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FEATURED SCHOOL SITES

From Georgia to South Dakota, there are many schools and districts successfully implementing Writing to Win and we want to feature those schools here so they can share the secrets to their student achievement in writing.


 

FEATURED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE MONTH

Grady County Schools

A Vision of Excellence

Grady County Schools includes five elementary, three middle and one high school. Since the early 1990's, it has been an exemplary Writing to Win site.  By following the Writing to Win system, it has maintained elevated scores (grades 3, 5, 8 and 11) for over 15 years compared to other districts in Georgia with similar demographics. Implementation started with grades 6-12, then spread down to include kindergarten.  The current Curriculum Director leads a dedicated group of seven Instruction Coordinators that served as Writing to Win coaches for the system.

Interview with Martha Fowler, Curriculum Director.

 

What about the Writing to Win framework caught your attention for use in your schools?

The consistency from grade level to grade level. I saw that the process could begin at the elementary level and continue through high school: the routines for journal writing and process writing as well as the vocabulary used to refer to writing. The students hear the same writing vocabulary from K through 12 from all teachers. They know the terms of the writing process and critical thinking journal strategies.
We also saw that Writing to Win builds each step of the writing process: for example, the revision strategies from lower grades set a foundation that is added to in subsequent years. The transition is seamless, but noticeable.
The consistency is paying off in student performance on all state writing tests.

How do you make certain that the Writing to Win program is being implemented fully?

 

    1. Instructional Coordinators (ICs) at each of the schools have been to the coaches workshop, and they are charged with the responsibility to ensure program implementation
    2. We have a district curriculum writing guide so everyone knows what to be teaching this 6 weeks with dates, targeted strategies and grade-level expectations.
    3. Principals have had training and know the process as much as the teachers. They include Writing to Win during their walk-throughs and know what to look for: wall charts, a variety of journal strategies based on the curriculum and student portfolios. All administrators can even conduct a journal strategies. They know exactly what is to be monitored.
    4. Every year at the end of school, grade reps from all schools meet to re-design Writing Cycles with recommendations from their schools. They report that ‘This was successful. This wasn’t quite at the right time. This was a good fit to this area of the curriculum.’

     

How often do you meet with your Instructional Coordinators for brainstorming sessions and/or reporting?

I meet with them once a month. A standard meeting item is Writing to Win. We report, update, brainstorm and support each other.

How does Writing to Win fit with other district initiatives?

Writing to Win provides for a seamless connection to all parts of the curriculum and initiatives. For example, we are a Learning Focused school district. Our main goal is to make sure administrators and teachers have incorporated all aspects of our several adopted programs.
Monitoring is key to any successful implementation. We help our teachers see how it all fits together. It also goes back to the end of the year meeting and planning session with teachers from the schools to “map” out the next year. What keep talking about what worked and what didn’t work.

How did the focus on Exemplary Schools of Writing get started?

Goals for the elementary schools are set. They all strive for the Exemplary School award – it’s become a competition for all five schools. And last year they all received the recognition for the first time. Their achievement is becoming an incentive for high school and middle school as those schools make plans for improvement.

What did you do differently to prepare in meeting the new standards on the state writing test?

We said from the very beginning we have used the Writing to Win process for a number of years and we knew that it was successful. We stayed on the same train and kept doing what we were doing and doing what we knew to be successful.
This year, we focused more strongly on the new state Analytic Scoring System. Teachers let their students work with the new state rubric throughout the year in peer- and self-evaluation. Students knew how and why they scored the four traits of the rubric. Again, consistent vocabulary remained key in using the rubrics. Students knew exactly how they would be scored on their writing.

How many times per week are your students involved in the short non-fiction writing assessments?

Three times minimum, but many teachers use writing as a way to learn every day. In grades where students have several teachers, they may write several times a day.

 

FEATURED SCHOOL SITE OF THE MONTH

J.S. Pate Elementary School

Everything is Great at Pate

Dr. Gail Nesbit is principal and Christine Simmons is the Writing to Win Coach. Their rigorous plan for authentic writing shows that almost all kindergarteners write fluently by the month of May. J.S. Pate has been a Writing to Win visitation site for southwest Georgia for three years.

 

To learn more visit J.S Pate Elementary School.

 

 

 

2006-2007 Featured School Sites