What We Do

Debbie Hodge
Director of Professional Development and Accreditation
Episcopal High School
Jacksonville, Florida

"What is very apparent in participating in CRISS workshops is that if teachers are going home tired every afternoon, they must rethink their methodology to encourage students to take ownership of their learning . . . . All too often, American classrooms encourage students to become sponges . . . [instead] CRISS . . . provides excellent strategies to assist teachers in creating students who think independently, problem solve, make independent connections, and develop competency in essential skills.

". . . CRISS has generated an excitement about teaching that has become contagious . . . . The benefit is student performance. Through the use of CRISS . . . classroom methodology is changing and students are becoming more self-directed in their learning."

Recently CRISS-trained Episcopal High School Teachers

Deanna Scheffer, French teacher. "I have noticed an overall change in the classroom since teachers participated in CRISS. I see more movement in the classrooms and hear more student interaction."

Janet Buford, science teacher. "The CRISS workshop provided me with new strategies . . . . CRISS strategies prove that students can have fun learning."

Christy Ossi, English teacher. "Participating in the CRISS workshop gave me confidence to improve my own methodology to engage my students."

Gary Thrift, math teacher. "The CRISS workshop incorporated a writing/learning strategy which I have used . . . . This technique showed the value of writing in a math classroom. That was a really cool classroom experience."

Susan R. Steffan, Educator
Marengo Community High School
Marengo, Illinois

"I compiled my data today and the results favor Project CRISS. I anticipated this would be the case, but it is exciting to see it in print. In only six weeks of employing the CRISS strategies, there was a remarkable increase in students who moved from failing to passing. That failing percentage went from 31% to 10%! That's the whole point of the Project. The students who already possess the ability to direct their own learning did not show much improvement, but those who previously didn't have these skills improved dramatically. I am so excited about using this method in all my lessons wherever possible. Thanks for your support and encouragement."

Carrie Bejarano
Science Teacher
Amphitheater High School
Tuscon, Arizona

"Right after the training Lynn Havens did with us, I had the opportunity to give a CRISS 'sales pitch' at a faculty meeting. I got 10 faculty members, including an assistant principal, signed up to go to [a] training. The assistant principal told me after the training that it was one of the best workshops he had ever been to . . . yea! . . . I think Amphi High School is on its way to being ‘CRISSIFIED.'

"I've been having my students do a lot of process-type reflections this week and am getting really positive reactions from the kids. I had one student today tell me that I should let other teachers know about two-column notes because they make so much sense. Another student said that two-column notes made the reading fun for him . . . . (This is a kid who is off task a majority of the time!) Anyway, I am having a lot of fun using all my CRISS stuff!"

Dave Bouge, Principal
North Pine Middle School, Central Valley School District #356
Spokane, Washington

"I am the principal of North Pines Middle School in Spokane, Washington. In 2002, we applied for and received a three-year CSR (Comprehensive School Reform) grant through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State. We adopted CRISS as the foundation for our grant. As a result of CRISS (as well as other school-wide interventions), we are experiencing excellent growth in the academic development of our students. Some evidence of our improvement can be seen in our quartile scores for reading:

"Another statistic I will point to as a proof that our school is growing involves the reduction in our 'F' list. Because of our school-wide focus (Teacher/Parent Communication, ZAP [Zeros Aren't Permitted], Pre/Post Assessment development, lesson connection to GLEs [Grade Level Equivalents] and EALRs [Essential Academic Learning Requirements], CRISS infusion, and a lot of dedicated work on the part of my staff), we have witnessed a solid drop in failing grades.
1st Trimester reduction in Fs (2004 vs. 2003): 58%
1st Trimester increase in Honor Roll (2004 vs. 2003): 30%

"CRISS training has been the foundation of our school improvement plan. We are all talking the same language, using the same strategies across the curriculum areas. This has produced a wonderful cycle of growth that we expect to continue and build on for the future."