Brockton High Transformed by Literacy

Model School- Session #14Sue SzachowiczSue Szachowicz

Principal

Sharon WolderSharon WolderAssociate Principal for

Curriculum and Instruction

Our Agenda

• Who we are and where we used to be• Rigor, Relevance, Relationships• How we did this: 1. Empowering a Team 2. Focusing on Literacy 3. Implementing with fidelity 4. Monitoring like crazy!• Results: Changing the Culture!

•Comprehensive 9 – 12•Enrollment: 4,218•Poverty Level: 72%•Minority population: 73%•50 different languages •50% speak another language in the home•Approximately 12% in Transitional Bilingual Ed.•Approximately 11% receive Special Educ. Services

Who are We???Our Demographics

57% Black - includes African American, Cape Verdean, Haitian, Jamaican, and others

26% White 14% Hispanic 2.5% Asian .5% Native

American

Meet our Students

Massachusetts implemented a high stakes test (MCAS)

Three-quarters of our students would not be earning a diploma

Culture of low expectations – “Students have a right to fail”

Who is responsible???? (My kids, your kids, not OUR kids)

Success by chance – depended on who your teacher was – are you lucky???

\The Problem: (actually we had many…)

State Mandates…We faced:State Mandates…We faced:

MCAS 1998

Failure

ELA – 44%(Sped – 78%)

MATH – 75%(Sped – 98%)

MCAS 1998

Advanced+Proficient

ELA – 22%

MATH – 7%

MCAS??? So you think

it’s easy???

MCAS??? So you think

it’s easy???

Remember, they MUST pass to graduate – NO exceptions!

Burial at Thebes from Sophocles’ Antigone Shakespearean Sonnet # 73 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel

Garcia Marquez (3 page excerpt) Making Humus by Composting by Liz Ball Proof (four page play excerpt by David

Auburn)

ELA MCAS SELECTIONS:(and remember, they are sophomores!)

9

In the formula, h and t are defined as follows:• t = the time, in seconds, that has elapsed since the rocket was launched• h = the height, in feet, of the rocket above the ground at time t

Use the formula to answer the following questions.a. What was the height, in feet, of the rocket 1 second after it was

launched? Show your work.b. What was the height, in feet, of the rocket 6 seconds after it was

launched? Show your work.c. The value of h was 0 when the rocket hit the ground. How many

seconds after the rocket was launched did it hit the ground? Show your work.

d. How many seconds after the rocket was launched was the height of the rocket 160 feet? Show your work.

SAMPLE MCAS MATH QUESTION: Jason launched a model rocket from the ground. The formula below can be used to determine the height of the rocket above the ground at any time during the rocket’s flight.

h = 16t(7 – t)

For the red gene, the allele for the presence of red pigment (R) is dominant and the allele for the absence of red pigment (r) is recessive. Likewise, for the black gene, the allele for the presence of black pigment (B) is dominant and the allele for the absence of black pigment (b) is recessive.

a. Draw the Punnett square for the cross of a snake that is homozygous dominant for the red color with a snake that is heterozygous for the red color. What percentage of the offspring is expected to have red pigment in their skin?

b. Draw the Punnett square for the cross of two snakes that are heterozygous for the black color. What percentage of the offspring are expected to have black pigment in their skin?

c. The parent snakes in part (b) that are heterozygous for black color are both homozygous recessive for the red gene. Each parent has genotype rr for the red gene. Based on this information, what percentage of their offspring are expected to lack both the red and black pigments in their skin? Explain your reasoning.

SAMPLE MCAS BIOLOGY QUESTION:

Corn snakes show variety in their skin color pattern. While the complete genetics of corn snake color are complex, the most common colors on normal corn snakes—red and black—are each coded by one gene.

11

…you all get the same test. You must all climb that tree…”

Insert cartoon

Can you believe this???

But even worse… We faced a flawed belief system:

“Students have a

right to fail.”Former BHS Principal

Success at Brockton High then ???

That’s where we were…

Here’s a preview of WHERE WE

ARE NOW…

MCAS 1998Advanced+Proficient

ELA – 22 %

MATH – 7 %

MCAS 2011Advanced+Proficient

ELA – 78%

MATH – 64 %

MCAS 2011Advanced+Proficient

ELA – 78%

MATH – 64 %

THEN NOW

It’s even BETTER this year!!!

THEN NOW

MCAS 1998

Failure

ELA – 44%

MATH – 75%

MCAS 2011

Failure

ELA – 4%

MATH – 12%

MCAS 2011

Failure

ELA – 4%

MATH – 12%YES, even BETTER this year!!!

It’s cool and fun to be smart

Honor Roll Statistics

1998859 STUDENTS

(4400 students)

19%

2011 1448

STUDENTS

( (4200 students)

34%

Turnaround at Brockton High

BROCKTON - Brockton High School has every excuse for failure, serving a city plagued by crime, poverty, housing foreclosures, and homelessness.Almost two-thirds of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, and 14 percent are learning to speak English. More than two-thirds are African-American or Latino - groups that have lagged behind their peers across the state on standardized tests.But Brockton High, by far the state’s largest public high school with 4,200 students, has found a success in recent years that has eluded many of the state’s urban schools: MCAS scores are soaring, earning the school state recognition as a symbol of urban hope.

Principal Susan Szachowicz, shown chatting at lunch with Yiriam Lopez, is in many ways the school’s biggest cheerleader. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe Staff) By James Vaznis Globe Staff / October 12, 2009

Emphasis on literacy brings big MCAS improvement

Brockton and ICLE philosophy Rigor Relevance RelationshipsALL students-and ALL means ALL!!!

So, that’s who we are… What did we do?

Literacy for ALL – NO exceptions!!!

Schoolwide Literacy Skills (we all do it THIS way!)

Schoolwide rubrics for assessment

RIGOR and RELEVANCEOur Literacy Initiative reflects BOTH

The content provides the CONTEXT for teaching the Literacy Skills

The electives engage the students and provide the real life application

So, what did we do??? Our turnaround: 4 Steps

1. Empowered a Team

2. Focused on Literacy – Literacy for ALL, no exceptions

3. Implemented with fidelity and according to a plan

4. Monitored like crazy!

Restructuring Committee – our “think tank” Every department represented with a

mix of teachers and administrators Balance of new teachers and

veterans, new voices and voices of experience

Challenge for Change funding

Step ONE: Empowering a Leadership Team

Step ONE: Empowering a Leadership Team

We looked at the data And, our first plan:

Let’s figure out the test

The result of that:

The Great The Great Shakespearean FiascoShakespearean Fiasco

I

We asked what should we be teaching???

A better approach:

Our solution:LITERACY!!! LITERACY!!!

And it helped us become one of the 100 Best!

INSERT VIDEO from America’s Promise 100 Best

1. Empowered a team

2. Focused on Literacy for ALL, NO

exceptions3. Implemented with fidelity and according to a

plan4. Monitored like crazy!

Brockton High’s turnaround FOUR STEPS:

The “WHAT”:

LITERACY for ALL:

Reading, Writing,

Speaking, Reasoning

Step TWO: Focused on Literacy for ALL

Step TWO: Focused on Literacy for ALL

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How did we determine our focus?Literacy Skills Drafted:

WHAT are we teaching???ENGAGING THE FACULTY:

Interdisciplinary discussion groups on the drafts using 3 guiding questions:

1.In each of the four areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Reasoning, have we included what is required for students to be successful in your class/your content area?

2.Is the skill stated clearly so that all teachers and students can understand it?

3.Is the skill applicable to ALL content areas?

“Lessons Learned the Hard Way” Tip:

Put all your negative folks together in a group so they

don’t spread their toxic fumes.

“Lessons Learned the Hard Way” Tip:

Put all your negative folks together in a group so they

don’t spread their toxic fumes.

We had cool looking charts on the walls… SO WHAT…

The KEY to our implementation is HOW we trained teachers to teach these Literacy skills to our students.

So now what…

Faculty Meetings became

Literacy WorkshopsKEY = Adult Learning

Step THREE: Implemented with fidelity and a planStep THREE: Implemented with fidelity and a plan

We started with writing! Writing isWriting is

thinkingthinking

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS

FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS

LITERACY CHART: WRITING

to take notes to explain one’s thinking to argue a thesis and support one’s thinking to compare and contrast to write an open response to describe an experiment, report one’s findings, and report one’s conclusion to generate a response to what one has read, viewed, or heard to convey one’s thinking in complete sentences to develop an expository essay with a formal structure

c Brockton High School, 2002

WRITING

SOCIAL

SCIENCE

MATH

ELECTIVE

ENGLISH

SCIENCE

Don’t think for a moment that everyone was happy…

BUT, if we waited for buy-in, we’d still be waiting.

SO, what did we do?? Meet Sharon and Penny

BUT….

Insert PBS Need to Know video on Penny and Sharon

1. Empowered a team2. Focused on Literacy – Literacy for ALL, NO

exceptions

3. Implemented with fidelity and according to a plan

4. Monitored like crazy!

Brockton High’s turnaround FOUR STEPS:

1. Targets the Literacy Skill2. Smaller subgroup drafts training

script, brings draft to the full committee, revisions made

3. Roll out to faculty – step one: Interdisciplinary group training

4. Follow up in depts – how to implement in content area

Restructuring Committee Restructuring Committee process:process:

Restructuring Committee Restructuring Committee process:process:

OPEN RESPONSE STEPS TO FOLLOW

1. READ QUESTION CAREFULLY. 2. CIRCLE OR UNDERLINE KEY WORDS. 3. RESTATE QUESTION AS THESIS (LEAVING BLANKS). 4. READ PASSAGE CAREFULLY. 5. TAKE NOTES THAT RESPOND TO THE QUESTION. BRAINSTORM & MAP OUT YOUR ANSWER. 6. COMPLETE YOUR THESIS. 7. WRITE YOUR RESPONSE CAREFULLY, USING YOUR

MAP AS A GUIDE. 8. STATEGICALLY REPEAT KEY WORDS FROM THESIS IN YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR END SENTENCE. 9. PARAGRAPH YOUR RESPONSE. 10. REREAD AND EDIT YOUR RESPONSE.

How do we know the students are learning it?

INSERT STUDENT WORK EXAMPLE

Follow up the Interdisciplinary Training.

Next step – HOW to bring this into the classroom

Lessons developed Implemented according to a

calendar

So then what…

We didn’t leave it to chance.

The implementation was according to a specific

timeline…

Step THREE: Implemented with fidelity and a plan

Step THREE: Implemented with fidelity and a plan

47

As a follow up to this activity, I am requiring Department Heads to collect from each teacher at least one student sample from each of the teachers’ classes. The student samples should include:

Student NameTeacher NameDateCourse Name and LevelPeriodA copy of the reading selection and questionEvidence of the student’s active readingAll pre-writing work that the student has done, e.g. websA copy of the written open response The new scoring rubric and completed assessment

 After you have collected the samples from each teacher and have had the opportunity to review them for quality and completeness, please send them to me in a department folder with a checklist of your teachers. Again, please be sure that your teachers clearly label their student samples.

The Open Response calendar of implementation is as follows:

Nov 2-6: Social Science, Social Sci Biling.Nov 30-Dec 4: Wellness, JROTC Dec 14-18: Science, Science BilingualJan 11-15: Business, Tech, & Career Ed.Jan 25-29: Math, Math BilingualFeb 22-26: Foreign Lang, Special EdMar. 7-11: English, ESL, GuidanceMar 20-24 Family &Cons. Sci, ProjGradsApr 5-9: Music, Art

How did we incorporate these Literacy Skills in every discipline?Emily Dickinson is a poet who often wrote about her own emotional struggles. In two poems “Heart, We Will Forget Him” and “Knows How to Forget” she writes about how difficult it is to forget. Please read the two poems and the brief biography and answer the following three questions:1.What were some of experiences in her life that influenced her writing?2.What do the two poems have in common?3.How are the two poems different?Please use one quote from the poems or biography in each paragraph.

INSERT STUDENT

WORK EXAMPLES

Even the Guidance Department implements the Active Reading Strategies. Topic: Post-Secondary Plans

ALL means ALL!!!

1. Empowered a team2. Focused on Literacy – Literacy for ALL,

NO exceptions3. Implemented with fidelity and

according to a plan

4. Monitored like crazy!(what gets monitored is what gets done!)

Brockton High’s turnaround FOUR STEPS:

INSERT RUBRIC

What Gets Monitored Is What Gets Done! Faculty: Assessment based on rubrics Department Heads: Collect, assess,

dialogue, and assist teacher Associate Principal: Collect, assess,

dialogue, make necessary adjustmentsListen to Prof. Ron Ferguson, Director,

Achievement Gap Institute, Harvard

Step FOUR: Monitored like crazy!!!

Step FOUR: Monitored like crazy!!!

INSERT PBS NEED TO KNOW VIDEO on Ferguson

5555

LITERACY CHART: READING

for content ( both literal and inferential ) to apply pre-reading, during reading and post-reading strategies to all

reading assignments, including determining purpose and pre-learning vocabulary

to research a topic to gather information to comprehend an argument to determine the main idea of a passage to understand a concept and construct meaning to expand one’s experiences c Brockton High School, 2002

READING

SOCIAL

SCIENCE

MATH

ELECTIVE

ENGLISH

SCIENCE

Reading Workshop on TOVANI’S

I Read It But I Don’t Get It and

Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?

The key: Teaching everyone HOW

Active Reading Strategies

1. Read the question.

2. a. Circle key direction verbs. For example – write, draw,

explain, compare, show, copy

b. Underline important information. Often there is information in a

question that is irrelevant to finding the answer.

3. In your own words, write what the

question is asking you to do.

4. Develop your plan/Answer the question.

Insert Student Work Examples

MATH

Oral

Presentation

Rubric

ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC Presenter:______________________________ Evaluator:______________________________ Literacy in Speaking:

to make an oral presentation to one’s class to communicate in a manner that allows one to be both heard and understood to convey one’s thinking in complete sentences

SPEAKING SKILLS All elements

present Most elements present

Some elements present

No elements present

Delivery (Presenter doesn’t rush, shows enthusiasm, avoids likes, ums, kind ofs, you knows, etc. Uses complete sentences.)

4 3 2 1

Eye Contact (Presenter keeps head up, does not read, and speaks to whole audience.)

4 3 2 1

Posture (Presenter stands up straight, faces audience, and doesn’t fidget.)

4 3 2 1

Volume (Presenter can be easily heard by all. No gum, etc.

4 3 2 1

CONTENT All elements

present Most elements present

Some elements present

No elements present

Introduction Presentation begins with a clear focus/thesis.

4 3 2 1

Topic Development a. Presentation includes all elements previously determined by the teacher.

4

3

2

1

b. Presentation is clearly organized. (Material is logically sequenced, related to thesis, and not repetitive.)

4 3 2 1

c. Presentation shows full grasp and understanding of the material.

4 3 2 1

Conclusion a. Presentation highlights key ideas and concludes with a strong final statement.

4

3

2

1

b. Presenter fields questions easily.

4 3 2 1

TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS: 35 – 40 = A 29 – 34 = B 23 – 28 = C 17 – 22 = D 10 – 16 = F * Evaluator: Place comments beside each descriptor

How did we incorporate these Literacy Skills in every discipline?

The Reasoning Skills Chart develops the higher level math skills.

Two examples of a Reading Visuals lesson from a Wellness class

Topic: Bullying

Insert Student Work Examples

How did we incorporate these Literacy Skills in every discipline?

Here is an example of a Problem Solving lesson

from a Music class – Topic: Planning the Concert

Key = Adult Learning – Teachers teaching teachers = SUCCESS!

Literacy Training for the faculty

BHS Literacy Workshop

April 28th 2011

BHS Literacy Workshop

April 28th 2011

Reading VisualsReading Visuals

66

AgendaAgenda• Opener – Think and Pair.• Reading Visuals presentation• Practice using Reading Visuals 5 step

process• Discussion and feedback• Closer – Think, Plan, Share

67

Don’t Miss…To see how we trained our faculty and experience a Literacy Training the Brockton High way, go to Sharon’s Literacy Leadership session: Tuesday 10:45 in OsceolaA; Wednesday 9:30 in Sun A-B

In Sharon’s Session – Our Professional Development Formats

World Café – More informal, allows topics to be introduced without going into great detail – builds collegiality

Small Interdisciplinary Groups – In depth discussions about a targeted issue

Large Interdisciplinary Groups – Literacy training that is often our first step to introduce an instructional method to all faculty

Departmental Meetings – follow up to literacy training with a content specific focus

It’s ALL about the relationships…

We can’t forget The Third “R”

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

Relationships

Honor Roll Assemblies – Celebrate and Laugh!

7373

Class of 2012 – 90% heading to college!

College for ALL:Changing students’ beliefs:

Boxer – 2 – Boxer

Access Center

Peer Mediators

Boxer of the Month

Good Citizen IDs

Boxer Roundup

Relationships: Support and Get the Word Out!

Boxer BuddiesA lasting friendshipA lasting friendship

We have built a lasting relationship We have built a lasting relationship which we will forever treasure in our which we will forever treasure in our

heartshearts

Amarr: “It’s not us

against them.”

Terrence: “No one here

would let me fail.

I know, because I tried to.”

The “REAL” results

RECAP: Our 4 Steps

1. Empowering a team 2. Focusing on literacy:

Literacy for ALL – NO exceptions3. Implementing with fidelity and

according to a plan4. Monitoring, monitoring, monitoring

The Result = Changing the Culture

When all 3 R’s come together

Pedro NogueraPedro Noguera

“You don’t have to change the student population to get results, you have to change the conditions under which they learn.”

DOES IT WORK???Listen to what the students think of our Literacy Initiative… meet Fabieny DePina on PBS Need to Know

It’s ALL about literacy

INSERT PBS NEED TOKNOW VIDEO with Fabieny

Success at Brockton High then???

MCAS 2011

Failure

ELA – 4%

(in 98 - 44%)

MATH – 12%(in 98 – 75%)

MCAS 2011

Adv/Prof. ELA – 78%

(in 98 - 22%)

MATH – 64%

(in 98 – 7%)

MCAS 2011

Adv/Prof. ELA – 78%

(in 98 - 22%)

MATH – 64%

(in 98 – 7%)

Success at Brockton High now

TEACHER LEADERSHIP

Some Schools Stand Out

Comparisons of Complacent HS and Brockton HS

Ronald F. Ferguson, PhDTripod Project for School Improvement (www.tripodproject.org) and

Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University (www.agi.harvard.edu)

Proportions of students scoring in each decile of the MCAS 8th grade ELA distribution

MCAS ELA gains 8th to 10th grade, compared to others from the same 8th grade decile

(School rank percentile/100)

As student achievement increased, the culture started to change – we ALL insisted on the same standards“Your kids look like our

kids, but they sure don’t act like our kids.”

“There’s no one in the halls…” Szach: “They are in class…” Follow up question: “How do you get them to go?” The kids are PROUD – BOXER PRIDE!The kids are PROUD – BOXER PRIDE!

It’s not just about the numbers!!!

JOHN & ABIGAIL ADAMS BHS SCHOLARS 2012

268 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

33% of the class!

ICLE Model School 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

NASSP/CSSR Secondary School

Showcase 2011, 2010 AIM Gould Award 2012 (Mass. businesses) U.S. Department of Education National

High School Summit Harvard Achievement Gap Initiative 2011,

2009 National School Change Award – 2006 Massachusetts Compass School

AWARDS, AWARDS, AWARDS, AWARDS!!!

Brockton High SchoolBrockton School District

Plymouth County 470 Forest Avenue

Brockton, Massachusetts(508)580-7633

2008, 2010,2012

AWARDS, AWARDS, AWARDS, AWARDS!!!

GO

Boxers!!!

September 28, 2010

Boxers in the NEW YORK

TIMES

High Expectations NO Excuses!!!

Here’s what we know Making change takes tenacity, not brilliance!

(If we can do it, ANYONE can!)And when the 3 Rs come together it

looks like this… (The kids made this for the teachers)

INSERT STUDENT GOOD BYE VIDEO

Contact Information

Dr. Susan Szachowicz

Principal

Brockton High School470 Forest Avenue

Brockton, MA 02301508.580.7633

SUSANSZACHOWICZ@ bpsma.org

Dr. Susan Szachowicz

Principal

Brockton High School470 Forest Avenue

Brockton, MA 02301508.580.7633

SUSANSZACHOWICZ@ bpsma.org

Sharon WolderAssociate Principal for

Curriculum and Instruction

Brockton High School470 Forest Ave

Brockton, MA 02301508.894.4536

SHARONRWOLDER@ bpsma.org