New Hampshire

Timberlane takes recommendations to heart and moves forward

By Meghan Carey
Staff writer
Published: August 26, 2008

PLAISTOW — Timberlane Regional High School should be reaccredited in the next couple of months, according to Principal Don Woodworth.

The results of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges' spring visit to the school are in, and Woodworth said the report's recommendations are on track with what the district and state have for future expectations. The NEASC team spent four days at Timberlane to see if the school is matching up with its mission statement and to identify what areas need improvement.

The report outlined 45 recommendations to be implemented over the next 10 years, as well as 30 areas where the school has shown improvement since its last accreditation. High on NEASC's list are ensuring all students are challenged, using the same evaluation process across the curriculum and personalizing lessons to better engage students.

The biggest element is to make sure students of all levels have the same opportunities, Woodworth said. Some students are separated at Timberlane, including the special needs program, which is based in portable classrooms behind the school.

The portable classroom had the proper facilities for special needs students before, but now those students need to be brought back into the school, he said.

"(NEASC is) going to push to see we aren't creating a lesser product or expectations for the average student," Woodworth said. "That's a criticism that I'm glad to be reading. That's where we want to go, too."

Some of the other recommendations are already in progress, such as the use of "rubrics" for evaluating schoolwork.

Timberlane developed the evaluation system and took three years to train teachers to use it for writing assignments, Woodworth said. Now, similar evaluations must be written and used schoolwide.

Teachers often get caught up in the day's lessons and individual students, he said. The standardized evaluations will help each staff member see how everything has to connect to the school's overall mission.

"We've developed rubrics, but we're still not comfortable with them," he said. "We have to measure and then use the result for continuous improvement."

This year's focus will be on instruction, making sure Timberlane's young teachers engage students and personalize lessons, Woodworth said. The school has 20 new teachers starting this fall, he said.

The NEASC report calls for fewer "paper and pen" assessments and more portfolio-style projects.

A steering committee will meet once school starts to determine the priorities of each recommendation, as well as how and who will make sure it's carried out, Woodworth said.

To measure whether Timberlane is addressing the association's recommendations, he said, administrators will prepare two- and five-year reports to send to NEASC.

"There is a push for us to make progress on all of these things," Woodworth said. "Some things are already done."

That includes making the school's mission a part of the community. Posters are hung in every classroom and hallway encouraging Owl pride and outlining the mission for all students and staff to read, Woodworth said.

The Owl is Timberlane's school mascot.