Benjamin Syms Middle School

School Information

School Name: Benjamin Syms Middle School

School Address: 170 Fox Hill Rd, Hampton, VA 23666
School Phone: 757.850.5050
School Fax: 757.850.5413
Principal: Elondra D. Miles
Principal Email: emiles@hampton.k12.va.us
Web Address: http://sym.sbo.hampton.k12.va.us

Demographics

Number of Students:1,155
Percent eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 50.51%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 0.67%
Percent of Special Education:13.84%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White: 42.07%
• Black: 49.47%
• Hispanic: 5.29%
• Asian/Pacific Island: 2.14%
• Other: 1.23%

 

Student Achievement Data

Virginia Standards of Learning Test (SOL) Data from 2007-2010

Syms/VA
Subject	2007	2008	2009	2010
Grade 8 Science	88%/89%	96%/90%	93%/90%	95%/96%
US History to 1877	61%/69%	80%/74%	71%/74%	81%/78%
US History 1877 to present	95%/87%	93%/92%	97%/92%	98%/91%
Civics & Economics	90%/83%	87%/84%	75%84%	89%/86%
TOTAL: History	81%/NA	86%/88%	81%/89%	89%/89%
Grade 6 Reading	92%/84%	86%/85%	84%/86%	88%/88%
Grade 7 Reading	90%/82%	83%/86%	90%/88%	87%/89%
Grade 8 Reading	86%/80%	89%/83%	84%87%	93%/90%
Grade 8 Writing	87%/86%	87%/87%	87%89%	84%/91%
TOTAL: English	89%/85%	86%/87%	86%/89%	89%/89%
Grade 6 Math	61%/60%	70%/68%	63%/73%	70%/77%
Grade 7 Math	74%/56%	64%/65%	66%/71%	69%/75%
Grade 8 Math	85%/87%	89%/83%	85%85%	85%/87%
Algebra I	100%/92%	100%/93%	99%94%	100%/94%
Geometry	100%/86%	100%/87%	100%87%	100%/88%
TOTAL: Math	76%/80%	79%/84%	79%/86%	83%/88%

 

Pass Rates

Syms/VA
Subject	2008	2009	2010	% Gained
English: Reading and Writing	86%/87%	86%/89%	89%/89%	+3
Mathematics	77%/84%	79%/86%	83%/88%	+5
History	87%/88%	80%/89%	88%/89%	+1 from 08-09; +8 from 09-10
Science	96%/88%	93%/89%	96%/90%	-3 from 08-09; +2 from 09-10

 

Advanced Pass Rates

Syms/VA
Subject	2008	2009	2010	% Gained
Reading Grade 6	29%/38%	30%/38%	36%/42%	+7
Reading Grade 7	26%/40%	40%/46%	40%/43%	+14
Reading Grade 8	26%/37%	31%/42%	42%/44%	+16
Math Grade 6	23%/29%	18%/32%	14%/35%	-9
Math Grade 7	18%/24%	12%/28%	16%/28%	-6 from 08-00; +8 from 09-10
Math Grade 8	41%/45%	41%/51%	34%/53%	-7
Algebra	43%/25%	32%/27%	50%/29%	+7
Geometry	56%/22%	50%/23%	54%/23%	-6 from 08-09; +4 from 09-10
History Grade 6	22%/24%	21%/26%	29%/26%	-1 from 08-09; +8 from 09-10
History Grade 7	52%/53%	66%/53%	70%/52%	+17
History Grade 8	20%/33%	17%/32%	30%/35%	-3
Science Grade 8	47%/40%	32%/40%	43%/40%	-15 from 08-09; +11 from 09-10

 

Data comparing Syms, Virginia, and Hampton City School Division Pass Rates

Syms/VA/Hampton Division
Subject	2008	2009	2010
English: Reading and Writing	86%/87%/82%	86%/89%/83%	89%/89%/82%
Mathematics	77%/84%/80%	79%/86%/82%	83%/88%/83%
History	87%/88%/84%	81%/89%/85%	89%/89%/87%
Science	96%/88%/85%	93%/89%/85%	96%/90%/86%

 

Please comment on any aspect of the data that you believe is particularly significant.

The basic principles of Professional Learning Communities were being implemented during the 2007-2008 school year. The data will show an implementation dip from the first year of implementation to the second year of continued implementation. As the teachers and the administrators started to focus on learning rather than a major emphasis on teaching, intentionally collaborating and focusing on results, the data shows student achievement on the rise. During the 2009-2010 school year, SMART Time was placed in the master schedule to respond to students that were not learning. SMART is an acronym that stands for Syms Making time for Assessing and Responding to student needs Through Interventions. This time was used to review and reteach skills that the data showed to be weak.

As a result of focusing on our SMART goals, student achievement data is increasing. In addition to an increase in our overall results, our students are passing advanced on the Virginia Standards of Learning. This increased in the number of students passing advanced is indicative of the fact that our students are not just passing proficient rating they are exceeding the minimum pass rate. Our failure rates are reducing as our increase in overall pass rates and passed advanced rates increase as well.

 

Please present additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact on students and/or teachers.

Syms Professional Learning Community: One School, One Focus: Teaching and Learning in a Collaborative Student Centered Environment

The teachers and administrators at Syms Middle School have infused the tenets of Professional Learning Communities into their Instructional Program. Teachers set SMART goals at the beginning of the year. The goals are revisited throughout the year. The teachers and administrators meet monthly in Collaborative Learning Teams (CLT) to discuss data and best practices by content area. The teachers administer 4.5 week assessments using an online tool so that data can be disaggregated quickly. The data is then used to drive instructional decisions for the remainder of the nine weeks prior to benchmark testing. After benchmark testing has been administered, the teachers meet in their Collaborative Learning Teams to analyze the data using data walls and essential skills mastery reports.

Student achievement is celebrated by placing their names on the STARRS Wall. STARRS stands for Students That Achieve Remarkable Results at Syms! Students that earn a score of 90% or higher are highlighted. Teachers are celebrated for gains as well when they meet the goal that they set. They receive certificates, 212 shout-outs and Syms paraphernalia.

In addition to meeting monthly and/or weekly in Collaborative Learning Teams, the teachers and administrators participate in monthly book talks. This year our team read two books: How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson and The Collaborative Teacher by Cassandra Erkens, et.al.

Each team of teachers were assigned a chapter to present at our monthly Professional Development meetings. The administrators and instructional leaders were assigned chapters to facilitate in vertical team meetings, CLT meetings or grade level meetings. All teachers and administrators were required to read the assigned chapters prior to the presentations.

 

 

Please elaborate strategies you have found to be effective in the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

At Syms Middle School, we implemented the following to monitor student learning:

• Benchmark Tests
• Power Quizzes
• Teacher-Generated Tests (individual)
• Teacher-Generated Tests (CLT Team)
• Science Fair Project/Paper
• Generating F-Reports
• Meeting with Students on F-Report/Creating Improvement Plan
• Administrative Monitoring of Progress Reports
• Weekly Assessments created collaboratively - Social Studies SOL Superbowl
• Daily Bellringer Activities (Spiraling)
• 4.5 week/benchmark assessments - Teachers analyze their own data individually- Data is also analyzed collaboratively
• Utilization of Quia Program students completed 4.5 week assessments on the computer. Quia program provides teachers with a detailed item analysis and additional reports for data analysis
• Implementing student-centered and differentiated activities consistently
• Data Walls
• SMART Goals - revisited at each CLT Meeting
• analyzed student work

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

The following interventions were provided to support student learning:

• Lunch Tutorials (individual teachers)
• After School/Saturday School Tutoring Program
• SMART Time / Enrichment Classes- ( SMART is an acronym that means: *S.M.A.R.T - Syms Making time for Assessing and Responding to student needs Through Interventions
• Read 180
• Numerous teachers tutored during lunch or before/after school
• Students that did not receive a passing grade in their content area classes conferenced with the school counselors and the principal to create Success plans
• Teachers utilized SMART Time to organized students into groups based on need

 

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

Teachers participated in the following activities to focus efforts on improving student learning. The activities were conducted during the school day:

• Professional Development Meetings
• Reading Books as a Staff/Book Talks
• CLT Meetings with Written Agendas
• Building Data Walls/Discussion
• Disaggregating Data
• Trend Data Exercise
• Sharing Lessons
• Sharing/Analyzing Student Work
• Shared Lesson Planning
• Reading in the Content Area Strategies
• Writing in the Content Area Strategies
• Training and Technical Assistant Center from the College of William and Mary conducting meetings with Co-Teaching Teams
• Shared Planning Time
• Walkthroughs (short observations with immediate feedback)
• Teacher Evaluations
• Focused Professional Development Days
• Sharing of effective instructional strategies/activities at each CLT meeting
• Sharing of student work
• Providing teachers opportunities to observe other teachers
• Administrators modeling lessons- Administrators taught in classrooms- a minimum of 2 lessons per nine weeks
• Teachers taping a lesson and the collaboratively reviewing with administrator
• Faculty Meeting are centered around professional development
• Establishing Teachers as leaders
• Celebrating small wins at every Professional Development and at the end of the year

 

List awards and recognitions your district has achieved:

• Red Heart Award from the Hampton Council PTA 2010
• Recognition of Service - Tyler Athletic Association 2009-2010
• Music in the Parks at Busch Gardens- Williamsburg, Virginia, Middle School Treble Choir AA-First Place-Superior Rating -2009
• Music in the Parks at Busch Gardens- Williamsburg, Virginia, Middle School Mixed Choir AA-First Place-Superior Rating-2009
• Music in the Parks at Busch Gardens- Williamsburg, Virginia, Middle School Concert Band AA-Second Place-Superior Rating
• Certificate of Recognition from John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth-2008
• Spotlight on Citizens Award presented by the Mayor of the City of Hampton, VA
• 2010 Battle of the Books Competition City Winners for the City of Hampton, VA