Indiana Student Achievement Institute: Document 20
Lincoln Middle School
Multi-age classroom - CSI - LINC (Learning in New Channels)
Lincoln Middle School provides an alternative classroom for under-achieving students in grades 7 and 8. The student participants are invited to attend the "school-within-a-school" program based upon the student's academic performance. (The program is not intended for students who have behavioral issues; a program exists for those individuals and is located outside the confines of the school.) The classroom is staffed by an elementary licensed teacher and a full-time teaching assistant. The standards from 7th and 8th grade are taught in the self-contained classroom. Students may attend expressive arts classes with their grade-level counterparts. Teaching methodologies include differentiated instruction and non-traditional learning strategies. The goal of the program is to improve the student's attitude and self-confidence toward learning and create a successful learning environment. Parents and students are invited to an orientation session which is held in late May. The parent, student, classroom teacher, and principal will jointly develop a learning contract tailored to the individual student's needs. A conference with the student and teacher will take place each six weeks. The program will house a maximum of 20 students.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Medium
Focus:
A. Parent Involvement: Parents Involved in Education (P.I.E.)
Parents will have the opportunity throughout the school year to be better informed of their students' curriculum, success, and school policies at Lincoln Middle School. This will be accomplished through technology training, informational resources, transitional back-to-school night, parent-teacher interventions, and P.I.E. (Parents Involved in Education) meetings.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Low
Focus:
B. Technology Coordination: Technology Support/Instruction
Technology training and support is provided for all students and staff. All students are enrolled in a twelve-week class entitled Computer Applications. Students take this class each year as a 6th, 7th, and 8th grader. The class builds each year upon skills gained the previous year. Students use Ultra-Key, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for classroom presentations or projects. In addition, most students are enrolled for twelve-weeks in Industrial Technology, a class which incorporations multi-media as part of the curriculum. Students take this class all three years while at LMS. Staff members are provided technology support through the Corporation technology trainer. Staff can sign-up for individual training or for training in a small group. Language Arts teachers use STAR reading and accelerated reader tests. PLATO is used to assist in remediation at all grade levels. In addition to the Computer Applications lab, another lab is available for classroom instruction. This lab also includes a digital projector to assist with instruction.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Low
Focus:
C. Safe and Disciplined Learning Environment: Safe Schools
Staff will continue to implement our Corporation-wide Safe Schools plan along with support the policies included in the Student/Parent Handbook. The Corporation-wide policy manual is being updated for the 2007-2008 school year as is the Student/Parent Handbook. A review of this information, highlighting major changes, will take place at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. In addition, the administration and the guidance department will review social issues of behavior, attitudes, choices, and common courtesies to make sure we are addressing student and staff concerns. It will be the intent of our research to develop an incentive program which will recognize students for postive behaviors.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Low
Focus:
D. Attendance: Attendance
The administration and guidance department monitor daily attendance. Personal phone calls are made to parents if the child is not in attendance at school. Letters are sent home to communicate with the parent when their child's record of absence becomes excessive. The Corporation is currently reviewing attendance information and a new attendance policy will be in place for next school year. We currently recognize perfect attendance for each school year during our May awards program. We also recognized students for perfect attendance during ISTEP+ testing. The administration and guidance departnment will be working on an attendance incentive program for the 2008-2009 school year.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Medium
Focus:
G1. Exceptional Learners - Gifted
Teachers will continue to recommend students for the accelerated math and English classes for grades 6, 7, and 8. In addition, interested students will be asked to complete an application form for the accelerated 8th grade social studies class. Staff members are encouraged to utilize questioning techniques that require higher order thinking skills. When 8th grade students are looking at their high school classes, they are encouraged to take classes toward the Acacemic Honors Diploma. During SRT, teachers of enrichment classes are encouraged to provide activities which expand the students' scope of thinking.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Low
Focus:
G2. Exceptional Learners - Special Education
Special education teachers utilize ISTAR, TABE, and ISTEP+ to evaluate academic growth of their students. IEP's are developed through case conferences and plans for academic and behavior modifications are included and followed by all staff.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Low
Focus:
G2. Exceptional Learners - Special Education: inclusionary program and team teaching
During the 2008-2009 school year, LMS special education teachers, along with the math and language arts general education teachers, will develop an inclusionary program and team teaching for the LD and MI students. Special education teachers and general education teachers will be team teaching math and language arts classes to assist the special education students in gaining skills and mastery of standards at grade level. This inclusionary setting will provide support from special education teachers who understand the students' learning styles along with expertise of the subject area general education teachers.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Medium
Focus:
G2. Exceptional Learners - Special Education: Resource Room
Provide a resource room for those special education students who are having difficulty with classroom assignments or are in need of remediation in math/language arts. Special education teachers will be assigned to the resource room at least one period a day to be of assistance to the students.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Low
Focus:
H. Cultural Competency: English as a New Language
Through a team of teachers we will make changes to the current ENL program by developing a "Newcomer's Program" and sheltered language arts classes for ENL students. The program was implemented during the 2007-2008 school year and will continue, making modifications where necessary and as outlined by the Migrant Program, for the next school year. The "Newcomer's Program is dedicated to helping limited English proficient newcomer students transition to the American school system as quickly and painlessly as possible. It emphasizes English language acquisition while recognizing that development of language skills is but one of the many steps in the transition process.The sheltered language arts program is an instructional approach used to make academic instruction in English understandable to LEP students. In the sheltered classroom at LMS, the teacher will use physical activities, visual aids, and the environment to teach vocabulary for concept development in mathematics and language arts. In addition, all LMS staff members will be provided training on Hispanic culture.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: Medium
Focus:
I. Focused Academic Area: SSP
The Student Success Process is an eight step initiative to improve student performance for the ISTEP+ test. It is based on the foundation that all students can be successful regardless of subgroups. The process includes: the disaggregation of data on the basis of student assessments in the acquisition of the Indiana Academic Standards in both math and language arts. The percentage of students mastering each skill is ranked from weakest to strongest. Special attention is given to break out groups to determine if specific skills are lacking. Students are given an end of the year test over the standards. Weak standards are identified and an instructional calendar is created to decide on what standards to remediate. Teachers teach mini lessons for two weeks on a particular skill or proficiency area. Students take a test. The studetns who pass go into enrichment period and the students who fail go into tutorial and the process starts over. Program was piloted during the second semester of the 2005-2006 school year.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: High
Focus:
O. Extended Learning Activities: Creating Student Interventions (CSI)
The CSI Club is open to all students, grades 6-8. The club meets twice a week for an hour after school, for at least six-weeks at a time. Students are selected for participation based upon grades (specifically targeting those students who have multiple F's in core subjects and have failed at least one portion of the ISTEP+ test)and also on ability. Specifically, the intent of the program is one of "accountability." Students are targeted for the program who are underachieving. Staff members supervise the tutoring sessions. The student and his parent sign a contract that states tshe student will attend at least 95% of the sessions. In addition, the student must complete classroom assignments thoroughly and on time, ask questions of the CSI Club supervisors if he does not understand the material, use assignment book, and apply himself to the best of his ability. Failure to satisfactorally complete the objectives of the program moves the student to a different intervention.
Impact Level:
Energy Level: High
Focus: