Department+Climate+Suggestions

=Each department should insert their ideas here:=

Thanks for your input. I would like to hear more about what __**we can or will**__ do when kids don't learn.
Please add your comments here:

In addition to the **Social Studies Department** suggestions from the staff meeting on Friday (see Wiki), here are some others: 1. No Re-takes 2. Loss of privileges for behavioral infractions 3. Encourage more parent involvement 4. Increase accountability and training for mentor students-loss of privileges-- aka parking --for those who don't perform 5. Exemptions on exams for attendance, behavior, A's 6. Raise expectations for student accountability- hold students more accountable for their own learning
 * 1) Re-takes on assessments are only for freshmen & sophomores…none for upper class…higher expectations
 * 2) Require all students to participate in at least one extra-curricular activity…increase buy-in/stakeholders
 * 3) Lunch detentions/short-term loss of privileges for behavioral incidents
 * 4) Allow teachers the ability to revoke privileges, per administration approval/review
 * 5) Reward academic excellence through more awards/recognitions for A-B grades…an “A/B breakfast” for example
 * 6) Encourage parent shadowing of students…encourage more parents to be visible in school during the day
 * 7) Hold a student/staff roundtable discussion on school issues to gauge what the students think are the issues facing the school and their solutions…possible class officers & BLT members?
 * 8) Privilege system for upper class only…freshmen/sophomores must “earn” the privileges by becoming upper classmen
 * 9) Allow spring exam exemptions for advanced OGT scores only, rather than advanced/accelerated scores
 * 10) Offer more elective classes to meet a wider variety of student interests.
 * Foreign Language** suggests the following:

Science Department 1. We agree with the above suggestions. 2. There should be another level of academic assist for the chronic offenders which is more severe 3. In academic assist students are supposed to record their daily work, but few do. Reward for those students who always record daily progress such as a day off per every 2 weeks. 4. Short term reward for good work ethic in academic assist

1. Not a total consensus but most feel retakes on quizzes is appropriate but not for tests. Not everyone gets every math concept the first time and retakes will allow them the opportunity to relearn the material before the test. 2. Students cannot earn a 100% on retakes. The max score is capped and student must take the 2nd score even if it is lower. 3. We discussed that kids who truly struggle with motivation and apathy often need some form of mentor figure (teacher, coach, counselor,...) to turn them around. Ideas centered around on how to foster this idea. - one idea was to release freshmen who are succeeding from mentoring at semester to decrease the numbers and allow the mentor teacher and mentors more individual attention to the students who need it.
 * Mathematics** suggests the following:

1. Drug and Alcohol problems need to be addressed. Staff should be educated on what to be alerted to. Use of "breathalizers" at dances and other school functions; Use of dogs for a random check (even if that check is "limited", the students will become aware that drugs will not be tolerated). 2. Encourage "non-competitive" activities for SPED and "at-risk" students after school - OR - 3. Create an "activity period" 1 or 2 periods per month ~ as an extended "1st period" ~ to give the opportunity for any/all students to become involved in a school activity who might otherwise not be able to due to transportation issues, etc... Shave off 5 minutes per period from each class 1 or 2 days per month to "find" this time. (See Bud Householder for more details) 4. Develop some system to improve student Self-Monitoring/Independence toward their learning....make them more accountable/responsible for their academics and behaviors.
 * Special Education** ideas:

1. Create a privilege system truly based on performance. Each student begins the school year in a structured, non privilege environment. Then based on academic performance and/or respectable behavior, students earn their existence into the unstructured free time system. 2. Provide a written and concise explanation of the accepted/modified privilege system in the student handbook. Eliminated confusion by correcting inconsistencies and ambiguous language in the student handbook (i.e. page 11, section 3 (L.O.P.) vs. page 37 (Early Release/Late Start). Such language results in special consideration for many students and promotes general confusion about what circumstances are prerequisites for such conditions and what are indeed privileges.
 * Art Department**