Two Year Follow-up Review for Matthew J. Kuss Middle School

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Follow-up Review Report, Spring 03 Kuss Middle School, Fall River, MA page 12 results for that year represent a dramatic improvement over the 1999 results and a significant improvement over the 2000 scores. In addition to the presence of a writing specialist in the building during the 2000-2001 academic year, the school had the services of a Title I Reading Specialist. These additional specialist positions served both teachers and students, and are likely to have had a positive impact on teaching and learning at Kuss. During the recent years at Kuss there have been curriculum changes in ELA along with the addition of specialist personnel. The school adopted a balanced literacy model for reading instruction beginning in 2001. The District purchased a new literature series and supplementary reading materials to implement the Turning Points balanced literacy design. Focused activities that became part of weekly discussion and periodic professional development were introduced by the Turning Points coach and expanded teachers’ knowledge of balanced literacy instructional strategies. In the judgment of the Panelists, this assortment of efforts and supports are likely to have contributed to the overall improvement in Kuss performance in MCAS ELA. The Matthew Kuss Middle School defined its goals for student performance in the approved School Improvement Plan (SIP) following its designation as an under-performing school in spring 2001. As written in that original SIP, the goals are global and vague. For example, in mathematics, an improvement objective is, “To build students (sic) number sense, data analysis and measurement skills.” In a similar style, the literacy objective states, “To promote students’ independent reading and critical thinking skills.” (Kuss School Improvement Plan 2001-2003, page 5) There are a variety of strategies identified for each objective, but the plan lacks measurable benchmarks or a precise timeline for completion. Without these elements, the team cannot judge whether the school’s goals are reasonable and achievable. What is notable is the absence of specific goals for students in need of remediation, whether identified as special needs students or merely students in need of support. The school’s strategies are defined for all classes and groups, without differentiation for those needing targeted special support. KEY QUESTION 2: To what extent did the school implement the improvement plan which was approved by the State Board of Education? Kuss Middle School administrators and faculty put in place many of the strategies listed in the 2001-2003 School Improvement Plan. The four major categories for change in the plan include Mathematics, Literacy, Writing Across the Curriculum, and Climate, and each area includes strategies for curriculum changes and professional development that are intended to improve student achievement. While the Team determined that many of the strategies have been put into place, there was a noticeable variability in the degree of quality in implementation of many of the efforts and limited systematic oversight and assessment of the impact of the strategies by school and District administrators. Massachusetts Department of Education
Follow-up Review Report, Spring 03 Kuss Middle School, Fall River, MA page 13 In mathematics, Kuss planners determined that student knowledge was weakest in the areas of number sense, data analysis and measurement skills. To address these gaps, the plan lists seven strategies: • Use the Star Math diagnostic to assure heterogeneous class assignment; • Align the curriculum with state standards and develop common performance assessments; • Continue phased implementation of the Connected Mathematics Program; • Provide staff development during the summer and on-site consultant support during the year for CMP; • Track student progress using management software and reporting each term; • Develop common assessments during monthly curriculum meetings; and • Use the Title I math facilitator to assist teachers in implementing new strategies. Kuss faculty and administrators completed several strategies from their original list, primary among them continued implementation of the Connected Mathematics Program (CMP). While no formal alignment was completed, the Team learned that the District Curriculum Director worked with faculty to select the units for implementation that best matched the state Frameworks. Monthly curriculum meetings between middle school math teachers and the District Curriculum Director are reported by teachers to be useful means for tracking pacing of the CMP curriculum and for sharing teaching ideas and strategies. Several math teachers praised highly the quality of the summer CMP training and the strong positive influence of the CMP consultant who has been working with the school for four years. Less fully implemented are the school’s plans to track student progress using management software, and the use of the Star Math diagnostic to guide student placement. In both cases, limitations in technology access and expertise created roadblocks to following the original plan. Also, according to the Title I math facilitator, the time available to assist teachers directly is reduced by demands of her role in providing support to the Turning Points program, a schoolwide reform model selected as the focal point for Kuss reform efforts. In literacy, the SIP approved by the State Board of Education includes four strategies designed to support the improvement objective, “to promote students’ independent reading and critical thinking skills.” The strategies are: • Adoption of the Prentice Hall balanced literacy series; • Attendance at a balanced literacy workshop; • Development of curriculum guides that align with the MA Curriculum Frameworks; and • Purchase of additional resources to support the reading program The school has completed adoption of the Prentice Hall series and Team members observed its use in ELA classes across the school. Classroom sets of reading books were also noted in many classes. Teachers reported attending several literacy workshops and praised their quality and usefulness. The Principal reported that additional workshops will be scheduled to maintain teachers’ skills with the balanced literacy strategies. As far as the Team could determine, the curriculum guides completed in literacy contain some of the components described in the school’s Improvement Plan, but omit critical elements which are Massachusetts Department of Education
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Two Year Follow-up Review for Matthew J. Kuss Middle School

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