"How do you figure out what a word means if you don't know it?" the teacher asks. In Holland Snider's first-grade class, students sit on the carpet for a lesson on "inferring." The reason that number is below the 10 percent of special-education students typically found in California schools, administrators said, is because the individualized instruction in Rocketship's regular program helps kids keep up.Ī focus on data, and minding the gap At Rocketship's newest campus, young teachers, students learn together Students in all grades are tested each fall and spring through the Northwest Evaluation Association, a nonprofit that says it tries to foster a school "culture that values and uses data to improve instruction and student learning."Īdditionally, second- through fifth-graders take California's STAR test each year, whose results can be compared with those of other schools.įive percent of Rocketship students receive special-education services - 60 percent of them for speech or language impairment, 33 percent for a specific learning disability, 3 percent for emotional disturbance and 3 percent for autism. Teachers can see live data from any student at any point, and kids are assessed every eight weeks for feedback to parents and teachers. Young teachers can aspire to be principals by the time they're 30 if they participate in Rocketship's Network Leadership Program, providing a pipeline of talent to start up new schools.Īnother key feature of Rocketship schools are "Learning Labs," containing banks of computers at which each child spends at least 70 minutes a day in self-paced, individualized instruction in basic math and literacy skills. Rocketship schools rely on young teachers and administrators - many, like Chang, alumni of the Teach for America program - to staff its growing network of campuses, projected to increase to more than two dozen in San Jose in the next few years. Teachers also get real-time coaching from mentors such as Chang, who use video and earpieces to improve classroom practices. I was always stuck inside my own classroom, and it was really helpful to have another set of eyes in the room, someone who knew the kids and was invested in me as a professional." "When I was a teacher, my principal was my coach and did the same thing with me. 29, is the fifth of Rocketship Education's five charter schools in San Jose - so new it has yet to log any standardized test data with the California Department of Education.īut if it's anything like its sister campuses, the oldest of which opened in 2007, its students will significantly outperform children who are similarly low-income and English learning on the upcoming California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test.Ĭlassrooms in Discovery's two-story building look much like those in any elementary school, but wall displays heavily emphasize phonics. Today it houses 423 children who are heading into spring semester led by a staff of young teachers and administrators, armed with data and a passion to close the achievement gap.ĭiscovery Prep, which opened Aug. Highway 101 and McKee Road in San Jose a year ago. The new campus of Rocketship Discovery Prep wasn't much more than a vacant lot near U.S. Photo by Veronica Weber/Palo Alto Online. Students from Rocketship schools significantly outperform other children from similar low-income, English-learning backgrounds on standardized testing. Furthermore, Operations Specialists are responsible for ensuring that students maintain culturally appropriate behavior in all operational activities.Īrrange set-up and clean-up for all food items, supplies, equipment, food preparation and serving areasĬollect payment for food items for students and staff as needed (e.g.Melissa Quintos leads her class at Los Suenos Academy. This position is responsible for ensuring that the day-to-day operations of lunch, recess, and arrival/dismissal at the school site run safely and smoothly. Operations Specialists will work under the direction and supervision of the school site Business Operations Manager.
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