Alice Deal Middle School

Local School Advisory Team (LSAT)

September 5, 2014

Minutes

In attendance: Veronica Abrams, James Albright, Heather Edelman, Michael Gueltig, Karen Harris, Michael Hughes, Adam Kirschenbaum, Pat Milikin, Diedre Neal, Richard Nugent, Karin Perkins, Chris Rhoads, Patrick Rottman, Alieze Stallworth, Tim Stroud, Jim Sweeney, Tilney Wickersham

Chair Richard Nugent called the meeting to order at 7:30 a.m.

I. Welcome

Outgoing President Richard Nugent welcomed attendees to the first LSAT meeting of the school year. Attendees introduced themselves.

II. Minutes

The LSAT approved the minutes from the June 6 meeting with the addition of Heather Edelman to the list of attendees.

III. Elections

The LSAT approved Karin Perkins as chair and Heather Edelman as secretary.

IV. Scheduling Meetings

The LSAT discussed whether to continue scheduling its meetings on the first Friday morning of each month or to alternate morning meetings with afternoon or evening meetings in order to reach a wider range of parents, teachers or community members. Teachers explained that they have several afternoon obligations at school. The group decided to continue scheduling meetings on Friday mornings but to revisit that decision if it proves too challenging for parents to attend.

V. Principal’s Update

Acknowledgement

Principal Albright thanked Nugent for his dedication to Deal and his service on the LSAT, PTA and SIT.

School Opening

The start of school went smoothly. Deal has 1,319 students enrolled. About 70 still need to register. The sixth grade has 472 students, the largest entering class in the school’s history.

Reno Building renovation

The Reno Building renovation is moving apace and is expected to be completed by the end of December. A new water line must be installed to the Reno Building, but the line will not be dug until next summer because it requires tearing up the parking lot. The temporary line runs through Howard Street.

Boundary changes

Delaying boundary changes may create space challenges for Deal. The cafeteria is designed to accommodate 400 students and is already operating at full capacity. After the Reno Building renovation is complete, the cottage will remain to handle the uncertainty about enrollment levels.

Testing

This year DC students will begin taking the PARCC test, which aligns with Common Core standards. Test results will not be used to evaluate teachers in this first year. The PARCC will replace the DC-CAS test. In order to administer the PARCC test in a timely fashion, the school will acquire 15 laptop carts in addition to the 6 carts that teachers already use for teaching. DCPS is assisting in attaining the additional carts. The school’s wireless capability must be checked before testing begins. DC-CAS results for last year were fairly steady; math scores stayed the same and English scores improved by one percent. Scores of Special Education and English Language Learner subgroups went up, but scores in the African-American subgroup shifted from advanced to proficient. Scores of students of limited economic means rose a few points. Results of the Scholastic Reading Inventory, which is given at the beginning and end of each year, showed annual average growth equivalent to 2.2 years in reading comprehension.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 a.m.