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Academy Flow Chart |
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About AMS Academy |
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Alderwood Middle School has created a learning environment for students with special needs, that has resulted in improved test scores, school participation and parental satisfaction.
When Washington developed a state assessment for measuring student progress on state established learning goals, results from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) indicate a gap in performance for students with disabilities, limited English proficient and students living in poverty. Given Alderwood's student population, it is not surprising that its test scores have historically been lower than other schools in the district.
The staff at Alderwood began working on education reform with the purpose of improving student performance on state and district wide tests, and increasing students' desire to attend and participate in school activities. They changed the class schedule to 80-minute periods for more in-depth instruction in the core curricula areas of mathematics, language arts, science and social studies.
Beginning in the 2001-02 school year, Alderwood Middle School opted to begin using the Keys for Excellence in Your Schools (KEYS), an educational reform process developed by the National Education Association. The KEYS survey measures schools in six KEY areas: 1. Shared Understanding and Commitment to High Goals
Based upon the information derived from this data and other data available in the building, the entire staff developed a set of student goals and action plans for achieving those goals. The process asks staff to continuously measure progress toward goals, and adjust based upon the resulting data.
In January 2002, the special education team recognized that many of their students were failing in the general education portion of their program. Through a process of exploring the issue of students' failing classes, it became obvious that students, other than special education students, were also failing their general education courses. The team expanded to include the principal, counselors, and Learning Assistance Program language arts teacher. The team met with staff from the Washington Education Association and began developing the Academy to meet the general education program needs of students who were failing.
The group first identified the following set of objectives that they wished to achieve: 1. To provide students consistency and high structure 2. To meet the instructional and developmental needs of special education and struggling students 3. To provide multi-age organization for students 4. To provide a more cohesive range of options for students in smaller stair-steps 5. To provide a supportive structure and a collaborative and cooperative culture for teachers and students 6. To provide a more integrated curriculum for students
The team analyzed the barriers to student performance and began designing a system to remove those barriers. The team felt that the Academy had to be able to provide the full general education curricula, but the curricula needed to be delivered at a pace that was more responsive to the students.
The Academy is comprised of four general educators who teach language arts, math, science and social studies who joined forces with the special education teachers. These teachers serve students who were failing general education courses in the broader school community. Because of the population they serve, the teachers worked closely with the special education staff and other specialists to develop the curricula and instructional strategies that were most likely to improve student performance. The special and general education staff worked together during the summer of 2002 to create curriculum maps in the content areas, institute research-based effective instructional practices, accommodations and specially designed instruction. They had passionate conversations and came to agreement on common expectations and disciplinary practices for Academy students.
The students assigned to the Academy included special education students and other students who, for a variety of reasons, were failing in the general education curriculum. At the same time, students who qualified for these programs and were doing well in general education outside of the Academy continued to participate in those classes.
The Academy staff met on a regular basis throughout the school year to discuss student performance and make program adjustments. They continuously collected data on student performance and participation. Pre- and post- tests for reading and math were taken, and data on student desire to attend and participate in school, and parent satisfaction with the school program were collected.
School improvement initiatives were to reduced achievement gaps, to provide a more positive learning environment, and
Academy was created for 15% of our student population who are struggling and special education students, that is students performing at the 30 percentile or lower, and students who qualify for special education services.
Academic and behavioral transformation is visible in students who reach more of their potential, after receiving a greater level of support from teachers. These learners achieve greater success as they become more confident, competent, willing to take risks, and prepared to tackle rigorous tasks such as complex, self-directed, long-term projects. Some discover a love of reading for the first time in their academic careers. Excellent communication strategies are employed to keep parents informed of learning goals, projects and student progress. The Academy program has high standards for all students and staff.
We believe all students will meet high academic and behavioral standards when there is a safe and nurturing learning environment, when instruction meets individual needs, and when family and community partnerships are strong. |
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ACADEMY |
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The Edmonds School District serves more than 20,000 students in the communities of Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway, and portions of unincorporated Snohomish County.
Of the four comprehensive middle schools in the Edmonds School District, Alderwood has the most diverse student population. The AMS student population includes: 36.5% on free and reduced-price meals, 9.6% transitional bilingual, 6.4%special education, and 42.6%non-white ethnicities. (May 2007) |
