The transition from middle school to high school can be difficult to
navigate, especially when it comes to completing your very first high school
schedule. "What classes do I take? What is the difference between English
9 and English I? How many credits do I need? What is a Skinny and what is a
Block?" are all questions students have when they are faced with their
first scheduling experience. In order to make the process easier for students,
High School Prep teacher Kim Sleezer came up with the idea to involve the
Teacher Leaders at Linn-Mar High School, Excelsior, and Oak Ridge.
Not only does Kim teach at Excelsior Middle School, she is also one of
twenty model teachers in our district this year. If you have not had time to visit her
classroom, I highly recommend you add it to your bucket list for the remainder
of this school year.
Below Kim has written in her own words her perspective on how working
with other teacher leaders in our district has impacted what she has been able
to accomplish within her program.
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Instructional strategists Steven Starkey, Tina
Oberbroeckling, and Nicole Redington were instrumental in helping to facilitate
discussions between the Middle Schools and High School regarding specification
of 9th grade course selection choices. For the past several years in
High School Prep, we have been trying to provide a consistent and specific set
of questions for 8th grade students to use as they prepared for 9th grade
registration. The difference between 9th grade courses in English, science,
and social studies were challenging and often confusing for students
to understand. We were finding that many students and parents simply
wanted a more specific set of parameters regarding these course choices.
In the spring of 2014, the English Departments at the High School and Middle
School were first to devise such a "course selection grid," and
the implementation of the grid proved to be extremely beneficial to both
students and families.
Using this success as a model for what other
departments could do together, Middle and High School Instructional Strategists
asked questions of all parties involved and then helped to facilitate the
creation of a uniform and specific "course selection grid" for
both social studies and science content areas. In January of 2015,
the grids were used to guide every 8th grade student in the Linn-Mar
District as they prepared to choose courses for their 9th grade year at the
High School.
Were it not for the involvement of the
Instructional Strategists, the collaboration between building staffs and the
creation and implementation of the course selection grids would not have
happened in such a timely manner. What would have taken Professional
Development time to accomplish in the past; staff members were able to complete
in discussions and emails with involved parties. The Instructional
Strategists facilitated these communications.
The creation of the 9th grade
course selection grids is just one example of how Instructional
Strategists can help to facilitate building-to-building communication that has
always been desired, but often impossible to accomplish because of varying
building and staff responsibilities and duties. We all want more time to
collaborate, but when we are provided the time and talent of our Instructional
Strategists, the challenge of having to find the time to collaborate is made
much easier.
I view the Instructional Strategists as the
"puzzle masters" on our collaboration journey. Instructional
Strategists have knowledge of the bigger picture because of the
number of teachers and building staff they see on any given day or week.
The collaboration puzzle pieces, which used to seem impossible to put together
are easily placed in their perspective spots because the Instructional
Strategists have the time and tools to put the pieces together.
In facilitating the development and
implementation of the 9th grade course selection grids, the
Instructional Strategists have helped to directly impact every 8th grade
student and family within the Linn-Mar School District. This impact will
be sustained and improved from year to year as each group of 8th grade students
works to choose from and schedule for 9th grade courses.
~Kim Bell Sleezer
8th Grade High School Prep and Reading Teacher
Excelsior Middle School
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