Red Mill Elementary - A LEARNING-FOCUSED Preferred School
Barbara McSwain
Oct 04, 2010
Michael Zang, Principal of Red Mill Elementary in Etters, PA, attended Learning-Focused Strategies trainings at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit in Central Pennsylvania approximately four years ago. His outstanding leadership abilities and his interaction with the teachers representing his school were evident from the beginning of the initial training. I asked Michael to continue to provide updates concerning his experience with implementing Learning-Focused and the impact that Learning-Focused has had on his school. We have continued to correspond regarding the implementation process since 2005.
Red Mill Elementary is located in the West Shore School District and has a student population of approximately 570 students in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade. There is an average class size of 21.1 students. The curriculum provides opportunities for including both enrichment and accelerated activities. There are seven special education classrooms, four of which are district wide classes for full time learning support and emotional support students. The special education population is around 18 percent of the entire student body.
Many schools/districts are hesitant to get started without having the funds to train everyone. Zang reported, "In the first year of implementation we trained only seven staff members out of 40." These teachers became the "model" for how Learning-Focused would look in the building. Zang and others on his staff attended the Learning-Focused Training of Trainers workshop, National Conferences in Atlanta, and additional Learning-Focused workshops on Vocabulary, Catching Kids Up, School-Based Coaching, Reading to Learn, and Math. Additional teachers were trained in the following years until they reached the goal of all teachers completing the training and full implementation across all subjects in all grades and disciplines at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year.
In the early fall of 2009, Zang reported, "I continue to point out the benefits of using the Learning-Focused framework for teaching and improving student achievement within Red Mill and to other teachers throughout the district. The staff at Red Mill is fully behind this framework. They were extremely pleased to receive the recognition of a Learning-Focused Preferred School. We have the highest PSSA scores of any school in the district! This year 84% of all third, fourth and fifth grade students achieved proficient or advanced on the state test in reading and mathematics. In addition the special education and economically disadvantaged sub-groups achieved Adequate Yearly Progress. The students did equally as well on the two o ther state-wide assessments administered this year. On the fifth grade writing assessment 85% of the students were at the proficient or advanced writing levels while 97% of the fourth grade students achieved these same levels on the science assessment. Finally, our K-2 students did equally as well on our local math, reading, and writing benchmark assessments. I attribute much of our success to the efforts of the teachers in analyzing data, adjusting their teaching strategies and remaining true to the Learning-Focused model. Our leadership team continues to excel. "
Red Mill examined the adopted reading series for gaps and now has a coordinated writing program. They are using research-based writing skills to fill in the writing gaps in their reading/language arts series.
A year ago, Zang stated, "An on-going in-service activity is conducting a building walkthrough of the classrooms. We divide the staff into groups of eight to ten individuals, and one of the teachers leads each group. Upon entering a classroom, the teachers discuss the materials displayed throughout the room. This activity provides opportunities for staff to talk about what they are doing in their classroom, and for others to learn what is going on in the various classrooms. In addition, the teachers discuss the children's responses to the materials. The feedback from these walkthroughs has been extremely positive. It is not uncommon to hear a teacher say how easy it would be to replicate an idea or why didn't I think of that idea. This activity is especially helpful in answering the question from teachers about all of the material being distracting to children. The special education te achers are great in responding to this question. Everyone understands the importance of all of the curriculum related materials when they realize how frequently students are using the materials displayed in their daily work," Zang continued.
Zang comments that "the challenge this year is to train new staff members." It is obvious that this is a leader who believes in consistent and pervasive. Red Mill realizes that true success lies in taking one small step after another in the right direction. That is why Red Mill Elementary is a Learning-Focused Preferred School.
