Presented by: Mrs. O’Brien P.S. 194M How Can We Improve Grades At P.S. 194m?

How do We Know This is Problem, and Where Can We Get Answers to This Question? Internet Resources Look at this slide from the PPA website, and determine if it really is a problem to have a bad grade: PPA: Is it Really a Problem?PPA: Is it Really a Problem? parents-handle-a-bad-report-card/handle-a-bad-report-card articles/article/6946-do-you-know-why-your-child-gets-bad- gradesbad- grades sleep-problems-may-improve-childs-grades-and-behaviorsleep-disorders

What is a Poor Grade and Some Results of Them? Discuss with your classmates, and write what you think in your notebooks now. Incorrect answers during class participation Quiz grade below 70 % Test Grade below a level 3  2 or below What is a Poor Grade? What are Some Results of a Poor Grade? Low self esteem Be held over a grade Fall behind your peers

What Might Cause a Student to Have a Poor Grade? Insufficient study time Inattentiveness in class Difficulty sitting still Unable to grasp the concept during instruction

Additional Causes for Poor Grades… Upset by something going on outside of school, such as problem/s at home Need extra help to understand the skill Need more supervision by an adult outside the classroom to be sure he/she understands the material. Low self-esteem Lack of Sleep Not eating before coming to school Distracted by other social issues Let’s list some reasons you’ve generated that are not shown here (your teacher will put them on the board):

How Might We Gather Evidence to Help Us With This Problem? What other steps can we use to gather evidence of this problem? Here is a link to ways a Public Policy Analyst would gather evidence of the problem: Gathering Evidence of the Problem

What is our School Policy About Poor Grades? Right now the policies addressing poor grades are for students to be held over, or go to summer school. Teachers and students are expected to do their best to get good grades. If we had a policy about poor grades (besides what is listed above), what would it look like?

3 Prospective Policies to Improve Poor Grades: #1: Class Participation If a student is having trouble understanding the material, the teacher works with the student to re- teach it. The student may be assigned a ‘Student Teacher’ during class, an additional period, or both. If the student is not participating in class, the teacher may keep the student in during recess or another period. The student may pair up with another student who is animated and enjoys participating in class.

3 Prospective Solutions to Improve Poor Grades: #2: Small Groups and One-on-One Instruction Teacher pairs up a ‘Student Teacher’ with a group of students, to coach and peer teach the material. Teacher takes students into a small group to reteach the material. Teacher teaches student independently until both teacher and student are confident student understands the material.

3 Prospective Solutions to Improve Poor Grades: #3: ‘All the Above’, plus Additional Resources Teacher speaks with student to determine the reasons the student thinks he/she is not achieving a higher grade. Teacher pairs up a ‘Student Teacher’ with a group of students, to coach and peer teach the material. Teacher uses manipulatives to help student understand the concept. Teacher teaches student independently until both teacher and student are confident student understands the material (by various assessment methods). Teacher gives student alternate methods to reach the correct answer. Go to next slide for more of #3!

#3, Prospective Solutions, Continued… Teacher teaches students in a small group or one-on- one to re-teach the material. Teacher offers student opportunity to work with other students to teach the material once the student masters the challenging skill. Teacher speaks to parent/guardian to discuss grades; additional attention is given to homework to be sure it is truly understood, not just ‘right’. Student may have an evaluation, if these methods are not helping, to determine if there are other underlying causes for poor grades.

Which Policy is Best? Work together in your groups and discuss which of the three proposed policies is the best policy. Go to this website and use the tools shown: Public Policy Analyst Write down what your group’s consensus is, and give three reasons to support your answer. Include Internet resources, what you’ve learned from the activities we’ve completed in class, and how you, as a public policy analyst would present your policy to a parent and a student who is struggling with a poor grade or poor grades.