SUSTAINABLE LEARNING PROJECT

NAMES: KUGAHNAESEN M.MANOGARAN LUTFI AFIQ B. ROSLI SCHOOL: LDO: Context: School is considered semi urban although it is located within a 5km radius of Malaysias most developed towns. The socioeconomic status of the local community is generally below the national average. Literacy and numeracy skills are quite weak and this is corroborated by performance in public examinations as the school has generally underperformed when compared to district average. Only a handful of students proceed to tertiary education post SPM. Many choose to join the workforce. Over the last 5 years, only slightly more than 1 out of 2 students have passed their SPM Mathematics (45% - 65% pass rate). Similarly, 20%-30% of students have been failing their Science and English. To sum it up, many students are leaving school without adequate skills to survive in the labour force. Hence, creating a vicious cycle that affirms the status quo on the socioeconomic fate of the area as a whole. Problem Statement: Students lack aspiration and guidance to pursue post-secondary studies. Students lack adequate literacy and numeracy skills that will them contribute to the nations journey towards the status as a developed nation with a globally competitive work force. Vision: To foster a culture of learning which will ultimately change the socioeconomic fortunes of the local community, in particular, % of students pursuing tertiary education, increased ratio of white collared workers to blue collared workers and most importantly, reduce the crime rate. Project Goals: 1. To run an English, Mathematics & Science after school remedial program for upper secondary students. Remediation will focus on individualised lesson plans according to students current level of knowledge and is expected to get them at the level they are expected to be. 2. To run an English, Mathematics & Science after school enrichment program for upper secondary students. Enrichment will be for high achieving students to strive for excellence and attain the best possible results. (A+ targets) 3. To run a mentoring program for Form 5 students, that inspires them to further their education, guiding them towards suitable courses (tertiary institutions) and equipping them with necessary skills deemed valuable by employers. SMK PUCHONG SHANNON LEE SCOTT

4. To run a joint-venture literacy program for lower secondary students with Scholastic & Mindquest. Primary objective would be to target struggling and emerging readers to read at the basic level before guiding them towards their age appropriate levels.

Project Implementation
4-May29-May23-Jun 18-Jul 12-Aug 6-Sep 1-Oct 26-Oct20-Nov15-Dec 9-Jan Paperwork for Internal Project Proposal (School) Improvisation of Project Proposal Paper Promoting Project to Students & Parents Stakeholder Meeting (Strategy Explanation) Implementation of Project Strategic Discussions on Phase 2

Project Outcomes: 1. Upper Secondary Students with grades B and above in English, Mathematics & Science will achieve at least 10% higher marks or A+ grade. 2. Upper Secondary Students with grades C+ and above in English, Mathematics & Science will achieve at least 15% higher marks. 3. All Upper Secondary Students will further their education post SPM and have career goals / aspirations. 4. All Upper Secondary Students will leave schools with soft skills deemed a necessity by employers such as teamwork and presenting. 5. All Lower Secondary Students will improve their Lexile Scores by a minimum of 300 points. No student should be illiterate or a struggling reader at the end of the first year of the programme. Project Activities: A) Upper Secondary i) Tutoring Volunteers consisting of school teachers, alumni, university students and young corporates will monitor and guide when needed as students attempt their weekly modules in English, Mathematics & Science. Modules are prepared by the respective subject departments and will either be in remediation or enrichment form depending on student ability. ii) Mentoring Volunteers consisting of alumni, university students and young corporates will each mentor 2-4 students. Mentoring session begins once students have completed their academic tasks (modules). A brief explanation of the mentoring program is that it involves goal setting, aspiration building and skills enhancement. A more detailed explanation along with milestones to be achieved over the year is available in the Mentoring Rubric.

B)

Lower Secondary: Scholastic Literacy Program 100 struggling emerging and struggling readers will be immersed into Scholastics pedagogy on literacy learning. Program includes students attempting online diagnostics and summatives, teachers attending pedagogical training and students engaging with stimuli provided by Scholastic. Program involves a minimum 4 hour commitment weekly and will be run during school hours and after school hours.

Project Input: Time of volunteers (pro-bono service), Printing Material (for modules) & Healthy Snacks / Drinks. Project Justification: Looking at the academic achievement of the school for the past 5 years, it is evident that many students are leaving school ill equipped for their future. Similarly, based on the interviews done for the school profiling tool, the mode in terms of parents jobs was lorry or taxi drivers with a very small proportion of the parents in white collared professions. The average household earned relatively low when compared to surrounding regions, in particular Putrajaya & Subang Jaya. Furthermore, students are unaware of the many tertiary education opportunities and thus, have very low aspirations. Many do not chase scholarships as they lack self-esteem on being able to ace the examinations. On the other end of the spectrum, there has been a lack of guidance for technically gifted students to accentuate and specialise on their gifts. Of course, an amalgamation of these factors has made the area notorious for crime. A lack of opportunities due to a lack of skills has ultimately led to a life in crime. Should socioeconomic conditions improve, generally the crime rate will be expected to reduce. But certainly, this is not about giving handouts, but instead a hand up in life and that is the primary rationale behind the project. Via this project, as explained in the goals section, fostering a culture of learning is most likely the catalyst that reshapes the socioeconomic landscapes of the the local community, in particular, % of students pursuing tertiary education, increased ratio of white collared workers to blue collared workers and most importantly, reduce the crime rate.

COMMUNICATIONS AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN: Upper Secondary Program

As we are teaching three to four Form 5 classes, we will generally promote the project to our students and then, extend it to other students especially those from the top classes that we do not teach. Phase 1 of the project was from June 2012 October 2012 with 40 participants (then, Form 4) who will be in Form 5 (2013). We expect these students to remain in the project and a vast majority have expressed interest to continue being a part buoyed by the success that they have achieved in a short amount of time. The project has also been given the green light and full support by the schools administration for a similar reason and also with an aim of replicating the mentioned success on a larger scale, Promotions will be also done during PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meetings to get more students and parents involved. Module preparation tasks have already been delegated to the respective subject departments. There are sufficient modules for the first three months of Phase 2 (from Phase 1). Modules will be prepared throughout the academic year to cater to students needs.

Program will be scheduled bi-weekly (3 hours per session) as in Phase 1 except now, one of the sessions is on Saturdays 2 pm 5pm mainly for the ease of mentors. Students will all learn in small groups (heterogenous and homogenous) with the aid of a tutor/mentor. Saturday classes will be postponed to Sundays on weeks when there are clashes with school events. Volunteer recruitment will be done throughout the year via circulation of material, personal contacts and school alumni. However, a core group of 10 mentors will be established before Phase 2 Commences in the middle of January 2013. Volunteer pack will be the primary instrument to attract volunteers and increase awareness while strategy of recruiting personal contacts will also be done concurrently. A referral system will be used to reach out to potential volunteers. Volunteer schedule will be prepared online as volunteers can sign up for tutoring session whereas mentors must state at least a fortnight beforehand regarding the weeks that they will be attending. Supply side of volunteers will also be coordinated by external recruiters who will touch base with the Schools Project Coordinator.

Lower Secondary Program Students will be separated into four classes of around 25 pupils per class as per the SET already in place in school. This solves the logistical issues involving student grouping during school hours, but the program also extends beyond school hours. A possible strategy is to attract the students to come earlier to school with lunch provided if they participated in the program. Hopefully, funds can be obtained for the financing of all expenses involved in this project. At least 4 teachers will be given pedagogical training by Scholastic, and these teachers will be selected by the English Language Department. All levels of administrators from the Principal, Senior Assistant, Languages Division Head & English Department Head have given their consent and commitment for the project. The only bottleneck for the implementation of this part of the project is the availability of funds as the school cannot afford the materials, training and even the lunch costs. TOP 3 DANGERS/MITIGATION AND SLIPPAGE 1. 2. 3. Lack of Funds (refer attached costs for both Upper & Lower Secondary Programs) Volunteer Support & Management (Insufficient Committed Volunteers) Student Attendance

KEY PERFROMANCE INDICATORS: 1. 2. 3. 4. Students achievements in Examinations (Monthly, Mid-Year, Trials & SPM) Student & Volunteer Attendance Student Lexile Scores Curriculum Vitae & Soft Skills demonstrated by students (aspiration element)

SUSTAINABILITY: School has agreed on making the project an annual part of the long term strategic plans should the success continue in 2013 as 2012. Potential successors to replace the fellows as Project Coordinators from within the school have been discussed by the School Administration. Alumni will be joint coordinators to facilitate project and recruit volunteers. Parents will also be approached to volunteer themselves, recruit volunteers and act as chaperones during the project. Modules for the English, Mathematics & Science will be readily available for years to come as they have been prepared during Phase 1 & 2. Only if new subjects were added, then a whole set of modules need to be prepared, but this is a task that the respective Subject Department willingly undertakes when they become a part of the project.