Thoreau Middle School

School Information

School Name:  Thoreau Middle School
School Address:  2505 Cedar Lane
                         Vienna, VA 22180
School Phone:  (703) 846-8000
School Fax:  (703) 846-8097
Principal:  Mark Greenfelder
Principal E-Mail:  mark.greenfelder@fcps.edu

Demographics

Number of Students:  740
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:  7.7%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  5.7%
Percent of Special Education:  12.7%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  (72.4%)
• Black  (5%)
• Hispanic  (7%)
• Asian/Pacific Island  (11%)
• Other  (5%)

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends –

8th	Math	Reading	Writing
Year	our school/state	our school/state	our school/state
2004	97.1/80	91.4/72	91.5/77
2005	95.8/81	93.8/76	92.6/74
2006	95.2/76	96.6/78	98.9/87
2007	95/77	97/79	99/86

 

7th	Math	Reading	Writing
Year	our school/state	our school/state	our school/state
2005	N/A	N/A	99/84
2006	81/44	95/81	98/85
2007	89/56	97/82	97/87

 

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

As a school that was already achieving at high academic level, Professional Learning Communities coupled with formative assessment have allowed us to narrow the achievement gap and refine our instructional practices for all students.  Although we have continued to improve test scores that are already at high levels we are demonstrating that achievement gaps can be greatly reduced through a collaborative effort and a focus on learning for all.

There has been increased student achievement for all, including our targeted groups.
 For example, in Civics, during the 2006-2007 school years, our African – American students went from a 15.8 % failure rate to 0%.  In Math 8, our Hispanic population pass advanced rate went from 25% to 54.5%.   In English 8 writing, the pass advanced rate for African – American students went from 11.1% to 20%.  Likewise, trends in our reading and science scores display the same pattern.

 

Please present any additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact upon students and/or teachers.

Through the development of our Professional Learning Communities, we have developed common pacing guides, curriculum maps, assessments, and grading policies. This ensures that all students have a common learning experience and are held to the same high expectations as their peers.

 

Please elaborate upon strategies you have found to be effective in any of the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Thoreau provides formative assessment every four weeks through ASPIRE online.  Students have the opportunity for immediate remediation.  Teachers work in a collaborative environment focusing on short term goals related directly to the ASPIRE results.   These goals are also related to the Fairfax County Program of Studies in each content area.

We use both formative and summative assessment to monitor student learning in a timely basis. An important component of our PLC meetings is the analysis of data from our common assessments.  These common assessments, both online and paper/ pencil are developed collaboratively during PLC time.  Assessment results and data are quickly processed through our online testing program, ASPIRE.  This allows for immediate student feedback as well as timely teacher PLC discussions regarding student achievement and student remediation strategies.  Thoreau teachers focus their PC time around powerful conversations for improving individual student improvement. 

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

Thoreau has implemented a student remediation and assistance period during the school day as well as after school.  It is called Time to Soar.  All of our initiatives relate to our Pyramid of Interventions developed by our staff members. Below is a list of intervention strategies we use at Thoreau Middle School:

At Thoreau Middle school, we create systems of intervention that provide students with additional time and support for learning.  The programs that have been most effective to our students include:

∙Time to Soar, is an intensive remediation period built into the school day where students can receive small group or individual tutoring with a teacher present.  The program allows students who have their homework in and good grades to engage in student selected activities.  This time built into the school also allows students who need extra help to be grouped for remediation or homework needs.  It also allows students the opportunity to self-select getting additional or advanced learning opportunities from any of their teachers

∙Screaming Eagles, an intensive after school remediation program that targets at-risk students in content-specific areas

∙Small group remediation provided by the teacher that is directly targeted toward learning standards as indicated by ASPIRE results or other forms of formative assessment

∙After school remediation based on ASPIRE scores and benchmark failures

∙Peer tutoring is offered by partnering students with differing ability levels to assist others with mastering content

∙Cross curricular connections that involve teachers of different content areas pairing with one another to implement learning strategies and reinforce concepts

∙Planning within Professional Learning Communities to develop strategies to help students’ access background knowledge to become more successful within the classroom

∙Aspire assessment system used as a form of formative and summative assessment that helps teachers target students’ areas of weakness

∙Teaching to multiple intelligences and giving pre-screening tests to students in order to meet their diverse needs with instructional strategies

∙Using games to remediate in a creative fashion when reviewing content specific benchmarks

∙Use of timed curriculum based measurement to assess essential vocabulary 

 ∙Jump Start week to insure that at-risk populations feel adjusted to school-based expectations and programs is provided to students during a week long interactive session with Thoreau teachers.  During this time relationships are built in a constructive manner that last throughout the school year.  Students then enter the beginning of the school year with a positive attitude, and adult advocate, and belief that they will succeed

∙Mentor programs to insure that at-risk students have an advocate within the school to build a positive academic relationship with

∙Marzano’s strategies that guide teacher instruction to vary lesson plans to meet the diverse needs of all students within the school including the reading and planning around the books titled Building Background Knowledge, Building Background Academic Vocabulary, and What Works in Schools  

3. Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students.

The Thoreau staff was awarded a teacher leadership development grant to develop and refine programs during the summer months.  Core teachers have been given the opportunity to attend the national Professional Learning Community conferences.  In addition, subject level teachers have common planning time each day. During this time common assessment results are reviewed, best practices are discussed, and pacing guides and curriculum maps are refined.

During the summer months, the leadership team read and discussed three of the latest books on current trends in education.  As a follow up, each PLC is reading, discussing and implementing these practices.

Teachers have benefited from working in at least two high performing teams throughout the year.  Teachers are members of both content/learning based teams (PLC) and interdisciplinary teams.  Participation in a PLC is instrumental in student success.  We have found three strategies to be the most beneficial:  PLC members with common planning time meeting twice a week, PLC members develop and implement of common formative assessments at least every four weeks, and teachers utilize the “Time To Soar (TTS)” class period to enhance student learning for all and provide students with immediate remediation opportunities 

During common planning time teams work in a none threatening environment that encourage and support the exchange of ideas, materials, and teaching strategies.  During common planning time teachers are able to create common assessments, align lab materials, create individual plans where needed, and create pacing guides. 

Through the creation and implementation of common formative assessments teachers identify both deficiencies and strengths in individual instruction and student learning.  Teachers then collaborate on best teaching practices based on formative assessment results.  Teachers then use the disaggregated data to reinforce concepts with individual students, small groups, and the class in entirety.   Individual student review of formative assessment results occur during the class period in which the assessment was completed, after school, and during TTS resulting in a true assessment for learning model.  The students can then be placed in small groups based on deficiencies identified by the common assessment.  The teacher can then review a single concept with the small group during after school hours or TTS.  Team members also review contextual results question by question with the entire class. 

The advantages of a TTS class period in the students’ schedule are numerous.  Interdisciplinary teams use this time to host team building and character building events.  Teams are able to differentiate instruction by classroom.  Throughout the year students have the opportunity to seek different levels of assistance on a variety of concepts in each teacher’s classroom.

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

Teacher Leadership Development Grant – 15 teachers selected to review best practices in instruction, assessment, and staff development for a three year period

Model/Lead School for Fairfax County for implementing best practices in assessment and learning

The Washington Post recognized Thoreau as one of the top middle schools as written by Jay Matthews

Featured as a Professional Learning Community school on ALLTHINGSPLC website