Archived Information

Panel Review Report
Riverside School, Danvers, MA

Introduction

The Program

The Exemplary Schools Program is one part of the Massachusetts School and District Accountability System. The purpose of the Exemplary Schools Program is to recognize and celebrate improvement in Massachusetts schools, and to disseminate information and encourage networking and sharing of good ideas, effective practices, and models for success. The program is intended to provide a means for these schools to share their expertise with other schools in the state.

Based on the School Performance Ratings issued in January 2001, the Department identified 242 schools that exceeded their expectations for improvement and invited them to participate in the Program. Of the more than 100 schools who chose to do so by submitting a School Leader Questionnaire, nine elementary and three middle schools were selected as finalists for possible designation as Exemplar sites, and scheduled for closer review to determine the willingness and capacity to serve. The data and information gathered from the other participants' questionnaires will be compiled and published in a report this June.

The Commissioner will designate up to 12 of these elementary and middle schools to serve as Exemplar sites. Exemplar sites will receive special recognition and a $10,000 grant to support the participation of their administrators and staff in information sharing and dissemination activities over the next year.

The Report

This report summarizes the findings and analyses of a small team of education professionals during its day and a half investigation of the Riverside School on March 26-27, 2001. The purpose of this report is to assist the Commissioner in determining which schools from among those visited will be designated to serve as Exemplar sites in the state's new Exemplary Schools Program.

The review panel evaluated data and written information on the school's performance and improvement efforts, visited the school, and met with school and district officials in order to answer the following two key questions:

1. 1. Is this school using effective improvement initiatives that could be replicated in other similarly profiled schools?
2. 2. Are the conditions in place for this school to serve as a model of effective practices and successful improvement initiatives?

The panel's responses to these two questions frame the report. The findings and conclusions presented here are the product of analysis, discussion, and observation, and are based on the evidence made available to the panel before and during their visit. A list of panel members who participated in the Riverside School review is provided in Appendix A. A detailed schedule of the panel's activities is provided in Appendix B.

Riverside Elementary School Profile

Riverside is one of five Danvers elementary schools that enrolled students in grades K to 5 in 2000. The school population increased from 257 in 1997 to 387 in 1998, but since then the enrollment and demographics have stabilized. In 2000, Riverside enrolled 340 students, 98 percent of whom were white, with a two percent Asian minority. One in nine (11%) students was eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and one in 50 (2%) spoke a first language other than English. The school has not identified any students as Limited English Proficient since 1997.

In 1999 (the most recent attendance data available to the panel), the average student missed just under eight days of school for an average daily attendance rate of 95.8 percent. In 2000, there were no retentions, suspensions or exclusions reported at the school. Only two students (both first graders) have been held back since the 1998 school year.

Staffing

Riverside's students are taught by 25 full-time teachers and 12 aides for an approximate pupil-to-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. The central staff consists of Principal Rose Marie DiResta, Teaching Assistant Principal, Liz Matthews, a social worker, nurse and secretary. Of the full-time teachers, 24 (73%) have attained at least one master's degree. The school reported that all but one (97%) of its full-time teachers were certified to teach in their current positions and all possess at least one teaching certificate. In addition, 13 (39%) have multiple certifications including four with both elementary and reading certification.

MCAS Results

Riverside's Cycle 1 overall performance category was "High" and the school "Exceeded" their overall improvement expectation by achieving a 1999/2000 average score that was 14.8 points higher than the 1998 baseline score. The school increased the percentage of students scoring in the Proficient/Advanced performance levels from 16 to 64 percent, and decreased the percentage of its students scoring in the Failing performance level from 16 to two percent. The percentage of fourth graders in special education rose from 17 to 26 percent between 1998 and 1999 but dropped down to five percent in 2000. Every fourth grader enrolled since 1998 has taken the MCAS in all three content areas.

Panel Responses To Key Questions

Key Question 1: Is This School Using Effective Improvement Initiatives That Could Be Replicated In Other Similarly Profiled Schools?

Which improvement initiatives have had the greatest impact at the school?

The District Superintendent informed the panel review team that there is a five year District Strategic Planning Document that informs district goals. Two of the goals of relevance to our discussions are first, improving all aspects of student literacy (reading, writing, thinking, listening and speaking) in all grades and second, strengthening the connection between curriculum, assessment and instruction.

District initiatives in support of the literacy goals include two hour literacy blocks in grades K-3 and 90 minutes in grades 4-5 and the First Steps Program, which enables teachers to assess and monitor students' literacy progress and provides direct links to developmentally appropriate teaching strategies and learning activities.

As literacy is common throughout the state's curriculum frameworks the district, in the opinion of the panel, correctly placed an emphasis on literacy programs so as to have the possibility of an across the board increase in MCAS scores.

The curriculum was "strengthened and focused" through the implementation of the Houghton Mifflin's Math Central and the FOSS Interactive Science Kits. Critical Friends Groups continued looking at educational programs through various protocols. MCAS and other testing results confirmed the wisdom of the district's and school's analysis of the problem and subsequent course of action to address it. MCAS results show overall high performance and significant improvement since l998. The Riverside's Cycle 1 overall performance rating was "High", and the school "Exceeded" the overall improvement expectation by achieving a 1999/2000 average score 14.8 points higher than the baseline score recorded in l998. The school increased the overall percentage of 4th grade students scoring in the Proficient/Advanced performance levels from l6 to 64 percent, and decreased the percentage of students scoring in the Failing performance level from 16 to 2 percent.

Danvers schools are required to adopt district goals and incorporate them into the school improvement plan, but are also encouraged to support them with their own initiatives. Riverside school therefore established a book room with over 500 titles. Faculty and staff have received training in the Junior Great Books inquiry- based language program. They have also received extensive training in writing processes including Writers Workshop, Links Program, Write Source and Project Read Writing Component. The school has also provided, under its READ! Grant, a literacy center facilitator and Parent Training literacy workshops.

The school's support of the Critical Friends program, the creation of common planning periods, collaborative assessment and peer observation opportunities, has facilitated the adoption of the district and school goals by the faculty.

However, there is also evidence to suggest that the school themes and Riverside Pride Rallies are a tangible expression of the school values: being independent learners, doing quality work, showing respect for all and oneself and taking pride in everything one does. At Riverside school these values do not seem to be meaningless mantras but rather are phrases providing the rationale for all activities in the building. These values inform professional relationships and attitudes toward students. In the opinion of staff and parents, the principal and her leadership abilities are the driving force behind this focus. The programs and initiatives may work in other places but they in fact work here because of the principal and the atmosphere she has created. The students are excelling but the principal as a leader has had an immeasurable effect on that program.

How have these improvement initiatives contributed to improved student performance results?

The District Superintendent has said that the MCAS scores were the catalyst for the district to focus on curriculum needs, programs and instructional practices. The district and school goal was not to improve the scores by focusing on test taking but to improve the delivery of services to create better learners. Nevertheless, the school "exceeded" the overall improvement expectation by achieving a l999/2000 average score 14.8 points higher than the baseline score recorded in l998.

Over the past four years, new science, math and literacy programs have been adopted in the Danvers school district. Numerous other supplementary programs have also been added. These have all been supported by quality professional development activities. District wide support was sought and received for these initiatives. Evaluation measures are in place along with other means to review their effectiveness. Therefore, a case can be made that the Riverside MCAS scores reflect a successful unified, professional approach to district and school level academic performance improvement.

However, in the first year of test score reporting, Riverside school had the lowest scores in the district. The last report has Riverside 1st in the district and 32nd in the state. Can the new programs alone explain all that success?

In interview after interview, in focus groups and informal meetings, in conversations with the District Superintendent, parents, teachers, students and community members, the panel review team was told that improved student achievement is directly linked to the quality and effectiveness of the principal's leadership.

When the first set of MCAS scores were received at the school the principal gathered the faculty and staff who were obviously devastated. She rallied them with a "we are all in this together" and "we celebrate our successes and learn from our mistakes" attitude. She validated the role of the professionals in the school and told them that "if we", not "if you" continue to work together doing the best we are capable of, there will be improvement.

The principal is "a fabulous educational leader", "warm, caring", "creates a family atmosphere", "knows every child's name", "is a collaborator, not a dictator", "hard worker", "focused", "committed", "open to advice" are some of the remarks the panel heard during the visit.

The professional literature in the leadership field would phrase it as "creates a collective purpose", "enhances energy flow of the staff", "creates a sharing, learning community" and "strengthens the evolving culture".

By all indicators the principal exhibits the leadership abilities to make a good school an exemplary school.

As a footnote, it may be pointed out that demographics of the student body at Riverside are similar to those associated with successful performance noted in reports of many assessment results. For example, only 11% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. From 1997 to 2000, only two to three percent of students did not speak English as their first language. No students were identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP) from l998 to 2000. Even with these favorable conditions, members of the panel echo the remarks of school personnel that the principal's leadership can be credited with inspiring optimum performance from both staff and students at Riverside.

How did the school set about planning its improvement initiatives?

Since there is a district plan that must be implemented by the schools, it is fair to say that the school plan was not original, but complementary to the district plan.

The School Improvement Plan, reflecting the district goals, was written by the School Council, a group representing the interests of teachers, staff, administrators, parents and the community. Members of the School Council were very clear on the focus of this year's School Improvement Plan (SIP). In addition, they were compiling the results of the needs assessment to plan for the subsequent SIP.

The focus of components of the plan is always on student work and how to provide the best instruction. For example, data from the First Steps program indicated that students in the school did not do well in non-fiction. Therefore, the response defined in the SIP was to provide more non-fiction materials and instruction on how to read non-fiction. These issues were discussed in common planning time, Critical Friends and Looking at Student Work. The emphasis in teacher discussions refers to what is happening in the classroom, what is best for the students.

The point seems to be that the Danvers School District is responsive to needs of all its constituents who are also involved in the decision making process relative to new programs and initiatives from the beginning stages. Therefore, there is buy in to the district goals on the school level. Riverside school leadership has created a professional learning community, with a decentralized decision making process that accepts the district and school goals as valid and adapts them to their student's needs with improved instructional practices.

How did the school implement their planned improvement activities?

The steps taken to implement initiatives are not fully explained in either the District or the School Improvement Plan. Responsibility for monitoring implementation of improvement initiatives is shared between the directors and the principal.

Communication and involvement of all stakeholders at each step, combined with professional development specifically related to the programs seems to be the hallmark of program implementation in both the Danvers school district and at Riverside school.

Adoption and implementation procedures are discussed at Riverside at planning meetings with appropriate personnel, in Critical Friends Groups and during common planning time. The practice at the school seems to be that teachers become facilitators or trainers within the program facilitating a smooth implementation process.

Interviews with the District directors indicate that the math program is in its fourth year and the science program is in the third year of implementation with one science kit being introduced per year. First Steps is in the second year and the Curriculum Committee agreed to spend time implementing and focusing on it along with the introduction of the social studies curriculum. Each director took a small group of elementary teachers as a focus group to determine what they needed/wanted for this year's professional development. The consensus choice was to emphasize professional growth activities associated with English Language Arts (First Steps literacy).

Did the school monitor the effectiveness of the initiatives?

The District has analyzed the MCAS data for the schools for the past several years and it has informed their decisions as to selection and maintenance of district wide programs. The school has received some training in data analysis for instructional improvement purposes. At least one teacher in the school has received training in MCAS scoring of Long Compositions. The school relies on the MCAS data for information about student performance as well as the Stanford for Title I students and IOWA for 3rd grade. First Steps (Riverside's literacy program), although not a standardized test, provides diagnostic data to inform instructional decisions.

Assessment within the school is on a continual basis through both formative and summative means. Formative assessment occurs as the teacher monitors each student's progress to evaluate understanding. Summative assessment is determined through tests, oral presentations, written assignments, reports or projects. The school is exploring a move to portfolio assessments. Progress reports and parent/teacher conferences are conducted throughout the year.

does the school think these initiatives can be replicated? Why?

The school feels and the panel review team concurs that programs such as Houghton Mifflin Math and FOSS Science can be implemented successfully in schools in other districts provided there is faculty and staff agreement on its adoption combined with professional development support.

The principal's impression was that initiatives such as teacher control of the curriculum, literacy blocks, common planning time and Critical Friends Groups could also be replicated. However, their effectiveness and therefore benefits would be greatly enhanced if there were an atmosphere of trust among the faculty and between and among the faculty, staff and administration.

The District Superintendent felt that the leadership skills and style of the principal could be replicated as well as the collaborative efforts of the school personnel. The emphasis on literacy can and does exist in other districts.

However, the panel review team realizes that in open-ended organizations such as schools, change is an ongoing process and that what presently exists at Riverside school is the result of years of collaboration on the part of all involved in the school improvement effort and is never "finished." Although programs can be replicated, the success of all the parts working together is never guaranteed. Time and time again during the panel review team visit we were told that the success of all the parts in creating whole school improvement at Riverside can be directly attributed to the leadership of the school principal.

Key Question 2: Are The Conditions In Place For This School To Serve As A Model Of Effective Practices And Successful Improvement Initiatives?

Do leadership and staff have a shared understanding and use a common language to describe the changes/initiatives that have led to improvements in teaching and learning?

There is ample evidence that the answer to this question is yes. Each school parent advisory council has in the district three representatives on the PACE (Parents and Administration Communicate for Education) committee. This committee serves as a vehicle for the Superintendent and staff to explain the school department's new programs and policies and to involve parents in the formation of such programs and policies.

The Riverside School Council is an advisory board comprised of the principal, two parents elected by the PAC, two teachers elected by the faculty, and community members appointed by the principal. The School Council creates a School Improvement Plan each year, which must be reviewed and approved by the Danvers School Committee prior to implementation.

The principal, faculty and staff explain to the student body the rationale for the programs and instructional practices implemented or continued each year. Students have shown, through assembly programs and focus group interviews, a genuine understanding of the education programs and their place in it.

Thus, all stakeholders seem to be involved in or have an understanding of the initiatives.

Faculty turnover is extremely low and not an issue. New staff, attracted by the leadership of the principal and collegial atmosphere among the faculty, seek to work at the school. The principal, with control over the hiring of new faculty and staff, looks for professionals that form a match with the school's vision and philosophy.

How effectively do leadership and staff articulate the connection between specific changes and improvement initiatives they have implemented and the improvements made in teaching and learning?

The school principal and faculty feel that they have always been reflective educational practitioners and child centered educators. However, they also agree that their students "poor" showing on the MCAS tests in l998 caused them to refocus their attention on best practices and to align their curriculum and teaching with the frameworks. The school district provided the structural support and curricula guidance for the improvement efforts described in the District Improvement Plan (DIP). At the same time the district respected the teacher's responsibility and autonomy in delivering instruction.

This was an ideal situation for the Riverside faculty as the principal's leadership had helped to create an atmosphere of collaboration and self-reflection in a trusting environment. A perfect illustration of this is the Critical Friends Group where participation was mandatory in its initial year. This year, with participation voluntary, 100% of the staff have been involved.

Although the improvement in MCAS scores is gratifying to the teachers their greater pleasure has been that the focus on improving instruction has created better learners.

Is there a school wide focus on, and sufficient investment in, continued improvement of student performance? And District support?

The district has initiated and funded several improvement initiatives over the past several years especially in the area of literacy, science and math in all Danvers elementary schools. The district has also supplied funding for professional development to insure the continuity of these programs. The Superintendent indicated during the interview that plans are to continue to support all these programs while reviewing their effectiveness.

Within the school several initiatives show a focus and investment in student progress. There is a multi-age grouping within the K-3 classes. This allows students in their formative education years to proceed at their individual learning pace. There is also a unique student placement program that has been replicated throughout the Danvers elementary schools. Substitutes are hired to cover classes while all adults working with each child discuss his/her placement in the next grade. This process is designed to guarantee the optimal learning environment for the student. Previously discussed programs and strategies including Critical Friends, common planning time and Collaborative Assessment sessions provide numerous opportunities for faculty to discuss student work and progress, curricula issues and a myriad of other professional topics.

All teachers are trained in implementation of new programs in their field and literacy professional development is school wide. Finally, two staff members have become Critical Friends trainees, two have become FOSS Science trainers and one has become a First Steps trainer, providing in house professional development capabilities.

does the school appear to have the capacity to host site visits and to participate in various activities to share effective strategies and practices with other schools in the state?

The panel review team feels that the school does have the capacity to host site visits and to share best practices. The physical plant is bright, attractive and welcoming. It is spacious inside with ample room for parking outside. The school is situated on one floor and very easy to navigate. The school staff is gracious and knowledgeable about programs across grades. The parents, either visiting or volunteering in the school, are an asset.

If the school is chosen as an exemplar site there would be state funding available to provide substitute coverage for teachers either hosting visits or sharing best practices at another site. Teachers expressed a willingness to participate if it did not involve too much time away from their classrooms.

The principal has acted as a mentor for several aspiring principals in the past and is willing to continue to do so. She has also shared strategies and best practices with other schools. The panel review team feels that the principal's remarkable leadership skills are best studied in action on site.

Appendix A

Team Members

Dr. Karen Angello, Riverside Panel Coordinator, Consultant with the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education., Office of Accountability and Targeted Assistance, Malden, MA

Joseph Trunk, Riverside Panel Chairperson, Consultant for SchoolWorks, Beverly, MA.

Dr. W. Spencer Mullin, Panel Member, Principal, Nettle Middle School, Haverhill, MA

Lorraine A. Plasse, Panel Member, Director of English Language Arts and Library Services/ Coordinator of Teaching and Learning, Springfield, MA

Anne Bradshaw, Panel Member, Assistant Superintendent, Falmouth, MA

Appendix B

Exemplar School Candidate Site Visit Schedule

The times specified on the following schedule may be adjusted slightly to align with the daily schedule and practices in each of the schools being reviewed.