Appendix A Information

LEA Name
NCES ID# / School Name / NCES ID # / Tier
I / Tier II / Tier III
5401620 / VanDevender Middle / 540162001180 / x

Attachment 2

Wood County Schools

Needs Assessment and Root Causes

Requirement 1: The LEA has analyzed the needs of each Tier I, Tier II and Tier IIIschool identified in the LEA's application and has selected an intervention model (Tier I and Tier II) or activities (Tier III) for each school.

As part of the requirements for the WV five year strategic plans, each district and school in the State must annually complete and/or update a comprehensive needs assessment. The sections of the needs assessment require each district and every school to review and analyze data in the following categories:

•Overview of school AYP data

•External trend data

•Student achievement data

•Other student outcome data

•Analysis of culture, conditions and practices

Accordingly, to align the grant application with the current requirements for the needs assessment in the district and school strategic plans, each LEA submitting an application for 1003(g) school improvement funds must analyze the needs of each Tier I, Tier II and Tier III school identified in the LEA's application using the indicators below. In addition, Wood County Schools has provided additional information for many of these indicators.

WVDE Category 1 Overview of school AYP data

•AYP status

  • Identification of the AYP targets the school met and missed
  • Student participation rate on State assessment in reading/language arts andmathematics by grade and subgroup
  • School improvement status and applicable sanctions
  • Number of required instructional days/minutes within the school year
  • Number of instructional days/minutes fulfilled annually (excluding days ofinstruction lost for inclement weather or other emergencies

•Summarize the conclusions reached after examining AYP data.

Wood County Schools Overview of AYP Data:

Van Devender Middle School (VMS) made AYP last year. VanDevender also made AYP two years ago, except in the special education subgroup. VanDevender’s participate rate has continued to improve over the past few years. Over 99% of students participate in the state assessment. VanDevender continues to be on the restructuring stage of improvement and offersboth school choice and SES services. However, if VanDevender makes AYP this year, they will be off of improvement and no longer offer these services.

VanDevender offers 180 days of instruction and fulfills this requirement,excluding days ofinstruction lost for inclement weather or other emergencies.

The school and district has reached several conclusions upon review of the data. While VMS continues to do well in comparison to other middle schools in terms of overall achievement, the school continues to struggle with the special education subgroup. The number of continually enrolled students in this cell was 49 last year and thus not counted. One more student and this cell would have been counted for AYP. The percentage of students proficient in this category is extremely low.

WVDE Category 2 External trend data

•Local demographic trends are reviewed for the impact on student achievement

  • District and school poverty rates
  • Mother's educational level
  • Number of college graduates in the district
  • Median age of district population
  • Substance abuse
  • Unemployment rate
  • Mobility rate of students
  • Readiness for School Indicators
  • Number of pre-k centers and pre-k enrollment

•Summarize the conclusions reached after examining AYP data.

Wood County Schools External Trend Data:

In reviewing the data, Wood County continues to serve thousands of students in poverty. Wood County ranks 4th highest of all West Virginia counties in the number of poverty students aged 5-17. While the total number of students in Wood County (5-17) decreased last year, the total number of students in poverty increased. Wood County serves 2,520 students in poverty, which is an increase of 249 students over last year’s number. Wood County is also only 9 students away from taking 3rd place in the number of students in poverty. The percentage of students in poverty is now 20.8%, which is higher than last year’s 19.0%.

As a district, Wood County has some of the highest poverty schools in WV, based on free/reduced lunch percentage. The percent of students receiving free and reduced meals at VanDevender is 69.44 (10th highest among middle school in the state).

According to Kids Count, 18.3% of students are born to mothers with less than a 12th grade education. In addition, Wood County has one of the highest percentages in WV of students that are in single parent families (25.6%). Wood County has a high number of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher (15.2%). The median age of Wood County residents is 39 years old. The unemployment rate in Wood County is 9%.

At VanDevender, 15.3% of 6th graders and 34.8% of 8th grade students stated that they used alcohol in the past year. While these numbers are below the national average, VanDevender students reported that they used illicit drugs more than the national average. Over 23% used illicit drugs compared to the national average of 16%.

Student mobility is high for VanDevender. VanDevender had 89 mobile students which is 24% of the 374 students.

In terms of readiness for school, Wood County is involved with the Preschool Assessment of Local Students (PALS) screening which provides a general picture of a child's growth and development to determine if there is a need for early intervention. Physicians, dentists, optometrists, nurses, speech pathologists, audiologists and developmental specialists screen health, dental, vision, speech and language, hearing and development progress. In addition, all pre-school students are assessed with the creative curriculum assessment and students wishing to enter Kindergarten early take the First Step program.

Wood County is close to universal pre-kindergarten. This year, there are 40 classes and 740 students registered.

In reviewing the data, poverty continues to be a problem for both the LEA and VMS. Overall alcohol and drug use continues to be a problem at VMS. The elimination of the Safe and Drug free Schools program (Title IV) will make it harder to actually obtain this data in the future, so it will be very difficult to determine if we make gains in these areas. Pre-K is a bright spot as we may be universal soon.

WVDE Category 3 Student achievement data

•Assessment Data

Data analysis includes review of student achievement trends over time from several data sources, not just WESTEST 2 scores.

  • Percentage of students at or above each performance level on State assessmentsin reading/language arts and mathematics by grade and subgroup.
  • Average scale scores on State assessments in reading/language arts andmathematics by grade, for the "all students" group, for each performance leveland for each subgroup
  • Percentage of limited English proficient students who attain English languageproficiency
  • Number of classes utilizing Acuity, Writing Road Map and techSteps and thebenchmark results from these assessments
  • Results of PLAN and EXPLORE assessments (if applicable)
  • Comparative gap analysis for all subgroups
  • Number of students failing reading and mathematics per grade level
  • Grade distribution per teacher (i.e., % of A, B, C, D, and F)

•Summarize the conclusions reached after examining AYP data.

Wood County Schools Student Achievement Data:

Althoughthe benchmarks changed for mastery, making direct comparisons difficult, the WVDE calculated what the percentages would have been had last year’s benchmarks been used. This allowed Wood County to compare the results for schools and subgroups.

VanDevender made AYP in all subgroups. VanDevender has made AYP every other year for the last several years. VMS continues to see gains in mathematics, with an 8.21% gain in 7th grade. Overall, VMS was tied or better than both the county and state in all grade levels in mathematics. Reading scores, however, are down in both 6th and 8th grade and both of these grades are below the county and state. Seventh grade reading scores, however, increased 11.5%. Seventh grade scores were above the state average and slightly below the county average. The following charts indicate the reading and math proficiency of the school and each grade level.

Percentages Reading Proficiency
School / County / State
Novice / 34.10 / 27.66 / 30.19
Below Mastery / 28.71 / 27.79 / 27.86
Mastery / 23.07 / 24.57 / 23.78
Above Master / 10.51 / 14.71 / 13.62
Distinguished / 3.58 / 5.25 / 4.53
Number Tested / 390 / 8,672 / 180,326
Proficient / 37.16 / 44.53 / 41.93
Percentages Math Proficiency
School / County / State
Novice / 35.56 / 30.38 / 32.33
Below Mastery / 19.84 / 25.75 / 25.70
Mastery / 19.84 / 23.56 / 22.44
Above Master / 19.58 / 14.77 / 14.31
Distinguished / 5.15 / 5.51 / 5.19
Number Tested / 388 / 8,669 / 180,403
Proficient / 44.57 / 43.84 / 41.94

Mathematics Scores by Grade

Class / Tested
Enr. / FAY
Enr. / Tested / FAY
Tested / Part.
Rate / Novice / Below
Mastery / Mastery / Above
Mastery / Proficient
06 / 155 / 140 / 154 / 140 / 99.35 / 31.43 / 20.00 / 22.86 / 20.00 / 48.57
07 / 121 / 110 / 121 / 110 / 100.00 / 28.18 / 15.45 / 25.45 / 24.55 / 56.36
08 / 115 / 99 / 113 / 99 / 98.26 / 40.40 / 20.20 / 14.14 / 20.20 / 39.39

Reading Scores by Grade

Class / Tested
Enr. / FAY
Enr. / Tested / FAY
Tested / Part.
Rate / Novice / Below
Mastery / Mastery / Above
Mastery / Proficient
06 / 155 / 140 / 155 / 140 / 100.00 / 40.00 / 27.14 / 20.00 / 10.71 / 32.86
07 / 121 / 110 / 121 / 110 / 100.00 / 22.73 / 28.18 / 32.73 / 10.00 / 49.09
08 / 115 / 99 / 114 / 99 / 99.13 / 32.32 / 27.27 / 21.21 / 15.15 / 40.40

There are only two LEP students at VanDevender and this is not a countable cell for AYP.

Nearly all classes in all schools are using Acuity, Writing Roadmap and TechSteps. In many cases the benchmarks are determined by administrators and shared with teachers. The schools have used the data to improve instruction. The data have shown areas where students have been taught a concept, but not in the way it is assessed on Acuity. The data have also shown which teachers are teaching the CSOs, and which teachers need to make changes in what they teach and in their teaching style. The TISs have been a key component in assisting teachers in using all technology-based assessments.

ACT EXPLORE scores for VanDevender show a 13.6 in English, a 15.1 in Math, a 15.5 in Science, and a 14.6 composite. All of these scores are higher than last year’s results, except for the science score which remained flat with a 1/10 of a point drop. While the composite is lower than all other schools in the county, it was close to the other schools. With the exception of Jackson Middle, all other middle schools ranged from 14.7 -16.1. VanDevender had the second highest score in Math as compared to other Wood County middle school students.

In analyzing the gap between the all group and the special education cell at VMS, the gap is very large in terms of proficiency. The gap between the all category and the special education category is the largest among middle schools in Wood County. The special education scores are also well below the county average. VMS only has 2 LEP students.

Grade distribution problems have improved over last year as some of the teachers who gave Ds and Fs to most of their students have left the school. There continues to be a couple of teachers at VMS who give failing grades to 20% of their students and this issue is being reviewed by the Title I Assistant Principal.

In reviewing the data, VMS made AYP in all subgroups on the benchmarks. In the area of mathematics, VMS students achieved scores that compared to both the county and state. Reading is still an area of concern for 6th and 8th grade because the scores were below the county and state.

WVDE Category 3 Other student outcome data

• Dropout rates (if applicable)

  • Attendance
  • Student-teacher relationships
  • Promotion/Retention Rates
  • Dropout Rates (if applicable)
  • Discipline

•Summarize the conclusions reached after examining AYP data.

Wood County Schools Other Student Outcome Data:

VanDevender has had problems with attendance over the past several years. The conclusion has been that attendance rates at the elementary and middle school level are mainly a parent problem and not a student problem. For this reason, VanDevender has hired, through ARRA funds, a Truancy Diversion worker. School and county officials believe that this position will assist the school in improving attendance rates.

In terms of out of school suspensions, VanDevender had 83 incidents where they gave out of school suspensions. Most of these were for insubordination and habitually breaking class rules.

Student teacher relationships are very positive in all schools and the teachers care about the students. Nearly all of the administrators spend countless hours beyond the regular workweek to make sure the students have everything that they need. There are a couple of teachers, however, that do not treat students as well as they should.

The top reasons at VMS for office referrals were because of disobeying staff in willful manner, failure to attend detention, and indecent act/language toward staff. The retention rate and dropout rate is 0%. Discipline is an area of concern for VMS with too many suspensions and office referrals.

The VMS administration is aware of these issues and working hard with the assistance of the Truancy Diversion Worker to try and minimize disruptions. In addition, the new gender based model that they started this year will continue to expand with the hopes of assisting with discipline issues.

WVDE Category 4 Analysis of culture, conditions and practices

  • Analysis includes a review of the following data:
  • Cultural Typology or Cultural Survey results conducted by the State System of Support (SSOS)
  • Current governance structure – presence of engaged principals, teacher input into decision-making, the organization of teachers by teams
  • Instructional Practices Inventory conducted by the SSOS
  • Use of standards-based instructional practices
  • Availability of current technology and degree to which technology is integrated into instruction
  • Federal monitoring reports for NCLB, IDEA and state reports for the Office of Education Performance Audits
  • Questionnaires or observations completed by staff or external evaluators
  • Description of the overall culture, conditions and practices that exist in the school
  • Results of classroom walkthroughs
  • Highly qualified teacher data
  • Number of administrators in the building, definition of roles, years experience, specialized training and advanced degrees
  • Use of professional and paraprofessional staff to support students
  • Number of content and program specialists (e.g., counselors, health staff and social workers)
  • Professional development (e.g., opportunities available to teachers and principals, number of days dedicated to professional development and the amount of teacher generated professional development, percentage of teachers regularly attending professional development)
  • Teacher average monthly attendance rates
  • Parent training and support for families
  • Degree of meaningful parent involvement and amount/frequency of communication with parents.
  • A description of the conclusions reached after examining the culture, conditions and practices.

Wood County Schools analysis of culture, conditions, and practices:

A High Yield Practices Inventory Report was conducted by the WVDE at Franklin last year. This report has not been conducted at the other schools.

All teachers are involved with professional learning communities and have grade level teams and subject matter teams depending on grade configuration and school type. Professional learning communities are embedded into each school. Routine staff meetings and faculty senate meetings give teachers input into decision making at the school level. Administrators at all schools have an open door policy for suggestions on ways to improve the learning process.

Mr. Taylor and Ms. Pierotti attend the WVDE session on IPI at Stonewall earlier this year and looking at implementation in the near future.

Standards based instructional practices and formative assessments are being used by all teachers and verified through walkthroughs and classroom observations.

Wood County spent a great deal of ARRA funds on technology and professional development for technology. VanDevender has six computer labs, seventeen interactive whiteboards, and laptops for many teachers. In addition, VanDevender has 9 document cameras, and 4 sets of responders. VanDevender also has a Technology Integration Specialist (TIS) who is responsible for assisting teachers with integrating technology into the curriculum. The TIS is a research-based method of improving student achievement.

Wood County Schools has not been monitored by the USDE in over 5 years. VanDevender has not been visited by the Office of Education Performance Audits since 2001.

Teacher observations are done by the three administrators in the building. Once these observations are complete, the administrator and the teacher have a brief conference regarding the lesson. Walkthroughs occur on a weekly basis and feedback is given to the teachers. Team planning time is used for the administrators to present important information about students’ achievement, attendance and discipline.

VanDevender Middle School is currently using gender based classroom curriculum. The 6th grade students are in single-sex classrooms for their core subjects. During their rotation schedule these students are in mixed-gender classes. The single-sex classrooms will be implemented into the 7th grade next year and, in 2012- 2013, all of VanDevender will have the single-sex classroom design.

Classroom observations have been conducted by principals as part of their walkthroughs. In addition, central office staff often observes lessons at these schools. The county support team schedules monthly meetings with VMS administration and staff.

At VanDevender the most recent walkthrough focused on CSOs, student engagement, differentiated instruction, critical thinking, and assessments. Teachers are working with the teacher coaches and the assistant principal of curriculum to assist with student engagement. Teachers are using flex time for Tier II instruction. Each teacher has 13 students during flex and every teacher assists with Tier II during this time. Engagement is occurring through hands-on activities such as using basic fraction skills to make a bag of trail mix that had the proportion of pretzels, nuts, etc. as the teacher directed. Students are participating in the use of motivating and engaging hands-on visual tools and technology such as Smart boards, teacher laptops with projectors, and Elmo’s, being used in basically every classroom. The extend refine lesson embedded in each learning focused unit emphasizes higher order thinking skills. Students are asked to analyze, compare/contrast, synthesize, and justify data. All core teachers are using Acuity for benchmarking. They have also targeted CSOs that were below the county scores to track each grading period. They are using formative assessment along with Acuity to determine if these CSOs are being met.