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    Literacy Gets a Makeover

    Engaged Learning Boosts Student Achievement at Michigan High School

    By Learning Forward
    August 2013
    The high school was in the bottom 5% of schools in Michigan, the principal had been replaced, and the school had just received a grant to improve student achievement. The staff read Classroom Instruction That Works (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001), everyone was in a professional learning community by department, the school and district administration were deeply committed to improvement, and yet no one could articulate the teaching actions necessary to improve academic performance in a systematic manner. The school is E.A. Johnson High School in Mt. Morris, Mich., near Flint, where the city has felt deeply the impact of the area’s economic decline. The student population is 72% free and reduced lunch. The staff was willing to make the changes necessary for success but

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    Authors

    Richard E. Wood and Helen L. Burz

    Richard E. Wood (woodr8@comcast.net) and Helen L. Burz (hburz@comcast.net) are educational consultants in curriculum and instructional improvement, school reform, and 21st-century learning.

    LITERACY-GETS-A-MAKEOVER

    Summarization Data

    Department Percent of students by proficiency level
    Advanced Proficient Partially proficient Basic
    October 2011 May 2012 October 2011 May 2012 October 2011 May 2012 October 2011 May 2012
    Social studies main idea 8% 58% 26% 32% 25% 8% 41% 2%
    Science main idea 3% 49% 9% 37% 29% 11% 59% 2%
    Noncore main idea 17% 60% 24% 33% 29% 5% 30% 2%
    Social studies supporting details 6% 51% 20% 29% 37% 15% 37% 5%
    Science supporting details 31% 37% 17% 43% 35% 14% 17% 6%
    Noncore supporting details 7% 21% 24% 49% 31% 26% 38% 4%

    STAR reading assessment comparison
    Percent of students reading at 10th-grade level or above
    Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12
    October 2011 May 2012 October 2011 May 2012 October 2011 May 2012 October 2011 May 2012
    9.9% 23.7% 21.6% 33.5% 25.3% 36.2% 45.6% 53.1%

    References

    Cawelti, G. (Ed.). (2004). Handbook of research on improving student achievement. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.

     

    Learning Forward. (2011). Standards for Professional Learning. Oxford, OH: Author.

    Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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    Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development. We help our members plan, implement, and measure high-quality professional learning so they can achieve success with their systems, schools, and students.

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