Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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By
Allison Brewer
Allison Freitag
May 1, 2017
South East Junior High is the largest of the three comprehensive junior high schools in
the Iowa City Community School District, an Iowa district with over 13,000 total students. Over
the last 10 years, South East’s student population, as well as the population of Iowa City, has
grown significantly. The student body population in 2005 was 681 and currently there are 829
students enrolled. After 30+ years of consistent administration, South East has recently
experienced significant changes in leadership. During the past four years there have been three
different building leaders and therefore there have been significant valleys and peaks in regards
To date, 44% of South East students are minorities, and the free and reduced lunch
percentage has grown from 29.2% in 2005 to 45.7% in 2016. 11.5% of South East students are
English Language Learners and 12.5% of students have Individualized Education Programs.
70.7% of the 7th and 8th grade students are proficient in reading and 71.8% of students are
proficient in math. South East Junior High School is “acceptable” according to the State of Iowa
Starting in the fall of 2013 South East Junior High began the process of implementing
MTSS (Multi Tier Systems of Support). Administration and staff in the building had identified a
need for a systematic approach to provide tiered supports for students academically and
behaviorally. Through teacher feedback and professional development centered around Hattie’s
research our building leader was able to determine the first major need was time built into the
school day for students to individually meet with teachers for reteaching and additional
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classroom help. This time was not readily available in the typical school schedule and typical
classroom settings.
Teacher feedback was obtained through a survey administered to all South East staff
during the 13-14 school year. The survey asked what type of school the staff members wanted to
by John Hattie who organized a meta-study in 2008 that brought to the forefront the concept of
visible learning. Hattie’s meta-analysis was the most exhaustive meta-analysis in education to
date. He compared the effect size of many aspects that influence student achievement in schools,
in an attempt to show that there are many things teachers can do during the school day that have
a greater impact on student learning than a student's home environment or socio-economic status.
Hattie ranked the ten most effective influences relating to student achievement:
Once it was determined that a majority of the South East staff believed that all students
could learn at high levels, it was concluded that the next step was to pilot an intervention block
CORE VALUE: THE PRINCIPAL’S ROLE AS A LEADER OF CHANGE 4
within the school day. The building leadership team worked with a group of teachers to develop
a pilot plan. The pilot plan lasted 6 weeks at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. From there
staff and students were surveyed and the team used that feedback to create the intervention block
plan for the following academic year (2015-2016). The intervention block, called Little Hawk
Time, is still being used today during the 2016-2017 school year.
Research Question
Is the intervention block currently utilized at South East Junior High, called Little Hawk
During the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year the administrative team rolled out the
intervention block plan during professional development based on feedback from the previous
year. The educational leaders shared the goal of the intervention block and the specifics with all
staff members during the beginning of the year professional development days. Appendix A
shows the initial information shared with South East staff during the introductory phase.
The overall goal of this intervention block was to ensure that all students are learning at
high levels. South East staff understood that not all students learn at the same pace, have the
same needs, or come to school at the same level. To gauge the success of the intervention block,
it was determined that South East will look at the total number of Fs among the student
population, as well as the total number of students with failing grades. Success will also be
determined by staff feedback on how the intervention block is helping students build critical
The trial launch of the intervention block at South East Junior High was during the final
six weeks of the third trimester during the 2014-2015 school year. During the pilot period,
students remained in their 8th period classroom and had intervention time for the last thirty
minutes of the school day. Students were allowed to request to see teachers and teachers could
request to see students. There were no enrichments provided during the piloted intervention
block. At the conclusion of the pilot, May 2015, feedback was gathered from staff to determine
next steps of implementation for the following school year. See Appendix B for teacher feedback
Full Implementation
Full implementation of the intervention block has been under way for two academic
years. Initial roll out was during the 2015-2016 school year and was a success for all three
trimesters of the year. This current school year, the 2016-2017 academic year, full
implementation of the intervention block was also delivered for all three trimesters. Teachers and
students have increasingly relied upon the time more and more to provide or receive additional
remediation or enrichment. On any given day teachers have on average 10+ students that visit for
remediation opportunities. There are, on average, ten or more enrichment opportunities for
students to choose from in a given week. Attendance in these enrichment opportunities has been
much greater this year than last year during the first year of the intervention block. In 2015-2016
1,232 enrichment slots were filled by students, so far during the 2016-2017 school year, 2,192
According to Hall and Hord (2015), reflection and checking progress is a key function of
implementing change (p. 33). Feedback was requested after the pilot in the spring of 2015, after
one semester of full implementation (December 2015), and after 1.5 years of implementation
(December 2016). The forms in Appendix C show the method building leaders used to obtain
feedback.
After receiving great response to the feedback requested, it was determined that as of
December 2015, 90.3% of the staff supported adding the intervention block with full
implementation to the daily schedule. Only 9.7% of staff said no to the addition of an
intervention block to the school schedule. 54.8% of staff wanted the enrichment time in the
mid-morning and 42.5% of staff preferred to have in mid-afternoon. 51.6% of responders wanted
the intervention block to be a separate period and 58.4% wanted the block to be an extension of a
class already in the schedule. 90% of respondents wanted to have intervention block time 3-4
times per week, 5% wanted it 2 times per week and 5% wanted an intervention block once a
week. The response from teachers was overwhelmingly in support of continuing to offer an
Based upon the feedback received the intervention block, Little Hawk Time, has been
used for the past two academic years. Currently students meet with their homeroom teachers on
Monday of every week to check grades and go over any advisory materials. Tuesday,
Wednesday and Friday of each week the intervention block is a period of 30 minutes per day and
is held between 2nd and 3rd hours (10:23-10:53). Teacher, parent and student feedback continue
to praise the implementation of the intervention block and rave about the benefits provided by
Research Based
Before the intervention block was put into place, South East administrators and teachers
made sure they had educated themselves about the key components of a successful intervention
block. One expert the team turned to was Mike Mattos. South East administration and a team of
teachers attended several conferences hosted by Mike Mattos centered around the MTSS
process, with a specific focus on intervention blocks. The South East team indicated several key
takeaways from Mattos. The first takeaway was that staff needed to clearly understand the skills
and knowledge that students will need to be competitive in the world they inherit. Secondly, staff
need to provide each student with targeted instruction, this includes teaching practices that are
designed to meet the individual learning needs of each student. Lastly, that change in a school
As leaders discussed and planned the intervention block at South East they kept Mattos’ 4
access. Staff had been assessed and the team knew that teachers in the building believed that it
was their job to ensure that students learned at high levels. The team understood that if an
intervention block was going to be successful content area teams would have to identify the
essential learnings for each unit/lesson and students would have to be assessed on those learnings
on a regular basis. Lastly, they knew that reteaching would have to be done by the content area
Richard DuFour (2016) suggests “the fundamental purpose of the school is to ensure that
all students learn at high levels (grade level or higher), and this focus on and commitment to the
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learning of each student are the very essence of a learning community” (p. 11). In order for
South East to live out the beliefs of Mattos as well as Hattie’s research, Professional Learning
Communities needed to be created. In these PLC groups teachers in similar content areas were
able to identify essential learnings as well as collaborate on the systems of support to provide for
students who did not initially show proficiency with a given skill. In this way, PLC groups were
created at South East and from these groups teachers agreed that as educators they “must work
collaboratively and take collective responsibility for the success of each student” (p. 11).
Because of this mentality amongst a strong majority of the staff the PLC groups have been
successful in determining what to teach, common formative assessments to use while assessing
quality of student work, what to do when students don’t learn and how to challenge those who
have already achieved proficiency with an essential skill. Without full functioning PLC groups
According to Hall and Hord (2015) there are many steps in accomplishing change within
an educational setting. “A first step in moving toward a changed and improved future is the
development of a shared dream or vision of what will be - such as a vision of the future that
increases student outcomes (p. 31). One of the key elements of a shared vision of change is that
the intervention is clearly defined as possible and facilitators must “continuously communicate
the vision to enable implementers to move toward high-quality implementation (p. 31).
Another function of change interventions includes regularly checking progress (p. 33).
Throughout the pilot and implementation of the intervention block at South East there were
regular check ins with all stakeholders: teachers, parents and students. The educational leaders at
South East, especially the current principal, Michelle Cook, is a great example of an “Initiator”
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when it comes to leadership styles (p. 138). Principal Cook has great vision and passion and is
always thinking ahead. Without the Initiator facilitator style the implementation of our
Harris, Smith, and Harris (2011) maintain that a reliance solely on data is not ideal for
school leaders or for students. Within their research, the authors cite a study by Jones which
listed the five areas for which schools should expect to be held accountable for (measures other
than solely test results and data). These five areas are: the physical and emotional well-being of
students, student learning, teacher learning, equity and access, and improvement (p. 137-138).
Interestingly, although the data below may show otherwise, the implementation of Little Hawk
Time has addressed every one of these five areas. Students are able to make better connections
with teachers in a more relaxed classroom setting, students have additional opportunities to learn
skills that may have been missed during initial instruction as well as learn other 21st century
skills during enrichment opportunities. Teachers are learning how to best serve the needs of
students with this new process and the process is improving each trimester, semester and year of
implementation. Perhaps the biggest advantage with regards to the intervention block is the
equity and access. Students have a level playing field when it comes to accessing teachers during
the school day for additional instruction and students have equal access to enrichment
Looking at the total number of failing grades and the total number of students with failing
grades is one way South East is evaluating the impact Little Hawk Time is having on student
achievement. The data presented in Appendix D compares the total number of failing grades and
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total number of students with failing grades for each trimester dating back to the fall of 2015. If
South East were only using failing grades to measure the impact of the intervention block, the
results would suggest that the intervention block is not ensuring that all students learn at high
levels. The data actually shows that more 7th and 8th grade students had failing grades in
2016-2017 than there were in the 2015-2016 school year. One would anticipate that if the
intervention block were successful, you would see a decrease in both the total number of failing
In addition to failing grade(s) data, South East has administered surveys twice a year to
staff, parents and students. The survey data shows wide support for the intervention block.
Parents were asked how pivotal the intervention block was at helping their student achieve at
high levels. In 2015-2016 53.5% of parents said the intervention block was extremely useful and
32.6% said it was useful. In 2016-2017 55.2% of parents said the intervention block was
extremely useful and 34.5% said it was useful to helping their student achieve at high levels.
This information seemed to match what teachers were seeing during the intervention block. In
2015, a staff survey was completed by 34 individuals. When asked how useful they felt the
intervention block was for helping students achieve at higher levels, 40% said it was extremely
useful, and 44% said it was useful. In 2016 40 staff members took the same survey. 42% said it
was extremely useful and 45% it was useful. In 2015, 86% of the staff said that the intervention
block had helped students achieve higher grades, and in 2016 that number jumped to 88%. The
South East student body had positive things to say about the intervention block. A student survey
completed in the Spring of 2015 to 525 students reported that 49.5% of the students had been
requested to work with a teacher during the intervention block. In the Spring of 2016 the survey
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was completed by 563 students and 54.3% had reported being requested to see a teacher during
the intervention block. In the Spring of 2015, 63.2% of the students reported that the intervention
block helped them raise their letter grade in a class, and 30.2% said it helped them understand
material they did not understand before. In 2016, 65.4% of the students who responded said it
helped them raise their grade, and 34.6% reported that it helped them understand material better
than before. The staff survey results overwhelming supported the intervention block.
There are currently over ten enrichment, or extended learning, opportunities students are
able to take advantage of during a given week. Some of these enrichment opportunities include
Math Lab, which assesses the current level of the students math abilities and then provides skill
building activities. Math lab requires proficiency with a skill before advancing to the next skill.
On average there are 30 kids or more attending math lab on a given day.
Another enrichment opportunity is Fuel Up to Play 60. This enrichment is a school based
health and wellness program. Participation in this program has been upwards of twenty or more
students and opportunities include nutrition and exercise programs and resources, connection to
local collegiate athletes and competitions amongst students in the same building and other
districts. A third enrichment opportunity students may take advantage of is Achieving Potential.
Achieving Potential is a group that provides additional college and career ready opportunities for
minority students. These students hear from various speakers, complete a variety of projects and
travel outside of the school to visit colleges and other events. Appendix E shows some of the
By providing opportunities for students to work one on one with teachers to obtain
additional assistance with challenges they may face and the opportunity to attend various
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enrichment programs, all South East students are challenged to learn at high levels. Teachers are
encouraged to brainstorm new and exciting enrichment opportunities they can provide for our
students. Students are encouraged to request to see a teacher if they have specific questions or
Based upon the extensive research conducted as well as the specific results from South
East Junior High it is recommended the intervention block continue to be utilized at South East
Junior High. While the total number of F’s and total number of students with F’s have not
statistically decreased, the feedback from parents, staff and students indicates that these
stakeholders value and believe in the intervention block. Because South East is still early in the
implementation of an intervention block it will be important for building leaders to stress the
common formative assessments and sharing the data from these assessments. This process will
help to narrow down the essential skills that students must have when they leave junior high and
help target the reteaching during intervention time. With increased knowledge of the offerings of
remediation and enrichment students, parents and teachers will continue to benefit from the
additional time built into the day for teacher contact and additional educational opportunities.
This research based approach to challenge all students to learn at high levels has achieved
Works Cited
Buffmun, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2012). Simplifying Response to Intervention.
Hall, G. E., & Hord, S. M. (2006). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes.
Harris, P., Smith, B. M., & Harris, J. (2011). The myths of standardized tests: Why they don't tell
you what you think they do. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Pub.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. London:
Routledge.
http://reports.educateiowa.gov/schoolreportcard
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Appendix A
Below is the introduction South East staff received in terms of piloting Little Hawk Time. This
was presented to staff at the opening professional development days of the 2015-2016 school
year.
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Appendix B
Below is the survey South East staff members received on May 4, 2015 in the midst of the pilot
Appendix C
Another survey was administered to staff in December 2015 after full implementation of Little
Hawk Time had been going since the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.
Appendix D
The two graphs below present the Total Number of F’s and Total Number of Student’s with F’s
throughout the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 school years. They are both organized by Tri 1, Tri 2,
Tri 3 with 15-16 school year first and 16-17 school year second. The 8th grade data is in the top
Appendix E
Below is the Google Form South East students use to sign up for any available enrichment
opportunities. Although it changes from time to time, this is representative of the average