Southland Elementary Land Trust Final Report 2016/2017
Goal #1 Technology
Hire one half time teacher to work with students to provide keyboarding instruction, facilitate grade level technology projects, assist with technology support and monitor computer based testing. Southland Elementary students will increase keyboarding skills by increasing accuracy and speed. Our goal is for 60% of our fourth grades to be able to type 25+ words per minute, 70% of our 5th graders to type 25+words per minute and 80% of our 6th graders to be able to type 30 words per minute or better.
Measurements
Keyboarding for Kids software was used to teach and assess students keyboarding skills for accuracy and speed. At years end, 48% of our fourth grade students were typing at least 25 words per minute, 85% of fifth grade students were typing 27 words per minute, and 70% of sixth grade students were typing 30 words per minute or more. In addition our computer teacher facilitated grade level technology projects with students such as: fifth grade Thirteen Colonies andBranches of Government Slideshow, sixth grade Ancient Egypt Slideshow, fourth grade Weather Slideshow. These all incorporated Google Classroom and Google Drive. Students also completed coding levels on the Coding website Code Combat.
Action Steps
A half-time computer teacher and one 17-hour computer assistant was hired to instruct students in Keyboarding for Kids, facilitate grade level technology projects, assist with technology support, and monitor computer based testing. Students received weekly computer instruction and/or practice using the Keyboarding for Kids software. The classroom and computer teachers worked together to plan content-specific projects and to find websites to support grade level core.
Goal #2 Literacy
Southland Elementary will use School Land Trust money to hire three Literacy Assistants to provide small group Tier II reading intervention for struggling readers. Small group instruction will be provided by Reading Assistants during grade level guided reading block. They will use the research based intervention programs, Success Maker, My Sidewalks, Journeys and Read Naturally. Students who are reading below grade level will spend twenty to thirty minutes of their sixty minutes of daily guided reading time reading with a Tier II reading assistant, twenty minutes time receiving guided reading instruction with the classroom teacher, and ten to twenty minutes of time doing an identified language arts activity. Each grade level teacher will address student improvement in reading by implementing the school goal of continuing to provide Tier I instruction in guided reading and providing Tier II intervention to below reading level students. These groups are evaluated on a monthly basis and students enter and exit the program as determined by the classroom teacher data from Fountas and Pinnell assessments given at the beginning, mid and end of year. Teachers will also assess students monthly using PALS Benchmarks and Quick Checks for K-2, SRI, DIBELS Benchmarks and progress monitoring, and Running Records to direct instruction.
Measurements
The Fountas and Pinnell assessment was administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year to determine students’ guided reading levels. At the end of the year 91 of the 141 students who were identified at the beginning of the year as below level in reading had made growth, a 64.5% gain. Students who were below on their guided reading level were given literacy interventions through Success Maker, My Sidewalks, Journeys, and Read Naturally. These students spent 20 to 30 minutes daily reading with a Tier II intervention assistant. Monthly running records were done by the classroom teacher in order to obtain current data and to determine which students still needed Tier II interventions and which students could move back into general classroom instruction.
The Dibels assessment demonstrated that students who were below grade level made a 2% gain. Students who were well below benchmark made a 4% gain. On the SRI assessment, 78% of Southland students made growth.
Action Steps
Teachers administered the Fountas and Pinnell assessment to obtain guided reading levels at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Teachers then grouped students according to levels for individual and small group instruction. Teachers identified students reading below grade level and determined which students would receive support through Tier II interventions with the reading assistants. Fountas and Pinnell or running records were used to assess students monthly. Teachers discussed students reading levels in PLC meetings and reported students reading levels monthly.
Carry-Over
Southland Elementary budgeted for a full-time computer teacher; however, a certified part-time teacher filled the position instead. This resulted in a difference in salary.
Increased Distribution
Additional funds were used to pay for substitute teachers to cover classes while teachers participated in professional development opportunities.