Greco Middle School, an IB MYP World School  

Academic Integrity Policy  

 

Introduction 

Academic integrity is a partnership of the International Baccalaureate Program, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and Greco Middle School, an IB World School..  Academic integrity is expected of all students, faculty, and families at Greco Middle School.  

The International Baccalaureate Program Academic Integrity Policy aligns with the School District of Hillsborough County (SDHC) district-wide policy for academic honesty and supports the mission and vision of the district and IB Programs. This policy strives to promote personal integrity as well as lend support to a school- and district-wide culture of academic honesty.  

Upholding academic integrity at Greco Middle School means students will complete all assignments and assessments independently, not share answers with others, not allow others to copy their work, not copy responses from others, and not use digital language translators or other tools unless specific permission is granted by the teacher during the assessment. It is Greco Middle School’s policy that students will complete all assessments and in-class assignments without looking at others’ work or using notes or cell phones unless otherwise instructed.   There are, of course, many activities that require collaboration, and those times are communicated to students. 

 

Additionally, students will not gain prior knowledge of the content of a test/quiz from one another by discussing or sharing assessed information before the test.  Using a cell phone for any reason during an assessment is prohibited.  

 

As principled students, it is crucial that we avoid plagiarism and adequately and accurately give credit to others for their work. Students must complete papers, research assignments, and presentations themselves while citing sources and giving proper credit to the authors.  This includes references to materials quoted or paraphrased from any published source, including visual and audio materials on the Internet.   

 

All students are encouraged by this policy to report any cheating or academic misconduct to the teacher immediately.  Marshall Middle Magnet School uses MLA format for citations, beginning with MYP 2 students. MYP 1 students are taught the basics of citing, including examples and non-examples of citing and paraphrasing. MYP 3 students will be expected to use MLA format. 

 

Definitions of Academic Honesty and Misconduct 

Academic Honesty is seen by IB “as a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment.”(IB, 2014 )  IB Programs encourage students to inquire, take action, and critically reflect on what they learn and how it affects their attitudes and behavior.  They should be able to  

• make their thoughts and learning explicit  
• show how they have developed their ideas 
• demonstrate the views they have followed or rejected 

Authentic Authorship: An authentic piece of work based on the student’s individual and original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged. All assignments and assessments use the student’s language, expression, and ideas. 

Intellectual Property: Refers to the creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names, and images used in commerce. 

 

Academic Misconduct includes:  

• Plagiarism- the representation, intentionally or unwittingly, of the ideas of, words, or work of another person without proper, clear, and explicit acknowledgment. 
• Collusion- supporting academic misconduct by another student, as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another. 
• Duplication of Work- the presentation of the same work for different assessment components. 
• Any other behavior that gives an unfair advantage to a student or that affects the result of another student  

 

School & Teacher Responsibilities  

As an MYP school, Greco strives to provide a safe place for students by helping them enhance their integrity, develop their principled and reflective thinking, and learn from their mistakes. Greco partners with parents, community members, mentors, teachers, and student peers to educate children on the ethics and values of academic honesty. 

In compliance with SDHC and the state of Florida’s curriculum guidelines, it is the responsibility of the teachers to provide opportunities for students to produce original work. Teachers, along with media specialists, are also responsible for teaching citation and research procedures, and what constitutes dishonesty or plagiarism.  Teachers will provide instruction in The IB’s Approaches to Learning Skills, such as self-management, social awareness, communication techniques, critical thinking, and ethical research skills to encourage academic integrity. Teachers will not only teach academic integrity but will also model good practice with support from school administrators. 

Family & Community Responsibilities  

Family support of this academic policy will enhance student learning as they strive to produce work that adheres to ethical norms and demonstrates the use of principled, caring, and reflective behaviors. Families should become informed of the expectations of students and support these practices both inside and outside the school building. Community members should take advantage of the expertise and resources of the school media specialist when questions arise about plagiarism, copyright, other ethical issues, and good academic practice for citing sources. Families are encouraged to attend school information sessions to learn about how to support students in citing sources. 

For citation recommendations, please visit https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/domain/1870 and  https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/digitalcitizenship.  

Student Responsibilities    

It is an expectation that all students produce original work and adhere to district, school, and IB MYP policies.   

We use the Learner Profile to help students develop decision-making skills and positive work habits.  We recognize that, with the support of the IB Learner Profile,  

• Students should take responsibility for their own work. 
• Students should produce individual, original work.  
• Students do not copy the work of others or share their work with others in any way unless expressly permitted to collaborate. 
• Through accountable talk and academic citation conventions, students will give credit to other people working in a group. 
• Students cite sources according to agreed-upon, age-appropriate formats.  
• Students use cell phones, information technology, and library resources responsibly and with permission. 
• Students should report violations of the academic integrity policy to the teacher immediately. 

Group Collaboration Guidelines  

While we recognize that learning is a social endeavor, we must have a common understanding of the production of work within a group or partnership.  The following points clarify our expectations for such work: 

• Students are expected to know that the purpose of an assessment, summative or formative, is to show what they know, understand, and can do and must provide their work.  If there is any part of the collaborative project that is unclear, it is the student’s responsibility to seek clarification from the instructor. 
• When students are expected to work together, they must recognize and encourage the contributions of others in the group. Each student’s work should be explicitly acknowledged. 
• No one student should complete the work of the group and try to submit it as a collaborative effort. 
• Each group member takes responsibility for his or her roles/tasks and ensures that the other members of the group understand the task and their responsibilities. 
• When a product is required from a group, the product should represent each member’s contribution, and students should periodically reflect on their roles and contributions. 
• Students will always appropriately give credit to any outside research used to inform their product, using ageappropriate citation formats. 

Consequences  

Consequences for academic dishonesty or malpractice include, but are not limited to,  

• Conference with student; 
• Restorative circle to discuss and repair harm and clarify policies; 
• Phone call to family; 
• Appointment with peer mediation/review board; 
• Resubmission of original work; 
• Discipline referral or behavior tracking notation; 
• Loss of privileges or restrictions from activities or rewards; 
• Further restriction of assessment environment; 
• Separation from peers or removal from activities; 
• Out of school suspension; 
• And/or reduction of conduct grade. Definitions 

The following definitions and examples will enable students to have a clear picture of what is permissible and what is not. SDHC defines cheating as “The act of or the intent to fraudulently deceive.” (Found here: 

https://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/conduct/heading/23/23/#58)  

• Academic Misconduct: An action or attempted action resulting in an unfair advantage. Misconduct includes plagiarism, copying, collusion, duplication of work, falsifying of data, or any other behavior that offers an unfair advantage for a student or that affects the results of another student.  When parents or other adults complete an assignment for a student, it is considered academic dishonesty and is subject to due consequences. 
• Plagiarism- taking the ideas or works of another and summiting it and claiming that he/ she produced it as an original piece of work. Example: performing a piece of music in band class, claiming he/she wrote it when it was written and published by another.  Additionally, copying verbatim, or almost verbatim, from a website or other source, and inserting it into an essay or paper without proper citation is considered plagiarism.  
• Copying- taking the work of another and submitting it as his/her own. Example: taking another student’s work, erasing the name and substituting one’s own name, or transferring someone else’s answers onto a homework or classwork assignment. 
• Cheating –using or sharing answers during a test or assessment. Example:  looking at another student’s answers on a test and copying his/her answer.  Viewing another student’s work during an assessment without specific permission from the teacher is considered cheating. 
• Duplicating- turning in the same assessment for different classes without the permission of the teachers.  

Example:  an assignment that is given by the History teacher to write  paper on the causes of the Civil War, is also turned into the English teacher to satisfy the requirement of writing an informational text without the teachers’ knowledge that the same paper is being used to satisfy two assignments. 

• Falsifying data- purposely changing, subtracting or adding data of a lab report or another source to result in the desired outcome.  Example: making up data to include in a lab report, or changing actual lab report data to fit a desired result. 
• Collusion- helping another to be dishonest by allowing him/her to copy work. Example:  telling another student what was on a test before he/she takes that same test, or sharing data from an experiment, or allowing another student to turn in as his/her own product. 
• Paraphrasing- restating another person’s words using one’s own words.  This is permissible when paraphrasing does not become copying or plagiarizing.  Example: reviewing a magazine article, and restating one of the author’s sentences using the student’s own age-appropriate words.  Students must include the appropriate citation. 
• Summarizing- the process of giving a brief description of another’s main points.  This is permissible when summarizing does not become copying or plagiarizing.  Example: reading an article on a website, and describing, in the student’s own words, the main points the author made. 

Resources  

• The school-wide minimum information required for identifying sources includes the name of the author, date of publication (if available), title of the source, page numbers (if available) and/or paragraph number.  
• Free web-based program to help make sure you are citing sources correctly; this includes text, pictures/photos, songs, and films.            
• Easy Bib: easybib.com  
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/742/2/  •      Son of a Citation Machine: citationmachine.net  

Plagiarism Checker: 

• https://www.check-plagiarism.com 
• Plagiarism Checker | Free Fast Accurate | Quetext   

 

Policy review  

This policy is reviewed every year by the IB Coordinator, media specialist, staff, and community, allowing for input from stakeholders. The coordinator will make adjustments to the policy as needed, ensuring compliance with IBO and SDHC policies.   

 

Sources:  

MYP: From principals into practice. 2014. International Baccalaureate Organization. 

Academic Honesty in the Middle Years Programme. 2014. International Baccalaureate Organization. 

 

Authorship date: January 31, 2020 

Contributing authors & reviewers: Leadership team, media specialist, students, and community. 

Credits: This policy was written in consultation with SDHC’s student code of conduct, IBO’s publications on academic integrity, and multiple samples of policies from other IB MYP schools. 

Most recent review: September 2023 by department leads, media specialist, IBC, HOS, and deputy HOS. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greco Middle Magnet, an IB World School  

Inclusion and Exceptional Education Policy   

Greco Middle Magnet embraces students from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and abilities who may also have unique academic and behavioral needs. We provide strategies, structures, and support for exceptional student education (ESE) needs and for school personnel shepherding our students through their MYP experience.  Through the collaborative IB planning process and reflection, we design engaging, inquiry-based instructional opportunities, which include differentiation for students’ learning needs and styles.    

Our goals as an inclusive and affirming school include offering students as many opportunities to engage in their least restrictive environments (LRE) as possible.  We believe that all students can and should participate as fully as possible in the IB MYP at Greco Middle Magnet. We wish to empower students with as many choices as possible as they transition through middle school, to high school, and beyond.  It is the collective responsibility of all faculty and staff members to support, engage with, include, and affirm all students in encouraging, inviting, and productive ways.  We encourage full student-t0-student social inclusion and affirmation through the intentional highlighting and instruction of the IB Learner Profile characteristics.  

  

Greco’s Mission   

To provide each student with a rigorous and relevant curriculum that fosters excellence in academics and cultivates community-minded, global leaders.   

  

Greco’s Vision   

Preparing students for global success.  

  

Hillsborough County Public Schools District ESE Policy   

“Our goal is to provide continuity of Exceptional Student Education (ESE) services and support in alternative ways during school closures while promoting continued progress and inclusion in the general education curriculum or through access points.  

To support students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP), school districts have been given flexibility in how services and support may be provided. Such flexibility may include the provision of special education and related services using instructional telephone calls, homework packets, Internet-based or virtual lessons and/or therapies, and other available distance-based learning approaches.  

To the greatest extent possible, each student with a disability will be provided with the special education and related services identified in the student’s IEP developed under IDEA, or a plan developed under Section 504. (34CFR §§ 300.101 and 300.201 (IDEA), and 34 CFR § 104.33 (Section 504).  

IEP teams including parents and all appropriate IEP team members will meet utilizing conference calls to conduct annual reviews, revisions, and eligibility staffing. All efforts to meet and communicate with parents, students, and staff will be documented. Data will be maintained regarding student progression and any regression or need for remediation shall be addressed when school reopens.”  

(Source: https://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/departments/38/exceptional-student-education/about/  accessed October 2020)  

  

Student Body and Staff  

As of fall 2023, approximately 25% of our total student population qualifies and receives exceptional education services.  Greco has students who display the following eligibilities:  

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD); Intellectual Disabilities (InD); Language Impairments (LI);  

Speech Impairments (SI); Visual Impairments (VI); Occupational Therapy (OT); Physical Therapy (PT); Other Health Impairment (OHI); Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD); Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) autism spectrum disorders (ASD); and the gifted program.  

The department is maintained by an Exceptional Education (ESE) Specialist.  The ESE Specialist provides support to all school personnel regarding students with disabilities, oversees paperwork compliance, organizes services, and schedules ESE students.  

Teaching Staff: 3 Access teachers (modified curriculum), 4 Varying Exceptionalities (VE) teachers, 1 Behavior Support teacher with an additional vacancy, 1 part time Speech Pathologist, and a full time Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Specialist.  

Support Staff: 5 paraprofessionals to support not only full-time classes but also resource and regular classes.  

Professional Support Staff: 2 Success Coaches, 1 Behavior Specialist, 1 Peer Counseling Teacher, 1 School Psychologist; 2 Social Workers; 2 School Counselors, 1 Community Resource Coordinator, and full-time nursing services.  

  

Continuum of Services  

The following services and classes are available according to the needs of students as indicated on their IEPs:  

1. Consultation Services: This model involves minimal direct contact of ESE services. The ESE teacher is responsible for monthly consultation with the regular education teacher to make sure these students are making adequate progress according to their IEP goals and objectives.  
2. Co-Taught classes: This model incorporates an ESE teacher and a general education teacher planning and delivering instruction together. The ESE teacher and the general education teacher work closely together developing IB MYP unit plans, accessible and challenging curricular materials, differentiation opportunities, and appropriate accommodations. Greco offers co-taught courses in language arts, math, social studies, and science.  
3. ESE Resource Classes: In these resource classes, three Various Exceptionalities (VE) teachers present material in math and language arts to a small group working on foundational skills that can be applied to their general core classes. Accommodations include, but are not limited to adjusted pacing, reduced written work, organizational strategies, strategic grouping, additional instructional time, etc.  In the reading, math, science, language arts, and social studies classes, instruction is presented in a variety of modalities, including data-driven small group instruction.   
4. Access Classes: Greco offers six classes which focus on a modified academic curriculum (Access Point standards) as well as independent and social emotional skills. Students in these classes show a range of challenges from being completely non-verbal to limited verbal skills to verbal but cognitively impaired. The classes aim to present grade level standards to the students in their zone of proximal development (ZPD) while providing the communication support needed to access and conquer the content standards.  

Goals for ESE and General Education Teachers  

1. Partner with families and support service personnel to address students’ academic and social/emotional needs.  
2. As a team, write and implement Individual Education Plans (IEP) that include appropriate accommodations, modifications, and goals/objectives for both ESE and gifted services.  
3. Fully include students receiving exceptional education services in all MYP opportunities, with a specific emphasis on the IB Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning skills.  
4. Greco will provide appropriate testing accommodations and/or testing environments for students with exceptional needs for state and district testing.    
5. Schedule students in the appropriate classes as dictated by the IEPs for both ESE and gifted students.  
6. The team will collaboratively and regularly review and revise students’ IEPs to meet their individual needs.  
7. Maintain accurate records and systematically collect data for progress monitoring.  
8. Conduct, create and implement Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) and Positive Behavior Intervention (PBIS) Plans to support student behavior and progress.  
9. Respect privacy laws and maintain confidentiality.  Only direct support services personnel will have access to student records.  
10. The school psychologist maintains the authority to administer psychological and educational evaluations. The team will collaborate using this data.  

  

Federal Laws: FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education)  

Greco Middle Magnet follows all state and federal laws outlined in IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities  Act.  IDEA requires that public schools develop IEPs for students eligible under both the federal and state eligibility requirements. The IEP is the guideline for the student’s educational program at Greco Middle School. The IEP, designed by the collaborative team, specifies the services required and provided, including the frequency.  It outlines the student’s present levels of performance, develops goals and objectives, and specifies accommodations and/or modifications provided to the student.  

Inclusion of ESE students in the MYP  

Greco Middle Magnet’s MYP holds the student’s needs as its core mission of the program and utilizes the structures and frameworks of the IB Learner Profile. We are a wall-to-wall IB school, which includes all courses, all teachers, and all students.    

We fully include students receiving exceptional education services in all MYP opportunities, with specific emphasis on the IB Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning skills.  In the collaborative planning process, the Approaches to Learning skills guide teachers in reflecting on and identifying learning styles and implementing accommodations for the students requiring ESE services.   

Differentiating instruction is a crucial component of planning and helps us address the diverse needs of our students.     

  

Authorship: IBC and ESE Specialist, reviewed by community members October 2020.  

Most recent review: Fall 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greco Middle Magnet, an IB MYP World School

Assessment Policy

 

General Philosophy of Assessment

 

At Greco Middle Magnet, an IB World School, we aim to support students in their growth as International Baccalaureate learners, following the IB Learner Profile characteristics.  We believe that the function of assessment is to provide academic temperature checks and feedback for growth.  Assessment of learning is assessment for learning.  We aspire to help students grow into independent critical thinkers, not mechanical test-takers.  We strive to provide students with supported learning opportunities, including scaffolding, differentiation, and continuous, timely, actionable feedback.  We strive to offer authentic assessments that reflect the students’ growth over time.  While challenging, we strive to offer assessments that reflect students’ holistic knowledge and skillsets, as well as offer practice with standardized tests considering the current high-stakes data required by our district and the state of Florida.  We strive to use assessment and MYP assessment criteria to inform instructional practices and provide students and families with feedback on growth and achievement.   While Hillsborough County Public Schools has not yet instituted a system-wide standards-based grading initiative, Greco Middle Magnet is currently exploring this as part of the collaborative standardization process of assessment and to provide consistency in grading.  In doing so, we wish to further support the growth mindset, ultimate mastery and retention of content and skills, the Learner Profile characteristics, and the Approaches to Learning skills.

 

Collaborative Practices, Integration, and Communication

 

To inform instructional paths and meet the needs of our students, Greco Middle Magnet uses a variety of ongoing formative and summative assessment strategies.  The faculty consistently reflects on data during collaborative planning sessions and professional learning communities (PLCs), and we scaffold students through self-reflection and data chats.  Formative assessment allows teachers to make instructional decisions and respond to students’ needs to support growth toward summative assessment performance.   

 

Formative assessment occurs through bell work, teacher observations, quick writes, visual learning checks, and exit tickets.  Other assessment strategies include:

• Questionnaires, surveys, and self-reflection based on Learner Profile characteristics and IB Approaches to Learning skills
• Investigations, demonstrations, and labs
• Progress reports and data chats
• Exams, including norm- and criterion-referenced assessments
• Projects, including research
• Modeling and exemplars
• Class discussions, such as Socratic circles
• Small group instruction and scaffolded support
• Performances & presentations- verbal, written, graphic, musical, media-related
• MYP rubrics and peer feedback
• Anecdotal records, including observations
• Checklists for completion, behavior, and skills growth
• Portfolios and journals, including interactive notebooks
• Graphic organizers

 

Feedback on these formative opportunities allows students and teachers to respond to feedback and course correct prior to the summative task.  Formative assessment, or practice, shall minimally impact a student’s course grade.  

 

While formative is an assessment for learning, summative is an assessment of learning.  Greco Middle Magnet uses a variety of district-created common assessments, as well as textbook and teacher-created assessments.  Summative assessments are developed or reviewed in collaborative planning sessions and PLCs, in which we work toward standardization by Looking at Student Work Protocols according to the MYP assessment criteria.  Teachers discuss expectations for summative performance during the planning process, align MYP Statements of Inquiry and Approaches to Learning skills to the IB MYP assessment criteria, and calibrate definitions of command terms and adjectives in the rubrics.  Teachers review data from district baseline assessments, midyear assessments, and district formative assessments.  Students are provided multiple opportunities to revise and resubmit work to show growth.  

 

Greco Middle Magnet uses published MYP assessment criteria for each subject group in addition to the Florida state standards to assess students.  While Hillsborough County Public Schools does not recognize the IB 0-8 nor 0-7 grading scales, each teacher will record students’ scores based on both a traditional percentage and the IB MYP criteria, making the data available to students and families through Canvas Management System.  Canvas will allow teachers to record both a standard percentage grade and a scaled IB score. To satisfy both Hillsborough County Public Schools and IB grading and reporting requirements, teachers use the Hillsborough County grading scale hybridized with the IB’s achievement levels.  For example: 

 

 

IB Achievement Level	Hillsborough County Grade	Hillsborough County Percentage
0	F	50%
1–2	D	= 60% = 66%
3–4	C	3 = 72% 4 = 77%
5–6	B	= 83% = 87%
7–8	A	= 95% = 100%

 

Progress and grades are communicated to all stakeholders through the official Hillsborough County Public Schools progress reports and quarterly report cards, and via Canvas Learning Management System.  Teachers regularly communicate grades and progress with families via email, phone calls, texts, Zoom and in-person conferences, open house during the first quarter, and letters mailed home.

 

At our school, students may experience these assessments:

 

Assessment Name:	Date(s):
I Ready Math	September, December, April
I Ready ELA	September, December, April
Progress Monitoring Math ELA Science Civics	September, December/January
Language Live	September, December, April
Science PMA s	5 throughout the school year
Science PENDA	Throughout school year every two weeks
Common Assessments & Benchmark/Baseline Assessments	Common assessments at the end of units
District formative assessments	Periodically throughout the year
CRDM Life Skills Survey	December/January
Panorama Student Survey	January
WIDA ESOL Assessment	February/March
FAST Writing	April
FAST ELA, Math & End-of-Course Assessments Algebra & Civics	May
Statewide Science Assessment	May

 

At Greco Middle Magnet, we are building a culture of collaboration and reflection.  Subject area teachers collaborate weekly during common planning time to design units using the MYP unit planner.  This process begins with reflection on data used to drive instructional decisions, often collected from the sources listed above.  With facilitation from the MYP Coordinator and Subject Area Leaders (SALs), teachers design concept-driven units that reflect Florida State Standards and MYP assessment criteria.  This planning process includes the reflection on or development of assessments for and of learning.  The standardization process and Looking at Student Work Protocols support the reflective process, which drives the continuous improvement process, or the plan-do-check-act cycle.   Monthly Professional Development focused on MYP standards and practices, with twice-a-month Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings helps us remain focused on student growth and school priorities.

  

Modifying Assessments

 

At Greco Middle Magnet, all students are IB MYP students.  All students, all courses, and all teachers are part of the IB MYP.  Therefore, we support all learners and honor neuro and cultural diversity in many ways.  In addition to in-class differentiation and accommodations, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 plans outline how assessments should be modified for students requiring exceptional support and language accommodations.

 

 

Review

 

This policy is reviewed annually by stakeholders. Please contact the MYP Coordinator with feedback or questions. Authorship date: Spring 2021.  Most recent review: September 2024 by School Leadership Team, IBC, HOS, and deputy HOS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greco Middle Magnet, an IB World School  

Language Policy  

  

Greco’s Mission   

To provide each student with a rigorous and relevant curriculum that fosters excellence in academics and cultivates community-minded, global leaders.   

  

Greco’s Vision   

Preparing students for global success.  

  

Philosophy  

Greco Middle Magnet believes that communication is crucial to understanding global perspectives, our own cultures, and cultures around the world.  We affirm that all teachers are language teachers, and every course carries the responsibility to enhance language development.  Greco teachers are committed to collaboration that enables students to make interdisciplinary connections, highlighting both their mother tongue and second language.  This multidisciplinary approach to language learning supports the development of content knowledge, intercultural understanding, the IB Learner Profile characteristics, and Approaches to Learning skills.  

  

As a unified staff, we encourage our students’ use of Standard American English as situations dictate, and we recognize the varieties of language usage that include slang, jargon, vernacular, and local dialect.  We affirm that these are valid expressions of identity, culture, time, space, and place, and we support the teaching of code switching to enable students to navigate varied audiences and opportunities.  Greco students are expected to strive for a confident level of oral and written proficiency in more than one language, and all placements are made based on Florida standardized assessment scores.   

  

Mother Tongue  

As of May 2024, 20% of Greco students speak a language other than English in their homes. In addition to English, 18 other languages are represented as mother tongues in Greco homes. Because most of our students’ native language is English, it is considered the dominant mother tongue in our school.  English language learning is promoted in all classes and school experiences through:  

• Classroom discussions focused on Learner Profile characteristics and explicit instruction focused on Approaches to Learning skills  
• Current event discussions & historical analysis in social studies and science  
• Interdisciplinary writing tasks o short answer responses on formative and summative assessments o Narrative response (constructed response assessments) to math word problems o Students in grades 6 through 8 participate in a statewide Florida Writing Assessment that counts toward our school’s annual goals  o Journals and interactive notebooks in Language and Literature, Science, Math, and Individuals & Societies  
• Personal written reflections based on:  

o Community, service, and/or project activities o Post-assessment and end-of-quarter self-assessments o Field trips, assemblies, and speakers  

• Note-taking in various forms  
• Scaffolded reading enhancement using common assessments  
• Science lab reports  
• Personal oral responses and reflection in PE  
• Presentations—written and oral—in all classes  
• Student-supported morning news broadcasts  
• Interdisciplinary units that are based on hands-on, thematic service, allowing students to collaborate and strengthen content-based language skills  

   

Language Acquisition  

English Language Support: Greco offers leveled courses for students learning English, based on entry surveys and Florida standardized assessments.  The courses and supports serve to expose students to spoken, aural, and written English while engaging them in collaborative projects, language practice, and textual analysis.  

Reading: Students in 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade take a reading course when scoring below proficiency on statewide reading assessments.  This course uses the assessment criteria of the Language Acquisition course to build a solid foundation in English.  All 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade students are enrolled in a reading course, taught in English, intended to solidify language learning, comprehension, and communication.    

Related Arts: Students in year 1, 2 & 3  are enrolled in Spanish or French as their Language

Acquisition course for the duration of the year on an alternating day schedule.  If their mother tongue is Spanish, their reading course serves as their Language Acquisition course for the English language. 

The purpose of Language Acquisition in Related Arts is to expose students to language and culture.   High School Credit: Language Acquisition, Spanish 1 and French 1 are offered in year 3 to achieve a

proficiency level equivalent to the first-year level of high school study.   Students can opt into these classes and are placed based on their proficiency in Language & Literature classes.  

  

Additional Information  

Mother-tongue Development: Because of the high incidence of non-native English-speaking students at Greco, we have two instructors for English Language Learners, who are responsible for the language instruction of approximately 20% of our school’s total population. In addition, the district offers translators, bi-lingual publications, and homework help in many languages. Grades are available in a variety of languages as needed.  

 Professional Development: All teachers participate in ongoing professional development with our school’s instructional coach centered on language development—specifically, interdisciplinary writing in response to informational texts and text-based planning.  Various similar opportunities are available to all teachers throughout the district, as well. In addition, Greco has focused on several different resources for effective teaching in all subject areas.  

Parent Involvement:  We involve and communicate with parents in many ways. These practices include on-demand access to grades on Canvas, parent conferences about student data, feedback on students’ assessments, report cards, mid-nine-week progress reports, and additional progress reports for students receiving exceptional education services. Such communication keeps a strong focus on parental participation in student language development.    

Media Center: The Greco Media Center is an award-winning presence on our campus.  Not only is our library organized by genre to support students’ interests in reading, but it is also the hub for our maker space, robotics, coding, and other technology.  The Greco Media Specialist plans teachers to support all language learners engaging in a variety of inquiries and activities.  

  

Authorship: IBC and Greco faculty, reviewed by community members Spring 2021. Most recent review: Fall 2023