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CMS School Improvement Plan 2010-12

J.M. Alexander Middle School 2011-12

SMART: S – Specific; M – Measurable; A – Attainable; R – Realistic; T – Time-bound.

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School: J.M. Alexander Middle School

Principal: Dr. Jo Karney, Ms. Joella Ferrell, Interim

Title I Specialist: NA

Address: 12201 Hambright Road

Huntersville, NC 28078

Courier Number: 305

Phone: 980-343-3830

Learning Zone: Northeast

Zone Superintendent: Dr. Dawn Robinson




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MISSION STATEMENT

District: Maximize academic achievement by every student in every school.

School: Our mission is to provide an engaging, challenging learning environment in which all students are encouraged and

empowered to become life-long learners who take responsibility for their educations, set high expectations for themselves, model

compassion and leadership for their peers, who are increasingly aware of their responsibilities as global citizens, and who exhibit

the qualities of a JMA Scholar.

SMART GOALS

Based upon analysis of data and Self Evaluation, our focus will be upon the following outcomes:

Outcome #1: Increase the percentage of students meeting proficiency from 54.76% to 80% as measured by the NC EOG tests. Outcome #2: Every student will make at least 0.3 year’s growth in reading and in math as measured by assessments and EOG/EOC score. Outcome #3: 100% of students will feel safe at school as reflected in Safe School Audits and the CMS Student Surveys.

VISION

District: CMS provides all

students the best

education available

anywhere, preparing

every child to lead a rich

and productive life.

School: J.M. Alexander Middle

School’s vision is to

provide all students with

a rigorous, relevant,

world-class education

that empowers them to

reach their maximum

potential in school and

beyond.

BELIEFS

We believe that every person has inherent value and worth.

We believe that the school and the parents will communicate and collaborate for a

supportive environment in which all adults are responsible for all students.

We believe that teachers will provide quality instruction to challenge students to

learn and grow.

We believe that an effective middle school promotes the development of the child’s

transition to adolescence.

We believe the staff will work to help the students develop as healthy, moral and

intellectual individuals who are responsible for their actions and performance.

We believe the commitment to continuous improvement is imperative if our school

is going to enable students to become confident, self-directed, lifelong learners.

We believe the promotion of international understanding and responsible citizenship

is key to the development of the whole child.

We believe the IBMYP Areas of Interaction provide a frame work for learning

within and across subject groups. They engage students in reflection and lead them

from academic knowledge to thoughtful action.




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ASSESSMENT DATA SNAPSHOT

Alexander Middle School - 600305

2008-2009

School Year 2009-2010

School Year 2010-2011

School Year

Subject Demographic

Subgroup %

Prof.

% Met Exp.

Growth

Avg. Growth

High Growth Ratio

% Prof.

% Met Exp.

Growth

Avg. Growth

High Growth Ratio

% Prof.

% Met Exp.

Growth

Avg. Growth

High Growth Ratio

Algebra I Total 95.3 51 0.018 1 100 81 0.461 4.3 97.4 34.3 -0.251 0.5

Grade 06 Reading Grade Total 64.4 42.8 -0.107 0.7 79.2 54.4 0.013 1.2 68.4 47.5 -0.101 0.9

Grade 06 Math Grade Total 67.7 42.5 -0.122 0.7 73.1 29.1 -0.176 0.4 68.4 36.3 -0.162 0.6

Grade 06 Total Grade Total 66.1 42.6 -0.114 0.7 76.1 41.6 -0.082 0.7 68.4 41.9 -0.131 0.7

Grade 07 Reading Grade Total 56 45.6 -0.044 0.8 60.2 68.3 0.187 2.2 61.1 53.8 0.053 1.2

Grade 07 Math Grade Total 68.1 47.2 -0.070 0.9 69.6 62 0.102 1.6 71.4 33.1 -0.209 0.5

Grade 07 Total Grade Total 62.1 46.4 -0.057 0.9 64.9 65.2 0.144 1.9 66.3 43.4 -0.079 0.8

Grade 08 Reading Grade Total 59.9 51.6 0.037 1.1 67.7 70.6 0.301 2.4 66.7 62.3 0.088 1.7

Grade 08 Math Grade Total 75.7 66.4 0.224 2 82.8 79.5 0.388 3.9 74 58.3 0.106 1.4

Grade 08 Science Grade Total 62 77.4 68.2

Grade 08 Total Grade Total 65.9 59 0.131 1.4 76 75.1 0.345 3 69.6 60.3 0.097 1.5

Reading Total Total 60.1 46.7 -0.037 0.9 69.2 64.4 0.167 1.8 65.4 54.2 0.009 1.2

Math Total Total 70.6 52.2 0.013 1.1 75.1 56.8 0.104 1.3 71.2 42 -0.096 0.7

Science Total Total 62 77.4 68.2

EOG Total Total 64.9 49.5 -0.012 1 72.9 60.6 0.135 1.5 68.3 48.1 -0.043 0.9

EOC Total Total 95.3 51 0.018 1 100 81 0.461 4.3 97.4 34.3 -0.251 0.5

School Composite Total 65.8 49.5 -0.011 1 73.3 61 0.142 1.6 69.1 47.6 -0.050 0.9




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SCHOOL PROFILE

J.M. Alexander Middle School

Alexander Middle School, a sixth, seventh and eighth grade school, recognizes that middle school children have special intellectual,

physical, social and emotional needs. To meet these needs, we require the help of the entire school community. We work closely with

our parents to ensure that these needs are met in a safe, orderly and clean environment.

This summer with the closing of Davidson IB Middle School, the Middle Years Program of the International Baccalaureate program

was moved to JMA, making us a partial magnet serving both IB and traditional Scholars. Of the 851 students enrolled, 284 are IB

students. The I.B. Middle Years Program (IBMYP) is an advanced-level academic program for ages 11 – 15 that is built around three

fundamental concepts: holistic education, intercultural awareness and communication. Five themes called the “Areas of Interaction”

are incorporated into all classes: Approaches to Learning, Community and Service, Environment, Health and Social Education, and

Human Ingenuity. In addition to the state requirements, each year the students must take a foreign language, technology, and one of

the arts.

Currently, Alexander Middle School is made up of 45% African-American, 38% White, 4% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 1% American

Indian and 2% Multi-Racial students. Among our students 50.3% are girls and 49.7% are boys. Other distinguishing characteristics of

our students include 152 students who are certified as gifted and 50 LEP students. We also have 58 students with disabilities who are

served by 3 Exceptional Children teachers. The Alexander Intervention Team meets frequently to identify and meet the needs of our

diverse learners. We also have an IB/Academic Facilitator who works with teachers and students to discover the most effective

strategies to help our students to be successful.

Alexander Middle Schools employs 46 teachers, two counselors, one media specialist, one academic facilitator, a speech pathologist,

as well as a full time nurse and .20 psychologists. In addition, we employ one EC assistant, two Special Needs assistants, one ISS

assistant, four secretaries, four custodians, six cafeteria workers, two Deans of Students, one Assistant Principal, and one Principal.

Alexander Middle School has 5 National Board Certified Teachers. In addition, 100% of the staff has clear licensure with 43.8%

having advanced degrees, 10% nationally board certified, and 81.2% have more than 4 years of teaching experience.




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SMART GOAL (1): Increase the percentage of students meeting proficiency from 54.76% to 80% as measured by the NC EOG tests. Data Used: 54.76% of JMA Students and DIB Students who met proficiency on NC EOGs SP 2014 Tactic: (# 1 ) – Effective Teaching and Leadership

Strategies (determined by what data)

Task

Task

Task (PD)

Point Person (title/name)

Evidence of Success (Student Impact)

Funding (estimated cost and source)

Personnel Involved

Timeline Start–End

Interim Check Dates

1. Interventions and enrichment for

students/subgroups based on needs:

Tutoring

Flexible grouping

Technology

Differentiated Strategies/Lesson Plans

AF/IB Kendrick

There will be an increase in student proficiency in reading and math by 25.24%

None

*Admin Team *AF/IB *Team Leader

8/25 – 6/08

9/23/11

10/27/11

12/8/11

1/20/12

2/28/12

3/29/12 5/8/12

2. Incorporate higher order thinking

skills, rigor, and relevance into all lessons.

Include revised Bloom’s taxonomy in all lesson plans.

Incorporate IB strategies and best practices in all classes

AF/IB Kendrick

Teachers’ weekly lesson plans will be turned in each Monday. Student portfolios will reflect proficiency in core subjects.

None

*Faculty *IB Facilitator

8/25 – 6/08

9/23/11

10/27/11

12/8/11

1/20/12

2/28/12

3/29/12

5/8/12




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3. Engage struggling students in REACH Reading /REACH Math, and/or EC Learning Labs

Based on data place students in REACH classes for support

Provide relooping/reteaching activities based on students’ areas of improvement

Use data to analyze students’ growth progress

AP/Hartsell

100% of level 1 and level 2 students will be scheduled into Reach reading and/or math classes. District formative assessment data will be used to monitor student progress for all Reach Reading and Reach Math students.

None

REACH teachers EC teachers

8/1 – 6/8

8/25/11 10/27/11 1/20/12 3/29/12 5/29/12

4. Incorporate strategies using the new Investigative Math textbook and ancillary materials

Provide opportunities for math teachers to new textbook training provided by CMS

Schedule common planning for math teachers

AP/Hartsell

Math lesson plans will reflect strategies that utilize the investigative, problem-solving thinking skills needed to show proficiency of math concepts.

Staff Devel. Funds

C & I Math teachers Master Schedule

8/1 – 6/8

8/20/11

10/28/11

1/23/12

3/30/12

5. Conduct professional development on effective differentiation strategies for Mathematics instruction.

Provide professional development opportunities for math teachers to observe effective math teachers identified by CMS/NE Zone

Invite effective math teams to present/share strategies with math teachers

AF/IB Facilitator/Kendrick

Teachers will demonstrate sound knowledge, skills, and understanding of content. Teachers will work collaboratively to develop effective lessons that will impact student progress in math.

Staff Devel. Funds

C & I AF/IB Facilitator Math teachers

8/1 – 6/8

10/28/11

1/23/12

3/30/12




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6. Offer and support ongoing professional development regarding pre-assessment, formative assessment and data analysis.

Use administrative team meetings and SIT meetings to discuss individual students and interventions for success using RTI

Attend workshops such as Think Gate, Data Wise, Lexile and Quantile Levels

Host Parent University sessions on interventions to use at home

Student Services/ Collier AP/Hartsell

Individual students will benefit from teachers using appropriate interventions to increase their proficiency in math and reading.

Staff Devel. Funds

Admin team Student Intervention Team Parents

8/1 – 6/8

9/16/11 10/14/11 11/18/11 12/16/11 1/20/12 2/17/12 3/16/12 4/20/12 5/18/12

7. Provide math instruction by highly-qualified teachers to all EC students

EC teachers highly qualified in math instruct resource classes of students on Extend2

Highly qualified in math EC teachers to co-teach inclusion classes with 20 or less students

Principal/ Karney

All EC students will receive instruction from highly qualified math teachers in order to meet their AYP goals.

Human Resource funding/ benefits

EC math teachers Regular Ed math teachers

8/25 – 6/8

10/27/11

1/20/12

3/29/12

5/7/12




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SMART GOAL (2): Every student will make at least 0.3 year’s growth in reading and in math as measured by district formative assessments and EOG/EOC scores. Data Used: School Composite average growth -0.050 SP 2014 Tactic: (# 1 ) – Effective Teaching and Leadership


Task

Task

Task (PD)




Personnel involved


Interim Check Dates

1. Analyze Data to determine needs of students

Data Wise team to work with PLCs on data analysis of common assessments and district formatives

Use Think Gate to record and analyze data of CMS formatives and common assessments

Principal/ Karney

Teachers will closely monitor student progress as measured by common assessments and district formatives and will re-teach and re-loop in small groups and individually.

None

Faculty

8/1 – 6/8

10/26/11 11/30/11 1/25/12 2/29/12 3/28/12

2. Incorporate differentiation, rigor and 21

st

Century skills into Professional Development

Increase teacher capacity to meet diverse needs of students/subgroups

Incorporate best practices and IB principles in all classes

Train additional teachers in the IB program

AF/IB Facilitator/ Kendrick

AYP goals for subgroups will be ―MET‖ as teacher better learn how to differentiate and create rigorous lessons for the IB and the traditional scholar.

Staff Devel. Funding Magnet program funds

Faculty

8/1 – 6/8




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SMART GOAL (3): 100% of students will feel safe at school as reflected in Safe School Audits and the CMS Student Surveys. Data Used: 100% on Safe School Audits in 2010-2011 SP 2014 Tactic: (# 3 D ) – Environmental Stewardship


Task

Task

Task (PD)




Personnel involved


Interim Check Dates

1. Coordinate workshops for teachers and bus drivers on behavior management and sexual harassment among students.

Help teachers and bus drivers to develop skills to teach and monitor appropriate behavior.

DoS/Sproul

The number of bus referrals will be reduced by 25%. The number of sexual offenses for the 2011-2012 year will remain at zero.

None

Admin Team Bus Drivers

8//22 – 6/8

11/14/11

1/24/12

4/16/12

2. Character Education

Every week students learn to develop and strengthen positive character traits through Every Monday Matters

Announce recognition of students who exemplify ―Be the Change‖ and who exhibit the characteristics of the JMA Scholar profile

Involve all Scholars in community service both in school and out of school

Communicate weekly/monthly character traits/outstanding students to parents

DoS/ Hopkins Bullying Chairperson/Clinard

The number of referrals for bullying and harassment will be reduced by 25%. 100% of IB students will complete the required number of service hours. An increasing number of students will ―do the right thing‖ as evidenced by a ―Be the Change‖ log of documentation.

PTSA

Admin Team Media Specialist Bullying Prevention Team Student Services Parents

8/25 – 6/8

8/30/11

11/1/11

2/6/12

4/9/12




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3. Refine safety plan to ensure more supervision in all situations.

Work with all school staff (including bus drivers) to ensure school and student behavior are closely monitored.

AP/Hartsell

JMA will score 100% on Safe School Audits.

None

Security Assoc. School Resource Officer Faculty/Staff

8/25 – 6/8/11

10/11

4/12




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Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Quality Review School Self-Evaluation Form

Name of principal: Dr. Jo Karney/Ms. Joella Ferrell, Interim

Name of school: J.M. Alexander Middle School

Please complete with as much detail as you can, use the completion as a professional development

exercise if appropriate and send it to your lead reviewer (electronically) two weeks before the

review.

Completing this form will help you prepare for some of the discussions which will take place both before and during the review. It will also help the review team get to know you and your school and to understand how well the school community knows itself. Guidance on completing the form:

Please be evaluative, rather than descriptive, and make your focus outcomes for students.

Include references to where the evidence of your self-evaluation can be found, e.g.,"excellent boys’ results in state math tests as shown in annual report to the state‖, ―parents’ questionnaires from 2006‖.

Be concise; (for example, use bullet points or note form).

Aim to confine your response to no more than eight pages.

Please place an X against the grade (1-4), which most accurately reflects your judgment of overall quality in response to the questions.

You are advised to complete section B last. This section is summative and draws on your evaluations elsewhere in the self-evaluation report.

Please omit sections where you feel that you are not in a position to respond. How should evaluations be made?

You are strongly encouraged to refer to the Quality Criteria, sub-criteria and rubrics and as you complete the evaluations. These are included within the Notes of Guidance for the School Quality Review and should be kept close at hand as you complete the evaluations.

What approach should we take? Schools have adopted different approaches. In some schools the principal and the leadership team have completed the form as a part of one of their regular meetings. Other schools have devoted part of a faculty meeting as a way of involving all members of staff; this is highly recommended as a means of engaging the whole staff, helping them to prepare for the review and gathering evidence which reflects the work of the whole school. Whichever approach you adopt, we recommend that you do not make this an onerous task but that you take the opportunity to stop, reflect and record your immediate perceptions.




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School Profile

School name and number: J.M. Alexander Middle School School address: 12201 Hambright Road, Huntersville, NC 28078 School telephone number: 980-343-3830

#

%

Grades: 6, 7, 8 100

Number of students enrolled: 854 100

Number of general education students: 746 87.3

Number of EC students: 58 6.8

Number of LEP students: 50 5.9

Principal suspensions: 11 1%

Superintendent suspensions: 0 0

Number of economically disadvantaged students: 0 0

Ethnic make-up of the students (by percentage): 45% African-Americans; 38% White; 10% Hispanic; 4% Asian; 2% Multiracial; 1% American Indian




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A. What is distinctive about your school?

Established in 1960, J.M. Alexander has a long history of serving North Mecklenburg County and has educated several generations of students in Huntersville, Cornelius, North Charlotte, and Davidson.

Our school has experienced numerous changes over the years. It originally served grades 7-9, but became a 6-8 school in the fall of 1997. At one time it was the largest middle school in the state of North Carolina, serving well over 1,000 students, but after several new middle schools opened up in north Mecklenburg, the school’s enrollment dropped to under 600, making it one of the smallest middle schools in CMS. The most recent change experienced has been the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) to Alexander’s campus when the program, formerly located at Davidson IB, relocated to Alexander in the fall of 2011. Throughout all of these changes, Alexander has maintained its commitment to educate the whole child in preparation for success in high school and beyond.

J.M. Alexander middle school is a partial magnet school offering the IB MYP. Through the IB MYP, students experience a balanced, rigorous curriculum with a focus on holistic education, inquiry, intercultural awareness, foreign language instruction, and community service. The philosophy of International Baccalaureate -- which emphasizes inquiry, life-long learning, international-mindedness, caring, and development of the whole child -- is infused into all parts of school life.

Our school is ethnically and geographically diverse. Our student body is 45% African American, 38% White, 4% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 1% American Indian, and 2% Multi-racial. Additionally, our IB MYP magnet program draws students from over 20 different elementary schools in CMS and our student population includes students from North Charlotte, West Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson.

B How effective is your school overall?

4 3 2 1

School Self-Evaluation: High quality (4) X Undeveloped (1)

How do you know?

Students’ performance on EOG tests in 2010-2011 indicates that our school is effectively meeting the needs of many of our students. 97% of students taking the Algebra 1 EOC were proficient, 62% of eighth graders made expected growth in reading and 60% of eighth graders made expected growth. 68% of 8

th graders were proficient in Science and the school proficiency composite is 69%.

However, EOG data also indicates that we are not effectively meeting the needs of all students. Overall, only 47.6% of our students made growth in reading and math in 2010-2011 and the school’s average growth as measured by EOGs was -.050.

What are its notable strengths?

Experienced teaching staff

Staff committed to whole-child, as is evidenced by the large number of teachers involved in extracurricular activities

Safe school

Warm, nurturing, respectful school culture

Offer a wide variety of before and after school clubs for all interests

Have successfully implemented the IB program that moved from Davidson IB this year




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Emphasis on community service

IB philosophy, which emphasizes inquiry, life-long learning, international-mindedness, caring, and development of the whole child—is being infused into all parts of school life

Both our teaching staff and our student body are diverse which results in a more enriching educational experience for all stakeholders.

What are its main areas for improvement?

Math – Haven’t met AYP in 2 years

Raise proficiency rates in reading and math

Raise growth – want to be a high-growth school in 2011-2012

Ensuring students are engaged with rigorous, relevant and challenging instruction in every grade level and in every subject.

1. How effective is your school in ensuring high quality achievement for students in all grades, especially in the core subjects?

4 3 2 1


How do you know?

Data suggests that we are ensuring high quality achievement in many areas. 8th graders made growth

in both reading and math, 7th graders made growth in reading, and 97% of 8

th graders in Algebra 1

were proficient. Our overall proficiency is also over 65 percent (69%). However, we experienced no growth in 6

th grade reading or math and overall our school growth was negative. This indicates that we

are not effectively ensuring high quality achievement for all students. In which subjects and grades do students do best, and why?

8th grade students in Algebra, Math, Language Arts and Science perform well. This can be attributed to

the maturity of 8th graders and the pressure to perform during a Gateway year.

Our strongest elective program is Dance. Our dance teacher collaborates extensively with the core teachers ensuring that her dance classes are not only artistically engaging but also academically relevant. Her cross-curricular lessons offer students opportunities to reinforce and extend skills and knowledge from other classes.

In which subjects and grades is improvement needed, and what action is being taken?

Improvement is needed in math as we have not reached AYP for several consecutive years. The actions that are being taken include: weekly PLC meetings of each grade level math team, implementing the Common Core and new Connected Mathematics programs, we have enlisted help of NELZ to support Algebra I teachers, and we have brought on a part-time math facilitator to support our math teachers. Math is also a major focus of our SIP

We also need to improve in reading/language arts as our overall proficiency was 65.5% last year. Actions taken include: small class sizes for students who are not yet proficient readers, an emphasis on independent reading in all Language Arts classes, open-access to the media center every morning to encourage interest in reading and to help students develop the habits of life-long readers, and implementation of the Common Core standards and the new Language Arts units and text books adopted by the district.

Is there evidence of disparities in student achievement by subgroups? If so, what action is being taken?

African-American males and our EC population are not achieving at the same levels as the other sub-groups.




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How is the school addressing the specialized needs of EC and LEP students?

We have three EC teachers who address the needs of our EC students in several ways. First, we offer eight co-taught Language Arts & Math classes as well as a co-taught eighth grade science class. We offer three resource math classes. Our EC teachers also work with our students in learning labs.

ESL – We have a part-time ESL teacher who supports or LEP students through direct instruction and through consultations with the classroom teachers.

How does the school use student performance data to take and adjust actions to improve student achievement?

Performance data from 2010-2011 EOG scores guided many of our decisions when building our master schedule for 2011-2012. Any student who was not proficient in reading or math was scheduled for REACH reading or REACH math. Additionally, standard-plus math and language class sizes were kept small to ensure students in those classes receive as much individual attention as possible.

How does your school allocate available resources to improve student learning and achievement?

Since proficiency in reading in math is so critical for success in all academic areas, we prioritized staffing in those subjects. While we have six social studies teachers and six science teachers, we have nine math teachers and nine Language Arts teachers. This has enabled us to have an average of 22 students in our standard-plus math and language arts classes. It also allows us to provide ten sections of REACH math and ten sections of REACH reading for students performing below grade level.

To ensure that we have a safe and orderly campus with a learning environment conducive to learning, we hired two deans of students to support our principal and assistant principal. Having a four-person administrative team allows us to respond swiftly and efficiently to any discipline issues that arise, ensuring that disruptions are kept to a minimum and that the focus of teachers and students is on learning and achievement. Additionally, having four administrators to manage discipline, busses, security, supervision, text books, teacher observations and school maintenance ensures that our administrators have time to be instructional leaders in addition to attending to their other duties and can be actively involved in working with teachers to improve classroom instruction.

Media Specialist and Academic Facilitator to support teaching and learning

Promethean Boards to enhance student engagement

2. How effective is your school in providing a relevant and appropriate curriculum for all students, grades and sub-groups?

4 3 2 1


How do you know?

Teachers use a wide-variety of resources that are relevant and appropriate including: high-interest novels, the newly adopted math and language arts text books, Web 2.0 technology, Promethan Boards, Discovery Ed videos, and You Tube.

Teachers have developed year-long curriculum maps with an emphasis on student-inquiry into relevant, engaging questions.




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How is alignment with the NCSCOS ensured?

Teachers are required to include NCSCOS and Common Core objectives in every lesson plan. Lesson plans are submitted weekly to grade-level administrators and are to be available at all times.

Teachers meet weekly in grade-level content teams to plan lessons and align instruction. This ensures that every student in every grade level is receiving appropriately paced instruction aligned to the common core no matter who his/her teacher is.

Alignment to the NCSOS is also included in teachers’ year-long curriculum maps. How does the school ensure a broad range of learning experiences?

This year we implemented a six-period day. This has enabled us to provide all students with a variety of elective classes; most students have four electives this year.

Additionally, we have implemented a school-wide community service program through which we are engaging 100 percent of our students in community-service learning opportunities.

We are also planning several field trips for each grade level which will give our students opportunities to learn outside of the classroom.

This year students also receive instruction in science and social studies every day, giving students more time to delve deeper into those two disciplines than they have in the past.

3. How effective is the quality of teaching and instruction in ensuring high quality learning, progress and achievement?

4 3 2 1


How do you know?

Administrators conduct weekly walk-through observations of all classes. From these observations, we know that our teachers are providing our students with well-planned instruction that is engaging, relevant, and aligned with the NCSCOS.

Which are the strongest features of teaching and learning and why?

Our teachers are well-versed in their content. 10 percent of our teachers have National Board Certification and 43.8 percent have advanced degrees. Our teachers use their content knowledge to create informative lessons that communicate key skills and content to students.

Our teachers make regular use of a variety of assessment tools to monitor student achievement and progress. Information from student assessments is used to modify teaching plans.

All of our teachers make effective use of tools such as interactive notebooks, student agendas, wikis, Glogsters, and student binders to support student learning and to help students develop independence as learners.

What aspects of teaching and learning most need improvement and what action is being taken?

Across our school, there is a need for teachers to provide more rigorous instruction for all students. We also need to provide greater differentiation in all of our classes. We also need to move away from an emphasis on teacher-centered lessons to an emphasis on student-centered lessons with more cooperative learning and more student ownership of learning tasks.

The actions being taken to improve these facets of teaching and learning include: year-long professional development on rigor and differentiation with the district’s Advanced Studies specialist, model lessons and coaching from the Academic Facilitator, school-wide implementation of the International Baccalaureate philosophy, teachers mentoring other teachers in areas such as lesson design and cooperative learning, school-wide implementation of the Common Core writing standards.

We are systematically sending as many teachers as possible for training in IB principles and practices, which will enhance the quality of instruction in all of our classes.




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How do teachers assess students’ achievement of learning objectives and adjust instruction with assessment information?

Teachers use results from district formative assessments to assess students’ knowledge and understanding of previously taught content and yet-to-be-taught content.

Teachers also use a variety of assessment tools to assess students’ achievement including: exit tickets, quizzes, unit tests, performance projects, laboratory experiments, student portfolios, essays, presentations, and interactive notebooks.

4. How effective is the school in ensuring high quality leadership and management?

4 3 2 1


How do you know?

The principal, assistant principal, one Dean of Students, and the Academic/IB facilitator have all been trained and have worked in IB schools. The administrative team has worked diligently to make the transition of the IB program from Davidson with the traditional program of JMA. Community, parental, and staff comments have been favorable regarding the opening of school and the merging of the two programs. The administrative team works well together as a united front.

Which are the strongest aspects and why?

Collaborative planning and implementation of school wide programs

Expertise and skill in a wide-range of instructional programs and strategies

Strong work ethic

We are all focused on our vision to “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and to make JMA a strong IB magnet program with an equally strong traditional program.

What most needs improvement and what action is being taken? Our interim principal has been instrumental in the successful opening of the 2011-2012 school. Her leadership, expertise and wisdom have been valuable; however, the uncertainty of when Dr. Karney will return has kept the administrative team and faculty from fully implementing the vision that Dr. Karney has for J.M. Alexander Middle School.

5. How effective is the school in creating a high quality learning environment?

4 3 2 1




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How do you know? When walking in and out of classrooms, we observe a wide variety of high-quality learning experiences: students giving presentations to their peers, students engaged in Socratic seminars, students working in small groups, students receiving one-on-one instruction, students conducting hands-on labs in the sciences, and students using computers to learn content and do research. Which are the strongest aspects and why?

This year we have significantly improved the quality and quantity of instructional technology available to students and staff.

Our classrooms are orderly learning environments in which students are attentive and can focus on learning.

Instruction is well-paced and well-aligned to the Common Core and NCSCOS.

Our teachers are reflective, open-minded practitioners who are willing to try new instructional strategies and respond positively to constructive feedback, which results in continual improvement in the quality of our instruction.

What most needs improvement and what action is being taken?

The students at J.M. Alexander middle school do not universally perceive themselves as scholars or as academically successful. In order to cultivate a school-wide culture of academic focus and academic success, we have implemented the ―JMA Scholar‖ initiative. All of our students are referred to as scholars and our faculty has developed the ―JMA Scholar Profile‖ which describes the characteristics of an outstanding, high-achieving student here at JMA.

6. How effective is the school in establishing a high quality partnership with parents, other schools and the community?

4 3 2 1


How do you know?

Our Open House and Curriculum Night events were well-attended.

We have numerous parent volunteers who help in the media center, office, in teacher’s classrooms, with Science Olympiad, and with school fundraising events.

The JMA Back to School Fair was well-attended. Which are the strongest features of communication between home/school about the school’s work and about each student’s achievement? Why?

We are using teacher-made wiki pages to communicate information about classes and homework for each teacher.

We have improved the school’s website. The website is regularly updated with information about academics, sports, and community service opportunities.

We make regular and effective use of Connect Ed to communicate with parents.

Teachers are required to make parent contacts every week.

Student Services promotes use of Parent Assist.




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What most needs improvement and what action is being taken?

We would like to have more communication with the general community outside of our school.

We are in the process of compiling an email distribution list that would allow us to send weekly updates to all families.

What aspects of the school’s work to involve parents/guardians and the community in the life of the school work best? Why?

Our collaboration with the PTSA has been very effective. PTSA volunteers serve our school in a variety of ways.

Parents are integral members of our School Leadership Team.

Parents are integral to the success of several of our extracurricular activities, particularly Future Cities and Science Olympiad.

We have a parent booster club that raises money for our sports programs. What needs improvement and what action is being taken?

Our communication (written and oral) with Spanish speaking parents needs to improve. We currently do not have a secretary that can speak or understand Spanish-speaking parents.

Our ESL teacher interprets when she is on campus, but she is only here for afternoon classes.

At Curriculum Night, we arranged for a Spanish speaking interpreter to be on campus to help with communication for our Spanish-speaking parents. We will utilize this service offered by CMS again.

7. What other information, if any, do you feel it would be important for the reviewers to know prior to the review? (For example: principal recently appointed previous month)

This has been an especially challenging opening of school for JMA. Not only were we tasked with merging two separate schools into one school, but we did so without the leadership of our principal, Dr. Jo Karney, who has been on sick leave since July 2011. In addition, we had to find replacements for two key positions within a week after school started when our 6

th grade IB math teacher left CMS to be an IB coordinator in Statesville-

Iredell and when our 6th grade Dean of Students was promoted to Assistant Principal at another middle school.




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Bullying-Harassment Individual School Action Plan (BHISAP) Bullying Prevention Outcome: 100% of our students will feel safe at school as evidenced by CMS Safe School Audits and CMS Student Survey results.

Strategies/Rationale

Task

Point Person

Evidence of Success Names of Participants

(Add names to titles where appropriate)

Information related to task as indicated

Timeline

Outcome Measures

Create a B-H Team and begin planning BHISAP Principal

Selection of chairperson and team

R. Clinard, Chairperson; D. Hayes, Teacher; T. Marsh, Counselor; P. Hartsell, AP

Administrators and staff members will collaborate to create an effective plan to address the issues of bullying and harassment at JMA.

August, 2011

Attend CMS Sexual Harassment, Bullying Prevention, and Gang Activity workshop

AP and B-H Chairperson

Practical strategies to use to create an effective BHISAP to reduce the number of students who feel bullied

P. Hartsell, AP R. Clinard, BH Chair

AP and B-H chairperson will be trained in recognition and prevention of bullying/harassment, and will be provided with resources with which to incorporate into the BHISAP.

Sept. 28, 2011

Present BHISAP to faculty/School Leadership Team/PTSA

Define “bullying/harassment” What does it look like? What do we do when we see it? How do we stop it? How do we create a culture

where students support one another and report bullying or

B-H Chairperson

Faculty and staff will implement the BHISAP

R. Clinard, BH Chair

BHISAP committee will present the school-wide plan to faculty, SLT, and PTSA.

October, 2011




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harassment?

Use closed circuit morning announcements to promote a culture of understanding and acceptance

Every Monday Matters CMS Character Traits Random Acts of Kindness

“Be the Change” Recognitions of students who do the right thing

Media Specialist; Dean of Students; Counselor

An increase in the percentage of students who feel safe at school as reported on student surveys

J. Dawson, Media Spec. B. Hopkins, Dean of Students; T. Marsh, Counselor

BHISAP is presented to student body via the morning announcements, class assemblies, and special recognitions.

Daily August, 2011 – June, 2012

Core subject and elective teachers will use content-specific resources to promote anti-bullying awareness and prevention

LA - Novels/short stories such as “Fat Boy Chronicles,” original poems, essays

Math – Research data, create charts Science/Health – Research physical and

emotional effects of bullying/harassment on individuals

Social Studies – Historical examples of harassment (i.e. Holocaust, Rwanda, Sudan)

Fine Arts – interpretive dance and art, posters

AF Dept. Chairs

Original, authentic work samples of student work;

M. Kendrick, AF Dicker/Riemers, LA Chairs Allen, Math Chair J. Heymann, SS Chair S. Zingher, Science Chair C. Sweeney, CTE Chair D. Ellison, Health

Teachers will address bullying and harassment through interdisciplinary units, project-based learning, and service learning.

October, 2011 – June, 2012

School Liaison: Robin Clinard, Fine Arts teacher




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School-Based Management and Accountability Program

Summary of School-Based Waiver Requests for 2011-2012

LEA: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools LEA code: 600

School Codes

Request for Waivers

305 – John M. Alexander

Middle School

Please enter codes of all schools

requesting the waiver described

on this form.

1. Insert the waivers you are requesting.

Maximum Teaching Load and Maximum Class Size (grades 4-12)

2. Please identify the law, regulation or policy from which you are seeking an

exemption.

115C-301 (c and d) Maximum Teaching Load and Maximum Class Size

3. Please state how the waiver will be used.

Class size will be adjusted to address student individual instructional needs

through flexible grouping of students in the most effective utilization of teaching

teams. Maximum teaching load will be used to allow teachers in specific areas of

the curriculum to teach students designated for specific skill needs and to address

the large number of students requesting elective classes.

4. Please state how the waiver will promote achievement of performance goals.

This waiver will allow more flexibility in grouping students to meet their

abilities and needs and thus should enhance their achievement on the performance

goals.




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