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Berea College Promise Neighborhood:
Results-Based Accountability
April 2013 Summary from CTL
BACKGROUND
During the planning year for Promise Neighborhood funded by a grant to Berea College from the USDOE,
partner CTL collected and analyzed data to help inform the
identification of priorities and a framework for solutions, based on
program indicators that addressed not only student achievement
but also community infrastructure to support strong schools. As a
result of the planning process, the award of an implementation
grant to Berea College and the subsequent conversations among
Promise Neighborhood working groups, CTL has provided
leadership and facilitation for improving classroom practice in
literacy, mathematics and technology applications.
RESULTS
Artful Reading is an early arts and literacy program authored
by CTL. Teachers in Jackson and Owsley counties have engaged in
this professional development which includes model lessons,
children’s literature, and art supplies. During formal and job
embedded PD, teachers are immersed in the lessons so they
experience them first hand. Initially offered as a pilot during the
planning phase of Promise Neighborhood, Artful
Reading is keyed to the Common Core State Standards
and the Lexile Framework adopted by Kentucky to
address text complexity. CTL specialist Catherine
Rubin has also shown the 47 participating teachers
(and one literacy coach) how Artful Reading can be
used to address the KDE’s Program Review in the arts
and humanities and in writing. The art forms include
dance, drama, music and visual arts. Above, students
prepare yarn for weaving using the book, Weaving the
Rainbow by Kentucky author George Ella Lyon. Future
emphasis is on teachers developing their own lessons
and on expanding to grades 4-5.
Specific Results: Teachers have said that the program
strengthens students’ reading and writing as well as
their understanding of the arts. Then-third grade
2
teacher Melissa Madden supplied quotes from her students about using tableaux as a literacy strategy:
“We need to do this for every story we read (Leanna)” and “This is cool (Brennan).” The sample writing
above is from a first grader at Owsley Elementary using
the book Ella Sets the Stage by Carmela and Stephan
D’Amico. Students have displayed increased
engagement in reading and arts production and learned
collaborative skills as well. The program also makes
connections to future careers. Sand Gap teacher Peggy
Jo Sulfridge using the Iggy Peck: Architect lesson
commented: “Students were interested and engaged
during the lesson. We used the module during the
career cluster related to career options and talked
about engineering and architecture.”
Instructional Coaching provides 28 lead teachers
and administrators from Promise Neighborhood and
GEAR UP Berea with both collective and individual
support to fulfill their role in leading instructional
improvement efforts. Specific coaching topics include
delineation of role, building relationships, classroom
observation, conferencing and feedback cycle, and
managing complex change. Since the participants
represent a variety of roles and subject areas, a good deal of the training and mentoring by CTL Specialist
Catherine Rubin has been individualized to help participants work through specific instructional issues in
their school or district. Training this week will focus on “coaching heavy and light,’ including how to ask
difficult questions and press for rigor.
Specific Results: Participants have expressed
that they feel increased confidence in working
with teachers to improve teaching and
learning. Sherri Whisman, an instructional
coach from Powell County (GEAR UP Berea)
noted in her November 14th PD session’s
evaluation: “I’ve come so far as a coach since
our first meeting!” Sherri took the information
about managing complex change from the
training back to her principal who was
impressed enough to share it with the
superintendent; they are using the information
to help focus the change efforts in the district.
Another quote from Valerie Cole, instructional
coach at Oneida Elementary in Clay County: “During our instructional coaching sessions with Catherine I
believe the greatest benefit for me personally was learning how to be an active listener. This skill is the
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foundation for coaching as I have learned. As a result of the training with Catherine, I now am aware of the
many guidelines for being present as an active listener. Before this training I interrupted often, was
distracted and during the conversation made evaluations before I had all the information. My coaching
sessions are reciprocal and there is an ease during the sessions. The teachers and I plan our sessions with
specific goals and outcomes. We establish an action plan. I make observations and give immediate
feedback. I have looked for opportunities to continue coaching and giving feedback throughout the year.
My training has made a huge impact on my professional growth
as a coach.”
Foundational Literacy supports 23 middle and high school
English/language arts teacher in Clay, Owsley and Jackson
counties with literacy development strategies. The program
aligns with the Common Core State Standards, guiding teachers
to incorporate reading, writing, speaking, listening into their
instruction and focusing on particular CCSS instructional shifts,
such as the emphasis on academic vocabulary. Teachers attend
formal training followed by onsite and virtual coaching. CTL
Specialist Ashley Perkins offers feedback on lessons aligned with
the Common Core, observes lessons using a feedback protocol
and co-facilitates lessons in teachers’ classrooms. She has also
worked with participating teachers on how to respond to the
writing component of the KDE Program Review, including
development of school wide writing plans.
Specific Results: Teachers have responded positively to the training, materials and follow-up coaching,
appreciating the chance to gain feedback on their
implementation efforts. One teacher commented: “Very
thankful for the Allen resource! This fits perfectly with how I
am trying to improve vocabulary instruction in my
classroom—I really enjoyed jigsawing vocabulary strategies.”
Another said of the training, “Thanks for allowing us to
actually do the methods we will be using.” Teachers
requested that Ashley model CCSS-aligned lessons in their
classrooms as a further means of training and support.
Mathematics Literacy: Started as an assessment of
mathematics practice in the Neighborhood middle and high
schools, CTL Specialists Roland O’Daniel and Jo Ann Mosier
shared their observations with mathematics departments and
asked for confirmation and areas of focus the teachers
identified in order to implement the new Common Core State
Standards. Pictured below are students at Jackson County HS
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working on a lesson using Skittles as math manipulatives. Roland and Jo Ann participated in department
planning sessions and set the stage for professional development which was to have started this spring.
Specific Results: The initial work with Clay County math
teachers and math coach Jennifer McDaniel resulted in
identification of the eight Standards for Mathematical
Standards as a priority, representing the instructional shifts
that the CCSS will bring about. Owsley County math teachers
and the high school principal identified overall rigor as the
area where they needed support from CTL, in line with CTL’s
observations of lack of rigor, low student expectations and not
offering advanced coursework such as Pre-Calculus. In Jackson
County Roland and Jo Ann worked with math coach Kim Witt
to identify the lack of mathematical discourse in middle and
high school classrooms, which is tied to the new CCSS as well
as the new state teacher evaluation system, PGES. Also, they
discussed with Kim the absence of use of the number line to
strengthen numerical literacy. They also engaged teachers in
that district in making connections between Advance KY
training Laying the Foundation and evidence of desired
changes in actual classroom practice.
Technology: Growing out of the first academic working group discussion, CTL supported Promise
Neighborhood district and school leaders in applying the Blackboard platform to offer online courses to
secondary students, to expand the reach of the three rural districts. Initially existing courses were selected
while teachers began to work on the design of new e-classes that could serve students in all three districts.
CTL, through the efforts of Specialists Roland O’Daniel and Drew Perkins, also worked with teachers to
integrate technology into their classroom instruction, including Blackboard and iPads as instructional tools.
Planned for the fall is a course garnering college credit for teachers, focused on using technology and
Project-Based Learning to support students in developing digital work products.
Specific Results: Blackboard use has grown exponentially among teachers and students in the
Neighborhood, with 14,000 pages accessed during January and the first two weeks of February, 2013. Also:
o There were 8219 page views per day for March and April 2013, down from 8860 for January. The
highest day had 15,245 views.
o There were 708 active student users per month as the average for March and April.
o Also, 25 teachers have had 12 hours of training on BB, and another 60 have had at least two hours
of introductory work with BB.
For distance learning during this pilot year, 36 online courses were introduced across the neighborhood
with more than 100 hours of activity and courses range from 5th grade to AP. Moreover, 10 courses had
more than 500 hours of activity. For the next school year, 12 new online courses developed locally by
teachers will be offered through the Neighborhood.