2016-2017 Ballantyne Elementary School Improvement Plan Report
School Improvement Plan
2016-2017
2015-2016 through 2016-2017
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, 2016 / Final Copy Due: October 18, 2016Ballantyne Elementary School Contact Information
School: / Ballantyne Elementary / Courier Number: / 437
Address: / 15425 Scholastic Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277 / Phone Number: / 980-343-0413
Fax Number: / 980-343-1829
Learning Community / South / School Website: /
Principal: / Dr. Sharon Mazurek
Learning Community Superintendent: / Mrs. Kathleen Elling
Ballantyne Elementary 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 / Dr. Sharon Mazurek /
Assistant Principal Representative / Temika Smith / / 9/15
Teacher Representative / Lisa Moore / / 9/15
Inst. Support Representative / Aaron Plummer / / 9/15
Teacher Assistant Representative / Maxie Dixon / / 9/16
Parent Representative / Lori Goodman / / 8/14
Parent Representative / Fakra Chaudhry / / 10/14
Parent Representative / Brooke Christmas / / 10/14
Parent Representative / Naomi Morin / / 10/15
Parent Representative / Maria Rachal / / 10/16
Vision Statement
District: CMS provides all students the best education available anywhere, preparing every child to lead a rich and productive life.
School: Preparing every child to excel in a global society.
Mission Statement
District: The mission of CMS is to maximize academic achievement by every student in every school.
School: Promoting character and creating lifelong learners, one child at a time.
Ballantyne Elementary School Shared Beliefs
2016-2017 Ballantyne Elementary School Improvement Plan Report
· Teachers, parents, and the community share the responsibility for the support and advancement of the school’s mission.
· Students learn best in a safe and orderly environment where individual learning styles are supported through differentiation in instruction.
· Student diversity and talent should be valued, nurtured, and celebrated.
· Students learn best when actively engaged in authentic tasks that develop higher-order thinking.
· Positive relationships and mutual respect among students, staff, and parents create an effective learning environment.
· All school staff work as a team, are knowledgeable educators, are committed to the success of children and actively seek professional development opportunities.
· Character education integrated in the daily curriculum enhances student pride in themselves and in our school.
2016-2017 Ballantyne Elementary School Improvement Plan Report
Ballantyne Elementary School SMART Goals
· Provide a duty-free lunch period for every teacher on a regular basis.
· Provide duty-free instructional planning time for every teacher 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 school contact hours.
· Provide a positive school climate, under CMS regulation JICK-R, by promoting a safe learning environment free of bullying and harassing behaviors.
· At least 85% of students in grades K-2 will demonstrate at or above grade level proficiency in reading, as measured by Reading 3D composite scores and TRC data.
· At least 85% of students in grades 3-5 will demonstrate proficiency in reading, as measured by North Carolina End of Grade testing; the school will meet or exceed growth standards in reading in grades 3-5.
· At least 80% of students in grades 3-5 will be college and career ready (CCR) in mathematics, as measured by North Carolina End of Grade mathematics testing; the school will meet or exceed growth standards in mathematics in grades 3-5.
Ballantyne Elementary School Assessment Data Snapshot
Ballantyne Elementary SchoolAssessment / Subgroup / 2015-2016 / 2014-2015 / 2013-2014 / 2012-2013
% GLP / % CCR / % GLP / % CCR / % GLP / % CCR / % GLP / % CCR
Grade 03 EOG Composite / All / 77.9 / 69.9 / 82.9 / 70.4 / 79.9 / 70.5 / 73.3
Grade 03 EOG Math / All / 77.3 / 69.3 / 80.0 / 65.7 / 81.1 / 70.9 / 70.5
Grade 03 EOG Reading / All / 78.5 / 70.6 / 85.7 / 75.0 / 78.7 / 70.1 / 76.0
Grade 04 EOG Composite / All / 82.5 / 74.6 / 80.7 / 72.8 / 81.1 / 74.1 / 77.3
Grade 04 EOG Math / All / 84.2 / 80.4 / 82.7 / 75.6 / 82.5 / 78.3 / 81.8
Grade 04 EOG Reading / All / 80.9 / 68.8 / 78.7 / 70.1 / 79.7 / 69.9 / 72.7
Grade 05 EOG Composite / All / 84.2 / 79.0 / 86.7 / 79.8 / 85.4 / 79.1 / 73.8
Grade 05 EOG Math / All / 86.7 / 86.7 / 85.5 / 83.4 / 82.7 / 79.1 / 72.3
Grade 05 EOG Reading / All / 75.0 / 64.1 / 80.7 / 68.3 / 79.1 / 69.1 / 68.5
Grade 05 EOG Science / All / 90.7 / 86.0 / 93.8 / 87.6 / 94.2 / 89.2 / 80.8
School EOG Reading Composite / All / 78.3 / 68.1 / 81.8 / 71.1 / 79.2 / 69.7 / 72.5
School EOG Math Composite / All / 82.4 / 78.2 / 82.8 / 75.0 / 82.2 / 76.3 / 74.8
School EOG Science Composite / All / 90.7 / 86.0 / 93.8 / 87.6 / 94.2 / 89.2 / 80.8
EOG Composite / All / 81.7 / 74.8 / 84.0 / 75.2 / 82.7 / 75.3 / 74.6
School Composite / All / 81.7 / 74.8 / 84.0 / 75.2 / 82.7 / 75.3 / 74.6
Ballantyne Elementary School Profile
Ballantyne Elementary School opened in August, 2008, relieving overcrowded conditions at Hawk Ridge, Endhaven, and Pineville Elementary Schools. Located in the community of Ballantyne in south Charlotte, we currently serve approximately 865 students in grades K-5. Our demographics are as follows: White-49%, African-American-17%, Asian-21%, Hispanic-10%, and 3%for those reporting more than one ethnicity upon registration. For four years straight, Ballantyne was designated a North Carolina Honor School of Excellence (the state discontinued these designations after our fourth year). High growth was achieved in reading and in math, in fourth and fifth grades in 2011-2012. In 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 the school exceeded growth expectations. For the 2013-2014 school year, Ballantyne earned a grade of (84) from the state with the new state letter grade system. Growth standards were exceeded. This year, 2014-2015 scores designated our school as A+ and we exceeded growth standards. All state and federal target goals were also met. For the 2015-2016 school year Ballantyne received a grade of B (82) and exceeded growth standards for the fourth straight year. Math received a grade of A, literacy and science received grades of B. All state and federal target goals were achieved at 100%.
We have a very dedicated staff working at Ballantyne and most have previous teaching experience. Our faculty includes 37 classroom teachers, nine teacher assistants, one media specialist, one fulltime and one part-time music, art, and PE teacher, a fulltime and a part-time talent development teacher, one literacy facilitator, two literacy intervention teachers, and a fulltime ESL teacher and a STEM teacher. The two literacy intervention teachers and the STEM teacher positions are ADM teacher positions we were able to utilize this year due to class enrollment sizes remaining stable. We also have two fulltime special education resource teachers, a part-time speech-language pathologist, a part-time psychologist, and two school counselors. We house a before/after school enrichment program, under the direction of the after school program coordinator. Three fulltime secretaries, an assistant principal, three custodians, and a cafeteria manager round out the staffing for Ballantyne. In terms of teaching experience, 44% of teachers hold advanced degrees. We have seven national board certified teachers. At our school, 32.7% of teachers have 0-3 years of experience, 20% have 3-5 years of experience, 9.1% have 5-7 years of experience, 14.5% have 7-10 years of experience, 10.9% have 10-15 years of experience, 9.1% have 15-20 years of experience, and 3.6% have 20+ years of experience.
A hallmark of our school is strong family involvement. The PTA continues to build traditions that will contribute to a culture of positive home-school experiences and partnerships. The PTA raises funds for the school which directly impact classroom instruction. Initiatives funded include technology such as Chromebooks this past year to supplement the one to one initiative begun with our fourth and fifth graders in the district. Other areas funded have included novel sets, classroom literacy libraries, and educational games/materials to support teaching and learning. We will continue to integrate technology in order to help students acquire strong 21st century skills that they will take forward to middle and high school. This year the PTA will continue to focus on adding a variety of state-of-the art physical education equipment for students’ use during physical activity time.
We continue to build strong partnerships with area businesses. Our school family is actively involved in community projects such as providing donations of various items to the local food banks and working collaboratively with area businesses. We have a formal partnership with Wingate University and Ballantyne is one of two CMS schools to house their master’s level interns and student teachers. We also have many other interns and student teachers from other area universities working under the expertise of our teaching staff. We continue to work with our faith partner, Light of Christ Church, and are grateful for their donations of school supplies, as well as the backpack food ministry provided for families in need. Winterfield Elementary has become our Schoolmates district partner and we will be working with the leadership to identify how we can form an effective partnership to meet their needs.
Helping students to become leaders in the classroom, as well as within their community, is key to their emotional and social development. We focus on expecting and modeling strong character in our school, as we continue to build a culture of collaboration and respect. Students have opportunities to join various clubs such as chess, Math Olympiad, Girls on the Run, Play Spanish, Science and Engineering, orchestra, chorus, drama, rugby, Battle of the Books, and others. Leadership roles include serving as a safety patrol, character ambassador, running the WBES closed-circuit broadcasts, and working on the yearbook committee, or writing for the school newspaper. Clubs are fluid, and students’ interests are taken into account as we evaluate these clubs for their effectiveness each year.
Strategic Plan 2018: For a Better Tomorrow
Goal 1: Maximize academic achievement in a personalized 21st-century learning environment for every child to graduate college- and career-readyFour focus areas:
I. College- and career-readiness
II. Academic growth/high academic achievement
III. Access to rigor
IV. Closing achievement gaps / Goal 2: Recruit, develop, retain and reward a premier workforce
Five focus areas:
I. Proactive recruitment
II. Individualized professional development
III. Retention/quality appraisals
IV. Multiple career pathways
V. Leadership development
Goal 3: Cultivate partnerships with families, businesses,
faith-based groups and community organizations to provide a sustainable system of support and care for each child
Three focus areas:
I. Family engagement
II. Communication and outreach
III. Partnership development / Goal 4: Promote a system-wide culture of safety, high engagement, cultural competency and customer service
Five focus areas:
I. Physical safety
II. Social and emotional health
III. High engagement
IV. Cultural competency
V. Customer service
Goal 5: Optimize district performance and accountability by
strengthening data use, processes and systems
Four focus areas:
I. Effective and efficient processes and systems
II. Strategic use of district resources
III. Data integrity and use
IV. School performance improvement / Goal 6: Inspire and nurture learning, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship through technology and strategic school redesign
Four focus areas:
I. Learning everywhere, all the time
II. Innovation and entrepreneurship
III. Strategic school redesign
IV. Innovative new schools
SMART Goal (1):
Duty Free Lunch for Teachers / Provide a duty-free lunch period for every teacher on a daily basis.
Strategic Plan Goal: / #2: Recruit, develop, retain, and reward a premier workforce.
Strategic Plan Focus Area: / Teacher retention
Data Used: / Disciplinary referrals; attendance of lunch monitors
Strategies (determined by what data) / Point Person
(title/name) / Evidence of Success
(Student Impact) / Funding
(estimated cost / source) / Personnel Involved / Timeline
(Start—End)
· Interim Dates
1. Hire lunch monitors to supervise students in the cafeteria / Dr. Sharon Mazurek, Principal / Teachers will regularly have duty-free lunch, at least three times a week / State funding / Lunch monitors / August, 2016
2.Adults and students will provide models for appropriate cafeteria behaviors / Dr. Sharon Mazurek, Principal / There will be a decrease in office referrals for inappropriate cafeteria behaviors / None needed / Lunch monitors; character education committee / August, 2016; Nov. 2016, March, 2017
3.Provide training for lunch monitors in utilizing positive disciplinary strategies and relationship building / Dr. Sharon Mazurek, Principal / There will be a decrease in office referrals for inappropriate cafeteria behaviors / None needed / Lunch monitors; cafeteria manager / August, 2016; Nov. 2016; March, 2017