School uses Study Island to meet AYP

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.