Stepping Up to the Challenge: Accreditation Process to Begin at LFMS

As you know, the students, staff, parents and administrators at MSAD # 36 have been actively involved in the Continuing Improvement Priority Plan (CIPS) at Livermore Falls Middle School. The culture of the school has undergone dramatic, positive changes thanks to the efforts of Principal Ted Finn and his team approach. Much of the work that is associated with the CIPS Plan provides an excellent foundation for the NEASC accreditation process. District Supervisor of Instruction and CIPS Plan Coordinator, Darren Akerman will chair the LFMS Accreditation Steering Committee. Adolescent Literacy Coach, Julie Bolduc will co-Chair. We believe it is important to use aspirations and the delivery of quality instruction to help us begin. It is also critical to note that LFMS has begun shifting its pedagogical approach to that of Middle School Theory, which has been demonstrated to improve student performance and engagement through the use of teacher teaming, inquiry-based learning, and an emphasis on supporting students developmentally.

Interactive Literacy Products

Under the CIPS Plan, we had the opportunity to address areas of academic deficit, and the federal funding (approximately $80,000) provided training in literacy, resources, materials, parent/community events, and the re-structuring of staff. This list is not comprehensive, but will suffice to demonstrate that there have been profound changes. Teachers have embraced the literacy strategies that have had such a positive influence at Livermore Elementary School. In Book Discussion groups, LFMS teachers share ideas, and hone their instructional skills through a coaching model. Interactive word walls are now part of the culture. By encouraging a literacy-based approach, students can apply a variety of thinking skills to help them truly master language acquisition and development. This includes writing, which is considered an integral part of the language process. Research suggests that superior literacy-based approaches allow for a ‘spill-over’ effect in other subject areas such as mathematics, science, and social studies. A large focus of adolescent literacy is on informational text, teaching students how to discern the most vital components for practical application. These skills can and do affect a student’s future ability to gain employment, manage their lives with knowledge, and create opportunities for personal achievement.Another major change at LFMS has been the use of technology. The Maine Laptop Learning Initiative is in full swing, and students are navigating educational sites on the Internet for research. They are also producing quality work—imovies, slideshows, and graphics that create a professional finish to their products. A student Technology Team ably assists staff and fellow students. Portable LCD projectors allow teachers to share on-line sites of interest with an entire class.

Laptop Learning

Great strides have also been made in the area of science, as the teams move toward inquiry-based learning, experiential forums, and the use of technology for virtual labs. Similarly, social studies provides excellent thematic units in interdisciplinary fashion such as the Androscoggin River Unit, a community-based project that celebrates history, science, and the culture of Livermore-Livermore Falls. Nor should we ignore the remarkable, creative work in Art, Music, Health/Physical Education. The curriculum in grades 6-8 literacy will be undergoing revision to meet the standards of the new Maine Learning Results. The K-5 Literacy curriculum is nearly complete, and includes curriculum maps that help teachers target specific skills and precisely when they need to be taught; moreover, this new format will reinforce the literacy strategies currently in use at LFMS. The Health/Physical Education curriculum is also prepared to include LFMS.

Lion Pride

With the CIPS Plan, LFMS has implemented NWEA, an on-line assessment program that provides highly valid results to help inform instruction. The assessment adjusts to a student’s ability level, and gradually increases in difficulty. The results are returned immediately, and students and teachers alike can identify strengths and needs with pinpoint precision. Parent and community involvement at LFMS has also shifted into high gear. Typically, parent involvement in school tends to diminish during the adolescent years, but that statistic is no longer the case at LFMS. The enthusiasm and support of the community for the annual ‘Price is Right’ event, as well as well-attended literacy nights demonstrate that aspirations are on the rise. Of course, sports remains a mainstay, and our dedicated coaches and teachers recognize that structured physical activities are key to educating the ‘whole’ child.

Dedicated staff

It should be noted that NEASC Accreditation is based on the attainment of standards—curriculum, instruction, assessment, educational leadership, etc. However, the visiting NEASC Visiting Committee will be reviewing the self-studies completed by the staff, students, and community at LFMS, seeking to verify their findings. It is quite possible to become accredited, although such issues as facilities may be an apparent impediment. It is the complete learning environment that the NEASC Visiting Committee investigates. The visit takes a few days, and the work required is substantial, but an accredited school has value for its constituents. Not too many years ago, Livermore Elementary School was a designated priority school. Today it is recognized for its student achievement scores, its culture of literacy, technology, and instructional leadership. Similarly, Livermore Falls High School has received NEASC accreditation, and is noted for theater arts, its alternate education programs, and rigorous academic standards. The many field trips and explorations of other cultures give students at LFHS experiences that are meaningful and relevant to their education.

At MSAD # 36, we seek to provide the highest quality education for our students, and NEASC accreditation provides a standards-based roadmap to that goal. LFMS is steeping up for the challenge.

For more information about Middle School Theory, please click on the link below.
http://educationalphilosophy.blogspot.com/2007/10/middle-school-philosophy.html

View CIPS Plan Power Point

Update on CIPS Plan at L.F.M.S.— Visualizing Success

Can you provide some detailed information about how Livermore Falls Middle School students performed on last year’s M.E.A. (Maine Educational Assessment)?

In 2006-2007, our whole group (total student population grades 6 – 8) achieved a 67%, which is up from the 40% rating in 2005-06.  That’s a 27% improvement. The economically disadvantaged subgroup jumped from a proficiency rating of 35% in 2005-06 to a 61% rating in 2006-07, a 26% improvement. Those were significant gains in a one-year span. It is our intention to continue those rising scores so that we will meet the state target; that way, all our students will meet No Child Left Behind guidelines.

I’m a visual learner. Can you show me some examples of the progress our students have made so far?

The key beside the pie graphs means

DNM =  Does not Meet the Standard
PM =      Partially Meets the Standard
M =        Meets the Standard
E =         Exceeds the Standard

We want students to be within the Meets the Standard or Exceeds the Standard Range the yellow and blue.) So let’s take a look at our 6th Grade 2005-6 MEA Reading Results.




I can see by the pie graph that our students didn’t do very well for 2005-6 on the MEA Standard in Reading. Only 33% Met or Exceeded the Standard.

That’s correct, but our staff has been working hard to change that. Let’s take a look now at the 6th Grade 2006-7 MEA Reading Results in comparison.

Wow! I can see by the pie graph that more than half of those students Met or Exceeded the Standard last year in Reading. The number of students is up to 54%. That’s encouraging.

It is encouraging. An improvement from 21% in one year is significant. The staff has made a number of instructional changes, and the results are clearly making a positive difference. Let’s take a look at another grade level.



Ouch! It looks as if our 8th grade students in 2005-6 didn’t do very well on the MEAs in Reading. Only 24% Met or Exceeded the Standard in Reading. That’s less than a quarter.

No excuses—they did not perform well that year. Since then, our staff has worked hard to use new teaching strategies. Now, let’s see how they did last year.



That’s really amazing! 62% of the 2006-7 8th grade students Met or Exceeded the MEA in Reading. That’s an improvement of 42% in one year. The staff at LFMS must be really working hard to help our students make such gains. But can you show me a sample of student performance on the MEA in another subject area?

Let’s take a look at the 2005-6 Science MEA results. 43 % of the 8th grade students at LFMS Met or Exceeded the Standard.

43% is less than half. It doesn’t look like they performed as well as you would have liked.

That’s true. Over the course of a year, the staff refined much of the Science curriculum and worked as a team to improve instructional strategies. Here are the MEA results for 8th Grade last year.