Pittsfield Receives School Improvement Grant
Submitted
By John J. Freeman, Ph.D
The Pittsfield School District has been awarded a three-year
$2,066,151.86 School Improvement Grant (SIG) by the New Hampshire Department
of Education. The grant is funded by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act and is focused on raising the achievement of students at
Pittsfield Middle High School (PMHS).
Last spring, in response to the grant opportunity, a team of
twenty-seven established three specific goals to be achieved during the
funding period. Goals address (1) student achievement, (2) school climate,
and (3) college and career readiness of graduates. To achieve these goals,
the district will be using the transformation model, one of four model
options provided by the grant program.
The transformation model dictates that schools plan for change in four
key areas of school improvement: (1) developing and increasing teacher and
school leader effectiveness, (2) instituting and maintaining comprehensive
instructional reform strategies, (3) increasing learning time and creating
community-oriented schools, and (4) providing operational flexibility and
sustaining support for continuing school improvement.
The opportunity that the SIG provides extends and strongly supports the
high school redesign effort that began last fall. Last year’s preliminary
work included an all-day visioning collaboration by students, parents, and
faculty members that resulted in a strong desire to see PMHS offer a more
personalized educational program for each student. This vision is also
supported by the work of Pittsfield community members who articulated a
broader district vision during the 2008-2009 school year.
Following planning sessions that took place last winter and spring, as
well as two three-day summer institutes held at PMHS for teachers and
administrators, the school’s schedule, staffing patterns, and program are
giving the 2010-2011 school year a new look. Important
opening-of-school changes include:
• The formation of core academic teacher teams with primary
responsibility for fixed student groups (grades 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12),
•
Daily common planning/meeting time for teacher teams for collaboration,
coordination, and monitoring of student progress,
• Late start Wednesdays
that provides 90 minutes for professional development and planning for the
full faculty,
• Refocusing and strengthening the daily student advisory
program.
The district is in the process of engaging a number of external partners
to support the transformation. These partners include the highly
respected Center for Secondary School Redesign and WestEd, which will play
major roles in the redesign of the school’s instructional program throughout
the grant-funded period.
In addition, the staff will be working with literacy coaches and a math
coach as well as developing student leadership and addressing school
climate. The broad range of student academic needs will be addressed
through the development of honors options for capable students and
interventions for students who require different strategies and added
support for academic success.
Pittsfield students, parents, and citizens are encouraged to follow
progress by clicking on to school and district websites throughout the
three-year project period.
