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Alderwood Middle School Makes A Difference
by Pat Steinburg and Suzie Baier
Alderwood Middle School in Edmonds, Wash., has created a learning environment that has resulted in improved test scores, school participation and parental satisfaction for students with disabilities.
Located in the Edmonds School District, about 20 miles north of Seattle, the suburban district consists of five separate municipalities: Woodway, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds. The communities have diverse populations and a wide range of socioeconomic status, from extreme wealth to poverty.
Of the four comprehensive middle schools in the district, Alderwood has the most diverse student population. The student population includes: 36 percent on free and reduced lunch, 7 percent of whom are limited English proficient, 10 percent who qualify for special education, and 35 percent various ethnicities.
Washington has developed a state assessment for measuring student progress on state established learning goals. Results from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) indicate a gap in performance for students with disabilities, limited English proficient and students living in poverty. Given Alderwood's student population, it is not surprising that its test scores have historically been lower than other schools in the district.
The staff at Alderwood began working on education reform with the purpose of improving student performance on state and district wide tests and increasing students' desire to attend and participate in school activities. They changed the class schedule to 80-minute periods for more in-depth instruction in the core curricula areas of mathematics, language arts, science and social studies.
Beginning in the 2001-02 school year, Alderwood Middle School opted to begin using the Keys for Excellence in Your Schools (KEYS), an educational reform process developed by the National Education Association. The KEYS survey measures schools in six KEY areas:
1. Shared Understanding and Commitment to High Goals
2. Open Communication and Collaborative Problem Solving
3. Continuous Assessment for Teaching and Learning
4. Personal and Professional Learning
5. Resources to Support Teaching and Learning
6. Curriculum and InstructionBased upon the information derived from this data and other data available in the building, the entire staff developed a set of student goals and action plans for achieving those goals. The process asks staff to continuously measure progress toward goals and adjust based upon data.
In January 2002, the special education team recognized that many of their students were failing in the general education portion of their program. Through a process of exploring the issue of students' failing classes, it became obvious that students, other than special education students were also failing their general education courses. The team expanded to include the principal, counselors, and Learning Assistance Program language arts teacher. The team met with staff from the Washington Education Association and began developing the Academy to meet the general education program needs of students who were failing. The group first identified the following set of objectives that they wished to achieve:
1. To provide students consistency and high structure
2. To meet the instructional and developmental needs of special education and struggling students
3. To provide multi-age organization for students
4. To provide a more cohesive range of options for students in smaller stair-steps
5. To provide a supportive structure and a collaborative and cooperative culture for teachers and students
6. To provide a more integrated curriculum for studentsThe team analyzed the barriers to student performance and began designing a system to remove those barriers. The team felt that the Academy had to be able to provide the full general education curricula, but the curricula needed to be delivered at a pace that was more responsive to the students. The Academy is comprised of four general educators who teach language arts, math, science and social studies who joined forces with the special education teachers. These teachers serve students who were failing general education courses in the broader school community. Because of the population they serve, the teachers worked closely with the special education staff and other specialists to develop the curricula and instructional strategies that were most likely to improve student performance. The special and general education staff worked together during the summer of 2002 to create curriculum maps in the content areas, institute research-based effective instructional practices, accommodations and specially designed instruction. They had passionate conversations and came to agreement on common expectations and disciplinary practices for Academy students.
The students assigned to the Academy included special education students and other students who, for a variety of reasons, were failing in the general education curriculum. At the same time, students who qualified for these programs and were doing well in general education outside of the Academy continued to participate in those classes.
The Academy staff met on a regular basis throughout the school year to discuss student performance and make program adjustments. They continuously collected data on student performance and participation. Pre- and post- tests for reading and math were taken, and data on student desire to attend and participate in school and parent satisfaction with the school program collected.
The Alderwood Middle School (AMS) learning community has tackled several school improvement initiatives, which have reduced achievement gaps, provided a more positive learning environment, and improved collaboration with many of our families. Although several efforts have contributed to our success, the creation of the Academy for our struggling and special education students has proven to be beneficial in several ways.
The Academy is essentially a system that supports students performing at the 30 percentile or lower. It also is linked with students who qualify for special education services. These two groups of students comprise about 15% of our student population.
A team of teachers work collaboratively to support the Academy students. This team is comprised of four special education teachers, one English teacher who is funded from Learning Assistance Program State funds (LAP), and two regular education teachers. This team of teachers works with students three of four class periods. They work together to design learning goals, identify individual student strengths, and reinforce newly acquired knowledge, skills and concepts.
The results after the first year of implementation are impressive. A comparison of 27 schools with similar demographics (percentage of free and reduced lunch) illuminates positive growth in student performance on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Our gains in math, reading and writing exceed those of special education students in similar schools.
Similarly, struggling students who receive reading and writing instruction from our LAP teacher have also demonstrated remarkable improvement as compared to other Alderwood students and other students nationally. Academy students grew 1.24 RIT scores in reading as compared with other students at the local and national levels.
A qualitative review reveals equally positive results. Twenty students were interviewed to determine their satisfaction with the Academy Program. The theme that emerged throughout these conversations centered on the student's feeling more confident and competent as learners. They reported a willingness to take more risks and felt more prepared to tackle rigorous tasks. For many, this was the first time they viewed themselves as successful learners.
Academy parents also reported high satisfaction with the academic and behavioral transformation in their students. In a survey, parents reported their students feeling a greater level of support from teachers as they navigated adolescence. Some parents shared that their child loved to read for the first time in their academic careers. Others applauded the excellent communication strategies that were employed to keep parents informed of learning goals, projects and student progress. Many parents described their students as being more confident regarding their learning.
Finally, although the task was daunting at times, the Academy teachers testify to greater success. One regular education teacher shared his success with the high numbers of students completing a complex, self-directed, long-term project. "In the past, I had great difficulty in collecting high-quality student work from my students. This year I had 56 of 57 students turn in remarkable work." Another teacher who expressed some doubt early-on was impressed with the high quality work that was produced by her science students. "My students were able to demonstrate understanding of very complex concepts. In the past, some of my general education students were lost in a regular education curriculum. Now they are reaching more of their potential."
Just as a sailor uses his compass to guide his journey, the Alderwood Middle School (AMS) learning community uses specific beliefs to help us navigate our work. Simply, our destination is high standards for all students and staff. We believe all students will meet high academic and behavioral standards when there is a safe and nurturing learning environment, when instruction meets individual needs, and when family and community partnerships are strong. When our beliefs are transformed into our daily practice and all students meet high academic standards, we will know we have found our way.
About the authors and team members at Alderwood Middle School
Pat Steinburg, M.A. WEA Special Education Programs Coordinator /KEYS Co-coordinator has worked in Special Education programs -- preschool through high school for fifteen years. Since 1981, Pat has represented the Washington Education Association on many state level committees, monitoring standards, special education funding, oversight of blended projects and feasibility studies of Chapter I, Lap and special education. She has taught classes in special education and inclusive education for the past fifteen years. In her current position with the Washington Education Association she is responsible for program development and training for educators related to educating students with special needs. Pat also was instrumental in recognizing the value of, and bringing the NEA KEYS Program to Washington state. As co-coordinator she continues to nurture and expand KEYS in school building across the state.
Suzanne Baier has served as principal at AMS for the past 6 years. Her years of educational experience have included teaching physical education, and various elementary and secondary administrative positions in rural, suburban, and urban settings. Suzie completed her undergraduate work at Washington State University, her master at Lewis and Clark College and her doctorate in educational leadership at Nova Southeastern University. You may contact her at: BaierS@edmonds.wednet.edu.
Linda Darling has been the behavioral specialist at AMS the past 4 years. Her background as a SLP has enhanced the learning of our behaviorally challenged students building their language and literacy for success. Linda earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from California State University at Fresno.
Julie Gray-Dow works with AMS students who read and write significantly below grade level. Her professional experiences include teaching in both public education and health care settings. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of North Dakota and Western Washington University.
Mary Hereford joined the Academy Team as a learning support English teacher. Mary's experiences include teaching special needs students and supervising and training paraprofessional to assist teachers in the classroom. Mary earned both her degrees in Learning Disabilities from Eastern Montana College.
Stan Lund is completing his first year as the learning support math teacher. His prior experience includes 17 years as a learning support teacher and 10 years teaching ESL. He earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Washington University.
Dana Marsden has taught 7th and 8th grade General Science at AMS since 1990. The last two years have been devoted to working with Academy students. Dana received her degrees from the University of Washington.
Dean Nakanishi is in his fourth year of the teaching profession and the second with the Academy Program. He teachers 7th grade World Geography and 8th grade US History and Civics. Dean earned his degrees in History from Willamette University.
Babby Skowyra has been a middle school English teacher for twelve years. She was recruited to work within the Academy as the LAP English teacher. Babby earned her degree from the University of Washington.
© December 2003 New Horizons for Learning
http://www.newhorizons.org
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