Parents were finally addressed regarding the “Empowerment Program” that will be implemented at Calhoun Middle High School in the Fall of 2023. The nearly three hour meeting which included the bio’s of every teacher involved in tonight’s meeting being read, may or may not have quieted any concerns of those who attended.
The phrase “We are not changing what we’re teaching, we’re changing how we’re teaching it,” was mentioned by Dr. D’Antoni, appearing by zoom, has worked extensively with curriculum alignment and curriculum development projects including the national and international innovative Simulated Workplace initiative.
She currently serves on the Governor’s Workforce Council. Dr. D’Antoni has authored a number of articles on effective transition practices from public schools to higher education and collaborated on two books with national authors: Career Pathways and Adult Career Pathways.
The first to speak regarding the Empowerment Program, she sang the praises of Calhoun’s Administration and staff. She acknowledged the controversy regarding the program but noted that it was to be expected because the same thing had happened with regard to the simulated workplace programs that had been previously implemented into the public school system with programs such the Calhoun Gilmer Career Center. That Program, however, is High School based. There were multiple statements such as “Doesn’t your amazing young people deserve the best to learn and grow?” “You’ve seen the scores for Calhoun, are you satisfied with those?”
The answer to both of those questions would be a resounding yes we have amazing people, and of course we’re not satisfied with the current student scores. But to assume this project is the answer has yet to be determined and this evening may have brought more questions than answers. To continually praise Calhoun’s Administration as exemplary and in the same breath briefly acknowledge that greater than 50% of our students are testing below average in every subject across the board doesn’t really register. Dr. D’Antoni continued by saying that Calhoun has smart and nice young people and they need to understand they’re a part of the school. “They don’t have a voice,” she said.
Brian Sterns, Director of the Calhoun Gilmer Career Center spoke second saying that Dr. D’Antoni transformed their method of teaching at the Career Center into a workplace environment where students were held to the standards that would be adhered to, as if they were actually employed. Requiring them to call in if not attending, dress in appropriate uniforms and hold and earn positions of authority.
He spoke about the many programs of the Calhoun Gilmer Career Center and the fact that Math, Science and English were all integrated into their learning to meet the standards necessary for graduation. Those skills were taught through hands on methods that allowed the student to solve real life problems with contextual application.
Amy Stewart, Professional Development for the Empowerment Program has worked closely with teachers and students to help with the implementation of the program, introducing students to as many careers as possible in hopes of them finding something that inspires them. All made possible by generous support from the WV Department of Education and a Claud Benedum Grant. In her address to the parents and interested parties attending she listed many of the support services offered by their agency through site visits, establishing a leadership team, meeting with students and continued training in the future.
Vice Principal, Gina Cano Stump spoke positive of the program, noting that the similarity between it and the Calhoun Gilmer Career Center’s teaching methods was what kept her son interested and engaged in that program over what was offered in a traditional setting.
After the bios and introductions of staff, Teachers Dan Cosgrove, Sallie Stewart, Debbie Toppings, Samantha Jarvis, Taylor Scott, Jordan Thompson, Melissa Jarvis, shared their insight after having spent the last two weeks teaching a trial run of the program. Each spoke of positive outcomes with the relativity of the lessons to the required core subjects of Math, Social Studies, Science and English Language Arts.
Middle School Students Tucker Sampson, Kendall Snodgress, Trinity Probasco and Anessia Kerby, who had completed the two week trial, prepared a power point and each spoke and presented very well on how much they enjoyed and learned from the program.
Jeanie Bennett Yoak, Chief Operational Officer for Calhoun County Schools spoke to share information that she believed would help see the need for the empowerment program. Citing that in Calhoun Schools there are 888 students .
- Of those 222 met the criteria as homeless
- 57 low socioeconomic
- Foster are 25.2%
- 39 foster care
- Poverty 43.2%
- 39% living in single parent
- 20% of Calhoun students have an IEP
- 5 youth since 2013 died of suicide
- 41 students on a suicide watch list
Other statistics were given, but Mrs. Bennett went on to discuss childhood trauma and the effects it can have on children, as well as the many basic needs that prevent students from doing well in school. She challenged those attending to meet all children where they are and ensure they have the resources they need.
Then came the opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions about the program.
- What other schools have done this program and were successful, where is the data, and grading?
- Dr. D’Antoni answered stating: This is a West Virginia program, it’s an environment model, not a curriculum, we’ve been doing this program for about four years, and we’re seeing attendance grow, test scores go up, we’re seeing positive data that’s why the Department of Ed has agreed to have two model schools for implementation. It’s an honor to be chosen. That’s the data that we have and that’s why we’re moving forward.
- It was later stated there was no actual data that could be presented from their programs, but other “similar” programs.
- How will grades be implemented?
- A rubric is in place, 35 points for presentation, broken down on each content standard, each class will still have tests and individual grades. Some grades on group projects, but there will be quizzes, Seminar time.
- What percentage of the students grade will “the group projects be?
- Sallie Stewart – collaboration is a state standard. I have to teach those collaboration skills, I have to assess those collaboration skills, it’s not something we haven’t already been doing. They’ll still have individual grades, but collaboration is part of the curriculum already, you just may not understand that it’s already built in. We’re just changing the format. Do you understand.
- Audience: That wasn’t the question.
- Another faculty member clarified that the question was related to whether or not the project was weighted.
- Sallie Steward – they have an individual component which is where the roles come in. There is team contract and students decide how to deal with conflict resolution with teacher assistance. They have a system that they agree with.
- A Grandparent from Wheeling, WV who is in his 42nd year of teaching in a private school expressed his concerns. He did not think the faculty answered the previous question and further requested information saying: My concern with my grandson is, this experience will be good for him, but will it prepare him for what he’s going to face later on with traditional classroom. How will he function after he’s in empowerment program? Where is the data that says kids that go through the empowerment learning system perform as well in high school. Are they being prepared for when they go to college?
- Kelli Whytsell – We do have classes at the Career Center that are exactly like this and we also have traditional and Advanced credential classes at the high school and students have been very successful at the end of the program and in college.
- How are they performing in pre calculus?
- Kelli Whytsell – Excellent
- Are they prepared for Chemistry, etc?
- Kelli Whytsell – they have not done this at middle school before but to the high school classes and those students finished at the top of their class and done excellent in college.
- It’s concerning that the instructional time seems to be limited, are you giving enough time to the content part of their education.
- More time is spent on content was the answer received from a Samantha Starcher.
- Mr. Cosgrove – Standards come first.
- Josh Johnson spoke toward deadlines saying there was deadlines for accomplishing their tasks. Students will have assignment dates that they’ll learn to manage.
- Audience – Do you expect the enrollment to drop?
- Kelli Whytsell – we don’t want to lose any of our students, we try to meet our students where they are and lead them to limitless possibilities.
- Audience – What supports will be in place for teachers.
- Amy Stewart will come in for training, teachers have agreed to give up one week of their summer to go to Marshall and work on laying out the first semester of the school year, and Sallie Stewart will attend a training in Napa Valley, California.
- Audience – The teachers will be developing these projects in the summer?
- Kelli Whytsell – the past two Monday, the 6-7 grade students went to the park for a community service project, the 8th grade went to the career center to explore the labs, and the teachers worked with Mrs. Stewart.
- Crystal Mersh – How do get an entire year translated into a syllabus, into projects, is that going to happen over the summer?
- Kelli Whytsell – they have to do that anyway. Every year they turn in an instructional plan. It’s a big outline on how they’re going to teach the standards. Not a lesson plan, just an outline. This summer they’re going to work co-curricularly with each other to align some of those things.
- Sallie Stewart – there are some standards that are not naturally going to fit into a project. We have the flexibility to say “I can’t fit that standard into this project, I have to do it by myself, taught in isolation.”
- What are the students going to be doing one day a week while teachers have their planning day?
- Kelli Whytsell – we’re looking at a related arts day, that is a barrier that we have to figure out this summer because they cannot do this without added planning time.
- Will there still be GSA Testing?
- Kelli Whytsell – Yes.
- Where can parents find the data on this program?
- Kelli Whytsell – there are only two schools that are modeling this program. There is no data.
- Amy Stewart – This is the first year, we’ve had a school in Westwood in Mon County who left because of needing to catch up after Covid, Peterstown Middle school in Monroe County at the end of their Pilot program, no mention of implementation and Calhoun County and Midland Trail, both new implementations this fall, so there is no data.
- Audience – Can you stop this program if it doesn’t work?
- Dr. D’Antoni – after a lengthy discussion about predictions on better results, accountability and ability, and saying that she didn’t believe there was a parent in the room who didn’t want that, but yes, Calhoun could drop out of the program.
- Audience Curriculum Issues – how will Admin monitor what teachers are teaching with the looser program?
- Kelli Whytsell – there is a new requirement by the legislature that parents have access to supplemental materials and curriculum on a password protected site. Lesson plans would be made available on that site. The teachers will be monitored the same way they are now with walk throughs and observation and checked for lesson plans and projects.
- Audience – Are 5th and 6th grade students mature enough to work for worked based learning?
- Kelli Whytsell – 5th grade are not included in the program.
- Audience – What about some students not doing their share of work in groups?
- Mr. Cosgrove – the students have contracts that they create with what they expect out of their peers, teachers see what each student does individually. All of them are quizzed. Each students have to do the science, math and English requirements on their own.
- Why was Calhoun selected to implement this program?
- Dr. D’Antoni – Because of the leadership, administration, teachers and the students willingness to look at things different. And because we ask if they were interested. We can’t do more than two at a time, there are 10 schools waiting for the program but we can’t implement more than two at a time. Also looking at school populations.
- Audience – this seems like a lot to put on the teachers to get this accomplished.
- Josh Johnson – we would not have said yes, unless we were up to the task. And yes it takes a lot. This was not a spur of the moment thing. We’ve been working on how we will develop projects for five years.
- Audience – How many students are grouped together?
- Josh Johnson – That depends on the project, it will vary.
- Audience – How do you choose which students are in each group? Do they pick there own?
- Josh Johnson – No, but it depends on the situation.
- Audience – Do you have your A students and D students separated into their own groups?
- Josh Johnson – that’s never a consideration?
- Audience – Who made the decision to do this?
- Kelli Whytsell – It was presented to me in November by Dr. McNalley, I spoke with the teachers, they later voted. After I received word about their vote I spoke with student leaders on the middle school, and then they voted. The board of Education has not voted but it will be on the agenda June 12th for them to discuss it. They’ve been aware of it from the beginning?
- Audience – If 6-7-8th grades are in a group, how will standards be separated by skill levels?
- 6th grade teachers – 7th grade standards are just a more in-depth standard than that of a 6th grade student. So the standards overlap and can be taught together.
- Audience – If a student is struggling with the group, how are they removed.
- Debbie Toppings – Struggling unable to meet the requirements they are pulled aside either alone or in a group for assistance. Behavior – the past two weeks behavior has not been an issue because they’re involved and accountable.
- Audience – How will students with I.E.P’s meet their goals and if the project doesn’t reach mastery level, how will that student be reassessed?
- Debbie Toppings – they will still be mastering these skills in their grade, and if not they’ll be redoing.
- Audience – What rules are in place for cell phone usage?
- Kelli Whytsell – Children are given lap tops and should not need to use their phone in class, there is a cell phone policy in the handbook.
The meeting ended with the audience given the opportunity to view the project materials and speak with staff.
The information above is basically the meeting without interjection from Ridgeview. (With the exception of comments regarding the amount of time on bio’s, and I will add that the manner for which a certain previous teaching staff member was addressed by one of the panel teachers, was not acceptable) While some questions were answered, many were skirted. Several parents voiced their frustration at the end to one another, but felt no point in expressing that information to Calhoun School staff. Others left frustrated with the answers they received believing that the curriculum accountability being left to teachers, who are often reported as being “unchecked,” will leave the potential for success with this program very much in question.
While the program received glowing results from those chosen to speak, what about those who were not asked? It would have been good if some of the students who struggled this week would have been allowed to share their point of view as well. And yes, there were students who struggled. Ridgeview News encourages parents to talk with their kids and voice their opinions. Not for the purpose of negativity as some would suggest, but for the purpose of truth and perhaps allowing other families to see they’re not alone.
