Archived Information

Assessment/Accountability
School and District Accountability and Assistance

Panel Report
Compass School Review
Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School-Springfield, 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 ideas, effective practices, and models for success. The program is intended to provide a means for the schools to share their expertise with other schools in the state.

Based on the School Performance and Improvement Ratings issued in January 2001, and continued and/or significant improvement on the 2001 MCAS test results, the Department identified 175 schools that exceeded their expectations for improvement. These schools were invited to apply for consideration as candidates to serve as 2002 Commonwealth Compass Schools. Of the 84 schools who chose to apply by submitting information on the initiatives they have undertaken to improve student performance that they think have had the most positive impact on their results, seven high schools, eight elementary schools, and three middle schools were selected as finalists and scheduled for an on-site review to determine their willingness and capacity to serve. Data and information gathered from the applications and the review process of these schools will be published in a report this fall.

Schools selected to serve as 2002 Commonwealth Compass Schools 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 the visiting team based on their April 23, 2002 site visit review of the Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School in Springfield. The report will assist the Commissioner in determining which schools from among those visited will be designated to serve as Compass Schools in the state's new Exemplary Schools Program.

The review panel evaluated data and written information on the school's performance and improvement efforts, including the school's application to serve as a Compass School. The panel then visited the school to meet with school leaders, staff, parents and students and visit classrooms in order to answer the following two key questions:

1. Is this school using effective improvement initiatives that could be replicated in other similarly profiled schools?
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. In the process of answering these questions, the report focuses primarily on the initiatives that the school identified in its application as having had the most positive impact on student performance.

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 Balliet School review is provided in Appendix A. A detailed schedule of the panel's activities is provided in Appendix B.

Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School Profile

The Thomas M. Balliet School is one of 31 elementary schools in Springfield. In 2001, 282 students were enrolled within a K - 5 grade configuration. Enrollment figures have been relatively stable between 1998-2001 with the exception of 1999 when enrollment increased to 313 students. In 2001, the student body at Balliet is 44 percent African American, 30 percent white, 25 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Asian. Approximately eight out of ten students (78%) students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and approximately one-third of the students (28%) spoke a first language other than English. The school has a School-Wide Title I program and reported that approximately 13 percent of its student body receives Special Education services.

In 2000 (the most recent attendance data available to the panel), the school's daily attendance rate was 94.3 percent, with students missing an average of ten to eleven days per school year. Three students received out-of-school suspensions; there were no in school suspensions; and one student was excluded in 2000. The retention rate has increased from 3.1% in 1998 to 7.2% in 2000. Twenty-one students were retained in grade in 2000.

Staffing

Balliet students are taught by 21 full time teachers as well as eight teacher's aides. Average class is 21 students. The central staff consists of the Principal, Mary A. Mushok, one guidance counselor and one librarian. The school reported that all of its full-time teachers, except one, were certified to teach in their current positions and that five full time teachers have a master's degree.

MCAS

A comparison of school and district scores in 2001 demonstrates that approximately 6 out of 10 Balliet students scored within the Proficient or Advanced performance levels in English Language Arts while the district ratio for 4th graders is approximately 3 out of 10 students. In Mathematics, the district percentage of students in the Proficient/Advanced performance levels was 15 percent while 38 percent of Balliet 4th graders scored in these performance levels.

Panel Reponses to the Key Questions

KEY QUESTION 1: Is this school using effective improvement initiatives that could be replicated in other similarly profiled schools?

Yes. Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School employs an interwoven collection of strategies to assure student success. A common theme among the school's initiatives is a focus on the classroom teacher as decision maker, planner, and implementer of instructional improvements.

A. Which improvement initiatives have had the greatest impact on student performance results?

Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School is a good example of how planning and support can facilitate and sustain school-level improvement. The school's improvement efforts are guided by the School Improvement Plan, which outlines a clear vision and plan for improving student achievement. By enlisting teachers' participation in all the improvement initiatives and instructional changes, the Principal has fostered a culture of professional risk-taking and staff-based decision-making. Balliet School put into practice the following initiatives:

• data interpretation: an impressive battery of assessments are administered and followed by careful analysis and interpretation that inform ability groups;
• adoption of the nine Principles of Learning based on the "Philosophy of Learning" a body of research out of University of Pittsburgh;
• structuring the school as an inclusion model in which most classrooms have two teachers-either a regular education teacher and a special needs teacher or a regular education teacher and a trained paraprofessional allowing for a small teacher to student ratio, (this is particularly important since students are homogeneously grouped for reading, writing and mathematics);
• professional development every Tuesday afternoon where teachers focus on data analysis and interpretation;
• creation of an O.A.S.I.S (Orientation Assessment Stability Intervention Services) that focuses on addressing the academic and social needs of new and established students who have varied backgrounds and perform below grade level, (the O.A.S.I.S. room also services students with language barriers, social attitudes and peer relationship development, disruptive behavior and poor attendance);
• use of the School Centered Decision Making Team (SCDM) to design, implement and evaluate Balliet's School Improvement Plan, the SCDM team is comprised of teachers, parents, and business partners for a total of 12 -15 members.

The school initiative that has had the greatest impact on student performance results is an intense focus on data collection and analysis. Balliet staff use analysis of student performance data to guide differentiated instruction, to design and manage early intervention strategies, and to assess those strategies' effectiveness by closely monitoring individual students' progress. Even though data collection and analysis is a clear focus at Balliet, it is intertwined with the various other strategies mentioned above.

Balliet's rationale for focusing on data collection and analysis was eloquently expressed by a teacher who stated that "using assessment in the planning of next lessons to go over skills not learned or to build upon what has been learned and move on" was a strategy s/he used that had a positive impact on student achievement. Third grade MCAS scores show Balliet students averaged at the proficient level and scored six more points on the Reading Test than other city students and two points higher than other students in the state.

Data is used to get a picture of individual students' strengths and weaknesses. Students are grouped and instructed at their ability level. In a reading class you will find 3-4 groups of students working at centers with a teacher or independently on reading, writing, and listening skills as well as on computer programs. You will also see students leaving the classroom while others enter, every student knows where s/he belongs and is able to work independently at a center while the teachers work with one group of students at a time. Students rotate daily so that by the end of the week every student has a chance to participate at every station and receive teacher instruction. Since data is mainly used to get a picture of individual students strengths and weaknesses, students who need to be challenged or encouraged at any given level are given that extra attention by their teacher. For example a student who is ready to move to a higher level might get extra homework, individual instruction and more challenging work. On the flip side a student who needs encouragement will get individual instruction.

Balliet administers norm referenced, criterion referenced and diagnostic test in-house; STAR, DRA, AR (Accelerated Reader) test, Woodcock Reading Mastery Test, Cornerstone reading test, Slossen Oral Reading and Basal Reading Tests. Balliet staff administers the Key Math and Cornerstone math tests across grade levels at different times during the year. The DRA and STAR tests are administered three times a year or when children enter Balliet. Data from the STAR test places children at appropriate reading levels. The children then have the opportunity to read independently and demonstrate mastery on books at their level.

Administering assessments is time-consuming and requires trained personnel. The classroom teachers, Reading Resource teacher and the Librarian administer all the assessments at Balliet. Tests administered at the beginning of the year must be finished within a month's time so that data can be used for grouping students based on reading and math ability. High expectations in tandem with differentiated instruction motivate staff and students to continuously re-assess their progress and adjust instructional groups.

B. How did the school plan their improvement initiatives and put them into practice?

The work toward a focused reliance on data-based decisions began in 2000 with the previous administrator who took data home for the summer and analyzed it for the teachers. He wanted to know "what can be done for students while they are at Balliet without worrying about what they received somewhere else". Understanding every student's strengths and weaknesses proved to be a powerful tool the Principal used to communicate with teachers about their students. In 2001, the SCDM team took on the job of analyzing data and informing staff of the results, goals and adjustments made to instruction based on the data.

Teachers play an integral part in the planning process for school-level initiatives. One teacher stated that the greatest initiative was looking at children as individuals. This allows teachers to focus on student's strengths and weaknesses and to spend Tuesday's professional development time and common planning time developing individual "Student's Success Plans" to determine the best instructional group and level. The school made a commitment to professional development to train the staff on the administration and interpretation of assessments as well as the nine Principles of Learning. The Reading Resource teacher, Librarian and members of the SCDM team train staff on how to administer, read and communicate assessment results. The Reading Resource teacher and the Librarian record the data and communicate the results to teachers, students, administrators and parents.

The focus on data collection and analysis is a school initiative. The data analysis allows teachers to make instructional decisions based on identifying and meeting students' needs. The initiative started under the previous administration and the new Principal has embraced and augmented the process. The SCDM team involved the entire staff in the process, which helped build commitment and support for the initiative. Since the SCDM team is representative of every staff member at Balliet, they feel their voices are represented when decisions are made and shared and are willing to support the changes.

The data collection and analysis initiative is now in its second year of implementation. Balliet staff maintains a rigorous monitoring and testing schedule and undertakes ongoing review of the assessment results.

To complement the classroom components of the school's improvement strategies, teachers for grades 1-5 send home a folder every Thursday with student work and comments about the work. Kindergarten teachers send work home daily. Parents find these folders helpful. Teachers understand how to interpret assessment results and communicate it to students who can readily talk about rubrics, where they rank on the rubric and what they need to do to improve. As one teacher said, "The most positive impact on student performance has been using rubrics to help students evaluate their own work to develop positive goals for improvement. Using this type of assessment frequently helps the student move ahead."

Next steps in sustaining, expanding or refining the school's improvement is focusing on math and science-goals three and four in their School Improvement Plan. A guided inquiry based approach to teaching math and science is being explored along with expanding the use of the Cornerstone computer math program with an emphasizing problem solving skills and writing in math. The new Principal brings a strong math background and a focus on math. The MCAS scores from 2001 show a decrease on the open-ended questions from 52% in 1998 to 49% in 2001. The Librarian is supporting the new focus by purchasing a selection of books in several content areas including science and math.

The school has also identified a non-academic goal for the coming year. Administrators and teachers noted a significant number of behavior infractions among the current fourth and fifth-graders. The Principal is looking to create a Pride Code Academy to improve conduct and raise the level of respect among students. One component of that program would include students who are referred to the O.A.S.I.S. (Orientation Assessment Stability Intervention Services) room have to sign a Pride Code Contract. In order to make this contract come to life, a Pride Code Academy is being developed to encourage students to abide by the Pride Code of Balliet.

C. Does the school think these initiatives be successfully used in similar schools? Why?

The key elements of the Balliet improvement strategies revolve around the professional commitment of staff members to take on their share of responsibility for examining assessment results and modifying classroom instruction to better meet student needs. As such, most of the improvement strategies can be successfully used in other schools with clever scheduling and the commitment of the staff to play an active role in improving student performance.

While the additional cost of the Accelerated Reader program may limit adoption of that strategy, many other changes that contribute to Balliet's success require little or no additional expense. Extending learning time for literacy, allocating common planning time for teachers to examine student work samples, completing a range of assessments in a timely manner, and conducting weekly professional development time for training and discussion of student performance are organizational changes that can enhance the quality of professional practice at any school.

Balliet personnel express a willingness to disseminate their initiatives and strategies and to share their experiences as they instituted each change. Teachers and administrators are open to having visitors in their school. The staff is comfortable presenting information about their instructional strategies, the procedures they use for data analysis and implementation of the nine "Principles of Learning."

The following list summarizes some of activities and tools Balliet staff has used to improve instruction and achievement:

• Know the individual strengths and weaknesses of every student.
• Have high expectations for all students.
• Use multiple approaches to teaching.
• Schedule common planning time.
• Provide "Thursday folders" to update parents weekly of their children's progress.
• Target professional development on initiative(s) undertaken by the school.
• Provide meaningful instructional training for paraprofessionals.
• Have experienced teachers mentor new teachers.
• Assure all teachers understand new initiatives and are able to contribute to it.
• Be creative with your physical space, corners can make excellent offices with the right decorations.
• Display student work and celebrate student successes.
• Take pride in your classroom, make it inviting to students.
• Utilize staff to lower teacher-student ratio.

KEY QUESTION 2: Are the Conditions in Place for this School to Serve as a Model of Effective Practices and Successful Improvement Initiatives?

The conditions are definitely in place at Balliet for this school to serve as a model of effective practices and successful improvement initiatives. The staff at Balliet is confident and articulate about the influence of modest strategies coupled with the impact of precise knowledge of student strengths and weaknesses. They want to make sure that visiting schools understand that it is an intertwining of various approaches based on data collection and analysis and not just one strategy that has earned them the success their students have achieved. They also feel the process of improvement is ongoing and provides for readjustments in school planning as new information comes to light.

A. 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?

All members of the Balliet staff mention the same common themes when describing their success - reliance on careful understanding of each student's needs, and the responsibility of the classroom teachers to provide supports and enrichment to each child according to his/her needs. School leaders recognize their duty to provide the resources (including time) that teachers need to plan and improve their instruction. Parents understand their duties in helping their children focus on learning. Teachers describe their role to do what it takes to support the success of each individual. Toward that end, every student is taught the same standards. Standards have become so well known to teachers that they don't mention the standards in their conversations rather they explain how the standards frame student learning and how the teacher must provide the opportunities for that learning to happen. Every staff member at Balliet consistently communicated clear expectations around teaching and learning.

Teachers feel comfortable speaking about their practice and how assessment drives instruction. They focus on all students not just the underachieving ones. Parents feel that teachers build relationships with their children in more ways than just academics, noting that teachers invest in the emotional well being of every student. The representative SCDM team recognizes their duty to make decisions based on analysis of data and to communicate their decisions to staff, parents, and community partners. Enlisting support and dedication to implementation of the SCDM's decisions is a challenge to all members of the school's leadership team.

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

The School Improvement Plan drives the staff at Balliet to continuously make connections between specific changes and improvement initiatives. Goal number one is "to incorporate the Principles of Learning in each classroom so as to impact the MCAS scores. The goal is to increase the school wide test results by 5% in reading and mathematics and to decrease the failure rate by 5%". Part of the process is that teachers examine data collected, and use it to inform their teaching. This is evident especially in reading and math, where students are grouped by ability and taught in small groups at their ability level. It is also evident in students' desire to improve their weekly AR (Accelerated Reader) test scores, not only for the rewards but because they want to become better readers. The process of writing and examining the goals listed in the School Improvement Plan are taken very seriously by the SCDM team who reaches out to parents and community partners to help them accomplish the goals listed in their School Improvement Plan. Part of the action plan under School Improvement Plan number one states that "parents will learn the expectations of each classroom teacher". Well informed parents at Balliet translate into actively involved parents. Teachers, administrators, parents and community members understand the importance of linking data and teaching standards in order to create and maintain high expectations for all students. Thoughtful professional discussions during common planning time help promote a culture where staff members hold themselves to high standards as well.

Teachers can point to changes they have implemented and corresponding improvement in instruction and student achievement. This is particularly evident when teachers talk about one of the nine Principles of Learning-communicating clear expectations. In doing so, teachers communicate to students their current level and projected level. Students strive to meet the high expectations teachers' set. This is all done with the support of administration, parents and community members. Teachers can show how data analysis has resulted in changes in instruction and student achievement. Teachers receive STAR test results following its administration three times per year, which guides the assignment of students to different reading levels. Throughout the school, classrooms and hallways are covered with displays of students work, rubrics, standards and descriptions of assignments. The Balliet inclusion model is noteworthy in as far as one cannot distinguish between the regular education students and the special needs students. High standards and expectations are set forth for all students. Behavior management can be seen by the incorporation of one of the nine principles of learning-clear expectations-the staff has become proficient in providing classroom time that is focused and demanding for the students.

The principal is also very involved in this process. Students who meet math benchmarks are sent down to the Principal's office so they can demonstrate their skills to her, whether it is reciting the multiplication tables or adding and subtracting. Once students master a skill level, their picture is taken and displayed on the "Mathematics Wall of Fame" bulletin board. Balliet staff believes in the Principal and trust that her leadership will help sustain the initiatives set in place by the previous administration.

C. Is there a school wide focus on, and sufficient investment in, continued improvement of student performance?

A parent said it best when she expressed her surprise at a fifth-grade teacher knowing her and her daughter's names, given that her daughter is only in kindergarten. Teachers at Balliet are not only committed to their own students but they take responsibility for all the students at the school. Administrators explained their view that the MCAS is not just a 4th grade test rather a Kindergarten through 4th grade test. They explained that the skills being asked of students in the fourth grade could be traced all the way back to Kindergarten. Therefore, at Balliet there is a culture where teachers want to know what other teachers are doing in order to support the learning of their students. Teachers not only meet across grade level but also demonstrate a passion about being able to meet and communicate about students and learning standards among their own grade level colleagues. Collaboration beyond the inclusion model is evident when teachers involve and seek help of the guidance staff in an effort to understand and meet individual student needs.

Due to overall budget cuts in the district and state, the Principal fears that some of the forecasted cuts might mean fewer resources for staffing. This could severely change the school's structure and make it difficult to maintain the favorable student teacher ratio in reading and math classes. Since Balliet is an old school talk of rebuilding the school and increasing its student capacity from 250 to upwards of 1,000 students has parents concerned that the school will lose all the benefits of being a "small" school. They fear that students won't receive the individual attention that a small school offers and which they attribute to the success of their children.

D. 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? Does the school leader and involved staff communicate effectively both orally and in writing how and why it carried out its strategies for improvement?

While space is tight, Balliet staff would like to share the school's accomplishment and encourage others to replicate some of its successful strategies. Teachers at the school frequently have visitors in their rooms since "learning walks" by district administrative panels are part of the nine Principles of Learning. The previous Principal was committed to visiting classrooms approximately 20 times a day. The current Principal also spends time in classrooms, acclimating students to the presence of visitors.

Despite complaints about the upper grades students, a culture of respect and atmosphere of orderliness is evident in the building. Classrooms are welcoming and tell a story of their own. They are decorated with student work, organized efficiently and run smoothly, and a visitor can learn a lot about what the teacher has been able to accomplish. Students are eager to share their work and can talk about their academic achievements. Visitors leave with a sense that all it takes is making typical ordinary things such as clear expectations, data collection and analysis and individualized instruction along with a real commitment to making them work by identifying every student as an individual learner.

Space at Balliet is very limited. Successful visits would include a team of limited size, and minimal need for meeting space. The presence of the site visit team disrupted the usual AR testing conducted in the library. Individual or pairs would be best served given the limitations at Balliet.

E. Are there any reasons why the school should not be used as a Commonwealth Compass School?

There is no reason why the Thomas M. Balliet School should not be used as a Commonwealth Compass School. The staff and leadership have the commitment and energy to disseminate information about their process and practice to other educators.

The visiting team found no indications that the Thomas M. Balliet Elementary school would not make a meaningful site where visitors can see the influence of modest initiatives on the academic achievement of students. Guests could sit in on common planning time or attend the Tuesday professional development sessions without disrupting daily classroom events. Teachers can share their systems for monitoring the many assessments students take and explain the instructional modifications that have been most effective. Visitors interested in adopting a data-focused planning model can learn from the experiences of Balliet teachers and staff to design their own adaptation of the Balliet system.

Appendix A
Team Members

Geri Lyn Ajemian, Ed. D., Coordinator, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Malden, MA
Emilys Pena, Consultant, SchoolWorks, Beverly, MA
Gail Arsenault, Director of Curriculum, Northbridge PS, Northbridge, MA
Nancy Farrell, Grade 7-12 Mathematics Coordinator, Agawam PS, Agawam, MA
Nancy Voght, Teacher, Attleboro PS, Attleboro, MA

Appendix B
Compass School Panel Review Visit Schedule

All activities take place at the school.