We also met with the READ 180 person for our district. We were able to borrow a bunch of her materials for a couple of days and in that way we could see all the different options with that program. The teacher also allowed us to sit in on one of her classes and we were able to see the program in action. It seems to be a great motivator for students as they really enjoy working on the computer and they also seem to be very into the books she has provided for them. She has included a lot of supplemental books that she bought herself and it is great to see how into those books the kids get!
In addition to seeing the READ 180 we went in and observed the language arts aspect of Success Maker. This program looked like it was very engaging for the students. All of the kids were focused on the material being presented to them on the computers. When we talked to the kids they were excited about the program and thought it was helping them. Not only does the program focus on reading, but it also has a lot of grammar integrated. When students are struggling with the material it slows down and introduces direct instruction about that specific topic.
We are currently in the process of trying to find out a way to use Google Apps for Education for our students. We would love to be able to include this free suite of programs to aid the students in our blended learning environment. We will be contacting tech departments in order to see how they are able to use this with internet explorer and still use the county filters. It has definitely been a challenge, but hopefully it will work out.
One of the most interesting visits we had recently was to another alternative middle school. It is one of only a couple in the area so we were very lucky the director was able to spend time speaking with us. She explained to us all of the procedures at the school including intake and exit processes. It was great to see that the students there had a real chance of moving back to their regular middle school. It was also very helpful to see how they implement their PBIS plans. One of the most notable things about the school is how "on board" everybody is. It isn't seen as a negative thing to go to there. The kids are able to transition back and forth and we saw no issues with behavior. We were also able to talk to several of the teachers. They told us the things they found most helpful (small classes, all staff being on the same page, PBIS program) and the things they found most hindering (kids being dropped into the school in the middle of the quarters, getting 6th graders half way through the school year, having no support staff such as counselors or social workers assigned specifically to their program.) We will be able to take these things into account as we are creating our new program for the middle school.
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