Building-Based Intervention Strategies By Danny Mendez Principal Southport Elementary MSD of Perry Township

Southport Elementary Demographics  484 Students  12% Hispanic  11% Asian or Pacific Islander  5% African American  7% Multi-Racial  21% English Language Learners  Over 60% Free/Reduced  ISTEP+ Overall  Lang. Arts 81.7%  Math 83.6%

Organizational Change Technical Change  Necessary to affect improvement in student performance.  Double Blocking Special Ed.  Double Blocking ELL  Small group differentiated instruction in K-5. Book Clubs/Center Time  Building Intervention Team Cultural Change  Must happen before any technical change can have positive effects.  Knowledge of where we are and where we need to go.  Belief in universal student achievement.  Necessary to combat the beliefs, policies, and institutions that have been established to buffer educators from change and accountability.

A War of Paradigms School Culture Study  Study consisted of formal and informal observations in 34 schools across the US.  Focused on how staffs functioned in their school community and it’s impact on students.  11 Elementary Schools  14 Middle Schools  9 High Schools  Diverse socio-economic status, racial make up, enrollment  Information Based on Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division by Anthony Muhammad Ph. D. Four Distinct Paradigms  Believers  Tweeners  Survivors  Fundamentalists

Positive School Culture  Educators have an unwavering belief in the ability of all of their students to achieve success, and they pass that belief on to others in overt and covert ways.  Educators create policies and procedures and adopt practices that support their belief in the ability of every student.  Believe all Students are capable of learning.  Believe they have a direct impact on student success.  High levels of flexibility with students.  Application of positive student pressure.  Not satisfied unless each child reaches their full potential.  Change is not threatening to them; they embrace any change that they felt would improve student performance.

The Big Ideas Reality Checks  We are all Special Ed. Teachers.  We are all ELL teachers.  Labels shouldn’t change accountability or expectations.  Interventions are the responsibilities of all.  Remove institutional barriers that are in place within the traditional public school system that make the goal of learning for all students a difficult one to achieve. Global Perspective  Graduation Rates and expectation discussions should start in the elementary school.  Graduates are no longer competing locally, they are competing globally.

Technical Changes: Core Instruction Tier 1 & Tier 2 Technical Change  K-5 Small Group Differentiated Instruction.  Book Clubs with Flexible Grouping  Literacy Centers  Differentiated levels of rigor  Successmaker: Individualized computer program  Remediation  Acceleration  Data Analysis Meetings  Grade level team/Administration  Common Assessments Administrative Action  Essential to coordinate all schedules in building to consolidate and use resources efficiently and effectively:  Master  Gen Ed. Grade level  Special Ed. Pull out & Inclusion  ELL Pull out and Inclusion  Reduce Variability

Technical Change Tier 2 Technical Change  Building Intervention Team  Emphasis on Common Assessment Data  Clear Cut Expectations  Emphasis is not “Road Block” to testing, but rather to get all students to be successful. Administrative Action  Set Clear Expectations for Staff on who should be referred.  Team make up should be diverse.  Designate resources to support interventions.

Technical Change Tier 3 Technical Change  Double Blocking Special Education Services  Allows for grade level and at level exposure.  Double Blocking English Language Learner Services  Allows for grade level and at level exposure. Administrative Schedule  Creative scheduling that must be coordinated building wide.

Contact Information Danny Mendez Principal Southport Elementary MSD of Perry Township Phone: (317)

Resources Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division by Anthony Muhammad Ph. D. High Performance in High Poverty Schools: 90/90/90 and Beyond by Douglas Reeves