Priority Schools Bureau
Restructuring Year I and II Schools
2006-2007 Alternative Governance
Contingency Plan Template
(Chaparral Middle School)
(Gadsden Independent School District)
Due December 1, 2006 to the New Mexico Public Education Department (NM PED) Priority Schools Bureau (PSB)
Contact:
Cynthia Cantou Clarke, Ph.D. Phone: 505.827.8066
Thomas Lewis Phone: 505.827.8006
Fax: 505.827.6416
New Mexico Public Education Department
Priority Schools Bureau, Room G2
300 Don Gaspar Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Overview of Requirements for Alternative Governance Contingency Planning for Restructuring Year I and II Schools as of March 2006
Restructuring Year I and II Requirements
Standard No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements indicate that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must prepare Alternative Governance Plans (AGPs) for all Restructuring Year I sites and must implement AGPs for all Restructuring Year II sites. Current R 1 and R 2 schools must provide AGPs through their respective LEAs to the NM PED PSB no later than December 1, 2006. All AGPs will be approved or disapproved by the NM Secretary of Education.
A school identified as Restructuring Year I or Restructuring Year II must continue to meet all the requirements of schools identified for improvement (designations School Improvement I through Corrective Action). The LEA must offer school choice; offer Supplemental Educational Services (SES); and write or revise a two-year Educational Plan for Student Success (EPSS) for the school site.
In addition, the Local Education Agency (LEA) must create an Alternative Governance contingency plan for sites designated as Restructuring Year I or II for 2005-2006 using one or more of the following identified alternative governance options:
Option 1: Replace all or most of the staff (which may include the principal) who are relevant to the failure to make AYP;
Option 2: Enter into a contract with another organization (excluding private entities per NMSA 22-2C-7 K) with a demonstrated record of effectiveness, to operate the school;
Option 3: Turn over the operation of the school to the state, if the state agrees; or
Option 4: Any other major restructuring of a school’s governance arrangement that makes fundamental reforms, such as significant changes in the school’s staffing and governance, to improve student academic achievement and that has substantial promise of enabling the school to make AYP. Some examples of other major restructuring of a school’s governance arrangement that makes fundamental reforms could include:
· Restructuring classes, school schedules, and decision-making to use the New Mexico Content Standards and Benchmarks to guide instruction. Student assessment would be aligned to the New Mexico Content Standards and Benchmarks and would occur regularly and frequently. Students would be expected to show mastery (such as 85%) of the expectations for one grade level before receiving instruction at the next grade level. Professional development would be aligned to grade level expectations and appropriate instructional strategies.
· Restructuring how administrators, educators, and students at a school operate and learn. For example, implementation of project-based learning aligned to content standards and the use of short cycle standards-based assessments. School schedules, decision-making, and professional development are aligned to and reflect new instructional strategies.
Notification Requirements
The LEA must provide prompt notice to educators and parents of all schools designated as Restructuring Year I or II. The district must provide the educators and parents (in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand) with an adequate opportunity to:
1) comment before taking any action on a plan for alternative governance; and
2) equitably participate in developing any plan for alternative governance.
2006-2007 School Year Alternative Governance Contingency Planning andImplementation Important Deadlines
o March 2006: Received Alternative Governance Plan Template from NM PED PSB
o (Optional) Attend the NM PED PSB professional development for the preparation of Alternative Governance Plans on the first day, 1 May 2006, of the “Building Educational Systems and Teams” workshop at the Albuquerque Convention Center
o By December 1, 2006: Provide completed Alternative Governance Plan to NM PED PSB
o August 2007: If AYP is still not met, implement approved Alternative Governance Plan.
THE REMAINING PAGES OF THIS AGP TEMPLATE ARE TO BE COMPLETED, SIGNED, AND SUBMITTED WITH CORRESPONDING DOCUMENTS BY THE LEA TO NM PED PSB BY DECEMBER 1, 2006.
Send to: NMPED Priority Schools Bureau
300 Don Gaspar
Santa Fe, NM 87501-2786
or Electronically to:
(This Alternative Governance Contingency Plan template is available electronically on the
PED Priority Schools Bureau web site: http://www.ped.state.nm.us/div/psb.)
Restructuring Year I and II
2006-2007 ALTERNATIVE GOVERNANCE CONTIGENCY PLAN
2006-2007 School Year
To be completed by the Local Education Agency (LEA) for each Restructuring Year I and II school
School Name: / Chaparral Middle School*Designation: / Restructuring II
School Population: / 354
District Name: / Gadsden independent School District
Superintendent Name: / Ronald Haugen
District Address: / P.O. Box 70
City: / Anthony, New Mexico
Zip Code: / 88021
Phone (505): / 1-505-882-6200
Fax (505): / 1-505-882-6229
District Contact Email: /
*SI-1, SI-2, CA, R1, R2 (please indicate ‘delay’ status as appropriate)
** Attach current school report card.
For Restructuring Year I and II, the LEA is required to prepare an Alternative Governance Contingency Plan (AGCP) using one or more of the following Restructuring Actions. Please check the option(s) that will be used in the AGCP:
x 1. Replace all or most of the staff who are relevant to failure to make AYP;
□ 2. Enter into a contract with another organization (excluding private entities per NMSA 22-2C-7 K) with a demonstrated record of effectiveness, to operate the school;
□ 3. Turn over operation of the school to the NM PED, in accordance with state law and if agreed to by the NM PED; or
x 4. Any other major restructuring of a school’s governance arrangement that makes fundamental reforms and has promise of enabling the school to make AYP.
Alternative Governance Contingency Plan: Restructuring Action(s)
ACTION PLAN
Directions: Please respond to the following items using the expanding text spaces below. Complete a separate Action Plan (Items 1-7, below) for each Restructuring Action chosen as part of the AGCP.
1. Please describe briefly which restructuring action the LEA will be implementing during the 2007-2008 school year.
a. Option 1 Action:· Correct any situations that may have a negative impact on the implementation of the district mandated instructional programs.
b. Option 4 Action(s): Under this option the goal is to improve achievement in (1) ELL reading grades 7-8; (2) SPED reading grades 7-8; and SPED mathematics grades 7-8 by increasing the number of students in each subgroup scoring proficient by 50%. The following are the actions to be completed.
· Collect and analyze the data for the targeted subgroups
· Review IEPs for the SPED students to determine progress over time in reading and mathematics.
· Review Balanced Literacy/GMI progress board data for ELL students to determine progress over time.
· A “Turn Around Team” will be established in each middle school to further support the governance of the school. The following is the composition of the team:
o Parent
o Diagnostician
o Principal
o Reading Process Trainer
o Three level 3 teachers
o Monitor
· A monitor will be appointed to supervise the implementation of the Alternative Governance Plan and to support the completion of the actions required as well as coordinating the activities of the Turn Around Team.
· The “All Students Subgroup” will continue to achieve AYP.
· The Gear-Up initiative (HED Project) of the district will support the actions herein described.
· The Reading Process Trainer and the Math Process Trainer will support these action with on-going professional development throughout 2007-2008
· Tier I, II, III, and IV interventions will be implemented to support all 7th and 8th grade SPED and ELL students in the school as well as all other subgroups.
· Students who do not make a 3 on the SBA will be assigned to an intervention in lieu of an elective.
· The district will support the Accomplished Education Administrator assigned to the district by PED.
2. Please explain how this action will increase student achievement in areas currently identified as not meeting adequate yearly progress. Include how the action will be measured and evaluated.
b. Option 2 Action(s):
· Based on the data collected and analyzed, district mandated reading and mathematics programs will continue being implemented as well as Tier I, II, III, and IV interventions. The interventions will provide additional instructional time in the discrepancy areas. The discrepancy areas are Special Education reading, Special Education mathematics and Special Education students who are also English Language Learners in Grades 7-8.
o Balanced Literacy in Two Languages, the district wide reading process, will continue being implemented with all students in Grades 7-8. The data base currently used by the district has indicated over time increased achievement of students in reading in Grades K-8. The Fontas and Pinnell reading levels and the following short cycle assessments – the DRA/EDL, the Qualitative Spelling Inventory and the Dolch Word List – are triangulated to determine impact over time.
o The Gadsden Mathematics initiative (GMI) will continue being implemented with all students in Grades 7-8. The data base currently used by the district has indicated over time increased achievement of students in mathematics in Grades 7-8. Connected Mathematics published by Prentice Hall and approved by the National Science Foundation has been used successfully for six years with students in Grades K-8. This program has been recognized by the State of New Mexico and the Federal Government as an outstanding mathematics instructional program.
· Pre and Post test scores collected from the reading intervention programs listed below will be triangulated with the Fontas and Pinnel Reading levels, and the short-cycle assessments currently used in the district – the DRA/EDl, the qualitative spelling inventory and the Dolch Word List—to determine improvement of achievement and impact over time. All of the new data collected from the following interventions will be added to the district progress board data to develop an extended profile of the students who have yet not achieved the proficient level.
o Reading 180 will be implemented to provide a Tier I intervention in Grades 7-8. This is a commercial program published by Scholastic which has already been piloted in the district’s alternative school with success.
o My Reading Coach will be implemented to provide a Tier II intervention in Grades 7-8. This is a commercial program published by Mind Play which has already been piloted in the district’s Special Education classrooms with success.
o Additional Tier III interventions for Special Education students Grades 7-8 will be implemented that focus on specific targeted areas of reading. Lexia published by Lexia Learning will be used to focus on phonemic awareness. This program has been implemented in the district with success.
o Sonday Reading will be implemented to provide a Tier IV intervention for Special Education students moving from the elementary school to the middle school and who have not year met the proficient level or who will be administered the Alternative Assessment. Sonday Reading is a commercial program published by Winsor Learning.
· Pre and Post test scores collected from mathematics intervention programs listed below will be triangulated with the district developed and PED approved short cycle assessments to track progress and impact over time.
o Success Tracker will be used to provide a Tier I intervention in Grades 7-8. This is a commercial program published by Prentice Hall and has proven successful through research and a published study. The pre and post test scores and benchmark short cycle assessments will be correlated and tracked during 2007-2008.
3. Please attach the notices and documentation provided to parents and educators regarding the restructuring status of the school and the opportunity for comments by educators and parents. (See Attachments)
4. Describe how educators and parents equitably participated in developing the Alternative Governance Plan.
a. Educators, parents, community, and staff participated in the planning and development of the plan. Parents, teachers and community members met in response to a flyer distributed by the school. A presentation was made to review the Overview of Requirements for Alternative Governance Contingency Planning for Restructuring I and II Schools as of March 2006. This overview as provided by the New Mexico Public Education Department Priority Schools Bureau was distributed to the attendees in English and Spanish. (The district translated the document into Spanish for our Spanish speaking parents).b. The attendees were given two weeks to provide suggestions to the school or central administration.
c. The principal met with the attendees two weeks later to collect the written responses. The suggestions wee summarized and are a part of the plan.
d. Central Office administrators met with the campus staffs to report back to the groups and review the final draft of the Alternative Governance Plan prior to School Board review and approval.
5. Attach documentation to support that development of this plan occurred with input
from an equitable representation of stakeholders. (See attachments)
From the sign-in sheets, it was determined that there were equitable percentages of parents and teachers in attendance at the meetings.
6. Attach documentation or detailed information to explain the steps to be taken to provide educational services to those students who will be impacted by implementation of this plan.
The middle schools are already being served by companies that provide supplemental educational services.
7. Attach documentation of detailed information or describe the specific impact pertaining to budget, transportation, and supplemental educational services as it relates to the proposed restructuring actions.