June Lansing Middle School Newsletter by Principal Brooks Jenkins
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A Note From Mr. Jenkins
The 2022-2023 school year has now concluded. There were many positives and accomplishments during the year and also many difficulties and challenges. Some key areas of progress and/or notable highlights include –
1. Guaranteed Viable Curriculum (GVC) –
Under the direction of Miles Azzeh, Director of Teaching and Learning, we continued to prioritize the development and enhancement of our curriculum to ensure it remains aligned with current educational standards and best practices. Our teachers dedicated a great deal of time putting their GVC together to reflect current practices and create a roadmap for future professional practice.
2. Professional Development –
We implemented multiple changes to our professional development practices this school year to increase opportunities and relevance for our staff. The focal points this year included teacher choice with a “plan your own PD” day in November and session options in February. Additionally, teachers were given devoted time to implement learning. We also partnered with Greenbush and utilized their services with PD on Fastbridge, High Impact Instructional Strategies, and Brain-Based Behavior Strategies. The ultimate goal is always to foster a culture of continuous learning.
3. Academic Achievement –
Our students excelled academically in many regards this year. Our teaching staff implemented effective Tier 1 instructional strategies and employed innovative approaches to engage students. Furthermore, we have continued our commitment to personalized education and targeted Tier 2 and Tier 3 support with our intervention programs. Specific academic accomplishments include –
- Statistically significant growth (+4% and +5%) in the advanced category for aReading at 6th and 7th grade.
- 8th grade aReading score of 79%.
- Decrease at all grade levels from fall to spring in the “high risk” category for aReading.
- 6th grade aMath score of 79% with statistically significant growth (+4%) overall.
- Statistically significant growth (+5%) in the advanced category for aMath at 7th grade.
- Statistically significant growth (+7%) in the overall score for aMath at 7th grade.
- Statistically significant decline (-5%) in the “high risk” category for aMath at 8th grade.
- Decrease at all grade levels from fall to spring in the “high risk” category for aMath.
- Increases in overall Fastbridge scores for aMath and aReading in four out of six areas/grade levels; no decreases in overall scores from fall to spring.
- All tested areas at all grade levels were above the state average for the Kansas State Assessment (6th, 7th, 8th grade – ELA; 6th, 7th, 8th grade – Math; 8th grade science).
- All cohort groups except one*, for both ELA and Math increased their difference in median score compared to the state average. Example – 2022 – 5th Grade ELA was 5 points above the state average; 2023 – 6th Grade ELA was 8 points above the state average. This is a really good indicator to look at because the test changes from year-to-year and the cut scores also change. * The only exception to this was 8th grade math, which had a slight decrease from 7th to 8th grade in this area.
- During the 3rd quarter, the 6th grade had zero students with multiple failing grades. This is the first time this has happened in the ten years we have kept data. Quite an accomplishment!
- Honor Roll Recipients for 2nd Semester – Lion Honor Roll (4.0 GPA/All A’s) --- 25% of 6th grade students, 23% of 7th grade students, and 17% of 8th grade students. Overall honor roll recipients (3.0 GPA or higher) --- 77% of 6th grade students, 71% of 7th grade students, and 64% of 8th grade students.
Looking ahead, we aim to build upon our successes and address areas for improvement. Our academic goals for the upcoming school year include further development of the GVC in exploratory classes and continuing to look closely at our instructional strategies and practices. Our biggest overall need though is in the area of behavior, as we continued to see increased concerns. This has really been an ongoing issue over the last two years. A lot of this has come from a small portion of our students exhibiting more chronic and large-scale behavior. Behavior also showed up in our building climate survey as one of the most concerning areas from staff. Our plans for addressing this are through a request for increased personnel, fully staffing our existing programs, implementing more proactive behavior practices, and continuing to ensure consistency with BIST. We are committed to facing these challenges.
To end, I would like to recognize the dedicated teachers, staff, parents, and students for their hard work, collaboration, and commitment. Together, we will continue to strive for continued improvement and excellence at Lansing Middle School. I hope all of you have a great summer!