Boaz Middle School

School Information

School Name:  Boaz Middle School
School Address:  140 Newt Parker Dr.
                        Boaz, AL 35957                          
School Phone:  (256) 593-0799
School Fax:  (256) 593-0729
Principal:  Ray Landers
Principal E-Mail:  rlanders@boazk12.org

Demographics

Number of Students:  590
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:  47%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  4%
Percent of Special Education:  
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White (88%)
• Black (2%)
• Hispanic (9%)
• Asian/Pacific Island (1%)
• Other (0%)

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends – for example, three consecutive years or the first, third, and fifth years. The data report should always include the most recent school year and should always offer a basis of comparison (for example, state scores, national scores, similar SES schools).

Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

6th Grade Scores

School test	2004 (Boaz /State)	2005 (Boaz/State)	2006 (Boaz/State)
Reading	?/82	93/81	91/83
Math	?/56	84/67	85/75

8th Grade Scores

School test	2004 (Boaz /State)	2005 (Boaz/State)	2006 (Boaz/State)
Reading	?/58	81/70	81/72
Math	n/a	85/63	82/68

About the Tests

• In 2005–2006 Alabama used the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test (ARMT) to test students in grades 3 through 8 in reading and math.
• The ARMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Alabama.
• The goal is for all students to score at or above the state standard.

 

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.

MOVING THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TO A LEARNING COMMUNITY

I. Boaz Middle School, a recognized Honor Roll School, has taken the lead from Rick DuFour’s model to evolve into a fully functioning Professional Learning Community. With an unrelenting attitude and vision toward academic and literacy success for all students the leadership team, which includes the administration, secondary instructional specialist, and teacher leaders, sustains and deepens progress through continuous job embedded professional development. The intensely motivated faculty follows a comprehensive, strategic plan to attain school wide literacy using scientifically based research with a constant driving direction toward implementation of a powerful learning community.

Administration and faculty articulate the value of school culture, continuous learning and building capacity. The faculty is committed to doing “Whatever It Takes” to respond when kids don’t learn. School-wide intervention plans provide ALL students with additional support if they experience difficulty in learning. Engaging collaborative teams build shared knowledge concerning best practices through shared teaching across content areas, explicit modeling for new and experienced faculty with follow-up support. The total focus of teacher leadership team members is student learning, intense collaboration and maximum results. Collaborative teacher-based ownership contributes to the overall increase of student achievement scores.

The profound impact this Professional Learning Community and shared ownership in all practices has created a personal ownership for all teachers and students. The continuous total focus on student-centered instructional improvements results in the following school-wide initiatives:

• Professional book and article studies by administrators and teachers (Whatever It Takes; Professional Learning Communities at Work; I Read It But I Don’t Get It; Who Moved My Cheese; Failure Is Not An Option; Boys and Girls Learn Differently)
• An “Understanding Poverty” focus included awareness training for all faculty, staff and support personnel. A faculty bus ride into the most impoverished areas of the community included neighborhood walks to students’ homes, meeting and greeting parents. A follow-up article study was conducted on “Voices of Discipline – Children in Poverty”. This has led to teachers mentoring small groups of students during lunch emulating traditional family mealtimes.
• “Lunch Bunch” (content area discussion at lunch); “Friday Focus” (professional development and powerful conversations with small teacher teams)
• “Teachers Teaching Teachers” – teacher opportunities during faculty meetings to share effective practices and showcase classrooms
• Supporting and celebrating effective teaching (recognition programs, competition, faculty newsletters and excellence in action awards)
• Faculty directed OSCAR (On School Campus Alternative Remediation) program for after-school learning time targeting students who need additional support
• Continuous progress monitoring (ThinkLink) and analysis tools (TestTrax) administered through the year with intense focus on student improvement
• Highly-successful author visits to enhance community involvement (Lester Laminack, Saturdays and Teacakes; Daniel Wallace, Big Fish; and Rick Shelton, Write Where You Are, Greg Tang, Grapes of Math)
• ZAP (Zeroes Aren’t Permitted) Students are not permitted NOT to do their work.

 

II. Determining the link between student test scores and teacher preparation has led to significant increases in scores at Boaz Middle School. All administrators and faculty are committed to continued data analysis and professional development to boost student achievement school-wide.

Boaz Middle School is a Title I school with 45 percent of the student population on free and reduced meals. The total school enrollment is 529 in grades six, seven and eight which calculates to 238 students in the poverty range. ELL, Hispanic and special education children make up 17 percent of the student population.

Boaz Middle School is a recognized “Honor Roll School” for the 2005–2006 school year; meeting all eleven AYP categories for three consecutive years and boasting an average daily attendance of over 97%. All “No Child Left Behind” guidelines are fully implemented and because of a focus on learning for all there have been no student failures in the past three years. 

Boaz Middle School continues to rank as one of the top academic schools in the state as evidenced by SAT, ARMT and Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing scores. These scores rank Boaz Middle School in the top 15 schools in the state in system to system comparisons. During the 2005–2006 school year, state assessment scores were highlighted by a 4th place ranking on the ADAW and a 3rd place ranking on the ARMT 7th grade reading. Boaz Middle School consistently ranks as one of the top five Title I schools in system to system comparisons. (See Charts.)

Boaz Middle School is the only middle school in the state to have a fully functioning Civil Air Patrol Program. The Civil Air Patrol builds strong citizens for the future by providing leadership training, technical education, scholarships and career education for our students. This program is coordinated by a lead science teacher. Students take part in such events as meeting and learning from the Tuskegee Airmen.

 

III. Boaz Middle School is committed to an ever changing school climate and culture that is the framework of an academically rich and supportive environment for both students and teachers as promoted by DuFour’s work. The Principal is a highly effective instructional leader. His teaching background includes reading and language arts, and he has a deep understanding of quality instruction and of the components of a collaborative learning community. He sets high expectations for everyone, and there is a school-wide shared effort to meet them. The Assistant Principal has a special education background and stays on the front lines with both the staff and students in seeking more effective ways to bring about success and achievement for all students. Her expertise in diagnosing individual and school-wide strengths and growing opportunities results in increasingly sustained progress. An experienced Secondary Instructional Specialist guides the school staff in assessing the effectiveness of instructional practices and moves the staff to implement necessary systemic changes.

The faculty of highly qualified teachers leads the way at Boaz Middle School in preparing effective instructional methods and rigorous curriculum, aligned to state assessments, course of study and “doing whatever it takes” to meet the individual needs of students. These highly motivated teachers are eager to share their story of professional learning. In the implementation of effective research-based models, teachers continue to ensure essential components are in place for every middle school student to raise their achievement level.

As visitors enter the school, they are greeted by student ambassadors. These ambassadors lead them down the print-rich hallways and offer opportunities for these educators to seek student opinions and knowledge of the ongoing success of the school.

In February of 2006 Boaz Middle School caught the attention of National Geographic who visited a full day filming classroom instruction and interviewing teachers and students for use with their educational component. Teams of educators consisting of superintendents, program coordinators, principals and lead teachers visit Boaz Middle School on a regular basis. School systems such as Scottsboro City, Oxford City, Madison County, Limestone County, and Tupelo City from Mississippi have made site-visits to Boaz Middle School each year to observe instructional process and ask for assistance in shadowing the success the school has experienced. The administration, faculty and staff are proudly displaying the high standards set forth by “excellence in action” as visitors view the essential components of Rick DuFour’s Professional Learning Community implemented with proven success.

In making the most of our professional development investment, visiting schools and systems are provided with additional information from DuFour’s resources on topics that can be taken back to their schools and implemented. Educators from all levels would benefit from site visits to Boaz Middle School by having the opportunity to witness first hand the success of transitioning a middle school to a highly effective Professional Learning Community.