Defining at Risk.
A 1995 Education and Science Select Committee report, “Inquiry into Children at Risk Through Truancy and Behavioural Problems”, defines the term “at risk” to include students who are at risk of low achievement in the educational system impacting aversely on the education of others not reaching their own optimal social and personal development
Other definitions of “at risk” include “students with normal intelligence whose academic backgrounds or prior performance may cause them to be perceived as candidates for future academic failure or early withdrawal.” [Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors.]. Improving Achievement. Ministry of Education. 1998. Page 3.
This school subscribes to these definitions when prioritising students for additional support to overcome underachievement and lower “barriers to achievement”. We use the final definition as the core of our philosophy with the other three expanding on this definition.
Purpose of the Literacy Centre.
We intend to help all students attain the highest level of achievement of which they are capable. While learning activities in each classroom will be designed to meet the needs and interests of every child, we recognise that some will require extended periods of individual assistance in the key curriculum area of literacy. The Literacy Centres will, therefore, aim to support class programmes and students who are underachieving in literacy and thus contribute to “reducing our under-achievement tail” as depicted in the PISA study.
The Ministry of Education’s publication Improving Achievement {1998] lists six factors leading to poor achievement. These Centres will focus attention on two - language problems and learning difficulties in reading. However, these Centres are not for NESB/ESOL students who have the Language Centre for their needs. The others - poverty, family circumstances, poor community environments - will be more the concern of our pastoral system rather than these Centres.
The Centre will:
1 Focus on reading.
- Comprehension skills.
- Critical thinking skills.
- Effective use of visual organisers.
- Decoding skills.
- Understanding text structure.
- Phonemic awareness, phonics, morphemic relationships.
2 Develop students who are under-achieving in relation to their ability.
Charter Goal 2.2: The school will establish a programme to overcome under-achievement.
3 Raise expectations of students towards high success for them.
4 Reduce as many “Barriers to Achievement” as is possible.
- NEG 2: Equality of educational opportunity for all New Zealanders by identifying and removing barriers to achievement”.
- NEG 6: Success in their learning for those who special needs by ensuring that they are identified and receive appropriate support.
5 Will offer a variety of teaching programmes to meet individual learning needs.
Structure of Awhiniata.
The Centre will be managed by a teacher who will be supervised by a member of the management team [Howard Wynyard, Curriculum Team leader].
The teacher will establish a sound working relationship with other members of the Literacy Team in order to effectively co-ordinate literacy activities.
Structure of Kotahitanga.
The Centre will be managed by the Resource Teacher: Learning & Behaviour and supervised by Howard Wynyard [AP]. The teaching will be done by two teacher aides who will establish a sound working relationship with Awhiniata staff to coordinate literacy activities and the student transition from one centre to another.
Enrolments.
Entry to the Centre will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The staff of both centres collaborate to assess individual student data to decide on the most appropriate centre and the most appropriate reading/literacy programme for each individual. Students for term one are decided in term four of the year before from data provided by primary schools and year 7 assessments. At the end of term one, all current Papatoetoe Intermediate assessments are available and this data is used to select the learners for the rest of the year.
Expectations.
It is the school’s expectations that students on these programmes will make rapid progress and reach a level of achievement more closely representing their ability than they were before starting. This will enable them to experience success in their regular class work with their peers.
This expectation of rapid learning is held because:
- The individualised and small group attention the students will get should make a difference in this inclusive setting.
- The investment in professional development of all teaching staff, the funding of the teacher and teacher aides and the additional learning resources should add quality to the programme.
- Underachieving students are selected for their potential ability.
- The support of the Literacy team and the 2004 Literacy Contract should enable “best practice” to be used in the Centre.
- The programme will be intensive giving an initial boost to every child.
- Parental support will be gained so that home and school are “at one” on the programme’s importance to the child.
- On-going monitoring of students for the remainder of the year.
- Teacher support for former Centre students.
- Support fro m RT [Lit].
Indicators of Success.
The Centres will develop records on each entrant. In this file assessment material indicating the starting and finishing level will be included. Pasifika and Maori students’ data will be kept as part of the school’s literacy focus.
Reporting.
The teachers will produce concise reports for the Board of Trustees. These reports will be presented in the Principal’s Report early in the fourth term. This will ensure that the professionals are accountable to the Board for the success of the programmes and for their investment in it.
Appraisal.
The teacher will be appraised by a member of the management team - Howard Wynyard - who will use material mentioned in the previous paragraph. The students’ results will be a significant measure of the effectiveness of the teacher. The teacher aides will be appraised by the RTLB.
Self Reviews.
The management team will review the Centres’ operations and achievements late in the third term. Independent advice from the Literacy Contract may be sought. Teachers whose students have been included in the Centres should be surveyed. In the light of the reviews the Centres will decide on improvements for the following year.
Professional Development.
The Centres’ teachers and teacher aides will need to develop expertise in:
Remedial theory and practice in literacy
Best practice in literacy programmes and approaches.
Operations.
Close attention must be paid to the daily attendance of students on the programmes and concerns in this area must be dealt with promptly. Poor attendance will be a discussion point with the management team.
The role of parents is crucial in attendance as well as operations. If they are supportive the child is more likely to succeed. They must be assisted to become supportive - perhaps as parent tutors of their own children. Regular informal reports would be welcomed by most parents as would formal reports sent out at the end of the programme. Group meetings, with refreshments, are to be encouraged.
The class teachers must ensure that any children on the programmes get to the Centres punctually. Ideally the children will take the initiative. It is not the task of the Centre’s teachers to walk over the school looking for missing students.
Liaison between class teachers and the Centres’ teachers are crucial - programmes related to the work of the class may be more relevant than unrelated work. However, independent studies focussing on a student’s personal interests may be more suitable for the child at that point in their development. Regular verbal and written reporting will take place.
Principal
