Case Study of a Massachusetts High School with Improving
Cohort Graduation Rates and Declining Annual Dropout Rates:
West Springfield High School
West Springfield, MA
Hallmarks of West Springfield’s Strategies
Committed school and district
leaders who continuously
reflect on improving services
for at-risk students
Building relationships among
faculty through professional
learning communities (PLCs)
Integrating self-contained
programs with the full range
of opportunities
Continual conversations
among faculty about academic
rigor
Connecting school staff with families through home visits
Prepared by RMC Research
for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education
June 2015
Introduction to the Case Study Project
The West Springfield High School case study is one in a series of three school profiles that describe how
high schools in Massachusetts are increasing graduation rates and simultaneously reducing the number
of students who drop out of school. The profiles highlight strategies used by the high schools, including
programs and roles supported by MassGrad grants (funded through the federal High School Graduation
Initiative) as part of Massachusetts’ College and Career Readiness strategy.
Massachusetts has made great strides in increasing statewide high school cohort graduation rates and
decreasing annual dropout rates over the last five years. These positive changes are the result of an
emphasis on the importance of improvement in these two areas from the Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) and the dedicated, thoughtful work of school districts and
schools to better meet student needs.
In 2014 ESE commissioned RMC Research to study and profile three of the high schools that have made
steady progress in increasing high school graduation rates and decreasing high school dropout rates:
Malden High School, Turners Falls High School in the Gill-Montague School District, and West
Springfield High School. The purpose of these case studies is to provide information for other school
districts on promising strategies to support dropout prevention and increasing graduation rates. The
three high schools were selected to maximize the variation in geography, high school size, and student
body demographics. Each of the high schools has a range of effective strategies. Malden is a large urban
school in the Boston area with an ethnically diverse student body. By contrast, Turners Falls High School
in the western rural part of the state has a student body of about 260 students. West Springfield serves
an urban and suburban area with a student population that is increasingly economically disadvantaged.
As the case studies illustrate, the three schools have made documented progress in improving
graduation rates while reducing the number of dropouts, and also improved student achievement as
measured by MCAS results. The case studies describe how they achieved those improvements including
the actions district and school leaders took to stimulate changes, the new roles that were introduced,
and the types of supports that were developed for students at-risk of failing to graduate or dropping
out. Each case study concludes with a distillation of lessons from the school’s experience that might be
applied to other high schools.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is grateful for the district and
school staff included in the case study project. Staff were generous with their time, which resulted in the
rich information presented in all of the case studies representing the great work happening in each
school. Thank you.
1
“Culture and mindset are the key…a growth mindset helps
students become successful…gives students hope that if they
work hard they can be successful.”
Academic Department Chair
West Springfield High
School is located in a suburb of a city in
Students follow a seven period block schedule
that includes a 30-minute staggered lunch
period. The schedule increased from six to seven
period blocks in the 2012–2013 school year to
help the high school move toward its goal of
connecting every student with an adult. The
extra period provides time for integrating the
Reconnecting Youth Program and an X-block
period into the schedule. Reconnecting Youth is
a half-semester, for-credit course within the
regular schedule focused on helping at-risk
students build positive connections with adults.
The X-block occurs once a week and is intended
as a time when students can seek help and
spend additional time with
a teacher.
Western Massachusetts and serves students from
diverse economic and educational backgrounds.
In recent years, the school has experienced an
increase in students who are homeless, English
language learners, and/or recent immigrants to
this country. Half of the students are from lowincome families and 20% of the students receive
special education services. The district has five
public elementary schools and one middle school
that feeds into the high school.
In February 2014,
the high school
West Springfield population: 28,684
moved into a stateAcademic blocks are
West Springfield HS: 1,195 students
of-the-art facility
approximately 60 minutes
that was desperately
50.7% low income
in length, and courses run
needed due to the
6.2% English learners
for either a full year or one
disrepair of the
semester. A full-year
20.7%
special
needs
original structure.
course is the equivalent of
72% White, 15.1% Hispanic,
The new four-story
5.0 credits and a semester
building features the
6.2% Asian, 4.5% African American
course is 2.5 credits;
latest instructional
Number of teachers: 89
credits are earned when
technologies,
the student successfully
Per pupil expenditure: $12,890
classrooms built
passes a semester or full
around large group
year course. In 2010, the
instructional spaces,
number of credits required to graduate was
a library media center, television studio,
reduced from 115 to 110 to align with
greenhouses, theater-lecture hall, and
requirements of neighboring high schools.
gymnasium. Staff enthusiasm for the facility
parallels other changes in operations; the new
building has offered “a fresh start” to students
and faculty. In the words of one administrator,
the new environment is conducive to learning
and “reflects a respect for students that
contributes to a sense of self-worth.”
2
Indicators of Improvement
While administrators and faculty agree that West Springfield High School is still a work in progress,
trends of change in basic indicators show that the program initiatives and cultural shifts have paid off for
at-risk students.

In the past four years, the dropout rate has dramatically decreased, approaching the state
average.

Graduation rates have increased steadily over the past six years, rising by about 14 percentage
points.

Student achievement in English language arts and mathematics proficiency has increased steadily,
approaching state averages.
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
STATE
AVG.
2013-14
Annual Dropout Rate (%)
5.2
(n=68)
3.4
(n=45)
5.1
(n=67)
3.1
(n=37)
2.1
(n=25)
2.1
(n=25)
2.0
4-Year Cohort Graduation
Rate (%)
68.1
73.0
78.1
81.5
82.0
82.0
86.1
5-Year Cohort Graduation
Rate (%)
70.9
76.0
81.7
84.1
82.6
--
87.7
Absent 10 or More Days (%)
37.0
43.7
36.9
36.3
39.8
36.8
30.4
Promoted from 9th to 10th
Grade (%)
86
89
85
86
94
91
92
MCAS Grade 10 Eng. Lang.
Arts Proficient or Higher (%)
72
70
72
81
87
84
90
MCAS Grade 10 Math
Proficient or Higher (%)
65
70
69
70
76
76
79
32.8
33.2
38.3
49.1
22.6
48.3
72.4
Indicators
MassCore Completion (%)
3
Critical period for change
(2010 to 2015)
A Path to Improvement
West Springfield High School’s current
multifaceted dropout prevention approach
began when district and school leaders set in
motion strategies to disrupt a culture of
complacency and low expectations
characterized by high dropout and low
graduation rates and poor student outcomes at
the high school. Over a period of 10 years,
leaders have worked to change the way faculty
view students at risk of dropping out by
fostering positive relationships and improving
student engagement in school and with
planning their futures —“Every day that
students are not in school is a day lost and a lost
opportunity to learn.”i
Five years later, when Russell Johnston became
the district’s superintendent in 2010, he began
a serious conversation about the need to make
changes to increase high school graduation
rates and decrease dropout rates. Johnston
started working with the new high school
principal, Michael Richard (also appointed in
2010), on identifying initiatives to engage
students, improve existing approaches, and
involve more staff in the reform discussion.
The need for reform intensified when in this
same year the high school was identified as a
Level 3iii school from the Massachusetts
Department of Education for failure to meet
adequate yearly progress in English language
arts and mathematics. This event proved to be
the impetus for immediate action, and marked
the time when more purposeful changes began
to happen.
Setting the Stage for Change
(2005 to 2010)
In 2005, more than 33% of entering freshmen at
the high school were repeating ninth grade. As
reported by administrators and faculty,
students were disengaged and “just waiting for
the age when they could leave school.” District
and high school leaders recognized that ninth
grade was a critical year for dropout prevention
and made an investment in helping entering
freshmen with the transition between middle
and high school by establishing the Terrier
House Ninth Grade Academy, a one-year, selfcontained transitional program for all grade
nine students.
The three key administrative leaders (Johnston,
Richard, Silvestri) shared a perspective and
urgency for change. The vertical alignment of
strategies (i.e., district-school-program changes
Changing the Mindset
“When the new principal arrived in
2010, he found that the high school
had been “on autopilot for a while,”
with a staff that had acquiesced to an
attitude of “we are what we are”—a
culture of complacency. Staff attitude
about low performing students that
prevailed: “They are what they are…If
they want to drop out, then I don’t
have to worry about them any more.”
Maria Silvestri, the high school assistant
principal at the time overseeing the Terrier
House, explained that 9th grade is a
“temperamental year and that success during
this year is critical to keeping students engaged
and successful throughout the rest of their
school careers.”ii At this time there was no
multi-phase plan in place to combat the
dropout problem. West Springfield’s efforts
were just beginning, and the Terrier House was
the most significant prevention effort at the
time.
4
and support) was key. The change in high school
accountability level prompted them to take
chances and make bold moves. In their new
roles and working in close collaboration, they
developed strategies that they thought would
be important for addressing the issues and took
advantage of opportunities to go into action.
They knew, however, that laying out a topdown “grand” strategy for change would not be
effective; instead they worked in a thoughtful,
incremental way to bring faculty along,
beginning with faculty of “like minds” who
showed openness to new ideas and a readiness
for change. Each leader had specific priorities
and began to work toward change in those
areas—Silvestri focused on ninth grade
students; Johnston looked at increasing student
engagement and building relationships; and
Richard reassessed graduation and course
requirements. Working together, Johnston,
Richard, and Silvestri took several actions
beginning in 2010 around their collective
priorities.
On reviewing the high school’s graduation
requirements, Principal Richard discovered
some changes in credit requirements that could
be made fairly quickly. At the time, West
Springfield required more credits for graduation
than other local high schools, including the
high-performing Longmeadow High School
located nearby. Richard adjusted the credit
requirements for graduation from 115 credits to
110 credits to align with other area high school
requirements and set a more realistic target for
students.
“Leadership support helped to create a
‘contagion in the school’ to spread a sense
of deep caring and commitment to
students.”
Outreach Team member
Superintendent Johnston believed that students
needed to know that adults at the school cared
about them. He brought the Reconnecting
Youth Program to the high school, a researchbased intervention to help students most at risk
of dropping out and those who are disengaged
or disconnected from the school to build
positive connections with adults. He wanted
faculty to understand the causes for dropping
out.
Taking a close look at the high school’s key
prevention program, the Terrier House 9th
Grade Academy, the three administrators
agreed that the academy was not living up to its
full potential. They decided to make a deeper
investment in the program by assigning Silvestri
to become the academy’s dedicated
administrator and gave her the flexibility to
implement improvements.
Long-Term Change
While some changes happened quickly at the
high school, other improvements required longterm work—incremental steps that would add
up to more important changes over the years.
This was especially true in thinking about how
to change the school culture and mindset about
student success.
As the academy’s assistant principal, Silvestri
handpicked the staff, starting with staff that
were open to change and already moving in her
desired direction. She then began to change
traditional instructional approaches by
conducting professional development with the
9th Grade Academy staff, focusing on adolescent
development, differentiated instruction, and
formative and summative classroom
assessment. She followed up with teachers and
teaching teams to reinforce their learning,
modeling and demonstrating the approaches,
which gained her the respect of the 9th grade
faculty.
West Springfield administrators began to focus
on strategies for moving the schoolwide faculty
from a culture of complacency—staff had
acquiesced to a feeling of resignation about
poor student performance accompanied by an
attitude of “students are what they are”—to
thinking about “what’s most important to
5
student learning and how to help students
succeed without reducing high standards?”
for effective programs to combat dropouts
continues. While the ninth grade retention rate
for the more than 300 Terrier House students is
now below 10%, Silvestri estimates that about
25% may still be at risk for dropping out of
school.
During staff meetings, administrators began to
talk with faculty about rigor and standards and
how students learn. This began the long-term
process of working with staff through school
meetings, professional learning communities
(PLCs), grade-level and team discussions, and
professional development sessions to develop a
school culture committed to helping students
succeed, which continues to the present time.
West Springfield High School has benefited
from continuity and cohesiveness of leadership.
Johnston (former superintendent 2010-14),
Richard (current interim superintendent and
former principal 2010-14), and Silvestri (current
interim principal and former assistant principal
2005-2014) share similar philosophies and have
worked closely together as advocates for at-risk
students over the last five-year period of
change to reinforce dropout prevention
initiatives. Silvestri in particular has brought
instructional leadership to the school with her
skills and ability to engage staff in professional
development that has changed the way many
teachers understand student learning.
Building Blocks for Change
Improvements at West Springfield High School
have been constant and the district has
provided long-term support for the addition of
dropout prevention services that are responsive
to the needs of various at-risk subgroups. The
Terrier House was the beginning—the building
block for schoolwide cultural change and new
programs for at-risk students. In recent years,
the 9th grade approach has begun to make
inroads into teaching practices in the 10th-12th
grades. Slowly, other faculty groups have been
brought into the change process through
shared discussions and PLCs.
Teachers frequently express respect for the
administrators and credit them with the success
of West Springfield High School. In addition,
several long-term members of the school
committee have been champions for the high
school’s efforts, and school committee
members frequently attend events such as
graduation, summer activities, and social
events.
The tide is beginning to turn for the high school
faculty as they come to understand the
importance of what’s happening in 9th grade
and how the investment in the 9th Grade
Academy will pay dividends for students in the
future. Administrators continue to work
strategically in deciding when to take advantage
of opportunities to move in and energize the
regular staff with new ideas and knowing when
to back off. Nevertheless, schoolwide change
continues to be a work in progress and the need
“Altered schedules, adjusted graduation
requirements and targeted anti-dropout
programs became systemic at the high
school...”
Principal
6
West Springfield High School
Dropout Prevention Programs and
Target Student Groups
Reconnecting
Youth
Program
Terrier House
Ninth Grade
Academy
9th-12th grade
students
ALL 9th grade
students
Graduation
Success
Summer
Program
(disengaged or
disconnected from
school)
Dropout
Prevention
Credit Recovery
Program
Programs and
Target Groups
10th-12th grade
students
8th-9th grade
students
(at risk of dropping
out of school)
(behind in credits)
Alternative
High School
21st Century
Skills Academy
9th-12th grade
students
11th-12th grade
students
(ready to be on their
own, e.g., teen
moms, homeless,
family issues, etc.)
(with IEPs for
social-emotional
and/or behavioral
concerns)
7
The Terrier House academy staff of nearly 20
people meet daily for one hour before school as
a professional learning community (PLC). This
time together allows them to continually review
their practices, analyze student data, and revise
their teaching strategies. Some PLC time is
made possible by freeing up staff from typical
non-academic faculty duties, e.g., lunch
supervision.
Dropout Prevention Programs
Over the past ten years, West Springfield staff
created a set of programs to address the
particular needs of students at risk of dropping
out through comprehensive and coordinated
services. The high school credits its success to
results-oriented programs such as the Terrier
House 9th Grade Academy, Reconnecting Youth,
21st Century Skills Academy, Graduation
Success summer program, and the family and
community outreach provided by the
Schoolwide Outreach Team.
In her former role as Terrier House assistant
principal, Silvestri worked with the teachers
from the
beginning to
examine and
question
practices that
contributed to
failure. For
example,
when the math teachers observed record high
numbers of students failing Algebra 1, Silvestri
worked with them to consider practical changes
in the course structure for ninth grade math.
The math department restructured the yearlong
algebra course into two separate required
courses—Algebra 1A for all ninth grade
students who had not already successfully
completed a Common Core-based pre-algebra
course or its equivalent; and Algebra 1B for all
students who had not already completed their
Algebra I studies before coming to the high
school. Students who required more time and
practice could receive credit for what they had
learned in 1A before attempting 1B. Similarly,
the English department initiated a onesemester, remediation English language arts
foundations class for both ninth and tenth
grade students.
While the need for these programs may have
emerged separately and over time, together
these programs have coalesced to form a
comprehensive system of services that range
from completely new structures (e.g., the
Terrier House 9th Grade Academy) to new ways
to form relationships with students (e.g.,
Reconnecting Youth and Graduation Success)
to more individualized work with students (e.g.,
Credit Recovery, Alternative High School and
21st Century Skills Academy). The high school’s
Schoolwide Outreach Team coordinates the
many dropout prevention programs at West
Springfield High School and provides intense
individualized services to students and families.
Terrier House Ninth Grade Academy
Started in 2005, Terrier House (named after the
school’s mascot) is a one-year, self-contained
transitional intervention. The academy serves
as the bridge between middle school and the
rigors of high school for all ninth grade
students. It is housed in its own wing of the
school building and has its own assistant
principal, sixteen teachers, an adjustment
counselor, and a guidance counselor. Terrier
House staff also belong to the high school’s
corresponding administrative, academic, or
counseling departments and attend department
and schoolwide meetings with regular high
school staff.
The Terrier House academy’s adjustment and
guidance counselors meet and consult with the
teachers on a daily basis, which enables academy
staff to address both the social-emotional and
academic needs of each student as they arise
during the school day. In particular, this teachercounselor collaborative approach helps Terrier
House staff address student behavioral issues
8
“right then and there” and with a focus on
increasing the student’s academic time in class.
Any ninth grade detention is treated as academic
detention, meaning that all disciplinary issues
are turned into academic support, i.e. the
student is expected to identify which subject
area they want to work on, makeup, or complete
during a detention. Staff carry out a “re-entry”
process to return students to the classroom with
a plan right after detention. Teachers welcome
the student back with “open arms…and give
them a fresh start” rather than continuing the
disciplinary discussion.
Reconnecting Youth Program
In 2010, Superintendent Johnston brought to
the high school the research-based
intervention, Reconnecting Youth program, to
help students most at risk of dropping out and
those who are disengaged or disconnected from
the school to build positive connections with
adults. Russell Johnston:
Terrier House staff have become adept at using
data to inform decision making. For example,
when reviewing trends in discipline data, they
noted that problems tended to occur with
students who had a later lunch schedule (e.g.,
perhaps due to fatigue) and during electives. As
a result, they made adjustments in scheduling
and began working with the teachers of electives
to help them understand ninth grade student
development and adolescent behavior.
"We realized that we needed to come up
with a program that better suited our
students' needs … We needed to reshape
how we conducted learning. We needed
more individualized options for students …
We tailored the programs to students at risk
[of dropping out] based upon their feedback
[to a districtwide student survey]. We
wanted to identify the barriers, what's
going on at home that is causing
frustration so that we can define a plan to
help the students succeed … We are
constantly troubleshooting — it's an
ongoing process … [It’s important that]
at-risk students that deal with
‘monumental life stuff’ graduate from high
school."iv
It has taken a few years for the 10th-12th grade
faculty to appreciate the Terrier House
approach. The ninth grade academy’s goals and
philosophy had not originally been clearly
communicated (some faculty viewed the
separate setting as “coddling” students) and
there was some jealousy because Terrier staff
are exempt from some of the non-academic
duties required of other faculty, e.g., lunch or
hall duty. The negative perception has changed
over time with increased communication
between Terrier House and the school’s regular
academic faculty. For example, academic
department chairs and faculty members join
the 9th grade academy’s PLCs through
scheduled rotating visits so all subject area staff
have the opportunity to participate, share
information, and observe on a regular basis.
Staff report that this collaboration has resulted
in visibly improved student preparation for
tenth grade.
When Michael Richard became principal that
same year, Superintendent Johnston asked the
new principal to “hone in on the causes for the
dropout rate and ‘reconnect with youth’ to
maintain their classroom participation.”v
Johnston and Richard shared a deep
commitment to preventing students from
dropping out and began their tenures by
making dropout prevention a priority. As
Richard explained at the time: "We have to
9
make everyone feel like family. I see how much
people in this building and the community care
about the kids and we're going to improve that
and continue to grow on that."vi
clothing, launched in 2011 as a senior
internship/community service project.
Graduation Success
Summer Program
Reconnecting Youth operates as a halfsemester, credit course within the regular
schedule, and now serves 45 students per year
from all grade and ability levels. Guidance
counselors, teachers, administrators, or other
staff invite or refer students, and
almost all of the invited students
join and eagerly buy in to the
norms and rules of the program.
Teachers in the program
participate in four days of
training on ways to reach out to
and support identified students.
Classroom activities focus on
teachers building positive relationships with
students, helping them learn to communicate
with peers and adults, teaching them selfmonitoring skills, and guiding them in goal
setting. The staff “go to bat for students who
have run out of options,” and check in with
them regularly to show that they care and “to
push them in the right direction” to reach their
goals.
Based on the success of Reconnecting Youth,
the West Springfield team brought in
Graduation Success,viii an intensive summer
program, to continue to build studentconnections for at-risk students over
the summer. This free two-week
Massachusetts school-community
grant-funded program is now in its
fourth year and includes three
classes, each taught by two high
school teachers—a grade 8/9 class,
grade 9/10 class, and an ELL class
that served 35 eighth and ninth
grade students last summer. The program’s goal
is to bridge the 8th to 9th grade transition for
students who are identified as at-risk by
counselors at the middle school. “We make
every effort to familiarize them with the high
school and help with the crossover into the new
high school zone.”
Graduation Success is taught by high school
academic faculty and includes many features of
the Reconnecting Youth program. For example,
the program includes a drug and alcohol
education component and field trips to local
businesses to learn about entrepreneurship,
and students receive free transportation,
breakfast and lunch. Last year, five student
mentors worked with the students to help them
achieve success in the program last year.
West Springfield has taken the standard
Reconnecting Youth program (consisting of a
75-lesson curriculum, social and school bonding
activities, and a school crisis response plan)vii
and continued to extend its services and reach.
“RY teachers are patient but hold students
accountable.”
Outreach Team member
Daily attendance is mandatory and students
receive 2.5 elective credits toward graduation.
The class is intended to bridge the transition to
high school for students who are identified at
risk by counselors at their middle schools. All
students attending Graduation Success receive
home visits from program faculty who are
compensated for their visits. Faculty phone calls
and home visits are viewed as an important way
to connect with students and families and spark
For example, they have added participation in a
journaling project that connects high school and
elementary school students through back-andforth written correspondence. West Springfield
also added a school and community service
component, e.g., the Terrier Closet, which is a
school space where students can anonymously
obtain useful items including backpacks and
10
interest in the program. Students receive
outreach services and participate in events and
service projects to build school-family
relationships, such as food or clothing drives,
and activities such as gardening to connect
students with the community.ix
with students taking Credit Recovery courses
are certified in the core content areas.
Through the program, students can complete a
full Credit Recovery course in a half-year and
gain one credit at completion. While there is no
limit to the number of courses students can
recover, most students typically use credit
recovery for one or two courses by graduation.
The program has increased from two staff
members to four to six members per semester.
It started to grow “organically” through staff’s
passion and commitment, but now is more
systemized. The program is capped at 10-12
students per class, serving an average of 70-90
students per year
Credit Recovery
West Springfield High School students have the
opportunity to recover credits required for
promotion and graduation through the Credit
Recovery program. Credit Recovery is offered to
students in 10th-12th grades, built into the
student’s schedule, and individualized. Teachers
recommend students for credit recovery who
show commitment to participate, the ability to
work independently, and readiness to work
(e.g., through an essay and discussion with
teachers). Close attention is paid to the match
between the student and the assigned faculty
member who is present as the student works
online and monitors the student’s work.
Alternative High School
West Springfield offers two small, selfcontained programs designed for special
populations, the Alternative High School and
the 21st Century Skills Academy. The first, the
Alternative High School, serves 20-30 students
annually and targets a group of mixed age
students who have IEPs for social-emotional
and behavioral or mental health needs and are
at risk for dropping out. The program is a “last
resort” for students who have received other
services that have been tried without success.
School administrators support flexibility in
scheduling that allows students to have set
times for participation in Credit Recovery
courses built into their regular school
schedules. The high school’s online educational
program,
Edgenuity,x is
designed to assist
students with a
variety of courses,
including tenth
and eleventh
grade Credit
Recovery courses and MCAS preparation and
remediation.
Students in the Alternative High School must
meet the same academic requirements for
credits and graduation as students in regular
high school courses, and the director reports
that most students are motivated to succeed.
While students take their academic courses
within the program, staff help students join
regular high school electives and extracurricular activities.
Academic chairs aligned the online curriculum
with Common Core standards. In order to
ensure that students are sufficiently prepared
for the next course level, faculty examined
course content to focus on the most essential
skills associated with standards, customizing
courses to maintain rigor in a semester online
course for work that usually extends over an
entire year. Academic staff assigned to work
There is about a 50/50 split between students
who stay in the Alternative High School
program until graduation and those who reenter the regular high school and graduate.
Staff help graduating students develop a postgraduation program, e.g., contacting colleges or
vocational training programs and helping them
apply for scholarships.
11
At this time, the 21st Century Skills Academy
serves about 20 at-risk students referred by
their guidance counselors—“Those who are on
the verge of dropping out and for whom
nothing has worked.” Students must be in 11th
or 12th grade at entry; the goal is graduation on
time with a West Springfield High School
diploma. Typical students are often those ready
to be on their own such as teen moms, students
living on their own unaccompanied by family,
homeless students, first-time high school
graduates in their families, or those with
substance abuse, truancy, mental health, or
family issues.
“Alternative School staff members need to
be direct and caring…students need to
know you care.”
Alternative High School director
Alternative High School staff provide clear
boundaries for student behavior, and the
director and adjustment counselor are “right
there” in the program setting to mediate and
help students deal with problems and resolve
issues. In the words of the Alternative High
School director: “No one holds grudges…it’s
always a new day.” Staff help students prepare
for how to deal with other students with
problems—“There are no fights because the
kids understand that other kids have problems
and they need to be tolerant of each other.”
The Academy is housed off-campus at the
Lower Pioneer Valley Educational
Collaborative.xi The program provides students
with small classes in a separate setting and
individual and group counseling. “The program
integrates rigorous academics, relevant
technical and work-based learning and
comprehensive student supports.”xii
The Alternative High School is fully contained in
a separate section of the high school building.
The program has a dedicated, team-oriented
staff that includes a director, adjustment
counselor, four core content teachers, and four
paraprofessionals.
“The Academy offers students a fresh
start.”
When external providers are needed, they
come into the school to deliver student
services, e.g., therapeutic sessions. Alternative
High School staff are engaged with the regular
high school staff through participation in
scheduled high school administrative and
counselor meetings, as well as through
membership on the Schoolwide Outreach
Team.
21st Century Skills Academy director
The program emphasizes flexible instructional
delivery to support personalized instruction
through a blended learning model, and workbased learning and cooperative education
placements to earn credits toward graduation.
The program is a half-day of academic classes
(individualized and taught in class and online)
and a half-day of career training (internships,
service placements, volunteer positions).
Students participate in regular high school
opportunities, e.g., clubs, sports, prom, and
other school events. Most students graduate
and then typically enroll in a 2-year college
program, join the military, or obtain
employment.
21st Century Skills Academy
The second alternative pathway is the 21st
Century Skills Academy. The 21st Century Skills
Academy is a small, self-contained program that
came about in 2011 through the interest of
Russell Johnston and Michael Richard
(superintendent and principal at the time) in
helping students at risk of dropping out of
school. It was started through a three-year
Massachusetts Innovation School grant and is
now a line item in the district budget.
12
coordinators, Kelli Quigley and Alan Gates,
created and manage a “master list” to
coordinate, monitor, and record the academic
and counseling services provided to each
student. All team members share this list and
are required to keep updated accurate
notations about services they have provided
and when these services were provided to a
student. The list provides clear and timely
documentation about what is happening with
students and who is providing the services.
Team Collaboration
Working in teams is a hallmark of the West
Springfield High School approach and the
mechanism for ensuring that adults are
constantly informing each other about their
work with individual students. High school
faculty members believe that “teaming allows
them to bridge gaps in individual instruction for
a broader, diverse education.”
“We need to go to the at-risk families, they
are not likely to come to us.”
Outreach Team member
Over the years, more outreach services have
been added: making home visits; setting a goal
to meet the parents of all students; reaching
out to students who had dropped out of high
school; and collaborating with middle school
counselors through monthly meetings to
identify at-risk students, ease the 8th-9th grade
transition, and plan and track activities.
Academic faculty and counselors share
responsibilities for making home visits and
connecting with families, and they are
compensated for their visits. The success of the
high school’s Outreach Team has led the district
to work on a districtwide outreach team,
acknowledging
the importance
of working with
the whole family
and bringing in
community
resources. The
high school Outreach Team has been working
with the middle school and has just started to
work with elementary school counselors,
building towards a districtwide outreach team.
Schoolwide Outreach Team
The team of counselors, administrators, and
faculty that was originally created to support
students in the Reconnecting Youth program
has evolved to become a schoolwide Outreach
Team dedicated to working with at-risk
students and reaching out to and engaging their
families. Team members discuss all aspects of a
student’s academic progress and socialemotional development and determine the
blend of services needed to help the student
graduate. The team has a dedicated meeting
time set aside each week to bring together all
staff serving at-risk students, e.g., regular high
school academic faculty, counselors, school
nurse, and administrators, Terrier House,
Alternative High School, and 21st Century Skills
Academy administrators and staff.
Like many schools that have added initiatives to
support subgroups of at-risk students, West
Springfield was faced with the challenge of
keeping tabs on the services individual students
were receiving and ensuring that the available
opportunities were widely known. The school’s
three adjustment counselors serve as the “hub”
for coordination. They are in constant and close
communication to avoid overlap and
duplication of services. Outreach Team
Professional Learning Communities
(PLCs)
The success of collaboration among Outreach
Team members is similar to the success that the
13
Terrier House 9th Grade Academy, academic
departments, and grade level teams have
experienced through working together as
professional learning communities. West
Springfield High School administrators have
been diligent in allowing flexibility in scheduling
structures to support team
meeting time. Regularly
scheduled meetings provide
faculty groups with ample
opportunities to discuss and
reflect on student progress and
their role in providing specific
services to address academic
and social-emotional needs. As discussed
above, the entire Terrier House 9th Grade
Academy faculty meets daily as a PLC to plan for
individual students and carry out
interdisciplinary planning.
culture of trust, and encourage teachers to call
upon each other as resources to individualize
work for students in all grades. The chairs have
taken on a coaching role for individual teachers
to discuss course placement and credit recovery
options for individual students, and help
teachers work with struggling
students. The chairs have been
instrumental in aligning curriculum,
helping teachers analyze data, and
improving instructional practices.
Monthly department meetings
allow time for common planning,
curriculum alignment, examining student work,
and discussion of effective classroom practices.
The math and English chairs also attend
meetings of Terrier House and Alternative High
School staff and reach out to the middle school
coaches to ensure vertical alignment between
the 8th and 9th grade math and English
curriculum and instruction. The extended role
of chairs offers a more integrated and cohesive
approach to working with faculty.
The English and mathematics department chairs
recently instituted professional learning
communities for all English and mathematics
teachers. These PLCs provide teachers with the
opportunity to discuss curriculum, build a
“Students now feel that there’s someone in the building who really cares.”
Outreach Team member
14
SUMMARY: A STRATEGY OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Since the creation of the 9th grade academy, Terrier House in 2008, West
Springfield High School has introduced an array of programs and strategies
designed to address the academic, social-emotional, and college/career needs
of students who are most at risk for dropping out of high school. The school has
managed to reduce dropouts, increase graduation rates, and raise achievement
scores. Through the lens of continuous improvement, administrators and
faculty leaders continue to engage their colleagues in difficult conversations
about maintaining high expectations and academic rigor while recognizing that
students vary in their needs for support. Those debates are not easy within a
long-standing high school faculty but there is now enough buy-in from teachers
to sense a cultural shift. Recently, the teachers union, which has a strong
presence at the high school, agreed to a memorandum of understanding that
lays out the expectations of collaboration and problem solving among the
superintendent, principal, and teachers union. The structural changes that have
taken root over the past five years and the ongoing engagement of school
board members hold promise for maintaining a strategy of continuous
improvement.
15
Lessons for Other Schools
West Springfield’s experience offers lessons for other schools, especially those that are
developing initiatives to place more emphasis on integrating and coordinating multiple
programs and services, balancing academic rigor with supports for students, engaging academic
faculty, and reaching out to families and community.
Integrating Separate Programs
Many schools develop self-contained programs or schools-within-schools as ways to create
more intimate environments and tailored supports for at-risk students. West Springfield’s
approach shows how to ensure that these separate structures don’t isolate or stigmatize
students and also how innovative features can become part of the entire school’s teaching
practice. Academic course requirements and standards are the same as those in the regular
high school program. Students in the Alternative High School and the 21 st Century Skills
Academy participate in a wide range of elective courses with a mix of high school students as
well as the full range of clubs, sports and extracurricular activities. Academic faculty in these
alternative pathways, as well as Terrier House faculty, are members of subject area
departments and participate in departmental PLCs with their colleagues.
In some ways, West Springfield High School has used Terrier House, the ninth grade academy,
as an “innovation hub” in terms of faculty development. Through daily professional learning
community meetings held in the hour before school, Terrier House staff learn about pedagogy
and adolescent development, explore interdisciplinary work, and collaborate actively with their
colleagues—new skills and professional activities for many teachers.
Daily meetings allow ongoing discussion of teaching strategies; techniques learned through
professional development sessions can be applied immediately and feedback offered by
colleagues to strengthen implementation. As Terrier House faculty work with their 10-12th
grade teaching colleagues, they share information and new ways of working with students. For
example, the math and English academic coaches are facilitating more communication between
the Terrier House and high school faculties, and the biology teacher teaches both in the ninth
grade class and the 10-12th grade classes.
16
Caring about Students AND High Standards
Academic rigor is an active and continuous discussion among faculty and other staff as schools
seek alternative ways to support at-risk students. The academic chairs pay close attention to
the balance between helping students graduate and maintaining high standards. According to
the English and math academic department chairs, “culture and mindset are the key” to
maintaining high learning standards for all students.
They work through PLCs to raise the rigor of student
learning, and “provide all staff with a clear view of
What’s Important for
the level of rigor they want students to reach.” Both
Students?
chairs reported that staff working with at-risk
“We talked about maintaining
students, e.g., Alternative High School and special
standards but also about being more
education staff, reach out to them to help maintain
realistic in our expectations for
learning standards and the rigor of instruction.
students. If the passing score is set
at 60 and a student receives a 59,
Teaching staff and counselors view their roles as
we questioned, ‘Does it make sense
maintaining academic boundaries and standards
to fail a student for 1 point?’ We
while at the same time caring about students’ lives.
challenged teachers to think about
Adjustment counselors make certain that they
what was more important—seat
communicate a clear message to students: “We
time or understanding—and to think
understand you have issues but we are here to help
about, ‘What can you do to help the
you take care of academics.” With faculty
student make up work so they could
embracing this philosophy and counselors being
pass/succeed?’”
readily available to address social-emotional and
English and Math department
behavioral issues, teachers are freed up to focus on
chairs
academics. Teachers feel that counselors get the
students functioning quickly in class after they have
addressed issues separately with the student
outside of class. Students are learning where the academic boundaries are—the behaviors that
are appropriate for the classroom and those that are not.
Bringing Along the Academic Faculty
Maria Silvestri, current interim high school principal and the first assistant principal of the
Terrier House ninth grade academy, believes: “You can’t help the kids until you help the
adults.” During the professional development sessions she leads on instructional and
assessment strategies for the entire high school faculty, she encourages reflection about what
is most critical for students to ensure a growth mindset. Silvestri describes the goal of creating
“a contagion in the school to spread a deep sense of caring and commitment to students.”
Many teachers have become more confident in their abilities to use new and effective teaching
practices as a result of schoolwide professional development, individualized coaching, and
awareness of the basic data trends (“this is working”).
17
West Springfield High School administrators used the Massachusetts Framework for Educator
Evaluation requirement and model evaluation indicators to their advantage to change the
culture of teaching and learning at the school. Framework presentations and training by
Measured Progressxiii, follow-up staff training by high school administrators, and piloting of the
evaluation at the high school sparked conversations among administrators and teachers about
individualizing instruction and creating a positive climate of support for student learning.
Administrators pointed out in the evaluation standards that teachers are credited for creating a
classroom climate where all students experience success, and they encourage teachers to share
with each other and coaches their strategies for doing so. The evaluation process encourages
staff to be more self-reflective, examine their performance based on data, and maintain their
own accountability. Shared reflection and group conversations on the evaluation process are
facilitated through ongoing PLC, team, and department meetings.
Activating Family and Community Connections
Some students may be at risk for poor academic performance resulting from lack of interest in
school and poor attendance, while emotional issues or family circumstances may leave other
students behaviorally or psychologically at risk. District and school staff are deeply committed
to developing connections with students and families. Getting to know families in their homes
and through community activities has become a priority for West Springfield High School.
Underlying the various innovations put in place at the high school are key strategies for
providing continuity of support and services for at-risk students. District- and school-level staff
recognize the need to connect with families much earlier than high school. They are intentional
about beginning early in the elementary grades before attendance and other issues become
problems, and to ensure a continuous flow of services extending from elementary to middle to
high school. The goal is to provide a districtwide outreach program, extending from elementary
to high school students.
Similarly, district staff realize the full resources of the community are needed to serve the
varied needs of at-risk students, including social services, health providers, language and
cultural services for newcomers, vocational training, and so forth. A recent exciting example of
these resources is the Pathways to Prosperity project. Pathways to Prosperity is a new program
supported through a MADESE initiative and in collaboration with the Regional Employment
Board of Hampden County, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), and employers in
the precision manufacturing sector. In the two-year Pathways to Prosperityxiv program,
students can graduate high school, transition to college, attain a degree or certificate in
Mechanical Engineering Technology, and obtain a career employment position in advanced
manufacturing. The program is rigorous in math and science, contextualized experiences, and
exposure to the “business of manufacturing” (e.g., banking, financial, and legal services).
18
Questions for other schools to consider
Integrating Separate Programs
 Do students in self-contained school programs feel they are part of the high school? How can
these separate schools ensure that students have access to all high school amenities?
 Have the high school staff and faculty from the self-contained school programs set aside time for
shared discussions about effective instruction? What mechanisms are in place for all staff to learn
from the practices of separate schools and academies?
 Are faculty from the separate schools also members of the high school’s academic departments?
In what ways can the faculties of separate schools be integrated into subject area departments?
 Do courses offered by separate school programs follow the same academic standards as the
regular high school? How can separate school programs ensure the rigor and standards of their
course instruction?
Caring about Students AND High Standards
 Are there active conversations among academic and counseling staff about maintaining high
standards? In what ways can more time be provided for collaborative discussion?
 Do all faculty members value relationship building with students? What specific activities are in
place to encourage and support relationship building?
 Have courses in which many students experienced difficulty been reviewed to determine
adjustments needed in pedagogy or structure? What types of adjustments have been made?
 Are credit recovery options carefully managed to ensure high standards? What mechanisms are in
place to determine if the courses meet the high school’s academic standards?
19
Questions for other schools to consider
Bringing Along the Academic Faculty
 Are department chairs involved in supporting academic faculty to work with at-risk students?
What methods have proven to be effective?
 Are there mechanisms in place to help those who work with struggling students? What else do
faculty require to be successful in their work?
 Do interested faculty receive coaching for working with struggling students? What types of
coaching activities can be reasonably integrated into the regular school schedule?
 Has the district’s educator evaluation system incorporated an understanding of teachers’ work
with struggling students? What more is needed?
 Are department chairs involved in supporting academic faculty to work with at-risk students?
What methods have proven to be effective?
Activating Family and Community Connections
 Do families of students connect with their children’s teachers and counselors? What mechanisms
would facilitate ongoing engagement between families and staff?
 Do counselors and faculty meet with families in their homes or community locations on a regular
basis? What are the best types of activities or locations for meeting with families?
 Does the school proactively engage community resources, including businesses, in serving at-risk
students? What mechanisms are required to increase this engagement?
 Do families of students connect with their children’s teachers and counselors? What mechanisms
would facilitate ongoing engagement between families and staff?
20
Endnotes
i
MassLive. (February 10, 2015). West Springfield graduation rate rises 9 percent in 5 years;
Superintendent thanks community.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/west_springfield_graduation_ra.html
ii
Measured Progress. (2006). Resetting the standard: The West Springfield story.
https://measuredprogress.org/documents/10157/15652/westspringfieldstory.pdf
iii
Schools are classified into Level 3 if they are among the lowest 20 percent relative to other schools in
the same school type category statewide, if one or more subgroups in the school are among the lowest
performing 20% of subgroups relative to all subgroups statewide, if they have persistently low
graduation rates (less than 60% for any subgroup over a four-year period), or if they have very low
MCAS participation rates for any group (less than 90%).
iv
Reminderonline Archives. (2012). School district reaches out to students to prevent dropouts.
http://newsite2.iacl.org/localnews/WestSpringfield/schooldistrictreac/
v
Reminderonline Archives. (2010). Richard takes 'never give up' approach to high school.
http://newsite2.iacl.org/localnews/WestSpringfield/richardtakesneverg/
vi
Reminderonline Archives. (2010). Richard takes 'never give up' approach to high school.
http://newsite2.iacl.org/localnews/WestSpringfield/richardtakesneverg/
vii
Reconnecting Youth Program website: http://www.reconnectingyouth.com/programs/reconnectingyouth/
viii
West Springfield Public Schools. (August 9, 2013). Superintendent’s News/Weekly Update: Summer
programs. http://wspssuptnews.blogspot.com/2013_08_01_archive.html; MassLive. (August 13, 2014).
West Springfield High School students learn teamwork skills.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/west_springfield_high_school_s_2.html
ix
MassLive. (August 15, 2014). West Springfield High School students establish community garden in
Birch Park. http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/west_springfield_high_school_s_3.html
x
Edgenuity Credit and Concept Recovery: http://www.edgenuity.com/Solutions/Concept-CreditRecovery/?pi_ad_id=25580369692&gclid=CjwKEAjw9bKpBRDgeiF8OHz4EcSJACO4O7TmYO_rvbAMPtc0cVpwo_pJQBYTWK2ErAhfI8ZAr1TrBoCJ4Tw_wcB
xi
The Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative offers vocational-technical education and special
education programs to its seven member school districts, which includes West Springfield.
xii
The Reminder. (April 14, 2014). Students credit intervention program with their success.
https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westspringfield/studentscreditinte/
xiii
Measured Progress provided professional development to help the West Springfield School District
create a classroom assessment program and help teachers develop a common understanding of the
standards. https://measuredprogress.org/documents/10157/15652
xiv
Pathways to Prosperity West Springfield website: https://sites.google.com/a/wsps.org/pathways-toprosperity/home
21