Brevard County Public SchoolsSchool Improvement Plan

2013-2014

Name of School: Area:

Principal: Area Superintendent:

SAC Chairperson:

Superintendent: Dr. Brian Binggeli

Mission Statement:

To ignite a passion for life-long learning by creating an environment where students are engaged and motivated to learn and succeed.

Vision Statement:

A community of responsible and educated leaders of tomorrow.

Croton Elementary School Central

Roseann M. Bennett Mrs. Jane Cline

Mrs. Zaylis Price

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Brevard County Public SchoolsSchool Improvement Plan

2013-2014RATIONALE – Continuous Improvement Cycle Process

Data Analysis from multiple data sources: (Needs assessment that supports the need for improvement-Examples may be, but are NOT limited to survey data, walk-through data, minutes from PLC’s or Dept. Mtgs. Move away from talking about every single data source and determine your rationale. Much like the PGP, what is your focus and why?)Based on the FCAT two year comparison data, Croton’s overall school grade declined by 122 points. This includes a decrease in percent of students meeting high standards in reading, math, and science. There was also a decrease in percentage of lowest 25% of students making learning gains. Croton saw an increase in school grade points in the areas of percent of students meeting high standards in writing when using the 3.0 scale.

In addition, FAIR data from May 2013, in the area of Probability of Reading Success, 78% of Kindergarten students were low risk, 21% were moderate risk, and 2% were high risk. Data for First Grade students showed 82% were low risk, 9% moderate risk, and 9% high risk. Data for Second Grade students showed 44% low risk, 54% moderate risk, and 2% high risk.

Through school-wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS) there has been a decline in problem behavior for most students. Based on teacher feedback, 62.5% of teachers noticed positive peer interactions based on student rewards through PBS. Yet we have approximately 8% of the school population that is not responding to the Tier 1 level of support. These students are demonstrating either intrinsic or extrinsic behavioral deficits that will require more intensive supports. PBS Tier II interventions can be effective in working for students at-risk with behavioral concerns.

In 2011-2012 Croton’s attendance rate was 95.46%, in 2012-2013 the rate dropped 0.53% to 94.93%. Croton’s free and reduced lunch status has wavered over the past four years. In 2010-2011 school year 58% of Croton’s students qualified for free or reduced lunch. In the 2011-2012 school year the percentage dropped to 52%, which did not qualify Croton’s students for Title I services. For the 2012-2013 school year, 55% of Croton’s students qualified for free and reduced lunch. For the current school year, 58% of Croton’s students qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Analysis of Current Practice: (How do we currently conduct business?) Instructional Strategies During the 2012-2013 school year, Croton teachers had a breakout workshop during Professional Development Day on graphic organizers from peers who attended a Learning Focused Conference. Although teachers utilized graphic organizers, they were used inconsistently and students did not understand the fundamental reason(s) for their use.

Management Strategies

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A primary prevention framework for behavior manegement was introduced during the 2012-2013 school year. School/classroom wide expectations for student behavior were established. School-wide positive behavior support (PBS) is a framework approach to these challenges via the MTSS three-tiered model of increasingly intensive interventions arranged to facilitate sustained and effective implementation for student progress. Tier I supports implemented with the entire student population were designed to prevent the development and exacerbation of problem behavior. Croton, as a school, implemented Tier I of PBS as we developed and explicitly taught behavioral expectations (C.A.R.E. – cooperative, active learner, respectful, responsible, encouraging) that are defined with various agreements throughout the school.

Best Practice: (What does research tell us we should be doing as it relates to data analysis above?)

Reasearch to Support Instructional Strategies: After analyzing student data and reflecting on current practices we identified the need for standard based instruction through all content area and grade levels. According to Dr. Max Thompson, “ The average student studying with the aide of organizers learns as much as the 90th percentile student studying the same content without the assistance of organizers.”

Thinking Maps are a common visual language for learning. They have a consistent design, but are highly flexible. Each map is based on a thinking process. With consistent use, the brain develops patterns that connects the process to a specific Thinking Map. What Marzano learned from his research is that common instructional conventions—such as summarizing, identifying similarities and differences, using nonlinguistic representations, and generating and testing hypotheses—can strongly influence student achievement.

The Top 5 Most Effective Research- Based Instructional Strategies:Rank Strategy Effect Size Percent Gain

1 Extending Thinking Strategies 1.61 452 Summarizing 1.00 343 Vocabulary in Context .85 334 Advance Organizers .73 285 Non-Verbal Representations .65 25

Research conducted between 1998 and 2001 by Dr.Robert Marzano of the Mid-Continent Regional Education Lab (MC REL)

Through the pervasive use of Thinking Maps, teachers can take many of the strategies Marzano identified as Effective Research- Based Instructional Strategies and use them to drive standards based instruction. By utilizing Thinking Maps teachers could teach literacy skills of academic vocabulary development (definitions, word sorts and categorization, the analysis of word parts, comparing words and word relationships), reading comprehension skills (text features and author’s purpose, previewing and predicting, making inferences, fact and opinion, summarizing) and writing in all content areas. (Thinking Maps, INC., 2007)

In classrooms, teachers will implement focused standard- based instruction that includes differentiated strategies with Thinking Maps to make content comprehensible and accessible to all students.

Research to support our Management Strategies:

The science of human behavior has taught us that students are not “born with bad behavior,” and that they do not learn better ways of behaving when presented aversive consequences for their problem behaviors (Alberto

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& Troutman, 2001). In addition, successfully addressing problem behavior requires an increased emphasis on proactive approaches in which expected and more socially acceptable behaviors are directly taught, regularly practiced in the natural environment, and followed by frequent positive reinforcement.

Students who are not responsive to the Tier I supports may receive a Tier II intervention. These students continue to receive the Tier I intervention, but more structure and guidance is provided to assist them in meeting school-wide expectations. Students receiving Tier II supports typically exhibit behavior that is not dangerous to themselves or others, but that is disruptive to their learning or the learning of their peers. Tier II interventions are implemented similarly across groups of students who exhibit similar behavior problems and are therefore likely to benefit from the same type of intervention. For example, students who exhibit deficits in social competence (e.g., conflict resolution skills) might participate in a skills group in which all students in the group receive the same level and intensity of instruction, as well as similar feedback on their behavior.

Examples of Tier II interventions that we intend to use are check and connect (Anderson, Christenson, Sinclair, & Lehr, 2004; Evelo), check-in/check-out (Todd, Campbell, Meyer, & Horner, 2008), and First Step to Success (Carter & Horner, 2007).

CONTENT AREA:

Reading Math Writing Science Parental Involvement

Drop-out Prevention Programs

Language Arts

Social Studies

Arts/PE Other:

School Based Objective: (Action statement: What will we do to improve programmatic and/or instructional effectiveness?)

Instructional Strategies In every classroom, teachers will implement focused standard- based teaching that includes the instructional strategy of Thinking Maps to make content comprehensible and accessible to all students.

Management Strategies In addition, Croton Elementary will implement Tier II of MTSS, our school-wide Positive Behavior Support with fidelity, to increase student achievement by reducing the amount of problematic behaviors and increase student motivation. We will provide interventions to support approximately 8% of the student population who are not responding to Tier I and are at risk, but not currently engaging in severe problem behavior.

Strategies: (Small number of action oriented staff performance objectives)

Barrier Action Steps Person Responsible

Timetable Budget In-ProcessMeasure

1. New Hires 1. Introduction to Faculty, Reading Substitues Agenda,

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Thinking Maps Coach, Title I teachers, Administration

Attendance

2. 2. Give baseline survey

Administration Pre-planning Surveys

3. Teacher Attendance at PD

3. Review maps, introduce more

Faculty, Reading Coach, Title I teachers, Administration

First Quarter Substitues Agenda, Attendance, Student produced maps

4. 4. Give baseline survey for student understanding of Thinking Maps

Teachers, Reading Coach, Title I

First Quarter Surveys

5. 5. Have bi-monthly follow up of Thinking Maps with introduction of new Map information

Faculty, Reading Coach, Title I teachers, Adminstration

Bi-monthly through Faculty Meeting and PDD days

Agenda, Attendance, Student produced maps

6. Teacher willingness to present

6. Have Monthly Faculty Meetings by Grade Level Teams to demonstrate Thinking Map usage

Administration/ Teachers

Monthly/ Faculty Meeting or PDD

Agenda, Attendance, Student produced maps

7. 7. Give Teacher Survey

Administration May Surveys

8. 8. Give Student Survey

Teachers, Reading Coach, Title I

May Surveys

1. Student classroom behavior

1. Identify Tier II students

Faculty, Reading Coach, Title I teachers, Administration

Within the first grading period

Classroom teacher documentation/ PBS Tier II form for recommendation

2. 2. Provide research-based interventions continuously and matched to identified need or function

PBS Team, Adminstration, Guidance

ongoing Check In & Check out Documentation form, OPM sheets, etc.

3. 3. Data used to progress monitor

PBS Team, Teachers, Adminstration, Guidance

ongoing Charted data, OPM sheets

4. 4. Give Teacher Survey

Administration May Surveys

EVALUATION – Outcome Measures and Reflection- begin with the end in mind .

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Qualitative and Quantitative Professional Practice Outcomes: (Measures the level of implementation of professional practices throughout the school) Instructional Strategies In the 2013-2014 school year, 100% of Croton teachers will implement “Thinking Maps” after having received training and materials. Classroom walk-throughs/observations, lesson plans, and student work products will provide evidence to support 100% of Croton teachers are implementing Thinking Maps. A data collection tool for tallying will be utilized.

Baseline data from a teacher survey indicated 29% of teachers reported they ‘always or often’ used graphic organizers to provide standards based instruction through all content areas. Our goal is to have 85% of teachers report on an end of year survey that using Thinking Maps helped provide their students with standards based instruction through all content areas.

In addition, the same teacher survey provided baseline data that only 14% of teachers believed students identified graphic organizers as a framework for organizing their ideas. Our goal is to have 85% of teachers report on an end of year survey that using Thinking Maps helped their students organize their ideas.

Management Strategies According to an end of year survey, 85% of teachers working with PBS Tier II students will report an observable increase in student motivation and achievement, and a decline with problematic behaviors due to implementation of PBS Tier II. PBS Tier II Forms will be on file and OPM sheets will accompany them.

Qualitative and Quantitative Student Achievement Expectations: (Measures student achievement)In May 2014, 85% of Croton students will demonstrate appropriate use of Thinking Maps across the curriculum. Through the pervasive implementation of Thinking Maps Croton students are expected to see academic gains.

Croton’s overall student body had 66% learning gains in Reading and 65% leaning gains in Math for the 2013 school year. Our goal is to increase these percentages to 69% in Reading and 68% in Math.

The lowest 25% made 67% learning gains in Reading and 65% learing gains in Math during 2013 school year, it is our goal to have these percentages increase to 70% for Reading and 68% for Math in 2014.

Croton’s primary grades,K-3, will also show gains according to FAIR. On average 60% of our K-3 students scored in the low risk category during the last assessment period of the FAIR in 2013. Our goal is tho have 65% of our K-3 students score within the low risk category during the last assessment period of the FAIR in 2014.

MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS (MTSS)/RtI This section meets the requirements of Sections 1114(b)(1)(B)(i)-(iv) and 1115(c)(1)(A)-(C), P.L. 107-110, NCLB, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6314(b).

2012-2013 Data

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During the 2012-2013 school year, teachers met weekly to analyze student data. Grade level Walk to Intervention time was established to provide extra instruction to close gaps in learning. The Teacher Data Teams collaborated on additional interventions and intensity. A Case Manager was named for each grade level. At Teacher Data Team meetings, the case manager reviewed paperwork pertaining to students that were not responding to interventions.

The MTSS Leadership Team is comprised of administration, guidance, Title I teachers, ESE resource teacher, and IPST members (psychologist, staffing specialist, behavior analyst) as needed. The 2012-2013 IPST presented the MTSS process for academics and behavior (PBS) at Faculty Meetings. The Literacy Coach provided additional support at the various Teacher Data Team meetings held weekly.

2013-2014 Data for Improvement

During weekly Team Meetings, teachers will review curriculum, instructional strategies, and/or student data. Intensive interventions will be provided for students who need extra support and progress will be monitored for achievement. Title I and school supply funds will be used for materials and substitutes when needed.

The leadership team will meet with teachers to monitor interventions and student response. Adjustments will be made as needed so resources can be maximized. Student lists and data are reviewed for the MTSS process. Administration also will provide opportunities for a variety of stakeholders, including SAC, to review the SIP and monitor progress monthly on meeting goals. All staff members also have an opportunity for providing input into the SIP, and have specific roles to complete (i.e. attend Professional Development, implement Thinking Maps, etc.).

In addition, since all teachers’ PGPs are linked to the SIP, they will be monitored at a minimum quarterly.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT: (Parent Survey Data must be referenced) Title I Schools may use the Parent Involvement Plan to meet the requirements of Sections 1114(b)(1)(F) and 1115(c)(1)(G), P.L. 107-110, NCLB, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6314(b). Consider the level of parental involvement at your school (this may include, but is not limited to, number of parent engagement opportunities offered in the school year; average number of parents in attendance at parent engagement opportunities; percent of parents who participated in parent engagement opportunities; percent of students in lowest performing quartile or subgroups not meeting AMOs whose parent(s) participated in one or more parent engagement opportunities).

Early Warning Systems (Formerly Attendance, Suspension, and Graduation Rate)

Croton’s attendance rate dropped from 95.46% in 2012 to 94.93% in 2013. Utilizing Croton’s school-wide PBS, teachers and administrators will reward classes for perfect attendance. Teachers will monitor attendance and tardies, addressing frequently. Absentee phone calls will continue. Letters with Board Policy will be sent to students once they reach five unexcused absences in a quarter.

All retained students and/or students who earned a Level 1 or 2 on FCAT will receive iii daily, and their progress will be monitored.

Tier II PBS will be implemented with students who have been identified by teachers as needing intensive intervention.

STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS (Required):

The student survey results brought up a variety of concerns. The one area we will focus on is the 21st Century

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skill of Organizational Skills. Over 38% of the students felt that planning, prioritizing, and budgeting were not being learned. We hope to decrease that number to no more than 30%. The use of Thinking Maps as an instructional strategy should support this focus.

(TITLE 1 SCHOOLS ONLY)

Highly Effective Teachers Describe the school based strategies that will be used to recruit and retain high quality, highly effective teachers to the school.

Descriptions of Strategy Person Responsible Projected Completion Date

1. Provide leadership opportunities for professional growth Administration ongoing

2. Teacher Recognition Administration ongoing

3. Peer collaboration and mentorship Administration, Mentor Teachers, and faculty ongoing

Non-Highly Effective Instructors Provide the number of instructional staff and paraprofessionals that are teaching out-of-field and/or who are not highly effective. *When using percentages, include the number of teachers the percentage represents (e.g., 70% [35]).

Number of staff and paraprofessionals that are teaching out-of-field/and who are not

highly effective

Provide the strategies that are being implemented to support the staff in becoming

highly effective

0 Not Applicable

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