Millville Elementary School

School Information

School Name: Millville Elementary School
District Name: Cache School District
School Address: 67 South Main St, Millville, UT 84326
School Phone: 435.752.7162
School Fax: 435.755.5758
Principal: Maria Nielsen
Principal email: maria.nielsen@ccsdut.org
Web Address: http://www.ccsdut.org/millville

Demographics

Number of Students: 439
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 41%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 6%
Percent of Special Education: 15%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White: 82%
• Black: 0%
• Hispanic: 14%
• Asian/Pacific Island: 2%
• Other: 5%

Student Achievement Data

Millville Math End of Level Test Scores/State of Utah End of Level Test Scores

Millville Reading DIBELS Benchmark

Grade 3	Math	Reading	Writing
2008-09	74/69	71	NA
2009-10	88/71	60*	NA
2010-11	79*/NA	76	NA

 

Grade 4	Math	Reading	Writing
2008-09	78/72	58	NA
2009-10	83/75	75	NA
2010-11	85/NA	74	NA

 

Grade 5	Math	Reading	Writing
2008-09	93/72	74	NA
2009-10	83*/77	73	88/80
2010-11	96/NA	79	97/80

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Millville Elementary is a low-income, Title I school located in northern Utah. Through consistent implementation of PLC practices Millville has undergone dramatic transformation in school culture, climate, and student learning.

Millville third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students consistently score above the state average in reading, math, and writing. *Some fluctuation in grade level trajectory scores may be explained by the following three factors: new state core curriculum in mathematics, district adoption of both math and reading programs in the past two years, and teacher turnover.

Despite these factors, math scores on the CRTs in grades 3-5 have increased steadily over the past three years. Third grade scores improved 5%. Fourth grade moved from 78-85%, a noteworthy 7% increase. The fifth grade restructured their math program in 2010 with an expected dip in scores. However, their efforts paid off in 2011 with a 96%.

Millville grade level teams conduct common formative assessment every two weeks in mathematics. These assessments are more formative than CRTs and drive instruction and student learning. Data is reviewed in weekly PLC meetings or during common planning periods. Students then receive intervention or extension activities during the regular school day according to their individual needs.

Millville utilizes DIBELS reading long cycle formative assessments three times a year to monitor student learning and school progress rather than summative end of level CRTs. DIBELS short cycle probes conducted weekly, or as data indicates, allow teachers to respond to student learning in reading fluency and comprehension in Tier I. Students in need of additional intervention are placed in small group Tier II instruction. DIBELS data is reviewed throughout the year during weekly PLC meetings. Millville has consistently increased proficiency on national DIBELS benchmarks. Most noteworthy is the fourth grade moving from 58% to 74%, an impressive 16% improvement in proficiency.

Beginning in 2009 the direct writing assessment was given to all fifth-grade students in the state of Utah.  Direct writing scores jumped from 88% in 2010 to 97% in 2011. This is a clear example that SMART goals, common formative assessments, and best teaching practices drive student learning.

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.

Implementing PLC practices has transformed Millville Elementary into a student-centered, data-driven, collaborative school where student success is expected. Previously, teachers worked in isolated classrooms with little or no collaboration. Curriculum was void of curriculum maps, power standards, and common formative assessments. The positive impact of PLC practices is visible in the school as teachers collaborate, share best practices, review student learning, and work together to ensure the success of every student at Millville.

All grade levels have common curriculum, common homework, common assessments, common pacing guides, common interventions/extensions, and common kids across the grade level.

Professional Learning Communities at Millville focus on four questions:

1. What do we want all students to learn?
2. How will we know when each student has learned?
3. How will we respond when some students experiences difficulty in their learning?
4. How will we enrich and extend the learning for students who are proficient?

As a high achieving, Title I school Millville has been featured in several magazine and newspaper articles as well as ABC4 evening news.

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

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Time is scheduled during the school day for teachers to collaborate. Teachers meet twice weekly during designated PLC times or during daily common planning periods to review student learning data. Frequent review of data ensures timely Tier I intervention/extensions. Student learning data also dictates placement in research based Tier II skill groups to ensure mastery of essential knowledge.

Evidence of student learning is gathered from a variety of sources including teacher developed common formative assessments. Data sheets are updated weekly to provide teachers with ongoing analysis of student learning and effective teaching practices.

Each grade level team has developed a curriculum assessment administration guide to ensure that assessment occurs in a frequent, timely manner.

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

Instruction for student learning is based on a pyramid of intervention. These levels are identified as Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III.

Tier I: All students receive Tier I instruction in the regular classroom. SMART goals, essential knowledge, and common formative assessments guide student learning. Teacher in-service has focused on best practices such as explicit instruction, and differentiation. Aides are scheduled during Tier I in classrooms to reinforce concepts with small groups or individual students. By implementing these practices we hope to help at-risk students during Tier I and reduce the number of students in Tier II and Tier III.

Tier II: Tier II groups are designed for specific, targeted interventions and are scheduled daily for 30-45 minutes during the regular school day. We use a push in model to work with groups of 5-6 students. Groups are taught by the classroom teacher as well as highly qualified paraprofessionals. Tier II data is reviewed weekly to ensure that students are mastering the identified concepts. Students do not miss new instruction to receive this support. Those students who do not require remediation are involved in extension activities.

Tier III: Students in Tier III require intensive intervention or extension. Intervention is provided daily by the resource team through at-risk status or an individualized education plan (IEP). Student requiring extensive enrichment are served through a gifted and talented component called the Student Enrichment Model (SEM).

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.

Professional Learning Community teams have developed the following:

• Student learning based on a pyramid of intervention (Tier I, Tier II, Tier III)
• Norms that guide the interaction of team members
• Positive student behavior support systems based on a pyramid of intervention
• Essential learning outcomes for each subject
• SMART goals based on data analysis and aligned with school goals
• Common formative assessments to frequently monitor student learning and teaching
• Intervention/extension during the school day that is timely, directive, and specific
• Best practices are shared for continuous improvement

In order to focus on students learning the following structural PLC practices were implemented:

• PLC Meeting Times: PLC meetings are scheduled for an hour and a half a week during contract time.
• Central Meeting Place: Grade level teams, the principal, reading facilitator, resource teacher, and ESL teacher meet in the media center each Friday and are actively involved in the PLC process.
• Feedback Sheet: Each grade level team completes a team feedback sheet and turns a copy into the principal. The feedback sheet has multiple purposes and has been effective in keeping the focus on student learning.
• Common Planning Time: The master schedule was changed in 2007 to ensure that all teachers on a grade level had a common planning time for additional PLC collaboration.

The learning culture at Millville Elementary has transformed due to the implementation of PLC concepts. Barriers to the learning process have been dissolved through a laser-like focus on student learning. We have become a committed professional learning community where student success is expected and celebrated.

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

2007 Utah Behavior Initiatives Elementary Principal of the Year, Mrs. Maria Nielsen
2008 Utah State Office of Education High Achieving Title I School Award
2009 Utah State Office of Education High Achieving Title I School Award
2009 Cache District Hats Off Award, Mrs. Sandra Merrill, Teacher
2010 Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education, Mrs. Maria Nielsen, Principal
2011 Cache District Hats Off Award, Mrs. Angela Justesen, Teacher