Background
MS 390 is located in the Burnside Ave area of the Bronx, in School District 10. The school has a student population of approximately 546 students in Grade 6 through 8. It serves a high poverty community with 98% of the students qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunch. Support was tailored to meet the needs identified through discussions with teachers and the administration. 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.
Goals for the Work
- 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.
