“Two roads diverged in the woods, and we took the Road to Awesome!”
Transcript of “Two roads diverged in the woods, and we took the Road to Awesome!”
DALLASTOWN AREA HIGH
SCHOOL REDESIGN“Two roads diverged in the woods, and we took the
Road to Awesome!”
Visionary Leadership
DASD School Board Comprehensive Planning Committee Dr. Dyer, DASD Superintendent Dr. Doll, DASD Assistant Superintendent
DASD Comprehensive Planning:
Implement a STEAM initiative beginning in the 4th grade
Develop course offerings at the high school level that allow for flexibility through a combination of cyber and building based courses
Expand secondary course offerings
Establish a secondary campus restructuring effort with emphasis on sharing of staff, appropriate transitioning of students, and consolidation of resources
Review and enhance the district’s many successful programs to promote community service, employability career skills, and workplace success traits
Our Goal
2020 Goal: Over the course of 6 years we will explore
and develop the strategic design to guide and redesign the high school program.
2014-2015 Action Steps:Plan, prepare, and determine feasibility of the implementation of a new schedule for the 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 school year
The Process:
High School Redesign Committee
Sub-Committees: Scheduling Structures School Counseling Services Student Academic/Behavioral Support School Culture and Climate Course and Program Offerings STEAM Corporate and Educational Partnerships Personalized Learning Environments
Committees in Action: Research on best practice and high school reform
Site visits to high-achieving schools
Ongoing DAHS needs analysis by stakeholders
Goal setting and action planning based on data
Action throughout a multi-year process
Assessment of results and focus on continuous improvement
Actions Grounded in Research:
Breaking Ranks II, NASSP, 2007 Inevitable, Schwahn & McGarvey, 2012 Mindset, Dweck, 2006 Curriculum 21, Hayes Jacobs, 2010 What Works in School, Marzano, 2003 Art and Science of Teaching, Marzano,
2007 Professional Learning Communities that
Work, DuFour, DuFour, and Eaker, 2008
Actions Grounded in Evidence-Based Best Practices:Corporate and Educational Partnerships Committee Souderton HS, Souderton, PA Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA International Business and Workforce Expo, York, PA Wellspan Health, York, PA
Course and Program Offerings Committee River Bluff HS, Lexington, SC Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA
Personalized Learning Environment (Hybrid Learning Opportunities) Committee Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA Lindsay Unified Schools, Lindsay, CA (Virtual Tour & Interview)
Scheduling Structures Committee Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA
Actions Grounded in Evidence-Based Best Practices:
School Counseling Services Committee Council Rock North HS, Newtown, PA Radnor HS, Radnor, PA Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA River Bluff HS, Lexington, SC
School Culture and Climate Committee Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA Lindsay Unified Schools, Lindsay, CA (Virtual Tour & Interview) Cocalico HS, Denver, PA
STEAM Committee Livingston HS, Livingston, NJ Downingtown STEM, Downingtown, PA
Student Academic/Behavioral Support Committee Patterson HS, Baltimore, MD Souderton HS, Souderton, PA Lower Merion HS, Ardmore, PA
Findings from Research that will Guide our Redesign:
Implement schedules flexible enough to accommodate teaching strategies consistent with the ways students learn (NASSP, 2007; Marzano, 2003; Marzano, 2007; Schwahn & McGarvey, 2012).
Institute structural leadership that allows for meaningful involvement of all stakeholders (NASSP, 2007).
Align school-wide comprehensive professional development with essential learnings and effective instructional practices (NASSP, 2007; Marzano, 2003).
Findings from Research that will Guide our Redesign (continued):
Establish essential learnings (NASSP, 2007; Hayes Jacobs, 2010).
Increase the quantity and quality of interactions between students and teachers (NASSP, 2007).
Comprehensive advisory program that allows students to self-assess growth toward clear goals (NASSP, 2007; Schwahn & McGarvey, 2012).
Ensure quality instructional practices and assessments to personalize learning (Dweck, 2006; NASSP, 2007; Schwahn & McGarvey, 2012).
Findings from Site Visits that will Guide our Redesign:
Personalized Learning Environment
Students don’t serve time; instead, time serves students
Shift from teaching to learning
Belief that all learners can learn
Changing role of the educator from teacher to learning
facilitator
Learning is fostered by frequent formative feedback
Findings from Site Visits that will Guide our Redesign (continued):
Learning is future-focused
Systems/Structures are in place to meet the needs of all learners
Teaching is based on current research on learning and cognition
Technology is utilized as a tool for learning
Abundant opportunities are offered for individual learning and personal responsibility
Findings from Site Visits that will Guide our Redesign (continued):
Comprehensive school counseling services are provided, including
student to counselor ratios of approximately 250:1 with full-time
psychologist and social worker support
Comprehensive Science, Technology, and Engineering programs
Significant AP offerings in a variety of areas
Culture of excellence and focus on improvement
Corporate and educational partnerships that are mutually beneficial
Students and educators are goal oriented
Career Pathway/Academy approach
High School Schedule Redesign:
Current Schedule Facts: Students Eight-periods per day Forty-two minute periods Simultaneous transitions for 1850 students 5th period lunch schedule (split classes) Two, three, and five day-per-week courses Students responsible for as many as ten
classes a week Limited access to academic core teachers Extensions courses are not maximized for
student success
Current Schedule Facts: Teachers
Limited Collaboration time for staff
Inefficient use of teacher resources
5th Period creates disjointed learning opportunities
Professional staff monitoring 206 study halls per semester
Teacher to Student ratio far exceeds recommended 90:1
ratio
Limited access to students beyond regularly scheduled
classes
42 minute time periods do not support effective learning in all
classes
Limited opportunities to support students’ social, academic,
and emotional needs
New Schedule
Course Times:
30
ILT
SLT
Support Classes
60
Keystone Courses
Upper Level Electives
PE
Technology/
Engineering
75
Honors and AP Lab Sciences
45
Intro Courses
World Languages
Upper Level Math
45 day, 90 day, and 180 day courses. Lengths are determined based on needs of the course.
Course Lengths:
New Schedule Facts: Students
Increased focus on specific subject areas that require increased cognitive demand and varied instructional practices
Students have electives that are 45 days or 90 days. (Two- and three-day per week electives are removed to support learning.)
Period lengths are increased in AP courses, Keystone courses, upper level electives, technology & engineering courses, and physical education courses.
Students will transition at different times based on their course tracks, resulting in fewer students in the hall at one time (Improved student safety).
New Schedule Facts: Students (cont.) Opportunities for a true advisory program that
supports the needs of our students and teaches what it means to be a Wildcat
Students will be responsible for no more than seven courses per marking period, as compared to as many as ten courses in current schedule.
Students will have access to daily academic and counseling support through ILT and SLT.
Proposed Schedule Facts: Teachers
Increased efficiency in staff utilization
Staff sharing opportunities at the MS in technology education
Study halls will be a thing of the past
Teachers will have the opportunity for collaboration through the use of ILT and SLT centers.
The 2015 Schedule Proposal
Lunch/Flexible Block LFB
2014-2015: Next StepsPhase 1 Communicate with parents and students. Pilot the new schedule in eSchool to determine
feasibility of new schedule implementation (i.e. 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 school year).
Phase 2 Develop a comprehensive communication plan. Plan professional development. Coordinate curricular adjustments/needs. Adjust procedural and policy related items such as
credit structure, leveling, GPA, etc.
Works CitedDuFour, Richard, DuFour, Rebecca, & Eaker, Robert (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
Dweck, Carol S., Ph.D. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. USA: Ballantine Books.
Hayes Jacobs, Heidi (Ed.). (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Marzano, Robert. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Marzano, Robert. (2003.) What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Marzano, Robert, Waters, Timothy, & McNulty, Brian A. (2005). School leadership that works: From leadership to results. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
National Association of Secondary Principals (Eds.). (2004). Breaking ranks: Strategies for leading high school reform. Reston, VA: National Association of Secondary Principals.
Schwahn, Charles & McGarvey, Beatrice. (2012). Inevitable: Mass customized learning. (2012). Charles Schwahn & Beatrice McGarvey.