IMPAC T REPORT sum mer 2 0 1 6
SUMMER 2016 AT- A- G L A N C E Breakthrough Houston (BTH) welcomed 32 Teaching Fellows and 152 middle-school students for its 20th summer of students teaching students. Hosted at St. John’s School, college students from all over the United States came together for eight weeks of their summer to help teach underserved yet highly motivated Houston-area students skills to improve their academic and character development. Breakthrough Houston made a significant impact through the intensive experiences provided to students, Teaching Fellows, and Instructional Coaches.
STUDENTS • Highly-motivated rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade Houston-area students • 97% qualify for free or reduced lunch • Diverse student body including
o 51% Latino/Hispanic
o 29% African/African-American
o 12% Asian/Asian-American
o 6% Multi-Racial
o 3% Caucasian
TEACHING STAFF • 1 Dean of Faculty • 6 Instructional Coaches
o Teaching Experience range from 3-26 years
o 1 Breakthrough Alumna
• 32 Teaching Fellows from schools like Bryn Mawr, Colby, Harvard, NYU, Rice, Sewanee, Smith, UC Berkeley, UT Austin, Vanderbilt, Vassar
Students and Teachers from 8th Grade Family 5 compete on Olympics Day.
STUDENTS • 6 weeks of programming o 5 days per week o 8 hours per day • 4 core academic classes o Literature, Math, Science, and Writing • Academic Electives o Newsletter, Creative Media, Speech & Debate, Current Events, Alternative Energy, French, Creative Writing, Computer Science, Chinese, Money Think, Psychology, Video Production, Wellness and Nutrition, Drama, and Latin American Studies • Exciting Activities o Basketball, Volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, Guitar, Hip Hop and Salsa Dance, Choir, Piano, Art, and Chess • Focus on Character Strengths o Grit, Curiosity, Self-Control, Gratitude, Zest, Optimism, Social Intelligence, and Leadership
TEACHING FELLOWS • 8-week commitment o 2 weeks of intensive pre-summer training and preparation o 6 weeks of planning and teaching o 50+ teaching hours o Weekly professional development sessions o Exposure to various private, public, and charter school systems around the U.S. Rashman Haq, 7th Grader, talks with Money Think elective teacher, Vincent Gonzales
THE PROGRAM
Renaissance STAR Testing
MATH TEST
READING TEST
7th Grade • Solve real-world problems with mathematical relationships and expressions • Draw inferences about populations • Develop and use probability models
7th Grade • Cite textual evidence • Analyze how the structure of a literary work contributes to meaning and theme • Demonstrate understanding of figurative language • Determine the meaning of words and phrases from the text
CATEGORIES OF ASSESSED SKILLS
8th Grade • Work with irrational numbers, radicals, and integer exponents • Apply theorems and equations to solve problems • Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data 9th Grade • Understand both how to solve equations and how to create equations according to specific parameters • Understand the applications and construction of functions • Prove and apply trigonometric identities • Apply geometric concepts in modeling situations • Perform operations on matrices • Understand rules of probability
CATEGORIES OF ASSESSED SKILLS
STAR Test Results
Scaled Scores across all grades
8th Grade • Analyze elements of the literary work that contribute to effects such as suspense or humor • Understand in detail how particular sentences develop or refine a key concept • Read and comprehend literary nonfiction 9th Grade • Analyze a cultural experience reflected in a wide reading of world literature • Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums • Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings
Summer 2016 Gains
• Statistically significant 16-point average Scaled Score improvement in Math
• Statistically significant 32-point average Scaled Score improvement in Reading
Curriculum-Based Testing
In addition to STAR standardized tests, students took pre- and post-tests in each of their core classes. These tests were designed by Instructional Coaches to measure learning in specific course objectives. Summer 2016 results show that students made significant improvements in six weeks in all levels and all subjects.
SCIENCE
WRITING
MATH
LITERATURE
Zaria Coleman, 8th Grade and Melody Castillo, 8th Grade in a joyful embrace after a team win on Olympics Day.
This year, Breakthrough Houston launched its pilot program to begin measuring student learning in non-cognitive, social-emotional skills. Students completed Search Institute’s Development Assets Profile (DAP) which measures an individual’s assets in these eight areas: Support • Empowerment • Boundaries & Expectations • Constructive Use of Time Commitment to Learning • Positive Values Social Competencies • Positive Identity The results of the DAP classify students as challenged, vulnerable, adequate, or thriving in each category. Results of the DAP will be used in
programming decisions for the School Year Program and next summer.
Greatest Need: Constructive Use of Time Greatest Strength: Commitment to Learning
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Schools BTH Students Attend
Breakthrough Houston students come from 36 different middle schools across the city. The 9th grade class will attend 15 different high schools.
HIGHLIGHTS
• New Breakthrough Houston site at KIPP CONNECT with 55 students, 12 Teaching Fellows, and 2 Teaching Assistants. • 120 quality applicants for 55 new student spots at Breakthrough Houston’s original St. John’s School/Episcopal High School site • Nearly 100% parental participation at family events • Statistically significant student gains and a negative summer slide as evidenced by STAR and curriculum-based testing
CHALLENGES
• Recruiting from struggling schools in Houston Independent School District • Tailoring academic and other support for individual students with a growing student body • Using the Development Assets Profile Survey to demonstrate growth over a short period of time for non-cognitive skills
ACTIONS
• Finding a better measure of non-cognitive skills that can assess growth over a short period of time • Continue recruiting at struggling HISD schools with help from new Chief Middle School officer • Continue revising of math curriculum according to TEKS • Continue aligning curriculum in literature, and writing
STUDENT FEEDBACK
“Breakthrough is a program that does everything in their power to make sure you are happy and successful. They will never let you down and the program gets better and better every year. I honestly don’t know what I would do if I hadn’t joined Breakthrough Houston because they have changed my life greatly and have made a huge impact on not just my life, but the Houston community in all. In fact I love Breakthrough so much that when I go to high school I want to become an office volunteer, TA, and then a teacher. Breakthrough Houston has made a mark on my life and I will never let go or forget the memories I have created.” Makayla Williams 8th Grade
Students Camila Moyeda, Bianca Pineda, Alexia Gonzalez, Christ Nice (left to right)
“Breakthrough gave me the teaching experience that I wanted and the confidence to realize that with time and effort, I can become a really good teacher. Teaching plays to my strengths-- flexibility, creativity, empathy--and now I feel excited thinking about my future career.� Catherine Miller Rice University Class of 2017 7th Grade Literature Teacher
Teaching Fellows JT Su, Dorna Abdi, Ge Yan, Azalia Sprecher (left to right) and 9th Grader Renato Portocarrero (center)
TEACHER FEEDBACK
Instructional Coach Patty Carr (right) meets with Teaching Fellows Ge Yan (left) and Ankita Jain (middle).
INSTRUCTIONAL COACH FEEDBACK
"As a Breakthrough Instructional Coach, I have the opportunity to help college students experience what it means to be a teacher. Teaching Fellows develop a wonderful sense of understanding and love for their students, in addition to camaraderie with their peers. My role as encourager and mentor involves tapping the strengths that many Teaching Fellows have as individuals: hard workers who strive for excellence. They learn about the importance of making connections with their co-teachers and how to view from a lens of 'what's best for my students.' While they may not have previously considered teaching as a career option, their Breakthrough experience facilitates a new perspective and in some cases, a new calling." Patty Carr Teacher at St. John's School 4th Year Instructional Coach
"I only expected Breakthrough to help my daughter learn about her studies and give her guidance, but Breakthrough has touched parts of my child that I never really expected. She is very shy and withdrawn, books and learning are her world. Breakthrough challenges her and encourages her to be part of the team and family. They help her to challenge herself and have confidence about who she really is without being judged."
La Shawn Ramey 8th Grade Parent
• 88% of parents believe that BTH offers opportunities for their child to develop character strengths • 90% of parents have noticed an improvement in their child’s grades upon returning to school in the fall
PARENT FEEDBACK
We are Breakthrough, and we commit ourselves to hard work, dedication, respect, fun, and above all, excellence in learning!