Mrs. Phyllis Criswell, Superintendent 200 South Seventh Street Palatka, FL 32177 Document Generated On April 4, 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School System 2 System's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 7 Additional Information 9
Introduction Every school system has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school system makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school system stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school system, and the kinds of programs and services that a school system implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school system with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the community will have a more complete picture of how the school system perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school system to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School System Describe the school system's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school system serves? Putnam County is a rural county located in the northeastern section in the state of Florida. The county is centrally located between Jacksonville, Gainesville, St. Augustine, and Daytona Beach. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,364. The most current population estimate from 2012 depicts a 1.5% decrease in population with the 2012 population estimate at 73,364. There has been less than a 1% difference in the racial composition of the district for White at 77.28% and African American at 17.04% according to census records from 2000 and 2010. The Hispanic or Latin of any race census record shows an increase from 5.92% to 9.02% in the 2010 census. The median household income is $34,429 compared to the state median income of $47, 309. The is a Title I District with a poverty range in schools from 97.92% - 55.98%. The average poverty rate of our schools is 78.58%. The is the largest employer in Putnam County, employing 692 teachers and 957 support personnel for a total of 1,649 employees. The district has traditionally been geographically organized into three areas: Interlachen or West Putnam, Palatka, and Crescent City or South Putnam. Each of these areas is challenged with high poverty rates. In addition, the South Putnam area has a high percentage of students who enter school in need of English Language Acquisition. The district strives to create a united Putnam County and is making progress with district wide communication systems including Superintendent phone calls to all homes, the Parent Portal for student Information, the district web site and printed inserts in the local papers. The Putnam County School System is composed of eight traditional elementary schools, one K-3 elementary school, one 4-6 elementary school, one traditional middle school, one middle school with 7th and 8th grade students, one 6th grade center, two traditional high schools, one Jr/Sr high school and one Cambridge/AICE magnet for grades 7-9 and one ESE Center School. The district also contains one charter elementary school, one charter middle school, and a recently established charter high school, currently serving 9th grade students. The governing body of the is the Putnam County School Board. The five member Board is elected by voters residing in their district to serve a four year term. Terms are staggered to ensure that at least two members of the Board have experience serving after each election. The Putnam County School Board meets twice a month and meetings. The meetings are televised on a local cable channel and are available online from the district web site. The Superintendent of Schools for Putnam County is also an elected position. Phyllis Criswell was elected to the position of Superintendent of the in November of 2012. The previous Superintendent was originally elected in 2008. The district encourages community knowledge about school board proceedings by providing video presentations of Putnam County School Board meetings The is a member of the North East Educational Consortium (NEFEC).The Consortium is a regional, nonprofit, educational service agency established to provide cooperative services to member districts. The mission of the North East Florida Educational Consortium is to help member districts cooperatively meet their educational goals and objectives by providing programs and services that individual districts would not be able to provide as effectively or as economically when acting alone. The superintendents of member districts serve as the Board of Directors for the Consortium. They meet as a group each month with the Consortium staff for briefings and information. The Board sets policy, approves the budget, employs personnel, and provides direction by Page 2
guiding the development of programs and services furnished by the Consortium. The serves as the fiscal agent for NEFEC and the seated Superintendent of the serves as Chairman of the NEFEC Board of Directors. Changes in the The 's Superintendent, Phyllis Criswell, was elected in November 2012. As a result of this process, the leadership team in the district has changed dramatically. A focus on providing the best opportunities for our students and community has necessitated changes within the district. Superintendent Criswell made a promise to Putnam County stakeholders to provide opportunities for students who have the ability and desire to participate in a rigorous advanced curriculum and accelerated study method. After researching a variety of programs with a district team, the Cambridge/AICE program was selected to be offered in Putnam County. Q I Roberts, an underutilized Middle School, was selected as the site for what will grow into a 7-12 Cambridge/AICE high school. This school serves 7th & 8th traditional education and 9th grade Cambridge students. Each year an additional grade level will be added, with the first graduating class scheduled for June 2017. To meet the needs of elementary students desiring this level of advanced curriculum and accelerated study, a pilot Cambridge/AICE program was established at James A Long Elementary School which serves K-5 students. The district plans to enlarge the elementary program by offering Cambridge/AICE at Interlachen Elementary for the 2014-2015 school year. The Middle School Cambridge program was initiated at Jenkins Middle School. This school previously served 6-8th grade students. Currently Jenkins serves 7th and 8th grade student in Cambridge/AICE and the traditional programs. The district also changed the name of Beasley Middle School and the grades served. Beasley Middle School was transformed into a 6th grade center and is now named C. L. Overturf, Jr. 6th Grade Center. This school also serves students in Cambridge/ AICE and the traditional program. The 6th grade center enabled the system to provide students an additional year of a more elementary approach before middle school. An additional benefit of this change was to enable the district to create a cohesive culture. Previously students entered Palatka High School as either Beasley or Jenkins' students. This change will help them enter as Palatka High students from day one. Page 3
System's Purpose Provide the school system's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school system embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The 's current Strategic Plan states that we will focus our collective resources on Engagement, Safety and Performance (ESP). The district is committed to the following goals: - engaging parents, students, community members, teachers and administrators in the process of improving academic and behavioral outcomes in Putnam County Schools, - Educating all stakeholders in their roles for creating and maintaining a safe learning environment, - Improving student academic and behavioral outcomes leading to college and career readiness. - The has embodied its goal to engage parents, students, community members, teachers and administrators in the process of improving academic and behavioral outcomes in Putnam County Schools through the following practices: - Phyllis Criswell, the Superintendent of Schools, makes frequent phone call outs to all parents regarding the importance of being involved in their children's education. - Phyllis Criswell speaks at local community service clubs and other community organizations on an ongoing basis. - The district provides a Web Site with frequently updated photographs of school activities designed to improve student achievement. - Frequent celebrations of student achievements are held at the beginning of Board Meetings. - The district utilizes Title I funds to employ a Parent Involvement Coordinator. The Parent Involvement Coordinator presents at parent meetings, helps schools reach out to involve parents, and communicates with county organizations, including faith based organizations, about their importance in helping us provide the best educational experiences for all of Putnam County's children. - The district publishes print articles about events and programs in the school system that is inserted in the local newspapers. - The district has employed personnel who take pictures and videos of events and write informational articles about events that are shared with stakeholders on cable TV and through the district website and in print. - Title I hosts monthly Parent Involvement District Advisory Council (PIDAC). Volunteer parents from each district school attend to hear about and give feedback and advice on district projects and plans. The 's goal of educating all stakeholders in their roles for creating and maintaining a safe learning environment is evident through the following practices: - The district created a new position, Director of School Safety. The Director of Safety is dedicated to providing a safe learning environment for all Putnam County students and staff. - The district Crisis Intervention Plan was developed with stakeholder input by the Director of safety. - Schools each developed Crisis Intervention Plans. - The Director of Safety helps schools organize drills regarding safety and offers support and suggestions for improvement. - Security cameras have been installed in many schools. - The PCSD employs Resource Officers. Page 4
- The Director reports at district leadership meetings regarding issues relating to school safety. The strives to ensure that all decisions regarding policies and practices are viewed through the lens of the overarching goal of improving student academic and behavioral outcomes leading to college and career readiness. This can demonstrated by, but is not limited to, the following: - The district has employed NEOLA to help us review our policies and procedures and ensure they are aligned with our mission and federal and state laws. - The Superintendent continually asks the district leadership how decisions align to improving student academic and behavioral outcomes before decisions are made. - The District Improvement Plan is aligned to student academic and behavioral outcomes. - Each school's School Improvement Plan focuses on improving student outcomes. - The district recognizes that student achievement in Putnam County is a challenge and has accepted guidance and support from the state's District Accountability Region 2 Team including: Fidelity to recommendations for Priority and Focus schools Training for all district administrators on the 8 step problem solving model Review of and support to focus and improve the development of both district and school improvement plans Instructional reviews at district schools District Process Review - The district has adopted a state approved Core Curriculum for Reading and English/ Language Arts by engaging teachers in the selection to develop "buy in" to help ensure fidelity of implementation. - The district employs Reading Coaches at each school to support teachers in utilizing strategies to improve students reading skills across the content areas. - The district has utilized Title II funds to employ a District Reading Coach who monitors the school coaches and provides support and professional development to school based coaches to enable them to provide support to teachers. - The district has used TIF funds to provide professional development on standards based instruction and the PLC process including ongoing site based monitoring and support. - The district has committed to supporting differentiated instruction by providing common interventions throughout the district. - The district has committed to increasing learning time by increasing the school day for the 2014-2015 school year. - The district continues to support Dual Enrollment in all high schools - The district provides career and technical education at all secondary schools in the district. - In 2014-2015, all high schools will offer AP courses. - The district implemented a Cambridge/AICE high school program at an underutilized middle school for 9th grade students which will add another grade each year with the first graduating class in 2016-2017. - The district implemented a Cambridge/ AICE program at a pilot elementary, James A. Long, during the 2013-2014 school year and will expand the program to Interlachen Elementary for the 2014-2015 school year. While this mission statement, developed by the previous administration, is aligned with the district beliefs and purpose, the current Superintendent and School Board have just completed the Master Board training which will enable them to develop a Strategic Plan that is Page 5
aligned to best practices with objectives and strategies that will provide our students with academic experiences that will foster college and career readiness. Page 6
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school system's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school system is striving to achieve in the next three years. In the past three years the district has made notable achievements by: - The district implemented a Cambridge/AICE high school program at an underutilized middle school for 9th grade students which will add another grade each year with the first graduating class in 2016-2017. - The district implemented a Cambridge/ AICE program at a pilot elementary, James A. Long, during the 2013-2014 school year and will expand the program to Interlachen Elementary for the 2014-2015 school year. - The district has transitioned from the election of the Superintendent of Schools in 2012, and the resulting change in top leadership positions in the district, with an acknowledgement and respect for the worth of individual employees, regardless of their political stance during the election. - The Putnam County School district was awarded a Federal Guidance Grant in 2012 for $730, 651.00 to provide additional counseling and support to needy elementary students. The district calls this grants TOTS, which stands for Therapeutic Outreach to Students. This has enabled us to provide additional support to our students with emotional or behavioral needs. - In 2010 the was awarded a $7.3 million Teacher Incentive Fund Grant (TIF). This grant's purpose was to develop a system that would reward teachers for improved student performance. The district has administered this grant for 4 years and has received positive reviews from USDOE.A component of the grant was designed to increase teachers' knowledge of the standards. The grant enabled teachers to participate in ongoing professional development on the standards. The district was able to work effectively with the union, the AFT, and has made payouts to teachers from student results from 2011-2012 and 20012-20013 school years. - The district has utilized an automated call out system to keep stakeholders informed of the happenings in the district. The Superintendent and site based principals call parents and invite them to events at school and ask for support of projects. - The district has developed a Parent Portal where parents can check on their children's assignments, grades and communicate electronically with teachers. - The district has worked cooperatively with the state of Florida's District Accountability team to assist us with improving student academic achievement. The members of the team meet regularly with the schools and also with the district leadership to assist us with building a system that will enable all students to be college and career ready. - The district has adopted a state approved Core Curriculum for Reading and English/ Language Arts by engaging teachers in the selection to develop "buy in" to help ensure fidelity of implementation. - The district has adopted the Florida MFAS to help Math teachers use data driven formative assessments to build students' math skills through conceptual understanding. - The district has added NATEF industry certification at Palatka High School. - Maintained participation in Dual Enrollment at state colleges despite increased costs. Areas of Improvement - Student achievement in Putnam County has not improved since the last review. The district was utilizing a reading program and math program, Success for All, that did not have stakeholder "Buy In". Although the district continued to offer professional development on the implementation of the program from 2008-20012, with a considerable financial investment, student achievement in Reading and Math decreased. The current administration discontinued the programs and has worked to create teacher "buy in" to help with implementing our new Page 7
adoptions. - The district did not have a systems approach to developing future school leaders. Current district administration focused current site based administrators on the importance of "growing our own" and of offering teacher leaders opportunities to develop leadership skills within their current roles with the district providing a more structured pathway in Spring 2014. - The is challenged with a lack of additional funding beyond the state allocated FTE. Many of the properties in Putnam County fall beneath the value that requires payment of real estate taxes which could support the school system. The district works to ameliorate this situation by actively pursuing grants that will support the educational opportunities in Putnam County. - The district is challenged by fiscal issues to be able to provide sufficient technology services to all schools. The district is striving to improve academic achievement in all areas with the goal of preparing all students to be career and/or post secondary ready. - We have begun by initiating a system for adoption of a core curriculum in Reading/ELA. A district team met, studied the state adopted curriculums and was tasked with the assignment of selecting the most appropriate program for our students. The team of 18 members selected Houghton Mifflin's Journeys as our K-6 Reading Program. Secondary ELA teachers selected Collections for their CORE program. Professional development that includes monitoring and support of implementation has been planned for teachers, coaches and administrators to ensure fidelity of implementation. - The state of Florida has created a Math Formative assessment System, MFAS that aligns with standards based instruction and the district goal of helping teachers learn collaboratively to improve their practice and student achievement. The district has begun the professional development at the elementary level and has planned professional learning opportunities for secondary teachers during the summer with ongoing support during the next school year. - Professional Learning Communities will be the way of the work for teachers in Putnam County. The district has provided professional development through TIF funded coaches who have offered professional development and ongoing site based monitoring of the PLC process. - The district plans to implement a formal Leadership Development Program to include both teacher leaders and aspiring school leaders with a focus on instructional and systems leadership. - The district plans to continue to develop its Career and Technical offerings and, when fiscally possible, to create a CTE center to increase opportunities for students in all areas of the county to attend their chosen CTE program. - The district has instituted a grants department tasked with attaining grants aligned to our mission to improve student academic achievement with the goal of being career and/or post secondary ready. Page 8
Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. The needs the support of all the stakeholders in our county to be able to provide our students with the educational opportunities that will enable them to be career and/or postsecondary ready. We encourage every stakeholder to join us in this endeavor. Page 9