Modern Classrooms Project & Credit Recovery
Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Toni Rose Deanon is joined by the St. Paul Public Schools credit recovery team, consisting of Amy, Kara, Renee, and Sierra, to share their innovative approach to alternative education.
They focus on providing flexible, self-paced learning opportunities for students who need to recover credits, emphasizing a shift from traditional teacher-paced instruction. This approach has led to an 84% passing rate in their programs.
Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:
Shifting to Self-Paced Learning: Instead of adhering to a rigid teacher-paced schedule, the team allows students to progress at their own speed, enabling them to balance their studies with other life commitments, such as work or family responsibilities. "We always want to say yes to their learning needs," Amy Steele noted, highlighting their commitment to accessibility.
Collaborative Curriculum Development: The team actively seeks and incorporates feedback from both teachers and students to ensure the curriculum is relevant and effective. For example, they moved away from the purchased curriculum because student feedback indicated it did not reflect their experiences.
Prioritizing Psychological Safety: By establishing clear procedures, predictable routines, and transparent communication, the team creates a safe and supportive learning environment for both students and educators. An example of this is the consistent layout of online courses.
Discussion questions for PLC and PD:
How can we effectively implement self-paced learning models in our classrooms to better accommodate students with diverse needs and circumstances, while still ensuring they achieve mastery of essential standards?
In what ways can we strengthen collaboration with students, colleagues, and other stakeholders to develop and refine curriculum that is both engaging and relevant to our student population?
How can we create a learning environment that prioritizes psychological safety for all students, especially those who may be facing challenges outside of the classroom, and how can we apply these same principles to support our fellow educators?
Our Host
Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that they never had growing up, so they focus on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around them. As a queer Filipinx, they understand just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. They especially love being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.
Our Guests
Amy Steele
Amy Steele is an administrator and educator currently serving as the assistant director of secondary alternative education for Saint Paul Public Schools. She works with a team of educators to offer credit recovery options during the school year and in the summer for rising scholars.
Amy has a history of leading innovative systems change. She is avid about educational equity and enriching learning experiences with student voice, creativity, and technology. Amy strives to foster an appreciation for learning, reflection, and growth by creating a culture of flexible, reciprocal learning partnerships. She leads credit recovery opportunities that use students’ interests to connect concepts and their strengths.
Amy is also an adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas, instructing courses for educators working towards a Minnesota teaching license and Master of Education.
Kara Cisco
Kara has taught social studies in the Twin Cities metro area for nearly two decades. She is a Modern Classroom Project mentor and has been writing curriculum, teaching, and facilitating district coursework for asynchronous, self-paced credit recovery coursework since 2021. Kara is a National Board Certified Teacher and was the 2020 MN Social Studies Teacher of the Year. In addition to her work as a full-time teacher, Kara holds a doctorate in education. Her research focuses on the experiences of white students in ethnic studies as it relates to white racial identity development. She and her family live in Minneapolis.
Renee Swanson
Renee Swanson is a 9-12 Science Credit Recovery TOSA for Saint Paul Public Schools. With 15 years of dedicated teaching experience in the St. Paul community, Renee specializes in credit recovery for Sciences. Focused on student-centered curriculum design, she actively incorporates student feedback and engages in co-design with students as well as district teachers to enhance the credit recovery experience.
Sierra Burris
Sierra Burris is an ELA Credit Recovery TOSA at Saint Paul Public Schools with 14 years of teaching experience, including grades 9-12 English, accelerated courses, and co-taught MLL and SPED English. Currently, she is focused on creating a student-paced curriculum that integrates choice, honors prior knowledge, and aligns with reading, writing, and discourse standards. Sierra is dedicated to developing an engaging and inclusive learning experience.
If you like what you hear in this episode, share it with a friend or subscribe to get updates when new podcasts are published.