Preemptive Course Recovery for Middle

SchoolCarol Downing and Margaret Thomas

Volusia County Schools, Florida

Glorified elementary?Dumbed-down high school?Grade levels?What is middle school?

Paradigms of Middle School

East coast of central Florida13th largest of 67 school districts74 schools including 6 charters and 14 alternative ed sites

62,416 students in Pre-K – 12th

13,631 Middle school students

Demographics

Prior to 2007-08 SY middle school students had to pass majority of their courses

New mandate requires students pass all three years of core courses to be promoted to 9th

No administrative placement

Mandate for Change

Entering the Hormone Zone

Characteristic Strategy

Short attention span

Distractible Needy Uncertain learners

Chunked lessons Variety of activities

Immediate and ongoing feedback

Clear directions

Reacting to the dog and pony show

Reality sets inNow what?

C’mon Skippy, Let’s Go!!

Include stakeholdersProcess for reviewing softwareReview products of selected vendors

Narrow down vendors then request implementation plan

Identify your global needs

Global view of implementationBroken down to essential components

Realistic timelineKeyed to specific goals with objectives and evaluation process

CompassLearning Odyssey Implementation Plan

Goals and Objectives Evaluation/Artifact

Goal I - School level Compass Odyssey administrators will work with the Educational Consultant, department chairs, coaches, District Program Specialists, and individual teachers to monitor and support student achievement and Odyssey Integration use during the 09-10 school year.

Objective 3:Focus Team will work with school administrators to administer the FCAT Prep Assessments and meet with teachers to review the data and make informed decisions.

Outcome:Teachers will have Objective-Based Results to use as a Pre and Post-Test.

Evaluation: Email Notification of Administration

Artifacts: Objective Bases Assessment Reports; Student Redirection of Assignments as Needed

Goal III - Teachers will integrate Odyssey software into their daily teaching during the 09-10 school year.

Objective 4 - Teachers will incorporate Odyssey Lessons and Activities into their classroom teaching and presentation for whole group instruction. This includes the use of the Odyssey offline materials, which can be used with students for at home, whole group, small group, or individual use.

Outcome - Teachers will reinforce classroom lessons and activities through the use of Odyssey in whole group, small group, and individualized classroom sessions, bridging the use of computers to classroom instruction.

Evaluation: Are teachers implementing Odyssey lessons into their Whole Group, Small Group, and Individualized instruction?

Artifacts: Teacher Lesson Plans

Training and support for teachersCorrelate to district curriculum maps

Flexibility to prescribe based on students’ needs

Measureable student outcomes

Vital Features of Plan

Whole class – integrate into instruction to enhance and support curriculum

Small group – identify skills that need support

Individual – prescribe a study plan based on student need

Grade recovery – facilitate progression to high school

Levels of Intervention

Budget cutsDecrease services or work smarter?

Instructional software with flexibility for variety of environments

Economy of Scale

Carol Downingcdowning@volusia.k12.fl.us

Margaret Thomas mathomas@volusia.k12.fl.us

Contact Information