Marshall School Improvement Plan (2021-22)

We will look at data from the following sources:

• Panorama Climate Survey
• Healthy Youth Survey (6th and 8th grades)
• TMMS Bully Survey
• HIB Discipline referrals

Students will demonstrate an increase in their perception of their peers' compassion and kindness, as shown through the annual Panorama survey data from spring 2019 to spring 2022. Specifically, the percentage of students who say that they "Strongly Agree and Agree" that their peers are compassionate and kind will increase from 50% (Spring 2019) to 65% (Spring 2022). 

Between spring of 2019 and spring of 2022, there will be a 20% improvement in positive responses, from the students to questions on the student climate survey related to feelings:

1. When you are feeling pressured, how easily can you stay in control?
2. How often are you able to pull yourself out of a bad mood?
3. When everybody around you gets angry, how relaxed can you stay?
4. How often are you able to control your emotions when you need to?
5. Once you get upset, how often can you get yourself to relax?
6. When things go wrong for you, how calm are you able to remain?

1.  Every certificated staff member at .6 FTE or higher will teach a weekly 25 minute advisory class comprised of small groups of students. Each teacher will teach the Character Strong Advisory lessons that focus on the following: Goal setting, what gets in the way, understanding emotions, snap judgments, developing strategies for responding to strong emotions, support systems, developing empathy, practicing gratitude, learning about the power of giving,  perspective taking and understanding differences, why we should care, and much more. 
2. We will staff a "Restorative Center" to provide a mechanism for students to restore harm done to others. We will continue to engage in PD about restorative practices in the classroom.
3. Our counselor will speak to all students through Social Studies classes about harassment, intimidation and bullying and the difference between a bystander and an upstander.
4. We will continue to hold a Martin Luther King, Jr. assembly focused on student voice, standing up for others and being antiracist.
5. We will continue to involve all students in our annual Day of Service in January and/or April where they all get to experience the joy of helping others.
6. Continue to offer a Wellness elective class to 6th graders where they learn to take care of themselves and others.
7. Continue a Leadership Class with an emphasis on creating a culture of kindness.
8. Continue working toward our goal of all staff becoming "Common Sense Educators" and using weekly library lessons to teach and inform students about social media and digital citizenship.
9. Embed Equity Work in Content across the curriculum.
10. Apply for mental health grants through the OSDEF to expand selection of books on mental health and also to host after-school clubs to connect students to school.
11. Create a Student Support Team, comprised of school social worker, Thurston Together representative, TMMS Family Liaison, Counselor and Admin team to meet weekly to provide support and connection to families.
12.  Offer a variety of after school programming to increase the involvement of students in activities. 

ELA/SS
METRIC: Students will show one level of growth on the RATES rubric from an initial assessment (by December 15) to a final assessment (by June 1).

MATH
METRIC: MAP Growth Scores Fall 2021 - Spring 2022.

SCIENCE
METRIC: WCAS Growth Scores Spring 2020-2021 and growth on individual teacher assessments measured per quarter/semester.

ELA and Social Studies
GOAL: Students will demonstrate proficiency in answering text-dependent questions for both informational and literary texts. They will show one level of growth on the RATES rubric from an initial assessment (by December 15) to a final assessment (by June 1).

Math
GOAL: On the spring 2022 Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) for mathematics, all grade levels will have 65% of their students achieve their projected growth goals from spring 2021-spring 2022.

Science
GOAL: All students will increase 1 level (on a standards-based scale) by the end of April, 2022, on each part of the teacher-created, common rubric for arguing from evidence.

ELA and Social Studies:

ACTION PLAN: 

• Create a Project-Based-Learning system on a 2 year rotation with 7th and 8th graders where students keep the same ELA and Social Studies teachers for two years in a row. 
• Collaborate across the school to develop a Project Based Learning curriculum with integration of end-of-quarter projects between ELA, Social Studies and Science.
• Use the ELA Washington State Learning Standards through the lens of Achieve the Core's Priority Instructional Content for ELA to develop a Scope and Sequence appropriate for pandemic recovery efforts.
• Use the Washington State Learning Standards for Social Studies to develop an appropriate Scope and Sequence for pandemic recovery.
• Use the yearly themes from the Springboard curriculum to provide a common foundation across content.
• Engage the C3 Framework for resources to enhance appropriate rigor of Civics, Economics, Geography and History specifically in the 7th and 8th grade PBL classrooms.

 
Math:

ACTION PLAN:​​​​​​​

• Collaboration with district and building peers to optimize implementation of Illustrative Mathematics Curriculum and Mathematics Vision Project
• Continue attendance at district level math trainings as offered, monthly department meetings at Marshall and electively as other opportunities arise
• Continue to communicate with parents about upcoming instruction and completion of assignments.
• Leverage the district's instructional math coach to work with math teachers in classrooms and to plan weekly cross-district meetings.

Science:

​​​​​​​ACTION PLAN:

• Collaborate with science team for PLC
• PLC science team will seek PD with ADI from OSD funding.
• Develop a common rubric to assess argument writing
• Develop a common formative assessment for argument writing
  • Use student samples to calibrate scoring
• Align science curriculum with NGSS
• Provide field investigation opportunities for all grade levels in order to make science relevant and meaningful to all students (if feasible due to COVID)
• Collaborate with community resources to connect students to real-life scientists (guest speakers)
• Design assessments using question types the students will encounter on the WCAS

• Enrollment in Health and PE classes
• Student Panorama Climate Survey 
• Annual HIB Survey (TMMS survey), questions about accessing resources
• Healthy Youth Survey, questions about hopelessness and depression

100% of students will enroll in and complete at least one-quarter of Health class and at least three-quarters of PE. Any student who does not take these classes will have a verified PE waiver on file.

Between fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, students will demonstrate a 20% improvement in positive responses to the following question on the student climate survey: a) During the past week, how often did you feel hopeful? with 20% more responding "Sometimes, Frequently or Almost always."

A higher percentage of eighth-grade students will report feeling  "Moderately or Highly Hopeful" as measured by the Healthy Youth Survey Children's Hope Scale, moving from 83% who say they are "Moderately or Highly Hopeful" in the Fall of 2018 to 95% who say they are "Moderately or Highly Hopeful" in the fall of 2021.

A lower percentage of eighth grade students will report feeling "so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities in the past year" as measured by the Healthy Youth Survey, moving from 30% who reported feeling that way in the fall of 2018 to 10% who will feel that way in the fall of 2021.

1. We will implement one semester of Health at 6th grade and one-quarter of Health at  7th AND 8th grade and require all students to take it as part of their PE rotation. 
2. We will continue to staff a "Restorative Center" to provide a mechanism for students to restore harm done to others and to analyze behavior and reflect.
3. Continue to require all students in our school to take a full year of Physical Education allowing exemptions only with approved PE Waivers.
4. Continue to offer HUMAN club for all LGBTQ+ students to meet on a weekly basis and to provide resources to help navigate stress related to mental health issues.
5. Ensure the counselor speaks to all students through Social Studies classes about harassment, intimidation and bullying and the difference between a bystander and an upstander.
6. Continue the Peer Mentor Program in our DLC classes, allowing 8th graders to work with DLC students to help integrate all students into the wider school climate and culture.
7. Continue to support BHR Therapists and work to link to the neediest students.
8. Add the support of a Together representative, a part-time family liaison, and school social worker to create a Student Support Team that meets weekly to discuss students' emotional, physical and safety needs. 
9. Continue to use the Emergency Principal's Fund to support the emergency needs of families and students.
10. Ensure all grade levels receive training on cyber-bullying and sexting.
11. Continue to lead schoolwide fundraisers that focus on proactive physical behaviors such as the Mustang Dash.
12. Every .6 or higher certificated staff member will teach a weekly 25-minute advisory class comprised of small groups of students (15-25) of the same grade level. Each teacher will teach the Character Strong Advisory curriculum that focuses on the following: Goal setting, what gets in the way, understanding emotions, snap judgments, developing strategies for responding to strong emotions, support systems, developing empathy, practicing gratitude, learning about the power of giving,  perspective-taking and understanding differences, why we should care, and much more. 
13. Continue to offer a Wellness elective class to 6th graders where they learn to take care of themselves and others.  
14. Support Thurston Together to extend after-school club and activity options that are tailored to the needs of students.
15. Form and support an Empower Club for BIPOC students. 
16. Work with the district mentor coordinator to connect students of color to older mentors to ease the transition to high school.

Student Panorama Climate Survey

Between fall 2021 and spring 2022, students' responses to questions about race, culture and ethnicity will improve as follows:

1. How often do teachers encourage you to learn about people from different races, ethnicities, or cultures? We will see 20% growth or more of students who answer "Sometimes", "Frequently" or "Almost always." 
2. How often do you think about what someone of a different race, ethnicity, or culture experiences?  We will see 20% growth or more of students who answer "Sometimes", "Frequently" or "Almost always." 
3. How confident are you that students at your school can have honest conversations with each other about race? We will see 20% growth or more of students who answer "Somewhat confident," "Quite confident," or "Extremely confident."
4. At your school, how often are you encouraged to think more deeply about race-related topics?  We will see 20% growth or more of students who answer "Sometimes", "Frequently" or "Almost always." 
5. When there are major news events related to race, how often do adults at your school talk about them with students?  We will see 20% growth or more of students who answer "Sometimes", "Frequently" or "Almost always." 
6. How well does your school help students speak out against racism?  We will see 20% growth or more of students who answer "Somewhat well," "Quite well," or "Extremely well."

• Thurgood Marshall Middle School will continue to hold monthly Equity Team meetings during a staff meeting time open to all staff. The Equity Team will revisit the mission statement written last year, lead professional development for staff, develop and lead community-based forums to invite families of color to share experiences, and interrogate system-wide practices that contribute to inequities.
• The Equity Team will analyze data and systems both school and district-wide and take action with district leadership to advocate on behalf of students and staff to eliminate barriers as we strive for educational equity for all students. 
• We will intentionally and systematically diversify our curriculum and our library to include texts and perspectives that are representative of our student body. 
  • Specifically, in our Social Studies classes, we will supplement History Alive! with The Zinn Project, Teaching Tolerance, The 1619 Project and many others. We will strive to apply similar concepts to all content areas. 
  • In music classes:
    • Music teachers will seek the input of parents, community members, and culture bearers that reflect the diverse backgrounds of students in order to create a more culturally relevant curriculum.
    • Music teachers will integrate music outside of the Western art music canon in their classrooms, and begin to dismantle the hierarchy that places western classical music at the top.
    • Music teachers will disrupt the top-down approach to music education and encourage students to explore their own unique musical interests.
    • Music teachers will seek out opportunities for students to experience performances that reflect new cultural perspectives.
    • Music teachers will facilitate discussions and lessons not only about a composer's intent but the impact that a composer's perspective can have on musicians and audience members.
• Our Teacher-Librarian will continue to promote the "Read Woke" challenge to students. “Read Woke is a movement. It is a feeling. It is a style. It is a form of education. It is a call to action; it is our right as lifelong learners. It means arming yourself with knowledge in order to better protect your rights. Knowledge is power and no one can take it away. It means learning about others so that you can treat people with the respect and dignity that they deserve no matter their religion, race, creed, or color." (Cicely Lewis, creator of Read Woke)​
• Our 8th grade Social Studies teachers will teach Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (YA version). We will consider offering an evening book study component to involve parents and community members. 
• Thurgood Marshall's Equity Team will examine "Equity-Centered Design Thinking" in order to identify equity problems from the point of view of our BIPOC populations. We will research how to conduct empathy Interviews. We will use data from this process to develop further action plans. 
• We will incorporate lessons on racial equity into our weekly advisory lessons using the book, "This Book is Antiracist." Our VisComm class will create lessons for all students which will be taught once per month beginning in November.
• The Viscom class in collaboration with the Leadership class will continue to write, record, edit and produce monthly video segments called "The Cornwall Connection" which raise race-related topics and discuss them through a student perspective.
• Sixth and 8th grade ELA classes will incorporate Chapter 1: Exploring Our Identities from Sara K. Ahmed's book Being the Change: Lessons and Strategies to Teach Social Comprehension. Sixth-grade Health and all Choir classes will also study identity. 
• Thurgood Marshall administrators will collaborate with Mclane and Hansen administrators to lead a once-a-month zoom townhall with families to explore issues of equity and race. 
• Thurgood Marshall's Equity Team will encourage staff to attend the NW Teaching for Social Justice conference: https://nwtsj.org/wp/

1. Post-community service surveys.
2. Number of students participating in service projects.
3. Number of students involved in sports and activities.
4. Number of students involved in co-curricular classes that explore their passions and interests.

1. 100% of students will participate in at least one service-learning project during the 2021-22 school year.
2. Students will demonstrate understanding of the value of their service as demonstrated by project survey data. At least 65% will report finding their service-learning project valuable and express a desire to participate in another one.
3. By the end of the 2021-22 school year, the percentage of students involved in TMMS sports or activities will increase by 10% from 250 of 441 (57%) total students participating in sports or activities in 2018-19 (our last full year before Covid), to at least a 67% rate of participation in 2021-22.

1. If acceptable under Covid guidelines, conduct two service projects involving all students and staff - one on January 14, 2022, in honor of MLK Jr. Day and one on April 22, 2022, in honor of Earth Day.
2. Offer a variety of electives for students at each grade level so that students can explore a variety of interests. In addition to Band, Choir and Orchestra at every grade level, we will offer the following: 6th grade: Woodshop, Wellness, Engineering Design Concepts, and Art; 7th grade: Leadership, Natural Resources, Horticulture, Robotics, Visual Communications (Viscomm), Drama; and 8th grade: DLC Peer Mentor, Woodshop, Drama, Leadership, and Visual Communications (Viscom).
3. Offer professional development for staff in Project-Based Learning methodologies so that students can explore their interest in project-based learning opportunities.   
4. Survey students through Advisory regarding what "Lunch Bunch" clubs and/or activities they would like to do. Work with Together representative to form weekly lunch bunch groups. 
5. Continue to emphasize Dweck's Growth Mindset work and to work with staff to build classroom climates that foster failure as part of learning. All assignments can be redone. 
6. Maintain an intervention system that supports students retaking tests and redoing projects in order to increase proficiency. Use Homework Club on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for intervention services.
7. Every .6 or higher certificated staff member will teach a weekly 25-minute advisory class comprised of small groups of students (15-25). Each teacher will teach the Character Strong Advisory lessons that focus on the following: Goal setting, what gets in the way, understanding emotions, snap judgments, developing strategies for responding to strong emotions, support systems, developing empathy, practicing gratitude, learning about the power of giving, perspective-taking and understanding differences, why we should care, and much more. This curriculum will also focus on discovering one's passions and interests as a part of self-exploration.

MLK Jr. Assembly and Day of Service

• Number of students who participate in Day of Service.
• Number of students who particpate in the MLK Jr. assembly peformance.

Student Panorama Climate Survey

Students will participate in a community service activity and indicate on a survey the impact that they have had in their local and global community by using a rubric which will indicate their level of impact, moving from no to little impact on their community to some to large impact on their community, as shown on a pre and post-survey showing a 40% increase by June 2022.

MLK Jr. Assembly and Day of Service:

• 100% of students who participate in the MLK Jr. Assembly and/or the Day of Service will show growth in their understanding of the impact they can have on their local and global communities as evidenced by pre and post-survey data. 

100% of students in CSI will complete a Future Cities project where they use sustainable natural resources to create future cities that are sustainable. Students will be able to articulate what they know through a "Future Cities" Expo, either in person or online.

• CSI: The mission of CSI is to develop youth leadership in science through field-based science investigations and civic literacy through action projects. Students collaborate with scientists outside the classroom to apply the skills and concepts they have learned to real-world projects
• CTE: Career and Technical Education programs at Thurgood Marshall (Horticulture, Natural Resources, Robotics, VisComm and Woodshop) have a mission to empower students to live, learn and work as productive citizens in a global society.  We have found these two missions are inextricably linked.  With an interest in creating critical thinkers who contribute to and collaborate with our local, global and natural world in mind we have developed a multi-year multi-faceted action plan using project-based learning and placed-based learning models.  
• Projects embedded in CSI and CTE include:
  • Thurgood Marshall Middle School students practice Watershed Stewardship by:
    • Engaging in Service Learning Re-veg projects at Grasslake park in partnership with City of Olympia
    • Conduct annual water quality testing on GreenCove Creek in partnership with SSound Green.
    • Expand Native Plant Nursery in partnership with EcoGuild community members.
    • Construct Outdoor Multi-Purpose Classroom.
    • Offer Pacific Institute Education professional development opportunities to staff for multi-disciplinary approach to on-site project-based learning. (PBL)
  • Thurgood Marshall Middle School Campus Restoration Project:
    • In partnership with Thurston County, City of Olympia, and local advocates write grant to restore water retention capacity for Marshall and Hansen campuses.  Outcomes of this grant process include:
      • Establish annual multi-disciplinary PBL opportunity for each grade level at Marshall using PEI resources and curriculum.  
      • Environmental goals include protecting water resources, sequestering Carbon Dioxide, and improving soil health. 
  • Thurgood Marshall Middle School Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service:
    • Students in advisories identify community issues to learn more about in order to develop action plan for service.
    • Students self-select local issues they want to learn more about and commit to a day of service on the Friday before MLK Jr. Day.
    • Develop Student Leadership team to connect with other students around the country and world who are doing similar work on important challenges that face our community and world.
  • Citizen Science Institute Field Work:
    • CSI students as a class conduct annual bird counts for the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge
    • CSI students individually identify a Citizen Science project to commit to at least 10 hours of service during one academic year.
    • Identify public opportunities for students to advocate and present their projects on issues ranging from Social Justice to Climate Change.
      
    • Have students work in small ensembles to learn both independence and teamwork to perform a piece of music. 
• 7th and 8th grade ELA/SS/Science classes:
• ELA, SS and Science classes will develop an interdisciplinary approach to project-based learning integrating critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
• Every student will be assigned to a PBL team - either the Sasquatch or the Kraken. They will remain on these teams with the same teachers and students for two years (7th and 8th grade).
• Students will participate in quarterly field investigations that link directly to important content across the curriculum and allow them to apply what they have learned in real-world settings.