Exploring Fulton as a Charter System Results of Community Input Board Worksession January 20, 2011
System Charter Description A five year contract between the school system and the state Describes specific operational and instructional innovations and waivers from state law that will be implemented Defines the common operational and instructional practices that will be in place for all schools Details the performance that will be improved over the term of the contract
System Charter Description Defines the responsibilities of school principals, school governing boards, and the central administration in implementing plans to achieve performance improvements The Charter System remains under the control and management of the local Board of Education Waivers and innovations can be phased in over the 5-year charter period
System Charter Description Current conversion charter schools may join the system charter if they wish Start-up charters are unaffected by the System Charter status
Why a Charter System? State law now requires all school systems to convert to an IE 2 contract, a system charter contract, or state that they are satisfied with the current structure by June 2013
Charter System Development Process First semester 2010-11 Determined parameters from Board of Education • Options that add cost will be considered very cautiously Held community forums with administrators, teachers and parents Held input sessions with student groups Created online forum for input on the website
Charter System Development Process Purpose of today’s presentation • Present input from the community to the Board of Education Next Steps • Board determines whether and when to pursue charter system status
Possible Charter System Development Timelines Develop charter petition Hold public hearings on charter content Board votes on final charter petition Board submits to Georgia Board of Education by November 1, 2011* March 2012 – GABOE approves Charter System* August 2012 – Charter System begins for 2012-13 school year* * Could move a year later and still meet state timelines
Exploration Phase - Accomplishments Accomplishments Hosted seven community forums across Exploration Phase the school system in late October and early November Actively engage with Over 90 Fulton system staff participated Fulton’s parents, teachers, as facilitators, scribes, or in other administrators, supporting roles at forums students, and the community Visited an additional four middle and four Enlist FCS Staff in high schools to engage students process and outreach Created dedicated website, used Twitter Utilize new channels to build awareness and Facebook to enhance electronic communication channels 9
Seven Forum Locations Across Fulton October 18 th Johns Creek HS October 19 th Westlake HS October 27 th Roswell HS November 3 rd Milton Center November 4 th Creekside HS November 10 th Tri-Cities HS November 11 th Riverwood International Charter HS Selected locations 10
Over 900 Attended Community Meetings at Locations Across Fulton 200 180 160 Parents 140 120 102 67 135 Staff 120 100 80 88 60 35 92 40 75 68 55 21 20 34 32 17 0 10/19 Westlake 10/27 Roswell 11/10 Tri-Cities 11/11 Riverwood 10/18 Johns Creek 11/3 Independence 11/4 Creekside 11
Online Presence Enhanced Community Outreach Launched Exploring Fulton as a Charter System Website with updated content in early November • One-stop location for news and updates • Active online feedback option • Links to related information Received over 80 additional online comments and questions from the community • Included in our report 12
E XPLORING F ULTON AS A C HARTER S YSTEM COMMUNITY FORUMS INITIAL FINDINGS
Questions for Community Forums Describe the ideal school for your student(s) in the areas of: • Curriculum and instruction • School culture • Use of funds • Hiring of teachers and administrators • Monitoring results and accountability
Prioritization of Input Given the reality of current resources, which of these ideas do you think will most increase student achievement?
COMMUNITY FORUM RECOMMENDATIONS SUPPORTED BY WAIVERS TO STATE LAW
Instruction that is Flexible, Relevant and Differentiated -general Differentiated teaching strategies and methods More autonomy in pacing, move on when ready More levels of instruction 17
Instruction that is Flexible, Relevant and Differentiated – Upper Grade Levels On-line, web-based External, field experiences Flexible “seat time” in classes, summer, evening, after-school Student-selected, student- driven Hands-on, interactive, application versus theory, problem-based 18
Broader Curriculum Options - general Expand foreign language Expand music Rigor and national standards 19
Broader Curriculum Options – upper grade levels New ways to earn course credit Relevance between curriculum and classes Vocational, career, life skills Technology Advanced Placement/college-level Well-rounded, balanced with arts and athletics 20
Broader Curriculum Options – Upper Grade Levels Student-driven Flexible sequencing Vertical alignment with colleges and businesses 21
Teacher Performance Implement performance-based evaluation of teachers • Student achievement, growth of students • Not just test scores • Student ratings • Parent ratings Personnel retention based upon performance, not years of service Remove ineffective teachers more easily Better support new teachers 22
Teacher Performance - Continued Moderate support for performance-based pay Some similar comments related to administrators and other staff 23
Local School Flexibility Hiring and surplus decisions based upon local school criteria and selection Staffing ratios “Buy positions” based upon school needs Flexible hours for certain positions based on school needs Input from teachers and parents in how funds are spent Cluster alignment 24
School culture Increased, mandatory parent involvement and accountability Allow required uniforms for students 25
COMMUNITY FORUM RECOMMENDATIONS NOT REQUIRING WAIVERS TO STATE LAW
Assessment Value-added, growth measures Local school flexibility on district assessments Portfolios More qualitative measures Product-driven demonstration of mastery Frequent, interim progress monitoring and reporting to parents Results to parents and students in a timely manner 27
Technology Online textbooks Use to deliver instruction Equitable More Integrated Updated 28
Professional Development Professionally-led by subject experts School-based For all staff Collaborative planning Continuous 29
Class Size Reduce class size 30
School Calendar Extended Balanced Year-round 31
E XPLORING F ULTON AS A C HARTER S YSTEM STUDENT DISCUSSION GROUPS INITIAL FINDINGS
Student Discussion Groups - Overview Over 70 representative 8 th and 9 th graders participated in eight facilitated groups in early December Two Fulton staff members experienced in focus group facilitation and analysis led the discussions • Arthur Mills, Organizational Advancement • Korynn Schooley, Assessment and Accountability Included additional school clusters to those where forums were held 33
Eight Student Group Locations December 1 st Milton HS December 2 nd Renaissance MS Langston Hughes HS December 7 th Hopewell MS December 8 th McNair MS December 9 th Banneker HS December 10 th Centennial HS Holcomb Bridge MS Selected clusters 34
Student Discussion Groups - Format An open discussion with the students centered on these questions: • How do you feel you learn best? • What makes you enjoy your school learning experience? • What could be improved? • Which topics that we discussed did you feel the strongest about? Each group discussion lasted about an hour • One class period to reduce missed class-time Local principals and staff selected a representative sample of students from their school 35
A Good Teacher Makes the Difference “I learn best in interactive class settings with real- world relevant topics.” “I want a “I feel the pace of “I like when I can work is often too good personally fast.” connect with my teacher.” teacher and know they care.” “I appreciate the high expectations and freedoms I’m provided by my teacher.” 36
How Did Students Define a Good Teacher? Delivers engaging instruction Effectively uses technology “I want a good Aligns class pace with teacher.” students’ needs Maintains a supportive and organized classroom culture 37
Engaging Instruction Students recognize which teaching methods positively impact their individual learning • Interactive work with teams • Hands-on projects and labs • Experiential learning coupled with basic lecture “I remember everything she [my teacher] says because she got on the chair and did a chant…and then did a song with all the prepositions. It was corny, but helpful!” “Interactive studies and labs are very helpful, when you see what happens.“ 38
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