---

News Release

Last modified: Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Columbus school cites IU initiative as critical factor in student achievement gains

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 1, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana school with the highest gains in student achievement during 2011-12 acknowledged Instructional Consultation Teams, a school change initiative led by the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning at Indiana University, as a critical factor in its success.

Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams) consist of teachers who have been trained to provide one-on-one support for fellow teachers who are struggling to design instruction that meets the needs of individual students, small groups and/or whole classes.

The Center on Education and Lifelong Learning is Indiana's only licensed IC Teams training center and has worked with more than 50 schools in six Indiana districts to implement the model. The center is part of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University Bloomington.

The Columbus Signature Academy Fodrea Campus, in Columbus, Ind., began training its team during the 2010-11 school year, and the team formally opened for business during 2011-12. Last month, the school was recognized by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett for showing Indiana's highest gains on Indiana's ISTEP-Plus exams in mathematics and English/language arts, an accomplishment all the more notable given that Fodrea previously had received a failing grade from the state.

"Through the IC Teams process, classroom facilitators were able to create instructional matches at the individual, small group and whole-class levels," said Tami Hebert, who facilitates the Instructional Consultation Team at CSA Fodrea. "These matches were then incorporated into our Project Based Learning model, using our Universal Design for Learning framework, to improve instruction and learning."

"Project Based Learning is designed to engage students through topics that are of interest because they chose them," added Fodrea Principal Diane Clancy. "Add to that IC Team strategies that are specifically designed to meet students' learning needs, implemented through small groups within student learning stations and through large-group instruction for the whole class, and you have the formula that has led to success for all CSA Fodrea students. The scores attest to this."

For more information on Instructional Consultation Teams, contact Jim Ansaldo, project coordinator at the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning, at jansaldo@indiana.edu.

The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana's University Center for Excellence on Disabilities, works to increase community capacity in disability through academic instruction, research, dissemination and training, and technical assistance.

The institute receives support from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Indiana University Bloomington, which is dedicated to supporting ongoing faculty research and creative activity, developing new multidisciplinary initiatives and maximizing the potential of faculty to accomplish path-breaking work.

---

---