Thompson School district

Conrad Ball Middle School

Classes within Conrad Ball

Presented to: Kendra Vair

As part of the Requirements for EDUC 350
Respectfully presented by:
Ronald W Gentry

In Reviewing Thompson School District, Conrad Ball Middle School, and the two classes
that I attend in the school, social studies and science I can tell this is an innovative district and
school with dedicated and hardworking teachers. With such exciting programs as Choice
Programs, School to Work Alliance Program, the College Now Program, Thompson School
District has a host of attractive options for students. As part of the Choice Program, Conrad Ball
Middle School is one of a handful of breakthrough schools for Next Generation Learning. The
1:1 I Pad to student and teacher ratio helps to ensure this model works. Following the schools
area of focus each classroom is using the competency based program in their content areas.
Thompson School district is centered in and caters to the Loveland, Colorado area. It is
the 17 largest school district in the state serving 16,043 students ranging from pre K to 12th
grade. The district is the largest employer in the Loveland/Berthoud area. It encompasses 362
Square miles in primarily Larimer County and its student population is comprised of 74.5
percent white, 20.1 percent Hispanic, 1.2 percent Asian, 1 percent Black or African American,
0.5 percent American Indian, 2.5 percent two or more races and 0.1 percent native Hawaiian or
other Pacific Islander.
th

The district has several exciting programs including the Choice Program where students
can channel their interests in specific target areas such as STEM, Early College Credit
/Concurrent Enrollment, School of the Arts, Leadership Training, The international
Baccalaureates Program, Next Generation Learning, Health and Wellness, Global Learning, or
Dual Language Immersion. These choices are offered to K-12 students. The district is indeed
following its mission statement: empower to learn, challenge to achieve, and inspire to excel.
As part of the districts commitment to excellence each graduate from the Thompson Schools will
be able to attend a 4-year public college that has been built in to the graduation requirements.
Furthermore, and closer to my vocational instructors heart the district has several
programs tailored to allow students to gain skills and competencies to enter the work force after
graduation. Thompson School District is to be commended for recognizing not all of its student
population is interested in being in a college track program. Students are given tailored
instruction in their chosen field and leave the school with real world marketable skills.
In addition, the College Now Program is a fantastic program allowing students who are
performing at higher levels to obtain college credit for their efforts. This results in significant
savings to the student as those credits are paid in a partnership between the school and issuing
institution. By giving students a greater incentive in their studies and a head start on their peers
this is truly an amazing program for those who take advantage of it.
Moving to Conrad Ball Middle School it is easy to see why the faculty are so proud of
what they are accomplishing. As one of only 6 breakthrough schools in the Colorado
Educational Initiative Program the school is retooling with technology, redefining what the
classroom looks like and how it functions. Using a competency based and standards driven
model the school is even changing how traditional report cards are generated and interpreted.

Conrad Ball has taken a bold, innovative approach to the age old problem of text books.
There are several problems with traditional text books. One, they are often outdated by the time
the school starts using them. Two, they are one dimensional in satisfying the various learning
styles. Three, they are expensive, bulky, and often times when damaged their usefulness is lost.
The school with help from the Erion Foundation has taken a step forward in this area. They have
cast off the constraints that are inherent with text books and have opted instead to use an
electronic platform. The school utilizes a 1:1 ratio of I-Pad tablets to more effectively cover the
short comings of text books and reach students where they are. Coupled with Schoology,
they are taking the classroom into the 21st century with skills that todays learner will need to be
successful in tomorrows work place. I am truly hopeful that this innovative approach is
revolutionary to the Colorado classroom with other districts following suit.
Moreover, the schools approach to competency based and standards driven instruction
along with its grading system is a breath of fresh air for me. 20 years ago when I started
teaching these were very new ideas that had been placed upon teachers. We were not sure of
how to incorporate these changes. Not only were we not sure nor was the teacher preparation
program at Colorado State University. It is exciting to me to see how this has evolved and how
talented people in the business of education have taken what once was a vision and made it a
truly working model to be proud of. The concepts of rubrics have replaced letter grades and are
a more accurate reflection of a students progress. These better allow a teacher to communicate
to students and parents about performance and more importantly understanding.
Also of great importance soft skills are woven into the fabric as expectations at Conrad
Ball Middle school. What is even more outstanding is that those soft skills are recognized,
nurtured and further developed. The simple concept of allowing a student to learn from their
mistakes and then give them the opportunity to build from it gives the student the confidence
needed to develop grit and determination. The knowledge that if I work hard and try my best I
will be rewarded for my efforts allows that student to develop these skills in a safe environment.
The 8 principles of Standards based instruction are easy to spot in the classroom as well as how
those standards are shared with the students, parents and community.
Observing and working in the classrooms of Conrad Ball Middle school along with the
guidance of our instructor Kendra Vair I am getting the chance to see these innovations at work.
In my science and social studies classes we start the day with a do it now problem. These
problems often build on previous lessons and allow the students to refresh their minds and return
to the subject at hand with several quiet minutes of demonstrating and applying what they have
learned. The Do it nows are reviewed and discussed in an open forum with the class sharing
their results with the teacher. This is a great way for not only the instructor to get a better feel for
how the students received and implemented the previous lessons but also a chance for the
students to learn from each other. If the instructor feels that parts of the lesson were not well
received this is his chance to further reinforce understanding on a whole class or individual basis.
Following the do it now exercise in my science class we do something that I find truly
remarkable and a refreshing break from the way traditional science classes were taught. The
teacher performs an experiment in front of the students and then the class discusses and

hypothesis why the demonstration went the way it did. The teacher helps to guide the
conversation in the direction he wants it to go in by asking targeted questions that influence the
course of the conversation. In the traditional model of teaching science first we learned about
the process and then we did the experiment. Often times the learning about the process was lost
due to a lack of motivation. In reversing the order, the experiment is the hook that gets kids
excited about what they are preparing to learn. As someone who was placed in the box for the
greater portion of his education it is exciting for me to see this out of the box thinking and has
gotten my creative juices flowing.
Along with exciting new ways to teach classes, Conrad Ball is instituting innovative ways
of managing the classroom. The classroom space itself is being changed to help foster learning.
Traditional desks and chairs are being replaced with bean bags and benches. In classes that still
utilize traditional desks they are no longer in boring rows facing the front of the room.
Restructuring and reorienting the furniture is also helping to foster a student centered model. In
addition to rearranging furniture basic management techniques are evolving at Conrad Ball.
Love and logic, STAR/SLANT, and one rule are examples that are helping students to feel more
in control of their surroundings. By allowing students to feel that they are being more trusted by
their teachers to make decisions for themselves we are giving students ownership, confidence,
and pride. These factors can go a long way in helping a students mind set when approaching
learning.
Although I could fill several more pages with the things I have experienced at Conrad
Ball I am going to close here with some of my thoughts. I am truly grateful to have this
experience in what is obviously a top notch and innovative school. I am so thankful to be shown
new ways of thinking and teaching that have a greater and more beneficial impact on my
students. After all is said and done we are in the business of helping our students to achieve all
that they are capable of, and thats a remarkable amount. The challenge is how do we help
students to discover what their capabilities are? I think that Thompson School District is on the
right path to unlocking this question and I am proud to be here and take what I can from these
great educators.