Carlton Elementary Granted Innovation School Status

Tuesday night, the Salem School Committee unanimously approved a proposal to make an innovation school beginning in the 2012-2013 school year for a five-year period.

As an innovation school, Carlton will gain the autonomy/flexibility it needs to focus on developing a curriculum and learning environment "that will reach each and every learner," said Principal Jean-Marie Kahn.

Currently, Kahn told the School Committee, unsatisfactory achievement scores on assessments like the MCAS reveal the current curriculum/teaching model "isn't working for our students. We're not able to meet the needs of our students at the cutting edge," she said, adding that this issue makes Carlton the perfect candidate for innovation school status.

The school will remain within the Salem Public Schools and purview of the Salem School Committee.

The initiative will require $250,000 from the district.

In January 2010, Gov. Deval Patrick signed "a signature component of An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap" that allowed for an innovation schools initiative. The initiative aims to keep funding within local districts and, at the same time, create "charter-like" schools that take creative approaches to learning in an effort to decrease achievement gaps, according to the Executive Office of Education.

What Changes Will Look Like

During the public hearing Tuesday, Kahn presented a comprehensive plan to school committee members. Changes at the school that can be expected under its new designation include the following:

• A focus on individual students' needs, including a 1 to 12 teacher/student ratio (current ratio is typically 1 to 20) and small group work as well as individual meetings with students, parents and educators prior to progression to a higher grade level. Additional personnel (3.5) positions will also be added.

• The implementation of a trimester system

• Creation of multi-age classrooms

• More morning programming prior to the official beginning of classes

• A change in the "instructional core" — Right now, Kahn said, Carlton has "a very content-driven curriculum." As an innovation school, teachers will be able to "look to the student and use the students to assess what they need at [a particular] moment to push them to the next level."

Kahn said there is hope the "change of focus" will help students "become more active and less passive in their learning."

School Committee Questions, Applauds Proposal

Committee member James Fleming, who said he was "cautiously" supportive of the change of designation, expressed concern about testing and the school's accountability with its new autonomy/flexibility within the district. He also said he is concerned about teachers that are currently at the school.

"I'm worried we have a very good staff there now," Fleming said, explaining that the Carlton staff approved of the proposal 22 to 8. "What I'm worried about is what happens to a current teacher that cannot fit into this [new plan]."

Chairwoman of the Committee Mayor Kim Driscoll said that issue was one that would be dealt with after approval of the proposal during negotiations.

Kerry Ann Martin told Kahn she believes she'll be "pleasantly surprised" by staff members who may warm up to the changes even though they're not in favor of it currently.

Fleming said it was clear significant work had been put into the plan, but said he was approving it with caution because there have been many educational programs in the past 8 years that have claimed to improve test scores but ultimately have produced very little in the way of results.

"You will be asked to produce," Fleming told Kahn. "You're sticking your neck out pretty far," he added.

Committee member Nate Bryant said he understood his colleague's need to proceed carefully and ask questions, but sees the change in focus as "a real opportunity" to reach and empower students to give them what they need to be successful.

Driscoll said there are students with many different needs and this may be "the recipe that will crack the code [to improving achievement gaps]."

Superintendent Stephen Russell said "we're not there yet," when it comes to MCAS scores, but he sees Carlton's new innovation status as "an opportunity."

After the meeting, Kahn said there has been and will be more hard work, but implementing the vision will "be the fun part."

for a prospectus courtesy of the Commonwealth's Executive Office of Education.