Historical Narrative

Fredonia Elementary was established in 1954 as a neighborhood school and continues to serve children from the surrounding neighborhoods and community. Student demographics for Fredonia Elementary include: 63% Hispanic, 16% African American, 18% White, and 91% Economically Disadvantaged. The campus became Improvement Required (IR) in 2012-2013. The campus has had two different principals during this time period with a campus leadership team and teacher staff turnover rate that averaged at 60%. In the past three years, 60% of all teachers have had 10 years of experience or less. Fredonia Elementary began a bilingual program in 2013-2014. The program was phased in over a three year period, in which there have been two different district Bilingual Directors. In 2015-16, 60% of Fredonia’s bilingual teachers transferred to the magnet dual language campus in the district.

In the last three years, state assessment reading scores have improved from 57% (2013), 54% (2014), and 60% (2015). We also have evidence of improvement in state assessment science results: 35% met standard (2013), 32% met standard (2014), and 45% met standard (2015). State assessment results have decreased for math and writing. State assessment results for mathematics include 61% met standard (2013) and 52% met standard (2014). State assessment results for writing include, 46% met standard (2013), 41% met standard (2014) and 39% met standard (2015). The campus analysis indicated that improvement in subjects/grades can be attributed to experienced teachers in those specific areas. Overall, students in Grades 3-5 have a three year pattern of low level of growth as measured by Index 2 Performance Standards for individual student progress and campus performance on all indices.

The attendance rate at Fredonia Elementary has averaged above the District and State for the past three years. However, Fredonia has experienced a significant increase in the number of Economically Disadvantaged and ELL students. We have been unable to maintain or recruit a sufficient number of highly trained or highly qualified teachers to serve our student population.

Systemic Root Cause

The Systematic Root Cause identified for low student performance was ineffective instruction due to:

• Inconsistent, targeted focus on growth

• High teacher and leadership turnover

• Lack of early / initial professional development for effective instruction

•Lack of specific professional development needed by teachers (strategies to teach ELL students, cultural responsiveness, and understanding of TEKS)

• Lack of parent/family engagement

• Lack of concentration of resources and support in K-2 and in vertical alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in reading, writing, and math

Turnaround Initiative

1. Retain talented, key leaders and teachers and reduce turnover rate.

  • Develop, with the district office, a collaborative plan to retain teachers and leaders.
  • Assign effective mentors to new teachers as established by district/campus guidelines.
  • Provide summer training to ensure an efficient and smooth start to the school year with an intentional focus on effective instruction.
  • Provide opportunities to experienced/retired teachers to highlight master level teaching strategies throughout the year.
  • Review and schedule targeted areas of professional development through the results of teachers’ data analysis and teacher surveys (three times/year).
  • Engage faculty/staff/administrative team in team building activities throughout the year.
  • Increase support for new teachers and alternative certified teachers by having regularly scheduled meetings that focus on individualized needs and support measures.
  • Provide leadership and Lead4Ward training for the administrative team and additional teachers.
  • Recognize Teacher Leaders in monthly participation of campus leadership trainings.

2. Establish consistency in the curriculum, instruction, assessment, and staffing in grades PK-2.

  • Hire a PK-2 director at the district level to establish consistency in all schools and effective articulation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in PK-2 early literacy (Math, Reading, and Writing).
  • Hire an ELL/Bilingual Interventionist to support vocabulary, language development and reading and writing among ELL learners.

3. Maintain and continue to improve effective 3-5 instructional practices.

  • Continue STAAR Leadership Retreat with the emphasis on data analysis and planning.
  • Site-based Math and ELAR interventionists and Pk-2 Curriculum and Instructional Coach (CIC) & 3-5 CIC -OR- CIC and site based Math and ELAR interventionist/coach will be hired to provide curriculum and instructional support.
  • Continue intervention for all students during the school day (Star Scholar Prep).
  • Continue to provide full-time district Math specialist to work with IR schools; continue to employ outside Reading and Math consultants
  • Conduct regularly scheduled walkthroughs and provide quality and timely feedback.
  • Implement curriculum and instruction for daily interventions and enrichment.
  • Join Region VII Math/ Science Co-op or provide equivalent services.
  • Include computer literacy instruction and integrate technology in all grades and subjects through elective rotation schedule. Academy

4. Train leadership team to lead school-wide implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

  • Schedule training in May before the end of 2015-2016 school year.
  • Provide PBIS training for returning staff and available new teachers in the summer before the first day of school for students.
  • Develop a parent/family engagement program focused on on-grade level reading, writing, and math.
  • Develop and provide training to ensure that each family knows how to help their children with reading, writing, and problem solving homework through fun and engaging activities.
  • Engage public libraries, daycare centers, and community agencies in a campaign for on-grade level reading, writing, and math by 3rd grade
  • Parents will be invited to the after school program once a month for students to showcase their learning.
  • Continue Principal Parent Café on campus and expand topics to include: parent goals, parent educational training, and allow for parent input.

Outcome

The turnaround initiative will resolve the identified systemic root cause by: 1. Developing a district and campus long term plan to retain talent and reduce teacher and leader turnover rate. At least one competent teacher leader in each grade/subject will be retained, and 75% of the campus leadership team and 60% of teachers will return for the next two years. The plan will be evaluated and improved each year based on retention data and exit interviews from all teacher and leaders who leave the campus and or district.

2. Improving instruction in PK-2 and significantly reducing the large number of students reading, writing, and problem solving below grade level. The district will hire a district PK-2 Early literacy director, revise or develop a consistent and articulated PK-2 reading, writing, and math curriculum, instruction and assessment program and stick with the adopted curriculum and improve implementation for the next 2 years. Within two years, 60% of rising 3rd grade students will be reading, writing, and solving problems on or above grade level.

3. Maintaining improvements made this year in grades 3-5, especially in expanding the Lead4Ward training to include more teacher leaders in initial training; maintaining the district math coordinator position for supporting IR schools; continuing contracting with outside consultants found to be effective as evaluated by campus staff and district leaders; Continuing the in-school intervention program (Star Scholar Prep program and the after school Dragon Academy enrichment program for K-5 students). The school will be rated meets expectations within 2 years.

4. Consistently implementing a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) school wide behaviorframework that will ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn, and teachers have the opportunity to teach. Designate a PBIS team and train them in Spring of 2016 and the incoming staff in the Fall of 2017 so that all new and returning teachers and all students get off to a smooth start and engage in effective instruction from the very beginning of the school year.

5. Engaging parents in helping their children learn to read, write, and problem solve on grade level. We will engage the entire community in increasing the opportunities for all children to read, write, and problem solve on grade level. Effective practices developed this year will be maintained and new practices will focus on parent request, especially request aligned with the need of the vast majority of students to develop the skills and the desire to read, write, and problem solve on or above grade level. All of these turnaround initiatives will work together to make a significant improvement in instruction and increase the district and campus capacity to support teachers and leaders and continuous improvement over time.

Processes/Procedures

1. New processes and procedures to retain teachers and leaders at IR schools will be developed by the joint district and campus retention planning team for the 2016-2017 school year. For example, the active recruitment of teachers between elementary schools will be reviewed and, if necessary,a protocol will be developed that assists the IR campuses’ ability to retain talent on their campuses.

2. The campus will engage in team building activities; early training in classroom management and discipline; targeted training as needed and requested by teachers; and assignment of effective mentors especially for teachers with 0-2 years' experience. All campus and district training will be approved and collaboratively scheduled prior to start of the school year and the disruption of instruction due to all meetings, staff development, and all other reasons will be eliminated or limited, as much as possible. Teachers’ work days to prepare for the start of the year will be honored and not interrupted for any reason.

3. The campus will maintain the effective process and procedure for instructional planning time every six weeks and weekly PLC's.

4. All teachers will be trained in classroom management and discipline up front before school begins. The practices for supporting teachers who are still experiencing difficulty with classroom management and discipline will be provided in the first month of school.

5. Maintain all channels of effective communications that worked in 2015-2016 and focus parental engagement activities on helping parents to help their children read, write, or problem solve on or above grade level.

Communications

In order to articulate a shared, clear vision, sense of urgency, and allow for on-going two-way communication amongst stakeholder groups, the following processes were and will continue to be used:

(1) Seek input from all stakeholders, students, parents, teachers, campus/district leaders, PSP and DCSI, and community leaders.

(2) Articulate the vision of building a growth culture to campus staff, students and parents in a variety of ways and settings, including public meetings and surveys used in the Turnaround Planning Process. Include and train parents in the process of helping students learn to read, write and problem solve on grade level and in helping students acquire the desire to read and the joy of responding to great literature in a variety of modes of expression.

(3) Continuously revisit the vision in the following positive ways (i.e. celebrations of student progress, showcases of student products and work, reporting test results and progress monitoring data to individual students and their families, and parent conferences).

Organizational Structure

The Turnaround Initiatives are designed to eliminate two main barriers to improvement, the large number of below level students entering the STAAR tested grades, and the almost 75% annual turnover rate and talent drain of teachers and leaders. The Turnaround Plan, if approved, provides a PK-2 district Early Literacy Director whose sole responsibility will be the improvement and implementation of the district's early literacy program PK-2, including writing and math. At the campus level, the Turnaround Initiatives will improve the organizational structure by adding, if approved, an ELL/Bilingual Interventionist to support vocabulary and language development for ELL learners in reading and writing. The campus principal will maintain, if approved, the use of campus leaders in the dual roles of reading/math interventionists that work with students and the role of reading/math coaches that work with teachers. In hiring future positions, every effort will be made in hiring bilingual office personnel, paraprofessionals, and teachers, especially in grades 3-5. The other great barrier is the 75% teacher and leader turnaround rate. The Turnaround Plan has restructured its delivery of targeted professional development (PD) for new teachers, teachers in new positions, and any teacher in need of assistance by offering needed PD in the summer weeks prior to the start of the new year and providing immediate support and feedback at the beginning of the year to ensure that all teachers get off to a good start for the new school year. The plan aligns the roles that mentors, teacher leaders, campus/district leaders, and outside consultants will have working together to support new staff up front, and in a timely manner whenever needed. The organizational structure of human resources and the campus positions, roles and responsibilities that are created by either the district orcampus and approved by the superintendent and board will be evaluated each year in light of their effectiveness on reducing the number of students performing below grade level and on the reduction of teacher and leader turnover rate.

Capacity and Resources

The campus leadership team consists of the following, principal, assistant principal, math interventionist/coach, reading interventionist/coach, counselor, PK-2 Curriculum and Instructional Coach (CIC), 3-5 CIC, teachers, and paraprofessionals. The district support staff that will help implement the plan are the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, the DCSI, PSP, the math coordinator, district curriculum director and any new positions, if any, created by the district. The Director of Curriculum has recently resigned to take a position in another district. The staff, except a few teachers and the principal, is new to the profession, new to the campus, and or new to their position. In the next year, the campus may have fewer changes in the campus leadership, but indications may present a large number turnover of teachers and key instructional leaders from the district. This pattern is similar to last year and it remains to be determined who will be returning to the campus for 2016-2017.

Please write your comments, ideas, and/suggestions in regards to Fredonia’s Turnaround Plan:

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Please return this form no later than April 8, 2016. Thank you for your cooperation.