MOUNT CLEMENS COMMUNITY
SCHOOL DISTRICT
LEA APPLICATION
Part I
LEA Application Requirements
From the list of eligible schools, an LEA must identify each Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III school the LEA commits to serve and identify the model that the LEA will use in each Tier I and Tier II school. Detailed descriptions of the requirements for each intervention are in Attachment II.
Note: Do not complete information about Tier III at this time.
SCHOOL
NAME / NCES ID # / TIER
I / TIER II / TIER III / INTERVENTION (TIER I AND II ONLY)
turnaround / restart / closure / transformation
Mount Clemens High School / X
Note: An LEA that has nine or more Tier I and Tier II schools may not implement the transformation model in more than 50 percent of those schools.
Mount Clemens High School
Improving Student Achievement and School Climate Through a Transformation Model of Change
Summary of project objectives and expected outcomes: The overall goal of this project is to improve student achievement in the content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies through tightening the alignment between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This would resolve issues with discipline, attendance, social promotion, accountability, and mission. Over the period of the grant, we expect to:
· Increase the pass rate of students in reading and mathematics to meet or exceed the state’s annual objectives by 2013
· Increase pass rate of students in science and social studies to meet or exceed the state’s accreditation process earning scores of “A” on the report card’s achievement section
· Tighten the alignment between curriculum, instruction, and assessment by updating the curriculum to reflect current assessment practices and incorporate the national common core standards. Once the curriculum is updated, incorporate research based strategies to teach the curriculum in a highly competent manner. Develop comprehensive formative and summative assessments to support data analysis on how well students are receiving the curriculum and instruction at the classroom level.
· Decrease disciplinary issues from 216 suspensions a year by 15% the first year; 30% the second year; and 50% the third year.
· Decrease the incidents of absences from current levels (12% annually) to fewer than 8%
· Increase teacher and student accountability for attendance, behavior, and academic performance through established protocol and procedures
· Increase staff and student awareness of vision and goals to the degree necessary to promote success across all aspects of student achievement
· Increase graduation rate to meet or exceed state objectives
· Decrease dropout rate to meet or exceed state objectives
· Increase highly effective leaders via new evaluation tool
· Increase highly effective teachers via new evaluation tool.
B. DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION: An LEA must include the following information in its application for a School Improvement Grant. LEA’s are encouraged to refer to their Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) and District Improvement Plan (DIP) to complete the following:Provide a narrative description following each of the numbered items below for each school the LEA plans to serve with School Improvement Grant funds.
1. For each Tier I and Tier II school that the LEA commits to serve, the LEA must:
o Describe the process the LEA has used to analyze the needs of each school and how the intervention was selected for each school. (Detailed descriptions of the requirements for each intervention are in Attachment II.) The LEA must analyze the needs of each Tier I, II or III school using complete and consistent data. (Attachment III provides a possible model for that analysis.) (Note: Do not complete analysis for Tier III at this time.)
o Describe how the LEA has the capacity to use school improvement funds to provide adequate resources and related support to each Tier I and Tier II school identified in the LEA’s application in order to implement, fully and effectively, the required activities of the school intervention model it has selected. (Data and process analysis to assist the LEA with this application may be found in the Sample Application (Attachment III) for each school and in the District Improvement Plan (Attachment IV). In the Rubric for Local Capacity, (Attachment V) local challenges are indicated by the categories “getting started” or “partially implemented.”
2. If the LEA is not applying to serve each Tier I school, explain why it lacks capacity to serve each Tier I school.
If an LEA claims lack of sufficient capacity to serve each Tier I school, the LEA must submit written notification along with the School Improvement Grant application, that it cannot serve all Tier I schools. The notification must be signed by the District Superintendent or Public School Academy Administrator and the President of the local school board. Notifications must include both signatures to be considered.
The notification must include the following:
ü A completed online Michigan District Comprehensive Needs Assessment indicating that the district was able to attain only a “Getting Started” or “Partially Implemented” rating (link below) in at least 15 of the 19 areas with a description of efforts to improve.
ü (http://www.advanced.org/mde/school_improvement_tasks/docs/edyes_report_template.doc
ü Evidence that the district lacks personnel with the skills and knowledge to work with struggling schools. This includes a description of education levels and experience of all leadership positions as well as a listing of teachers who are teaching out of certification levels
ü A completed rubric (Attachment V) scored by the Process Mentor team detailing specific areas of lack of capacity
3. For each Tier I and II school in this application, the LEA must describe actions
taken, or those that will be taken, to—
§ Design and implement interventions consistent with the final requirements
§ Select external providers from the state’s list of preferred providers;
§ Align other resources with the interventions;
§ Modify its practices or policies, if necessary, to enable its schools to implement the interventions fully and effectively (Attachment VI is a rubric for possible policy and practice changes); and
§ Sustain the reforms after the funding period ends.
4. Include a timeline delineating the steps to be taken to implement the selected intervention in each Tier I and Tier II school identified in the LEA’s application. (Attachment VII provides a sample rubric for principal selection if the LEA chooses an intervention that requires replacement of the principal.)
5. Describe the annual goals for student achievement on the State’s assessments in both reading/language arts and mathematics that it has established in order to monitor Tier I and Tier II schools that receive school improvement funds.
6. For each Tier III school the LEA commits to serve, identify the services the school will receive or the activities the school will implement. (No response needed at this time.)
7. Describe the goals established (subject to approval by the SEA) in order to hold accountable its Tier III schools that receive school improvement funds. (No response needed at this time.)
8. As appropriate, the LEA must consult with relevant stakeholders (students, teachers, parents, community leaders, business leaders, etc.) regarding the LEA’s application and implementation of school improvement models in its Tier I and Tier II schools.
o Describe how this process was conducted within the LEA.
DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION
Item 1
LEA Process Used to Analyze the Needs of Each School and how the Intervention Was Selected
Mount Clemens Community School District has a history of transformation beginning with the 2007-2008 school year. At the conclusion of the 2006-2007 school year, the Superintendent and key central office personnel including the Chief Academic Officer and the Finance Director had moved to the Lansing School District. Therefore, Mount Clemens Community School District had begun a new chapter with a new Superintendent, Finance Director, and a Curriculum/Instructional Services Director.
In addition to new leadership, a new initiative to open an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program and High School Career Academies was inherited. The Mount Clemens Community School District in consortium with Utica Community Schools and the Armada School District received funds to create programs in all three districts to give students a choice of programs within Macomb County. Throughout our work here, the priority of the district is to increase student achievement and to increase enrollment.
The new administration began the work of school reform in its own way by inviting parents, community members, partnering schools, and staff to Open Houses to explain the new programs. Mount Clemens Community School District is a school of choice district to Macomb and Wayne areas. We have attracted approximately 100 Detroit students every year to join under our Section 105c, school of choice program.
The five year plan spanning the 2007-2008 through 2011-2012 school years has included the following.
1. Creation of a Small Learning Community for Freshmen. We have scheduled all ninth graders in a small learning community to increase attention to the unique needs of students when they enter high school. Students, in their cohort groups, attend the same teacher classes. Teachers work as a team to compare progress of all students within the Small Learning Community (SLC). [Opened in 2008-2009]
CURRENTLY: We have been able to continue the small learning communities by appropriating Bond money to renovate the first floor of the High School. This renovation will open in the Fall 2010 as our Small Learning Community- Freshman Academy.
SIG FUNDS: SIG funds will enable us to keep the 9th graders in a cohort group, hire a freshman teacher leader to build capacity to work with staff and motivate students to acquire the credits needed in the most difficult year of the high school experience. We will also offer Double Dose Math and ELA classes to allow extended learning time for all students.
2. Creation of an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program for all students in the Middle Years (IB GRADES 7-10).
CURRENTLY: In May of 2010, we applied to the International Baccalaureate Headquarters to become an official IB School. All of our staff has undergone rigorous training to present to students a complete International Baccalaureate program emphasizing the following.
TITLE IIA FUNDS: We will continue to offer professional development for staff in the International Baccalaureate approach to learning.
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program
Grades 7 – 10
Eligibility: The MYP is open to all students enrolled at Mount Clemens Junior High School. Description: The International Baccalaureate Program is a coherent and comprehensive curriculum, which provides a framework of academic challenge and life skills. With an emphasis on holistic learning, intercultural awareness, and the development of communication skills, students acquire the knowledge to prepare them to effectively address twenty-first century global issues.
The Middle Years Program provides a thorough study of English, mathematics, history, science, a foreign language, the arts, health and social education, and technology.
3. Creation of a Creative Arts and Communication Academy. We began researching the design of a Creative Arts and Communication Academy utilizing our Cable Station housed in the Mount Clemens High School for an impetus to attract students. We opened the Creative Arts and Communication Academy during the 2009-2010 school year. The Creative Arts & Communication Academy allows students to be actively engaged in the use of current technology and experts in the media field. Career possibilities include broadcast journalism (e.g., camera operator, floor director, audio technician), editor, graphic designer, video production, webmaster, marketing, and digital imaging.
CURRENTLY: We have several students who have joined the Academy for Communication and Creative Arts. They have attended various classes including media studies to prepare for careers in the field.
SIG FUNDS: SIG funds will allow us to give students the basics with extended time for credit recovery while attending their career academy classes to prepare for career opportunities now available in Michigan. All students will be eligible for the intervention in credit recovery to increase student achievement.
4. Creation of a Medical Bioscience Academy. During the 2009-2010 we researched the curriculum and the design of a Medical Bio-Science Academy for students interested in the medical field. Students should have a strong interest in science and math as this program will help prepare students for careers in the health professions. We also established a partnership with Michigan State University’s Osteopathic Medical School housed here in Macomb County. This academy will open in the 2010-2011 school year.
CURRENTLY: We will have our first class to join this medical academy. We want to encourage students to take advantage of the new classes offered here in Mount Clemens and also the chance to partner with a medical student from Michigan State University.
SIG FUNDS: These funds will allow us to ensure that all 9th and 10th graders will be prepared for advanced science classes when they apply for the Medical/Biosciences Academy as 11th and 12th graders. We will be able to pretest each student in reading and mathematics and place students in the most appropriate classes for success. All students are eligible for credit recovery and entrance into the Medical Bioscience Academy.
5. Establish a College Room. College preparation is an integral part of this program for our high school students. Some of our students will be first generation college attendees. Creating a “college room” was one of our priorities in our transformation.
ACADEMIC ALLIANCE FOR EXCELLENCE GRANT: We will continue our emphasis of college and career readiness with our Academic Alliance for Excellence Grant funds.
Overview of
Mount Clemens Community School District
High School Choices
Phase One – 2008-2009, Grade 9
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme*
Freshman Learning Community
*Grades 7-8 have started Middle Years International Baccalaureate program of studies in 2007-2008
Phase Two – 2009-2010, Grade 10
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme
Guest Speakers and Partners Introduce Academy Careers
Grade 10 Choose Career Pathway
Career Academies
Offered in Grades 11 and 12
So what does this look like for students? Our ninth graders take intensive career exploration classes and college-preparatory academics with a global emphasis.