problem solving

The Situation:

SATURDAY SCHOOL

Objective of Saturday school:

Supplement classroom

instruction to prepare

students for annual

standardized tests

These tests determine

which track students will

be placed on in subsequent

years

The aim being that a

student is placed on a

track to graduate.

Students’

performance on

these exams also

determines the

grade the school

receives at the end

of the year.

School grades

are intended to

keep schools

accountable

And allow

parents to make

informed

decisions

This creates a high pressure

environment in which students are

expected to perform.

Saturday school is intended to better

prepare students for the exam, thus

relieving some pressure.

Unfortunately, our

program was

missing the mark.

The Problems:

Students not engaged in lessons

Disruptive behavior

No tangible way to measure mastery

Science content not included

Curriculum chosen at random

Low attendance

My Solutions:

#1 Regroup the students

#2 Provide incentives

#3 Track student progress

Solution #1

Regroup the students based on achievement level

Results:

Teachers can plan specific lessons

Students are engaged :

Class sizes are smaller and shorter (50 minute blocks as

opposed to 75 minutes)

Space for science to be included

Higher performing students are no longer bored

Lower performing students are not frustrated with high level

content

Solution #2

Provide short and long-term incentives

Short-Term Rewards:

Pizza at the end of every session

Candy for exceptional answers

Long-Term Rewards:

Each student receives a “passport”

Students receive passport stamps for attendance (with

participation in lessons)

10 stamps = participation in a trip to a theme

park at the end of the year

Results:

Attendance increases

Students are engaged in lessons

Solution #3

Track student progress to measure

mastery and target areas for

remediation

How it worked:

Students were given “mini quizzes” at the end of a session

Quizzes were aligned to a topic from the standardized exam

Scores from these quizzes were tracked in a database

This data was distributed to teachers, allowing them to use

the results to focus their lessons during the week

Results:

Tangible way to measure mastery of content

Lessons are more focused based on student need

Time is used effectively

Students are motivated by scores

Student accountability increases

Students not engaged in lessons

Disruptive behavior

Science content not included

Curriculum chosen at random

No tangible way to measure mastery

Low attendance

The Final Results:

Where IE comes in…

While the changes that I

instituted were

successful, there was

one valuable resource

that I completely

neglected.

My

Colleagues

A master’s from IE will arm me

with the tools I need to work

within a group setting and utilize

the skills my team has to offer

There will be no missing.