1. “Tell Them Why They CAN!” Building a No Excuses Culture Lexington Middle School 112 Airways Drive Lexington, TN 38351 Beth Spence Deere, Principal deereb@caywood.org

2. Lexington Middle School Lexington City School District, Lexington, TN

3. LMS Demographics Grades 6,7,8 270 Students 55% Economically Disadvantaged 30% Minority (Asian, African American, Hispanic) 1% Students with Disabilities 20 Teachers (3 SpEd) 3 Paraprofessionals 3 Admin (Principal, Asst. Principal, Student Services Coordinator)

4. LMS Data 2011-2013 Achievement Data LMS 2011 A/P%2012 A/P%2013 A/P% 2011-13 Change 2014 AMO Target 6-8 RLA69%62.3%61.0%8%63.4% 6-8 Math53%60.5%62.2%9.2%64.6% 7 RLA52%63.1%62.1%10.1%64.5% 7 Math43%62.2%64.8%21.8%67.0%

5. LMS Data 2012-2013 Sub Group Achievement Targets LMSSubgroup2012 A/P%2013 A/P%Diff. 3-8 RLAAsian50.0%80.0%30.0% 3-8 MathAsian100.0% 0% 3-8 RLABlack42.0%40.3%2.3 3-8 MathBlack41.9%44.5%2.6% 3-8 RLABlack/Hispanic/Native American44.6%45.9%1.3% 3-8 MathBlack/Hispanic/Native American43.5%49.4%5.9% 3-8 RLAEconomically Disadvantaged49.2%50.4%1.2% 3-8 MathEconomically Disadvantaged42.3%52.4%10.1% 3-8 RLAHispanic63.6%76.9%13.3% 3-8 MathHispanic54.6%77.0%22.4% 3-8 RLALimited English Proficient20.0%0.0%20.0% 3-8 MathLimited English Proficient80.0%100.0%20.0% 3-8 RLANon-ED72.9%70.6%2.3% 3-8 MathNon-ED75.2%71.1%4.1% 3-8 RLANon-LEP63.1%61.4%1.7% 3-8 MathNon-LEP60.2%62.0%1.8% 3-8 RLANon-SWD64.2%63.3%0.9% 3-8 MathNon-SWD62.6%64.7%2.1% 3-8 RLAStudents with Disabilities40.0%40.7%0.7% 3-8 MathStudents with Disabilities36.0%40.6%4.6% 3-8 RLAWhite70.0%66.3%3.7% 3-8 MathWhite66.8%66.4%0.4%

6. LMS Data 2012-2013 Gap Closure LMSSubject2012 Gap2013 Target2013 Gap 2013 State Gap Met/Miss After Safe Harbor 2014 AMO Target Black/Hispanic/Native American vs All Students3-8 Math17.0%15.9%12.8%14.7%Met12.0% Black/Hispanic/Native American vs All Students3-8 RLA17.7%16.6%15.1%17.3%Met14.2% Economically Disadvantaged vs. Non- ED3-8 Math32.9%30.8%18.7%26.0%Met17.5% Economically Disadvantaged vs. Non- ED3-8 RLA23.7%22.2%20.2%29.2%Met18.9% Students with Disabilities vs Non-SWD3-8 Math26.6%24.9%24.1%24.7%Met22.6% Students with Disabilities vs Non-SWD3-8 RLA24.2%22.7%22.6%23.3%Met21.2%

7. How Did We Get Here? Convincing the Teachers Convincing the Students Convincing the Parents Building Relationships And Setting High Expectations

8. No Excuses… Convincing The Teachers

9. Forge Those Relationships – “We Are A Family”…Say it, show it every day Begin every faculty meeting with celebrations Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, important dates Faculty potluck dinners Wedding & baby showers Laugh together, cry together Friendly competition (Biggest Loser, Steps Challenge) Defend, support, uplift each other

10. Acknowledge their “other” lives…put families first

11. Get to know them Value who they are “Teacher Feature”

12. Value them as professionals – Ask for their input on school/student issues – Trust them to make decisions – Ask them to complete a principal effectiveness survey and use the results – Take the results of the TELL survey seriously – Don’t waste their time 1. My principal has both the capacity and the judgment to overcome most obstacles. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 2. My principal commands respect from everyone on the faculty. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 3. My principal excites faculty with visions of what we may be able to accomplish if we work together as a team. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 4. My principal makes faculty members feel and act like leaders. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 5. My principal gives the faculty a sense of overall purpose for its leadership role. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 6. My principal leads by “doing” rather than simply by “telling.” ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 7. My principal symbolizes success and accomplishment within the profession of education. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ 8. My principal provides good models for faculty members to follow. ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃

13. Share your experience

14. Listen to them The EAR Method E: Explore. Use open-ended questions and observe non-verbal messages. A: Acknowledge by paraphrasing what you believe was said. R: Respond using the least amount of time. from If You Don’t Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students! by Neila A. Connors

15. Open door policy

16. Constant Support and Reinforcement – Positive “minute visits” – “How can I help you?” – Say “Thank You!” – Be specific with your praises – Tell them how much you appreciate the sacrifices they make for their students – End emails with a note of thanks or a praise

18. Be empathetic… Funny Teacher Rant

19. Make Them Laugh… – …and laugh with them!

20. Team Building Activities “Crossing the River” activity “Coat of Arms” activity Nike "No Excuses" video Resources – www.teampedia.com www.teampedia.com – “Quick Guide To Teacher Team Building.” Fulford, Gail. http://www.teachhub.com/quick-guide-teacher-team-building http://www.teachhub.com/quick-guide-teacher-team-building – “Team Building Activities.” Mendoza, Chuck, and Rogers, Melissa. CTA Good Teaching Conference, 2010. http://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/PDFs/Good%20Teaching %20Conference%20South%20presentations/Team%20Building% 20Strategies.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20131025T1505110171 http://www.cta.org/~/media/Documents/PDFs/Good%20Teaching %20Conference%20South%20presentations/Team%20Building% 20Strategies.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20131025T1505110171

21. Be Transparent with Data Regular Gap Closure PLC meetings Data Notebooks Data Wall Expect teachers to know their data and their goals Discuss progress at each faculty meeting

22. LCSS Data Summary Sheet

23. Resources and Rewards Wish Lists – Know your budget – Provide what you can – Look for other $$ sources (district budget, grant money, sponsorships, fundraisers) Show your appreciation – Teacher Appreciation Week – Get parents and students involved – Long off-campus lunches – Little surprises – Feed them cake – Acknowledge them through local/social media – Tap into community resources/donations/partnerships – Tell them you love them!

24. Two Minute Turn and Talk How can you apply these strategies in your school?

25. No Excuses… Convincing The Students

26. Build Those Relationships! – Take the first few days of school to get to know them – Student information sheets – Interest inventories, learning style surveys – Listen to them and value what they say – Tell them about yourself – Support them in school/community events – Remember what it’s like to be a student – Make them feel safe physically, socially, and emotionally – Give them reasons to respect you – Drive around town and see where they live – Don’t abuse their trust – Respect their “other” life – Have fun and laugh with them

27. Student Information Sheet

28. Student Resources

29. Standard Dress Attire Clothes Closet Clothing Swap Local Business Davis Dry Goods – Donations – Clothing at cost Civic Organizations – Civic League – Republican Women – Local Sewing Groups – Local Churches Faculty and Staff

30. Food Canned Food Drives – “Canstruction” project – Grade Level 4H projects – Christmas Break Movie Admission Second Harvest Food Distributions Local Businesses – McDonald’s, Dodge, Sonic Hope Ministries Back Pack Program Local Churches – Food banks – Free Monthly Community Meals – Free Holiday Dinners Faculty and Staff

31. School Supplies Local Churches Civic Organizations – Civic League – American Legion – Local Business Walgreen’s Faculty, Staff, and Parents

32. LMS Christmas Toy Drive Student fundraisers – Biggest Turkey competition – Penny War – Toy Drive Relays – Ms. LMS Womanless Beauty Review Anonymous Donors Civic League donation 100% of funds raised goes to LMS students Partnership with Hope Ministries – Parents can sign up at Hope Ministries or through LMS – Hope Ministries serves elementary siblings – LMS arranges anonymous donors to serve older siblings Shopping Trip and After Party – Trip to Wal Mart – Each student can spend approximately $50 (restrictions apply) – Wal Mart serves cookies and juice – Pizza party afterward

33. Emergency Assistance – United Way – Carl Perkins Center – Crisis/Counseling services – Ms. Mary Bragg, Project Intercept Counselor, Henderson Co. Mental Health Team – McKinney-Vinto Homeless Assistance

34. Health and Medical – School Nurse, Mrs. Teresa Morris – Free Athletic Physicals – Lions Club Vision Screening – CSH Health Screening – Local doctors – Dr. Alexander, scoliosis screenings – Health Connect

35. Tap Into their Competitive Nature Data Wall Individual Data Tracking Sheets Accelerated Reader Competitions – Nine Weeks Rewards – Kindle Fire Goals posted in classrooms “How many more questions?” Every Question Counts Competition – Four yearly benchmarks – Students get points for every question they answer correctly – “Debit Cards” – Spending Their Points Activities (Ice Cream Sundae Party, Movie Afternoon, Play day) Drawings (food coupons, money, donated merchandise, iPod, tablet, TV)

36. High Expectations for All Grading Policy – Homework is required, but not graded – Formative assessment/quiz grades are not recorded – Grades come from summative assessments only (5 required) – No nine-weeks test – No word-for-word study guides – Majority of assessment questions must be high on Bloom’s scale – One or more short answer/essay question required on each assessment

37. SpEd All SpEd students are inclusion (with the exception of portfolio students) and are expected to complete grade level work/assessments with accommodations. No “pull out”…SpEd students receive direct services during RtI as needed. Grade level teachers must modify their own tests/assignments with the assistance of the SpEd teacher. There are no “yours and mine” students…they are all OUR students. “I can’t” is answered with “Yes, you can and I will help you.”

38. Response to Intervention ALL students are considered Tier 1 and receive rigorous, grade level instruction during regular class time (75 minutes for 7 th & 8 th grade, 90 minutes for 6 th grade) 30 minutes of RtI time is built into the schedule for all students. – Tier 2 and 3 students receive intensive individualized instruction. – Tier 1 students focus on high level reading, math, and STEM activities Additional time for Tier 2 and 3 students Progress Monitoring – Tier 1 students – every 4.5 weeks – Tier 2 and 3 students – every 10 instructional days – Students may “test out” of Tier 2 or Tier 3 if improvement is shown and sustained Programs used during RtI – Read 180 – Power Reading – Accelerated Reading – Accelerated Math – “Mama at the dining room table” Delivery of instruction during RtI – “All hands on deck”

39. Mandatory Learning Lab Expectations for classwork – All students are given criteria for assignments, classwork, assessments, projects and are expected to complete work according to these criteria – Sub-par work is not accepted – All homework assignments, although ungraded, are expected to be completed – Students may be offered an opportunity to correct assessment questions or to re-take an assessment in order to improve their grade Mandatory Learning Lab – Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 – 4:15 – Students who do not turn in homework, those who have incomplete or missing assignments, or those required to re-take or correct assessments are required to attend. – Students who have missed assignments due to illness or those who wish to receive extra help may volunteer to attend. – MLL forms are completed by teachers and turned in to our Intervention and Student Services Coordinator, who contacts the parents, schedules the MLL, and collects the work to be done. – Students are required to attend even if they complete the required assignments before their MLL date…they will be given extra practice to work on. – Students who do not attend assigned MLLs will be re-assigned once, then assigned to one day of in-school suspension if they do not attend.

40. Tutoring, Homebound, and ISS After school tutoring – Extended contracts – Teacher volunteers – Voluntary and required attendance – Athletic coaches may schedule practices for a late afternoon time and require players to attend tutoring before attending. Homebound – 3-4 hours per week of direct instruction – Lap tops or other technology provided for those who do not have access – Skype used often In-School Suspension – Certified teacher present – Classroom teachers send down work and assignments – Skype used consistently – Student Services Coordinator and school counselor check in each day

41. Behavioral Expectations School Wide Positive Behavior System – Three School Rules Be Ready Be Respectful Be Responsible – Minutemen 200 Red tickets Minutemen 200 Board Olweus – Training – Student Surveys – Kick-off LMS Positive Behavior Pledge I pledge to be responsible In all areas, To always be ready, And at all times Show respect To myself, Each other, My teachers, And my school.

42. Behavioral Consequences Minor Infractions – Minor Infraction Log – Consequences Warning – no consequence First Write-up…loss of ten-minute break Second Write-up…parent contacted, Friday afternoon detention assigned Third Write-up…Office Referral – 3 Minors = 1 Major

43. Student Minor Infractions Log

44. Behavioral Consequences Office Discipline Referral – Three minors = a major – Major behavioral events (fights, bullying, offensive language, severe disrespect/insubordination, skipping class, etc.) – Automatic ODRs (gum, Standard Dress Attire violations, technology, bullying) Administrative Consequences – Administrative (2 hour) detention – Saturday School – In-school Suspension – Out-of-school Suspension – Student Discipline Authority committee – Juvenile Court Referral to Carroll Academy Alternative School Discipline Points System – Discipline Points based on offense – 30 points – 50 points

45. Constant Encouragement and Support Make it fun Make it relevant Students will work hard for you if they know you care Let them know the principal has their backs Quotes from teachers – Ms. Laura Maupin: In the RTI classroom, we provide paper and pencils at each desk, computers up and ready, a spare computer if there is a technical problem. We have rules and expectations posted above each work station in picture form as a reminder. The rotation schedule and computers assigned are posted in case students have a question about which rotation they are assigned for the day or where they need to be. We encourage students and let them know that they are capable of doing the work. We work to answer all relevant questions ASAP. Students work toward the goal of working out of the program. We share data as we get it and talk about what they will need to do, then work on those skills in order for students to return to the classroom. – Mrs. Laura Dyer: I have consistently let my students know through example, routine, and encouragement that "anything is possible." I believe that helping students understand that they must be responsible for their learning is one of the most important parts of my job. They have to make the conscious effort to ask questions, think about their performance, and make improvements. We track data and set goals...plus I meet individually to discuss those with each student. That personal connection is extremely important in letting students know that I care about them and their education. Motivation – I'm Going To Show You How Great I Am I'm Going To Show You How Great I Am – The Power of ONE The Power of ONE

46. Two Minute Turn and Talk How can you apply these strategies in your school?

47. No Excuses Convincing the Parents Have you ever heard this?? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUEuoV9ZzpI&featur e=player_detailpage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUEuoV9ZzpI&featur e=player_detailpage

48. Constant Communication Week At A Peek School Website LMS WebsiteLMS Website Teacher Websites (Teacher Web) LCSS Facebook Page “Friends of LMS” parent-sponsored Facebook page School Text Line Phone Tree Monthly Calendars and Menus Teacher Phone Calls Positive Referral Cards

49. Open Door Policy Principal’s office hours communicated on Week At A Peek Appointments/drop in visits Teachers willing to meet during planning or after school Back-To-School Night ACT Explore Night 6 th Grade Open House Night Lunch visitors School tours for new or prospective students Community leaders/organizations encouraged to visit

50. Make Them Feel Needed Parent volunteers – Proctors – Chaperones – Classroom Assistance – Donations – Organization of student activities Parent Advisory Committee – Meets quarterly during the school year – Purpose is to share data, to enlist support of parents in school functions, to help guide decisions affecting the school and its students, and to bridge the gap between school and community. Booster Clubs Mentoring

51. Advertise Success Local paper – Honor rolls published quarterly – LMS student-produced news column – Pictures of athletic events, student activities, student accomplishments – Purchased advertisements Teacher Appreciation Week Thanks you’s to sponsors Celebrations Guest speakers on local radio station LCSS Annual Report

52. Results

53. Credits If You Don’t Feed The Teachers, They Eat The Students! Connors, Neila A. Incentive Publications, Nashville, TN. 2000 Why Try? Program. Moore, Christian. Why Try? Inc. Orem, UT. 2001. www.whytry.org YouTube School Tube