Report of Findings
ST MARY’S PARISH SCHOOL
412 N. MONROE ST.
MOSCOW, ID 83843
DIOCESE OF BOISE
Improving Student Learning
A Self Study Process
for Catholic Elementary Schools
February 24-26,2015
Report of Findings
for
St. Mary's Parish School
412 N. Monroe St.
Moscow, ID 83843
__Lauri Nauditt______Maribeth Richardson______
ChairpersonTeam Member
Diocese of SpokaneHoly Family School
St. Mary’s Catholic SchoolClarkston, WA
14601 E 4th
Spokane Valley, WA 99216
(509) 924-4300 ext. 202
_Denise Hammrich______Chris Lyon______
Team MemberTeam Member
All Saints SchoolHoly Family Catholic School
Lewiston, IDCoeur d’Alene, ID 83815
______
Team MemberTeam Member
PREFACE
We, the Visiting Committee, wish to commend you, the pastor, administration, faculty, staff, parents, and student body of St. Mary's Parish School for working together to make the school a loving, caring and learning environment. We pray that the good work that you have done and the plans that you have made for the future will help you become an even better school.
The team found our three days at St. Mary's Parish Schoolprofessionally rich and personally rewarding. We experienced a community where everyone is striving to provide a Catholic environment where quality education is a priority.
We wish to thank all of you, pastor, principal, faculty, staff, parents and students for your warm and gracious hospitality.
May the Christ we serve bless you with every success as you journey into your future.
Chapter 1: Introduction
A.How the Self Study was Conducted :
What process has the school used to complete the Self Study (schedule of meetings, timeline, involvement of shareholders, etc.)?
Work for the Self-Study began early in 2013. The staff reviewed the Target Goals of the previous Accreditation. The Self Study reflects the ongoing work accomplished by the school toward meeting those goals and in meeting expectations for high achievement for all students based on the Mission, Philosophy and Schoolwide Learning Expectations.
The questions and writing prompts were presented at various committee meetings. Committee members responded to assigned questions. They met together to discuss any perceived gaps. Then one person from each committee drafted the section. The sections were compiled. The entire staff met to discuss, edit, and revise the document, as needed. Committees met at least once a month, in addition to work that was completed during in-services and staff meetings.
What obstacles, if any, did the school experience in completing their Self Study?
The school did not indicate that there were any obstacles to their completion of the Self Study other than the time commitment that was needed to do the process and a bit of confusion regarding whether to use the 2010 or 2012 protocol.
B. Involvement and Collaboration of Shareholders in Completing the Self Study
Accreditation Factor #1:The school involves all shareholders in data review, analysis and dialogue about perceived accomplishments in the area of student learning, and in developing, implementing and monitoring goals for improvements in student learning.
How effectively has the school involved all shareholders in: discussions using the discussion questions (all chapters), assessing the spiritual development of students (Chapter 3-A), editing and revising the mission and philosophy (Chapter 3-B), editing/revising SLEs and creating rubrics (Chapter 3-C), assessing student progress toward clearly defined goals (Chapter 3-D), analyzing data that was reviewed, review of significant accomplishments, creation of goals and strategies, monitoring implementation of the action plan (Chapter 4-A), continuous school improvement;
St. Mary's Parish School was effective in its involvement of shareholders in the completion of the Self Study. The faculty, staff, and parent volunteers worked well together to complete the various components of the Self Study. These were disseminated to key stakeholders in the fall of 2014 for input, comments, and revision. Faculty, staff and parent representatives were involved in the selection of the goals, as well. The Pastor, faculty/staff, School Board, parents, and students completed surveys. Forty percent of parents returned surveys. The results of these surveys were used to guide discussions.
How effective are the school’s plans to keep shareholders involved in ongoing systematic analysis of the school’s effectiveness?
St. Mary's Parish School has effective plans to keep shareholders involved in ongoing systematic analysis of the school’s effectiveness. The teachers will continue to have a vital role in monitoring and evaluating the Action Plan and communicating its progress through class newsletters and website updates. The entire school community will be kept informed of progress through the Principal’s report at School Board meetings and through school publications. This information will also be part of the required annual WCEA reporting process through the Diocese.
Chapter 2: Context of the School
A. School Profile
To what extent has the school compiled and analyzed annually updated data (cultural, demographic, financial, survey, interview) that identified major changes or trends since the last Self Study?
St. Mary's Parish School has been effective in compiling, analyzing and annually updating its cultural, demographic and financial data. They recognize and celebrate the strong Catholic foundation of the school population (74%). They are aware that they have a higher percentage of males than females in the school (61% to 39%). They have had increased enrollment over the last few years as the school has expanded from a grade 1-6 school with a population of 106 (in 2009) to a K-8 school of 130 students today. The school’s ethnicity demographic reflects the population of Latah county.
What do parent/student/staff surveys tell about satisfaction with the school?
The goal of St. Mary's Parish School is to meet the spiritual, academic, and physical needs of students. Overwhelmingly, parents, students, teachers/staff believe that the school meets its Philosophy and Mission as well as supports the high achievement of all students. Survey results show that parents are highly satisfied with the Catholic Identity of the school with 99 percent of respondents stating that “That school has a mission statement and a philosophy statement which indicate the integration of Roman Catholic Faith into all aspects of school life.” Parent survey responses also indicated high satisfaction with the accessibility of teachers and staff. They noted the respectful relationships, good communication, and the cleanliness and safety of the school as strengths. These results correspond with information shared in the parent meeting during the visit to the school.
Students in grades K-3 reported a sense of being safe, enjoying learning, feeling cared about and respected by the school staff, as well as being challenged and supported academically. Students in grades 4-8 also felt respected, challenged academically, and supported. They also indicate the value of engagement in service and are aware of the expectation to do their best. There is comparative evidence between data seen in 2012-2014 that the students have a greater understanding of the SLEs.
Staff surveys show that the faculty values the Catholic/Christian spirit in the school and that individual faith development is supported. They feel they are appreciated and supported by the administration and understand the importance of student safety.
B.Use of Prior Accreditation Findings to Support High Achievement of All Students -
Accreditation Factor #2: The school has used the prior accreditation findings, both those discovered by the school and those identified by the Visiting Committee, and other pertinent data to ensure high achievement of all students and to drive school improvement.
Completion of all goals from previous Action Plan including any revisions mandated by the Visiting Committee and any goals added since the last accreditation visit;
St. Mary's Parish School has been in a continual process of improvement since the last accreditation visit.
The first goal was to “Increase the financial base of the school, including the completion of the new facility.” The school community has worked toward this goal by completing a new 16,000 square foot facility in the summer of 2013. This new space is also furnished and completely paid for. The school has received some additional revenue through donations by local community groups who use this space. In addition the Foundation members have also worked to increase the corpus. As the corpus increases, there will be less need for tuition.
The second goal focused on “Increase Articulation of Curriculum Standards.” In order to accomplish this goal, teachers have developed individual grade level standards and have communicated those to parents and students throughout the year via teacher communications. Five teachers and the Principal attended a workshop on implementing the Common Core, and the faculty has also participated in a site specific workshop on implementing the Common Core, as well as a book study on The Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core. To further accomplish this goal, the school is focusing on assessments that are based on curriculum standards. The MAP assessment is administered twice a year for students in grades 2-8. Results of these assessments are shared with parents. The final component in this goal will involve linking to the published curriculum guidelines of the Catholic Diocese of Boise.
The third goal focused on “Development, articulation, implementation, and publicizing of SLEs for St. Mary's Parish School. “ The SLEs have been expanded from the 3 R's (Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness) to PRIDE (Perserving Respectful Inventive Dependable Enthusiastically Positive) for middle grades students. Greater awareness has been accomplished through increased visibility of the SLEs - in the hallways, classrooms, and the SLE tree in the main floor of the school. Awareness has also been fostered by helping students integrate the SLEs into daily life and by assessing the impact of the SLEs.
The final goal was to “Continue to improve socialization skills and respect for God, others and self: (this includes social skills on the playground and respect for others arriving at school on time and ready to learn.)” This has been accomplished with continued focus on demonstration and modeling of good manners, as well as good citizenship. The school has also focused on helping students and families understand the value of arriving on time ready to learn. Students are encouraged to play and work well with others and follow directions.
How effectively has the school used the prior accreditation findings and other pertinent data to support faith formation and high achievement of all students?
St. Mary's Parish School has been effective in using prior accreditation findings and other pertinent data to support faith formation and high achievement of all students. The work that has been accomplished on each target goal has been rooted in the foundation of Catholic Identity and helping students grow in faith. They have also examined assessment data yearly to determine student growth from year to year.
How effectively has the school monitored its progress on accomplishment of its action plan and communicated this progress to its shareholders?
St. Mary's Parish School has been effective in monitoring progress on accomplishment of its action plan and communicated this progress to its shareholders. This has been communicated to the shareholders through information shared in weekly newsletters, on the website and in reports to the School Board.
How effectively has the school implemented the concept of continuous school improvement, e.g., data analysis and action, focus on high achievement, etc. in non-accreditation years?
St. Mary's Parish School has been highly effective in implementing the concept of continuous school improvement in non-accreditation years. This is evidenced by their sustained work on the goals from the last visit, especially the completion of the building project, the expansion of the school, and repayment of the debt.
Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program
A.Assessment of the School’s Catholic Identity:
Accreditation Factor #3:The school is Catholic, approved by the Local Ordinary (Canon 803), providing opportunities for community worship and participation in the Sacraments, and promoting evangelization and service to the community.
How effectively has the school assessed its Catholic Identity by improving the spiritual formation of students, staff, and parents; by developing, implementing, and using a standards-based Religion curriculum; by providing development opportunities for staff focused on faith development and religions instruction competencies; and by analyzing changes they’ve made in Catholic Identity to determine how the changes have strengthened their Catholic Identity?
St. Mary’s Parish School is highly effective in assessing its Catholic Identity by the spiritual formation of students, staff and parents. Students engage in prayer as a way of life. Staff and students meet daily for morning prayer, offering special intentions for those in need and celebrating Catholic traditions and seasonal prayer services. School-wide prayer services commemorate special days. Students plan weekly liturgies often times assisted by the pastor. The school practices spiritual and corporal works of mercy and participate in social justice events. There is a strong emphasis on service learning, reminding students that they are to live as disciples of Christ.
Staff participates in a yearly retreat before school begins. Through webinars, book studies and attending the Diocesan Fall Conference the staff continues to work on catechist certification. The pastor and principal provide ongoing faith formation activities for teachers. Parents are involved in their child’s spiritual development by participating as volunteers for retreats, sacramental preparation, celebrating liturgies and special seasonal prayer services. Parents are actively involved in the school and parish community. St. Mary’s and its stakeholders believe their Catholic Identity is strong and advancing.
St. Mary’s Parish School religion curriculum is aligned and approved by the Diocese of Boise. Additional resources such as Living Faith for Students based on daily Scripture readings, online resources, and magazines are used to supplement and aid in the instruction of religious education. The music programs vitally share and promote faith by proclaiming to the whole community the Good News.
Many statues and religious objects found throughout the school serve as constant reminders of the school’s commitment to follow Jesus and His Church. Fifth grade students are assessed on Catholic knowledge using the ACRE test.
How effectively has the school discovered areas of their Catholic Identity that need to be improved?
The school has effectively discovered areas of their Catholic Identity that need to be improved. The school plans to continue to connect with the Diocesan outreach themes. The school also plans to include the eighth graders in the ACRE test and to begin to utilize the data from the ACRE test. The team encourages the teachers to invite the parish priest to come to the classroom for specific lessons in addition to his continued involvement in many school activities. The school also hopes to encourage more students to be altar servers with their parents.
B.Defining the School’s Purpose -
Accreditation Factor #4:The school’s purpose is defined through the school’s mission statement, philosophy, measurable Schoolwide Learning Expectations, Arch/diocesan curriculum standards (local curriculum standards where Arch/diocesan standards don’t exist), and other governing authority expectations.
How effectively does the school’s mission and philosophy reflect the Catholic Identity/nature of the school?
St. Mary's Parish School is a parish school committed to serving the local Catholic community. They have been highly effective in reflecting the Catholic nature of the school in the mission and philosophy that was revised in 2009 and is clearly referenced in the SLEs. St. Mary’s mission is “to extend the Kingdom of God through our church community by growing in faith, love and service.” The philosophy of the school is to “strive to create a Christian educational environment that is conducive to the spiritual, intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and aesthetic growth of each student.”
Parents are acknowledged as the primary educators of their children, and the school supports families in the total education of their children. The school reaches out to the community through their involvement in a variety of outreach programs. The school serves as an evangelization arm for the parish and encourages and supports families to live their faith fully.
How effectively does the school use their SLEs and curriculum standards to define the school’s purpose?
The school is highly effective in their use of SLEs to define the school’s purpose. The 3R’s, Respect, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness, are concepts that are well defined and student friendly. The SLEs have been added to the report card in grades 1 - 5. The school’s goal is to add them to the three new grades since the last accreditation (K and middle grades). These concepts are reinforced in the classroom and out on the playground. The school is working to continue to refine the religion curriculum standards.