AUBURN — By next September, all Auburn elementary schools will have anti-bullying programs that teach students what bullying is and what they can do about it.

Two principals shared with the School Committee on Wednesday night how anti-bullying programs are working and how they are making a difference.

At Sherwood Heights Elementary School, the anti-bullying program was implemented last year, Principal Laura Shaw said.

Four rules are plastered everywhere throughout the school: Students will not bully; students will try to help anyone being bullied; students will not exclude others; and if students know bullying is happening, they will tell an adult.

Through training, Shaw said she and her staff have learned it’s not always possible to change a bully, but it is possible to better control the environment.

What that has meant is adding extra supervising duties at “hot spots,” such as cafeterias, recess areas and bathrooms.

Her school never puts a bully and a victim in the same room. “This is not conflict resolution,” Shaw said. The bully has power.

The parents of the bully are called, as well as the parents of the victim. It used to be that only the bully’s parents were called, she said.

Parents of the victim are called “so they know this is not acceptable; it’s taken serious.” Follow-ups are done to ensure that the bad behavior has stopped.

Only a small percentage of students are true bullies and may not be able to be changed, Shaw said. But through the program, a bully’s behavior can be better controlled, and it can change what she called “fringe” bullies, students who, without intervention, may have joined in on bullying. Shaw said she’s satisfied with the program and is confident it’s making a difference.

Washburn Elementary School Principal Holly Couturier said her school is in its third year of an anti-bullying program, one that teaches students what to do if they see bullying and the dynamics of the behavior.

Understanding the dynamics helps prevent it, she said, “because then they’re aware of what’s going on. They know what to do to help out.”

The program is working, she said. “There are fewer behavioral referrals to the office. A lot of the students are taking on ownership. They’re responding in an appropriate manner. They’re more likely to report bullying.”

School Committee member Susan Gaylord asked how schools encourage students to report bullying without becoming victims.

Shaw said change is happening by creating an environment in which students feel safe in reporting what they see. “We’ve had two situations where students have stood up and said, ‘You can’t do that here.’” They were crying, Shaw said, but both students said, “’I’m going to tell.’”

The programs are being paid for by a Safe Schools Healthy Students grant, Superintendent Katy Grondin said.

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Auburn schools set goals for the year

AUBURN — Auburn Superintendent Katy Grondin on Wednesday shared with the School Committee district goals for students and teachers to meet by the end of the 175-day school year.

For elementary students: By this spring, 90 percent of teachers will help move 50 percent of students in the non-proficient test score category to proficient. The hope is that all students would reach that category, but given that some students are in special education or learning to speak English, that may not be a reasonable goal, Grondin said.

Middle school students: Eighty-five percent will pass all classes by 2012. “The school hit 82 percent last year. We moved it up,” she said.

High school students: At the end of every semester in every subject, 90 to 100 percent of students will get a 70 percent grade or higher. Achieving that involves a lot of steps, including work to get students more engaged.

The Franklin and Merrill alternative schools: All students will pass all classes.