Iberia Parish School System

1. Iberia Parish School System

2. New Iberia Senior High 1600 students Freshmen Academy Freshmen Advisory BUZZ 101 Westgate High School 1200 students Freshmen Academy Freshmen Advisory FAME Iberia Parish School System

3. New Iberia Senior High

4. Freshman AcademyRationale • In order to see long term, sustainable improvements in student achievement, we realized that we must begin with freshmen. • Capturing the freshmen as they enter and molding them into ideal NISH students would create a higher caliber student who would then permeate upper grades as they moved through their high school careers. • The Freshman Academy’s objective is to create an atmosphere that continues the nurturing environment many students experienced in earlier grades and ease the transition to high school. • The Academy focuses on the academic and socially developmental needs of the freshmen through teaming, freshman advisory and freshman orientation class.

5. FreshmanAdvisory Program • A key component of this program is the mentoring relationship that develops between the freshman students and the advisory teachers. • Advisory classes meet on a weekly basis for thirty minutes throughout the entire school year. • Freshman are assigned advisors based on their team affiliation to continue the close-knit personalization offered by the academy. • Advisors guide freshmen in choosing a career major / interest area which is used for upper-level academic scheduling and advisory assignments.

6. PBS: Swarm Lesson PBS: Introduction to PBS How to… define your character How to… move where you want to go How to…play by life’s rules and win How to…see what you’re missing How to…keep friends friends How to…control your actions and attitude How to…talk the walk How to…make a difference when you can How to…stop, think, and go How to…see what could be, what should be, what will be How to…make your mission happen How to…get goals going Looking back; looking ahead How to…say no to the good and yes to the best How to…get time smart How to…focus your energy How to…get the right things done How to…think like a winner How to…see the team, not only the win How to…map out the big win How to…see how you hear How to…listen with your heart Advisory Survey (To be given at a later date) Freshman AdvisoryLesson Topics

7. Freshman AdvisoryAdded Features • Premier GO Program™ • First purchased for the 2005-2006 school year • Character development program based on Sean Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens • Used in conjunction with the Freshman Advisory Program to: • Enhance academic achievement • Increase problem solving skills • Promote positive attitude • Instill character education • Promote personal and social growth • Help to create an overall positive climate • Coincides with students’ Premier Planner The Stinger • Teaches organization skills • Reinforces Covey’s principles that are introduced and studied in depth during the Freshman Orientation course and revisited throughout the upper-level advisories.

8. Freshman Orientation CourseBuzz 101 • Reserved for first-time freshmen • Part of a separate freshman community which helps to build identity, increase voice, and establish a comradeship among peers • The educational units that comprise this course aimed to increase overall freshman achievement, to increase appropriate social behaviors and to provide a foundation for the students’ academic and personal growth. • The course helps to facilitate a solid foundation for the student-teacher relationship which works to produce the stability necessary for entering freshman students, as well as build a successful mentoring relationship between the students and the Buzz teacher. • Coincides with the Freshman Advisory program through a focus on Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. • The ultimate goal is to create a welcoming atmosphere for students to grow and thrive, while instilling the skills necessary for academic success in high school including communication, time management and study skills.

9. Personalization Communities of 130 students rather than 1600 Shared experiences Common planning among team members allows for parental and group conferencing Mentor / Mentee relationship is establish between Buzz students and teachers Separate Community 3 Cohort Teams Shared core subject teachers Split scheduling Math & Science English & Social Studies Team Based Advisors Freshman Orientation CourseBuzz 101

10. I. Welcome to NISH (7 –8 days) A. Introduction to school life B. School rules & Regulations C. Curriculum D. Extracurricular activities E. Career Clusters & Majors F. Library Orientation II. Study Skills (5-6 days) A. Seven Steps to Good Study Habits – Part I B. Getting Organized C. Time Management D. Seven Steps to Good Study Habits – Part II E. Note-taking Skills F. Test taking strategies III. Getting to Know Yourself (7-8 days) A. Self discovery B. Personality C. Attitude D. Stress management E. Learning Styles / Multiple Intelligences IV. Communication Skills (10-14 days) A. Types of Communication B. Diversity C. Public speaking D. Listening E. Respect/Harassment Goals, Values, & Positive Decision-making (7-8 days) A. Goals and Values B. Decision Making C. Conflict Resolution VI. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (10 – 15 minutes daily) VII. Character Education (10-15 minutes daily) VIII. Course Evaluation (1 day) BUZZ 101Overview

11. Freshman Orientation CourseScheduling • Originally created for a full credit course, but initiated as a one half credit elective scheduled for the first semester and paired with one half credit in Health Education • Problem: Some students didn’t receive Buzz until October • In year 2, the course was offered as an A/B class paired with Health Education that met for the entire semester • Problem: Once course running A/B on a standard 4X4 campus created confusion • In year 3, the class reverted back to a normal 4x4 half credit course paired with Health Education with all students participating in Unit during the first 7 days of school. • Problem: So many valuable lessons and skills that were developed in the original course proposal are being omitted due to time constraints • In year 4, the class will be a full credit course taught as a standard 4X4 class paired with Physical Education I. All students will complete Unit 1 during the first 7 days of classes. • Problem Solved: A full semester of skills that will boost student achievement, with minimal scheduling disruptions, and built in time for study skills and one on one tutoring.

12. No Academy First Academy Second Academy (2005-2006) Participated in iLEAP

13. IOWA SUBTEST SCORES Score Sub-Test

15. No Academy First Academy Second Academy

17. Freshman Academy • Small, focused learning environment to ease transition to high school • Address needs of first-time freshman students on a personalized level • Required Course: F.A.M.E. – Freshman Achievement Motivation and Excellence • Career and Interest Exploration

18. F A M E Freshman Achievement Motivation & Excellence

19. Course Overview • address first-time freshmen • increase achievement and appropriate social behavior • decrease the dropout rate • provide a foundation for academic and personal growth This course has been designed to

20. Unit 1: School Orientation • Goals of the F.A.M.E. course • Contents of the Westgate Student Planner • Physical geography of Westgate High School • Roles and functions of key school personnel • Proper classroom conduct • School History • Extracurricular opportunities

21. Unit 2: Study Skills • Effective listening skills • Cornell note-taking method • Personal shorthand techniques • Graphic organizers • Time management strategies • Identifying stressors and managing stress • Ideal study spaces • Test-taking tips

22. Unit 4: Social Skills and Character Education • Six Pillars of Character • Greeting etiquette • Self control • Respectful behaviors • Positive and negative peer pressure • Independent thinking skills and judgment • Ethical decision making • Personal responsibilities

23. Unit 5: Diversity and Conflict Resolution • Recognizing differences • Interpersonal communication skills • Positive and negative effects of conflict • Approaches to conflict resolution • Problem-solving processes • Anger triggers and appropriate responses • Listening skills and I-messages

24. Unit 8: Self Knowledge • Discovering personal traits and attitudes • Personalities • Self-esteem and potential • Values and goal-setting • Decision-making models • Leadership qualities • Creating Autobiographies

25. Other Units • Library and Technology Skills • Drug Education • Career Research • Job Related Skills • Work Ethics • Personal Finance • Post Secondary Planning

26. Freshman Academy Implementation Results

31. Average Score Opinions 05-06 Sophomore

32. Freshman Academy Implementation Year 2

33. Additions and Changes • FAME Transition Course Revised • FAME adapted for special education students • 100% Academic Teaming Accomplished • Team Meetings • During common professional time • Hold parent conferences • Call students in for whole-team / counselor sessions • Documentation Binders • Student Mentoring Program • Tiger Stripes • Students who have failed more than one course

34. Additions and Changes • Core Academic Tutoring • Held every two weeks (midterm progress reports and report card) • Students with “F” averages will attend tutoring • Tutoring held on Monday an Tuesday during the last thirty minutes of FAME class • Tutor consist of teachers from the opposite Freshman team and others from outside the academy who have volunteered for this program • Academy-wide I-LEAP Prep

35. Additions and Changes • Freshman of the Week • Vocabulary Enrichment • Word of the Day in all Freshman Classes • Tests through FAME classes • Last vocabulary test – 51 Freshmen scored 100% • Sustained Silent Reading Program • 10 minutes of silent reading on Monday, Wednesday and Friday • 10 minute responses on Tuesday and Thursday • Freshman Forum

36. Lessons Learned… What worked? What didn’t work? What we learned? What next?

37. Iberia Parish Schools • New Iberia Senior High School – 337-369-6714 • Curt Landry – Principal - culandry@iberia.k12.la.us • Heath Hulin – Assistant Principal - hehulin@iberia.k12.la.us • Shawn Leach – Freshman Academy shleach@iberia.k12.la.us • Westgate High School – 337-365-2431 • James Gray – Principal - jagray@iberia.k12.la.us • Neely Moore – Freshman Academy nemoore@iberia.k12.la.us • District Office – 337-364-7641 • Suzanne Whitaker – School Choice and Assessment Facilitator suwhitaker@iberia.k12.la.us