Webberville Middle School honored for boosting student achievement

Webberville Middle School is one of only two districts in Ingham County that has been selected as giving new meaning to excellence in education.

The Michigan Association of School Boards has named 30 recipients of the 2006 Education Excellence Award which will be honored Tuesday, May 9 at a luncheon hosted by MASB and SET SEG School Insurance Specialists. The Webberville Middle School Academic Personal Best program has been selected as a 2006 award winner.

"Student achievement is on the rise in Michigan . These home-grown programs truly contribute to Michigan 's rigor, relevance and relationships in public education," said Justin King, MASB executive director. "School districts across the state should look to these programs for leadership."

Each school or district will receive a trophy and a metal street sign proclaiming it an "Education Excellence Winner." Winners will also move to the second round of judging to determine if they are one of " Michigan 's Best"-with winners receiving a cash award.

Entries are judged by an independent panel of state education specialists. Winners are selected based on uniqueness, the critical need served and evidence of impact on student achievement. More than 200 entries were received from districts across the upper and lower peninsulas.

Congratulations to our outstanding Webberville Middle School teachers Eileen Slider, Kathy Pierman, Janet Reifenberg, Carli Vaupel, and Hillary DeRidder.

Academic Personal Best Program

Everyday, students at Webberville Middle School are challenged to achieve their potential through the Academic Personal Best (APB) program.

The program was developed as a way to reach at-risk students. However, it doesn't stop there. It recognizes that the impediments and adversity suffered by one population create equally troubling risk factors for other students. The APB program tracks and analyzes student performance in core classes. Each Friday, students bring their progress reports in English, science, social studies and math to Home Base. Here they chart their scores and look for patterns and trends. In peer and student-teacher conferences, students evaluate changes and identify cause and effect before setting short-term goals or adjusting long-term goals. At home, students share progress reports with parents, who sign and return them to complete home-school communication. Students scoring below 70 percent in any core class schedule after school tutorials where they receive extra help, complete missing and current assignments or do extra research to improve their status.

The program is unique in that it reaches every middle school student at Webberville. All students are offered support and resources to allow them to reach their personal best! The district has identified three distinct at-risk populations from the traditional at-risk student to those considered at-risk because they are not challenged enough. This assures that no child falls through the cracks. The proof is in the scores. The district has had low MEAP scores, but in the past few years the district has seen consistent-and in some cases-dramatic growth.