Cityside Middle School Annual Report for 2010-2011

 We are pleased to present you with the Annual Education Report (AER) which provides key information on the 2010-11 educational progress for Cityside Middle School. The AER addresses the complex reporting information required by federal and state laws. The school’s report contains information about student assessment, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and teacher quality. If you have any questions about the AER, please contact Principal Jon Voss for assistance.

 

The AER is available for you to review electronically by visiting the following web site LINK or you may review a copy from the main office at Cityside.

 

For 2010-11, Cityside Middle School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in English Language Arts and Mathematics. While we are pleased to have reached this important goal, we are continuously working to improve. We appreciate the continued support of parents, staff and our community in this effort.

 

State law requires that we also report additional information. 

 

1.     There are two middle schools in Zeeland Public Schools. Cityside currently has three feeder elementary schools – New Groningen, Lincoln and Woodbridge. There are two elementary schools that feed into the other middle school in Zeeland. Cityside Middle School students go on to Zeeland East High School for ninth grade and beyond. Students are assigned to their elementary school by geographic boundaries. We also accept schools-of-choice students both within district and outside of the district as well.

 

2.     The 2010-11 school year marked the first year of a new School Improvement Plan for Cityside Middle School. After much time spent during 2009-10 and the early part of 2010-11 developing the plan, we are proud of our school improvement process. We will continue using our plan to improve the reading and math skills for our students. 2010-11 saw the adoption of the MAP test from NWEA as a universal screener in reading, math and science. This important new piece of data was important as we tracked the progress of each individual student. As our third school improvement goal, we are working on positive student behavior. We are using the PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) Model to not only encourage positive behavior, but in some cases teach our students what behavior is expected in a given situation. By working together as a staff, under the leadership of the School Improvement Team, we feel we have an excellent plan that will help our students in 2011-12 and beyond.

 

3.     Cityside Middle School has just over 780 students in grades six through eight. Students in sixth grade are separated into four two-teacher teams. Students in seventh and eighth grade are divided into two four-teacher teams. We support Special Education students with both traditional resource classes, as well as two, more intensive, categorical classrooms. Students are able to participate in a wide range of elective classes, including Band, Choir, Orchestra, Dance, Technology, Spanish and Advanced PE. All students are exposed to Physical Education, Art, Computers, Spanish and Life Management through our Exploratory Rotation. Our eighth graders are able to take classes that earn high school credit in Math and Spanish, as well as in other content areas using the e2020 online learning software. We offer a wide range of sports and clubs that allow students to connect to the greater Cityside community outside of the school day.

 

4.     Zeeland Public Schools makes sure our students are provided challenging lessons that are consistent across grade levels.  A team of Zeeland educators regularly evaluates and revises our curriculum to ensure classroom lessons meet state requirements for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Besides a rigorous curriculum, our district has implemented learner goals for all students.  These goals frame what we expect our students to accomplish by the time they graduate from Zeeland Public Schools. If you have questions about Zeeland Public Schools' curriculum, please contact us at 616-748-3004 or email Administrative Assistant Alice Chidester.

 

5.     At Cityside Middle School, we are proud of our success on the MEAP test. Here is the raw data for the tests taken in the fall of 2009:

 

Grade	6th	7th	8th	Average
Reading	91%	80%	85%	85%
Writing	NA	NA	NA	NA
Math	89%	87%	87%	88%
Science	NA	NA	86%	86%
Social Studies	88%	NA	NA	88%

 

Some highlights in these numbers – Math scores improved or stayed the same in all three grades.  Our average Math score is up 3%. Science and Social Studies both saw major improvements – growing 7% each! 

 

 

 

Trend Data	2007-08	2008-09	2009-2010	2010-11
Reading	81%	84%	90%	85%
Writing	76%	80%	NA	48%
Math	82%	87%	85%	88%
Science	93%	88%	79%	86%
Social St.	81%	84%	81%	88%

Our Math scores are at an all-time high. We are also proud of the significant gains in Science and Social Studies. Our Writing scores took a dip after a change in the testing and grading process following a one year hiatus from Writing testing in 2009-10. We are focused on improving our Writing scores moving forward.

 

6.     The community of Zeeland has always supported our schools, and 2009-10 was no different. We had over 90% of our parents either attend the scheduled Parent Teacher Conference times, or schedule a separate conference at another time if they were unable to attend. We worked hard to reach out to the 10% we did not formally talk to and make sure they understood how their son or daughter was doing at school and what they could do to support them. We are also pleased to report that there were 448 volunteers who logged 1540 hours at Cityside during the 2010-11 school year. Parent and community support is a cornerstone to school success, and this is an area in which Cityside, and all of Zeeland Public Schools, has been continuously blessed.

 

At Cityside Middle School, we are proud of the entire school culture we offer for our students and families. Our students have a wide variety of opportunities to get involved have new experiences. The community of Zeeland is tremendously supportive of our school and our students. We have caring teachers and support staff who give countless hours to meet the needs of each and every student. Our students experience success in everything from state assessments to the playing field of our sports teams; from their report cards to the stage during our annual musical; from the life lessons learned, to the opportunities to give back to the community. We are proud of everything that happened during the 2010-11 school year, yet we are looking for ways to push ourselves to new heights for 2011-12.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Jon Voss, Principal