MMS School Profile

Mannheim Middle School

NCA School Profile

Compiled December 2006

Where EVERYONE is valued

Principal – Shelia Smith

Assistant Principal – Raynard Eddings

Heidelberg District

Mannheim Middle School

Unit 29937

APO, AE 09086

Table of Contents

Introduction	3
Mission Statement	4
Environmental Scan	5
Instructional Data	7
Local Insights	10
Survey	16
National Assessments	25
Local Assessments	52
Summary and Goals	58

Introduction

Principal: Ms. Shelia Smith

Assistant Principal: Mr. Raynard Eddings

Grades in the School: 6^th grade through 8th grade

Total enrollment: 344

6^th grade: 123

7^th grade: 114

8^th grade: 107

Number of Professional Staff: 31

Number of Paraeducators: 4

Number of Support Staff: 6

Setting

The school was built in 1975 within the Benjamin Franklin Village as a part of the greater United States Army Garrison Mannheim. The school consists of one main building that includes a gymnasium, cafeteria, music room, and an information center. A separate annex building houses our Dell computer lab, art room, a science laboratory, and a family and consumer science kitchen, as well as other classrooms.

Students

The school is a 6^th through 8^th grade facility with a current enrollment of 344 students. We have a very diverse student population with the following racial groups: Caucasian 52%, African- American 35%, Caucasian and African-American 4%, Other Mixed 3%, Asian-Caucasian 2%, Asian 2%, Native American 1%, and Pacific Islander 1%.

The student population is highly transient and we have an average of 33% students rotate through our doors each year. While most of our students are dependents of Army personnel, some students are dependents of other military branches, Department of Defense civilians, and contractors. At any given time, most of our students are going through a period of transition in their homes. Their parent or parents are either getting ready to deploy, are deployed, or in the reintegration phase. In addition, the parents still in the community have to pick up more work tasks to supplement the units that are deployed.

Program

The curriculum taught here at MMS complies with all of the DoDDs requirements and objectives. Our school offers several special programs that include: special education, Creative Thinking (Gifted Education), ESL, AVID, math support, after school tutoring, and Read 180. There are numerous school clubs, extra-curricular activities, and athletic teams available for students. The school currently is operating on a flexible block schedule.

Mannheim Middle School fully supports the DODEA initiatives of 2.0, AVID, Partnerships, Math Matters and Reading Counts.

Staffing and Organization

Our school is staffed with two administrators and thirty-one teachers, one full time counselor and one full time nurse. Part time staff includes: a psychologist, a behavioral management specialist, an ESL teacher, music teacher, four paraeducators and six support staff.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Mannheim Middle School is to create an environment where everyone experiences the adventure of learning at his or her highest level.

Environmental Scan

Mannheim Middle School is located in Mannheim Germany on an Army Post. We have a very mobile student population, which often results in fragmented school years. Our students need extra support from our community and school as many of the parent/soldiers are often deployed. We need to correlate their existing knowledge to our standards.

While our community has offerings from several groups, Youth Services, Army Community Service, Bowling Center, Library, Chapel, and the Middle School, it appears that these groups are not pooling their resources to come up with a combined endeavor to support the needs of our children during their out of school time. Each Army mandated program is faced with budget cuts and high staff turnover. Particularly in this time of budget cuts all agencies need to be collaborating in order to create a safe and educationally inspired environment for our students. Our community then needs to publish and communicate these resources so that all parties are aware of the opportunities being provided.

In terms of educational needs, DODEA mandates that by July 2007, 75% of our children will perform at standard or above standard on standardized testing, that only 8% will fall into the “below the standard” category, and that all children will be reading on grade level by the end of grades 3, 6, and 9.

Educational Needs based on current demographics and future jobs:

National Demographics:

· Males: 138,053,563 (49.1% of pop.)

· Females: 143,368,343 (50.9% of pop.)

· White: 211,460,626 (75.1% of pop.)

· Black: 34,658,190 (12.3% of pop.)

· Asian: 10,242,998 (3.6% of pop.)

· American Indian and Alaska Native: 2,475,956 (0.9% of pop.)

· Hispanic/Latino¹: 35,305,818 (12.5% of pop.)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 398,835 (0.1% of pop.)

DODEA Enrollment:

40% students of color (AA/HIS)

50% free/reduced lunch

Future Jobs

College Bound Jobs	High School/ On the Job Training Jobs	Military
Project and Program Administrators	Customer Service Managers	Infantry
Financial Dealers and Brokers	Computing Professionals	Armor
Finance Advisors	Youth and Disability Workers	Health Care
Accountants	Office Assistants and Managers	MP
	Aged and Disabled Careers	Construction/Engineering
	Restaurant and Catering Managers	MI/Linguists
	Chefs
	Fitness Instructors
	Construction

By looking at our changing society and what the jobs of the future will be, we see a long-term shift from a goods-producing to service-providing society. Our students should be provided specific programs, college-bound and vocational, with apprenticeship opportunities at the high school level. At the middle school level we must be supporting the programs that will offer choices for students in their future career endeavors. The overall programs need to be in line with the growth of our society. Supporting a diverse program in the middle school meets the needs of the future.

NCA Team Visit and Report on Instruction

Data Collection Instruments

2003-2005 NCA Reports

Presentation of Data

Mannheim Middle School displays a promising network of partnerships that promotes achievement. A list of partners include:

Implications for action and task list

Student performance goals for our school were obtained from:

*Reading Scores

*Written communication

*STAR Math

Analysis of Data

The following instructional support opportunities were given to students at MMS:

Other Data Needed

In the future assessments could be administered to student and staff to determine if specific strategies used were successful for different groups of students. (i.e. – Gifted Students, minority students, learning disabilities, etc.)

Clarifying Goals

To help students achieve our specific school wide goals, staff members participated in the following staff development opportunities:

Geographic Information System Jason Project

Project Interactive Math Globe

Apple Computer Classes Wetland Project

Ladenburg Field Trip DODEA On line Mathematics

Interventions

When the last NCA team visited Mannheim Middle School they observed the following:

*Staff members supported the goals

*Drop Everything & Read (DEAR) program was being implemented in advisory

*Seminar packets in Math and Reading being completed by students

*Staff Development activities in the subject areas of Math and Reading were conducted on a regular basis

*Students in school were aware of the Community Strategic Plan, its goals, and how those goals were being implemented in our school.

*New staff members were also aware of the Community Strategic Plan

*The use of interdisciplinary teams at our school has helped to improve scores in Math and Reading

*SILT is well organized and all faculty member either serves on a committee or is a member of SILT.

Other Actions Needed

Staff members at MMS have expressed an interest in learning about and implementing additional strategies that may improve student success. They are:

*Critical Friends Group

*QI Map

*Study Groups/Literature Circles

*Staff Insights Group

Local Insights

SUMMARY OF SCHOOL INFORMATION
School Name	Mannheim Middle School
Grade Span	6-8
District	Heidelberg
Total Enrollment	344

Source: School Compiled Data as of November 18, 2006

Data Collection Instruments

Student Statistics

Faculty Survey

USAREUR Websites

TerraNova Test Data

SRI

Student Characteristics

The majority of our students have at least one parent who is employed by the Department of Defense. Due to the nature of the military, there is frequent mobility between duty stations, which impacts the school’s population on a yearly basis. Because we are an overseas school established for dependents of military personnel, all students have at least one employed parent with at least a basic-level salary and sufficient housing, and health insurance.

Instructional Characteristics

The instructional day begins at 8:05 AM. for all students with the morning announcements, the Pledge of Allegiance, and then advisory time with each home base until 8:35. We also have an active intramural program within our school in which home bases participate in various team sports throughout the year. The sports are speedball, beach-ball volleyball, line hockey, line soccer, and team handball. At the culmination of each sport, the teachers play the students in a friendly game. This game promotes interaction with students, teachers, and administrators.

Mannheim Middle offers a wide variety of services to meet each student’s unique needs. Mild to Moderate Learning Impaired specialists provide both inclusive and pullout services. The Moderate to Severe Learning Impaired specialists offer inclusion, pullout and life skills programs. The Speech and Language Pathologist, Behavior Specialist, Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist provide additional services. We have a Student Support Team (SST) to include our two administrators, counselor, nurse, psychologist and teachers that meets once a week to develop learning and behavioral plans for students in need. There are grade level teams that meet weekly during planning time to allow teachers an opportunity to engage in collegial planning and problem solving.

Lunch is divided into three 40-minute periods. After eating, students are allowed after eating to have recess and use the library for enrichment activities.

Curriculum Mapping

For the past three years, all teachers have been focusing on our curriculum maps. Curriculum maps are organized by the teachers in the same grade level and curriculum area at the beginning of the year and are revised throughout the year at curriculum level meetings. They provide an overview of the enduring understandings and overarching goals, the standards-based essential skills and concepts, the methods of assessment, and major content resources.

This is very beneficial to teachers who come in August and have not yet taught the curriculum. They have a springboard from which to work from, and still have ownership of their lesson plans through the revision process.

Parents have expressed positive comments about the year-long maps, as it allows for home-to-school connections and participation.

As this is our third year implementing our curriculum maps, the focus is on taking what we have developed in our grade level specific meetings and branching out in a more vertical manner. This means having team meetings with 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade teachers of the same curriculum so that there is a more fluid learning environment for our students.

Education-Based Programs that are available to some students based on parental request and program criteria include:

AVID

The mission of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is to ensure that all students, and most especially the least served students in the middle capable of completing a college preparatory path:

will succeed in rigorous curriculum,

will enter mainstream activities of the school,

will increase their enrollment in four-year colleges, and

will become educated and responsible participants and leaders in a democratic society.

The purpose of the AVID program is to restructure the teaching methods of an entire school and to open access to the curricula that will ensure four-year college eligibility to almost all students.Here at Mannheim Middle School, we have 2 sections of the AVID elective course, one 7th grade and one 8th grade section. All 7th grade AVID students are enrolled in German I and all 8th grade AVID students are enrolled in Algebra to ensure they receive the rigor necessary to put them on the college-preparatory path for high school. Two paid adult tutors work closely with the AVID teacher/coordinator to provide the support necessary for students to succeed. The administration and staff are extremely supportive of the program and as a result of that support, Mannheim Middle School carries the title of "Certified with distinction" as an official AVID Center site.

Read 180 - Program that uses computer technology, independent reading books and small group teacher interaction to help students with reading development.

Literature Enrichment- Class that encourages higher order thinking by use of literature.

Math Support- Program that supports students who have problems in Math classes. The class reinforces basic math skills and teaches strategies for success.

ESL

The English as a Second Language program provides the English Language Learner (ELL) with full access to the curriculum through a continuum of service options. The overall program goal is to increase the student’s English language skills so his/her academic performance is equivalent to native English speakers of the same age and grade level.

Placement and the type and level of ESL services vary since their design depends on the individual student’s needs, parent request, and the recommendation of teachers and counselors. ESL services may include in-class assistance, a pullout program, consultation, or a combination of different service delivery models.

DoDEA has established a uniform procedure for the identification of language minority students. The procedure begins with the completion of the Home Language Survey (HLS) or with the submission of a referral. All sponsors must complete the HLS at the time of registration. The school registrar provides the ESL teacher with a copy of any HLS on which the sponsor has indicated that a language other than English is spoken in the home. The ESL teacher reviews the educational records of all potential ELL’s. Based on this review, the ESL teacher compiles a list of all students with possible ESL needs, interviews those students, administers a DoDEA approved language proficiency assessment, and notifies parents to discuss placement options.

Special Education Programs for Learning Impaired, Communication Impaired, Physical Impaired and/or Emotionally Impaired

Counseling Services: individual and group counseling services are available by parent, teacher or student request with parental permission to help children adjust to their school setting and teach them the skills needed to deal with issues. This program also offers a Life Skills class for sixth graders and in small groups for seventh and eighth graders.

ASACS

ASACS (Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Services) is provided by SAIC, which is contracted by the Department of the Army to provide the following services:

1. Treatment services-- Individual, group, and family counseling for students with substance abuse issues, either their own or someone else’s in their immediate family, and students who may be at risk of developing a problem with substance abuse. Counseling occurs during school hours or after school by appointment.

Prevention services—

Ø Project Armor Education Groups—Stress Busters, Decision Making, Leadership Potential and others as recommended.

Ø Parenting Workshops

Ø Collaboration with school staff

Ø Classroom presentations on topics related to drug and alcohol use and decision making

Community involvement

Ø Works with Command to provide positive interventions for youth at risk

Ø Involved in the community to help foster a positive environment for youth and their families

Tuesday Tutoring- Program that supports students after school providing them extra help with their classes.

HOPE Project- HOPE Project is a group of students and adults who practice the concept of acceptance and inclusion of all students without regard to ability or special needs- Helping Our Peers Everyday!

Gender Classes for select sixth graders

In SY 2005 MMS started a gender-based class for one team of sixth graders. The previous years’ students were focused socially rather than academically, and the school decided that it would be a good experiment to see what would happen.

Now in its second year of implementation, teachers and parents are pleased with the results and this is fortified by the test data that has come back. The teachers are also able to deliver instruction using gender specific methods.

German 1- Middle school students are able to receive high school credit for this course

German 2- Middle school students are able to receive high school credit for this course
Spanish 1- Middle school students are able to receive high school credit for this course

German-American Partnership

Student Achievement: The German-American Partnership affects all students at MMS in some way, for all 6^th graders participate in Exploring German class and are subsequently promoted to 7^th and 8^th grade. The students involved directly in the German-American Partnership score approximately 10 percentage points higher on TerraNova standardized tests, and can be categorized at approximately 3 grade levels higher than the rest of the school population. The partnership has also fostered special interest in the foreign language program at MMS because the students know that they get to have German partners, visit German schools, participate in cooperative field study trips, etc. Therefore, due to the partnership, the participating students are highly motivated and strive to learn more. Consequently they earn higher marks, which reach the Community Strategic Plan goal #1: Highest Student Achievement.

Partnership: The German-American Club was created in 2001 by E W, the current German teacher at MMS. Its purpose is to foster German-American friendship and to enhance and nurture good international relations with the host nation. Among its goals are a positive host nation experience for the students at MMS, bridging the language and cultural barrier, and above all getting the American students off post by means of organized field study trips, many of which are mutual outings with host nation school exchange classes. In spite of the stringent security measures, MMS currently has three very successful, long-standing host nation school partnerships. They are Ludwig-Frank-Gymnasium in Mannheim, Kurpfalz-Gymnasium-und Realschule in Mannheim, Werner-Heisenberg-Gymnasium in Weinheim, as well as occasional exchange activities with Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium in Weinheim, Ursulinen Gymnasium in Mannheim, and Heinrich Böll Gymnasium in Ludwigshafen. This is not only an integral part of the SHCP (School Home Community Partnership) program, but consistently achieves the CSP (Community Strategic Plan) goal #4 Network of Partnerships Supporting Achievement.

Resources: One teacher receives extra duty pay to compensate for the 80-119 hours of necessary extra duty time that must be invested to make the contacts, organize trips, design activities, etc. Since MMS now has three host nation school partnerships, the German teacher can involve all of his classes at all grade levels. The partnerships therefore directly affect approximately 50% of the MMS population. Monies are solicited from local organizations, namely Mannheim Community Club and from the German-American Women’s Club, to help finance the field study trips. Volunteer chaperones are other indispensable human resources on these field study trips. Cooperation of all colleagues is imperative for successful exchange class visits. Nearly all of the teachers will be incorporated into these visits, since the visitors can only get a feel for the American school system by experiencing as much of it as possible. A telephone and a computer with e-mail and Internet access are indispensable materials.

Replication: MMS’ current German-American Club is a one-man-show, which means that it can be done alone. However, it requires a lot of time and energy to make and maintain the contacts not only with the host nation schools and, but to stay abreast of changes in the travel safety requirements of the military Command, the district, and the school. There are always changes in personnel, which can mean a return to square one. One must become acquainted with people and procedures. One must know exactly what one wants to accomplish in such a partnership, and be willing to pursue that goal until it is achieved. Electronic files must be developed or acquired and maintained or updated, e.g. field trip forms, installation access forms, etc. Funds must be solicited, books must be kept regarding expenditures, extra duty time logs must be kept, etc.

Advice: The recipe for a successful host nation partnership has many ingredients. Foremost on the list are a supportive administration and a leader or group of facilitators who are adept at organization of activities, dates, times, information, etc. The leaders must make and foster host nation contacts by being proactive. Strong classroom management and discipline skills are imperative, for the students directly involved in the exchange are, after all, ambassadors of the United States of America.

Important Groups and Committees

School Advisory Committee

School Improvement Leadership Team

Student Support Team

School Crisis Team

Technology Committee

Student Behavior Committee

Parent Supports/Community Partnerships

Parent Teacher Student Association

Mannheim Community Club

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

7^th Signal

Extra Curricular Activities

Drama Club

Geography Bee

Spelling Bee

Yearbook Club

National History Day

Student Council

Video Production

National Junior Honor Society

German American Friendship Club

Project HOPE

Intramural Sports Program

Math Counts

Odyssey of the Mind

Technology Club

Community Overview

The Army military units in the Mannheim community fall under the major command of United States Army Europe (USAREUR). The mission of local US Army units is predominately Signal, Transportation, and Military Police support. Also the US military confinement facility for Europe is located on Coleman Barracks. The approximate total population assigned is 15,000 which consist of: Army active duty, 4,000; Air Force active duty, 200; Army family members, 6,484; Air Force family members, 197; civilian employees and family members, 3,266 and US military retirees, 727. The Mannheim Community has one elementary, middle, and high school. Enrollment is free for command-sponsored children of service members and DOD civilians. Other categories of students may attend on a space available, tuition-paying basis.

Source: Department of Defense website

Childcare services are available through Middle School Programs (6^th –8^th Grade). CYS Liaison, Education and Outreach Services provide outreach options for our school population.

CYS Youth Sports Programs provides athletic programs, including team and individual sports, clinics and camps. Team formation depends on the availability of volunteer coaches.

CYS Youth Activities offers diverse programs to provide educational, cultural, social and developmental experiences for children of all ages. The middle school and teen programs are affiliated with Boys and Girls Clubs of America. School-Age Services programs for elementary school-age children include spring, summer and winter recreational camps, after-school childcare and school-out day trips. In addition, there is a trained Read 180 person to assist those students in Read 180 at the school. (Source: Department of Defense SITES website)

Survey

Student Statistics:

These graphs of our students represent the differences of our racial mix and gender population. The statistics of our student population shows we have 52% white and 48% other races. Our programs are diverse in meeting all racial needs and ESL (English as a Second Language) as identified. We have 197 male students (57%), and 147 female students (43%). Our total student population at the time of this survey was 344.

Faculty Survey Results:

Our professional staff is 75% white, 19% African-American and 6 % Hispanic.

The staff is 60% female and 40% male.

Our professional staff had to choose from 8 different age brackets to identify that the majority of our staff is over 56 years of age (27%), and the next highest is 46-50 years of age (17%). 23% of our professional staff is under the age of 35.

Our results show that 66% of the professional staff has been teaching within the Department of Defense Dependents Schools for fewer than ten years.

Of our staff 68% of them have also taught outside the DoDDS system. This enables our staff to have knowledge of school systems outside of DoDDS to add to our school total educational experience.

Degrees Earned

Seven of our staff members have a bachelor’s degree, twenty have a master’s degree, while two hold a doctorate degree. We found that all the various degrees provide our students with a wealth of educational knowledge.

Information came from Quality Indicator Map

Implementation of DoDEA Standards in the Curriculum

DoDEA has called for the development of standards-based curriculum for DoDEA schools. The goal of the standards based curriculum is to create high expectations for student learning and to improve student academic achievement through a curriculum that is uniform in nature across DoDEA. Standards have been given to teachers in book form, and are accessible to parents, students, and educators on the dodea.edu website. Posters of curriculum standards have been posted in classrooms and teachers use these general standards to let students know what standard they are currently learning. The SIP committee provided teachers with arrows that are currently being used to mark the standard that is being taught. Curriculum guides (scope and sequence) based on these standards are being developed by professionals in this area. DoDEA teachers are sent to training in order to become familiar with the curriculum standards and adopted materials.

Have you developed a pre-test for your students?	72.41%
Of those who have developed a pre test____ have modified instruction based on the results	90.48%
Have you developed a post test for your students?	79.31%
If you have developed a post test, what percent have modified instruction based on the results	86.96%

Pre-Test Development

According to our survey, teachers were asked how many had developed pre-test and/or post-tests to assist them in developing performance based tests to give to their students. The results indicated that twenty-one teachers responded that they had developed a pre-test for their students while eight stated that they do not develop tests.

Modification of Instruction based on Pre-Test

Of the teachers who do pre-test students, nineteen teachers said that they modify their instruction based on the results of their pre-test scores. Only two state that they do not modify instruction. It is possible that their curriculum does not lend itself to formal modification, but rather to an informal means of instruction students based on prior knowledge or existing gaps.

Post-Test Development

Twenty-three teachers responded that they developed a post-test while six stated that they did not develop a post-test.

Community

52% of teachers use volunteers in their classrooms

20% of teachers feel they have enough parental support

22% of teachers feel that our student’s successes are celebrated by the community

Classroom

19% feel there is a need for more teachers in this school

22% feel their classroom is overcrowded

65% use a technology a great deal in their classroom

Standards/Assessments

96% of teachers use multiple assessments in their classrooms

78% believe assessments should be used to determine instruction

7% believe that formal assessments are the only way to measure student achievement

67% use TerraNova data to drive instruction

100% use classroom data to drive instruction

70% believe the curriculum standards are challenging for our students

Students

73% of teachers believe all students have the ability to reach a high level of learning

93% of teachers use class work and homework to help determine classroom achievement

81% of teachers believe that the use of technology has improved the quality of learning

Teaching

96% feel that feedback from supervisors and administration is prompt and useful

44% feel that they need more supplies to teach their lessons

31% feel that staff development at the district level is appropriate and sufficient

74% feel that staff development at the school level is appropriate and sufficient

National Assessments

Collection Instruments:

The Data Crunchers group selected the following instruments regarding instructional data:

· TerraNova grades 6-8

· TerraNova Communications Arts grade 8

TerraNova Second Edition Results

The TerraNova Second Edition is a standardized norm-referenced achievement test that compares students’ scores to scores from a “norm group” from a national sample of students representing all gender, racial, economic, and geographic groups.

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Reading	51	55	64	59	60.5
Language Arts	45	49	59	57	59
Math	41.5	49	63	54	61.5
Science	41.5	48	59	48	58
Social Studies	46	55	58	51	56

Sixth graders over the course of the cycle increased in all academic areas from the baseline year 2002. Overall, math and science scores increased the most from the baseline. Possible reasons for the increase include increased focus on standards and curriculum maps based on those standards. Lessons are shared freely among the teachers and some projects such as Science Fair and Egypt Fair in Social Studies are jointly planned and executed.

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Reading	57	56	53	61	57
Language Arts	62	58	65	72	64
Math	51	53	59	59	54
Science	54	53	52	56	56
Social Studies	51	47	51	54	56

Seventh graders, over the course of the cycle, increased slightly or stayed the same in all five academic areas from the baseline year 2002. Social Studies scores increased the most, increasing 5%.

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Reading	60	66	64	68	70
Language Arts	54	63	60	61	70
Math	56	59	65	64	62.5
Science	51	56	68	58	61
Social Studies	53.5	56	61	62	59.5

Eighth graders at Mannheim Middle School also increased scores in all academic subject areas this cycle, with the greatest increase in Language Arts. Over the past two years, eighth grade language arts teachers created curriculum maps, and standardized grammar and composition terminology taught to students. School year 2005-2006 was also the first year all eighth grade students were on two-person interdisciplinary teams.

	6th Grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
2002	41.5	51	56
2003	49	53	59
2004	63	59	65
2005	54	59	64
2006	62	54	61

As before, all students at each grade level improved their scores from the 2002 baseline year in Mathematics, with sixth grade students’ scores increasing the most.

	6th Grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
2002	51	57	60
2003	55	56	66
2004	64	53	64
2005	59	61	68
2006	61	57	70

Sixth graders and eight graders over the course of the cycle increased 10% in reading level. Seventh grade scores remained the same. One feature of the school’s reading program is the school’s aggressive screening program, pinpointing students in need of remedial reading support. The Read 180 class provides that support. In addition, the school uses the Renaissance Learning Program Accelerated Reader Program; staff training in its optimal use has been a part of our departmental training.

	6th Grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
2002	45	62	54
2003	49	58	63
2004	59	65	60
2005	57	72	61
2006	59	64	70

All grades over the course of the cycle increased in Language Arts from the baseline year 2002. Overall, eighth graders increased the most, 16%, while sixth grade scores increased 14%. Seventh grade scores rose steadily from 2003 to 2005, but dipped again, giving them a 2% increase over the cycle.

	6th Grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
2002	41.5	50	51
2003	48	53	56
2004	59	52	68
2005	48	56	58
2006	58	56	61

All grades over the course of the cycle increased in Science from the baseline year 2002. Overall, sixth graders increased the most, 16.5%, while eighth grade scores increased 10%. Seventh grade scores remained steady in the past two years and rose 6% over the period of study.

	6th Grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
2002	46	51	53.5
2003	55	47	56
2004	58	51	61
2005	51	54	62

Looking at the trend, all grade levels have scored above the 50^th percentile since 2003. The trend shows that students are performing above the 2002 baseline in all subject areas. Some fluctuation in scores may be attributed to the school’s move towards the Middle School Concept, e.g. core teachers being required to teach two academic, parents being deployed, high turn over in experienced staff, and high transient rates.

TerraNova Performance Arts: Communications Arts Results

The TerraNova Performance Arts: Communications Arts test is a criterion-referenced measure for language arts in DoDEA. It is administered to eighth grade students in the spring.

	Grade 8	Males	Females
2003	2.83	2.68	2.94
2004	2.5	2.37	2.64
2005	2.51	2.5	2.51

Since the first assessment in 2003, students’ writing scores for both males and females have declined with both genders performing about the same.

	Grade 8	Males	Females
2003	2.56	2.37	2.64
2004	2.5	2.37	2.64
2005	2.85	2.73	2.96

Reading comprehension scores for eighth graders have gone up since the baseline in 2002. Eighth grade females performed slightly better than males in reading.
Disaggregated TerraNova and Communication Arts Data for 2005-2006

from the DoDDS Europe Online Reports website

Overall, our Hispanic population does the best in all subject areas. Our African-American population reports in at the lowest for each section, with social studies and math all falling below 50%. The same trend continues when looking at total scores, however no group falls below 50%. It should be noted that, while reporting very well, our American Indian population is less than 2% of our total school population.

When comparing our students by gender our female population consistently does better. However, the male population is above the fiftieth percentile in every area

Overall, our Hispanic population did as well as in 2005. Our Asian population reports in at the lowest for each section. However, it should be noted that Asian children make up only 2% of our total school population. When continuing to look at the data, the African –American population is the second lowest in each category and makes up a much larger population of our school.

There is a pattern of consistent growth shown from sixth to eighth grade in all subject areas. The sixth grade science scores went up 10 percentage points. The eighth grade language arts scores went up 9 percentage points to 70%.

When comparing our students by gender our female population consistently does better. However, the male population is above the fiftieth percentile in every area. The highest growth between 2005-2006 for girls was social studies with an 8% increase. The highest growth area for boys was language arts with 4%. When comparing total scores, the girls increased by 7%, while the boys stayed the same.

Local Assessments

Our school’s record of local assessments over the past 5 years has been sketchy at best. The most helpful and meaningful local assessments we have to use are STARMATH and the Scholastic Reading Inventory. Looking at STARMATH for all three grade levels, we’ve found that a significant number of our students are performing below grade level in math, but we have significantly reduced the number of our students who were one or more years below grade level.

	2.0-2.9	3.0-3.9	4.0-4.9	5.0-5.9	6.0-6.9	7.0-7.9	8.0-8.9	9.0-9.9	10.0-10.9	11.0-11.9	12.0-12.9+
SY03-04	0	15	27	27	24	16	4	3	2	2	2
SY04-05	3	4	16	32	24	13	6	2	2	3	2
SY05-06	0	6	18	25	24	11	6	5	1	0	4

6^th Grade Star Math Results

The number of students at or above grade level in math has risen at a steady rate since SY 03-04. In school year 03-04 the number of students who were at or above grade level was 43 %. This number grew by 6 points during SY 03-04 and 49% of the students tested were at or above grade level. SY 05-06 has again show an increase, as the number of students at or above grade level grew to 51%. This data shows we have significantly reduced the number of our students who were one or more years below grade level.

	2.0-2.9	3.0-3.9	4.0-4.9	5.0-5.9	6.0-6.9	7.0-7.9	8.0-8.9	9.0-9.9	10.0-10.9	11.0-11.9	12.0-12.9+
SY03-04	1	7	8	22	18	25	12	8	1	1	7
SY04-05	0	1	7	19	8	19	10	4	10	2	10
SY05-06	1	3	11	15	25	13	10	3	2	5	5

7^th Grade Star Math Results

In school year 03-04 the number of students who were at or above grade level was 49 %. This number grew by 12 percentage points during SY 03-04 and 61% of the students tested were at or above grade level. SY 05-06 shows the number of students at or above grade level dropped to 41%.

SY 05-06 Star Math results show the number of students at or above grade level dropped to 41%.

	2.0-2.9	3.0-3.9	4.0-4.9	5.0-5.9	6.0-6.9	7.0-7.9	8.0-8.9	9.0-9.9	10.0-10.9	11.0-11.9	12.0-12.9+
SY03-04	2	8	8	9	11	12	15	15	6	6	18
SY04-05	0	2	3	13	7	5	6	8	5	1	7
SY05-06	0	2	7	4	12	13	14	4	9	4	18

In school year 03-04 the number of students who were at or above grade level was 55 %. During SY 04-05 the number decreased from the previous year to 47% of students at or above grade level. SY 05-06 the number of students at or above grade level returned to near the previous level and was 56%.

SY 05-06 Star Math results show that the number of students at or above grade level returned to near the previous level and was 56%.

Mannheim Middle School uses the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) as a local assessment. It is a computer based comprehension test that assesses students’ reading levels and tracks students reading growth over time.

School Year Comparison	2004-2005	2005-2006
Below Basic	10	9
Basic	34	30
Proficient	38	38
Advanced	18	23

According to this assessment, in SY 2004-2005 44% of the students were reading below grade level. 56% of the students were reading at or above grade level. In SY 2005-2006, 39% of the students were reading below grade level, 61% of the students were reading at or above grade level. This represents a 5% increase in students reading at or above grade level.

According to the data derived from the SRI, 44% of Mannheim Middle School students were reading below grade level in the 2004-2005 school year with the percentage dropping somewhat to 39% during the 2005-2006 school year. A significant percentage of students are reading below grade level.

According to the Scholastic Reading Inventory, a significant number of our students are reading below grade level (our best year showed 39% below), but SRI scores reflect a 5% increase in students reading at or above grade level from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006.

SRI scores reflect a 5% increase in students reading at or above grade level from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006.

In earnest effort to discover conclusive data to define our goals, we turned to the school-wide grade point averages. Because we’re expected to “graduate” our middle school students into the high school, we used the new DoDDS’ 2.0 graduation standard for high school to see how we are doing. According to this data, 12-13% of our students do not meet the 2.0 criteria. If we were held to the same standard as the high school, we would currently have an 87% graduation rate.

GPA	< 2.0	2.0 - 2.9	3.0 - 3.9	4.0
Spring 06	13 %	39 %	42 %	6 %
Fall 06	12 %	40 %	41 %	7 %

This graph represents the Grade Point Averages from third quarter of SY 2005-2006 and first quarter of SY 2006-2007. Mannheim Middle School had a large turnover of administrators, teachers, and students during that period. In spite of this turnover, the percentage of students below the DoDDS graduation requirement of a 2.0 GPA remain about the same.

The majority of Mannheim Middle School students are achieving a 2.0 GPA or better.

Summary

Our current school profile has been a work in progress since the beginning of this school year. The entire staff has been collecting, analyzing and preparing data for the purpose of knowing our school better so that we can choose goals that fit the needs of our students. We used common measures to make our decisions, but always examined at least one context-bound measure for each goal area.

We examined our school from many different angles in order to determine what is currently happening in teaching and learning. Using our students’ performance, we analyzed the data to guide us two our final goals. We recognize there are other goal areas we could have selected based on the data, but considering our mission and population, we believe we have made the correct selection.

Appendix 1: Capacity Assessment

The staff was interviewed on 11 November 2001 and the results of the assessment are listed above. The consensus was that our school had exceeded Stage 2 (Developing the Capacity for Improvement) and that we were well on the path to Stage 3 (Increasing the Capacity for Improvement).

A review of the capacity instrument was completed on 22 March 2006 at the monthly SILT Committee meeting. The staff was encouraged to attend and provide their input. Our staff has determined that our school has continued to show progress. We were more critical in performing this assessment and two areas showed sings of decrease, SIP and IS. These decreases have been as result of a better understanding of the SIP process. All other areas have shown increases.

Appendix 2: Triangulation of Data

Student Performance Goal 1:

All students will improve their reading comprehension across the curriculum.

We chose this goal based on the data from the following sources:

TerraNova tests scores

SRI test data

Surveys

Environmental Scan

Our goal is to have all of our students in the proficient or above range in reading. Currently half of our population is below proficient, and we believe that all students can read on grade level with the appropriate scaffolding. In addition, reading affects all subject areas. Increasing the overall reading skills should have a positive result on all subject areas and will be reflected in their test scores.

Student Performance Goal 2:

All students will increase their math skills.