Our Professional Learning Community journey began in 2006 when Rick and Becky DuFour came to the Windsor Central School District.  Student achievement was lackluster, staff collaboration was limited, structures were inconsistent, and the culture was toxic.  As Rick and Becky introduced Professional Learning Communities to the PK-12 staff, many staff members immediately had “aha moments” while others almost instantly dismissed this new concept.  Following the two-day opportunity, rather than going back to business as usual, the District committed to fully implement what had been presented. 

The first step in our journey was to articulate a compelling and shared vision.  “Vision provides a sense of direction and basis for assessing both the current reality of the school and potential strategies, programs, and procedures to improve on that reality (DuFour, R., DuFour, R, Eaker, R, Many, T., Mattos, M., 2016, p. 39).  A challenge for leaders was to help team members bring this vision to life. When considering the Windsor vision, it was imperative to create a focus to prompt action and motivate staff. The superintendent displayed an image of a lighthouse to the staff with the slogan, “Why Not Windsor?”  The staff was encouraged to create programs to become a model for others, challenged to shift the paradigm from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning, to dismiss excuses and to view obstacles as opportunities for continuous improvement.  As a result, over the past 14 years, each building within the school district has been transformed.  The PLC approach has allowed for deliberate and systematic cultural change.  

Our Professional Learning Community has resulted in an increase in our student achievement.  Using student data to inform our instruction has become "the norm" in the building.  Common assessments are closely aligned to the state standards, instruction is research based and effective, and teachers respond to common assessment data faithfully.  

A steady increase in student performance rankings among peers across the region has been maintained.  All grade level assessments undergo continuous evaluation of the essential learnings and assessment process to ensure that this achievement is maintained.  

Empowered teacher teams have focused on the four critical questions:  

• What do we want students to learn?

• How will we know if they have learned?

• What will we do if they don’t learn?

• What will we do if they already know it? 

(DuFour, Dufour, Eaker, Many, 2010)

By closely dedicating efforts toward improved student performance on benchmark, formative, and summative assessments, teachers have geared instruction to meet identified needs.  Curriculum documents are living documents based on essential learning standards and are regularly updated by teacher teams.  These agreed upon essential learning standards are considered the “bar”, describing the essential ideas in each curriculum that every student must master in order to move forward.  In 2017, teacher teams collaborated to create a new standards-based report card that reflected both Process Criteria (based on behaviors) and Product Criteria (based on academic essential learnings) along with quarterly course content descriptions and indivual student comments to better communicate progress and to provide feedback to learners and their families. 

As evidenced above, the intentional systems put in place during the onset of our PLC journey continue to pay high dividends as we continuously grow our practices to ensure success for all students.  Without collaborative teaming and a strong focus on data-driven planning and instruction, much of our school's success would not be possible.  Our PLC journey is never over-- we become stronger and discover ways to be more effective with every learning experience that takes place and every refinement towards further success that is made.

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Middle School faculty participate on grade teams consisting of the four core subject area teachers, grade level special education teacher and a teacher assistant. During daily Team Time, they discuss and act on a variety of topics. A significant focus is student achievement. When difficulties and learning gaps arise, teachers ensure success by assigning students to a number of school-wide systems of intervention. Although this discussion occurs naturally, it is formally conducted at each progress report. These reports are produced at the 3-, 6-, and 10-week points in each quarter of the school year. These reports generate a list of students not showing adequate progress and achievement from our student data management system. Grade teams review student performance, assign students to an appropriate level of intervention, and notify parents and other stakeholders within the building. These conversations and actions have become routine in the building. All progress reports and electronic grade books are also available for parents to access online. 

To further monitor student learning and “guarantee” success, departments meet each Monday during our Department Collaborative Time.  This time occurs after the instructional day. Student-athletes attend a “Sports Study Hall” monitored by Teaching Assistants, thus allowing for all faculty members to be free of student obligations at this time. The core departments use these sessions to determine or reaffirm the essential learnings for the quarter, agree upon and design common assessments, analyze student performance data, develop action plans, and share best practices. Special Education teachers attend to their own data analysis of their student caseloads and are also available to assist departments with action planning as needed.

 

Data analysis is scheduled by each department and occurs regularly during Collaborative Time. Data review meetings also occur with the building principal or other personnel to clarify data points, reflect on actions taken, or to determine professional development needs.

 

A significant focus within our middle school is on ensuring all students can successfully read at grade level.  In order to carry this out, we have implemented a benchmark assessment system through AIMS Web. ELA teachers administer this assessment in the Fall (September), Winter (January), and Spring (May) to obtain a baseline and measure growth in student reading ability throughout the year. Additionally, any student who is reading at the “Below Average” or “Well-Below Average” levels receives intervention support and is given a “probe” assessment every three weeks to monitor their growth. Our ELA teachers also administer a quarterly Writing benchmark assessment, which is used to determine any intervention needs.

 

Numeracy and mathematical proficiency are also specific areas of focus in our middle school. Our math teachers also use AIMS Web benchmarks and probes to determine, monitor, and improve Math Fluency levels in all students. This data is used in an effort to better inform instruction within the Math and Special Education classrooms, as well as in our interventions.

 

Academic Intervention providers meet with the principal on a quarterly basis to review AIMS Web and progress monitoring data on identified students. As part of ongoing student reviews, individuals can be assigned to reteaching time, after-school learning centers, or support classes such as AIS, Literacy Intervention, and/or Math Intervention. Student intervention action plans are developed as appropriate. 

 

As a further support, Student Support Team (SST), which includes classroom teachers, guidance counselors, school social worker, school psychologist, and administrators, meets regularly to pinpoint areas of concern on individual students and focuses on short term interventions for students. Our Pupil Personnel team (PPT), which consists of administrators, counselors, and other interventionists, also meets semimonthly to review all students with identified or emerging issues of any kind. An entire system of supports and interventions are devised and enacted in these meetings.

 

Similarly, student attendance is closely monitored with letters and phone calls after 7-, 14-, and 21-days of absences. The PPT monitors this and follows up with each student and their family.

 

Student learning has also been impacted by a district-wide emphasis on effective classroom instructional strategies:

The Beginning of Class:

            Posted Objectives (learning outcomes)

            Posted Agenda

            Bell Ringer Activity:  “a chance to look back before we look forward!”   

The Middle of Class:

            Anticipatory Set:  “grab your audience!”

            Active Participation

            Modeling

            Guided Practice

             Independent Practice

             Ongoing Checking for Understanding

The End of Class:

            Closure (summary activities-teacher led)

            Closure (summary of lesson essentials-student led) 

             Exit Ticket/Time to start homework

 

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

Windsor Central Middle School has developed a building-wide approach to intervention in order to support all students. As previously stated, grade teams review student progress and assign students as needed to the number of grade-level and/or building-wide interventions. Although it is designed to be progressive in nature, students are moved into and out of intervention measures at any time as determined by the grade team. 

 

A significant impact on student learning and overall achievement of our students is our academic intervention and enrichment periods that occur during the regular instructional day. These ELA and Math intervention classes run opposite our Band and Chorus classes, every other day. Students who are not in Band or Chorus and are not in need of additional time and support attend an enrichment class in Science, Social Studies, Health, Physical Education, Family and Consumer Science, or Technology.  Students who are identified as having a need of additional support in Math and/or ELA attend an Academic Intervention Support (AIS) Class. This intervention is designed to be fluid, so if a student does not perform well on a test, quiz, homework assignment, or is absent, he or she may be assigned to ELA or Math AIS for a limited time and then return to enrichment class without penalty. 

 

The Middle School has also instituted an Advisory Program which is designed to provide connections for every student with at least one adult, their peers, and the school community. These Advisories meet each morning for over twenty minutes, where students eat their breakfast in these small groups and engage in many and varied activities. Advisories help promote a positive school climate through building rapport and developing pro-social habits. All activities in these small groups of students led by staff members help foster moral, performance, and character. Weekly plans (which are provided by a team of teachers, administrators) guide Advisory activities.

 

All available teachers are included in the formation of Advisories to keep each group at around 10 students in order to enhance the relationships forged by the program. Advisory names, banners, and norms are created by each group and posted in the beginning each year. During Advisory, every student and staff member are provided a free school breakfast. These hot or cold options are part of the “Breakfast in the Classroom” initiative that promotes the “family” atmosphere through a shared meal. Advisors also meet with each student every time a progress report is issued to discuss and set individual goals. Career Development, social-emotional check-ins and ongoing mental health reinforcement, as well as a myriad of competitions and social activities, highlight the ever-changing “curriculum” of our wildly popular Advisory program.

 

One of the most effective measures used by the school to increase student participation and connectedness to the school community is through the use of the “Mod 11” program.   Mod 11 of the school day is utilized for academic intervention and enrichment opportunities three days per week from 2:15–3:15 pm. The Homework Club is a place where students voluntary meet with staff to complete classwork/homework. A Learning Center is a place where students are assigned during this time in order to receive individualized instruction and academic assistance in a small group setting, supervised by teachers. In addition, a wide variety of student clubs and activities also meet during this time, open to all Middle School students. These engaging and high interest activities (such as Guitar Club, Chess Club, Outdoor Club, and Intramurals) enjoy abundant participation from our students. Students in good academic standing and not participating in a club or activity are free to go home; however, we strongly encourage students to stay, and we seek student input and ideas to increase their participation. Though we strive for 100% participation in some form of an after-school activity (which is a district goal), we are pleased to see that more than 95% of our student body participate in at least one club or offering on a yearly basis.

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

Each collaborative team in the building is driven by a set of established team norms. In developing team norms staff were asked to address the following:

                        Time – when do we meet, begin/end and promptness

                        Listening – listening to others and discouraging interrupting

                        Confidentiality – openness and confidential information, what is said after the meeting

                        Decision making – how to make decisions – how to deal with conflicts

                        Participation – encourage all to participate and attend

                        Expectations  - what is expected and required of each team member

 

As previously mentioned, department teams have developed Essential Learning Standards for each quarter of the school year that address exactly what students are to learn. Each outcome has endurance, leverage, and is essential for success in the next unit, course, or grade level. Our Essential Learning Standards are embedded into our often-revised and continuously updated curriculum maps. These are also unwrapped and shared through student-friendly learning targets.

Grade-level department teams have developed quarterly common formative assessments. They also establish an assessment calendar and collaborate on grade-level and department-wide data analysis of student results on them. Collaboratively generated Action Plans are born out of these team meetings. In this process, teacher teams reflect on:

 What targets from the assessments require more attention? 

Are any patterns evident? 

Is reteaching necessary?

Is there a particular class/group that needs additional instruction? 

Which students require remediation?

Which targets were areas of strength or weaknesses? 

Can a different instructional strategy improve student performance?

 

An action plan is developed from the above after each common formative assessment is given and analyzed. The plan addresses a short-term plan, (reteaching students/targets), reassessment (makeup tests, ongoing formative assessments, observation) and a long-term plan (instruction/curriculum adjustments).  It is of the utmost importance to “name names” of specific students in need of academic intervention on these action plans.

 

Achievement Data Files

• windsor-middle-school-state-of-the-building-2023-1.pdf
• 2020-21-middle-school-aims-web-data-spring.pdf
• windsor-csd-middle-school-state-assessment-data-xlsx--6--8.pdf
• 2021-2022-middle-school-aims-web-data--spring-2022.pdf
• 2022-2023-middle-school-aims-web-data--spring.pdf

Additional Achievement Data

Please find updated longitudinal achievement data for Windsor Central Middle School attached. Although the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in no state assessments for the 2019-2020 school year, our district's commitment to focusing on collaboration, learning, and results kept our data at the top of the region once assessments resumed in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. 

With our Professional Learning Community processes in place, our teams greatly benefit from having clearly identified essential standards, local common formative assessments, data protocols, and strong systems in place to ensure students recieve the interventions and extensions necessary. This allowed our teams to maintain learning, minimize new gaps, and further close existing gaps through the pandemic and beyond. 

In addition, with the lens of meeting our mission, to "Ensure all students are future-ready by providing empowering learning experiences", we quickly adjusted to virtual learning when needed, and returned to in-person learning as quickly as safely possible.

Driven by the four critical questions of a PLC, our teams continue to revisit essential standards and learning targets, gather and analyze data from formative assessments, provide interventions, and extend learning for all of our students. Once fully in-person instruction resumed, we reassessed all students to set a new benchmark. Although we do not have consistent state assessment data, our use of nationally-normed assessments has indicated growth in both literacy and numeracy including among our subgroups. This is evidenced in our attached AIMS Web Plus data, where our end of year data this year (2023) shows 91% of our students are at or above grade level benchmarks in math and 84% of students are at or above grade level benchmarks in reading.

  As a community focused on learning and continuous improvement, we celebrate these accomplishments and strategically plan next steps to ensure success for all of our students.

Recognition as a SMART Showcase Building in 2009

Presented at 2009-10 PLC Conference in Albany, NY

Named a “Mix It Up Model School” by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program in 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16, 2016-17

Faculty member, Stefanie Olbrys, named the New York State Middle School Social Studies Outstanding Teacher of the Year, 2015-16; ASCD Emerging Leader, Class of 2017

Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) Model School District (only school district in New York State to receive this distinction in this year--first ever in the state)

Named 2017 National Model School (two presentations given at the 25th Annual Model Schools Conference June 2017, Nashville TN)

Youth Services of America School of Service 2017-2018

2017 9/11 Day of Service Grant Recipient (funded a student-led project that collected and shipped goods for military personnel overseas, delivered donuts, cider and thank you cards to local first responders)  See video at: http://www.windsor-csd.org/WindsorMiddleSchool_home.aspx

Principal Kevin Strahley named 2018 NASSP New York State Principal of the Year and 2018 SAANYS Middle School Principal of the Year

Superintendent Jason A. Andrews, Ed.D. named 2019 NYS Superintendent of the Year

2018 Niche Top Athletic Program (22nd in Upstate NY, 32nd in NYS) Year

2018 Niche Top Upstate NY School District to Teach (26th) 

2018 Best Communities for Music Education NAMM Foundation Award (Top 4%)

2022 US News & World Report – highest rated Middle School in Southern Tier of NY 

2023 NICHE Best Public Middle schools in Broome County (2nd)

 

 

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Files

• data-form.docx
• template-middle-school-action-plan-2022-1.pdf
• the-windsor-central-school-district-report-card-2102.pdf