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Jonathan S. Martin
Summer 2017
ANALYSIS OF MISSION STATEMENT 2
Mission Statement
According to the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for the 2015-2016 school
year, Moore Middle School is dedicated to supporting all students to become motivated to be
accountable to the highest standards, have access to academic and positive social support, and
rise to the challenge of becoming self-sufficient, college- and career-ready, life-long learners
who respect and support their community (Moore Middle School [MMS], 2016, p. 3).
Analysis of Demographics
Moore Middle School is one of four middle schools in Redlands, California (CA) that
serves the communities of Mentone, Redlands, Forest Falls, and Angeles Oaks (MMS, 2016, p.
3). Although the school is located in an upper-middle class neighborhood of Redlands, the
school serves 55.2% of socioeconomically disadvantaged students living in poverty and who
receive free/reduced lunch (CDE, 2016, p. 3). According to the Moore’s Accountability Report
Card (CDE, 2016), the school serves 1,083 students in sixth through eighth grade (p. 2), which is
well above the average of 728 students in California middle schools (Graphiq, 2017).
students with 47.8 % Hispanic, 35.8% White, 6% Black, 0.2% American-Indian, 4.5% Asian,
1.3% Filipino, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 4.1% belonging to two or more races (CDE, 2016, p.
3). With a vast diversity, it was surprising to learn that the school only has 7.8% of its student
labeled as English Learners (CDE, 2016, p. 3). Comparing the student composition of Moore to
the staff, the staff is mainly white at 79%, 16% Hispanic, and only 2% Asian, 2% African
has one club on campus currently aimed at actively promoting diversity, which is the M-Power
club. This club educates and gives a safe space for students of all cultures to speak about their
ANALYSIS OF MISSION STATEMENT 3
experiences and concerns. Another way of addressing cultural needs at Moore is through their
English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), which gives parents of EL students the
Moore Middle School has 13.6% of its students qualify for special education (CDE,
2016, p. 3). Moore offers a continuum of special education programs to serve these students,
from separate Special Day Classrooms (SDC) to full inclusion models that emphasizes co-
teaching strategies. Moore is also one of only two middle schools in the district that educates
students who qualify for special education with Emotionally Disturbance (ED). ED students are
enrolled in a Behavior Intervention (BI) program, which is considered a SDC model. However,
Implementation
Moore Middle School’s mission statement focuses on holding students accountable to the
highest standard and having access to academic support. To accomplish this task, Moore has
adopted the use of Professional Learning Groups (PLC) where the staff meets weekly to
collaborate and develop lesson plans and decide upon best practices. This practice of shared
leadership through PLC’s directly aligns with the writings of Leithwood and Seashore Louis
(2012) who claim sharing the responsibility of leadership with stakeholders yields in increased
student achievement. As another practice, Moore’s teachers utilize and analyzes a variety of
assessments, such as weekly quizzes, district common assessments, state CAASPP testing, in
order to guide the teacher’s instruction to improve student outcomes. Illuminate, web-based
software to house assessment data, is used to assist in the regular analysis of assessments to
guide instructional practices at the weekly collaboration meetings (MMS, 2016, p.7).
ANALYSIS OF MISSION STATEMENT 4
All these collaborative practices have aided in Moore in achieving the top 20% of middle
schools in CA, both in Math and English on CAASPP (Graphiq, 2017). On Math CAASPP, 45%
of Moore students were at or above proficient, which is 8% higher than the state average of 37%
(Graphiq, 2017). In English, Moore had 59% of its students at or above proficient, which is
nearly 10% higher than the average of 49% in CA (Graphiq, 2017). Lastly, 80% of Moore
students were at or above proficient in Science, which was 25% higher than CA’s average of
55% (Graphiq.com, 2017). These scores support the school’s mission statement in holding high
academic standards for students. However, when more closely examining the data, it is noted
three groups of students underperform the average of the school, which includes Black, Hispanic,
and low socioeconomic students. Moore’s pattern of need is reflected in the works of Lindsey,
Robins, and Terrell (2012), when they state “it is no accident that low achieving students in the
United States are disproportionately African American, Latino, and First Nation students from
families of lower socioeconomic status” (p. 53). This is an area in which Moore Middle School
Becoming college and career ready is supported at Moore through its Advancement Via
Individual Determination (AVID) program and newly developed Career Center. Moore currently
has seven sections of AVID (two eighth grade, two seventh grade, and three sixth grade), which
accounts for 23% of the school’s student population. AVID is an integral part of our school
culture, and staff regularly holds AVID gallery walks in the staff lounge. These gallery walks are
where teachers share lessons that reinforce the fundamentals of AVID, which are Writing,
Reading, Collaboration, Inquiry, and Organization (WICOR). Moore’s AVID program was
awarded Site of Distinction award in the 2016-17 school year for efforts and achievement.
Furthermore, Moore recently supported college and career readiness by creating a career center
ANALYSIS OF MISSION STATEMENT 5
that connects students to professionals in different industries via video conference presentations
and speakers presenting at the school. The career center employs a technician and provides
valuable tools to aide students in research of colleges, majors, and careers, both in and outside of
the classroom.
Reflection
I truly believe that it is the collaborative efforts and shared beliefs of all staff that have
been integral in the school achieving its outlined goals. While Moore has achieved many
wonderful things for students, the school still needs to increase awareness of the academic
achievement gap between our low socioeconomic students, black and Hispanic groups. This
needs to be addressed and the focus in the school’s SPSA. Similarly, Lindsey, Terrell, and
Robins (2009) state an organization and its leadership should routinely examine one’s own
personal beliefs and values, plus conduct an explicit examination of the school’s policies and
practices in order to make change; this increased awareness can equate to increased cultural
proficiency and student outcomes (p. 52). I truly believe we need to continue to make gains in
our cultural proficiency and continue to develop more systems of support for these specific
underperforming groups of students in order to begin to close this identified achievement gap.
ANALYSIS OF MISSION STATEMENT 6
References
Calfornia Department of Education (CDE). (2016). 2015-2016 school accountability report card
http://moore.redlandsusd.net/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/14585/File/2016%20Fil
es/2016%20Accountability.pdf
Graphiq. (2017). Startclass report: Moore middle school in redlands, california. Retireved from
http://public-schools.startclass.com/l/12499/Moore-Middle#Demographics&s=2iahF
Leithwood, K. & Seashore Louis, K. (2012). Linking leadership to student learning. San
Lindsey, R. B., Terrell, R. D., & Robins, K. N. (2009). Cultural proficiency: A manual for
Moore Middle School. (2016). Single plan for student achievement (spsa). Redlands, CA:
Cortz, J.