Title I Continuous Improvement Plan
2014-2015 School Year
The number one priority of Champion Schools Title I Program is to continue to improve our student’s academic achievement. Helping our Title I students to make gains in all subject areas, with an emphasis placed on reading and math achievement will help to ensure that students are successful as they go through their schooling. In the past, Champion schools has not performed up to the state average in the content areas of math and reading on State tests. However, our scores have improved tremendously in both areas and our school letter grade is an A. We were able to surpass the state average in both reading and math. This demonstrates that great gains are possible, and this year we will strive to continue to make even more gains. This will be difficult in that so much improvement has already been made that matching that improvement will be a challenge. We are excited to take on the challenge!
Each staff member at Champion Schools plays a key role in the academic success of our students. The classroom teachers ensure that students are being taught all grade level Arizona Common Core Standards and State Standards. They will continue to collect data on each student and track the progress made on weekly assessments. Champion Schools administration will ensure that we are in compliance with all state and federal mandates by implementing the requirements with fidelity throughout the school year. All Champion Schools staff will maintain open lines of communication with other staff members, parents, and students. This open communication will enable all concerns to be addressed and a course of action to be developed in a timely manner.
Each goal/ standard addressed in this Continuous Improvement Plan has specific strategies or action steps which will be implemented during the 2014-2015 school year. Champion Schools has set the end of the 2014-2015 school year as the final deadline for each strategy or action step to be completed. This academic year-long timeline allows sufficient time for action and data review. Title I interventionists, paraprofessionals, K-8 grade teachers, and administration are all responsible for implementation of the Continuous Improvement Plan. All stakeholders will have a part in the review process throughout the school year.
Targeted Assistance
Goals/ Standards / Strategies/ Action Steps
- Continuous Improvement (Title I)
- Champion Schools will allocate federal and state funding appropriately to support the school’s instructional goals of high student achievement and ensure all special populations receive the high quality academic resources and support guaranteed to them in compliance with federal and state policies, procedures, and provisions.
- Champion Schools works with Aspire Business Consultants, Inc. to establish a clearly defined process that is communicated to all stakeholders and reviewed formatively and cumulatively to ensure all systems within the LEA receive appropriate fiscal support and ensure all entitlement funds are used appropriately.
- Champion Schools will recruit and retain highly qualified and effective staff by providing a competitive salary comparable to the salaries provided by LEAs in higher income areas. Teachers who demonstrate high effectiveness are provided fiscal incentives based upon student achievement on state summative assessments and site benchmarks. Champion Schools also works teachers from Teach for America to hire highly qualified and effective teachers and recruits from in-state and out-of-state job fairs. Tuition reimbursement is provided to teachers who pursue a higher degree. Costs for special endorsements are covered by the LEA.
- Champion Schools designates staff assignments based upon teacher effectiveness and expertise as measured by administrator walk-throughs, observations, and evaluations, student performance and progress on formative and summative assessments such as Galileo and the previous year's state summative assessment (AIMS), and student needs for more rigorous instruction or supportive intervention.
- Champion Schools ensures all core academic subjects are taught by highly qualified, effective teachers based upon review of teacher credentials and references by the principal and director of curriculum; teacher observations and evaluations conducted by the school administrator and director of curriculum; and student performance on the Galileo Instructional Effectiveness Assessment System (IEAS) and AIMS Spring exams. HQ status is verified based upon reference checks, reviews of transcripts, work experience, a passing grade of the AEPA, fingerprint clearance with the Department of Public Safety, and confirmation of good standing with the certification department of the Arizona Department of Education. Every teacher at Champion Schools are highly qualified and appropriately certified to teach at their grade level and / or in their subject area based upon federal and state requirements.
- Champion Schools will provide instruction in literacy (reading) and mathematics through integrated instruction that integrates English language arts and history / social studies for up to 3 hours and math and science for up to 3 hours daily with extended learning time for targeted and strategic interventions provided within the regular day instructional period and during and beyond the regular day instructional schedule.
- Champion Schools sets an average teacher-student ratio of 34:1 in Grades K-8 with classrooms set aside for targeted and strategic interventions for struggling students to receive small group instruction and support.
- Champion Schools will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment consisting of a gap analysis of student achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics; a school improvement survey that measures areas of strength, growth, improvement, and need; a professional development needs assessment that determines interest and need for job-embedded training; and a parental involvement survey that garners feedback and input on overall school performance from the parent community; and a Common Core State Standards Survey to measure staff familiarity, experience, and need for professional development with the Common Core State Standards.
- Champion Schools will analyze the results of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment and other assessment and evaluation tools to determine areas of growth and improvement and set goals, strategies, and action steps for the Continuous Improvement Plan.
- Champion Schools will share the results with all stakeholders and develop goals, strategies, and action steps of the Continuous Improvement Plan with input and feedback from staff and parents. The Continuous Improvement Plan will be e-mailed to all staff members for review, feedback, and input. Performance and progress will be communicated through staff meetings, parent meetings, and newsletters sent home to parents.
- Champion Schools will implement the continuous improvement plan with fidelity as measured by progress monitoring, teacher observations, and data collection of student performance and progress.
- Champion Schools will measure the effectiveness of school-wide goals and monitor the progress of strategies and action steps through progress monitoring, data analysis of student performance, and feedback and input from stakeholders provided through surveys, staff meetings, and parent meetings. A comprehensive needs assessment will be conducted at the end of the year to assess and evaluate student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and overall school performance.
- Leadership (Title I, Title II)
- Champion Schools is dedicated to fostering academic excellence through the integration of accelerated content rich curriculum, using powerful and diverse instructional techniques encouraging critical thinking and the development of problem-solving skills. We will also use the community as a laboratory to construct knowledge though exploration and discovery.
- Champion Schools will create a leadership team consisting of the superintendent, principal, vice-principal, and Title I Coordinator. The leadership team will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the continuous improvement plan.
- Champion Schools will establish professional learning communities (PLCs) consisting of various stakeholders within the school community to address student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and overall school performance.
- Champion Schools will provide coaching, mentoring, and training to instructional staff from the principal on best practices and instructional methods and strategies to increase student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Teach for America teachers will be provided coaching from site leadership and TFA.
- Champion Schools will develop and administer an administration evaluation tool based upon the Framework for Measuring Educator Effectiveness set by the Arizona Department of Education to set, assess, and evaluate the professional and personal goals, accomplishments, and effectiveness of the members of the site-based administration.
- Champion Schools will create a leadership team consisting of the superintendent, principal, vice-principal, and Title I Coordinator. The leadership team will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the continuous improvement plan.
- Champion Schools will establish professional learning communities (PLCs) consisting of various stakeholders within the school community to address student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and overall school performance.
- Champion Schools will develop and administer an administration evaluation tool based upon the Framework for Measuring Educator Effectiveness set by the Arizona Department of Education to set, assess, and evaluate the professional and personal goals, accomplishments, and effectiveness of the members of the site-based administration.
- Curriculum and Instructional Systems (Title I)
- Champion Schools will provide a Common Core State Standards Survey to all instructional staff and administration to determine levels of experience, familiarity, and need for professional development in teaching and implementing the AZCCRS.
- Champion Schools will provide continuous, job-embedded professional development on implementing and instructing the AZCCRS focusing on knowledge and understanding of the standards; using the standards in classroom instruction, assessment, and evaluation; and learning best practices and instructional methodologies to teach and learn the standards. PD will be provided at education conferences attended by staff and PD specialists who present on campus.
- Champion Schools will align curriculum to address the cognitive rigor and career readiness of the AZCCRS s through curriculum mapping, scaffolding instruction, and developing unit-based lesson plans with clear performance outcomes and objectives
- Champion Schools will develop challenging assessments and evaluation aligned to the AZCCRS and the expectations for student achievement and performance on the state summative assessment.
- Champion Schools will conduct a professional development needs assessment with all instructional staff and administration to determine interest and need for training in the core subjects; interest and need for training in best practices and instructional strategies supported by scientifically-based research; need for whole staff development; identification or priorities; and interest in professional growth.
- Champion Schools will provide weekly professional development focusing on best practices and instructional strategies every Friday for 3 hours. According to the PDNA survey, the most interest and need for professional development was in implementing and instructing the AZCCRS, technology, and Structured English Immersion. PD will be provided by both staff members and outside professional development specialists.
- Champion Schools will provide coaching and mentoring from the instructional leadership team to instructional staff in implementing job-embedded professional development in the classroom to improve teacher effectiveness. Teach for America teachers will be provided coaching, mentoring, and training through the TFA program.
- Champion Schools will use the Framework for Measuring Educator Effectiveness as well as walk-throughs, observations, and evaluations to determine needs for professional development to improve teacher effectiveness.
- Champion Schools will work with the Arizona Quality Schools Program offered by the Arizona Charter School Association to provide targeted professional development, observations, and leadership coaching.
- Champion Schools will Implement an inclusion model for instruction of all students and coordinate with other programs for special populations such as English Language Learners, Special Education, and other AYP subgroups to ensure all students are provided services and parents provided opportunities for input and engagement in site-based decision-making.
- Champion Schools will provide Kindergarten Readiness Summer School for all incoming Kindergarteners where prospective students are provided a Kindergarten Readiness Test to identify students who are academically at-risk and need targeted and strategic interventions and provide teachers information and input on how to provide individualized and differentiated instruction. The school also conferences with parents to communicate performance and progress as well as how learning can be supported in the home.
- Champion Schools will conduct vertical integration between grade levels to define clear expectations for student performance and progress. Teachers will provide “grade level safety nets” that clearly define what students need to know and be able to do in the proceeding grade.
- Supplemental Supports and Intervention Services (Title I)
- Identify students who are academically at-risk and needing targeted and strategic interventions using the state summative assessments as primary criteria for Grades 4-8 and site-based assessments for Grades K-3; site-based assessments (e.g. Galileo, IXL), classroom performance and progress as secondary criteria for Grades K-8; and teacher recommendations as talking points.
- Champion Schools will provide extended learning time during the regular day instructional schedule through push-in during Intervention Hour and pullout program times as well as beyond the regular day instructional schedule through after school interventions for students who have been identified as most academically at-risk in literacy (reading) and mathematics based upon primary criteria, secondary criteria, and talking points for rank ordering.
- Champion Schools will hire a HQ reading specialist with a reading endorsement to oversee and provide reading interventions, supervise paraprofessionals, and monitor the performance and progress of students who are identified as most academically at-risk of not attaining proficiency in literacy (reading).
- Champion Schools will hire a 1.0 FT HQ math interventionist to oversee and provide interventions, supervise HQ paraprofessionals, and monitor the performance and progress of students who are most academically at-risk of not attaining proficiency in mathematics.
- Hire two .5 FT Title I Paraprofessionals to provide assistance, intervention, and support during push-in and pullout programs to the HQ teacher, HQ reading specialist, and HQ math interventionist.
- Champion Schools will provide instruction and intervention in literacy (reading) and mathematics within the regular day instructional period through direct instruction, guided practice, independent practice, and extended learning time and assistance to struggling students provided by the HQ teacher, HQ reading specialist, HQ mathematics specialist, or HQ paraprofessional supervised by an HQ teacher.
- Champion Schools will provide targeted intervention in literacy (reading) and mathematics to students 6 months or below grade level within and beyond the regular day instructional schedule through extended learning time provided by the HQ teacher in the classroom, HQ reading specialist, HQ mathematics specialist, or HQ paraprofessional supervised by an HQ teacher during the grade level Intervention Hour.
- Champion Schools will provide strategic intervention in literacy (reading) and mathematics to students 2 years or below grade level within and beyond the regular day instructional period and regular day instructional schedule through small group instruction provided by the HQ teacher in the classroom, HQ reading specialist, HQ mathematics specialist, or HQ paraprofessional supervised by an HQ teacher during the grade level Intervention Hour.
- Champion Schools will provide intensive or specialized interventions for students who continue to struggle to attain grade level proficiency in literacy and mathematics and qualify for assistance and support services from special services (e.g. special education, ELL, homeless education).
- Champion Schools will provide Title I Saturday School as a targeted and strategic intervention for students who are identified as academically at-risk to receive targeted and strategic interventions in literacy (reading) and mathematics.
- Champion Schools will provide mandatory Title I Summer School beyond the regular year instructional schedule for students identified as the bottom 25%.
- Champion Schools will use Galileo benchmark formative assessments, teacher-made assessments, and checks for understanding to monitor student performance and progress.
- Enlist the services of Maverik Education LLC to provide facilitation and support in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Title I program and provide on-site professional development in best practices and instructional strategies that address the instructional needs of all students, especially those who are academically at-risk.