Chatfield Public Schools

1. Chatfield Public Schools Continuous Improvement Presentation Chatfield Elementary June 2014

2. About us… 2 Buildings 900 Students 60 Teachers 35 Support Staff 2 Principals 2 Guidance Counselors 1 Social Worker 1 Director of Technology 1 Technology Integration Specialist 1 Superintendent .6 Curriculum/Staff Development Coordinator

3. Recent Aggregate Achievement Data ACT Composite (5 Year Average) Chatfield 22.58 State 22.86 Elementary MMR Initial Designation: 42.12% 2012: 50.30% 2013: 18.75% Continuous Improvement Designation Notified in October of last year High School MMR Initial Designation: 51.64% 2012: 82.63% 2013: 76.44%

4. #@$&!... we’ve been doing the best we can, right? • Curriculum alignment efforts have been ongoing in math and reading… • We’ve written comprehensive SIP’s for math and reading in the recent past… • We just launched a major literacy program that should also support math skills - Action 100 • We have adequate resources, facilities, supportive parents, and some of the best technology around... • We have great kids and teachers that work very hard… What happened?

5. Now What?? CES, you are clear for take off...

6. 2013-2014 In October, a K-6 improvement team was formed (CILT) and a plan of action was determined. Assisted by Diane Schwinghammer from SSC, the plan took “flight”. CILT Action Plan Primary Plan Components and Outcomes 1. CILT planning retreat (October) 2. CILT book study on Cultures Built to Lastby DuFour and Fullan(October - November) 3. Consider conducting a building wide needs assessment - teacher survey (November) 4. Conduct a comprehensive site review with classroom observations and teacher interviews (Quintin Pettigrew - December) 5. Compare math /reading instructional minutes with other area schools (November) 6. Consider implementing a formal PLC training process (November) 7. Redesign MCA assessment coordinator responsibilities 8. Visit another school similar to ours (St. Charles) that has successfully implemented formal PLC training (November - December) 9. Develop an MCA test prep best practice and assessment culture improvement plan (December) 10. Contract Quintin Pettigrew to begin formal PLC training with teacher leaders (January)

7. This video clip comically resembles some aspects of what it was like to get the news and how it may have felt to some during the improvement process. Here’s the set up. The airplane (elementary school) has an emergency while in flight (horrific MCA results). It runs out of fuel… 1. The fuel is what is suppose to be supporting increased student learning. 2. The admins are the pilots trying to assess the situation and land the plane safely (discover a plan of action) while acting cool, resourceful, and in complete control at all times. 3. The passengers are the teachers responding to the admins and reacting to the situation that they find themselves in. Analogy/Analysis: The events that befall the plane and its occupants during the various stages of its flight and subsequent landing is symbolic of the shock, fear, and emotional reconciliation with others that we went through when we accepted the notion that there is a problem and that serious reflection and change is coming for everyone. Similar to the stages of grief that starts with denial/isolation and ends with acceptance. In the end, we discovered that while we were doing many things right, we still had work to do to create better “fuel”. As you will see, each “passenger” reacts differently and has an experience that is unique to them during the event, but, in the end they all end up in the same place. The “soft landing” and comfort that comes with it only occurs when people put in the time to research the problem and collectively come up with a plan that they all believe in and can successfully implement. How the passengers interact with each other on the plane and after they land is similar to the growing pains, discovery, discourse, and rebirth that occurs during a PLC implementation process. It is here that people feel they can safely let go and get out of their comfort zones as well as share new insights, forgive old debts, and be given an opportunity to connect with each other in new and meaningful ways. Once safely on the ground the “passengers” feel better about their immediate future because there is now a plan for success, but, they now also realize that their journey is far from over and that some of “transformations” that occurred during the flight now need to become new norms.

8. 2014 MCA Data Elementary Math (Meeting or Exceeding) Elementary Reading (Meeting or Exceeding) Cohort Cohort 2013 2014 Change 2013 2014 Change 3rd NA 91% NA 3rd NA 68% NA 4th 69.7% 79% +9.3% 4th 43.9% 69% +25.1% 5th 47.8% 55% +7.2% 5th 46.3% 57% +10.7% 6th 58.9% 67% +8.1% 6th 58.9% 73% +14.1%

9. Lessons Learned • Achievement expectations at the site level need further clarification • Improvement efforts and instructional programs are counterproductive regardless of how well intentioned if they are randomly applied. Agreement at grade level and between grade levels is critical. • PLC’s are not just another “flavor of the month”. They are the key to sustainable, system-wide improvement if done right. • Our staff (teachers and paras) now realize that a greater degree of “productive struggle” is necessary in order for our students to reach higher levels of learning. This is particularly true with our “gap learners”. We need to manufacture more staff development time to address the following... • Further alignment of classroom summative assessments with MCA test specifications • Standardized common/formative assessments at each grade level needs to become reality • Alignment and support of the standards across all subject areas needs to be formalized • Formulation of PLC groups to • develop protocols for common assessments (formative and summative) • Identify key indicators of success • Evaluate instructional effectiveness through action research • Benchmark math facts and vocabulary sight words at each grade level

10. What’s next? Continue Address “Lessons Learned” Action 100 Literacy Program ADSIS (Reading Research) PLC Facilitator Training Monthly Early Outs - PLC Meetings Monthly Staff Development for Paraprofessionals 2nd year of 1 to 1 iPad Deployment (grades 4-6) Clarity 3.0 Technology Use/Access Survey MCA Preparation Best Practice Research and Application New Weekly Teacher Release (1 hour, K-12) Summer Technology Training - Web 2.0 Educational Impact - Goal Setting and Peer Review Student Engagement Assessment - MyStudentSurvey

11. Thank You! Edward J. Harris Superintendent Chatfield Public Schools eharris@chatfield.k12.mn.us