Yorba Linda Middle School

District Information

School Name:      Yorba Linda Middle School
School Address:   4777 Casa Loma Ave., Yorba Linda, California  92886
School Phone:      (714) 528-7090             
School Fax:                   (714) 996-2732
Principal:             Dr. Ginny Trapani       
Principal email:   vtrapani@pylusd.org

Demographics

Number of Students:     848
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:  111
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  4%
Percent of Special Education: 4.4
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  75.6
• Black 1.2
• Hispanic  15.6
• Asian/Pacific Island  7.2
• Other  .4

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

AYP English/Language Arts

AYP	2005 (YLMS/State)	2006 (YLMS/State)	2007 (YLMS/State)
All	57.6/41.9	64.4/44.8	71.4/45.5
White	60.8/60.8	66.2/63.8	72.8/64.3
AA	-/28.9	-/31.7	66.7/32.7
Hisp/Latin	35.9/26.9	43.2/29.9	53.1/31.1
Asian	73.1/64.6	86.3/68.2	90.2/69
E.L.	23.8/21.9	31.6/24.8	37/25.7

AYP Math

AYP	2005 (YLMS/State)	2006 (YLMS/State)	2007 (YLMS/State)
All	57.6/45	55.8/48	57.8/48.5
White	60.8/59.6	57.3/62.8	59.8/62.8
AA	-	-	41.7/31.1
Hisp/Latin	35.9/32.6	35.1/35.9	36.4/36.9
Asian	73.1/73.4	79.5/76.4	82.6/76.6
E.L.	23.8/31.9	31.6/34.9	47.8/35.7

YLMS- California Standards Test Grade 6

Percentage of Students Proficient and Advanced

Grade 6	2005 (YLMS/State)	2006 (YLMS/State)	2007 (YLMS/State)
Math	58	57	48
Reading	55	70	67
Writing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Science	N/A	N/A	N/A
Social St.	N/A	N/A	N/A

YLMS- California Standards Test Grade 7

Percentage of Students Proficient and Advanced

Grade 7	2005 (YLMS/State)	2006 (YLMS/State)	2007 (YLMS/State)
Math	44	55	58
Reading	63	63	76
Writing	17	30	82
Science	N/A	N/A	N/A
Social St.	N/A	N/A	N/A

YLMS- California Standards Test Grade 8

Percentage of Students Proficient and Advanced

Grade 8	2005 (YLMS/State)	2006 (YLMS/State)	2007 (YLMS/State)
Math	52	54	46
Reading	55	59	68
Writing	N/A	N/A	N/A
Science	-	65	68
Algebra	100	98	88
Geometry	100	83	100
Social St.	50	62	58

 

YLMS- California Standards Test Grade(CAT 6) Grade 7

Percentile Scores

Grade 7	2005	2006	2007
Math	61	67	68
Reading	60	61	72
L.A.	60	61	71

YLMS- Academic Performance Index (API) Compared against County and State API

	2005	2006	2007
YLMS	796	816	841
PYL USD	801	810	814
CA State	709	720	727

 

Please comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.
The YLMS professional learning community process has had a significant impact on student achievement, as demonstrated in our data over the past three years. We attribute the 45-point increase in our academic performance index (including a 25-point increase in 2006-2007) to school-wide implementation of four major initiatives, all as a result of and/or facilitated by the PLC process. They are: Step Up to Writing, the development of common benchmark assessments in the four core content areas, independent reading across the curriculum, and the continuous analysis of student results.
                          
Please present additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact on students and/or teachers.
The YLMS staff began the PLC process in the summer of 2004 with a cadre of teacher leaders and administration exploring effective means of collaboration.  After reading Whatever it Takes, this leadership team came to the conclusion that building a professional learning community would be the ideal results-based process to increase student achievement through focused collaboration.

We began to implement the steps to transform our school into a professional learning community via the three big ideas of PLCs: ensuring that students learn, building a culture of collaboration, and focusing on results.  We designed a teaming structure to support our staff, wherein each teacher became a member of both a vertical (content area) and horizontal (grade level) team.  Monthly “Buffet Days” provide teachers with the choice to collaborate with same content/grade level colleagues, meet across disciplines, or research within their content areas.  Through this structure, new teachers were supported and experienced teachers were no longer in isolation. Marcy Napoli, a 25-year staff member of YLMS, feels more energized than ever before because of PLCs. “A lot of times, classrooms look like egg cartons: all in a row with a single egg—or teacher—inside, and you never see intermingling. But this allows you to break down the barriers. You really scramble the eggs.”

In addition to having a positive impact on staff, the PLC process has also strengthened the tie between students, parents, and community members.  Students share a common vocabulary, understanding the purpose and format of benchmark assessments, essential learnings, and academic goals.  Parents have shared with staff that our culture of collaboration is readily apparent and our early-release Wednesdays for team meetings support their children. Three-year YLMS parent Claudia Beckman shares that she is impressed with “how well the teachers at YLMS work together” and that she appreciates “what happens on Wednesdays when our kids come home early.”

 

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

1.Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Each team develops and maintains norms and team task timelines to hold themselves accountable to the school.  Vertical teams identify essential learnings, create SMART goals, and write common benchmark assessments to be given quarterly. These monitoring tools are continually reviewed and revised as needed. Every six weeks, horizontal teams identify students who may be at risk in one or more of four categories: reading comprehension/literacy, benchmark skills, work completion and behavior.  Elective, physical education, and special education teachers are an integral part of this discussion, as they often observe students in an environment that differs from the usual classroom setting; this allows the horizontal team to view the “whole child”. Assignments, assessments, and grades are updated online for parent and student review throughout the year via a school website, individual teacher websites, and an online student information database called Aeries.  Communication to the home through emails is ubiquitous and timely.

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

Consistent with the tenants of Response to Intervention (RtI), we have developed our own bisected pyramid, with one side devoted to academic achievement and the other devoted to Positive Behavior Support (PBS). Within the school day, we have two courses specifically designed to assist students academically.  The first course—Comprehensive Accelerated Reading Education (CARE)—is designed for students who struggle with reading comprehension.  The second course—the Language Arts Academy—is designed for students with multiple Fs during the previous school year. A lunchtime intervention is now being designed for students who are having trouble with work completion.  At the same time, several counseling interventions are incorporated into the school day: Grrl Power Club, Middle School Support Group, at-risk one-on-one conferences, and Administrative Student Study Teams.  Furthermore, our After School Assistance Program (ASAP) aids students who need additional help any of the four core content areas.

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.

Shared leadership emerges in many different ways at YLMS. The PLC team leaders create agendas with the input of team members and share minutes from meetings among the staff. Various committees and task forces exist to lead and guide the school in the areas of technology, staff development, Positive Behavior Support (PBS), intervention, and school spirit/culture. Our “Staff Conversation” every six weeks does not follow the format of a stereotypical staff meeting.  Rather, it allows all staff members to provide ongoing PLC training for each other, continuously reflect upon our PLC process, and give input to guide our progression.  PLC team leaders constantly attend trainings to reinforce and support our process, as well as to maximize a quality level of collaboration. Staff members stay current in their field by attending multiple trainings throughout the year. Finally, teachers observe colleagues to view implementation of best practice lessons.

List any awards and recognition garnered by your school
California Educator featured article on PLCs at YLMS, November 2007
The Special Edge article on collaboration at YLMS, summer 2007
Speak Up 100 Schools, Project Tomorrow, 2007
California Services for Technical Assistance and Training (CalSTAT) Award, 2006
Outstanding Activities Program—State of California 2006, 2005, 2004
California Distinguished School, 2005

Multiple Staff Recognitions:

• District Classified Employee of the Year, 2007
• District Administrator of the Year,2007
• Disney Performing Arts Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist, 2007
• Project Tomorrow, Principal, Semi-Finalist, 2007
• California League of Middle Schools Teacher of the Year Region 11 Semi-Finalist, 2006
• Project Tomorrow Teacher Semi-Finalist, 2006
• Orange County, CA.,  Teacher of the Year Finalist, 2004

Grant Awards:
Yorba Linda, CA Rotary Club, 2005, 2006, 2007 (literacy, technology and the arts)
Parent Teacher Student Association, 2005, 2006, 2007 (classroom technology)
IMMEX , 2003 (science and technology)