Organizing For
Excellence
School Committee
1/11/2012
Theory Of Ac,on
IF
we integrate the middle and high schools
THEN
we will remove one set of transi,onal
issues at the end of middle school, and through
though?ul prepara,on create an organiza,on
beCer able to provide a school seDng designed
to personalize and support successful learning,
while making best use of personnel and other
resources within a common culture.
Governance/School Support School Council/PTA Leadership Principal 7-‐12
Dean of Academic Affairs & Director of Student Services
Head of Lower School Head of Upper School
Students 669 Students 578 Total*
Students 227 232 210 177 209 192 1247
7 8 9 10 11 12 * Current numbers
Student Support/ Guidance 6 Counselors: 1(or 2) LSW
Advisory program K-‐6
Curriculum Program Managers -‐ Academic Board
English Language Arts
Math/Business
Social Studies/History
Science/Technology/Eng.
World Languages
Special EducaUon Services
Library/Media Services
Visual/Performing Arts
PE/Health
Counseling/Guidance
Integra,on Issues -‐ Include
• Experience elsewhere Review
• Family/Community PercepUons Establish common understanding of goals and theory of acUon
• Teachers Establish common understanding of goals and theory of acUon IdenUfy interest and credenUal issues
• Curriculum IntegraUon Extension of curriculum mapping, and leadership
• Master schedule IdenUfy goals, organizaUonal responses: common schedule
• Co-‐curricular acUviUes Integrate
• Student Support Grade 7-‐12 organizaUon of SPED/ counseling services to provide Integrated and developmentally appropriate support
• Student Health Services Integrate
• Leadership Review arrangements for creaUng a common culture and supporUng developmentally appropriate learning communiUes
• FaciliUes Organize to support Upper/Lower School learning communiUes
Some Key Ques,ons?
I. Q
Is the fundamental purpose to save money?
1.A No – it is to create a situa:on in which we can use the resources
we have, while organizing them in a way that will result in beEer
outcomes for students.
2.Q Are there other schools in the Commonwealth that are organized
this way?
2.A Yes – examples include:
Boston La:n Academy, Boston La:n, Carver, Cohasset,
East Bridgewater (opening 2013), Hudson, Millbury,
3.A Are not high schools supposed to be different from middle schools?
3.A They were…….
Current thinking calls for high schools to introduce:
collabora:ve leadership, professional learning communi:es, the
strategic use of data, personaliza:on of the school environment, and
the personaliza:on of learning, instruc:on and assessment.
(for example: Breaking Ranks II, Na5onal Associa5on of Secondary
School Principals)
Meanwhile the emphasis in middle schools has become about balancing
developmentally
appropriate support for adolescents students with
academic rigor associated with a standards based curriculum.
“Change is never easy, par5cularly when the change involves moving
from a secure environment to an unfamiliar one. External changes, such
as the move from elementary school to middle grades and from middle
grades to high school, combined with the internal changes of adolescence
can be overwhelming for students if not handled with care and
4.Q Why will merging the two schools result in becer outcomes for students? 4.A By merging the schools into a single organiza:on we will:
(a) create an environment in which teachers are able to sustain rela:onships with younger adolescents over a more extended period of :me
(b) organize the school into learning communi:es of about 600 students, which is consistent with good prac:ce
(c) introduce a single Principal (Grades 7-‐12)with responsibility for:
• establishing a common set of expecta:ons, and a common sense of purpose and culture throughout the school
• ensuring that students experience a unified, personalized, developmentally appropriate, suppor:ve learning environment
• ensuring con:nuity academic programs and support services across Grade 7 though 12 and smooth transi:ons from grade to grade
• ensuring con:nuity of support for students who need addi:onal services in order to be successful
• organizing available resources – par:cularly personnel – to gain maximum effec:veness
5.Q An Upper and Lower School form of organizaUon is proposed, is this the only way to create small learning communiUes?
5.A No – other organiza:ons use grade level structures and/or “ver:cal” houses, or
“academies” with a specific academic focus. However, the alterna:ves tend to be more expensive in terms of staffing.
6.Q Will there be fewer teachers and other staff overall?
6.A At this stage no reduc:on would is an:cipated, unless there are budget cuts
independent of the re-‐organiza:on. Integra:ng the schools should not of itself result in reduc:ons in staffing.
7.Q How will staff assignments be handled?
7.A The Superintendent of Schools has responsibility for appoin:ng the Principal, who in
turn has responsibility for recommending the appointment of other staff. The
arrangements agreed in personnel contracts would be followed. If circumstances
warrant it, appropriate addi:onal arrangements would be agreed with the appropriate professional associa:on.
8.Q When would the merger take place?
8.A We should plan for the fall of 2013…….that provides :me to test the concept, visit districts
that have adopted this form of organiza:on, and plan the changes.
9.Q How will the proposal be tested?
9.A We need to establish a process that involves the stakeholders – staff, families, senior
students and the communi:es.
10.Q If it is decided that we would go ahead when would the Principal be appointed?
10.A As soon as is prac:cal aeer the School CommiEee made a decision to approve the change.
11.Q What is the role of the Dean of Academic Affairs?
11.A To work with school leadership and Curriculum Program Coordinators to ensure that all
aspects of teaching, learning and assessment are aligned with best prac:ce, and ensure con:nuity of the learning experience for all students.
12.Q. Will individual heads of the upper and lower schools have Ume to respond to respond to the needs of students who make poor choices?
12.A. It is an:cipated that by personalizing students’ experience of school and coordina:ng the
efforts of student support services there will be fewer referrals of students to the “office”.
13.Q Will merging the schools resolve all the issues that need acenUon if we are to raise levels of student achievement?
13.A No .
14.Q What else do we need to do? 14.A We need to con:nue to:
• clarify the curriculum and ensure that we have sufficient emphasis on cri:cal thinking,
problem solving, crea:vity, and developing social and emo:onal intelligence in our students;
• ensure that we provide access to a rigorous curriculum for all students by differen:a:ng instruc:on and providing targeted support and curriculum extensions based on instruc:onal data analysis;
• develop our assessment and repor:ng systems so that we are able to provide valid and reliable informa:on about important aspect in the development of the whole child, not just limited academics;
• fully engage families in our efforts; and
• remember that the most important thing that impacts student achievement is the quality of what happens in the classroom.
15.Q The ulUmate goals are?
15.A The immediate goal is to create condi:ons which support the establishment of a
personalized learning environment and con:nuity of each student’s experience across Grades 7 through 12.
