CIWP. Continuous Improvement Work Plan Overview. School Name. Developing a CIWP Team. CIWP Team (Enter one team member name per line)

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1 Overview School Name CIWP The Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP) is a stream-lined, strategic planning process for schools that meets the state and federal requirements of a school improvement plan. The CIWP uses previous goal and strategy setting processes completed by the schools from the School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) metrics and School Effectiveness Framework. Please see the CIWP Instruction Manual on the Knowledge Center for detailed instructions on completing the tool. To get started, please select your school's name from the drop down list: Developing a CIWP Team Continuous Improvement Work Plan ARMSTRONG, G A CIWP team consists of 6 15 committed stakeholders that act as the steering committee for the entire CIWP planning process. The principal should serve as the chairperson of the CIWP Team, appointing other team members from the school and community, which can include members from the ILT and/or LSC. These CIWP Team members should have strengths in collaboration and consensus-building. While the CIWP Team needs to remain small, it should include people with a variety of perspectives. CIWP Team (Enter one team member name per line) Otis L. Dunson Yvonne Torres Amit Thaker Anna Vlahandreas Liza Coca Ninos Khouchaba Donna Bedtke Kathleen Kriston Team Member Name Title/Relationship Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal Special Education Faculty Lead/ Resource Teacher Classroom Teacher Lead/ Resource Teacher Lead/ Resource Teacher v CIWP Team Page 1 of 54

2 CIWP Continuous Improvement Work Plan George Armstrong International Studies ES Elementary School Goals Instructions: Elementary schools should set goals for the School Quality Rating Policy by using the SQRP calculator below data will populate automatically based on the school's name (NDA = No Data Available). Schools can enter their scores once they become available. Additional space is available to set goals on the State's Accountability System. To determine your School Quality Rating Goal for each year: 1) Enter your school's goals for each of the listed metrics (in the gray boxes) for the indicated year. If a particular metric is not applicable, leave the cell empty. 2) Enter your school's anticipated participation rate for each assessment metric for the indicated year (default is set to 100). 3) The School Quality Rating and Points will be calculated automatically. Resources CIWP Instruction Manual SQRP (Knowledge Center) Goal Setting Goal Setting Goal Setting SQRP Metric Score Goal Participation Rate Adjusted Points Weight Weighted Points Score** Goal Participation Rate Adjusted Points Weight Weighted Points Goal Participation Rate Adjusted Points Weight Weighted Points National School Growth Percentile on the NWEA Reading Assessment Grades 3-8* National School Growth Percentile on the NWEA Math Assessment Grades 3-8* African American National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Reading Hispanic National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Reading ELL National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Reading Diverse Leaners National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Reading African American National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Math Hispanic National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Math % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % ELL National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Math Diverse Leaners National School Growth Percentile - NWEA Math Percentage of Students Meeting or Exceeding National Average Growth Norms Grades 3-8* National School Attainment Percentile - NWEA Reading Grades 3-8* National School Attainment Percentile - NWEA Math Grades 3-8* National School Attainment Percentile - NWEA Reading Grade % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % v ES Goals Page 2 of 54

3 SQRP Metric Score Goal Participation Rate Goal Setting Goal Setting Goal Setting Adjusted Points Weight Weighted Points Score** Goal Participation Rate Adjusted Points Weight Weighted Points Goal Participation Rate Adjusted Points Weight Weighted Points National School Attainment Percentile - NWEA Math Grade 2 Percentage of Students Making Sufficient Annual Progress - ACCESS Average Daily Attendance % % % % % % N/A % N/A % N/A % My Voice, My School 5 Essentials Survey (If Not Enough Data, please leave blank) Well Organized Well Organized N/A % Well Organized N/A % Well Organized N/A % Data Quality Index Score N/A % N/A % N/A % *These metrics are all required. If your school is missing ANY of these metrics, it will NOT receive a School Quality Rating. **Enter your school's Scores once they become available Total Weighted Points ES School Quality Rating Elementary School Quality Rating Calculation The points received for each indicator are multiplied by their weight and then added together Tier 1 (4 5 points), Tier 2 ( points), Tier 3 (3 3.4 points), Tier 4 (2 2.9 points), or Tier 5 (1 1.9 points) Goal 4.3 Tier Goal Goal Tier 1 Tier 1 SY15 & SY16 Targets for State Accountability Schools are required to set targets for the State's Accountability Systems, either for Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) or ISBE's Flexibility Waiver. For SY15, schools should use the higher of the two targets. Please see the CIWP Instructional Manual for full details on setting goals for State Accountability. The minimum amount of growth needed to make AYP is called the school s Safe Harbor target, and it is defined as a 10% decrease in the percent of students not meeting state standards. ISBE has submitted a waiver to the US Department of Education to receive flexibility in how it measures school performance. Under this waiver, the improvement targets will be defined as reducing the percent not meeting/exceeding by 50% in 6 years. A one-year target can be determined by dividing the 6-year target by 6. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). v ES Goals Page 3 of 54

4 DIMENSION 1:Leadership (District Pillar 4) CIWP Continuous Improvement Work Plan Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Goals and theory of action > 3 The school has established goals for student achievement that are aimed at making incremental growth and narrowing of achievement gaps. The school has a plan but may have too many competing priorities. School Effectiveness Framework George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). The school has established clear, measurable goals for student achievement aimed at aggressively narrowing the achievement gap and ensuring college and career readiness of all students-- at the school, grade, and classroom levels. The school has established a clear theory of action or strategic plan that outlines the school s priorities (derived from analysis of data) and key levers along with the anticipated impact when implemented with fidelity. George B. Armstrong uses data compiled from Dibels, mclass, NWEA, ISAT, Benchmark, ACCESS, end of unit tests and student data folders, in order to assess student growth and instructional practices. Furthermore, rubrics and project based learning results are analyzed to review student growth patterns. These patterns are also used to determine cross curricular lessons, in order to increase student needs. We have also implemented balanced literacy and Daily Five, in order to address the decrease in our reading scores. To assess the data and review instructional practices, teachers meet weekly in grade level meetings, and biweekly in principal directed meetings as well as curriculum meetings. Within these meetings, teachers discuss best practice strategies as well as findings from peer observations. Administration gears professional development based on data analyzed, as well as student/classroom needs that are focused to the Common Core standards. This year, we have also implemented departmental classrooms from second through eighth grade. All teachers are teaching in subject areas that they hold certification in, and receive tailored professional development related to their subject area. We have also implemented advance classes throughout all grade levels, were students are receiving accelerated curriculum based off of the Common Core standards. Principal Leadership > 3 v SEF Page 4 of 54

5 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Professional learning is organized through whole staff development but it is not tightly linked to what happens in teacher team meetings or 1:1 coaching cycles. Principal monitors instructional practice for teacher evaluations. School-wide or class specific vision is not consistently focused on college and career readiness. Principal provides basic information for families on school events and responds to requests for information. Families and community are engaged through occasional school-wide events such as open houses or curriculum nights. Principal creates a professional learning system that evaluates teacher need and interest and builds opportunities for growth in content knowledge and leadership. Principal clarifies a vision for instructional best practice, works with each staff member to determine goals and benchmarks, monitors quality and drives continuous improvement. Principal establishes and nurtures a culture of college and career readiness through clarity of vision, internal and external communications and establishment of systems to support students in understanding and reaching these goals. Principal creates a system for empowered families and communities through accurate information on school performance, clarity on student learning goals, and opportunities for involvement. The principal assigns tasks to teachers, offering them opportunities to grow professionally. The principal allows teachers to choose what curriculum team they would like to join, and gives teachers the opportunity to head various after school events. Furthermore, teachers are provided professional development opportunities based on their interests which in turn builds leadership skills and increased knowledge basis. As recent early adopters to Common Core, our teacher s knowledge base was also cultivated through to hands on experiences. Teachers also participate in learning PLC s that bring new and innovative ideas into the classroom. Teachers are given professional development opportunities to break down each standard, and also create unit plans/curriculum maps using the standards. Parents were also introduced to the standards in after school parent meetings, and frequent notes go home stating upcoming events and in classroom practices linked to Common Core. The principal has also implemented accelerated classes ranging from second grade through eighth grade. Students in these classes are given the opportunity to receive high school credit hours if they pass the algebra exam at the end of eighth grade. v SEF Page 5 of 54

6 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Teacher Leadership > 3 A core group of teachers performs nearly all leadership duties in the school. A few voices tend to contribute to the majority of decision-making at the ILT and teacher team levels. Teacher learning and expertise is inconsistently shared after engagement in professional learning activities. Each teacher is invested in the success of the school through leadership in one or more areas, including (but not limited to): ILT membership, Grade/Course team lead, MTSS team, Committee chair or membership, Mentor teacher, Curriculum team, Coach, Family liaison, Data team, Bilingual lead, CIWP team, Union representative, Grant writer. Each teacher has equity of voice in grade/course, ILT and whole staff meetings. Each teacher is encouraged to share learning about effective practice from PD or visits to other schools. Teachers are invested in the success of the school through leadership in various avenues that benefit the school community as a whole. Teachers were given the opportunity to join the ILT team, and many joined from various departments. The ILT team works collaboratively with the staff through completing observations to identify the POP, review data to identify trends and school needs and also review curriculum standards to identify best practices. Grade level teams also meet weekly to review data, and identify the POP related to their specific grade level. Teachers work collaboratively in grade level teams as well as curriculum teams, in order to discuss instructional strategies that will increase school growth. Having various teams meet helps in representing the needs for each grade level, as well as each specific curriculum. v SEF Page 6 of 54

7 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) > 3 The ILT represents some or most grade levels or departments, but may not include critical areas of expertise, like special education, bilingual education or counseling. The ILT splits time and focus between improving teaching and learning and solving day-to-day operational concerns. The ILT organizes some whole staff professional development activities. Development at the teacher team or teacher level is not coordinated by the ILT. ILT decision-making is carried out in isolation, or without a clear process for staff-wide engagement. ILT engages in changes to practice in response to voiced concerns. ILT analyzes student test data if new data is available. The school s ILT is assembled based on the combination of knowledge and expertise needed to make decisions for all students and staff. The ILT leads the work of improving teaching and learning school-wide The ILT leads the school s approach to professional development whole staff PD, teacher teams, and coaching. The ILT facilitates two-way communication and engages all staff in participating in decision-making that advances the school s strategic focus. The ILT engages in regular reflection upon its own team processes and effectiveness and takes actions to improve its functioning and progress towards school-wide goals. The ILT regularly analyzes qualitative and quantitative data to monitor the implementation of school s plan and make adjustments accordingly George B. Armstrong's ILT team was open to all staff members who are interested in sharing their expertise, in order to make decisions that prompt school wide growth. Currently, the team is comprised of teachers from various content areas and specializations (bilingual and special education), union representatives, parents, and community representatives, and administrators. Due to the diversity within the ILT team, we are able to focus on each committee, and discuss specific needs that arise throughtout the school year. For example, as the ILT was brainstorming ideas on the Problem of Practice, the team shared out their ideas to the various committees for their input and suggestions. With the constant open line of communication and careful evaluation of the students needs, a school wide Problem of Practice (POP) was adopted by the entire school. Upon adopting the POP, the ILT performed rounds in which both qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed to better assist teachers in improving their instructional practices. At the conclusion, the teacher representatives on the ILT reported the results to the entire staff. With the the need to address various behaviors throughout Monitoring and adjusting > 4 Data for district assessments is occasionally analyzed at the school level, typically when new reports are made available. Analysis may lead to improved instructional practice. The school has a systematic approach to analyzing data relative to the school s theory of action on an ongoing basis at the school level, department/grade level, and classroom level in order to make adjustments to their focus and to target support for particular teachers and students. Data analysis drives the instructional practices at George B. Armstrong. Students are formally assessed through Dibels, Mclass, Isat, Benchmarks and NWEA. Staff members meet weekly to analyze the data from these assessments, and link each Common Cores standard to the specific skill that was assessed. From there, teachers are able to make the appropriate adjustments to instructional approaches, in order to meet the needs of students. Furthermore, teachers relay this information to their curriculum teams, so that all grade levels make the appropriate adjustments to skills that are deficient amongst all grade levels. v SEF Page 7 of 54

8 DIMENSION 2: Core Instruction (District Pillar 2) George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Curriculum > 4 Curricular pacing/scope and sequence is most often determined by the pacing set forth in instructional materials or by an individual teacher. Each teacher develops his/her own units of instruction or follows what is suggested by the pacing provided in instructional materials. Text used for instruction exposes some students to grade-appropriate complexity and is heavily focused on fiction. Short- and long-term plans do not consistently differentiate by learner need. Each grade level or course team has a year-long scope and Teachers work in grade level teams in order to create sequence that maps out what Common Core or other state collaborative curriculum maps, so that teams work in unison when implementing various strategies and lessons. The standards teachers should teach and in what order in core curriculum maps align with Common Core standards, as well as subject areas. modeled unit plans that were created in professional Each grade level or course team develops/uses common development meetings. The next phase for George B. units of instruction aligned to the standards. Armstrong will be to re-organize the tiered instructional Text used for instruction exposes all students to a gradeappropriate level of complexity and informational texts to at will do so by incorporating student data folders throughout all system, and implement PBIS throughout all grade levels. We least the CCSS-recommended levels by grade band. grade levels, so that proper progress monitoring is taking place. With these data folders, we will be able to analyze Short and long term plans include the supports necessary student growth weekly, and not solely rely on standardized to ensure that students with disabilities and ELLs are able to assessments, end of the unit assessments and projects. We will gain core content knowledge and skills. also implement lesson studies in the reading/writing and math curriculum teams. This will enable us to streamline strategies, in order to positively affect school wide practices. Instructional materials > 3 Core instructional materials vary between teachers of the same grade/course or are focused mainly on a single textbook with little exposure to standardsaligned supplemental materials. Instructional materials support a general curriculum with little differentiation for student learning need. Each grade level or course team has a set of instructional materials that are aligned with standards. Instructional materials are supportive of students with disabilities as well as varying language proficiency levels of ELLs (including native language and bilingual supports). Aligned with curriculum maps, all curriculum teams and grade levels received supplemental materials linked to Common Core reading standards. These materials are used to expand knowledge basis provided within the text. Furthermore, additional technology tools have been provided in all classrooms; including Smart-Boards, Chrome books, laptop carts and ipad carts. This enables all learners to access grade level content and standards, and showcase their strengths using various mediums. v SEF Page 8 of 54

9 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Assessment > 4 School wide data is available to the ILT. Teacher team or classroom data is not always available when teachers need it or teachers inconsistently bring it to teacher team meetings. Each grade level or course team administers the required district assessments but there may be gaps in the kind of assessment tools available to them. Assessments are focused on a particular form of assessment and may not adequately provide a complete picture of student learning. Most assessments are designed to be identical for all students, without accommodation for learner need. School-wide, teacher team and classroom data is organized and available to all who need it immediately after each assessment. Each grade level or course team uses a comprehensive set of assessments screening, diagnostic, benchmark, formative, and summative to monitor student learning on a frequent basis. Assessment methods (e.g., student work, selected response, constructed response, performance task) are aligned with the standard(s) being assessed (e.g., knowledge mastery, reasoning proficiency, performance skills, ability to create products). Assessment accommodations and modifications are in place to ensure that students with disabilities and ELLs are able to appropriately demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Teachers have access to student data through the database scoring tool available for NWEA, Benchmark scores using provided rubrics, and classroom assessment through the use of teacher created rubrics. Dibels and Mclass also provide charts comparing student growth throughout each individual assessment given. These results help teacher adjust strategies and lessons, and often provide teachers feedback on what lessons need to be re-taught and in what fashion. The NWEA assessment site also provides links to supplemental materials that individualizes student focus. Furthermore, we have a tool in which students can receive remedial assistance based on their scores through Compass Learning. There is also an increase of teachers with ESL endorsements, therefore providing opportunities for all students to learn through the implementation of differentiated instruction. We have also increased the available diverse learner staff, and therefore decreased the teacher to student ration per classroom. Instruction > 3 v SEF Page 9 of 54

10 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Communication of the learning objective is inconsistent or lesson objectives do not consistently align to standards. Questioning is more heavily aimed at assessing basic student understanding and comprehension. Sequencing of lessons in most classes is primarily driven by the pacing suggested in instructional materials. Instruction is most often delivered whole-group with few opportunities for scaffolding learning or the level of rigor is not consistently high. Formative assessment during instruction is used occasionally or inconsistently between teachers. Each teacher clearly communicates with students the standards-based learning objective, directions and procedures, as well as the relevance of the learning. Each teacher uses low- and high-level questioning techniques that promote student thinking and understanding. Each teacher purposefully sequences and aligns standardsbased objectives to build towards deep understanding and mastery of the standards. Each teacher scaffolds instruction to ensure all students, including students with disabilities and English language learners access complex texts and engage in complex tasks. Each teacher regularly uses formative assessment during instruction to monitor student progress and check for understanding of student learning. George B. Armstrong administration and teachers strive to provide students with a curriculum that prepares them for college and career readiness. To date, Armstrong has demonstrated steady growth in student performance on ISATs over the past three years. Depending on grade level, various state aligned assessments are implemented (listed below) along with teacher created performance task at each grade level. Students are taught not only so they can perform well on standardized test but also utilize the concepts to create unique products and become career and college ready. Kindergarten and 1st grade - Dibels and Mclass 2nd grade - Dibels, Mclass, and NWEA 3rd thru 8th grade - Benchmark, ISAT, NWEA and Common Core Quarterly (8th - also assesses Algebra Exit Exam) Every teacher instructs his/her students using lesson plans (designed collaboratively) that are aligned to both the Illinois and Common Core State Standards. Teachers utilize Taskstream lesson plan templates to write their lesson plans. The template requires teachers to identify language & content objectives, sequencing, standards, and activity details. Moreover, the lessons are designed to address students of varying ability, disabilities, and English language learners. The primary and intermediate classrooms are grouped v SEF Page 10 of 54

11 sional Learning (District Pillar 4) George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Intervention > 3 Decision-making about how to determine which students are in need of intervention, what interventions they receive and how to determine the success of interventions is not regularly monitored. The intervention options are limited (sometimes onesize-fits-all), making it difficult to find a targeted solution to address a particular student s needs. Intervention monitoring and adjustments are left to teacher discretion without school-wide systems. The school has a systematic approach to administering screening assessments to identify students in need of academic intervention. The school has a systematic approach to administering diagnostic assessments to identify particular skills gaps. Interventions at the elementary level include in-class, small group instruction, push-in support provided by specialists, one on one support and additional supports outside of the classroom. Interventions at the secondary school level include small group instruction, double blocks in literacy and mathematics, push-in support provided by specialists, one on one support and additional supports outside of the classroom Interventions are closely monitored at the ILT, teacher team and individual teacher level so that adjustments can be made at least every 6 weeks. George B. Armstrong has a systematic approach to administering and screening assessments to identify students in need of academic interventions. We currently have two instructional support teachers, that primarily focus on tier two and three students in need of academic supports. The classroom support teacher service student up to the third grade, therefore focusing on early intervention. At Armstrong, we feel that it is important to address academic/social emotional needs prior to students advancing to the third grade, because students have are more likely to be successful if given the appropriate academic interventions. We currently have a system in place following the guidelines and tiers of MTSS. Students are progress monitored in varying standards according to Common Core, and various interventions are tested with a six to eight week period. Differentiation is used for all students in need and altered as needed based on data. Student data is collected in a folder, where student work, student data, instructional strategies and student progress is collected. Strategies that teacher's implement include but are not limited to small groups, before/after school tutoring, differentiated instruction, reciprocal teaching, pairing up with another student, etc. Once a student has been diagnosed for special education Whole staff professional development > 3 Whole staff professional development occurs regularly but is not tightly aligned to the school s priorities. Quality, effectiveness or relevance of professional development is not monitored. The school has a year-long, focused plan for whole staff professional development aligned to school-wide priorities and growth goals. The school has a method for continually monitoring the effectiveness of all professional development (including coaching and teacher collaboration). School-wide structures ensure that professional development is ongoing, job-embedded and relevant to teachers. Professional developments at Armstrong are designed around two core ideas; Common Core State Standards and social/emotional needs, both of which have a tremendous impact on the culture of the school in the years ahead. In PD regarding Common Core State Standards, teachers have been working collaboratively correlating existing curriculum maps to the Common Core State Standards and developing units that address the increased rigor in order to prepare the students for college and the workforce. Moreover, teachers have been involved in developing a performance based rubrics which provides parents a description of the student s strengths/weaknesses. Social/emotional professional development is focused on grade level and school wide observations, as well as in place strategies and their effectiveness. We are currently developing a school wide system called Tiger Paws, which places the responsibility on all personnel invested in order to increase on task behaviors. v SEF Page 11 of 54

12 DIMENSION 3: Profess George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Grade-level and/or course teams > 3 Teachers meet regularly but it is focused on a mix of activities planning, professional development, and data analysis that may change from week to week. Teachers do not have a regular opportunity to discuss progress monitoring data to track effectiveness of student intervention. Ownership for student learning results lies primarily with individual teachers. Planning typically takes place with general education teachers only. Special education, bilingual or other specialists typically plan and meet separately or only join the group occasionally. There are meeting agendas, but no clear protocols or norms for discussion. Teachers collaborate in regular cycles: quarterly for longterm unit planning, weekly to analyze formative assessment data and plan weekly instruction. Teachers and specialists meet approximately every six weeks to discuss progress-monitoring data for students receiving intervention. Teacher teams share ownership for results in student learning. Teams are inclusive of general education, special education, bilingual teachers and other specialists. Teams are supported by an ILT member, team leader, or expert, as appropriate. Teachers have protocols or processes in place for team collaboration. Teachers meet weekly in grade level meetings, bi-weekly in principal lead meetings and monthly in curriculum and school wide team meetings. During these sessions, the staff is given the opportunity to review lessons, unit plans, rubrics, curriculum maps, student data, assessment results, tiered intervention strategies and school wide systems related to behaviors. Members in each meeting represent all student subgroups and needs, and therefore are able to provide input based on their expertise. Furthermore, each team has a member of the ILT team present, so that when the ILT team meets, those members are able to relay specific needs or gains pertaining to their curriculum/grade level team. The information that is presented is focused, and outlined using meeting guideline spreadsheets. The spreadsheet has prompted questions and areas of focus, so that the meeting stays on track, and conversations are relevant to school wide gains. Instructional coaching > 3 Coaching typically takes place through informal associations or is only focused on a smaller group of teachers. Formal support for new teachers comes from district-sponsored induction. Professional development decisions are not systematized and left to teacher initiative/discretion. Teachers occasionally receive quality feedback to support individual growth. Peer observation and cross-classroom visitation happens occasionally, but not as an integral part of the school s plan for professional learning. Every school has a coaching plan that identifies teacher needs, who provides the coaching, and how frequently. New teachers are provided with effective induction support. Teachers have individual professional development plans tailored to their needs. Teachers consistently receive quality feedback that supports their individual growth. Peer coaching and cross classroom visitation is also used as a form of coaching. Teachers that join the George B. Armstrong team will be given a mentor upon entering the school community. When individuals are hired to teach at George B. Armstrong, will assigned a veteran high performing teacher teaching the same subject area so they have a person of reference, as well as someone to provide them feedback on their instructional practices. Administration will also provide the newly hired opportunities to grow professionally, through providing choice when assigned to curriculum teams. Moreover, these teachers are sent to Impact and Task-stream training so they can become familiar with the grading system and lesson planning software. New teachers are also given training in the Common Core standards, and are working with their team to unpack the standards and create unit/lesson plans. v SEF Page 12 of 54

13 4:Climate and Culture (District Pillar 2) George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating High expectations & College-going culture > 3 Some staff members reinforce expectations for all students to aspire to college and career ready standards, or expectations are only reinforced for some students. Every staff member reinforces school expectations for all students to aspire to college and career-ready standards. The school has developed and is executing an intentional plan to build and maintain a college-going culture. Every student has opportunities for authentic leadership and student voice. The school mission and vision will be present in every classroom, as well as the entrance of the school building. The placement of the school mission and vision in the classroom will help teachers and students alike focus their efforts on improvement. Professional development within the school, as well as school wide staff meetings will also begin with reviewing the school mission and vision, accompanied with a share out on how classrooms have focused on them within specific lesson or classroom practices. Classrooms will also have a minute by minute break down, so that the tone and structure of the classroom is evident and consistent thus promoting streamlined academic and social/emotional growth. There is also a strong emphasis placed on reading and math, in order to build a solid foundation. Accelerated classes have also been implemented from second grade through eighth grade. Departmental classes are also implemented from second through eighth grade, thus teachers are teaching the subject matter in which they are experts in. Students within the accelerated classes take the Algebra exam in eighth grade, and often receive high school credit upon exiting the program due to scores. George B. Armstrong also provides high school fairs Relationships > 3 v SEF Page 13 of 54

14 DIMENSION 4 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Some students form bonds with adult advocates. Patterns of interaction between adults and students and among students are inconsistent. Students with disabilities are typically confined to a special education classroom with few opportunities to interact with peers. Student home language and culture is often overlooked. All students have an adult advocate who cares about them deeply and supports them in achieving their goals. Patterns of interactions, both between adults and students and among students, are respectful, with appropriate, fair responses to disrespectful behavior. Students with disabilities are engaged in the school community, including both physical and social integration. Students classroom experiences demonstrate value of home language and culture. Several students at George B. Armstrong are assigned a mentor. This mentor meets with them weekly to discuss various issues that are plaguing the student. Having a mentor available at school, allows the student to feel safe, as well as seek assistance when troubles arise. All students are also supported when setting goals, both academic and future college and career goals. When reviewing data in teacher teams, teachers then review data with each student individually, and create a yearlong goals working as a team to set smaller benchmarks to help students grow. Students are also prompted to work in collaborative teams to set and reach goals as a team. Therefore, upon entering classrooms, it is difficult to identify individual student needs, because as a community we work hard to establish a positive and accepting learning environment. Teachers not only value academics, but also the establishment of a positive learning community which is based on accepting of all students regardless of disability or ethnicity. Staff members also extend the learning environment to after school programs. Armstrong teachers instruct: After school homework help (grades 1 thru 8) Sports programs (basketball, flag football, volleyball, softball and soccer) Fine arts; arts & crafts Fitness Environmental club; recycling Behavior & Safety > 3 Discipline violations and positive behavior supports are handled differently between teachers without school wide norms. School environment occasionally leads to situations un-conducive to learning. The school has a common, consistent school-wide approach to student discipline and tiered approach to behavioral intervention that recognizes and builds on positive behavior. Staff establishes and maintains a safe, welcoming school environment. With the introduction of Tiger Paws, we will implement a new school system related to PBIS, which is one of our primary focuses for the following school year. Through implementing this system, we would have a consistent school wide approach for student discipline. All staff members would work together to put the plan forward, making students accountable for their actions in all school areas. This would also in turn create student modeling protocols, where students would help each other in making positive choices within the school community. We will also modify the clipboard system that grades fourth through sixth use, so that positive behaviors are also recognized. Notes and calls home will also have an increased positive focus, and will be recorded by teachers to enable progress monitoring with behaviors as well. Furthermore, classrooms will have unifying school rules present, and minute to minute transitions posted so that a system within the classroom is implemented. v SEF Page 14 of 54

15 George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating v SEF Page 15 of 54

16 IMENSION 5: Family and Community Engagement (District Pillar 3) George Armstrong International Studies ES Instructions: Evaluate your school from 1-4 on each of the Effective Practices in the seven dimensions of the School Effectiveness Framework in the drop down box under "Rating". Cite evidence from observations, any available data, surveys, etc. NOTE: 2= Typical School and 4 = Effective School. Tips: When entering text, press Alt+Enter to start a new paragraph. To start a bulleted list, press Alt+7 (on the numeric keypad) or Fn+Alt+7 (on a laptop). Effective Practices with Evidence Needed: 0 Effective Practices with Rating Needed: 0 Typical School Effective School Evidence Rating Expectations > 4 Principal provides information to families on school performance in response to parent requests. Teachers provide information to families on their grading system, but families may be unclear on what successfully meeting the standard would look like. Families can learn about the transition process if they reach out to the school for information. Principal provides clear information for families on school performance and accurately explains this information so that families understand its relevance to their children as well as the plan for improvement. Teachers provide clear information for families on what students are expected to achieve in a given grade level or course and examples of what meeting the standards looks like. Schools proactively provide information regarding school choices to families looking to relocate or to students in transition grades. At the end of each school year, students receive pertinent information for the subsequent school year to come. Students receive the grade level packet so that they may enroll. Within the packet are supply lists, school wide procedure and protocol paperwork, and most importantly curriculum overviews. This information is reviewed at the beginning of the year, and detailed curriculum maps and expectations are also provided for all students. Furthermore, an open house is scheduled in September in order to invite parents to review the curriculum, grading systems, interventions used in the classroom as well as resources available at home through the school website. In addtion to teacher meetings, the principal meets with parents during open house, NCLB meetings, LSC meetings, Science Fair, History Fair, Google night and Math night. The principal not only reviews the agenda with parents, but also the school goals, school report card, Common Cord Standards and other important issues concerning the school. Ongoing communication > 3 Communication to families is typically conducted only during report card pick-up and in cases of behavior/academic concerns. Teachers and other school staff engage in ongoing, twoway communication with families so that they know how their child is doing relative to grade-level expectations and how the families can support their child s learning at home, and also so that school staff can learn from the families about their child s strengths and needs. Two-way communication is a vital tool used within the George B. Armstrong community. Communication takes place through school website postings, letters home, s, phone conversations, conferences, parent/teacher/administration meetings, as well various school nights welcoming families for activities. Teachers and administration feel that an open line of communication between all parties invested ensures continuity, and keeps all stakeholders informed. Each grade level sends various notes homes; however our focus is to streamline the notes, offering more positive reinforcements as well. Focusing on both the positive and areas in need of improvement regarding student behaviors and academics will create a more trusting and open relationship amongst all stakeholders. Bonding > 4 v SEF Page 16 of 54