Kentucky Teacher

Amy Keadle listens to 1st-grade student Cooper Tuerk read during her class at Tilden Hogge Elementary School (Rowan County).
Photo by Amy Wallot, April 8, 2013

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

When Amy Keadle – like many current teachers – worked on spelling lessons as a child, she had a grade-level spelling book and regular tests. She said if students didn’t pass those tests, they simply moved on to the next list along with the rest of the class.

But Keadle, a National Board Certified Teacher who teaches 1st grade at Tilden Hogge Elementary School (Rowan County), doesn’t do it that way now.

“I have four different spelling lists,” Keadle said. “The lists are differentiated according to student developmental stages. If students do not show understanding of the word pattern, they study the pattern again the following week.”

Theresa Fisette, who teaches kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary School (Dayton Independent), remembers being taught grammar in 5th grade. Now, students in kindergarten get those lessons, too.

Fisette introduces her students to nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositional phrases and correct punctuation through their reading and writing. Read the full story

Kindergarten teacher Susan Burgess, 3rd-grade teacher Jenna Colson, special education teacher Charisse LaBoyteaux, 5th-grade teacher Gayla Routt, 2nd-grade teacher Krystal Miller and Principal Amily Campbell review data at Heartland Elementary School (Hardin County). They are all Pivotal Leadership participants. Each grade level at the school has a teacher participating in the program.
Photo by Amy Wallot, March 15, 2013

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Study after study has found that effective teachers and principals are key to improving student learning and performance.

Putting that research to action, however, is not always easy. That’s where

Pivotal Leadership: Comprehensive Leadership Support for High Quality Teaching and Learning can help. The three-year, data-driven initiative focuses on school culture and guiding principals and teachers toward high-quality leadership practices.

“We see this opportunity as an ongoing, job-embedded process, not just a ‘drive-by’ professional development,” said Melissa Biggerstaff, leadership division director for the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC).

Four elementary schools and one middle school in the GRREC region are participating in the first year of the program. They include Heartland (Hardin County), T.C. Cherry (Bowling Green), Hodgenville (LaRue County) and South Todd (Todd County) elementary schools and Metcalfe County Middle School.

Principals and teacher leaders from the five schools analyzed cause and effect data during a three-day data retreat last summer. Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Third-grade teacher Ryan Williams talks with First Lady Jane Beshear after he was announced as the newest recipient of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award at Mary Lee Cravens Elementary School (Owensboro Independent).
Photo by Amy Wallot, Dec. 11, 2012

Growing up, Ryan Williams wanted one of three careers: teacher, NBA star or game show host.

“I really thought I’d be 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds,” Williams joked. “But it didn’t quite work out that way.”

Luckily, Williams has not only been an educator the past 14 years, but he has found a way to incorporate the two professions he never achieved into his classroom at Mary Lee Cravens Elementary School (Owensboro Independent).

“He’s definitely a risk taker,” said Cravens Elementary Prinicpal James Lyddane said. “But the risks he takes are all about engaging the kids.”

Those risks have paid off, and Williams, who taught 1st grade for 11 years before switching to 3rd grade three years ago, was recently named Kentucky’s latest Milken Family Foundation Educator Award recipient.

“He’s a cornerstone to this school,” Lyddane said of Williams, who teaches mathematics. “He creates a strong culture at this school based on challenging lessons, problem-solving and true critical thinking.” Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Julie Bunnell explains the procedure for a science experiment testing pH levels of local water sources to 4th-grade students at the CELTIC Academy (Glasgow Independent). Photo by Amy Wallot, Sept. 18, 2012

They miss out on regular class time, but students attending the Creating Enriched Learning Through Innovative Curriculum (CELTIC) Academy say the out of class time is  worth it:

“We learned ahead of our grade level.”

“Here, we listen and do.”

“It helped me learn more about things we only studied for a short time.”

“It teaches you like (regular) school, but with higher-level questions.”

“It enhanced our content areas.”

“You got to learn things in a different way than you would in (regular) school.”

Enhancing learning and giving higher-achieving students an opportunity to dig deeper into content were key motivators in the creation of the academy, according to director Tina Steen. Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Krista Chatham reviews a worksheet with her 4th-grade class about how to compare numbers at Cartmell Elementary School (Carroll County). Photo by Amy Wallot, Aug. 21, 2012

Like many adults, Tim Sears, elementary mathematics consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education, was taught the phrase “Don’t ask why, just invert and multiply,” when he was a student learning about dividing fractions.

But according to the Kentucky Core Academic Standards for mathematics, students now must ask why. They also must learn how dividing fractions connects to other content areas and real world applications.

“We were taught procedural rules like that,” Sears said. “The standards now say build more conceptual learning through visual models, drawings and developing fraction number sense. We’re trying to connect fractions to kids’ everyday life and other content areas, especially science.”

Fractions has been a hot topic with state mathematics teachers this summer according to Sears, who facilitated several leadership network meetings prior to the start of the 2012-13 school year, and Seth Hunter, mathematics specialist with the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) and president of the Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics (KCTM). Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Andrew Arnold leads the class in a motivational chant from his desktop during Elizabeth Wolf's 8th-grade English class at Holmes Middle School (Covington Independent). Photo by Amy Wallot, May 15, 2012

At Holmes Middle School (Covington Independent), disco balls and baseball bats are routine academic tools.

Characters like Tara Bullvoice show up to rap about five-paragraph essays.

And students will listen to Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” before defining irony and explaining two examples in the song.

“It’s not your traditional stand-and-lecture series,” said teacher Travece Turner, who teaches 8th-grade language arts. “This allows me to be creative as a teacher and really push myself to think outside the box.”

Turner and other teachers in the Covington Independent school district recently wrapped up their second year using the Ron Clark Academy teaching approach. This approach focuses on unique, creative approaches to presenting content while addressing student confidence and focus.

“My favorite thing about using Ron Clark’s method is the excitement and passion for learning that I see in my students,” 8th-grade English teacher Elizabeth Wolf said. “They are more engaged and really seem to enjoy learning. The methods also motivate students to be more creative and involved in the learning process.” Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Students in Andrea Parson's 4th-grade class at Cumberland County Elementary School watch a webcam of an osprey in a nest near Lake Barkley. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 11, 2012

In doing research on osprey birds, Sylvia Braber and her Cumberland County Elementary School students noted that it’s common that the last one in a family to hatch doesn’t often make it.

Braber, who teaches 4th grade, said her students have observed an osprey family that laid three eggs. The last osprey to hatch did well after the other two, but he went against student findings and survived

“Although he was (small), the parents took amazingly good care of him,” Braber said. “The other two fledged, and we eagerly waited for our last one before he finally took the plunge.

“This is a great learning tool and a rare peek into the real world of the osprey,” Braber added. “All in all, it’s great science observation.”

The rare osprey birds that Braber and her students observe daily via a nest cam are some 200 miles away near Lake Barkley. Students anywhere can view and study the birds thanks to Kentucky Environmental Education Projects, Inc. (KEEP), a non-profit organization aimed at conserving biological and cultural resources through education, research, habitat enhancement and citizenship participation according to its website. Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Math intervention specialist Suzanne Maynard works on a number line with kindergarten students Makylie Morris and Makenna Fletcher at Southside Elementary School (Pike County). Photo by Amy Wallot, April 10, 2012

Southside Elementary School (Pike County) Principal Jill Maynard has been at her school since it first opened its doors 15 years ago. In that time, she’s seen many changes. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the family feel of the school.

“We are blessed to have such a unique family,” said Maynard, who is finishing up her first year as the school’s principal. “Our administration, faculty and staff believe we must create an atmosphere of mutual respect where students and teachers are involved in the learning process. We believe that all students will succeed, and we work diligently each day to accomplish this success.”

Southside Elementary was rewarded for its diligent work when the school was named a 2011 National Blue Ribbon School along with four other Kentucky public schools.

Suzanne Maynard (no relation) has been at Southside Elementary since the school opened. She currently serves as the school’s mathematics intervention teacher, focusing on K-3 mathematics. She said another constant has been academic success.

“We have always maintained high standardized test scores,” Suzanne Maynard said. “Teachers have clear learning targets with high expectations for all students.” Read the full story

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

First-grade teacher Stephanie Maynard helps a group of Jefferson County Traditional Middle School students find new reading partners at Cochran Elementary School (Jefferson County). The middle school students wrote and illustrated their own books which they later read aloud to Cochran elementary students. Photo by Justin Willis, March 6, 2012

Students in Willetta Stephens’ 2nd-grade class at Cochran Elementary School (Jefferson County) received a special treat last week when hundreds of children’s book authors visited their school.

Before the authors arrived, Stephens told the students they would be “amazed” at the books the authors were bringing.

The 25-year teaching veteran asked her students to pay special attention to the setting in the books and to ask questions about the writing process. She also told them the authors had rewritten their books several times – a sticking point with 2nd graders who don’t believe in the “good writing is rewriting” adage.

When the authors arrived, most were able to read one-on-one with students in Stephens’ class as well as students in other classrooms.

That’s because the authors were 138 7th graders in Donna Duvall’s English/language arts classes at Jefferson County Traditional Middle School (JCTMS). All of the middle school students had written and illustrated books for 5- to 8-year-olds. Their visit to Cochran was the culmination of their project.

This is the second year Duvall’s 7th graders have written and illustrate children’s books to read at Cochran Elementary. The 17-year teaching veteran said she wanted to give her students an opportunity to write for a “real” audience. Read the full story

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Jessica McPherson helps 4th-grade students Keaton Emmert and Morgan Comer with an assignment on equivalent fractions at Gamaliel Elementary School (Monroe County). Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 2, 2012

Gamaliel Elementary School (Monroe County) earned its 2011 National Blue Ribbon School honor for helping students achieve at high levels and for making significant progress in closing achievement gaps.

Despite the recognition and being on the right track, administrators were willing to gamble with a big change in the school’s grading system, not wanting to be complacent with recent success.

Gamaliel Elementary wiped out grades for the 2011-12 school year for grades K-5. Instead, the school has opted for standards-based report cards.

“Our focus is strictly on student mastery of the Kentucky Core Academic Standards,” Principal Christie Biggerstaff said. “Teachers are delivering content and are constantly assessing to ensure student mastery.”

Student- and parent-friendly report cards  focus on learning targets. Mastery of learning targets is reported as mastery, partial mastery or non-mastery.

“Instead of getting a grade in math, all math learning targets are listed to show parents which targets their child has mastered, which are partially mastered and which are  not mastered,” said teacher Felisa Brooks. Read the full story