Barriers to Learning

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Barriers to Learning

• A Common Language

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A Model

• UCLA School Mental Health Project
• Federally funded resource center for school
  mental health
• Directed by Howard Adelman
• http//smhp.psych.ucla.edu/
• Provides useful language for understanding how
  barriers keep children from succeeding
  academically

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What Teachers Do Well
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Student Achievement
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A Question

• How many students come to school each day
  completely ready to learn what the teacher has
  prepared?

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Barriers to Learning Model
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Group 1 Motivationally ready and able to learn
Student Achievement

• The of students who come ready and able to
  learn varies from 0-75
• The number is decreasing every year

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Group 2
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Group 1 Motivationally ready and able to learn
Student Achievement
Group 2 Not very motivated

• Group 2
• Lacking prerequisite skills knowledge
• Different learning styles rates
• Minor vulnerabilities

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Group 3
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Group 1 Motivationally ready and able to learn
Student Achievement
Group 2 Not very motivated

• Group 3
• Very deficient in current capabilities
• Have a disability
• Major health problems

Group 3 Avoidant
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Barriers to Learning
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Group 1 Motivationally ready and able to learn
Student Achievement
Group 2 Not very motivated
Barriers to Learning
Group 3 Avoidant
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Focus on instruction doesnt help
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Group 1 Motivationally ready and able to learn
Student Achievement
Group 2 Not very motivated
Barriers to Learning
Group 3 Avoidant

• Improving instruction will NOT help students in
  Groups 2 3 succeed
• Most barriers cannot be eliminated

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Learning Supports
Instruction Classroom Teaching Enrichment
Group 1 Motivationally ready and able to learn
Student Achievement
Group 2 Not very motivated
Barriers to Learning
Group 3 Avoidant
Learning Supports
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Learning Supports
Learning Supports
Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Infrastructure

• Infrastructure
• Leadership
• Resource Coordination
• Resource Enhancement

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Classroom Focused Supports

• Classroom Focused Supports
• Tutoring
• Enhancing Protective Factors
• Asset Building
• Positive Behavioral Supports
• Preferential Intervention

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Crisis/Emergency Assistance

• Crisis/Emergency Assistance Prevention
• Systems for emergency response
• Prevention programs
• Crisis teams
• Curricular approaches to preventing crises

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Support for Transitions

• Transitions
• Support for moves
• New families
• Preschool to K-12
• Grade to grade
• Building to building
• Special ed to Regular ed
• School to higher ed
• School to career

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Home Involvement

• Home Involvement
• Parent involvement to support academic
  achievement
• Parent centers
• Parent information campaigns

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Community Outreach

• Community Outreach Volunteers
• Programs to recruit and enhance community
  involvement
• Systems to screen and maintain volunteers
• Outreach to hard-to-reach families
• Programs to enhance school-community connections

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Student Family Assistance

• Student Family Assistance
• Social, physical, and mental health programs in
  schools
• Systems for
• Pre-referral intervention
• Triage
• Case and resource management
• Direct services to meet immediate needs
• Referral for special services
• Special education placements as necessary

Classroom Focused Supports
Crisis Emergency Assistance Prevention
Student Family Assistance
Infrastructure
Community Outreach Volunteers
Support for Transitions
Home Involvement In Academic Support
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Learning Supports

• Continuous attention to the implementation of
  learning supports ensures that all students have
  an equal opportunity to succeed in school.

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Learning Supports

• Questions?

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District Data

• What do you know?

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Perceptions

• Most peoples perceptions are actually
  misperceptions
• When defining areas for improvement, we should
  consider multiple sources of data

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Quiz

• On a piece of paper, write your answers to the
  following 6 questions
• This is an independent exercisedont look at
  your neighbors answer!

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Quiz

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?

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Question 2

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?

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Question 3

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of African American students in 4th grade
  are BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?

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Question 4

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of African American students in 4th grade
  are BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of low income students in 4th grade are
  BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?

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Question 5

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of African American students in 4th grade
  are BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of low income students in 4th grade are
  BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use alcohol?

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Question 6

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of African American students in 4th grade
  are BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of low income students in 4th grade are
  BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use alcohol?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use marijuana?

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What is acceptable to you?

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of African American students in 4th grade
  are BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of low income students in 4th grade are
  BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use alcohol?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use marijuana?

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What did you say?
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Quiz Answers

• How many students in our district meet the
  states definition of homeless?
• What of all students in 4th grade are BELOW
  proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of African American students in 4th grade
  are BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of low income students in 4th grade are
  BELOW proficient in reading on the ITBS?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use alcohol?
• What of 11th grade students report they
  currently use marijuana?

374
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45
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36
21
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How did you do?

• How did your answers compare to the data?
• Did anything about the data surprise you?
• Does this data cause you to have other questions?

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Two Types of Data

• Data as indicator
• More questions than answers

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Data Sources

• Achievement Data ICCSD
• Kids Count
• FACITS
• Iowa Youth Survey
• Juvenile Court Data

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What Do ICCSD Student Data Tell Us About Learning
Barriers?

• 85 of all 11th grader students are proficient,
  38 are above the 90th percentile
• Why are we here?

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Poverty Trends
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Minority Enrollment Trends
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Poverty

• Poverty does not cause low achievement
• but is the leading indicator for poor student
• performance because of
• inadequate food, shelter, child care, medical
  care, transportation
• less exposure to oral and written language
• increased mobility
• (Source Narrowing the Achievement Gap,
• Ed Source, Jan. 03

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Mobility

• Children who have changed schools 4 times or more
  by 8th grade were at least 4 times more likely to
  drop out
• Source Mobility and Achievement Gap Skandera
  and Sousa, Hoover Digest, Summer 2002

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Not Proficient in Reading

• All 3rd 6th grade students
• School with lowest rate 5 Lincoln
• School with highest rate 45 Twain
• All 11th Grade Students
• Overall 15
• African-American 40
• Hispanic 28
• Asian 19
• Free and Reduced Lunch 37

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Academic Data Trends-4th Grade Reading
Comprehension
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What Do Our Community Data Tell Us About Barriers
to Learning?

• People with no health care
• 11.3 in Johnson County
• 8.1 in State of Iowa (FACITS)

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Mental Health

• Students who tried to kill themselves
• 6th grade 3
• 8th grade 13
• 11th grade 15
• 2002 ICCSD Iowa Youth Survey

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Homeless Children in the ICCSD

• For the 2002- 2003 school year, 374 homeless
  youth identified

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Substance Abuse

• Ever Used Alcohol
• 6th grade 10
• 8th grade 31
• 11th grade 58
• 2002, ICCSD Iowa Youth Survey

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Child Abuse

• Students who get hit with an object at home
• 6th grade 2
• 8th grade 3
• 11th grade 2
• 2002, ICCSD Iowa Youth Survey

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School Environment

• Students who believe there is at least one adult
  at school who they could go to for help
• 6th grade 95
• 8th grade 90
• 11th grade 89

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Current Learning Supports

• Supplemental Instructional Support
• Elementary Reading Program26 teachers

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Alternative Education
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School-based Services

• Counselors
• Agency staff co-located at schools
• Services to Students who are homeless
• School Childrens Aid
• School Attendance Task Force

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Parent Involvement

• Family Resource Centers

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Effective Partnership-North Liberty Family
Resource Center
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NLFRC Learning Supports

• Parent outreach, support and counseling
• Playgroups
• Home Visits
• First Books
• Transportation
• Food and Supply Pantry
• Tutoring Program
• After school Homework Help
• School Supplies
• Information and Referral
• Home-School Liaison

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NLFRC Partners

• Johnson County
• City of North Liberty
• ICCSD
• Johnson County Empowerment
• Churches
• Service Clubs
• PTO
• Individuals

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NLFRC Outcomes

• of parents reporting that the following
  services were very helpful
• 92 - getting information about community
  services
• 77 -connecting their children with school
  resources
• 100 - getting food, clothing, school supplies

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Student Advocate / Juvenile Court Liaison

• Learning Supports
• Individual monitoring of attendance, behaviors
• Conflict resolution
• Transportation to school
• Job-seeking
• After School Activities
• Scholarships
• Outreach to Parents
• Liaison between Juvenile Court, DHS, School,
  community resources and home

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Outcomes

• 133 students closely monitored, 100 students
  served informally
• 90 at City High improved attendance
• 84 of 8th graders at Northwest advanced to 9th
  grade, 100 with summer school
• 84 at South East improved their grades
• 94 at West did not receive additional charges

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Budget

• 177,756
• Juvenile Court 86,095
• Johnson County JJYDP 11,600
• ICCSD 80,061
• Daily Cost per Student 7.42
• Daily Detention Cost 215

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MESA Tutoring

• (Multi-Ethnic Engineering and Science Students
  Assoc.)
• Provide weekly tutoring to students
• Collaboration with University of Iowa
• Opportunity at Iowa
• School of Engineering
• Physics Department
• Math Department