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Restructuring Spurs Positive Changes

When failure to make AYP pushed two Michigan elementary schools into restructuring, teachers and administrators were spurred to make changes that included focusing broadly on student learning and higher-order thinking skills.
Included: Some elements of school restructuring.

Restructuring efforts appeared to have paid off for two elementary schools in the Harrison (Michigan) Community Schools, Larson and Hillside. Both had low student achievement. Both schools made significant changes during 2003-04 and 2004-05. Based on 2004-05 testing, both came off the state’s list of schools in need of improvement.

District and school staff attribute increases in student achievement to changes over the last two years, some of which, like coaching, are directly related to NCLB restructuring efforts, and some of which are due to changes unrelated to NCLB. Among the other strategies resulting in increased student success include changes in grade level configurations and teacher teams. All these changes were slated to continue at the two schools in 2005-06.

Having schools identified for restructuring due to failure to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets added fuel to the quest to improve schools, teachers and administrators in Harrison agreed. Increased funding from the state of Michigan, specifically earmarked for restructuring, was instrumental in supporting these efforts, principals said. Still, improvement efforts went above and beyond the requirements of NCLB and were supported by a number of interrelated initiatives. “This didn’t just happen overnight,” said Hillside principal Michele Sandro, adding that teachers and administrators were seeing the fruits of years of hard work.

Sandro also emphasized that gains in Harrison have come from focusing broadly on student learning and higher-order thinking skills, rather than focusing narrowly on the state test and test-taking skills. In the district and nationally, she said, “There is still some belief that if we just teach to the test, we’ll be okay. We need to change that thinking.”

Achievement gaps between low-income students and their peers and between students with disabilities and their peers have been narrowing, district officials report. These two subgroups have traditionally had difficulty meeting AYP targets. The district is still concerned with the achievement of students with disabilities. While expectations have been raised for these students, they are typically identified for special education because they have had difficulty with academics, Sandro noted.

SOURCE: Center on Education Policy

To read the full report, see A Look Inside 33 School Districts: Year 4 of the No Child Left Behind Act.

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04/16/2008