Two-Year Progress Report

Five-Year Progress Report

TollGateHigh School

March 1, 2013

Section I - Detailed Responses to Highlighted Recommendations

1. Report the impact of the implementation of a teacher supervision and evaluation process designed to improve instruction, enhance student learning, and meet student needs, ensuring the principal has a significant role.

Classification: Completed

TollGateHigh School is in the second year of utilizing the Rhode Island Model Teacher Evaluation System. This model was approved by the Rhode Island Board of Regents in 2009 and emphasizes collaboration and feedback to fuel professional growth and specific goals and objectives to measure progress. To determine overall educator effectiveness, the Rhode Island Model includes three evaluation criteria: Professional Practice, Professional Foundations, and Student Learning.

Professional Practice measures effective instruction and classroom environment as defined in the Teacher Professional Practice Rubric. Professional Foundations measures instructional planning and the contributions teachers make as members of their learning community. Finally, Student Learning measures teachers’ impact on student learning through demonstrated progress toward academic goals.

In TollGateHigh School the principal and two assistant principals are the primary evaluators for the teachers in the building. These evaluators meet with the teachers for three evaluation conferences throughout the year. In addition, the primary evaluators observe teachers twice. Finally, department chairs are complementary evaluators who also observe the teachers in their department during the year.

In addition, teachers have to develop specific Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) for their students. Department chairs and department members often work together to develop SLOs for specific courses or to address specific skills. For example, several special education resource teachers developed one SLO which aligned with the district’s initiative to address reflective writing. The social studies department developed one Student Learning Objective for each course. The success of students in achieving the SLOs is measured throughout the year.

2. Report school-based progress made to ensure the advisory program provides each student with one adult who knows the student well and assists the student in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations.

Classification: Completed

TollGateHigh School is in the second year of officially instituting a Response to Intervention (RtI) program. Last year the RtI committee distributed during the advisory period surveys for teachers and students to complete so that those students who put no adult’s name on the survey could be identified and reached. This year the students completed the surveys at an assembly held for each grade.

Every student and every teacher, except for guidance counselors and a few others, are assigned to an advisory. The same students will be in the same advisories for all four years of their high school careers, so the students and their advisors will get to know each other well.

The RtI committee is working on implementing a number of initiatives to increase school spirit. For example, there will be a system to reward students for kind acts. Also, on Fridays everyone will wear Toll Gate clothing or Toll Gate colors.

All special education students are assigned to an advisory, regardless of their disabilities. Several special education students with severe/profound disabilities attend their assigned advisories with a teacher assistant and are given the opportunity for personalization in an inclusion setting. Special education students are assigned the same case manager for Grades 9 – 12. This provides each student with one adult who knows the student well and assists them in achieving their learning expectations.

The school Improvement Team (SIT) recently created the Personalization Task Force. The goal of this task force is to create ways in which students connect with teachers.

3. Confirm that the principal has sufficient autonomy and decision-making authority to lead the school, including the ability to supervise and evaluate teachers and to have significant input into hiring decisions regarding teachers.

Classification: Completed

Under the RI Model Teacher Evaluation System, the principal and assistant principals are the primary evaluators for most of the teachers in the building. Under the RI Model guidance counselors, nurses, and some others are not evaluated. However, the contract between the Warwick School Committee and the Warwick Teachers’ Unionstill provides that all teachers are evaluated, either by the department chair or by the principal if there is no department chair.

As the leader of the school, the principal has authority to make decisions. The principal is on the committees that interview applicants for department chair positions. Sometimes principals are on committees that hire teachers for the district, but this is not always the case.

4. Increase efforts to ensure teachers at Toll Gate make more connections across the content areas with students and report progress on these efforts.

Classification: Completed

Teachers are scheduled to meet in interdisciplinary common planning teams. During these meetings, teachers may discuss issues across the content areas. The teams keep minutes and discuss the latest school initiatives. Teachers also discuss and review school policies; and if changes need to be made, teachers forward their suggestions to a review committee. Also, there are revised district rubrics designed to be applicable to all content areas.

Also, the Common Core and the recently adopted English textbooks may apply. (The CCSS Overview and Implementation Guide has an RtI section.) Teachers in all subject areas have to align their assignments to the Common Core in one way or another.

Over the past few years the English department and/or the English department chair has provided MLA documentation instruction to members of the social studies department, science department, and special education department. Special education teachers and general education teachers co-teach in content areas of English, literacy, science, math and technology.

In the technology/visual arts department, the core subjects are supported through the use of common tasks which are aligned to the CCSS standards to have either an ELA or math component embedded in them.

Teachers in social studies have collaborated on a number of occasions with ELA teachers in helping students to develop literacy skills for informational text as presented in the Common Core Standards for ELA & Literacy in Social Studies/History, Science and Technical Areas. Members of the department share common rubrics for writing expository and persuasive essays and are consistently encouraging the use of MLA format in writing research papers and bibliographies. In addition, the social studies and world languages departments are coordinating a trip to France to visit the historical sites of Paris and Normandy.

Finally, under the direction of the district curriculum coordinator, Dr. Ann Siesel, the Academic Expectations for Learning were revised and replaced with new, student- friendly expectations and rubrics. These rubrics encompass the Applied Learning Standards and support the Academic Expectations. More than one Applied Learning Standard aligns to an Academic Expectation; thus, teachers at Toll Gate, as well as the other schools in the district, can make more connections across the content areas with regards to assignments.

5. Submit the district’s detailed cyclical plan for the ongoing evaluation and revision of the curriculum.

Classification: Completed

WARWICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CORE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

2010-11 / 2011-12 / 2012-13 / 2013-14 / 2014-15
Curriculum Writing / ELA K-12
Social Studies K-12
Science K-12
Implementation / Math K-12 / ELA K-12
Social Studies K-12
Science K-12
Evaluation/Revision / ELA 7-9
Textbook Pilot / ELA 7-12
Soc. Studies - Civics / Math K-6
Textbook Adoption / ELA K-6 / ELA 7-12
Social Studies - Civics / Math K-6

Rev. 11/1/12

The above chart outlines the time line for curriculum development of the core subjects. The district curriculum director, ELA coordinator, and math/science coordinator supervise this procedure.

The technology/visual arts curriculum was revised and approved by the school committee in 2012. This revision process changed the curriculum to meet the latest version of the district’s graduation requirements. The committee met numerous times, and representatives from all high schools attended the sessions. Validated common tasks were generated that followed the curriculum and were e-portfolio worthy and supported a core standard. New standards were incorporated and a scoring rubric for the common task was developed which now keeps the program consistent throughout the district.

6. Examine disaggregated data from teacher’s review of student work and/or standardized test data and report steps teachers plan to take to address any achievement gaps.

Classification: Completed

The English department administers New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) test for both reading and writing. These are standardized tests, and the data does arrive disaggregated. The English department chairs of the three high schools review the data with the ELA director and then convey the information to their department members. After discussing the areas of concern for both reading and writing, the English teachers brainstorm various courses of action, and then individual English teachers implement strategies in their classes.

The mathematics department also administers a NECAP test. The mathematics department chairs and teachers follow a procedure similar to that of the English department chairs and teachers.

Next, the Rhode Island Model Teacher Evaluation requires each teacher to write two Student Learning Objectives (SLOs). These SLOs require teachers to use an assessment or assessments to determine baseline data and to use that baseline data to create groups, or tiers, of students. For example, one group, or tier, might be the “partially proficient” tier. Then the teacher has to set achievement targets for each of the tiers. Through assessing the students’ work for the baseline data and then continuing to use both formative and summative assessments throughout the year, teachers will notice achievement gaps and take steps to rectify them.

Teachers in the social studies department develop course-specific SLOs for the new Rhode Island Model Teacher Evaluation system. As a result, teachers are examining data from common tasks (document based questions/essays) and working on strategies to improve students’ abilities to examine and analyze primary and secondary source evidence and to formulate responses to an essay prompt/question based upon both the evidence and their own knowledge of the topic/event in history. Teachers have administered the baseline common task in World History, U.S. History, Western Civilization and Eastern Civilization. Over the next several months, teachers will be working with students to improve their historical thinking skills and their writing skills. These common tasks align with the Common Core State Standards in Reading and Writing in History.

The science department reviewed the most recent science NECAP data and noticed that students struggled most with the inquiry portion of the test in which students are asked to write a conclusion using supporting data and evidence. In response, the department developed an SLO focused on the process of citing evidence to support an answer or conclusion. Science teachers are also in the process of developing more inquiry-based lab exercises.

Subjects other than math, English and science do not administer standardized tests. These remaining subject areas develop a pre-test and post-test for use in the development of SLOs. Teachers examine the final assessment to determine how many students were successful in meeting the subject standards. The instructors then use this data to help modify their lessons to help all students become course proficient.

7. Implement the use of a formal protocol during collaboration time to maximize the use of this time for the purpose of discussing instruction and assessment practices.

Classification: In Progress

According to the “Agreement between the Warwick School Committee and the Warwick Teachers’ Union,” there can be no formal protocol during collaboration time (known as “common planning” time). However, at the beginning of the school year Ms. Caluori, the administrator in charge of scheduling the common planning times, provided a clear schedule of common planning teams and their meeting days and times. The teachers knew that their initial meeting was to take place in the library, and then the team could decide to change the venue and alert Ms. Caluori to the change. Teachers meet twice in a seven-day rotation as part of a common planning group.

Although there is no formal protocol, most teachers do discuss instruction and assessment practices, particularly because of the SLOs in the RI Model and because of the district’s “formative assessment” initiative. In addition, teachers discuss NECAP testing, mid-term exams, senior project items, common students, differentiated instruction, cross-curricular activities and e-portfolio. Instructors share with each other information about available resources in each department.

SectionIA - Detailed Responses to Highlighted Recommendations of Special Progress Report November 1, 2011 and August 1, 2012

On November 1, 2011a Special Progress Report that addressed a number of issues concerning the facilities at TollGateHigh School was submitted. The following concerns were addressed in that report:

--Report progress, including funding to resolve each of the facilities issues including the roof of the B-wing, fire code improvements in the amount of $12.5 million, and the addition of a wheelchair lift.

--Report the results of the mechanical and energy consumer equipment survey for air quality issues in the four classrooms with no windows.

--Immediately increase and provide adequate funding for technology improvements, instruction materials and supplies, and the library/media print and non-print collections.

--Submit the FY11 and FY12 line item budgetary allocations for the following and assess their level of adequacy: technology improvements; instructional materials and supplies; and both the print and non-print materials in the library.

On August 1, 2012an additional Special Progress Report that again addressed many of these same issues was submitted. The following concerns were addressed in that report:

--Confirm completion of the work to replace the roof on the B-wing.

--Report further steps taken to fund and to add a wheelchair lift to provide access to rooms A102, A104, and A106.

--Report the impact of the budget reductions on technology improvements, including supplies and software.

--Provide consistent and adequate funding to address educational technology, instructional materials, and library materials.

--Submit the FY12 media services budget

--Report the district’s long-range plan, including funding sources and a preliminary timeline, to address the on-going maintenance and facility concerns.

--Detail progress made by the long-term facilities planning committee to address school facilities concerns in the City of Warwick.

Following the submission of this most recent report, the commission requested in a December 19, 2012 correspondence that the following concerns be further addressed:

--Update progress on the installation of a wheelchair lift to provide access to rooms A102, A104, and A106.

--Assess the adequacy of funding for educational technology in the school.

--Update progress in addressing fire code and facility upgrades.

These three areas will be covered in detail in the following section of this report. Since these are district issues which require district funding and approval, the central office provided to me the answers in this section.

Update progress on the installation of a wheelchair lift to provide access to rooms A102, A104, and A106.

Handicap access to the shops has been included in the FY14 budget request. If approved, the work will be able to commence this summer.

Assess the adequacy of funding for educational technology in the school.

Account TitleFY11FY11 (Request FY13)(Request FY14)

Maint-Repair-Tech

Related 0.00 0.00 2,197.00 1,697.00

Technology Related

Supplies 7,480.38 8,509.59 7,115.00 7,500.00

Technology Related

Hardware 2,367.96 2,064.00 1,901.98 839.00

In addition to the figures provided to me, the Director of Secondary Education provided the following information.

• There is currently a computer lab within the library.
• Seventy-five upgrades to existing computers are about to take place.
• The principal and the assistant principal are about to receive new computers, docking stations, and monitors to better access student records, etc.
• ASPEN has allowed our district to move ahead with necessary improvements that have been dictated by the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE). Teachers have the option to use the ASPEN Gradebook to formalize the grading of students in a more efficient manner. Assistant principals have the option to use the ASPEN electronic referral process for discipline. A proficiency profile for every student is about to be created through an Early Warning System. Attendance has been streamlined because absence calls and tardy calls are made through the ASPEN system.
• In addition to ASPEN, each teacher, administrator, and high school student has a First Class e-mail account through Warwick Public Schools at no cost to each individual. Among other benefits, this access facilitates the entire Senior Project experience for students because it creates enhanced communication between students and the GBP Coordinator.
• A few years ago the district purchased Richer Picture, which stores and facilitates the students’ completion of the electronic portfolio, another graduation by proficiency element. High school students use Richer Picture to align their work with Warwick's academic expectations.

Update progress in addressing fire code and facility upgrades