Provost Academy South Carolina marked a significant threshold when it graduated the first class of students who had been enrolled in the school throughout their entire
four-year high school career. More than 170 graduates will graced the halls of the Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College last Friday armed with high school diplomas in hand and words of wisdom from author and motivational speaker, Brooks Harper, who delivered the commencement address.
“This was an exciting time for our graduates, their parents and the staff at Provost Academy South Carolina,” said Interim Executive Director Stephanie Cagle. “This graduation ceremony was a celebration of hard work, dedication and achievement and quite possibly, the first time that our students
assembled in one place as peers.”
Students enrolled in Provost Academy work toward their regular public high school diploma — recognized by colleges and employers — as they would in a traditional school, but in the convenient, safe environment of their own home, using the Internet to connect to the classroom.
Provost Academy is a state-authorized public online high school that is free of charge to South Carolina residents and offers high school students an engaging, flexible and quality online learning experience.
EL Blog
Family, friends and community leaders gathered last Friday evening in Gary, Indiana to celebrate and congratulate the 2013 Graduating Class of Theodor
e Roosevelt College and Career Academy. Eighty seniors received their diplomas, along with Mikhail Jones, who was the class Valedictorian; and Jenice’Sha Quinn, who was the class Salutatorian.
Thom Jackson, EdisonLearning Chief Operating and Legal Officer, gave the commencement address and told the graduates, “Your dreams are now possible because of the sacrifices that were made – Yours as well as those of your parents, friends and neighbors.”
“As proud as we all are of each you – I hope you will see this as just the completion of the first step in building your future. Whatever your plans – be it college, career training, or a job – I encourage you to commit the same hard work and determination you have shown to get to this point.”
In closing, Principal Donna Henry encouraged the graduates to, “Give a thought to what is to come. You know where you’re graduating from but what are you graduating to? Let this moment, this symbolic moment, be your fuel, not only for the continued celebrations of accomplishments, but for visions of the future. As you walk out together, take pride in what you’re walking away from, a job well-done…but also give some of this energy to what you’re walking towards.”
Congrats graduates!
When Edison-Bethune Charter Academy in Fresno, Calif. was facing stagnant student achievement results last fall, the EdisonLearning team developed the Re-Teaching Model to address the issue.
The initiative, led by Executive Director Natalie Williams, was a collaborative effort that stemmed from her review of the EdisonLearning Framework for Learning and Teaching Toolkit. The Re-Teaching Model incorporates the TGROW coaching model, which is a variation of the GROW system, adapted by Myles Downey and explained in his book Effective Coaching:
- Topic – clarification and exploration of the topic
- Goal – setting of specific goals – long/medium/short term and for the session itself
- Reality – understanding where the coachee is now in relation to their goals?
- Options – exploring options for moving forward
- Wrap Up/ Will/Way Forward – identifying and agreeing specific action
“I wanted to narrow the focus of our intellectual property on the specific gaps I was seeing across all classrooms in the quality of instruction and planning for the learner experience,” Williams said. She had initial conversations with Erika Gillis, Executive Director of Pedagogy and Tera Gall, Executive Director of Assessment for Learning, regarding the structure of the tool and worked with Andrew Kenger, Director of Achievement, to refine the process in advance of the pilot at Edison-Bethune.
The Re-Teaching Model includes the following steps:
Step One: Diagnose Student Misunderstandings to Determine Re-Teaching Strategies
Step Two: Ensure Lesson Plan Components Promote Student Success
Step Three: Complete TGROW Re-Teaching Template
- Strand and Skill Identified for Re-Teaching (Topic):
- Strategies and Action (Goal):
- Lesson Observation Power Theme Focus (Reality):
- Lesson Plan Focus (Options):
- Post-Lesson Action Steps (Will):
As a result of the implementation at Edison-Bethune, there was a marked improvement in month over month eValuate Benchmark results. So far, in addition to Edison Bethune, the model has been implemented in a few Las Vegas schools. As we move to standardize our approach, the plan is to provide the model to other regions.
By Esther Eash, Executive Director, Learning Environment
When you think of COMPASSION, JUSTICE, INTEGRITY – or any of the core values, do your colleagues, principals, or others in the organization come to mind?
EdisonLearning’s eight Core Values underpin expectations for students and for adults, guiding the interactions we have with each other, the business we conduct, and the decisions we make. When we each exemplify wisdom, justice, courage, compassion, hope, respect, responsibility, and integrity, the results are positive working and learning environments where adults and students excel.
Over the past months, we have highlighted persons and schools who exemplify a particular core value. This month, we highlight all eight Core Values. Many in our midst are exemplars worthy of recognition; with this article, we highlight a few exemplars who have been recommended by their EdisonLearning colleagues.
Wisdom: Kari Weston (DA, Leadership) and Jackee Bell (DA, Literacy) for sharing some terrific best practices in Achievement Team and data.
Wisdom and Responsibility: Holly Putnam (DA, Leadership/ELL) and John Clymer (DA, Curriculum Math) for taking the time to share some specific ideas around enhancing eValuate assessments.
Justice: Monica Henson (Exec. Director, Provost Academy Georgia) for her staunch advocacy for students in Georgia. She advocates for choice and charter options all the way to the state house.
Courage: Stepping into the Batter’s Box. Hawaii Schools are moving to Common Core next year. At least one school has decided to implement in full this year to get out in front and is sharing strategies with other schools.
Courage & Hope: Vanessa Ronketto (SVP), Sabrena Davis (DA), Annie Baddoo (DA), Tim Ulmer (Exec. Dir., SAFS), and Donna Henry (Interim Principal, TRCCA – Gary, IN.) They are working tirelessly and courageously on the front lines at Theodore Roosevelt College and Career Academy, bringing hope to a school where there was little hope.
Courage & Responsibility: Jackie Richardson (Principal, Crestwood - Las Vegas, NV) showed courage a staff meeting last month by reviewing the number of students who had not reached their data threshold by grade level in grades 3-5. The principal shared the truth, and teachers took responsibility for making changes.
Respect: An Aloha Culture. One of the most evident of the Core Values in all of our Hawaii schools is the respect that comes with practicing aloha.
Respect & Responsibility: Richmond Alliance Schools. During morning announcements, students recite the school mantra that reminds them to “Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Ready to Learn.” The schools also take responsibility for attendance by placing red ribbons over classroom doors to acknowledge significant attendance for the month – not only for students, but also for teachers.
Responsibility: Lamonica Sanford (Teaching Principal, MJB-Macon; Social Studies) for responsibly implementing distributive leadership at MJB-Macon; she proactively organized coverage for her planned absences by providing a promising new staff member with a leadership opportunity.
Integrity: Raymond Woodbeck (DA, Leadership) for keeping his word. If he says he will do something, he completes the task or project in the best way he can— often ahead of schedule.
May these exemplars – and the many un-named exemplars in our midst – inspire and guide us as we work and learn together.
By Todd Wilson, Director of Achievement-Reading, Hawaii Alliance
Within the Hawaiian Islands, the island of Molokai has some stunning statistics: the longest white sand beach in Hawaii (3 miles), the longest waterfall (2,165 ft.), and the highest sea cliffs in the world (3,000 ft.). These superlatives exist within a timeless simplicity; the island is known to be the most Hawaiian, holding on to its roots in a modern world. As one may infer, change is slow; the island does not have a single traffic signal or a shopping center. In terms of education reform, progress should be slower on Molokai than else- where, yet that is far from the truth.
Even though Molokai is known as the “Friendly Isle” and lives the Aloha spirit, residents are not quick to adopt outside ideas about what is best. One would think that EdisonLearning would struggle to make change, yet approach is everything. The Alliance model is based on partnerships, and when EdisonLearning staff started working with all five Molokai schools in 2011, school leaders embraced the school-wide systems for data analysis, targeted interventions based on standards, and clear communication about Academic Yearly Progress (AYP). All principals steered their campuses to substantial gains last year, and Molokai Middle School, led by principal Gary Davidson, was recognized as the most improved public school in Hawaii—a new superlative!
This school year has continued the upward trend. Tom Ekno, Director of Achievement-Leadership, works with Molokai Middle and High Schools and shared that both “continue to be student centered and have worked to become more aligned. After just two rounds of Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) testing, both schools have nearly met their Safe Harbor (AYP) goals in all subgroups for both reading and math.” Ekno continued, “If Molokai Middle School achieves Safe Harbor again this year, it will succeed in exiting restructuring status in just two years through its alliance with EdisonLearning.”
As above, so below, and Ray Woodbeck, Director of Achievement-Leadership, shared that “the three Molokai elementary schools [Kaunakakai, Maunaloa, and Kilohana] are committed to data-driven instruction through the ongoing review of student progress.” Although each principal has taken a different tack, all are examples of change leadership. The principal at Maunaloa visits each classroom twice per day while the principal at Kaunakakai has written personal notes to all students in the ‘approaching proficiency” category after the first round of the HSA. With Woodbeck’s assistance, the principal at Kilohana created a special AYP data model for precise HSA round-one calculations; the goals were shared at a staff ice cream social along with targeted student lists to help teachers with interventions that they are now implementing.
The leadership at the schools and the guidance by the Hawaii Alliance school teams will continue to bring positive change to all five campuses. When the final results are in this May, there will likely be more superlatives and progress on the island, even if it remains comparatively “slow“ with the rest of Hawaii.
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