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Story posted December 17, 2012.

Results:

• Six years ago, the school—which enrolls 475 students in grades 6–8, 69% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—was one of the lowest performing middle schools in Kentucky; today the students outperform 90% of the students in the state.
• West Carter has met AYP the last three years; continued overall growth; and as of 2010, ranked in the top 10% of the 327 middle schools in Kentucky.

No student has been retained at West Carter Middle School in Olive Hill, KY, in the last five years. Staff members proudly point to that fact as evidence that their decision to not permit zeros is working. That’s a bit misleading, because coupled with the no-zero policy were a number of programmatic initiatives and supports that allowed all students to meet state standards and demonstrate significant academic growth. Six years ago, the school—which enrolls 475 students in grades 6–8, 69% of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch—was one of the lowest performing middle schools in Kentucky; today the students outperform 90% of the students in the state.

The transformation began when the assistant principal, Sherry Horsley, became principal. As the school’s leader, she was able to directly address her long-held belief that student failure was really the failure of the adults. Horsley says that she believed it passionately as a teacher, but as an assistant principal, she hadn’t successfully grappled with the student failures at the school. Although the teachers had all been working hard, they had not achieved their goals. Achievement growth was stagnant, and the school had not met adequate yearly progress (AYP) for years.

Horsley gathered the staff to look at the data. The group decided that the issue was not student ability but student motivation. As they discussed the problem, the teachers recognized the need to work together to reach each student. The main emphasis was going to be on relationships in order to convince the students that they could succeed academically. This decision was a major culture shift.

The no-zero process begins with the principal compiling a weekly list of students with grades below 65%. The reasons behind the students’ low grades are determined, such as attendance, low test scores, or missing assignments. Follow-up consists of parent contact and conferences with the parent, the student, the principal, and the teacher. Students complete missing assignments and receive individual help from a volunteer tutor or a staff member. Breakfast West Carter Middle School A Failure-Free Zone Buddies, where a student and a tutor meet over breakfast to work on assignments, has become popular, as have lunch tutorials. Students are given a timeline to complete the missing work. Students who don’t complete the work on their own or with their tutors meet with the principal to complete the assignment. In addition, there is a structured mentor program for students who are deemed at risk.

The school’s leadership team felt that the in-depth look at the data focused teachers on individual students. The big leap for the staff, according to one of the team members, was that each number belonged to someone’s child. And because they wanted their children to succeed academically, they should treat the students in their charge as their own and not settle for failure or proficiency. The concept of in loco parentis—that adults serve as parents when parents are not present—is a part of every staff member’s contract with the school system and is now actively embraced at the school.

The next step in supporting a no-failure philosophy was looking at the alignment between state standards and building instruction. Through such analysis, it became clear that math and reading instruction needed to be expanded. The solution came when the staff decided to modify the schedule to allow for two math and two reading/language arts classes per day for each student. The teachers team teach, dividing the content, which provides additional time for hands-on activities that reinforce core concepts. The students love the interactive classes and all are fully engaged. As one eighth grader put it, “They teach us so much here—you learn so much more when you don’t know you’re learning. School is different here.”

Those efforts have led to academic success and, just as important, academic confidence for all students. West Carter now has a new principal—Horsley has moved to the district office to support all four of the secondary schools in Carter County Schools. Principal Ryan Tomolonis is committed to the no-failure philosophy, however, and ensures continued success for students by supporting the staff, analyzing the data, and making joint decisions for improvements.

Successful Transition

Newly appointed principals face unique challenges, especially when following a leader who has transformed a school’s culture and performance. Tomolonis shares skills that he believes will help him during and beyond this transition.

As I begin my first year as principal, I look back on my experiences that have helped me prepare for this position. I am beginning my 10th year in education and 4th year as an administrator. Although I haven’t been in this business long, I have had valuable experiences along the way. West Carter is the sixth building that I have worked in. I have worked under seven different principals and with more than one hundred teachers. I have been able to collect many ideas that I am able to share with my staff. I have also collected many ideas on how not to do things. Although many of the people that I have worked with were great, some were ineffective. Being able to see effective and ineffective teaching strategies will help me be a strong instructional leader.

One of the most valuable skills that I have developed along the way has been the ability to work well with others. I have always been able to listen and allow people to share and express their opinions. I always try to find the good in individuals and build upon that. I believe that I have earned respect from everyone I have worked with, including my current staff.

I am always willing to learn new ideas and strategies that can help teachers be successful. I try to stay current on research-based strategies that I can actually model for teachers, instead of just share with them. I also review and study the content that my teachers are expected to teach: that way I am able to provide assistance and feedback on their instruction.

I believe that my previous experience, my ability to work with others, and my willingness to continue to learn myself will help me lead West Carter to the next level of success!

Solid Foundation

An essential component of transforming a school is staff involvement. Horsley believes that the only way to do this is to create a culture that is focused on students and driven by the data at hand.

When I became principal, I made every decision on the basis of what was best for our students. It was not about what was easiest for me as principal or best for the teachers’ wants and needs; everything was about what is best for students. Once your staff sees that you do not favor one group of teachers over another, do not make quick or irrational decisions, and are truly about doing what it takes for students to succeed at all times, they will get on board with your plan.

I was consistent about always inviting staff member input in making decisions. Teachers have insight into what will work for individual student success. A leader should always listen and consider input from everyone.

If a leader sets high expectations for herself; models them at all times; and sets those same high expectations for all those around her, including staff members and students, everyone will step up and meet those high standards. Then you have lots of adult and student leaders in your building, not just the building administrator. The leader must be willing to work alongside those students and staff members in reaching those high standards; that is what servant leadership is all about.

For all decisions to be based on student need, you must have data to analyze to make those decisions. It’s then about data, not someone’s opinion. West Carter collected and analyzed data on state tests, formative assessments, and benchmarks throughout the year as well as classroom progress reports, attendance, behavior referrals, and so forth. I collected and organized the data to save time for teachers. The teachers analyzed the data and planned interventions that I monitored. We also held regular professional learning community (PLC) meetings to deconstruct standards, create assessments, and analyze the results of unit assessments.

What you do with data is what is important, thus the response to individual students’ data is what led to our continued success. It wasn’t about state test scores as a school; it was about individual student progress. Each staff member “bought in” to doing whatever it took to help each student succeed. I ran a report every two weeks to find students who needed intervention, and we worked as a team to contact parents, conference with students, and assist with learning. This eliminated retention and the need for summer school remediation. With this focus on individual students, West Carter has met AYP the last three years; continued overall growth; and as of 2010, ranked in the top 10% of the 327 middle schools in Kentucky.

Culture must be the foundation of any school improvement plan. The school must understand that programs do not improve schools, people do. Everyone must work as a collaborative team on focused, student-centered goals. That happens when you are all about kids, are a data-driven school, and you create an environment that is based on a positive culture. The leader must show staff members that they are valued and appreciated, and the staff must build relationships with students that promote the idea that “we care and we want (and know) that you can succeed as an individual.” Holding high expectations for all staff members and students, offering interventions, and celebrating small steps forward will spur this positive culture. Success is a circle: when you celebrate, it motivates further success.

Failure Is Not an Option

The members of the leadership team at West Carter believe that their approach to turning a school around is a model for other schools that are seeking to raise student achievement, increase student motivation, and improve school culture. To them, the most important elements are focusing on students as individuals, being data-driven instructional leaders, working as a team, and using technology.

At West Carter, our focus on students is evident. We celebrate student success and address student needs. For example, students are rewarded for their performance on state as well as interim assessments. Students who do not meet proficiency on these assessments are provided services, such as Breakfast Buddies tutors and specific intervention classes. We decorate lockers and hallways to let everyone know who has reached proficiency. We have snow cones, hot chocolate, popcorn, and movies on the big screen in celebration of student success. We rarely have a student who does not get to participate for their high score in at least one tested area.

Not only do we address academic needs, but also we have implemented a mentor program where we identify students on the basis of other criteria, such as home life and behavior problems. Each student we identify is given an adult mentor. The mentor makes an effort to get to know the student and provide extra support. Furthermore, students at West Carter are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. We tell our students how close they are to the benchmark and we cheer them on as they work toward the next level. Teachers at our school seek to build personal relationships with every student.

Failure is not an option at West Carter. If a student has below a 65% in any class, they and their parents are notified and they are required to complete all missing assignments. We want to teach our students responsibility—that it is not OK to fail to complete assignments. We also give parents access to our web-based grade program so they can monitor their children’s progress. Our administration is a key part of addressing students who struggle to do their assignments by spending a great deal of time conferencing and tutoring students as well as making parent contacts.

West Carter is data driven. All assessments are carefully analyzed and action is taken. Naturally, state assessments are given thorough consideration, but we also look closely at the interim assessments. We attach a face and a name to every score. Students are given constant feedback on their performance. Formative assessments, discussed in PLCs, play an enormous role in our daily instruction. Examining the data forces us to take second look at every student. On the basis of evidence from our data analysis, we changed our schedule to include two math classes and separate reading and language arts classes for each student. Since this change, scores have improved in those areas, particularly in math.

Teachers at West Carter have worked to become instructional leaders in their fields. Our mathematics and science teachers meet with teachers from other districts, led by staff members from the University of Kentucky. Our reading teachers have been to multiple professional development sessions on reading strategies and even helped develop activities for a program called Reading Revisited. In addition, we have three teachers representing our district in the state content networks for math, reading/language arts, and science. One of our math teachers will work on the transitional mathematics curriculum for students who do not meet benchmarks. Our instructional coach will work on the language arts curriculum for students who do not meet that benchmark. Our teachers have been sought out as experts in their fields. This is largely due to our dedication to knowing our content and implementing the best strategies we can find.

The faculty and staff members of West Carter work as a team. Teachers are in gradelevel and content-area teams. Grade-level teams use their lunch time to meet. Contentarea teams meet regularly in PLC meetings. We depend on one another for instructional (and moral) support. Visitors to our school often recognize the family atmosphere. Before school even starts, we have Meet the Team orientation nights, and attendance has been outstanding. We feel a sense of responsibility to the team. From grade to grade, we are accountable for having our students ready for the next level. We know we are depending on one another to get the job done.

We also organize our students into teams and do team-building activities with them. We have class elections, team meetings, team outings, and the like. If one of the team members is struggling, we want the rest of the team to help. This might mean they get help on their homework. It may mean that no one sits alone in the cafeteria. It could be that we send a gift to someone who is sick or has lost a loved one. We want our school to be a family.

The final element that sets our school apart is our access to technology and our utilization of technology to improve student learning. Our teachers have document cameras, student response systems (clickers), projectors, and Airliners (smart slates). Some of our teachers have SmartBoards. The math teachers have graphing calculators. Our science department has Labquests that include motion detectors, pressure probes, temperature probes, and other equipment. We have three computer labs plus a mobile lab. Our entire building is wireless. Several teachers maintain teacher web pages or blogs. Use of the technology allows us to give students immediate feedback on assignments and assessments.

West Carter’s motto is “Where children meet success.” We realize that the socioeconomic status of many of our students may make this saying a challenge, but we are dedicated to the hard work necessary to see success become more than a dream for our students. This is the legacy that we can leave for other schools who are seeking the same school improvement that we have been able to maintain at West Carter. 

A Professional Learning Community: Focus on Formative and Summative Assessments

Instructional coach Stella Patton designed a hybrid professional learning community process for use with teams at West Carter Middle School. This five-week cycle is repeated for each instructional unit. The overarching goal is student mastery of content. Patton attributes the gains in academic growth at West Carter to teachers embracing this process as a way to analyze and improve instruction for each student. Following is a summary of the process.

Definitions

Formative assessment is for learning (simply reteach and retake until learned). Summative assessment is the autopsy (over and done—see results but can’t change them—provides insight for what and what not to do next time).

Week-by-Week Process

Week one: We will simply look at what you want your students to know and be able to do by the end of your unit. Bring the unit plan and the curriculum guide.

Week two: We will look at your intended unit assessment. Bring the unit assessment.

Purpose: Does your assessment assess what you teach?

Week three: We will share an activity that you are using with the students. Bring a student activity.

Purpose: What activity are you doing to make sure that your students will know the standard you are assessing?

Week four: We will look at your unit assessment analysis (clickers or the new copy machine—your choice). Bring the unit assessment analysis.

Purpose: What did my assessment tell me about what I taught and what the students learned?

Week Five: We will look at a student assignment used to teach a nonmastered standard identified from your data analysis and an actual student work.

Purpose: Did my intervention make sure that my students learned the targeted nonmastered standard?

For more information, please contact Leslie Emery (emeryl@nassp.org)

Story reposted with permission, click here to view the original post. 

Copyright 2012 National Association of Secondary School Principals. For more information on NASSP products and services to promote excellence in middle level and high school leadership, visit www.nassp.org.