Chandler Elementary
A School of Intervention
Goal for today:

By the end of the session today, you will be
able to identify 3-5 changes our school made
in the last two years that increased our
student achievement and helped us make
AYP.
How I will set up our session today
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Compare the old model to the new and
improved model.
Use the graphic organizer of a t-chart.
Organize the content of the presentation to a
t-chart in your head or on your paper.
Background to the story
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New principal
“Failing school”
Restructured
Having a plan
Changing our focus
One of the first things we did:

Got rid of our fixed mindsets by reading and
embracing Mindset by Carol Dweck.
And next. . .

Got rid of our inconsistent techniques by
using Teach Like a Champion by Doug
Lemov.
And then. . .
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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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Insanity: Doing the same thing over and
over again and hoping for different results.

So, we began to deconstruct the old model
and construct a new one.
The old model:

You need EL training to teach EL kids.
The new model:
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We believe much of our knowledge comes
with experience, not only from textbooks or
classes we take.
Therefore all of us are EL teachers. We are
all qualified to teach EL students.
The old model:
 EL
students and other students
need different things.
 The new model:

“Many students don’t come from strong oral
language or literacy backgrounds. Lower
SES students need the same practice with
oral language as our EL kids. There is not a
huge gap or difference in needs.” ~EL teacher
The old model:
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The EL teachers often worked alone in
isolation.
One EL teacher plugged into three grade
levels.
Instructional time lost because EL teachers
were going to meetings to find out what
teachers were doing.
EL teachers pulled students out.
The new and improved model:
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Grade level teams
For example, the Kindergarten team looks like this:
–
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EL para, prime time para, Title One Instructor, EL teacher, 3
classroom teachers = 7 staff to support 73 students
Switch from “my kids” to “our kids.”
All staff are teachers.
PE and Music teacher teach reading during the
reading block.
Old model:

EL teachers “guessed” what their students needed.
Had more of a set program to take kids through.
The new model:
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Team Time Collaboration – ½ day every other week.
Use data from formative and summative
assessments (around LG’s and objectives) to group
students.
Progress monitor – regroup.
Old model:

We didn’t know what to do to make Safe
Harbor/AYP
The new model:

Safe Harbor spreadsheet
Old model

We didn’t know which students fit which
categories
The new model:

Tracking students – knowing how many we
need in each category
The old model

Homeroom teachers kept their 20-30 students during
RW/WW/Math.
The new model:
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During 90 minute Reading Block, we use ALL staff to
group around Learning Goals/Objectives.
Groups of 10-12 kids for 90 minutes across the
building. (Safety in small numbers.)
The new model:
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“We aren’t the little old EL team anymore.
We are part of teams and also the broader
school team. Because of teams, we are
more aware of what a grade level is doing.
We collaborate more with what EL and other
students need. We trade around duties and
use people’s strengths to support our
students.” ~EL teacher
Old model:
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Classroom teachers thought, “I need to keep
my students. No one knows them like I do.”
The new model:
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“These are my kids. I trust my colleagues to
help our students learn.”
Intervention meeting story.
Old model

“We sort of knew what we were teaching.” ~EL
teacher
The new model:
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A very strong focus on Learning Goals and
Objectives.
“Today, I (the student) will read a story and prove I
understand it by answering a who, what, and where
question.”
“Today I will write a complete sentence by including
a noun and a verb.”
Old model:
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Inconsistent teaching models.
The new model:
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Identify objective.
Use I do, We do, You do.
–
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(Model and gradually release the responsibility)
Assess.
Old model:
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Many vague questions with little wait time.
The new model:
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Focused, well thought out questions with
attention to using the word “How” to preface
many.
Teaching and using wait time.(TLC)
Using a mix of whole class vs. individual
response.
The old model:
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Some feedback given. “Great job.” “I am so
proud of you.” “I like when you. . .”
The new model:
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Feedback is focused, frequent, and of high
quality. “When you answered “The story is
about Maria,” you gave the right answer to
“Who is the story about?” That is excellent
thinking.”
The old model:
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Taught too often in the abstract. “Today we
are going to learn about a topic and
supporting details.
The new model:
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“A topic is like this orange I have in my hand.
The details are like the peel, the seeds, and
the juice. Watch me while I show you.”
The old model:
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We are a failing school.
The new model:
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We made AYP by making Safe Harbor.
We are no longer a failing school.
The old model:

We are here for the kids. We are here to
teach them.
The new model:
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We are here for student achievement. Our
job is to help kids learn.
Old model:

The “test” was our enemy. It is trying to trick
kids.
The new model:
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We made peace with the test and quit
making excuses.
Our students deserve to learn what they
have to learn to pass these tests.
In closing
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As our culture shifted to one of “Intervention
for All,” we had to make some very thoughtful
decisions.
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Happens one step at a time.
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There are many variables that make the
difference.-
Goal for today:

By the end of the session today, you will be
able to identify 3-5 changes our school made
in the last two years that increased our
student achievement and helped us make
AYP.
Your turn:

Turn to your shoulder partner and share at
least three things you learned that our school
does to support all learners.

Jot down one thing you will take back to your
school that will increase student achievement
for your EL students and all students.