BELLEVILLE HENDERSON AMONG MOST-IMPROVED SCHOOLS IN STATE By H. Michael Jalili Courtesy of Watertown Daily Times In 2001, the state placed Belleville Henderson Central School on its list of schools in need of improvement. This year, however, the state Education Department cited Belleville Henderson as one of the most-improved schools in New York. Principal Shawn M. Baker praises his staff for the triumph. "The teachers worked extremely hard,'' he said. "I've got to give them a lot of credit. They worked really hard, but it was a worthwhile process.'' Every year, the state tests eighth-graders in math, English and science. In the 2000-01 academic year, 77 percent of the district's eighth-grade students scored below the state's standards in math, thus landing the school on the list. The administration decided to address the problem from the bottom up. In 2003, more than 73 percent of Belleville Henderson students met all of the state standards on the state assessment tests. Not only did the process raise the scores, Mr. Baker said, as a result, the math curriculum was redeveloped to be better and more efficient. While on the list, the school received federal Title I school improvement grants of $50,000 and $65,000, which the district used on staff development, workshops and buying classroom materials. Mr. Baker said the school hired a consultant from Syracuse University who specializes in math curriculum. Although it was the scores of eighth-graders that landed the school on the list, the school pursued an improvement strategy from the elementary level up. "We knew math isn't just an eighth-grade problem; math is a skill that you build on. If you missed something, it will show later,'' Mr. Baker said. Math teachers were mobilized as a group to battle the problem. First, Mr. Baker said, they started with "item analysis." They went through the test question by question. They also reviewed each student's progress. The process made it possible to identify areas in need of improvement, the principal said. "From there, we developed a curriculum in math," Mr. Baker said. The math program was cultivated from fifth through eighth grade. "We looked at the areas we were strong in, and areas we were weak in, and areas we were overlapping," Mr. Baker said. He praised the teachers for their diligence and dedication. "They had a lot of work,'' he said, "a lot of digging through results and tests and looking at their curriculum and deciding what could be taken out, what could be added in.'' As a result of the system now in place, the school can identify the ability of students in eighth grade and place each in an appropriate level for ninth grade. Mr. Baker said the math curriculum has substantially improved because they began looking at the system from the elementary level. The redevelopment was achieved during the tenure of Glenda J. Wait, who was the district superintendent until her retirement this summer. "One of her specialties was in curriculum redevelopment," Mr. Baker said, noting she was instrumental in bringing in the consultant." This fall, a new superintendent, Robert K. Ike, is at the helm. "Dr. Ike comes to us with strong middle school background, which is what we are talking about here," Mr. Baker said. [ CLICK HERE TO CONTACT US FOR MORE INFO ] [ TOP ] [ HOME ]   [ ABOUT US ]   [ SERVICES ]   [ WORKSHOPS ]   [ RESOURCES ]   [ TESTIMONIALS ]   [ CONTACT US ] COPYRIGHT © 2009 CONNECTED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 257 CLINTON STREET | GOVERNEUR, NY 13642 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SITE DESIGN BY DESTINED STUDIOS, INC.; COPYRIGHT © 2009 DESTINED STUDIOS.