It only takes a few students to keep a school in Program
Improvement. But it will take perseverance and wherewithal by the
entire Jackson Elementary School community to get them out.
It only takes a few students to keep a school in Program Improvement. But it will take perseverance and wherewithal by the entire Jackson Elementary School community to get them out.
The low-income housing west of where Monterey Road meets Dunne Avenue is where many at Jackson refer to when talking about English language learners – the only subgroup in last year’s Adequate Yearly Progress report that did not meet the standard. Thus, Jackson progressed in Program Improvement to year 4 and will enter year 5 this fall – a distinction that will mean radical changes to the operation of the school and perhaps the staff if progress is not made.
The school plan – the same requirement by all district schools – has been formulated over the last three months by Principal Garry Dudley and was presented at the school board meeting Tuesday along with three other schools that are also in P.I. status. The school site plan is a guide for a separate restructuring plan that the school district is developing now and will enforce as required by law for “major operational restructuring” to a school in P.I. year 5.
“Will it all come out exactly like we want it to? Probably not. We’re going to attempt it. A lot of things are new that we’ve not done before,” Dudley said.
While Jackson’s test scores have increased in the last three years and are nearing the 800-point benchmark, the school is still not on pace with AYP; a true conundrum, Dudley has said.
Jackson has had nine meetings in nine weeks, a mix of public and staff-only, that in some portion focused on writing the school’s plan. In many ways, it is an organic document because staff will “back up or move forward” as they assess student achievement and their own strategies, Dudley said Tuesday.
Instead of actually extending the day, Jackson will virtually extend it with a “more rigorous and focused” homework club, expanded access to Leap Frog labs and “assured transportation support for students” mostly for those who live across Monterey Road.
Jackson teachers will collaborate for a full day per month to plan, analyze data and build curriculum. Students will be grouped based on abilities to target their weaknesses every four to six weeks to “ensure effective intervention application.”
Some elements of the plan have only muddied the waters at Jackson. A third of the teachers say their input was completely ignored. At a May 3 meeting, staff was given the 26-page plan and many said they were not given adequate time to read and review it.
A survey called “Jackson Faculty Survey from Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers” verified that 11 of 26 teachers at Jackson do not believe there was adequate teacher participation in the development of the school plan. On April 28, discussion of the survey was “very limited” due to frequent interruptions.
Several teachers, who wished to remain anonymous because of fear of retribution, said additions were made to the plan without any staff discussion and ideas that teachers suggested were not added.
The survey was e-mailed in late April under the auspices of the teacher’s union since several of the changes to Jackson next year include adding hours to the school day or others were labeled as “voluntary,” which is perceived as a pressured requirement by many.
In a cursory review at how 17 teachers responded to the plan, questions were plentiful and many focused on the “voluntary” literacy nights, curriculum nights and book club meetings during lunch.
Fifteen teachers said they believed the most effective way to raise test scores would be to spend more time on staff development and not a voluntary staff book club. “We should not be asked to work during lunch,” one teacher wrote. Another teacher wrote that they did not want to teach adult education as suggested in the plan.
Due to the seriousness of Jackson’s P.I. status, much controversy has swirled around the leadership at the school, as well as “how did we get here?” – a question that was asked again and again during two crowded town hall meetings earlier this spring.
Some teachers believe in the plan and back Dudley while others don’t.
Some said at the final school site council meeting Wednesday that teachers were excited about the changes and ready to implement the new strategies.
The difference among plans was most clear in conception, while the three other schools conducted surveys to develop ideas for the plan and engaged the community, Jackson’s survey came as a reaction – spurred by serious concerns – an aired the dismay of move then one-third of the staff.
The plan lacks specifics and the left-out teachers are upset that “we were not a part of writing it,” one Jackson teacher said.
Now, several parents say, it’s time to look at how to rewrite the plan that they believe is clearly misguided and needs more input and better support from all involved.
“Some people are feeling invisible here because they are not being heard,” one Jackson teacher said.
