West Springfield Case Study 2015

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 Springfields Strategies)

(Building relationships among faculty through professional learning communities (PLCs)Connecting school staff with families through home visitsIntegrating self-contained programs with the full range of opportunitiesCommitted school and district leaders who continuously reflect on improving services for at-risk studentsContinual conversations among faculty about academic rigor)

(Prepared by RMC Researchfor the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationJune 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 schools 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.

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Culture and mindset are the keya growth mindset helps students become successfulgives students hope that if they work hard they can be successful.

Academic Department Chair

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(West Springfield population: 28,684West Springfield HS: 1,195 students50.7% low income6.2% English learners20.7% special needs72% White, 15.1% Hispanic,6.2% Asian, 4.5% African AmericanNumber of teachers: 89Per pupil expenditure: $12,890 )West Springfield High School is located in a suburb of a city in 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 low-income 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 moved into a state-of-the-art facility that was desperately needed due to the disrepair of the original structure. The new four-story building features the latest instructional technologies, classrooms built around large group instructional spaces, a library media center, television studio, greenhouses, theater-lecture hall, and 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.

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 20122013 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.

Academic blocks are approximately 60 minutes in length, and courses run for either a full year or one semester. A full-year course is the equivalent of 5.0 credits and a semester course is 2.5 credits; credits are earned when the student successfully passes a semester or full year course. In 2010, the number of credits required to graduate was reduced from 115 to 110 to align with requirements of neighboring high schools.

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.

Indicators

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

MassCore Completion (%)

32.8

33.2

38.3

49.1

22.6

48.3

72.4

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A Path to Improvement

West Springfield High Schools 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.[endnoteRef:1] [1: 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]

Setting the Stage for Change

(2005 to 2010)

(Changing the MindsetWhen 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 area culture of complacency. Staff attitude about low performing students that prevailed: They are what they areIf they want to drop out, then I dont have to worry about them any more. )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, self-contained transitional program for all grade nine students.

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.[endnoteRef:2] At this time there was no multi-phase plan in place to combat the dropout problem. West Springfields efforts were just beginning, and the Terrier House was the most significant prevention effort at the time. [2: Measured Progress. (2006). Resetting the standard: The West Springfield story. https://measuredprogress.org/documents/10157/15652/westspringfieldstory.pdf]

Critical period for change

(2010 to 2015)

Five years later, when Russell Johnston became the districts 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 3[endnoteRef:3] 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. [3: 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%).]

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 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 top-down 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 areasSilvestri 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.

Taking a close look at the high schools 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 academys dedicated administrator and gave her the flexibility to implement improvements.

As the academys 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.

On reviewing the high schools 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 research-based 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.

Long-Term Change

While some changes happened quickly at the high school, other improvements required long-term workincremental 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.

West Springfield administrators began to focus on strategies for moving the schoolwide faculty from a culture of complacencystaff had acquiesced to a feeling of resignation about poor student performance accompanied by an attitude of students are what they areto thinking about whats most important to student learning and how to help students succeed without reducing high standards?

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.

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 beginningthe 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.

The tide is beginning to turn for the high school faculty as they come to understand the importance of whats 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 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.

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.

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 schools efforts, and school committee members frequently attend events such as graduation, summer activities, and social events.

Altered schedules, adjusted graduation requirements and targeted anti-dropout programs became systemic at the high school...

Principal

West Springfield High School

Dropout Prevention Programs and

Target Student Groups

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.

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 schools 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 schools 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 schools corresponding administrative, academic, or counseling departments and attend department and schoolwide meetings with regular high school staff.

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.

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 coursesAlgebra 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 one-semester, remediation English language arts foundations class for both ninth and tenth grade students.

The Terrier House academys 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 teacher-counselor collaborative approach helps Terrier House staff address student behavioral issues right then and there and with a focus on increasing the students 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 armsand give them a fresh start rather than continuing the disciplinary discussion.

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.

It has taken a few years for the 10th-12th grade faculty to appreciate the Terrier House approach. The ninth grade academys 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 schools regular academic faculty. For example, academic department chairs and faculty members join the 9th grade academys 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.

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:

"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 [Its important that] atrisk students that deal with monumental life stuff graduate from high school."[endnoteRef:4] [4: Reminderonline Archives. (2012). School district reaches out to students to prevent dropouts. http://newsite2.iacl.org/localnews/WestSpringfield/schooldistrictreac/]

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.[endnoteRef:5] 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 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."[endnoteRef:6] [5: Reminderonline Archives. (2010). Richard takes 'never give up' approach to high school. http://newsite2.iacl.org/localnews/WestSpringfield/richardtakesneverg/] [6: Reminderonline Archives. (2010). Richard takes 'never give up' approach to high school. http://newsite2.iacl.org/localnews/WestSpringfield/richardtakesneverg/]

Reconnecting Youth operates as a half-semester, 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 self-monitoring 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.

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)[endnoteRef:7] and continued to extend its services and reach. [7: Reconnecting Youth Program website: http://www.reconnectingyouth.com/programs/reconnecting-youth/]

RY teachers are patient but hold students accountable.

Outreach Team member

For example, they have added participation in a journaling project that connects high school and elementary school students through back-and-forth 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 clothing, launched in 2011 as a senior internship/community service project.

Graduation SuccessSummer Program

Based on the success of Reconnecting Youth, the West Springfield team brought in Graduation Success,[endnoteRef:8] an intensive summer program, to continue to build student- connections 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 teachersa grade 8/9 class, grade 9/10 class, and an ELL class that served 35 eighth and ninth grade students last summer. The programs 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. [8: West Springfield Public Schools. (August 9, 2013). Superintendents 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]

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.

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 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.[endnoteRef:9] [9: 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]

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 students 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 students work.

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 schools online educational program, Edgenuity,[endnoteRef:10] is designed to assist students with a variety of courses, including tenth and eleventh grade Credit Recovery courses and MCAS preparation and remediation. [10: Edgenuity Credit and Concept Recovery: http://www.edgenuity.com/Solutions/Concept-Credit-Recovery/?pi_ad_id=25580369692&gclid=CjwKEAjw9bKpBRD-geiF8OHz4EcSJACO4O7TmYO_rvbAMPtc0cVpwo_pJQBYTWK2ErAhfI8ZAr1TrBoCJ4Tw_wcB]

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 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 staffs 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

Alternative High School

West Springfield offers two small, self-contained 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.

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 extra-curricular activities.

There is about a 50/50 split between students who stay in the Alternative High School program until graduation and those who re-enter the regular high school and graduate. Staff help graduating students develop a post-graduation program, e.g., contacting colleges or vocational training programs and helping them apply for scholarships.

Alternative School staff members need to be direct and caringstudents 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 grudgesits always a new day. Staff help students prepare for how to deal with other students with problemsThere are no fights because the kids understand that other kids have problems and they need to be tolerant of each other.

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.

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

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.

At this time, the 21st Century Skills Academy serves about 20 at-risk students referred by their guidance counselorsThose 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.

The Academy is housed off-campus at the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative.[endnoteRef:11] 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 comprehensivestudent supports.[endnoteRef:12] [11: The Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative offers vocational-technical education and special education programs to its seven member school districts, which includes West Springfield.] [12: The Reminder. (April 14, 2014). Students credit intervention program with their success. https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westspringfield/studentscreditinte/]

The Academy offers students a fresh start.

21st Century Skills Academy director

The program emphasizes flexible instructional delivery to support personalized instruction through a blended learning model, and work-based 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.

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.

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 students academic progress and social-emotional 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 schools 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 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.

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 schools 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.

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

The success of collaboration among Outreach Team members is similar to the success that the 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.

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 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.

Students now feel that theres someone in the building who really cares.

Outreach Team member

(Summary: A Strategy of Continuous ImprovementSince 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. )

(Lessons for Other Schools)

West Springfields 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 Springfields approach shows how to ensure that these separate structures dont isolate or stigmatize students and also how innovative features can become part of the entire schools 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 21st 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 colleaguesnew 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.

Caring about Students AND High Standards

(Whats Important for Students?We talked about maintaining standards but also about being more realistic in our expectations for students. If the passing score is set at 60 and a student receives a 59, we questioned, Does it make sense to fail a student for 1 point? We challenged teachers to think about what was more importantseat time or understandingand to think about, What can you do to help the student make up work so they could pass/succeed? English and Math department chairs)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 the level of rigor they want students to reach. Both chairs reported that staff working with at-risk students, e.g., Alternative High School and special education staff, reach out to them to help maintain learning standards and the rigor of instruction.

Teaching staff and counselors view their roles as maintaining academic boundaries and standards while at the same time caring about students lives. Adjustment counselors make certain that they communicate a clear message to students: We understand you have issues but we are here to help you take care of academics. With faculty embracing this philosophy and counselors being readily available to address social-emotional and behavioral issues, teachers are freed up to focus on 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 arethe 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 cant 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).

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 Progress[endnoteRef:13], 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. [13: 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]

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 Prosperity[endnoteRef:14] 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). [14: Pathways to Prosperity West Springfield website: https://sites.google.com/a/wsps.org/pathways-to-prosperity/home]

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 schools 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 schools academic standards?

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 districts 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 childrens 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 childrens teachers and counselors? What mechanisms would facilitate ongoing engagement between families and staff?

Endnotes

Reconnecting Youth Program

9th-12th grade students

(disengaged or disconnected from school)

Terrier House Ninth Grade Academy

ALL 9th grade students

Dropout Prevention

Programs and Target Groups

Graduation Success Summer Program

8th-9th grade

students

(at risk of dropping out of school)

Alternative High School

9th-12th grade students

(with IEPs for social-emotional and/or behavioral concerns)

21st Century Skills Academy

11th-12th grade students

(ready to be on their own, e.g., teen moms, homeless, family issues, etc.)

Credit Recovery Program

10th-12th grade students

(behind in credits)