A little-known school district in Texas, 950 miles from Cincinnati, continues to make its presence felt among local schools as the battle to raise student achievement resumes this month.

        Last year, 12 schools in 10 Greater Cincinnati districts piloted the Brazosport Independent School District's initiative to improve academic success. Those schools are preparing for the second year of the Brazosport program, and half of the districts will expand it to other schools this fall.

        What's more, at least one more district - Winton Woods City Schools plans to implement Brazosport in three elementaries: Lakeside, Waycross and Winton Forest.

PILOT DISTRICTS

These Greater Cincinnati school districts (and schools) piloted the Brazosport academic improvement program last year:   • Deer Park (Amity Elementary)   • Fairfield (Fairfield Central Elementary)   • Finneytown (Whitaker Elementary)   • Lakota (Independence Elementary)   • Lockland (Lockland Elementary)   • Mount Healthy (Frost Elementary)   • Northwest (Bevis and Taylor elementaries)   • Norwood (Sharpsburg Elementary and Norwood Middle School)   • North College Hill (Clovernook Elementary)   • St. Bernard-Elmwood Place (St. Bernard-Elmwood Place High School)

        Lakeside Principal Linda Giuliano caught the Brazosport fever after hearing a presentation from Hamilton County Educational Service Center. “We found it fascinating to see if we can make a difference in kids' lives,” she said.

        Most of the 12 schools made substantial gains in proficiency test scores, and the pressure is on to continue the momentum.

        For example, Amity Elementary in the Deer Park district gained more than 140 percentage points on fourth- and sixth-grade proficiency tests. Amity's fourth-graders gained 24 points in reading and 22 in math. Sixth-graders posted a gain of 27 points in reading.

        Some schools, though, posted mixed results. Lockland Elementary, for example, gained 21 points in sixth-grade math, but dropped 16 points in fourth-grade math.

        “While we're seeing great gains this year, I think the in-depth systemic impact will take place over two to three years,” said Vikki Clemmons, instructional services coordinator for the Hamilton County Educational Service Center, which assisted the districts in launching Brazosport.

        “We did have one or two schools that did not show improvement in a specific area, such as reading or math, but they did show improvement in other content areas,” she said. “We're going back and seeing what else needs to be done.”

        Here's how Brazosport works:

        Teachers use data to identify weak areas of student performance. Teachers then focus on a particular concept for 10 to 15 minutes each day and assess students. Those who pass spend time in enrichment activities, while others are re-taught the material until they master it. The technique is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle of the Total Quality Management business technique and Effective Schools research.

        The Brazosport district, 50 miles south of Houston , was once among the worst districts in Texas. Today, it's recognized nationally for improving student achievement, especially among low-income and minority students.

        Implementing the Brazosport program was a monumental effort when it was launched in the 12 local schools last fall. Teachers and principals juggled regular duties with increased workloads to plan instructional calendars, develop more tests, consult with other teachers and conduct tutorial and enrichment sessions.

        Some Amity Elementary teachers admit they grumbled about the extra work. That was before they saw the big gains in their students' proficiency test scores.

        “They kept saying, "Are you sure those are our scores?' ” said Debbie Farley, principal. Jan Godwin, a sixth-grade teacher at Amity, said that teachers initially didn't understand the process. Teachers were thrilled when they saw test results, she said, but now, the pressure is on: “We feel like we want to keep what we've achieved going.”

        Bob Farrell, superintendent of Fairfield City Schools, also acknowledged there was discontent among his staff.

        “We got notes and comments, "Oh, I hate this,' he said. “Some of those people we have on record changing their mind. This collaboration with others, and the constant monitoring of whether each and every student is achieving is good. We felt more of a team than we had in a long time.”

        In Mount Healthy, Frost Elementary has typically been the district's lowest-performing school on proficiency tests. Last year it jumped into third place out of five elementary schools.

        Mary Simonson, a sixth-grade teacher at Frost, said she opposed Brazosport at first. “In teaching, it seems every five years there's a new solution and everybody jumps on the bandwagon.”

        But Brazosport is simply a good fundamental teaching practice, she said.

        “That's not to say it was an easy year. ... But, it was worth it when those test scores came in. I felt proud because my students improved from last year.”

        Taylor Elementary in the Northwest Local School District is another success story. The lowest-scoring elementary school in the district posted its largest jump ever in scores. For example, fourth-grade reading scores improved by 32 points.

        Bernadette Dunn, parent of a first-grader last year at Taylor, said Brazosport helped students who need extra assistance, and it also helped students, like her daughter, who excels in reading.

        “She wasn't struggling, but she needed to be challenged,” she said. “It made her strive to be further along than she was.”

        Norwood Superintendent Barbara Rider, had high hopes when staff at Sharpsburg Elementary and Norwood Middle School began preparing for Brazosport last summer. But Norwood posted mixed results on proficiency tests.

        Sharpsburg, for example, gained 15 points in writing, but dropped 9 points in reading, the targeted subject.

        “It's very puzzling,” Mrs. Rider said. “We don't know why, but we will be changing some things, as far as the Brazosport model goes. We're certainly not going to abandon it.”

        Scores at Independence Elementary weren't quite what Lakota Local School District wanted, either. Like Norwood, Lakota educators know it often takes longer than a year to see results.

        “The worst thing you can do with new initiative is look at it as a quick fix,” said Janet Gorman, director of elementary curriculum at Lakota. “One year in the life of a school is not really very long.”

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