Creating Professional Teachers Communities In ”Ort” Schools Network

Creating 30 School-Based Communities of Practice within a Comprehensive Program to Increase the Rate of Five-Unit Mathematics Graduates and Build a Mathematical Leadership for the Network and Its Schools

Local Partnerships

Grant amount

NIS 1,200,000

Grant term

Three Years

Date of Approval

September 2017

Status

Completed

The foundation is currently collaborating with five school networks (ORT, Amit, Darca, Amal and Branco Weiss), in order to increase the number of five units graduates in mathematics. Among these, ORT is the largest network with 100,000 students in 205 educational institutions throughout the country, 90% of which are located in the social periphery. A previous grant, led ORT to train mathematics department heads in 20 of its schools. The program, which is now entering its third and final year, is showing positive results. The rate of students graduating with 5-unit mathematics in the first 10 schools that entered the program grew from 10% in 2015 to 15% in 2016. Among the ten additional schools that joined the program in the second year, the rate of 5-unit students has grown from 11% in 2016 to 13% in 2017.

ORT is satisfied with this progress, and with a general rise in achievement across the network, however is concerned with the long-term outlook for mathematics excellence. They note that they need to reinforce their mathematics teaching leadership in schools, but also at the network level, and to ensure that the school principals and management teams support it. Therefore, ORT is proposing a new program, which will operate in 30 schools, and acts on the lessons learned so far. The program will include the following components:

Each year, ten new high schools, which did not previously participate, will join the program for two years, with their mathematics department heads, the principal, the head of pedagogy, the principal of the junior high, and the heads of grades. They will participate in four regional training sessions and a two-day intensive seminar, in which they will learn about data driven management, goal setting and progress indicators for every student in mathematics. They will take part in two days of simulation workshops to drill and observe the work of a mathematics department head and the work of a 5-unit mathematics teacher.
ORT will prepare nine instructional coaches who will mentor the head of pedagogy and the mathematics department head in each of the 30 schools. Over the two years, the teacher leaders will meet for nine in-school encounters and four regional workshops, for support and training while establishing and leading school-based communities of practice for mathematics teachers.

The school-based communities of mathematics teachers will deepen their clinical teaching expertise by learning to use data systems, diagnostic assignments, and to work together to create a supportive learning environment for students. In addition, they will build guidelines and routines, which can be implemented to try to retain students in the advanced level tracks.

ORT has set a growth target for the network to increase the rate of five-unit mathematics graduates from 12% to 16% by 2019. However, each of the thirty schools participating in the program will set their own measurable goals for the program, and will create a roadmap for achieving them. It is expected that the 9 instructional coaches and 30 department heads taking part in the program will be cultivated as the mathematical leadership of the network.

* The text presented above shows the grant as approved by the Foundation Board / Grant 253

Vision & Mission

Advisory Council

Sustainable Infrastructure