Whatever
It Takes!
Welcome to Berkeley
County, WV – Home of
North Middle School
Approximately, 5 hours to
Charleston, WV and 1.5
hours to Washington D.C.
and Baltimore, MD
North Middle School

Located in Berkeley County within city limits of Martinsburg

542 students

67 % Low SES

25% Minority

17% Special Education

9 principals in 15 years
WESTEST DATA
2009-2010
50
45
40
35
30
School
County
State
25
20
15
10
5
0
RLA
Math
GOALS

To increase the number of students at
mastery in the All Group on WESTEST2
in Reading Language Arts by 5% for
2010-2011
 Increase from 36% to 41%

To increase the number of students at
mastery in the All Group on WESTEST2
in Math by 5% for 2010-2011
 Increase from 29% to 34%
3 Focus Areas
 Develop and sustain Professional Learning
Communities
 Improve the climate and culture
 Increase high expectations for
achievement
Focus 1 -Professional Learning
Communities at North
Collaboration Time
Grade Level Teams
Content Teams
Focus
Team Norms
Team Purpose
Data Analysis
SMART Goals

Students should know WV Content Standards
and Objectives
 Students should complete assessments
based on the WV CSO’s aligned to Berkeley
County Schools’ Curriculum Maps
 Students should be engaged in higher order
thinking skills based upon Instructional
Practices Inventory
Instructional Practices Inventory
50.00
45.00
5-6
40.00
35.00
32.05
Percent
30.00
25.00
21.99
20.00
15.00
14.60
12.51
10.00
5.00
0.00
Observation #1 1-11-10
Observation #2 10-12-10
Observation #3 2-8-11
Observation Dates
Observation #4 4-13-11
Common Assessments

WV Writes
 Acuity
STAR Reading and Math
Common Assessments



NMS content departments have worked
collaboratively to create and use common
formative assessments to drive instruction all
year.
In language arts, both regular classroom
teachers and inclusion teachers have worked
together to streamline the vocabulary
instruction, writing assessment, and informal
and formal skill testing provided in class.
New lesson ideas, instructional strategies, and
even bell ringers have been shared through a
common files drive on the school network to
increase the number of resources each
teacher has in his/her plan book.
WV Writes



Writing assessment practice prompts were chosen
by consensus during RLA collaboration, and the
same instructional resources were used to guide
classroom lessons for each type of writing prompt.
The use of colored paper for prewriting/mapping, a
shared strategy for helping students organize their
writing, and a printed “Grammar Guide” were all
used this year to help students focus on quality
writing.
The results of each practice test were analyzed to
see which writing dimensions needed more focus
before the next prompt was assigned. WV Writes
was used each grading period leading up to the
writing assessment, which really helped students
build confidence with the online testing process while
improving their ability to create quality essays.
Acuity



Administered Acuity in 3 benchmark
assessments
Aligned with the Berkeley County
Curriculum Maps
Data analysis of results to determine
interventions
 Enrichment
 Re-teach
S. Johnson – Sixth Grade LA
Tracking Dimensions for WV Writes 2010-2011
Analysis 1/27/2011
 = highest mark achieved in the category
Period 1
Organization
Development
Sentence Structure
Word Choice/Grammar
Mechanics
Overall Holistic Score
10/28
DSC
2.8
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.7
2.7
11/18
INF
2.8
2.6
2.8
2.6
2.6
2.8
11/30
PER
3.4
3.6
3.1
3.4
3.5
3.5
12/16
NAR
3.3
3.6
3.0
3.1
3.4
3.2
1/25
NAR
4.1
4.0
3.9
3.8
4.0
3.9
2/9
PER
*1/14
NAR
4.1
4.2
4.1
4.4
4.3
4.2
12/16
NAR
3.5
3.8
3.2
3.2
3.2
3.4
1/25
NAR
3.4
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.8
3.7
2/9
PER
*1/14
NAR
3.9
4.1
3.9
3.8
4.0
3.9
Period 2
Organization
Development
Sentence Structure
Word Choice/Grammar
Mechanics
Overall Holistic Score
10/28
DSC
2.5
2.7
2.5
2.8
2.5
2.7
11/18
INF
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.6
2.5
2.5
11/30
PER
3.6 
3.5
3.1
3.4
3.2
3.5
Acuity Benchmark 1, 2, and 3
Reading Language Arts - Benchmark 1/2/3
Benchmark 1
51
53
54
Benchmark 2
52
46
42
6th grade
Benchmark 3
7th grade
44
46
8th grade
46
Acuity Benchmark 1, 2, and 3
Math - Benchmark 1/2/3
Benchmark 1
Benchmark 2
Benchmark 3
52
43
42
38
38
34
38
34
30
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
STAR Universal Screener
STAR Math Assessment
8th grade
April
7th grade
January
6th grade
5.2
5.4
5.6
5.8
6
6.2
6.4
6.6
6.8
STAR Universal Screener
STAR Reading Assessment
8th grade
April
7th grade
January
6th grade
5.6
5.8
6
6.2
6.4
6.6
6.8
7
7.2
7.4
7.6

Pyramid of Interventions
 Specific Interventions
 NASEP (North After School Enrichment
Program)
Pyramid of Interventions
Small group – grade
specific interventions
with specialists during
callback
Homework Lunch
Read 180
Math Interventions/Fast Math
After School Tutoring
Corrective Reading
Data Driven Differentiated Instruction
Specific Interventions
Fast Math
 Read 180
 Homework Lunch
 Counselor’s groups/study skills

 Student Support Services

Interventions
 Corrective Reading
 Remediation during Callback with LD teachers
 Remediation during Callback with Interventionist

Extended Day - NASEP
North After School Enrichment
Program (NASEP)
Targeted partial mastery students in
reading and math
 Incorporate Study Island to reinforce
basic concepts for reading and math
 1:7 teacher student ratio


Offer enrichment
 Foreign Language
 Algebra
 Geometry
 Honors Sections
 Math and Science
Achievement Academy
Spanish I Students making piñatas
PLC Survey Results
We have an agreed upon set of norms in our PLC team
Very True
True
Some-what
True
Not True
79%
21%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
We follow our meeting norms consistently at PLC meetings
36%
64%
We have clear tasks to perform at our PLC meetings
50%
50%
Our tasks relate directly to student learning goals
50%
50%
0%
0%
A large majority of our PLC time (80% or more) is spent on
tasks related to student learning goals
21%
72%
7%
0%
I feel a strong sense of attachment to my team
64%
29%
7%
0%
I have improved as a teacher as a result of the
conversations and work we have done in our PLC
50%
43%
7%
0%
I have made changes to my teaching practices as a result
of the work that we have done as a PLC
36%
57%
7%
0%
Focus 2 –Improving the Climate and
Culture at North
 Recognizing Staff and Students
 Improving Entrance and Office Area
 Embedding Mission Statement
 Improving Weak Areas of the
School Climate Survey
Staff and Student Recognition
Welcoming Entrance
Embedded Mission
What does “Whatever It Takes”
mean?
Whatever it takes means different things to different
people, but at the root of the statement is the students.
We, the teachers, will set high expectations for ourselves,
students, and parents.
We will go outside our comfort zones for the success of
our students.
Each individual teacher will determine what they need to
do to step up to the challenge.
By putting together all of our talents, time, and resources
to achieve something greater, we will be able to do
whatever it takes to ensure the success of our students.
Engaging Parents in the Learning
Process
Parent Nights
 Active PTA
 Band Boosters
 Edline and NTouch for parent notification

 Grades
 School related events
•Culture Survey Data
Pre and Post School Year 2010-2011
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
September
April
Weakest Areas
Targeted for Improvement
September
April
Teachers do not take/have time to
observe other teachers teaching
2.19
3.08
Teachers do not feel students engage
as learning partners
2.32
2.95
Parents and teachers do notshare the
same expectations for student
performance
2.83
3.18
Focus #3 - High Expectations for
Student Achievement
Counseling Work Plan
 Attendance
 Achievement
 Celebrations
Counseling work plan

Guidance Counselor
 Provide monthly lessons that encompass
social skills and reinforce good study habits
 Anti-bullying task force
 Friends of Rachel
 All Girls Group

Student Support Services
 Investigate truancy issues
 Work directly with parents
 Provide extra support for at-risk students
Attendance
NMS Attendance
94
93.6
93.5
93
93
92.8
92.8
Baseline 2010
October, 2010
November, 2010
92.4
92.5
December, 2010
January, 2011
92.1
February, 2011
92
91.5
91
Baseline 2010
October, 2010
November,
2010
December,
2010
January, 2011
February, 2011
Acuity RLA Benchmark 3
Reading/Language Arts - Benchmark 3
Westest 2010
52
School
District
55
47
42
42
46
34
32
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
45
Acuity Math Benchmark 3
Math - Benchmark 3
Westest 2010
42
32
School
41
District
38
30
30
29
25
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
37
Celebrations
6th Grade Academy
 Professional Learning Communities
 Response to Intervention
 Website for School Counselors
 9-Week Awards Assemblies
 Bright Spots-Faculty Awards
 Student and Staff Member of the Week

Celebrations from Staff




We have an excellent
dedicated Leadership
Team.
Teachers are talking about
and working on improving
student achievement and
instructional strategies
more than ever before.
My students are excited
about learning math. They
will be super excited that
they out-scored the county!
We have a clean,
organized front office.



Communication has
stepped up several
notches. It rocks to be in
the know.
There is a more positive
climate in the school with
a greater sense of unity
among the staff.
The level of happiness
has increased since the
beginning of the school
year



We have a dedicated
and caring staff.
We have a focus and
an agenda to get
there.
We share great
ideas, best practices,
support, laughs, and
responsibility for the
success of our
students.



We have committed
staff members that
love students and
our school.
Data is reviewed,
used, and made
relevant this year
and scores have
gone up because of
this.
Jalapenos were
added to the salad
bar!
Next steps
Sustain the PLCs
 Sustain Climate and Culture
Improvements
 Continue to focus on High Expectations
 Differentiated Instruction
 Teacher Academy
 Focus on our Core Beliefs

QUESTIONS?