Worries of grades, future during academic crunch time
(Click here for Fact Boxes of each school mentioned in article)

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, April 16, 2006

BY JENNIFER D. JORDAN
Journal Staff Writer

 

Gigi DeBarros clutches a manila folder to her chest as she enters art class on a Monday morning last month. The folder holds papers that Gigi believes will change her life.

"It's my application to Lincoln School," she tells a friend. "I had to get recommendations from teachers."

Gigi, 13, is an eighth grader at Slater Junior High School in Pawtucket, and is already planning her long-term future.

Lincoln School is among the most prestigious -- and expensive -- private schools in Rhode Island. Started by Quakers in 1884, the all-girls K-12 school on Providence's East Side is known for its small classes, academic rigor and commitment to diversity. About 30 percent of the school's 330 students are minorities, and 1 in 5 of all students receives tuition aid, according to the school's Web site.

One of Gigi's older sisters was accepted to Lincoln School a couple of years ago but was not offered financial aid, and so could not attend, says Gigi's mother. With six daughters, aged 9 to 16, Laura and Aristides DeBarros, immigrants from Cape Verde, cannot afford Lincoln School's price tag: $21,450 a year.

A friend of Gigi's is a student there, and loves it. And when Gigi visited early last month, she, too, was smitten.

"Everyone was welcoming, and you get a lot of one-on-one attention from teachers. They listen to what you have to say," says Gigi. "Not that they don't here, but it's hard when there are 30 students in a class. There, there are just 8 students in a class."

Gigi also thinks Lincoln will help her secure a place at a top college.

"I really want to go to college, and I think they look at schools like that, college-prep schools," Gigi says.

If Gigi is accepted, everything will hinge on a scholarship offer.

"I can't do for one, and not for the other," Laura DeBarros says. "I have six girls, and I have to be fair."

If Gigi were to receive substantial financial aid, her parents say they would try to pay the difference.

"If we end up paying something, then we will," Laura DeBarros says. "I always tell the girls to work their best and to go to college. They've seen the trouble I've had with jobs."

Laura DeBarros worked for 20 years for a metal-coating and plating manufacturer but was laid off in 2004. Since then, she has struggled to find steady work. Her husband became a truck driver after the same manufacturer laid him off after almost 30 years.

"They are smart, and I want them to be somebody later on," she says of her six girls. "Without school they cannot do anything."

DAVID DENNIS, 13, scrolls through a series of images on his computer monitor, searching for an illustration for his latest multimedia project.

The eighth grader has spent two days in the computer lab at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown, researching three leaders from around the time of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. David has chosen Joan of Arc, Henry VIII and Louis XIV. Students must use approved academic Web sites, called "juried sites."

"Don't write an essay. Put limited amounts of information in the PowerPoint [presentation]," Dan Seger tells his students. "Remember to choose your facts carefully."

David tackles the first question: Is it better to be feared or loved?

"It's best to be respected," David types. "If you are feared, no one will help you. If you are loved, people will support you, but you may not be able to give them everything they want."

The students have to present their PowerPoint projects in front of the class at the end of the month, using a laptop computer and a projector. They do similar projects throughout the year in Mr. Seger's class.

Technology teacher Janice O'Donnell reminds the students to cite all of their sources, and shows them a bibliographic Web site that helps them organize and source their quotes.

"We are teaching them that they can't just cut and paste," she says. "It's a new way of learning, and we are teaching them that information on the Web is intellectual property."

Teachers use a software package to check if a quote or sentence has been "coined," another term for plagiarized.

"I don't think most parents know how everything has changed so much," she says.

Some things about middle school, however, remain the same. The students spend as much time illustrating and decorating their presentations as they do researching historical figures.

David considers flaming torches, but, in the end, he opts for a boiling cauldron.

EIGHTH GRADE is harder today than it was 10 or 20 years ago, says Mary Nassaney, who is in charge of Gaudet's two eighth-grade teams.

A national push for more standardized tests, tougher grade-level expectations and the growing demands of the global economy have increased the pressure on educators and students.

"The expectation is much higher, and it's coming from the outside world as well," Nassaney says. "We need to be aware of what the business world is looking for, and we've got to educate our students so they can step into jobs and into being productive citizens."

That means more hands-on projects, a stronger emphasis on reading and writing and integrating computers into regular class work.

"We don't have a separate computer class anymore," Nassaney says. "It's total integration now."

But emphasizing real-world and practical skills also has a downside, say some educators.

"I used to do more symbolism, but now the students are much more literal-minded," says Judith Crowley, David's English teacher. "They are much more 'give me the answer' rather than plod through, looking for what the answer is. They are so used to getting something instantly, they don't have any patience."

March and April are critical months in the school year, as one grading period ends and the last one begins.

"It's really crunch time for the kids, and now the kids are gearing up for the move to the high school," Nassaney says.

JENNIFER CALLAGHAN, 13, is worried about her grades.

Halfway through the term at Knotty Oak Middle School in Coventry, she missed some homework assignments and did poorly on a quiz. Her parents received two "in danger of failing" notices -- one in social studies and the other in math, Jenn's toughest subject -- and hastily called for a parent-teacher conference.

"I told her this was really sounding the alarm," says Jenn's father, Alan Callaghan, a mechanical engineer who often helps Jenn with her math homework.

Jenn's parents are divorced and share custody of her and her sister, Julianne, 9. Jenn's father and her mother, Pamela C. Greshan, who is remarried, both live in Coventry and they take vacations together as a family.

"When her mother and I divorced, we were very keen on the effect on her, especially in school, so we've been watching very closely," he says.

Jenn was banned from playing her favorite computer game, Guild Wars, a fantasy-themed, role-playing online game, until her grades improved. "I told her, that's fine to jump on a computer when you're doing really well, but if not, no computer," he says.

KNOTTY OAK uses a standards-based grading system instead of a traditional 100-point system with letter grades. Knotty Oak scores students 1 to 4 in each subject, with 4 above standard, 3 meeting the standard, 2 below, and 1 much below.

More Rhode Island schools are moving toward this model as districts align their curriculum with the state's grade-level expectations, which rolled out about two years ago.

"The difference between conventional grades and standards-based grades, to me, is that anything below a 3 is not acceptable," says Knotty Oak Principal Michael Convery. "In the old system, if you had a D-plus or C-minus you could slide by. But is that really good enough?"

For parents like Alan Callaghan, the new grading system can be confusing. Jenn's report card is five pages long.

"I had a hard time understanding it at first," he says. "I kept looking for the A, B, C. I get more information with the new system, but why couldn't they also give us that with the A, B and Cs?"

IT'S A DAY 7 at South Kingstown's Curtis Corner Middle School, which runs on a 10-day rotating class schedule.

That means that after homeroom, Adam Litlefield's first class is reading.

The word of the day -- March 14 -- is written on a huge pad of paper standing on an easel: Taut -- adj. pulled or stretched tightly.

Adam, 14, quickly finishes a quiz on Latin and Greek roots. He turns his attention to the NCAA college basketball tournament. Adam and his friends disagree about who will win.

"I think Duke will win," Adam says.

"How can you have UConn not in the finals?" a boy responds.

Adam's next class is band, where the class is rehearsing "The Swarm, The Battle Won by Hornets" by Robert W. Smith. The piece is about a 1780 battle when 300 British soldiers were repelled and defeated by a dozen North Carolina farmers and a swarm of angry bees. Adam plays the trombone. He also plays trumpet and piano.

"You guys are doing great," the band teacher tells them. "It's the other group I'm worried about." The band will perform the piece at South Kingstown High School the following week.

At lunch, the conversation returns to college basketball.

"I can't believe Mike thinks BC is going all the way," Adam says. "I'm rooting for the underdog."

"Oh, yeah, Adam, Duke is really an underdog," says Ben Sevy, one of the eight friends who eat lunch together every day.

JENN CALLAGHAN walks into her science class at Knotty Oak, amid a din of chatter and books hitting desks.

"Open the book to page 566," the teacher tells the 24 students. "Describe the formation of the solar system as a sequence of events."

But the students continue to talk and joke. The teacher tells the students to quiet down and then tries to draw them in.

"First, particles draw together due to gravity and form a disk," she says. "Then, 95 percent of the matter forms into a proto sun in the center.

"Who knows what proto means?" she asks as students talk over her question.

"It's like a prototype," a boy offers.

A girl sitting nearby mutters, "He doesn't have a brain. He can't answer."

Students continue to talk, pass notes and doodle in their notebooks. The teacher proceeds, "The proto sun shrinks and begins nuclear fusion. . . ."

A boy and a girl sitting together talk about getting tattoos. Finally, the class breaks for lunch. Everyone seems relieved -- teacher and students.

GIGI DeBARROS' English teacher, Melissa Magiera, has the class do 10 jumping jacks when they come in from lunch. Gigi and her friends have been discussing the upcoming school dance, scheduled for April 7.

"You're so energetic," says Mrs. Magiera. "Let's get rid of some of this pent up energy."

The class at Slater begins dissecting characters in the Anne Frank play they have been reading, about two Dutch Jewish families hiding together in an attic during World War II.

"What is Anne's main complaint about her mother?" the teacher asks.

"That she treats her like a baby," a student says.

"That's right," Mrs. Magiera says. "Anne is quite typical for a 13-year-old girl. Sometimes you act childish, and sometimes you act almost like an adult."

Mrs. Magiera says she sees both traits in her students.

She displays a notebook full of colorful stickers -- smiley faces, ladybugs, pumpkins, American flags, cupcakes. "They just love them because they are goofy. And you know, the students are still goofy at this age."

Students in Mrs. Magiera's class receive stickers for a top grade, "or if I ask them to step outside of their comfort zone," she says.

When the students have 10 stickers, Mrs. Magiera lets them trade them for candy. "This is their last year," she says. "They can't get stickers in high school."

ON MARCH 22, David's social studies class files into the school auditorium, where a computer and projection screen are set up for their presentations.

Dan Seger passes each student two pieces of paper.

One is a peer feedback form. The other is a long list of all the skills students are expected to master. Maintain eye contact. Speak clearly. Dress appropriately. Engage the audience. Use correct grammar. Transition smoothly between key points. Use visual aids to communicate.

"Graduation by Proficiency Exhibition Oral Presentation Rubric," reads the sheet.

"Four years from now, and I know that seems like a long time away -- but it's not -- you'll have to meet all the bullets on here," he tells the students.

Halfway through the class comes David's turn. He stands before the class in a gray T-shirt that reads, "Don't let your mind wander. It's waaaay too small to be out on its own."

Joan of Arc sparked nationalism, David explains. Henry VIII promoted the separation of church and state, "because he didn't like how the pope was controlling everything." Louis XIV ruled for 72 years, the longest monarch in Europe, and was called the Sun King.

Later, Mr. Seger grades the presentations. David receives an 83.

"In David's instance, he followed most of the directions, but I saw he was reading off the slides," Mr. Seger says. "It left me, as an audience member, sort of hungry for a little bit more."

ON A TUESDAY in late March, Adam puts on a pair of plastic goggles, dons an apron and grabs a beaker.

His science class is conducting an experiment on "the physical separation of compounds," says his teacher, Carol Englander.

Students must separate water from copper sulfate by evaporating the water through a tube into a beaker.

Adam adjusts the flame under a jar containing the blue copper sulfate and water mixture, and helps his lab partner run a glass tube from the top of the jar to the top of the beaker.

Water drops begin condensing in the beaker.

"Is the color blue darker or lighter than when we started?" the teacher asks, looking at the copper sulfate remaining in the jar.

"Darker," Adam answers. "Because the water that was in it diluted the color."

Adam does not have his favorite class today, gym. But this is the week track practice starts.

In the fall and winter, Adam wrestles, skis and swims. Now that it's spring, Adam will run track and play baseball and tennis.

It's a crisp but sunny day, and dozens of students start warming up in thin shorts and short-sleeved T-shirts.

"The first week is the hardest week ever," Adam says, looking around. "Half these kids are going to quit."

He heads over to talk to the coach. Adam has to leave practice early today. He has to have his braces adjusted.

GIGI DeBARROS missed the April 1 entrance exam for Lincoln School. "We went to Lincoln, but the test was at Moses Brown," she explains.

The Lincoln School admissions office has told Gigi and her mother that she can take the test later this month.

But Gigi is struggling with some more immediate news. It's the week of Slater's April dance, and her mother told her she cannot go. Gigi's family is active in their local parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the dance falls during Lent.

"I was mad," Gigi says, even though she knows the rules. "We can't party during Lent, we can't eat meat on Fridays, and we can't go places with music," she says. "But I was hoping my mother would make an exception this year. I told her, it's my last year at Slater and I'll miss all my friends."

Laura DeBarros was unmoved.

"She said you can't go against your religion," Gigi says, a note of resignation in her voice.

Gigi says she understands the rules, even if she doesn't always like them.

"We have to make sacrifices during Lent because Jesus sacrificed his life for us," says Gigi. "So we have to try to follow in his path."

In the end, Principal Meredith Caswell cancels the event, because fewer than 100 tickets had been sold.

"It may have been because it fell during Lent," she says. "We have a lot of devout families here at Slater."

JENN CALLAGHAN receives her report card.

Her overall grade is a 3.23 out of 4.0 points, enough to make honor roll for the second time this year.

"My father was really amazed," she says. "I did better than he expected."

"We are very proud of her," says Jenn's mother, Pamela Greshan. Jenn showed the card to her grandparents, Richard and Joan Callaghan, whom she sees every day after school. They bought her tickets to see the musical Annie in May, to celebrate.

Perhaps best of all, Jenn's computer privileges have been restored.

Her parents say they are pushing Jenn to do well because they want her to go to college.

"Jenn sees her stepfather in college now, studying to become a nurse," says Alan Callaghan. "We've instilled in her that in order to get a decent job these days, you need a college degree."

For Jenn, the hardest part of eighth grade is not academic.

"The toughest part right now is socially, because there are so many cliques in this school," Jenn says. "People are so scared of being turned down or rejected by a group."

After school, one classmate frequently walks with Jenn when they are dropped off by the bus. The half-mile walk is the only time the girls spend together.

"She's in the in-crowd, so we really aren't friends in school," Jenn says.

Those distinctions disappear on the afternoon walk home.

jjordan@projo.com / (401) 277-7254

ANOTHER LOOK: View more Kathy Borchers' photos of eighth-grade life at:

http://projo.com/eightslideshow/

 


Online at: http://www.projo.com/education/content/projo_20060416_8grade16.32e14bd.html

Fact boxes for each school

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, April 16, 2006

 

 

Slater Junior High School

Location: Pawtucket

Principal: Meredith Caswell

Year built: 1918

Grades: Primarily 7 and 8, with 100 sixth graders

Number of students: 660

Number of teachers: 55 full-time; 5 part-time

Percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch: 83

Percentage of students in special education: 17

Ethnic diversity: 34 percent white; 32 percent black; 32 percent Hispanic; 1 percent Native American; 1 percent Asian

Latest test scores: 44 percent of students proficient in reading; 35 percent in math; 53 percent in writing.

Fact: As the first school built as a junior high in Rhode Island, Slater has two gymnasiums, one each for girls and boys.

Gaudet Middle School

Location: Middletown

Principal: Vincent Giuliano

Year built: 1968

Grades: 5 to 8

Number of students: 746

Number of teachers: 82

Percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch: 19

Percentage of students in special education: 20

Ethnic diversity: 84 percent white; 8 percent black; 4 percent Asian, 3.5 percent Hispanic, 0.5 percent Native American.

Latest test scores: 66 percent proficient in reading; 68 percent in math; 47 percent in writing

Fact: Because of the nearby Navy base, 20 percent of Gaudet's population comes from military families, most of whom move every year.

Knotty Oak Middle School

Location: Coventry

Principal: Michael Convery

Year built: 1957; 1963 addition

Grades: 6 to 8

Number of students: 847

Number of teachers: 69

Percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch: 17

Percentage of students in special education: 19

Ethnic diversity: 99 percent white

Latest test scores: 61 percent proficient in reading; 57 percent in math; 54 percent in writing.

Fact: Until three years ago, Knotty Oak served grades 7 and 8.

Curtis Corner Middle School

Location: South Kingstown

Principal: Michelle Humbryd

Year built: 1964

Grades: 6 to 8

Number of students: 526

Number of teachers: 50

Percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch: 10

Percentage of students in special education: 22

Ethnic diversity: 89 percent white; 4 percent black, 2 percent Native American, 3 percent Asian, 2 percent Hispanic.

Latest test scores: 77 percent proficient in reading; 71 percent in math; 64 percent in writing

Fact: Curtis Corner was South Kingstown's only middle school until Broad Rock Middle School opened in 2001.

Note: The state averages for grades 3 through on the latest test scores were: 59 percent proficient in reading; 51 percent in writing and 50 percent in math.

Information from the Rhode Island Department of Education and the school principals.

 


Online at: http://www.projo.com/education/content/projo_20060416_schoolbox.32df057.html