AYP Results Confirm Middle School Concerns

The release of the 2008 MCAS Adequate Yearly Progress Reports shows that 75% of all Massachusetts middle schools are identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. This compares to 25% of high schools and 45% of elementary schools.

Boston Globe Reports on the Failing of Middle Schools

(The following Boston Globe report refers to 2007 data - see the post above for the updated 2008 results)

Two-thirds of the state's middle schools are not meeting federal standards for raising standardized test scores, about twice the rate of elementary and high schools, according to a Globe analysis of state data.

The findings are raising questions about the best teaching practices for students wading through the turbulent years of puberty, first crushes, and short attention spans.

More broadly, the data suggest middle schools may have been largely overlooked as the state has focused on other education priorities such as ensuring all elementary students can read and helping high school students pass the MCAS, a series of tests required for high school graduation.

According to the Globe's analysis, more than 200 of the state's 305 middle schools have fallen short of performance goals established under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for at least two years.

Last fall, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education designated about 80 middle schools for restructuring, up from about two dozen middle schools the previous year. Restructuring, the most dire designation for schools under federal law, could set the stage for a state takeover, although Massachusetts has generally partnered with schools to improve achievement.

The afflicted middle schools are not only in Boston, Lowell, and other communities, but also in a host of suburban districts such as Stoneham, Plymouth, and Newton, bewildering school leaders, even as they change teaching methods, textbooks, and staff.

"Middle school students' motivations are different, and the MCAS is not high stakes for them like it is for high school students," said Theresa Craig, coordinator of curriculum and professional development for Middleborough Public Schools, which has a middle school in restructuring. "If middle school students are having a bad day, it totally throws off their test scores."

State Education Secretary Paul Reville said improving middle schools is a significant issue confronting the state, especially as it tries to address the state's high school dropout problem. Students having difficulty in high school, he said, generally begin falling off track in middle school.

"The state should pay more attention to the middle school level," Reville said. "Often, middle school is a critical transition for students from the more protective environment of an elementary school to the more complex social and academic challenges of a secondary school."

Class of 2008

Of the one hundred and thirty-six seniors who graduated from Drury High School in June, 2008, one hundred and thirteen went on to higher education. That's 83% of the graduating class. Three students will enter the military and thirteen will enter the work force.

In the North Adams School District, success in learning and moving forward to higher education is achievable for those who make the effort and have the all-important support at home.

Now We Know - It's A No

The word from the Department of Education is that eight schools out of 37 applicants have been approved for funding for the Extended Day Initiative - and North Adams is not among the eight. There's only $4.5 million in additional funding this time around. Our submitted plan alone for three elementary schools and Conte Middle School would require $1.5 million in funding.

This is what we feared and what we warned about the first time around. Now, we wait until next year. But our time may have passed. We will probably see the Extended Day in North Adams someday - but it may not be until it's mandated and underfunded.

We Don't Know Yet

May 23rd came and went. That was the date we were to hear whether North Adams would be included on the D.O.E. recommended list for funding of the Extended Learning Day. There were conversations but no commitments made. So we don't know yet. What we do know is that the available funds this time around are much more limited than last year - and the number of school districts applying for funding is much higher than last year. Getting ELT funding for all four schools (Brayton, Greylock, Sullivan and Conte), given the limited funding, is an increasing concern. For the elementary schools, it has to be all three. So it may come down to the elementary schools - or the middle school - or no school. We should hear something within the next couple of weeks. Final word on funding may not be until July.

Teachers Say Yes to Extended Day

On May 5, the North Adams Teachers Association voted by a large margin (~85%) in favor of the Extended Learning Time (ELT) for the 2008-09 School Year. The next step in the process is notification from the Mass Department of Education of which school districts will be recommended for ELT funding - on May 23. Then, if included in this group, we will await the final word on which school districts will actually receive state funding. This time around, there are many more school districts submitting proposals and the expected funds available will be much more limited that that offered a year ago.

Extended Learning Time Initiative

The North Adams School District Administration, the North Adams Teachers’ Association and the North Adams School Committee are recommending an Extended Learning Time Initiative for the 2008-09 School Year. We believe that the proposed Extended Learning Time would provide a better opportunity for our students to reach their academic goals, expose them to more enrichment activities and provide our teachers with much needed additional planning and professional development opportunities.

The plan incorporates more time for core subjects, extracurricular activities, lunch and recess (for the elementary students), as well as more professional development and cooperative planning time for teachers, and more opportunity for community partnerships.

The plan also develops considerable quality time by providing time for hands-on learning, more teamwork, individual teacher-student engagement, and time to accelerate the students who are doing well and support the students who are struggling.

This initiative is a cooperative effort of the North Adams School District Administration, the North Adams Teachers Association and the North Adams School Committee. We have been working together over the past several months to put together this plan. Ratification of a collective bargaining agreement between the North Adams Teachers Association and the North Adams School Committee is pending.

We welcome and encourage your input. Our plan will be submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Education on April 25, 2008 and the approved districts will be selected on May 23, 2008.

Click on the following links for more information:

Frequently Asked Questions

Extended Learning Time Video

The School Experiment That's Paying Off (From the Boston Globe)

Parent Forums

(Sent to the Parents from the North Adams School District)

Dear Parents/Guardians:

You are cordially invited to attend a public forum to discuss and explain an initiative to extend the school day at the middle and elementary schools for the 2008-2009 school year. Administrators, the North Adams Teachers Association and School Committee members have been diligently working to develop a proposal to submit to the Massachusetts Department of Education. We are seeking parent input and have scheduled a series of parent forums on April 16th and 17th.

The forum schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Sullivan Elementary School
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 6:45 - 7:45 p.m. Conte Middle School
Thursday, April 17, 2008 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Greylock Elementary School
Thursday, April 17, 2008 6:45 - 7:45 p.m. Brayton Elementary School

We are excited about our proposal and look forward to sharing the details of our expanded offerings. Your attendance is strongly encouraged.

Things Are Happening

The Massachusetts School Building Authority is now actively communicating with the North Adams School District – in regard to school facility needs assessment and eventual funding support. It is hoped that their Feasibility Study will get underway within the near future. It is expected to take six months to complete.

As mentioned in a previous communication here, North Adams is in the first group among MSBA’s selection of those districts being considered for funding.

K-8 Educational Space Needs Assessment Underway

The North Adams School Committee, in February, authorized the hiring of an independent professional consultant to do an educational space needs assessment of the proposed K-8 grade reconfiguration. This consultant is NESDEC (New England School Development Council). NESDEC represents approximately 400 cities and towns in the Northeast.

Specifically for the North Adams schools, NESDEC will analyze and appraise the present and future educational space needs in relation to PreK-8 school facilities in the school district. There is a detailed, multi-page, description of exactly what they will be doing – too much to outline here. Community input will be part of the process.

Their work has begun. They recently met with the Mayor independently, followed by a group meeting with the Superintendent of Schools Jim Montepare, other school administration and myself. The School District and the City of North Adams are gathering historical demographic information and historical enrollment numbers that NESDEC will use to begin their facility space assessments.

They’ll be back later this month spending two days touring and analyzing the three elementary school facilities and Conte Middle School.

The complete process is expected to be done within four months, and the final report will be presented to the School Committee.

Second-Graders Making a Difference!

Rockwell to become official state artist
By Scott Stafford, Berkshire Eagle
Article Launched: 02/16/2008 03:12:45 AM EST

NORTH ADAMS -- He was an artist, husband, father and, by many accounts, quite the character. But soon, Norman Rockwell also will be the Official Artist of the Commonwealth.

A bill first advocated by a Sullivan Elementary School second-grade class last year was introduced in the House by Rep. Daniel E. Bosley and in the Senate by Sen. Benjamin B. Downing. It passed both houses easily and landed on Gov. Deval L. Patrick's desk Thursday morning, where it awaits his signature.

It will not be waiting long.

"We expect the governor will sign this bill in short order," said Rebecca E. Deusser, a spokeswoman for Patrick.

"I shared the news with my class this morning (Thursday), and they're very, very happy," said Anna Saldo-Burke, second-grade teacher at Sullivan. Because the students now are all third-graders, she called them to her room to give them the news.

She said that last year her class of 12 students proposed the legislation as a class project. Writing the letter took several months and included lessons in social studies, reading, writing and spelling.

"I think it's great that the proposal came from a second-grade class," Downing said.

"It's always fun when the kids get involved in the process. We were talking about the symbols of the state, and we wondered why there was no artist listed as a symbol," Saldo-Burke recalled.

When the project was begun, she added, "we talked about how it may not get anywhere but would still be a valuable learning experience. And, now, for it to actually get this far -- it shows that they can have an impact. It adds value to what they're learning."

It may add value to the region as well.

Downing noted that now that the bill will soon become law, the region and the state can publicize the new official state artist as a way to attract more visitors "to the state and to the region. And the Norman Rockwell Museum can use it in the same way."

"It's a wonderful honor and an absolute thrill for everyone here in the museum," said Kimberly Dawson, associate director for marketing and communications at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.

"We're especially grateful to the kids for taking this on as a project and to think so highly of Norman Rockwell and his art," she added.

"Whether conveying America's core values through his 'Four Freedoms,' or making political statements about the racial realities of the 1960s, Norman Rockwell knew how to capture the American spirit and experience," Downing said, while advocating for the bill on the Senate floor. "Rockwell reached across the lines that divide and brought a nation together through his depictions of American life. It is fitting that he be named Official Artist of the Commonwealth, and I am proud to advocate for this special designation."

Rockwell moved to Stockbridge in 1953, where he painted many of his classic Saturday Evening Post and Look Magazine covers.

Parent Survey on Extended Learning Time

To find out what parents of students in Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Schools are thinking about the redesigned and expanded school day, Massachusetts 2020 contracted with JEF Associates to survey parents at three of the 10 ELT schools: the Jacob Hiatt Magnet School in Worcester (K-6), the Kuss Middle School in Fall River (6-8) and the Umana/Barnes Middle School in Boston (6-8). They reached about 250 parents overall in these schools.

FINDINGS

A summary of the results of the survey:

_ 75% of parents believe that the expanded schedule is much or somewhat better for their child

_ 77% of parents report that their child is performing better in school as a result of the expanded schedule

_ 72% of parents believe the quality of their child’s education has improved

_ 79% of parents agree, with 48% of parents strongly agreeing, that more schools in the state should expand their schedule

In addition to the three schools surveyed by Massachusetts 2020, the Martin Luther King School in Cambridge – a school with approximately 225 students – conducted its own survey of parents, using similar questions as those in the Massachusetts 2020 survey.

A summary of the results of that survey:

_ 87% of parents feel that their children are achieving more academically this year as a result of the expanded learning time

_ 88% of parents felt their children came home with positive statements about school

_ 92% of parents feel that we have met our objectives for the expanded school day

_ 77% of families felt the expanded day had a positive impact on their families’ lives

_ 81% of families work the same hours and less this year, as a result of the new school hours, while 17% work more and 1% work fewer hours

_ 71% felt that their children were not too tired as a result of ELT

Source: www.mass2020.org

Review of Meeting with the Mass School Building Authority

Superintendent Jim Montepare and I recently met with officials of the Massachusetts School Building Authority at their offices in Boston.

At this meeting, Joseph Buckley, Chief Engineer of the MSBA, gave a detailed review of the processes involved with school districts requesting state funding, and more specifics regarding how this applies to the North Adams School District.

The North Adams School District has made the “first cut” in the MSBA’s selection of those districts being considered for funding (as has the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District). Officially, we are in the “pipeline” for funding of a feasibility study. This feasibility study would take approximately six months to complete.

The process from beginning to end is full collaboration between MSBA and the North Adams School District. They would work with the school district and the city through the entire process, with the focus to design and implement a construction project that meets the education program goals of the school district. Stated in the meeting, “We want your buildings to accommodate your education program.”

The entire process timeline from the signing of the Initial Compliance Agreement to the start of construction is estimated to be 12 to 18 months.