Oakdale. Johnny Ferrara Priscilla Graham TBA # 485. School: Principals: Title I Specialist: 1825 Oakdale Road Charlotte NC,

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1 CMS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN REPORT School: Principals: Title I Specialist: Address: Courier Number: Phone: Learning Zone: Zone Superintendent: Oakdale Johnny Ferrara Priscilla Graham TBA 1825 Oakdale Road Charlotte NC, # Central Elementary Zone Mr. Tyler Ream

2 MISSION STATEMENT District: Maximize academic achievement by every student in every school. School: The mission of Oakdale Elementary School is to provide challenging learning experiences that will prepare scholars to be productive citizens in a globally competitive society. BELIEFS Providing differentiated instruction is the key to student achievement. Children learn at varying paces and in different ways. Children thrive when nurtured by families, educators and the community working together. Families play a vital role in supporting the education of children. Community partnerships are important in supporting the work of the school. Character education creates a successful learning environment and builds the self-esteem of all students. Educators must use a variety of resources to enhance learning. Maintaining a safe and orderly environment in which students learn is critical. VISION District: CMS provides all students the best education available anywhere, preparing every child to lead a rich and productive life. School: The vision of Oakdale Elementary School is to ensure that our scholars take ownership of their learning goals and how their education will impact their future. OUTCOMES OF FOCUS Based upon analysis of data and Self Evaluation, our focus will be upon the following outcomes: 1. Increase average growth of students in reading, math, and 5 th grade science by more than one year, as measured by the CMS summative assessments and the EOG tests. 2. Increase the amount and quality of writing in the use of conventions and content as measured by CMS rubrics. 3. Increase the number of family (parent) volunteers/participation, volunteer hours and business partnerships by 15%. 4

3 ASSESSMENT DATA SNAPSHOT Subject Demographic Subgroup % Prof School Year % Met Exp. Growth Avg. Growth High Growth Ratio Oakdale Elementary School % Prof School Year % Met Exp. Growth Avg. Growth High Growth Ratio % Prof. Grade 03 Reading Grade Total Grade 03 Math Grade Total Grade 03 Total Grade Total School Year % Met Exp. Growth Avg. Growth High Growth Ratio Grade 04 Reading Grade Total Grade 04 Math Grade Total Grade 04 Total Grade Total Grade 05 Reading Grade Total Grade 05 Math Grade Total Grade 05 Science Grade Total Grade 05 Total Grade Total Reading Total Total Math Total Total Science Total Total EOG Total Total School Composite Total

4 K- 2 Assessment Snapshot Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Reading Math Reading Math Reading Math Our School 74.12% 61.18% 90% 94.55% 50% 68.13% CEZ 76.76% 60.64% 80.75% 92.62% 46.6% 63.15% District 86.0% % 91.07% 94.18% 60.80% 74.94% SCHOOL PROFILE This narrative should include a description of student and staff demographics, recent achievement, and staff qualifications. Oakdale Elementary School Title I Schoolwide Components NCLB Section 1114 (b) (1) requires a Title I schoolwide program plan to contain each of the following ten components as well as related measurable goals and strategies for implementation: Table of Contents Oakdale Elementary School Title I Schoolwide Required Components 1. Comprehensive Needs Assessment 2. Schoolwide Reform Strategies 3. Instruction by Highly Qualified Professional Staff (Teachers and Instructional Paraprofessionals) 6

5 4. Strategies to Attract High-Quality Highly Qualified Teachers to High Needs Schools 5. High-Quality and Ongoing Professional Development 6. Strategies to Increase Parental Involvement 7. Preschool Transition Strategies9 8. Teacher Participation in Making Assessments Decisions 0 9. Timely and Additional Assistance to Students Having Difficulty Mastering the Standards Coordination and Integration of Federal, State and Local Programs and Resources 2 Title I Schoolwide Required Components Title I Schoolwide schools must have school improvement plans that address all of the required components. By completing all of the fields within this template the schoolwide plan will comply with federal requirements. The school should ensure that the quality of the narrative minimally meets expectations as indicated on the Schoolwide School Improvement Plan rubric. 1. Comprehensive Needs Assessment A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school (including the needs of migrant children as defined in Section 1306) with information about the academic achievement of children in relation to the NCDPI. In order to close the achievement gaps which exist at Oakdale, teachers must plan effective lessons, implement and assess skills using formative and summative assessments, and employ the Data Wise process to review student work samples. In this way, the standards are set high for all students to achieve, and we truly can see to it that no child is left behind. The mission of Oakdale Elementary School is to provide challenging learning experiences that will prepare scholars to be productive citizens in a globally competitive society. The comprehensive data profile includes longitudinal data about school and student demographics, and student achievement. We are looking forward to increased student achievement in writing, mathematics and reading. Effective use of data to influence instructional decisions is another core strategy for positive change and student achievement. To maximize instructional effectiveness, the staff uses a variety of data to guide its instructional decision-making. The sources used to generate the data include formative and summative assessments at the state, county, and/or local levels. Additionally, grade-level teams develop common assessments and complete item analysis to ensure students are mastering Common Core Standards. 7

6 Analyzing data to guide instruction is essential to improving student performance. Oakdale utilizes data teams arranged in Professional Learning Communities to disaggregate data by classroom, grade level and school-wide population. On the End-of-Grade math tests, our composite proficiency score was 73.4 percent. This means that approximately threequarters of our third through fifth-graders are at or above grade level. Breaking down the composite score: 74.3 percent of third-grade students, 69.7 percent of fourth-grade students and 77.8 percent of fifth-grade students achieved proficiency in math. Our composite score on the End-of-Grade reading test was 57.4 percent proficient. Third-graders were 59.3 proficient, fourth-graders were 60.3 percent proficient and fifth-graders were 52.5 percent proficient. Additionally, the fifth-grade End-of-Grade science test revealed that 56.1 percent of students were considered proficient. The End of Grade test results indicate that we maintained our high growth status in mathematics. The End of Grade test results indicate that we did not maintain our growth status in reading or on the overall school composite. Adequate Yearly Progress, the standard set for schools by the No Child Left Behind Act, was met in 13 of 17 sub groups. Oakdale Elementary School did not achieve AYP. Performance of students in grades kindergarten through second grade provide the following data acquired from the spring 2011CMS Summative Assessments. The composite score for kindergarten reading is percent and percent for mathematics. The first grade data provides a composite score of 90 percent in the area of reading and percent in mathematics. Finally, the composite score for second grade in the area of reading is 50 percent and percent in mathematics. Given the foregoing, a determined focus on closing the achievement gap will be implemented. The data indicates that our kindergarten cohort is entering the arena at 70 percent success rate as opposed to their high-performing peers who remain steadfast at 80 percent and higher. The Annual Measurable Objectives continue to increase for AYP, addressing the academic needs of all subgroups represented at Oakdale. Students with Disabilities (SWD), Limited English Proficiency (LEP), Economically Disadvantaged(ED), African American (AA), and Hispanic (H) must be a top priority for the Oakdale staff. To continue to improve student performance with all of our subgroups, we will continue to utilize the least restrictive environment by using the inclusion model of instruction for EC students, provide ongoing professional development to our entire staff, offer additional instructional hours to students requiring more support, and use a variety of best practices/strategies to meet our students needs. STUDENT LEARNING PRIORITIES Increase achievement in written communication, reading comprehension, fluency and vocabulary 8

7 Increase math computation and math problem solving skills CMS School Improvement Plan SCHOOL PERFORMANCE PRIORITY Improve Data Collection/Analysis for instructional decision-making 2. Schoolwide Reform Strategies Schoolwide reform strategies that: a. Provide opportunities for all children to meet the state's proficient and advanced levels of student academic achievement. a. Use effective methods and instructional strategies based on scientific research that: Strengthen the core academic program in the school. Increase the amount and quality of learning time, before-and after-school and summer programs opportunities, and a rich and accelerated curriculum. Include strategies for meeting the educational needs of historically underserved populations. c. Address the needs of all children in the school, especially those of low achieving children and those at risk of not meeting the state academic content standards who are members of a population targeted by the schoolwide program. The services of such a program might include: Counseling, pupil services, and mentoring services. College and career awareness and preparation, such as college and career guidance, personal finance education, and innovative teaching methods, which may include applied learning and team-teaching strategies. The integration of vocational and technical education programs. d. Address how the school will determine if such needs have been met. e. Are consistent with the state plan and any local improvement plans. 9

8 Increase average growth of students in reading, math, and 5 th grade science by one year or more, as measured by the CMS summative assessments and the EOG tests. Oakdale s comprehensive reading program provides a coherent instructional program that includes coordinated instructional sequences, ample opportunities for teacher-directed application, guided practice, and independent practice. This occurs during a 120-minute block of reading instruction in each classroom and incorporates all of the five essential components of reading instruction. We understand that instruction for younger students involves a combination of reading and writing experiences that help them learn the purposes of literacy, as well as how written language functions. Children learn the pleasure of reading and writing and become familiar with the text structure and vocabulary through hearing texts read aloud. Children learn letter sound relationships in several different ways, including direct lessons; active, hands-on guided practice; and application of this basic information in reading and writing. Instruction in writing contributes substantially to children s understanding about words. In each classroom, for example, a systematic and explicit word-study system has been established to help children learn spelling principles. The major impetus of our program is to align our curriculum and instruction with the NCSCoS and the Common Core Curriculum. Additionally we will scaffold our skills, to organize a cohesive delivery system, to offer systematic intervention (RtI), and to analyze and utilize data to inform our instructional decision-making. We will continue to coordinate the scientifically based practices we have in place and to fill the gaps we have in our instruction with additional scientifically based research strategies. For example, Guided Reading. The Oakdale Elementary comprehensive reading program for kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms includes explicit and systematic instruction in each of the 5 essential components of reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency-including oral reading skills, and reading comprehension strategies). Transitions have been made across the grades to adjust to children s growth in reading, writing, language, and word knowledge, as well as their development of study skills. For example, teachers in kindergarten and first grade classrooms share students such that those students in kindergarten reading at exceptionally high levels can be placed with a first-grade reading teacher during literacy block. Furthermore, Title I Reading teachers and tutors directly support our lowest level of readers in the classroom during the literacy block. 10

9 Oakdale Elementary School uses a screening and diagnostic process for determining whether we have met the needs of all students in their pursuit of academic proficiency and advanced achievement. We identify children who are falling behind their peers in learning to read or are failing to learn to read and require intervention. Our process includes more frequent use of DIBELS and the Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) as diagnostic measures with those students who are falling behind or who fail to demonstrate grade-level growth as evidenced by difficulties they demonstrate during reading instruction and other reading-related activities. Teachers will use and monitor running records more frequently with these students. By administering our screening and diagnostic assessments with greater frequency to those students who demonstrate difficulties, we will be able to identify the reading skill in which the student is deficient and begin the intervention (RtI). Additionally, for any students in danger of failing to learn to read, additional assessment support will be sought from the school intervention team. Our comprehensive reading program provides interventions based upon scientifically based instructional strategies, practices, and materials proven effective in accelerating achievement; Oakdale s program also implements specific strategies for monitoring progress and making instructional decisions to support children who are struggling, falling behind their peers, or are failing to learn to read. We recognize that even when students have the benefit of a systematic, effectively coordinated reading program, some students will still need additional support in order to become proficient readers. Our program is founded on the premise that all students can read and we will do whatever it takes to see that they do. The implication of this professional learning community philosophy is that we must structure a system of interventions that will ensure our mission. The mathematics program at Oakdale employs the CMS adopted Investigations curriculum. Investigations is a complete K-5 mathematics curriculum, developed at TERC in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is designed to help all children understand fundamental ideas of number and operations, geometry, data, measurement and early algebra. The Oakdale teachers and mathematics facilitator, following the NCSCoS, also supplement the program to be certain all skills are fully covered to meet the demands of the EOGs and Summatives. Diagnostic assessments will include Assessing Mathematics Concepts (k-3), Understanding Numbers (3-5), ClassScape, Study Island, common assessments, and CMS Summatives. The data from the assessments will provide the comprehensive groups for tiered mathematics instruction based on specific skills. Increase average growth of students in 3--5 reading, math, and 5 th grade science by one year or more, as measured by the CMS summative assessments and the EOG tests. NCSCOS North Carolina Standard Course of Study Common Core Standards Implement Performance Based Instruction Balanced Literacy Block Reading Workshop 11

10 Tiered Instruction Literacy Coach Family Reading Nights for School Community Title I Tutors Literacy Centers Implement Performance Based Instruction Math Coach/Facilitator Manipulatives Family Mathematics Nights for School Community Pre/Post Math Benchmark to guide instruction Investigations Math Journals Integration of science and social studies within reading/writing and math Independent reading Rigor, Relevance and real-life application Guided Math Workshop Math Exemplars Cooperative Groups Continuous use of analyzed data to guide instruction Common Planning/Collaboration Time Math Coach Literacy Coach Hands-on Science Lab Full time science teacher Increase the amount and quality of writing in the use of conventions and content as measured by CMS rubrics. Writer s Workshop Six Traits of Writing Guided Writing Graphic Organizers Writing Rubrics Use content vocabulary 12

11 Improve Data Collection/Analysis for instructional decision-making The Data Wise Team will be instrumental in providing the data and training to stakeholders. The stakeholders have identified the following: 1) Create skill based common grade level common assessments. 2) Use the Data Wise team to communicate schoolwide data decisions to staff. 3) Data base driven instruction 4) Use data collected during the planning process for instruction Please see # 8 for further details. Increase parent involvement opportunities The Title I Family Advocate will continue to work closely with the Oakdale families. The TIFA has already sent a training survey to parents and has taken the data to determine the workshops families are requesting. From this data the Title I Parent Plan has been developed. The stakeholders have identified the following as areas to work on for the school year. Provide opportunities to increase awareness of cultural diversity Continue to offer parent workshops and trainings at various times (morning, noon and evening) Involve school, parents and community in planning, publicity and preparation for workshops and parent meetings. Provide opportunities for parents to share their talents, hobbies and resources that may benefit the school family as well as encourage the parents to be more involved Keep communication open between parents and school by making positive and personal contacts as often as possible Provide services and contacts for parents who have limited English skills, and provide opportunities for them to volunteer at school Provide opportunities for parents to voice concerns Continue to collaborate with community partners to facilitate acquiring resources for school and students. Increase the number of community partnerships Diversify PTA board and committees Utilize various means of communicating school wide programs and policies to all parents (news letter, student agendas, phone calls, connect ed, etc.) Utilize the international center for translators/interpreters 13

12 * Please see plan for specific details. 3. Instruction by highly-qualified teachers. Oakdale Elementary School has a certified teaching staff of 30 grade level teachers, 2.5 Exceptional Children s teachers, 4 Special Area teachers,.4 Talent Development Teacher, 1.5 Speech-Language Pathologists,.4 Psychologist, 1 Counselor, 2 Literacy Facilitators (k-2, 3-5), 1 Mathematics Facilitator (k-5), 1 English as a Second Language teachers,, 2 Secretaries, 1 part-time Title I tutors, 1 Behavior Management Technician and 7 highly qualified Instructional Assistants. All of these staff members have direct instructional contact with students. This does not include the administration. 100% of Oakdale Elementary Certified Staff are highly qualified. 100% of instructional assistants and tutors are also highly qualified. Frequent monitoring by the Administration Team ensures that all teachers provide high quality instruction based on the NCSCOS/Common Core. The North Carolina School Report Card is sent home with every student which outlines the highly qualified staff at Oakdale Elementary School in addition; this information is shared at the annual Title I Open House. During long term absences of Highly Qualified teachers we work together as a professional learning community and with UNCC and Human Resources to fill vacancies with highly qualified teachers. In the event that this is not possible a letter is sent home to parent to make them aware as directed by NCLB mandate. The Parents Right to Know letters were sent home on August 26, The experience of the Oakdale staff varies widely, ranging from a 35-year veteran to beginning first year teachers. For new to Oakdale and beginning teachers, we offer a mentoring program to guide, support and assist them throughout the year. This is in partnership with University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). The UNCC Department of Elementary Education will present workshops for new teachers based on need assessment survey. Additionally, the UNCC faculty will work directly with new teachers in the classroom by modeling instruction and providing feedback collected through classroom observations. Our commitment to teaching and learning is why we are able to attract and retain highly qualified staff members. In the event we need additional staff, members of the administration Team will work closely with UNCC and HR to identify highly qualified candidates. 14

13 4. High-quality and on-going professional development for teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals and, if appropriate, pupil services personnel, parents, and other staff to enable all children in the school to meet the state academic content standards. The Oakdale staff will have many opportunities to participate in High-quality Professional Development. The professional development plan highlights the opportunities for the school year. The administration team will be providing staff development based on weaknesses identified through data analysis, EOG analysis, and Summative analysis. The new teachers to Oakdale and CMS will receive ongoing professional development from the district, Oakdale staff, and UNCC faculty in, but not limited to, reading, writing, mathematics, classroom management, and RTI. The Oakdale staff will receive RtI Behavior training this year. Professional development will continue to focus on 21 st Century and Global Awareness skills. New Hire Training for Language Arts Teachers Oakdale s Academic Leadership Team (ALT) will provide ongoing professional develop in the areas of reading, writing, math and science. Participants will be given an in-service on Literacy Instruction guided through the written, taught, and tested curriculum (NCSCOS/ Common Core, Writing Across the Curriculum, Balanced Literacy Block, Marzano s Higher Order Thinking Skills, etc.), introduced to differentiated instruction and how to implement/integrate Guided reading, fluency, writing to learn, and other strategies into daily instruction. Oakdale will improve instruction and student learning by Creating a Data Wise team to analyze school wide data Provide training to teachers on how to effectively analyze data weekly during grade level planning Hold Quarterly PLC Planning days Oakdale will provide training to assist teachers with incorporating strategies on how to assess dependent readers, build fluency skills and integrate fluency practices into a differentiated classroom, determine and understand word meaning through meaningful vocabulary instruction, deepen comprehension, develop background knowledge and use before, during, and after reading strategies, to build independence and create independent readers. Oakdale will provide more rigorous training on Differentiating Reading Instruction. Areas of focus are as follows: Building the Foundation for Differentiating Reading Instruction, Bridging Learning Gaps while engaging Readers, Differentiated Whole Class Instruction (Tiered Instruction), Differentiated Small Group Reading Instruction, and Using Writing to Support Comprehension (Content Area Writing). RTI training will be held at the school to implement Tiered Instruction for all identified students and increase student achievement. 15

14 Teachers will be trained on ClassScape, which will assist teachers with creating online benchmark assessments to progress monitor student achievement. Staff members will also be given opportunities to attend district professional development such as but not limited to literacy facilitator support meetings, Imagine It training, math facilitator meetings, Pre-K to kindergarten transition meetings, fifth grade to middle school transition meetings and teacher assistants conference. All professional development will require the participants to demonstrate mastery and/or attainment of knowledge through demonstration lessons, lesson plans, and presentations to colleagues, group discussions and notes. The professional development opportunities afforded to the staff will be based on scientific research related to student achievement. * Please see PD plan for specific details. 5. Strategies to attract highly-qualified teachers to high-need schools. The turnover rate this year for certified staff at Oakdale Elementary School is directly related to the 2011CMS transfer fair. With recent economic concerns beginning in 2009, school transfers were not permitted. The recent release of additional funds for CMS from state and local government enabled the district to offer teachers the opportunity to transfer. This in turn has given Oakdale the opportunity to hire new teachers with a plethora of ideas, experiences, and excitement. All new teachers have an introductory opportunity within CMS. The district provides an intensive 3-day New Teacher Training Program prior to the start of the school year. Oakdale has a solid mentorship program to support new teachers for their first three years of teaching. In addition, Oakdale Elementary School works in collaboration with teachers in all areas especially in curriculum development and planning.. Our grade level teams provide additional support and provide the opportunity for ongoing collaboration, which is attractive to teachers new to the school. High-quality, highly qualified instructors from the district, school, and UNCC provide professional development to all staff with a strong focus on new teachers to Oakdale. Working with UNCC, we offer pre-service teachers the opportunity to complete the required field experiences in the classrooms of highly qualified teachers. This affords the administration team and PLCs to recruit those students and student teachers who exhibit the qualities of a highly effective teacher. We have had the opportunity to hire several new teachers from the programs. 16

15 The staff at Oakdale has also placed quality programming that best meets our students needs at the top of our priority list. This student-focus has attracted high-quality; highly qualified teachers who desire to work in a progressive, collaborative, and enthusiastic climate. To apprise would-be teachers of what Oakdale Elementary has to offer, the administrators present at UNCC in the classrooms of pre-service teachers. The Oakdale website provides information about the school to interest those teachers who are interested in teaching in an urban Title I school. 6. Strategies to increase parental involvement through means such as family literacy services. Title I staff will provide several trainings throughout the school year to provide assistance to families. Trainings and meetings will be offered at different times of the school day throughout the year to offer parents flexibility for scheduling. Parents have been included in the SIP/Title I Planning process as well as in the development of Title I Parent Policy and Compact. The Title I Family Advocate will partner with Parent University to provide parent trainings during the school year. Teachers will receive training on working effectively with parents. Please refer to Title I Parent Involvement Plan for specific dates and training titles. Parent requests will be handled by administrators, TITLE I teachers, Title I Family Assistant, and Title I Tutors. Parents have the opportunity to share concerns via /telephone, at parent meetings and conferences or any appropriate mode of communication. Parents are continually asked to be on committees, participate in classroom and school activities, and be on the SIP/Title I planning committees. Connect Ed, phone calls, and newsletters provide the communication asking for participation. A Title I Parent survey was developed by Title I Family Advocate to seek input from parents as to what their interests in training opportunities are. This information is being used to build Title I Parent Involvement plan. Parents will receive additional surveys to monitor effectiveness of Title I program at Oakdale. The stakeholders have identified the following as areas to work on for the school year. Provide opportunities to increase awareness of cultural diversity Continue to offer parent workshops and trainings at various times (morning, noon and evening) Involve school, parents and community in planning, publicity and preparation for workshops and parent meetings. Provide opportunities for parents to share their talents, hobbies and resources that may benefit the school family as well as encourage the parents to be more involved Keep communication open between parents and school by making positive and personal contacts as often as possible Provide services and contacts for parents who have limited English skills, and provide opportunities for them to volunteer at school 17

16 Provide opportunities for parents to voice concerns Continue to collaborate with community partners to facilitate acquiring resources for school and students. Increase the number of community partnerships Diversify PTA board and committees Utilize various means of communicating school wide programs and policies to all parents (news letter, student agendas, phone calls, connect ed, , etc.) Utilize the international center for translators/interpreters 7. Plans for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood programs, such as Head Start, Even Start, Early Reading First, or a public school preschool program to local elementary school programs. Noting that the transition to Kindergarten through elementary school to middle school is a process rather than a one-time event, Oakdale Elementary staff assures smooth transition between grade levels. This process is facilitated through parent communication (IEP, PEP meetings, teacher-parent conferencing), through PLCs reviewing data (EOG, common assessments, DIBELS, ClassScape, and Study Island) and responding when students are struggling by implementing Tiered Instruction as determined by RTI, and offering students opportunities to collaborate with vertical classrooms. Additionally, pre-k programs are invited to visit Oakdale throughout the year. Oakdale kindergarten teachers and principal will visit the local programs to meet families and pre-k teachers and provide examples of what students need to know for kindergarten. The transition to Middle School is accomplished through a partnership with Northwest School of the Arts and feeder Middle Schools. NWSA provides several ARTS visits throughout the year to showcase its programs and provide information to our scholars about the application process. NWSA offers unlimited support to assist our scholars and families with this process as well as preparing for auditions. The middle schools which our scholars attend are invited to Oakdale to talk to rising 6 th graders. This is typically held in the spring of each year. All information is sent home to families and the Oakdale staff provides support to make the transition to middle school as efficient as possible for both scholars and families. * The administrators at Oakdale have begun a conversation regarding Head Start. The principals and UNCC partners are discussing acquiring a Head Start Grant to fund a possible Head Start at the Oakdale Site. This will provide us the opportunity to educate those 18

17 students who will be attending kindergarten at Oakdale. With this, we will have interventions in place for students before they are in kindergarten. This is in the beginning planning stages with 2014 or beyond as a startup date. This will also allow collaboration to the transition to kindergarten. 8. Measures to include teachers in decisions regarding the use of academic assessments to provide information on, and to improve, the achievement of individual students and the overall instructional program. A Data-Wise Team has been created and is representative of all stakeholders. This team is charged with the following: Organization for collaboration and PLCs. Create data overview Creating and implementing a critical stance and response to evaluation and alignment for assessment questions and data each quarter Organize and implement Data Days each quarter Create and evaluate common assessments Generate and review data in Thinkgate and DIBELS each month Hold steadfast 4 weekly instructional sessions each week 9. Effective, timely assistance of interventions for students who experience difficulty in attaining the proficient or advanced level of the academic content standards. Students' difficulties must be identified in a timely way and in such a way as to provide information on which to base effective assistance of interventions. Effective Timely Intervention In addition to the instructional strategies listed below we have organized our grade levels into Professional Learning Communities which allows all staff members to be involved in addressing disparities in student achievement by subgroups, specifically the EC subgroup. To begin the process we gathered all the data from multiple sources. We have utilized the following information to determine the needs at Oakdale Elementary School: 19

18 K-2 assessments DIBELS EOG s CogAT assessments Formative, Quarterly, Common Assessments WAPT/ACCESS testing for LEP students Teacher Observations during PLC planning days Administration Observations & Walk-throughs Survey Information from families, students and teachers An in-depth study of the Common Core objectives This process required us to look at all areas and relate them to student achievement. In developing the process a decision was made that ALL decisions will be data driven and made with the best interest of the child in mind. We have worked collaboratively in PLC s beginning this process and as we move forward we will collaborate to monitor the process to determine the effectiveness in relation to changing the school culture and improving student achievement at Oakdale Elementary School. Oakdale Elementary needs assessment provides the data analysis as it relates to school improvement. A select group of teachers completed a comprehensive study of the Common Core Standards. During PLC meetings in the school year this group of teachers will lead the remaining staff members in similar activities to facilitate a broader understanding of the integration between NCSCOS/Common Core standards. In 11-12, A Science Lab was added as a special class for all grade levels, to improve our science scores across the entire school. It is our belief that if all teachers are teaching the objectives with fidelity, supported by our academic leadership team, then student achievement will increase and the achievement gap will decrease. At this time the only available extended day opportunities to address student achievement at Oakdale is ACE 21 st Century/Before and After-school Enrichment Program. 20

19 10. Coordination and integration of federal, state, and local resources, services and programs, including programs supported under NCLB, violence prevention programs, nutrition programs, housing programs, Head Start, adult education, vocational and technical education, and job training. Oakdale Elementary School actively recruits faith organizations, local businesses and local civilian groups to develop partnerships. We encourage organizations to visit the school and provide orientation to share Oakdale Elementary School s vision and plan to increase student achievement. Partners are offered various opportunities to assist with academic, attendance and behavior programs. They serve as mentors, reading buddies, sponsors, chaperones, classroom helpers and testing proctors throughout the school year. Donations of school uniforms, school supplies, book bags, and other needed items are provided. Pleasant Grove United Methodist and Presbyterian Churches provide programming and special events for scholars, staff, and the community. A robust partnership with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte provides Oakdale staff a variety of staff development opportunities. This year the faculty began the professional development process with a team building workshop. From this workshop the staff completed a survey to determine the professional development needs provided from UNCC faculty for the school year. The UNCC faculty has also agreed to provide support for new teachers. Furthermore, UNCC provides the resumes for HQ teachers as potential candidates. * The administrators at Oakdale have begun a conversation regarding Head Start. The principals and UNCC partners are discussing acquiring a Head Start Grant to fund a possible Head Start at the Oakdale Site. This will provide us the opportunity to educate those students who will be attending kindergarten at Oakdale. With this, we will have interventions in place for students before they are in kindergarten. This is in the beginning planning stages with 2014 or beyond as a startup date. This will also allow collaboration and ease to the transition to kindergarten. 21

20 Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Quality Review School Self-Evaluation Form Name of principals: Name of school: Johnny Ferrara and Priscilla Graham Oakdale Elementary School Please complete with as much detail as you can, use the completion as a professional development exercise if appropriate and send it to your lead reviewer (electronically) two weeks before the review. Completing this form will help you prepare for some of the discussions which will take place both before and during the review. It will also help the review team get to know you and your school and to understand how well the school community knows itself. Guidance on completing the form: Please be evaluative, rather than descriptive, and make your focus outcomes for students. Include references to where the evidence of your self-evaluation can be found, e.g., excellent boys results in state math tests as shown in annual report to the state, parents questionnaires from Be concise; (for example, use bullet points or note form). Aim to confine your response to no more than eight pages. Please place an X against the grade (1-4), which most accurately reflects your judgment of overall quality in response to the questions. You are advised to complete section B last. This section is summative and draws on your evaluations elsewhere in the self-evaluation report. Please omit sections where you feel that you are not in a position to respond. How should evaluations be made? You are strongly encouraged to refer to the Quality Criteria, sub-criteria and rubrics and as you complete the evaluations. These are included within the Notes of Guidance for the School Quality Review and should be kept close at hand as you complete the evaluations. What approach should we take? Schools have adopted different approaches. 22

21 In some schools the principal and the leadership team have completed the form as a part of one of their regular meetings. Other schools have devoted part of a faculty meeting as a way of involving all members of staff; this is highly recommended as a means of engaging the whole staff, helping them to prepare for the review and gathering evidence which reflects the work of the whole school. Whichever approach you adopt, we recommend that you do not make this an onerous task but that you take the opportunity to stop, reflect and record your immediate perceptions. School Profile School name and number: Oakdale Elementary School School address: 1825 Oakdale Road Charlotte, NC School telephone number: # % Grades: K-5 100% Number of students enrolled: % Number of general education students: % Number of EC students: % Number of LEP students: % Principal suspensions: 0 0% Superintendent suspensions: 0 0% Number of economically disadvantaged students: % Ethnic make-up of the students (by percentage): Black % Hispanic % White % Pacific Islander 0 0% Asian % Multi-racial % Native American % 23

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23 A. What is distinctive about your school? Title I school 82% students identified as Economically Disadvantaged. -Wide Program Highly effective staff -Qualified Teachers -School Advocate Strong anti-bullying and positive character trait initiatives Renewed commitment to quality instruction and professional development New staff makeup Leadership team has a clear vision, ambition, and goals that focus on student achievement Inclusive practices and co-teaching model School is friendly, well-ordered, and welcoming Increased community partners and involvement Improved reading scores Implementing the CMS RtI Behavior Program * See Title I Plan. B How effective is your school overall? School Self-Evaluation: High quality (4) X Undeveloped (1) 25

24 How do you know? Our school has shown improvement in the overall performance of our students, as reflected in our test scores from the past three years (reference SIP) however, we still are in need of continued improvement. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was achieved this year for the first time since We did not achieve AYP for the academic year. Although a core group of teachers, along with the instructional team, have increasingly collaborated to analyze summative and formative data, there is not a solid culture of collaboration throughout the school. Given this, staff development will be provided to support teachers in the analysis of data. The expectation for student achievement has increased drastically since As the administration team is focused on student learning and effective teaching it was very fortunate that the transfer process has allowed us newly formed staff who is willing to move forward with this expectation. Due to this high accountability and planning for quality instruction we will provide needed support and professional development to all new and former teachers. The school wide goal remains for high student achievement for all students. Based upon the review of our current data and the effectiveness of the Title I program, we believe that it would be beneficial for all students to continue to participate in the Title I School-wide Programming model of instruction, which would provide an expanded opportunity to meet the needs of all students and increase academic growth throughout the school. From the data and reflective planning, it was determined Oakdale needed a strong support base in reading, mathematics and science. It was decided to hire 2 Title I Reading teachers, a reading tutor, a reading specialist, a mathematics facilitator, and 2 literacy facilitators. This newly organized group worked over the summer to develop strategies to support teachers and learning. Additionally, a science teacher was added as the EOG scores revealed that science scores fell drastically. What are its notable strengths? Several areas of strengths for our school are as follows: Safe and orderly learning environment Parental involvement Use of community partners Constantly assessing children in reading and mathematics Data analysis by instructional leadership team and a core group of teachers An excellent support staff with Instructional Assistants and Literacy Tutors I Tutors ofessional Development What are its main areas for improvement? Several areas of improvement for our school are as follows: Consistent writing program across all grade levels 26

25 Vertical articulation planning between grade levels Need to consistently assess in math and reading Effective use of planning Effective science lessons and science labs for all students Effective use of Title I funds to address the needs of all students in a School-Wide Model. * See Title I Plan. 1. How effective is your school in ensuring high quality achievement for students in all grades, especially in the core subjects? School Self-Evaluation: High quality (4) X Undeveloped (1) How do you know? Our school continues making progress towards meeting state goals for growth for all sub-groups of students. Teachers are using strategies that specifically address the diverse needs of students. The following strategies are employed, but not limited to RUNNERS, Differentiated Instruction, Response to Intervention (RtI), and Blooms/Marzano s Strategies. The instructional leadership team and grade-level teachers have implemented PLCs to analyze and disaggregate data to increase achievement. The data is used to create RtI groupings, and analyze test questions to train students on how to effectively arrive at the correct response. Title I tutors use individualized instruction based on specific skills. Differentiated Instruction is used for both in class and outside of classroom instruction. During the PLC sessions, the Title I teachers, tutors and classroom teachers review test data such as EOG, Study Island, district benchmarks, and common assessments, to effectively provide tiered instruction to identified students. The school master schedule reflects a solid and secure block for tiered instruction. We also involve parents in the discussion about all academic and behavioral concerns. In which subjects and grades do students do best, and why? Reading, mathematics, and science remain stagnate for the school year. However, this minor decline has not affected the school vision and mission. We continue to implement a robust school-wide reading and mathematics program. We implemented a reading intensive program school-wide with a solid reading teacher support plan. We have hired a math facilitator to drive the intensive program for K-5. Science scores have fallen a bit; however we have put a science teacher in place to provide solid instruction in grades k-5. K-2 assessment, weekly common assessments, and DIBLES data is disaggregated to determine areas of weakness in instruction and student placement for tiered instruction. Pre and post tests are being used to determine mastery and tiered instruction determination. Student tiered instruction is based on skill area. Student data records are kept on all k-5 students and the documentation is used at PLCs and planning 27

26 to make decisions based on data and what students actually need. In which subjects and grades is improvement needed, and what action is being taken? Although we have shown some growth in reading, math, and science, we have yet to regularly maintain AYP in all sub groups. To increase student achievement in reading and mathematics, we are implementing Response to Intervention which will include tiered Instruction. This instruction is based on individual student need with data gathered from weekly common assessments. The reading support teachers will use the data to identify students to determine instructional needs, provide support to classroom teachers and individualized small group instruction. The literacy facilitators and math facilitator will, along with the reading support teachers, will provide weekly professional development in a new model designed to get frequent and rigorous professional development to all stakeholders. The staff development model will provide PD beginning in the morning, with classrooms instruction not being interrupted. Specials area teachers will cover the classrooms and provide the instruction. A needs assessment based on test data and overall school performance has been completed by the Title I SIP team. * See Title I Plan. Is there evidence of disparities in student achievement by subgroups? If so, what action is being taken? Our economically disadvantaged students, while some showing growth, are still the identified area of concern. We will continue the School-wide Title I model. The following steps are being taken to address this: Implementing Professional Learning Communities and Response to Intervention models Monitoring individual student growth and progress by using a student data record sheet Using a variety of assessments h weekly common assessments using ClassScape and Study Island. Writing in content areas Implementing common grade-level science lab times Implementing common grade-level science planning times Incorporating writing based assessments The reading support teachers and math facilitator will use a variety of assessments to determine needs and identify those students who qualify for tiered instructional services. Students will receive specific differentiated instruction based on identified skills during in class tutoring and tiered instruction. By providing a Title I School-Wide Model, students will be capable of moving in and out of groups based on mastery and readiness. Although growth has been observed within various sub-groups, we are working to ensure proficiency for all sub-groups. This is being addressed in the following ways: More effective use of data through Data Wise Differentiation of instruction by developing specific instructional action plans Collaborative planning sessions for teachers creation of the reading support teachers and math facilitator -negotiable intervention time 28