Portland School District

Secondary School Task Force

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

4-6:30 pm

Keeley the Caterer

In attendance: Dan Deniso, Tom Lafavore, Grace Valenzuela, Mary Jo O’Connor, Dana Allen, Mike Johnson, Rick Wilson, Christine Allen, Deb Kiese, Gretchen Berg, Erika Lee-Winship, Cindy Martin, David Ruff, Derek Pierce, Peg Richard, Britteny Sampson, Kevin ____ (student), Julie Marshall, Ken Kunin, Polly Wilson, Stephanie Doane, David Shapiro, Louise Moses, Lee Crocker, Mary Hastings, Carter Friend, Cindy__________ (asst. principal at Moore)

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4:00 Introductions and Welcome

4:35 Overview of the Charge and Member Reactions.

Comments from Task Force Members:

• making sure there is student voice in this work.
• Helping teachers with new skills and knowledge
• Seems like a lot, time frame?

- Start implementation of new changes by 9/06

- Budgeting implications for 1/06

• Can this group continue beyond this year? Yes, as we see how the work unfolds!
• How can we present this to our faculty? We need to ensure this is more than the next “it”.
• The district also feels concern about this and we’ll continue to explore and talk about how to share this work in the schools.
• Will the school committee have representation from ELOB? Yes, very much considering this.

5:15 Break for supper

5:35 Secondary School Vision

Dana gives overview of origin of secondary vision and the process that brought it to its current form. Tables read the vision, give examples of work in Portland schools that exemplify the vision.

Examples:

Different teaching styles lead to diversity of experiences

Assessment system in place for accountability

Expanding AP courses with money for diverse students to attend

Homeroom programs at Moore, PHS advisor programs

Collaboration bet PHS and Portland Ballet, many different teachers possible for students.

mentoring program at PHS, teaming/looping, crew at ELOB,

judiciary board at ELOB, student culture and discipline

cabinet at ELOB includes parents, students and teachers.

Respect being emphasized in school, Sports done Right, safe schools, advisor/advisee, student led conferences

Can’t find examples of: equitable opportunities, preparation for college, work, citizenship

some staff have low expectations, others have high ones

group expressed concerns about dropout rates

We will compile all these examples, keep coming back to the vision and use it as a criteria for the work we are doing, hold up our work to the vision.

6:00 Current High School Initiatives

These presentations will continue in the future and provide the group a chance for feedback.

PHS- background, GMS work, rethinking personalization, smaller, data examination, grouping practices were the beginning issues. Established the advisory program, revised this year; school redesign committee work and redesign course; examined school community and culture and worked on that with some success. Task Forces for this year: Eliminate general level courses, lot of training and work around this: 8^th/9^th grade transition work this year as well as overall dropout rates, senior year experience reexamined.

ELOB- everything’s new! Youngest high school in the state…. Crew is the advisory system, 83 students; teachers will loop with kids over two years, various expeditions, elective intensives for kids who complete the standards, remediation for kids to meet standards if they haven’t, 1-4 grading scale, habits of work aside from grades. Pathways to success determined by kids, will be used as self assessment in student led conferences, Recognize that their existence is tenuous.

DHS- newest principal, steep learning curve, Great external pressures, range of learning opportunities for range of learners, which increased constantly. How do we compete with the private and parochial schools in the area? Work by faculty to determine necessary changes needed to improve student success, will determine action teams to work forward with these ideas, will be named at next faculty meeting. Building capacity for internal change and be adaptable for the needs of today (“we’re good at educating the kids we had ten years ago”).

PATHS- last year PATHS was challenged to create a continuum of learning aligning the local assessment system with their curriculum. Focus on service learning and graduation by exhibition. October PD time will be used to have community dialogue around future of PATHS.

Dana thanks the principals. Dana underscored that this will be ongoing work, there is a push to do something. Determination to continue will be decision of this group. Principals will continue to share with this group, the group will keep the fire burning for change. We will keep the pressure on towards meaningful change. Julie asked that the sharing also be re: the “how” of the work that’s happening.

Meeting spaces: October meeting at Alumni Hall at PHS, all others at 423/424 Glickman Library on USM campus (use parking garage and tickets will be stamped).

Time frame will be 4-7, but may not need three full hours for each meeting.

6:20 Overview of Binder and Homework

Set up to facilitate the work. Preliminary data which is important to note is not complete yet but wanted group to get a start on examining data. David gave example of looking at data and knowing its source. We’ll wrestle with looking at data, how to look at data. ELOB data will be unavailable for awhile, PATHS data is collected differently but will be included.

Articles to be used for future discussions, we will add resources as interests develop, or group members can contribute to the resources as they develop.

Section Four: GMS Large School rubric, explained it to group. Rubric developed from questioning what good schools look like based on schools in Maine and schools across the country. Identifies solid research that weds these practices with positive changes for kids.

Looking at current trends:

1. Equity/ success for All kids- doing whatever it takes to get kids where they need to go
2. Core Curriculum/tracking/academic rigor
3. “End Game” has shifted to “not just getting through” but being prepared for college, work and citizenship
4. Accountability and Testing (while realizing that testing doesn’t tell us everything)
5. Teacher Learning Time
6. Personalization
7. Leadership Distribution
8. Data-driven decisions
9. Moral Courage- what’s needed for making hard changes

Lee expressed concern about school committee buy in, giving us the resources we need to do this work (i.e. time for teachers to meet). We can do the work, how to get the resources from them. Mary Jo responds that we can’t keep layering on, but have to take away some resources that may be outdated (give to get). The committee is in the loop with the formation of this group. This group will report out to the committee monthly with the hope that it will be from members of this group doing the reporting, not Dana or Mary Jo. Parents and students are a huge force here, need to be appreciated for their input.

We have many examples of schools that look different and do things differently that aren’t spending any more money to make these changes. Where there is a cost is in the change process, not necessarily the product?

Homework:

Section 3 Thinking K- 16 by Education Trust

Section 4 Research Brief (SREB) Middle to High School

Look over Large School Rubric as well for next time.

Mary Jo thanks everyone, asks them to complete info for the data base. Remember the promise of this group.

Questions we have: How will these minutes be used? Reported to public? Who will take them? How “official” are they?