Program Evaluation 2

Educational Leadership Program Evaluation 1
Educational Leadership Program Evaluation
Megan German
PEDU 671
Longwood University
With increased pressure on schools to pass statewide, standardized tests, Chesapeake
created a data-driven program called Core Plus. This program is a daily class that focuses on
providing remediation and enrichment to students based on their specific needs. The course is
mandatory for 6th and 7th graders, and only taken by 8th graders who do not take a foreign
language. While it seems to be extremely effective at promoting the schools vision and mission,
supporting effective instruction, and improving student achievement in grades 6 and 7, the
program starts to become problematic in 8th grade.
Core plus in grades 6 and 7 is a fluid class. Students rotate between teachers, usually
weekly, based on data collected by teachers about which core subjects they need remediation.
The class that students are sent to each week is determined by their summative assessment
grades, as well as snapshot quizzes that give an idea of areas of strength and weakness for each
student. In 8th grade, however, students stay in the same class with the same teacher year-round,
which means one teacher is expected to provide remediation and enrichment for all core areas.
One problem with this is that, sometimes, the 8th grade core plus teachers are elective teachers
who are not licensed in a core area. This makes remediating and reinforcing core content
extremely challenging.
Our school vision and mission focus on creating stimulating learning experiences,
addressing differentiated needs of all children, and being child-centered (Hickory Middle
School, 2017). Core plus was definitely created with these areas in mind. The class is supposed
to provide hands-on, interactive activities that allow students to gain a deeper understanding of
the material that they are learning in their core classes. This gives teachers a chance to present
information in new ways and provide a variety of activities in which the students interact with
the content in more meaningful ways. Many of the teachers also incorporate technology into
their classes to provide opportunities for growth in digital literacy while the students learn. For
example, in one class, students completed a unit on parliamentary debate in which they chose a
topic that they were passionate about, completed research and a persuasive argument for it, and
learned the basics of how Congress passes laws and conduct their business. This type of cross-
curricular activity teaches and reinforces concepts such as research, persuasive writing, civics,
and public speaking all in one unit, and allows them to do so while working on something that
interests them.
After reviewing data on SOL test scores and student scores in their classes, it is clear this
course improves student achievement. Overall, students in the 6th and 7th grade classes were able
to improve their test scores in the classes in which the received remediation and our pass rates
for SOLs have continued to improve annually, thanks in part to this beneficial class for students.
There are, however, two areas in which I would suggest improvements. First, I would
like to see the 8th grade class switched to the same rotation as the 6th and 7th grade class. This
would ensure that students get extra time and exposure in the areas in which they need the most
assistance, rather than having all of the students in the class work on the same area, which may
not be beneficial to students who have already mastered that content. Secondly, I would suggest
that a curriculum or at least a compilation of references, materials, and lessons be created on
each grade level. Currently, there is no specified curriculum for this course, so it is up to each
teacher to find or create resources, as well as decide what they are going to teach, and to come up
with innovative ways of teaching and reinforcing the material. If each grade level had some sort
of guideline, it would make the class more structured and engaging, which would cut back on
some of the discipline problems, especially in 8th grade. Finally, I would change the course to a
graded class. Oftentimes, especially in 8th grade, the students see no benefit in the work, and
they know it is not grades, so they choose to not do their work and engage in disruptive behavior
instead. If the course were graded, the students would be on-task more often, and there would be
fewer discipline problems.
Overall, I think the concept and goal of the class are totally in-line with our mission,
vision, and it supports students achievement and encourages innovative, effective teaching
methods. With the few adjustments made to give the class more structure and give the students
more incentive to do the work, the class would be even more effective and helpful to our
students.
References
Hickory Middle School (2017). Retrieved from http://www.cpschools.com/Schools/HMS/

Program Evaluation 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Program Evaluation 2

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Program Evaluation 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Educational Leadership Program Evaluation 1

Educational Leadership Program Evaluation

With increased pressure on schools to pass statewide, standardized tests, Chesapeake

program starts to become problematic in 8th grade.

that a curriculum or at least a compilation of references, materials, and lessons be created on

fewer discipline problems.

Hickory Middle School (2017). Retrieved from http://www.cpschools.com/Schools/HMS/

You might also like