COBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
East Side Elementary
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2006-2009
________________________________________ Principal Signature
Revisions
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___________
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________________________________________ Area Assistant
Superintendent Approval
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Table of Contents
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PART 1 |
PROFILE |
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Executive Summary ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ |
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Significant AccomplishmentsÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. |
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Significant ChallengesÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. |
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Organizational CharacteristicsÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ |
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Student Performance Data Analysis ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. |
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Stakeholder Perceptual Data Analysis É..ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. |
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PART 2 |
SCHOOL MISSION AND BELIEFSÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ... |
10 |
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PART 3 |
ACTION PLAN |
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PrioritiesÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. |
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Student Performance Action Plan: Goals ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ |
12 |
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Student Performance Action Plan: Resource Plan ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ |
13-14 |
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School Performance Action Plan: Goals ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. |
15 |
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School Performance Action Plan: Resource Plan ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. |
16-17 |
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APPENDIX ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. |
19 - 30 |
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East Side Elementary School continuously
analyzes informal and formal test data to develop our School Improvement
Plan. Each spring test results
from numerous assessments are analyzed to identify strengths and weaknesses in
student performance. The information is used to redirect teaching strategies
and guide instruction. Our school
improvement data team disaggregates the data and shares results with the entire
staff. Once the test data is
thoroughly reviewed, the staff decides upon areas of focus based on the
identified weaknesses.
Also included
in the School Improvement Plan is East SideÕs new mission statement that was
developed during the 2005-2006 school year – ÒBy addressing the needs
of all children, East SideÕs community is committed to empowering our children
to excel academically and become respectful, productive members of a global
society.Ó The administrative theme for our school
this year is, ÒRefining the three ÒRÕsÓ: Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility.Ó
By embracing these three character traits, we are creating a risk-free
community that scaffolds the learning environment.
East Side
Elementary has a large number of veteran teachers and has added many young,
beginning teachers to the staff. This change in staff has generated excitement
to our school with an increase of instructional conversations and sharing of
best practices. While this is a
positive change, planning the support for these novice teachers is demanding.
Because of the varying degrees of teaching experience we have made
collaborative learning communities a pathway for staff development.
Our long-range
school performance goal is: Collaboration
among inter/intra-grade level teams guided by the Georgia Performance
Standards. This goal was identified based upon the
results of the Cobb County School District 2006 School Improvement Survey. Collaboration will consist of teams
developing essential questions, enduring understandings, performance tasks,
varied assessments, and a good understanding of the overall elements of the Georgia
Performance Standards. Grades 1-5 will continue to study and implement 6+1
Traits of Writing by
Ruth Culham. Kindergarten students will become familiar with the language of
the seven traits. This writing program
will provide our school with a common approach to teach writing across all
grade levels.
Our long-range
achievement goal is: Students
will write at or above grade level and improve their writing abilities by
focusing upon grade level writing standards to write in a variety of genres. Since this plan is in its 3rd
year of implementation, we are close to reaching our writing goal based on our
5th grade writing scores. This objective was chosen based upon the third and fifth
grade Georgia Writing Assessment scores and the GCA supplementary writing
assessment scores for fourth grade. Also, when comparing our writing scores to
similar schools within our area, we recognize that we should have higher
percentages of students to score in the engaging and extending stages of writing. By focusing upon the Georgia
Performance Standards for writing and 6+1 Traits of Writing, we hope to improve student writing
related to the domains of writing that are formally assessed. Grade level teams
will assess student writing using the Georgia/Cobb writing rubrics. Each grade
level will create common writing prompts to give to students. Teachers will
collaboratively score these writings in order to come to consensus regarding
the levels of student writing.
Significant Accomplishments
For several years East Side has performed very well in the area of reading on the Georgia CRCT and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The spring 2008 CRCT indicated that 97% of our students met or exceeded the reading, 96% in English/language arts standards. Sixty percent of our students performed in the exceeds category. Our grade level percentage scores on the ITBS in reading exceeded our projected ability based upon the average percent of our grade level CogAT scores. We received the Silver Award from the Georgia Department of Education for the percentage of students who met or exceeded the standards on the CRCT.
The 2008 CRCT scores revealed that 93% percent of our students met or exceeded the state standards in mathematics. Fifty-Four percent of our students scored within the exceed category. In order to improve this percentage, we will continue to implement Otter Creek to master our computations skills. We will continue to support our teachers with on-going guided math training.
East Side established a school Foundation that finished its third complete year in May 2008. The Foundation along with PTA works extremely hard to support our school programs, resources, and facilities. Both of these groups have provided our students with up-to-date technological resources, purchased instructional materials that support our school academic goals, and have assisted the school monetarily by upgrading our playground and classrooms. Examples of these would be the implementation of our science lab, the Fundations reading program in kindergarten and first grade, and the 6 + 1 Traits writing program.
The administrative team at East Side provided the staff
with a survey (November 1, 2005) to evaluate the climate and culture of our
school. The survey revealed areas
that needed to be refined related to our vision/mission, staff relationships,
and methods of communication. The
administrative team asked for volunteers to serve as representatives on a
ÒMorale Team.Ó This team created a
plan to use for the 2006-2007 school year to improve the climate of the
school. This was the foundation
from which our school theme of Refining the 3 RÕs evolved. As part of
refining/improving the morale of the school, we believe that it is necessary to
establish some common philosophies related to discipline, grading, and
professional collaborative communities. We will continue to discuss these
topics as a staff and develop common school-wide practices that promote student
success and are fair and practical. We implemented a book study by reading, Teach
with Your Strengths. The book included an
online survey that provided each staff member a list of his/her top five
strengths. This study enabled us
to identify the much strength we as a staff possess.
In 2006, the local school tax referendum, SPLOST II, significantly improved East SideÕs school facility by painting and repairing exterior wood and improving other outdoor fixtures. The interior of the school received fresh paint to the walls in the hallways, classrooms, cafeteria, and restrooms. These improvements created a heightened awareness regarding the impact that school appearance can have upon a schoolÕs climate and culture. Due to this heightened awareness, many parents and community members donated time and monetary resources to help a fifty-six year old school to have a fresh look while maintaining its character. Through the school council and foundationÕs concerted efforts needs for SPLOST III have been prioritized. We are thrilled at the outcome of the vote and look forward to the construction of our new school!
Significant
Challenges
East
Side faces many challenges in meeting the goals within our School Improvement
Plan. Two of our greatest challenges are our changing demographics and our
emphasis on moving average achieving students to above average achieving
students in the areas of language and mathematics. Because our ESOL population is predominantly Asian, we will
ensure that these students receive extra support to help them become more proficient
in the English language through Extended Day Tutoring and volunteer PTA / high
school mentors. As we focus upon
moving average achieving students to above average in the areas of language and
mathematics, we will emphasize data analysis. StudentsÕ test scores will be studied to determine
individual progress in those areas. Based upon student test scores, teachers
will hold students accountable for maximizing their potential. Teachers will
hold themselves accountable by differentiating instruction to meet the needs of
all learners. We believe that the
majority of our studentsÕ cognitive abilities are high average to above average
based upon the CogAT tests in third and fifth grades. Therefore, the assumption is that their ITBS and CRCT scores
should fall within the above average range. Teachers will be encouraged to learn and research
instructional strategies and effective programs that will enable us to extend
the learning of our students.
Varying the modalities of instruction to meet the needs of all of our
learners necessitates our staying abreast of all technology applications. Therefore, staff development will be
integral to our success.
Another
crucial challenge for us is to identify early our at-risk students and ensure
that these students are receiving the necessary interventions to enable them to
be successful. Each grade level will meet monthly to discuss the academic gains
of our identified Òat-riskÓ students and discuss formal/informal classroom
assessments and anecdotal observations that support student progress or
regression (Data Teams and the RTI process). The administration will meet
monthly to review the progress of the at-risk students as another intervention
to ensure that these students have the support and interventions to enable them
to overcome their areas of deficit.
In
our third implementation year of the 6+1 Traits of Writing, teachers are collaborating, sharing lessons, and
plans to continue building a knowledge base of writing for all teachers in all
grade levels. This has greatly improved our writing at East Side, and as a
result we had one of the largest gain score in the county. We are continuing to
use 6+1 Traits and our own
teacher ÒexpertsÓ to expand student achievement.
Another
challenge we are facing is our math achievement. Twenty-Nine percent of our
students with disabilities Did Not Meet the math CRCT Standards. We are differentiating math instruction
in our classrooms and providing training to help facilitate the implementation
of Guided Math. We will continue to work with and refine the co-teaching models
in every grade level to better support our special education population and to
increase the overall number of students meeting and exceeding the math
standards. County trainers will also help our teachers facilitate and improve this
process. We are supporting the co- teaching models by providing training for
these teachers and time to collaborate. During the monthly administrative
meetings, where at-risk students are monitored, the guided math model can also
be evaluated for its effectiveness.
Collaboration
among teachers has often been a challenge because of money and schedules. Each grade level has chosen one day a
week for collaborative planning time.
Teachers will plan for performance-based, integrated units that
incorporate more than one content area.
Lessons will be designed considering engagement and higher-level BloomÕs
Taxonomy. During this time,
teachers will design performance based-integrated units, along with formative
and summative assessments. During
weekly grade level collaboration, teachers will be encouraged to reflect upon
and refine their work.
Organizational
Characteristics
East Side is located north of Atlanta and is 8 miles east of Marietta, Georgia. East Side serves a population of 980 regular education, special education, and kindergarten through fifth grade students. East SideÕs enrollment has increased gradually over the past seven years. The community surrounding East Side has also experienced a great deal of residential and commercial growth. As East Cobb grows, so does East Side. There are 115 staff members including: 51 classroom teachers, 8.5 special education teachers, 2.5 gifted teachers, 3 speech teachers, 2.5 counselors, 6 specialists, 1 area lead teacher, 1 media specialist, 17 para educators, 1 registered nurse, 4 custodians, 8 food service staff, 1 secretary, 2 clerks, 1 bookkeeper, 2 cafeteria monitors, and 3 administrators.
Forty percent of the certified staff holds masterÕs degrees and 1% holds a specialistÕs degree. This results in 41% of the certified staff holding an advanced degree. Eleven staff members are currently working on advanced degrees.
Our students live in single-family dwellings. East Side has experienced continual change in student demographics. Our Asian population continues to increase. The racial composition of our school is predominantly white (69%), with our largest minority group being Asian at 21%. The African American population comprises 6% of our population; multi-racial consists of 3% and the Hispanic population makes up 1% percent of the school population. The percentage of low-income students (those eligible for free or reduced lunch) is 4.9 percent.
East
Side's first School Council was created in August of 2003 in accordance with HB1187.
The staff, parent,
and business members are actively involved in advising the principal, reviewing school
improvement data, and working to share school issues with the community. This
has been an
effective opportunity to promote increased communication between parents, teachers, and
the community.
Student
Performance Data Analysis
East Side Elementary School continuously analyzes informal and
formal test data to develop our School Improvement Plan. Each spring test results from numerous
assessments are analyzed to identify strengths and weaknesses in student
performance. The information is used to redirect teaching strategies and guide
instruction. Our school
improvement data team disaggregates the data and shares results with the entire
staff. Once the test data is
thoroughly reviewed, the staff decides upon areas of focus based on the
identified weaknesses.
Because of our continued success in improving our reading scores,
we have identified language/writing as our areas of academic focus for the
2006-2009 school years. These goal
areas were chosen based upon analysis of the following assessments:
The Georgia CRCT results for spring 2008 revealed the following data for the
Language subtest: First grade: 48% of students
meeting standards with 47% exceeding with an increase of 9% in the exceeds
category. Second grade:
54% of students meeting standards with 44% exceeding with an increase of
6% in the exceeds category. Third
grade: 54% of students meeting standards with
44% exceeding standards with an increase of 10% in the exceeds category. Fourth grade:
46% of students meeting standards with 51% of students exceeding
standards with an increase of 3% in the exceeds category. Fifth grade:
43% of students meeting standards with 55% exceeding standards with an
increase of 9% in the exceeds category.
From this data, we recognize that teachers are working to meet the needs
of our students and challenging them. With increases in the exceeds category in
all grade levels we are working to even more students to move from the meets to
the exceeds category.
The Georgia Writing Assessment results for grade three justify our
continued goal to improve writing abilities by focusing upon grade level
writing standards and to
write in a variety of genres. Spring 2008, Georgia Writing Assessment scores indicate 85.5%
percent of East SideÕs third graders scored in the Meeting and Exceeding
categories in Ideas for all genres, as compared to 83% percent in Cobb, and 81%
percent in the state. In organization, East Side scored 80% across all four
genres, the system scored 78%, and the state scored 74%. In conventions East
Side scored 81.7% compared to the systemÕs 77% and the stateÕs 69%. Our 5th
graders had 90% of papers scored in the meets and exceeds category. Ten percent
of our students did not meet the standards in writing. This was a substantial
decrease in the percentage of students who did not meet on the previous yearÕs
testing. While we celebrate the 5th
grade writing success, we hope to continue to increase or maintain the number
of students who meet and exceed the writing standards on the 2008 writing
assessment.
A concern with our 3rd grade writing scores is that
schools within our area are scoring higher percentages across all domains. We believe that our students are
capable of achieving the same performance. Therefore writing will continue to be a focus until we are
insured that the level of performance matches our studentÕs cognitive abilities
based upon our 3rd and 5th grade CoGat results.
Our spring GKAP readiness scores for first grade have remained consistent for the
past five years. This is evidence to support that our students are capable of
much success in literacy and mathematics upon entering East Side.
Stakeholder
Perceptual Data Analysis
Data gathered from CCSD School Improvement Survey administered to the parents, students, and teachers is used to assist in determining the strengths and weaknesses of East Side Elementary SchoolÕs instructional and organizational effectiveness based on the Georgia Keys.
Our overall frequency by domain
Curriculum- 88.09%
Assessment- 88.97%
Instruction-90.43%
Planning and Organization- 90.79%
Student, Family, & Community- 91.67%
Professional Learning- 81.76%
Leadership- 87.38%
School Culture- 89.59%
á Professional Learning was only given to staff.
á Professional Learning is our lowest area.
SCHOOL MISSION AND BELIEFS
INTRODUCTION
The mission was rewritten this past summer. The school-wide data team met with the
entire staff to identify language that was important to include in the mission
statement. The data team worked
together to develop a new statement. The mission was give to the staff and to
East Side parents for review and input.
Revisions were made and the new mission statement was adopted. All school committees, PTA, Foundation,
and School Council will work to make the mission statement a priority as
decisions are made that impact the entire school.
MISSION
ÒBy
addressing the needs of all children, East SideÕs community is committed to
empowering our children to excel academically and become respectful, productive
members of a global society.Ó
BELIEFS
We believe the following
statements to be true about East Side and our mission as educators:
- Children are our greatest resource and the
key to our future.
- All students can learn.
- Students have differing strengths and
differing needs. Not all children learn at the same rate and in the same
way.
- High expectations, along with sound teaching
and motivated and responsible learners will yield optimal learning.
- All members of the school community should be
respectful of others and accept individual responsibility for their own
work and actions.
- Students need to be given many opportunities
to apply learned knowledge.
- The core curriculum in the areas of reading,
math, English, spelling, science, social studies, health, physical
education, art, music and oral and written communication skills provide
the backbone for what is taught and learned.
- Teachers, students, parents and the community
must work together to provide the best learning experiences for our
students, preparing them to become lifelong learners.
- Open communication among teachers, parents,
students, administrators and the community is critical to maximize student
growth and achievement.
- All students should be given access to
current technology for learning.
ACTION PLAN
Priorities
The
Action Plan is divided into two parts---one for student achievement and one for
school performance. The first section of the plan looks at student
achievement.
Our
achievement goal in writing was chosen based upon the third and fifth grade
Georgia Writing Assessment scores and the GCA supplementary writing assessment
scores for fourth grade. Also, when comparing our writing scores to similar
schools within our area, we recognize that we should have higher percentages of
students to score in the engaging and extending stages of writing. Furthermore, our CRCT scores in the
area of language (spelling, grammar, punctuation) have been a relative weakness
across grade levels for the past four years. Reading and writing are reciprocal; therefore, we will
emphasize writing across all content areas.
As we analyzed
the data from the Cobb County School Improvement Opinion Survey, we identified
for the fourth straight year that staff collaboration was a relative weakness.
The staff agrees that in order for us to become a Òperformance-basedÓ school we
must make collaboration a priority.
Collaboration is also a key factor in studying and implementing 6+1
Traits of Writing.
STUDENT
LEARNING PRIORITY
Improve
student achievement in written communication.
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE PRIORITY
Teacher
collaboration fosters a Òperformance-basedÓ classroom and establishes a school
foundation for teaching and evaluating writing.
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STUDENT PERFORMANCE ACTION
PLAN: GOALS |
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Student Performance Goal |
Performance Indicators |
Current Performance Levels |
Benchmark |
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Students will write at or above
grade level standards for a variety of purposes. |
Student Writing Products Include:
Students:
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Cobb/ Georgia Writing
Rubric
Baseline
data to be gathered during the 2007-2008 school year. GA Writing Assessment 86% of third graders were in the Meeting stages in spring 2008. 30%
of third graders were in the exceeds stages in spring 2008. 76%of
fourth graders were in the meets and exceeds stages in spring 2008. (66%
met and 10% exceeded) 91%
of fifth graders were in the meets and exceeding stages in spring 2008. (57%
met and 34% exceeded) |
GA Writing Assessment
90% of third graders will meet or exceed the writing
standard of ideas by spring 2009. 35% of third graders will score in the exceeds stage
in ideas in spring of 2009. 85% of fourth graders will score in the meets and
exceeds stages in spring 2008. (65% meeting and 30% exceeding) 95% of fifth graders will score in the meets and
exceeds stages in spring 2009. (60%
meeting and 35% exceeding) On the 2008 test, East Side 5th graders increased by 14% in the Meets and Exceeds categories over the 2007 test. |