Executive Summary. Oak Ridge Elementary School

Transcription

1 School District of the City of Royal Oak Dr. Jason C. Parrott, Principal 506 E. 13 Mile Road Royal Oak, MI Document Generated On June 28, 2016

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 7

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Oak Ridge Elementary is a suburban elementary school located in the middle of the Royal Oak school district. There are currently 418 students enrolled in grades K-5. All classes are traditional grade level classes. The student demographics are as followed: 80.4% Caucasian, 12.9% African American, 4.3% Hispanic, 1.9% Asian American, and 0.4% Native American. The students who receive support services are as followed: Special Education 9%, 1.9% ELL, and 504 plans 2.8 %. 24% of the students receive free and reduced lunch. The building principal is currently in his sixth year as head of the school. There are 25 total teaching staff members consisting of eighteen classroom teachers, five specials teachers, one RTI Coordinator (teacher leader), one special education teacher. In addition to teaching staff, we have the following ancillary staff: part time school psychologist, social worker, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and physical therapist, There are four paraprofessionals in the building; two that are assigned to students and two that are general classroom relief paraprofessionals. There is also a part time media technician. The overall student classroom ratio is 25:1. The community at large is reflective of the staff and students. Our largest strength is our sense of community. Our staff sets the tone and climate for the school. They go above and beyond their expected duties to provide a caring and meaningful experience to all stakeholders who are a part of the school. Students have many opportunities for adult and peer contacts through teacher mentoring programs, PBIS, team teaching, buddy classrooms, student organizations, and clubs. The parents are supportive of the school as indicated by parent survey responses. Many parents are active in the PTA and all school-wide events are well attended by parents and students. Parents have direct involvement in building initiatives such as Green Team (Conservation), and Cultural Arts (Assemblies). All stakeholders have input into decision making and their input is valued. Academically, our strengths are reading instruction, especially in the fifth grade. Math and Writing instruction had been improving according to our most recent MSTEP scores (as of 06/28/16 M-STEP scores have not been reported for ). There has been an increase in the amount of resources that has been devoted to math instruction including a shift in how instruction is being delivered. Our instructional practices are made through data driven decisions. Oak Ridge uses benchmark testing in the area of reading, writing, and math to monitor our students. When areas of improvement are discovered, plans are developed to address areas of need. For example, Oak Ridge has begun testing 2-5 grade students using NWEA. We review these results as well as other formative assessment results periodically throughout the year. NWEA will be introduced to our K-1 population in the school year. In addition to benchmark testing, Oak Ridge also initiated data binders for our students in 2011 but we are revising the format of the binders to better meet the needs of independent grade levels. Students use these binders to set goals for themselves and monitor progress of such goals. Our challenges are Academically, our challenges lie in increasing our students' ability for deep critical thinking. Our students have shown the ability for surface knowledge and are transitioning to deeper levels of thinking; however, there is room for improvement. In reading, our ability to synthesize and analyze informational text needs to be improved. In math, we have shown the ability to compute and master facts however, fractions, decimals, measurement, and area and perimeter can be improved. Our recent transition to a math workshop style of instruction and the addition of our Math Expressions series ( ) has shown promise to address these areas of need. Our writing scores are promising Page 2

5 for our female writers, and there has been recent improvement in our male writers. Book studies such as Lucy Caulkins, "Writing Pathways" have been implemented. In additions there has been a shift in socioeconomic and race and ethnicity makeup in our school. As a result we will begin to investigate and update our diversity training. It is our belief our challenges are such that we can overcome them. We have the commitment from the system to address our building needs. Our staff has the capacity to instruct our students in their area of needs and received the training to do so. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The Oak Ridge School Community commits to every student's academic achievement, personal development, and social responsibility. Oak Ridge's Mission and Vision statement was revised and developed in 2007 (reaffirmed on 2013). It contains three core principles that Oak Ridge commits to; academic achievement, personal development, and social responsibility. These three tenets are visible in the daily operation of the school. As an elementary school, Oak Ridge's primary commitment is to academic achievement. Instead of covering a wide range of material and not gaining depth, we have been concentrating on a deeper level of understanding for all material covered. To aid us in this transition, Royal Oak has continued to model and adapt workshop style instruction to deliver its curriculum. Students are posed a question, perform activities to answer that question, and then reflect upon their experience. This format of instruction allows for deeper thinking as well as increased discourse among students. In math we have used this to compliment our Math Expressions program. Math Expressions was adopted fully in the year. The results continue to show promise. Our teachers are becoming more familiar with the program and continue to work on it during professional development opportunities. Our English Language Arts curriculum consists of a balanced literacy approach of Guided Reading, Making Meaning, Reading Workshop, and Writer's Workshop. We have transitioned into the Oakland County MAISA units for grades K-2 and Lucy Calkins Units of study for grades 3-5. These writing units are similar to Lucy Calkins Writing Pathways. Our ELA team is continuing to evaluate these programs as well as the Pathways program to look for ways to fine tune instruction and assessment of instruction. In science we use science kits that teach to a different theme. These kits are used to promote inquiry and lead students through the scientific process. We plan on continuing along this path until the nation, state, and district determine when and if they are going to accept the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) The Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum is the foundation of Royal Oak's Social Studies Curriculum. The major goal of the curriculum is to enable students to acquire and use (1) more sophisticated disciplinary forms of thinking, (2) key social studies (historical/geographical/political/economic) big ideas, concepts and conceptual frameworks, (3) important vocabulary and literacy skills, and (4) relevant historical, geographic, political, and economics facts. Oak Ridge has leveled services to make sure all of our students' needs are met. We use response to intervention (RTI) to meet each child at their appropriate level. Students that need more support are met through academic support or special education services. We use a student study team and RTI data meetings to make data informed decisions. Our second tenet of our mission and vision is a commitment to our students' personal development. Oak Ridge cares not only about the academic achievement of our students but their ability to grow into responsible productive adults. We have many programs designed to teach our students what it means to be a responsible member of society. All Royal Oak schools use positive behavior intervention and supports. Oak Ridge uses the High Five system (Be Kind, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Cooperative, and Be Safe). We ask our students to stick to these five behaviors. Through this system, we provide rewards and consequences to both classroom groups and individual students. In addition to our PBIS system, many teachers have piloted the program Force Field for Good. This program takes biweekly/monthly lessons that address social situations that can occur throughout a school year. Oak Ridge also has a teacher student mentoring program (C.A.R.E.). CARE pairs some of our students who need extra support with a staff member. The student is provided with an additional adult to confide in and share important aspects of their life. Oak Ridge also believes in the personal development of our students through clubs and groups. For example, Oak Ridge has a Student Congress that takes part in building initiatives such as a tutoring, wall of kindness, "Buddy Bench," etc. playground equipment, tutoring, community service, and materials for the media center. Another example of a club designed for personal development is Oak Ridge Live. Oak Ridge Live, is the school's news production. Students meet on their lunch hour with teacher assistance Page 4

7 to develop a script of news and events around the school to keep students informed. The students serve in various roles such as news anchors, director, production, camera, and reporters. Oak Ridge also has an after school running program called, "Oak Ridge Runners" Oak Ridge Runner's promotes healthy lifestyle choices as well as a commitment to achieve the goal of running in Royal Oak's, Oak Apple Run. Our PTA plays a large role in the personal development of our students. PTA provides valuable resources to bring meaningful events to our school. They provide assemblies and field trips through the cultural arts committee. Many of these events such as "Bucketfillers" focus on character building or antibullying. The PTA also provides evening activities to promote healthy and educational choices. The first week of March is Unplugged Week at Oak Ridge. During Unplugged Week, we ask all students to sign a contract stating they will not use electronic devices. During this week, the PTA provides a nightly activity such as yoga, tennis, hip hop dance classes, kids in the kitchen, and a roller skating party at Skate World. Oak Ridge's stakeholders are all committed and involved in the personal development of our students. Oak Ridge's third tenet is focused on molding students who are socially responsible. We want our students to not only personally develop but we want them to make an impact on those around them. Oak Ridge has many opportunities for such growth. Our Student Congress raised $2,500 in the school year that was donated to several organizations in the area. Each year Oak Ridge holds a holiday food, toy, and clothing drive. Our students and parents bring in items to donate to those who are less fortunate. Our students also take part in a math and science week program that is highlighted by Mathathon. Money is raised and donated to St. Jude's Hospital. In addition to building-wide activities, our PTA is also involved in the developing social responsibility in our school. Within our PTA, there is a Green Committee that is focused on conservation. Part of this effort involves a recycling program at lunch. They also built a community garden on the grounds. During the harvest, items are donated to area shelters. Oak Ridge is constantly seeking opportunities to socially develop our students and provide them opportunities to make an impact on those close to them. Our mission and vision is the driving force in decision making. Every plan, program, and initiative relates back to one common theme: How does this fit with our mission and vision? Page 5

8 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Oak Ridge is adapting well to the sweeping changes in education. We have a systematic process for reviewing and assessing data that allows us to note areas of achievement and improvement. Oak Ridge uses many data sources to review and assess achievement. Among these sources are AIMSWeb, NWEA, M-STEP, DRA, and MLPP, and daily formative assessments. These sources of data serve as good reference points for both of our achievements and areas of improvement. According to AIMSWeb testing, our kindergarten students perform well in letter naming fluency, and quantity discrimination tasks. Our AIMSWeb testing also show high reading achievement in the areas of oral reading fluency for our first and second graders and comprehension for our third, fourth, and fifth graders. In math, grades 1-5 achieve at a high level in math computation. Math computation is one of our school improvement goals and our commitment to improving has shown itself in these results. Our MSTEP scores have remained consistent in relation to district and county averages. Three positive trends are as follows: 63.8 % of third grade students, 69.8% of fourth grade students, and 75.6% of our 5th grade students passed the M-STEP ELA tests. This is baseline data for this test and can not be compared for growth purposes. According to our data, our areas of improvement are as follows: Overall math application, science, and boys' writing. In math, our MSTEP as well as our NWEA results show that there is room for improvement in the area of math. This data suggests that although our students understand computation tasks they do not know how to apply their computational skills. Our science data is above the state level and consistent with county level, however it is still low. The previous listed items will be focal points for our next school improvement plan. Page 6

9 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. Oak Ridge is a welcoming building to all stakeholders. There is a strong sense of community and we treat all of our stakeholders with respect and dignity. There is a commitment to ensure the success of all people and make them feel they are part of a family. Our staff does an excellent job of collaborating and sharing with each other. They are supportive of themselves, students, and the Principal. It is truly an excellent system to be a part of. Page 7