Poudre School District

Poudre School District is located in Fort Collins, Colorado and home to 50 schools and over
27,000 students. PSD Prides it's self in offering a variety of learning pathways for students to
follow. These include International Baccalaureate Programs, Hands on Learning, and Core
Knowledge among others. Poudre School District is also unique because of its School Choice
Program. School Choice allows students to choose the school that best fits their needs on a space
available basis (Poudre School District).
Poudre School District's Vision:
Poudre School District exists to support and inspire every child to think, to learn, to care and
to graduate prepared to be successful in a changing world.
Poudre School District's Mission:
Educate...Every Child, Every Day
The demographics of Poudre School District are as follows:
**These demographics are based on the 2012-2013 School Year report
Student Demographics:

Asian: 3.06%
Black/African American: 1.37%
Hispanic/Latino: 17.93%
Native American: 0.53%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.13%
White: 74.31%
Two or More: 3.15%

Student Profile:

Participating in Free/Reduced Lunch: 30.79%

Special Education Programs: 8.03%
Gifted and Talented Programs: 11.57%
English Language Learner Programs: 7.55%

Staff Profile:

Total Staff: 3615

Certified: 1917
Classified: 1587
Administrators: 111

Total teachers: 1436

Average teaching experience in PSD: 11.72 years

Academics:

Dropout Rate: 1.44%

Graduation Rate: 86%

Lincoln Middle School

Lincoln Middle School is located on the North side of Fort Collins, CO. Lincoln is home to 517
students from grades 6th-8th.
Lincolns Mission Statement:
Unite. Respect. We are Lincoln.
Lincoln Middle School Demographics:
Free and Reduced: 68.34%
White: 39.77%
Minority: 60.23%
Integrated Services (SPED): 13.51%
English Language Learners (ELL): 27.41%
Policies
The culture at Lincoln Middle School is of great importance. Students spend the first
quarter of school during their ELO (Extended Learning Opportunity) period participating in
Culture Camp. During this time students learn about the Six Ps and Attending Skills. The Six Ps
include: Prompt, Prepared, Polite, Positive Mental Attitude, Participate and Produce. The
attending skills the students learn include: being in the moment, appropriate eye contact,
appropriate body language, appropriate feedback, and appropriate questions. This culture that
Lincoln establishes in the beginning of the year allows staff to put in place policies that students
are expected to follow. There are many policies at Lincoln that range from dress code, to
backpack policies. The policies that I found to be important were the hall pass system and the
behavior policies.
The hall pass system works by students being given a set number of hall passes in their
planner each week. These passes are used for personal reasons such as going to the bathroom or
locker. A teacher must sign off on the pass before the student can exit the classroom.
The behavior policies and expectations are especially important at Lincoln. Lincoln sees
a students behavior as redirectable and non-redirectable. Redirectable behaviors include those
that can be stopped and corrected. Redirecting behaviors is something Lincoln really worked on

this school year and it was put in place in each classroom. The behaviors that were deemed nonredirectable are those that become harmful to the student or the other classmates. Student will
receive an office referral. If students receive an office referral it could result in one of the
following consequences:
Lunch Service- Students will clean lunch room for the last 10 minutes of lunch.
Lunch Detention- Students will be assigned detention in ISS for lunch and will
not eat with their peers in the lunchroom.
ISS (In School Suspension)-Students will serve specific class periods or days of
ISS
OSS (Out of School Suspension)-Students will serve suspension out of the school
Expulsion-Students will be recommended for expulsion according to the PSD
Code of Conduct guidelines. Expulsion may be made to follow building policies
or when a significant danger to staff and students is determined to exist.
Student Recognition
Students are recognized for good behavior by receiving a Lancer Bucks from their
teachers or other staff members. Students are able to redeem prizes with the Lancer Bucks they
receive. Students academic achievements are recognized at award assemblies that are held
quarterly. IB Students are also recognized by the IB Profile Student of the Month, chosen from
each grade level. And finally, students who earn a 4.0 are acknowledged on the Academic Wall
of Fame at the end of each quarter.
Proficiency Scores
On a 3-Year Period, Lincolns proficiency in reading, mathematics, writing, and science are
as follows:
Reading: 54.0%
Mathematics: 44.0%
Writing: 43.2%
Science: 33.0%
Lincolns scores are the lowest among the nine middle schools in the district.

Mr. Behrens Eighth Grade Science

Demographics
Mr. Behrens first period, eighth grade science class is made up of 22 students. The students
breakdown is as follows:
Male Students: 7
Female Students: 15
White Students: 5
Hispanic Students: 15

 Other: 1
There are multiple exceptionalities in Mr. Behrens class. These exceptionalities include 504s
and Individual Education Plans (IEPs). To meet the needs of all students, Mr. Behrens uses a
variety of learning strategies in his classroom. Many of the classroom activities include group
work and active learning. Mr. Behrens rarely teaches in a lecture style, making sure the students
stay engaged.
Culture and Discipline
The culture of the classroom is reflective of Lincoln. Mr. Behrens holds the students to
high standards and expects that they use the Six Ps on a daily basis. He has structure and routines
in his classroom that ensure success to the students. The main routine that he follows is how he
opens his class each time. He always greets his students at the door with a handshake and then
the students go to work on the warm-up that is posted on the SmartBoard at the front of the
room. Students are to copy down the learning target for the day and answer the warm-up
question by the time the morning announcements are finished. Starting the class the same way
each time is a great technique to start the class on a positive note and recap from the previous
class period.
Mr. Behrens uses Lancer Bucks as a reward system in his classroom. He started using
them much more frequently during the norming period after spring break and I have seen great
results. The Lancer Bucks reward students that are on task and prepared, as well as those who
participate in class discussion. Mr. Behrens disciplines any redirectable behaviors by speaking in
a calm matter and addressing the issue first hand. Discipline is not generally an issue in the class.