nessc '14 ehs focused learning

Focused Learning Ellsworth High School’s Response to Intervention

Focused Learning

Presenters

Who We Are

FacilitatorsEllsworth High School• Located in Ellsworth, Maine • 475 students

• Jessie Falabella • Lydia Kinney • Jonathan Bender • Tracey Hollingsworth

• Amanda VanTine • Heather Murad • Liz Burroughs • Tristan Bates

“Ellsworth High School students, educators, and community members collaborate to create a climate that fosters excellence and enables students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for future education, career, and global citizenship.”

- EHS Mission Statement

Focused Learning

Research

Agenda

Design

Implement

Refine

DegreeSearch.org

IT IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM.

HERE IS OUR APPROACH.

Focused Learning

Consider the following…

How do we provide equitable access to our response to intervention programs

for ALL students?

Focused LearningComponents

No Opt Out!• Focused Learning is built into our daily schedule.

Availability• All teachers are available for all students at the same time.

Every Student• Teachers are working with all students, not only those identified.

Focused Learning

Simplifying RTI: Four Essential Guiding Principles

Research

Site Visit

RTI Tiers

Focused LearningResearch

A site visit to view a flexible period that focuses on intervention, for the school’s population of 110 students, was inspirational.

Deer Isle - Stonington, Maine


“If our new mission is to ensure high levels of learning for all students, learning must be the constant, while instruction and time must be varied to meet the needs of every student. That is the purpose of RTI: to systematically provide every child with the additional time and support needed to learn at high levels.”

Simplifying RTI


“Ultimately, for interventions to work best, they must be offered during a time when teachers are paid to be there and students are required to be there.”

Simplifying RTI


RTI Tiers

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

www.blog.edmentum.com

Focused Learning

Tier 3: Targeted Intervention <5% of Students

Research

Tier 2: Strategic Instruction 5-15% of Students

Exceeds Standards

Below Standards

Tier 1: Core Curriculum 80-90% of Students

T1 T2 T3T2T3

“I think overall it has helped students throughout the school. We now have more opportunities to work with our teachers and learn more in each class. My only suggestion is that you don't get rid of it for next year.”

- Anonymous Student

Focused Learning

“Without FL it would be hard for me and other students to balance school work and sports. I couldn’t keep my grades up.”

- Anonymous Student

Focused Learning

Focused LearningDesign

Intervention

Extension

Enrichment

Study Hall

Priority Schedule

Special Education

edYOUsched

It takes time…


An academic intervention is a strategy used to teach a new skill, build fluency in a skill, or encourage a child to apply an existing skill to new situations or settings. An intervention can be thought of as “a set of actions that, when taken, have demonstrated ability to change a fixed educational trajectory” (Methe & Riley-Tillman, 2008; p. 37).1

Intervention

1. www.interventioncentral.org


An extension activity can be directly linked to course content for a course that you are teaching. It is an opportunity to gather honors challenge students, bring in a guest speaker that normally would not be available to attend your class, to pair up with another teacher, or to generally build more challenging experiences for students who are enrolled in a course that you teach.

Extension


Enrichment opportunities allow our staff and students to access materials and programs that are not readily available during a typical classroom setting. During enrichment activities students will be able to go beyond their usual course offerings to explore their many talents and abilities. We, as an educational community, recognize the merit and value of many programs that simple do not fit in the curricula that we teach. These topics will offer educational value and correlate to a standard or piece of research that explains the educational merit.

Enrichment


Study Hall

Study Hall, under the guidance of administration, is a quiet place for students to work if they have not been tagged for an intervention or extension, or signed up for an enrichment activity. We are currently working on integrating a teacher-facilitated “help desk” to create a more productive work environment for our students.


Priority Schedule

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayIntervention

Priority Level 1 Social Studies English Math Science Foreign Language P.E. & Health

Intervention Priority Level 2 Science VPA Social Studies English Math

Intervention Priority Level 3 English Foreign Language Science Math Social Studies

Extension Priority VPA Math P.E. Social Studies Science/English


Special Education

Be proactive:

• Ask your director or teachers what language they use for supported study hall and provide student access to supported study hall.

• Give the Special Education teachers voice in the tagging protocol.


edYOUsched - Teacher Dashboard


edYOUsched - Student Dashboard


It takes time…

My overall experience with Focused Learning has been positive. It has given me the opportunity to ask for individual help from teachers during the school day, which I prefer to coming in after school. I have used Focused Learning to make-up work I was absent for, to retake exams, and to ask teachers for help.

- Anonymous Student

Focused Learning

Focused Learning

“I struggle tremendously in math. With Focused Learning, I get the one-on-one time I need. I’ve seen a huge improvement in my grades.

- Anonymous Student

Focused LearningImplement

At a Glance

Enrichment Proposals

Student Self-Advocacy

Fit Body - Fit Brain

Data & Outcomes


At a Glance


Enrichment Proposals

Teacher Name

Enrichment Topic

Rationale

Description for Students

Maximum Capacity

Time Frame & Frequency


Student Self-Advocacy


Fit Body - Fit Brain


Data & Outcomes

Number of Tags Per Quarter


Data & Outcomes

Quarter 1 GPA - Students < 21 TagsQuarter 1 Tags

*Displayed in Percentages

I have found Focused Learning very helpful so far. I definitely like having it as a part of my day. It's the perfect time to get extra help when falling behind or making up absent work.

- Anonymous Student

Focused Learning

Focused Learning

“Thank you for having Focused Learning. It has helped me a lot this year and I hope to have this for next year as well. I owe almost all of my thanks to my teachers who tagged me for Focused Learning. I also owe thanks to the people who created Focused Learning so people could get caught up on work. Thank you so much.”

-Anonymous Student

Focused Learning

Role of FL Committee

Refine

Enrichment

CTE & SAT Prep

Teacher Commentary

Teacher Collaboration

Survey Results

Focused LearningRefine

Role of FL Committee

The Focused Learning Committee:

• conducts opportunities for staff and student feedback,

• acts upon the results,

• and serves as a collective body for program oversight - teacher maintained.


Teacher Collaboration

“Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”

- Mattie J.T. Stepanek


Survey: Student Results

Based upon student responses we…

• changed the time that teachers tag,

• redistributed the website and login information,

• re-examined our study hall structure.


Survey: Student Results

In a typical week, how often do you ask to be tagged by a teacher because you want to do work in their room?


Enrichment

Sustainable

Arts

Boat Building

Fenc

ing

D.E

.A.N

“I enjoy the extra time to practice my guitar individually or with friends.”

- Anonymous Student


CTE & SAT Prep

Change is a process.

At first I was very skeptical of the whole idea of focused learning, but after experiencing it and discovering how useful it is, I hope that the Focused Learning program is here to stay.

- Anonymous Student

Focused Learning


Teacher Commentary

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

- Maria Robinson

What new ending will YOU create for YOUR students?

Focused Learning Ellsworth High School’s Response to Intervention