Laura Bame

Evidence 6—Leadership Contributions to School Improvement Efforts

Component 1: Nature of the Professional Environment

My student teacher placements involved grades 10, 11, and 12 at Davie County High School.
The cooperating teacher’s responsibilities were teaching Freshman Band, Symphonic Band,
Concert Band, and the War Eagles Marching Band. He also planned concerts, marching band
games, competitions, and other events. According to the class roster, this targeted class has a
total of 56 students; 24 girls and 32 boys. There are 28 sophomores, 14 juniors, and 14 seniors.
The class contains one Black student, one Hispanic student, and the remainder are Caucasian.
The collaboration and professional leadership within the school culture was good and helped me
out as a student teacher. I attended and observed a SIT (School Improvement Team) meeting on
September 22nd. The team watched a movie called Advanced Education. The video was about
SAR (Standards Assessment Report). After the video, the team members were given a rubric
and were asked to circle where they thought this school “fell into play.” Then they talked about
what they wrote down. After they talked about the rubric, the meeting continued and I decided
to leave. I also attended a faculty meeting on September 15th, and a departmental meeting on
November 16th. Faculty meetings were an effective way for the entire faculty and administrators
to get “on the same page” with planning, setting goals, developing strategies, and creating a safe
and inviting environment. During the time of the faculty meeting, the flu was spreading fast and
the principal started the meeting by citing ways to prevent the illness from spreading.
Afterwards, we discussed the importance of the faculty following all the rules and procedures.
For example, many teachers were not taking attendance and turning their attendance sheets into
the office. In the departmental meetings we concentrate on students in the department, and
departmental improvement. During this departmental meeting, we discussed ways the classes
can collaborate and present concerts and other performances. Towards the end of the meeting,
we discussed having “secret santas;” and this was a way to build relationships with each other
and doing something special for someone else. My attendance and participation in these
meetings have given me a better understanding and greater knowledge about collaboration and
professional leadership within the school culture.

School Improvement Team Minutes

School: Davie High School

Date: September 22, 2009

Time meeting was called to order: 1:30 p.m.

Time meeting was adjourned : 4:55 p.m.

Attending:

Jeff Wallace Melissa LynchBarbara Laymon Sue Callison

Eunice Smoot Emily Parrish
Mike Absher Cherri Moore Kristine Kokoski
Julie Cartner Jen Calhoun Hugh Lee
Colleen Pitts Michelle Beiter

Approval of minute’s □
of previous meeting

Subjects discussed:
Mrs. Beiter
Welcome
Purpose of SIT
Election of Vice Chair and Secretary
Superintendent’s Meeting
Mr. Wallace
Senior Homerooms need to vote on where they will spend break.
Registration booklet needs to be updated and cleaned up Comprehensive Needs Assessment due
Oct. 6
Mrs. Kokoski
Asvanced Ed/DHS Self assessment video due Oct. 28
Data for both are basically the same for both assessments
We need to prove what we put down.
Concerns: Mrs. Beiter
Dress code
Tardies
Technology access for students to specific sites requested by teachers
Mrs. Cartner
PDA is not addressed in handbook
Mrs. Parrish
How to find administrators during lunch, and before and after school
Math Department wants the break changed to before homeroom
 Mrs. Callison
Clarify procedures for students who need to see the nurse and she is unavailable
Mrs. Laymon
Clarify new procedures for gate at students parking lot concerning students leaving early or
coming in late

Actions taken:

V or C Vote P/NP Decisions/Actions

V U Election of Jen Calhoun as Vice Chair

and Eunice Smoot as Secretary

Decision by the group to divide into groups and provide input to Mr. Wallace in order for
him to complete and submit the Comprehensive Needs Assessment.

____ ____ ____ ____________________________

____ ____ ____ ____________________________

____ ____ ____ ____________________________

____ ____ ____ ____________________________

In the first column indicate whether the action was a vote or was reached by consensus.

If you voted, put the actual vote numbers in the second column and record if the action was
approved.

In the third column put P if passed and NP is not passed.

Items to be referred to next meeting agenda:

_____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________

Component 2: School Improvement Plan and Identification of Need

In Davie High School’s School Improvement Plan, the focus points for improvement include
increasing the graduation rate and student achievement, measuring every student’s achievement
with an assessment system that informs instruction and evaluates knowledge skills, performance,
and dispositions needed in the 21st Century, and involving every student in the registration
process and enrolled in a course of study designed to prepare them for an international
environment. After searching for the ABC’s growth and performance reports on
www.abcs.ncpublicschools.org, I found that for the years 2008-2009, this high school did not
meet expected and high growth. They have a 75.8% performance composite score and the
ABC’s status is listed as “NR (No Recognition)”, and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) was not
met.

The need that this assessment addressed is a goal that appears in Davie High School’s School
Improvement Plan and the goals states, Goal One: North Carolina public schools will produce
globally competitive students. The School Improvement Objective 2 says Every student’s
achievement is measured with an assessment system that informs instruction and evaluates
knowledge skills, performance, and dispositions needed in the 21st century. I chose challenging
sections in West Highlands Sojourn for all the students to play as an assessment. I wanted to
make this assessment fun for the students by making it a competition between the students; and
the winner gets a prize. This assessment addressed this need due to the fact I gave the students
an assessment so I could evaluate their knowledge of their part, their performance by in their
instrumental sections, and I recorded their performance on a laptop which includes 21st century
technology. The impact that this assessment had on the students was effective. After the
assessment, I asked all the students if they enjoyed this assessment and they responded “oh
yeah!” They enjoyed this assessment because this was not only an assessment, but a game. The
students competed with each other and the winner, which was the trombones, received candy at
the end of class. So, the overall impact of this assessment was effective because the students
were having fun, learning, and improving at the same time.
 Lesson Plan #1: Rhythms
Laura Bame
Davie County High School
Grades 10-12

Focus:
-West Highlands Sojourn-run through movement 1, work on rhythms in different sections

Objects Used:
-Smart Board
-Laptop
-Dry Erase Board
-Markers
-Baton
-Music
-Music Stand
-Saxophone/Saxophone stand
-Tuner

Review:
-Warm-up with breathing in on 8 counts, hold it, breathe in on 1 count, hold it, breathe in on 1
count, hold it, and breathe out on 16 counts
-Warm-up with scales (Concert Bb whole notes, F round/3 groups, Ab all-state pattern, and Eb
whole notes)
-Clap different rhythms in West Highlands Sojourn (1&a 2&a, 1&a 2e&, 1e& 2e&)
-Tissel the same rhythms
-Play the same rhythms on concert Bb
-Tune
-Warm up with different rhythms that are found in West Highlands Sojourn

Main Objectives:
-Accurate rhythms (1&a 2&a, 1&a 2e&, 1e& 2e&)

Strategies:
-Clapping and playing the same rhythms that are in West Highlands Sojourn with scales at the
beginning of class
-The last scale played is the Eb scale
-Canon in measure 59

Purpose for Strategies:

-Prepare the students for the rhythms in the music
-The last scale we play is concert Eb because West Highlands Sojourn is in concert Eb
-Clarinets and saxophones can listen to the flutes and trumpets and be prepared for their rhythm

Independent Practice:
-Trumpet section play from measure 9-17, 25-33, pick up to 38-49, pick up to 59-66
-Alto Sax section play from measure 1-16, 59-74 (clarinets listen to saxophones)
-Clarinet sections play from measure 1-16, 59-74
-1st Clarinets pick up to 18-21

Dependent Practice:
-Clapping and counting the rhythms with the students
-Singing the music while the students play their sections in the music

Closure:
-What did we learn about and what did we improve on today? (rhythm accuracy)
-Announcement about assessment next Monday

Assessment-Sectional Playing Test in West Highlands Sojourn

Flutes:
Movement 1, measures 1-8

Clarinets:
Movement 1, measures 51-59

Bass Clarinet:
Movement 1, measures 9-17

A Saxes:
Movement 1, measures59-71

T Saxes:
Movement 3, measures 8 from the end-end

B Saxes:
Movement 3, measures 233-238

Trumpets:
Movement 1, pick up to 38-49
Horn:
Movement 1, measures 33-41

Trombones:
Movement 1, measures 35-49

Baritone:
Movement 1, measures 33-41

Tuba:
Movement 1, measures 41-49

Percussion and Timpani:

Movement 3, 233-end

YOU WILL BE GRADED ON…

1. Consistent Tempo/Pulse
2. Rhythm Accuracy
3. Pitch Accuracy
4. Articulations/Style
5. Tone Quality/Intonation

Component 3: Professional Growth

The way I participated in professional development and growth activities was by attending a SIT
meeting, a faculty meeting, a departmental meeting, a choral concert, observing other teachers,
and receiving feedback from my cooperating teacher. Three major understandings that I
gathered from these experiences was to vary instruction, use more personality in the classroom,
and focusing on classroom management. These understandings came from those meetings by
observing different teachers and watching their teaching techniques. In the meetings, I realized
the speakers had personality and made the meeting interesting and I thought that would be
effective for my students if I could do that in the classroom as well. I started to vary my
instruction more effectively in my second lesson plan. I previously used only visual instruction
and I needed to use aural as well. I was able to show more personality to the students and the
students were receptive to who I was as a person. While discussing my growth in the classroom
with my cooperating teacher, we were discussing classroom management. He mentioned that the
students need to know what I expect out of them due to the fact that my expectations and his
expectations are not the same. So for the next school day, I prepared a PowerPoint of my
expectations. Afterwards, I noticed the students had a better understanding of my expectations.

Lesson Plan #2: Articulations and Dynamics

Laura Bame
Davie County High School
Grades 10-12

Focus:
-West Highlands Sojourn-run through movement 1 and 2, review rhythms in movement 1. Learn
about articulations in movement 1 and 3 and accurate dynamics in all movements.

Objects Used:
-Smart Board
-Laptop
-Dry Erase Board
-Markers
-Baton
-Music
-Music Stand
-Saxophone/Saxophone stand
-Tuner

Review:
- Warm-up with breathing in on 8 counts, hold it, breathe in on 1 count, hold it, breathe in on 1
count, hold it, and breathe out on 16 counts
- Warm-up with scales (concert Bb half notes, F 4 quarter notes legato going up the scale and
staccato going down the scale, Ab all-state pattern, and Eb whole notes)
-Review rhythms from previous lesson with our warm ups (1&a 2&a, 1&a 2e&, 1e& 2e&)
-The band plays on a concert F, and watches me for the dynamic changes
-Tune
-What did we work on Monday? (accuracy in rhythms)

Main Objectives:
-Accurate articulations in movement 1 and 3
-Accurate dynamics in all movements

Strategies:
-Use different articulations and dynamics with scales in the warm up (articulations: accent,
staccato, legato, dynamics: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff, fp, crescendo, decrescendo)
-Change my style of conducting that fits the articulations and dynamics
-Demonstrate the different articulations on my alto saxophone

Purpose for Strategies

-By using different articulations and dynamics in the warm ups, I can prepare the band for the
same articulations and dynamics in their music
-Changing my style can help guide the band to play the noted articulations and dynamics
-Playing the different articulations and dynamics on my saxophone allows the students to have
an aural example.

Independent Practice:
-In warm ups, students will name the different articulations that I write on the board
-Different sections will play separately

Dependent Practice:
-Play the saxophone for the band to demonstrate different articulations and dynamics
-Play my saxophone with and without the band to help them grasp an aural understanding of the
music

Closure:
-What did we learn more about today? (accurate articulations and dynamics)
-Reminder about the assessment next Monday.

Component 4: Professional Relationships and Networks

The way I sought to develop professional relationships with in the school and global community
was to meet people and “put myself out there.” The day before school started, my cooperating
teacher took me on a tour of the school and introduced me to many of the faculty members and
administration. The next day (the first day of school), my cooperating teacher introduced me to
all the students and I had the opportunity to introduce myself to the students and tell them some
things about me and my musical background. On September 8th I attended a reception with other
student teachers and principals, and met the school board. On October 20th, I attended the choral
concert and met some parents. I met all the parents on October 12th and 19th for our fall band
concert. On November 12th I also attended the marching band banquet and had the opportunity
to see the parents again in a less formal environment. By attending these meetings and events,
and getting to know the administration, faculty, parents, and students, it helped develop
relationships of trust, respect, and integrity.

Component 5: Home and Community Communication and Collaboration

The way I communicated and collaborated with family and community members for the benefit
of the students was to make sure all questions were answered for the parents/guardians, I called
homes to discuss students’ progress, participation, or classroom behavior. This interaction with
the families and community helped them to know me better and to understand the goals we
wanted the band to accomplish. The way I contributed and provided leadership toward
encouraging parent and community involvement was by being visible at school and community
events and by encouraging my own family and community members to attend events at this
school. My attendance at school and community functions such as the choral concert, the
marching band banquet, and the Davie County homecoming parade indicate to others that I view
extra curricular activities as important to students. Below is a picture I took at the marching
band banquet of the saxophone quartet.