Middle schools struggling with MCAS scores

Sep 25, 2008 (North Adams Transcript - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- NCBH | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Sep. 25--The scores from last spring's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests are in and while it seems that North County high schools are doing fine, the middle schools are struggling.

Silvio O. Conte Middle School in North Adams, Adams Memorial Middle School and the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School in Adams all failed to meet the state's adequate yearly progress (AYP) numbers in both math and English language arts (ELA). If scores do not improve, the state can place the school's in one of three categories to determine what to do next.

If a school is in an "improvement year," a school district needs to inform the public about its need and develop an action plan. If a school needs "corrective action," a district might need to hire new teachers, change its curriculum or lengthen the school year. Finally, a school in need of "restructuring" might have to replace most of its teachers, fundamentally restructure its programs or, in extreme cases, turn the operation of the school over to the state.

BArT, both a middle school and a high school, is now in "corrective action" for math and "improvement year 2" for ELA. The school's state target for math was set at 76.5 percent but the scores only showed a 50.3. BArT scored a 70.5 percent in ELA, but the state target was 85.4. BArT Executive Director Julia Bowen said the school was prepared for these results after getting preliminary

scores over the summer and is already taking its own corrective action.

"One of the things we have as a school is a school improvement plan and it's a really long, detailed document that outlines what we'll be doing," she said. "But I think, at heart, what we're working on is increasing the student support, most importantly the identification of specific learning needs. We've truly adapted a new model around how we're using data in the school to support teachers in their classrooms."

She said that the school already sent teachers to seminars and classes at Harvard University over the summer to improve their use of that kind of data in the classroom. But she added that because of BArT's unique student body, they initially get students from several different schools, all with different classroom experiences.

"Eighty-five percent of our kids come from Adams, North Adams and Pittsfield," she said. "So we're getting them in sixth and seventh grade after they've been in another school district for eight years. I've always said this, that we can do a lot once we get them, but we can't do a whole lot within a year."

Conte Middle School missed its AYP in both mathematics and ELA. It's ELA scores were 80.8 percent, below the state target of 85.4. In math, the state goal for the school was 76.5 percent while the school's score was 64. In ELA, the school is rated as an "improvement year 2" for its subgroups and in math is in a second "restructuring year". Superintendent James Montepare said that while the middle school was struggling, the scores at the high school show that progress is being made.

"I'm happy with the progress we've made," he said. "Certainly, every district has its peaks and valleys, but what I'm looking for is steady progress year after year and North Adams is making progress. Most importantly, at the end of the day when kids go on to Drury High School, they all graduate, they all pass the MCAS and even the scores at Drury were a few points above average."

The AYP scores for Drury were not available on the state Department of Education's Web site, but the individual scores for the tenth grade math, science and ELA were. They showed Drury was above the state average in all three categories in the "proficient" category but were slightly above the state's averages in the "needs improvement" category in math and science.

"We had a meeting on science last week and we've started reviewing our scores," Montepare said. "We have a full faculty strategy meeting and all the disciplines fit into each other and we take a look at individual kids, give them what they need. They look at English, math and science because they're all intertwined."

Adams Memorial fared better then its counterparts, exceeding the state target of 85.4 percent in ELA with its own score of 87. It also just missed the state math target of 76.5 percent with a 75.9. Memorial is free and clear when it comes to ELA but it is in a "restructuring year 1" for math. Still, Memorial Principal Kimberly Roberts-Mordadi said the school is reacting quickly to make up the difference.

"Obviously, anytime we don't reach the mark, there's disappointment," she said. "The teachers are meeting to analyze the figures based on preliminary data and now we're at the point where we can look at the official release from the state. We had already begun a proactive response. We were already assessing the programs we had as a normal part of what we do. What worked, what didn't and what information we had to back that data up."

Roberts-Morandi said the school has started analyzing its scores and how better to service the students that are struggling. It has purchased a new mobile computer lab and software that will help individualize student instruction and she said the school will rebound.

"You can't accept mediocrity," she said. "That's not the goal of a good teacher, of a good educator."

In contrast to the troubles of the middle schools, Hoosac Valley High School managed to exceed the state's expectations in both math and ELA -- scoring a 90.5 percent in ELA over the state's 85.4 target and a 87.2 over the state's 76.5 math target. It also scored above the state averages in the new science and technology section of the exam. Principal Henry Duval attributed the success to the school's anticipation of the inclusion of science and a restructuring of the science curriculum.

"We've revamped our science program to move biology into the freshman year, we used to have earth science there," he said. "So we were still in the process of changing. We had all of our freshmen take it and then two thirds of the sophomores take it, because the honors level sophomores took it the year before because they were on an advanced track. We were delighted to see they were above the state average because they were achieved without those advanced students scores being figured in.

"In general we did well, there was still concern because there were a handful of students that didn't pass, which we still have to get on re-test.

Charles H. McCann Technical High School also scored well, beating the state's target 85.4 percent in ELA with an 87.7 and scoring an 83.1 in math, well above the sate goal of 76.5.

"These are the sophomores from last year, our current juniors and I give all the credit to our math department," Principal Kathleen Millard said. "We have a terrific math department headed by Pat Taylor. We've been working with our kids for the last eight or nine years to improve math across the board... Year in and year out our kids continue to rise to the occasion. They know what's at stake and they're hard workers. They work hard in their shop week and they work hard in their academic because they know how important the dual education is."

No one from Mount Greylock Regional High School could not be reached for comment, but they score well in both subjects, as it has since 2000. Greylock scored 92.3 percent in ELA, above the state's target of 85.4 and topped the state's math target of 76.5 with its own 78.7.

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