Submitted by Ken Zimmerman, Technology Integration Coach
Note: The information in this profile represents SY2013-14 unless otherwise indicated.
School Overview
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School Description
The school is the newest building in the district and they would like to embrace innovation to improve curriculum offerings, enhance instruction and maximize the return on their technology investment. Manheim Central Middle School seeks to improve their curriculum and integrate on-line learning where it makes the most sense to better prepare students for post-secondary education and the “real world.”
Blended Learning Program
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Program Model
Program model: Station Rotation
Model description
Every classroom has three stations set up – Direct Instruction, Collaborative and Independent Learning. Students rotate through these stations on a daily basis.
Program Description
How much time do students spend on campus in this blended-learning program? How much of this time do students spend learning online or with educational software?
Students are in Social Studies for 65 minutes per day, half of each quarter. Students are in Math for 65 minutes per day every day. Students spend about 30 percent of each class period learning online through digital content providers or other digital tools.
Briefly describe the offline components of this blended-learning program.
Students receive direct instruction from the teacher at one of the rotations and work in a small collaborative student group on a project at another station. Collaborative projects typically span multiple days.
How does this blended-learning program fit into the rest of the students’ school day?
The blended learning program fits seamlessly into the rest of their academic schedule.
What are the teachers’ roles and responsibilities in both the online and offline components of this blended-learning program?
The teachers are responsible for creating all aspects of the blended learning program. They develop lessons for the direct instruction component, create collaborative activities and assign digital content. They create a Digital Agenda for students to access which is a roadmap for their week ahead.
What other adults are involved in this blended-learning program (e.g., paraprofessionals, learning coaches, counselors) and what are their roles and responsibilities?
A Technology Integration Coach supports the program and the teachers. She is available to help them roll-out new technology resources/tools to students, he helps troubleshoot both technology and instructional issues and is with the teachers every step of the way. An Instructional Coach provided by the PA Intermediate Unit (IU) goes onsite to help the Hybrid Learning teachers with implementing in their classroom via training and coaching.
Briefly describe the set-up of physical space for this blended-learning program.
Each classroom is set up with 3 stations. The Independent station is along the back right side of the classroom with the desks facing one another. The front of the room includes desks set up in a small horseshoe for Direct instruction. The back left of the classroom has a large table area for collaborative work.
How are students grouped within this blended-learning program?
Students are grouped based on their ability. Groups are sometimes heterogeneous and sometimes homogeneous.
Do students have some element of control over the pacing of their learning? Are students tied to a semester-based course schedule or can they complete courses at any time? Briefly describe any requirements or benchmarks in place to ensure student progress.
Students have some control over the pace at which they complete their independent and collaborative work.
Describe any other distinctive characteristics of this blended-learning program if they have not been captured above.
As a member of the Pennsylvania Hybrid Learning Institute, Manheim Central Middle School has a comprehensive and customized Evaluation Plan. The purpose of the Evaluation Plan is to provide information designed to improve educational programs and to demonstrate accountability to program objectives. PA HLI uses a rigorous and systematic process to evaluate whether new hybrid school implementations are achieving their desired effects. In the PA HLI Evaluation Plan, every hybrid learning task is tied to a specific desired outcome in order to track results. Data is being collected by a Program Management Analyst through monthly visitations and observations, surveys of students, teachers and parents, and a variety comparative data. Manheim Central Middle School receives monthly status reports as well as quarterly program reviews in conjunction with their Intermediate Unit so they can work on any identified opportunities.
Describe the academic results of the program, using quantitative data where possible.
Not yet measured.
Contact Information
Name: Daniel Lyons
Title: Director of Technology
Email: [email protected]
Website: mcsd-dnn.mcbarons.manheimcentral.org/mcsd/