DESIGN CAMP: A Learning Forward Presentation

DESIGN CAMP ALGEBRA AND CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS FOR COMMON CORE

Washington County Department of Education

Director: Mr. Ronald. A. Dykes

Schools: David Crockett High School and Daniel Boone High School

Presenters: Dr. Ginger Christian and Mrs. Deborah Bailey

Contact information:

In the spring of 2012 Mrs. Deborah Bailey, an Algebra 1 teacher, approached the administrative team at David Crockett High School and asked if we could create a week long interactive camp experience for rising freshmen before school started. After several conversations,we expanded the concept to include a cross-curricular connectionallowing students to experience performance based activities with Algebra 1, Career and Technical Education, and CCSS standards as we preparedstudents for the transition tocollege and career readiness. Dr. Ginger Christian, Professional Development Coordinator, wrote and secured a grant from the i3 Innovation Grant to create Crockett Design Camp for the 2012 – 2013 school year. The following team created the first Design Camp:

Dr. Ginger Christian: Professional Development Coordinator for Secondary Schools

Mr. Andrew Hare: Principal for David Crockett High School

Mrs. Deborah Bailey and Mr. Doug Harris: Algebra 1 Teachers

Mr. Guy McAmis: Computer Arts and Drafting Teacher

In a time of school reform, David Crockett has had significant challenges with growth in Algebra 1 and had worked as a team to investigate methods to increase both student growth and achievement. DCHS is a Title 1 high school and many of our students arrive with multiple learning challenges. This camp allowed teachers and students to work together to overcome barriers previously experienced with rising freshmen students. As a new program, we introduced the opportunity to parents and 8th grade students during the annual High School Readiness Night. Parents were invited to pick up applications from the math department before they left campus on that evening. The grant provided funds for up to 50 participants in the first year. It is important to note that at the onset of the work we encouraged a heterogeneous group and there was no charge for student participation.

The Crockett Design Camp wascreated to provide a fun-filled week of math and building activities that prepared students for high school concepts including the transition to CCSS and connections to real-world concepts in mathematics with a technical and career focus. Our math and CTE teachers partnered to provide a variety of opportunities for students to work in teams for a full week of exciting competitions and projects that support Algebra and Career and Technical Education standards and skills. Meals and snacks were provided. Parents were responsible to drop off students at 9 am and pick them up at 2:00 pm each day. Applications were due inApril and students and parents were notified by early Maywith specific camp information. The DCHS Design Camp hascompleted three successful years and to date all applicants have been accepted. Daniel Boone High School also implemented Design Camp with 75 students in the summer of 2013 and continues to serve rising freshmen as teams from both high schools plan collaboratively and continue to expand the work.

We had 48 students participate in our inaugural week of Design Camp. Of these students, 42% tested well enough in 8th grade to be placed in Advanced Algebra. The majority of students in Design Camp were regular education students, which slightly outnumbered the advanced students at 43%. The final two categories included 9% of students who were projected by the state TVAAS data to be below basic for Algebra 1, and 6% of the students attending were special education students.

The majority of students that attended design camp and completed the end of course exam (EOC) in 2012 demonstrated positive gains in Algebra 1. While most of the students showed growth, our achievement levels reveled how the hands on mathematical learning from Design Camp week helped students develop a deeper understanding of algebra concepts. Of the initial participants tested, 21% of students received a perfect score on their EOC. The majority of students, 59%, scored advanced on their EOC with grades ranging from 93-100 and 21% of our students score proficient on the EOC. Therefore, 80% of our students scored proficient or advanced on their EOC. Additionally our 2013DCHS Algebra 1 School Value Added Growth Measure increased by 14.2 points from the 2012 report. Our students and teachers are realizing the power of best practices embedded into daily instruction.

In keeping with the Core values defined by the state, our students and teachers experienced the positive rewards of optimism, teamwork, and courage. Additionally, we expanded this work to both WCDE high schools in July of 2013. We asked three of the students who scored a 100 on the EOC to share their perceptions about Design Camp with our local Mayor and School Board. John declared, “Design camp was guided instruction during extracurricular activities.” He made a direct connection to performance based math activities and his ability to understand often challenging mathematical concepts. On the first day of camp last year, one student was very angry at her mother for making her spend five extra days at school. By the end of the first day she asked if she could bring friends back to school with her so they could attend the camp. Too often in the high school setting, math teachers have failed to implement challenging activities that require students to investigate math standards and use investigation to develop formulas and strategies to solve difficult problems. Design Camp not only required students to investigate math through varied and challenging activities, it also allowed students to make direct connections to life through the partnership with CTE.

This presentation provides activities, camp schedules and objectives, and the power of cross-curricular work in comprehensive high schools. On the final day of Design Camp students competed in an Amazing Race that required investigation throughout the high school andthe completion of multiple math tasks followed by a report of findings to designated teachers. At DCHS our motto is to, “Educate for Success!” This program has allowed our students and teachers to see the power in a team approach and now expand that influence into other high schools. The Washington County Secondary Schools are deeply grateful for the support of the i3 Innovation Grant and the unique opportunities the grant allowed us to provide for our students. This work is evidence of effective collaboration and school reform that impact students and teachers at the classroom level. As a result of Design Camp the engineering courses on both high school campuses have reported increased numbers in enrollment. “Teachers who are well informed and effective in their practice can be successful teachers of other teachers as well as partners in educational research, development, and implementation. Collectively, teacher-leaders are our greatest resource for educational reform” (NWP, 2008, para. 9). Design Camp is evidence that creative teaching brings success for our students. Through our partnership with the i3 and collaborative team within David Crockett High School, we are realizing the goals we are setting for our students in TN. We invite you to review all resources provided and contact Dr. Christian or Mrs. Bailey if you have any questions. Additionally, we invite you to visit David Crockett High School through our website at

Reference

NWP, the national writing project: Improving writing and learning in the nation’s schools. (2008).

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