here’s to the mess we make. - a3...

Here’s to the mess we make.

Report of Progress 2015/16

Presented February 6, 2017

Table of Contents

Forward Page 3 ........................................................

Essential Skills and Dispositions Page 4, 5 .......................

Analysis of the 2015/16 State Report Card Page 6, 7 .....

2016/17 Demographics and Staffing Page 8 ..............

New & Updated Programming Page 9 ........................Student Consultants and The Wildish Theater

A3 Abroad Page 10, 11 ....................................................Nepal, 2016 and Interns, 2017

Update: Project Math Page 12 .....................................

Update: Fertilab Page 13 .............................................

Update: ePortfolios Page 14 ........................................

A3 Staff, Governing & Advisory Board Page 15 ............

A3 Report of Progress 2015/16

This 2015/16 Report of Progress is presented by the A3 Community PDC. Cover art by Megan Borns • Special Thanks to Scott Crowell.

The Academy of Arts and Academics, Health and Science Campus. 615 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97477 • 541 744-6728

www.a3school.org

http://www.a3school.org



Forward

Innovation is messy. They promised that when we started A3 in 2004.

We, of course, believe that school and learning need some sense of

structure, some scaffold of skills and dispositions. One of the dispositions

we honor the most at A3 is Creativity and that can be messy. Just drop by

preparations for end of the term Confluence some time or sit in on a

teacher or student collaboration meeting.

This year’s Report of Progress presents a summary of what A3 has

achieved in 2015/16. It updates our progress on the state report card on

and in ongoing initiatives, such as the Fertilab partnership and ePortfolios.

It also introduces new programs - A3 Abroad and Student Consultants - that

have enhanced student engagement and learning. At A3 we are committed

to development, our students' and our own. And we’re not afraid to make a

mess, clean up, fail/succeed, again and again.

"So bring on the rebels

The ripples from pebbles

The painters, and poets, and plays.

And here's to the fools who dream

Crazy, as they may seem

Here's to the hearts that break

Here's to the mess we make.”

-“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”

from the motion picture La La Land.

We’ve been working for some time on creating a clear and well articulated scaffold of behaviors and skills we expect for our learners as they progress from 9th through 12th grade. Our most successful system is EDCRO, Explore • Design • Create • Refine • Own, and we have rubrics, artifacts, and evidence to support the notion that a school-wide learning plan works. However, to dig a bit deeper, what does an “Explore” look like? How do you ask a kid to stand up and do a “design?” or a “create?” or a “refine?” How do we and the students know that they’re getting better at what we’re asking of them and how do the skills they’re learning every day figure into their growth?

EDCRO is an outgrowth of Art Costa’s and Benna Kalick’s “Habits of Mind; The 16 Habits of Highly Effectual People” as well as the Decision Education Foundations “Decision Quality” model. As powerful as these guiding documents have been in structuring our work, breaking down student proficiency across curriculums has been a bit arbitrary. So, beginning in 2014/15, we began considering our curriculum and career pathways with the “Essential Skills and Dispositions” frameworks and their deeply developed rubrics linked to academic and process standards used in many innovative school settings.

In 2015/16 we began identifying and aligning skills and dispositions across our majors or pathway areas and will continue this year with our morning classes as we bring our school-wide learning management system on line.


Essential skills & dispositions; Developmental frameworks for collaboration, creativity, communication, and self-direction. Lench, S., Fukuda, E. & Anderson, R. (2015). Lexington, KY: Center for Innovation in Education at the University of Kentucky

And speaking of Creativity

and Self-Direction

and Collaboration

and Communication


E D C R O

On-Ramp Courses

• Persistence • Listening

STEAM

Content-Rich Courses

• Accuracy • Contribute

& Support • Deliver &

Express

Studio Courses

• Take Risks • Experiment • Monitor &

Adapt • Self-

Direction

Performing Arts

Theatr

e

Dance

Musi

c

Fine Arts

Libera

l Art

s

Wri

ting

Dance

Media

Art

s

Health O

cc.

STE

M

Each level of course development not only provides academic and content skills, but also focuses on process skills, dispositions, and habits of mind - a sample of some are noted

in the left column - that provide a broader range of capacities and capabilities associated with success. Components of Essential Skills and Dispositions are noted in the

chart below.

Components of

CollaborationComponents of

Communication

Components of

CreativityComponents of

Self-Direction

Self-Awareness Negotiating & Decision Making

Monitoring & Adapting

Contributing & Supporting Communicating

Self-Awareness Context & Message


Establishing Meaning

Delivery & Expression

Self-Awareness Cultivating & Evaluating Ideas


Tolerating Risk & Ambiguity

Experimenting & Validating

Self-Awareness Initiative & Ownership


Goal Setting & Planning

Engaging & Managing

2015/16 State Report Card and Associated Data.

Our English/Language Arts scores continue to outperform the state average and are consistent with like-school averages. Writing is a central component to our morning “Humaniqueries” block as well as Writing Group.

After a disappointing 2013/14 graduation rate of 76.4% we rebounded in 2014/15 with 86.9% of our students graduating. This was 13 percentage point above the state average and almost 7% better than like-schools. Our Completion rate for students graduating in 5 years remains above 90%, again outpacing the state and like-schools. Following this encouraging performance trend is our Freshmen On-Track to Graduate score of 89.4%. Finally, while we saw a slight increase in our Dropout rate, from 0.3 to 1.4%, it was still lower than the state average and like-schools.

A3 continues to significantly outperform the state and like schools in measures of On Track, Graduation, Completion and Dropout percentages for subgroups of Economically Disadvantaged and Students with Disabilities.


Our math and science scores both recorded a significant decrease. Not only did they fall relative to last year’s percentages but also did not keep pace with the state and like school averages. Last year saw an increase in the number of students who opted out of the state assessment for math (41% of the eligible juniors) and that may have affected our passing rate. In response to this concern all integrated Project Math classes have embedded work samples into the curriculum as a strategy to give students additional opportunities to demonstrate proficiency of mathematical essential skills.

The other area of concern continues to be the Continuing Education scores recorded by the state. Last year's report card showed that only 42.9% of students who graduated in 2012/13 enrolled in a 2 or 4 year college. This number decreased in the class of 2013/14 to 41.3%. Almost 60% of the students who graduated in 2015 requested that transcripts be sent to colleges, and 80% of the 2016 graduating class made such a request. This gives us reason to believe this concerning trend on the report card is going to improve.


2015/16 Internship & College CreditsInternships. Internships take place at businesses and public institutions locally (and even out of state) and are available to any junior or senior student during J Term. Interns work five days (40 hours) a week, for three weeks and are responsible for producing a product useful for the host organization.

104 unique placements.

Nearly 2/3rds of the junior/senior classes.

College Credits Earned Including College Now and credits earned directly in LCC and UO regular classes.

545 credits

Graduating Class of 2016Graduates 82 (largest ever)

Total Scholarships $600,135

Total Pathway Oregon Grants $387,396

Applied to a 4 year college 30

Applied to a 2 year college 36

Military 1

2016/17 Student Population and Staffing.

A3 began the year with nearly 360 students registered. Within a few weeks though, that number had dropped to a disappointing 338. We have since recouped six students and have 18 students on the waiting list to start second semester. The graph to the right reflects an anticipated number that we believe will complete the registration process and actually start second semester. As we roll into our next recruitment season, for the 2017/18 school year, we are focusing our outreach to Springfield and reframing our message to focus on our high graduation rate, opportunities beyond the school walls, and our inclusive and safe environment.

We noted in last year’s report that A3 continues to see a growth in our alternative populations, specifically LGBTQ students. We are proud that traditionally underserved and oppressed student populations find support and success at A3, but we are also rightly concerned about the environments they are fleeing. Recent conversations in our Choices (Health) curriculum have stressed the importance of confronting bigotry in all places.


2016/17 Demographics Actual Percent

Total Current Students* *Anticipated as of February 1, 2017

350

Male 147 42%

Female 203 58%

In District 180 51%Out of District 170 49%

Free & Reduced Lunch 150 43%

White 271 77%

Black/African American 5 1%Asian/Pacific Islander 2 1%

American Indian/Alaskan Native

5 1%

Hispanic 37 11%

Multi Racial 32 9%

2016/17 StaffingTotal FTE 27.4

Teaching 18.7Support* *Note: Support FTE includes administration, Classified, Clerical, Custodial, Counseling, & SpEd

8.7

District FTE 13.4

A3 Teaching FTE 7.8A3 Support FTE 6.2

Everyone is invited to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity/expression. In this restroom we request that no one will be stared at, questioned, or asked to leave. No form of harassment or belittlement will be tolerated. As we work to create safer and more inclusive spaces, we appreciate your understanding.

Thank you for helping make this space inclusive so that it is safe for everyone. Legal: ORS 659.850(2) • ORS 659.850(1) • ORS 174.100 • ORS 339.115 • 20 U.S.C. §1681(a)

(2006).

Below is a mock up of the signage we expect to install on all gender specific restrooms by early March, formalizing our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment for all students. Thanks to Julie Heffernan, UO, for guidance.


Student Consultants

In 2015/16, as a result of an idea presented at the Deeper Learning Conference, we embarked on a professional development opportunity for staff to develop meaningful “thinking partners” with students who serve as in class consultants. This fall, recent A3 Graduate, Eternity Frownfelter began training a group of senior students to become the first A3 Student Consultants. Student consultants are not evaluators and all conversations about the teacher’s practice are confidential. Having a student consultant is strictly voluntary for the teacher, but we’ve encouraged probationary teachers to participate. This is truly a rich professional development opportunity. For more information on student consultants from our mentors at Hi Tech High, see: http://mobilizelearning.org

An Update on the Wildish Theater Partnership

In 2015/16, the Springfield School District negotiated a new contract with the Wildish Theater organization that effectively made the theatre too expensive for A3 to continue to use for classroom space or as a production venue. Day time per hour costs went up by 40% (from $25 to $40) and evening performance costs, in some cases, increased over 200% (i.e. a two hour choir concert that originally cost $50 is now a minimum of $250). Further, a new user agreement removed our priority booking for evening shows, leaving few opportunities for us to mount productions that fit with our school calendar in 2016/17. Thus, for the 2016/17 school year, we will use the Wildish Theater for one theatre production, this winter, and three short afternoon assemblies. Our fall production of “Harvey” played at Thurston High School and our spring play will be in our own P Studio. Music concerts have moved to the Ebbert Church for the choir and the instrumental ensemble plays at The Jazz Studio. In a particular “silver lining,” our dance productions have to moved to the fantastic Dougherty Dance Theater on the UO Campus, introducing us to a much more suitable space for dance and building on our partnership with the UO Dance Department. Additional user restrictions and the risk of arbitrary fees in the new agreement between the Wildish Board and SPS further create hurdles especially difficult for us to over come.

We will attempt to schedule the Wildish Theater for the 2017/18 school year and look forward to returning to the Wildish Theater for a few events, if possible.

http://mobilizelearning.org

http://mobilizelearning.org


A3 ABROAD: Nepal

A3 Abroad is designed to get our kids out of Springfield and into educational opportunities across the globe. Starting in February, 2016, eight students fundraised, organized, researched, and created for a trip in November to a remote village in south-eastern Nepal. They stayed with host families, learned the language, lived the culture and even taught English at the local public school. The group also studied geology on the Everest Trek, learned about diplomacy from the US Ambassador, and taught an EDCRO workshop to a school in Kathmandu. Different staff will lead a trip every two years to a variety of destinations.

Above: An emotional farewell ceremony on the final day in the remote village of

Suryenagar in south-eastern Nepal. Eight A3 students and three adults traveled to the remote village for eight days and lived with

host families. Inset: A3 Managing Director, Ed Mendelssohn and Maia Mendelssohn during the visit with US

Ambassador to Nepal, Ariana Teplitz in Kathmandu. The focus of A3 Abroad is

educational. All participants take classes and are assessed in a variety of academics

and knowledge for a grade, similar to a college study abroad program.

A3 Interns Kristin Stanton, Lillian Shepherd and Zane Hiam were the first A3 interns to breakout out of Lane County for their internships. Zane, a junior, interned at the Oregon Institute for Marine Biology in Charleston, Oregon and Kristin and Lillian traveled to Los Angeles, California. Kristin, a senior, interned with Titmouse Animation Studios in Hollywood where she worked on illustrations. Lillian, also a senior, worked with nationally acclaimed landscape architect, Jay Griffith in Venice.


Top Right, Zane Hiam works on displays at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston, OR. Left, Kristin Stanton at Titmouse Animation where she’s already been encouraged to apply to become an employee. Right, Lillian Shepherd with

the fine folks at Jay Griffith Landscape Architects, one of the top 10 Landscape Architects in America. All three spent three weeks, 40 hours a week, with their cooperating businesses.

A3 ABROAD: West Coast

Special Thanks to all the businesses, here and abroad, who sponsored an A3 Intern, 2017! Fire Dept. Station 113/115; UO Athletic Trainers Steve Nagib and Zach Chiaramonte; 9Wood; Pretec Co.; bell+funk; Superior Silkscreen and Embroidery; Aqua Serene; TakeWING; 100 Mile Bakery; Dream Catchers at Agnes Stewart Middle School; Shannon English DDS; Harmonic Laboratories; Andrew Hunt Sculptures; Washburne Cafe; Kevin Cohen Plumbing; Harmony Roadhouse; Stay Gold Tattoo Studio;

KMTR NewsSource; Willamette Animal Guild; Memento Ink; Patrick O’Grady at UO Dept. of Anthropology; ASI Imaging; Flex Dance Studios; Springfield Police Department; Food For Lane County; The Web Zone; Reptile Universe; UO Zebra Fish Lab with John Postlewait; EWEB Communicatons and Metering; Sun Automoive; BLM; Mckenzie Animal Hospital; Greenhill;

Thurston Flowers; Thurston Childcare Center; John Boosinger at the UO Machinist School; Ophelia’s Place; Cumulus; Les Schwab; UO Zebra Fish Lab; Roosevelt Middle School with Richard Leebrick; Village School with Justin Boe; UO Gospel Choir with Andiel; Affair with Flowers; Springfield Times; Titmouse Animation Studio; The Emerald at UO; Hanger Clinic; ThreadBare Press; MECCA; Jay Griffith Landscape Design; Greenhill; Dandelions Flowers; J Hayden Creative; The Dollhouse Salon; Stay Gold Tattoo Studio; Willamette Animal Guild;

Charnelton Clinic in Prenatal Care; Dan Chen; The Dancing Weasel Toy Store; Divinity Salon; Lazy Boy Interior Designs; Stafford Video; Fidgets2Widgets; Relief Nursery; Flipside; One Drop Yoyo’s; CLDC Law; Affair with Flowers; Kevin at UO Cinema Studies; Poster LLC; Pearl Buck Preschool; Mckenzie Animal Hospital Angela Dennis; Energy Design and Marketing; Carrie from LCC Marine Biology Department; Delta Oaks Pediatric; Palo Alto; Queen Bee Tattoo; Habitat for Humanity; Attic Media; Lunar Logic; Parties To Go; Charleston Marine Life

Center; Amanda Moore Midwife.

Update: Project Math. A3 is deeply committed to the idea that all students can learn math and can successfully pass their high school math graduation requirements. We’ve seen the power of project-based learning to motivate and engage students and we’re really excited to leverage these advantages to achieve our goals with math. Over 41% of last year’s junior class opted out of the Smarter Balanced Math test and, of those who took it, only 13% passed. In Oregon over the last three years that the SBAC math test has been used, as many as two-thirds of high school juniors who take the test don’t pass. This created a clear incentive to change for our math team. Our project-based math program offers numerous opportunities for students to complete work samples that relate to the math projects they are doing, ensuring that all students can meet the state math requirements regardless of whether they pass the Smarter Balanced test.

Last year, we offered six sessions of project math with the goal to develop a related work sample opportunity in each section. Some curriculums proved more reliable than others for creating work samples, either because the project required too much time to complete (like the “chicken-coop math”) or the rigor of the math covered didn’t effectively provide enough content to complete an adequate work sample. We’ve since revised the courses, lengthened them to nine weeks, and aligned them to provide four work sample opportunities each year for every student. As well, we will build a “looping” project curriculum every 2 years so no student who completes the standard three math credits will have to do the same project twice. What is encouraging is that this year we are seeing growth in the number of successful work sample attempts and, given that there are multiple opportunities over four years to complete work samples that are built directly into the instructional framework, there is an increasing likelihood that most students will have achieved the required two work samples even before they can take the Smarter Balanced test mid-way into their junior year.


“There is an increasing likelihood that most

students will have achieved the required two math work

samples even before they can take the Smarter

Balanced test mid-way into their junior year.”

Number of passing work samples as a result of Project Math.

15/16: 62

16/17: 119 (two sessions completed out of four)

Pinhole Photography. Students in Jason Valley and Scott Crowell’s Project Math class designed pinhole cameras. Students have to use math to determine the size of the pinhole, the length of the exposure and how to get images in focus. Student Jessie Albritton says “Most of the (project) math is stuff you use in the real world…before, the math was just in a text book, but now that is has a purpose, it is easier to stick to your brain.”

Update: Fertilab. A major goal last year was to formalize our partnership and leverage Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) opportunities for our students with the newly opened Fertilab branch in downtown Springfield. The “maker space” lab conversion is up and improving with industry-standard equipment in place and fabrication expert Kris Schaefer from InHaus Fabrication on site. We’re trying not to overload the partnership and the space, so we’re taking it slow by not scheduling any afternoon classes just yet. However, we did bring Kris in to advise on the Health and Science Campus junior/senior first semester Confluence project, Humanitarian Engineering. Kris was able to work with the students on designing ideas for products that might solve a Humanitarian need some place in the world. Student groups presented ideas from solar-powered water filtration systems to a power-less cold storage system to keep cobra-bite anti-venom from perishing in the extreme heat of India. In all, the class came up with nine project ideas.

For the second semester, a group of students are expanding the work with the Fertilab maker-space to actually bring one of the projects to fruition; overcoming design challenges, manufacturing a prototype, and developing a pitch for potential financing. An investor is already interested in funding a first round.


“The most compelling product of the class was not the designed solutions (which were impressive) but rather the way that the students learned to approach and digest these complex problems. They all moved through definite stages. Beginning by creating a novel but distinctly ethnocentric solution to the problem, but ending with concepts that take into account the end user's unique cultural circumstances, their behavioral tendencies, or their economic realities. This transition is the result of design thinking; utilizing both the humanities and engineering. It is the result of asking questions like, How can they repair this if it breaks?, What is the most challenging part of navigating a day with muscular control problems, emotionally and physically? The real product of the class was teaching the students that we don't really want to ‘create’ solutions, but rather, ask the right questions and compile the answers. This type of thinking all of a sudden takes complex problems and makes them less daunting. It provides a universal framework for tackling the complex challenges of life.”

-Kris Schaefer, InHaus Fabrication & Fertilab Technician

Update: ePortfolios. Student demonstration of learning is a key part of the A3 culture. From public end-of-semester “Confluence” productions - featuring panel presentations to field experts - to three-times-a-year high-stakes Juried/EDCRO review panels, A3 students are well practiced in documenting and demonstrating their learning. Our goal last year was to move this process completely on line with our own A3 ePortfolio system, commissioned and built from scratch through the help of a grant from ODE and with our partnership with a local web design company. Alas, however, the grant funding didn’t come through (we learned a lot though about how to improve the request and may try again this

year) and the company we were working with was bought out by a larger educational media provider. So, we moved to Plan B.

We started first of all by developing a more universal Google-based, on-line portfolio for Juried/EDCRO reviews. We soft-launched in September for the lower stakes reviews in early October. We’ll move to full implementation for mid-year reviews this March then finalize for the end of the year. However, the real push is the new On-line Learning Management & ePortfolio system we began working with this year from ConnectEd called “Studios.” About half of the A3 juniors and seniors have started Studios portfolios and the A3 Abroad: Nepal class tracked all their performance tasks and assignments in Studios. The concept for Studios is similar to what we were attempting to create on our own, with the added bonus of already being in use in schools around the nation. Further, ConnectEd is interested in partnering with us to format an A3 Studios home page in a way that is more in line with the way our students work. We’ll continue with a measured implementation of Studios this year with the goal of having all students using it - not all classes just yet - by the beginning of next year.


Above is a screen shot from the A3 Abroad: Nepal class on-line work space in ConnectEd, Studios. Select classes began using this portfolio and learning management system this year. We’ll expand to full school implementation, ideally, in 2017/18.


A3 Faculty & Staff Shelley Albrich, Visual Arts Gwen Belden, Inquiries & Theatre Laura Black, Dance Emily Borden, School to Families

Coordinator Jaymi Bucklew, Custodial Josh Carlton, Inquiries Jenny Cathey, Inquiries & SpEd Scott Crowell, Humanities Nissie Ellison, Humanities & Visual Arts Erinn Ernst, Dance Elda Galvan, Spanish Michael Fisher, School Director &

Theatre Carolyn Hatefi, Office Manager Odessa Henriksen, Community Liaison Andy Hock, Humanities & Theatre Andrew Hunt, Inquiries & Visual Arts Reid Kimball, Media Rachael Koller, Registrar Rebecca Krop, Writing Samantha Krop, Humanities Karyn LaCroix, Spanish Mark Lewis, Mascot & Muse Robyn Louden, SpEd Support Ed Mendelssohn, Managing Director &

Math Jared Mills, Media Kyle Mullen, Inquiries & Computer

Science Torrey Newhart, Vocal Music James Olsen, Instrumental Music Ariana Schwartz, Costuming Wilson Sherk, Attendance Jessica Thomas, Internship Coordinator Jason Valley, HSC Lead Teacher Melanie Vetor, Humanities Al Villanueva, Musical Theatre Fawn Yeo, Campus Support Wendy Zacharias, Counselor

A3 Governing Board Nancy Golden, Board

President Josh Metzger, Vice President Michael Ponichtera, Treasurer Riley Grannan, Secretary Harvey Blustain Kirk Boyd Scott Crowell Andy Dey Mark Freeman

Carolyn Hatefi Tina Lefever Jeannie Schwanekamp Amy Stranieri Paul Weill

Advisory Council: Gino Grimaldi Rosaria Haugland Mary Jane Jewett Howard Jewett David C. Johnson Lisa McWhorter John H. Postlethwait Judy Wenger Debbie Williamson Smith

A3 Corporate Sponsors Employers for Educational

Excellence (E3) Chambers Family Foundation PacificSource Health Plans Rosaria P. Haugland

Foundation The Decision Education

Foundation Cawood Marketing

The Academy of Arts and Academics, Health and Science Campus. 615 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97477 • 541 744-6728

www.a3school.org



here’s to the mess we make. - a3...

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