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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

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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.