide. Teacher learn from each other by:

• Peer observations;• Collaborating on common assessments;• Planning in a common preparation period;• Reading and discussing professional literature;• Coaching. (DuFour, 2000)

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Granger- A Professional Granger- A Professional

Learning CommunityLearning Community• “Many students in poor communities live in neighborhoods

where low aspirations are the norm. If the adults in these schools can act with vigor and perseverance and apply best practices, they can make life-changing differences for their students.”

On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities,

Richard DuFour

• It is not our wanting to win that has made the difference at Granger;

it is our refusal to fail!

Success is the only option!Director of Middle Schools: Susan Mitchell

Principal: Mary Rose Peralta

Benefits of School Benefits of School Wide StrategiesWide Strategies

• There will be a strong effect on student achievement if all staff (90%) use strategies with fidelity (daily).o Summarizing & note-taking (34 pt gains).o Homework & Practice (28 pt gains).

1.Note-taking 2.Summary 3.Closure4.Homework and practice (AEC & parent support)*5.Vocabulary development6.Collaboration7.Academic Discourse

1.Higher level thinking questions2.Writing prompts (Marzano, 2001) * A separate presentation at the conference.

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Mathematics – Routines

The challenge: Placement of all 8th graders in Algebra

The system supports the challenge.

• PLC Worko Common Assessments (backward planning)o Common Pacing Guideo Common Homework Calendar

• Support during school day (no elective)• AEC after school (home work)• Tutoring after school• Summer School Program--Building Algebra

Prerequisite skills

Effective Strategies for Meeting the Algebra for All 8th graders

Challenge

Where We Were…Where We Were…2005 CST Results2005 CST Results

CST Results- Algebra CST Results- Algebra Grade 8Grade 8

CST Results- Algebra CST Results- Algebra Grade 8Grade 8

Algebra Grade 8- Algebra Grade 8- English LearnersEnglish Learners

Across the CurriculumAcross the Curriculum• Clear targets and objectives• Common rubrics• Common academic language strategies• Discourse in every class• Common formative assessments• Benchmarks

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Common AssessmentsCommon Assessments• With weekly quizzes focus on just a few focus

standards at a time.• Weekly quizzes should include no more than 5

questions per focus standard.

• START WITH AT LEAST ONE COMMON ASSESSMENT A QUARTER.

Research Support for Research Support for

Formative AssessmentFormative Assessment

• “Formative assessment, effectively implemented, can do as much or more to improve student achievement than any of the most powerful instructional interventions…”

o Darling-Hammond and Bansford, eds. Preparing Teachers for a Changing World. (2005), p. 277

Impact of Frequent Assessment

• Frequent use of classroom testing increases achievement…

• Superior performance was obtained from students who answered questions on a large number of short tests rather than a small number of long tests.

o Banget-Drowns, Kulik, and Kulik. Effect of Frequent Classroom Testing. J. Ed Research, Nov/dec, 1991

More Effective Strategies: For both Math and ELA Extended Day 7th period after school

Mon-Fri for BB/FBB students School wide Data Coach with “Data

Director” Common Weekly Quiz of 5 questions

(rigor)◦Systemic Support Classes-Quiz results identify

students for Support class wed 3:30-4:30.

Granger Junior High Teachers have infused strategies schoolwide for:

• developing academic language; • promoting student discourse;• encouraging student collaboration; • and engaging all students with great results.

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 Daily Learning Target Examples:

• By the end of the class,  I will be able to compare or contrast the process of mitosis and meiosis by summarizing the process in a five-sentence paragraph.

 •  Today I will synthesize the works of three authors by: identifying a 

       common theme and verbally citing evidence and examples to        explain the shared theme.

•Today I will be able to explain the steps to solving a one-step equation.•How would you describe to a 5th grader two different methods of adding 4 and -7?”Is the opposite of a number the same as its absolute value?

 

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Writing Across the Writing Across the CurriculumCurriculum

Math Prompt:•How would you describe to a 5th grader two different methods of adding 4 and -7?

•Is the opposite of a number the same as its absolute value? Explain in a paragraph of three to five sentences.

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• Results:o All students know the purpose of the lesson.o English Learners are more focused.o Students are on task.o The learning targets are clear.o Students know at the beginning of class what

they are supposed to know by the end of the class.

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• Students know that it is no longer acceptable to hide in the back of the room. All students are expected to be on topic and to contribute. Rubrics are  used to assess student contribution.

 

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• All students discuss or write at high level (Bloom’s) during the lesson and connect concepts learned to other content areas. Students learn because they are engaged in daily discourse. Students summarize lessons and develop generalizations based on summary.

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• Prompts on walls encourage students to speak and write at a higher level.

• Sentence frames are used as language support.

• Schoolwide rubrics.

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• All desks are arranged to encourage collaboration: paired or in small groups.

• Students assist their partners through written and oral discussion, explanation and summary.

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• All students use academic language to learn and explain new concepts.

• Teachers support through the use of sentence frames and guided readings, checklists, rubrics, and “Big Idea” questions.

• Discussions between students are robust with vocabulary learned in the lesson or unit.

• Learning targets are preset and reassessed at the end of discussion time.

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• Students use appropriate vocabulary in speaking and writing and in graphic representations.

• Graphic organizers help the students visualize the words.

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• Root words and derivatives are identified as parts of speech, definitions, synonyms and antonyms.

• Students use all these forms in written and oral discussion.

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• Evidence of academic vocabulary can be seen in every classroom.

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Literacy ExamplesLiteracy Examples

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• All Students at Granger have been trained in the Cornell Note-taking method.

• Benefits: 3 Marzano strategies in 1 note-taking system:1.Note-taking on right hand column2.Higher level questions on left hand column3.Summary at the end of the notes.

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Students are taught how to annotate and what features to look for when pre-viewing text: title, author, visual contents, and publishing information.

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ClosureClosure• Reflection • Assessment of learning• Goal setting for next lesson• “What do students know?” “How do we know

students are learning?”

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