Morningside K-8 Academy

6620 NE 5th Ave

Miami, Florida 33138
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School Performance Data: http://oada.dadeschools.net/SchoolPerformanceData/
SchoolPerformanceData.asp
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School website:
http://morningside.dadeschools.net/
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School Placement:
Morningside K-8 Academy is a Title I public school in which 90% of students
receive free or reduced price lunch. The student population is comprised of 70% black
students (the majority of which are Haitian), 26% Hispanic or Latino students, 2% white
students, and 2% other/not reported. Morningside K-8 academy began as an elementary
school, and opened its doors to sixth graders beginning in 2012. Morningside K-8 is
located in Little Haiti, a small community within Miami that is home to many Haitian and
Hispanic families. Large portions of students are first or second generation immigrants,
and many of which are English language learners. The school has a magnet program
through which students are able to take a foreign language class. Morningside K-8 is part
of Miami-Dade Countys Education Transformation Office, which provides coaching
and support for failing schools.
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Teaching Placement:
I was placed at Morningside for the 2013-2014 school year. During this time, I
was teaching the schools first-ever seventh grade class and second-ever sixth grade class.
I developed original lesson plans based off of district pacing guides that indicated the
essential content and time allotted for each topic. I taught two sixth grade classes that
each held 25 students. One sixth grade class was comprised mostly of remedial, ESOL,
and ESE students, and the other class was comprised mostly of students near grade level
proficiency. The seventh grade class had 25 students, many of which had ESOL and ESE
needs. Classes were equally filled with male and female students, and the student
demographic closely resembled the demographic of the school staff. I did not have an
instructional coach or support at this time. ESOL and ESE support were very limited, as
students would seldom get small group attention or push-in support. Most ESOL and
ESE support came in the form of standardized test accommodations.
During the 2014 and 2015 school years, I taught fifth grade science. Specifically, I
taught three fifth grade classes in 60-minute blocks. Both years, there was one class that
was near grade level proficiency, one class that was advanced and/or gifted, and a third
class that was populated with remedial, ESOL, or ESE students. Classes were equally
filled with male and female students. I worked closely with an instructional coach
throughout the 2014 school year. Although the majority of teachers worked
independently, the fifth grade team and I collaborated frequently and worked together
daily to support one another and our students.