With a total score of 55 percent on the 2014 Annual Performance Report, and a less-than-stellar MAP scores, Fulton Middle School Principal Chris Crane says his school has work to do, but he's confident the middle school can improve its performance.
"We can't change the past, but we can definitely work on changing the future, and that's what we're working on across the board," Crane said. "We're really trying to focus on how we can move students forward."
On the 2014 MAP tests, the middle school saw drops English/language arts and science in 2014, going from 50 percent scoring proficient or advanced in 2013 to 45.6 percent in 2014 in English/language arts, and from 52.6 percent scoring proficient or advanced in science in 2013 to 48.6 percent for 2014. Math scores saw an increase from 55.5 percent scoring proficient or advanced to 57 percent.
Crane cited those math scores - part of what he said was a trend of improved performance over the past several years - as a bright spot, but noted that "with ELA and science down over the past three years, we're going to be hitting all three areas across the board."
He said the middle school staff has been working on restructuring intervention time "to be more focused on each individual student" as one of the primary strategies for helping students this year.
"Everything is going to be individualized as much as possible, not blanket, one-size-fits-all," Crane said.
Noting that there "obviously is a disconnect" between how students are being taught and how they perform on state tests, Crane said staff is working on analyzing MAP data to determine weak spots and work on filling in the gaps.
As with the district elementary schools, Crane said literacy will be a focus this year as well because "that is the umbrella under which everything falls."
"Literacy is the big one, K through 8, focusing on the same language, same process, focusing on individual students so we know exactly where the gaps are," he said. "If you can't read and process, it doesn't matter if it's language arts, math or science, you're not going to be able to perform well."
Crane gave the school board a similar message during its Sept. 10 meeting while presenting plans for the middle school this year, including:
•Scheduling: 90-95 percent of building teachers doing English/language arts have an hour-and-a-half with the same students each day.
•Teams: Teaching teams will be based on grade level so the same teachers will be dealing with a common group of students, enabling them to compare notes and share strategies that are effective with particular students.
•The Catch Up Café will now change focus to more-individualized tutoring.
•Institution of structured intervention time.
•Continuation of the literacy initiative started last year.
Crane told the board at the time that, "Our common theme is, "We can do this, and we will do this.'"