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SKILLS/ADVISORY PERIODS
Students at the Textron/Chamber of Commerce Public Charter School participate in small learning groups devoted to addressing specific skill deficiencies identified through longitudinal testing. These Skills Periods alternate twice each week with Advisory Periods. In addition, the school observes a 15-minute silent reading period each day to encourage extra reading practice. Length of Time in Effect Skills/Advisory Periods and Drop Everything and Read were added to the school's daily schedule in 1999.
Skills/Advisory Period Immediately after lunch, all students at the Textron/Chamber of Commerce Providence Public Charter School are assigned to a small group for reading practice, remedial math, writing class, or an advisory class. This 50-minute period serves two main purposes: skill development and an opportunity for adults to advise students. Because all staff members are responsible for an advisory or skills class, each section has a low student-to-teacher ratio. Data collected from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) testing system allows the school's CEO to reschedule students in small groups three times a year to attack the weakest skills. The Skills Period also allows subject area teachers to instruct students of varying grade levels who all share the same math or writing skill deficiency. This one-by-one scheduling challenge is made easier by a willing faculty and ample data on student performance. Students enjoy working in groups of roughly eight people, with upper and lower schoolers mixed. Teachers are able to concentrate on targeted skills and provide much individual attention. The Skills Period classes meet three times per week. On the other two days of the week, the 50 minutes is spent in Advisory
Period. Advisors are matched with a group of eight students. The students
will stay with their advisor for at least one year, and hopefully continue
with him/her for all four years. In this period, teachers listen to
students, try to solve problems, discuss school news, and keep tabs
on the students' academic performance. Employing a strategy in which
each adult is responsible for eight advisees moves the school forward
in its attempt to create an environment where all students are known
well by at least one adult. Drop Everything and Read Extra reading practice is accomplished through the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) period. For 15 minutes daily, the entire school is quiet for this silent reading period. The books that the students read are counted and kept track of by a bookmark system. At the conclusion of the year, all the bookmarks are hung in a public celebration of the school's reading accomplishments. During the 2001-2002 school year, students read 1,854 books. DEAR is now a firm part of the culture. It has been a significant reason for the school's 30% rise in New Standards tests in reading. The Chamber School's scores in reading are the second highest of the ten high schools in the district. Be prepared: Rescheduling the school four times per year to program students into special Skills classes is very arduous. Advisories are critical if one believes in personalizing the student's educational experience. Yet, in order to have teachers make phone calls home and make the extra effort (in what is not truly a class), the advisory system must be ingrained in the culture, be an expectation of parents, and be a focus of interviews when teacher hiring decisions are made. In order to make Drop Everything and Read successful, three basic elements
are needed: (1) every adult has to participate, (2) ample books that
are of interest to kids must be readily available, and (3) the reading
must be tied to a school-wide reading goal. For instance, Textron Chamber
students plan to read 2000 books in the coming year. Drop Everything
and Read periods can do wonders in terms of building community and increasing
the amount of reading done at a school.
Chamber School URL: http://www.chamberschool.com/index1.htm
Robert Pilkington
Tel: 401-456-1738
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