Willowcreek Middle School

School Information

School Name: Willowcreek Middle School       
School Address: 2275 West 300 North, Lehi, Utah 84043

School Phone: (801) 766-5273
School Fax: (801) 766-5168
Principal: Michael Browning
Principal email: mbrowning@alpine.k12.ut.us

Demographics

Number of Students: 1774
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 28.35%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  3.75%
Percent of Special Education: 11.7%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages: 11.59%

• White: 88.4%
• Black:  .56%
• Hispanic: 8.35%
• Asian/Pacific Island: 2.26%
• American Indian: .39%

Student Achievement Data: State of Utah CRT end of year course.

Language Arts

	2005	2006	2007	2008
LA 7	82%	80%	88%	86%
LA 8	80%	75%	85%	90%
LA 9	83%	83%	86%	85%

Math

	2005	2006	2007	2008
Math 7	32%	36%	54%	58%
Pre Alg	65%	69%	82%	87%
Algebra	75%	63%	78%	87%
Geometry	75%	77%	84%	76%

Science

	2005	2006	2007	2008
Sci 7	44%	64%	79%	79%
Sci 8	55%	62%	68%	79%
Earth Sci	48%	49%	72%	70%
Biology	69%	72%	84%	76%

 

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

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.

As you will notice from the data presented that having a functional PLC has played a vital part in the positive academic success for the students of Willowcreek Middle School. When you look at the CRT data it shows that in 2006 school year a high majority of the scores dropped from the 2005 year. The reason we felt this dropped occurred was the implementation gap of our PLC teams really starting to ask the questions what our were teaching, how do we know the students are learning it, and what are we going to do when they don’t. With these questions guiding their work the teams started to really use data to drive instruction which then caused the changing of teaching and grading practices. One of the biggest changes that occurred during this implantation year was what a grade represented at Willowcreek and how grades are figured in the classes. At the start of the 2005-2006 school year grades were being issued by using the following categories. 32% of a student’s grade was homework, 28% of a student’s grade was classroom work, 22% of a student’s grade was participation, only 36% of a student’s grade was on quizzes and test. By the start of the 2006-2007 school year the grading practices change to 70% of the student’s grade was on quizzes and test which meant could they show mastery of the concepts. If the student did not pass the quizzes or test at 80% mastery they received an “I” grade (“In progress”) and could continue to study and try again until mastery was reached. The whole idea of mastery being reached and students being able to come back and try again ties right back to the PLCs teams in our building focusing on what really matters—student learning.

Data about Willowcreek Middle

PASS RATE

- Term 1,2,3,4 2005-2006 Pass Rate 89%
- Term 1,2,3,4 2006-2007 Pass Rate 93%
- Term 1,2,3,4 2007-2008 Pass Rate 94%

SCHOOL DISTRICT RANKING

- Mars Math Testing Data in 2005-2006 ranked 7 out of 10 Middle schools in Alpine School District
- Mars Math Testing Data in 2006-2007 ranked 5 out of 10 Middle schools in Alpine School District
- Mars Math Testing Data in 2007-2008 was tied 4 out of 10 Middle schools in Alpine School District

HONORS NIGHT

- 2005-2006 --80% on track for graduation
- 2006-2007--88% on track for graduation (GPA of class 3.26)
- 2007-2008--85% on track for graduation* (GPA of class 3.3)
*an additional credit was added for 9th graders to be on track for graduation

 

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

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis

Our PLC teams meet weekly and focus on what they are teaching, which is the state core. But like all state cores there is more than can be taught in one year. The teams decided on the major concepts to be taught and when they will be taught. All teams give at least one common assessment quarterly, which ties right back to the state core. We use a software program that gives timely and pertinent information to the teachers which they use in their PLC meetings to guide instruction.

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

We have the following systems of intervention in place to help student succeed. 

- Teachers work together in their PLC teams to group students during the class period to help those who have not reached mastery on a concept.
- Once a week students who have “I”s on their progress report are able to meet with a teacher in that area to receive the help they need to reach mastery. Those students who have no “I”s are then allowed to go to different enrichment activities being offered for them in the building.
- For those students who are not getting their “I”s made up during the remediation and enrichment period each week, they are then placed in our working lunch program, where with their lunch the students go to a guided study hall to master the concepts that they have “I”s in.
- For those students who still have I’s after the working lunch option we then pull them from an elective class and place them in guided study class to get those concepts they are missing and to make the I’s up in those areas where mastery has not be reached.
- On Tuesdays we have a 1 hour and 45 minute after-school program to help those students with I’s so they can reach mastery. Late buses are made available for those students that use this program.

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

Our staff meets every Monday afternoon in two different PLC teams. Alpine School District has gone to a district wide early out Monday schedule. Every school has one hour a week for PLC time. At Willowcreek Middle we use the one hour set up by the early out schedule for department PLC time. We then use one hour we get by teachers banking time throughout the week, to meet in a grade level PLC team meeting.

  List awards and recognitions your school has achieved
New School: established 2004-2005 school year