School Strategic Plan Presentation August 30, 2013 9:30 AM

1. School Strategic PlanPresentationAugust 30, 20139:30 AM School: Austell Elementary School Principal: Dr. Marvin Bynes

2. Celebrations and Achievements2013-2014 • Austell Elementary School • Successful transition from a K-1 school to a full elementary school completed • High expectations for all students • Parent support is evident through PTA participation and other school-wide activities • The school has been named a “Distinguished Title I School” for seven years

3. Strengths: 2013-2014 • Teachers and parents have high expectations for all students • Reading scores are consistently high at all grade levels • Teachers are trained in standards-based practices (e. g. Readers Workshop, Writers Workshop, Math Workshop, small group instruction, student conferences, mini-lessons, CAFÉ strategies, and guided reading) • The school has ample literacy materials • The school does a good job coordinating Title I funds to supplement state funds for personnel and instructional materials (e.g. paraprofessionals, parent facilitator, tutors, leveled text, Fast Math software, and SRI Lexile materials • Teachers make their lessons and curriculum maps rigorous and relevant • The school turnover rate of staff is low (06%)

4. Weaknesses: 2013-2014 • Teachers need training on increasing and monitoring Lexile levels • Students are weak in the area of Number Talks • The loss of our school math coach to a neighboring school district • There is no academic coach to assist administrators in leading professional development activities, developing assessments, or redelivering teaching strategies from district coaching meetings • Our inclusion teachers’ schedules are so tight that the time for supporting in depth instruction for our SPED students is not at its fullest • The budget crunch has dwindled resources for personnel and instructional materials

5. Opportunities: 2013-2014 • Teachers have an understanding of assessing students which include performance tasks and extended responses because of the teachers’ past experience with the America’s Choice Program • Fifty minutes of daily common planning time at each grade level allow teachers to plan together as a team • The staff has developed a common language in the areas of discipline and student expectations • The school has identified three teachers who desire to become future academic coaches. We will use these teachers as pseudo coaches who will attend district academic coaches’ meetings. The pseudo coaches will perform certain duties that an academic coach would normally perform.  These duties would include providing professional development in the form of classroom strategies, data analysis, and developing common assessments • Ninety eight percent of SPED students are in an inclusion classroom • Inclusion and GenEd teachers work well together in classrooms

6. Threats: 2013-2014 • Large classroom sizes diminish the effectiveness of teachers to meet the needs of students in the classroom, especially if there are serious behavior distractions in the classroom • As a school, we focus much time preparing students for Criterion-Referenced Tests (CRTs) and very little for Norm-Referenced Tests (NRTs) • The Georgia CRCT assesses students’ knowledge of curriculum at a minimum with very low cut scores • As a school, we do not have a solid NRT assessment to assess all our students at the different grade levels for rigor in order to prepare students for college and careers • Not having an adopted math textbook as a resource for teachers is a serious threat, especially for teachers who are weak in teaching math • Teachers need assistance in finding proper researched-based resources to support math program

7. Data Update: School Profile

8. Data Update: CRCT Data by Class

9. Data Update: CRCT Data by Grade

10. Data Update: CRCT Data by Building

11. Data Update: Percentage of Students Exceeding by Grade Level

12. Data Update: Percentage of Students Meeting Required Lexile Levels

13. Data Update: Percentage of Students at/above 50th Percentile

14. Data Update: Math Gap Analysis

15. Data Update: Benchmark Assessments

16. Data Update: GKIDS Assessment

17. Data Update: Targets 2013-2014

18. Tactical Plan: Priorities of the School Desired Results • Annually raise Lexile levels of students in grades 2-5 • Annually increase math achievement for all students in grades K-5 on CRCT, GKIDS, and benchmark assessments • Focusing on increasing the percent of students (Grades 3-5) exceeding on CRCT How to Accomplish Results • More in-depth training for guided reading, utilizing more non-fiction texts during instruction, and training on Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Writing • Instituting a ”Balanced Math” program in all classrooms in grades K-5, consisting of Math Workshop, Guided Math, and Number Talks

19. Tactical Plan: Monitoring Progress Ongoing Measurements • Bi-annual DRA assessments (K-5) • Progress monitor DRA monthly and monitor SRI Lexile Growth (Grades 3-5) • Quarterly Math and ELA Benchmark assessments (K-5) • Data collected using formal assessments • Collaborative ELA and Math planning days every third month • Targeted walkthroughs that are focused on specific areas every four weeks

20. Professional Learning • The data indicates improvement in the following areas: • Conceptual math skills • Students reaching higher Lexile levels • Higher number of students reaching exceeds level on CRCT and GKIDS • Closing the achievement gap • Moving more third and fifth grade students at or above the 50th percentile in math on the Iowa Tests • Professional Learning Tied to Desired Results and Framework of Student Success • Training staff to use SRI progress monitoring, DRA, and formal assessments to target strategies to raise Lexile levels • Training staff on the “Balanced Math” form and guided math • Revisit Writers Workshop and Readers Workshop • Effectively training staff in using Number Talks to increase mental math skills • Inclusion teachers trained on how to utilize their tight time schedules to meet the rigorous learning needs of our special education students

21. Professional Learning Implementation to reflect change in teacher practices will depend on the following: • Collaborative planning among grade level team members • Vertical planning among grade levels • Using the Data Room as a source of collecting and analyzing data in order to drive discussions of what is working and not working in our classrooms • Having serious performance discussions with teachers individually during post evaluation conferences

22. Framework for School Success • Backward Design • Curriculum Maps • Essential Questions • Unpacking Standards • Big Ideas • Picasso Resources Collaborative Team Planning Using Data Team Planning Common Core Curriculum District Lab Classrooms Rubric Development for Common Core Curriculum Weekly Team Meetings Data collection and discussions Differentiation/Flexible Grouping ESOL/Target/Inclusion Classes Whole Group, Small Group, and IndividualInstruction Meeting IEP Accommodations Ongoing Assessments for Flexible Grouping Use of Instructional Framework Researched-Based Planning Based on Common Core Curriculum Workshop Models Student Conferencing Collaborative Conversations

23. Framework for School Success • Rigor /Relevance • High Expectations • Differentiated Instruction • Student-Centered Instruction • Integration of Content Areas • Workshop Models • Engaged Learning • Building Relationships • SOAR (Cara Shores) • Weekly and Monthly Newsletters • Daily Behavior Sheets • Academic Nights • PTA/Family Involvement • Parent Conferences • Purposeful Integration of Technology • Computer Lab • Lap Top Carts • Smart Boards • ELMOs • Educational Software • Educational Websites • Balanced Assessments • Benchmarks • DRA’s • Rubrics for Math & Language Arts • Teacher Commentary • Teacher/Student Feedback • County Report Cards

24. Framework for School Success • Instructional Environment • Academic Centers • Print Enriched Environment • Standards, EQs, and • Student Work Posted • Workshop Models Posted • Instructional Rubrics Posted • Common Core Libraries • Artifacts Posted Use of Researched-Based Strategies Common Core Standards Pacing Guides Unpacking Standards Professional Learning Literature CCSD and GADOE Frameworks

25. Support Needed: Tier II Support District Support • Support from CCSD special education department to help inclusion teachers develop schedules that provide effective instruction for SPED students • Flexibility in using Title I Funds to support school programs • District coaches to assist in bringing innovative researched-based strategies to teachers

26. In Closing: “The problem isn’t the kids. It’s not even what they can achieve. The problem is what you expect them to achieve. You are setting the bar here. Why? Set it up here! They can make it.” The Ron Clark Story We at Austell are about three “BIG THINGS”. This process has made these things evident. RIGOR ENGAGEMENT RELATIONSHIPS