Transcript Tweaking Project MORE for Students in Grades 6

“TWEAKING PROJECT MORE FOR STUDENTS IN
GRADES 6-8”
BY: JESSICA ANDERSON
PROJECT MORE COORDINATOR
GAHANNA MIDDLE SCHOOL EAST
May 20th, 2013
About GMSE
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Building of 550 students grades 6th, 7th and 8th
14.4% Economically Disadvantaged
16.2% Students with Disabilities
2011-2012 “Excellent” Rating, AYP Met
Value Added Met for 6th and 8th Grade Reading
“Above” Value Added for 7th Grade Reading
Central Ohio school, located in a suburban area
Project MORE at East
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Began in February 2011(third school year)
2012-2013 we had 25 students in the program
See gains of three to five levels annually
Program runs from Mid-September until week
before OAA
Program Materials are kept in a central location
Sessions take place in 4 different areas of the
building
What’s the problem?
Older students reading lower-level
interest books
 Motivation with students (repetitive)
 Pull-out program, away from peers
 Coordinator cannot be in two classrooms
at once!
 Students are unaware of progress
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Older Students Reading Lower-Level Interest
Books
Problem typically with 7th and 8th grade
students
 Use “Hi/Lo” books with students who choose to
focus on provided Reading-Tutors Material
 Allow last 5 minutes of each session to work on
something outside of class.
 8th grade – allow to skip game and develop
conversations with mentors
 Choose more non-fiction texts
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Motivation with Students (Repetitive)
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Middle School students quickly become bored with
the repetitiveness of Project MORE.
Re-reading book: Ask students to complete some
extended response questions. If they are detailed
and correct, they do not have to re-read the book.
If not, they are expected to read-read.
Change-up steps by day to add variety (example:
play game first)
Candy, front of the line lunch passes, stickers (yes,
MS students love candy and stickers!)
Pull-out Program
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Project MORE is completed during a 30 minute
grade level intervention time. MSE provides
separate classrooms during intervention time for
Project MORE
During intervention time, Channel One is played in
other classrooms
Our Project MORE students feel like they are
missing out, especially since other classrooms do not
have interventions (typically socializing or silent
reading time)
Pull-out Program
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6th grade PM area is located within the 6th grade
classrooms, so our students don’t feel so left out
7th and 8th grade were held in different rooms,
away from their peers
Mentors were “hunting down” their students, trying
to get them to attend sessions
7th and 8th: Right before lunch, so they always want
to leave early!
Coordinator cannot be in two
classrooms at once!
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Trying to keep small environments for maximum
learning (fewest distractions)
One place to store materials that all mentors can access
Need for a teacher to be present at all times
Our 2012-2013 schedule allowed for an 8th grade
teacher to monitor one 7th grade classroom
A 6th Grade IS teacher helped monitor one classroom
I floated between all classrooms once sessions began
Sessions from 11:08am-12:21pm – non-stop moving,
assessing, conferencing and planning
Students are Unaware of Progress
How can students take ownership of
their progress?
 Do students truly know how much they
have gained (benchmark levels,
fluency scores)?
 Will sharing data motivate students?
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Example of Data Sharing Sheet
(Handout Provided)
Video Clip of Student Conference
Changes for 2013-2014 School Year
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Project MORE Coordinator and the OTES
How does this impact you?
Do you meet linkage requirements or are you
writing SLOs?
Instructional Planning versus Implementing Instruction
LLI+ program in addition to Project MORE
Our goal is to relieve stigma from older-age (7th
and 8th grade) students
Example of 2013-2014 Coordinator
Schedule
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8:45-9:30
9:32-10:25
10:25 – 11:08
Working with At-Risk Students. One class period will be a
conference period
11:08-12:21 – Project MORE/LLI+ Sessions
12:21-12:40 – Lunch Duty
12:40-1:09 - LUNCH
1:09-1:53 – 6th Grade Study Hall Intervention
1:54-2:40 – 8th Grade Study Hall Intervention
2:41-3:30 - 7th Grade Study Hall Intervention
SUCCESS!
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End of Year Celebration Breakfast
Invite participants and their parents and mentors
Menu: Store bought donuts, milk, OJ and Panera
Bagels. “Tote” of Coffee for adults (Panera includes
cups, stir sticks, creamer and sweeteners)
Use PM provided certificates
Personally acknowledge each student and mentor
Purchased each student a book of his/her choice or
a $5.00 GC to Barnes and Noble
Changes to Breakfast
First year to invite parents
 Emailed and Sent home printed
invitations
 Requested RSVP’s from mentors,
students and parents
 I knew everyone involved, so it
helped with acknowledgements
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What I heard…
“My child has never enjoyed reading. He just
asked me to take him to Barnes and Noble to
purchase more books. Thank-you!”
 “I don’t know what you are doing, but my son
has never stayed focused on anything,
especially reading. I have never seen him so
proud of what he is accomplished or this
excited about school.”
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Goals for Next Year
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Quarterly conferences with students in order to share
data and progress
Pizza party for 8th grade mentors
Continue with celebration breakfast
Motivational “treats” for all mentors
Establish a fluid relationship with Project MORE and
LLI+
Possibly continue sessions past the week of OAA in
order for more students to fully complete the program