appendix c - school cover sheet turnaround model district...

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Appendix C - SCHOOL COVER SHEET – Turnaround Model

School Name: Madison Middle Prep Address: 300 Old Hickory Blvd Madison, TN 37115

District Point of Contact (POC) Name & Position: Julie McCargar, Executive Director Federal Programs and Grants Phone#: 615.259.3282 x 858445 Email Address: [email protected]

School Number: District 545/State 0622

Principal’s Name SY 2012-13: Nancy Meador Principal's Name SY 2015-16: Kelli Lorton Phone #: 615-687-4018 Email Address: [email protected]

Grades Served: 5-8

Amount the LEA is requesting from School Improvement Funds Option 1 –Three years full implementation *Option 2 – Five years (planning, 3 years full implementation, and 1 year sustaining efforts OR 3 full years of implementation and 2 years of sustainability efforts. *Lesser amounts of funds are expected for planning and sustainability.

Three Year Grant - Full implementation Five Year Grant – Planning and/or sustainability included

School Year SIG Funds Budgeted School Year Indicate full, planning or sustainability

SIG Funds Budgeted

Year 1-SY 2015-16 Full Implementation

$ Year 1-SY 2015-16 Full $733,030

Year 2-SY 2016-17 Full implementation

$ Year 2-SY 2016-17

Full $198,200

Year 3-SY2017-18 Full Implementation

$ Year 3-SY 2017-18

Full $124,600

TOTAL $ Year 4-SY 2018-19

Sustainability $73,600

Year 5-SY 2019-20

Sustainability $73,600

TOTAL $1,203,030

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Turnaround Model

School Level Descriptive Information

Planning Tool NEEDS ASSESSMENT Template (LEA & School Plans) Available for entry in ePlan, May 1, 2015 PLANNING TEAM

Please identify all planning team members, including title.

Kelli Lorton, Principal Dr. Tammy Parsons, Assistant Principal Dr. Tonja Trice, Dean of Instruction Jamie Adams, Dean of Students Ellen O’Neal, Guidance Audrey Blakeman, ESL teacher Sarah Landing, ELA teacher Franklin Willis, choir teacher Angela Brown, Exceptional Education Lead Teacher Holly Lewis, ELA teacher Lacy Culp, math teacher Gretchen Osodipe, Consultant Nisha Garg, Consultant-Education Resource Strategies Kate Carpenter-Bernier, Consultant-Education Resource Strategies LaTonya Lewis, Madison parent

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SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS and WHAT’S WORKING

Summarize your accomplishments and what is working for students and why.

Madison Middle Prep Tennessee Value Added Growth

Year Subject NCE Growth

2012-2013 Math -3.7

2013-2104 Math 1.1

2012-2013 ELA -2.5

2013-2014 ELA -1.3

● 7th and 8th grade students showed growth in math and reading in 2013-2014. Suspensions

decreased between 2013 and 2014. This can be attributed to the addition of a Dean of Students. There was a classroom interventionist on staff for 120-days who assisted teachers with a variety of management strategies.

● Teacher attendance increased by 1.3%. ● Teacher evaluations improved. There was a 9.5% growth in level 4-5 from 2013 to 2014 and

there was a 37.6% decrease in level 1-2 from 2013 to 2014. We believe this is a direct result of teachers becoming more familiar with the TEAM evaluation process.

● There was a 3.4 % growth in proficiency for exceptional education students. This was a direct result of the addition of a special education facilitator that worked directly with the exceptional education staff at Madison. Read 180, an educational program that addressed the literacy needs of students, assisted with significant literacy deficiencies.

● There was 3% growth in proficiency for ELL students. This can be attributed to the hiring of full-time EL teacher who was able to provide academic and SEL supports to students in other content areas through the use of sheltered instruction.

● There was 3.4 % growth in proficiency in math overall for all students. This is possibly due to the implementation of targeted interventions.

There was a 10.7% growth in proficiency for subgroup white students possibly due to the implementation of targeted interventions.

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ACCOUNTABILITY DATA

Districts should reference the accountability data on the secure website for analysis. (http://tn.gov/education/districts/lea_operations.shtml)

Accountability Achievement Targets – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Madison Middle Math Achievement Data

Year Grade Percent Proficient or

Advanced AMO Target

2014 3-8 18.6 20.5

2013 3-8 15.2 21.4

2014 7 13.8 21.4

2013 7 18.5 26

High teacher turnover on a yearly basis has impacted Madison Middle Prep’s ability to reach their math AMO targets. Additionally, teachers have struggled with aligning the Tennessee State Standards along with tested SPIs. This confusion caused a lack of cohesiveness among standards taught and standards assessed in the classroom. Furthermore, there was a high amount of discipline referrals that caused students to spend more time out of the classroom and less time learning. The high mobility rate of students has also been a factor in Madison reaching and achieving academic gains. The student mobility rate was 42% in both the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years. The transient student population significantly impacts continuity of care of students and hinders academic achievement overall. Overall math scores improved from 15.2% - 18.6% from the 2012-13 SY to 2013-14 SY. The increase in math scores is as a result of teachers’ familiarity with the standards and the ability to teach the standards with higher levels of efficacy. Even though there was a growth measure of 5 in numeracy, Madison still showed low levels of proficiency overall.

http://tn.gov/education/districts/lea_operations.shtml

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Madison Middle ELA Achievement Data

Year Grade Percent Proficient or

Advanced AMO

Target

2014 3-8 24.0 28.4

2013 3-8 23.6 27.9

2014 7 16.4 26.6

2013 7 19.6 25.6

Although reading growth moved from 23.6% to 24% from 2012-13 to 2013-14, overall growth in reading has remained stagnant. During the 2013/2014 school year, literacy teachers aligned the Common Core State Standards along with SPIs. This crosswalk, along with the fact that Madison’s students are struggling readers achieving below the 50th percentile in ELA, caused lower levels of growth school-wide. Madison scored an overall growth measure of 1 which would indicate that there are substantial deficiencies in both literacy and math. These deficiencies can be attributed to Madison’s high teacher turnover rate. The percentage of teachers who leave Madison on a yearly basis is approximately 50%. Additionally, Madison’s students have literacy challenges that will be addressed and remediated during the 2014/2015 school year and beyond.

Teacher turnover rates and high student mobility have both hindered Madison’s ability to make any significant gains in any content area. Continuity of care is a critical factor in serving a high at-risk student population. Providing a safe and structured environment that supports consistency in educational services provided must be an area of focus in moving the forward.

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Accountability Gap Targets – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Math

Year Grade Subgroup Gap Closure

Target Gap Size Proficient or Advanced

2013 3-8 ED 2.7 3.8 10.1

2014 3-8 ED 2 4.6 13.7

2013 3-8 BHN 1.7 0.6 9.8

2014 3-8 BHN 0.2 2 12.5

Madison did not meet the gap closure target for 2012-2013 SY or 2013-2014 SY for Economically Disadvantaged students. Madison did not meet the gap closure target for 2013-2014 SY, but did meet it for 2012-2013 SY for BHN. Data collected from staff who were in the building during these school years have indicated that although data was collected it was not utilized in the lesson planning process in order to impact instructional decisions. In addition, staff felt there were additional behavioral challenges from students targeted in Tier 3 and Tier 4 groups. Professional development plans did not sufficiently address the needs of the teachers or students and were not monitored for accountability. Student mobility rates have been a persistent problem contributing to the low performance scores in all subject areas. Mobility rates have been at 42% during the last two school years making it very difficult to meet the academic deficiencies present in the Madison student population contains a high at-risk student population. Teacher turnover rates in the past several years has been 50% or higher with staffing changes in teachers and leadership occurring mid-year. Continuity of care and providing a structured learning environment is a critical component in achieving learning targets.

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Accountability Gap Targets – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

ELA

Year Grade Subgroup Gap Closure Target Gap Size Proficient or Advanced

2013 3-8 ED 4.3 6.8 19.6

2014 3-8 ED 4.1 5.3 21.4

2013 3-8 BHN 2.4 2.6 21.6

2014 3-8 BHN 2.3 2.6 19.8

For ELA, Madison Middle Prep did not meet any gap closure targets for any subgroup during the 2013/2014 SY. Data collected from staff who were in the building during these school years have indicated that although data was collected it was not utilized in the lesson planning process in order to impact instructional decisions. In addition, staff felt there were additional behavioral challenges with students targeted in Tier 3 and Tier 4 RTI groups. The behavior challenges hindered any progress that could have been gained by students. Professional development plans did not sufficiently address the needs of the teachers or students and were not monitored for accountability. Along the same lines, during intervention classes, teachers noted that the reading program entitled System 44 did not have enough seats to serve all of the students who needed to be served. The RTI curriculum entitled Read 180 was not implemented with fidelity; this hindered any progress the program could have provided. Again, high teacher turnover rates and student mobility rates of 42% over the past two years have significantly impacted continuity of care and the ability to provide an effective educational program at Madison Middle Prep. This inconsistency has created great disruptions within the building. The Replacement and reassignment of teachers mid-year has been an enormous factor in implementing an effective program of study. Students have responded negatively to these changes overall with increased disciplinary issues arising as a result.

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ACADEMIC DATA

Elementary/Middle Subjects

3-8 Reading/Language Arts – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Madison Middle Reading/Language Arts Data

Year Grade NCE

2013 5 34.7

2014 6 33.4

2013 6 35

2014 7 38.1

2013 7 32.1

2014 8 37.5

2013 8 32.7

The three year average for both 5th and 6th grades indicated students in the school made substantially less progress than the Standard for Academic Growth. Although the 2014 growth measure for 7th grade was a 3.1 which showed students made substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth, the overall three year average growth measure indicates less progress. Eighth grade students made substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth resulting in a 4.5 three year average growth measure. One of the challenges facing Madison over the last several years has been the high teacher turnover rate. This has impacted the overall effectiveness of instruction in the building in all content areas. It has also hindered the ability to grow capacity as it relates to growing strong professional development plans and improving building climate and culture. Teachers have articulated a growing concern for consistency in managing classroom behavior and a lack of support from administration in addressing these issues

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3-8 Mathematics – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Madison Middle Math Data

Year Grade NCE

2013 5 32.9

2014 6 36.3

2013 6 39.3

2014 7 44

2013 7 41.6

2014 8 43.5

2013 8 37.7

The three year average growth measure for 5th grade students indicated students made substantially less progress than the Standard for Academic Growth. Students in 6th grade showed progress equal or greater than the Standard for Academic Growth as a three year average. Seventh grade showed students made substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth with a three year growth measure of 3.8. Eighth grade showed a three year average growth measure indicating substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth after recovering from a -3.5 growth measure 2013. High teacher turnover on a yearly basis has impacted Madison Middle Prep’s ability to reach their math AMO targets. Additionally, teachers have struggled with aligning the Tennessee State Standards along with tested SPIs. This confusion caused a lack of cohesiveness among standards taught and standards assessed in the classroom. Furthermore, there was a high amount of discipline referrals that caused students to spend more time out of the classroom and less time learning.

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3-8 Science – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Madison Middle Science Data

Year Grade NCE

2013 5 33.6

2014 6 35.5

2013 6 37.7

2014 7 39.5

2013 7 34.2

2014 8 28.4

2013 8 24.9

While 6th and 7th grade at Madison made substantially made more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth, the three year average growth measure for 5th and 8th showed substantially negative growth. Again, teacher turnover and the need to move teachers to content areas less familiar to them due to staffing shortages has impacted the scores in all content areas, including science. The inability to provide stability in staffing has a direct impact on student achievement. Teacher resignations within the school year and an inability to fill these positions have resulted in larger than average class sizes.

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3-8 Social Studies – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Madison Middle Social Studies Data

Year Grade NCE

2013 5 36.1

2014 6 32.8

2013 6 37.5

2014 7 40.3

2013 7 41.4

2014 8 39.3

2013 8 35.3

The three year average growth measure in 7th grade indicates students making substantially more progress, while 5th, 6th, and 8th indicate a negative three year negative growth measure. In social studies, teachers have grappled with understanding how to use brain-based practices to enhance student retention, growth, and achievement. Social studies classes by are usually not students favorite subjects. The usual style of teaching includes lecturing and short answer. This does not increase a student’s ability to learn the information. The uniform lack of best practices caused students to lose interest and fail to learn at high levels. The teacher turnover rate and the mobility of students at Madison have significantly impacted achievement score gains. Teachers have been placed in content areas outside of their expertise due to staffing shortages. These factors do not provide the structures and the continuity of care needed to serve a high at-risk student population.

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High School Subjects

English I – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

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English II – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


English III – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


Algebra I – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


Algebra II – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


Biology I – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


US History – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


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Progress/Growth Data

TVAAS – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Madison Middle TVAAS Composites

Year Literacy Numeracy Literacy & Numeracy

Overall

2014 3.29 27.15 20.25 6.74

2013/2014 (Two Year Trend) -11.40 42.66 21.54 12.57

ELA The three year average for both 5th and 6th grade indicated students in the school made substantially less progress than the Standard for Academic Growth. Although the 2014 growth measure for 7th grade was a 3.1 which showed students made substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth, the overall three year average growth measure indicates less progress. Eighth grade students made substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth resulting in a 4.5 three year average growth measure. One of the challenges facing Madison over the last several years has been high teacher turnover rates. This has impacted the overall effectiveness of instruction in the building in all content areas. It has also hindered the ability to grow capacity as it relates to growing strong professional development plans and improving building climate and culture. Teachers have articulated a growing concern for consistency in managing classroom behavior and a lack of support from administration in addressing these issues. MATH The three average growth measure for 5th grade students indicated students made substantially less progress than the Standard for Academic Growth. Students in 6th grade showed progress equal or greater than the Standard for Academic Growth as a three average. Seventh showed students made substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth with a three year growth measure of 3.8. Eighth grade showed a three year average growth measure indicated substantially more progress than the Standard for Academic Growth after recovering from a -3.5 growth measure 2013.

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COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS

Explore/Plan/ACT – Analyze your data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.

Only 15% of Madison Middle Prep’s students received a score on the Explore assessment that shows that they are college and career ready. In English, 38% of Madison’s students met were at or above benchmark. 8% of math students and 14% of reading students were at or above benchmark. Only 9% of students in science met were at or above the required benchmark. The Explore scores for Madison Middle Preps show that their needs to be a school-wide plan to increase Tier I instruction instructional practices with a laser focus on brain-based strategies that will increase student retention across all subject areas. The challenges of recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers have continued to be a struggle for Madison. This has prevented the school from developing a solid professional development plan that is sustainable and grows the quality of instruction within the building. The lack of consistent teacher presence has also negatively impacted student behavior. Off-task behavior and poor behavior take away from the quality of Tier I instruction as teachers must spend instructional time in redirecting students. Student mobility has further contributed to the declining climate and culture of the building. These issues have hindered relationship and trust building.

Graduation Rate – Analyze the data and provide a summary of progress and challenges, identifying underlying reasons for each.


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SCHOOL CLIMATE and CULTURE

School Safety – Evaluate and summarize.

Madison Middle Prep has a full-time SRO, two Campus Supervisors and a Dean of Students. The school has a school social worker assigned to the middle school four days a week who meets with students. She also works with the guidance counselor to provide the “WhyTry” curriculum to students who have been identified as benefiting from group counseling. There is a building Crisis Plan to ensure school safety procedures are followed. All Madison staff and the student body are trained in the appropriate procedures to follow in cases of emergency, and drills are scheduled and executed as required. There are multiple security cameras in various parts of the facility which can be monitored from the SRO’s and administrators’ computer systems. The school has signs posted directing visitors to campus to report to the main office where their identity is verified and logged, and they are assigned a “Visitor” name badge. Any outside agency working with students (i.e. case managers) must show photo id which is then copied and put on file in the main office. Even though there was a drop in fights from the 2012-2013 school year to the 2013-2014 school year, there are still a number of safety areas that need to be addressed at Madison Middle Prep. This data shows that there are cultural and climate issues that pertain to teachers and students personal safety. Students who are positively engaged in their school community and academic pursuits are usually not inclined to exhibit negative violent behavior on this level. Other disciplinary incidents pertaining to school safety are shown in the table below:

Type of Incident 2012-2013 2013-2014

Fights 214 184

Assault of Student 18 23

Assault of Staff 4 4

Possession of Weapon other than a Firearm 3 4

Poss/use/distrib/ of illegal drugs 6 6

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Discipline – Evaluate and summarize disciplinary actions, suspensions, expulsions, etc. (by subgroups including racial/ethnic, ED, SWD, EL, male/female).

Subgroup 2013-2014

Male 1207 incidences came from 258 male students which is 47.8% of the male population

Female 600 incidences came from 157 female students which is 33.3% of the female population

ED 1807 incidences came from 415 students which is 41% of the 1011 students who attended Madison Middle over the course of the 2013-2014 SY

SWD 434 incidences came from 71 students which is 53.4% of the population of students with disabilities

AA/Black 1517 incidences came from 316 students which is 48.2% of the total population

Hispanic 78 incidences came from 34 students which is 21.8% of the total population

The data in the table provided above would suggest that African-American students have overwhelmingly been involved in more disciplinary incidents than any other ethnicity at Madison, specifically AA male students. Approximately 85% of incidents involved African-American students in both 2012-2013 and 2013-2014. In both of these same years male students received approximately 66% of these disciplinary referrals. Only 65 incidents were committed by Hispanic/Latino students in 2012-13 which is 3% of the total incidents. White students were involved in 217 incidents in 2012-2013 resulting in about 11% of total incidents. Data for the 2013-2014 stayed similar for these two groups with 4% of Hispanic students involved in incidents and 12% of whites. Students with disabilities represented 29% of the recorded incidents in 2013-2014. This was down 4% from 2012-2013, when 32% of of SWD were involved in incidents. Only 12% of the of 744 students in the student body were ELL during the 2013-2014 school year. Only 25 out of 1807 incidents involved ELL students. Male students were involved in 67% of incidents in 2013-2014, up 1% from 2012-2013. There were 123 fewer reported incidents in 2013-2014 than in 2012-2013 as well as 55 fewer resulting in days suspended. Madison only had 1 expulsion in 2012-2013 and none in 2013-2014.

TELL (or Other) Survey – Evaluate and summarize.

Only 55.36% of the teachers responded to the survey which is substantially lower than the district average of 79.17% and the middle school average of 78.40% respectively. The percentage of teachers who did complete the survey responded less favorable to five of the seven questions posed concerning time as compared to the overall district and middle school averages. Only 63.3% of teachers felt they have sufficient time to meet the educational needs of the students and only 67.7% of teachers felt they had enough time to collaborate with colleagues. Only 64.5% of teachers felt they are allowed to focus on educating students with minimal disruptions.

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TELL (or Other) Survey – Evaluate and summarize.

Madison scored less favorable than the district and middle school averages in eight out of the eight questions posed concerning community support and involvement. Only 24.1% of teachers agreeing that parents/guardians are influential decision makers in the school. Only 35.5% of teachers agreed that parents/guardians support teachers and contribute to their success with students. Only 64.3% of teachers agreed that parents/guardians know what is going on in the school. Madison teachers also scored lower on district and middle school averaged on questions related to managing student conduct with only 64.5% of teachers agreeing that students at the school understand expectations for their conduct and only 16.1% of students at the school following the rules of conduct. This was approximately 50% lower than the district middle school average. It should also be noted that only 53.3% of the Madison teachers responded agreed that teachers consistently enforce rules for student conduct where the district middle school average was approximately 78% of teachers agreeing teachers consistently enforce rules for students. Only 58.1% of Madison teachers agreed that policies and procedures about student conduct are clearly understood by faculty, which is 22% lower than the district middle school average of 80.2%. Madison teachers scored lower than the district and middle school averages in six of eight question posed concerning teacher leadership. Only 59.3% of teachers agreed that the faculty has an effective process for making group decisions and only 51.7% of teachers agreeing that teachers have an appropriate level of influence on decision making in the school. These were both considerable lower than district and middle school overages. Only 54.8% of teachers surveyed agreed there is an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect as it pertains to school leadership. This is 20% lower than the district and middle school overall averages. The teachers surveyed scored lower than district and middle school averages in 14 of the 20 questions posed around leadership and sustained efforts to address teacher concerns in various areas. Teacher surveyed agreed less favorably in nine of thirteen areas pertaining to professional development. Only 35.7% of teachers agreed that professional development is evaluated and results are communicated to teachers. 53% of teachers agreed that PD is differentiated to meet the needs of the individual teachers, while 30% of teachers agreed the PD provided teachers with strategies to involve families and other community members as active partners in their children’s education. Teachers surveyed agreed less favorable in eleven of seventeen questions posed concerning instructional practices and support with only 64.3% of the teacher agreeing that teachers work in professional learning communities to develop and align instructional practices and 55.2% of teachers surveyed agreeing that teachers collaborate to achieve consistency on how student work is assessed. Only 66.7% of teachers agreed that teachers have knowledge of the content covered and instructional methods used by other teachers at the school.

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Parent & Student Surveys – How do you evaluate and analyze parent and student needs? Evaluate and summarize any survey results, if applicable.

MNPS administered a district-wide Parent Survey during the 2014-15 school year. The majority of the survey addresses school climate issues, which are especially relevant to monitoring school needs and the potential impact of programming within the Community Achieves pillars of Family Engagement and Health and Wellness. In the survey, the following constructs were addressed:

1. School Safety - 62% of parents feel their child has been affected by bullying and harassment. We feel this is directly related to the culture and climate of the building where a lack of structured discipline affects the students in the classroom.

2. School Climate - 65% of parents would not recommend Madison Middle to their family and friends. We feel this is directly related to the lack of parent communications regarding the school. Parent involvement has been limited at Madison; therefore, many parents are unaware of what is actually occurring in the building.

3. School Academics - 73% of parents do not feel that Madison keeps their child on track for high school, college, or life after high school. Due to the lack of parent interaction with the school, the opportunity to communicate to parents regarding the high school track is one that is limited as well.

4. Parent Connectedness: Communication - 43% of parents do not feel the school values family involvement and builds positive ties between school and home. There has not been a positive parent turnout for many of the school meeting this year nor has there been a large degree of participation in surveys sent home to parents. This leaves limited opportunities for relationships to be formed between home and schools and chances to understand what the various families value in their homes.

5. Parent Connectedness: Opportunities - 75% of parents do not feel the school recognizes them for their time and effort as a volunteer. 67% of parents do not feel as though they are trained as volunteers, and 71% of parents do not feel that volunteering time is flexed so they can participate. The high response of negative feedback could come from the fact that even though there are a small number of parents who participate at the school, the school is not communicating with parents regularly and building in those opportunities for those parents to participate. Parents have not been recognized in the past for their participation as well, nor has there been an individual whose focus was to keep parent involvement at the forefront of the school’s priorities.

6. Parent Connectedness: Engagement- 57% of parents do not feel the school provides information on how to academically assist their child with skills needing improvement. This may be caused by the lack of participation of families who attend events that center on academic improvement. Frequent communication has not occurred following benchmark assessments. Students have not lead in their own data conferences with parents present. There has also been a low turnout for parent teacher conferences as well.

7. Program Fit - 57% of parents do not believe the school is a good fit. We believe that the belief regarding lack of good fit might be tied to the lack of relationship building taking place between all stakeholders - parents, students, and teachers. If there were solid relationships with our families, the families would be more likely to understand the goals of the school and the variety of actions taking place to support these goals.

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Parent Survey Data Winter 2014: Average Score (Scale 1-5, 5=Strong Performance)

Madison Average

District Average

My child has been affected by violence and/or weapons at this school. 3.3 4.21

My child is safe at school. 3.75 4.34

My child has been affected by bullying and/or harassment at this school 3.5 3.81

The school has communicated to me clearly what the school rules are. 4.13 4.39

My child is safe at school-sponsored events (outside of regular school hours).

3.8 4.26

My child has been affected by drugs and/or alcohol at this school 4.11 4.27

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Other – Summarize other factors impacting climate and culture.

The student mobility rate of Madison Middle Prep was at 42% in 2013-2014 making it difficult to thoroughly address the academic and social/emotional needs of a high at-risk student population. In addition, data shows that the level of experience was 1-3 years for at least 11 teachers and 4-10 years for an additional 16 teachers, meaning almost ⅔ of the instructional staff possibly lack the expertise needed to address the needs of the Madison’s students.

ADDITIONAL AREAS

RTI2 / Student Interventions & Supports – How are timely interventions and student services provided to support individual needs?

RTI was implemented during the 2014-2015 school year by adding a 60 minute block at the end of the school day school-wide, five days per week. A full-time Interventionist was utilized to support the implementation of this program and track student progress. Madison also employed a part-time (120 days) Consultant Teacher to support new teachers and helps support the RTI program. Exceptional Education students’ needs are addressed through the employment of a full-time Special Ed. Coach/Facilitator. This person supports EE teachers and ensures IEP compliance and EE student needs are being addressed in the building.

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Professional Development – Describe your PD plan, how it focuses on improving instruction, and is aligned with student needs.

This year Madison had the following instructional goals, 1. All ELA and math teachers will use knowledge of standards to create formative assessments to plan and modify instruction (addressing misconceptions) and to increase mastery and student understanding 2. All teachers will analyze student data (including student writing samples, math open response problems (constructed response) and multiple choice items to drive both whole group and small group teaching/re-teaching. These goals served as the “north star” in terms of teacher professional development and leader observation and feedback. The Madison professional development plan for this year is characterized by three main actions:

1. Leadership coaching and professional development for the leadership team

2. Teacher support and development focused on data driven instruction (DDI) and planning

during grade level planning periods

3. Teacher support and development during school-wide professional development session.

Regarding leadership coaching and professional development Madison partnered with the

Achievement Network, and a coach from the Achieve Network met with the school

leaders/leadership team an average of three times a month in addition to phone and weekly

check-ins for the first semester. The goals of the PD for leaders were to: 1. Build expertise and

opinions about standards and instruction 2. Build expertise and opinions about school wide-

data 3. Set and pursue a limited set of school wide priorities and 4. Develop leadership team

to deepen impact across the school.

Regarding teacher support and development focused on DDI and planning, Madison leadership (the principal, assistant principals and a consultant from Achievement Network) facilitated weekly trainings during teachers’ common planning periods. Finally, through partnership w/ the Achievement Network, teachers were invited to attend monthly PD on a range of topics aligned w/ the school's’ academic priorities and goals. The focus on Data-Driven instruction was necessary as student performance in ELA was only 24%, and Math was only 18.6S%. Given that only approximately a quarter of students in ELA, and less than a quarter of students were proficient at grade level instruction, it was imperative to train and support teachers in better being able to understand what the data was saying about the strengths and weaknesses of instruction to enable them to re-teach.

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Highly Qualified & Effective Teachers – Describe how you recruit, retain and evaluate teachers.

Madison is being supported in hiring HQ instructional staff through the efforts of the District’s Human Capital department who has made concerted efforts to develop a more stringent hiring process of HQ turnaround teachers, administrators and coaches. Applicants from the turnaround hiring pools were interviewed and selected whenever possible in making hiring decisions for the 2015-2016 school year. In addition, those turnaround educators selected for priority school assignment will be rewarded for their instructional skills and knowledge through hiring and performance bonuses. All Metropolitan Nashville teachers are evaluated through the TEAM evaluation process, which includes growth in student academic achievement. Teacher turnover has been an obstacle in sustained school improvement efforts. Information gathered from the TELL survey indicates the following teacher perceptions with regard to the level of agreement or disagreement to the following statements. TELL Survey Results Comparison: Percent of Teachers Agreeing to Statement

2015 2014

Teachers have sufficient access to appropriate instructional materials. 77.4% 87.1%

Teachers have sufficient access to instructional technology, including computers, printers, software and internet access. 58.1% 83.9%

Teachers have access to reliable communications technology, including phones, faxes and email. 80.0% 100.0%

Teachers have sufficient access to office equipment and supplies such as copy machines, paper, pens, etc. 56.7% 93.5%

Teachers have sufficient access to a broad range of professional support personnel 60.0% 90.3%

The school environment is clean and well maintained. 74.2% 80.6%

Teachers have adequate space to work productively. 93.3% 83.3%

The physical environment of classrooms in this school supports teaching and learning. 75.0% 87.1%

The reliability and speed of Internet connections in this school are sufficient to support instructional practices. 55.2% 67.7%

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Parent and Community Involvement – Describe strengths and challenges around parent and community involvement.

There is currently no parent organization (PTA or PTO) at Madison which has significantly hindered the ability of the school to address parental/community concerns or garner parent/community input in making school decisions. The newly hired leadership team and Madison staff will make this a priority in Madison’s turnaround efforts going forward by establishing a parent site council and improving communication between the school and families. Plans are being formulated in partnership with the Community Achieves department members to address this issue. Madison currently has a Family Resource Center that employs a full-time person to provide and connect families to much needed household necessities and counseling services; however, the number of families served through this program has been underutilized. Madison leadership will work in conjunction with district personnel to elevate awareness of this program and services provided to benefit families. Results from the 2015 TELL survey showed some improvement in teachers’ perceptions of parent and community involvement; however, this area needs additional attention and enhanced effort in order to improve. TELL Survey Results Comparison: Percent of Teachers Agreeing to Statement

2015 2014

Parents/guardians are influential decision makers in this school 51.7% 24.1%

This school maintains clear, two-way communication with parents/guardians and the community. 80.6% 74.2%

This school does a good job of encouraging parent/guardian involvement. 82.1% 83.9%

Teachers provide parents/guardians with useful information about student learning. 80.0% 79.3%

Parents/guardians know what is going on in this school 72.4% 64.3%

Parents/guardians support teachers, contributing to their success with students. 51.7% 35.5%

Community members support teachers, contributing to their success with students. 82.8% 62.1%

The community we serve is supportive of this school 82.8% 71.4%

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Communicating Assessment Results – How do you analyze and communicate assessment results to stakeholders?

The TELL survey would indicate that assessment results are adequately shared with faculty and staff members assigned to Madison, however additional efforts are needed to extend this information to students, families and community members. Students will engage in ongoing progress monitoring within the school day with their core content teachers. Students will be able to articulate their areas of academic strength as well as work with their teachers in establishing goals and action plans to address deficiencies. Course grades, formative and summative test scores and college and career readiness will be utilized in this evaluation. Madison will continue its work with ANET as a partner in providing these assessments and interpreting progress. In addition, the building will focus on improving the RTI model and monitoring student growth through the use of AIMSWEB. Advisory teachers will be required to communicate student progress through daily focused check-ins and quarterly reports to families. Building assessment results will be shared with parent and community members through monthly Site Council meetings beginning in 2015-2016.

Technology – Describe strengths and challenges around technology.

Technology is a serious issue at Madison. Outdated and limited resources significantly impact the ability of teachers and students to access the benefits of technology in the academic setting. Limited funds have hindered the ability to acquire these educational tools.

PRIORITIZED LIST OF NEEDS

List, in priority order, your areas of need as identified through the needs assessment. Prioritizing needs will identify the most critical areas where your work will begin with the creation of goals and strategies.

Review of the data in the needs assessment has revealed the following as the highest priorities:

1. Balance Close Reading and other types of reading instruction (volume of reading, reading to building content, skills based, etc.) to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to become strong readers.

2. Build student understanding through the use of models and by encouraging multiple solution methods while focusing on the major work of the grade to understand the demands and aspects of rigor called for by the standards.

3. Improved building-wide climate and culture through the use of techniques which put students on the path to college and as well as increasing student accountability through the demonstration of responsible decision-making

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Turnaround Model

School Name: Madison Middle Prep

Comprehensive Needs Assessment: 1. What overall conclusions can be drawn from the needs assessment?

Madison Middle is in dire need of interventions that will address the literacy, math, and climate-culture deficits that currently exist. Immediate attention must be given to the improvement of Tier 1 instruction in the core subjects. There a high percentage of students that are not reading at grade-level and our mission is to equip all students with the knowledge and tools needed to become college and career ready. Data indicators have revealed the need for equipping our students with highly effective reading and writing strategies that improve their ability to attain higher levels of reading proficiency. Additionally, data indicators have revealed significant learning gaps in student understanding in the area of mathematics. The focus must be on conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts and building capacity in which students can apply multiple strategies for problem-solving. Lastly, the needs assessment overwhelming revealed the need for additional supports for creating a positive climate and culture at Madison Middle.

2. How does the selected intervention model align with the school’s needs?

The turnaround model allows Madison Middle to replace ineffective teachers with teachers who have exhibited characteristics required for success in a priority school. This model requires the replacement of the executive principal and the flexibility of that principal to recruit and hire a new leadership team. Within the model, additional time can be allocated for staff to collaborate, plan, and receive ongoing-high quality, job-embedded professional development. Students will also have increased time during the school year with a focus on instruction in core academics and opportunities for enrichment. This model also gives flexibility to the school leader allowing them to fully implement the model which best supports the school’s vision and allocates funding to the appropriate areas of need.

If the LEA has begun in whole or in part a turnaround intervention model during the current school year (SY 2014-15) or during the two years prior, and wishes to continue, describe the actions that have been taken up to the present that are relative to the turnaround requirements. Cite evidence of the impact of the model on the school to date.

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Annual Goals for Reading/Language Arts on State assessments for “all students” group and for each identified subgroup.

1. School Year (SY) 2015-2016: 35.4% P/A

2. SY 2016-2017: 45.0% P/A

3. SY 2017-2018: 53.2% P/A

School Number/Name: 545/0622 Madison MS

Subgroup

Read/LA % Proficient/Advanced

2015* 2016 Goal 2017 Goal 2018 Goal

All Students 24.0 35.4 45.0 53.2

White 36.7 46.2 54.2 61.0

Hispanic 26.1 37.1 46.5 54.5

Black 20.0 32.0 42.1 50.8

Asian

Native American

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Economically Disadvantaged 23.3 34.8 44.5 52.8

Students with Disabilities 27.3 38.2 47.4 55.3

English Language Learners 6.8 20.7 32.6 42.6

Black/Hispanic/Native American 21.4 33.1 43.1 51.6

MNPS has established ambitious goals for students in the all student category scoring proficient/advanced in reading resulting in 30 percentage point or greater in three years. For our Priority schools, MNPS has modified the state’s approach to AMO setting to establish more ambitious annual goals. The goals are not adjusted annually, so that the long-term trajectory toward 2018 success will be maintained. Annual increases in each subject are established by multiplying the target increase from the state AMO process by a number that will result in a 30 percentage point increase over three years. In other words, schools must maintain progress over time at a pace that ranges between 215% and 262% of the annual AMO improvement target. These same multipliers can be applied to set goals for each subgroup that ensures the school meets the all student target while narrowing the achieving gap.

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Since we do not yet have complete 2015 school level data, the 2014 state accountability proficiency rates for each Priority school are used as the baseline in the goal setting process. When the new information is available, we will adjust the baseline to replace 2014 results with 2015 data. The three-year success rate based upon these targets is computed for 2016-2018. If this rate does not exceed the minimum success rate that is projected to be above the fifth percentile statewide, the annual school goals are adjusted upward. All of the school targets are based upon current assessments and performance standards. As TNReady assessments are implemented in 2015-16 and new performance standards are set, school goals will be adjusted to the new metrics.

Quarterly Milestones – Reading/Language Arts 1. What formative assessment will the LEA consistently use at least quarterly to measure student progress?

MNPS has established ambitious goals for students in the all student category scoring proficient/advanced in reading resulting in 30 percentage point or greater in three years. AIMSWeb assessments will be administered in September and utilized as the baseline data for the first quarter milestone meeting to determine how many students have the skills to access the academic standards. For the second, third and fourth quarter formative assessments, the district is currently developing interim benchmark assessments in Reading/Language Arts for grades 3-11. District staff and content expert teachers within the district are redesigning the district’s scope and sequence. They will work together this summer to identify test items in an item bank purchased from Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) that are aligned to the state’s new academic standards and to construct these formative assessments. Beginning this fall, the district assessments will be administered in every school three times per year utilizing the district’s Schoolnet assessment and reporting platform.

2. What are quarterly milestone goals for reading/language arts on formative assessments for the “all students” group for School Year

2015-2016? (to be updated annually for renewal of the grant)

Process for SY2015 - 2016 The eventual goal is to develop interim benchmark assessments that are predictive of performance on state mandated TNReady assessments. That will not be possible in 2015-16, since the new performance standards will not be established until after the coming school year. However, performance on the benchmarks will still allow district staff to monitor relative performance of schools. The TDOE has proposed a similar relative approach during the 2015-16 transition to new academic performance standards.

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Annual Goals for mathematics on State assessments for “all students” group and for each identified subgroup.

1. School Year (SY) 2015-2016: 30.8% P/A

2. SY 2016-2017: 41.1%

3. SY 2017-2018: 49.9%

School Number/Name: 545/0622 Madison MS

Subgroup

Math % Proficient/Advanced

2015* 2016 Goal 2017 Goal 2018 Goal

All Students 18.6 30.8 41.1 49.9

White 27.2 38.1 47.3 55.2

Hispanic 24.4 35.7 45.3 53.5

Black 14.6 27.4 38.2 47.4

Asian

Native American

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Economically Disadvantaged 18.2 30.4 40.8 49.7

Students with Disabilities 18.8 30.9 41.2 50.0

English Language Learners 11.3 24.5 35.8 45.4

Black/Hispanic/Native American 16.5 29.0 39.6 48.6

For our Priority schools, MNPS has modified the state’s approach to set more ambitious annual goals in Math for the next three years, 2016-2018. Like Reading/LA, the goals are not adjusted annually, so that the long-term trajectory toward 2018 success will be maintained. Annual increases in each subject are established by multiplying the target increase from the state AMO process by a number that will result in a 30 percentage point increase over three years. These same multipliers can be applied to set goals for each subgroup that ensures the school meets the all student target while narrowing the achieving gap.

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Since we do not yet have complete 2015 school level data, the 2014 state accountability proficiency rates for each Priority school are used as the baseline in the goal setting process. When the new information is available, we will adjust the baseline to replace 2014 results with 2015 data. The three-year success rate based upon these targets is computed for 2016-2018. If this rate does not exceed the minimum success rate that is projected to be above the fifth percentile statewide, the annual school goals are adjusted upward. All of the school targets are based upon current assessments and performance standards. As TNReady assessments are implemented in 2015-16 and new performance standards are set, school goals will be adjusted to the new metrics.

Quarterly Milestones – Mathematics 1. What formative assessment will the LEA consistently use at least quarterly to measure student progress?

MNPS has established ambitious goals for students in the all student category scoring proficient/advanced in Mathematics resulting in 30 percentage point or greater in three years. AIMSWeb assessments will be administered in September and utilized as the baseline data for the first quarter milestone meeting to determine how many students have the skills to access the academic standards. For the second, third and fourth quarter formative assessments, the district is currently developing interim benchmark assessments in Mathematics for grades 3-11. District staff and content expert teachers within the district are redesigning the district’s scope and sequence. They will work together this summer to identify test items in an item bank purchased from Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) that are aligned to the state’s new academic standards and to construct these formative assessments. Beginning this fall, the district assessments will be administered in every school three times per year utilizing the district’s Schoolnet assessment and reporting platform.

2. What are quarterly milestone goals for mathematics on formative assessments for the “all students” group for School Year 2015-2016?

(to be updated annually for renewal of the grant)

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Process for SY2015 - 2016 The same approach used for Reading/LA will be used for Mathematics with the eventual goal of developing interim benchmark assessments that are predictive of performance on state mandated TNReady assessments. As previously stated, that will not be possible in 2015-16, since the new performance standards will not be established until after the coming school year. However, performance on the benchmarks will still allow district staff to monitor relative performance of schools. The TDOE has proposed a similar relative approach during the 2015-16 transition to new academic performance standards.

1. While the TDOE will rank districts and schools statewide with TNReady results to see if they maintain their ranking over time, we will rank schools within each tier following each interim assessment. Based upon past performance, we anticipate that Priority schools will generally rank among the bottom 5% of the district’s schools on the first benchmark early in the school year.

2. By the second benchmark, the goal will be for all Priority schools to be above the district’s 5th percentile. 3. By the third benchmark, shortly before the spring TNReady assessment, the goal is for all Priority schools to be above the 10th

percentile. 4. The end-of-year goal will be for all Priority schools to surpass the district and state 10th percentile on the 2015-16 TNReady.

Process for SY2016 – 2017 and SY2017 - 2018 After results from the 2015-16 state assessments become available, district staff will correlate those results with interim benchmark data to determine 2016-17 interim cut scores that should be predictive of future TNReady performance. Each benchmark will provide an estimate of the percentage of students on track to reach proficiency on TNReady. This will provide district and school staff with summative academic performance data four times per year – results from the three interim benchmarks followed by state assessment results at the end of the year.

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Turnaround Model - Design and Implementation of Intervention Model

(LEA must implement elements 1-9.)

Action steps and a timeline for implementation are required for each element.

If the LEA elects to implement the grant during a three year period, please ensure that the timeline for full implementation begins at the start

of the first school year and continues for the two subsequent years.

If the LEA elects to implement the grant during the five year period, please ensure that the timeframe includes a year for planning, three

years of full implementation and a year of sustainability or three years of full implementation and two years of sustainability.

Element 1

Replace the principal who led the school prior to commencement of the intervention model. * This element is applicable to principals employed prior to School Year 2012-13. A principal who began employment in the school in School Year 2012-13 or afterward, may remain as long as he/she was hired as part of a broader reform and has expertise in school turnaround.

Principal will not be replaced. What is the rationale for retaining the principal to lead school turnaround?

Principal will be replaced. What is the timeline for naming a new principal and what selection criteria will be used?

1b. Describe the operational flexibilities that will be granted to the principal?

2. Provide action steps and a timeline the school will undertake to support this element.

Response: Turnaround Leader Recruitment

MNPS recruited leaders from across the country beginning November, 2014, and named the Priority School leaders by January, 2015. We identified impressive potential candidates by garnering referrals from current principals/leadership and researching successful principals in Broad Prize-winning districts and other innovative turnaround schools/districts. We developed a list of potential candidates, and initiated a 1:1 direct recruitment campaign. Current MNPS principals were eligible to apply but were required to complete all selection activities and meet cut scores for consideration.

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Turnaround Leader Selection Competencies

The MNPS Turnaround Leader selection process was adapted from the New Leaders Framework selection process and Public Impact’s School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success work.

In spring, 2014, MNPS implemented New Leaders’ selection process for both principals and assistant principals. This rigorous and intensive process is designed around six selection criteria:

1. Personal Leadership – the candidate demonstrates reflection and continuous improvement; engages others effectively through strong communication, cultural competence, and interpersonal relationships; and leads adults to intended outcomes while managing the change process

2. Learning and Teaching/Data-Driven Instruction – the candidate leads learning and teaching by implementing a standards-based curriculum; establishes and monitors systems and process to plan, implement, and monitor instruction; builds capacity for in-depth data analysis to drive and adjust instruction; and ensures interventions meet diverse student needs

3. Vision, Mission, and Strategic Planning – the candidate creates and implements a shared vision for student success and continuously analyzes data to formulate a strategic plan and monitor progress toward school-wide goals

4. Systems and Operations – the candidate creates and implements operational systems and structures aligned to the vision and mission and utilizes effective communication systems to engage all stakeholders

5. School Culture and Family and Community Engagement – the candidate inspires commitment to high levels of students achievement through creating a respectful and trusting learning community; implements systems, routines, behaviors and a code of conduct that prioritize learning; and engages family and community members in student learning

6. Human Capital Management – the candidate maintains a high-performing staff team by recruiting and hiring individuals with skills that align with school needs; ensures aligned professional development and leadership opportunities exist for all staff; and effectively evaluates staff through observations, feedback, and performance monitoring

All priority school principals, whether newly hired or reappointed, have been screened through the New Leaders Framework selection process. Additionally, for our Turnaround Leaders, MNPS used Public Impact’s Turnaround Competencies and corresponding selection questions to assess turnaround knowledge and skills. This process is designed around an additional four competencies:

1. Driving for Results – the candidate possesses the drive and actions to 1) set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance despite barriers; 2) do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a challenging task; 3) set clear expectations and hold others accountable for performance; and 4) plan in order to derive future benefit or avoid problems

2. Influencing for Results – the candidate 1) acts with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking, and actions of others; 2) assumes authoritative leadership of a group for the benefit of the organization; and 3) influences with the specific intent to increase the short- and long-term effectiveness of another person

3. Problem Solving – the candidate demonstrates the ability to 1) break things down in a logical way and to recognize cause and effect; and 2) see patterns and links among seemingly unrelated things

4. Showing Confidence to Lead – the candidate has a personal belief in his/her ability to accomplish tasks and acts in a way that reflects that belief

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Turnaround Leader Selection Process

The four-phase selection process includes: • Phase 1: Candidate Screening – Beyond the normal screening for licensure and experience eligibility, we screen candidates based on their

responses to an education beliefs survey and a data-driven instruction survey, their evaluation ratings from the last 2 years, and their prior adult leadership roles beyond the principalship.

• Phase 2: Selection Activities – Candidates who successful move forward to Phase 2 receive instruction to complete four selection activities on their own time, to return to the district in one week’s time. The selection activities include 1) viewing an instructional video and answering questions targeted at pedagogical knowledge and instruction; 2) reading a school case study and answering questions targeted at prioritizing problems, setting goals, and developing action steps; 3) analyzing an assessment and student data over time, identifying trends, develop an instructional plan, and leading a team through strategic action steps; and watching an adult leadership video and answering questions targeted at leading and supporting adults to drive results.

• Phase 3: Finalist Interviews – Candidates who successful move forward to Phase 3 participate in four interviews: 1) a case study interview, designed to drill down on the Phase 2 case study activity, further assesses the candidate’s ability to set goals and develop action plans; 2) a role play interview, which requires the candidate to demonstrate knowledge and skill at working through a difficult school situation; 3) a panel interview made up of community members, teachers, and other stakeholders is designed to gain insight into the candidate’s knowledge of school culture and personal leadership; and 4) a reflection interview, which provides an opportunity for the district to assess the candidate’s ability to identify his/her areas for growth and seek feedback.

• Phase 4: Reference Check – Once all reference checks have been completed and the candidate’s performance has been verified, the candidate is eligible for a principal position in MNPS.

New Leaders’ Finalist Interview phase includes recommended questions to assess leader competencies. In addition, we will use questions identified by Public Impact to assess turnaround competencies. These questions are designed to specifically assess the candidate’s ability to turnaround a school, and include questions that are likely to be most predictive of success for turnaround leaders, require use of the turnaround competencies, and distinguish candidates who would perform well in a turnaround school versus other schools. Both New Leaders and Public Impact have detailed rubrics to accompany their selection processes; MNPS selection staff was retrained in the New Leaders Framework selection process and trained in the Public Impact process prior to selection of the Turnaround Leaders.

Principal Decision MNPS Leadership made the decision to replace the principal for SY2015-2016.

SIG Funds Budgeted to Support Element:

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Element 2

Use locally adopted competencies to measure the effectiveness of staff who can work within the turnaround environment to meet the needs of

students

(A) Screen all existing staff and rehire no more than 50 percent; and

(B) Select new staff

1. What is the plan for screening and rehiring of staff?

2. How will new staff be selected?


Response:

1. SY13-14 TEAM evaluation data was used as the initial source for screening teachers and making personnel decisions utilizing the following framework.

Teachers at the school during SY 2014-2015 who were evaluated with a TEAM composite score of 3 or above and demonstrated commitment to the turnaround model under the principal’s leadership were rehired for SY 2015-2016.

Teachers with a TEAM composite score of 2 or below are not rehired for SY 2015-2016.

The district reviewed the staffing of the school for SY 2012-2013 to ensure that not more than 50% of the teaching staff appointed for SY 2015 – 2016 remained.

2. The principal has full authority for new staffing decisions within the following framework.

Principal interviews and selects teachers from a pool of teachers who have been screened by the district’s New Teachers’ Selection

process, which includes TEAM indicators

Principal interviews and selects teachers eligible for transfer with a TEAM composite score of 3 or above

Principal interviews and selects teachers from the MNPS Turnaround Teachers Corps who receive a $2,500 incentive and an 11

month contract subsidized by the district

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Action Step Position

Responsible Timeline for Completion

Desired Outcome Required Resources

Title: Screening and Staffing

Description: Principal screens and rehires no more than 50% of staff for SY15-16

Principal Spring 2015 School staffed with effective teachers Priority School Planning Grant

Local

Title: Hiring of New Teachers and Transfers

Description: Principal hires new and transfer teachers

Principal Spring 2015 /annually

Schools staffed with the most effective teachers aligned with the school’s turnaround plan

SIG

iZone Grant

Local Funds


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Element 3

Implement such strategies as financial incentives, increased opportunities for promotion and career growth, and more flexible work conditions

that are designed to recruit, place, and retain staff with the skills necessary to meet the needs of the students in the turnaround school

1. What strategies will be used to recruit, place and retain staff with the skills necessary to meet the needs of students in a turnaround school?


Response:

MNPS recruits staff with the skills necessary to meet the needs of the students in the priority school by providing it with:

a. Great turnaround leaders as identified through the district’s New Leaders’ Framework

b. Preferential hiring of teachers who have been screened by the district’s New Teachers’ Selection process, which includes TEAM

indicators

c. Preferential hiring of teachers eligible for transfer with a TEAM composite score of 3 or above

d. An opportunity to hire teachers from the MNPS Turnaround Teachers Corps who receive a $2,500 incentive and an 11 month contract

subsidized by the district

e. Financial incentives subsidized by the district to recruit and hire highly effective teachers

MNPS assists priority schools to retain staff with the skills necessary to meet the needs of the students in the schools by:

a. Assisting the school to differentiate its support to teachers based on their effectiveness and years of experience

b. Developing and implementing a new teacher induction and mentoring program for priority schools

c. Providing special networking events with educators from other iZone schools through annual summer Turnaround Institutes and

follow-up opportunities

d. Providing opportunities for teachers to serve on the iZone advisory committee

e. Assisting the school to analyze TELL survey results to monitor teaching and learning conditions in the school

f. Providing local funds targeted at teacher leadership stipends to retain educators who assume leadership roles

g. Providing district funds as retention bonuses for highly effective teachers

iZone leaders are granted autonomy over hiring decisions for their schools. Human Capital staff helps leaders identify effective educators as part

of their talent strategy. Teachers are not placed in priority schools without the approval of the principal and the teacher.

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The nationally-recognized Teacher Leadership Institute helps teachers build leadership skills, a strategy to develop and retain talented teachers

who can remain in the classroom while taking on increased school leadership responsibilities. Teachers in priority schools are especially

encouraged to apply to and participate in the Teacher Leadership Institute. Teachers who are trained in the Teacher Leadership Institute feed

directly into the MNPS Leadership Pipeline.




Title: Turnaround Leaders

Description: District screens and hires ‘priority’ school leaders based on New Leaders Framework

District Winter 2015 Schools staffed with specially screened turnaround leaders with track records of success in turnaround schools

Priority School Planning Grant

IZone Grant

Title: Turnaround Leader Evaluation and Retention Decision

Description: iZone Leadership evaluates school leaders and makes retention decision based on effectiveness and retention bonuses are awarded

iZone Leadership

Annually Retention of highly effective leaders iZone Grant

Title: MNPS Turnaround Corps

Description: Principal hires teachers from MNPS Turnaround Corps

Principal March 2015/ annually

Schools staffed with specially screened teachers with track records of success in turnaround schools to form a core teacher leader team.

Priority School Planning Grant

IZone Grant

Local Funds

Title: Hiring of New Teachers and Transfers

Description: Preferential hiring of new and transfer teachers and implementing a system of recruitment incentives

Principal Spring 2015 /annually

Schools staffed with the most effective teachers aligned with the school’s turnaround plan

SIG

iZone Grant

Local Funds

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Title: Teacher Evaluation and Retention Decision

Description: Principal evaluates teachers and makes retention decision based on effectiveness and retention bonuses are awarded

Principal Annually Retention of highly effective teachers iZone Grant


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Element 4

Provide staff with ongoing, high-quality, job-embedded professional development that is aligned with the school’s comprehensive instructional

program and designed with school staff to ensure that they are equipped to facilitate effective teaching and learning and have the capacity to

successfully implement school reform strategies.

1. How will the plan for on-going, job-embedded professional development be developed, how will it be delivered, and what will be the specific

areas of focus for the first year of the grant? (To be updated each year prior to the renewal of the grant)


Overview: Recognizing the urgent need for improvement, Madison Middle will initiate four phases of professional development that will be

ongoing throughout the 2015/2016 school year. The first phase will be delivered through school partners named the Achievement Network

(ANet) and Education Resource Strategies (ERS). Secondly, there will be professional development centered the need to close achievement gaps

through RTI2 . In addition to the above stated, all educators at Madison Middle Prep will participate in a book study on the 72 techniques

contained in Teach like a Champion during the 2015/2016 school year. Finally, there will be an extensive book study on Restorative Justice by

Dan Van Ness. The strategies of Restorative Justice will be used to encourage a climate of mutual, caring, and nurturing on a daily basis while

implementing disciplinary procedures throughout the year.

How will the Professional Learning from ANet and ERS be developed?

The plan for ongoing, job-embedded professional development will be developed by Madison Middle Prep’s leadership team’s analysis of their comprehensive needs assessment in collaboration with nationally-recognized school improvement partners Achievement Network (ANet) and Education Resources Strategies (ERS). The job-embedded professional development will draw upon the wealth of institutional knowledge originally codified in The Strategic School – the seminal work on school design authored by ERS founders Karen Hawley Miles and Stephen Frank. Additionally, ANet will provide coaching to school leaders that will help them set up strong management processes, use data to shape instruction for students, and meet the developmental needs of their staff. ANet will also assist with structuring Madison’s use of time across the school year to accommodate planning, data analysis, and reflection on the impact of instruction.

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How will the Professional Learning from ANET and ERS be delivered?

Professional development will be delivered by the school administration team, instructional coaches, teachers, ANet coaches, ERS consultants, and other stakeholders who will assist when needed. Together, the school team, consultants, and partners will provide staff with ongoing, high-quality, job-embedded professional development to ensure that they are equipped to facilitate effective teaching and learning and have the capacity to successfully implement school reform strategies. ANet will provide job-embedded coaching and network-based professional development to school leadership teams and teachers. Dedicated ANet coaches will visits the school for 30+ interactions throughout the year helping the school leadership team develop its practice in accordance to a research-based, field-tested leadership rubric. As a result of this coaching, Madison’s leadership team establishes and builds its capacity to lead a quarterly cycle of planning, instruction, assessment, and re-teach (called the Teaching and Learning Cycle) that ensures a consistent focus on instructional priorities in the school. Coaching interactions length and frequency are flexible but provide intensive initial support and skill building during the first semester. The interactions will adjust over time as the school begins to execute key components of the teaching and learning cycle with an increasing impact on teacher practice and student gains.

The specific areas of focus for the first year and outcomes are listed below:

Action Step/Activity Position


Desired Outcomes Required Resources

Action Step: Weekly

Collaborative Planning Sessions

(for teachers)

Description:

The weekly planning sessions will

focus on highly effective reading

and writing strategies that will

implemented into all content areas.

There will also be a focus on

conceptual understanding in

mathematics as well as multiple

strategies for problem solving.

Additionally, staff will collaborate

to implement SEL strategies into

their classroom instruction.

School

Principals

Instructional

Coach

Achievement

Network

Coach

Weekly

Aug 2015-

May 2015

Observations of teachers will result in the use of highly

effective reading & writing strategies across all content

areas

Math teachers will focus on conceptual understanding as

well as multiple strategies for problem solving

Staff will implement SEL strategies into their classroom

instruction

Teachers will have support and guidance on planning from

standards and in helping students engage in complex texts

and tasks Review and practice of individual plans

Increase in P/A on 15-16 TNReady assessment

ANet

Consultants

& Planning

Resources/

Artifacts

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Action Step: Quarterly

Benchmark/Interim Data Analysis

in ELA and Math (for Leadership

Team)

Description: Leader will deepen

their understanding around data

analysis and what the different

item types illuminate about the

standards. Also, leaders will

decide and set goals around how to

use formative assessment data to

meet students’ needs during

intervention time

Each 9

Weeks:

Sept. 21 –

Oct. 16, 2015

Nov. 23 –

Dec 11, 2015

Feb 1 –

Feb19, 2016

March 28 –

April 15,

2016

Review and name trends in teacher data- connecting data to

trends in classroom observation.

Use data to decide next steps w/ regards to the content of

weekly collaborative planning session PD and targeted

support to specific teachers.

Use data to evaluate effectiveness of school-wide

interventions

Determine next steps with regards to developing teachers’

ability around standards aligned instruction using high-

quality text and tasks.


Action Step: Data Analysis

Description: Teachers will deepen

their understanding around data

analysis and what the different

item types illuminate about the

standards. Also, teachers will

decide and set goals around how to

use formative assessment data to

meet students’ needs during

intervention time and whole

group/small group re-teaching

Quarterly

Aug 2015-

May 2015

Learn protocols for effectively analyzing student work

Review and name trends in the data

Create action plan for re-teaching

Set goals for re-teaching and a timeline for monitor

effectiveness.

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Action Step: Monthly Content

Based Professional Development

(for teachers)

Description: Questioning across

content areas (Sept)

Data Analysis and Reteaching Vertical Alignment and Planning

Monthly

Aug 2015-

May 2015

Make connections to writing

Increase rigor in math

Teachers will include text-dependent questions for complex

texts

Familiarity and implementation of on-line assessment as a

formative tool

How will the Professional Learning for RTI2 be developed?

The leadership team at Madison Middle Prep including the Principal, Assistant Principals, Dean of Instruction and Dean of Students will collaborate together to ensure cohesiveness and consistency with the delivery of RTI2. The administration team will attend training during the summer of 2015, and materials and expertise gained from the training will be used to ensure the proper delivery of information and resources to teachers. Aimsweb 2.0 will be the platform used to benchmark and monitor students’ progress. The administrative team will work closely with Edward McKinney, the RTI Coordinator for Metro Nashville Public Schools, to ensure that all information presented to teachers is aligned to district mission and vision for intervention.

How will the Professional Learning for RTI2 be delivered?

Through four district professional development days and ongoing, job-embedded, school-wide professional development that will take place on

every Wednesday throughout the year, teachers will become well informed about an effective RTI2 model for Madison Middle Prep. They will be

provided with resources to ensure that RTI2 is implemented with fidelity. Teachers will receive training and updates on the progress of their

students every Wednesday. They will also collaborate with other grade-level teachers to ensure a constant focus on RTI2 and its ability to close

gaps in reading and math. Additional collaboration will take place during common planning times through the Bob Eaker and Richard Dufour’s

Professional Learning Community Model.

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The specific area of focus of RTI2 for the first year is as follows:

a. Training on the best practices for skills assessment

b. Training on the most effective ways of closing gaps

c. Training on how to use the AIMSweb platform to analyze data and use it to guide student learning

Additional Resources for RTI2

Madison’s students have extreme math skill deficits. In addition, Madison’s math teachers will need additional resources to help math students

learn the skills they need to be proficient in math and to also move higher students to more advanced levels of attainment. MATHia® is a

cognitive software for students in grades 6-8 and builds on personalized learning tasks with unique tools that differentiate instruction for each

student. Students will take an initial assessment, and Carnegie’s intelligent software will assess students’ present skill level and create

individualized learning plans for each student. Madison Middle will be purchasing MATHia for all students to utilize during Tier I, II, and Tier III

instruction. MATHia has the following capabilities to enhance math instruction for students:

● The Skillometer: Assesses multiple skills at one time and ensures that each student receives a sufficient number of practice math

problems to achieve mastery before progressing to the next curriculum topic.

● Fluency Challenges: Students learn foundational mathematics to a level of automaticity, which allows them to learn advanced topics

more easily.

● See-It, Try-It: Supplements and enhances content provided in the static lesson with animation, videos, and virtual manipulatives.

● Coach Calc: An instructional calculator that helps students understand appropriate calculator use.

● Reports: More than 20 detailed reports document student activity in the software, including mastered skills, the number of problems

solved, errors, and help requests. The reports analyze use data to support instructional decision-making.

How will the Professional Learning for Restorative Justice and Teach Like a Champion be developed?

Another aspect of the professional learning plan will be based on two books entitled Restorative Justice by Dan Van Ness and Teach Like a

Champion by Doug Lemov. All educators at Madison Middle Prep will participate in a book study on the 72 techniques contained in Teach like a

Champion during the 2015/2016 school year. The Nashville Teaching Fellows association will conduct two days of professional learning on Teach

like a Champion during Madison Middle Prep’s five day Summer Institute, July 2015. Nashville Teaching Fellows trainers will continue to provide

support and training throughout the school year. Nashville Teaching Fellows will provide the training in the following sequence:

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Timing Support

Before School

Begins

● Work with Principal Lorton and the leadership team on how Teach Like a Champion fits into and supports the larger

vision for school culture and instruction

● Meet with the leadership team to develop their skills and knowledge in Teach Like a Champion

● Lead two days of training focused on effective management and maximizing instructional time within the context of

their vision of school culture. Focus skills: Entry Routine and Tight Transitions, SLANT, What to Do, 100%, Positive

Framing, Strong Voice

● Work with leadership team to develop any tools to support implementation of their vision for school culture

First Weeks of

School

● Walk classrooms with the leadership team to analyze efficacy of trainings based on teachers ability to use the

techniques to engage students

● Model and give feedback on coaching techniques to develop teachers

● Work with the leadership team to name building and grade level trends and plan for incorporating practice on Teach

Like a Champion skills in professional development

End of the First

Month of School

● One full day training focusing on digging deeper in foundational techniques - 100% and Positive Framing – and

building new skill in supporting urgent, high-expectations academic environments - Work the Clock, No Opt Out, Cold

Call.

● Walk classrooms with the leadership team to analyze efficacy of trainings based on teachers ability to use the

techniques to engage students

● Work with the leadership team to name building and grade level trends and plan for incorporating practice on Teach

Like a Champion skills in professional development

End of Second

Month of School

● One full day training focusing on engaging students in rigorous work and creating systems for students to own the thinking of the class – Everybody Writes, Turn and Talk, Check for Understanding.

● Walk classrooms with the leadership team to analyze efficacy of trainings based on teachers ability to use the techniques to engage students

● Work with the leadership team to name building and grade level trends and plan for incorporating practice on Teach Like a Champion skills in professional development

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An overview of Restorative Justice:

Additionally, there will be a building-wide book study on Restorative Justice by Dan Van Ness throughout the school year. The purpose of

studying and analyzing the book Restorative Justice is to formulate a plan that will allow students to make restitution for minor behavior

offenses that occur throughout the school day. By using the techniques of Restorative Justice, teachers and students will be able to come to an

agreement on the type of justice that should be utilized to make restitution for certain behaviors. Furthermore, students will have an

opportunity to reflect and problem solve when conflict resolution is needed.

“Restorative Justice is a theory that understands justice as fundamentally concerned with addressing the harm to relationships related to and

resulting from wrongdoing. Restorative justice offers an approach to accountability for harm, based on the restoration of equality in social

relations and reparation to those who have suffered that harm. Restorative justice is rooted in values of equality, mutual respect, and concern”

(Van Ness, 1999).

Teachers will utilize the strategies from Restorative Justice to strongly encourage mutual respect and a climate of caring and nurturing on a daily

basis. Ongoing job-embedded professional learning will take during select professional learning sessions throughout the year. The sessions will

be facilitated by Assistant Principal, Tammy Parsons. Dr. Parsons and a team of Madison’s faculty will attend summer training and will train all

staff on process of Restorative Justice. The effectiveness of the training will be measured through the amount of discipline referrals the office

receives that are identified as minor offenses. There will also be a team of students who will serve as peer council. The peer council will help

other students think through solutions while making recommendations of acceptable restitutions.

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Below is a chart that details Restorative Justice will be delivered at Madison Middle Prep and the specific area of focus and outcomes.

How will it be delivered? What are the specific areas of focus? What are the desired outcomes?

Tammy Parsons, Assistant Principal will attend a five-day training this summer. There will be a team of educators from Madison who will also attend a two-day training.

Dr. Parsons and her team will use the

information from the training to

provide the necessary structures that

allow students and teachers to resolve

conflicts through Restorative Justice

practices.

The desired outcome of the training is to enhance building capacity and to implement the train-the-trainer model among training participants.

During the summer, Dr. Parsons and the Restorative Justice Team will deliver an introductory training to the faculty of Madison Middle Prep.

During training sessions, Madison’s faculty will become familiar with the book Restorative Justice and will be equipped to implement strategies into their daily discipline practices.

The desired outcome of the training is to ensure that all teachers have the resources needed to implement the most effective practices found in the book Restorative Justice.

Initial implementation practices will begin in the fall of the 2015/2016 school year and continue throughout the year.

Teachers and students will begin using the practices that strongly encourage mutual respect and a climate of caring and nurturing on a daily basis.

The effectiveness of the training will be measured

through the amount of discipline referrals the office

receives that are aligned to minor offenses. There will be

a climate survey administered three times throughout the

year that will show the effectiveness of Restorative

Justice practices.

Ongoing school-based trainings will continue throughout the school year through direct training and PLC models.

The specific focus for ongoing school-based training is to ensure that teachers have the support they need to properly implement best practices.

The desired outcome is to provide an avenue for teachers to ask questions, share ideas, and receive support for implementation throughout the year.

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Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Carnegie MATHia® $65,000 (for 6 years)

Carnegie MATHia® Funded in year 1




Restorative Justice book study ($42 x 64 staff) $2688

Services provided by ERS & ANET $51,000


Teach Like a Champion book study ($35 x 50 staff) $1750

National Association of Community & Restorative Justice Conference $7125 Conference fees: 5 Attendees x $275= $1,375 Airfare: 5 Attendees x $400 = $2,000 Per Diem: 5 Attendees x $390 = $1,950 Hotel: 5 Attendees x $360 = $1,800


Total: $157,563 $51,000 $51,000 $0 $0

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Element 5

Adopt a new governance structure, which may include, but is not limited to, requiring the school to report to a new “turnaround office” in the

LEA or SEA, hire a “turnaround leader” who reports directly to the Superintendent or Chief Academic Officer, or enter into a multi-year contract

with the LEA or SEA to obtain added flexibility in exchange for greater accountability

School response is not required, the element is addressed in the LEA application.

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Element 6

Use data to identify and implement an instructional program that is research-based and “vertically aligned” from one grade to the next as well as

aligned with State academic standards

1. What is the school’s process for use of data to ensure vertical alignment from one grade to the next and alignment with State academic

standards?


Response:

Process for use of data to ensure vertical alignment from one grade to the next: In accordance to ANet’s research-based, field-tested leadership rubric and best practices from high performing schools around the country, Madison will engage in ANet’s Teaching and Learning Cycle to ensure vertical alignment from one grade to the next. The school’s leadership team, working alongside an ANet coach will establish and build its ability to lead a quarterly cycle of planning, instruction, assessment, and reflection/re-teaching that ensures a consistent focus on instructional priorities on a daily basis. This process, done both on the weekly/bi-monthly level and also quarterly with benchmarks

and interims, will follow the standards-aligned district scope and sequence as well as ANet’s

Schedule of Assessed Standards which outlines an articulated set of standards to be assessed

each nine weeks. ANet’s Schedule of Assessed Standards, a major planning resource from

which teachers will plan, is vertically aligned across grade levels by ANet’s national assessment

team who receives input from national standards experts such at Student Achievement

Partners, the Dana Center and TN leaders from the Department of Education. This tool will

ensure planning and teaching fidelity to grade level standards, eliminating redundancies across

grades and contributing to vertical alignment. Vertical alignment in planning is the first step

towards vertical alignment in the data teachers will receive from assessments.

Teachers will use resources such as the Schedule of Assessed Standards and district Scope and Sequence to ensure vertical alignment from one

grade to the next. This ANet SAS tool includes hyperlinks which detail information (including objectives, question stems and lessons) related to

the State Standards. The next step in the process is for teachers to deepen their understanding of vertical progression within the standards. This

knowledge will enable teachers to not only differentiate instruction during intervention times but will also enable teachers to extend lesson

content by understanding the content of the next grade level and the depth to which grade level content should be taught.

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The final step would be to tightly align content across grade levels, so that knowledge is being built between grade levels from year-to-year.

● YR 1- Teachers will create solid grade level standards aligned plans, solid unit plans with complex texts and tasks and deepen their

knowledge of vertical alignment for intervention.

● YR 2- Teachers will build on the units from year 1 implementation and place additional focus on making stronger connections between

grade levels and implementing project based learning.

● YR 3- Teachers will solidify vertical alignment in standards and content while participating in community externships that supports grade

level curricula.

The school’s process for use of data to ensure alignment with State academic standards- Madison’s process for using data to ensure alignment

with State Academic standards will begin with extensive and on-going professional development around standards aligned to teaching,

planning, and data-driven instruction. Additionally, teachers will be supported in using tools and resources to strengthen their understanding of

the depth and breadth of the standards, aligned objectives and question stems, as well as complex texts and math tasks that assess the

objectives within the standards. An intensive focus on planning will ensure that the data teachers analyze from formative and summative

assessment is actionable. Next, the school will establish consistent feedback structures, where teachers will have weekly and unit feedback

from principals and academic coaches concerning alignment to state academic standards. Rubrics will be utilized to evaluate to what extent

lessons and assessments are aligned with the standards. Finally, during weekly data chats and through analyzing student work samples during

collaborative planning meetings, teachers will uncover student understandings and misunderstandings of objectives aligned to standards.

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Action Step: Weekly Collaborative Planning Sessions (for teachers)

Description:

The weekly planning sessions will focus on highly effective reading and writing strategies that will implemented into all content areas. There will also be a focus on conceptual understanding in mathematics as well as multiple strategies for problem solving. Additionally, staff will collaborate to implement SEL strategies into their classroom instruction.

School Principals

Instructional Coach

Achievement Network Coach

Weekly

Aug 2015-

May 2015

Observations of teachers will result in the use of highly effective reading & writing strategies across all content areas

Math teachers will focus on conceptual understanding as well as multiple strategies for problem solving

Staff will implement SEL strategies into their classroom instruction

Teachers will have support and guidance on planning from standards and in helping students engage in complex texts and tasks

Review and practice of individual plans


ANet Consultants & Planning Resources/Artifacts

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Action Step: Weekly Professional Development (for teachers)

Description: In addition to hands- on planning time, teachers will also regularly analyze complex texts and math tasks (across grade levels) to get a better understanding of the vertical articulation of standards.

School Principals

Instructional Coach

Achievement Network Coach

Weekly

Aug 2015-

May 2016

Teachers will write units with lessons in collaborative teams.

Teachers will create online and paper-based formative assessments (including tasks and prompts) that will drive instruction.


ANet online assessment platform

ANet Consultants & Planning Resources

Action Step: Quarterly Benchmark/Interim Data Analysis in ELA and Math (for Leadership Team)

Description: Leader will deepen their understanding around data analysis and what the different item types illuminate about the standards. Also, leaders will decide and set goals around how to use formative assessment data to meet students’ needs during intervention time

Classroom teacher

Each 9 Weeks:

Sept. 21 – Oct. 16, 2015

Nov. 23 – Dec 11, 2015

Feb 1 – Feb19, 2016

March 28 – April 15, 2016

Review and name trends in teacher data- connecting data to trends in classroom observations.

Use data to decide next steps w/ regards to the content of weekly collaborative planning session PD and targeted support to specific teachers.

Use data to evaluate effectiveness of school-wide interventions

Determine next steps with regards to developing teachers’ ability around standards aligned instruction using high-quality text and tasks.


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Action Step: Quarterly Benchmark/Interim Data Analysis in ELA and Math (for Teachers)

Description: Teachers will deepen their understanding around data analysis and what the different item types illuminate about the standards. Also, teachers will decide and set goals around how to use formative assessment data to meet students’ needs during intervention time and whole group/small group re-teaching

Classroom teacher

Quarterly

Aug 2015-

May 2015

Learn protocols for effectively analyzing student work

Review and name trends in the data

Create action plan for re-teaching

Set goals for re-teaching and a timeline for monitor effectiveness.


Needed funding is covered in Element 4.

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Element 7

Promote the continuous use of student data (such as from formative, interim, and summative assessments) to inform and differentiate

instruction in order to meet the academic needs of individual students

1. Describe the school’s process to use data to inform and differentiate instruction.


Response:

Madison Middle will use a precise and systematic approach to improving student learning throughout the year, Data Driven Instruction and Inquiry (DDI). The inquiry cycle of data-driven instruction includes assessment (both formative and summative), analysis, and action (namely re-teaching and adjusting intervention groups as student needs change.) DDI will be a key framework for school-wide support of all students’ academic growth.

Utilizing the Teaching and Learning Cycle (above in element 6) teachers will begin by planning. During the planning process teachers will both use data to inform lesson plan creation as well as to differentiate (for example, using formative quiz data to modify the entry point for a math strategy or varying the section of a text read aloud in classes to provide more or less of a scaffold for students).

1. Consistent with the research-based approach to curricular planning, backwards design, teachers will begin with the end in mind. They will create formative assessments and norm around the standards for success for the tests, writing prompts or math tasks that students will take to demonstrate mastery of a given set of objectives. The creation of the formative assessments that teachers will be using to drive and inform instruction will occur during weekly collaborative planning sessions.

2. On a weekly/bi-weekly and unit basis, teachers will track and discuss student performance assessing both student mastery of content taught and to what extent students are able to transfer understandings (for example- doing tasks associated with new reading material or complex multi-step problems). Additionally, teachers will discuss strategies for re-teaching and monitor student growth after re-teaching. In this step of the process, teachers will create small groups based on shared misconceptions to re-teach thus differentiating instruction based on student needs.

3. Next teachers will administer quarterly benchmark and interim assessments which will measure student growth across the year and also student performance on a pre-determined set of standards each nine weeks. Quarterly online benchmarks will be adaptive in nature, and will modify the question that a particular student sees, depending on if a student answers a question correctly. The format of this test will produce individualized data in that it hones in on students' performance levels. It then groups students in performance levels. Students will also take quarterly interim assessments to provide teachers with more actionable data in terms of a drilling down to item analysis or seeing common misconceptions (since every student sees a different question based on their responses on the benchmark assessment). The ANet assessments

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will provide actionable data that articulates student misunderstandings more specific at the standards, cluster, and genre level. The data from both sources will be instrumental in differentiating instruction both broadly for students at various performance levels and more specifically, for students who share common misconceptions, struggles, and/or strengths.

4. Similar to the weekly/bi-weekly data chats teachers will have to discuss student performance quarterly, teachers will have 3-hour long data days where teachers reflect on students’ quarterly growth and performance. Teachers will conduct in depth item analyses of select problems on interim and benchmark assessments as well as performance tasks to understand what students know and are able to do as well as identify gaps in students learning. Then teachers will create re-teach plans based on the data that was analyzed.

5. Finally, teachers will reflect on the effectiveness of the cycle as well as discuss the changes to instruction that made teaching the most successful. Teachers will also have the time to print off reports summarizing a student’s performance on the interim assessments along with information about how a family member/caretaker can help the student at home.

Action Step/Activity

Position Responsible

Timeline for Completion


Professional Development on DDI and resources

Administration

Instructional Coach

District Data Coach

ANet Coach

Ongoing PD Aug 2015- May 2016

Teachers understand how to effectively create aligned assessments to guide instruction. Teachers effectively analyze student data and create re-teach plans that result in higher levels of student mastery.

Achievement Network PD on DDI

Data Tracking System

Weekly Collaborative Assessment Creation

Administration

Instructional Coach

ANet Coach

Collaborative Planning Time Aug 2015-May 2016

Teachers consistently create text and task based standards-aligned assessments to guide instruction.

Teachers create rigorous lesson plans aligned to assessments.

Teachers track and discuss student performance and lesson effectiveness

NWEA item bank (district provided)

ANet online platform

ANet coaching around lesson planning and data tracking

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Action Step/Activity

Position Responsible

Timeline for Completion


Interim and Benchmark Assessments

Administration

Instructional Coach

District Data Coach

ANet coach

Each 9 weeks:

October 2015

December 2015

Feb 2016

April 2016

To assess student growth from quarter to quarter.

To measure lesson effectiveness and student performance on a discrete set of standards each nine weeks.

NWEA District Benchmark

ANet Interim Assessments

Quarterly Reflection Meetings

Administration

Instructional Coach

ANet Coach

Each 9 weeks:

October 2015

December 2015

Feb 2016

April 2016

Teachers articulate what change in their practice based on re-teaching and the effects on students learning.

- Teachers prepare communication with parents about student’s quarterly performance to facilitate collaboration between school and home.

ANet Reflection Meeting Protocol


Needed funding is covered in Element 4.

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Element 8

Establish schedules and implement strategies that provide increased learning time as defined in the SIG final requirements.

1. Describe the school’s plan to increase learning time for all students including the number of additional minutes to be added to the day, week, month or year for a. all students to receive additional time for core academic instruction b. to provide all students an opportunity to receive instruction in non-core subjects enrichment c. teachers to collaborate and plan.

Include in the description the number of minutes added to the day, week, month or year and how instruction will be delivered. 2. Provide a timeline for implementation of this element.

Response: Increasing core academic instruction: Students will receive an additional 40 minutes of increased learning time on Mondays-Fridays for the entire year. These additional minutes will be added to the beginning of the day and will include a focus on social emotional learning with a literacy foundation.

Grade Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

5th grade

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum- Focus on one of the SEL competencies per quarter

Fluency Focus through the Six-Minute Fluency Practice in conjunction with Monitored Independent Reading Program (MIRP)

Socratic Seminar with resources from ThinkCerca, Readworks.org, NewsELA, and other on-line resources using Close Reading strategies.


Writing focus aligned to Socratic Seminar discussions on Wednesdays. The writing focus will be aligned to informational text and text-dependent questions.

6th grade



Socratic Seminar with resources from ThinkCerca, Readworks.org, NewsELA, and other on-line resources and Close Reading Strategies


Writing focus aligned to Socratic Seminar discussions on Wednesdays. The writing focus will be aligned to informational text and text-dependent questions

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Grade Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

7th grade



Socratic Seminar with resources from Think Cerca, Readworks.org, NewsELA, and other on-line resources using Close Reading Strategies



8th grade



Socratic Seminar with resources from ThinkCerca, Readworks.org, NewsELA, and other on-line resources



Instruction in non-core subjects enrichment: All students at Madison Middle Prep will participate in a variety of enrichment classes through their related arts as well as intramurals and clubs. Related arts classes that are offered include Spanish, physical activity, art, computers, band, chorus, and keyboarding (piano). These classes will occur on semester and year-long rotations. Students will also participate in clubs and intramurals on a bi-weekly rotation. Students will be surveyed to determine which club they will join for the semester. Students in grades 6 - 8 will also have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular sports such as basketball, wrestling, volleyball, cheerleading, football, track, and soccer. Teacher collaboration and planning: The teachers of Madison Middle will receive approximately 70 minutes of planning time per day. Teachers will use this time in Professional Learning Communities to plan, collaborate, design lessons, create common assessments, and interpret student data. Members of the leadership team will participate in each of the PLC to monitor progress and to provide direction and feedback. Every Wednesday, the staff will engage in an additional hour of professional development from 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM to support the schools foci for the year, to include literacy strategies, climate and culture enhancement, as well as RTI2 intervention strategies.

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Action Step/Activity Person



Teachers will receive intensive professional development on the effective use of the additional time for students.

Teachers will receive an additional hour of professional development per week before school

Dr. Parsons

Dr. Trice

Reading Specialist

July 2015 - ongoing

Through these activities, teachers will gain strategies for SEL instruction, implementation of Socratic seminars, Monitored Independent Reading Program, student fluency practice, and a TNReady writing focus

Literacy passages/books for Socratic Seminars, Six Minute Fluency lessons, and Monitored Independent Reading time.

SEL curriculum provided by the district

TNReady writing guidelines and rubrics

Salary: Instructional Specialist $73,600 (11-month)

Teachers and students will arrive at school 40 minutes earlier on Monday - Friday beginning the first full day of school

Principal Lorton Year-long Students will receive 200 minutes of additional literacy instruction each week, which will result in an additional 120 hours for 15-16 SY

Transportation as assisted by MNPS

Salaries: $428,267 = 59.6 FTE @ 60 additional minutes per day

Students will participate in clubs and intramurals on an every other week rotation

Related arts staff will facilitate intramurals.

Guidance counselors will facilitate clubs.

Year-long but will begin during the first nine-weeks.

Students will be able to explore individual interests and develop relationships with other adults and students with like interests.

Partnerships with outside donors for resources such as money, time, and materials.

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Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Instructional Specialist- Literacy (11-month) $73,600

Instructional Specialist - Literacy (11-month) $73,600




Instructional Specialist- Math (11-month) $73,600

Instructional Specialist- Math (11-month) $73,600

59.6 FTE @ 60 additional minutes per day = $428,267

Total: $575,467 Total: $147,200 Total: $73,600 Total: $73,600 Total: $73,600

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Element 9

Provide appropriate social-emotional and community-oriented services and supports for students.

1. Describe the school’s plan to provide appropriate social-emotional and community-oriented services and supports to students. Include the

following: a. How students will be identified; b. Services that will be made available to students; c. agencies and community partners that can

provide services.


Response:

Madison Middle will utilize Community Achieves as the primary model for providing social-emotional and community oriented services for

students. Community Achieves is a locally funded, district led initiative that provides infrastructure, technical assistance and management to

implement the community school approach. A community school is defined to be a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other

community resources with an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community

engagement that leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities.

Students in need of supports will be identified through a variety of sources: TN Voices for Children screener, Belfanz indicators as identified by

the district’s data warehouse, teacher referrals, referrals from the cluster’s support teams, student surveys, parent surveys and conversations,

advisory groups, and outside social supports. The TN Voices for Children screener’s primary goal is to “identify youth with mental health risk –

before they fall behind in school, end up in trouble, or attempt to take their own lives – and to offer the families of these youth the opportunity

to connect with resources and services in the community as needed. In addition, Youth Screen works to reduce stigma surrounding mental

health issues. Tennessee Voices for Children can assist you in implementing Youth Screen in your community” (http://www.tnvoices.org/youth-

screen/). The district’s data warehouse will help in providing information to identify Belfanz markers, such as chronic attendance issues, past

years of grade level failures, and have chronic discipline issues.

http://www.tnvoices.org/youth-screen/

http://www.tnvoices.org/youth-screen/

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Services that will be made available to students include the following:

Program/Service Description

Vanderbilt Mental and Behavioral Services Provide individual and family counseling

Guidance counselors Provide individual student and group counseling; assist students and families in making needed connections with outside resources

Coordinated School Health Online self-assessment and planning tool that Healthy School Teams use to improve their health and safety policies and programs.

School Health vision, hearing and dental screenings

Students receive screening in grades 6 and 8 for their vision, hearing and dental needs.


Planning Activities:

Planning allows the LEA to spend one year (School Year 2015-16) in preparation for full implementation of a school intervention model. In

light of the fact that LEAs received a Priority Schools Planning Grant, it is expected that a planning year will be needed only in special

circumstances.

Planning activities must align to schools’ needs assessment and elements of the selected interventions.

Please provide a list of activities, action steps and a timeline the school will undertake during the planning year.

Response:

SIG Funds Budgeted to Support Planning Year:

appendix c - school cover sheet turnaround model district...

Documents