Holmes Introduction

Holmes International Middle School: Introduction

Principal: Valerie Turner
Community: Urban fringe
Enrollment: 1,455
Grade Levels: 6-8
School Schedule: Sixth grade has two-teacher cores; seventh and eighth grades have six periods (teamed)
Student Demographics: 58% Hispanic/Latino; 21% White; 7% Asian; 7% African American; 6% Filipino; 0% American Indian/Alaska Native; 0% Pacific Islander; 61% Free/Reduced Lunch; 15% English Learners
Achievement Data: 2005 API Base: 780; 2005 API Growth: 795 (up 192 points since 1999-00); 2006 AYP: Met 29 of 29 criteria

Distinctive Characteristics

Academic Excellence

This is a large Title I school facing significant challenges and yet the school is showing strong achievement growth over time.
The school hosts a humanities magnet and School for Advanced Studies (SAS) program; the school focuses on international studies.
Socratic seminars are used in instruction.
Teacher collaboration is a key to offering a successful, student-focused, academic program.
Student progress is carefully monitored; progress monitoring catches struggling students early.
Interventions are tailored to student needs.
Co-teaching provides strong support for special needs students.
AVID and GEAR UP are working to provide a school-wide, college-going culture.
The school supports students by providing:
o Before-school, after-school, and Saturday-school, homework, and tutoring activities;
o Academic interventions built into the regular school day; and
o An English skills class for English learners transitioning at mid-year.

Developmental Responsiveness

Double "advisories" allow students to start and end the day with the same teacher for guidance and organization.
Interdisciplinary teams of four teachers and 165 students create strong supports.
A full array of comprehensive support services is provided to students.
A diverse array of electives and exploratory classes is offered to all students.
A highly developed music program features over ten different music courses for students.
A wide variety of technology is used to support student learning.
A service learning component increases student connections and provides real-world learning opportunities.
Students regularly go to local elementary schools to read books to children and help in their classrooms.
A strong student transition program is in place for students coming from elementary school and students going to high school.

Social Equity

There is intentional heterogeneous grouping of students across the whole school.
A co-teaching program with resource teachers is carried out school-wide.
The school's uniform is a mark of pride.
The school's international focus reflects respect for and support of all cultures.
The school emphasizes character development through the Character Counts! Program and responsible citizenship.
Many co-curricular activities are offered to all students.

Organizational Support

The school has a clearly-stated common vision, and the community is committed to that vision.
The school-based management council involves many stakeholders in day-to-day decision-making.
A data monitoring system is based on benchmark assessments.
Teamwork is systemic to the school; the school's master schedule includes common planning time.
Using standardized test results, each teacher receives a detailed list of each student's overall areas of strengths and weaknesses as well as overall class data for the students they worked with the previous year.
A connection with the local university ensures the special education program reflects the most effective practices based on current research.
Groups of university students work as tutors to support struggling students in AVID class.

Focus on the Future-Continuing Improvement

The school wants to further its commitment to be student-centered and develop equity among students as a basis for closing the achievement gap, particularly for African American students.
English Language Learners need better access to the full curriculum including electives, exploratory classes, and after-school activities.
Continue to improve consistency across all classes and teams in areas of workload, homework and activities.
Minimize worksheets and workbooks; replace them with critical thinking and reading activities that require more collaboration and communication among students.
Curriculum for honor classes needs to be differentiated and extended.
Plans to open a parent center are in the works.

California League of Middle Schools
6615 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 120, Long Beach, California 90803
Voice: 562/430-3136 or 800/326-1880 . . . FAX: 562/430-5607. . . E-Mail: info@clms.net