About the Author: David LaRose is the principal of Mohave Middle School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and an NCA peer review team chair.  An enthusiastic advocate for the middle school concept, LaRose is the president of the Central Arizona Middle Level Association.  He can be reached at dlarose@susd.org.

About the Schools:  Mohave Middle School, whose students transition into Saguaro High School, is located approximately two miles from the high school.  Both schools are part of the Scottsdale Unified School District.  Mohave serves 670 students, and Saguaro serves 1570.  Different schedules required the faculty to extend their hours in order to collaborate on NCA school improvement.  Nonetheless, the faculty members remain committed to their collaborative efforts.

Editor’s Note:  LaRose writes convincingly of the synergy that was created when Saguaro High School and Mohave Middle School collaborated on shared school improvement goals and on transitions issues between buildings.  Articulation from one level of schooling to another is an area of emphasis in the Transitions Endorsement.  Readers interested in LaRose’s article might also enjoy the article on NCA’s Transitions Endorsement in this edition.

Having recently and successfully completed a five-year Outcomes Endorsement, I can still recall the day I “inherited” the many graphs, charts, folders, and binders entitled “North Central.”  As a newly appointed principal, I joined the five-year plan at the beginning of the third year. Although I was the assistant principal for the first two years, my level of involvement in the process was very limited, and it was time for a crash-course in North Central accreditation.  I turned to our steering committee chairs to educate me on what we had accomplished, what we hoped to accomplish, and how we intended to accomplish the task.  I also had the benefit of working with the principal of the high school that our students would attend, for the true uniqueness of our school improvement plan was that the plan was a collaborative effort between our two schools.  Therefore, in spite of the fact that our grade levels were different (7-8 and 9-12) and our campuses were in two different locations, the plan was shared by both schools.  As you can imagine, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  In fact, when I learned that we were the only middle school in our district participating in North Central and were doing so by choice, I couldn’t help but wonder “Why?”  Three years later, I not only know “why” but also truly believe that the non-measurable benefits of North Central accreditation alone are worth every effort.

As our five-year plan neared completion (not that school improvement ever really ends), I realized that our school would once again be faced with the decision “to NCA or not to NCA?”  Prior to bringing that exact question to our staff, we invited all past members of our leadership team who made the decision to form the NCA partnership with our high school to meet and asked them to share the reasons they had “chosen” North Central.  When we revisited this initial decision, it became very clear that while student growth and achievement were important objectives, the primary goals were less tangible and difficult to measure.  In fact, the driving force behind the decision was a shared desire for greater cooperation and respect between middle school and high school teachers.  All parties involved predicted only positive results from developing a partnership with our high school and saw great value in increased articulation between teachers in grades 7 through 12.  As a school, we needed to promote the great accomplishments of our staff and students and believed that a collaborative 7 through 12 school improvement plan could instantly validate our efforts and enhance our credibility with our community.  Once these non-target area goals had been shared, I asked both current and past teachers, parents, and administrators if our ulterior objectives had been met.  The answers I received became the highlights of our Executive Summary of Success for our final NCA team visit.  Some highlights of that summary are quoted below:

With an attention to transition, dialogue between campuses has extended beyond target areas and has resulted in an improved orientation procedure for students moving to the high school.  The program now includes early visits with eighth grade students regarding registration for high school, evening programs at both schools for parents of eighth graders, and transition meetings between counselors and administrators to discuss the exiting eighth grade students and their particular needs.  Students and parents have benefited greatly by having a better understanding of high school.  This program is a direct result of the cooperative spirit that began with our commitment to a joint approach to North Central accreditation.

Teachers, as well as students, experienced great growth and success throughout the five-year cycle.  From the moment the two schools began meeting together, barriers from the past were broken down and, consequently, students benefited from the articulation and cooperation between middle school and high school teachers.

From the outset, the many meetings to identify target areas, to write a mission statement, and to develop school profiles created a team-like atmosphere between the two staffs and opened the doors of communication that still exist today.

Throughout the many departmental meetings that took place when curriculum mapping was the primary objective, mutual appreciation grew between the faculties.  Consequently, teachers of seventh and eighth grade students learned what ninth grade teachers were expecting their students to know when they entered high school.  This knowledge enabled teachers to plan better and to adjust their instruction and focus when necessary; as a result, students entered high school better prepared for success.

Within target area committee work and from the many joint faculty meetings, teachers gained the respect of their peers, regardless of the grade level they taught.  This mutually respectful relationship enabled the committees to be productive, cohesive groups.  Further, the relationship that developed between the two campuses has encouraged teachers to communicate with one another about topics unrelated to specific target area goals.

The rapport between the two schools allowed active and ongoing problem solving to address the challenges we identified within our plan.  Through our own self-assessment, revisions were made within each target area to improve instructional strategies, data collection tools, and methods of evaluating student performance.

Both schools presented the details of our NCA school improvement plan to the district Parent Council, and we have been identified and recognized by the Council as being true leaders in terms of efforts to improve schools and increase student performance.

The North Central process has been an excellent vehicle for promoting the quality of education at both schools.  Throughout this cycle, our visiting team and the staff from the Arizona NCA state office have validated our efforts.  This outside evaluation has enhanced the reputation of our schools and has generated pride and respect within our parent community.

Clearly, as we complete our present five-year cycle, we consider our efforts worthwhile and rewarding.  While the target area goals may have changed and our school profile may be different than it was five years ago, the relationship between our two schools is stronger and will only continue to grow.  By working together, we can identify our greatest areas of need and create a shared plan to overcome any challenge that exists.  Throughout the past five years, students at the middle school and high school have benefited greatly from our North Central work.  Without question, current and future students, teachers, and parents will continue to reap the rewards of the partnership that has developed between our schools.

Our accomplishments in terms of student growth have been cause for celebration, and the partnership we have formed has inspired a spirit of teamwork and unity that will last for years to come.  While we benefited greatly from improved communication and articulation with our high school and generated a tremendous amount of respect from our community, the bottom line is how our middle school through high school partnership in school improvement impacted kids.  We are different schools with different teachers and different administrators, yet the one common denominator is our kids.  Our kids become their kids, and, by participating in North Central together, we have created a seamless transition of shared goals and high academic standards that are consistent from middle school through high school.

At our final site leadership meeting of the 1999-2000 school year, we reviewed our accomplishments and identified a number of potential target areas for the future.  When the question “Do we continue our North Central partnership with the high school?” was asked of the committee, one of our parents said it best when she replied, with genuine conviction: “Well, why wouldn’t we?”  After several moments of silence, the meeting adjourned, as no further discussion was necessary to reinforce our commitment to a process that produced all that we desired . . . and more!