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You
are here: School Improvement Process Works at Hood Canal School
When the bell rings at 9 a.m. at Hood Canal School there are no students in the halls to hear it. This is because students have been in their classes a full 5-10 minutes early, working on entry tasks.
This is just one of the noticeable changes at Hood Canal School, which is located on the Skokomish Indian Reservation ten miles north of Shelton, Washington. It serves 351 students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade, and has a population of 34.8 percent Native American and 65.2 percent Caucasian/other. There is a Free/Reduced Price Meal Rate of 70.2 percent.
Staff and students are reaping the benefits of an intensive school improvement effort that began in the 2001-02 school year. The district voluntarily partnered with the Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in a three-year program designed to address low Washington Assessment of Student Learnings (WASL) test scores in the areas of reading and math.
School Improvement Assistance (SIA) is helping make dramatic gains in the 4th and 7th grade levels of the WASL test scores.
In addition to reading and math, the Hood Canal staff added writing as an improvement goal, and established as a goal a 25 percent reduction in the number of students not making standards in these three areas of basic skills from school year 2001-02 to school year 2003-04.
WASL results for the last three years are as follows:
4th grade WASL results
School Year 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 Goal Math 11.9 24.4 35.9 33.9* Reading 31 51.2 51.3 48.2* Writing 14.3 17.1 30.8 35.7* Listening 57.1 51.2 56.4 ** *Baseline data from 2000-01 minus 25 percent of students not making standards equals three-year goal ** Listening is not identified as one of the goals
7th grade WASL results
School Year 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 Goal Math 20.9 26.3 31.9 40.7* Reading 23.3 47.4 36.2 42.5* Writing 18.6 36.8 36.2 38.9* Listening 74.4 84.2 85.1 ** *Baseline data from 2000-01 minus 25 percent of students not making standards equals three-year goal ** Listening is not identified as one of the goals
Principal Bert Miller said staff has held the school together through the years. Miller, who also taught school and served as interim superintendent at Hood Canal, went on to say, "In my 14 years at Hood Canal we have had 15 different administrators, either principals, interim superintendents, superintendents – in one year alone we had six different administrators! Given this kind of turnover it was difficult to have leadership in educational reform. SIA has allowed us to focus on curriculum alignment, essential academic learnings and instructional strategies that increase the academic performance of our students."
The first year of SIA was devoted to setting up a School Improvement Team (SIT) – consisting of staff, parents, Tribal Leaders and community members – the driving force of the school improvement effort.
School Improvement Team member and kindergarten teacher Gwen Thomas, when asked what role the SIT plays in school improvement stated, "It's been painful, it's made my brain hurt, but it has made me think and it has been so worth it! I see our role as a liaison with the staff. We're able to hash out issues in a small forum, and all staff opinions are valued. We don't just glaze over issues as in the past."
Also during that first year, an educational audit was conducted by a visiting team of educators who evaluated the school's effectiveness based on the evidence of the "Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools."
This data identified the school's strengths and opportunities to be addressed. A school improvement plan was developed, taking two to three of the opportunities identified in the audit, plus the goals of improving reading, math and writing skills.
The second year was the implementation stage of the School Improvement Project through focused staff development and the effective use of consultants.
During the third and final year, the implementation plan is being fine-tuned, and a final evaluation will occur at the end of the 2003-04 school year. WASL results will be a major piece of that evaluation.
Some of the major strategies implemented in the school improvement effort include:
- Revisiting and/or establishing all policies and regulations governing the day-to-day operations of the school, such as regular faculty meetings with agendas and minutes, a decision making model, and establishing a Site Council to work with administration;
- Establishing and teaching the student body a responsibility model of discipline and student expectations (referrals to the office have been dramatically reduced, and as of Oct. 25, there have been zero suspensions this school year);
- Curriculum mapping in the areas of math, reading and writing to ensure alignment and continuity;
- Establishing a Professional Development Committee to plan all staff development for Learning Improvement Day (LID) days, waver days and special training days;
- Providing early intensive intervention for students who need additional assistance in basic skills (these students have individual educational plans, separate from students receiving special services);
- Establishing a before- and after-school tutoring program for students who need assistance with basic skills;
- Training in lesson plan design for staff that focuses on engaging students in the educational process through the use of demonstration teaching in the classroom;
- Providing time bi-weekly for staff to meet in grade level teams, K-2, 3-5 and 6-8, and to have up to 1-1/2 hours of time to meet to discuss curriculum, teaching strategies and students;
- Developing WASL Warriors, an after-school, four-month program (mid-January to mid-April) to assist 4th-grade students who have volunteered to prepare for the WASL exam.
Architect for the WASL Warrior program and 4th grade teacher Meeka Cody believes that program changes are making a major difference. "Looking back over our first two years of school improvement, I am able to see positive growth. When I came to work at Hood Canal three years ago, I met a staff and administration striving to improve academic achievement, yet struggling to get the support needed to accomplish this goal. School improvement facilitators and specialists offered the needed support. They have helped define our problems and set in place systemic changes that are helping us achieve our goals.
"The progress we have made is not only in the academic achievement of our students, but also in the positive attitudes and professional development of our staff. Hood Canal School is moving forward with the drive of a dedicated staff. Without the assistance of school improvement, I feel that we would still be working diligently but noticing minimal growth. The leadership provided through school improvement facilitated the first steps toward creating a positive, successful learning community at Hood Canal School."
The Hood Canal experience demonstrates that school improvement is not something to be feared or avoided. A dedicated and caring staff can make a positive difference. When educational programs are intentional, and data is used to drive decisions, it is almost impossible not to be successful. The Hood Canal staff had the courage of their convictions to take apart their school and rearrange the educational pieces to ensure quality education for all students.
Lisa Queen, one of the state's seven recipients of the 2003-04 KCTS Television's Golden Apple Award, is a first/second grade combination teacher. "Reflecting on our third year of school improvement, it seems to me that we had been plagued by dozens of whining mosquitoes; small problems we never had the time or focus to resolve. We have in large part, with the help of the facilitator and some specialists worked through those small but persistent obstacles to higher achievement. The bad news is that the problems that remain are the knotty, endemic ones common to most schools; the good news is that we now have the structures in place, as well as the confidence and successful track record to tackle them."
School improvement works! It is becoming the road that is more often traveled, and it can become bumpy at times. Dedication, staying the course, and being intentional with the use of data, data and more data to drive decisions will help to ensure the success of all students.
For a detailed description of school improvement, OSPI has an excellent School Improvement Planning Process Guide available that outlines the school improvement process. Call 1-800-595-3276 and ask for document number 02-0020.
*Research has shown that there is no silver bullet – no single thing schools can do to ensure high student performance. Rather, high performing schools appear to show evidence of the Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools, which are as follows:
- clear and shared focus;
- high standards and expectations;
- effective school leadership;
- supportive learning environment;
- high levels of community and parent involvement;
- high levels of collaboration and communication;
- frequent monitoring of teaching and learning;
- curriculum, instruction and assessment aligned with standards;
- focused professional development.
George Holmgren is the OSPI School Improvement Facilitator for Hood Canal School. Prior to that he was a junior high teacher and principal and a high school principal. You may email him at g.holmgren@att.net.
© December 2003 New Horizons for Learning
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