Margaret Mead Junior High

School Information

School Name:  Margaret Mead Junior High                                    

School Address:  1765 Biesterfield Road  Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
School Phone: (847) 357-6000
School Fax:  (847) 357-6001
Principal:   Steve Pearce
Principal E-Mail:  StevePearce@sd54.org

 

Demographics

Number of Students:  650
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 5%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 3.5%
Percent of Special Education:  12%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  74%
• Black 4%
• Hispanic 6%
• Asian/Pacific Island 15%
• Other 1%

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends –

All percentages indicate students who meet/exceed Illinois State Learning Standards.

Grade 7	2004-2005 (Mead/State)	2005-2006 (Mead/State)	2006-2007 (Mead/State)
Reading	No tests	84/72	90/73
Math	No tests	92/76	95/79

 

Grade 8	2004-2005 (Mead/State)	2005-2006 (Mead/State)	2006-2007 (Mead/State)
Reading	84/73	92/79	94/82
Math	72/54	89/78	94/81

 

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

It is significant to note that the first steps in Mead’s journey to becoming a Professional Learning Community began during the fall of 2005.  Since that time, there has been significant academic growth in Mead’s test results.  Near the beginning stages of the PLC process, the goal was set to have at least 90% of Mead students meet/exceed state standards in math and reading.  Within a year and a half, this goal has become a reality. 

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.

The Mead staff began the PLC journey in October 2005.  We began by reading the book, Whatever It Takes, as a staff.  While doing this, each chapter was discussed and reflected upon in different forums to grow the learning.  After completing this, we began preliminary steps in incorporating some of the PLC principles (norms, essential outcomes, collaboration, interventions, and common assessments for all academic departments).  At the conclusion of the 2005-2006 school year, it was determined that the will of the staff was to continue and embrace making Mead a high functioning PLC.  Mead also received the results from the state testing and saw excellent growth. This fall, every certified Mead staff member went to two days of PLC training.  While it was review for many, it was affirming and encouraged us to continue on in our journey.  This year, we have continued to refine our processes more, and we are taking the common assessment analysis/conversation/information sharing to the next level by examining what works best with our students.  Departments have also done a commendable job of determining interventions based on common assessment results.  It was exciting for the Mead staff to see continued student learning growth when the state test results came back and showed continued learning growth.

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

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Mead students are given the MAP test three times per year.  This test allows us to properly place students and to determine classroom growth goals based upon the different math and reading strands that are evaluated. 

Each department gives teacher developed common assessments at least two times per trimester.  This allows each staff member to see if students are learning the essential skills and outcomes that are being taught.  Department teams have developed different matrixes to seek commonalities in skill growth and deficiency areas so that they can adjust their future instruction to meet the learning needs of their students. 

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

If it is discovered that students need additional learning time and support based on common assessment results, each department has developed their own “department interventions”.  All department teams required students to show at least 80% proficiency in each skill area being assessed.  If the proficiency criteria were not met, department interventions were instituted.  Depending on the department and the skills being assessed, the interventions make look different.  For instance, language arts teachers developed special intervention block schedules with their interdisciplinary teams that allowed for an extended intervention time block to re-teach and re-assess skills until proficiency was met by all students involved.  The social studies teachers used a different approach and required students not reaching their criteria to complete test corrections forms.  These forms gave students the opportunity to reflect on their mistakes and to correct them by elaborating in writing on the correct answer. 

In addition to the “department interventions”, Mead has three levels of “team/school intervention”.  Level one is the team Guided Study Hall (GSH).  Teams determine who will participate based upon their overall lack of learning or lack of completed assignments.  Students are placed in GSH each week with the goal of completing their work and improving work quality.  Each GSH has two staff members working with a smaller group of students (limited to ten to fourteen students) in a more structured environment.  Level two is After School Study Club.  Students are required to attend this if results are not being attained by the support provided by GSH.  This allows the student to have more time and additional support provided by the certified staff members that work with them.  Level three is our Study Skills Class.  If results are still not being seen with GSH and After School Study Club, the students are placed in Study Skills which is a daily class taken in place of an elective.   During study skills, students are given additional time and support as well as strategies for studying, organizing, and learning.  Reading and math skills are the academic main focus of this class. 

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.

Department teams meet at least once per week and interdisciplinary teams meet twice per week.  Each team is required to have team norms and at least one team SMART goal.  Department team performance is monitored by the four department chairs that report to and meet regularly with the principal.  Teams have been required to complete team reflections to evaluate the effectiveness and functioning of their team.  This practice has had some positive results, but it has been determined that these forms will be replaced with personal team visits/evaluations with the principal three times per year.  The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the current reality of each team, to see if their goal(s) are being met, and to determine a course of action to continue to move forward.  Personal professional development has become a priority at Mead since we read Whatever It Takes as a staff during the 2005-2006 school year.  The Mead staff read Marzano’s Classroom Instruction That Works during the 2006-2007 to learn about research-based strategies that improve student learning.  During the summer of 2007, each staff member was afforded the opportunity to have a professional book purchased for them and they were given a list of principal recommended readings to choose from.  The goal in all of these scholarship activities is to improve the teaching capacity of each staff member because a high performing PLC must be marked by all teachers becoming learning leaders. 

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

Mead was included in the Chicago-Sun Times 2007 Top 50 Scoring Chicago Suburban Middle Schools for the first time in the school history.

Mead received the Academic Improvement Award from the Illinois School Board of Education for gains in ISAT scores from 2004-2006.