SCHOOLWIDE/SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE School Name:Yargo District Name: Barrow County Principal Name:Diane Bresson School Year: 2015-2016 School Mailing Address: 1000 Haymon Morris Road Telephone: 770-867-1147 District Title I Director/Coordinator Name: David Beelan District Title I Director/Coordinator Mailing Address: Email Address: Telephone: ESEA WAIVER ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS (Check all boxes that apply and provide additional information if requested.) Priority School Focus School Title I Alert School Principal s Signature: Date: Title I Director s Signature: Date: Superintendent s Signature: Date: Revision Date: Revision Date: Revision Date: April 2015 Page 1 of 21
SWP Template Instructions All components of a Title I Schoolwide Program Plan and a School Improvement Plan must be addressed. When using SWP and SIP checklists, all components/elements marked as Not Met need additional development. Please add your planning committee members on the next page. The first ten components in the template are required components as set forth in Section 1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Please submit your School Improvement Plan as an addendum after the header page in this document. April 2015 Page 2 of 21
Planning Committee Members NAME MEMBER S SIGNATURE POSITION/ROLE Diane Bresson Principal Michael Mehrhof Assistant Principal Elizabeth Jackson EIP and PLAC Julia Ammons SPED Tonia Paramore Instructional Coach April 2015 Page 3 of 21
SWP/SIP Components 1. A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school, (including taking into account the needs of migratory children as defined in Section 1309(2)) that is based on information which includes the achievement of children in relation to the state academic content standards and the state student academic achievement standards described in Section 1111(b)(1). Response: The following events will occur to ensure that a comprehensive needs assessment process is completed: January o Principals receive an overview of the stakeholder planning process. o Surveys made available using multiple means to all stakeholders. o Schedule March stakeholder meetings. February o Invitations to attend March planning meeting sent to all stakeholders using multiple means. o Prepare stakeholder presentations using school level data. o Close surveys. o Data from stakeholder surveys provided to schools by Title I office. March o Hold school level stakeholder planning meetings. o Maintain documentation of meetings. April o Submit meeting documentation to Title I office. o Begin revision of SIP/SWP June o Completed school level plans uploaded to Google Drive for peer review at System Leadership Summit. o System Leadership Summit tuning protocol used to improve SIP/SWP. o SIP/SWP due by end of the month for review by Executive Cabinet. July o Executive Cabinet request revisions/approves SIP/SWP o Plans shared with all stakeholders using multiple means. 2014 CCRPI Points Achievement:51.7 Progress:15.5 Achievement Gap: 7/15 ED/EL/SWD Performance: 5.4/10 Exceeding the Bar: 1 School Climate Rating: 4 The strongest areas of achievement were: April 2015 Page 4 of 21
Reading Social Studies The achievement areas most in need of improvement were: ELA/Writing Math Science Technology The following student percentages of growth (in descending order) were experienced: 2014 CCRPI Data CRCT Science - 65.1% CRCT Reading - 64.6% CRCT Social Studies - 61.3% CRCT Math - 61% CRCT ELA - 59.8% While we did experience the most growth in the area of science, it continues to be our lowest performance area. The following 2014 CCRPI red flags were received by subgroup: Black (ELA, Reading, Math, Science) Hispanic (Math) EL (Math) SWD (Math) The strongest areas from stakeholder surveys were: 94.7% of parents stated that My school creates an environment that helps my child learn. 93.9% of parents stated that I communicate with teachers at my child s academic progress. 91.6% of parents stated that The staff at my child's school is responsive and helpful when we discuss my child s academic progress. The areas from stakeholder surveys most in need of improvement were: The following areas were the highest areas that parents would like training/programs: Using technology, improving my child s math skills, improving my child s ELA skills, develop homework and study habits, provide academic resources for use at home. 77.9% of parents stated that My school provides me the opportunity to be involved in my child s learning. 80.15% of parents stated that I feel informed when it comes to making decisions about my child s education. April 2015 Page 5 of 21
The following priorities were established as a result of the comprehensive needs assessment process: ELA/Writing Science Math Technology Parent Engagement We combined Science, Math and Technology into one area: STEAM 2. Schoolwide reform strategies that: Provide opportunities for all children to meet the state s proficient and advanced levels of student academic achievement described in Section 1111(b)(1)(D). English / Language Arts Provide professional learning to teachers and opportunities for students to complete more constructed response prompts (in classroom, computer lab, and writing special). Provide professional learning to all teachers in the implementation of writing across the curriculum. Administer mock writing assessment two times per year in kindergarten and three times per year in grades 1-5. One of the Mock Writing for grades 3-5 will utilize Write Score GSE (CCGPS) Literacy Assessment and use data to plan appropriate interventions. Engage in PL to determine fidelity of scoring. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) To provide more experience in STEAM, we will hire an individual to teach a STEAM Special. Will purchase a technology cart with Chromebook devices to use in this Special. Engage 3rd-5th grade students in an after-school science club. Design and implement 4 school-wide STEAM days. Continue a Computer Lab Special to teach keyboarding, Google Apps, basic computer skills Use effective methods and instructional strategies that are based on scientifically based research that: o strengthen the core academic program in the school. o increase the amount and quality of learning time, such as providing and extended school year and before- or after-school and summer programs and opportunities, and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum April 2015 Page 6 of 21
o include strategies for meeting the educational needs of historically underserved populations We will increase the amount and quality of learning time by creating a master schedule that meets the needs of all of our different support areas and maximizes instructional time. We will also provide an intervention time for each grade level that will be specifically used for remediation and acceleration of our students. All staff will be involved in supporting students during these times. We will use the following instructional strategies to strengthen our core academic programs: Score student writing using the BCSS Common Writing Rubrics Development and use of writing exemplars Engage in Professional Learning by the Instructional Coach on Writing Across the Curriculum Engage in Professional Learning in STEAM and provide a weekly STEAM special Provide opportunities for students in grades 3-5 to engage in after-school science activities Provide instruction in the effective use of technology in the computer lab RACE strategy Text Based Writing strategies Include strategies to address the needs of all children in the school, but particularly the needs of low-achieving children and those at risk of not meeting the state student achievement standards who are members of the target population of any program that is included in the schoolwide program which may include: o o o 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; and the integration of vocational and technical education programs; and Historically, we have met the needs of our under-served populations with a daily intervention time that focuses on the remediation and acceleration of our students. Students are divided into groups based on their RTI areas of focus, their specific disability, and/ or their status as an English Language Learner. These groups focus on specific areas where the students will benefit from remediation and / or enrichment. At this time, all certified staff members are assigned a group and a focus in order to help these students achieve. As students show progress or meet standards for a particular area, they may be moved to other groups where they will be better served. April 2015 Page 7 of 21
On occasion, students who experience difficulties in social and emotional behaviors are referred to the school counselor for behavior modification to lead to academic success. Counselor will also conduct college and career awareness lessons. Address how the school will determine if such needs have been met; and Are consistent with, and are designed to implement, the state and local improvement plans, if any. The overall average writing score for grades K-2 will be a 2.5 on a four point scale using a common rubric. The overall average writing score for grades 3-5 will be a 4.4 on a seven point scale using the rubrics provided by the state of Georgia. Design and run 4 schoolwide STEAM challenge days Students on the Yargo Science Olympiad team will place in at least 4 events at the district competition. 95% of students in Grades 3-5 will meet or exceed on the Science portion of the GA Milestones test. 95% of students in Grades 3-5 will meet or exceed on the Math portion of the GA Milestones test. 3. Instruction by highly qualified professional staff A highly qualified professional staff provides instruction at Yargo Elementary School. All administrators, support personnel, teachers, and paraprofessionals hold clear, renewable, Georgia certificates. Generally, the Barrow County School System hires only personnel that are fully certified and highly qualified as established by the federal and state personnel standards. 100% of the teaching staff at Yargo Elementary School is highly qualified for the grade level and subject area taught. The quality of the staff is further reflected in the educational degrees and years of experience of teachers. Eighteen percent of the staff holds Educational Specialist Degrees (ED.S); thirty-seven percent have Master s in Education (M.Ed.) degrees; and forty-three percent have Bachelor s Degrees (B.S.). The staff has an average of thirteen years experience. 4. In accordance with Section 1119and subsection (a)(4), high-qualified and ongoing 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 s student academic achievement standards. I. Description: This course is designed to enhance and target areas identified in our Title 1 plan and areas of need identified by our professional learning survey. The leadership team took those needs and developed our current plan. April 2015 Page 8 of 21
Teachers will become familiar and implement research-based principles that support the learning environment through Professional Learning Communities. Writing will continue to be a focus throughout the year since it is heavily used within the CCGPS. We will focus on guiding students writing using constructive response across the curriculum. STEAM will also be an area of focus this year. Teachers will use PLCs to collaborate on ways to incorporate STEAM activities within their classroom. We will utilize our Digital Coach to will work with teachers to provide ways to integrate technology. The Instructional Coach will focus on areas of HOTS, math, providing feedback to parents, and working with students on goal setting. Teachers will participate in Design Teams created to analyze and interpret data from common assessments. Updates and procedures for Code of Ethics, mandated reporting, SPED, EL, and Gifted will also be provided. The faculty and staff will also be given the opportunity to participate in book studies throughout the year. Everyone will read and discuss Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. Other book studies from pre selected list may be offered for anyone that would like to participate. II. Improvement Practices/Competencies to be Demonstrated: Participants will: 1. Refine and expand the skills of teaching writing across the content areas. 2. Refine and expand the use of assessment and data interpretation to enhance instruction using multiple sources of data through DESIGN TEAMS. 3. Refine and expand the skills to provide feedback to students and parents. 4. Acquire and utilize the skills to help students set individual goals. 5. Refine and expand the use of HOTS and Blooms. 6. Acquire and utilize the skills to address STEAM activities. 7. Acquire and utilize 21 st Century Technology practices. III. Please check all areas this proposal addresses: X Required Training X Field of Certification X School/District Improvement Plan X Annual Personnel Evaluation X State/Federal Requirements X Data Analysis Utilized April 2015 Page 9 of 21
IV. Activities and Timeline Weekly Tonia Paramore 45 minutes per session Professional Learning Communities (Topics to be covered include: Writing, assessment and data interpretation, feedback to parents and students, common core, HOTS, Blooms, STEAM activities and 21 st Century Technology skills) Monthly Diane Bresson & Michael Mehrhof 1 hour per session Professional Learning (Topics to be covered include: Writing, assessment and data interpretation, feedback to parents and students, common core, HOTS, Blooms, STEAM activities and 21 st Century Technology skills) Monthly Grade Level Representatives 1 hour per session Design Teams (Analyze and interpret data from common assessments) September 8 October 6 December 1 February 2 Speech PL Gifted Update EL Update SPED Update and PL Patty Bardwell Richard Garland Karen Alexander & Lindsey Bates Patty Bardwell 30 minutes per session Preplanning Code of Ethics TKES Overview Google, MyOn Reading, Moby Max, Roster verification Michael Mehrhof Diane Bresson Jessica Knight, Tonia Paramore, Michelle Camadeca 4 hours Preplanning Mandate Reporter Online Training James Dutton 30 minutes TBD Energy Bus book read & discussion Diane Bresson 10 hours Optional Book Studies to be provided: April 2015 Page 10 of 21
The Revision Toolbox by Georgia Heard About the Authors by Katie Wood Ray Grades K-2 Notice and Note: Strategies for Teaching Close Reading by Kylene Beers Quick Start to Writing Workshop Success by Janiel Wagstaff Using Technology With Classroom Instruction that Works by Howard Pitler Achieving Fluency: Special Education and Mathematics by Francis Fennell Teachers must read the book and participate in the book discussions to earn 10 contact hours. For each 10 contact hours participants will earn 1 PLU. Participants can earn a maximum of 4 PLUs. V. Master Verification Procedures: q Competencies will be assessed during the course activities. q Teacher attendance and participation during Professional Learning Communities meetings. q The weekly Professional Learning Communities agenda and minutes will be turned into School Based Professional Learning Coordinator. 5. Strategies to attract high-quality highly qualified teachers to high-need schools. The Barrow County School System s Human Resources Department posts vacancies on the Teach Georgia website (www.teachgeorgia.org) and on the system s website (www.barrow.k12.ga.us). District and school personnel attend various college job fairs and give interested persons information about the employment/educational opportunities in Barrow County. The school system sponsors a new teacher induction program. New teachers are assigned a building-level mentor who meets with them regularly, observes in their classroom, and provides feedback. The new teachers also observe in the mentor s classroom. In addition, new teachers will be supported in a Critical Friends Group. Factors that attract and contribute to the high retention rate 88% of highly qualified teachers at Yargo Elementary School are the modern, well-maintained, and attractive facility, as well as supportive administrators and colleagues. Other factors include a safe learning and working environment, well-disciplined students, classes with adequate instructional materials, and 21st century technology to support teaching and learning. The staff works in data-driven, collaborative teams and shares leadership responsibilities through the highly April 2015 Page 11 of 21
functional school leadership team. The overall climate of the school is professional and collegial. 6. Strategies to increase parental involvement in accordance with Section 1118, such as family literacy services. Research has shown that parents play a critical role in the development of a child s education, and parent involvement in schools has positive effects not only on the children, but also on teachers, administration, and the overall school/learning environment. In recognition of the positive benefits of parent involvement in school, Yargo Elementary School has developed a Parent Involvement Policy and initiated a School-Home Compact. The compact is a voluntary agreement between the school, the home, and the child, that defines goals, expectations, and shared responsibilities of each partner for student learning The faculty and staff of Yargo Elementary School are committed to student success and realize that in order to reach the goal of high achieving students, partnerships with parents are essential. We involve parents annually in the planning, review, and improvement of our comprehensive school wide Title I Plan by: soliciting their feedback at scheduled meetings; inviting them to attend planning meetings and serve on planning teams; and posting the draft plan for review. The school fosters a parent-friendly environment and attempts to involve parents by communicating regularly with them through a variety of methods. The following strategies will be used to increase parental involvement: The Parent Survey showed that parents wanted more information/resources in the following areas: Technology, Math, ELA/Writing and Homework/Study Skills.We will integrate these topics into Family Engagement Activities. To bring parents and students together for hands-on STEAM activities, we will host STEAM Night at the school one evening in the Fall. We will include science, technology, math, and STEAM activities. Engage parents by holding a Curriculum Night. Information about Homework/Study Tips/ Behavior Expectations (PBIS), Math (CGI and Fact Practice), ELA, Science/Social Studies will be shared with parents. Use Social Media to communicate/train parents on the above topics as well as other things going on at Yargo. This will also give parents an opportunity to provide feedback April 2015 Page 12 of 21
and ask questions. Offer light refreshments after Parent Engagement evenings to increase parent involvement. We will conduct an annual meeting, at a convenient time, to inform parents about the school s Title I program, the nature of the Title I program, the parents requirements and the school parental involvement policy, the school wide plan, and the school-parent compact and encourage and invite all parents of participating children to attend by sending a ParentLink and emailing parents as well as by sending home a notice of meeting detailing the purpose of the meeting. 7. Plans for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood programs, such as Head Start, Even Start, Early Reading First, or a state-run preschool program, to local elementary school programs. The transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten at Yargo Elementary School has proven to be an important element in determining a student s future social adjustment and academic success. Therefore, the faculty and staff work diligently to support young students and their parents during this transitional period. The Title I Parent Coordinator, Barrow County Pre-K Director, and a Yargo Elementary kindergarten teacher host a kindergarten readiness workshop each spring. The purpose of the workshop is to inform parents of the readiness skills needed for kindergarten, provide suggestions for age appropriate readiness activities, and answer parent questions about kindergarten curriculum. The workshop is open to all parents of upcoming kindergarten students. The school invites Georgia Pre-K classes, daycare centers with four year-olds, and Head Start Programs to visit the school and tour the facility. Visiting children spend time in actual kindergarten classrooms and complete an instructional activity. The Pre-K Special Education teacher gives copies of the school Student Handbook, Kindergarten report card, Positive Behavior Rules, and the Kindergarten list of sight words to the directors of all day care centers. During Pre-Kindergarten registration, Kindergarten teachers screen upcoming students for readiness skills. At risk students or students with no prior Pre-K experience are flagged so the April 2015 Page 13 of 21
school can begin making scheduling and intervention accommodations for them. Upcoming kindergarten students, visit the school in the spring with their day care/ pre-k center or Head Start Program to tour the school. Parents are welcomed to attend this event. During the visit, Prek students complete a make and take project with a kindergarten class. In addition to transitioning preschool children into the school from early childhood programs, every grade level has an Orientation the week before school begins so students can meet their new teachers. The administration holds assembly sessions to discuss various school procedures (e.g., parking, pick-up/drop-off, lunch, schedules, etc.). In the Spring of 2016, all the Yargo Elementary fifth graders will visit Haymon-Morris Middle School during a normal school day. The fifth grade students will tour the school and visit both academic and connection classes. In addition, the middle schools offer an informational parent night to walk parents through schedules, connection classes, clubs, and organizations that will be available to their children. For students that are new to Yargo Elementary School the school registrar will take parents and their children on tours of our school prior to the students start date, when requested. The Yargo counselor will be available for assisting students with adjusting to their new school. In addition classroom teachers will send home class information and current newsletters. 8. Measures to include teachers in the decisions regarding the use of academic assessments described in Section 1111(b)(3) in order to provide information on, and to improve, the achievement of individual students and the overall instructional program. Teachers at Yargo Elementary School are included in decisions regarding use of academic assessments as follows: Teachers use and disaggregate a variety of formative and summative assessment data, including assessment results from the following: standardized tests, the Georgia Online Formative Assessment Resource (GOFAR), Benchmark tests, teacher-made tests, Universal screeners, and reports from various computer software programs. Having access to these types of data supports teachers in making decisions about how to improve individual student performance as well as make improvements in the overall programs at their grade levels. Teachers by grade-level are currently using benchmark-testing results to inform instruction. Teachers are using the State Longitudinal Data System to track longitudinal data on state mandated assessments. Teachers can access the programs to view current as well as previous years data. The programs have a feature that breaks down standardized test data April 2015 Page 14 of 21
into performance by domains and by specific subgroups. Team meetings with instructional coaches and with each content group are held after benchmark tests. All teachers review the benchmark test results, complete an item analysis, and revise unit assessments (if necessary). Any changes made to the units are approved by the instructional coaches, and all grade level teachers receive copies of the newly revised units. Teachers will conduct quarterly peer walkthroughs to monitor implementation of standards-based instruction, use of technology to support student learning, and professional learning practices. Results of the awareness walks are discussed during leadership team sessions. Thus, teachers are provided access to the data collected by the instructional team. Processes for disagregating school, classroom, teacher, and individual student data are frequently monitored by the administration and instructional coach. Monitoring occurs to ensure that teachers utilize data that can be helpful in making decisions about individual students performance. 9. Activities to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering the proficient or advanced levels of academic achievement standards required by Section 1111(b)(1) shall be provided with effective, timely additional assistance, which shall include measures to ensure that students difficulties are identified on a timely basis and to provide sufficient information on which to base effective assistance. Yargo Elementary School recognizes the urgency in responding to students who experience difficulty mastering standards. Student progress is reviewed on an ongoing basis so that students academic programs may be revised as needed. Providing additional assistance enables struggling students to meet Georgia s content standards and student performance standards. Assistance provided to students experiencing difficulties includes: Identifying and addressing students difficulties in a timely manner: Students who have failed a state assessment or have borderline academic performance are scheduled into an intervention course (EIP). Universal Screenings are given to all students. Benchmark assessments are administered at least three times per year and students failing an assessment are provided interventions by their teachers. The district s Title I Family Involvement Coordinator provides timely assistance to parents of struggling students. Behavior Intervention Plans are written and monitored for students who need this service. Frequent progress monitoring occurs, and prompt RTI intervention strategies are implemented based on formative and summative assessment data that reveal students who need assistance in meeting standards. Once determined that a April 2015 Page 15 of 21
student is struggling, teachers and parents meet together to determine interventions based on a four-tiered approach developed by the Georgia Department of Education called the Pyramid of Interventions. Inclusion classes for Students with Disabilities are co-taught by regular classroom and special education teachers to ensure that students are being taught the state academic content standards. Instructional coaches provide teachers with support in selecting appropriate strategies and interventions to help with struggling students when needed. Teacher-parent conferences are held that detail what the school will do to help the student; what parents can do help the student; and additional assistance available to the students at the school or in the community. In order to describe what the school will do to help a struggling student, teachers are expected to initiate conferences with parents at times convenient to parents. During such conferences, teachers give concrete examples of what the parents can do at home to assist the student in his or her deficit area. Teacher-made resource packets may be provided to parents during conferences, along with a list of web resources Parents are given specific suggestions on how they can help their child at home. The suggestions may include a list of strategies, approaches or tools that can be used at home to assist in the area of need. Teachers may also loan parents resources and/or refer them to the Parent Resource Room. Information is shared about additional assistance available to the student at the school or in the community: The system s social worker and a Special Education Parent Liaison and the school s counselor, psychologist, and school nurse assist families in many ways (e. g., obtaining doctor appointments and glasses for children, providing information on PEACH CARE, identifying counseling providers, tutoring services, and community resources). When parents are unable to come to the school, the social worker, psychologist, and parent mentor make home visits. A Parent Liaison assists families with special needs children by connecting them to community resources (e.g., medical, behavioral, respite care, support group meetings, child advocacy, and parents rights). The public library offers a summer reading program and year-long activities to promote the love of reading and learning. Instructional programs, MyOn Learning, MobyMax, GOFAR, can be accessed at home via the school s website. April 2015 Page 16 of 21
10. Coordination and integration of federal, state, and local services and programs, including programs supported under this Act, violence prevention programs, nutrition programs, housing programs, Head Start, adult education, vocational and technical education, and job training The Barrow County School System integrates federal, state, and local services and programs. Federal Title programs include Title I-Part A, Title II-Part A, Title III, Migrant Education, and McKinney-Vento Homeless. State Funds: QBE (Quality Basic Education) funds are used to fund programs and staff as required by the QBE statute (e.g., salaries, management and operations, professional learning, transportation). SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax) funds are used to supplement QBE funds to buy supplies and textbooks, as well as provide funding for renovating schools. Local Funds: Local funds are expended to pay salaries for support personnel, supplements for teachers, and instructional supplies for music, art, band, and physical education. SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax) funds are used to supplement QBE funds to buy supplies and textbooks, as well as provide funding for renovations at the schools. State Funds -QBE (Quality Basic Education) funds are used to fund programs and staff as required by the QBE statute (e.g., salaries, management and operations, professional learning, transportation). Title I Funds: Title I funds are used in a supplementary manner to provide intensive academic support services in order to improve student achievement in meeting state and federal standards. Specific items that are being paid out of our Title I budget include: Monies have been spent in order to hire a Parent Involvement Coordinator who oversees all parental involvement activities for the system. An instructional coach for each school is paid from Title I funds. During curriculum meetings with instructional coaches, teachers are able to request supplemental instructional materials. During the summer Leadership Retreat, requests are considered and Title I allotments are reflected in the Continuous Improvement Plan. Title II Part A Funds are used for professional development support needed to fully and effectively implement school and system improvement strategies and goals as determined by a comprehensive needs assessment process. Funds are allocated to pay for faculty and staff members to attend professional learning workshops and classes, professional consultation, travel, dues and fees for staff development, and supplies. 11. Description of how individual student assessment results and interpretation will be provided to parents. April 2015 Page 17 of 21
Yargo Elementary School uses a variety of methods to interpret and provide individual student assessment results to parents: Parents receive a copy of their child s state assessment scores. Parents are encouraged to schedule a conference to discuss the results with the teacher, counselor, or an administrator. Parents may also call the school and discuss their child s assessment results. The Principal and selected staff provide parents with a general overview of the assessments used to measure student progress at each grade level, the proficiency levels students are expected to achieve, and explanations of how to interpret results once they are received at home. These overviews are provided in the annual Fall Title I meeting, Open House, parent workshops, and School Governance meetings. Teachers communicate directly with parents through telephone calls, parent conferences, student agendas, social media, and email as they monitor student progress. Information is shared with parents on how to access the Georgia Online Formative Assessment System (GOFAR). Parents have access to Parent Portal, a web link for parents to view students grades and attendance. Parents are encouraged to attend designated parent-teacher conferences. The school sends a letter home for parents to indicate whether they will/will not be able to attend or if the conference needs to be rescheduled. Teachers keep a log of contacts, and every effort is made to speak to all parents concerning their child s progress at these two important junctures in the school year. 12. Provisions for the collection and disaggregation of data on the achievement and assessment results of students. Yargo Elementary School has well-established procedures for collecting and disaggregating data on the achievement and assessment results of students. The school system testing coordinator ensures that all state level testing data is collected according to state guidelines. The and the Governor s Office of Student Achievement provide student population performance data for each of the core subjects at all grade levels to the school system, the school, and the public. The school uses the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) to analyze state assessment scores by item analysis of test domains for specific subgroups and individual students. April 2015 Page 18 of 21
This data is used to examine individual student strengths and weaknesses, instructional weakness in grade levels, and to identify professional development needs. A virtual data room is used to display comparison of year-to-year test data to determine patterns, progress, or needs. The system testing coordinator, principal, assistant principal, and instructional coach review school wide disaggregated state assessment data by grade levels and content areas. Grade level/departmental teams review and analyze state assessment data for all subjects at their grade level and determine performance needs of student sub groups. When state assessments are returned, teachers use individual test reports to analyze the performance of students and compare class performance to grade level scores by subgroups. Teachers determine if their students meet school targets for each subject. Teachers revised instructional units based on state instructional frameworks, state assessment data, and trend data. The School Improvement Plan is updated based on an analysis of all data sources. 13. Provisions to ensure that disaggregated assessment results for each category are valid and reliable. The state mandated assessment, Georgia Milestones, meets reliability and validity requirements, and is therefore, statistically sound and research-based. Testing at Yargo Elementary School is carefully administered to ensure valid and reliable results. All certified teachers and support personnel (e.g., media specialist, counselors instructional coach) are trained to administer the state assessments. Paraprofessionals are trained to serve as proctors. Caseload managers, counselors and ELL teachers meet individually with teachers to ensure accommodations are made for students with an IEP, 504 plan, or TCP. 14. Provisions for public reporting of disaggregated data. Disaggregated test data is made available to the public using a variety of methods and in a number of published documents, including: The website: www.doe.k12.ga.us. The Governor s Office of Student Achievement website: www.gaosa.org. Yargo Elementary School s Balanced Score Card: http://www.barrow.k12.ga.us/yes/performance.html Barrow County School District s Balanced Score Card: http://www.barrow.k12.ga.us/performance.html Local newspapers, the Barrow Journal and Barrow County News. The School Council and PTO receive data presentations from the Principal. Historical and current State Assessment data is made available upon parent request at the school. April 2015 Page 19 of 21
15. Plan developed during a one-year period, unless the LEA, after considering the recommendation of its technical assistance providers, determines that less time is needed to develop and implement the schoolwide program Yargo Elementary School s initial Title I School Wide Plan was developed over one school year. The plan is updated at least annually by a diverse group of stakeholders in adherence with requirements for continued school wide status. 16. Plan developed with the involvement of the community to be served and individuals who will carry out the plan, including teachers, principals, other school staff, and pupil service personnel, parents, and students (if secondary). A diverse group of stakeholders was involved in the annual update of the school wide plan, including individuals who carry out the day-to-day implementation of the plan. The Leadership Team is comprised of the following: Principal, Assistant Principal, Instructional Coach, Grade Level / Department Representatives, Counselor, Digital Coach, Teacher of the Year, and Paraprofessional Representative. In addition, the following system employees are consulted: Parent Involvement Coordinator, Federal Programs Director, and other members of the system Teaching and Learning Department. Various teams and groups meet in order to design, implement, and monitor the Title I School Wide Plan: Leadership Team representatives, who serve as liaisons between the team or department and grade levels, meet monthly to gather pertinent information from teachers and paraprofessionals during meetings concerning professional learning needs and Title I program requirements. The Instructional Coach meets regularly with grade levels and departments to discuss concerns. Grade or department planning groups meet weekly to talk about student progress. The School Governance Team is involved in the development of the School Improvement Plan. Stakeholder surveys are completed and the data analyzed each year as part of the Comprehensive Needs Assessment process. Copies of the Title I plan are provided to parents and community members in the school lobby and on the school web site. 17. Plan available to the LEA, parents, and the public. A copy of the School Wide Plan is readily available for parents and stakeholders, upon request, from the following sources: The Director of Federal Programs and the Title I Parent Coordinator have copies of the April 2015 Page 20 of 21
plan on file. Copies are available at the school in the Principal s office and the Family Resource Center. The School Governance Team and the PTO are provided access to the plan. The plan is available on the school s website, www.barrow.k12.ga.us/yes, via the Title I Page link. The school s leadership team and teachers receive electronic copies of the plan in order to focus their school improvement efforts. The local newspapers are utilized to publish pertinent information about the availability of the Title I School Wide Plan for review. 18. Plan translated, to the extent feasible, into any language that a significant percentage of the parents of participating students in the school speak as their primary language.. Our school ensures, to the extent possible, that information related to school and parent programs, meetings, and activities will be sent to the home in the primary language spoken in the home. Strategies that we use include: The school system employs a Family Engagement Specialist who is able to translate documents and act as an interpreter for multiple languages. Messages are sent to parents in their native language using the Parent Link calling system. 19. Plan is subject to the school improvement provisions of Section 1116. Yargo Elementary School is not currently designated as a Title I Priority, Focus, or Alert School. If our school receives such a designation, we will abide by the requirements of the School Improvement provisions of Title I Section 1116. Nevertheless, data will be gathered, analyzed and shared with all stakeholders for the purpose of improving the academic achievement of our students. April 2015 Page 21 of 21