Assessment/Accountability
School and District Accountability and Assistance

Report of Fact Finding Review
John Duggan Middle School
Springfield Public Schools

Executive Summary

I Curriculum and Instruction

Areas of weakness:

• Instruction of the district's curriculum in ELA and mathematics is very uneven at the school with several examples of ineffective teaching methods;
• Too much instructional time is wasted due to poor planning and ineffective teaching methods resulting in student misbehavior and classroom distractions;
• High expectations for student achievement are not incorporated into all classes.

The prospects for improvement in these three areas of need are not clear. Improvements in these areas will require much closer and more focused supervision of classroom instruction and assistance for the weakest teachers.

Prospects for Improvement:

• The school has several highly effective teachers who could serve as mentors or models to assist weaker teachers at the school. There is also recognition on the part of a large number of the faculty that the focus now needs to be on the improvement of instructional practices.
• The newly created positions of Collaborative Development Teachers, with two such positions allocated for the Duggan Middle School, can also be a source of assistance for teachers who require that help.

II School Climate

Areas of weakness:

• The school lacks a clearly defined vision and plan for improvement. Consequently, there is no shared commitment across all elements of the school of those important components, critical for the school to improve its work with students.
• Communication about these significant issues is ineffective. Lines of communication in the school are not evident or clear to faculty and staff and communication to all stakeholders about the improvement efforts being made is spotty.
• There is no clear understanding by all school faculty and staff of their role in the implementation of the improvement planning process or in the various plans developed.

The prospects for improvement in these three areas are also unclear, dependent upon the school's decisions about the development of a vision statement and clarification of any plans for improvement and the faculty's role in achieving the goals of such plans.

• Student attendance is poor with almost half of the students enrolled absent from school more than 10% of the time they are enrolled.

Prospects for improvement in this area are unlikely without direct intervention plans, a factor not evident in current planning efforts.

Prospects for Improvement:

• Many faculty members believe that the declaration of the school as under performing makes the timing right for the development of a strong vision statement and express their willingness to help move the school in a positive direction.
• Despite the confusing communication noted above, there seems to be a willingness on the part of a majority of the faculty and staff to cooperate in all phases of the improvement effort as evidenced by their service on SIP (School Improvement Plan) and PIM (Performance Improvement Mapping) teams and the implementation of the new reading program.
• The district's School Support Specialist, experienced with helping under performing district schools with the PIM process, can be a source of genuine assistance to the school if he is fully utilized. Other central office personnel also expressed their wish, willingness and availability to assist the school. The school should take full advantage of these resources.

III Organizational Structures and Management

Areas of weakness:

• As evidenced by classroom observations by the Fact-Finding Team and the practitioners working with them, there is a lack of instructional leadership and poor supervision of instruction at the school.
• Based on the review of several teacher observation and evaluation records, including those of all ELA and mathematics teachers, the teacher evaluation system as currently practiced at the school is meaningless, failing to identify any areas requiring improvement or distinguish between effective and ineffective classroom instruction.
• As evidenced by the total lack of the professional development plans required of all Massachusetts teachers, a process not used at the school for some years, the school makes no efforts to align teachers' professional development activities with school or district goals. The focused communication and collaboration intended and inherent in the professional development planning process is not practiced at the school, a lost opportunity.

Prospects for improvements in these three areas, similar to areas noted above, are also unclear, dependent upon changes in current school actions or practices that have not yet been recognized by the school as important factors in improving student achievement.

Prospects for Improvement:

• The creation of the house structure and the modification of the school schedule, lengthening instructional time for some subjects, have had positive results. Teaching teams closely supervise students in their teams both in and out of classrooms.
• Teaching teams have daily team planning periods to address student and team issues. While these planning periods could be more productive than is currently the case, they represent a good opportunity and commitment of resources to permit teachers to collaborate about student and school issues.

IV Leadership and Planning

Areas of weakness:

• The school continues to fail to demonstrate evidence of improvement plans based on the thorough analysis of the data available to it. This shortcoming is a serious barrier to effective planning for improved student achievement. Improvement in this area is progressing much more slowly than would serve the school's interests and planning requirements.
• There is no process in evidence at the school to assess the effectiveness of its programs or services. Several initiatives have been put in place without any plan to determine their efficacy or specific contribution to improvement efforts. Absent specific plans to do so, prospects for progress in this area are doubtful.
• There is a lack of genuine shared decision making by the school's leadership with the school's professionals, a barrier to gaining their support for and participation in improvement efforts. Many teachers wish to be part of the decision making process to improve pupil results. Prospects for this are more positive than other areas noted.

Prospects for Improvement:

• Perceiving her as working hard to improve things for students, many members of the faculty want to support the principal in her leadership role.
• As noted earlier, there are several district resources that are designed to assist schools with such tasks as assuring that improvement plans are based on analysis of data and are focused on student achievement. The school should fully utilize these resources.

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