Similarly, if we want educators to adopt certain behaviors, we need to provide them with "exemplars." If New York State is to encourage educators to adopt teaching strategies that will enable students to achieve higher standards, there must be "exemplars" of the kinds of classrooms that offer the best environment for raising standards. We believe that learner centered classrooms (defined by our descriptors, Appendix A, page 15), reflect the changes in instructional practice called for in the RFP of this grant.

Our long-range vision for New York State would be to identify at least one"exemplary" classroom in every school district, identify "exemplary" schools (which might be defined as schools with a majority of classrooms being learner centered/standards focused) and then identify exemplary school districts.

2. Under the first two "Targeted" grants, this consortium has created 15 model (exemplary) classrooms in which teachers are utilizing learner centered/standards focused strategies.

3. Our goal, under this proposal, is to create learner centered schools in some of the schools where we now have two or more "exemplary" classrooms.

STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING GOALS
1. Six PGP Schools
A. Through an application process, six schools have been selected - each of these schools
had at least two teachers participate in a year long training process (beginning July 1,
1999) to create learner centered classrooms. The schools are Beard Alternative School
(4-12), Syracuse, Jefferson Elementary and Massena High School, in Massena, Black
River Elementary School, Carthage, Brushton-Moira Middle School, and Lisbon High
School.

In each of these schools, the two or more teachers who have already received a year of training, will become part of a team of three to five teachers, two parents and the administrator. The task of this PGP (Professional Growth Plan) team will be to create model learner centered classrooms in their own classes and to facilitate the rest of their staffs into creation of learner centered/standards focused classrooms.

B. Each of the six PGP teams has signed up an additional ten "Roll-Out" teachers - these are members of their staff who have agreed to take a "tailored, inter-active Internet course" which is being designed by Project planners to address teaching strategies required for learner centered/standards focused teaching.

2. Roll-Out Teachers and Tailored Internet courses
A. All PGP team teachers and parents, as well as all 60 "Roll-out" teachers (ten from each of six schools) have completed a self assessment process which helped them identify teaching strategies which will be the focus of their tailored internet course. Project planners will complete the course designs by mid October, at which time implementation of the courses will begin.

Click on the next page you would like to view: