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Waterford middle schools pilot "Pirate Hour," expand progress monitoring and intervention tracking
Summary
Pierce and Mason middle schools described a coordinated block of time for social-emotional learning and a data-driven system of progress monitoring for math and literacy interventions; principals reported improved behavior and clearer teacher collaboration.
Pierce and Mason middle school leaders told the Waterford School Board they are using a shared weekly block to deliver social-emotional learning and schoolwide expectations and are expanding progress monitoring of interventions to improve student outcomes.
"We are piloting this year something that we call the pirate hour," said Kyle Schultz, principal at Pierce, describing a dedicated time when all students receive the same lesson, whether PBIS or social-emotional learning. "It's made a huge difference," he said, crediting consistent messaging and staff coordination for better behavior and fewer classroom disruptions.
Steph Henning, principal at Mason, described tiered progress monitoring and specific usage goals for intervention platforms. He said his team worked with vendors to set practical targets: "For DreamBox, we came up with about 70 percent of students should complete at least 5 or more lessons per week," and "for Lexia, we're at about 55% usage rate," figures Henning said he discussed with vendor representatives.
Henning also described common assessments, pacing guides and professional learning community protocols intended to move planning from informal complaints to data-driven instructional decisions. He credited literacy and math consultants Devin McKee and Lauren Wiseman with producing pacing guides for consistent classroom expectations.
Board members asked how the initiatives tie into curriculum and testing. Schultz and Henning said teachers receive shared training in Second Step and CASEL competencies and that lessons are coordinated so other teachers and ancillary staff can reinforce the same language and skills. Schultz said the schools hold monthly "Mariner Way" or "Pirate Hour" days that involve the entire staff, including custodial and office staff.
Members praised the initiatives for improving student engagement. Member Ristich, who identified herself as a writing professor, gave the principals high marks for the presentations.
Ending
Administrators said they would continue to share progress-monitoring data with staff and the board and that the programs aim to boost instructional time in classrooms by reducing behavior incidents.
