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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Guest View: School Success Not Just a Number

By Judith Costello

    When I was asked to be on a Restructuring Advisory Committee, I admit it didn't sound good. The school "failed to meet Annual Yearly Progress" goals for five years in a row. The words "failed" and "restructuring" sounded like repeating a grade.
    "Not so!" says Dawn Tinsley, principal at Moriarty Middle School. Her school is restructuring primarily because the subgroups of English Language Learners and Special Education students have not met goals for increasingly proficiency.
    Restructuring is a vaguely defined process mandated by the federal and state government for 195 of New Mexico's 761 public schools this academic year. The number will increase because 258 additional schools have not met AYP goals for a year or more. Restructuring is likely to become commonplace.
    What has happened at the Moriarty Middle School, which was considered to be in the second best district in the state just 12 years ago? Tinsley says, "It's not the quality of the school that has changed during these years. It's the way we measure success. Moriarty schools were considered great back then and they still are."
    Her measurement for "greatness" goes beyond the numbers on paper. It is based on the student body caliber, teacher commitment and the willingness of all personnel to change and adapt. She believes these considerations set them apart.
    "I moved here three years ago specifically to be a part of this school," says Olav Roos who comes from Santa Fe to teach history and Spanish in Moriarty. "There are good kids here and this is a great group (of teachers). Numbers don't tell the real story."
    In December, the Moriarty-Edgewood School Board decided the Moriarty Middle School would continue in restructuring rather than go through the option of reconstitution. Before this announcement, there was anxiety within the community. Reconstitution would have meant the school would be shut down and all teachers and staff would re-apply for positions.
    "In the short time since restructuring was mandated for us last spring, there has been tremendous effort and dedication shown by the staff and the teachers," says Laura Moffitt, coordinator for Curriculum and Learning. She is on the Restructuring Leadership Team recommending restructuring versus reconstitution.
   
Close examination
    So what does restructuring look like? In Moriarty it meant setting up an Advisory Committee of administration, teachers, parents and community members. And that's how I got involved.
    The state requires schools in restructuring to re-examine everything they do and implement the latest and best teaching ideas in order to raise test scores for every student. Tinsley and her staff welcome that opportunity.
    "In every profession there is a tendency to become stagnant," Tinsley said. "You get in a rut. Restructuring challenges you to look at everything from a new perspective."
    Several ideas have already been implemented. One is that students now have a daily Advisory Period. This 20-minute session, with a teacher and 14 other students, is an opportunity to express concerns.
    "They can talk about social, academic or any other issues," says Kay Shields, the school's art teacher. "It's a support system. When this idea was presented at the National Conference for Middle School Teachers, the speaker was impressed that we have already implemented it."
    Advisers are expected to contact parents by phone often. Parents also receive newsletters that update them on what's going on at the school.
    Other ideas that have been implemented include Shared Planning for grade level teachers, Goal Teams addressing specific issues, and sharing leadership skills. Assistant Superintendent Mike Reese says, "At a meeting with other schools that are restructuring Moriarty stood out as exemplary."
    "I want to let people know this process is a good thing," says Moffitt. "The schools that pass AYP are, for the most part, elementary schools without special education students or students who are struggling with the language. We do. And we welcome the diversity of our student body. We are committed to meeting the needs of all our students."
   
Students help
    The Moriarty Middle School used to have an "enriched" track where the brightest students were, in essence, isolated from the wider student body. Tinsley believes these "gifted" students can be a key to stimulating the thinking for all students. A classroom with a variety of learners can challenge advanced students to translate what they know, into language that speaks to struggling students. She believes it's a win-win situation and says, "Every teacher is asked to address all learning levels, from highest to lowest. This means the typical 'lecture model' doesn't work. We are calling for greater creativity."
    The Professional Development Specialist for the district, Julia Roark, laughs away the perception that the district has gone downhill. "If we used the same measurements today as those of 10 years ago, the schools in this district would turn out to be the same or better than they were back then. I've worked in lots of schools in three different states. Moriarty ranks among the best."
    So what do I think now that I've been on the Advisory Committee for a while? I've talked to students, teachers, parents and administrators. What I see is an increased scrutiny of our schools, too much focus on testing and an uncertainty that has created hard times. The teachers, administrators and staff who work within this pressured atmosphere, and yet "go the extra mile" for our children, are to be commended. And there is at least one school in restructuring that is eager to reclaim its status as "Among the Best."
   
   
    Grades for schools
    These are the numbers statewide:
    Schools in Corrective Action or Restructuring: 198
    Schools requiring Improvement: 158
    Those that have missed Annual Yearly Progress for one year, no designation: 100
    No designation (schools that met AYP): 305