2. Focused Learning
Presenters
Who We Are
FacilitatorsEllsworth High School
• Located in Ellsworth, Maine
• 475 students
• Jessie Falabella
• Lydia Kinney
• Jonathan Bender
• Tracey Hollingsworth
• Amanda VanTine
• Heather Murad
• Liz Burroughs
• Tristan Bates
“Ellsworth High School students, educators, and community members collaborate to create a
climate that fosters excellence and enables students to develop the knowledge and skills
necessary for future education, career, and global citizenship.”
- EHS Mission Statement
9. IT IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
HERE IS OUR APPROACH.
10. Focused Learning
Consider the following…
How do we provide equitable access to our
response to intervention programs
for ALL students?
11. Focused Learning
Components
No Opt Out!
• Focused Learning is built into our daily schedule.
Availability
• All teachers are available for all students at the same time.
Every Student
• Teachers are working with all students, not only those identified.
13. Focused Learning
Research
A site visit to view a flexible period that focuses on intervention, for the
school’s population of 110 students, was inspirational.
Deer Isle - Stonington, Maine
14. Focused Learning
Research
“If our new mission is to ensure high levels
of learning for all students, learning must be
the constant, while instruction and time must
be varied to meet the needs of every
student. That is the purpose of RTI: to
systematically provide every child with the
additional time and support needed to learn
at high levels.”
Simplifying RTI
15. Focused Learning
Research
“Ultimately, for interventions to work best,
they must be offered during a time when
teachers are paid to be there and
students are required to be there.”
Simplifying RTI
17. Focused Learning
Tier 3: Targeted Intervention <5% of Students
Research
Tier 2: Strategic Instruction 5-15% of Students
Exceeds
Standards
Below
Standards
Tier 1: Core Curriculum 80-90% of Students
T1 T2 T3T2T3
18. “I think overall it has helped students throughout the school. We
now have more opportunities to work with our teachers and learn
more in each class. My only suggestion is that you don't get rid of it
for next year.”
- Anonymous Student
Focused Learning
19. “Without FL it would be hard for me and other students to balance
school work and sports. I couldn’t keep my grades up.”
- Anonymous Student
Focused Learning
21. Focused Learning
Design
An academic intervention is a strategy used to teach a new skill, build
fluency in a skill, or encourage a child to apply an existing skill to new
situations or settings. An intervention can be thought of as “a set of
actions that, when taken, have demonstrated ability to change a fixed
educational trajectory” (Methe & Riley-Tillman, 2008; p. 37).1
Intervention
1. www.interventioncentral.org
22. Focused Learning
Design
An extension activity can be directly linked to course content for a
course that you are teaching. It is an opportunity to gather honors
challenge students, bring in a guest speaker that normally would not be
available to attend your class, to pair up with another teacher, or to
generally build more challenging experiences for students who are
enrolled in a course that you teach.
Extension
23. Focused Learning
Design
Enrichment opportunities allow our staff and students to access
materials and programs that are not readily available during a typical
classroom setting. During enrichment activities students will be able
to go beyond their usual course offerings to explore their many
talents and abilities. We, as an educational community, recognize the
merit and value of many programs that simple do not fit in the curricula
that we teach. These topics will offer educational value and correlate to
a standard or piece of research that explains the educational merit.
Enrichment
24. Focused Learning
Design
Study Hall
Study Hall, under the guidance of administration, is a quiet place for
students to work if they have not been tagged for an intervention or
extension, or signed up for an enrichment activity. We are currently
working on integrating a teacher-facilitated “help desk” to create a
more productive work environment for our students.
25. Focused Learning
Design
Priority Schedule
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Intervention
Priority Level 1
Social Studies English Math Science
Foreign Language
P.E. & Health
Intervention
Priority Level 2
Science VPA Social Studies English Math
Intervention
Priority Level 3
English Foreign Language Science Math Social Studies
Extension
Priority
VPA Math P.E. Social Studies Science/English
26. Focused Learning
Design
Special Education
Be proactive:
• Ask your director or teachers what language they use for supported
study hall and provide student access to supported study hall.
• Give the Special Education teachers voice in the tagging protocol.
32. My overall experience with Focused Learning has been positive. It
has given me the opportunity to ask for individual help from
teachers during the school day, which I prefer to coming in after
school. I have used Focused Learning to make-up work I was
absent for, to retake exams, and to ask teachers for help.
- Anonymous Student
Focused Learning
33. Focused Learning
“I struggle tremendously in math. With Focused Learning, I get the one-
on-one time I need. I’ve seen a huge improvement in my grades.
- Anonymous Student
41. I have found Focused Learning very helpful so far. I definitely like
having it as a part of my day. It's the perfect time to get extra help
when falling behind or making up absent work.
- Anonymous Student
Focused Learning
42. Focused Learning
“Thank you for having Focused Learning. It has helped me a lot this
year and I hope to have this for next year as well. I owe almost all of my
thanks to my teachers who tagged me for Focused Learning. I also owe
thanks to the people who created Focused Learning so people could
get caught up on work. Thank you so much.”
-Anonymous Student
43. Focused Learning
Role of FL Committee
Refine
Enrichment
CTE & SAT Prep
Teacher Commentary
Teacher Collaboration
Survey Results
44. Focused Learning
Refine
Role of FL Committee
The Focused Learning Committee:
• conducts opportunities for staff and student feedback,
• acts upon the results,
• and serves as a collective body for program oversight - teacher
maintained.
46. Focused Learning
Refine
Survey: Student Results
Based upon student responses we…
• changed the time that teachers tag,
• redistributed the website and login
information,
• re-examined our study hall structure.
47. Focused Learning
Refine
Survey: Student Results
In a typical week, how often do you ask to be tagged by a teacher
because you want to do work in their room?
50. At first I was very skeptical of the whole idea of focused learning,
but after experiencing it and discovering how useful it is, I hope
that the Focused Learning program is here to stay.
- Anonymous Student
Focused Learning
52. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning,
but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
- Maria Robinson
What new ending will YOU create for YOUR students?
