Wilkes-Barre Area School District In-service April 9, 2014 1:00 – 1:30 Sign-in and refreshments in the MHS Library and Math Department News Snacks courtesy of MHS Faculty.

Just a dream in 1983….

Agenda Mini Sessions: Session 1: 1:30 – 2:15 New Next Year….. New Course Sequencing/Changes and Concerns Session 2: 2:30 – 3:15 Digging into Domain 4 of Teacher Effectiveness

New Next Year……… New Course sequencing New Flex Day Schedule Two new courses: A) Keystone Acceleration B) College Ready Math 4. Performance Plus

1. New Course Sequencing Algebra 1 – Algebra II - Geometry Gifted Algebra II will be added as the Gifted 9th will also have Gifted English etc.. This keeps with the sequencing. ( GAR - Gifted ) Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and AP Calculus will have labs each week. Students that fail the Keystone Exam will take the Keystone Acceleration Course along side their regular math course.

1. New Course Sequencing:

2. Flex Day Created to reduce class size and be able to offer more electives for students. Concerns: 8th period schedule will not conflict with gyms or science labs. 8th period scheduled classes override any detention All classes will 45 minutes. Lunch will be 30 minutes. Homeroom will be 2nd period directly after 1st period. It will be for a short period of time. Students will remain in their 1st period class when the bell rings and stay there until roll is taken – then move to their 45 minute 3rd period class. Possibility that students enrolled in a sport may not be required to take a gym class. No Guidance has been given on the Project Based Assessment from the State. We do not know when it will happen.

3. New Courses…. Keystone Acceleration Part I Students that fail the Keystone Exam will enter this course. Students will be monitored based on data related to their performance on the Keystone Exam CDT’s Possibility that this course may contain on-line materials that will address their deficits, and place them in an appropriate module that will help them improve their skills. These students will be tested in the Winter Window, (results are supposed to be back to districts by Jan 12th) . If the students pass the Keystone, they may be moved to an elective for the Second Semester. OR If scores are not back in time, students will continue in the course and we will design some sort of District Project based Curriculum for them to continue.

College Ready Math Paired with LCCC to help offer our 11th Grade Practical Math students the chance to gain early entrance and also gain college credit before they enter LCCC in the fall of their graduating year. For those Practical Math Students that know they want to attend LCCC in the fall. S1 – Content of the non-credit math End of S1 – take accuplacer exam S2 – Take their first credited math course at their respective school with the teacher recognized as an adjunct professor at LCCC.

4. Performance Plus Performance Plus is a Data Tracker and Assessment Builder. Teachers will receive training on this next year. Teachers will have access to the data for the students in front of them that year using the Performance Plus system. Quarterly exams and local assessments can also be included in the data as well as State PSSA and Keystone Data. Teachers can use the assessment builder to include a local assessment.

What is needed to accommodate change? Inventory – to be certain we have materials for the changes next year. 2014 Summer Curriculum Work – will be done from June 16th – 19th and June 23rd – 26th at Solomon Plains Junior High Library. We will begin early in the process. More information will be sent out shortly.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson