Are We Implementing the 10 Components?

A Programmatic Review of Our Schoolwide Program

***This tool CANNOT be the only piece of a schoolwide Annual Review. It MUST be used in conjunction with student performance data and other pertinent data.***

Date/Time of the Meeting: May 4, 2015

Persons in Attendance at the Meeting:

Name / Position
Mr. Tommy Dills / Principal
Dr. Jacqueline Smith / Title I Director
Dr. Regina Mathis / Assistant Superintendent

Outline of Questions

School-wide Reform Strategies-Helping All Students Learn

  • What did we do to make sure that ALL students at the school had the opportunity to reach the state's proficient and advanced levels of student achievement?
  • How did teaching for standards improve student learning?
  • What alternative instructional techniques and services were implemented?
  • How did we address the needs of all children in the school, particularly low-achieving students?
  • What did we do to assess students on a regular basis?
  • What did we do to help students who, as a result of the above assessments, were falling behind?

Responses:

  • STAR to inform instruction, DIBLES, Moby Max (math program to guide instruction)
  • Ability-based grouping—individualized instruction time, TAG time
  • 90 minutes of Core Instruction (Reading and Math) plus 45 minutes TAG time
  • Implementation of PLCs---for collaboration and grouping—90- minutes per week
  • STAR-monthly
  • Moby Max—approximately weekly
  • DIBELS: depends on proficiency (BOY-MOY-EOY)
  • Low achieving---can group with same ability

Schoolwide Reform Strategies-Scientifically Based Research

  • What programs at our school are based on SBR? What research do we have to document this claim?
  • What research should we consider reviewing to improve our schoolwide plan?

Responses:

  • STAR, DIBELS and Moby Max; Book (“ Annual Growth Catch-Up Growth”: Fielding, Kerr, Rosier)
  • TAG and Grouping
  • PLCs—Book “Cultures Built to Last—Systemic PLCs at Work”: Richard Dufour and Michael Fullan)
  • The Leader in Me Book Study
  • STAR—Renaissance Learning (monthly)
  • Moby Max –teacher initiated

Schoolwide Reform Strategies-Core Academic Program

  • What did we do to strengthen the CORE ACADEMIC program of the school?

Responses:

  • All Teachers have Reading Foundations
  • Letterlan—K-2 Teachers Trained
  • DIBELS
  • Working on Math
  • Treasures---re-evaluating
  • CORE—meeting during summer to build on notebook
  • Writing “I Can” statements

Schoolwide Reform Strategies-Extended Learning Time

  • How did we increase the AMOUNT and QUALITY of learning time?
  • If we implemented an after-school program, was it effective? Was it research-based?

Responses:

  • Homogeneous grouping—schedule—90 minute of CORE and 45 minutes of TAG
  • Afterschool group—GRANT Funded—Teachers meet 1.5 hours every Wednesday in afterschool for extra help. Through grant---researched based

Schoolwide Reform Strategies-Enriched, Accelerated Curriculum

  • Are all students given the opportunity to learn in an enriched environment rather than some students receiving only basic skills instruction?
  • Are students given opportunities to solve real-world problems, to think creatively and demonstrate their reasoning?
  • Are all students given the opportunity to progress at their own pace?

Responses:

  • During TAG Time—students are put into “skills” groups
  • AIG on Fridays
  • STEM—listed in schedule
  • Makers Space—in schedule with the rest of the “specials” (use of computer lab next to library)

Alignment to Improvement Planning

  • Is our school-wide plan directly aligned to our state school improvement plan? The NCA plan? The professional development plan?

Responses:

  • District Plan---School Improvement Plan----PDP-----Professional Offering

Instruction by "Highly Qualified" Teachers

  • How many teachers at our school do not meet the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) definition of a highly qualified teacher? Are those teachers working to meet the definition?
  • Are we utilizing all staff, especially those paid with federal funds, in the best way possible, and are they appropriately certified? For example, if we continue to pull some students from the classroom for extra reading instruction, do those individuals have reading credentials?

Responses:

  • Yes—students are taught by certified teachers during CORE and TAG

Professional Development

  • How did our professional development drive the school-wide plan?
  • Did our work in professional development improve instruction? Did it have an effort on student achievement?
  • Did we devote sufficient resources toward implementing the professional development piece (if "time" is often cited as an obstacle, then we need to try and allocate more resources to overcoming this)?
  • How were ALL staff involved in professional development?

Responses:

  • Copy of school calendar shows PD Days

Highly Qualified Teachers to High Need Schools

  • Do we have a high teacher-turnover rate? If so, are we taking appropriate actions to lower this rate?
  • What are we doing to support teachers and their employment at our school?
  • What is the experience level of our staff?

Responses:

  • Very little turnover
  • Mentor selection
  • PLCs
  • Duty-free lunch on Fridays
  • Fabulous Friday
  • PTO Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Sunshine Committee (flowers)
  • Spirit Committee

Parental Involvement

  • Did we truly involve parents in our schoolwide program?
  • Was communication with parents ongoing and two-way, or was it mainly the school telling the parents what they can do to help?

Responses:

  • Planners: 2 way conversation
  • Parents on committee
  • PTO parent

Reviewing the Schoolwide Parent Involvement Policy and Compact

  • Are these documents truly reflective of what happened this school year?
  • If not, how can we improve these instruments?

Response:

  • PTO—SIT Team—Parental Involvement Plan—parent compact

Review Results of Parent Survey

  • Were there any surprises on the survey results? Are there any responses on the surveys that reflect a need to modify the program?
  • How many surveys were returned vs. sent out? Is there a change in the method of survey distribution that could increase the number of surveys returned?
  • Any suggestions from parents that need to be addressed immediately or that should be discussed at this meeting for a change in schoolwide program operation?

Response:

  • We are currently working on communication

Preschool Transitioning

  • Did our program for transiting preschool into our school benefit our students?
  • Did we involve local preschool programs in our improvement work?
  • How could we increase communication between local preschool programs and our school?

Response:

  • Transition night—May 12th—EAST Elementary
  • We alternate the location for this each year from EAST to WEST
  • Head-start will be coming to Letter-land on May 8th

Assessments

  • Do our assessments inform instruction, or are they used only to summarize student achievement?
  • Do we have a school-wide system of assessment?
  • Do we utilize performance assessments and other authentic assessments?

Response:

  • Moby Max
  • PLC-are school-wide—assessment of data
  • Statewide EOGs and DIBELS
  • Data wall

Timely Assistance

  • How did we identify students who were not achieving the state standards during the school year?
  • What did we do to help these students?

Response:

  • DIBELS and STAR
  • PLCs –discuss what strategies need to be implemented to address concerns
  • Grouping of students

Coordination of Programs

  • Are all facets of the school geared toward our school-wide goals?
  • Is there any way that we could modify other programs (including violence prevention programs, nutrition programs, housing programs, Head Start, adult education, technical education and job training) to better support school-wide goals?

Response:

  • Kindergarten Academy
  • STEM Camps
  • DARE

Other items for discussion?

Response:

  • None

Summary of Programmatic Review of Ten Schoolwide Components:

Swain EAST Elementary has produced evidences that implementation of the 10 components are taking place successfully.