Apple Pages to PDF

F2F

December 30, 2015

FRUIT TO FRUITION How I Realized My Vision - Using the 5 Phases of Project Management

Phase 1: Initiating Process • Need solution for student underperformance on high stakes exams • Conceived solution: student-led school newspaper

Phase 2: Planning Process Scope • Time: 9 weeks • Resources: mentors, students, teachers • Cost: printing, admission to athletic events • Quality/Technology: school computers, student cell phone cameras

F2F

The Writing on the Wall The Virginia Standards of Learning, or SOL, is a high stakes test, that not only assesses student aptitude, but also serves as a barometer for the classroom teacher. I was a new teacher at an unaccredited middle school, in Newport News, Virginia. Most of my students tested poorly in writing composition and grammar. Just over ten percent of my classroom students passed the baseline assessment in September, and that number barely crept to twenty percent before the winter break.

Now, it was January, and the writing SOL was less than three months away. How on earth was I going to achieve the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard of seventy-five percent?

Writing My Own Ticket I was working with a nationwide, grant-funded initiative, which focused on reading, writing, and mathematics in underperforming schools: 21st Century Learning Center. Even with the program provisions, my students were not making academic gains as fast as I hoped. After many restless nights, I successfully planned and pitched the idea of a school newspaper to the program director, and the Viking Voice was born.

I staffed students with the largest achievement gaps at the Voice, and enlisted volunteers from local universities to work alongside them. It was critical that the conceptual integrity had to remain with the students, and the mentors could only provide support on the tested domains: composition, written expression, and usage and mechanics.

1

F2F

December 30, 2015

I created press badges for each student, which granted free entry to all athletic events, home and away, provided they took pictures and reported on each event. I enlisted the help of other teachers, tasking them with chaperoning the games, a caveat I agreed to in order to be granted free access to the athletic events. In addition to having a sports section, the Viking Voice had editorials and a dedicated advice column, all authored by student staffers.

Phase 4: Monitoring and Control Process

Once the first issue of the Voice was ready to print, the issue of funding was launched to the proverbial front of the line. I provided the funds to print fifty papers, which the students sold during their lunch times. The first batch was gone in one day. The program director provided funding to print more copies, and gave the green light for the Voice to continue operating, provided we supplied a copy for the School Board, Superintendent, and one to be included with the grant documents, which would be used to help secure additional funding for the program for the subsequent school year. The Viking Voice was taking off. Not only was it serving to boost the confidence in the students, but also becoming a great asset to the school and school division. We were less than a week away from the Writing SOL, and we were all on cloud nine.

• College volunteers

Something to Write Home About

Phase 3: Executing Process • Students received press badges to report on all athletic events.

• Student advice column • Student editorials

enlisted to provide more assistance with writing and editing • Teachers tasked with

chaperoning athletic events

Phase 5: Closing Process • Students’ performance increase by more than double • Newspaper helped secure grant funding for division • Students’ confidence increased

F2F

It was May; the reading SOL was in ten days. Although I felt assured in the students’ progress when they took the writing SOL back in March, that assurance waned the closer the date got to the next test date. We all knew the results would impact their confidence one way or another. Each teacher was called down individually to receive his or her scores from the principal. I was careful not to inquire about any of the other teachers’ scores, as I didn't want to judge myself against anyone else’s feats or failures. The principal was sitting at the head of the conference room table, with a stoic look that expressed no emotion. “Mrs. Dixon, unfortunately, your students did not make the seventy-five percent minimum standard as set by the state of Virginia.” My heart stopped at that very moment, and I almost didn't hear the next sentence. I began to doubt every decision I made that year. “But,” my principal continued with a smile, “your students made enormous gains, with an overall pass rate of just under fifty percent.”

Inside, I leapt with joy. “Thank you. I will continue to work toward meeting the standard.” I floated to my classroom. I was sure the next test would yield similar results. This was a big win for my students, and definitely something to write home about.

2