Abilene High School

Teacher In-service Plan

AHS teachers are determined to improve curriculum and instruction through collaborative efforts. They have as a unit, adapted the McRel philosophy and research backed method for incorporating best practice teaching methodology. They are also interested in continuing to integrate technology into their classrooms and team building into their organization.

Like teachers across the country, the teachers at Abilene High School are searching for ways to improve student learning and achievement. They subscribe to the general belief that combining “best practices” research and increasing collegiality will be a strong basis for improving student achievement.

To this end, the teachers of Abilene High School have received instruction in the research-based ideas of McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning) for the past two years. Using an impressive overview of studies, the consortium has formulated 12 strategies proven to increase student achievement. AHS teachers have met in groups of various strategies proven to increase student achievement. AHS teachers have met in groups of various size with the McRel leaders and have also met weekly in “Orange day plan groups” with fellow teachers to discuss their new learning. Many notebooks have been filled with the McRel activities.

As the teachers have incorporated the knowledge into their classrooms, it has become obvious that for the McRel momentum to continue, several things must happen:

the strategies must be reviewed on a regular and sequential basis;
New teachers must be instructed in the McRel ideas as presented in Classroom Instruction That works (with handbook);
Teachers must collaborate regularly in small groups to share their knowledge and increase their motivation. Continuing to collect examples of their McRel activities will document their commitment to the McRel system;
Collaboration must extend past the small groups, through the sharing of innovative McRel projects with the larger teaching staff.

The teachers at Abilene High School are proposing a three-year schedule of collaboration that would provide:

Regular meetings in small and large groups;
Instruction for new teachers by the regular meetings;
Continued documentation of McRel activities;
Collaboration of the entire staff through large group presentation;
Develop cooperative/peer activities across subject disciplines.

It is hoped that this plan will encourage teachers to continue using the ideas of McRel to improve classroom instruction.

Following is a final outline of their plan to work toward self-improvement.

The teachers intend to incorporate the nine McRel best practice instruction methods that they were exposed to during the McRel in-service. They intend to utilize time to share and cooperatively work best practice methods outside their common plan groups during the district wide in-service time. They also intend to utilize teacher in-service time to garner workable method for technology integration and for department meetings.

Legend:

Common Plan: Refers to teacher membership into one of four different groups of teachers. The membership in each group is dictated by the master schedule by which block a teacher may have for orange day planning period.

School Enhancement: Refers to the new school improvement committee. Either all school when designated, otherwise its memberships is as follows:

Janelle Geist Chairperson – Fine arts leader à R. Weaver

Jacque Havice Transitions – Vocational leader

Shannon Heintz Science leader à P. Sweeney

Andy Cook Math leader à L. Kruashaar

Heidi Stohs English leader à J. Casteel

Brian Roth Social Studies leader à M. Rutz

Denise Guy Resource Specialist

Mike Ford Principal

McRel: Refers to our staff as a whole, and meetings directly related to teacher instruction, classroom management and/or technology.

Department: Refers to teacher membership by subject discipline. The first teacher listed is the department chair. They are as follows:

Social Studies Science Mathematics

David McClain Shannon Heintz Andy Cook

Wendy Sherbert Mike Padget Janelle Geist

Brian Roth Billy Jo Bonar Garry Stredney

Mike Jantz Brandi Miller Corey Casteel

English Fine Arts Vocational

Heidi Stohs Toni Britt Jacque Havice

Vicki Cooper Sondy Knitter Linda Chase

Janis Haugh Sarah Geiger Nathan Howard

Sondy Knitter Billy Jo Bonar Greg Dutt

Sarah Geiger Aaron Tompkins Deb Mock

Mitzi Gose Danette Whiteley Sarah Geiger

(Michael Walters) Meagan Meneley Dawn James

Katie Russell Mark Willey

Travis Pralle

Counselors Physical Education Foreign Language

Sandra Dutt Deni Tanzer Meagan Meneley

Gene Hartman Jeff Geist Katie Russell

(Derrick Burns)

Special Education Business

Mike Rutz Jacque Havice

Loreen Kruashaar Dawn James

Racheal Weaver Mark Willey

Jennifer Casteel

Pat Sweeney

District Department: Refers to membership in their department but meeting at the K-12 district level.

Books: Book study refers to the book titled “Classroom Instruction that Works” by Marzano, Pickering & Pollock. Handbook refers to the book “A Handbook for Classroom Instruction that Works” by Marzano, Norford, Paynter, Pickering, Gaddy.

Common Plan Membership:

Orange Block 1 Orange Block 2 Orange Block 3 Orange Block 5

James D Haugh J. Geist J. Havice J.

Whiteley D. Padgett M. Tanzer D. Jantz M.

Russell K. Bonar B.J. Heintz S. Cook A.

Meneley M. Howard N. Dutt G. Stredney G.

Casteel C. Linn D. McClain D. Geist Jeff

Stohs H. Sherbert W. Kraushaar L. Sweeney P.

Knitter S. Casteel J.

Gose M. Tompkins A.

Cooper V.

Geiger S.

Miller B.

Pralle T.

Roth B.

Britt T.

Rutz M.

Chase L.

A system needs to be developed for Deb Mock, Rachel Weaver and Mark Willey as they are without orange day planning periods.

Calendar of Events and Tasks

August 16 I New Teachers

Technology in-service – power school, e-mail, etc. 60 minutes

August 17 I Faculty meeting – teacher work day

New Teachers – meet with mentors

August 21 I McRel meeting to determine schedule of in-service. 30 minutes

School Enhancement 30 minutes

August 23 I School enhancement – determine goals to integrate with 60 minutes

McRel activities, MAPPs assessment, KS assessments,

Collab I, II and III activities.

September 7/8 Common Plan – McRel themes 1 & 2 60 minutes

Theme 1: Book Study

Chapter 11 – Teaching Specific Types of Knowledge

Section 10, Handbook

· Vocabulary

· Multiple Exposures

· Organizing Ideas

· Skills

· Discovery Approach

· Process

Theme 2: Book Study

Chapter 8 – Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback

Section 7, Handbook

· Goal Setting

· Contracts

· Feedback

Sept. 21/22 Common Plan – McRel themes 1 & 2 60 minutes

October 13 I Common Plan – McRel themes 1 & 2 90 minutes

Initiate plans for cooperative/peer activity

School enhancement 60 minutes

October 25/25 Common Plan – McRel themes 1 & 2 60 minutes

November 8/9 Common Plan – McRel themes 1 & 2 60 minutes

November 22 Common Plan – McRel themes 1 & 2 60 minutes

K-12 Curr/assessment Meetings

December 1 Cooperative/peer activity complete

December 21 I McRel – themes 1 & 2 presentations by block and/or activity

60 minutes

January 15 I McRel – McRel themes 3 & 4 60 minute

Theme 3 – Book Study

Chapter 6 – Nonlinguistic Representations

Section 5, Handbook

· Graphic Organizers

· Physical Models

· Kinesthetic Activity

Theme 4 – Book Study

Chapter 5 – Homework and Practice

Section 4, Handbook

K-12 Curr/assessment meetings

Collab II meetings

February 8/9 Common Plan – themes 3 & 4

February 19 I McRel – themes 3 & 4 90 minutes

Technology enhancement – J. Havice on I movies 90 minutes

Technology enhancement – Liby/Roth on moodle 90 minutes

School enhancement 30 minutes

MAPPs assessment review 90 minutes

Possible Full day of team building activity

Possible in-service from outside source

Possible technology planning for one to one

Anything is possible on this day

March 8/9 Common Plan – themes 3 & 4 60 minutes

March 16 I Common Plan – themes 3 & 4 60 minutes

Initiate plans for cooperative/peer activity

March 29/30 Common Plan – themes 3 & 4 60 minutes

April 12/13 Common Plan – themes 3 & 4 60 minutes

April 25 Cooperative/peer activity complete

April 27 I Senior Projects all day

May 10/11 Common Plan – themes 3 & 4

Chapter 12 book study, Putting it all Together

May 29 McCrel – themes 3 & 4 presentations by block and/or activity

90 minutes

Year Reflection, plan for next year

Common Plan Leader is responsible for: Scheduling and chairing common plan meeting which includes leading book discussion, recording and documenting meetings and cooperative/peer activity, turning over documentation to school enhancement chair.

Each teacher is responsible for: attending and participating in common plans, integrating at least one activity from each theme per semester, turning in documentation to teacher leader and if possible, to web site.

FBI committee is responsible for: organization of any staff wide in-service or activity, creating forms for recording or documenting activities.

YEAR 2

Technology, Team building and McRel

1^st Semester Theme 5 – Contracts and Rubrics

Chapter 8 book study, Section 7 handbook

Theme 6 – Cooperative Learning

Chapter 7 book study, Section 6 handbook

2^nd Semester Theme 7 – Similarities and Differences

Chapter 2 book study, Section 1 handbook

Theme 8 – Cues, Questions and Advanced Organizers

Chapter 10 book study, Section 9 handbook

YEAR 3

Technology, Team building and McRel

1^st Semester Theme 9 – Generating Hypothesis II

Problem Solving, Historical Inquiry, Experimental Inquiry

Chapter 9 book study, Section 8 handbook

Theme 10 – Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition

Chapter 4 book study, Section 3 handbook

2^nd Semester Theme 11 – Summarizing and Note-taking

Chapter 3 book study, Section 2 handbook

Theme 12 – Assessments, Student self assessments, Peer assessments

Chapter 8 & 12 book study, Section 7 handbook