September 29, 2010

Performance Based Diploma Academy

Waterloo, IA (2008) Sarasota County, FL

(2004) Salina, KS (1994) Indian River County, FL

(1989) Hibbing, MN (1985) Satanta, KS (1982)

Dr. Gary NorrisSuperintendent 29 Years

December 18, 2006

Know more about the world Think in interdisciplinary combinations Manage, interpret, and validate information (information literacy)

Communicate and work in teams Utilize technology Understand key concepts taught in depth

21st Century Students

August 2009 we launched a comprehensive

district wide strategic plan--to prepare our

students for the 21st Century

Strategic Focus Areas• Student Achievement and Development

• Human Assets• Climate for Learning• Financial Sustainability and Operational Excellence

• Community Engagement

Why?-Because children’s brains are wired differently

-Because we must align teaching and learning to tomorrow’s workforce needs

-Because we must acknowledge global economic and technological realities

1950s Educational strategies just will not work

Passive Receive Knowledge

Learn Alone Learning Content

Replicate Tracking

Engaged 21st Century Classrooms

-Active Learning-Construct Knowledge

-Learn Together-Learning to Learn-Relevant instruction

-Different Learning Styles

Customized learning will help many more students succeed in school

Student-centric classrooms will increase the demand for new technology

Computers must be disruptively deployed to every student

Horn Concludes:

Disruptive innovation can circumvent roadblocks that have prevented other attempts at school reformWe can compete in the global classroom—and get ahead in the global market

Horn Concludes:

We are the first district in Iowa to implement

A local example of disruptive innovation…

PBDA

1987 Vero Beach, Florida Dr. Jim Burns, Superintendent Ms. Judy Jones, Coordinator Plato-Wicat Software Tape Drive Computers GED Test Exit Exam Regular Vero Beach High School Diploma Rave Reviews from Employers

PBD Beginnings

This is not credit recovery—although PLATO is being used in our district for just that.

Without all of these components you can not create a true Performance (Mastery) Based Diploma.

Philosophically this eliminates the “Carnegie Unit.”

Credits are no longer based on seat time but based on mastery.

Four Components of a Performance Based Diploma

Component One1. Online academic instruction with PLATO courseware.

300 Students at East and West 200-250 at

Expo

Component Two2. Career technical course sequence leading

to certification

Component Three3. Counseling

Life skillsConflict resolutionProblem solvingCrisis managementHuman interaction skillsFamily environment

Counseling

Component Four4. Mentoring

Teammates District mentor coordinator Matching partially based on career interest Could use an outside agency like: Big

Brothers and Big Sisters One hour per week Suggested activities

Mentoring

TestimonalsPerformance Based Diploma Academy—Justin Little and Anjuli Myers

Alan November

Novemberlearning.com

Agriculture, Food

Natural ResourcesMarketing,

Sales, Services

Business, Management,

Administration

Information TechnologyFinance

Hospitality Tourism

Law Public Service

Security

Government Public

Administration

Education Training

Human Services

Health Sciences

Arts A/V Technology

Communications

Architecture Construction

Science Technology Engineering Mathematics

Manufacturing Transportation Distribution

Logistics

Nationally Jobs are divided into 16 Career Clusters

Arts, Communication & Business Academy

Health Academy

Human Services Academy

Engineering, Technology and Manufacturing Academy

Career Interest Academies-get students off to a great start in High School

Teach employability skills in 9th grade and the career courses--reinforced in academic courses

Use local employer partnerships to provide program guidance, mentors and field-based experiences.

Academic

Emotional/Social

CTE/Electives

Professionals in each high school:

Math teacher Social Studies teacher Science teacher Language arts teacher Program facilitator Counselor

150 students at East High School150 students at West High School

Depending on the course 70-80% online instruction

Augmented by 20 to 30% other assignments and projects

PBDA (Performance Based Diploma Academy)

Half of the day is core course content

One-fourth of the day is career-tech education

One-fourth of the day is counseling and mentoring

PBDA (Performance Based Diploma Academy) Student Day

New Credit Replacement Credit

Total0

100

200

300

400

500

600

408

108

516

378

99

477

PBDA Credits For 2nd Semester

EastWest

East West0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

1.4581.249

1.974 1.912

Average GPA

EntryEnding

East West0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

444039

33

Average Days Absent

Year 08-09Year 09-10

East West0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

250

338

98

189

Total Referrals

Year 08-09Year 09-10

Still In PBDA 89 83Dropped School 6 9

EXPO 3 2GED 2 1

Grad Connect 11 15Graduated 32 26Job Core 2 0

Moved Away 10 6WEBC 4 2

Opted Out 4 4Transferred Back To

Traditional 5 4Transfer To West 1  

Adjudicated 1Total For the Year 169 153

What are students saying about the

program?

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

10

20

30

40

50

60

51.3

38.5

7.72.6 0

Since joining the PBDA, I believe I'm more successful in school.

Perc

enta

ge o

f stu

dent

s

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

64.4

31.9

2.4 0 1.2

I like learning at my own pace.Pe

rcen

tage

of S

tude

nts

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

42.9

33.1

19

3.1 1.2

I think the PLATO program is helping me to learn more in each of my classes.

Perc

enta

ge o

f Stu

dent

s

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

35.6

45.4

13.5

1.8 1.8

My progress is closely monitored.Pe

rcen

tage

of S

tude

nts

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

45.4

39.3

11.7

2.4 0.600000000000001

The PBDA staff members care about my success.Pe

rcen

tage

of S

tude

nts

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

42.3 40.5

14.1

1.8 0

When I’m having problems, there is always someone in the PBDA that I can go to for help.

Perc

enta

ge o

f Stu

dent

s

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

10

20

30

40

50

60

53.4

33.7

11.6

0.600000000000001

0.600000000000001

I am glad I am in PBDA.Pe

rcen

tage

of S

tude

nts

StronglyAgree Agree Neutral Disagree StronglyDisagree0

10

20

30

40

50

60

52.7

24

16.6

2.4 3.6

I want to be in PBDA again next year.Pe

rcen

tage

of S

tude

nts

I am a senior graduating this year, 2010. PBDA has helped me reach my success. In this program you have an opportunity to accomplish your goal of graduating on time. There are teachers in each class to guide you through the material, but it is up to you to succeed.

The faculty bases the program upon mastery – you are required to get no lower than 80%, which is a great accomplishment. I was in traditional (REGULAR) classes from my freshman year until my junior year, and I only had twenty-some credits after my junior year, and I needed to graduate in order to pursue my career in health services.

• PBDA to me helped me in so many ways. If I had not been put in the program, I would not have finished high school on time, I think that the program is very great. I love the fact that if you need help with something, the teacher will sit down and help you through it. I love the fact that you can get that one-on-one when it is needed. I think that this program is a very good success, and I would tell any student to join the program.

• What comes to mind when I hear the letters PBDA? I think success! This program opened up and saved me from dropping out of high school. It saved the only key to success…education. Being in PBDA helped me get all my required credits and more in a short period of time. This would have never been done without the inspiration my teachers and counselors gave me in PBDA.

• I am a senior who is in PBDA, a program at West high that I believe if you have the courage and determination that no matter how far behind on credits you are you can graduate on time. The faculty of this program try so hard to get every student to graduate that you have to try to not succeed to not pass. The program is really easy to learn and follow through; in addition, if you don’t understand something, you can go back and relearn it.