Rolling Hills Middle School Continuous Improvement Update

Rolling Hills Middle School shared its continuous improvement journey with the Board in September. To learn more and view their slide deck, read the story below.

Rolling Hills Middle School…a great place to be. While we believe learning occurs as students engage with books and online websites, it can and should occur with peer to peer interactions during literature circles and projects in collaboration with Santa Clara Valley Water District and our very own storm drains. Our Leadership Class continues to evolve as members led New Student Orientation over the summer and now produce weekly video announcements and host Friday lunchtime activities.

Our primary role as educators, and central-focus this year, is on successful students.  Our board report looks at the components of a successful student along with two additional pillars that are intentionally used to promote growth.

In alignment with our district and its focus upon continuous improvement, we are addressing the qualities of successful students, while leveraging the pillars of a successful staff and engaged families.

We are exceedingly proud of our state assessment data.  The all in, single measure shows that our students are performing well, both year to year, such as in 6th grade English Language Arts (ELA) where 80% of our students met or exceeded standards, or across years, as seen in math, as we analyze cohort data.  

This success is a direct result of having fabulous people in place, providing additional release days for our 7th and 8th grade math teachers, and supporting professional growth through conferences. Our teachers implement proven instructional strategies with fidelity and carefully analyze their effectiveness.

We are also witnessing the positive impact of consistent English Language Development (ELD) strategies across all content areas, the hardwiring and benefits of small group instruction, the use of common assessment, and genuine collaboration through plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycles throughout campus.

While Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC), state testing, academic data is promising, we also recognize that two years of data is not necessarily a trend yet and that as we discuss 2% swings, it may hinge upon six students in a grade level of 300.  We have work to do to create sustainable and ongoing growth. We are providing students opportunities to take a more active role in their learning and have altered our ELD structure this year by moving it from the equivalent of every other week to a daily model that addresses our performance gaps on iReady.

We’d like to call out the momentum in our continuous improvement journey, and we are aiming to go the distance as we hardwire our core work. In addition to some of the academic data, Studer (survey) data indicates a lot of good things are happening, and there is continued improvement year to year.

And while there are some scrapes and bruises that we see in our Studer data and have heard in our rounding, there is improvement. Our survey scores show there is plenty of room for growth. Luckily these scrapes and bruises can heal with focused attention and time.

In looking at the Nine Principles for Organizational Excellence, we are focused upon accountability with clear expectations, a deeper analysis of learning from students and staff, and aligned communication. 

In reflecting upon her continuous improvement journey, Cora Jorgensen, an 8th grader, stated “What I really liked about last year was how I was more aware of my learning.  In Mr. Alexander’s science, I graphed my class percentage several times a week.  This helped me understand where I needed to improve and how to make my grade better.”

She went on to note that she kept a math notebook that captured “this week I learned…”, “I saw improvement in myself by…”, “I saw improvement in myself by…”, and “I looked back on the week and noticed…”. And, that PDSA cycles were used regularly in her English and social studies classes that intentionally incorporated student feedback and voice. She added that small group instruction helped in guiding her to find answers and seek improvement.

“I’m seeing some of these in my current classes as well… especially math with Mr. Maruyama where a PDSA cycle helped us analyze our first test and what studying for the test actually did for our grades,” said Jorgensen.

Mrs. Briggs, an English and Social Studies teacher; Mr. Maruyama, eighth grade CAP math and science teacher; and Jessica Harris, Continuous Improvement Coach also shared how the continuous improvement journey has shaped their teaching practices and school system including increased collaboration.

As we “see” data, whether positive or problematic, we react. We gather input and attempt change within a structured system. We are eager to see what changes to our system leads to this year for the benefit of our students, staff, and families.

The complete Board presentation may be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PGJ7kgrPEcbh9OBf3mEPZkwrMAXwcjTP/view?usp=sharing