Changes in curriculum, communication at middle school

WEST NEWBURY — A new school year has ushered in changes to the Pentucket Regional Middle School that Principal Debra Lay hopes create a more positive learning and working environment for everyone.

After reviewing the results of an evaluation from the New England League of Middle Schools, which Lay requested last year, she and a leadership team of parents and teachers are working to implement recommended changes to curriculum, delivery of instruction and communications in the building that houses the district's seventh- and eighth-graders. The principal acknowledges that some of the controversial staffing shake-ups that occurred last spring stemmed from the NELMS review process.

Lay, who took over the helm at the middle school last year, spent her first year on the job listening and assessing. She ordered the NELMS review in part because of the number of Pentucket families in recent years opting to send their students to private high schools after their middle school experience.

She said she was troubled by a curriculum and program that was clearly not meeting the needs of middle school students. Too many kids were spending too much time in the equivalent of a study hall with no time on learning. "You can't justify that for these kiddos," Lay said.

The NELMS assessment process, which reflects middle school practices, includes a planning phase, a three-day on-site visit and a final assessment report. It combines a self-study with observations from a visiting team followed by a report of commendations and recommendations for improvement. The review looked at the degree to which the curriculum was grounded in standards relevant to adolescent concerns and prepared all students for high achievement.

The school was critiqued on the level of expertise its staff had in teaching young adults and on how learning was fostered through the types of organizational relationships in place. The extent to which the governmental body was democratic, the school environment was safe and healthy and parental and community involvement is encouraged were also part of the evaluation.

The two-month process, which Lay described as "inclusive of many ideas," found that Pentucket teachers were highly qualified professionals dedicated to delivering effective instruction to their students. The middle school received high marks for its strong student council, community service program and academic team groups. The band, chorus and theater programs were identified as highlights. The social studies department's annual eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C., was noted for its tie to the curriculum.

But the report also identified a lack of consistency in learning goals both vertically across subject areas and horizontally between academic teams. More differential instruction and professional development around working with young adolescents and the middle school philosophy was suggested. Skill development, strategies and assessments should be applied more uniformly, particularly when it comes to math; and staff in that subject area should undergo mandatory training. Students might more fully benefit if Pentucket's sixth-graders were included in the middle school experience, the report advised.

Lay has switched the school to a quarterly assessment system more in line with the high school model and has added a homeroom period at the end of the school day so kids can recap what homework they have in each subject and be reminded of important upcoming tests and events. She hopes to strengthen the Connected Math Program with year-long, embedded professional development and is seeking ways to integrate technology more effectively.

She is working with the high school administration and department heads to reinstate after-school curriculum meetings and she's covered one wall in the faculty room with input from the NELMS report.

Lay worked with the music teachers to straighten out a snag in scheduling that was limiting student participation in band and chorus. She had high praise for Michael Smith, the district's new Fine and Performing Arts director, who she says is drawing kids into his program in droves.

When she asked kids last year what change they would most like to see at school, the most popular answer was: recess. This fall, Lay increased physical education, noting that because of scheduling conflicts, "not every student had PE last year."

In October, a peer training program offered through the Anti-Defamation League is slated to train 30 students to be leaders of an anti-bullying campaign and Lay hopes to establish an Advisory Time to help foster teacher/student relationships. Programs offered through the nonprofit Girls Inc. to help young women make healthy choices and empowered decisions could be part of Advisory Time.

Communication between administration and staff was also an area identified as needing work. To that end, Lay tries to visit classroom regularly and now offers what she's dubbed "daily parking lot meetings" from 7 to 7:30 each morning, a casual session for teachers to raise questions and talk about solutions. "I bring the doughnuts," she quipped.

Still, she acknowledged that the widespread staffing changes last spring took a toll on relationships within the school building. A total of 26 staff members were transferred district-wide, with 58 percent of teaching staff at the middle school moved into a new academic area this year. The Pentucket Association of Teachers formally complained that such sweeping changes — though technically allowable under the union contract — were not in the best educational interest of students and would further damage an already depressed teacher morale. At a heated meeting in June, Pentucket School Board representative Joe D'Amore called for an explanation from the administration, but because the changes involved personnel, they could not be discussed, according to Superintendent Paul Livingston.

"June was a difficult month," Lay admitted. "Some wanted the transfers but some did not. I felt like this building needed to do some healing."

That's why for their first day back on Aug. 30, the entire staff joined Lay at Project Adventure in Beverly. The adventure-based experiential learning program was aimed at pushing both administrators and teachers out of their comfort zones through physical problem-solving activities as a way to promote stronger relationships.

Overall, the experience was very positive, said the principal. During the debriefing session at the end of the day, one teacher offered what Lay felt was a particularly insightful comment. "He said, 'This has been a great day, but we all need to work on trust.'"

"Although I'm not a patient person, I know that change takes awhile. To do it right, the change process requires a lot of dialogue and ownership by everyone," Lay said. "We're on a slow boat and we all have to pitch in to make the ship sail."

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