3/21/2018 Draft Report and Recommendations of the STEM Middle School Redesign Task Force Submitted March 21, 2018 Introduction The STEM Middle School Task force (will be referred to as “the team”) was formed by Superintendent Zrike to seek input from the broader community (students, families, teachers, staff, and community members) and make recommendations on the design of the new STEM middle school model This new and innovative middle school will be located at Holyoke High South Campus (currently Dean Technical HS Campus) The goal is to ensure that students have access to a robust academic experience, with a particular focus on dynamic, hands-on STEM learning experiences, delivered in a great facility, and staffed by a select group of Holyoke Public School practitioners Background and Work of the Task Force The Task Force was established in December 2017 and first met in January 2018 The member’s responsibilities were to: attend meetings, research STEM schools and programs, visit schools, work with stakeholder groups to gather input from the broader community and make short term and long term recommendations for the design of the new school The team was very committed to the mission and conducted the following actions in preparation for this report The team met twice a month for the past for 2.5 months, visited the STEM Middle Academy in Springfield, interviewed several other STEM school staff members, studied the research on STEM models, identified STEM opportunities in the Holyoke community, reached out to colleagues and the community in person and also prepared and distributed a survey to gather information and feedback The team also visited the new school site (currently Dean Technical HS) to see first-hand the students’ new learning environment Teacher, parent and student focus groups were conducted, and the website housed information and resources to continually inform the public The main questions that were asked of stakeholders fell into two categories “What are your hopes and dreams for the new middle school?” and “What STEM focus areas and 21st century skill sets would engage students and prepare them for success in college and career?” The team also was able to gather questions and comments that provide important information to be considered in the next phase of planning for the new middle school Hopes and Dreams for the New Middle School The task force reached out to hundreds of stakeholders and there was a considerable amount of redundancy in the “Hopes and Dreams” for the new school The repeated feedback was an indication that the community is in agreement on what constitutes a successful 21st century middle school The areas that were identified as essential for this new school were: an experienced and committed leadership team, a rigorous and integrated curriculum, a positive school culture, a safe learning environment and an effective parent/family/community partnership Below are the additional comments the stakeholders used to further define each essential area: ● Experience and Committed Leadership Team The leadership team for the new middle school is a key component to the success of the school The right leader must be committed, have an expertise in middle school curriculum and value student voice The leader must have high expectations for all students and staff The educators must be highly qualified, willing to collaborate, and dedicated to the success of the students ● A Rigorous and Integrated Curriculum The curriculum must be rigorous, culturally relevant and integrate the STEM focus areas Robotics and technology were rated high by both parents and students as an area of interest for more project based learning There should be multiple specials and a music and arts program ● A Positive School Culture The school culture influences every aspect of the school and should be diverse, organized, fun, allow for collaboration, and foster high expectations for all ● A Safe Learning Environment A safe learning environment that is respectful, organized, and has routines and policies concerning behavior will enhance learning ● An Effective Partnership with Parents and Families Parent, family and community engagement is key to a student’s success Effective two-way communication and differentiated outreach strategies are needed to cultivate this partnership STEM Focus Areas and Essential 21st Century Skills The survey asked specifically what 21st century skills parents, teachers and the community wanted to see demonstrated by the middle school students The following skills were ranked highest by the survey ● ● ● ● Critical Thinking: 58% of respondents Problem solving: 58% Responsibility: 56% Creativity: 54% The survey also asked participants to select up to four STEM focus areas that would engage students and be integrated into the school design The following focus areas were ranked highest by the survey: ● ● ● ● Engineering/Design: 73% of respondents Robotics/Computing: 65% Health/ Fitness and Nutrition: 50% Climate Change and Renewable Energy: 43% Comments and Questions from Stakeholders The Holyoke community is very excited by the prospect of a STEM middle school and the opportunities that it can and will provide to students The survey along with the focus groups confirmed that having a STEM middle school housed in a career and technical high school environment was a fantastic opportunity to prepare students for success in college and career The questions and comments that were the most prevalent and not already answered in the attached FAQ report were: What time will the school start and end? What will the specials be? Will students be able to choose the specials? Will the middle school and high school students be integrated or separate? Who will be the new principal? What will the schedule be? Will the school have hands on project based learning? Will there be a strict behavior plan? What courses will be offered? Will there be technology? and Will teachers be able to teach one grade only? The comments were positive acknowledgements that a new middle school pathway was needed and will provide students with the experience necessary to be successful in high school and beyond Identifying Themes for Recommendations After completing the responsibilities outlined above, the STEM Task Force is bringing forward the following short and long term recommendations for the new middle school Short term recommendations are for implementation in the next three to nine months The long term recommendations are for the next one to three years Each of the recommendation are aligned to one or more of the following themes that emerged from the feedback data and comments and concerns; leadership, curriculum, school culture, partnerships (parent/guardian and community) and design (organization, schedule, programs) Short Term Recommendations (next 3-9 months) ● Develop a comprehensive positive behavior plan, train all staff and be prepared to introduce and begin the plan on the first day of school (culture, design, partnerships) ● Provide the parents, teachers and community with a 90-day operational plan that outlines the logistics, scheduling and expectations for the new school (partnerships, design) ● Establish a culture of equity and integrity where perseverance, problem solving, critical thinking and creativity are encouraged and expected (culture, curriculum) ● Provide teachers with time this year to audit the current curriculum and work collaboratively on integrating the STEM focus (culture, design, curriculum) ● Begin to engage parents, students, teachers and the community in the realization of the new school by reaching out to both and inviting them to tour the school (partnerships, leadership, culture) ● Establish a schedule that allows the middle and high school to share resources (design) Long Term Recommendations (1-3 years) ● Develop a three-year professional development plan to train educators on: how to develop and execute integrated units of study; personalize learning to allow for student voice and choice; effectively use technology to engage students and provide real world learning opportunities (curriculum, leadership, culture) ● Work with the academic department to develop one STEM integrated curriculum unit at each grade level that includes elements of design and engineering Provide students with choices on what type of hand-on projects they would like to work on (curriculum, culture) ● Collaborate with the high school to identify areas where students and teachers can work together to strengthen the curriculum (leadership, design) ● Create a bank of hands-on, project based lessons and units that focus on design, robotics, climate and fitness (curriculum, design) ● Identify, schedule and staff a “makerspace” where students go to work on integrated projects (culture, design) ● Engage parents in the learning process by having a comprehensive two-way communication plan where parents are partners in their student’s education (partnerships, culture, design) ● Engage parents in the learning process by having a comprehensive two-way communication plan where parents are partners in their student’s education (partnerships, culture, design) ● Establish a committee to develop projects with the community, provide internships, field trips, and partnerships that would enable students to have more real world STEM skills (partnerships, leadership, design) ● Partner with national STEM organizations such as Project Lead the Way, Mass STEM Hub, World is our classroom, and Girls Inc of Holyoke Several of these organizations offer grant opportunities to schools (culture, partnerships, design, leadership) Conclusion In conclusion, the team worked very hard to be objective and provide an in-depth study of what would make a strong viable STEM middle School for the students of Holyoke Each member’s name is listed below A special thanks to principal Jackie Glasheen for her leadership as cochair of the Task Force and to Erin Linville and Tiffani Curtis for their leadership representing the district’s sincere commitment to having all voices heard The MS Redesign Folder in Google Doc has additional resources that can be accessed by the leadership team to support decisions on curriculum, training and preparing for a world class STEM middle school experience STEM Middle School Task Force Members January - March 2018 Elizabeth Boliver, E N White ELA Teacher Jenny Camacho, 7th grade student Kendra Carney, E N White Science Teacher Kate Fenton, Facilitator Tammy Lawrence, Parent and PTO President Jackie Glasheen, E N White Principal Erin Linville, Chief of Strategy and Turnaround Representative Aaron Vega, Community Leader and future E N White parent Edgardo Camacho, E N White parent Francesca Crescentini, 7th grade student Tiffani Curtis, Executive Director of Schools Ella Lawrence, 7th grade student Al Gates, Dean Director of Culture and Inclusion Raul Gonzalez, E N White Counselor Manny Rodriguez, 7th grade student