School Panel Review Follow-up Report

Henry J. Robinson Middle School, Lowell

October 30, 2000

Team Members: Margaret Helgaard (Team Leader), Kathryn Riley, Sheila Engle, Peter Dolan

The Henry J. Robinson Middle School, Lowell

The Henry J. Robinson Middle School was one of eight urban middle schools referred for panel review in the Spring of 2000 as a result of critically low levels of student performance on State MCAS assessments and declining MCAS results from 1998-1999. The Panel Review was conducted in May 2000. Panel findings at the Robinson were mixed. Serious concerns highlighted in the Commissioner's determination letter were as follows:

• The school has not adequately used assessment data to identify weaknesses in the instructional program and guide changes in instructional practices.
• The school lacks of a comprehensive professional development plan or vision for all teachers and has no initiatives planned to enhance staff sensitivity to cultural diversity.
• Administrative staff failed to address academic issues because of time spent resolving student behavioral issues.
• The district has not identified the Robinson School's specific assistance needs and provided sufficient resources targeted to improve student performance at the school.

On consideration of the panel findings, the Commissioner deferred action on determination of under-performance for a period of 90 days to permit school and district officials an opportunity to address the concerns identified by the Review Panel. A $25,000 school improvement grant was provided to support school improvement planning and professional development initiatives over the summer months.

The school submitted a general plan and budget for use of the $25,000 Department of Elementary and Secondary Education grant. The proposed funds were to be used to establish five Curriculum Focus Teams to review data, develop instructional strategies to improve student performance, and support the work of the advisory committee in developing action plans and progress reports for school improvement.

The Scope of the Panel Review Follow-up Process

The task of the Panel Review Follow-up Team was to determine whether actions taken by the school and district personnel over the past 90 days have remedied, to a significant extent, the deficiencies identified in the Panel Review Report, and highlighted in the Commissioner's letter of June 12, 2000.

The Follow-up Team consisted of four members: a practitioner who served on the original panel, and three members of the Department's Accountability and Targeted Assistance staff. The Follow-up Team used the same protocol for its site visit that was used for the Panel Review, but focused its inquiry on the main concerns identified during the onsite Panel Review.

The Follow-up Team reviewed the original panel review report, the Commissioner's determination letter, the school and district response, the school's summer action plans and budget for use of the $25,000 grant provided to support additional planning and professional development over the summer, and the school's September 15, 2000 progress report to the Department. A preliminary Follow-up Team meeting was held to analyze the information and consider the actions reportedly taken by the school over the summer. The Team visited the school on September 29, 2000 for a day of meetings and interviews with school and district leaders and teachers, and classroom visits.

Follow-up on Areas of Concern in the Panel Report

Student Performance Improvement

A central concern of the Panel was the lack of a sense of urgency on the part of the school staff and leadership regarding the need to improve student performance. I n response to the Panel's Report, the administration and faculty of the Robinson established five teams dedicated to school improvement initiatives: Advisory Team, Data Team, MCAS Study/Focus Teams, Grade Level Academic Teams, and Literacy Team.

The Advisory Team has created a syllabus for each subject and grade that makes a direct correlation between the material taught and the curriculum frameworks, and requires pre- and post-tests for each of the units. The Data Team includes school faculty and the District School Support Team members. They use their analysis of assessment data to drive instructional practice and improve student achievement. The four groups, for Math, Science & Technology, English Language Arts and Social Studies, comprise the MCAS Study/Focus Teams analyze MCAS results, and suggest changes to curriculum and lesson plans. The eight Grade Level Academic Teams (consisting of 4 mainstream, 2 dual language and 2 TBE teams) are charged with creating academic projects. They receive additional common planning time and have the flexibility to group and regroup students for instruction. The Literacy Team is responsible for reviewing and implementing the John Collins cross-curriculum writing program.

New initiatives in place as a result of the summer work include the administration of the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills at the beginning and end of the year to gain data on student progress; and the institution of a new six-day rotating schedule. With the high number of bilingual students receiving services, initial scheduling proved difficult. However, it has been well received by the staff, who cited the advantage of the varying schedule. The new schedule also allowed for the creation of an Academic Enhancement Period, which provides students with an additional period per week to build the skills outlined in the Curriculum Frameworks in an identified area of need. In meetings and interviews with the Team, staff reported that the Academic Enhancement Period also increased opportunities for some teachers to collaborate across grade levels and content area in MCAS Study/Focus Teams on refining curriculum and instruction and implementing the frameworks.

Pilot classroom web sites will be created for parents, teachers, and administrators by math, English Language Arts, science and Vietnamese / bilingual teachers to demonstrate the State learning standards in the Curriculum Frameworks. In an effort to increase parental involvement and student achievement, homework assistance two evenings per week will be supported through the Gear Up Grant. College tutors are currently shadowing teachers in preparation for their work in the evening homework help program slated to begin within two weeks.

Comprehensive Professional Development

Prior to the start of school, a two-day in-service was held to inform all staff of the new initiatives and the revised action plan. In interviews, teachers who participated in the summer's activities and those that did not acknowledged that the revised plan encompasses the areas that need to be addressed, and it appears that staff have 'bought-in' to the plan. Teachers were familiar in varying degrees with the plan. This appeared to be due more to the schedule of their academic enhancement period rather than the team leaders' efforts to make them aware of the initiatives. The Unified School Improvement Plan is available to all teachers at the Robinson, and teachers receive the particular portion pertinent to their subject area.

During the summer, the district contracted with the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) to establish goals to assist the Robinson to become an effective middle school and create effective teams to improve student learning. An on-site coach visits classrooms, models lessons, and participates in common planning time two days a month. Funding for the coach will be provided from the Title I School Improvement Grant.

In the area of literacy, data indicated the need for a focus on writing and open-ended responses. More than 75% of the staff participated in the first training in the John Collins Writing program. For staff unable to attend these professional development activities, the Team has established a plan to share the training and strategies during or after school. Also, writing portfolios are maintained to allow for the integration of reading, writing, and speaking skills with other subject areas.

The Robinson Middle School has revised its mission statement to provide a common vision and state the intent to "create a multicultural learning environment." The Advisory Team plans to prominently display the new mission statement and motivational posters throughout the building. The Follow-up Team found a school-wide effort by teachers to have students understand the meaning of the mission statement. For example, teachers are incorporating multicultural themes into the academic content during the Academic Enhancement Period.

Instructional Leadership and District Support

A major concern of the panel that visited the school in May was the focus of the principal on behavioral and discipline issues at the school to the detriment of the instructional and curricular programs. In response, the district has hired an interim assistant principal, Sophia Giavis, to deal with behavioral problems. The principal and staff openly expressed their admiration for her experience and effectiveness in this area.

As a result, the principal and assistant principal have the time to attend the weekly Academic Enhancement period meetings. The principal will also visit classrooms on a regular basis to ensure the materials in the syllabi are addressed. To support the principal, one facet of the contract with NELMS is to establish a Principal Mentor who will meet with the principal throughout the year.

The district has appointed Ted Rurak, Acting Assistant Superintendent, to be the district liaison to the Department and the School Committee. As the monitor of the improvement process, Rurak was present for the professional development during the summer, and was instrumental in developing and supervising the contract with the New England League of Middle Schools. In the meeting with the Follow-up Team, Mr. Rurak and Dr. Karla Brooks Baehr, the new Superintendent appointed in July, described an impressive comprehensive five-year plan for mentoring new teachers, and using data for planning at the Robinson and for all schools district-wide. They report that An Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment has convened to establish a comprehensive assessment program for the district. Plans are being developed for a district-based "masters equivalent" program to meet the professional development needs of staff. This summer, Lowell established a Leadership Academy, through which Central Office Administrators, Principals, and Assistant Principals are given opportunities to work in collegial groups to support each other in their efforts to improve student performance.

In addition, the district is discussing plans to use the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's School Panel Review protocol to review each of its schools over a five year cycle. It appears efforts have been made to link the Unified District Improvement Plan with the Unified School Improvement Plan in a manner that fosters school buy-in and makes it a useful document for staff. A system-wide subcommittee has been formed to address the development process, format, and effectiveness of the Unified School Improvement Plans (USIP).

The district has submitted plans for the Title I School Improvement Grant and has targeted the money to support the Robinson improvements. Through the Department's Middle School Mathematics Initiative, a mathematics specialist, Margaret Gurman, will spend 60% of her time working with classroom teachers at the Robinson School.

Conclusion

The Follow-up Team found that the district and school had taken significant actions to meet the challenges identified in the Commissioner's letter. The funds provided for the summer have informed programs not only at the Robinson but also district wide. The district appears prepared to support efforts at the Henry J. Robinson Middle School. The principal and faculty of the Robinson appear motivated by the hard work undertaken this summer, and by the prospect of further professional development and ultimately increased student achievement.

Several areas need further attention to ensure that the school improvement process continues. The interim assistant principal contract ends January 31, 2001, and it was not clear how the school plans to deal with this situation. Plans need to be developed to continue comparable support through the end of this school year. Sufficient resources need to be in place to sustain and pace the effort demonstrated thus far so that the staff does not become overextended.

In addition, more attention needs to be given to incorporating the mission statement into the life of the school. For example, more focus should be directed on displaying student work that is being done on multicultural themes.

As the school works to ensure that best practices and effective teaching strategies are in place for all learners across all content areas, special attention must be given to the needs of Second Language Learners at the school. Adaptations for these student must be included in planning. A point person at the school level should be identified to coordinate and monitor efforts to meet the educational needs of Second Language Learners. Additional analysis of data disaggregated for Second Language Learners and highly mobile students is also needed.

On the whole, however, the Follow-up Team concluded that the Robinson Middle School does now have a sound improvement plan, and it appears that the conditions are now in place at the school and district level to support successful implementation of the plan.

District response to the Follow-up Report, [ PDF ]