Established as an inner-city magnet school to foster racial integration, Jacob Hiatt attracts more than 700 students from throughout the district. Its student body is 51% white, 32% Hispanic, 12% African American and 5% Asian. Six percent of the school's population receives special education services. The staff has worked hard to develop a strong academic program, and as a result of these efforts, the school is now recognized in the community for its academic achievement and has a waiting list of over one hundred students.

Professional development has always been at the forefront of Jacob Hiatt's school agenda since its doors first opened in 1990. Teachers are seen as leaders at the school and are the driving force for the professional development program. The staff participates in collaborative sessions during and after school to share insights and to address concerns. Analyzing test scores, looking at student work, and revising curriculum and teaching practices to improve achievement drive the staff decision-making process.

Jacob Hiatt uses portfolios in conjunction with formalized test data to document student growth and achievement. To help assess the effectiveness of new instructional approaches and curriculum, the Jacob Hiatt staff devised and copyrighted a Portfolio Table of Contents which outlined the mathematical problem-solving pieces, discovery science tasks, and writing selections to include in student portfolios.

Portfolio assessments in all classrooms, on-site teacher research, and utilization of innovative instructional practices have all impacted on students' academic successes, as evidenced by their performance on formal and informal assessments. Jacob Hiatt students performed above district and state levels on Grade 3 Iowa Reading Tests from 1997-1999 and scored significantly above district levels on the Grades 4, 5, and 6 Stanford Achievement Tests in both 1998 and 1999. Students at Jacob Hiatt also have performed well on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) achievement test in both 1998 and 1999, ranking in the top seven of the forty district elementary schools in all subject areas.

Contact Information

Jacob Hiatt Magnet School
Susan Proulx, Professional Development School Facilitator
772 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01610
508-799-3601
508-799-3603 (fax)
ssproulx@yahoo.com

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