Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan

Georgia Department of Education

Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan

SCHOOLWIDE/SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE
School Name:Clements Middle School / District Name: Newton County
Principal Name: Joy S. Warren / School Year: 2016-2017
School Mailing Address: 66 Jack Neely Road
Telephone: 770-784-2934
District Title I Director/Coordinator Name: Dr. Shelia Thomas
District Title I Director/Coordinator Mailing Address: 2109 Newton Drive N.E. Covington, GA 30015
Email Address:
Telephone: 770-787-1330
ESEA WAIVER ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS
(Check all boxes that apply and provide additional information if requested.)
Priority School / Focus School
Title I Alert School
Principal’s Signature: / Date:
Title I Director’s Signature: / Date:
Superintendent’s Signature: / Date:
Revision Date: 5/8/16 / Revision Date: 5/31/2016 / Revision Date:

SWP Template Instructions

·  All components of a Title I Schoolwide Program Plan and a School Improvement Plan must be addressed. When using SWP and SIP checklists, all components/elements marked as “Not Met” need additional development.

·  Please add your planning committee members on the next page.

·  The first ten components in the template are required components as set forth in Section 1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).

·  Please submit your School Improvement Plan as an addendum after the header page in this document.

Planning Committee Members:

NAME

/

MEMBER’S SIGNATURE

/

POSITION/ROLE

SWP/SIP Components

1. A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school, (including taking into account
the needs of migratory children as defined in Section 1309(2)) that is based on information which includes the achievement of children in relation to the state academic content standards and the state student academic achievement standards described in Section 1111(b)(1). /
PLEASE SEE COMPREHENSIVE NEED ASSESSMENT /
2. Schoolwide reform strategies that: /
Response:
·  are directly tied to the comprehensive needs assessment
·  are scientifically researched based
·  are based upon effective means of raising student achievement.
·  use effective instructional methods that increase the quality and amount of learning time.
·  address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with school improvement plans
·  develop opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia Standards of Excellence
·  are tailored to meet the unique needs at Clements Middle School will be used to
2(a) Provide opportunities for all children to meet the state’s proficient and advanced levels of student academic achievement described in Section 1111(b)(1)(D). /
Response: Clements Middle School provides opportunities for all children to meet the state’s proficient and advanced levels of student academic achievement. We follow the Georgia Standards of Excellence and GPS standards. We also follow the Newton county school System’s curriculum map for all content areas.
·  Opportunities are provided using county and school adopted resources which include Springboard Textbooks for Math and ELA classrooms in order to increase rigor, quarterly STAR Testing for Math and Reading to track progress.
·  Additional resources provided are Safari Montage, GOFAR, and Georgia’s online assessment system (OAS). Khan Academy provides video lessons that teaches and reinforces standards for all content areas.
·  Clements Middle School follows the Georgia Frameworks for Science and Social Studies. We also use the county level curriculum maps which identifies the vocabulary, standards, technology resources and formative assessments to meet the needs of all our students.
·  Studies Discovery Science also provides lesson that reteaches strategies to provide students with background knowledge of content areas being taught.
·  The Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum are strategies used with all students to provide additional opportunities for student success.
2(b) Use effective methods ad instructional strategies that are based on scientifically based
research that:
o  strengthen the core academic program in the school.
o  include strategies for meeting the educational needs of historically underserved populations
Response: Other ways in which we provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advance levels of student performance is by using
Professional Learning and Teacher Effectiveness
·  Clements Middle school will provide teachers and staff with ongoing job-embedded professional learning as an effective method to address areas of needs in all content areas. According to research, the principles of instructional coaching are grounded in research on effective professional development and professional learning communities. The instructional coaches, as well as other outside resources will carry out professional learning. The instructional coaches will be responsible for carry out job embedded professional learning to increase teacher effectiveness and student learning. Teachers will also attend outside professional learning opportunities to gain instructional strategies that assist in increasing student achievement. Additional professional development for Clements Middle School teachers will include Larry Bell Instructional Strategies, as well as training on how to implement short/extended constructed responses in preparation for the new Georgia Milestones Assessment.
·  Data Digs- Data Utilization informs our instruction and allows us to make the best instructional decisions for our students. At the end of each lesson, teachers will record the results and use the information to make decisions about the next day/lesson instructions. Teachers will participate in data analysis of student assessment that defines instructional practices.
·  Marzano’s Research Based Instructional Strategies-Marzano’s Research Based Instructional Strategies (Classroom Instruction that Works) in which teachers are trained on its implementation.
·  Differentiated Instruction- Differentiated instruction consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. Clements Middle School will implement the following strategies to strengthen the core academic program in order to meet the educational needs all students by providing opportunities (Tomlinson, C. A. (August 2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education).
·  Learning Styles- When teachers differentiate, they do so in response to a student’s readiness, interest, and/or learning profile. Another scientifically research based strategy will be to use resources to provide students with the opportunity to utilize their various learning styles and to receive progress monitoring in order for teachers to adjust instructional practices. These will be paper and pencil inventories as well as online inventories.
·  Substitutes are necessary to allow teachers to attend the National Council for Social Studies Conferences to learn research-based best practices and strategies to increase student achievement in Social Studies. Teachers will return to train other teachers to implement these strategies in the classroom.
Parent and Family Engagement
·  Ongoing research shows that family engagement in schools improves student achievement, reduces absenteeism, and restores parents’ confidence in their children’s education. With this said, Clements utilize the efforts of the Title I Parent Contact to serve as the liaison between the school and the district. The Title I Parent Contact will be used to assist the principal to carry out the requirements of the Parent Involvement Program in order to provide parents with academically based strategies to help support parent involvement beyond the school day.
Content Area Strategies (Science, Math, ELA/Reading)
·  Math Supplemental Instructional Resources- Instructional math resources and texts that incorporate the Standards for Mathematical Practice to support teachers with the implementation of the content standards.
·  Calculators will be used to assist children who are having difficulty reading to learn math skills. By giving different assignments to different children based on their level of ability, teachers can model how to do a problem on the calculator and “scaffold” learning gradually reducing the support until the student can work independently. Graphing calculators are advanced calculators that can perform a variety of functions besides basic multiplication, subtraction, addition and division. They also allow users to store notes.
·  Interactive Notebooks- Interactive Notebooks allow for note taking to enforce vocabulary and reading comprehension skills across all content areas. Students are able to respond to various prompts that appeal to the conceptual and procedural processes of all content areas. Students will participate in note taking in all content areas on a daily basis.
·  Science Labs- Science instruction can be differentiated to allow students to explore topics of interest and expand their research skills. Clements Middle school will provide all students with hands on science practices that allow them to receive instruction on discrete science and inquiry skills using grade-level specific science kits and supplies.
Instructional Technology
·  Laptops ( and Laptop carts to house and charge laptops) and external drives ( to use instructional CD to retrieve curricula materials and resources) will be used to strengthen the core academic programs by having students integrate laptops as devices for research, communication, and development in our Science, ELA/Reading, and Math classrooms. Students will be able to work together using computer-based resources and work independently to address deficits through the use of Renaissance Learning, Math Program, Study Island, and ExploreLearning Gizmos: Math Science online simulations.
Technology Assisted Remediation Resources
·  BrainPop Computer Program all provide video lessons that teaches and reinforces standards for all content area. Study shows that students in classes using BrainPop showed significant gains from pre- to posttest in Language, Reading comprehension, Vocabulary and Science ("A Study of the Effectiveness of BrainPop". SEG Research, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2010).
·  The Renaissance Learning Math Computer Program (Accelerated Math 2.0) to provide further practice and progress monitoring to ensure that student academic needs are being addressed. More easily, it assist in identifying individual students’ strengths and instructional interventions that can help students continue to progress (Hamilton, L., Halverson, R., Jackson, S., Mandinach, E., Supovitz, J., & Wayman, J. (2009). Using student achievement data to support instructional decision making (NCEE 2009-4067). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practice_guides/dddm_pg_092909.pdf.
·  Interactive Classrooms allows students to learn through participation. Students learn through their participation in the attainment of knowledge by gathering information and processing it by solving problems and articulating what they have discovered. Teachers will effectively engage historically underserved populations in the learning process and students will practice skills to help them to become proficient in the core academic areas through the use of technology. Microphones (including chargers and batteries) are used to improve communication and focus in the classroom. ActivPens for ActiveBoards, active board Remotes, and Ziggy document viewers will engage the students in the learning process. Teachers are able to use cameras (with bulbs) and scanners to score and analyze formative assessments to provide immediate feedback to students on academic performance.
2(c) Use effective instructional methods that increase the quality and amount of
learning time.
o  increase the amount and quality of learning time, such as providing and extended school year and before- or after-school and summer programs and opportunities, and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum /
Response: We will increase the amount and quality of learning time by implementing a Title I Supplemental Math Class, Enrichment Block, and Wolverine Academy.
Supplemental Math Class
Clements Middle School will address the needs of all children in the school particularly the needs of students furthest away from demonstrating proficiency related to the State’s academic content and student academic achievement standard are that we offer support math classes, which according to our latest state test data only 75% of our students met or exceeded in this area. To support our efforts, two teachers will provide supplemental math support. The teachers will drill down to individual student needs and support them by teaching lessons in the areas of need. They also use research based online tools using The Renaissance Learning Math Computer Program (Accelerated Math 2.0) to provide further practice and progress monitoring to ensure that student academic needs are being addressed.
Enrichment Block
The school has also increased the amount and quality of instructional time by implementing a plan for a rotating enrichment block. This gives teachers an opportunity to remediate or accelerate students in each class period an additional hour per week. This proves to be effective because students who do not gain understanding of the material through classroom instruction are allotted additional time to revisit key concepts. This also allows students who are absent to be brought up to date with missed material. RTI (Response to Intervention) students are required to participate in progress monitoring each week. Students are also given additional time to preview upcoming content-used for acceleration.
Wolverine Academy
Clements will offer a structured Wolverine Academy Afterschool tutorial program. Clements Wolverine Academy offers tutoring and mentoring, as well as test-taking skills for students in grades 6-8 in all content areas.
Flexible Tutoring
Teacher Love and Care (TLC) / Lunch and Learn. Teachers can assign TLC or students can self-assign TLC in areas of needs. Teachers offer Before/Enrichment/Afterschool Tutoring for students to receive targeted academic skills support. Clements Middle school along with Emory/Oxford College provides students in grades 6-8, Peer Tutoring during school hours to address student needs in all content areas.
2 (d) Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the school-wide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring.
Response: Title I funds will not be used for the assistance with or for field trips.
2 (e) Include strategies to address the needs of all children in the school, but particularly the needs of low-achieving children and those at risk of not meeting the state student achievement standards who are members of the target population of any program that is included in the schoolwide program which may include:
o  counseling, pupil services, and mentoring services;
o  college and career awareness and preparation, such as college and career guidance, personal finance education, and innovative teaching methods, which may include applied learning and team-teaching strategies; and
o  the integration of vocational and technical education programs; and /
Response: Currently at Clements Middle School, we offer several special service programs that are not Title1 funded. These programs include:
·  College and Career Readiness Activities
o  College corners in classrooms.
o  Bulletin board highlights the college of the month.
o  Teacher college bios outside the classroom
o  Career Day
o  Be the Best Summit
§  College students relating middle school content to the college students career choices and their college experiences.
·  Check-in Check-out (CICO)Mentoring Program
o  At risk students are assigned a mentor. The students check in every morning to receive their folders. These folders containing daily logs for each of their teachers to complete. Students check out at the end of every day to conference about their daily progress.
·  Teacher-Focused Counseling
o  Teachers have the opportunity to meet with counselors to receive support and/or resources to assist at-risk students.
·  Student-Focused Counseling
o  Students have the opportunity to meet with counselors to receive support with academic and/or behavioral concerns.
The following strategies are in place for those students who are members of the target population of any of the programs mentioned above who are low-achieving, at risk of not meeting the state student achievement standards, and who are members of the targeted population:
Flexible Tutoring
·  Teacher Love and Care (TLC) / Lunch and Learn
o  Students can request TLC for the following reasons:
§  Additional support with classwork or homework.
§  Assistance with missing or makeup work.
§  Assistance with study and test taking skills.
§  Assistance with student concerns.
o  Students can be assigned TLC for one or more of the following reasons:
§  Behavior: Students will complete an Action Plan to help them understand what rule(s) they were breaking and will conference with a teacher.
§  Assignments: If students are not completing schoolwork, students will create an Action Plan to help them understand the importance of completing work and will conference with a teacher.
§  Student returning from absences: Students will receive their make-up work and can begin work during this time
·  Before/Enrichment/Afterschool Tutoring for students to receive targeted academic skills support.
·  Emory/Oxford College Peer Tutoring Program
Content Area Support
·  Wolverine Academy (This is designed to help students who struggle with mastering the standards in the priority areas of math, science, and social studies.
·  Enrichment
2(f) Address how the school will determine if such needs have been met; and are consistent with, and are designed to implement, the state and local improvement plans, if any.
Response: At the beginning of each school year, all content area teachers analyze instructional and test data in order to determine if each population met and exceeded state standards. Each content area department is charged with analyzing the data by subgroups and populations in order to identify target populations who may need additional assistance. Then the department brainstorm strategies to use throughout the school year to increase the areas of deficiencies to meet all student needs. The identified strategies are implemented in the classroom setting and progress is monitored through the benchmark process each 9-week period to ensure that targeted populations make progress towards success.

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent