Pittsfield NH School District

As many Pittsfield folks know, the Pittsfield School District was awarded a planning grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation back in December to support the transformation of our middle high school from a traditional school to a student-centered learning environment.

Since that time, our Community Advisory Council, which includes many community members and community educators who have been appointed by our School Board, has developing a multi-year plan for this transformation.  We have been researching effective educational practices and visiting successful, break-the-mold schools to learn how we can better serve our students and community.

Eventually, our plan will be submitted to the Nellie Mae Education Foundation with the hope that the Foundation will fund the transformation plan over six-years to help us create a student-centered education for all Pittsfield students.  We will submit our plan next October and learn about the awards in this highly-competitive process in December.      (more…)

As you know, the Pittsfield School District has established a bold three-year goal focusing on student achievement:

By October 2013, 85% or more of all Pittsfield School District students
will be proficient in reading and math as measured by the state’s annual
administration of the NECAP assessment measures.

This goal is being supported by our three-year School Improvement Grant, which is providing resources for a variety of strategies for strengthening the educational opportunities afforded to our students.

At this point in our school year, we are taking a look at our progress and are making adjustments to make the most of our School Improvement Grant opportunity.  This process includes a review of progress indicators that will be of interest to you.

First, our annual dropout rate for the 2009-2010 school year, as calculated by the New Hampshire Department of Education, was 1.1%.  This is down from our recent high of 6.1% in 2007-2008.  The New Hampshire average was 1.7% in 2008-2009, the latest year for which data is available.

While we did not specifically establish a goal to eliminate dropouts entirely, I believe that our unstated goal is 0% dropouts.  We are actually very close to achieving this goal.  Once we do, we will continue our efforts to sustain 0% dropouts every school year. (more…)

Two winters ago, the School District held a series of community forums to articulate the community’s vision for the District and a vision for our PMHS graduates.  The participants provided their thoughts that resulted in a new mission and vision statement for our schools.

Our District’s mission includes a belief in high academic standards, personalized learning that is “adjusted to promote growth in each and every learner,” and the need for our graduates leave PMHS with “thoughtful plans for the next phase of their lives.”

Such a mission calls for a shift from a one-size-fits-all high school environment with which most of us are familiar, to a high school that attends to the individual learning needs, interests, and styles of each young person enrolled in the school.  Further, such a mission views high school graduation not as the end of a journey, but as an important milepost in a lifelong journey.

As you may have read in the Suncook Valley Sun, the Pittsfield School District has received a large planning grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation to fund one year of planning to develop student centered learning in our Pittsfield Middle High School.  This planning grant will allow the District to develop earnest plans to fulfill our new mission. (more…)

Our school’s curriculum – or what we teach and expect students to learn – lies at the heart of the educational experience.  Work on our curriculum also lies at the heart of our current high school redesign project.  This work is significantly supported by our School Improvement Grant (SIG), our three-year funding to improve our students’ achievement levels at Pittsfield Middle High School.

The 1990′s are sometimes thought of as the time when the standards movement in education began.  At this time, educators, policy makers, business leaders, and citizens in the general public came to believe that schools needed to more explicitly define learning expectations for students.  Prior to this time, it was not uncommon for teachers to make their own curriculum selections based on personal strengths or interests.  It was also not uncommon for teachers to simply march through a textbook cover-to-cover at a dizzying pace.

Of course, these practices caused some problems.  The result was often a patchwork of learning for students in which learners experienced gaps where topics or skills were not addressed and other topics or skills were addressed multiple times.  Often, students just didn’t get it, but not time or resources were allocated to supporting students who struggled.  I recall a story that was told in the large school district where I taught in the 1970′s. 

The district was home to many apartment complexes and was not uncommon for students to change schools several times within the district during the course of their formal schooling.  And so, with individual teachers making curriculum decisions in an unsystematic manner, parents were reporting that elementary school children were learning about dinosaurs, for example, for several consecutive years when they moved from school to school while other important science topics were missed altogether.

Another issue (more…)

Most of us can look back to our high school experiences with mixed feelings about our classes.  For me, my senior year English class was one of my favorites.  My teacher was knowledgeable and skillful; he was energetic and enthusiastic; I looked forward to class; enjoyed and found meaning in the reading, thanks to my teacher’s guidance in understanding the text; and grew as a writer, benefitting from my teacher’s detailed feedback.

My junior social studies class was another story.  Although I liked my teacher personally and was interested in the subject, his presentation was, quite honestly, boring.  I remember copying his notes from the chalkboard and trying to memorize them for tests.  The class seemed like little more than an endless string of unrelated facts – dates, names, events – that were unconnected with each other and were unconnected from my life.

In recent years, educators have come to use the term “student engagement” to talk about the ways that students are involved in their own learning process in school.  In the 1980s, we thought of student engagement as merely a willingness to do what needed to be done – showing up for school, following teachers’ directions, and handing in homework.  Using this definition, I was apparently engaged in my learning in both my English and social studies classes. (more…)

The Pittsfield School District has been awarded a three-year $2,066,151.86 School Improvement Grant (SIG)by the New Hampshire Department of Education.  The grant is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is focused on raising the achievement of students at Pittsfield Middle High School (PMHS).

Last spring, in response to the grant opportunity, a team of twenty-seven established three specific goals to be achieved during the funding period.  Goals address (1) student achievement, (2) school climate, and (3) college and career readiness of graduates.  To achieve these goals, the district will be using the transformation model, one of four model options provided by the grant program.

The transformation model dictates that schools plan for change in four key areas of school improvement:  (1) developing and increasing teacher and school leader effectiveness, (2) instituting and maintaining comprehensive instructional reform strategies, (3) increasing learning time and creating community-oriented schools, and (4) providing operational flexibility and sustaining support for continuing school improvement.

The opportunity that the SIG provides extends and strongly supports the high school redesign effort that began last fall.  Last year’s preliminary work included an all-day visioning collaboration by students, parents, and faculty members that resulted in a strong desire to see PMHS offer a more personalized educational program for each student.  This vision is also supported by the work of Pittsfield community members who articulated a broader district vision during the 2008-2009 school year. (more…)

Our 2010-2011 school year will see important improvements in our school district as we continue to work to provide a strong educational program that will support the success of the children and youth of Pittsfield.  Highlights include:

• Pittsfield Elementary School (PES) REACH: Our Rigorous Expectations and Academic Challenges will begin in mid-October and provide daily opportunities for intervention and support for students who will benefit from additional literacy and math support as well as enriching opportunities to challenge students with strengths in these areas.
• PES Responsive Classroom: Several teachers received additional training this past summer; this year, we’re hoping to provide for stronger in-school leadership for this successful social skills program by arranging for two in-school coordinators.
• PES Schedule: Students will be dismissed daily at 2:30 p.m. (was 2:25 p.m.) to eliminate the after-school wait time for students taking second bus runs; we’ll now have just one bus run. Also, we’ll schedule an early release day each month and dismissing at 11:30 a.m. (was 12:15 p.m.) to allow for additional staff development and planning time needed for continued school development. (Kydstop, a program offered by our partner, the Concord YMCA, will be offering after-school care for early release days; information will be provided in the opening day packet coming home with students.)
• PES Science and Social Studies Blocks: Longer blocks of time will be provided for science and social studies learning to allow for additional hands-on projects and field work for upper grade students.

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Robert E. Bickford Jr., an experienced school administrator and resident of New Durham, has been appointed by the Pittsfield School Board to serve as principal of Pittsfield Middle High School beginning on July 1, 2010.  Mr. Bickford replaces Interim Principal Rick Gremlitz.

Mr. Bickford currently serves as principal of Nute High School and Nute Middle School in Milton.  Previously, Mr. Bickford had served as assistant principal of Nute as well as assistant director and director of the River Valley Technical Center in Springfield, Vermont.

During his tenure at Nute, Mr. Bickford has provided leadership for the development of course competencies that serve as performance standards for each high school course.  In addition, he has been instrumental in expanding academic options for Nute students through the development of Extended Learning Opportunities that access community resources for learning.

Mr. Bickford’s secondary school teaching experience includes service at Fall Mountain Regional High School in Alstead; Alvirne High School in Hudson; Manchester School of Technology in Manchester; and Limestone High School in Limestone, Maine.  His teaching courses have included agri-science, animal science, agricultural mechanics, landscape, horticulture, and natural resources.

Mr. Bickford holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Mechanization from the University of Maine at Orono and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Keene State College in Keene.  Mr. Bickford also manages his small-scale family farm in New Durham.

As was true last year, the Pittsfield School Board is again challenged to provide a strong educational program for the children and youth of the Pittsfield School District in an economically difficult time.  The Board recognizes that many Pittsfield families are having a tough time coping with the impact of the recession. 

The proposed 2010-2011 budget reflects a decrease of 3+%, or about $300,000, when compared with the current 2009-2010 budget (which was decreased by 1.7% compared with the 2008-2009 budget).  The proposed 2010-2011 operating budget – $9,538,404 – reflects a zero tax impact for Pittsfield taxpayers, without warrant articles.  

Most warrant articles also reflect a zero tax impact for Pittsfield taxpayers.  Proposed warrant articles address the food service program, federal grant programs, the teacher collective bargaining agreement, replacement of the PMHS gym roof, and the reserve fund for costs associated with educating disabled children.

To achieve an operating budget with no local tax impact, the board’s proposed budget has had to accommodate increased costs in a number of key areas, including contributions to the New Hampshire Retirement System (+5%) and health insurance costs (+18.9%).  The impact of these increases was heightened by the estimated reduction of funds from non-tax sources by nearly $150,000. 

The proposed budget also reflects reductions in allocations for books, supplies, and equipment, as well as the elimination of 10+ staff positions, effecting reductions in the teaching, administration, guidance, and the support staff.  The impact of such a reduction will mean larger class sizes and fewer options for high school students.    

Importantly, the district is embarking on a major initiative to redesign the instructional program of our middle high school.  This multi-year project aims to increase student engagement and student achievement.  The proposed 2010-2011 budget includes increased funding for Improvement of Instruction at PMHS, which will be used primarily for the purchase of consultant services to advise on this project.  The district is also hopeful about supplementing the district budget with grant funding for this exciting and important initiative.

Once again, revenues from federal, state, and other non-tax sources will provide funding for more than half of this budget; this includes funding through the state’s Adequacy Grant and Catastrophic Aid, which supports special education placements, among others. 

In addition, entitlement and competitive grants are providing another $941,000 to support Pittsfield’s students in the current year; these grant sources include more than $312,000 in grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA/Stimulus).  As always, the district has been aggressive in seeking and winning competitive grants to support the education of Pittsfield’s children and youth.

The performance of high schools around the country is receiving a significant amount of attention from state and federal policymakers, business interests, and communities as we continue to learn more about the challenges our education system is facing in the new global economy.  High schools are being asked to revamp their curriculum, methodology, and teacher and student relationship paradigms in order to better serve the needs of students, communities, and our state and local economies.  In today’s global economy, America’s ability to compete depends on our ability to prepare high school graduates to be successful in an increasingly knowledge-based economy.

- National Conference of State Legislatures 

It’s not hard to see that that our high schools need some attention. 

Disappointing test results in international comparisons of reading, math, and scientific literacy; a dropout crisis with estimates of 7,000 young people dropping out of school per day in our nation; college professors reporting that students are not able to adequately able to comprehend complex reading material; low voter turnout; employers telling us that newly-hired employees tend to lack in written communication skills, leadership, and work ethic; no, it’s not hard to see that our high schools need some attention. (more…)