With the snow melted and kids back in school, teachers returned to their weekly early-release schedule on Wednesday, January 25.  At the middle school, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade teachers met together as a group during the beginning of the afternoon to discuss methods for helping struggling students (those receiving grades of D or F in classes).  After the initial group meeting, teachers broke into smaller grade-level teams for the remainder of the afternoon to continue planning.

The 6^th grade team discussed their upcoming annual “Pyramid Project” held in March, as 8^th grade teachers continued their earlier discussion regarding assisting struggling students.  Suggested actions included phone calls to parents by teachers to discuss which class(es) students may be struggling in and potentially schedule meetings with those teachers.

Finley Middle School Principal Michael Harrington stated, “It’s important for parents to remember that anytime they have concerns they can and should contact the middle school office of their child’s teacher.  We’re here to help.”

Helpful to both teachers and struggling students is the school’s STAR (Students Taking Academic Responsibility) Program.  STAR allows each teacher to meet with a group of students four times a week to work on organizational skills, study habits, and setting expectations.  The STAR Program includes all students, but can be especially helpful for students who are struggling in their studies.

Another “STAR” acronym referred to within the Finley schools is the STAR Classroom Observation Protocol, which will be the topic of discussion during next week’s professional development time at the middle school.  STAR Protocol stands for Skills/Knowledge, Thinking, Application, and Relationships.  Teachers utilize this student-centered protocol to develop instruction that builds conceptual skills and knowledge, shows evidence of metacognition and personal reflection, is relevant to the learners, and is supported by strong relationships.  The middle school team will look at videos that highlight certain components that were noted as areas of concern for the school then discuss how they may apply these ideas to and improve their individual teaching.

To learn more about teaching frameworks like the STAR Protocol and more, visit the Finley “Weekly Updates Definitions” page.