International Center for Leadership in Education

1
International Center for Leadership in Education
Reinventing 9th Grade Critical IssuesAcademics
Through Personalization

• Dr. Gary Fields, Senior Consultant
• garyfieldssap_at_msn.com

2
MISSION

• Every learner will be KNOWN, VALUED and
• INSPIRED

3
How Will You Ensure That

• All 9th grade learners are known?
• All Are Valued?
• All Are Inspired?

4
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE AN EXTRAORDINARY
COMMITMENT TO 9TH GRADE SUCCESS?
5
The 3 Critical Questions of Rigor and Relevance
for ALL and 9th Grade Success

• WHY must high schools change? (understanding the
  9th grade foundation)
• WHAT must change? (9th grade success)
• HOW do we do it? (make the extraordinary
  commitment to 9th grade success)

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CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH PERFORMING HIGH SCHOOLS

• Focus on Student Interests and Needs Getting
  to Small
• Culture of High Expectations for ALL
• Relationships at All Levels Personalization
  and adult collaboration
• Curriculum and Instruction Rigor and Relevance
• Use of Data

• Leadership
• Professional Development
• 12th Grade
• 9th Grade
• LITERACY
• ------------------------------
• Civility Character
• Quality Support
• Unity of Purpose

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Characteristics

1. Small Learning Communities

2. High Expectations
3. 9th Grade
4. 12th Grade
5. Data
6. Curriculum
7. Relationships / Reflective Thought
8. Professional Development
9. Leadership
8
Unity of Purpose9th Grade Structure and
Consistency

• Mission
• Vision
• Core Values / Beliefs
• Goals

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UNITY OF PURPOSE

• The first and most significant question the
  members of any organization must answer if they
  hope to improve its effectiveness is the question
  of purpose.
• Peter Drucker Organizational Development and
  Leadership Guru

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CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE IN HIGH
SCHOOLS
9th Grade Success Extra-Ordinary Commitment
Data Laser-Like FocusAssisting Teachers Daily
Instructional Decisions
Inviting People, Place, Programs, Policies,
Practices
LeadershipDistributed, Empowering, Sustained,
Sense of Urgency, Level 5
12th Grade Year Rigorous Relevant Stressed to
the End
Unrelenting
UNITY OF PURPOSE CONGRUENT FOCUSED MISSION/VISIO
N/CORE VALUES-BELIEFS/GOALS
Culture
PersonalizationRelationships at all Levels with
Reflective Thought
Curriculum Instruction High Quality Focused on
Rigor Relevance Teacher Consistency
Commitment
For ALL
Professional DevelopmentFocused,
Teacher-Centered, Rigorous Relevant, Focused on
Limited Number of High-Impact Initiatives Collabor
ation
Quality Support Programs for Students
Academic
Excellence
Focused Instruction Student Interests and
NeedsLearning Styles and Aptitudes Getting to
Small
Change Process Understands the Why? What? How?
Climate of Civility Character Safe Orderly
Literacy is King
Dr. Gary M. Fields, Senior Consultant Internation
al Center for Leadership in Education garyfieldssa
p_at_msn.com
Math Success
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THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A HIGH PERFORMING HIGH
SCHOOL ARE LIKE A PUZZLE. THEY ARE CONNECTED.
THEY WORK TOGETHER. REMOVING ONE PIECE MAY CAUSE
THE PUZZLE TO BE UNRECOGNIZABLE.
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9th Grade Success

• The Foundation for High School Greatness
• Possibly the Most Critical of the Connected
  Pieces
• Not a New Issue
• Why More Critical Today?
• Why? What? How?

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Ninth Grade may be the last chance we have
with many students.
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THIS ISHARDWORK!!!!!!!
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9TH GRADE COMMITMENT ISNT A JOB THIS IS HOLY
WORK,A MINISTRY
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BASIC 9TH GRADE GOAL

• All 9th graders will academically graduate to
  the 10th grade
• Including success in the core academic courses
  without lowering standards

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TWO CRITICAL ISSUES

• CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY FAIL
• INTERVENE EARLY
• QUALITY MIDDLE GRADES TO HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION

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There is no such thing as a great high school
without a quality middle grades preparationThis
is a 6-12 issueIt is a K-12 issueITS ALL
ABOUT THE KIDS
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Beginning in 6th Grade, 4 Key Predictors of
Dropping out of High School

• Attendance
• Behavior
• Math failure
• English failure
• Students with any one of these has less than a
  20 chance of graduating from HS within 5 years
  of entering.
• Source Center for Social Organization of
  Schools, John Hopkins University, Education Week,
  July 2006.

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WHY?9TH GRADE FOCUS
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9th Grade is the Bubble YearThere are more
students in 9th grade than any other grade
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Ninth Grade
Eliminate retention at the ninth grade and you
will solve most of your problems. Retained 9th
graders often have a communicable disease and
they infect first-time 9th graders attendance
issues, tardiness, behavior, disrespect,
vandalism, smoking, drugs, and chronic lack of
interest in academic success.
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Educational Attainment

• 100 9th graders
• 68 will graduate from high school on time
• 38 will enter college by age 19
• 18 will earn an AA degree within 3 years or a
  BS degree within 6 years of enrolling
• source Committee for Economic Development
• July 2006

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of Male Students Standard HS Diploma in 4 Years

• 72.3 - White
• 52.3 - Hispanic
• 46.2 - Black
• Editorial Projects in Education
• Research Center 2007

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4 Year On-time Graduation RateWhite and Black
Males Class of 2004Schott Foundation for
Public Education June 2006

• Black Males White
  Males GAP
• Nation 45 70
  25
• Wisconsin 38 84
  47
• Florida 31
  54 23
• Illinois 44
  84 40
• New York 38 76
  38
• Texas 52 71
  18
• Pennsylvania 50 84
  34
• New Jersey 70 92
  22
• Maryland 54 78
  23
• D.C. 49
  95 46
• Virginia 53
  73 20
• Richmond, Va 38 45
  7

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Work-Age Population

• African-American or Latino
• 1980 15
• 2020 30
• By 2050 50
• Our poorest educated students.
• Source Committee for Economic Development, July
  2006

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THE NATIONAL MANTRA

• Rigor
• Relevance
• Relationships
• And, RESULTS
• FOR ALL

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The Rs of School SuccessPriority Order

• Relationships
• Relevance
• Rigor
• Results
• FOR ALL

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What 9th Gradeis All About?

• KNOWN
• VALUED
• INSPIRED

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Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
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Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Rationale
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
32
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
33
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Personalization
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
34
A learning process whereby educators/adults serve
as coaches mentors to assist students to

• Develop update a Personal Learning Plan in
  which they have ownership
• Take responsibility for their own learning
• Assess their own talents and aspirations
• Work cooperatively with others on meaningful
  tasks
• Demonstrate their learning against rigorous
  relevant standards using a wide variety of media
• Frequently reflect upon their progress and
  maintain a record of experiences

All for the purpose of preparing students for
further education and a career after high school.
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Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Parent Partnerships
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
36
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Program Structure
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
37
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Curriculum and Instruction
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
38
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Civility and Character
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
39
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Teacher Support And Assignments
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
40
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Academic Intervention
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
41
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Professional Development And Staffing
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
42
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Follow-through Grades 10 - 12
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
43
Rationale
Reinventing 9th GradeCritical Issues
Planning Process and Goal Setting
Personalization
Parent Partnerships
Program Marketing
Program Structure
Curriculum and Instruction
Professional Development and Staffing
Civility and Character
Teacher Support and Assignments
Follow-through Grades 10-12

Academic Intervention
Program Marketing
44
Rational

1. What is unique about 9th graders?
2. What is your 4-year on-time graduation rate? Is
   it disaggregated by sub-populations? How does
   this data compare to your state and the nation?
3. What programming options are currently available
   for academically challenged 9th graders?
4. What academic interventions are currently in
   place when 9th graders begin to struggle?

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Rational

1. What data will you gather on 9th grade success,
   or lack of, to justify your planning efforts?
2. How are you currently organized to deliver your
   instructional program to 9th graders? Are you
   satisfied with your results?
3. What are the initiatives currently in place to
   provide for a seamless transition for students
   from grade 8 to 9?
4. Are there currently effective strategies in place
   to assist 9th graders who are reading
   challenged?

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Planning Process Goal Setting

• Has your staff identified why some 9th graders
  are not learning?
• Who will be involved in your planning process?
• What are the agreed upon goals for your 9th grade
  initiative?
• Is there significant support and encouragement
  from the district office and school board?

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Planning Process Goal Setting

1. What communication strategies will you use to
   keep key publics informed as you proceed with
   your planning high school faculty,
   superintendent and district office personnel,
   school board, union leadership, parents,
   upper-class students?
2. What role will the principal play? (delegate,
   active participant, passionate and visionary
   cheerleader)
3. How will leadership be distributed?
4. How will you plan for celebrating 9th grade
   student and adult success?

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Personalization

1. Have you defined what you mean by
   personalization?
2. Is personalization more than a commitment to
   relationships?
3. Is there a recognition that relationships must be
   effective at all levels adult to student, adult
   to adult, student to student, teacher to
   administration, teacher to parents, etc.?
4. Will you use a small learning community approach
   to personalize your 9th grade success initiative?
5. Is your planning team knowledgeable about SLC
   research and the potential benefits?

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Personalization

1. What will you do to guarantee that 9th grade
   student anonymity does not exist?
2. Will there be an advisor/advisee program of some
   type?
3. How will it be structured?
4. What professional development will be offered to
   advisors?
5. What will the advisement curriculum be? Who will
   design it?
6. What accountability measures will be in place to
   insure that the advisement goals are being met?

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Personalization

1. What role will counselors play in your 9th grade
   success initiative?
2. Will you leverage upper-class student leadership
   as peer leaders or mentors for 9th grade success?
3. What role will extra-curricular sponsors/coaches
   play as academic support specialists for 9th
   graders?

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Parent Partnerships

• Will parents be involved in your planning
  process?
• How will you assist 8th grade parents through the
  seamless transition process to 9th grade?
• Will there be special activities for parents of
  9th graders?
• How will you communicate with grades 8 through 12
  parents?
• What unique communication/dialogue strategies
  might you use for parents of 9th graders?

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Program Structure

1. Is your planned 9th grade structure consistent
   with your goals?
2. Will the 9th grade initiative be for all
   freshmen? First time 9th graders only? Only those
   likely to be academically or behaviorally
   challenged?
3. How will you program for over-age 9th graders?
4. Will you use a SLC house or academy approach?
5. If so, what variables must you consider in the
   interface with grades 10, 11, 12?

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Program Structure

1. Does the school have a department chairperson
   structure? If so, how will this relate to the 9th
   grade program?
2. Will 9th grade classrooms be grouped together
   somewhere in the building?
3. Will there be an isolated lunch period just for
   9th graders?
4. How will 9th grade teachers be recruited and
   selected?

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Program Structure

1. Assuming a core group of 9th grade teachers,
   which subject areas will be included?
2. What will be the special literacy/reading
   intervention strategies?
3. How will common planning/preparation time be
   scheduled for the teachers?
4. How will you program for special needs students
   special education, ESL, 504, etc.?

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Program Structure

1. In order to assist with the 8-9 transition, might
   looping of some teachers or a counselor be
   considered?
2. Will some teachers looping from grade 9 to 10
   be considered?
3. What role will the principal play in planning,
   leading, and celebrating the initiative?
4. What data will be generated during implementation
   to support the initiative?

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Program Structure

1. How will progress on a regular basis be
   communicated to the high school faculty?
2. Will additional resources, such as more teachers,
   be allocated to 9th grade?
3. What class size guidelines will be approved?
4. How will extended learning time be made
   available/required for academically challenged
   students?
5. What type of daily schedule will be developed
   traditional, block, hybrid?
6. Can the 9th grade schedule be different from
   grades 10, 11, 12?

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Curriculum and Instruction

• Which core classes do all freshmen currently
  take?
• Will the core required classes be the same in the
  new initiative?
• How will elective courses be handled/scheduled?
• Will the students deficient in reading and/or
  math be scheduled differently?
• Will academically challenged 9th graders be
  assigned more of the same or will there be an
  enlightened approach to teaching the core basics
  in the fun elective classes?

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Curriculum and Instruction

• How will ability grouping be handled? Will all
  classes be heterogeneous? If so, what
  professional development will be offered to
  teachers?
• How will math be scheduled?
• Will there be special programming for those
  identified as gifted/talented?
• Will there be an emphasis on curriculum
  integration and/or interdisciplinary teaching? If
  so, what professional development resources will
  be provide for teachers?

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Curriculum and Instruction

• Will there be a special required seminar or
  career planning class of some kind?
• Will 9th grade teachers use a common
  instructional model?
• What professional development will be provided to
  assist teachers in designing lessons that are
  both rigorous and relevant?
• How will all grade 9 teachers, on a daily basis,
  inform students this is how you will use in the
  future what you are learning today?

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Levels
Blooms
C D A B
6
5
4
3
2
1 2 3 4 5
1
Application
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Civility and Character

1. What concerns currently exist about 9th grade
   behavior, attendance and attitude?
2. What interventions and consequences have been
   used in the past and have they been successful?
3. Is improper adult role modeling part of the issue
   and something that must be addressed in a
   comprehensive program to improve school civility
   and student character?
4. What issues exist with student drug use,
   violence, gangs, bullying, etc.?

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Civility and Character

1. Does the school staff currently have a consistent
   unity of purpose in terms of enforcing necessary
   school rules and regulations?
2. What positive demonstrations of character are
   desired from students?
3. Are the 12 guiding principles of character
   appropriate for your school and community? If
   not, what adaptations might be considered?

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Civility and Character

1. What strategies to promote character might be
   considered?
2. How can the guiding principles be integrated into
   the curriculum rather than being an add-on?
3. Assuming all 12 guiding principles cannot be
   addressed initially, which traits might first
   deserve emphasis?

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Guiding Principles

• Responsibility
• Contemplation
• Initiative
• Perseverance
• Optimism
• Courage

• Respect
• Compassion
• Adaptability
• Honesty
• Trustworthiness
• Loyalty

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Teacher Support Assignments

1. What motivational strategies will be employed to
   cause teachers to apply to serve as 9th grade
   teachers?
2. How will the principal make 9th grade teaching a
   status assignment?
3. Is it possible to assign an administrator full
   time to the 9th grade?
4. How will counselor support be provided?

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Teacher Support Assignments

1. Will secretarial, student attendance personnel,
   data generation and management, etc. be provided
   to the 9th grade team?
2. Will staff to serve special needs students be
   assigned to the 9th grade initiative? How will
   these critical people be integrated with the
   teachers and teacher teams?
3. Will you employ an inclusion model?

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Critical Role of the Assistant Principaland
Counselorhammer and helperdolphin and shark
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Possible Characteristics of 9th Grade Team
Teachers ideas there is no one right profile

• Passion a heart for 14 year olds
• Firm and humane
• Committed to second chance options
• If possible, gender mix
• Sense of humor able to have fun
• Motivated to collaborate
• Committed to partnering with parents
• Blend of experience support our young gems
• If 9th grade is the most important year then they
  need our best teachers

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Academic Intervention

1. Will students be given a clean slate beginning
   9th grade or will an attempt be made to identify
   students before the year begins who might need
   attention?
2. What academic intervention strategies are
   currently in place?
3. Are they effective?
4. Are they universally applied by the teaching and
   support staff, including administrators?

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Academic Intervention

1. With considerable teacher involvement, has an
   agreed upon pyramid of academic interventions
   been designed and communicated?
2. Are there academic assistance programs in place
   beginning in grade 8 and continuing during the
   summer before grade 9 begins?
3. Is there a commitment to early intervention when
   academic difficulties begin?

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Academic Intervention

1. Are there voluntary and mandatory tutorials in
   place?
2. Are there programs to extend the school day and
   school year for academically challenged students?
3. Is there a belief among 9th grade staff that we
   simply will not allow freshmen to fail?

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Pyramid of Academic Intervention
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ESSENTIAL KEY1CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY
FAILINTERVENE EARLY
74
Your pyramid of interventions is actually a menu
of options that must be applied as needed with
flexibility to cause students to achieve
academically.
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What is your philosophy of consequences for kids
not doing their work?

• Is your consequence a failing grade? Or, is it
  making the kids do their work?

76
Pre-9th Grade Interventionsexamples

• Clean slate versus identification of potentially
  challenged students.
• Summer Success Academy, bridge programs.
• Link Crew leverage upper-class students
• Reading levels all teachers possess.
• Literacy focus reading in the content areas.
• Student-parent contracts grades, attendance,
  behavior.
• Looping
• Comprehensive orientation to high school.
• Consideration of gender classes
• Master schedule parallel classes

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Student Information/ProfileSNAPSHOT

• Every teacher has on every student on or before
  the first day of school in the fall
• Information can include middle school grades,
  standardized test scores, attendance, behavior
  issues, READING LEVEL, parent contact
  information, special needs, etc.

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Early School Year Interventions-teacher based-

• Relationships anonymity is not an option.
• Teacher team time operational procedures
• Red Flag some likely challenged students.
• Counselor watch.
• Early progress reports to parents.
• Voluntary tutoring.
• Coaches/Advisors- academic support specialists.
• Parent communication.

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HEATHelp Eliminate Academic TardinessEarly
school year immediate homework intervention
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Mid-level Interventions

• Required tutoring.
• Counselor sessions.
• Extended school day sessions.
• Special study halls or study sessions
• Parent conference with team.
• Lunch grounding.
• 3-6 week credit recovery after school/Saturdays
• (Search and Rescue, Round-Up, No Freedom
  Friday)
• Student conferences with team
• Special support groups (e.g. Pearl)
• Ropes course

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Higher Level Interventions

• Tutoring and parent conferences continue.
• Round up last 3 weeks of semester
• Special contracts.
• In-team suspension. - ITAG
• Parent attends classes with student
• Credit recovery Nova Net, Plato, etc.
• Upper-class student mentors (Adopt-a-Fish).
• Semester 2 repeater/trailer classes.
• Adult mentors (Star Fish).
• Hard Core Shark Crew.
• Extended school year

82
ESSENTIAL KEY2Make the 8-9 Transition a
PriorityINTERVENE EARLY
83
A major function of 8th grade is to teach
students how to be 9th grade learners
84
Professional Development and Staffing

1. Is there a school and school district commitment
   of extra professional development assistance for
   the 9th grade team?
2. Does this commitment include paid time for
   teachers to work together on planning after
   school and during the summer?
3. Are professional development experts available
   in the school district to assist 9th grade staff?
4. Is there a need for outside consultant services?

85
Professional Development and Staffing

1. What accountability is necessary to insure that
   professional development goals are met?
2. Have collaboration skills been developed among
   9th grade team members?
3. If the initiative is a small learning community
   approach, has information been gathered on
   successful SLC practices?

86
Professional Development and Staffing

1. Will there be teacher leaders or teacher
   coaches?
2. Is there a reading/literacy plan for the 9th
   grade program?
3. If so, will appropriate professional development
   be provided for all 9th grade teachers?

87
Follow-through Grades 10 - 12

1. Despite the extraordinary 9th grade commitment,
   how will you program for the few students who
   will not academically graduate to grade 10?
2. Will you consider a 10th grade initiative?
3. Will your small learning communities begin in
   grade 10 or 11?
4. What is the role of the 9th grade program in
   preparing students for the SLCs?
5. Will some 9th grade teachers loop to grade 10?
   If so, which ones?

88
Program Marketing

1. What program marketing strategies will be
   employed?
2. Who are the internal publics that need to be
   included in a communication plan?
3. Will the program be communicated to external
   publics? If so, how and to who?
4. Who will be the lead person in communicating the
   9th grade initiative to internal and external
   audiences?
5. Must be data driven

89
9th Grade Success

• Academically Graduate to the 10th Grade
• Prepared for First-Time Proficiency on State
  Assessments
• Satisfactory Attendance and Behavior

90
THE MISSION OF LEADERSHIP

• TO SHAPE LIFE
• RATHER THAN BEING
• SHAPED BY IT!

91

• It is not the teachers, or central office people,
  or the university people who are really causing
  schools to be the way they are or changing the
  way they might be. It is whoever lives in the
  principals office.
• Roland Barth, Founder
• Harvard Principals Center

92
We cannot all do great things, but we can do
small things with great love.Mother Teresa
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ITS ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!!!
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International Center for Leadership in Education,
Inc.
1587 Route 146 Rexford, NY 12148 Phone (518)
399-2776 Fax [phone] E-mail -
info_at_LeaderEd.com www.LeaderEd.com