Heards Ferry elementary | Strategic Plan SY 2016/17 – 2019/20

[Heards Ferry Elementary]

Strategic Plan SY 2016/17 – SY 2018/19

Approved June 2016

SECTION I.Strategic Planning Background and Approach

This section is a brief narrative providing the reader with a summary of the purpose, process, people, and timeline of the strategic planning process. Content has been provided for your use in this section, though schools may revise this content as desired.

In May 2012, the Georgia Board of Education voted to make Fulton County Schools the state’s largest charter system. The charter system model offers increased autonomy and flexibility, both at the school level and system-wide, to employ research-based methods to improve student achievement, even if such innovations require exemptions to current state laws and regulations.

Given this framework, individual schools within Fulton County have the ability to work in dramatically new ways. We are asking our communities to help drive change by redefining engagement in our schools. Our collective vision is that every Fulton County school will have a school leader and local School Governance Council equipped to leadeffectively in a charter system environment--improving student achievement through innovation and flexibility.Schools will be empowered to consider the best uses of resources at the local level and design innovative practices that align with school needs.

Heards Ferry Elementarybegan the strategic planning process in the spring of 2016. In ordertoplan our strategic direction, we first engaged with our community to understand our specific strengths and challenges and consider a path to address themcollectively. We met with many different stakeholders including the Leadership Team, PTO, HFE Foundation, and the local School Governance Council. After obtaining the information needed for our plan, the Leadership Team met to devise the plan.

Our process included five distinct phases: (1) a needs assessment; (2) the identification of priority issues; (3) the establishment of long-term outcomes, focus areas, & short-term goals; (4) the formulation of strategic initiatives; and (5) the development of amonitoring plan. Developed over a period of several months and designed collaboratively with input and guidance from many stakeholders, the strategic plan represents our deliberate approach to shape and guide what Heards Ferry Elementary is, what we do, and why. Our students deserve the best educational experience we can provide, and this plan sets our vision and direction for making that happen.

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Heards Ferry Elementary| Strategic Plan SY 2016/17 – 2019/20

SECTION II.Context for the Strategic Plan: The School’s Needs Assessment

This section should present the results of the school’s needs assessment. Rather than list every detail and finding from these exercises, this section should focus on the highlights of the findings about the school’s external and internal environments. Content has been provided for your use in this section, though schools may revise this content as desired.

For every school, the strategic planning process involves a thorough consideration of the following questions: Why is reflecting on our practices, processes, and perceptions critical to achieve our long-term outcomes? How will we address the root causes identified in our needs assessment? How will we know we are moving in the right direction? What will we do differently? By identifying strengths and weaknesses within the school and examining opportunities and challenges within the external environment, schools lay the foundation for building a strategic plan that builds on their positive attributes while overcoming any weaknesses or areas for improvement.

Heards Ferry Elementary began the strategic planning process by conducting a needs assessment. Through a close analysis of the internal and external environments, we sought to identify stakeholders’ perceptions of our school and enhance our understanding of the political, socio-economic, and demographic environment in which the school operates. By analyzing a comprehensive set of school data, the leaders of Heards Ferry Elementary reflected on progress toward 2012-2016 strategic plan long-term outcomes, clarified performance trends and identified the school’s most critical areas for improvement.

Progress toward 2012-2016 Strategic Plan Long-Term Outcomes

Long-Term Outcome 1 / Indicator / Baseline / Target / Current Data
Increase student achievement at the highest level. / 1.)ITBS
2.)CRCT Exceeds Category / 1.)ITBS 2012
2.)CRCT 2012 Exceeds Category / 1.)ITBS 2015: Increase by at least 1% in every grade and every subject area.
2.)CRCT 2014 Exceeds Category: Increase by at least 2% in every grade and every subject. / 1.)ITBS 2015:
3rd and 5th grades increased by more than 1% in every area except in 3rdgrade ELA. The most notable increase was math which increased 5% in 3rd and 6% in 5th.
2.)CRCT 2014 Exceeds Category: Increased in every grade and every subject areaby more than 2% except science. The most notable increases were 5th grade reading which increased 21% and math which increased 19%.
Progress: HFE has made a lot of progress toward this outcome. Looking at the current data, we notice an overall increase in the number of students exceeding expectations on the CRCT, an increase in overall percentage points on the ITBS, and the new more rigorous test called the EOG shows that we are outperforming our comparable schools.
Aligned performance indicator: When reviewing the data in 2013 to write our first plan, a trend began to emerge. We noticed that HFE students were not performing as well as our comparable schools on the ITBS and on the exceeding standards category on the CRCT. When we compared HFE’s internal data, the results showed that we were stagnating in these areas.
Major accomplishments: On the ITBS, HFE 3rd and 5th grade students increased in every area from 2012 to 2015 except in 3rd grade ELA. The most notable increases were in math, which increased 5% in 3rd grade and 6% in 5th grade. On the CRCT exceeding standards category, HFE students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade increased in every area except science. The most notable increases were in 5th grade reading and math. 5th grade reading increased 21% and 5th grade math increased 19%. When looking at the most recent results from the new more rigorous state assessment, the EOG Milestones, the results indicate that students continue to outperform their peers on rigorous material. 4th grade students at HFE outperformed every school in Fulton County in exceeding math standards.
Resources: Many new educational programs and resources were added through funding from our parent organization, Eagle Alliance. These programs include FASTTMATH, Science Day, Science Lab, IXL Math and ELA, Learning A-Z, Moby Max, Reading Eggs, Weekly Reader, Science Weekly, Shirly Poulton writing, elibrary, Accelerated Reader. We were also able to obtain Seed Funding to use toward our goals. We also began the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate school. The program added the needed rigor for our students.
Challenges: It is clear that when we began to focus our efforts on math and reading that English Language Arts including writing took second place. The challenge we face now is making sure we evenly focus our efforts so that the results are consistent across subjects.
Long-Term Outcome 2 / Indicator / Baseline / Target / Current Data
Increase students’ inquiry- based learning. / 1.)IB program implementation timeline (3 year process)
2.)TKES results / 1.)IB Timeline created in 2014.
2.)TKES 2012-2013 Observation Results in Academically Challenging Environment and Instructional Strategies / 1.)IB Timeline status 2015: Meet 100% of the goals outlined on our timeline within the timeframe set.
2.)TKES 2014-2015: Increase percentage of teachers scoring level 3 and 4 in Academically Challenging Environment and Instructional Strategies / 1.) IB Timeline 2015: All goals on the timeline have been met including training 100% of our teachers in IB strategies.
2.)2015-2016 Observation Results in Academically Challenging Environment and Instructional Strategies Level 3 and 4 numbers have increased by 40%
Progress: As evidenced by the increase in the number of students exceeding standards on the CRCT and the ITBS and on our most recent results on the new more rigorous EOG test, HFE has made great progress toward this goal.
Aligned performance indicator: The IB Timeline was created to outline a path to our eventual accreditation in IB. We began training all staff in the implementation of the International Baccalaureate program in 2013. This program is rooted in inquiry-based learning. This year, all teachers implemented two of the six required IB units in their classrooms. These trainings and the units directly impacted all students with inquiry-based learning strategies. Teachers are scored on providing an academically challenging learning environment and on using sound instructional strategies on our observation instrument called TKES. All of this directly relates to inquiry-based learning.
Major accomplishments: 100% of our staff has been through at least 1 IB training. The inquiry-based strategies learned at the trainings are evidenced in their lesson plans and in observations. A large portion of our staff has increased their score on TKES in this area.
Resources: We have applied for and received Seed Fund grant money each year through the School Governance system to help fund trainings, school visits, hiring an IB coordinator, materials for units, and paying teachers to write the units over the summer. We have also changed HFE’s calendar to add in extra days of training for teachers through the Request for Flexibility process.
Challenges: Finding the time to write and reflect on the IB units. We solved this challenge by creating time for teachers to meet monthly with the IB coordinator so that they are able to reflect on the process of this implementation and also to continue to write the remaining IB units. Another challenge includes finding funding for the IB coordinator and for continued trainings and the application fee. Our parent organization, Eagle Alliance, raises money that we can use for trainings and fees.
Long-Term Outcome 3 / Indicator / Baseline / Target / Current Data
Increase student ownership of learning. / 1.)Student, staff, parent focus group results.
2.)TKES Assessment Strategies observation results / 1.)2012-2013 Survey results
2.)2012-2013 TKES Assessment Strategies results / 1.)2015 focus group survey results will show an increase in the perception that HFE students are taking ownership of their own learning
2.) TKES Assessment Strategies level 3 and 4 will increase / 1.)2015 focus group data reveals that a higher percentage of stakeholders believe that students are taking ownership for their learning.
2.)2015-2016 TKES Assessment Strategies results show that 20% more teachers scored at level 3 and 4.
Progress: HFE has made a lot of progress in this area. IB units require students to reflect on their performance. Many teachers incorporated student led conferences this year. A greater number of teachers have started having students set their own learning goals and track their own progress.
Aligned performance indicator: Questions on the student, staff, and parent survey that relate to student ownership of learning. We wanted to get the perspective of all stakeholders. TKES performance indicators clearly require teachers to involve students in setting learning goals and monitoring their own progress.
Major Accomplishments: The percentage of teachers incorporating student ownership of learning strategies has increased.
Resources: We contracted a personalized learning expert to help us in this area. The IB Coordinator has provided resources for student reflections during the IB units.
Challenges: Teacher buy-in was resolved by having critical conversations during observation feedback and peer mentoring and modeling of the process. More work needs to be done in this area.

Needs Assessment – Process

As we began our needs assessment process we identified groups of stakeholders that we needed to gather information from in order to give everyone a voice. Processes and systems were established in order to gather the information. The strategic plan committee took responsibility for this task. All results were thoroughly reviewed and discussed. Strengths and weaknesses were identified during this process.

What were the desired outcomes of the process? Through this process, HFE wanted to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. We wanted to ensure that all stakeholders were given the opportunity to voice their opinion. We also wanted to examine whether or not our previous long-term outcomes and the strategic initiatives were successful.

Who was involved in the data collection? To assess student learning the assistant principal disaggregated the EOG 2015 results and the ITBS 2012-2015 results. For culture and climate the assistant principal gathered demographic data from eschool, the principal pulled data from the parent and student focus group held in December, and two of our teachers developed a community member survey which was sent out to various stakeholders in the community. The principal, assistant principal, and two teachers created a staff survey sent to all certified teachers.

Which stakeholder groups participated? Parents, students, staff, and community members.

How was information gathered and reviewed? Through surveys, focus groups, interviews?The information from staff and the community was gathered through 10 questions on an electronic survey. The information from students and parents was gathered through a focus group conducted by an outside vendor to ensure nonbiased responses. The Strategic Plan committee from the School Governance Council took all information and used the SUG method to determine the priorities. This was then sent to the entire staff for feedback and suggestions. After this step, the plan was presented to the School Governance Council.

Needs Assessment – Prioritized Findings

The strategic plan committee used all of the above listed data and the SUG method to determine the most important areas of need within our school.

The key findings:

  • Writing continues to be an area of need based on EOG 2015 writing scores and responses to the staff survey revealed that teachers need support in this area. 36% of the staff surveyed report that they need more training and resources in order to effectively implement writing instruction. 61 out of 125 4th grade students scored a level 1 on the narrative writing portion. 50% of that population is accelerated in reading, but only 9 of those students scored a level 4.
  • Professional development was revealed as an area of need through the staff survey on questions about writing, IB, and TAG strategies. 31% of our staff feels that they do not currently have the tools necessary to fully implement IB next year. 36% of our staff feels that they do not have the tools necessary to teach writing. 47% of our staff does not currently use TAG strategies with nonTAG students.
  • Using TAG strategies with all students was revealed as an area of need through the staff survey and the student focus group. 47% of our staff does not currently use TAG strategies with nonTAG students. The TAG program or TAG strategies were mentioned by students 21 times in the focus group.

[Explain how your school prioritized the findings from the needs assessment. Include a list of your school’s key findings with supporting data (See your Needs Assessment Findings Worksheet). How will you leverage the strengths identified in the needs assessment?

One of the strengths identified was our ability to collaborate. This will be key in carrying out all of our initiatives. Another strength identified was the fact that 85% of our teachers feel equipped to incorporate rigor and relevance. This will be important in teachers feeling confident enough to incorporate more TAG strategies on a daily basis. All stakeholders noted a strong sense of community in our school. That sense of family and willingness to help each other creates an environment that is conducive to the success of our plan.

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Heards Ferry Elementary | Strategic Plan SY 2016/17 – 2019/20

SECTION III.Long-Term Outcomes

This section should define the school’s three-four long-term outcomes, and, for each long-term outcome, provide a brief rationale that explains therationale for prioritizing the outcome. Additionally, each long-term outcome should have one or more associated indicators and annual targets by which the success of the outcome will be assessed.

LONG-TERM OUTCOME 1. Increase the number of students scoring at the highest level in writing.

We selected this outcome based on an analysis of EOG Milestones writing scores, Write Score results, and teacher survey results. A high percentage of our students performed at the lowest level on the EOG writing assessment. Write Score results have not increased over the past few years and teachers indicated on the survey that they need more support and resources in order to effectively implement writing in their classrooms. The EOG writing scores (level ¾ combined category), the Write Score assessment, and individual writing portfolios will be our indicators. The annual target will be to increase the amount of students scoring in the level 3-4 category by 3% on the EOG Milestones Writing assessment, an increase in Write Score results, and completed writing portfolios for every student.