Instructional Leadership: Improving Student Performance

Background

Okolona High School serves 291 students in grades 7-12 with 73% of the students receiving free and reduced lunches. Almost 100% of the student body is African American. To meet the requirements of the Mississippi Accountability Model, the school administers the end-of-course tests identified as the Subject Area Testing Program, Second Edition (SATP2) for grades 9-12. Students must pass the four SATP2 tests to meet graduation requirements. Historically, student achievement at Okolona High School was in the bottom 15%, the pass rate on the SATP2 assessments was approximately 25%, earning the school an “F” grade.

Goals for the Work

The goals were set in collaboration with the Leadership Team and were:

• To support the beginning teachers and the new teachers at the school with understanding the school culture and the school pedagogical approach.
• To provide in-class support and professional learning sessions on dialogic strategies
• For teachers to receive professional development and modeling of Socratic Seminars.
• To support the Literacy Coach in their new role, and to work collaboratively to ensure we are all on the same page with the curriculum and pedagogical approaches.

Outcomes of the Work

The support was tailored to meet the needs identified through discussions with the specific teachers and the Administration. The outcomes were:

• All grades in the school showed growth in the DRP score, especially Grade 8 in Fall to Winter showing an 11 point increase.
• Teachers received PD and modeling of Socratic Seminars, and by the end of the year there was a significant increase in student to student academic discussion in Socratic Seminar, across the grades and disciplines, including ELA, Math, and Science.