VISTA VERDE MIDDLE SCHOOL

A+ Ongoing Application

A+ School Summary

A+ Mission Statement

A+ Ongoing Application

A.  School Organization and Culture

            As educators, it is incumbent upon us to ask what is it that we want students to feel when they first step foot onto our campus, and what can we do structurally, organizationally and culturally to ensure that our students feel safe, valued and acknowledged. Vista Verde subscribes to a middle school model that recognizes that the adolescent years provide unique challenges as well as opportunities and that a successful middle school addresses the academic, social and affective needs of children.  The foundation of this belief is to create an environment and school culture where the student feels valued, safe and supported.  In order to support this philosophy, our students and teachers are organized in teams so that English, social studies and science teachers share students, prep periods and lunch periods.  These academic teachers serve as advocates for children and help guide appropriate student development.  This cohort of students, parents and faculty helps create a more intimate environment.  Team teachers meet regularly to discuss team successes, curriculum integration and concerns.  Team leaders meet once a month with administration to problem-solve and celebrate.  Individual teams celebrate student accomplishments on a quarterly basis with parties that acknowledge student progress in the areas of academics, citizenship and attendance.

            Vista Verde’s motto since its inception has been “Pride, Spirit, and Respect,” values that we seek to instill in our students through multiple activities.  “Pride” means pride in self, school and community.  “Respect” means that individuals need to respect their own learning and the learning of others.  “Spirit” helps students see themselves as Vista Verde citizens and valued participants in our community.  Many school-wide practices advance these goals.  Three years ago teachers and students collaborated and created a school fight song.  Every Friday is “Spirit Day,” and students and staff sport the color purple.  We have a wonderful middle school sports program.  Each quarter boys and girls participate in a sport for four weeks.  Girls can do softball, track, volleyball and basketball.  Boys can participate in basketball, track, passing-league football, and wrestling.  No one is cut from these activities.  At the end of four weeks of practice, students from all District middle schools participate in a Festival.  From these Festival teams, all-star teams are chosen and play games against other middle schools.  At Vista Verde all-star competitors must demonstrate character and commitment as well as academic success.  An added bonus is that Vista Verde teachers coach sports teams so that students get to know the teachers in an area outside the academic arena.  Each semester the faculty plays against the 8th grade students in an end-of-season competition – boys’ basketball in the fall and girls’ basketball in the spring.

            Over the years, Vista Verde has had some wonderful success in the sports arena.  Vista Verde has been Girls’ All-Star track champion in 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2009-2010.  The Girls’ Volleyball All-Star team claimed the title in 2008-2009.  The boys have been equally successful, with All-Star wins in football in 2008-2009, Junior Varsity Wrestling in 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, as well as Boys’ Varsity All-Star Champion in 2007-2008.

            While sports are a perfect venue to encourage adolescent involvement, we offer other opportunities for students to explore their unique interests.  We have Yearbook, Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, and a City of Phoenix Police Wake-up Club sponsored by our School Resource Officer.  We sponsor five dances a year, which are chaperoned by administration, staff and parents.  Money raised from dances supports student activities.  In addition, the principal sponsors a quarterly book club.  Students are given a novel to read, and they meet to enjoy discussions with others who appreciate books.                                                     

            We offer school-wide academic and behavioral rewards that promote student success.  We recognize a “Student-of-the-Day,” as selected by teachers in an alphabetical rotation.  This Student-of-the-Day is announced on the daily announcements.  His or her parent is called.  The student receives a “front-of the-line” lunch pass, a Mimi’s Restaurant free lunch certificate and a prize chosen from our treasure chest. Each teacher has three opportunities to select a “Student-of-the-Day” during the course of the year, and teachers themselves decide on the criteria for selection.  This practice helps bridge the gap between those students who “always” win and those who sometimes fade into the background. 

            Research is clear that a school-wide safety and discipline system supports adolescent decision-making.  At Vista Verde the ABC plan, developed by Vista Verde staff, is implemented throughout the school.  Its one clear directive is that “students must respect the learning and safety of others.”  From its inception, staff ensured that the plan included positive behavior rewards as well as consequences.  Students who have no referrals are invited to quarterly reward parties, which have included, movies, special assemblies, ice-cream parties, an afternoon D.J. and a water park trip for 8th graders.  Student Council members are invited to participate in suggesting meaningful student rewards.  Another positive behavior reward is individual tickets, which any staff member can offer students for behavior or academic success.  Teachers draw tickets weekly for small rewards.

            Recognizing that community and parent involvement is a fundamental component of school success, Vista Verde hosts activities that reach out beyond our campus to the community at large.  Our PTSA sponsors monthly Family Nights at local restaurants.  These fun evenings help raise needed money for the school, provide opportunities for parents, students and staff to interact and expand the walls of our school beyond our campus. In order to foster school and community involvement, over the past two years we have held an October carnival that has rapidly entrenched itself as a tradition.  Many staff members man booths such as the Dunk Tank, the face-painting booth, the climbing wall, the obstacle course, etc.  The assistant principal plays ping-pong against any and all comers, with the winners promised that the A.P. will run a Friday run for that student during P.E. class. 

            To celebrate the many successful academic programs we have on our campus, we host additional activities to highlight accomplishments.  We participate in our District’s annual spelling bee, art fair and poetry contests.   This year we live-streamed the school Spelling Bee so that working parents and extended family could watch proudly as their children competed.  The District publishes an annual poetry anthology, and we’ve had a number of aspiring writers included. All of our students have access to a web-based reading/math/science support program called “Study Island.”  Students who complete the program are rewarded with an Olive Garden lunch, a highlight of the spring.  Since the program is available at multiple levels, teachers can nominate students who have met individual and class goals, whatever those are. 

            Special student trips are often remembered for years to come.  Our band and our chorus go to Disneyland each May to perform and to participate in workshops that enhance their skills.  A favorite 7th grade trip is our Oceanography trip to San Diego.  Students must demonstrate proficient grades and good behavior in order to go.  While in San Diego, they are treated to a boat ride trolling for sea creatures with a marine biologist, an excursion to Scripps-Birch Aquarium and a trip to Seaport Village. For many students this is their first trip as young adults without their parents.  The trip is an exceptional opportunity not only for learning and academic enrichment but also for individual character development.  Eighth grade AVID and IB MYP students have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. through Close Up in May.

            While after-school activities promote collaboration, responsibility and character, we also must seize opportunities to engage students in direct dialogues about good and appropriate behavior.  Our social studies teachers begin each year with a unit about the qualities of citizenship.  Students discuss individual character traits and tie these discussions to the specifics of personal, school and civic responsibility.  They create posters that hang in our library and plays that they perform in class.  Teachers use this unit as a springboard to further discussion throughout the year.  A unique opportunity provided to Vista Verde is programming by notMYkid.  This incredible organization, which now has received national recognition, offers programs that assist students to make good decisions.  Students attend engaging programs on substance abuse, internet safety and bullying, eating disorders and date rape, all targeted to 12 to 14 year-olds to help them negotiate their lives in and out of school.  The most amazing part of the presentations is the speakers, who have faced incredible behavioral choices and won the battles.  NotMYkid also supports the education of students with faculty and parent presentations and provides schools with free drug kits to give to parents so that students have an “out” when confronted by peer pressure to try drugs.  “I can’t because my parent drug tests me,” is a good way to avoid negative behaviors. 

            While it would be ideal if all of the programs we offer kept every student on a straight path, that sadly is not the case; therefore, we have a number of people and structures in place to offer assistance and support for students in need.  As referenced above, Vista Verde has a school-wide discipline plan that promotes individual behavioral responsibility and rewards good choices.  When students do not make good choices, they face an increasing hierarchy of consequences both in the classroom and with the school administration.  Recognizing that children facing severe environmental challenges may need additional support, we have counselors, a school psychologist and a social worker to deal with these needs. In addition, these staff members, the administrative resource team includes the principal, the assistant principal, the School Resource Officer and the school nurse.  Bi-weekly meetings focus on supporting at-risk students and their families.

            Modern life unfortunately has given schools the task of addressing and remediating the challenge of bullies.  Students are in-serviced yearly by counselors in a classroom setting so that students understand the definitions and consequences of bullying/harassment.  Saying that, however, bullying is still present and must be addressed by all staff members. There are “Bullying Boxes” in classrooms so that students can report incidents anonymously.  Students also can talk to any staff member and feel that the issue will be addressed.  Mediations often take place between students to defuse difficult situations.  Student bullies can face an escalating series of consequences including parent involvement and removal from the school setting.

            Recognizing that some students may need additional gentle guidance, staff can volunteer to mentor students by “checking in” on a regular basis with those students to see how the student is faring. Teachers, parents, or the administrative team recommend students for this opportunity.  Both the principal and assistant principal are included as mentors.  Occasionally a student is placed as an office aide so that the office staff can monitor and encourage appropriate behavior.

            Vista Verde is very fortunate to have a School Resource Officer on campus.  We are in the second year of a three-year grant cycle.  The SRO offers 180 hours of law-related education in classrooms on topics such as bullying, the Constitution and substance abuse.  She often interfaces with students at lunch and attends school events.   As a result students have come to see her as an important, and not threatening resource.  She works closely with the administrative team on threat assessments, CPS issues, custody problems and other legal issues, and is considered a vital part of our school community. 

            Another unfortunate reality Vista Verde and other schools can face is gang participation and activity.  The administration of Vista Verde tackles this issue head-on.  Students who wear gang clothing, show gang signs or acknowledge gang participation can be placed on a GIMIC list by the School Resource Officer.  Students identified as gang members or associates are prevented from wearing identifying colors.  Parents are involved in the dialogue immediately.  The administration makes it clear to gang wannabees or members that while they will be treated with respect as individuals and students at Vista Verde, gang behaviors will not be tolerated on campus.  As a result of this proactive stance, we have seen a marked decrease in disruptive gang behavior and an increase in the community perception that Vista Verde is a safe campus.  Other school-wide prevention programs include Red Ribbon Week and an anti-smoking curriculum. 

B.  Student Focus and Support

            The magic of Vista Verde and a point of pride is its diversity – cultural and academic.  We are a Title I school; therefore we receive additional funding to address the academic needs of our at-risk students, and we use that money wisely.  Our school is heterogeneous with significant populations of gifted students, Title I students, special education students and students in the middle. Our continuing goal has been to craft programs that support the needs of these diverse learners.

            Our special education population comprises approximately 14% of our total school population.  This includes both resource and self-contained students.  In PVUSD every middle school has one or more magnet self-contained programs.  Vista Verde has two such programs – a self-contained learning disabilities program (SCLD) and a uniquely gifted or twice-exceptional program (UG).  The SCLD students take their Language Arts, math and study skills classes with a teacher specifically trained to assist students challenged with learning to read, write and master math concepts.  Even these students, however, take their science and elective classes with mainstream students.  Our UG students have an area of identified giftedness as well as an area of identified disability.  Their schedules are individually crafted to match their needs.  Some students are merely monitored by the UG teacher.  Others take several classes under her watchful eye.  For all these students, the UG classroom represents a safe-haven where they can receive emotional and academic assistance when needed.  The students in the general resource program take classes based on identified areas of disability with a study skills class serving as an extra period of assistance.  We offer resource math, reading and English programs.  Special education teachers serve as student advocates, call parent meetings, adjust IEP’s and serve as point-people for regular education teachers servicing their students.

            We currently have and have had students in wheelchairs, who, if needed, are assigned one-on-one para-educators.  Several years ago our school purchased desks that can adjust to wheelchairs.  Students in wheel chairs can take P.E.  Our District has an Adaptive P.E. teacher who works with staff to design an appropriate curriculum.  Our District also provides physical and occupational therapists to assist students with developmental needs, including additional equipment if indicated.  We have a part-time speech teacher on staff, and hearing and vision teachers, who work with students in need of those services. 

            In 2005-2006 Vista Verde began a partnership with North Canyon High School to provide an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, the first program in Phoenix.  We began with 49 students and currently have over 200!  These students come from 25 elementary schools, five or six school districts, and private schools.  Our Middle Years Program is a strand for academically motivated students.  Though we currently have Candidate status, we are hopeful that we will be recognized as an IB MYP World School very shortly.  “The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.  To this end the organization works with schools, governments and intercultural organizations to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.  These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”  Our MYP students take their academic classes (Honors English, advanced math, advanced science, advanced social studies, and Spanish) with other MYP students; however, they take their electives with other Vista Verde students—a great blend.  MYP students are required to do community service in both 7th and 8th grades, and they end their 10th grade program with a Personal Project of their own choosing.

            In 2005-2006 Vista Verde also began a successful AVID program.  AVID stands for “Advancement Via Individual Determination.”  “AVID targets students in the academic middle – B and C students – who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard.  These are students who are capable of completing a rigorous curriculum but are falling short of their potential.  Typically, they will be the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families.  AVID puts these students on the college track – acceleration instead of remediation.”  The students are enrolled in honors and advanced classes, and they are supported with an AVID elective that teaches them organizational and study skills, critical thinking and motivation.  In the elective class, specially trained adult tutors assist students to understand the curricula.  We have an AVID section in both 7th and 8th grades.  One of the AVID pedagogical tools, Cornell Notes, has been adopted school-wide.

            As a Title I school, we offer extra support to at-risk students in many ways.  During the school day, Title I classes must supplement, not supplant, the regular education program.  We have Title I classes in 7th and 8th grade math and reading.  Students who need extra support are enrolled in these classes.  Often the Title I student has educational gaps, and the Title I teachers seek to identify and fill these gaps so that students can succeed in the regular academic program.  We use a number of research-based software programs to support Title I students, such as “I Can Learn,” “Nutshell Math,” Fastt Math,” “Study Island” and “ReadAbout” These programs support the creative efforts of teachers to make key concepts come alive for at-risk students. 

            In addition, we have a computer-based program lab called “Fast ForWord,” which we use as an reading intervention program.  “The Fast ForWord Program is based on more than 30 years of foundational brain research into how people learn.  This research established the fact that boosting the brain’s processing efficiency accelerates quality learning.”  The Fast ForWord programs use patented technologies to match the ability and progress of each learner.  This ability to adapt to the student means they are always challenged but not frustrated.  “Students who use Fast ForWord products often make an average 1-2 years gain in reading skills in as little as 8-12 weeks.”

            Our English Language Learner program offers students who have not met proficiency as measured by the state AZELLA test, a four-hour block of discrete English skills including reading, writing, listening and speaking.  We currently have 47 students in our ELL program.  Because we recognize that students who do pass the AZELLA and are labeled “Proficient,” may need extra Language Arts support, we offer small “Transitional English” classes for support. 

            So what about the student who doesn’t fit into the above categories?  Since we are a large middle school, we offer a number of courses, including Honors English, advanced math, and regular education classes.  A student schedule is tailored to that student’s strengths and needs, so a student who is bright in math can take pre-algebra in 7th grade or Algebra 1-2 in 8th grade and take regular English.  As mentioned earlier, organization into teams for Language Arts, social studies and science, helps create a small school environment focusing on student needs. Teachers are strongly encouraged to modify and scaffold assignments for individual students with differentiated needs.

            What about electives?  Believing in a middle school model to help our adolescents find and develop their personal interests, our 7th graders take 9-week electives in chorus, art, computers, and technology.  They also take one semester of P.E.  In addition, students can select an additional elective class, e.g. band, orchestra, video productions, guitar, or Center Stage (theater and music combined).  A student who enjoys P.E. may opt for an additional semester.  Our 8th graders take their electives in semester blocks.  They are required to take P.E., a computer class, and an arts class, but they also have other elective choices.  Our 8th grade electives include advanced technology, advanced art, Show Choir, video productions, student aiding, Center Stage, band, orchestra, and guitar. We are committed to the idea that no matter what academic strengths students possess and no matter what academic classes they take, elective classes should be available to all students.

            Our over-arching goal is to assist all students to be the best that they can be.  We offer a number of after school academic support programs.  As a Title I school, we are eligible for SES tutoring.  Vendors approved by the state offer students reading and math assistance tied to state academic standards.  This tutoring is free and would cost parents over $1000.  We have worked hard to get as many students enrolled in this program as possible.  We currently have about 125 Vista Verde students receiving this service.  In addition, we have an after school math assistance program called AAA club.  Three days a week, students may get math homework help from Vista Verde math teachers.  Currently about 50 or more students are seeking additional math help.  One of our Language Arts teachers is planning a AAA reading club during the second semester of the 2009-2010 school year.

            For middle schools to be developmentally responsive, they must address the non-academic needs of students as well as the academic needs.  We have a full-time school psychologist, a full-time social worker, a full time counselor, a part-time counselor, a full-time School Resource Officer, and a full-time nurse. The principal and assistant principal complete our administrative team.  Bi-weekly meetings addressing individual students in need of additional assistance, help target services in an efficient manner.  As cited in Section A, a citizenship unit, a school-wide discipline plan and a partnership with notMYkid, help deliver additional behavioral services to students.  We participate in Red Ribbon Week and a tobacco prevention program.   We offer a free dental clinic for identified students, and this year we sponsored flu shot clinics.

            Since student safety is a primary responsibility, the administration is very attuned to the needs of students.  Our staff works actively to enhance student safety on many fronts.  For instance, our school does not have a very good drop-off and pick-up route.  Proactive phone calls as well as student announcements, encourage parents to park along the sidewalks and have  students cross at cross walks.  We have met with the City of Phoenix to look at our safety plan; however, the location of our school does not lend itself to additional city parking options.  We share crossing guards at key intersections with a nearby elementary school.  We have a closed campus once the day begins.  There are gates at both large entrances to the campus.  Parents must check-in at the office. We have several duty aides assigned to our campus whose job responsibility is student security.  These aides are well acquainted with the students and are highly effective at stopping trouble before it starts.  We practice fire drills monthly and lockdowns every semester.  Every school has a comprehensive Emergency Response Plan. In addition, the principal and assistant principal oversee lunch, the time when many students are out on campus at once. 

            Besides after school academic activities, we have a number of wonderful clubs and sports activities, which we have detailed in Section A.  These include boys” and girls’ Festival sports, Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, intramural sports and Yearbook.  Our arts classes perform regularly, including band and strings concerts and Center Stage musical theater performances.  Our Encore Show Choir performs at events around the Valley and has performed at Governing Board meetings.  In addition, the Show Choir and the Jazz Band perform at Disneyland annually. 

C.  Professional Learning Communities

            Professional development is extremely important to any school, but especially to a school in improvement.  As a Title I school we are required by the state to develop a School Improvement Plan that includes professional development.  In fact, we have a 10% set-aside from our Title I budget, which must be used to support professional development.  Vista Verde’s plan was developed with a School Leadership Team, which originally included every department chair as well as parents, counselors and administrators.  In addition, the Superintendent expects principals to be instructional leaders, who help steer the school to focused and articulated professional practice. Since professional development is both a school-wide and an individual journey, there are multiple opportunities for both at Vista Verde and in PVUSD.

            Professional development must be responsive to the needs of the staff and community.  Vista Verde has done two comprehensive school-wide surveys that assess the strengths and needs of the school, one of those specifically targeting professional development.  As part of the Title I requirements, schools must implement a state-driven “Comprehensive Needs Assessment” every two years.  All members of the Vista Verde community, including classified and certified personnel, as well as parents have participated.  Analysis of the results helped the Leadership Team identify areas of concern as related to professional development. Vista Verde has also taken the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) survey the last two years.  This on-line survey focuses on the effectiveness of school professional development as perceived by all certified staff.  Results for both surveys have been published to staff and discussed by the School Leadership Team. 

            Over the past five years our school-wide professional development plans have been comprehensive and focused on student achievement.  In 2005-2006 Vista Verde trained all faculty in Thinking Maps, a graphic organizer system that accesses prior knowledge and assists students to organize their thinking in logical sequences and structures.  In 2006-2007 the focus of school-wide professional development was differentiated instruction and assessment.  This was complemented by a two-day workshop on differentiation that involved national speakers.  In 2007-2008 Vista Verde focused on Cornell note-taking as requested by staff involved in the

AVID program.  In 2008-2009 the District initiated a District-wide technology focus that included training in cutting edge software programs available to all teachers.  Every certified staff member received a new laptop and was required to create a QuickTime video with a content-related theme.  In order to enhance this professional development, Vista Verde used the remainder of its professional development allocation to allow departments time to share and reflect on the efficacy of the various available technologies, including  a data warehouse with longitudinal achievement data that can assist teachers in differentiating instruction.  It is important to note that each of these initiatives is ongoing, and new teachers are afforded the opportunity to train in each of these areas.

            This school year, in order to support high student engagement, Kagan Cooperative Learning was selected as an all-school, year-round professional development focus, supported by Title I funds.  In August 2009, two days were arranged before school started to begin Kagan training, and materials were purchased for every teacher.  Having the staff come together around cooperative learning training before they had to deal with specific lesson plans and specific students, was energizing and productive.  Our Kagan trainer will stay with us throughout this year and next so that we can implement the program faithfully.  Our trainer comes to Vista Verde for 3 of our 6 half-day professional development set-aside days.  In addition, she has been available at faculty meetings to answer questions about implementation.  Finally, we have scheduled two “coaching days” so that she can actually go into classes to watch teachers deliver Kagan structures and mentor as needed.  Prior to the first day of school, all Language Arts and math teachers received two years of AIMS data for each of their students so that they could begin to group their students in cooperative learning teams.  We are excited about the positive impact of the Kagan structures on student learning, and we have decided to use “Quiz-Quiz-Trade” to embed key AIMS concepts in academic classes during the month before the AIMS test. Our classroom para-educators have been included in some of the Kagan training so that they are able to assist students in cooperative learning activities.

            In order to become an IB World School, all teachers delivering the program must be trained extensively.  Beginning in 2005 with the assistance of a grant from the Foundation for Public Education Supporting Paradise Valley Schools, as well as District M&O and Title II-A money, we have trained 17 faculty members in MYP pedagogy.  For the AVID program, an initial cadre of 13 faculty members trained at a week-long conference in San Diego.  Since then, approximately 50% of Vista Verde staff members have been trained in AVID pedagogy either through the week-long seminar or through content-related PATH trainings.

            Through Title I funding Vista Verde has supported science and social studies PLC’s focused on improving reading skills in the content areas as well as differentiated instruction and assessment.  Each of these PLC’s met for one half day and focused on one common unit to create instructional strategies to support learners with differing reading abilities.  They created common formative assessments and re-teaching strategies to ensure that all students mastered the standards being taught.  This work is being continued in individual monthly department meetings.

            A significant and on-going PLC was developed in math as this is an area of high need for Vista Verde.  This PLC began in 2008-2009 and continues into 2009-2010.  Eight full days have been allocated through Title I to allow teachers adequate time to participate in this important undertaking.  The PLC examined all the standards in order to develop a viable curriculum map

that made sense for our diverse student population.  Common formative assessments are being created; and most importantly, discussion has focused on the best strategies and practices to ensure that all students can access the math curriculum successfully.  The District was so impressed with the curriculum template created by our math staff that it is using this as a springboard to a District math curriculum map.  Title I also supported a math PLC surrounding the book Mathematics Education at Highly Effective Schools That Serve the Poor:  Strategies for Change.  Math teachers met weekly before school to reflect and share the content of the book.

            All schools, and Vista Verde is no exception, have teachers that are at different points in their professional journey, so the need for personal professional education differs and must be addressed.  PVUSD has a very effective Professional Development department that sponsors hundreds of courses, which teachers can take free of charge.  In addition, PVUSD has a vital mentor program for new teachers.  All first and second year teachers are assigned a mentor, who has full-release time to supervise.  Novice teachers meet regularly in groups to discuss significant issues related to the classroom.  Mentors observe the actual classroom skills of the new teachers during on-site visits.  This program is supportive, not evaluative.  Administration has a proactive open door policy regarding professional development. Teachers are alerted to regular ongoing opportunities through e-mail and are free to request support.   Some of the professional development opportunities teachers have requested involve AIMS testing strategies, ELL strategies, dealing with Asperger Syndrome students, discipline in the classroom and content-related conferences.

            In addition, the PVUSD Teacher Evaluation System (TES), includes documents relating to self-directed professional development.  The Fall Conference, which must take place within the first six weeks of school, asks certified staff to address a personal professional development goal.  This goal can be one, two or three years.  Teachers must include a format, a timeline, strategies, and indicators of progress.  Should teachers need additional resources or support, they can list these on the Fall Conference document.  Novice teachers are formally evaluated twice a year, and professional development progress is discussed at that time.  Proficient teachers self-assess their professional goals for two years and are formally evaluated in the third year.  In addition, supervisors conduct on-going “walk-throughs” throughout the academic year.  Feedback is provided on TES forms; however, any significant concerns are discussed in person.

            PVUSD offers an extensive catalog of professional development opportunities for all employees – approximately 600 a year!  Respected PVUSD employees, including our own art teacher instruct many of these classes.  State and national experts teach other course offerings..  Courses can by taken in such areas as English Language Learner instruction, fine arts, foreign language, health, gifted instruction, mathematics, differentiated instruction, physical education, special education, and technology to name a few.  Most of the courses are free, and employees readily avail themselves of the opportunity to increase their workplace knowledge.

            Celebrations of professional achievement are done via a weekly newsletter called “News and Views” as well as during faculty meetings.  These include National Board Certification, post-graduate degrees, Governing Board recognition, and parent praise.  Before the start of the 2009-2010 school year, we had a celebration of our AIMS results and our improved School Label.  The Superintendent, the Assistant Superintendent and the Governing Board President were invited to participate and to speak with the faculty regarding these major accomplishments.

D.  Active Teaching and Learning

            As a Title I school, the strategies we incorporate for school improvement must be research-based; therefore, we have invested a great deal of energy in securing programs which fit this criterion.  There are many research-based instructional programs that can be successful if there is commitment and consistency in delivering them; therefore, at Vista Verde individual departments provide input on those research-based programs that best fit their needs.  The software programs we have secured supplement direct instruction and guided practice.  Since 2004-2005, and quite frankly well before then, the Vista Verde staff has been more than happy to infuse school-wide practices into different curriculum areas.  It is natural to see P.E. teachers and other elective teachers using Cornell Notes, modeling Thinking Maps or using Cooperative Learning structures.  There is a widespread feeling and understanding that all of us are committed to and responsible for academic achievement.  We are one team dedicated to student success.  Individual teachers and departments adapt school-wide practices to their content areas.

            Vista Verde is committed to maintaining a middle school model, even in these tough economic times where teacher/student contact numbers have increased.  Language Arts, science and social studies teachers are organized into teams, which share the same students, prep period and lunch.  Teams meet at least once a week to discuss curriculum as well as individual student concerns.  Team teachers share content and support each other in delivering initiatives.  For example, when the social studies teachers teach the “Citizenship Unit,” the Language Arts teachers might emphasize the same character traits in poetry, novels or short stories.  An 8th grade unit on The Diary of Anne Frank might be supported by World War II discussions in social studies.  Graphing units in science can be extended to English and social studies.  Teams themselves determine where they best might integrate curricula and practices.

            In 2004-2005 Vista Verde made a decision to implement a two-period Language Arts block because of the high proportion of the AIMS test dedicated to reading and writing.  The additional time allows for flexibility and the integration of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, as well as a deep understanding of content and context.  As part of the program, all teachers use select portions of the Developing Meta-cognitive Skills (DMS) program.  Meta-cognitive strategies have been identified as some of the most beneficial in reading.  The three levels of DMS explicitly teach and assess skills in a laddered, sequential manner in order to ensure that students attain and refine the skills necessary for independent comprehension of books and complex texts.  Vocabulary development and writing practice is embedded throughout this program.  Additional vocabulary development is provided through implementation of Word Detective:  Discovering the History of the English Language, which focuses on explicit instruction of linguistic roots and affixes.  Language Arts teachers also use the web-based Study Island program in reading and writing.  This program is aligned to AIMS.  All Vista Verde students participate in the Accelerated Reader program, and our Media Center specialist works hard at securing high interest books for students at all reading levels.  In addition, during department meetings, grade-level curriculum discussions occur regularly.  In fact, the English department has mapped out required units by quarter. The norm is high-level sharing of curricular and instructional practices.

            As mentioned in Section C, the math department has been involved in a detailed PLC since 2008-2009, the intent of which is to curriculum map, develop common assessments, and share instructional strategies that ensure student success.  The math department uses Study Island and Nutshell Math regularly.  Study Island works well for assessing skills aligned with AIMS.

Nutshell Math includes brief QuickTime videos on specific math skills that students can review, if need be.  In our Title I math support program, our teachers also use Fastt Math to assist students in mastering math facts.  One of our Title math teachers is piloting I Can Learn, a computer-based program recognized as an effective intervention by the U.S. Department of Education’s “What Works Clearinghouse.” All math teachers integrate manipulatives such as blocks and dice into their classroom instruction.  Research suggests that manipulatives are particularly useful in helping students move from the concrete to the abstract level and are highly correlated to increased student achievement. The identification of and appropriate use of manipulatives is an important component of the ongoing math department PLC. 

            Our special education reading teachers and our Title I reading teacher use ReadAbout. Students begin with a pre-test that determines their reading level.  They are presented with non-fiction passages geared to their skill level, with comprehension questions and regular benchmark assessments built into the program.  In addition, our special education teachers use the Rewards program to build fluency and advanced decoding skills through multi-sensory strategies, and Write from the Beginning, a developmental writing program.  Our Self-Contained Learning Disabilities teacher uses the Wilson Reading Program to build decoding and spelling proficiency.

            As detailed earlier in this application, we have school-wide initiatives that are ingrained in every content area.  All students are trained using Thinking Maps. These eight graphic maps help students visually organize information before writing.  Teachers commonly find students developing a Thinking Map as a pre-writing tool before addressing the AIMS writing prompt.  We use Cornell Notes as a school-wide practice.  Students learn to take notes, review the notes to find key concepts, and develop a summary paragraph for the note-taking topic.  This practice, used widely in the AVID program, helps develop critical thinking skills.  This year our attention to Kagan Cooperative Learning has helped hold all students accountable for classroom activity, disallowed students from hiding and changed the classroom activity on a regular basis consistent with brain-based learning.

            Instruction can only be successful if the classroom environment is conducive to learning.  Vista Verde subscribes to a school-wide student management plan called “the ABC Plan.”  Students receive training on this plan early in the year and as needed in individual classrooms. As new students enroll, they also receive instruction on the plan.  The one rule of the ABC plan is that “students must respect the learning and safety of others.”  Students who interrupt the learning day may face an in-class time-out, removal to another teacher, or in-school suspension.  If behavior is escalated to the in-school suspension level, a parent must meet with the teacher and the child, and sign off on a behavior plan that addresses the infraction.  More serious behavioral issues warrant the attention of the administration.  If students have a disability that impacts their classroom conduct, then clearly the legal protocol of IDEA and 504 must be followed.  The teachers are included in the discussion of how to respond to or hopefully change poor student behavior.  For egregious violations, our district has an alternative school setting for both special education and non-special education students.  Our school psychologist is regularly involved in discussions on student management. The ABC plan also has a built-in token economy structure.

            Teachers recognize that authentic learning is the best kind of learning and seek opportunities for students to apply their learning to real world situations.    Our 7th grade MYP students completed a poverty unit, in which they studied world poverty.  A key technology resource was www.one.org.  “ONE” is a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization b

acked by more than 2 million people who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.” Some of our students will be receiving international pen pals through the Phoenix Sister Cities Program.  This week some of our students are being treated to a presentation by the Lost Boys of Sudan.  Last year in light of the historic Presidential election, students participated in an election simulation.  They were required to register to vote, vote in a polling booth location, sign a voting registry, interact with student pollsters asking their opinions, and tally ballots.  In addition, last year one of our Algebra 1-2 teachers chose a project in which students had to write and illustrate a book in Spanish on a math concept.  The students then shared these books with a local elementary school. Our fine arts teachers recognize that subjects that teach performance skills need to do just that – perform.  As mentioned earlier, arts students have many opportunities to give concerts.  There’s no substitute for having a real audience. 

            In addition, community service opportunities at Vista Verde allow students to work independently and collaboratively on a number of meaningful, real-world projects. Our MYP students are required to do community service throughout the school year.  This year 8th grade students identified a community need and developed a solution.  Some of the projects the students have selected include: funding a water well in Africa, putting together care packages for the homeless, collecting books for needy students, beautification of the Vista Verde Middle School campus and collecting money to support animal shelters. Our students also have become very involved with “Read Across America.” Our National Junior Honor Society students also are required to perform community service.  Every year they manage an all-school food drive, with the proceeds going to St. Mary’s Food Bank.  We have a Wake-Up Club, run by our SRO and supported by City of Phoenix police.  Their community service has included neighborhood clean-up, letters to soldiers and raising money for Stride for the Cure.

            PVUSD is recognized as a national leader in technology.  Every teacher has a new MacBook, and every teacher has a multi-media cart, which contains a projector, DVD player, and a document camera. Vista Verde has five computer labs.  One lab is dedicated to our FastForWord reading intervention program.  Students take computer instruction or Video Productions in another lab.  In our 21st century technology lab, students learn computer-aided drafting, robotics, flight simulation, etc.  Two of the labs are available for all-school classroom use.  Students can use the computers for research, word processing, reports, presentations, and publications.  Classroom instruction using Study Island or Nutshell Math can also occur in the labs.  In addition, special education, English Language Learner, and Title I teachers have their own mobile carts.  All math and English classrooms have several desktops so that instruction can be differentiated.  We have an array of camcorders and digital cameras for integrated projects. 

            While many students arrive at Vista Verde as digital natives, others have limited skills.  Every 7th grader takes a 9-week computer unit and a 9-week technology unit.  Our 8th graders may take advanced technology.  Our MYP students are required to take 50 hours of technology per year.  In addition to the normal 7th grade courses, our 8th grade MYP students are enrolled in the nationally recognized GenYes program, which creates student technology leaders.  GenYes students learn an array of 21st century applications and then support teacher technology use in the classroom. Our after school Festival Sports Program Director and two GenYes students designed a Keynote program to help students sign up for sports in a “green” manner.

            In the District vision for 21st century learning, the Media Center is the hub of school-wide technology use.  The library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.  Students have unlimited access before and after school, and during lunch.  Any teacher can schedule the Media Center for student use on a first-come first-served basis.  In addition, all English and math classes schedule computer time  biweekly. We have recently purchased 28 additional iMacs and 10 MacBooks for the Media Center so that teachers may have flexibility.  Some students can work on desktops while others can do Internet research or plan presentations as they practice their 21st century skills.  The Media Center also is a large repository for fiction and non-fiction books, reference books, magazines and biographies.

            The Media Specialist job function is to train teachers in the use of technology and to assist them to integrate technology with curricula.   This includes student management software for grades and attendance, as well as cutting-edge technologies.  Vista Verde students have access to Google docs, which allows students to work on word documents, PowerPoints or spreadsheets from any computer and share their work with others.  The Media Specialist often facilitates small technology trainings for teachers and is available for one-on-one training.

            Every school in PVUSD has a school Website, which offers information on school policies, calendars, individual programs, PTSA events, extra-curricular activities, special events and more.  In addition, every staff member at VVMS has an individual webpage that parents and students can access.  Certified staff use their individual web pages to communicate classroom procedures, classroom policies, homework, upcoming assessments and curriculum.  Parents can also e-mail teachers directly from the website.  The Vista Verde website URL is: ttp://cmweb.pvschools.net/VVMSweb.

E.  Challenging Curriculum Standards

            Vista Verde Middle School students have an eight-period day that includes seven classes and lunch.  All students take a two-period Language Arts block, social studies, science, math and two elective classes.  Students are placed in advanced classes based on teacher recommendation and prior academic history.  Students identified as “gifted” must have access to advanced classes by law.  Placement in special education classes follows IDEA protocol.  Our school psychologist is integral in making these determinations.  Our ELL Testing Clerk assesses every student whose primary language is not English within the first few days of school and as new students enroll.          The results of this screening determine the level of ELL placement.  Student placement in Title I classes is detailed in Section H.  While we hope all of our efforts lead to student success, our District promotion policy does allow for retention.  Students can be retained if they fail two academic subjects for three quarters. Teachers meet in teams in April to determine whether or not retention is in the best interest of identified students.  Parents receive early notification and may request a district hearing. The high schools begin freshman registration in January and often offer programs at our school to ease transitions.

             Grade-level social studies teachers are required to plan lessons aligned to state standards.  Seventh grade emphasizes American history from the Civil War to the Great Depression and the impact of Industrialism and Imperialism on world events.  Eighth grade emphasizes historical foundations and democratic principles of government, as well as WWII to modern times.  At department planning meetings, teachers discuss what is to be taught at each grade level to avoid duplication. Students are offered a variety of performance tasks to showcase their strengths and demonstrate content mastery.  For example, while students read the same textual information, they might demonstrate their content understanding by writing poetry, drawing cartoons, conducting interviews, creating lyrics, drawing illustrations, writing summaries, or creating “what if” scenarios.  This variety of activities uses critical thinking skills and multiple intelligences.  All students are expected to complete assignments and redo those that do not demonstrate proficiency.  Students are taught different techniques to master content.  Kagan cooperative learning structures, such as “Fan and Pick” or “Quiz-Quiz-Trade” keep every student engaged and help cement key concepts.  Cornell Notes help organize information and are often available for review and test use.  Students are often asked to evaluate their own performance on projects using rubrics that are handed out and discussed before tasks are begun.

            The Vista Verde science curriculum also is standards-based and helps students develop skills and content knowledge necessary to become scientifically literate participants in a global society.  The curriculum challenges all students and also meets the high expectations of the MYP program.  The inquiry process; using the scientific procedures of questioning, planning and conducting experiments; using appropriate tools and techniques and then analyzing the data help students develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.  The middle school program includes both physical and life sciences.  Seventh graders study ecology, the earth, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the solar system, to name a few topics.  Eighth graders study physics, chemistry, adaptations, heredity and cell division.  Teaching incorporates multiple strategies such as labs, inquiry experiments, interactive notebooks, demonstrations, discussions and projects.  Students are arranged in cooperative learning teams so that participation is equal and fair.  Assessments are both summative and formative.  Science rubrics are often used to evaluate student lab work, scientific writings and major assignments.

            The focus of the mathematics program is to improve student skills in the areas of speaking, reading and writing various mathematical concepts and processes in preparation for the next math level.  Seventh grade students take either regular math or pre-algebra.  Eighth grade students take pre-algebra, algebra or geometry, if they are very advanced.  The speaking component includes communicating strategies and mathematical awareness.  Students conduct Socratic seminars to facilitate their use and understanding of terminology, concepts and problem solving.  The reading focus includes investigations of mathematical biographies, poems, magazines and articles.  Students learn to connect math to other subject areas, as well as other cultures.  The writing portion can include mathematical journals, creative writing, informative writing and Cornell note-taking.  Seventh graders study:  number sense and operations, data analysis, probability, discrete math, geometry, measurement, the language of algebra, real numbers, linear equations and graphing, to name a few.  Eighth graders build on these skills and delve into polynomial and nonlinear functions, as well as radical and rational functions.  Continuous assessment occurs to identify strengths and weaknesses.  Assessment tasks and activities include:  projects, exhibitions, oral presentations, performances, discussions, end-of-unit tests, self-evaluation and peer-evaluation.

            Because of staffing limitations, currently only our IB Middle Years Program students take Spanish.  Over the course of their middle school experience, MYP students take three semesters of Spanish language instruction.  The Spanish curriculum adopted by the district is the Avencemos series.  Seventh graders are provided scaffolded instruction and comprehensive input by using concepts that they already know in English, as well as activities to facilitate their understanding and use of the concepts in Spanish. Students also create a calendar, weather map, passport and menu to reinforce key vocabulary.  They learn number and letter pronunciation.  Eighth graders follow the scope and sequence outlined in the Avencemos series. The full middle school world language curriculum provides opportunities for students to identify similarities and differences in the languages and cultures, and use nonlinguistic representations and cooperative learning.  There are also many opportunities for practice and reinforcement.  Multiple forms of assessment are used, such as rubrics and/or language criteria to measure progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing.  Ultimately, by the end of three semesters of Spanish, students should be able to communicate information orally and in writing on a variety of topics and use a basic range of vocabulary and grammar. 

            Vista Verde is committed to the importance of the arts.  Our staff includes a full-time visual arts teacher, a choir teacher, a part-time band teacher and a part-time orchestra teacher.  Fostering the arts is a way to give our youngsters a healthy outlet for their creative minds and a greater sensitivity to the world around them.  Our 7th graders are introduced to both art and choir through a 9-week strand.  The classes are basic introductions to each course.  In 7th grade art, students are introduced to the building blocks of visual arts:  design, color theory, perspective and figure drawing, to name a few.  In the 8th grade advanced art class, students study a wider variety of art topics and explore these in greater depth.  Students review the foundations of visual arts and learn observational drawing, typography, graphic design, fashion design, portraiture and alternative art.  Students develop a portfolio, and select works are showcased at school and District shows.  The 7th grade choir program introduces students to the basic elements of music, such as rhythm, tempo, timbre, form, dynamics and tempo.  The students explore and come to understand how these elements are used in music literature.  The culmination is a performance of choral literature learned, demonstrating the application of these elements.  Another option is “Center Stage,” which explores music as used in musical theater.  Students continue to develop their musical skills and begin to develop theater skills.  A musical theater production occurs at the end of the semester.  Our show choir is called “Encore Choir.”  In this advanced class, students hone their musical skills and knowledge and have multiple opportunities to perform.

                        Our physical education program is dynamic and is respected as one of the most diverse middle school programs in the state.  Opportunities provided for each student include the teaching of structured team and individual sports, and lifetime activities and fitness.  Basic skills, rules, strategies and sportsmanship are emphasized.  Teachers conference with individual students struggling with skills, strategies or peers.  Many opportunities to enhance sensory integration by the use of movement education are provided.  Students work towards earning the Presidential Physical Fitness Award during the fall and spring semesters.  The program is divided into three-week units, including physical fitness, basketball, weights, track, volleyball, softball and wrestling to name a few.  The physical education department supports both school-wide strategies and content areas, including Thinking Maps, Cornell Notes and math.  Using the book Fitness for Life, teachers incorporate state standards into the curriculum.  Students with disabilities and limited English skills can all be successful in the P.E.   program.

            Vista Verde students take a two-period Language Arts block in both 7th and 8th grades.  The only exceptions are 7th grade MYP students, who take three semesters of Language Arts and one semester of Spanish; and 8th grade MYP students who take one period of Language Arts and one period of Spanish 1-2.  The block allows for extended time to develop reading, writing, speaking, listening and critical thinking skills.

            The 7th grade Language Arts block covers the reading process, exposure to and examination of both literature and informational texts.  This includes fiction, nonfiction and biographies, as well as myths, legends and folk tales.  Further, the course provides opportunities to review, enhance and apply writing skills.  In addition, this course begins to build an appreciation of global cultures through literature.  Reading objectives include:  vocabulary; effective reading strategies, analysis of both fictional and instructional texts, identifying author purpose; and comparing and contrasting.  Writing activities include: summaries, expository essays, reports, personal narratives, formal communications and literary responses.  In addition, students analyze visual media; plan, develop and produce visual presentations; and compare, contrast and establish criteria to evaluate media.  To develop their listening and speaking skills, students:  prepare and deliver a speech; prepare and deliver an oral report in a content area; prepare and respond to an interview; and predict, clarify and analyze information and point of view.

            The 8th grade Language Arts block builds and refines the 7th grade skills.  Through study of short stories; utopian and anti-utopian literature; Shakespeare; and the study of poetry, plays and novels, students develop analytical skills; enhanced speaking, reading and writing skills; and improved vocabulary.  In the 8th grade, teachers select both works from different cultures and works by men and women.  The focus of the writing component of the course includes: instruction and practice in personal writing; responses to literature; creative writing such as myth and poetry; research; persuasive writing; and descriptive writing.  Vocabulary study involves understanding Greek and Latin stems.  Writing focuses on longer assignments than those given in 7th grade, as well as multi-sensory grammar.

            While the two paragraphs above describe the general scope and sequence, they fail to do justice to the creative and complex ways Language Arts teachers integrate skills for meaningful student understanding.  This year 7th grade MYP students used their own cultural heritage as a springboard for research, analysis and presentation skills.  Students selected a historical figure from their own nationality to investigate.  During one segment of their study, the students were required to either dress up as their historical figure or bring a prop representing that person.  Out on the Vista Verde lawn, students introduced themselves in character.  In fact, several of the 7th graders spoke in a world language and translated for their peers.  Since a couple of the historical figures were infamous rather than famous, the class examined contributions to mankind and what makes those contributions good or bad.  The discussions took place not only in class but also through a private class blog monitored by the teacher.  Eighth grade Honors students have presented scenes from the Shakespearean plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest.  Studying blocking, costuming, voice and acting skills, these students have treated the entire school, as well as parents and extended family, to wonderfully alive creations of Shakespeare.  These endeavors and others enrich curriculum study.

            Vista Verde is fortunate also to have a Technology Center for the 21st Century, an intense program design giving students a wide variety of technology interaction learning experiences. Students work cooperatively in a group of two for a five-day lab.  At the end of a lab, students rotate to a new lab and receive a new lab partner.  Working with different partners gives them a workplace experience to build leadership, receive constructive criticism, compromise, negotiate and build trust.  Labs are designed to inspire and motivate students to think outside the box by using higher level thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. 

            Lab modules include:  3-D rendering, aeronautics, city simulation, computer-aided drafting, desktop publishing, electronics, graphic illustration, lasers, mechanical systems, magnetic levitation, movie animation, multimedia, music composition, physics, pneumatics, robotics, stress testing, video productions, web animation and web design.  Depending on the grade-level and program, students complete different lab units.  All labs integrate reading, writing, critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.  Students are required to write about what they have learned from each lab experience in terms of social, political and environmental impacts, as well as future developments and applications that they predict will use the same concepts and skills they have just experienced.   Complete sentences, correct grammar and correct spelling are vital to assessment.  For each lab, students complete one lab-specific math problem.  Students read for understanding and must follow specific instructions to complete their projects.  Art, music and sports science are often incorporated into lab projects.

            The technology curriculum is flexible enough to accommodate individual interests, learning styles and individual needs.  Students are assessed on the amount of learning that takes place with each lab experience.  Gifted, special education, disadvantaged students, and English Language Learners can all perform successfully with a curriculum that is designed with modifications since each learning module and program contains both basic graphic outlines and advanced, detailed instructions.

            The implementation of the MYP created new opportunities for technology enrichment.  All MYP students must create a multimedia presentation at the end of each lab.  Students must describe the process of the lab and how it works, describe what they have learned, describe problems encountered and how they were solved, describe both how the lab impacts society and its social significance, describe how the technology affects the environment, describe how the specific lab technology can be used to solve problems in society, and describe how the technology is used in other cultures.  Eighth grade MYP GenYes students team up with teachers to create lessons and projects teachers can use in the future.  These projects help build student leaders and enable students to use extended technology skills outside the classroom.   

F.  Leadership and Educational Vitality

            In 2005-2006 Vista Verde did not make AYP and was required to create and submit a School Improvement Plan (SIP).  The principal convened a School Leadership Team consisting of all content department chairs, a counselor, both administrators, the Title I administrator, and parents.  We met off-site on multiple occasions.  Our entire staff and several parents completed the Arizona Comprehensive Needs Assessment Survey, which the Leadership Team analyzed and discussed in detail.  We took a long, hard, honest look at our AIMS disaggregated data in order to understand the realities of the achievement gaps at Vista Verde. We collaboratively developed school-wide reading and math goals, implementation programs and strategies.  The teacher leaders presented the SIP to the staff and received feedback during department meetings.  Discussion of the plan was ongoing, and the next AIMS cycles initiated a revision and refocusing of school-wide attention.  An interesting and positive by-product of these endeavors is that the focus on reform evolved from “by necessity” to “by choice."

            In 2009-2010 with the arrival of a new Superintendent, the District created a new long-range plan model called COMPASS 2015.  COMPASS stands for “Centered on Measures Positioning All Students For Success.”  There are three major goals outlined in the COMPASS plan—an instructional goal, a human resources goal, and an operations goal.  The instructional goal is “to improve instruction and learning to maximize student success, minimize student failure, and prepare students as successful citizens in a rapidly evolving world.”  The objectives are:  “to implement a balanced assessment system, to embed 21st century skills as appropriate within the curriculum, and to implement best practices from a wide range of research-based instructional strategies that productively engage all learners and provide multiple pathways for learning.”  There is an Instructional Oversight Committee that includes teachers, principals, parents, classified employees and district directors; however, there will be flexibility at each school site to develop a plan that makes sense for that school.  At Vista Verde there will be dialogue with School Council, the Leadership Team, teams, and departments that meshes the Title I Arizona School Improvement Plan with COMPASS 2015. 

            The leadership role of the principal is multi-faceted, especially in school reform.  The principal is “the one who seeks to define, strengthen, and articulate those enduring values, beliefs, and cultural strands that give the school its identity” (Sergiovanni, 1984).  A principal must work hard to create an inclusive environment that ensures viability and long-term sustainability.  Vista Verde leadership allows for multiple perspectives, teacher leadership, and collaboration.  Team leaders meet monthly with the principal to problem-solve.  Department chairs facilitate curriculum discussion for content area teachers.  The current School Leadership Team is meets monthly to discuss the SIP.  The Faculty Advisory Committee meets with the administration to sort out teacher concerns.  The School Council, which includes two parents, a community member, a classified employee, two teachers and the principal meets monthly to address school-wide issues and school improvement.  The principal uses all of this feedback to create a unified and cohesive school.

            In PVUSD, as in most school districts, the principal is seen as instructional leader, mentor and coach.  One of the benefits of being an administrator is the ability to walk into classrooms and watch outstanding teaching and learning that can then be shared with other teachers.  Principals themselves need to be lifelong learners, taking their own on-going professional development, networking with others and reading current educational articles and books.  A principal must have solid grounding in 21st century pedagogy in order to recognize, model and coach teachers.  The Vista Verde principal and assistant principal substitute in the classroom as teachers are required to do when subs are unavailable because of a belief that being in a classroom environment with active students keeps them connected to the daily challenges  teachers face.  At Vista Verde the principal writes a weekly newsletter called News and Views.  Her column often summarizes and synthesizes current research and issues.  The principal gives teachers relevant articles, which can impact instruction.

            Fall Conferences and walk-throughs are a perfect time for the principals to observe teaching and learning.  This year the principal and assistant principal had a prescribed dialogue with each individual teacher surrounding key school issues.  Teachers were given the questions in advance.  The questions were open-ended; however, they addressed how teachers used and planned to use data to drive instruction; how teachers planned to differentiate instruction; how teachers planned to use Cornell note-taking, Kagan cooperative learning, and Thinking Maps in instruction; how content area teachers other than English teachers can assist students in learning

effective reading strategies; and what kinds of formative assessments teachers used and planned to use.  It is worth noting that every teacher’s fall conference and evaluation conference ends with an administrator asking the question, “What do you need from me to help you do your job better.”  Following walk-throughs, teachers are given either a check-off or narrative form highlighting strengths and asking questions about instructional practice.

            As mentioned earlier in this application, PVUSD is a national leader in technology.  During the 2008-2009 school year, the District embarked on an ambitious technology professional development training.  Professional development half-days during the fall were dedicated to this training.  Principals were trained first and served as facilitators for what was deemed “Big Cats” training.  Teachers received new laptops, had an in-service on the District data warehouse and ultimately learned to create a QuickTime video, using Keynote.  Every administrator also created a video.  The principal created hers on “Why Technology is Important for 21st Century Learning,” and the assistant principal created a humorous one on “Gum—A Campus Blight.”  Ongoing technology training occurs individually, in small groups and in staff meetings.

            Currently the Student Information System used in PVUSD is SASI; however, the District will be moving to Infinite Campus in February 2010.  Whereas currently teachers take attendance and report grades in a district-developed on-line system, beginning in February these functions will be taken over by Infinite Campus.  The District has provided opportunities for a “trainer of trainers model,” so each school will have to arrange for Infinite Campus training on its site.  PVUSD uses First Class Connect Me for e-mail.  This program has many functions, one of which is “Conferences” for information sharing.  Vista Verde, as do all PVUSD schools, has its own closed conference for school business.  Within the Vista Verde Conference, which is monitored by the principal, it is common to see shared personal tidbits as well as teaching and learning practices. Teachers who serve on district committees or participate in different programs also have access to specific conferences, e.g. there is a conference for AVID teachers, one for MYP teachers, and one for the new Curriculum Mapping Committee, etc.

            As detailed in Section D, Vista Verde has an active website that parents and community can access, and each staff member has a website that parents with Internet service can visit routinely.  This website is a great communication tool, and parents can e-mail staff members directly from the website.  The district currently uses a district-developed attendance/gradebook system called pOGB.  Parents and students receive passwords so that they can view grade status regularly.  Again Infinite Campus will replace this older system..  Currently parents have to log in multiple times if they have children at different schools; however, Infinite Campus allows them to log in once to view and monitor the progress of all their children at the same time.

            The District has a wonderful Assessment Director, who assists principals in accessing, analyzing and archiving data to make school analysis easier.  Every middle school has its own archived folder.   Again, PVUSD has an on-line data warehouse called pDAT that houses longitudinal AIMS data, grade data, and math benchmark data.  Principals have unlimited access to the warehouse so that retrieval of information for PVUSD students who move schools is easier.  pDAT also has some query options so that principals can access all the data records for gifted students, resource students, ELL students or Hispanic students, for example.  This assists in making important decisions for disaggregated segments of the school population easier.

            All students and staff in PVUSD have access to an intranet system called pvLearners,

Students are given a pvLearner account, which allows them to e-mail peers and teachers.  Students can also create Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.  pvLearners allows students to collaborate on, access, and edit shared projects.  These collaborative projects can be accessed from any computer. 

G.  School, Family, and Community Partnerships

            Research has consistently shown a strong correlation between parent involvement and a child’s subsequent success in school.  In fact teacher surveys at Vista Verde have identified parent and community involvement as one of the greatest areas of concern for our faculty.  This year we were fortunate to be able to hire a bi-lingual parent liaison, who has quickly earned the trust and respect of our Hispanic parents.  Recently she created a discussion group, which met twice weekly and focused on parenting skills and citizenship.  Next month she will oversee Sed de Saber, a twelve-week long middle school family literacy program, which empowers Hispanic parents to become active participants in their child’s education at home and at school.  Both students and parents will participate.  The desired outcomes of this program are improvement of parenting and communication skills, as well as providing language skills for both parents and students.

            Another job function of our parent liaison is to co-chair our site based family involvement committee.  PVUSD has developed a partnership with the National Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) through Johns Hopkins University.  NNPS has identified six types of family involvement as focus points for schools to attend to in order to engage families and communities more successfully.  In the face of this challenge, and as a member of the NNPS model, we have created an Action Team for Partnership (ATP) committee comprised of administrators, teachers, community members, parents, a parent liaison and social service professionals, dedicated to strengthening and promoting this critical parent-school-community partnership.  This group will meet monthly to create, communicate and implement a three year plan focused on involving parents and the community in improving students’ math and reading skills, improving behavioral factors such as attendance and discipline, and creating a welcoming climate of partnership. 

            As mentioned earlier, Vista Verde offers supplemental after school tutoring.  Parents were invited to attend two provider fairs in order to select a tutor that matched the needs and personality of their child.  Our parent liaison, as well as school and district Title I staff, assisted parents in understanding the process since parents have to make the ultimate decision as to which tutoring service they want. Fifteen percent of our parents took advantage of this program.

            Each year all parents receive a “Parent Information and Volunteer Form.”   Parents can become regular volunteers in classrooms, assist the nurse with screenings, speak about careers or hobbies in AVID classrooms, or serve on one of our standing committees.  The three committees that require parental involvement are the School Council, the Leadership Team and the Parent Action Team committee.  All of these committees are required by federal and state statute and take a proactive role in significant collaborative decision making for our school.  Both the School Council and the ATP not only require participation by current Vista Verde parents but also by community members who do not have children at the school.  We have been fortunate to find parents with long standing ties to our school who are willing to serve in this capacity.  All stakeholders have an equal say in the goals, missions and programs of Vista Verde.

            Parents are also valued partners of our AVID and MYP programs.  Parents attend a presentation when their children are in sixth grade so they can decide if either program is appropriate for their children.  Parents must participate in the application processes and are kept apprised of their child’s progress throughout the year.  AVID parents are invited to several programs during the school year in which AVID students showcase their skills.   The MYP application includes a family statement so that parents can tell the selection committee what makes their child unique. 

            Because we have a diverse student population and value the input of all parents, we are very sensitive to the communication needs of both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking parents.  Our parent liaison regularly assists with our Hispanic population by offering classes, translating during individual and group meetings, and serving as a knowledgeable resource for parents who feel most comfortable interfacing with someone in their own language.   We always have interpreters available at parent-teacher conferences but can request interpreters for school-wide events.  Our district provides a Community Messaging system via phone.  The principal regularly crafts parent messages to inform the school community about important upcoming events, including conferences, PTSA events, AIMS information, etc.  The community phone message is delivered in English or Spanish, depending on the home language of the family.  Twenty percent of Vista Verde families get the Spanish message.  Important school documents are disseminated in both English and Spanish.  Another critical communication tool for parent involvement is “Language Line.”  This invaluable service, purchased for schools by PVUSD, allows for phone contact in over 170 languages.  Teachers and administrators are most likely to use Language Line to contact parents for both positive and negative academic or behavior issues. 

            A significant partnership for Vista Verde Middle School is our connection to notMYkid, an organization whose vision is to empower “youth, families and communities with the skills and information necessary to make positive life choices.”  Beginning four years ago, described earlier in Section A, notMYkid began offering student presentations on critical behavioral issues.   To complement the student presentations and inform parents about these difficult issues, NotMYkid gives two parent presentations per year.  The parent presentation on substance abuse is so effective that parents who attend usually comment that every parent should hear the information.  The third prong of the notMYkid program is a yearly faculty presentation so that staff is aware of current substance abuse issues.

            Our school district does offer opportunities for community organizations to use school facilities.  Vista Verde hosts many different youth sports organizations, both evenings and weekends.  Soccer, volleyball and basketball practices and games are regular sights on the campus.  Other outside organizations can always request the use of our facilities through the PVUSD Community Education department.  A critical community service that Vista Verde and other public schools provide is a venue for elections.  Our campus also has hosted the GREAT program and summer Wake-Up Club, sponsored by the Phoenix police.  GREAT stands for “Gang Resistance Education and Training Program.”  Its goal is “to prevent youth crime, violence, and gang involvement while developing a positive relationship among law enforcement, families, and young people to create safer communities.”  Wake-Up is “a unique youth prevention program developed in City of Phoenix schools for seventh and eighth grade students. Participation by youth requires, and then perpetuates, a commitment of service to the community, avoidance of violence, and positive achievement.”

H.  Indicators of Success

            At Vista Verde, assessment is a key element of our school-wide mission to empower our teachers with the tools necessary to close our achievement gap, the goal of NCLB.  Multiple measures of student progress provide teachers with the information necessary to make informed instructional decisions.  Multiple types of assessments reflect the diversity of learning styles and learners.  By synthesizing assessment data and classroom instruction, teachers can help ensure that more students are successful in meeting the standards.  Our vision includes the requirement that all students, regardless of their achievement level, be given the opportunity to succeed through data-driven instruction, i.e. teaching, assessing, and re-teaching as necessary.  Vista Verde is now in its seventh year as a Title I school, and our faculty is strongly committed to providing an even playing field to help close the gap between our economically disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.

            Prior to the beginning of each school year, every Language Arts, math, special education, ELL, and Title I teacher is provided with two years of AIMS data for their students.  In addition, to providing important summative data to teachers, this information also allows teachers to set up effective Kagan cooperative learning groups in a timely manner and to identify students who are in need of remedial or differentiated instruction.  This year, teachers received Pareto charts for their subject area as well their own students from the previous testing cycle.  Pareto charts highlight where the most test errors lie.  Departments were asked to look at these results to see if some shifting of instruction needed to take place.  A wonderful tool available to PVUSD teachers is a data warehouse or repository.  Within pDAT (the warehouse), teachers can find longitudinal assessment data and grades for their individual rosters of students.  Also housed in pDAT is District math benchmark assessments called “SAMS.” 

            Norm referenced assessment data is provided through the administration of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading and Math tests in the fall and spring of each academic year.  As with the AIMS data, the SDRT and SDMT scores are used to inform instruction and assist in grouping and identifying students who are in need of additional help. Students’ AIMS and Stanford Diagnostic scores are used to determine eligibility for inclusion in our supplementary Title I classes, as well as to identify students for supplemental assistance within the special education program.  Students who have not passed AIMS for two consecutive years are considered for Title I assistance.

            As mentioned above, PVUSD has a benchmark math assessment that is administered three times a year and which is tied to the Arizona State Academic Standards.  The District is in the process of developing a District-wide curriculum map for math, and these SAMS tests will be aligned directly to the map by the beginning of 2010-2011.  The information is disaggregated by standards.

            Currently benchmark data for Language Arts is provided through quarterly administration of the STAR reading test, which provides teachers with individual students’ reading levels.  STAR also provides norm referenced reading scores, percentile ranks and normal curve equivalents.  Quarterly STAR assessment allows teachers to track students longitudinally and assists in identifying students in need of differentiated and supplemental instruction.  The District is developing grade-level curriculum maps in Language Arts and benchmark assessments in reading.

            School-wide AIMS practice tests are given twice a year.  This assessment serves not only to acclimate our students and teachers to the processes of high stakes testing but also informs teachers of the standards and students most in need of additional instruction, attention, and assessment.  Students take these practice tests in the same test setting in which they will take the spring AIMS test.

            Ongoing formative assessments are embedded within many of our supplementary, research-based software programs used with our at-risk students such as FASTT Math, I CanLearn, English in a Flash, Fast ForWord and ReadAbout.  Study Island is used school-wide in reading, writing, math and science as another ongoing formative assessment.  Teachers routinely use this information to inform instruction and to identify specific student needs

            Clearly identification as a Title I school comes with challenges to consistent assessment and instruction.  Our mobility rate exceeds 30%, and often we do not have adequate assessment data available.  Our absentee rate is approximately 3.5%.  Some of our students find studying and completing assignments difficult either because of family obligations or lack of space and privacy.  A number of teachers have spent their entire careers at Vista Verde.  However, in those years in which we have experienced high teacher turnover due to retirement, personal choice and budget changes, we have used professional development and mentors as levelers.  As mentioned earlier, we do have a school-wide discipline plan in place to deal with classroom disruptions and alternate school settings for serious discipline issues. 

            To address the challenges above, we have a number of practices in place.  By organizing teachers and students in teams, we try to create a responsive setting for learning.  For students struggling either academically or behaviorally, the teams regularly schedule parent conferences to discuss ways home and school can work together for student success.  This month, we are trying a new parent/teacher conference format.  Team leaders are inviting select parents of at-risk students for a longer conference with the entire team of teachers to develop a game plan to assist that student.  We also have two after school academic assistance programs.  One focuses on math homework help, and the other is vendor tutoring in reading and math delivered by private tutors.  The administration, our parent liaison, and the teachers are proactive in contacting parents individually regarding these opportunities if appropriate.  During parent/teacher conferences we have information available for parents on all after school academic opportunities.  As teachers meet individually with parents, they hand out applications.  Our school district is part of the CUTS attendance program.  “CUTS” stands for “Court Unified Truancy Suppression” program.  Since Arizona state statute mandates attendance, students in violation of attendance laws can have hearings either with a probation officer at the District office or in court.  Violators are often given consequences and assistance. Our school is diligent about sending letters to parents as absences escalate.  

            Analysis of Vista Verde Test Data:  2005-2009        

            Given that academic and social programs intended to improve student performance and achievement take time to implement, it is helpful to examine student performance for recent years.  For many Vista Verde subgroups in both math and reading, the years from 2007-2009 often have two or three of the highest proficiency results since 2005.  This is true for Grade 7 Math in eight of the nine subgroups.  For Grade 8 Math, it occurred in six out of nine groups.  Grade 7 Reading resulted in 8 subgroups having 2 or 3 of the highest proficiency levels in the past three years and Grade 8 Reading had seven.  For many subgroups, 2009 resulted in the strongest performance since 2005. Of the 36 subgroups for 2009, 18 were the highest in 5 years. Of additional significance, 28 of those groups, or 78%, achieved their highest performance rate in either of the last two years, shown by the blue cells. Research indicates that staying with academic interventions for the long term can result in improved student achievement, which is evident in the Vista Verde student performance on AIMS in 2008 and 2009.

            Most schools struggle to achieve all facets of their AYP evaluations, but Title I schools wrestle with even more challenging problems.  Despite Vista Verde’s demographics, the only student subgroups not to achieve AYP performance thresholds have been the Special Education and ELL subgroups in 2006-08. In fact in 2007, the ELL subgroup in grade 8 reading was the only group not to meet AYP in the 22 total times AIMS performance was evaluated for the school. In addition, all Racial/Ethnic subgroups have made AYP for each of the past five years.  In the following AYP table, only subgroups for “program Membership” are displayed.  A “yes” indicates the subgroup made AYP; “no” indicates they did not, and “no eval” means the subgroup did not meet the student count of 40 to receive an evaluation.

            Data Collection

Criteria	2008-2009	2007-2008	2006-2007	2005-2006	2004-2005
Daily student attendance	812	813	821	847	900
Daily teacher attendance	97%	98%	98%	N/A	N/A
Teacher turnover rate	10%	12%	20%	22%	15%
Promotion rate	99%	99%	99%	92%	94%

I.  Challenges

            Because Vista Verde is a Title I school, school improvement is both a necessity and a legal requirement; therefore, school leadership continuously focuses on improvement in the areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment and student engagement.  In 2005-2006 Vista Verde did not make AYP and was required to write a very detailed and focused school improvement plan.  Failure to make AYP until 2008-2009 placed the school in a corrective action cycle.  This heightened the administrative and faculty attention to the critical importance of all of the practices that create stellar student achievement.  This indeed has been the greatest challenge of the last five years.  While it seemed frightening at first, the need for a keen attention to student learning ended up being a blessing in disguise, with many positive outcomes arising from the need for change.  These include: the commitment to select and deliver data-driven, research-based programs and practices; the need for active collaboration across the faculty to plan, communicate and implement reform; the need for teacher leadership to understand and implement the measures of success; the need for increased parent/community involvement; and the need for the principal and assistant principal to become strong instructional leaders and advocates for change.  This process is described in detail in Section F.

            Our test scores give us great hope that we are on the right path for continuing student success although we fully realize that school reform is a dynamic process, which as a close look at our last five years of AIMS scores reveals, takes time.  However, beginning in 2011 through 2014, the Arizona Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) requirements as determined by the AIMS test will escalate rapidly with the legal goal being that all students are proficient in math and reading by 2014. Our challenge over the next five years is to continue to implement manageable reform so that our students and school can continue to succeed.  Our Agenda for Action over the next five years will always begin with a detailed and critical examination of student data.  From this information we will determine the most effective instructional practices, research-based programs, and targeted professional development to ensure that every teacher and every student has the tools necessary to be successful in the 21st century.  We will continue to engage all relevant stakeholders in this dialogue.  This is our shared responsibility.  This is our commitment. This is our vision.

A+ Ongoing Application

A+ School Summary

A+ Mission Statement

A+ School Summary

III.  SCHOOL SUMMARY

            Vista Verde is one of seven middle schools in PVUSD and is the school with the most educationally diverse student body.  Opened in 1989, Vista Verde has long enjoyed a reputation for understanding and responding to the needs of young adolescents.  Many staff members have spent the bulk of their teaching tenure at Vista Verde, and several staff members have been at the school since its inception. Several of our current teachers actually attended Vista Verde middle school students and enroll their own children at our school.

            Vista Verde is a full Title I school and has many sub-populations of students requiring attention to specific needs.  We have a large special education population, including two magnet self-contained programs.  We also have an English Language Learner program as well as  Transition English classes.  We offer supplementary Title I reading and math classes for our at-risk students.  We have an AVID program, which aims to broaden the horizons and provides encouragement and support to academically middle-of-the-road students without a college-going tradition in their families. In addition, Vista Verde has 215 students, who come from 25 different elementary schools, five different school districts, and private schools, enrolled in an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program. This MYP program was the first in the Phoenix metro area and brings additional diversity to the VVMS student family.

            Over the last four years we have worked very hard to inspire confidence in our parents that their individual children’s needs are at the forefront of our passion and our mission.  We offer a variety of opportunities for our students, including an after school math help club and a summer Jump Start program for at-risk incoming seventh graders.  As a school eligible to offer SES tutoring, we have successfully enrolled over 125 students in our program, an impressive number.  Using data to drive our decisions, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students’ needs are in the forefront of our passion and our mission.

             Vista Verde believes in the Middle Years philosophy.  Our 7th graders take 9 weeks of art, music, computers, and technology, as well as a semester of physical education.  Our 8th graders take a full semester of art, PE and technology as well as an elective of their choice.  In addition, we have an outstanding after school sports program that encourages students to try different sports.  Girls can participate in softball, track, volleyball and basketball.  Boys can play basketball, track, flag football and wrestling.  In addition to these festival sports, we have Student Council, National Junior Honor society, Yearbook, a Principal’s Book Club, and other activities as requests arise.

            Our current PTSA is active and involved.  To build community and raise funds, we have held two successful carnivals, and we host monthly “Family Nights” at different area restaurants where teachers, parents and students can share a table and conversation.  We hold quarterly “Principal/Parent” informal breakfasts and maintain an “Open Door” policy between parents and administration. Our parent liaison works diligently with Spanish-speaking parents.

            All of these efforts have led to unparalleled success at Vista Verde in the NCLB era.  Our school label jumped from “Performing” to “Highly Performing” in 2009, and every subgroup succeeded in meeting the AMO in reading and math.  We missed becoming an “Excelling” school by half a point, and the number of students “Exceeding” state standards was impressive.  Our community reputation has increased significantly; in fact, one of our teachers recently commented that when an acquaintance heard she taught at Vista Verde, that adult stated, “Oh, that’s that smart school.”  What could be better!

A+ Ongoing Application

A+ School Summary

A+ Mission Statement

A+ Mission Statement

II.  VISION/MISSION

            The adopted vision of both Paradise Valley Unified School District and Vista Verde Middle School is “to set high standards for student achievement in a college-ready environment that instills a sense of community.  All students will acquire a thirst for learning through challenging and engaging content that is crafted to propel them into the 21st century, confident, poised and prepared with skills that will endure the test of time and ensure individual excellence and success.  We believe:

• ALL students can achieve, and ALL means ALL.
• The individual student is our main focus.
• The highest quality educators guarantee the highest quality education.
• Parents are partners and valued resources in the educational process.
• A global mindedness is essential for students.
• Technology plays a critical role in the lives and success of our students.
• Community and business partnerships are essential.”

            The mission of both PVUSD and Vista Verde is to “cultivate, lead, and inspire world-class, innovative thinkers and expert communicators through a focus on the relationship between educator and student built around challenging, meaningful, and engaging curriculum.”

            At Vista Verde, we have also adopted a school-wide learner profile, which details the character traits we expect all learners to exhibit, understanding that this character development takes time.  We expect Vista Verde Learners to be:

• inquirers
• knowledgeable
• thinkers
• communicators
• principled
• open-minded
• caring
• learning-risk takers
• balanced
• reflective.

We are so invested in this philosophy that the learner profile attributes are painted on our cafeteria walls.

            Because Vista Verde began as a school in 1989, the mission and vision statements have gone through several incarnations over time as staffs changed, principals changed, and times have changed though the student has always been the heart of our mission and vision.  We have a school Leadership Team that oversees our School Action plan, which includes our mission, vision and goals.  This year PVUSD has a new Superintendent, who has crafted a mission and vision adopted by the Governing Board.  We felt that it was extremely important to align our statements with those of the District.  The Leadership Team met to discuss the adoption of the District vision/mission statement for Vista Verde.  All teachers had an opportunity to provide input before the statements were adopted.  Because of our belief in the power of school, family and community partnerships, we have multiple opportunities for stakeholders to provide meaningful input focused on student learning.