Learn more about the Excellence in Education Awards Additional profiles: Carthay Center Elementary Wonderland Avenue Elementary Irving Middle School White House Place Primary Center Community Magnet School Lowman Special Education Center Magnolia Avenue School Elizabeth Learning Center Park Western Place Elementary Coeur d'Alene Elementary Welby Way Gifted Magnet Haddon Elementary Hobart Elementary Open Magnet Charter School

Excellence in Education Awards Christine Alcaraz, Helen Bartosik, Leslie De Grace, Sara Chase, David Cooper, Danielle Doherty, Mark Evans, Joshara Fletcher, Melody Jones, Diane Hassell, James McGroarty, Francesca Olear, Sandra Shakespeare, Tracie Wilson, and Clifton Winnard Maclay Middle School 12540 Pierce Street, Pacoima Cecilia Costas, Principal A LEARN School San Fernando Cluster-Maria Reza, Cluster Administrator RESULTS: At the beginning of the 1998-99 school year, the median reading test score for sixth grade students was 3.0 (third grade) and the average was 3.2. By April, the median reading level had increased to grade 3.6 and the average 3.9. Last July a total of 164 students were at the first or second grade level in reading. As of the last testing, that number had been reduced to 108. There has been a significant reduction in referrals to the office, so students are spending more time in class. After the first six weeks of the year, 89 students had grade point averages of 3.0 or better. By December, this number had increased to 118. Sixth grade Track C teachers set a goal of having students read at grade level. The team took on a systemic restructuring that included adopting a reading program to engage and support all students' learning, creating a service learning curriculum, rearranging their schedules to make the sixth grade Track C a school-within-a-school, and implementing standards-based instruction based on student achievement data. When students arrive at Maclay their literacy level is low and the road to improved reading ability daunting. Research confirms the difficulty of closing the gap between reading level and grade level as students reach middle school. From this challenge grew the urgency of a commitment to literacy. Cooperatively, the sixth grade Track C teachers at Maclay and the staffs at three neighboring elementary schools adopted the Success For All reading program from Johns Hopkins University and received extensive training in implementation of the curriculum. Reading classes are organized into cooperative learning groups that require students to interact with each other and the text. The teaching team uses various strategies to create and maintain effective environments for student learning. The change to cooperative learning groups has developed students into learners who are more active and who take responsibility for the success of the group. A common theme "Ask Three Before Me" encourages students to discuss questions together before turning to the teacher. Teachers show students how to address issues that are common to group dynamics in teambuilding activities, such as the "I Message" and the "Peace Path." A community-based service learning program on the redevelopment of Hansen Dam is under development with agencies such as Pacoima Beautiful, the Volunteer Center, and Cal State Northridge, along with Americorps students and assistance from the Constitutional Rights Foundation. The curriculum, designed to be both rigorous and relevant to students, will explore the history and function of the dam, its impact on the community, and how it reached its present state.