About
School Overview:
Greater Lawrence Technical School is one of 26 regional vocational and technical high schools in Massachusetts. It serves the four communities of Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover and is in Andover. During the 2015-16 school year, GLTS enrolled over 1400 students. This made it the 6th largest regional vocational school in Massachusetts.
Enrollment Stats:
- 1,591 students in Grades 9-12
- 83% Hispanic, 14% White
- 71% High Needs Students
www.glts.net
RBT Services
RBT Courses and Consultation
- SST course for all new teachers and some veteran teachers
- ATSR course for all administrators
- FAR (Formative Assessment for Results) course for some administrators and teachers
- Consultation to support implementation of teacher evaluation system
- Consultation around team-building to school leadership team
Assessment of Services
- 100% of administrators agreed that strategies and practices from the ATSR course were immediately relevant to their work
- 94% of teachers agreed that the SST course provided a common language and concepts for discussing curriculum and instruction
- 97% of administrators and teachers gave a positive rating to the quality of RBT courses
- Administrators and teacher characterized SST course as equally appropriate for academic and vocational teachers
What Greater Lawrence Staff Said About RBT
- “As a result of the RBT courses, many more students in this school became proficient on the state tests.”
- “The ATSR course was rock-solid, practical, and very useful. It hit most of the key moves that supervisors need to learn to be effective.”
- “The RBT course is unique and absolutely invaluable. It has changed the mindset of teachers in this school and has also provided them new skills and strategies to use in their classrooms. It has created a positive shift in how they teach.”
- “I’ve seen a major improvement in teacher collaboration due to the RBT courses. Greater trust has been built among teachers. There is a greater willingness to let other teachers into their classrooms, to discuss teaching methods, and to share student work. Casual discussions among teachers about instruction and learning are now regularly occurring.”
RBT's Impact
Participant Feedback
- 100% of administrators agreed that strategies and practices from the ATSR course were immediately relevant to their work
- 94% of teachers agreed that the SST course provided a common language and concepts for discussing curriculum and instruction
- 97% of administrators and teachers gave a positive rating to the quality of RBT courses
- Administrators and teacher characterized SST course as equally appropriate for academic and vocational teachers
Impact and Growth
- Greater Lawrence students improved performance on state ELA test by 83% and on state Math test by 81% and substantial closed gap with statewide student performance
- 94% of academic teachers agreed that RBT courses substantially contributed to improved academic performance of Greater Lawrence students
- 94% of teachers agreed that SST course helped them understand and embrace a growth mindset in their teaching
- 100% of administrators agreed that the ATSR course contributed to the success of the new teacher evaluation system implemented by the school
- 92% of administrators and teachers agreed that RBT courses improved the professional culture in the school
Key Information
Since 2011, Research for Better Teaching (RBT) has worked with the Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS) offering courses for teachers and administrators and providing additional consultation. This case study summarizes RBT activities conducted at GLTS and describes the impact of those activities on students, teachers, and administrators in the school.
