DRAFT

How can the

Cambridge Public
School District
improve middle grade
education?
An overview of the work completed to date and a
recommendation for how to move forward
 DRAFT

• For the past four years, the Cambridge Public School District (CPSD) has launched multiple
initiatives to identify the significant problems with middle grade education that prevent the
district from achieving its goals of delivering the highest quality education to all students

• However, each effort has fallen short of providing a clear view of the underlying problems and
have not delivered clear, well-researched solutions which the broader community would
support

• The students in the district would be best served by a clear communication from CPSD which
includes a descriptive statement of the specific, shared vision for middle grade education, a
rigorous analysis of the underlying problems that continue to prevent us from reaching that
ideal, and a set of solutions derived from a data-driven, problem-solving process
 DRAFT

• For the past four years, the Cambridge Public School District (CPSD) has tried to identify the
significant problems with middle grade education that prevent the district from achieving its
goals of delivering the highest quality education to all students

• In early 2007, Superintendent Fowler-Finn convened the Middle Grade Task Force, a group of educators who
were charged with analyzing the middle grade issues raised by parents and educators

• In April 2007, Dr. Fowler-Finn formed a Blue Ribbon Committee made up of educators, school committee
members, and CPSD staff to continue the search for a solution, and expanded the scope of the problem to all
issues affecting the quality of middle grade education, including the structure of the schools

• In June 2008, Mayor Denise Simmons formed a Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate how the City could
better serve the middle grade children in Cambridge

• Building on the Blue Ribbon’s report, the recently hired Superintendent, Dr. Jeffrey Young, gathered additional
data, assessed the problem, developed an initial set of recommendations, revised the recommendations and then
called for the formation of three working teams, one of which was tasked with gathering feedback from the
community on the revised options

• However, the multiple initiatives formed to understand these issues have fallen short of
providing a clear view of the underlying problems and have not delivered coherent, well-
researched solutions which the broader community would support

• The students in the district would be best served by a clear communication from CPSD which
includes a descriptive statement of the specific, shared vision for middle grade education, a
rigorous analysis of the underlying problems that continue to prevent us from reaching that
ideal, and a set of solutions derived from a data-driven, problem-solving process
 DRAFT

The Middle Grade Task Force was formed to

address problems which had been raised by
concerned parents and teachers
Who was involved Work completed Results

• Not clear from • Reviewed policy briefs and • Crafted 5 guiding principles for effective middle
documents, but it academic research on best schools 2
seems to have been led practices in delivering quality • Provide a curriculum that is:
by Carolyn Turk, middle school education • Rigorous with high expectations for all students
Deputy Superintendent
• Developmentally responsive and relevant to students’ lives
• Highlighted findings from • Integrated and exploratory
Stated purpose three main sources • Based on MA Curriculum Frameworks & CPS Learning
• This We Believe: Keys to Educating Expectations
“to provide best Young Adolescents -- from National • Consistent across the schools
Middle School Association • Guided by clearly articulated student proficiencies
practice background
• What makes middle schools works -- • Informed by assessment
and supporting from University at Albany • Use research-based instructional practices designed to prepare all
considerations students to achieve high standards.
• The Building Blocks of Success for
on the nature of America’s Middle and High School • Staff the middle grades with teachers who are expert in
Students -- from Alliance for adolescent development, academic content and best teaching
middle-level learners Excellent Education practices and are committed to knowing the whole child. Support
along with researched teachers through the development of professional communities in
program characteristics which they work collaboratively toward student achievement and
growth.
that when
• Provide a safe and respectful school environment, free from
implemented over time bullying, in which healthy relationships and communication are
produce high fostered in order to improve academic performance and develop
caring and competent citizens.
functioning learning
• Work in partnership with families and communities to support
environments for young student learning and development.
adolescents.”1
1 Middle Grades Best Practices Executive Summary, p.1 http://www.cpsd.us/web/COO/MiddleGrades_BestPractices_ExSum.pdf
2 The Blue Ribbon Commission on Middel School Education, p. 5 http://www.cpsd.us/web/PubInfo/BRC/BRC_Pres_060308.pdf

A Blue Ribbon Committee, comprised of educators,
school committee members and CPSD staff was
convened by then Superintendent, Dr. Fowler-Finn
Who was involved
• 25 member committee
• Co-chaired by Joe Grassi, a School
committee member, and Dr. Fowler-
Finn, Superintendent of CPSD
• Included representatives from the
School Committee, Central Office
Administrators, Curriculum Leaders,
Principals, Assistant Principals and
middle grade teachers
Stated Purpose
• “to educate the entire School Committee
and public on the challenges that exist
within the current state of our middle
schools and to further research the issue
of structure.1”
• “to research the strengths and
weaknesses of the current middles
schools in an effort to gain an
understanding of the challenges the
district faces 1”
• “to visit and research middle schools
within CPS and in surrounding
communities to view how programs were
positively or adversely affected by school
structure i.e., K-8, 7-12, or 6-8 school
models 1”
1 The Blue Ribbon Commission on Middle School Education, p. 3 http://www.cpsd.us/web/PubInfo/BRC/BRC_Pres_060308.pdf
2 Ibid, p. 15
DRAFT
Work completed Results
• Evaluated the strengths • Identified 12 challenges presented by the current school structure 2
and weaknesses of the •Academic Expectations
• Difficulty for teachers to become proficient in and prepare to
middle grades based on teach the content for 2 or 3 grade levels of a demanding
the Middle School Task curriculum in schools that have small numbers of students
Force’s 5 guiding • Isolation of content area teachers in all schools because of small
numbers
principles using school’s • Academic offerings and schedules that are driven by numbers
• Inefficiency/ inequity of teacher caseloads between schools and
self-assessments subject areas
• Visited nine schools and •Staffing and Professional Development
• Limited opportunities for teachers to collaborate with each other
compared their often and easily due to the small size of most middle grades
performance to CPS • Difficulty in structuring opportunities for Middle School
using the MSTF’s 5
Leadership Team and professional development opportunities due
to 4 tier start/ dismissal times of elementary schools
guiding principles • Variance of 6th grade configuration by school making it difficult
to schedule professional development
• Aggregated feedback • Lack of inclusion of specialists (Special Education, English as a
Second Language, Art, Music, PE, World Languages) as members of
from BRC-led public the middle school team because of scheduling and the fact that
forums specialists are often shared by schools
•Safe and Respectful School Culture
• Small peer groups in some schools that can lead to social
isolation for some students
• Lack of a coherent guidance/ counseling program to support the
specific academic and social needs of young adolescents
• Strong Connections to Families and Community
• Limited extracurricular and enrichment activities for middle
school students
• Difficulty in structuring after school opportunities for middle
school students due to 4 tier start/ dismissal times of elementary
schools
 DRAFT
Mayor Denise Simmons formed a Blue Ribbon
Commission to analyze how the City could better
serve middle grade youth
Who was involved Work completed Results

• 34 member committee • Analyzed student enrollment by • Created a profile of Cambridge’s middle grade
• Co-chaired by Sam Seidel, school youth articulated in eight key findings2
the Vice Mayor and Nancy
Tauber, a School • Compared CPSD middle grades • In comparison to nearby communities, the Cambridge middle
school youth population is relatively modest in size, but spread
committee member with surrounding communities across more schools
• Included representatives
• Size of middle grade population • Middle school youth are in a critical developmental stage,
from CPSD engaged in defining both a present and future self identity
• Number of schools serving middle • Cambridge middle school youth would benefit from extended
grades learning opportunities after school and during the summer
Stated purpose • While many middle school youth report high levels of physical
• Compared CPSD MCAS activity, segments of youth are not consistently engaged in
performance vs state average, sports or exercise programs
“to focus on how overall and by subgroup • Participation of Cambridge middle school youth in OST has
increased in recent years, but there is room for further
better to engage improvement, especially among older youth (seventh and eighth
this population of • Surveyed youth on out-of- graders)
[middle grade] school activities including risky • Middle School OST options and experiences vary considerably
across schools and neighborhoods
behaviors
children in the • There is currently less need for more OST resources than a
need for improved coordination of existing resources
wealth of • Conducted focus groups with • There are limited quality improvement and professional
enrichment CPSD parents development activities specifically designed for OST programs
serving middle school youth
activities offered in • Reviewed academic literature
the City and on OST programs • Developed a plan for enhancing out-of-school
schools.” 1 time for middle grade youth including
• a city-wide strategic goal
• 3 core objectives
• 6 desired outcomes tied to 12 specific key indicators of success

1 Shared Youth, Shared Strategies, p.5 http://www.cpsd.us/web/PubInfo/SharedYouthSharedStrategies_Report.pdf

2 Ibid, p.16-26
 DRAFT
The new Superintendent, Dr. Jeffrey Young, led the problem-
solving on the question of how to reform the middle school
structure and then tasked the School Committee with collecting
feedback on four options for new middle grade structures
Who was involved Work completed Results

• Superintendent Jeffrey
Young
Stated purpose
“to take all the input from
[meetings, workshops,
surveys, et al.], along with
the reports issued in the
past, and use this
information to more sharply
define the problems we
need to address, to identify
existing assets within the
schools that we want to
build upon, and to catalyze
further community
discussion about the urgent
need to improve our schools
for all students.”1
• Held two meetings with the Superintendent
and the Executive Board of the Cambridge
Teachers Association (CTA)
• Conducted meetings/workshops with the
Superintendent and all CPS principals
• Hosted two forums for the Superintendent,
CTA leadership, and pre-K-12 teachers to
review and assess implementation of the
Guiding Principles for Middle Grades
Education as articulated by the Blue Ribbon
Commission
• Held a meeting for teachers at the 9th
Grade Campus to tell the Superintendent
about their areas of concern regarding
students’ transition to high school
• Conducted an electronic survey completed
by over 1,000 respondents from the staff
and family community, including over 400
narrative comments about middle grades
education Cambridge
• Hosted a public forum at the January 19,
2010 School Committee meeting where
over fifty citizens spoke about their
experiences in and hopes for education in
CPS
• Gathered feedback through countless e-
mails, letters and phone calls on the subject
of middle grades education in Cambridge.
• Highlighted the disparity between the middle grades
across the district
• Demographics are uneven across all middle grade
schools e.g., low income students range from
27% in one school to 78% in another
• Achievement also varies widely across schools
with % of MCAS proficiency ranging from 24% to
95%
• Only 27% of ISP students are low-income,
compared with 50% city-wide
• Identified the district-wide issue of small cohorts in
the middle grades and the resulting problems
experienced by both students and teachers
• In some cases, an over-representation of a
specific gender creates a difficult social dynamic
for students
• In another case, the small cohort is perpetuating
a negative school culture and climate
• Some students find it difficult to engage with
other like-minded peers, e.g., musically inclined
students don’t have enough similar students
• Teachers in small cohorts lack the frequent
support and connection with other similar
teachers

1 Middle Grades Recommendation, p.1 http://www.cpsd.us/CPS_content/documents/Middle_Grades_Program_Feb2010.pdf

 DRAFT

• For the past four years, the Cambridge Public School District (CPSD) has tried to identify the
significant problems with middle grade education that prevent the district from achieving its
goals of delivering the highest quality education to all students

• However, the multiple initiatives formed to understand these issues have fallen short of
providing a clear view of the underlying problems and have not delivered a set of well-
researched solutions which the broader community would support

• The Middle Grade Task Force did not include leading research that was critical of the development of middle
schools

• The Blue Ribbon Committee created a framework for evaluating middle grade education and conducted its own
primary research into other models; but it failed to tie that research back to a data-driven assessment of the
specific problems with middle grade education

• The work done by the Superintendent did lay out a clear set of problems; however it was not tied back to a
structured data analysis and consequently the scope and severity of the problem could not be easily assessed

• The students in the district would be best served by a clear communication from CPSD which
includes a descriptive statement of the specific, shared vision for middle grade education, a
rigorous analysis of the underlying problems that continue to prevent us from reaching that
ideal, and a set of solutions derived from a data-driven, problem-solving process
 DRAFT

The Middle Grade Task Force did not include leading research that
was critical of the 6-8 middle school structure or focus their best
practice literature review on the specific challenges facing CPSD
Work completed Problems with the work completed Questions which still remain

• Reviewed policy briefs
and academic research
on best practices in
delivering quality middle
school education
• Highlighted findings from • Leading research which questioned the value
three main sources
• This We Believe: Keys to Educating
Young Adolescents -- from
National Middle School
Association
• •
What makes middle schools works
-- from University at Albany
• The Building Blocks of Success for
America’s Middle and High School
Students -- from Alliance for
Excellent Education
• 12 of the 16 research briefs cited came from Criticism of Middle School Structure
organizations which have an interest in the
development of middle schools e.g., National • What is the research against forming middle
Middle School Association, National schools?
Association of Secondary School Principals • Which subgroups could be most adversely
affected by the middle school structure?
of a middle school structure was excluded Specific best practices
from the best practices research
• Vaughan Byrnes and Allen Ruby. (2007) Comparing
• What does the leading research say about
Achievement between K–8 and Middle Schools: A Large‐Scale
the best practices around the size of
Empirical Study. American Journal of Education 114:1, 101-135 cohorts?
Philip J. Cook, Robert MacCoun, Clara Muschkin, Jacob Vigdor.
(2009) The negative impacts of starting middle school in sixth
• What are the best practices in middle grade
grade. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 27:1, 104-121
education within a K-8 structure?
• Lockwood, Benjamin, and Jonah Rockoff. "Stuck in the Middle:
Impacts of Grade Configuration in Public Schools." Journal of
• What are the best practices for closing the
Public Economics (also found at http://educationnext.org/stuck- achievement gap in middle grade education?
in-the-middle/ and http://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/faculty/
jrockoff/papers/Rockoff%20Lockwood%20JPubE%202nd
%20Revision%20June%202010.pdf)
• Juvonen, Jaana, Vi-Nhuan Le, Tessa Kaganoff, Catherine H.
Augustine, Louay Constant “Focus on the Wonder Years
Challenges Facing the American Middle School” (2004)

• Best practice research did not target specific

problems facing CPSD e.g., best practices in
closing the achievement gap

The Blue Ribbon Commission failed to develop a
data-driven assessment of the specific problems with
middle grade education
Work completed
• Evaluated the strengths and
weaknesses of the middle
grades based on the Middle
School Task Force’s 5 guiding
principles using school’s self-
assessments
• Visited nine schools and
compared their performance to
CPS using the MSTF’s 5 guiding
principles
• Aggregated feedback from BRC-
led public forums
• Identified 12 challenges
presented by the current school
structure
DRAFT
Problems with work completed Questions which remain
• Evaluations were based on self- Analysis of current problems
assessments
• What is the scope of each of the 12 challenges
• Data gathering appeared to be ad hoc raised e.g., how many students or teachers faced
and unstructured the challenges outlined?
• The scope of the issues was not • What is the impact of each of those 12 challenges,
evident from the analysis e.g., how as potentially measured by student or teacher
many teachers were concerned about performance?
not having peers to bounce ideas off
Comparative school analysis
of
• Which of the schools faced the most similar set of
• The severity of some of the issues challenges to CPS?
raised was not evident because it was
not tied to an impact on student or • Which of the schools visited were best suited to
teacher performance e.g., what is the meet the challenges articulated though the self-
estimated effect of small cohorts on assessments and why?
teacher performance
• Unclear how the comparable school
analysis was used to advance the problem-
solving
• Unclear which schools were most
similar to CPS e.g., which schools
have similar socio-economic profiles
• Unclear how the problems faced by
CPS were addressed by the other
schools

Similarly, the Superintendent’s findings were not tied back
to a structured data analysis and consequently the scope
and severity of the problem could not be easily assessed
Work completed
• Highlighted the disparity between the
middle grades across the district
• Demographics are uneven across
all middle grade schools e.g., low
income students range from 27%
in one school to 78% in another
• Achievement also varies widely
across schools with % of MCAS
proficiency ranging from 24% to
95%
• Only 27% of ISP students are low-
income, compared with 50% city-
wide
• Identified the district-wide issue of
small cohorts in the middle grades
and the resulting problems
experienced by both students and
teachers
• In some cases, an over-
representation of a specific gender
creates a difficult social dynamic
for students
• In another case, the small cohort is
perpetuating a negative school
culture and climate
• Some students find it difficult to
engage with other like-minded
peers, e.g., musically inclined
students don’t have enough similar
students
• Teachers in small cohorts lack the
frequent support and connection
with other similar teachers
Problems with work completed
• The data on which the findings were based does
not appear to have been gathered in a structured
way
• The scope of the issues was not evident
from the analysis e.g., how many cohorts
have the imbalances described
• The severity of some of the issues raised
was not evident because it was not tied to
an impact on student or teacher
performance e.g., what is the estimated
effect of small cohorts on teacher
performance
• There was no discussion of how this analysis is
related to the focused special programs e.g.,
Amigos, Ola, which are small by design
• Analysis of demographic disparities is not directly
tied to performance disparities
• Comparison should be made between
performance of low SES students in high
SES-concentrated schools and performance
of low SES students in low SES-
concentrated schools
DRAFT
Questions which remain
Effects of disparities
• Does a high concentration of SES students in a school
result in lower average performance for those SES
students compared with SES performance in low SES
concentrated schools?
Problems with cohort size
• What is the leading research on the right cohort size?
• How can cohort size help or hurt under-served
subgroups?
• What are the cohort sizes of schools which are
successfully closing the achievement gap?
• Are there examples of small cohort schools successfully
dealing with the issues raised by teachers?
• What should be the target cohort size for CPS?
• What effect does the ISP have on the imbalance of
cohort sizes?
Perception of poor quality in middle grades
• What are the reasons that parents remove their kids
from CPSD before or during the middle grade years?
• What percentage of parents pull their kids from CPSD
but remain in Cambridge?
• For the parents who chose to exit the district but
remain in Cambridge, what do they find is missing from
the middle grades?
• How does the CPSD extra-curricular and OST offerings
compare to other similar schools?
• How does the CPSD extra-curricular and OST offerings
compare to the schools chosen by parents who leave
the district but remain in Cambridge?
 DRAFT

• For the past four years, the Cambridge Public School District (CPSD) has tried to identify the
significant problems with middle grade education that prevent the district from achieving its
goals of delivering the highest quality education to all students

• However, the multiple initiatives formed to understand these issues have fallen short of
providing a clear view of the underlying problems and have not delivered clear, well-researched
solutions which the broader community would support

• The students in the district would be best served by a clear communication from CPSD which
includes a descriptive statement of the specific, shared vision for middle grade education, a
rigorous analysis of the underlying problems that continue to prevent us from reaching that
ideal, and a set of solutions derived from a data-driven, problem-solving process

• A shared vision of middle grade education should go beyond abstract principles and include clear, measurable
performance goals and well-defined programs

• A focused, hypothesis-driven problem solving effort can test for why we have not achieved that shared
vision and thoroughly research how we may reach that ideal
 DRAFT
Building on the previous planning work by the Superintendent, we can
blueprint a compelling shared vision of excellent middle grade
education for students, teachers and administrators
What does success look like How will we know we achieved it

For Rigorous academic curriculum in the middle grades 6th-8th grade students reach MCAS CPI targets set forth in CPS Goals 2010-2012, which
Students which sets the highest standards for all students includes significant narrowing of the achievement gap1

Unparalleled academic enrichment opportunities By 2012, CPSD offers a combination of in-classroom and outside of classroom programs for students
to advance at their own pace in key academic disciplines (math, ELA, science, foreign languages, etc.)

A full range of extracurricular activities that By 2012, a suite of OST offerings to meet and in many cases exceed offerings of local private schools
engage and inspire students e.g., chess clubs, robotics FIRST teams, African drumming groups, jazz combos, Irish step dance
classes, modern dance groups, football teams, lacrosse teams, boxing clubs, etc.

Best-in-class services provided to special needs By 2012, special education students achieve aggressive CPI targets1
students

For Diverse range of innovative educational Language immersion programs (e.g., Ola, Amigos, Ni Hao) consistently recognized as some of the
Parents approaches available across the district highest achieving programs of their kind in the country
Montessori program meets and exceeds the standards set by private Montessori schools

For Frequent collaboration with fellow teachers in Narrowing of gaps between lowest performing schools and highest performing schools
Teachers Professional Learning Communities

For Development of a supportive coaching culture Improved 6th-8th grade MCAS proficiency
Administrators within each school where the administration can
both provide and receive feedback from teachers Positive feedback from teachers on effectiveness of administration in annual 360 degree
on how best to serve students reviews of administration

Establishment of CPS-specific performance metrics and Integration of Student Growth Percentile data into a performance management system
goals which are consistently applied across the district for evaluating teacher performance

CPSD Middle Grade Mission:

To become the Commonwealth’s pre-eminent public school system that provides the highest quality middle grade education for all of its
students
1http://www.cpsd.us/schcomm/goals.cfm

A focused, hypothesis-driven problem solving effort can
determine why we have not achieved that shared vision so
far and thoroughly research how we may reach that ideal
Hypotheses to be tested
Provide teachers with the
tools and training to face all
challenges posed by a
diverse middle grade
population
Change the structure of the
schools so that students and
teachers can thrive in a
What must CPSD “right-sized” cohort
do to fulfill its
mission of becoming
the state’s most
Develop a fair, transparent
successful public
performance management
school system that
system for students,
provides the highest
teachers, administrators and
quality middle grade
school committee members
education for all its
students? which holds each
accountable for reaching her/
his goals
Provide administrators with
the necessary support to
analyze the performance of
their teams, share findings
and make improvements
Analyses to be conducted
Small cohorts are one of the
main reasons that teachers
cannot teach effectively
Too many students suffer social
problems that compromise their
ability to learn, which can only
be remedied through larger
cohorts
A change in structure will not
compromise the effectiveness or
attractiveness of alternative
programs (e.g., language
immersion, Montessori)
Schools with under-sized
cohorts cannot provide all of
the resources required for an
excellent education
Only through re-structuring can
schools reach adequate cohort
sizes
DRAFT
Middle grade structure issues
• Conduct a literature review on the effect of cohort size on teaching
• Survey teachers (or use existing survey data) to determine how many
teachers are harmed by the isolation effect and how severely it affects
their performance
• Conduct an analysis of schools who have closed the achievement gap to
see what their cohort sizes are, determine if they have had problems
with teacher isolation and learn how they have dealt with it
• Conduct a literature review on the effect of student achievement and
cohort size especially with regard to the performance of students in at-
risk subgroups
• Quantify how many students are at risk because of small cohorts
• Compare performance of students with similar demographics in schools
of various cohort sizes to see if there is a relationship between cohort
size and performance
• Conduct focus groups with teachers, administrators and parents from
specialty programs to identify any key areas of concern associated with a
re-structuring of the schools
• Conduct a survey (or use existing survey data) to profile the reasons
that parents pick CPSD specialty programs to establish a baseline of
what parents currently value most about their program
• Gather feedback from survey and evaluate how the specialty programs
could be affected under the possible new structures
• Conduct a survey of all parents who have left the school district in the
last three years prior to the middle grades but who still live in
Cambridge and determine what they believed was missing from the
middle grade education
• Identify the top five “competitive schools” public and private to CPSD
and compile a list of the activities and programs offered to their middle
grade students
•
Use parent survey data to determine what percentage of students that
could be retained each year if changes were made
 DRAFT

Adding an additional four months to the current work plan

would provide enough time to adequately complete the
additional problem-solving efforts and refine their results
Next Steps
1. Extend the School Committee deadline by four months
2. Assign a team to lead the additional problem solving effort
3. Develop a work plan which is comprised of four separate work streams:
• Literature review
• Investigate the effects of cohort size on teacher performance and student performance, esp. with regards to closing the
achievement gap
• Discover overall best practices in closing the achievement gap in the middle grades
• Structured surveys and focus groups
• Survey parents who have left the district to understand why they chose to leave
• Survey middle grade teachers on how cohort size affects their performance
• Survey parents who are currently in the district to understand what they value most about their program/school
• Conduct focus groups with parents, teachers and administrators from specialty/alternative programs to understand
how a re-structuring could affect their program
• Performance analysis
• Analyze how cohort size has affected student performance
• Determine if SES effect on performance is dampened by larger cohorts
• Competitive analysis
• Create a list of “competitive” public and private schools
• Compare CPSD middle grade activities and academic enrichment programs with competition
 DRAFT

Feedback on this document

• This document was prepared by John Capello, a Cambridgeport parent, in an effort to

organize the work on middle grade education that has been completed to date and to
capture some of the frustration that some parents have expressed with the process
• Please provide any and all feedback, positive or negative, to johncapello at gmail.com