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Drury High School Improvement Plan
2014-2015
Amy Meehan, Principal
Tim Callahan, Assistant Principal
Chris Barbarotta, Dean of Students
William Bryce, Dean of Students/Support Services
Drury High School Instructional Leadership Team
2
Introduction/Purpose Our vision at Drury High School is to educate all students with high academic standards and
cultivate a teaching and learning community that believes all students can learn at high levels in
the 21st Century. This overarching vision is critical for the realization of authentic college and
career readiness for all Drury High School students.
Now more than ever, 21st Century Skills are essential for all students as they progress from the
halls of Drury High School to realize their potential as young adults facing both the challenges
and wonders of the “real world.” To this end, Drury programs, initiatives and approaches to
teaching and learning must not only convey the importance of core academics, but also work
towards melding the emerging content areas of global awareness, financial literacy, civic
literacy, health, the arts and wellness awareness into daily instructional practice. Coupled with
core academics, these emerging content areas are vital to success of our students in the work
force and the communities in which they live.
Our primary goal at Drury is to facilitate the learning and thinking skills of all students,
regardless of their age and/or academic abilities. As much as our students need to learn
academic content, they also need to be given the necessary skills to be life-long learners, all the
while making effective and innovative use of what they know and are able to do. Skill
development in the areas of work place readiness, critical thinking, problem solving,
communication, innovation, collaboration, information and media literacy MUST walk hand in
hand with our standards-based philosophy here at Drury in an effort to provide real-life,
contextual learning for our students in the 21st Century.
The 2014-2015 School Improvement Plan (SIP) outlines the short term and long-term
goals/initiatives to improve teaching and learning at Drury, amidst a safe, orderly learning
environment for students and staff alike. While our short-term focus is rooted in our three
primary improvement objectives, several ongoing and long-term initiatives are integral to Drury
High School’s continual improvement process.
To this end, the purposes of Drury’s annual school improvement planning process are twofold:
To review student progress and achievement data from 2013-2014 and reflect on actions
that contributed to our areas improvement that the reasons why our improvement efforts
fell short when we did not reach out goals
To develop specific objectives and action plans for 2014-2015 to advance student
learning in the core academic subjects
3
2013-2014 Progress and Student Learning
DIP Goal 1.a: To improve the proportion of students who are “proficient” in reading/writing,
mathematics, science and social students by 15%.
Percent Proficient or Higher on MCAS by Year and Subject Area
Subject
2010
Baseline 2011 2012 2013
2014 2014
Target
ELA 61% 66% 73% 77% 70% 76%
Math 43% 41% 48% 51% 43% 58%
Science 33% 37% 41% 38% 35% 46%
In 2010, we set four-year school improvement goals in partnership with the district’s Race to the
Top Initiative. Our 2014 actual number of students proficient in ELA, Math and Science was
below our projected 2014 targets.
As evidenced by the charts above, our 2014 ELA, Math and Science proficiency rates declined in
the spring of 2014 MCAS administration. Proficiency rates for grade 8 in all three MCAS
subjects have emerged as a critical concern.
61% 66%
73% 77%
70%
43% 41%
48% 51%
43%
33% 37%
41% 38%
35%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
2010Baseline
2011 2012 2013 2014
Perc
en
t P
rofi
cie
nt
MCAS Percent Proficient Drury High School
ELA
Math
Science
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Gaps in MCAS Proficiency or Higher Rates by Year and Subject Area
Drury Average vs. State Average
Subject
2012
Gap
2013
Gap
2014
Gap
ELA 8 -12% -10% -21%
ELA 10 -11% -5% -8%
Math 8 -30% -23% -32%
Math 10 -10% -11% -13%
Science 8 -23% -19% -31%
Science 10 +1% -15% -9%
The gap between the percent of Drury students who score proficient or higher when comparing
grade 8 results and grade 10 results reinforce alignment concerns in regards to curriculum,
instruction and assessments in the grade 6 to 8 grade span. Noticing this concern in 2013, Drury
has taken the following steps to close the proficiency gaps for the start of the 2014-2015 year:
Pilot the Engage NY Math Common Core Curriculum in grade 8
Expand the High School Prep grade course to a full year to help support critical thinking,
literacy and vocabulary development
Introduce new Tier 2 elective courses for enrichment and intervention the 8-10 grade
level span for additional literacy, reading and mathematics instruction
The Social Studies department has made considerable gains in proficiency rates in content
knowledge and skills for the past three years. The department continues to teach and assess
students’ higher order thinking skills, adding the skills based concepts and questions for their
district assessments.
Social Studies Content Assessments (June Assessments)
Percent Proficient Grade 2012 2013 2014
8 3% 3% 31%
9 31% 26% 63%
10 57% 14% N/A
11 53% 20% 69%
ALL Grades 34% 14% 53%
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DIP Goal 1.b: To reduce performance gaps for low-income students and students with
disabilities by 25% in 2014.
Points Awarded for Closing Proficiency Gaps, Growth and High School Indicators
Subgroup 2011 2012 2013
2014
Students with
Disabilities
250 325 150 150
Low Income
Students 325 275 400 250
Points are awarded to the school’s subgroups for making improvement relative to the group’s
own annual target. Points are given for narrowing proficiency gaps, growth of student
percentiles, extra credit for decreasing warning/failing and/or increasing advanced (10% or
more), and points for reducing the drop-out rate and improving high school graduation rates.
Drury did not make significant overall progress with respect to this goal. Shifts in the structure
of the Special Education Department, the introduction of Tier 2 intervention courses, the creation
of the Learning Center, as well as the reduction of students scheduled into substantially separate
IEP content courses were in place to start the 2014-2015 school year to address the fluctuations
for these two populations.
15%
39% 40%
64%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Fall 2013 Spring 2014
Social Studies Skills Assessment (Grades 8 to 11)
6
DIP Goal 2: To improve the graduation rates for low-income students and students with
disabilities by 15%.
Drury High School
4-Year Non-adjusted Graduation Rates
2009
Baseline 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2014
Target
Students with
disabilities 50% 64% 52% 69% 49% 63% 65%
Low income students 62% 64% 59% 70% 72% 69% 77%
All students 72% 76% 73% 82% 77% 80%
82%
As shown in the related graphs and charts, Drury High School did not reach our 2014 targets,
particularly graduation rates for low-income students and/or with disabilities, yet has exhibited
improvements since the 2009 baseline.
Our three-pronged approach of using graduation coaches (adult advocates), online learning
(credit-recovery) and our redesigned program at E3 (alternative pathway) has yielded several
measurable gains. The gains towards improved graduation rates and decreased drop-out rates
relates to Drury’s continued refinement of each of our programs to improve their effectiveness,
and further movements toward sustainability. The E3 academy program is now fully supported
by regular district budget, and 80% of the on-line learning lab program is supported with district
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Pe
rce
nt
Gra
du
ate
d
4-year Cohort Graduation Rates Drury High School
Students with disabilities Low income students All students
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funds. Only the graduation coach program remains primarily funded by the MassGrad grant,
which ends in June 2015.
Sixteen students were served at E3 during the 2013-2014 academic year. Eight students
graduated on time from Drury and four students are scheduled to return to E3 in the fall of 2014.
One student completed their diploma requirements via another pathway and one student will
transfer to Drury in September. Two students dropped out of the program. A new cohort of
students joined E3 in the fall of 2014.
Upon the conclusion of the 2013-2014 academic year, the cumulative services offered/students
served in respect to the high school pathways for on-time graduation were:
Drury Online Learning Lab: 113 students
High School Internships: 64 students
E3 Academy: 16 students
Graduation Coaching: 61 students
Math Tutoring: 130 students
Writer’s Workshop: 27 students
Student Support Center Graduation
Monitoring/Check Ins: 25 students
Successes for the students who received graduation coach services at Drury were that none of the
students dropped out, and all but one earned enough credits to be promoted to the next grade
level (a promotion rate of 98% in 2013-2014, compared to a 46% promotion rate for students
who received graduation coach services in 2012-2013).
These supports are even more crucial given that forty students transferred into Drury for the start
of the school year in September 2014. Twenty-five transferred in from neighboring schools in
Berkshire County; twelve students were out of state transfers in; two students entered from other
schools in the Commonwealth and one homeschooled student enrolled at Drury. Of the forty
students who transferred into Drury for the start of the school year, 45% or eighteen students
were off-track for on-time graduation.
DIP Goal 3: To increase the percentage of graduates who are college/career ready by 15% by
2014.
College and Career Readiness remains the overarching focus of Drury High School. The
creation of the College and Career Center, coupled by the redesign of Special Education and
Guidance Counseling services will support the school’s endeavors to increase college and career
readiness. Members of the junior class taking the SAT’s reaching the 1550 “college ready
benchmark” continued to improve over time.
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While the MassCore completion rate fell below our 2014 target of 84% completion rate, there
was a 10% increase in completion from 2013 to 2014. Barriers for completion of the MassCore
include the number of IEP students in substantially separate programming during and/or after
high school, transfer students in off-track to meet MassCore requirements and students off-track
for graduation in need of alternative scheduling (online or E3).
25% 20% 16%
33% 37%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Year
Percent of Junior SAT Takers Scoring 1550 or Higher
69%
58% 60% 59%
69%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Perc
en
t
Graduation Year
Percent of Students Who Completed MassCore
9
Drury is in the last year of its partnership with Mass Insight through the Massachusetts Math and
Science Initiative (MMSI) and continues to host high enrollments for students taking college
entrance level courses, called Advanced Placement (AP), during their high school tenure.
In the spring of 2014, Drury High School was nominated and named to the Washington Post’s
most-challenging school index in respect to the school’s AP Program. The Challenge index is
designed to identify schools that have done the best job in persuading average students to take
college-level courses and tests during their enrollment in high school. Out of the 3,500 schools
nationwide, Drury ranked in the top 4% of challenging schools and ranked 50th
in the state of
Massachusetts, with an equity and excellence rate of 14% of students graduating passing at least
one college level course.
48 70
84
224 222
0
50
100
150
200
250
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Nu
mb
er
of
en
rollm
en
ts
School Year
AP Enrollment
AP enrollment
23
35
25
55
75
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Nu
mb
er
of
sco
res
School Year
Number of AP Qualifying Scores
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Students taking the 2014 spring AP exams and earning a qualifying score of a 3, 4 or a 5
demonstrated significant gains compared to the previous year, with twenty more qualifying
scores. Affording access to AP programming, coupled with strategic support at after school and
Saturday session supported students’ abilities to earn a qualifying score of 3 or higher.
2014-2017 District Goal and Drury Action Plan
Our 2014-2017 district goal is to improve college and career readiness. This overarching goal
aims ultimately to decrease the gap in student performance between 2012 performance and
100% proficiency in ELA, math and science by half. To this end, Drury’s three primary goals
listed below will guide our school improvement work.
Goal 1: Improve instructional quality in the classroom.
Goal 2: Develop and strengthen community partnerships impacting student learning.
Goal 3: Improve College and Career Readiness skills, opportunities and awareness.
The corresponding tables each objective is followed by an action plan that indicates the
particular actions, persons responsible, timelines and progress benchmarks/updates.
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Drury Objective 1a.1 100 % of instructors will implement the NAPS focus on Best Practice Instructional Strategies (student learning
objectives, lesson agendas, activities that require higher order thinking, differentiation to meet the needs of all students,
assessment of learning with appropriate feedback to all students) to improve instructional quality by June 2015
2014-2015 ACTION STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET
DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Create Instructional Support
Facilitator Position and
common planning time to
support the implementation
of Best Practice Instructional
Strategies
Meehan August 30
Appoint Instructional Support Facilitator by September
1 and assign teachers to work with Instructional
Support Facilitator (DONE)
Develop building-based PD
plan to continue focus on
Best Practice Instructional
Strategies, using the theme of
“Assessment”
Meehan/
Callahan
October 30
Coordinate with ILT to determine best use of
departmental meetings and collaborative time to
provide PD on Best Practices by October 30th. Present building-based PD plan to Central Admin Team
(DONE)
Review and implement
common lesson plan
template
Callahan September 5
Ongoing
Collection
Present to faculty during Opening Day (DONE)
Team Leaders and evaluators collect lesson plans
weekly
Assemble Drury Data Team
to review student/school data
and use in FY15 Professional
Development
Meehan/
Callahan
August 20
September 16
Attend August Berkshire DSAC/DESE training
(DONE)
Plan/implement Opening PD: Case Studies (DONE)
12
Ongoing
Plan and implement grade-level team meetings using
data and assessment themes at faculty meetings, collab
times, learning teams
Coordinate embedded
professional development via
Learning Teams and
Learning Walks focused on
improving instruction
Callahan November 17
January 21
February 6
May 30
Hold Learning Teams and Learning Walks in
November (DONE), January (DONE), February
(Rescheduled) and May
Monitor teacher use of the
five Best Practice
Instructional Learning
Strategies.
Building
Administrators,
ILT, Teachers
and Evaluators
December 30
January 30
March 30
May 30
Student Learning Objectives Data Collection by Team
Leaders (December & January DONE)
Learning Walk Data
Four Consecutive Week Lesson Plan Audit (DONE)
Create a three year plan to
introduce language
objectives and instructional
strategies to support the
teaching of academic
vocabulary
Meehan/Callahan February 13 Sheltered English Immersion Communication and
Professional Development Plan through 2018 (DONE)
13
Drury Objective 1.a.2
100% of instructors will implement best practice strategies for Formative Assessments to improve instructional quality
by June 2015.
2014-2015 ACTION STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET
DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Plan and implement Keys to
Literacy/Formative
Assessment Professional
Development
Callahan October 2 Conduct Professional Development Module 1
“Formative Assessment Overview” and Module 2
“Formative Assessment Consultancy Protocol”
(DONE)
Plan and implement
Formative Assessment &
Digging into Data
Professional Development
Callahan December 1 Conduct Professional Development Module 3
“Formative Assessment & Data” and Module 4 “Higher
Order Thinking/Depth of Knowledge & Aligned
Formative Assessments” (4 Week Lesson Plan Audit)
(DONE)
Introduce Universal Design
for Learning
Meehan/
Callahan
January 6, 13
February 10
Introduce the three principles of Universal Design for
Learning at Faculty Meetings: Multiple Means of
Representation (DONE), Multiple Means of Action and
Expression (DONE), Multiple Means of Engagement
(Rescheduled)
14
Drury Objective 2: Develop and strengthen community partnerships impacting student learning.
2014-2015 ACTION STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Develop sustainability plan
for the Advanced Placement
Program involving
Community Partners
Meehan/
Callahan
May 2015 Suggest budget costs/line items for AP Program by
January 30 (DONE)
Meet with Superintendent and Business Manager to
explore community partners
Schedule Meetings with Community Partners
Connect with Community
Partners to explore
programming options to
support student achievement
Meehan,
Callahan, ILT
Members
Ongoing Host Guest Speaker in partnership with Northern
Berkshire Community Coalition (NBCC)
Facilitate NBCC Needs Prevention Assessment Survey
Facilitate Hip Hop Dance program with Mass MoCA
Facilitate Artist in Residence Guest Speakers with
Mass MoCA
STEPS summer partnership with Mass MoCA and
other community organizations for Service Learning
Work-Based Learning, Service-Learning at Drury and
E3 Academy
Cultivate Community
Partnerships to support the
College & Career Center
College & Career
Team
Ongoing Mini-Guest Lectures, Career Fairs & Exploration
Workshops, Ground Hog Shadow Day/Internships
15
Drury Objective 3.1a: Redesign Special Education services to support the Massachusetts Tiered System of Support
(MTSS).
2014-2015 ACTION STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Create a Learning Center
designed to provided “drop
in” and “scheduled”
academic support
Meehan/Bryce September 1
Create new classroom (DONE)
Assign Special Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals,
Teaching Assistants to run the Learning Center
(DONE)
Create a Learning Center Data Tracking Log to
document use of the Learning Center (DONE)
Create an integrated Student
Support Services Suite to
deploy student support
resources
Meehan September 1 Assign Dean of Students Bryce to oversee Student
Support Services (DONE)
Move Special Education Offices to Student Support
Suite (DONE)
Assign School Adjustment Counselor and Graduation
Coaches to work in partnership with Student Support
Services (DONE)
Review services by health
and wellness department to
ensure appropriate delivery
of health services to all
students
French/Callahan June 1 Review, revise, develop protocols to ensure the
delivery of mental health and social support services
(i.e. case management/mandated reporting) involving
School Adjustment Counselor, Nurses, Administration,
etc.
16
Expand Health curriculum from one quarter to two to
be taught by certified Biology teachers
Reduce the number of IEP
students enrolled in
substantially separate IEP
courses.
Meehan,
Callahan,
Freeman-Labonte
September 1 Create scheduling spreadsheet for IEP student
placement in regular education courses when
appropriate in alignment with Graduation
Requirements (DONE)
Create co-taught sections for Math 9 and US I (DONE)
Assign TA’s to regular education sections in Math,
ELA and Science (DONE)
Schedule IEP students into sections with additional
instructional support (DONE)
Redesign academic support
classes from Study Skills to
Academic Success, focused
on closing the achievement
gap for students with
disabilities based on their
IEP goals and objectives
Meehan,
Callahan, Bryce,
Freeman-
Labonte,
Academic
Success Teachers
Ongoing
Assign Special Education Teachers to teach Academic
Success
Assign students to Academic Success Sections
Review IEP Goals and Objectives with teachers and
students in each section
Explore and design learning activities/curriculum to
target skill development in areas identified in IEP
(Project-Based Learning, Service Learning, Career
Research, etc.)
Form Mass Model Plus work
group to examine the needs
of at-risk students, assign
interventions/supports and
Meehan November 30
January 30
April 30
June 30
College & Career Assessment Mapping
Attendance Intervention Team Redesign/Planning
(DONE)
17
examine areas for updates to
school policies/procedures
CORE/BEST and Learning Center Logs
Schedule Adjustments as needed
Check alignment of IEP
goals and transition planning
to ensure appropriate
scheduling
Bryce/Freeman-
Labonte
Ongoing IEP Meetings
Schedule Adjustments (September 1, November 7,
January 26, April 6)
Schedule Review & Schedule Change Form
Review Course Requests of IEP students and
Graduation Requirements by May 1
Create and implement a
protocol for reporting all IEP
and 504 plans when students
begin school and new
courses
Freeman-
Labonte/Morgan/
Bryce
September 30
January 30
Ongoing with
transfer in
students
504 Review and Plan Pick up days for teachers in
College & Career Center with Guidance Counselors
Special Education Coordinator IEP Pick up days for
teachers in Student Support Services Suite (DONE)
Special Education Coordinator & Dean of Student
Support Services attend departmental collaborative
meetings by October 30 to review goals, objectives,
accommodations, answer questions, etc. (DONE)
Assign preliminary
Graduation Coaching
caseload.
Meehan September 30 Designate at-risk students for Grad Coaching (DONE)
Assign Grad Coaches to selected students (DONE)
Review EWIS Data to adjust support services (DONE)
Complete self-evaluation of
Student Support Services
Redesign
Meehan/Callahan May 15 Review Failure Rates
Student/Parent/Staff Surveys
18
Drury Objective 3.1b: Redesign guidance counseling services to align with the Massachusetts Model for Comprehensive
Counseling and support the MTSS.
2014-2015 ACTION STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Create a College and Career
Facilitator Position and
common planning time to
promote and design College
and Career activities and
awareness
Meehan August 30 Appoint College and Career Facilitator by September 1
and assign teachers to work with the Mass Model Team
(Guidance Counselors, School Adjustment Counselor,
Career Specialist) (DONE)
Create a College and Career
Center, with corresponding
Guidance Offices assigned to
academic areas
Meehan September 1 Move Guidance Counselor Offices upstairs to Math
Hallway to improve student access to counselors
Create a College and Career center in the Math/Science
Wing staffed by Guidance Counselors, Graduation
Coaches, Career Specialist, College & Career Facilitator
and a Paraprofessional (DONE)
Implement Naviance
Platform
College & Career
Team
Ongoing Complete Naviance STEPS Pilot by August 30 (DONE)
Train staff in use of Naviance Platform by November 30
(DONE)
Schedule students to spend one class period by
December 1 in College & Career Center logging into
Naviance (DONE)
Create a scope and sequence French/College June 1 Create calendar of events for FY15 and FY16 preview
19
of comprehensive school
counseling, with lesson
exemplars
& Career Team
Create curricular documents articulating the scope and
sequence for comprehensive school counseling and
College & Career Activities
Create 5 exemplar lesson plans
Redesign Move Up Days for
rising 9th
grade students from
Feeder Schools and rising 8th
grade students from NAPS
Elementary Schools
Callahan/College
& Career Team
February 6
May 1
June 15
Assign College & Career Team to design events (DONE)
Create expanded Move Up Day Team (DONE)
Run April Showcase Parent Information Night
Coordinate with Elementary Schools for Spring 2015
College & Career Activities
Propose FY16 Move Up Day activities
Complete self-evaluation of
Counseling Services/College
& Career Center
Meehan/Callahan May 15 Review Failure Rates
Student/Parent Surveys
Staff Surveys
20
Drury Objective 3.2: Create new courses to improve academic readiness, social/personal skills and workplace readiness.
2014-2015 ACTION
STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Design, update and plan
expanded High School
Prep Grade 8 Curriculum
as a Tier 1 course for all
grade 8 students
Callahan/Myers/High
School Prep
Teachers
August 30
Quarterly check
ins with Assistant
Principal
Callahan
Expand HS Prep from one semester to a full year offering
(DONE)
Revise curriculum to reflect Drury Expectations for
Student Learning
Create scope and sequence for HS Prep with related
lessons/activities (i.e. tours of school, visits to College and
Career Center, Career Project, Power School Grade
Reviews, etc.)
Design and implement
new Tier 2 thematic,
content-specific
intervention courses
Callahan/Meehan/
Tier 2 Teachers
September 1
Quarterly check
ins with Assistant
Principal
Callahan
New Courses: Science Fiction, Reading Boost, My Earth,
Real World Math (DONE)
Completed Instructional Sequencing Templates
Assignment of students to newly designed courses
(DONE)
Design and implement
new Tier 3 Academic
Success course
Callahan/Bryce June 1 Review Lesson/Unit Plans for Academic Success courses
Review areas for suggested changes for FY16
21
Drury Objective 3.3: Increase MassCore completion percentage by 25%.
2014-2015 ACTION
STEPS PERSON
RESPONSIBLE TARGET DATE/
COMPLETION
STATUS
PROGRESS BENCHMARKS
Generate list of off track
students grades 8-12
Meehan August 30 Share Google Doc/EWIS data with appropriate school
and support staff (DONE)
Generate list of transfer
students into Drury for
monitoring purposes
Meehan September 15 Share with Graduation Coaches to add to database; assign
to monitoring or active coaching (DONE)
Review and adjust
schedules/programming
placements of off-track
Drury students
(MassCore/On-time
Graduation
Meehan/Callahan
Hamilton/Morgan Freeman-
Labonte/Bryce
September 30
Quarterly
Individuals will report out on finalized plans for off-track
students and problem-solve any remaining issues
(DONE)
Review Quarterly at CORE/BEST
22