McMinnville Schools create plans for improvement every year. Join us for a series of presentations on Monday, Nov. 25 beginning at 6 p.m. at McMinnville High School.

Three half-hour blocks will include presentations from each school on a variety of improvement topics that are specific to strategies and work happening at that school.

Schedule

Session 1 (6:00 PM – 6:30 PM)

“Data Driven with iReady and Blended Learning” (Newby staff) @ MHS Food Court

Using data that we collect today to change teaching tomorrow is what will lead to student success. One piece of data that we use at Newby is information that we collect from iReady. The data we receive from this online curriculum correlates strongly to Smarter Balanced achievement and has been consistent over the last couple of years. With the reliability that the data has shown, we have been diving into the reports and using it to assist in grouping students, look into the misconceptions that students have, concentrate on strand data, and hold students accountable. Teachers at Newby aren’t just having students consume technology during their iReady time.  Teachers are using blended learning to insure a quality online learning experience. Teachers are using the Blended Learning model to work in partnership with the technology by viewing reports, reteaching where necessary, and monitoring student growth on math concepts. Using pencil and paper, students are working through the problems they are receiving feedback about from both the iReady program and the teacher.

 

“Regulated and Ready To Learn” (Memorial staff) @ MHS Atrium

At Memorial we understand that students succeed when their brains are regulated and ready to learn. Spend some time with us as we dig deep into our strategies for helping students stay regulated to do their best learning. Once students are ready to learn, they can focus all of their efforts on their academic growth in various areas such as math review.

 

“Building Collective Efficacy Through Data Teams” (Patton staff) @ MHS A126

Patton’s 7th grade ELA team will describe and model how they effectively use student evidence on a weekly basis to make instructional decisions that impact student outcomes.  Please join us to see how much fun Data Teams can be when everyone is prepared, organized and focused on doing what is best for kids.

 

Session 2 (6:40 PM – 7:10 PM)

“Building Community with our Families” (Wascher staff) @ MHS Food Court

Wascher is deeply connected to the community surrounding our school, creating relationships with students and their families that help strengthen student learning.  Learn about the extra effort that staff make and the support programs that we provide which keep families, culture, and community at the forefront of our day to day work.

 

“Expanded Learning and Writing for a Purpose via the After School Program” (Columbus staff) @ MHS Atrium

At Columbus students are given real life experiences and opportunities to write for a purpose through our after school Post Office and Webwriters classes.  Learn the purpose behind the two programs, how they work, and how they engage students in higher-level thinking and writing.

 

“Student Academic Growth: a Math Journey” (Duniway staff) @ MHS A126

Duniway’s focus on teacher and student collaboration has led to huge growth gains in math.  Join our 6th grade math team for an interactive discussion on how we’ve leveraged a myriad of strategies and resources to collectively achieve these results.

 

Session 3 (7:20 PM – 7:50 PM)

“Research Proven Reading Strategies” (Buel staff) @ MHS Food Court

Research proven approaches to teaching the foundations of reading brings struggling readers the skills needed to be more successful.  This includes using direct, systematic, sequential phonics instruction.  It is much more than just letter sounds.  These building blocks support students as they read higher level material in upper grades and increases comprehension.

 

“When it Comes to Teaching Students to be Effective Writers, Volume Matters: (Grandhaven staff) @ MHS Atrium

We know many things count in writing.  Specifically called out in the Smarter Balanced Performance Task Writing Rubric for grades 3rd-5th, those things are purpose, organization, evidence, elaboration and conventions.  Unfortunately, volume can be a hurdle in the way of our students reaching those goals.  In addition, if there is not much writing on the page, it can be very challenging to teach to some of our loftier writing goals.  In this session we will share some of the simple yet effective strategies that both our primary and intermediate teachers at Grandhaven Elementary are using to increase volume in writing and ultimately, improve our students’ ability to be successful on the Smarter Balanced English Language Arts (ELA) Performance Task.

 

“Rethinking the role of grades in the classroom” (MHS staff) @ MHS A126

By deemphasizing grades within our classes, students become more intrinsically motivated, show an increase in critical thinking and creativity, and are more focused on learning rather than collecting points. Come learn about how teachers at McMinnville High School are taking part in a grassroots effort to rethink the role that grades have in their classrooms.