ELA
Program Reviews: Grades 9-12
In the Troy School District, we believe that a quality language arts education can help expand opportunities for all students.
Overview
Our Troy School District 9-12th grade English Language Arts program is currently under review, as part of our normal cycle of review and adoption. We believe development in reading, writing, listening, and speaking are critical for success in all other learning.
Core Beliefs:
- Our job is to ensure all students are prepared for college or the world of work (whichever they may choose).
- All students benefit from course pathways with high expectations for learning and opportunities for choice.
- Students learn best in learning communities that provide the right amount of support and challenge along with regular opportunities for choice, practice, and feedback.
Summary of Review
- Over the past five years, we have been reviewing our high-school English Language Arts programming. We regularly review our programming in the Troy School District to ensure we are staying current and our students have access to the best materials and learning opportunities.
- During this time, we have engaged in hundreds of hours of professional learning with our teachers and principals.
- We’ve learned from partnerships with the Oakland Schools Intermediate School District, Columbia University, and the AP Board (Advanced Placement).
- We’ve learned that our emphasis needs to be on teaching students to be skilled readers and writers in a variety of texts, as opposed to teaching a narrow list of titles.
- Our students need to become nimble with exposure to a variety of texts, genres, and experiences.
- Our students need many opportunities to work with others and develop the interpersonal skills needed to solve problems.
- In 2017, we began using the workshop model in our middle schools, this format of teaching and learning allows students to develop as readers and writers and gives them the ability to transfer their learning to any text.
- Moving to a workshop model at high school means we will have an aligned PreK-12 approach that will create coherence for students. In addition, this methodology allows teachers to meet the instructional needs of all students through differentiation.
Research Teams
The 9th Grade Piloting Team includes four ELA teachers from both high schools. The Literacy Coaches from Athens High School and Troy High School are a part of that group. They are supporting teachers through co-planning, co-teaching, modeling, prepping materials, gathering pilot data, and reflecting with teachers and students. Teachers have access to attend cross district planning and collaboration time prior to each new unit, and teacher groups visit and observe pilot classrooms in action throughout district classrooms. All 9th grade teachers have experienced job embedded professional development with our Columbia University partner from Teachers College.
