Assistant Principals

Beginning with the graduating class of 2011, there may be students who do not meet all the requirements of the MMC. What options have you considered for the student, a certificate of completion? Something else?

How do you record/document students who attempt to test out of a class? Do you figure the results in their overall GPA whether they pass or not? Also, when a student receives a no credit grade (NC) do you calculate the NC as a zero in the GPA or is the NC not included?

Does anyone here accept F1 Visa Students and what is your policy if you do? If you don't why not?

What do you do with students who come to school smelling like marijuana and do not have possession of it, and no proof that have been the actual user?

Can anyone give some insight as to either the success or lack of success in implementing more stringent athletic/extracurricular academic eligibility policies? (fyi--we recently went from a policy where students had to pass at least 5 (out of 6) classes where at least 3 of the grades had to be a "C".....and now it is stated that you have to pass all 6 classes, with the same requirement for "C"s) Feel free to comment on any aspect of this.

Does anyone currently have what you would call a successfully ran Saturday School option for discipline? If so, any details on how it is ran would be great. We are contemplating on some pros and cons to starting one and wanted some feedback. Thanks.

I know I talked with someone at last year's AP Conference who runs a schedule like this- 50 minute lunch, teachers are assigned to eat 25 minutes/ work with students the other 25. Kids have the whole lunch hour to eat/ work with teachers in whatever order works based on which teachers they need to see. I'm wondering about details- supervision- problems you encountered and solutions for them- etc.

Has anyone been looking at offering foreign language on-line? If so, what programs are you using?

We have students that turn 18 that want to sign themselves out for the afternoon. What is our obligation to notify parents if the student signs out?

We are considering a K-8 implementation of the Second Step violence prevention curriculum, and I would like to talk to a few schools who are using it about results, ease of use, etc. If you are familiar with Second Step and would be willing to chat about it, please send your contact information to herzingm@pennfield.net

We currently have 88 minutes a day of planning that has been split two thirds personal planning and one third team planning time (about 135 minutes a week). Our building union reps are challenging this time allocation and contending that they should have 345 minutes or personal planning because this is what our elementary teachers get in the contract (the language only applies to elementary teachers, middle and high school teachers teach four periods and have one period of personal plannig). The current proposal would reduce team planning time significantly from 135 minutes to 87 minutes a week).

I am hearing lots of reports in my ISD about alternative high schools either scaling way back or closing completely, some at mid-year. The reasons given are almost always related to concerns about AYP (low MME scores and grad rates)or to the budget. Is this the case in your part of the state?

Who is using the pay to participate system for athletics and what do you charge. Guidelines, etc...

Thanks
Paul

Our student population is currently more than 25% school of choice district wide. School start times are staggered, with elementaries starting nearly an hour after the middle & high schools. We have a great deal of difficulty getting our parents to pick up their students promptly at the end of the day, and have a number of students tardy in the morning. I frequently hear that parents do not want to make two trips, so they drop off/pick up at the later time. Does anyone have an effective way to get parents to pick students up promptly? What has worked for you?

We have been asked for a Personal Curriculum to exempt a student from the second half of Algebra 2. Has anyone done this and if so, what criteria did you base this decision on?

We are considering modifying our present retention policy which mandates retaining a middle school student who has failed 3 academic classes. What alternatives/interventions have proved successful for your middle level learners?

Kind of late to suggest this, but...

I will be at the conference in Mount Pleasant on October 4th, 5th and 6th. Is anyone interested in meeting there as a group (or individually) to discuss alternative education issues? If so, please email me and we can arrange to meet.

Ken Willison, Alternative Education Liaison to MASSP;
President of Michigan Alternative Education Organization (MAEO)

I have a teacher in my building who wants to organize a 7th grade science fair for the first time. Does your middle school have a science fair? If so, I was hoping to have my teacher connect with your science teachers who sponsor/organize your science fair.

Please email me if you can help!

Thanks,

David Simpson
Derby Middle School
Birmingham Public Schools

248-203-5007
ds16bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us

We have had a policy in place for several years that rewards good attendance (with a few other stipulations). They can exempt one exam of their choice if they qualify. I'm wondering if this is allowed under the new graduation requirements?

I am looking for well qualified training for my 6th grade and 7th grade teachers for the Connected Math series. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Please help MASSP's new alternative education liaison, Ken Willison, gain a clearer understanding of who among us has alternative education responsibilities or interests. If you have any duties in your district related to alternative education ... or if you just have a strong interest in alternative education issues ... please let Ken know who you are. If you prefer not to post to the internet, please feel free to send an email to him at ken.willison@staff.spartaschools.org

Also, if you haven't done so already … why not join the new Alternative Education group? While not much has been posted there yet, we hope to get the ball rolling soon and would love to have all interested parties participate.

Thanks.

At what age can we stop educating a regular education student that lives in the district? What does the law state?

Moving to Title I Targeted Assistance program in order to receive more funding to develop intervention classes/programs to help struggling students in mathematics and ELA. Looking for high schools who have successfully navigated the Title I application and have implemented an intervention structure to help reach at-risk students.

I am currently working with a company to develop and pilot a new program for teachers that would allow them to utilize student cell phones to aid in instruction. Our program would primarily use the phone's text messaging feature. Some functions of the program would include student surveys, quizzes and tests, real-time brainstorming, and picture and video galleries. It would be web-based so schools would simply pay a subscription fee and get a log-in. We are thinking about purchasing some pay-as-you-go cell phones for students to use who do not have text messaging service on their phones.

What do you see as the pros and cons of a program like this? I'm curious to get your feedback.

Does anyone currently operate and have success with a "school within a school" model specifically for the 9th grade population? If so, I would like to possibly arrange a visit to your school.

Thank you,
Scott Kapla
skapla@scslakeview-k12.com
Lakeview High School

Midland's school improvement team is looking for information from other Class A schools regarding school identification cards (or name tags) for students. We would like to know how many schools use them, in what capacity they are used, and consequences for not having them.

Do you still offer senior class trips and what are the guidelines for the trip.

Good morning,
I am looking for data that supports implementing the EXPLORE test in 8th/9th grade and the PLAN test in 10th grade. If possible, I am also looking at the cost of the two programs as it relates to their actual impact on ACT test scores.

Thank you,
Scott Kapla
Lakeview High School
skapla@scslakeview-k12.com

I am in the process of putting together information to add a course to our curriculum. Curious to find out what others are using or doing for "Personal Finance" and what area is it located. (Economics or Business)

Looking forward to responses.

Perry Wilson

Does anybody have a form they use for teachers to request new student clubs?

Thanks!

David Simpson
Derby Middle School

I am looking for schools who may currently run a hybrid schedule. We currently run a block/semester schedule but are looking to alternatives.

Particularly, I am looking for schools who may run 80-90 minute classes for either a semester or a year long. At the same time, I am looking for classes within the same schedule that run for 45-55 minutes for either a semester or for the entire year.

If you currently run a hybrid schedule combining block classes and 45-55 minute classes, I would appreciate the time to speak/meet with you to discuss the intricacies of how you schedule students and what type of program you use to do it.

We are exploring new avenues in terms of serving our student population. Any information would be a tremendous help.

One of our teachers heard about this device on Channel 1. We want to know if anyone is currently using this device and if so, how is it working?

I know it is becoming in issue with cutting and pasting off of the internet, so my staff and I are looking for some good language to put into our student's handbook regarding plagiarism. If you have something out there that has been working for you, and you are willing to share, it would be most appreciated.

We are eliminating the val/sal and are looking for ways to put a "positive spin" on it

If you are currently using online textbooks at your high school, St. Joseph High School would be interested in hearing about your experiences. Please provide us with contact information. Thanks!

We would like to weight our advanced placement classes G.P.A.'s automatically, and I am not sure if there is an easy way to do it or not. Any information would be helpful.
Thank you,
Matt

We have a fairly punitive policy which includes a series of detentions and days of suspension. What are schools doing to deal with the habitual tardiness of these "frequent flyers" when the tardies do not stop?

We are looking at Chelsea HS this summer at offering summer school using MVHS or E20/20. My questions are:

Who "supervises" the students?
How many students per "supervsior"?
How long is each summer school session?
Do you cover or defray any of the costs?
How many absences do you permit?
Is this a worthwhile program?

What are some ideas at raising staff morale during the mid winter blues. Seems like it has hit harder this year.

What type of interventions do schools have in place for students who are missing essential math skills and are performing below grade level?

Thanks!

David Simpson, Assistant Principal
Derby Middle School
Birmingham Public Schools

I am looking for data that specifically illustrates the effectiveness of implementing a ninth grade academy or advisory program. It would be especially beneficial if the data reflected progress in attendance, discipline and academics.

On a global scale, I am looking at addressing the high school dropout rate as students transition from middle to high school.

Would it also be beneficial to start a ninth grade group through MASSP that may exchange information similar to the request above on a regular basis?

Thank you,

Scott Kapla
Assistant Principal
Lakeview High School

If so, I would like to contact you to discuss your program. Thanks for your help.
Keevin O'Neill
Vicksburg High School

We are currently looking at the way our discipline system is being implemented and is it really working? Are detentions and suspensions changing behavior? Just wanted opinions on positive behavior supports, in-school suspension, etc. What is working for you? Thanks for your input and assistance.
Peter Rogovich
Asst. Principal
Legg Middle School
Coldwater, MI

Interested in specific details about how you plan to adminsiter the 3rd WorkKeys test to your senior class.