Running head: Current Reality 1

Current Reality: The Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology

Susan Kohanek

Kennesaw State University

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Part A: Professional Learning Current Reality

School Description

The Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology (GSMST) is a public STEM

(Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology) school located in Lawrenceville, Georgia. It is

part of the Gwinnett County school system. GSMST began as a charter school in 2007, but when

the ten-year charter ended, GSMST became a special school. This transition from charter school

to special school allowed GSMST to institute an algebra requirement for incoming freshmen.

GSMST accepts incoming freshmen based on a lottery. Students may choose to leave during the

course of their high school career, but only 9th grade students are admitted.

GSMST is a 1:1 technology school. All students are issued laptops during their freshman

year. If students wish, they may bring their own devices instead of relying on the school-issued

laptops. All classrooms are equipped with SMART boards, projectors, document cameras, and

wireless internet. All students and faculty have Google accounts with access to Google

Classroom as well as standard Google tools such as Sites, Slides, and Docs. All students and

faculty are provided Google Mail with the gsmst.org domain name. All teachers and students are

expected to use Gwinnett County’e eClass tool. eClass replaced Desire2Learn (D2L) as the

online teaching and learning program for Gwinnett County five years ago. eClass operates

similarly to D2L with spaces for Content, News, Assignments, Discussions, and Assessments.

eClass also connects to the teacher’s Google Drive account. Gwinnett County tracks teacher use

of eClass and provides principals with updates and numeric breakdowns of each teacher’s

presence in eClass (number of logins, number of days, number of hours). This information helps

teachers more effectively utilize eClass, especially for occasions such as Digital Learning Days.

Vision
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GSMST’s Local School Plan for School Improvement for the 2017-2018 year does not

directly address technology. However, according to IV Bray, the principal, within each Long-

Term Goal, the appropriate professional learning goals are also identified and included (personal

communication, January 2018). The vision is for all professional learning to connect to the Local

School Improvement Plan. Because GSMST is a 1:1 technology school, the vision has an

unwritten expectation for the inclusion of technology to aid and assist teachers and students in

meeting or exceeding the outlined school improvement goals.

According to GSMST’s 2017-2018 School Improvement Plan, the first long-term goal of

GSMST is to continue “to be a world-class school which is recognized in Georgia and across the

nation for sustained excellence. GSMST students will consistently lead Gwinnett County High

Schools in reaching exemplary achievement results, graduation rates, college placements, and

overall measures of school quality.” The second long- term goal is that “GSMST will

continuously seize upon improvement opportunities in all academic, curricular, managerial, and

operational areas. Student achievement results from global, national, state, and local assessments

and evaluations will be continuously analyzed and vetted for annual and targeted improvement

efforts across all grade levels and departments.” Finally, the third long-term goal states that

“GSMST is a very high performance environment where a unique culture of inclusiveness and

collegiality foster innovative thought for students and educators alike. The growth and

refinement of signature programs (e.g. Internships) along with a growing alumni base whose

ongoing connection to GSMST will be fostered and encouraged will serve as incubation centers

for maintaining a culture of high performance excellence in a specialty school with an

accelerated STEM-centered curriculum” (GSMST School Improvement Plan, 2017).

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GSMST is considered a lab school in Gwinnett County. This means that GSMST

implements new ideas and training as preparation for all of the schools in the county to then

convert to the new ideas and training. One example is Digital Learning Days. GSMST has been

conducting Digital Learning Days for five years, scheduled on days that students do not have

access to afternoon school transportation due to elementary and middle school early release

schedules throughout the county. This year (2018), Gwinnett County implemented Digital

Learning Days for the entire county as a response to inclement weather.

In addition to being a lab school for the county’s other schools, GSMST is also in the

process of becoming a lab school for professional development. GSMST has a three to five-year

plan to become the professional development lab school for the county. One goal of the plan is to

create a professional learning library and workspace within the school where teachers may read,

study, and collaborate toward professional learning.

Teachers and students are expected to use technology appropriately and ethically.

Technology is expected to be embedded within teaching and learning throughout the school on a

daily basis. Technology is used to enhance and further student learning. However, with the

emphasis on the new tools and technology that have been rolled out this year, little emphasis has

been placed on other technology tools. Consequently, many teachers are self-taught. For

example, the teachers who use Google Classroom haven’t received any formal training in that

area. Teachers spend much of their time away from school (nights, weekends, and breaks) for

personalized technology professional development. Teachers research, speak to other teachers

throughout the country, and read as much as possible in order to become more technologically

savvy. Word-of-mouth is also how teachers learn to use technology. For example, one teacher
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uses Socrative and Commonlit.org. She shares these tools with other teachers, and these teachers

learn to implement these tools as well.

Overall, the school has a Local School Improvement Plan that directly addresses student

achievement and an environment of inclusiveness. Each long term and annual goal has

professional learning goals embedded within them. The school is focusing on technology for its

professional development this school year (2017-2018) and hopes to become a lab school in the

county for professional development. There is not a clear, detailed plan for technology’s role in

teaching and learning at GSMST because it is understood by the administration, the teachers, and

the students that technology is used on a daily basis to support student engagement and

achievement. The administration does not dictate how and when teachers use technology because

it is a daily expectation.

Needs Assessment

There is no formal Needs Assessment that occurs for the teachers at GSMST. The

principal and the assistant principal in charge of professional learning meet at the end of each

school year to discuss the professional development needs of the faculty. Each year has a theme.

The theme for the 2016-2017 school year was Horizontal Planning. The theme for this year

(2017-2018) is Technology, and the theme for next year is Feedback. The theme for this year

was determined because of the new technology that was being implemented throughout the

school and the county. Teachers and students all received new laptops equipped with Windows

10. Gwinnett County adopted a new tool for gradebooks called Synergy, and much of the

professional learning for the year has been focused on the new gradebook. The other identified

area of need is teacher training for using eClass. Gwinnett County monitors teacher use of eClass

(including number of logins, number of days logged in, and number of minutes logged in).
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GSMST hopes to increase teacher use of eClass, especially on Digital Learning Days (which

were implemented five years ago). Mr. Bray identified that on the next professional learning day,

February 19, teachers will be in approximately six hours of professional development for

technology, focusing on eClass and Synergy (personal communication, January 2018).

Professional Learning

Professional learning for the 2017-2018 school year is offered during scheduled planning

days such as preplanning. Additionally, every 3rd Monday of each month is designated as a

Professional Learning Day. After school ends, teachers meet in learning teams or as a faculty for

approximately one hour of professional development (usually connected to Synery and eClass).

There is no teacher choice for the professional learning, and the topics are decided by the

administration based on the perceived need.

Other types of professional development that have been offered include book studies and

learning teams. For example, beginning in the spring of 2016, Mr. Bray led a book study based

on Thanks for the Feedback, by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. The study lasted through the

fall of 2016. Participation in the book study was voluntary, and approximately 15 teachers

participated.

In Gwinnett County, each school has a technology team comprised of the Local School

Technology Coordinator (LSTC), the media specialist, and the technology support technician

(TST). GSMST’s LSTC leads the professional learning on Synergy and eClass. She provides

one-on-one coaching and assistance to teachers who request her help. GSMST’s media specialist

oversees Google within the school. Teachers frequently ask him for help with Google

Classroom, Google Sites, and other Google tools.

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GSMST wants to avoid burdening teachers with unnecessary and unwanted professional

development which is why the principal and assistant principal identify the needs and then

streamline instruction to meet those needs. The administration strives to provide teachers with

quality planning and collaboration time away from formal professional development. Because

the school environment is so rigorous, teachers are expected to maintain that same rigor in their

own instruction and planning. Formal and informal classroom observations allow the

administrators to identify the teachers who need additional support with technology and

instruction.

In addition to the required professional development, teachers are encouraged to

participate in online professional development opportunities offered by the county as well as

through the eClass Self-Directed Training page. Although many teachers do not participate in the

county-offered opportunities, the self-directed page is helpful when specific questions arise. The

LSTC places materials in the training page to help teachers with specific skill sets such as how to

set up discussion groups in eClass. The teacher can access the eClass page, navigate to Content,

and quickly locate the necessary documents and instructions. If there are additional questions,

the LSTC is always available to help.

GSMST has two teachers who also serve as Instructional Coaches. The teachers spend

half their day with their students, and they spend the other half of the day coaching teachers at

GSMST as well as teachers throughout the county. For example, one of the coaches meets with

the 9th Grade Language Arts teachers to facilitate their cooperative planning time. Both coaches

travel to other schools in the county based on need and request from other teachers and

administrators.
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Learning Forward: The Professional Learning Association states “the primary goals for

professional learning are changes in educator practice and increases in student learning”

(“Implementation”, 2017). At GSMST, there are no formal follow-up strategies to address the

implementation of professional development. The culture of professionalism and rigor at

GSMST expects all teachers to implement professional learning in order to effect change in

educator practice as well as increase student learning. Classroom observations and monitoring of

eClass and Synergy allow the administration to know what teachers are doing well and what they

need to improve.

Alignment to School Improvement Goals

The student goals as identified in the Local School Improvement Plan focus on student

achievement and the local school environment and culture. The professional development for the

year focuses on helping teachers become more proficient with Windows 10, the Synergy

gradebook, and eClass. There is no formal alignment between technology professional

development and the school improvement goals. However, as Mr. Bray described the alignment,

each school improvement goal has embedded professional learning goals even though they are

not technology-specific (personal communication, January 2018).

Funding and Incentives

All of the professional development at GSMST is funded locally. The school has an

allotted amount of funds to use at the administration’s discretion for professional development,

but the exact amount was not provided. Occasionally, incentives are offered such as a small

stipend for the book study, Thanks for the Feedback.

According to Mr. Bray, the culture and climate of GSMST leads teachers to participate in

professional development (personal communication, January 2018). Teachers are self-aware and
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motivated, leading them to participate in the professional learning areas they deem useful and

practical for their own classroom practices.

Diversity

GSMST has a diverse student body. Based on the 2016-2017 school accountability

report, the school is approximately 20% white, 44% Asian, 23% Black/African American, 10%

Hispanic or Latino, and 3% multiracial. The free and reduced lunch rate is 35%. The special

education and ESOL populations are 1% each (GSMST 2016-2017 Accountability Report,

2017).

GSMST does not offer professional learning that directly addresses the cultural and

socioeconomic needs of the students. Because GSMST is predominantly minority, it is expected

that all faculty will be sensitive to this. However, some students and teachers report that this is

not always the case. It would be beneficial to offer professional development that addresses the

diversity of the student body, but this is currently not in the professional development plan.

Collaboration

According to Knight (2007), “Collaboration is…critical because it is in collaboration that

the partnership relationship comes alive” (p. 28). Certain subjects at GSMST offer teachers

shared planning time with an instructional coach. For example, the 9th grade Language Arts

teachers teach five periods per day out of a seven-period day. One period is allowed for personal

planning time, but the other period is for collaborative planning time. The three 9th grade

Language Arts teachers meet with an instructional coach to work on lesson plans and strategies

for their students. They recently attended a workshop on standards-based grading and are

currently implementing this assessment approach in their classes. This is especially important in
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the 9th grade year as this is when GSMST experiences the highest percentages of students who

transfer out of the school, usually because of the workload, academic rigor, and grades.

Other departments and subjects have the same type of planning. The AP Biology teachers

share a planning period for collaboration. The AP Calculus teachers do as well. The main issue is

that this isn’t an option for all teachers, mainly due to scheduling impracticalities.

Upon request, teachers can receive an in-service day for shared planning. For example,

the American Literature and American History and Government teachers would like to plan units

for the American Studies program. Because of the lack of shared planning time, an in-service

day would meet this need; however, most teachers are averse to missing instructional time with

their students, leaving summer as the best option for this type of professional collaboration.

Evaluation

There is no formal evaluation for the impact of professional learning on student practice.

However, according to Mr. Bray, student achievement serves as an evaluation tool. The

Gwinnett County Gateway Assessments, the State of Georgia Milestones Assessments,

GSMST’s CCRPI score, and GSMST’s graduation rate all serve as indicators of the success of

the impact of professional learning (personal communication, January 2018). Additionally, since

the county and the school track teacher use of eClass and Synergy, impact is also evaluated

through that data. Finally, formal and informal observations allow administrators to collect

evidence about how professional learning is (or is not) impacting classroom practice.
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References

Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology: 2016-2017 Accountability Report (2017).

Lawrenceville, Georgia: Gwinnett County Public Schools.

Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology: Local School Improvement Plan 2017-2018.

(2017). Lawrenceville, Georgia: Gwinnett County Public Schools.

“Implementation.” (2017). Learning forward: The professional learning association. Retrieved

from https://learningforward.org/standards/implementation.

Knight, J. (2007). Instructional coaching: A partnership approach to improving instruction.

Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.