Transformation. The word conveys rebirth, renewal...the emergence of a beautiful butterfly from a drab cocoon.

For two Marysville schools that have landed on the state's list of low performing schools, the word has a more painful connotation.

The state's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released the list of schools in the bottom 5 percent statewide in late February. Initially, the Marysville School District's only entry was Tulalip Elementary, but an addendum dated February 25 also includes Totem Middle School. Statewide about 50 schools have been identified as 'low performing,' with approximately 2,500 schools across the nation falling into the new category.

The criteria used to identify the troubled schools was based on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements, but new federal guidelines call for more drastic measures beyond NCLB recommendations.

Tulalip Elementary has seen major improvements in many instructional areas under NCLB measurements, but was still falling short of making "adequate yearly progress" (AYP).

"Teachers at Tulalip and Totem are hard-working, caring and dedicated staff, continually working to figure out how to better meet the needs of the students they serve," said Dr. Larry Nyland, Marysville superintendent. "At both schools, groups of students saw double digit gains on last year's WASL. Fourth graders at Tulalip saw a 20 percent increase in the number of students meeting math standards. Tulalip made AYP in math in all cells except one-unexcused absence rate, so they did not make AYP overall."

Fourth grade students at Tulalip Elementary doubled their test performance in reading, writing and math in 2009, but grades 3 and 5 didn't meet the same levels of performance. Tulalip was already in step four of the NCLB improvement matrix, which meant the district was charged with creating a restructuring plan to take effect in another year.

While district officials weren't surprised to find Tulalip Elementary on the list of the state's 116 lowest performing schools, the inclusion of Totem Middle School was a shock. Since the performance evaluation covered three years of test results, and Totem has only been in existence for a little more than two years, district administrators appealed the designation. The appeal was denied.

"Totem became a middle school in 2007 with a completely new student body and many staff members who had not previously worked with middle school students," said Nyland. "Test scores that year were low."

But the school has not been in the NCLB improvement process, and students made AYP in reading-an increase of more than 10 percent overall--for 2008-09, except for failing to meet the 1 percent standard for unexcused absences.

Since the school has not been subject to prior NCLB sanctions, its inclusion on the new 'low performing schools' list was a surprise.

"We had no advance notice of the new retroactive federal rules being applied for the last three years," said Nyland. "The new system fails to recognize the growth Totem has accomplished since becoming a middle school."

If there's one bright spot in all this, it has to do with money.

The federal government promises funding for the bottom 5 percent of schools nationwide, with money specifically designated to extend the school day, provide more after-school tutoring, and allow more time for teacher training and planning. The State Improvement Grant, part of the federal ARRA package, is designed to help "dramatically alter staffing patterns and learning environments," according to assistant superintendent Gail Miller.

Of course, that's the carrot. The stick? Districts must choose one of four options: turnaround, in which the principal and half the staff is replaced; re-start, which means closing the school, selecting new staff and creating a charter school (since this is not allowed in Washington state, this is an invalid option); closure, reassigning students to other district schools; or transformation, wherein the principal is replaced, some of the staff is involuntarily transferred to other schools, and a performance-based evaluation process is developed for the staff.

The transformation model was recommended and approved for Tulalip by the Board of Directors at the March 1 meeting. At that time, the staff at Totem had not had an opportunity to meet with district administrators, so the best model for Totem was not yet known. Since then, the transformation option has also been adopted for Totem Middle School.

The principal at Tulalip Elementary School, Chris Sampley, has been at the school for less than a year, so the district is not required to replace the position. The same is not true for Totem, where Judy Albertson has served as principal since the school's inception.

At the March 1 board meeting, parent Lori Cameron spoke on behalf of Albertson, saying she "is a visionary who advocates for students with great passion."

However, the district has no viable option that would allow Albertson to remain in her position as principal at Totem Middle School. The change in leadership is mandated by the federal program guidelines.

"Staff at Tulalip and Totem have been incredible in working through the anger, the anxiety and the grieving," said Nyland, "and are moving forward in thinking about how we can use this opportunity to promote more student success."

Dr. Nyland has been vocal about his opposition to legislative measures, like raising the lid on levy requests, that widen the gap between rich and poor school districts. With the release of federal sanctions against low-performing schools, he said, "This process is doubly unfair in that Washington State intentionally allows rich schools to be better funded while Washington D.C. singles out poor schools and communities for sanctions."

"Nevertheless," he conceded, "we will likely apply for the federal funding and work diligently with staff to improve learning for all students."