Creating ACT Improvement By Developing The Culture Mark Westerburg 415 East Clay Street New Buffalo, MI 49117 Work Phone: 269-469-6013 Cell Phone: 269-449-6091 Email: mark@trimesters.org www.trimesters.org
50% Free and Reduced 30% College Bound in 2009 now 87% No AP limited capstone course Student computer use was average. Teachers eager to take the challenge MMC focused instead of ACT 9 of 120 with a 30+ ACT Senior ACT Prep Class 2
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Content Areas Basics All curricular areas should have a natural rotation of class offerings established. Not every class should be offered each year. A staff member should own every term of every course. It is their professional obligation to be totally responsible for the setup and updating of it. The goal of all instruction should be teaching for retention. It doesn't matter how far you get, it matters what students remember. Book series are not curriculum. They are reference sources. Technology and videos should be used for efficiency in small time frames for remediation, not as filler. All videos should have an assessment piece with them. All courses for each term have a syllabus and final exam developed prior to teaching them. All elective classes should state in the syllabus how they enhance the core curriculum. Each department should have a well-designed scope and sequence of classes that will ensure proficiency when students pass the designed courses. Required classes should be the same for all students - no remedial or honors classes. Junior and senior classes should have developed in a proficiency and non-proficient tracking system. Gifted students are moved up to the next level, not stagnated or off on a different track. Classes should be determined to be state testing preparation level or ACT preparation level. Teachers should know if their warm-up board work should be sample ACT or sample MEAP questions. Departmental meetings should be encouraged to work on variety of instruction and retention strategies being shared. All reading assignments have an assessment piece with them to work on reading comprehension in all classes. No writing assignments will be accepted by the teacher if the penmanship is poor and or has numerous grammatical errors.
ACT TEST
ACT Standards English Instructional level Level 1 Juniors Level 2 Juniors
Level 1 Juniors Literature ACT Standards Reading
ACT Standards Reading Level 2 Juniors Literature ACT Writing is at the 8 for Level 1 ACT Writing is at the 8+ for Level 2
ACT Standards Math After completion of Alg. 1 & 2 and Geometry A Geometry is Plane and Coordinate Discrete Math?
ACT Standards Science After completion of Biology, Introduction to Physics, Introduction to Chemistry, Earth Science and ACT Prep. If you use a trimester schedule students should have 3 credits completed In all four cores prior to the ACT.
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ACT Success Report 12
Common Core and ACT 13
On-line Experience ACT Work Keys Prep software. Either of these will fulfill the on-line requirement and prepare students for the MME test.
ITunes U 15
IPAD APPS 16
http://www.4tests.com/ http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ http://www.act.org/aap/writing/index.html http://www.act.org/workkeys/pdf/preparing.pdf http://www.act-sat-prep.com/ http://www.mel.org http://www.internet4classrooms.com/act_sat.htm http://www.grammarbook.com https://www.number2.com/ http://www.studyguidezone.com/acttest.htm http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ http://www.act.org/workkeys/assess/reading/index.html http://www.learnatest.com/lel/index.cfm/?hr=http://elibrary.mel.org 17 Good Practice Websites
3 X 5 TRIMESTER Periods Range 68-75 Minutes 60 Days long 12 Weeks Long A classes First Semester Classes or 1 term only Classes 60 Days long 12 Weeks Long 60 Days long 12 Weeks Long A and B classes B and C classes First and Second Semester Classes or 1 term only Classes Second Semester Classes or 1 term only Classes *AP classes, Band and Choir only have a part C that is in the spring term. Teachers teach 4 out of 5 classes and 12 blocks a year. For teachers fewer performances, preps, and less students to be responsible for. This will reduce paperwork, performances, conferences and material cost. The schedule is easier on students less classes, homework, and teachers to interact with. This is a college quarter system without the summer term.
ACT PREP CLASS Academic Collegiate Transitions Winter Term 1st Hour English Reading Fluency / Vocb. Math Sample items / Calculator Usage Science Review of unique areas like astronomy and test taking strategies 2nd Hour English Math Science Required of all 11th grade students in the Winter Term. 4 Weeks 4 Weeks 4 Weeks
ACT PREP CLASS u Grading A, B, CR or NC u Day 1 Practice test u Separate students by math scores u Test taking strategies u Learn to use the calculator u Tell them all about the test u Tell them it is designed so most to finish it u If you get 50% right, it s an 18 u 2 questions per section make a big difference u Teach the 5 paragraph persuasive essay u Test at the end to see progress 20 http://www.instructivision.com/
School Day Schedule New Buffalo Bonus Period 1 st period 7:50 9:02 2 nd period 9:06 10:18 3 rd period 10:22 11:34 A Lunch 11:34 11:59 B Lunch 12:13 12:38 4th Hour 11:38 1:15 5th Hour 1:19-2:31 Bonus 2:35-3:10 (M-1 st,t-2 nd, W-3 rd, Th-4 th, F-5 th ) Periods 72 minutes Lunch 25 minutes Passing Time 5 minutes Bonus 35 minutes 21
Course Placement Fall Winter Spring 11 Grade English Communication Through Writing American Literature MME Test March 13 Advanced Composition Survey of American Literature Lower Upper ACT PREP
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High School Readiness Standard Specifically, the student must at a minimum: Receive passing grades (A, B, C, D) in Math and English/Language Arts; Pass either Science or Social Studies; Achieve a score of fifteen (15) on each of the Explore Test subtests (English/Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science); * Special Education students will be determined at the IEP. 24
On Demand Testing with excellent data returned quickly. 25
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ACT in the NBHS English Classroom Kris Totzke English Dept. Chair New Buffalo High School New Buffalo, MI 49117 ktotzke@nbas.org
Our Focus Before: Michigan Merit Curriculum Supposed to be: Common Core Standards NOW: ACT College Readiness Standards Was I skeptical? YES! Does it work? YES!
English 9, English 10 Benchmarks
English 9, English 10 English CRS Grammar, diction, syntax, punctuation, etc.
English 9, English 10 Reading CRS Main ideas, details, relationships, meaning of words, etc.
English 9, English 10 Writing CRS Judgment, focusing on topic, develop position, etc.
English 9, English 10 Classroom Focus on Literature & reading comprehension w/nonfiction Grammar Vocabulary Writing with Six Traits Assessing & Measuring SPI test at beginning of course modified PLAN Test Post-test at end of course same modified PLAN Test
English 11 Classroom Focus is the same Literature & reading comprehension w/nonfiction Grammar Vocabulary Writing with Six Traits With more Test-taking strategies Test-timing strategies Applying learned skills to the test
English 11 Classroom Assessing & Measuring SPI test at beginning of course full ACT Test Day 2 of class English test Day 3 of class Reading test Day 4 of class Writing test NOTE: This year used Cambridge ACT Test and gave all five tests Days 2-6 of class Determine what concepts need to be reviewed, mastered, and reinforced Create ACT Prep classes SPI post-test at end of course Same full ACT Test OR Michigan ACT Test
English 11 Classroom Assessing & Measuring throughout the year 1 st trimester Focus on skills, skills, skills in core areas Take one full-length test of each core before final exam in early December not timed Final Exam consists of English & Reading tests Scores tracked in Xcel spreadsheet
English 11 Classroom Assessing & Measuring throughout the year, cont. 2 nd trimester Still focus on skills, skills, skills in core areas Take one full-length test of one core each week Testing Tuesday if we need to Timing is now applied gradually SPI post-test/final exam at end of course Same full ACT Test from beginning of course OR Michigan ACT Test Scores tracked in Xcel spreadsheet
English 11 Benchmarks
English 11 ACT CRSs English College Readiness Standards focus 20-23 score range for lower level 24-27 score range for higher level Reading College Readiness Standards focus 20-23 score range for lower level 24-27 score range for higher level Writing College Readiness Standards focus 7-8 score range for lower level 9-10 score range for higher level
English 11 Materials & Resources Literature & Reading Comprehension (no textbook) Books Bleachers by John Grisham Marley & Me by John Grogan (nonfiction) Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde Crunch Time by Mariah Fredericks Nonfiction The New York Times ACT Reading by Instructivision, Inc. TIME Magazine & Newsweek magazines
English 11 Materials & Resources Grammar HOLT Elements of Language, Fifth Course. Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: Language Skills Practice (workbook only) I use textbook as a reference if needed Sadlier-Oxford. Grammar for Writing Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer s Workshop by Jeff Anderson
English 11 Materials & Resources Vocabulary Great Source, Fifth Course. Vocabulary for Achievement Words in context from readings Novels and books ACT Reading The New York Times TIME Magazine & Newsweek
English 11 Materials & Resources Writing Teach the Traits of Effective Writing: A How To Guide by Shirley Poulton (resulting Bison Power Writing Handbook) teachthetraits.com HOLT. Six Traits for Writing Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer s Workshop by Jeff Anderson
English 11 Materials & Resources Writing Bison Power Writing Handbook
English 11 Materials & Resources Writing ACT Rubric pulled apart
English 11 Materials & Resources Test Prep The Princeton Review. Cracking the ACT, 2011 Edition McGraw-Hill s 10 ACT Practice Tests, Second Edition ACT. The Real ACT Prep Guide, Third Edition ACT. Preparing for the ACT
English Classes at NBHS Have we gone back to the BASICS? Yes! Have we been backtracking the last three years? Yes! Is it working? Yes! Results include Improvements at all levels Middle school finally catching on (also now being held accountable, which helps) Ability to incorporate more novels, more independent work than ever before