The first district outside Boston to replicate the Pilot School model is the Fitchburg, MA Public Schools (FPS).  Located in central Massachusetts, FPS is a small urban district enrolling approximately 6,000 students, with a rapidly increasing Southeast Asian and Latino population, in pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. 
   Fitchburg is in the process of creating two schools modeled after Pilot Schools, called Partnership Schools.  The schools are a partnership between the Fitchburg Public Schools and Fitchburg Teachers Association (FTA).  As in Boston, the contract states:

The purpose in establishing Partnership schools is to provide models of educational excellence that will help foster widespread educational reform throughout all Fitchburg Public Schools.  The parties hope to improve dramatically the educational learning environment and thereby improve student performance. 

The new schools share the same five areas of autonomy as Pilot Schools: staffing, budget, governance, curriculum and assessment, and school calendar.  
    School year 2005-2006 is a planning year to design the two small schools – a middle school of 200 students and a high school of 400 students.  Both schools will be arts-integrated schools.  In September 2006 Partnership Middle School (grades 5-8) will open with full enrollment.  In September 2007 Partnership High School (grades 9-12) will open with a ninth grade and add a grade each year thereafter until it reaches full enrollment.     
   A design team is in the midst of planning the new middle school, while a design team is being formed for the high school.  The team consists of teachers, museum staff, parents, educators, and community members from Fitchburg, as well as educators from other communities interested in developing the schools.  Coaches from the Center for Collaborative Education facilitate the team. 

The Design Team at Work

   Since August 2005 the middle school design team has met regularly and developed a vision statement for the schools, formed a work timeline and completion list, examined equity, and learned about the features and areas of autonomy found in Pilot Schools.  Subcommittees formed to research and develop different areas of the “Blueprint” for the schools.  The “Blueprint” consists of twelve sections, ranging from school vision and culture to student assessment to community involvement.  Students participated in focus groups to help inform the design team’s work.  A school visit to Boston Arts Academy, a Pilot high school with a performing arts focus, was a critical learning experience for the team.