Joyce Kilmer Middle School

School Information

School Name:  Joyce Kilmer Middle School
School Address:  8100 Wolftrap Road
                         Vienna, Virginia 22182
School Phone:  (703) 846-8800
School Fax:  (703) 846-8897
Principal:  Deborah Hernandez
Principal E-Mail:  Deborah.Hernandez@fcps.edu

Demographics
Number of Students:  1,069
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:  11%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  16%
Percent of Special Education:  11%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White (59%)
• Black (5%)
• Hispanic (9%)
• Asian/Pacific Island (22%)
• Other (5%)

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends – for example, three consecutive years or the first, third, and fifth years. The data report should always include the most recent school year and should always offer a basis of comparison (for example, state scores, national scores, similar SES schools).

Scale: % meeting or exceeding standards

State test	2004 (Kilmer/State)	2005 (Kilmer/State)	2006 (Kilmer/State)	2007 (Kilmer/State)
ELS	85/79	93/81	93/84	93/85
Science	97/84	78/84	96/88	96/92
Math	96/83	97/84	89/76	89/80

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.

We are particularly proud of the increase in scores on the Reading SOL. The past few years have seen new initiatives that are producing positive results. Two years ago time was added to the school week for Sustained Silent Reading. This time was solely dedicated to reading for students as well as faculty. Kilmer also began to focus on non-fiction writing. English teachers trained the entire staff on Vicki Spandel’s 6 writing traits. Students were required to write across the curriculum in all seven of their classes. These writing pieces were ultimately returned to the English teacher so that he/she could conference with students who were having difficulty with the writing process. Both of these initiatives continue today.

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

PLC opened up the lines of communication among staff. Teachers communicate during provided time (embedded in the school day) and during other opportunities. Teachers share materials, talk about best practices, offer moral support, and implement common assessments like never before. New staff members benefit tremendously from PLC. With the support of veteran teachers at Kilmer, new teachers feel comfortable more quickly and implement best teaching strategies early in their careers. This also has a positive impact on student achievement. For example, two History 7 teachers who were in the midst of their immigration unit planned an activity together. They created tenements within their classrooms, dressed in period clothing, and as immigrants themselves, told their immigration stories. Then they traded students so the two groups of adolescents could experience this piece of History. History was brought to life for these 7th graders, which was a direct result of PLC.

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

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

PLC time allows teachers to be proactive. Kilmer's PLC talk about student achievement weekly, if not daily. Consequently, teachers identify struggling students quickly, and keep them from falling behind. An example of this is our science department, who developed short common assessments that they give frequently. The teachers analyze the results, share best practices, and remediate any students who need it, in a timely fashion.

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

Cougar’s Paws is a new program at Kilmer this year. It is a 25 minute period at the end of every day where students receive extra help. Students can visit teachers where they need extra assistance, read silently, or use the time to get started on homework. In cases where a student had major difficulty in a particular subject area, the Paws class was changed to that subject teacher.

We continue our efforts to improve communication between parents and the school. As an additional intervention, Kilmer sends progress reports to parents approximately every two weeks. Teachers maintain grades through a software program that allows teachers to email a snapshot of his/her grade book directly to parents. This gives students and parents an opportunity to review current information and address problems immediately. Kilmer continues to receive much praise for this endeavor. We are the first school in Fairfax County to embrace this concentrated communication strategy, and we were featured on EDTV, a program on our local county channel.

3. Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students.

Constructing a master schedule, where core subject teachers have common planning periods, and teams of teachers have time to meet together daily, if needed, has clearly the most significant impact on improving student learning. When teachers have time to talk about their curriculum, share best practices and materials, discuss methods for reaching reluctant learners, they are empowered to make a difference. When time is available to analyze data from common assessments, they are constantly improving their craft, which has a positive impact on student learning.

At Kilmer we create time for staff development where teachers learn from each other. We encourage teachers to observe other classrooms in the building, both within their team, and within their curriculum area. Our teachers are committed to excellence and they are eager to demonstrate successful methods. For example, the foreign language department is working on differentiated instruction, where the county specialist came to Kilmer several times to help the language teachers develop lesson plans that will successfully reach the greatest number of students. Foreign language teachers frequently invite other educators to visit their classrooms as they experiment with this new approach.

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

Debbie Hernandez was nominated for the First Year Principal’s award.

Kilmer was recognized by Standards and Poor’s Evaluation Services for closing the achievement gap.

Debbie Hernandez was voted as a Top Rated Principal by Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT).