2017-2018 Windsor Park School Improvement Plan Report
School Improvement Plan
2017-2018
School Improvement Plans remain in effect for two years, but a School Leadership Team may amend as often as necessary or appropriate.
Draft Due: October 3, 2017 / Final Copy Due: October 17, 2017Windsor Park Contact Information
School: / Windsor Park Elementary School / Courier #: / 587
Address: / 3910 Sudbury Rd. / Phone Number: / 980-343-6405
Charlotte, NC 28205 / Fax Number: / 980-343-6495
Learning Community: / Northeast / School Website: / http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/windsorparkES/Pages/Default.aspx
Principal: / Lauren Finley
Learning Community Superintendent: / Charity Bell
Windsor Park School Improvement Team Membership
From GS §115C-105.27: “The principal of each school, representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants assigned to the school building, and parents of children enrolled in the school shall constitute a school improvement team to develop a school improvement plan to improve student performance. Representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants shall be elected by their respective groups by secret ballot....Parents serving on school improvement teams shall reflect the racial and socioeconomic composition of the students enrolled in that school and shall not be members of the building-level staff.”
Committee Position / Name / Email Address / Date Elected
Principal / Lauren Finley / / 8/28/17
Assistant Principal Representative / Shanna Rae / / 8/28/17
Teacher Representative / Danielle Pack
Danielle Witherspoon /
Danielle.richardson @cms.k12.nc.us / 8/28/17
8/28/17
Inst. Support Representative / Sara Palmiero / / 8/28/17
Teacher Assistant Representative / Elizabeth Parker / / 8/28/17
Parent Representative / Karen McLean / / 8/28/17
Parent Representative / Natasha Horne / / 8/28/17
Parent Representative
Parent Representative
Vision Statement
District: CMS provides all students the best education available anywhere, preparing every child to lead a rich and productive life.
School: The Windsor Park staff will provide students with the skills and strategies needed to be prepared and highly successful for a globally competitive market.
Mission Statement
District: The mission of CMS is to maximize academic achievement by every student in every school.
School: The mission of Windsor Park Elementary is to provide opportunities for students to achieve their personal best, become responsible and productive citizens, and embrace lifelong learning in a safe and positive environment
Windsor Park Shared Beliefs
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2017-2018 Windsor Park School Improvement Plan Report
● All children can learn.
● Children learn best in a safe, caring environment, one that values diversity, collaboration, and risk-taking
● All children deserve a quality education in which individual needs are met, exceeded, and supported.
● Children must be encouraged to see the connections between new learning and prior knowledge.
● The school environment is welcoming to adults and children. We will create and support a school environment in which all children and adults feel welcomed, respected, trusted, and an important part of the school.
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2017-2018 Windsor Park School Improvement Plan Report
Windsor Park SMART Goals
● During the 2017-2018 school year, all teachers will be provided with a duty free lunch on a daily basis.
● During the 2017-2018 school year, all teachers will be provided with duty-free instructional planning time under G.S. 115C-105.27 and -301.1, with the goal of providing an average of at least five hours of planning time per week, to the maximum extent that the safety and proper supervision of students may allow during regular student contact hours.
● During the 2017-2018 school year, staff will work to provide a positive school climate, under CMS regulation JICK-R, by promoting a safe learning environment free of bullying and harassing behaviors. There will be a 10% decrease in discipline referrals from 43 incidents in the 2016-2017 school year to 38.7 incidents or less.
● By June 2018, all K-2 students will show one year’s growth in Reading scores as measured by Reading 3D assessments. In grades 3-5, Reading GLP as measured by the NC End-of-Grade Reading Test will increase FROM 43.9% to 53.9%, which is a 10 percentage point gain over 2016-17 (Levels 3, 4, and 5) and meet or exceed growth as evidenced by EVAAS.
● By June 2018, all students will show one year’s growth in Math scores as measured by MAP assessments in grades 2-5 and measured by grade level common assessments in grades K and 1. In grades 3-5, Math GLP as measured by the NC End-of-Grade Math Test will increase from 58.1 to 73.1%, which is a 15 percentage point gain over 2016-17 (Levels 3, 4, and 5) and meet or exceed growth as evidenced by EVAAS.
● By June 2018, 70% of Windsor Park’s ELL students will meet their growth goal as measured by the ACCESS test.
Windsor Park Assessment Data Snapshot
Windsor Park Elementary School Profile
School History
Windsor Park Elementary School is a quaint neighborhood school, located in the historic Windsor Park Community, which was built on the Old Hezekiah Alexander Farm. We are proud of the diverse population our school represents. Windsor Park is a Title I school receiving local, state, and federal funds that are used to provide academic and social supports to a large number of children from low income families. Although faced with numerous socioeconomic challenges and cultural barriers, during the 2016-2017 school year, Windsor Park made high growth in 5th grade science and met expected growth in overall reading and math on the state end-of-grade tests.
Established in 1960, Windsor Park Elementary School is located at 3910 Sudbury Road in east Charlotte, North Carolina. The main building of Windsor Park is a new facility that opened in November 2004. This building has two stories that houses thirty-five classrooms, fifteen tutor rooms, a computer lab, a parent center, a media center, an art room, a music room, a conference room, a large administrative area and a multi-purpose room with a gym, stage, and cafeteria. There are also three satellite buildings that are part of the original Windsor Park School that was built circa 1960. These buildings have 16 classrooms combined.
Comprehensive Needs of the School and Challenges
Our school population is approximately 702 students in grades Kindergarten through grade 5. Windsor Park also has four Pre-kindergarten Bright Beginnings classes with a total of 59 students. The school population at Windsor Park is a celebration of diversity, with students representing 27 countries and 19 languages, primarily English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. More than fifty percent of the school’s students speak English as a second language. Ongoing SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) professional development provides support for the instructional staff as they develop and implement effective instructional programs that meet the needs of our diverse student population.
Although we have made some improvements in increasing student achievement, we are still struggling with raising our level of parental involvement. We continue to look for ways to get parents involved in school activities on a consistent basis and attend school events in large numbers. We are especially concerned about our students categorized as Limited English Proficiency. These students seem to be struggling most in the area of reading. Windsor Park is an Inclusive Practices school that provides all students with access to the knowledge, skills and values necessary to lead productive lives. Windsor Park has adopted Ernest Boyer’s philosophy, where students, staff, and parents are committed to the school community, a curriculum with coherence, a climate for learning and a commitment to character.
School Improvement Strategies
We have several strategies that we use to address areas of continuous improvement within our academic program:
• Providing opportunities for students to receive free tutoring.
• We place students throughout the day in small groups for instruction with an experienced teacher, tutor, or instructional assistant.
• We have a designated block of time (60 minutes) within our day that is dedicated to addressing the wide array of academic needs of students (MTSS). Each classroom is provided an assistant during this time.
We will continue to analyze Reading 3D and common assessment data to determine specific areas on which to focus instruction for these students. We have also organized a PLC group for teachers working with ESL and EC students in order to provide them with support and strategies needed to address these students’ special needs.
Instruction by Highly Qualified Teachers
Students at Windsor Park receive instruction from 100% highly qualified certified teachers and instructional assistants with various levels of experience. A number of the instructional staff have masters’ degrees in education or are working to obtain masters’ degrees. In the event that a staff member is not Highly Qualified, parents will be notified of the affected class every four weeks. In addition, communication with Human Resources will take place to get a Highly Qualified staff member in the position. We have four staff member who have obtained National Board Certification. Approximately 23% of the Windsor Park staff has worked in education for more than 10 years. In addition to regular education teachers ESL teachers and Exceptional Children teachers, our staff consists of a family advocate, a school psychologist, two guidance counselors, a speech pathologist, and a full-time nurse. Two academic facilitators work with staff and students to provide support in literacy and math. Based on the Reading and Math assessment data, Windsor Park utilizes Instructional Support Teachers to provide daily small group instruction and to reduce class size in order to support students’ individual instructional needs.
Strategies to Retain and Recruit Teachers
A strong mentoring program is in place with monthly group meetings taking place either face to face or through technology. New teachers have been placed with an experienced, mentor teacher so ongoing support can be provided consistently.
We have equipped most classrooms with Smart Boards, I-pads and/or Chrome Books and encourage their use. Teachers receive extensive support from ESL teachers, EC teachers, and facilitators. Facilitators focus on two grade levels each in order to build relationships that truly allow for coaching and support. We have also maintained healthy and productive partnerships with UNC-Charlotte, Wingate and Queens Universities. Through these partnerships we have been able to have a steady flow of teaching interns for the past four years.
High Quality and Ongoing Professional Development
We will continue to need support for teachers with the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and a Balanced Literacy framework. Facilitators plan professional development that connects strategies learned from the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) to writing instruction. Teachers in grades 3-5 will also receive additional coaching in writing from a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Learning labs will be used to give teachers the opportunities to observe mastery level instruction. A monthly focus will allow all teachers to build and expand their knowledge on a specific topic.
Strategic scheduling, small group instruction, professional development, and family/community involvement are key components of our plan to improve teaching, learning, and student achievement. All professional development opportunities for staff are based on scientifically based research best practices. The effectiveness of the professional development trainings will be evaluated by student achievement data (Reading 3D, quarterly/formative assessments, and common assessments), classroom observations, and follow-up will be provided based on individual staff needs. The procedures for logging training sessions will be through registration on MyTalent and staff surveys will be completed in order to evaluate implementation and effectiveness of each professional development session.
Teachers utilize weekly planning sessions to determine appropriate instructional strategies that will address the various learning styles in their classroom. If a teacher identifies areas of concern or problems with a student or subgroup within the classroom, the MTSS process begins. The teacher implements interventions within the classroom consulting with the guidance counselor or academic facilitator. The Coordinated School Health Services Team also meets to review student or subgroup behavioral data to make informed decisions and to develop a plan for support. The teacher contacts parents regarding each student’s academic and behavioral concerns. Students who are not progressing will then be referred to the Intervention Team. The Intervention Team will develop additional interventions to assist the student, and then a progress review will take place. If there is little to no progress the student is can then be referred to the IEP team for possible evaluation for EC programs. ESL students are assessed yearly with the ACCESS test.
Parental Involvement
Increasing parental involvement is one of Windsor Park’s priorities. Parents are encouraged to participate in the PTA, SLT, and other school committees. Parents are informed of and recruited to participate in monthly leadership team meetings. Parents are provided surveys to help the school monitor levels of parental involvement. Parents are also encouraged to participate in parent workshops offered at the school to help them gain valuable insight on how to support their child at home. Due to our large LEP population, parents are provided interpreters for conferences, and all communication is sent home in English and Spanish. School assemblies and parent meetings are also communicated in English and Spanish. Our goal for parent communication is to receive 100% of parent compacts returned with a minimum of three different attempts (phone call, letter, home visit) per child made of those compacts are not returned. Parents are encouraged to read the school newsletter and view the school website if they have Internet access. It is an expectation that staff respond to parent requests within 24 hours. Administrators strive to the greatest extent possible, when not in classrooms or meetings, to be visible and accessible to parents. Parents are also encouraged to visit the school and set up conferences with staff as needed.
Student Transitions
Rising kindergartners and parents visit the school for ‘Beginners Day’ every school year in the spring, for an informative session on what to expect for the upcoming year. Kindergarten through fourth grade students also participate in ‘Step Up Day’ every school year in May. Students visit their next year’s classrooms to get a better idea of their upcoming year. They receive an overview of the next grade’s expectations and complete exciting activities. Our counselor also provides our fifth graders information on ‘Going to Middle School.’ Counselors from Eastway Middle School visit our students in February to give an overview of their school’s expectations.