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UPDATE<\/strong>: In November 2020, Glenn O. Swing Elementary was one of 28 elementary schools\u00a0across Kentucky identified through research by the\u00a0Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky. The analysis<\/a>, sponsored by the Prichard Committee, was created to spotlight schools that significantly exceeded expectations based on demographic factors between 2012 and 2019. This profile of the school was\u00a0published prior to the research project.<\/i><\/p>\n _______________<\/p>\n MAY 2018<\/strong> \\\\ GLENN O. SWING ELEMENTARY in COVINGTON<\/strong><\/p>\n Third graders in Karissa Pickens\u2019 classroom at Glenn O. Swing Elementary are reading an article about the flu \u2014 how to avoid it, or, should a scratchy throat or bleary eyes strike, how to respond to the symptoms. Graphs and tables accompany the piece, and they are the point of the morning\u2019s review.<\/p>\n A board near the door states the reading standard being covered: \u201cI can use information from text features, illustrations, and the words to understand a text.\u201d Reminders from previous days are squeezed into the statement. Lines from the term \u201ctext features\u201d lead to examples: \u201cphoto,\u201d \u201ctable of contents,\u201d \u201ccaption.\u201d<\/p>\n The teacher calls on students to name a symptom. From a chart in the article, one mentioned sneezing; another offered headaches. Chills, one added.<\/p>\n The discussion moves briskly, with Pickens providing feedback, reminders and encouragement. When students don\u2019t immediately respond on one question, Pickens challenges them. \u201cI see people looking at me,\u201d she said. \u201cGo back to your text.\u201d In seconds, answers arrive.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image style=”shadow” alignment=”center” image=”13343″][vc_column_text]THIRD GRADER LUELLA COPELAND talks to a classmate at Glenn O. Swing Elementary in Covington.<\/span><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Luella Copeland, an 8-year-old who has attended this school since kindergarten, said that lessons, reviews, assignments, and practice give students plenty of opportunities to show what they know. Plus, she added, every teacher expects students to explain their thinking and responses.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can have the right answer, but you have to be able to add to it,\u201d she said during a break. \u201cDetails \u2014 things from the text that support it. I love that our teachers really tell us what they want us to do and show us a lot about how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Student performance at Glenn O. Swing Elementary stands out. Children from demographic groups mired in deep achievement gaps in many Kentucky schools are high achievers here.<\/p>\n On 2017 state tests, the percentage of Swing pupils scoring in proficient or distinguished categories in every demographic minority group the state tracks \u2014 race, poverty, disability, English language learners, and more \u2014 outpaced the state\u2019s average for all students in 26 of 28 measures across five subjects. On state tests in 2017, 31 percent of African American students scored proficient or distinguished in reading; 28 percent in math. At Swing, those rates were 61 percent for reading and 63 percent for math.<\/p>\n Among English learners, the percentage of Kentucky students scoring proficient or better in reading and math were 21 percent and 24 percent, respectively. At Swing, the rates were 60 percent for reading and 93 percent for math.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Scott Alter, the principal, credited the academic performance and achievement gap progress to daily fine tuning of classroom assignments and teaching, all based on needs evident in students\u2019 work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are looking at kids\u2019 work every day,\u201d said Alter, whose office table is a collection of children\u2019s handwriting jotted across homework, quizzes, and compositions. \u201cWe are meeting as teams about next steps based on what may have been produced 15 minutes ago. We spend a lot of time looking at ways to adjust and improve as teachers and administrators. There\u2019s a lot of real-time learning going on.\u201d<\/p>\n To complement the academic focus, the school created a separate student support team allowing Alter and the assistant principal maximum time to collaborate with teachers, analyze what students are producing, and ensure that learning setbacks get immediate attention.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try to find the deepest level of what students need to know and get every student there,\u201d said Elizabeth Bravo, the third grade math teacher. \u201cEvery part of every day is treated as an intensive intervention. We connect to real life so that what we are talking about means something. We ask questions that stretch what students know.\u201d<\/p>\n Constant teacher collaboration taps combined wisdom and reinforces a culture of trust and results which, in turn, translates to students. Jennifer Young, the third grade language arts and writing teacher, said that it takes ongoing work to hit the target.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may get things given back and hear \u2018try again,\u2019 but you know there will be support and that we can trust each other,\u201d Young said. \u201cOur students know that we want to make sure they succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n The combination of high expectations and ready support can make students feel challenge in the present and a record of mastery in retrospect. Third grader Luella said of her years as a student: \u201cBack in first grade and kindergarten, everything was easy. Third grade is hard. I get frustrated if it\u2019s hard, but I try not to mess up and stay focused.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Superintendent Alvin Garrison said that Glenn O. Swing exemplifies continuous improvement. \u201cIt\u2019s never, \u2018You can\u2019t do it,\u2019 it\u2019s \u2018you can\u2019t do it yet.\u2019 They get kids to think, write and read at high levels. When you walk in that school you can feel it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t sit there and daydream. You can\u2019t opt out.\u201d<\/p>\n The academic gains offer important momentum for a district that faced deep budget and achievement issues two decades ago. \u201cThe kind of positive environment and culture you see at Glenn O. Swing is permeating the district,\u201d said Julie Geisen Scheper, a school board member for the past six years.<\/p>\n Efforts to keep students on track don\u2019t stop with teachers. Asking questions and engaging in thoughtful conversation are part of the curriculum. During a science lesson about motion and combined forces, Luella noticed a fellow third grader looking puzzled as she scanned the textbook.<\/p>\n Luella eased across her desk and quietly brought up the topic of balanced forces. After sharing a thought, she asked, \u201cDo you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n Sensing uncertainty, Luella kept probing for an entry point, as her teachers might. She asked, \u201cWhat do unbalanced forces do?\u201d The girl responded, a conversation began, and soon, Luella\u2019s classmate was finding the answer.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image style=”shadow” alignment=”center” image=”13345″][vc_column_text]READING TEACHER KARISSA PICKENS talks to students her third grade classroom at Glenn O. Swing Elementary in Covington.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n TOP PHOTO: Student Luella Copeland participates in third grade reading work.<\/i><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n \\\\<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner background_color=”#fdfaa6″ css=”.vc_custom_1571600588466{padding-top: 5% !important;padding-right: 5% !important;padding-bottom: 5% !important;padding-left: 5% !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n ISSUES IN CLASSROOM WORK<\/strong><\/p>\n Achievement gaps are usually defined by test scores \u2014 often a snapshot of student achievement on the day of state or national standardized exams. Meanwhile, the bulk of learning in schools grows from daily classroom work. Research on improving achievement and reducing gaps between demographic groups points to the importance of setting high expectations based on standards that teachers understand. Toward that goal, monitoring and improving teachers\u2019 knowledge of necessary content and skills, knowing how well teachers cover academic material, and gauging the level of mastery demonstrated by students all need ongoing attention. Reviewing daily classwork can also provide a clear understanding of students\u2019 strengths and how they are improving. Some questions that might spark a local conversation:<\/p>\n \\\\\u00a0How does your school or district set expectations and monitor the quality of daily learning experiences and results of classroom assignments? How does that process improve teacher and student performance?<\/p>\n \\\\\u00a0How often do teachers and administrators analyze and discuss students\u2019 work? What kinds of conversations result?<\/p>\n \\\\\u00a0What happens when some or most students lack a solid understanding of topics covered in class based on results of quizzes, tests or other assignments?<\/p>\n \\\\\u00a0Do teachers give specific feedback on student work? Are discussions about feedback part of a regular collaborative review with peers or administrators, leading to ways for teachers to improve their own practice and give students a better sense of how they can improve?<\/p>\n A prominent national voice in examining achievement gaps has been The Education Trust, based in Washington, D.C. Its founder, Kati Haycock, long emphasized the importance of high-level standards, a challenging curriculum and extra time and help for students who are behind. In a 2001 article in Educational Leadership<\/em><\/a>, Haycock shared lessons from students whose work fell into the achievement gap divide. \u201cWe have come away stunned,\u201d she wrote. \u201cStunned, first, by how little is expected of students in high-poverty schools \u2014 how few assignments they get in a given school week or month. Stunned, second, by the low level of the few assignments that they do get.\u201d She continued, \u201cin too many schools, some students are taught a high-level curriculum, whereas other students continue to be taught a low-level curriculum that is aligned with jobs that no longer exist.\u201d More recently, the Education Trust looked at how classroom assignments connect with math standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
I can tell more about teams and teachers from student work <\/i><\/b>than from walk-throughs in the\u00a0<\/i>classroom every day.<\/i><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2014 Principal Scott Alter<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Cumulative academic performance by students at Swing Elementary from low-income and minority backgrounds would rank in the top 20 percent of all Kentucky elementary schools; performance by students with disabilities would fall in the top 30 percent of all elementaries.<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n