TECUMSEH, Mich. -
Tecumseh Middle School is one of 25 Michigan schools recognized for improving Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) scores.
This is a significant achievement for the school’s students and staff, middle school counselor Mary Tommelein told the Tecumseh Board of Education at the Dec. 15 meeting.
TMS was placed on the list of schools not making AYP in 2003 by the Michigan State Department of Education due to a subgroup of students not performing at a proficient level, Tommelein explained. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
The building was taken off the list after the test results for the 2006-07 academic year were known. Middle school principal Rick Hilderley told the board that the hard work of Tommelein, the middle school faculty, counselors and students paid off.
Removal from the AYP list is not an easy process, Tommelein and Hilderley said. A school must improve scores for two consecutive years and develop a rigorous two-year school improvement plan.
The staff at TMS worked within their teams and at grade levels to examine data and make necessary changes to curriculum, Tommelein said. The teams at TMS designed motivational programs to help increase student proficiency, such as Study Island and assemblies where student success is recognized and celebrated.
“We have some awesome teachers who have done the work and analyzed data to see where improvements can be made,”Tommelein said. “They really have modified what they taught. Study Island has been a major part of the improvements.”
Study Island is a resource for students needing help on specific subjects. Teachers and other students are available to help, Tommelein explained.
In Michigan, AYP measures year-to-year student achievement on the MEAP for elementary and middle schools, or the Michigan Merit Examination for high schools. Other indicators, such as the number of students who participate in the assessments and graduation rate for high schools, are also considered in the calculation.
Superintendent of Michigan Schools Mike Flanagan and Deputy Superintendent Sally Vaughn presented Hilderley with a Certificate of Achievement in November.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Implementation Solutions - Enrichment
> Adjust Student Difficulty- Increase the passing parameters for students who need an extra challenge. Teachers can now set student passing parameters if the school admin allows it from the admin page. Once the admin allows it, teachers will be able to click on the Adjust Student Difficult” button at the top of the School Stats page and adjust levels for individual students.
> Work Above Grade Level- If a student masters their own grade level’s program, try having them work at the next grade level up. All students should have access to the programs that have been purchased by the school unless they have been restricted or blocked by an admin or teacher. Simply have the student click on the higher grade level to begin studying at a level above. (Make sure it is ok with the grade level teachers above you first!)
> Peer Tutoring- Create Study Island “peer tutors”. Have students who finish early or master concepts quickly help teach the students who are struggling.
> Student Authors- Challenge students to write their own word problems and then add them into Study Island as Custom Material. Students will love taking ownership of their learning and creating questions takes them to a higher level of Bloom’s thinking. Challenge another class to solve your questions or project the Custom Material for all to see and have the “writer” teach his or her problem to the class!
> Extra Computer Time- Provide extra computer time on Study Island as a privilege for students who have finished their work early or consistently return homework on time.
Enrichment
> Study Buddies- Have students work with a younger “buddy class” to learn how to use Study Island. As the year goes on, have your class meet with the buddy class to play games or study together in the computer lab.
> Guest Teachers- Put students in teams. Create an assignment for each team to work on solving. Create a printable worksheet for the team to use. Also create overheads of that worksheet. The team will become the “experts” on that particular topic, thinking of ways they can teach and explain it to the other part of the class. Each week, have a “Guest Teacher Spotlight”. Reserve 20-30 minutes for teams to present their topic to the class using the overheads. They could create skits, songs, contests, etc to help teach the topic to the other students.
> Work Above Grade Level- If a student masters their own grade level’s program, try having them work at the next grade level up. All students should have access to the programs that have been purchased by the school unless they have been restricted or blocked by an admin or teacher. Simply have the student click on the higher grade level to begin studying at a level above. (Make sure it is ok with the grade level teachers above you first!)
> Peer Tutoring- Create Study Island “peer tutors”. Have students who finish early or master concepts quickly help teach the students who are struggling.
> Student Authors- Challenge students to write their own word problems and then add them into Study Island as Custom Material. Students will love taking ownership of their learning and creating questions takes them to a higher level of Bloom’s thinking. Challenge another class to solve your questions or project the Custom Material for all to see and have the “writer” teach his or her problem to the class!
> Extra Computer Time- Provide extra computer time on Study Island as a privilege for students who have finished their work early or consistently return homework on time.
Enrichment
> Study Buddies- Have students work with a younger “buddy class” to learn how to use Study Island. As the year goes on, have your class meet with the buddy class to play games or study together in the computer lab.
> Guest Teachers- Put students in teams. Create an assignment for each team to work on solving. Create a printable worksheet for the team to use. Also create overheads of that worksheet. The team will become the “experts” on that particular topic, thinking of ways they can teach and explain it to the other part of the class. Each week, have a “Guest Teacher Spotlight”. Reserve 20-30 minutes for teams to present their topic to the class using the overheads. They could create skits, songs, contests, etc to help teach the topic to the other students.
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