Section 4 Instruction

Section 4 Instruction Character Education Character education is an instructional component of our school. It is the philosophy that our students not only learn the core academics, but also have the opportunity to develop social skills, morality and ethical behavior that will allow them to be successful and productive citizens. Teachers are issued a character education notebook that contains a list of weekly character words, appropriate lesson plans and activities. Each month, teachers will select one student who exemplified the character word of the month by recognizing him/her as our Character Cub of the Month. Each student will receive a certificate and button. A group picture will be made for our local newspaper and students will have the opportunity to have lunch with the Principal. Classroom Instructional Videos The appropriate use of approved educational and other multi-media videos are permissible as part of the instructional process. In order to supplement instruction with the use of videos, a video request form must be completed and submitted for approval at a minimum of one day in advance. Justify the rationale and appropriateness of the video and cross- reference its content with the GPS standards currently being taught in the classroom. Common Core Georgia Performance Standards Our instruction is standards-based, utilizing the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS). These standards provide a higher degree of rigor while providing a structure that allows for known student expectation. The Common Core Georgia Performance Standards is the core of our instructional framework Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) Computer assisted learning (CAL) is an integral part of the instructional process. It is intended to be a supportive and remedial tool for standards based instruction. CAL platforms are to be integrated into the instructional process for reading and math. The following programs will be implemented: Grade Math Instruction Reading Instruction K-2 Success Maker Waterford Early Reading, Study Island, Keyboarding 3-5 ipass, STAR math Reading Plus, Study Island, Keyboarding, STAR 33

Conferences (Parent/Teacher) Teachers must conference with parents, or document the fact that a parent is unwilling to attend, a minimum of two (2) times per year. One conference must be held prior to the Christmas vacation and another prior to the spring administration of the Georgia Milestones Assessment. Use the parent contact log provided for documentation. Curriculum Mapping Curriculum maps guide the pacing of our instructional content and serve as a checklist to ensure that all Common Core Georgia Performance Standards taught and assessed throughout the academic year. As a working document, it is required to make notations on the curriculum maps and to indicate the dates the standards were taught. Note strengths, weakness, and suggestions for improvement. This will aid in the annual revision process. Exams Nine-week benchmark assessments will be given beginning SY 14/15. Field Trip (Policies/Procedures) Policies: Field trips are an integral part of the instructional process and are dependent upon available funding. Field trips are to be instructional in nature and are to support CCGPS content that has or will take place in the classroom. Field trips of a recreational or non-instructional nature will not be approved. Only those students enrolled at SGA are eligible to participate in school-sponsored field trips. No field trips will be approved the last three weeks of school. The Principal reserves the right to approve or deny any trip and/or student, school system employee, parent, or individual access to any school-sponsored field trip when in her opinion, it is in the best interest of our school, students involved, or school system. Procedures: All field trips are to be requested using Trip-Direct and submitted electronically by the person requesting the trip. Field trips are to be requested a minimum of fifteen days prior to the date of the trip. The requested trip will be reviewed by the Assistant Principal and approved by the Principal. When requesting permission for field trips involving requests for money, teachers must complete a field trip/fee solicitations form letter at least fifteen days in advance and have it approved by 34

the Assistant Principal. The teacher will receive a copy of the approved letter to be sent home to parents by the teacher. Teachers will provide the Assistant Principal with an accurate list of all students participating in a field trip and all completed permission forms. He will verify and approve all consent and permission forms. On the day of the field trip, the teacher will have all forms in his/her possession including a folder of updated student personal information. This is for safety and security purposes in the event of an accident. Upon returning, the teacher returns all forms to the office for filing. No child will be allowed to leave the SGA campus and participate in a field trip activity unless written parental permission is on file specifically granting permission for the child to take that trip. Any student not participating in the field trip must be brought to the office with the day's assignments and materials for re-assigning him/her to other classrooms. Georgia Milestones Assessement (GMAS) The Georgia Milestones Assessment was developed to ensure Georgia students are well positioned to compete with other students across the US and internationally. It was intentionally designed across grade levels to send a clear signal of student progress/growth and preparedness for the next level. This assessment also supports and informs educator effectiveness initiatives. Georgia Milestone will be given annually in all Georgia public schools as a means to measure student achievement in the core academic areas. Beginning SY 14/15, students will be tested in grades 3 through 12 utilizing this assessment. The assessment will be used in promotion and retention decisions at grades 3 (reading), 5 (reading and math), and 8 (reading and math). Grading Grading should be secondary to teaching and learning. Although grading is foremost in the conscience of many, emphasis must be placed on teaching the child according to his or her ability level and potential by using current data and instructional best practices. The grading policies and procedures must be both appropriate and justifiable. Each student should have sufficient assessments to justify the report card grade in each subject. These may be oral, activity, participation, projects, tests, and homework grades. Teachers are not to record on a report card a nine-week or semester average lower than fifty-five (55) in any subject without providing and documenting sufficient opportunity for make-up. By doing so, a student who puts forth much effort and demonstrates dramatic academic improvement, may have an opportunity to earn a passing semester and/or yearly average. Students are not to receive a sixty-nine (69) on a report card in any subject. 35

At no time should a student s grade be lowered as a means of punishment. Conduct grades should be a reflection of conduct. Grades should be recorded in grade books in a manner that can be easily interpreted by the Principal or office staff. Grades are to be recorded by certified teachers only. Paraprofessionals, substitutes, or students are not to record grades on official documents. The certified teacher is held accountable for the contents therein. Teachers in grades 3-5 will enter and compute all grades utilizing Power Teacher, an electronic grade book. All grades are to be entered within five (5) days of scoring the particular assignment to which a grade is given. Grades are to be updated at least every ten (10) working days. Homeroom teachers are to receive nine-week grades from art, music, and physical education teachers within one working day following the last day of each grading period. Students should be made fully aware of what his/her grades will be based upon during a report card period. Rubrics, teacher commentary, syllabus, checklists, etc. may be used to accomplish this. It is important that all faculty and staff members adhere to the Student Privacy Act in regards to the discussion and disclosure of student grades. Grades may be reviewed and/or made available only for the student in question, his/her parents, school officials, and court officials. Grading Scale (Academic and Conduct) Academic: Grades in Burke County Public Schools shall be based on the following scale: Grades K 2 Grades 3 5 Satisfactory 90 100 A Making Progress 80 89 B Needs Improvement 70 79 C Below 70 F A skills checklist will be used for reporting grades in K - 2. Numerical grades will be used for all grade reporting, including report cards and permanent records, in Grades 3 5. Conduct: Exemplary conduct is the expectation for all students at SGA Elementary. Conduct grades are given primarily as a means for student recognition and for tangible communication to the student and parent of his/her compliance to conduct expectations. Good conduct is rewarded through various classroom and school-wide incentives. 36

Homework Homework is an integral component of the instructional process. The purpose of homework is twofold: (1) to provide additional practice or preparation opportunities of the standards taught that day and (2) complete extended assignments (i.e. projects, papers). New concepts, standards or instructional material that has not been taught in the classroom is not to be assigned as homework. Daily homework assigned should easily be completed each night as a review of what was taught during the school day. Students will be assigned homework a minimum of three (3) times a week within guidelines of the homework policy and BBOE Policy IHB. Grade K: A maximum of 15 minutes of age appropriate activities Grades 1 2: A maximum of 30 minutes in all subjects Grades 3-4: A maximum of 45 minutes in all subjects Grade 5: A maximum of 60 minutes in all subjects Homework grading is at the discretion of the teacher. Conduct grades will not be lowered as the result of failure to complete homework assignments. If a student fails to return homework, parental contact is expected. Stress the importance of homework and discuss ways to ensure that it is completed. If the problem persists, refer the situation to our parent coordinator who can do additional follow-up with the parent to correct the problem. Students in grades 1-5 will be provided agendas in which to record daily homework assignments. Homework assignments noted in the agenda should be reviewed by the parent and checked for completion each night. The parent is to sign the agenda and return it the following day. If no homework is assigned in a particular subject, none should be documented in the agenda. Homebound Instruction In the event of extended illness or injury that prevents a student from attending school on a regular basis, he/she may be eligible for homebound services. To be eligible, a student must meet the following criteria: Referral from a physician stating the nature of the illness and/or injury. The physician stating that the student will be absent a minimum of five (5) school days. Physician recommendation that the student is physically unable to attend school. Communicable disease and uncomplicated pregnancy are not criteria for homebound instruction. The Principal will determine if homebound instruction is deemed necessary and appropriate. If homebound instruction is granted, a certified teacher will provide the services in the student s home, hospital, or other setting as deemed appropriate. An adult must be present during all homebound instructional services. While under homebound instruction, the student is considered present for the duration of the services provided the student receives a minimum of three (3) hours of service per week. 37

Journaling We believe that journaling is an instructional best practice and current research concludes that an emphasis in writing enhances student achievement. The type of journaling activities may vary from classroom to classroom and a variety of journaling techniques may be incorporated throughout the school year. Such techniques may include, but are not limited to learning logs, double entry, response, etc. Our vertical writing team will work directly with our journaling implementation. The following guidelines will be followed for journaling activities: Journaling activities will be conducted on a daily basis. Students are to make journal entries each day. A 2-2-1 format will be followed. Math and Reading/ELA will be done at a minimum of two (2) times per week. Science and Social Studies will be done at a minimum of one (1) time per week. Free writing may be done on Friday as part of the writing block. Additional journal entries may be made at the discretion of the teacher. Students will write at a minimum of one (1) time per month in art, music, and PE. Teacher review and commentary is to be completed at a minimum of (1) time per month. Commentary must be meaningful and provide constructive responses and suggestions. Content journals are not to be graded for mechanical errors or ideas. Incentives may; however, be attached to exemplary journal entries as means of reward encouragement. Indicate in weekly lesson plans the journaling technique(s) to be used during that time period. Lesson Plans Teachers will be required to submit written lesson plans each week unless otherwise notified. Lesson plans are due to our instructional coordinator by 4:15 PM each Friday. Lesson plans are to be submitted electronically to the instructional coordinator using the format provided. Plans are to be shared on the shared folder under the Lesson Plan folder. The media specialist, counselor, and pre-k family services coordinator must submit weekly schedules/agendas in place of lesson plans. Emergency lesson plans and materials are to be prepared and made accessible if necessary. Lesson plans and curriculum maps must be available in the classroom every day. If a teacher must be absent from work and has taken lesson plans home, those plans must be returned to school so that they can be used by a substitute teacher unless emergency plans housed in the office may be effectively used. Substitute folders housed in the office must be kept updated by teachers for use by substitutes in such circumstances. The format to be used and the items to be contained in lesson plans will be thoroughly discussed and periodically reviewed by our instructional coordinator. Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) 38

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support is a system of proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting published student expectations. It is a school-wide method used to create an orderly, respectful, and predictable school climate. The PBIS plan is designed to promote positive behaviors and diminish inappropriate behaviors through a multi-step and incentive-based program. A thematic approach referred to as The Bear Necessities is used to teach and model student expectations in the classroom, lunchroom, hallways, and restrooms. Paw Points are awarded for positive behaviors being exemplified. Those points are to be redeemed for incentives on the first and third Friday of each month. Each nine-weeks, students earning a minimum number of paw points are rewarded with a school-wide Paw Points Party. Professional Learning Communities (Collaborative Planning) Collaborative planning among our grade level teams allow for multiple professional learning communities to exist within our school. Each grade level will be afforded a common planning time during the school day that will allow for professional learning activities and collaborative planning to be implemented. Both aspects are to be viewed as a time to review instructional best practices, assess student progress, examine student work, and develop instructional methodologies to improve student performance and academic achievement. The following guidelines are to be followed: Grade level teams are to meet a minimum of two (2) times per month with the minutes of the meetings documented on a meeting log form and submitted to the Principal. Grade levels may, based on the request of school administration, grade chairs, or other team members may meet as needed. Open lines of communication and a climate of collaboration must exist in order to maximize instruction. The Principal reserves the right to require grade level teams to meet at her discretion to review current data, complete professional learning activities, or any other task deemed necessary to improve the instructional component of our school. Progress Reports Teachers must send mid-nine weeks progress reports to parents detailing academic performance at the end of the fourth week of each grading period for all students. A copy is to be filed by the teacher for reference in the event of parent conferences, etc. Recognition (Student Academic Honor Roll, Principals List) Honor Roll: To recognize academic achievement, students in grades 3-5 may be named to either the Honor Roll or Principal s List each grading period. The following standards are to be used to compute inclusion into either of these categories: Honor Roll status will be based on meeting the following three (3) criteria: A grade of A or B in each core academic subjects. When averaged, the overall grade is 90 or better. 39

A minimum of a satisfactory average in conduct as designated by Power School. Principal s List: Principal s List status will be based on meeting the following (2) criteria: A grade of A in all core academic subjects. A minimum of a B average in conduct. Report Cards Report cards will be completed each nine weeks by homeroom teachers. Completed report cards will be sent home with student on specified dates throughout the school year. Please refer to the instructional calendar for a complete listing of dates. Upon return to school, all report cards are to be stored securely in the school office. Homeroom teachers or other school officials may review completed report cards at any time. Response to Intervention (RTI) The Georgia Department of Education established a conceptual framework that will enable students to show gain in academic achievement. The Pyramid of Intervention is a graphic organizer that illustrates layers of instructional best practices according to the student s individual needs. Our pedagogy is based on how our students respond to the various interventions that are used to target measurable deficiencies. Students may receive interventions at various tiers (1-3) with each tier becoming more intense and individualized. The following guidelines will be followed: Refer to our RTI manual as an exhaustive resource for procedures and documentation needed to implementation of RTI plans for our students. Initial questions and plan implementations are to be directed to our RTI coordinator or our instructional coordinator. When a student is not responding to traditional classroom instruction and in the professional judgment of the teacher additional interventions are needed and assessment data justifies the necessity therein, a RTI folder is obtained from our RTI coordinator. At that point, the RTI process begins with consultation with our RTI coordinator and an intervention team meeting. Student progress is monitored and data is collected using Aimsweb. If the student isn t responding to the interventions provided, a meeting is called with the purpose to determine if the student should receive interventions at the next level. This process is continued until (1) the student masters the deficit standards or (2) all interventions have failed and a recommendation is made and approved at the intervention meeting to begin providing additional support at tier 3 (SST). SST (Student Support Team) The Student Support Team is a building level group of certificated personnel, organized to respond to individual students' needs that the referring teacher has been unable to meet successfully using intervention strategies in tiers 1 and 2 of the RTI model. 40

If tier 1 and 2 interventions have proven ineffective, the teacher should consult with our RTI coordinator and our school counselor to determine if an SST meeting may be scheduled. Our school counselor will coordinate the efforts of the SST (tier 3) process. If through tier 3 interventions the student is not making progress, the SST team will refer the student for testing with the possibility of placement in special education. Teams (Better Seeking, Intervention, PBIS, School Quality, Vertical) Better Seeking: Our school is an active participant in the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI). This body works closely with schools and school districts to improve the instructional quality of a school. One method is the implementation of a Better Seeking Team. This team of teachers and administrators develops, implements, and monitors curriculum and instructional best practices based on our current data. Intervention: The intervention team works in conjunction with the Response to Intervention (RTI) model. This team of teachers, counselors and administrators will examine instructional strategies to target identified academic weaknesses among students who receive additional instructional support in either tier 1 or tier 2 levels of intervention. PBIS: The Positive Behavior Support team replaces the Character Education committee through the implementation of our school-wide positive behavior support system. This team administers the implementation of the PBIS system within our school. School Quality: Aspects of school improvement that are non-curricular in nature are met through the school quality team. Particular elements of the school improvement plan (SIP) such as parental involvement are addressed through the work of the school quality team. The SQT will meet on a monthly basis. Vertical: Vertical teaming allows for alignment of our curriculum and sequential instruction between grade levels. Vertical teams have been developed for reading, math, and writing. These teams meet quarterly and follow the policies and procedures as outlined by our Better Seeking Team. Textbooks Textbooks are furnished for all students. They are the property of the BCBOE. The teacher is the agent to see that books are properly cared and accounted for. Each student should be issued a textbook in all subjects as directed by the BCBOE. Teachers must keep a record of texts issued to students and their condition as part of the textbook inventory. Textbooks are inventoried as being: (1) new, (2) good, (3) fair, or (4) poor. This record is subject to review by the Principal at any given time. 41

Monitor your textbook inventory carefully by inspecting texts near the end of each grading period to insure that students have the texts issued to them and are caring for them adequately. Lost or damaged books must be reported immediately to the Assistant Principal. If a textbook is lost or damaged during the first six (6) years of adoption, the student will be responsible for the full replacement cost of a new text. If a text is lost or damaged during the seventh (7) year, the student will be charged a $5.00 replacement cost. Remind each student that only his name, subject, and name of teacher should be written in each issued textbook. Be sure each student's name is written in his/ her assigned texts. Textbooks do not guide our instruction. Textbooks serve as a resource for the CCGPS standards that are currently being taught. The curriculum map will set the pace and guide what is taught. The textbook is not to be taught sequentially from beginning to end throughout the year. Align the text with the curriculum map. Uninterrupted Class Time Class interruptions will be kept to a minimum. Only in rare instances will the intercom be used for announcements, etc. during the instructional day. Instructional time is both valued and guarded at our school. A maximum of eighteen (18) instructional hours are allowed per year in grades K - 12 for scheduling non-instructional activities. Field trips can only be counted as instructional activities when the trip is directly related to a specific subject. For those subjects not directly related to the field trip, time is counted as school-sponsored, non-instructional time. 42