A suburban area this Community is located approximately 20 miles outside of the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The district is in a suburban/rural area of the state. Rockdale County has largely been a republican area as well as most of the state. However, over the near and current past the area has been changing into a more democratic area. Currently, according to the last presidential election, the metropolitan cities and suburbs in Georgia voted democratic and the largely rural area of Georgia voted republican. Conyers is also showing this trend. There are more progressive thinking people bringing their children into what was considered a rural area at one time in its development, but is now becoming a suburban alternative to a metropolitan city. Because of this merging of old and new ideas the area has a mix of people who are a generational staple to the area as well as a large transient population that moves in and out of surrounding counties of Atlanta.
The district has a firm hold on education. It performs in the shadows and lack of integrity of the Atlanta Public School System indiscretions of a testing scandal. The shadows of a loss of accreditation by SACS for a neighboring Clayton County and the threat of losing accreditation in the coming year for Clayton as well as DeKalb county. They have both been sited with having a dysfunctional board of education as well as a breakdown among ethnic and economic lines within the county and DeKalb County is currently on probation by the accreditation company.
Rockdale County has acquired a new Superintendent which was promoted from within the ranks of the administrators of the county. The county has 11 traditional elementary schools, 4 traditional middle schools, and three traditional high schools. Rockdale County is acclaimed for having the top high school in the state: Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology. There are several non-traditional schools to service the students who are not able to be mainstreamed into a school social setting.
The effects of the district on the teaching learning process are profound. The ability of a small town’s community effort is felt throughout the district level. Educators and Administrators in the area are quite often a product of the school system in which they returned to serve. The principal and assistant principal of one of the elementary school by their own admission attended that same elementary school; there are many of those types of stories throughout the county. There are several teachers at Conyers Middle School who attended Conyers Middle School. Embedded in the community are professionals from several generations and this type of infrastructure within the school system allows for a more committed and dedicated workforce. As well as professionals who have a vested interest in the community.
The school is located on a two lane street with a shopping plaza across the street. The school population is 80.2% free or reduced lunch and has been a title one school for some time now. At the intersection there is a CVS drug store on one corner and the opposite diagonal there is a Walgreens and a medical center mini hospital across the street from the Walgreens. The school is located within the city limits of Conyers and services the north east end of the county. There are many subdivisions in the area that provide suburban living but there are also rural lands occupied with families with children that come to the school.
The area produces a small amount of mixed ethnicity children. However, many are either black white or Hispanic. There are Orientals in the school but not on the 6th grade level.
The community shows buy into the school system. Several local and national businesses are partners in education with the school. They sponsor events, allow percentages of sales to come to the school on sponsored nights of patronage. Many community based necessities drives have been sponsored and supported by the school, the community and businesses in the area. Even though it is a title one school the community and family support has proven to be a motivating force for the school’s overall achievement.
Fourteen classrooms are on each of the three academic halls; 6th, 7th, 8th. Classroom location is on the 6th grade hall. The classroom has three white block walls and an adjoining collapsible wall adjoining two classrooms. There are three teams of students: Teams A, B, C. There are 316 students in the 6th grades and they are split among three teams. Some of the students are crossed teamed and visit teacher on teams A B or C.
All classrooms in the middle school are equipped with a projector, white screen, and computer. The ability to project the internet and various computer programs to enhance student learning are available to all educators in the building. There are three computer labs in the building which are designated for one of each of the grade levels, 6th, 7th and 8th. All programs which are computerized are available to students for academic purposes.
The school is on the cutting edge of technology. Attendance, grades, absences and discipline are all handled through online programs. All certified staff are given a laptop throughout the school year. There are unlimited resources in the library, from standardized test to self-help books at all levels of reading ability.
Our PTA programs are totally inclusive. They try to recruit 100% of the teachers in the building. They sponsor many fundraisers throughout the year with sponsor events for teachers and students. Although some parents are always enthusiastic about their child’s education there are some parents who after their third or fourth child are not as enthusiastic as they had once been.
One thing I can find from parents is that when they feel strongly about an issue in our school they are comfortable enough with the process that they voice their opinions to the board office.
The students come to Conyers Middle School from one of three elementary schools in the area. They have friends who they are familiar with from elementary school as well as an opportunity to broaden their social realms. The impact upon teaching and learning pertaining to this scenario factors in as a positive and a negative. Negatively, students become consumed with teenage issues of how they look, acting out to be seen, wanting to socialize in class rather than focus on their lessons. The effects are minimal in the classroom but they do exist and impact classroom instruction and absences from class for counseling by administrators. Positively, students become more social, more tolerant and more exposed.
Strict movement and behavior modifications are in place to guide students and align them to the expectations of the school. Throughout all grade levels classroom time is allowed for group access to the restroom. Dress codes are also enforced by several layers of consequences. Impacts upon teaching and learning are positive because of the restrictions. It eliminates bathroom disagreements and skipping using the bathrooms to loiter. All in all this is a good environment for education and the whole wellness of the students.
Students are the average age of students in the 6th grade. Students are from 11 to twelve years old. Birth orders of the students are evident in the classroom. The effect on the teacher learning process is that roles the students play in classroom are dictated by birth order. Students with older siblings tend to be more mature than students who are the oldest among their siblings. Students who have a lot of responsibility at home tend to be more helpful and assertive in the classroom. Students who are the youngest in their family tend to be clingier in the classroom. These behaviors are embraced in the classroom and are allowed to play out among the individual students. Part of the parent teach conferences is to better understand the position of the students in the home to determine a more solid state of reference form the student’s point of view. This technique impacts teaching and learning because it creates a better understanding of the student’s view, behaviors, limitations and abilities.
Students in this class that was used for the teacher work sample are students who are currently struggling to meet the Georgia standards. Students who did not pass the math Criterion Referenced competency test last school year as well as students who are predicted not to pass this year based on current years benchmarks.
The students are 19.5 % Hispanic where most are also English language learners as well. There are a small amount of the students who have other languages particularly the French speaking African countries.
Learning Goals are structured directly from the Common Core Georgia performance standards (CCGPS) for sixth grade. Students’ whose skill levels are below state standards are being remediated in this unit in which is a state required standard. The learning goal will be structured in tiers of converting words to ratios, then converting words to proportion equations and lastly to solve those proportions for a missing variable. With this tiered approach it should allow students with very weak skills to use prior learning of fractions and how they work to grasp the concepts of ratios. Students who have not developed a sound foundation in fractions will receive additional practice to become proficient. Also by using word problems students will be able to apply their knowledge of real world applications to the properties of mathematics. The learning goals totally aligned with the Georgia standards that state students will be able to use real world applications to solve proportion problems using the language of mathematics.
Instruction will be differentiated according to student skill level and prior learning. Students will be clustered in classroom according to ability, learning styles and seating availability. Clusters will contain students who can work independently, students that need direct instruction, and students who have shown mastery of the previous learning goal. Whole group instruction will be limited during this two week unit to address the specific learning objectives of the students. Therefore, instruction is dictated by the ability of the students to grasp the information. Students will be led through the process of creating ratios and then creating proportions from those ratios. The problem is that students will be expected to acquire these skills from strictly word problems. The students that grasp the concepts are allowed to move forward through the unit. Students who do not make adequate daily progress will be remediated with one on one with the teacher or peer tutoring to help move the students along.
Lastly assessments will be strictly aligned to the learning goals of the student being able to reach the standard of solving proportions for missing amounts. Students will be given 10 word problems and asked to solve for the missing quantity. Students will be expected to set up the ratios, set up the proportions and solve for the missing variable to receive full credit. The assessment will be scored for each of the components of the skills required to successfully solve the problems. To exceed the standard students will also show a double number line to display the varying of quantities. The questions will be worded with grade appropriate verbiage and numbers that support their limited level of proficiency.
References
http://portal.rockdale.k12.ga.us/schools/Pages/default.aspx
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