Effects of CLC on a Middle School - 5 years down the road

[Susan K. Woodruff]

Attached is a document that reports on what is happening at Vista Middle School in Ferndale, WA. Thanks to Mary Kanikeberg, SIM-Certified Administrator, and Rebecca Champagne, SIM Professional Developer, change is palpable at Vista! They have also implemented a thoughtful RTI model in the school and PLCs. All of these great intiatives are tying together, and teachers are not seeing them as separate, but connected. Vista is becoming a model school for the state; they have hosted many visits from across the state to see the exciting things that are happening there. This presentation was developed by Mary Kanikeberg to share at a state conference. She has graciously allowed me to share their success. They have collected data and the results of their intervention students this year is nothing short of remarkable. Their efforts show how powerful interventions aligned by strong leaders and teachers monitored by careful assessment can result in real success. Congratulations to everyone at Vista Middle School. Thanks also should go to Cynthia Sicilia, Curriculum Director for Ferndale School District, who has faithfully supported and sustained the SIM/CLC effort from the district level. Without this unfailing alignment and support from central office, this would not be possible. I'm hoping that we can have some online dialogue about what they are doing at Vista and especially how they have organized their Response to Intervention strategies and routines.

[Susan K. Woodruff]

I would like to add a few things about Vista Middle School in Ferndale. I think the context is really important. This district began a CLC initiative in 2004-05. The following year we began to focus on SIM leadership development in the district. Both middle schools developed very strong leadership teams. The high school was also involved, but they had a change in building leadership. The focus became centered on the two middle schools. Both schools embraced the "partnership mindset" and developed building coaches. Many of these coaches went on to become fully certified SIM Professional Developers. Vista has had stable, supportive building leadership. The assistant principals have come and gone, but the building principalship has remained stable. These building level factors (partnership philosophy and stable leadership) and consistant support and encouragement from central administration are surely factors in their successes.

[Linda Edmonds]

WOW!!! What a rich example of people making a difference. Your presentation of data and the actions you implemented are awesome. I definitely will return to the report to look at it in greater depth.
Thanks for sharing and inspiring.
Linda Edmonds
Science Teacher
HH Ellis - CT Technical High School System