EDAD 693 & 694 Practicum/Internship Artifact

Standard 1.0 School Vision

Element 1.3 Continual and Sustainable School
Improvement
Activity: School Level RTI Professional Development based on Mike
Mattos
Time: 6 hours
Artifacts: Goals, Agendas, Schedules
Description: On August 2nd, Grantsville teachers (grades 1-5, intervention, resource,
and special education) and principal, Mrs. Miller, came together to discuss the goal of
prioritizing RTI intervention. Mrs. Miller highlighted the purpose and goals, gave an
overview of Tier 1, 2, and 3, and talked about priorities. We first decided on the
length and times of the instructional day. Then we started building the school
schedule by setting the three lunch shifts and deciding which grades would eat on
each shift. Next the resource schedule was put into place, first by deciding the
length of the periods, then finalizing the time slots, and lastly by placing each class
according to what classroom teachers felt best suited their class schedule/routine.
Once this backbone of daily activities was in place, we could decide on the best
placement of Tier 2 and 3 intervention times per grade level. Fortunately, Title I
funds pay for two intervention teachers at Grantsville, so we dont have to align
interventions with other grade levels like Route 40 does; each intervention teacher
will be able to work with Tier 2 and 3 students in small groups either in or out of the
classroom. We were also able to schedule some miscellaneous activities during this
meeting, such as band, chorus, and morning news as well as a rotating schedule for
Fridays.
The work continued on August 3rd as we began by wrapping up loose ends in the
master schedule. The special education schedule was created, keyboarding was
added to the schedule, lunch duty was determined, and a time was devoted to
Genius Hour for students identified as Gifted & Talented. PLC Teams were discussed
as well as a Bulldog Lunch Time for students who needed to complete work over
lunch. We also discussed reassigning some rooms/spaces to better meet
instructional/behavioral needs.
Reflection: Having the funds from Title I to assemble nearly the entire staff to plan
for the new school year was of great value. Not only did the planning not rest
entirely in the principals lap, but also for the first time, the staff had the opportunity
to collaborate and offer input that would affect their entire year. As an administrative
candidate, I see this as highly beneficial because now the staff has ownership over
the schedule and daily operations of the school. Instead of being handed a schedule
that they may or may not like, they now have created one that they decided together
was best for the group as a whole. From creating schedules at Route 40 by myself, I
can see the advantage in having many minds working together. Something that one
person may overlook or be unaware of is more likely to be noticed by a group of
people, especially when each person is considering how all the various aspects
combine to affect her schedule individually. Having a group of people contribute their
thoughts on the overall operation of the school also leads to more ideas, solutions,
and possibilities. It comes down to an epiphany frequently mentioned by one of my

graduate professors (particularly when we were on the topic of personnel), Surround

yourself with people who are smarter than you. They make you look good.