Eisenhower Middle School:
A Year of Growth & Much Success
A little over a year ago, Eisenhower Middle School (EMS) had just begun a transformation into a new era. The school had a new principal (Mr. Lee Nittel), many new teachers and began working with a new paradigm: the removal of ability grouping from academic areas, with the exception of math courses. With a new superintendent (Dr. Michael Rossi) touting the efficacy of mixed ability groups (by way of research studies), EMS charged ahead with its new design. Much of the “new” focus would center on a teaching style known as differentiated instruction (DI), a methodology that the district was incorporating in previous years, but one that Rossi felt needed to be delivered full force. “DI means targeting each student’s learning styles and honing instruction toward it. Additionally, we felt that we needed to assess our students through benchmarked standards, and aim our units and lessons around the notion of enhancing strengths and remediating weaknesses”. (Rossi).
The results have been nothing less than amazing. To properly gauge the results, the district has started using students’ graduation year to compare their progress from one year to the next. “We want to compare apples to apples, so we assign each class their graduation year to denote a particular testing year,” Rossi said. “For example, this year’s grade eight students are the class of 2014.” That class, in particular, showed enormous progress, at least as measured by state tests. When the class of 2014 took their state exams in spring 2008, only 3 students were deemed Advanced Proficient on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK), in Language Arts. When they took the same test in 2009, a whopping 95 came through as Advanced Proficient. Conversely, the percentage of students that were Partially Proficient dropped from 95 to 40. Math scores were equally as impressive, with Advanced Proficient numbers going from 58 to 120, for that same class. For the class of 2013, Language Arts passing scores increased by 44 (from 213 to 267), while the number of students that were Partially Proficient dropped from 60 to 29. Mathematics scores for that class rose from 92 Advanced to 120 Advanced, while Partially Proficient numbers dropped from 91 to 66. Perhaps most impressive of all were the science scores, where 154 students (45% of the entire grade) were Advanced, and just 1.9% of the general education & 5% of the total population did not meet proficiency levels. In all cases passing scores were up and ‘non passing’ scores went down. The figures surpass not only the state average but also those of Roxbury’s District Factor Group.
However, test scores were far from the only successes that are part of this story. Other factors that contribute to improving student performance and closing the achievement gap focus on the social and emotional aspects of the middle level learner. To increase communication with parents and keep them in touch with their students’ progress as well as to promote better student work habits, EMS was the first school in the district to pilot an online grade book. Its success is reflected in a 30% increase in Honor Roll recipients.
Mr. Nittel, in partnership with Rutgers University’s Social and Emotional Learning Lab, has involved EMS in their Developing Safe and Civil Schools (DSACS) initiative. The program offers services (worth approximately $10,000) to assist in developing the tools necessary to create a customized character education program for the school. EMS students are collaborating with Morris County United Way in developing a website, Cyber Connections, aimed specifically at middle level students. It will be launched this fall with EMS as the pilot school for the county. Students participated in a school climate survey working with Rowan University’s Social Norms Project. This opportunity allowed EMS to acknowledge its own unique positive social norms and support them. With these tremendous strides, discipline referrals have decreased more than 50% on all levels.
The staff encourages and supports student endeavors and achievement outside the classroom as well. Our seventh and eighth grades scored second in the state on the 2009 National Language Arts League competition. The Academic Team prospered throughout the year; at the NJ Master Open they were 10 out of 45, 4th out of 51 at the Thinking Cap Bowl, 48th out of 243 at the America Answer Quiz Bowl, and they made it to the top 16 at the ATOMS competition. The Choir placed first and the Band took second place at the Hershey Park Festival. The Investors Club had 2 teams place 2nd and 3rd in the North East Division and was honored at William Paterson University. The EMS Chess Club Team placed 7th at the Rutgers University State Championships.
The staff has a very active Character Education committee that is having a critical impact on continuing to enhance school climate by implementing strategies that support positive core values. In addition, during this school year, the Character Education Committee is kicking off an Advisory Program, as well as organizing, in conjunction with the PTA, a Night of Unity for parents, students, and staff. It is indeed an exciting and dynamic time at EMS.