Mindset PLC Discussion Notes
January 12, 2015
Data Trends / Brainstorm Ideas1st Period
· Attendance impact – students lose hope
· Skewed distribution – there is no bell curve
· Difference in IB prep grades and non IB prep grades in English
· Exceptional education students attend school less / · Pull individual attendance of students and have a class discussion
· Pull class attendance data and grades to review as a class
· Look at number of missing assignments and affect on grades
· Teacher addresses attendance with individual students upon their return. Let them know it is nice to see them back, etc.
2nd Period
· Lower attendance means lower grades
· All As are above 90% attendance
· More As in fine arts and IB Prep English
· English there are more Fs than As and Bs combined
· Junior failures in English
· 40% of sophomores failed geometry
· 60% of 9th graders earned Ds/Fs in Algebra / · Look at fine arts and IB prep to help with math failures
· Set the expectation that all classes are advanced classes and give the students something to live up to
· Change the mindset from “I can’t” to “I’ll try” in math and art
· Impress upon students the process is more important than the product
· Get students to be here at school. Send letters home about attendance; administrators have conversations with incoming students regarding attendance, etc.
· Provide parent workshops to help them know what to do to help their students.
3rd Period
· There is a fish bell curve in English and math with a curve up at the end where there are Fs
· Higher failure rate in geometry than in algebra
· 71% of geometry students have Ds and Fs
· Positive correlation between attendance and failure
· ¼ of seniors failed math and English. What do we do for these students?
· More failures in core classes than electives / · Relate what we are teaching to jobs and real life
· English has options to choose at different grade levels
· Students fail algebra and then move to geometry, etc. Students need to learn the basics first and then go on. Can we change the system?
· Have supports for students in math
4th Period
· Fine Arts the F and attendance rates relate
· Lower grades correlate to lower attendance rates
· Core classes versus elective classes – the grade curve seems to be opposite each other
· Science seems to have many Bs and Fs
· In Exceptional Education there is a significant difference between the number of As (187) and the number of Fs (6) / · Need to work on attendance maybe with implementation of rewards
· The attendance appeals data would be interesting to review with respect to grade information
· Scaffolding – maybe summer programs
· Boot camp for Mindset in the summer
· Focus on learning and not letter grades
· Boost intrinsic motivation
· Go over data with kids in an assembly
5th Period
· Great attendance means great grades
· Small N values change the data
· Geometry and Algebra attendance is good on the whole
· In PE and Fine Arts there is a strong correlation to attendance and grades.
· IB Prep Geometry has 87% attendance and a high failure rate
· IB Prep English and non IB Prep English have a significantly different number of students getting As
· English 11 less As than English 12 / · Investigate ways to improve attendance
· Make connections with students in the classroom
· Build relationships with students
· Get students to class on time – all teachers have to be on board
· There needs to be a consistency to the grading system
6th Period
· Higher attendance rate means higher passing rate across the board
· High number of Fs in senior English and math, what do we do with these seniors to get them to graduate?
· There is a reverse trend between the IB English and non IB English. The grade distribution is the opposite from one to the other. / · Get a message to students about purpose. For example, hang a graduation gown in the room at semester and say to seniors that the teacher is ready for graduation, are you?
· Address placement of students into classes. Example, in world languages students that do not pass the first level and register for second level
· Start fresh second semester. Review the data with students from first semester and make changes/adjustments for second semester
7th Period
· Attendance for students with Fs is under 90%
· Attendance for students with As is over 90%
· There is a correlation between attendance and grades
· Fine arts has 50% students with As
· More Fs than Ds for Fine Arts
· More Fs than Ds in Math
· Majority get Cs and Ds in most classes
· Look at the data for the quarter versus the semester to see if there is a difference up or down in grades
· Least amount of As in math / · Improve attendance and tardies through implementation of policy, systems, rewards, etc.
· Incentives to stay in class such as bonus cards
· Examine grading systems and weighting
· Advisory period to allow students the time to get help