Schools
From the Principal's Desk: Program Improvement is a Call To Opportunity
Albany Middle School Principal Peter Parenti shared his community letter with Albany Patch. Click the green "Keep me posted!" button below for an alert when we post future messages from the principal.
(“Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.” ~Hugh Miller, Snow on the Wind)
is successful in so many ways and plays an active part in the highly regarded . We have outstanding people on our staff and in the community who take action every day. We have excellent leaders at all levels of the organization; both inside and out. We have rich and engaging curriculum and instruction. Our students are respectful and responsible.
And, in what may seem like a contradiction; Albany Middle School is now in Program Improvement Year One as defined by the No Child Left Behind federal educational initiative.
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Some will wonder; ‘How can such a successful school system also be in Program Improvement?’ Some will answer, ‘Because the federal system of Annual Yearly Progress is inherently flawed,’ or ‘Because some students didn’t start in our Albany system when they entered Kindergarten,’ or ‘Because California’s STAR tests only measure performance in certain ways.’
In some ways, they would all be correct and we could spend our lifetimes debating the U.S. NCLB policies, California’s educational system, and local school community dynamics.
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But, it’s important to recognize one thing more than any other: there are students at Albany Middle School who are not as academically successful as we know they can be. In fact, there are approximately 130 students who are either at Basic, Below Basic, or Far Below Basic levels of performance in Math and ELA as measured by the STAR Test results. Please don’t doubt that those students know who they are and the label that their test results have placed upon them. And, please don’t doubt that our students can do better. We need to respond thoughtfully so that we don’t lose what works well and so that we improve upon what works well so that everyone can learn.
The actions we are mandated to take as a part of PI Year One status are a loud call to opportunity. We have the opportunity to drill deep into the STAR data and to take advantage of the detailed information. We have the opportunity to conduct a thorough analysis of our programs; ranging from instruction, to teacher professional development, to leadership and more. And, we have the opportunity to re-author our Single Plan for Student Achievement so that our strategies meet the needs of all our students.
The AMS staff and community are now charged with an extraordinary amount of work. And at first review; the work can seem like punishment. DeFour and Marzano, experts in the field, have just published their view: “The unspoken assumption behind [NCLB strategies]is that educators have had the ability to help all students learn, but have lacked sufficient motivation to put forth the effort to help them learn.” At AMS and at schools across the state; nothing could be further from the truth.
I know from experience that this work is meaningful, engaging, and data-driven. I haven’t been here for very long yet, but I am already proud of the actions that we all take every day in service to students. Please continue to be an informed and active participant in our school; it’s a great way to make you proud.
Sincerely,
Peter I. Parenti, Principal
This letter originally appeared in Albany Middle School's Cobra Clarion and has been reprinted here with permission. Learn how to sign up for the middle school email newsletter , and scrolling to the '"schools" section. Click the green "Keep me posted!" button below to receive an alert when we post a new message from Principal Parenti.