The Hot Springs County School District #1 administrative team, along with teacher leaders, has been committed to attending PLC Institutes or Conferences annually. The PLC framework has been the definitive factor in our continual gains in student acheivement. 

In the fall of 2023 Thermopolis Middle School was selected to participate in the Wyoming Accountability in Education Act study conducted by Marzano Research on behalf of the Wyoming State Board of Education. TMS was identified as an outlier school, achieving well above the state averages while having a Title One eligible student population.

Thermopolis Middle School - Wyoming State Accountability Ratings (Achievement, Equity, Growth)

2022-23  Exceeding Expectations 

2021-22  Exceeding Expectations 

Year 11 of our PLC Journey (2022-2023) has been teacher led as we worked to sustain best practices through changes in leadership and as we filled open positions on the teaching team. The nuts and bolts of the PLC framework has provided the structure we needed as team members have changed. Our collaborative teams have kept the 4 PLC questions in front of them, with a continual eye on student learning data to drive decisions. Our building wide SMART goals create mutual accountability as we ensure we do not lose sight of our mission to grow every student, every year, in every course (100% academic growth). Despite changes in staffing, for the second time in three years 90% of our students scored proficient/advanced in a grade/content area, while the state average remains at 50% of Wyoming students being proficient. *See our data charts in evidence of effectiveness. 

Year 10 of our PLC Journey (2021-2022) was all about student and staff culture as we continued to build on our success with student learning. The social media memes and posts pointed to an education system in crisis across the United States as test scores plummeted, teachers quit the profession and ridiculed the public school system. Our focus was on maintaining a collaborative culture with an ALL means ALL mindset in regard to student learning. Our veteran teachers supported and mentored new teachers within their collaborative teams. Teachers took the approach that "all students are OUR  students" as they filled in for each other during absences when substitutes were not available. It was an all hands on deck year and our committment to ALL students proved effective once again with 70-80% of students proficient on state assessments in math and ELA. 

Year 9 of our PLC Journey (2020-21) showed the value of collaboration, essential student learnings, tier 1 instruction, and hard work to result in record student achievement in Thermopolis Middle School.  Following the COVID - 19 Pandemic our team at TMS was determined to not lose ground in terms of student learning; with the use of vertical collaboration and a focus on “can’t live without” standards to start the year, when students returned for in person instruction in the middle of August our team hit the ground running.  The work previously done in our PLC to scaffold student learning from year to year paid off and as a school student learning is at an all time high.  This was possible with the combination of evaluating outcome assessment data and self-scouting our best practices when normal state assessment data was not available; the year resulted in record student learning at Thermopolis Middle School.  

Year 8 of our PLC Journey (2019-20) was a year of unprecedented adversity but Thermopolis Middle School held strong and continued to refine our PLC process because of a foundation based on collaboration and hard work.  Collaborative teams at Thermopolis Middle School worked through a change in leadership and the COVID - 19 Pandemic to continue to deliver academic outcomes based on essential learnings in a variety of educational platforms.  The vertical collaboration started eight years prior allowed TMS to continue teaching essential learnings to students without missing a beat.  Prior to the WyTopp assessments being cancelled outcome assessment data shows Thermopolis Middle School was on pace to finish in the top 10 in six different grade level cores subjects in Wyoming. 

Year 7 of our PLC Journey (2018-19) was a year of hard work as we created a collaborative partnership with Hot Springs County High School and made a commitment to becoming a 5th-12th grades professional learning community. Vertical collaborative teams were formed grades 5-12 with each singleton, in each grade level, teaching math, science, reading, PE, agriculture, etc. becoming part of a content team.  Vertical content teams are responsible for vertically aligining essential learnings, peer reviewing outcome assessments and guaranteeing scaffolding of student learning from year to year.  This restructuring resulted in outstanding results across grade levels with our first Top Ten statewide results in grades 9, 10 and on on the junior level ACT.  Thermopolis Middle School had their best results to date as a result of leading a collaborative effort to achieve higher level of learning grades 5-12. 

Year 6 of our PLC Journey (2017-18) was off to an exciting start when Solution Tree named Thermopolis Middle School (TMS) a Model PLC and one of three finalists for the prestigious DuFour Award.  The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) also sent a team to visit TMS as a model for the new state assessment system, we provided an overview of our vertically aligned common formative assessments in math, ELA, and science to our state education leaders.  And our model PE program resulted in our TMS physical education teacher being named the Milken Award educator for Wyoming. Our specific school wide SMART goal in 2017-18 was to increase the number of students scoring in the 80th+ percentile.

Thermopolis Middle School is now in our seventh year on the PLC “right” journey. Prior to 2012 Thermopolis Middle School had been on the PLC “light” path for several years.

Here is a quick recap of our first five school years as a PLC…

Year one (2012-13) specifically had a shift in focus to student learning, including data driven decisions, this was a cultural shift for the adults and some people chose to get “off the bus.”  

Year two (2013-14) was all about forming teams and norming.  Our master schedule began to change to allow for daily grade level team collaboration time built into the schedule. The primary shift was in getting the right people in the right seats on the bus.  Our fifth and sixth grade teams began to build and implement common outcome assessments.

During the summer of year two we had our first taste of success with Thermopolis Middle School being named “Exceeding Expectations” by the Wyoming Department of Education.  A formula based on percent of students proficient in reading and math, growth as calculated by a formula indicating whether students were moving in proficiency levels in comparison to peers, and equity based on the number of students moving from basic or below basic to achieve proficiency.  Our strength that year was in the category of growth. At that time we were in top 18% of K-8 schools in Wyoming.

In year three (2014-15) we began to see noticeable changes in data as we monitored our fall, winter, spring, MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) results.  Teams began to be data driven at all levels of classroom assessment. Fifth grade piloted weekly “checkpoints” as common formative checks for understanding. Our sixth grade team modeled the strongest norms, allowing them to create common practices for behavior and academic expectations across content areas. The combined seventh and eighth grade team struggled to find common ground even though they were in their second year of collaboration. They were isolated in their content areas and could not clearly see what they had in common.  The strongest work was taking place in identifying our essential learnings by grade and content area and beginning to build rigorous outcome assessments aligned to the Wyoming Performance Standards (common core).

In year four (2015-16) it all began to come together.  Not only did we have daily grade level collaboration built into the school day, we added twice a week vertical collaboration.  For vertical collaboration our grade level teachers broke into math, language arts, science, social studies, and PE/health teams.  These teams were highly engaged in identifying essential learnings, unpacking standards into vertical alignment (How does this standard look different in student learning by grade level?), creating vertically aligned outcome assessments, agreeing on common pacing across 5th-8th grade for essential learning units of instruction. And not only sharing data but analyzing student work across grade levels as a peer review team to establish grade level academic expectations for each outcome assessment. All of the teams, horizontal and vertical, worked the work in collaboration, focused on by student, by skill data. All teams would now agree they would no longer know how to teach without this process.

In the summer of 2016 our PAWS (Proficiency Assessment for Wyoming Students) results came in and we knew we were gaining ground.  One of our goals was to be ranked as a “top ten” school (out of 48 districts) in Wyoming. This type of data had been tracked in our district for some time simply by taking the percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in comparison to the other districts across the state.  As a middle school we have nine data points on the Wyoming statewide assessment. The nine data points are grades 5-8 reading and math, and eighth grade science.

How many times each year has TMS been a “Top Ten” school? 2011-12 = 0; 2012-13 = 1; 2013-14 = 2; 2014-15 = 3; 2015-16 = 5; 2016-17 = 2; 2017-18 = 4  

Year 5 of our PLC Journey (2016-17) culminated in our school being one of three middle schools/junior highs in Wyoming (out of 48) labeled "exceeding expectations" by the Wyoming Department of education.  Our teachers and students earned this amazing honor by working hard and growing ALL students in reading, math and science above and beyond their peers across Wyoming.

Being a PLC school means that we “work” our ten collective commitments every single day.  Our PLC focus is high levels of learning for ALL students. We are mutually accountable to each other and we know we can continue to grow as educators.

I would define our teachers and staff at Thermopolis Middle School as “gritty.” As described by Angela Duckworth they have Passion + Perseverance with a commitment to achieve long term goals!   

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

PLC Question #1: What do we want our students to learn?  This question drives our instructional decision making.

The teacher driven process of identifying essential learnings is truly inspired by the keynote addresses at the PLC Conference each year.  It is made clear that we  can hand teachers curriculum and in the privacy of their classroom they will sort through it and make individual decisions about what is most important for students to learn.  A highly functioning Professional Learning Community shines a light on this process and at Thermopolis Middle School we use summer curriculum and assessment professional hours for our core content teams to collaboratively make critical decisions about student learning for the upcoming year.

 Our vertical content teams meet for formal curriculum and assessment work for one week in the summer with a clear focus on identifying the essential learning standards that will be taught with fidelity. These essential learnings are then placed in teacher created pacing guides with vertical input on how each standard will build from year to year across the grade levels to advance student skill levels and rigor. 

PLC Question #2: How will we know if students are learning?  This question drives our Weekly Checkpoint and Outcome Assessment process. 

As a rural school with grade level singletons in the 5th-8th grade core content areas the power of common assessments has taken place through vertical collaboration.  As core content teams each teacher brings their knowledge to the table to build quality teacher created outcome assessments clearly aligned to the essential learning target in a collaborative environment.  The essential learning standard is broken down by skill, so that the vertical team can clearly assess by skill and analyze student learning by skill.  

During the school year content team vertical collaboration is scheduled into the school day twice a week.  Vertical teams create weekly checkpoints, continute to build, tweek and peer review outcome assessments, share student exemplars, calibrate grading practices, analyze student data by skill and share instructional practices.  At times vertical teams co-teach, share students for interventions and enrichments across grade levels, and even introduce or review key concepts in another teacher's classroom at another grade level to create consistency in academic vocabulary and to trigger prior knowledge for students with key concepts. 

At Thermopolis Middle School we now have "quick start" expectations for all students.  Using the previous year state assessment and MAP data students are placed in I/E groups for flex time each week by skill. Flex Time is used to quickly bridge known skill gaps prior to students struggling with new learning.  This quick start process lasts for about 3-5 weeks.  After that weekly Flex Time built into the schedule becomes time for reteaching and/or differentiating instruction for students struggling with specific skills.

The fifth grade team functions as an elementary transition and students follow a homeroom model with all teachers involved equally in teaching language arts and math.  This team agrees on the essential learnings, builds common assessments and works through data analysis together as equal decision makers in a collaborative environment.  The fifth grade team provides a solid curricular base for our 6th-8th grade teams to launch from in their vertical collaboration. 

As a result of a pilot by the fifth grade team we have implemented weekly "checkpoints" as a school wide protocol.  The weekly checkpoint is common for the fifth grade team and the vertical collaborative teams scaffold the skill level and rigor as they build their own checkpoints 6th-8th.  The weekly checkpoint drives I/E time for the following week. Each grade level team handles this a little differently but the commonality is that each team builds a GoogleDoc and students are placed in thier I/E group for one week at a time, by student, by skill.

PLC Question #3 & #4: What will we do if students don't learn?  What will we do if students already know the content?

The system of academic interventions is built into the school week.  We have an expectation that learning is the constant and time is the variable.  We also honor a philosophy that ALL students deserve to learn at high levels, even students that are out performing their peers.  

Student placement in Flex Time and I/E time is constantly shifting based on PLC questions #3 & #4.  A variety of data as well as common outcome assessments drive placement in interventions and enrichments, expectations are that common outcome assessments happen every 12-18 days in each content area. But, if interventions are timely within the learning unit and directly aligned to instruction, few students need the re-teach opportunity following outcome assessments.

At Thermopolis Middle School grade level teams meet twice a week in logistical meetings to plan how students will be shared for interventions and enrichments across content areas.  Different weeks have different priorities with teachers trying to offset math versus reading versus science interventions. Grade level teams are knowledgable of all students and can negotiate the best opportunities for each student, each week.  Grade level teams also plan a variety of enrichments or "accelerations" for each course, to be taught opposite of interventions.  This allows each teacher to plan an intervention cycle and an enrichment/acceleration cycle within the week as part of the I/E system of support for all learners. 

In our small school grade level team collaboration and vertical content team collaboration are equally important within each week.  Each serves a different role in the perspective or lens through which they apply the 4 PLC questions. 

 

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

Our PLC trainings have created a focus on interventions and innovations.

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

The PLC Journey at Thermopolis Middle School has had it's ups and downs. At first it seemed like the work would be impossible and we would continue to operate in isolation. Now we can't imagine opertaing outside of the PLC Framework. 

Collaborative vertical teams at TMS truly focus on high levels of learning for all students, from grade to grade and course to course.  This work drives the team forward.  When the mission is clear, the work is easy to see.

Teachers have become highly aware of individual student learning goals and there is really nowhere for students to hide.  Teachers are intentional about pulling students for each intervention and take ownership in student learning of every skill.  

The most amazing part is that every student has a growth goal and our efforts include maximizing academic growth for every student, across all learning levels.  One of our key Collective Commitments is "All students are OUR students."  This means that students go to the teacher that can best meet their learning needs when they are struggling or when we are seeking a challenging enrichment. 

Our high performing collaborative teachers are constantly seeking each others' professional advice on instructional strategies.  It is a pleasure to watch a team that is so focused on how to deliver lessons to achieve results that they don't have time to talk about mundane issues like individual student behaviors or the upcoming field trip.  

Our teams are focused on results.  The data paints the picture and all staff has bought into our protocols and expectations.

We drank the PLC Kool-Aid and we like it!

Achievement Data Files

• state-assessment-results-2020-2023-8346.pdf
• state-assessment-results-2020-2023--tms-subgroup-data-6194.pdf
• wytopp-tms-model-plc-scores-2018.xlsx
• wyoming-accountability-report-2023.pdf
• nwea-map-results-spring-2023-6428.pdf
• outcome-2-5-nbt-4-2019_2020-rounding--1.pdf
• outcome-assessment-data--at-a-glance--2019_2020-4831.pdf
• plc-app-map-results-spring-2021-6037.pdf
• outcome-assessment-data--at-a-glance--2019_2020.pdf
• plc-app--wytopp-results-2021--2021-results-6304.pdf
• map-results-fall-2020.pdf
• tms-nwea-map-results-spring-2019.pdf
• wytopp-preliminary-results-2019.xlsx

Additional Achievement Data

Equity has been a focus at Thermopolis Middle School. The Wyoming Accountability School Report (See Wyoming Accountability Report 2023) illustrates that students identified in the equity category (not achieving at the same levels as their peers in previous years) were a highlight with spring 2023 academic achievement scores  (See State-Assessment Results 2020-2023 - TMS Subgroup Data):

Grades 5-8 IEP Equity Students meeting proficiency targets in ELA and Math: 62%. Overall TMS students on IEPs meeting state Proficiency targets in ELA and Math: 38.5% 

Grades 5-8 Equity Students served Free/Reduced lunch meeting proficiency targets in ELA and Math: 62%. Overall TMS students being served Free/Reduced lunch and meeting state Proficiency targets in ELA, Math and Science: 65.8% 

2021-2023: The most recent data attached includes school years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 (see "state assessment results 2020-2023" attached PDF). With the most staff turn-over we have seen since our beginnings as a PLC we saw a struggle in ELA as new teachers stepped in and veteran teachers on the collaborative teams brought them up to speed. As a school we are confident we will see continued growth in all areas in coming years. With a focus on learning together and dedicated time for collaboration all of our teachers will continue the work around the 4 PLC questions. 

2022-2023 SMART Goals include "Zero Percent of Students Scoring Below the 30th Percentile on NWEA MAP in reading, math and science. (see all NWEA MAP results aligned to SMART Goals in the attached PDF "NWEA MAP Results Spring 2023." This new SMART goal raised the bar from previous years when our SMART Goal had been "zero percent below the 20th percentile."

Percent of Students Scoring Below the 30th Percentile in Spring 2023: 

Reading - 5th Grade 16%, 6th Grade 8%, 7th Grade 21%, 8th Grade 10%

Math - 5th Grade 16%, 6th Grade 9%, 7th Grade 10%, 8th Grade 6%

Science 5th Grade 11%, 6th Grade 5%, 7th Grade 0%, 8th Grade 0% 

Our schoolwide book study was "Yes We Can!" by Friziellie, Schmidt, Spiller. The focus has been on a schoolwide system of support and interventions with ALL students demonstrating measurable academic growth from grade to grade and course to course. At TMS we have fully implemented the RTI at Work protocols as outlined by Buffum and Mattos. We are extremely proud of our collaborative efforts to provide Grade Level or Higher (GLOH!) essential learnings to all students and ensure they are successful skill by skill. 

2020-2021: A return to normal, in person Tier-1 instruction resulted in familiar data being provided to Thermopolis Middle School.  During the pandemic Thermopolis Middle School was forced to use an alternative method to evaluate the effectiveness of the singleton PLC process; no state  assessments were given at the end of the 2019/2020 school year.  This change in focus led to a new practice that was utilized to evaluate student progress and achievemnt data during the 2019/2020 school year. 

Following the 2019/2020 school year each  grade level core was evaluated based on the percent of students who are at or above the proficient level in each standard deemed essential by vertical collaborative teams in Hot Springs County School District.  Highlights in this process included 98% of 5th graders, 98% of 6th graders, and 84% of 7th graders testing proficient in essential math standards.  83% of 5th graders, 81% of 6th graders, and 86% of 8th graders tested proficient in all essential Language Arts standards.  Lastly, 90% of 5th graders and 94% of 6th graders tested proficient in all essential Science standards.    For a full breakdown of the TMS data picture from the 2019/2020 school year, see "outcome asserssment data at a glace, 2019/2020".   

As a school we continued to follow our newly utilized process of evaluating outcome assessment data following the 2020/2021 school year to attempt to predict student learning on both the MAP assessment and our state given WyTopp Assessment.  Our faith and dedication to the PLC process in a small school resulted in the best results to date in Thermopolis Middle School.  

Each grade level core was evaluated based on the percent of students who are at or above the proficient level in each standard deemed essential by vertical collaborative teams in Hot Springs County School District.  Highlights in this process include 98% of 5th graders, 98% of 6th graders, and 84% of 7th graders testing proficient in essential math standards.  83% of 5th graders, 81% of 6th graders, and 86% of 8th graders tested proficient in all essential Language Arts standards.  Lastly, 90% of 5th graders and 94% of 6th graders tested proficient in all essential Science standards.   

This process not only shows vertical content teams where each cohort of students are proficient but also shows gaps in student’s learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic where vertical teams can pick up where the previous educator has left off.  This allows teachers to identify "Can't Live Without" standards to kickstart the school year in the fall of 2020.  

Student achievement data is highlighted by results on our WyTopp assessment; every single cohort of students assessed on WyTopp scored in the top 10 in the State of Wyoming.  Headlining the achievement of our students is our math team - 6th grade math students finished 1st in the state with an amazing 92% proficiency rate.  5th grade math students finished 4th in the state with a 71% proficiency rate, 7th grade math students finished 3rd in the state with a 75% proficiency rate, and 8th grade math students finished 4th in the state with a 79% proficiency rate.  Amazingly, 50% of 6th grade students, 44% of 7th grade students, and 47% of 8th grade students in TMS scored in the “advanced range” of their Wytopp assessment, compared to the 20% of Wyoming students scoring in the same advanced range.  

English Language Arts students in TMS stayed on pace with math learners; 67% of 5th grade ELA students scored at the proficient level during the 2020/2021 school year - good enough for 9th in the state of Wyoming.  For context, this is a growth of 27% from the previous WyTopp assessment when the same cohort of students scored at 40% proficiency during the 2018-2019 school year (there was no WyTopp assessment during the 2019/2020 school year due to the Covid-19 Pandemic).  6th grade ELA students set a record for any TMS cohort on the WyTopp assessment in 6th grade with a 77% proficiency rate, pulling them into 4th in the State of Wyoming.  7th grade ELA students scored at a proficient level of 75%, finishing 2nd in the state;  this would beat 7th grade students in Wyoming by 22%.  8th grade ELA learners would also set an 8th grade achievement record with 79% of students scoring at the proficiency level - finishing 3rd in the State of Wyoming.  In English Language Arts classes, 27% of TMS students scored in the advanced range, compared to 17% in the State of Wyoming. 

Only 8th grade students at TMS take the science WyTopp assessment; the cohort would not disappoint, showing great levels of student achievement and learning.  65% of 8th grade science students in TMS scored at the proficient level which finished 3rd in the state - this is compared to 46% of 8th grade students in the state of Wyoming.  19% of 8th grade students in TMS scored in the advanced range, while 8% of students in Wyoming scored at the same level.  

As a school we continued to utilize a SMART goal aligned with putting students on track to achieve a 22+ on the ACT assessment; utilizing a study conducted by NWEA MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) the goal is for middle school students to score in the High Achievement Range.  

GOAL: 40%+ of students will score in the high achievement range, this is the 80th percentile or higher on a national scale. *Bold indicates goal attained! 

Spring 2021 Results: 

44% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

22% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Math 

61% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science

32% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

34% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics 

60% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science 

31% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

38% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics 

51% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science 

29% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

37% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics 

52% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science 

The collaboration and work to ensure high levels of student learning continued even with a pandemic thrown our way.  *The national norm is for 20% of students in any school to score in the "high" achievement range on the MAP assessment - TMS students beat this norm in every area during the 2020/2021 school year.  

Another SMART goal during the 2020/2021 school year at TMS was to reduce the percent of students scoring below the 20th percentile to zero.  Our family here at TMS is extremely excited with our results in this area - the norm in any public school according to NWEA MAP would be for 20% of students to score in the lowest percentile.  At TMS, we had 7 grade level content areas with ZERO students in the lowest percentile - this is an improvement from our previous best of TWO grade levels during the 2018/2019 school year (the last time we had Spring data available due to the Covid-19 pandemic).

Spring 2021 Results: 

2% of 5th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

0% of 5th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Math 

0% of 5th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science

0% of 6th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

0% of 6th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Mathematics 

0% of 6th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science 

0% of 7th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

0% of 7th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Mathematics 

2% of 7th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science 

3% of 8th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

10% of 8th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Mathematics 

2% of 8th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science 

Based on our student data, a total of only 10 students in Thermopolis Middle School scored below the 20th percentile, or in the low achievement range, in all subject areas during the 2020/2021 school year!  These results are directly correlated to our record achievements and success on our WyTopp assessments.  We will continue to work, collaborate, and review best practice to continue improving the level of student learning in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

2019-2020: Thermopolis Middle School was forced to use an alternative method to evaluate the effectiveness of the singleton PLC process due to the COVID-19 pandemic; no state  assessments were given at the end of the 2019/2020 school year.  This change in focus led to a new practice that will be used from now on to evaluate and alter outcome assessments and outcome assessment data in Thermopolis Middle School.  

Each grade level core was evaluated based on the percent of students who are at or above the proficient level in each standard deemed essential by vertical collaborative teams in Hot Springs County School District.  Highlights in this process include 98% of 5th graders, 98% of 6th graders, and 84% of 7th graders testing proficient in essential math standards.  83% of 5th graders, 81% of 6th graders, and 86% of 8th graders tested proficient in all essential Language Arts standards.  Lastly, 90% of 5th graders and 94% of 6th graders tested proficient in all essential Science standards.   

This process not only shows vertical content teams where each cohort of students are proficient but also shows gaps in student’s learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic where vertical teams can pick up where the previous educator has left off.  This allows teachers to identify "Can't Live Without" standards to kickstart the school year in the fall of 2020.  

ELA WyTopp data from 2018/2019 School year

Essential Standards and I Promise Skills taught by TMS ELA Teachers in 2019/2020 School year

Science WyTopp data from 2018/2019 School year

Essential Standards and I Promise Skills taught by TMS Science Teachers in 2019/2020 School year

 

When Thermopolis Middle School students returned to school in the fall of 2020 students were assessed using the national MAP Assessment tool (Measure of Academic Progress).  These results compared students' academic skills based on  data gathered during the 2020 Winter MAP assessment in February before the school closure due to the pandemic, to the data gathered in the Fall of 2020.  The results showed the COVID gap is noticable but with rigirous pacing plans the norm for high student acheivement is attainable.  

Math

 

Science

 

Reading

 

Combining this process of looking at student MAP data and outcome assessment data not only shows that our PLC process is working at Thermopolis Middle School, it gives TMS a look into where students have had gaps created due to distance learning and the COVID-19 Pandemic.  The data shows some significant gaps created during the pandemic closure but also reinforces that with a focus on learning and results during the 2020/2021 school year all academic gaps will be closed and learning will happen on pace with where students are supposed to be at in their grade level.  This look will help us accelerate learning that is essential for students to hit their academic goals before the end of the 2020/2021 school year. 

 

2018-19: Thermopolis Middle School is proud to report unprecedented results on the Wyoming State Assessment (WyTOPP in spring 2019). Highlights include... out of the 48 public school districts in Wyoming our 5th graders had the highest ranking (#1) of proficient/advanced students in the state with 88% proficient in math, including 39% advanced in comparison to the state average of 61% proficient in math, with 20% advanced.  Our 8th graders were also 1st in the state in math with 82% proficient, including 56% advanced in comparison to the state average of 54% proficient, with 30% advanced. Our 8th graders were 5th in the state in English Language Arts with 75% proficient, including 28% advanced in comparison to the state average of 61% proficient, with 20% advanced. In science our 8th graders ranked 2nd in the state and were 61% proficient, including 25% advanced in comparison to the state with 48% proficient, with 15% advanced. Our 8th grade results show a cumulative effort of four years of teaching in grades 5-8 at Thermopolis Middle School focused on individual measurable student growth in math, reading and science every year, in every grade! 

Our 2019 Wyoming School Performance Rating in Achievement is officially "Exceeding Expectations" for the first time in our school history.   For many years we believed our claim to fame at Thermopolis Middle School would be growth because our students came in with such an academic deficit, but our district partner teachers at Ralph Witters Elementary (K-4) have adopted the PLC tight practices and we are seeing our students come in with stronger academic skills, allowing us to grow them further, faster. Our own best practices tied to collaboration and a belief that all students can learn at high levels has transformed expectations around student learning.  

In the vernacular of small rural schools, in our academic horse race, as the long shot Thermopolis Middle School students didn't just outperform other Wyoming students by a nose, or a length, they left them in the dust. 

Our SMART Goal at Thermopolis Middle School is aligned with our 9th-12th grade collaborative partners in our 5th-12th grade Professional Learning Community (Thermopolis Middle School & Hot Springs County High School).  Using the NWEA MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) national assessment tool our SMART goal is for our middle school students to score in the High Achievement Range ~ On Track for an ACT score of 22+ as defined by a national research study conducted by NWEA MAP. 

*NWEA MAP uses terms Low, LoAvg, Avg, HiAvg and High to define data ranges. 

GOAL: 40%+ of students will score in the high achievement range, this is the 80th percentile or higher on a national scale. *Bold indicates goal attained! 

Spring 2019 Results: 

37% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

47% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Math 

57% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science

31% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

25% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics 

55% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science 

22% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

20% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics 

37% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science 

33% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading 

49% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics 

54% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science 

Our work to move our 5th-8th grade students into the "high" achievement range has transformed our expectations in regards to "high levels of learning" increasing the academic rigor, along with the system of support and interventions, for all students.  *The national norm is for 20% of students in any school to score in the "high" achievement range on the MAP assessment. We performed at that level in one grade/content and consistently outperformed that norm in all other grades/content areas. As we have shifted our focus from "at grade level performance" to "high achievement" we can definitely see our students striving to achieve new growth goals. 

Our other 2018-19 SMART Goal was to reduce the percent of students scoring below the 20th percentile to zero. Our teachers, including our special education staff, are overwhelmed with pride in regard to our efforts to raise the level of learning for all.  The national norm in any public school according to NWEA MAP would be for 20% of students to score in the lowest percentiles.  By concentrating on this goal Thermopolis Middle School was able to raise the bar and close the gap:

Spring 2019 Results: 

2% of 5th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

2% of 5th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Math 

2% of 5th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science

6% of 6th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

12% of 6th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Mathematics 

0% of 6th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science 

6% of 7th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

11% of 7th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Mathematics 

3% of 7th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science 

4% of 8th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Reading 

2% of 8th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Mathematics 

0% of 8th Graders Scored in the Low Achievement Range in Science 

For the first time in the history of our school we had ZERO percent of students score below the 20th percentile in two grade levels! We look forward to continuing to make this SMART goal a priority in 2019-20! 

We can correlate this success on NWEA MAP with 0% of our 5th graders scoring "Below Basic" on the spring 2019 state assessment - WyTOPP! 

2017-18: Our achievement data is strong, but our growth data is a driving force in our work as a PLC. We take the middle schoolers as they are when they come through our door as 5th grades and by the time they exit as 8th graders they are achieving individual growth goals. One of our SMART goals in 2017-18 was for 40%+ of our students to score in the high achievement range in reading, math and science, which equates to the top 20th percentiles as defined by NWEA MAP (80-99th percentiles). This target was specifically chosen because NWEA MAP has a comprehensive research study that correlates student scores with being “on track” for ACT academic readiness skills. Here are the results:

Higher Achievement ~ NWEA MAP Defines as "On Track for an ACT Score of 22+"

*NWEA MAP uses terms Low, LoAvg, Avg, HiAvg and High to define data ranges.

GOAL 2017-18: 40% of TMS students will score in the “High” achievement range.

**Meeting the norm would be to achieve 20% of students in this range.

Thermopolis Middle School:

31% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading

31% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Math

60% of 5th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science

21% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading

28% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics

58% of 6th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science

35% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading

42% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics

52% of 7th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science

30% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Reading

45% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Mathematics

52% of 8th Graders Scored in the High Achievement Range in Science

In spring 2018 this SMART goal effectively doubled and even tripled the number of students normally scoring in the High Achievement range on MAP.  By helping our students raise their personal bar and set new growth goals our students knocked their scores out of the park! The grade level norm was the “Low” bar and the new bar was a “High” bar.

Thermopolis Middle School was one of only three middle schools and junior highs (out of 48) in the state of Wyoming to achieve the "Exceeding Expectations" performance rating in 2016-17. (top 6%)

Schools in Wyoming fall within one of four performance levels based on their pattern of performance on FOUR indicators: Achievement, Growth, Equity, and Participation Rate.

The FOUR Performance Levels Are:

*Exceeding Expectations

*Meeting Expectations

*Partially Meeting Expectations

*Not Meeting Expectations

Thermopolis Middle School Performance Level over 5 Years:

2012-13 Performance Level: Partially Meeting Expectations

2013-14 Performance Level: Exceeding Expectations

2014-15 Performance Level: Meeting Expectations

2015-16 Performance Level: Meeting Expectations

2016-17 Performance Level: Exceeding Expectations

Only students enrolled at the school for a full academic year were included in Wyoming data. Full Academic Year is October 1st through the midpoint of the state assessment window.

2016-17 School Performance Report For Elementary and Middle School Grades

School Name: Thermopolis Middle School

Grades Served: 5-8

Enrollment: 193

2016-17 School Indicator Performance:

Indicator: Growth

Performance Level: Exceeding Targets

Growth is a median student growth percentile (MGP) in reading and math combined for all students in grades four through eight as measured by the PAWS.

Indicator: Equity

Performance Level: Exceeding Targets

Equity is the median student growth percentile (MGP) in reading and math combined for a subgroup of students who had low reading and math test scores in the prior year. *51 out of 181 students in our assessment cohort in grades 5-8 fell into this subgroup of typically low performing students that had to outperform their peers across the state. Many of these students had been at our school for at least one year, but are transient due to oil and gas work in Wyoming.

Indicator: Achievement

Performance Level: Met Targets

Achievement is the percent proficient or above on state tests in reading, mathematics, and science.

The 2016-17 State Growth & Achievement Report illustrated that Thermopolis Middle School fell into the Higher Achievement and Higher Growth Quartile!

Link to this report: https://portals.edu.wyoming.gov/Reports/Public/wde-reports-2012/public-reports/waea/2017-public-elementary-and-middle-school-report

In year two of our PLC Journey  (2013-14) our performance level can be attributed to a sharp rise in student achievement/growth in comparison to past years. This quick burst of growth was specific to PLC Question #1 - creating clear learning targets through the PLC process and establishing what was "tight" in classrooms. We knew that the implementation "spike" would be impossible to recreate. After that we had to maintain all students at new performance levels and continue to grow each student in all cores through data driven instruction in a strong collaborative culture.

The repeat as an "Exceeding Expectations" school in 2016-17 was a phenomenal accomplishment attributed to a culture firmly committed to the work surrounding "ALL students will achieve at high levels." Due to economic conditions in the oil and gas fields, 20% of our students come and go from our small town at some point in their four year enrollment. Our teachers are constantly providing interventions based on data to help our students accelerate learning. The Equity and Growth data is what we are extremely proud of as educators, our students are bright and capable but economic conditions are often a barrier to stable learning. We take every student, the day they walk through our door, and we provide individualized goals to maximize their learning potential.

In addition to high levels of growth for our top performers, our IEP and Free/Reduced Lunch students outperformed their "subgroup" peers across the state by 2 to 3 times.  The data charts provided by the state are PDFs with district to state comparisons. Those are uploaded as attachments to our application. Please note that our school is specifically 5th-8th when looking at our district data reports provided by Wyoming Department of Education.

Prior to 2017 there was not one school with the demographics our school represents on the All Things PLC website. At the time our school began looking into this process we had not had a Model PLC that was searchable in the "See the Evidence" list of schools. We are now proud to be that rural Model PLC school with 250 or fewer students!

In November 2023 U.S. News and World Report named Thermopolis Middle School the #1 middle school in Wyoming. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/middle-schools/wyoming

The Wyoming Department of Education released our School Performance Ratings as part of the State Accountability system. Less than 10% of Wyoming Schools meet the criteria of Exceeding Expectations in Student Achievement, Equity and Growth. We are proud to have top-notch teachers, motivated and hardworking students and supportive parents that allow our schools to be a place where student learning is the focus! 

Thermopolis Middle School 

2022-23 Exceeding Expectations 

2021-22 Exceeding Expectations 

The Wyoming Department of Education press release on September 5, 2023 states, “The buck stops at student success." Districts showing promising impacts on progress by achieving proficiency rates above 70% include but are not limited to: 

• Unita #4 - 74.% in Science (increased this year by 18.6%).

• Washakie #2 - 70.8% in ELA (above 70% for the last two years).

• Sheridan #1 - 70.7% in ELA  (steady growth since 2019) .

• Hot Springs #1 - 70.5% in Math (up from 66% the last two years).

Wyoming Department of Education has identified teacher leaders across the state to take part in the "Level Up" program. The Level Up participants meet regularly with the Supt. of Public Instruction and her staff and provide input, as well as participate in testifying at the state legislature on behalf of Wyoming Public Schools. Thermopolis Middle School has three teachers currently participating in Level Up at the State Level. 

Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) Wyoming Winners 2020, 2023

11 FFA Members were state finalists (in the top 3) in State AgriScience contest 2021; 4 FFA members were top-10 finishers in the nation in their respective divisions

Thermopolis Middle School is featured in a book published by Solution Tree Press in July 2020: PLC at Work and Your Small School: Building, Deepening and Sustaining a Culture of Collaboration for Singletons

7th Grade Math Educator published in AllThingsPLC Magazine, Summer Edition 2020

11 FFA Members were state finalists (in the top 3) in State AgriScience contest 2020; 3 FFA members were National finalists for Agriscience

State Finalist for Outstanding Middle School & High School FFA Program through the NAAE (National Association of Agriculture Educators)

DuFour Award Finalists 2018, 2019

Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) Wyoming Finalist 2019

Thermopolis Middle School: Wyoming Elementary/Middle School Principal of the Year 2017; Wyoming Secondary Principal of the Year 2019

National Distinguished Principal Class of 2017 (NAESP)

Milken Award Winning Wyoming Educator 2017

Thermopolis Middle School has had the Hot Springs County School District #1 Teacher of the Year 2022-2023, 2017-18, 2016-17  & 2015-16. 

Wyoming (K-6) STEM Educator of the Year 2014.

TMS Model PE Program featured at Wyoming Conferences in 2018 and 2019, as well as the 2016 National School Boards Conference in Denver, Co.  Focus on hiking, biking, snowshoing, canoing, fishing, ropes course and more - all during the school day.

TMS Farm to School Program featured in statewide newspapers, TV and radio programs throughout 2016-2017.  Including a write up in the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. 

Wyoming Department of Education chose Thermopolis Middle School as a Model School for Curriculum and Assessment in 2016-17 and conducted multiple site visits with state leaders, principals of other schools and education consultants for the state of Wyoming accountability system.  

One of our goals at TMS has been to achieve “Top Ten” rankings with student achievement data in math, reading and science.  There are 48 districts in the State of Wyoming participating in our state assessment and each grade level is notified of the percent of students proficient and advanced.  Students scoring as proficient or advanced met the grade level standards and achieved the learning goals.  The state ranking includes all students that took the Wyoming assessment in spring 2016 through 2023 (see assessment uploads).

6th Grade Students - Ranked #2 in Math (2016 & 2017); Ranked #7 in Reading (2016); Ranked #8 in Math (2017); Ranked #6 in Math (2018)

7th Grade Students - Ranked #10 in Math (2016); Ranked #7 in English Language Arts (2018); Ranked #2 in Math (2018) 

8th Grade Students - Tied for the #6 Ranking in Science (2016); Ranked #1 in Math (2016); Ranked #8 in Math (2018)

A top ten ranking is an indicator that our students scored at a high achievement level in comparison to their grade level peers around the state.  Thermopolis Middle School students set academic goals every year and work extremely hard to achieve their goals.  The teachers and staff at TMS are very proud of the efforts of our students!

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Files

• plc-at-work-7th-grade-math-data-analysis-all-assessments--outcome-assessments.pdf
• plc-at-work-5th-8th-i-promise-standards.pdf
• tms-smart-goals--mantra.pdf
• 3yearproficiencyratetrendsbystudentgroup-iep.pdf
• tms-school-performance-report-22-23.pdf
• 3yearproficiencyratetrendsbystudentgroup-ses.pdf
• 3yearproficiencyratetrendsbystudentgroup.pdf
• collaborationcampagenda-docx.pdf
• curriculumworksummer2016.pdf
• tmscollectivecommitments.pdf
• tms-smart-goal-2015-16.pdf
• hscsd1-paws-rankings--tms.pdf
• MAPResultsSpring2016.pdf