"To succinctly understand the development, alignment and delivery of curriculum it is important to first have a deeper perception of how we learn, especially when we are articulating high stakes standards and formulating future assessment strategies."1

1. Dodge City Middle School DIAC Presentation 2010

2. School Demographics 2.3% 22.11% 3.60% 71.93% African American, 19.00 out of 805.00, (2.36%). Hispanic, 579.00 out of 805.00, (71.93%). Other, 29.00 out of 805.00, (3.60%). White, 178.00 out of 805.00, (22.11%).

3. School SMART Goals SMART Goal: Reading: By Spring 2010 all students and all subgroups will meet or exceed AYP Reading target of 79.8 and/or achieve safe harbor status. SMART GOAL Math:By Spring 2010 all students and all subgroups will either meet or exceed AYP Math target of 77.8 and/or achieve safe harbor status. SMART Goal Affective:During the 2009-2010 school year, we will decrease the number of gang-related offenses by at least 10% from the previous year. Professional Development

5. School Improvement Tool Kit Professional Development

6. School Improvement Tool Kit

7. CHARACTERISTIC (# 7) (Mean Score 4.57) Successful schools for young adolescents provide an adult advocate for every student.

8. CHARACTERISTIC (# 11)(Mean Score 4.90) Successful schools for young adolescents use assessment and evaluation programs that promote quality learning.

9. NMSA CONSULTANTS The emphasis of Mr. Berckemeyer's sessions were on effective teaming and interdisciplinary teaching. Dr. Connors expertise is in student advocacy programs. IMPROVEMENT Teaming approaches have improved markedly; every teaching team has planned, and executed an interdisciplinary unit or will in the next few weeks. Topics for the units were drawn from intended curriculum standards but have been enriched with cross curricular work and creative planning.

10. Professional Development Survey Results 2009-2010

11. Affective SMART Goal During the 2009-2010 school year, we will decrease the numbers of gang-related offenses by at least 10% from the previous year. Affective Development Professional Development

12. Interventions Preventions Gang-related behavior contract at the start of school year resulting from previous year offenses Monthly Mandatory Gang Education & Training Meetings for parents of students placed on contracts or students who receive a gang referral during the school year Home visits for parents who are unable to attend mandatory meetings by DCPD from school referral Gang database shared with local law enforcement through DCMS SRO Gang Policy Violation procedures Staff Gang Awareness Training 2-day Student Gang Awareness Presentation October All Parent Academy on “Gangs & Bullying” SMART Advisory Class review of policies & procedures in student handbook DARE Program – 7th Grade Red Ribbon Week – October 8-Week Choices Early Prevention Program Parent Academy Newsletter Articles

13. Affective Intervention Data DCMS had a 59% decrease of gang-related offenses from 2008. DCMS had a 43% decrease of gang-related offenses from 2007.

14. Parent Involvement Parent Academies 8th Grade Explore & College Awareness Evening The Blending of Cultures Study Island Fitness Night “The Silent Epidemic” Parent & Team Intervention Meetings 6th and 8th Grades Building Transition Meetings Site Council PALMS Site Council Post-Secondary Access for Latino Middle School Students

15. Tier III Tier II Flexible Grouping Sheltered Instruction Mastery Check Benchmark Assessments Tier I Cognitive Development Affective Development Professional Development

16. 10 Minutes Daily 80 Minute Block Tier III Tier II Math 10 Minutes Daily Kansas Math Assessment Course 40 Minute Block Tier I Math Cognitive Development TEAMING Ensuring Student Progress Pre-Algebra Algebra Geometry 10 Minutes Daily Affective Development Professional Development

17. Enrichment Math { General Math Curriculum Grades 7&8 { 7th Grade Pre-Algebra 8th Grade Algebra 6th Grade Taking Pre-Algebra 7th Grade Taking Algebra 8th Grade Taking HS Geometry {

18. Tier III Reading Tier II Kansas Reading Assessment Course 40 Minutes 9 Weeks Tier I Cognitive Development Affective Development Professional Development

19. Tier III Read 180 10 minutes 10 minutes 60 minutes

20. Read 180 Small Group Rotations

21. Newcomers System 44 Reading The Code- teaches letter-sound correspondence through fluent word recognition Word Strategies- presents instruction and practice in syllable strategies and word analysis. Sight Words- lessons focus on building automatic recognition of the sight words. Success- at the conclusion of each set of instructional topics, a nonfiction video introduces students to background information and vocabulary that helps them access a text passage. Passages and related activities require students to apply and build on the skills they have learned and develop their comprehension.

22. QPA & Making AYP We have to have no less than 90% attendance rate in all sub categories. (To Date: 95.67%) Currently our Sub Groups Include: (Free and Reduced, Students with Disabilities, ELL, Hispanic and White) On QPA “Expected Gains,” we have to make a 10% gain in the non-proficient areas which is all student who are scoring below in the two categories of “Approaching Standards” and “Academic Warning.” Example, in 2009 we had 23.1% of our students that scored below the “Meets Standard” mark in 7th and 8th grade reading. This year we will need to have 13.1% of our students score at the “Meets Standard” category in all subgroups.

23. Kansas Math Assessment Target 77.8

24. Kansas Reading Assessment Target 79.7

25. Curriculum Alignment Instructional Calendar Unpacking Essential Indicators Setting Measurable Goals Validating Benchmark Assessments Professional Learning Communities Collecting Analyzing Formative Data Formative Benchmark Interventions Re-teaching Instructional Change Meeting and Revising Instructional Goals Close to 100% Proficiency

26. Curriculum Alignment Matching instructional delivery with the state assessed benchmarks. Lesson planning and classroom teaching aligned with the material the students will be required to master on the state assessments. Establish a “minimum guaranteed curriculum” for each grade level. The curriculum is developed through a process called unpacking essential standards.

27. Unpacking Essential Indicators Curriculum Unpacking Unpacking the essential standards gives teachers a guide and clarity of focus. Identifies the level of cognitive processes needed for the standard as well as a taxonomy of hierarchal understanding and the depth of knowledge the student will need to master the standard. After the packing is complete an instructional calendar will be completed to provide a scope and sequence of the essential indicators.

28. Instructional Calendar Instructional Calendar A timeline by which specific standards should be taught, Dates of formative assessments, A guide for intervention and re-teaching when needed to ensure success on benchmark and state assessments.

29. Benchmark Assessments Validating Benchmark Assessments Align state assessed benchmarks to determine student mastery of a standard prior to the state assessment. Predictor of how a student will perform on the state assessment. Data generated from these assessments drive instructional practices and intervention planning. IMPROVEMENT GOAL It will be our goal in the near future to establish true validity and reliability of alignment between formative benchmark assessments and state wide assessments.

30. Measurable SMART Goals Setting Measurable SMART Goals Setting SMART goals enables our core instructional teachers to have a good sense of where their students are at the beginning of the year and have measurable goals for where they want their students to be at the end of the year. IMPROVEMENT GOAL Next year as part of our school improvement plan we will develop measurable SMART goals for individual indicators for each of the core content areas in for grades seven and eight.

31. Professional Learning Communities Utilize instructional expertise to identify key formative indicators of success that can be used to measure student progress during the school year. Collect, organize, analyze, and report that data to students, parents, administrators, and other teachers. Key skills of include knowledge of relevant assessment literacy concepts (in order to appropriately interpret formative assessment data), Ability to engage in root cause analysis to identify appropriate instructional interventions Capacity to work effectively with other staff on shared instructional problems and solutions.

32. Collecting Analyzing Formative Data Formative Data Data generated from these assessments are designed to drive instructional practices and intervention planning which is necessary to ensure each student masters the minimum guaranteed curriculum. Teachers use team time to meet regularly and frequently to have collaborative, data-based discussions about student progress. IMPROVEMENT GOAL Next year we will continue the process of administering formative benchmark assessments every four weeks to check student progress on instructionally delivered indicators.

33. Formative Benchmark Interventions Interventions The purpose of interventions is to increase, improve, and/or enhance the performance of students who have demonstrated low performance on a essential indicator through a formative benchmark assessment. IMPROVEMENT GOAL Students who enter the two week program intervention program will be assessed with a second common formative benchmark assessment. We need to determine provisions for those students who do not demonstrate proficiency or mastery of the standard on the second formative benchmark assessment.

34. Instructional Change Believes Re-teaching Instructional Change "We believe that collaboratively we can have powerful impacts on student learning." “We can make a difference and are strategically and intelligently redesigning instructional and organizational practices to support student learning "We recognize that data analysis is meaningless if it does not result in meaningful instructional change.“ "Teachers will continue their work with curriculum coaches to identify effective, grade-level instructional practices for their subject areas."

35. Instructional Change Believes Re-teaching Instructional Change "To be effective in the teaming process we must be able to use summative and formative assessment data together to implement strategic, targeted, focused instructional interventions to improve student learning.“ "To ensure that our students are successful under the terms of NCLB we must provide meaningful interventions that are aligned with state standards and district curricula as well as content-specific, developmentally-appropriate best practices."

36. DCMS “A High Performance School” Tier III Kansas Career Pipeline Tier II Interventions Teacher as Advisor “Home base” Student Improvement Team ACT Tier I Cognitive Development Affective Development Professional Development