Last fall, the New York City Transfer School Common Core Institute (TSCCI), housed in the Office of Postsecondary Readiness at the NYC Department of Education, released a series of monographs detailing strong practices at four of the city’s transfer schools. Transfer schools are small, academically rigorous, full-time high schools designed to re-engage students who have dropped out or who have fallen behind in credits.
These publications trace each school’s journey to pilot, broaden, and refine innovative instructional practices within their model. A resource for educators looking at similar questions and challenges, they provide a robust look at each school’s approach and process, and highlight key resources and artifacts based on each school’s focus. Take a look for:
- Mastery-based grading tools and practices at Bronx Arena High School
- The use of student feedback as a way to drive teaching and learning at Bronx Haven High School
- A structured approach to supporting student persistence, especially in math at North Queens Community High School
- Rigorous academic discussion as a vehicle for higher-order thinking at Metropolitan Diploma Plus High Schools
The four schools listed above have all participated in a learning community convened by the TSCCI aimed at improving student outcomes; these publications detail their work through that program. Launched in 2012, the TSCCI is a unique professional development model that builds the capacity of teachers and schools as they serve students who are overage, under-credited, and have fallen behind in high school in the past. Support through the TSCCI is customized and tailored to individual school participants. Schools are selected through a competitive process that involves identifying clear goals, crafting action plans, and creating teacher and administrator teams to support the work.