East Hall data showed two student groups needed extra attention

By Nancy Badertscher

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Students can transfer if a school fails to make AYP for two years. At East Hall Middle School, about 2 percent of the school’s 912 students took that option.

Teacher morale was at its lowest point from 2002 to 2006, when the job of principal turned over four times. Uncertainty made it hard for teachers to focus on the root causes of low performance, said Principal Kevin Bales.

The first-time principal and former math teacher took a different approach: he delved into student performance data, which revealed two subgroups, students with disabilities and English language learners, needed extra attention. About 44 percent of East Hall’s students are Hispanic.

“We began to get together, making plans on how we were going to get off the needs improvement list,” said Donna Shirley, a sixth-grade language arts teacher. “From the beginning, everyone was on board.”

Saturday school was developed for students needing remedial help. After-school programs were fashioned to give students a preview of upcoming classwork and keep them working at grade level.

“The kids wanted it,” said Don Griffin, a seventh-grade language arts teacher. “They wanted to be successful.”

Every test score, progress report and report card was logged.

“We are truly data driven now, and, in my opinion, that is what got us off the list,” Griffin said.

With help from the state, the school adopted new classroom structures geared to raise standards. Its teachers learned new strategies. As soon as students arrive, they are expected to ponder a question of the day. Other questions are posted and there is an agenda listing what will be accomplished that day.

The first year the school made AYP — 2007-2008 — was “the most exciting,” Griffin said. “The second year was 
really scary. Do we make it again or start over?”

Virginia Van Gelderen, a seventh-grade language arts teacher, said “it hurt to have kids go elsewhere” because of the stigma of being on the list.

That’s now part of the past. Last month, she said, a student cried at the prospect of leaving the school.

Others educators have watched the school’s turn-around and come for a firsthand look.

“If you look closely at East Hall — where they started and where they are now — wow!” said Nancy Moore, director of federal and state programs for White County schools. “I want that excitement and commitment in my school system.”

For the staff, it’s energizing.

“We’ve gone from the bottom to the top, from stigmatized to a model school and that feels good, ” said Van Gelderen.

Said Bales of clearing the “needs improvement,” hurdle: “As far as events in my life, probably only my wedding day and the birth of my children have meant more.”