2013-2014 Collinswood Language Academy School Improvement Plan Report
School Improvement Plan
2013-2014 through 2014-2015
School Improvement Plans remain in effect for two years, but a School Leadership Team may amend as often as necessary or appropriate.
Collinswood Language Academy Contact InformationSchool: / Collinswood Language Academy / Courier Number: / 344
Address: / 4000 Applegate Rd. / Phone Number: / 980-343-5820
Charlotte, NC 28209 / Fax Number: / 980-343-5850
Learning Community / West / School Website: / http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/collinswoodMS/Pages/Default.aspx
Principal: / Nicolette Grant
Learning Community Superintendent: / Allen Smith
Collinswood Language Academy School Improvement Team Membership
From GS §115C-105.27: “The principal of each school, representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants assigned to the school building, and parents of children enrolled in the school shall constitute a school improvement team to develop a school improvement plan to improve student performance. Representatives of the assistant principals, instructional personnel, instructional support personnel, and teacher assistants shall be elected by their respective groups by secret ballot....Parents serving on school improvement teams shall reflect the racial and socioeconomic composition of the students enrolled in that school and shall not be members of the building-level staff.”
Committee Position / Name / Email Address / Date Elected
Principal / Nicolette Grant / Nicolette.grant
Assistant Principal Representative / Jack McIver / Jack.mciver
Teacher Representative / Rachael Sprankle / Rachaelb.sprankle
School/Family Advocate / Aida Torres / Aidaluz.torres
Teacher Representative / Katherine Ruffolo / Katherined.ruffolo
Inst. Support Representative / Marta Duran / M.duran
Teacher Assistant Representative / Marisa Linares / Marisa.linares
Parent Representative / Nikki Zakocs /
Parent Representative / Sunny Green /
Parent Representative / Sarah Guller /
Parent Representative / Karen Sanders /
Vision Statement
District: CMS provides all students the best education available anywhere, preparing every child to lead a rich and productive life.
School: Collinswood Language Academy students receive content instruction within a dual language program by a highly qualified staff that equips students with the academic and cultural skills to be successful in the global community
Mission Statement
District: The mission of CMS is to maximize academic achievement by every student in every school.
School: The mission of Collinswood Language Academy is to provide each student with rigorous coursework in two languages to teach them the 21st century skills necessary to think critically in order for the students to become bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish.
Collinswood Language Academy Shared Beliefs
2013-2014 Collinswood Language Academy School Improvement Plan Report
Learning
· Student learning is the number #1 priority for the staff of Collinswood.
· All students can learn when a variety of effective instructional approaches, special services and resources are used to support individual learning styles.
· Authentic assessment through a variety of means allows students to demonstrate mastery of essential knowledge and skills and enables teachers to adjust instruction to meet the needs of students.
· Learning a second language leads to higher thinking skills and cultural appreciation.
· Rigorous and relevant instruction is needed to prepare students for the 21st century.
High Expectations
· Continuous improvement through ongoing professional development and high expectations of staff and students increases school performance.
· Students need to be actively involved in real-world solving problems, producing quality work, and applying their knowledge in new contexts.
Cultural Appreciation
· Diversity is valued and promoted at Collinswood as staff and students share their own cultural backgrounds and languages as well as unique gifts and needs.
· Exposure to diversity enhances the students’ acceptance of individual differences as well as their appreciation of diverse cultures.
Community
· Teachers, administrators, parents, and the community share the responsibility for advancing the school’s mission and helping to develop productive citizens.
Character
· A student’s character is enhanced by positive relationships, use of proper etiquette, and mutual respect between students and staff.
2013-2014 Collinswood Language Academy School Improvement Plan Report
Collinswood Language Academy SMART Goals
· Provide teachers with a duty-free lunch period through the utilization of an effective Master and Lunch Schedule.
· Provide teachers with duty free instructional planning time through creation and implementation of a master schedule.
· Promote School-Wide Awareness of Bullying Prevention through Character Education as evidenced by the decrease in the number of reported bullying incidents/behaviors.
· Through Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, teachers will create mini-lessons specifically geared towards tier 3 and 4 students and differentiate within small group instruction to meet the specific needs of all students.
· Through Math Investigations and Connected Math, teachers will develop rigorous lessons that promote higher-order critical thinking and problem solving skills.
· Through the implementation of the Balanced Literacy Model, Collinswood will increase the Spanish language proficiency of students.
· Collinswood will increase the number of partnerships with local businesses and community organizations by 10%.
Collinswood Language Academy Assessment Data Snapshot
Collinswood Elementary School - 6003442010-2011
School Year / 2011-2012
School Year / 2012-2013
School Year
Subject / Demographic
Subgroup / %
Prof. / %
Met Exp.
Growth / Avg.
Growth / High
Growth
Ratio / %
Prof. / %
Met Exp.
Growth / Avg.
Growth / High
Growth
Ratio / %
Prof. / %
Met Exp.
Growth / Avg.
Growth / High
Growth
Ratio
Grade 03 Reading / Grade Total / 91.0 / 86.7
Grade 03 Math / Grade Total / 91.0 / 97.3
Grade 03 Total / Grade Total / 91.0 / 92.0
Grade 04 Reading / Grade Total / 90.8 / 58.8 / 0.107 / 1.4 / 79.3 / 34.5 / -0.163 / 0.5
Grade 04 Math / Grade Total / 94.3 / 85.9 / 0.476 / 6.1 / 98.9 / 88.5 / 0.528 / 7.7
Grade 04 Total / Grade Total / 92.5 / 72.4 / 0.291 / 2.6 / 89.1 / 61.5 / 0.182 / 1.6
Grade 05 Reading / Grade Total / 84.3 / 55.2 / 0.076 / 1.2 / 92.0 / 52.9 / 0.038 / 1.1
Grade 05 Math / Grade Total / 98.6 / 85.1 / 0.482 / 5.7 / 94.3 / 67.8 / 0.257 / 2.1
Grade 05 Science / Grade Total / 90.0 / 94.3
Grade 05 Total / Grade Total / 91.0 / 70.1 / 0.279 / 2.4 / 93.6 / 60.3 / 0.148 / 1.5
Grade 06 Reading / Grade Total / 97.0 / 56.1 / -0.004 / 1.3 / 96.7 / 69.5 / 0.235 / 2.3
Grade 06 Math / Grade Total / 100.0 / 62.1 / 0.097 / 1.6 / 93.3 / 22.0 / -0.352 / 0.3
Grade 06 Total / Grade Total / 98.5 / 59.1 / 0.047 / 1.4 / 95.0 / 45.8 / -0.059 / 0.8
Grade 07 Reading / Grade Total / 92.2 / 75.0 / 0.251 / 3.0
Grade 07 Math / Grade Total / 100.0 / 54.7 / 0.011 / 1.2
Grade 07 Total / Grade Total / 96.1 / 64.8 / 0.131 / 1.8
Reading Total / Total / 90.7 / 56.9 / 0.064 / 1.3 / 88.8 / 55.6 / 0.064 / 1.3
Math Total / Total / 95.5 / 78.4 / 0.363 / 3.6 / 96.8 / 62.0 / 0.162 / 1.6
Science Total / Total / 90.0 / 94.3
EOG Total / Total / 92.8 / 67.7 / 0.213 / 2.1 / 92.9 / 58.8 / 0.113 / 1.4
School Composite / Total / 92.8 / 67.7 / 0.213 / 2.1 / 92.9 / 58.8 / 0.113 / 1.4
2010-2011 School Year
Subgroup / Perf.
Composite / Avg.
Growth / AYP
Reading / AYP
Math / Grad.
Rate / Perf.
Composite / Avg.
Growth / AYP
Reading / AYP
Math
African-American / 96.9 / 0.217 / Met / Met / ~ / 94.5 / -0.01 / Met / Met
Asian / 100.0 / 0.009 / Insuf Data / Insuf Data / ~ / 100.0 / 0.215 / Insuf Data / Insuf Data
Hispanic / 89.1 / 0.199 / Met / Met / ~ / 89.6 / 0.110 / Met / Met
Multi-Racial / 93.1 / 0.416 / Insuf Data / Insuf Data / ~ / 100.0 / 0.200 / Insuf Data / Insuf Data
Native American / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / 100.0 / ~ / Insuf Data / Insuf Data
White / 100.0 / 0.221 / Met / Met / ~ / 98.9 / 0.162 / Met / Met
LEP / 78.0 / 0.062 / Met / Met / ~ / 75.4 / 0.069 / Met / Met
SWD / 54.5 / 0.025 / Insuf Data / Insuf Data / ~ / 59.0 / 0.071 / Insuf Data / Insuf Data
ED / 88.5 / 0.243 / Met / Met / ~ / 88.5 / 0.094 / Met / Met
EOG Total / 92.8 / 0.213 / Met / Met / ~ / 92.9 / 0.113 / Met / Met
EOC Total / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~
School Composite / 92.8 / 0.213 / Met / Met / ~ / 92.9 / 0.113 / Met / Met
Collinswood Language Academy Profile
Student Demographic Data
Currently, 721 students are enrolled at Collinswood. Our school is rich with a culturally diverse student population comprised of 59.3%% Hispanic, 15.7% African-American, 21.3% White and 3.7% Other. One hundred and six students, 14.8% of our children, are speakers of a first language that is not English and are identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP). Forty-six students (7.7%) currently qualify for services by the EC Resource Teacher and/or Speech Clinician. Fifty-three students (8.0%) are identified as gifted and receive instruction from the Talent Development teacher through the Catalyst Model. In 2012, four hundred and twelve students (58%) qualified for free or reduced school meals (2013 data not available).
Staff Demographic Data
The entire staff at Collinswood works as an efficient, flexible team to provide quality instruction for all students. Staff members originate from the United States and many Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Peru, and Puerto Rico.
Seven hundred and twenty-one students are currently enrolled for the 2013-2014 school year in grades K-8 with 12 primary classes, 12 intermediate classes and 12 middle school classes. Ten teacher assistants support the instructional program. The support staff at Collinswood includes: full-time music, media, two PE teachers, one art teacher, two counselors, TD teacher, 2 EC Resource teachers, two 0.5 EC assistants, two literacy facilitators, two full-time ESL teachers, Magnet Lead teacher, PD facilitator, one Spanish facilitator, assistant principal, and a principal. The speech-language clinician, school psychologist, and nurse are shared with other schools. We have one full-time school resource officer.
Teacher Qualifications
Collinswood Language Academy has thirty-five classroom teachers and a total of twenty other licensed staff. Five teachers have less than three years experience, while 91% of the licensed staff has been educators for three years or more (including our Visiting International Faculty). Thirty-nine percent of the staff currently holds advanced degrees. One staff member is currently enrolled in a Masters Program. Eight staff members are Nationally Board Certified Teachers.
School Programs and Schedules
Collinswood Language Academy is a Dual Language Program where students become bilingual and biliterate. Through the use of best instructional practices, students at Collinswood are taught both the Common Core State Standards and Essential Standards curriculum. Students at the K level are taught 85% of the day in Spanish and 15% of the day in English utilizing the Reader’s Workshop Model. Students in grades 1-8 receive instruction 50% Spanish instruction in math, social studies, and Lectura (Spanish literacy). The other 50% of the day is instructed in English for reading, writing, and science. By the time students exit Collinswood, they are proficient in reading, writing, speaking and listening in both Spanish and English.
We work together within a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to continue our effective implementation of the Reader’s Workshop Model, EC Inclusive Practices, and our Bully Prevention Program. Teacher Assistants and Support Staff have flexible schedules to support instruction. As a component of our Response to Instruction (RTI), we have included Tier 1 and Tier 2 PLC Grade Level Discussions (PIECE meetings) to address student needs.
Awards and Partnerships
· Local, State, and National Awards- Excelente Award, National Magnet Schools of America School of Excellence, VIF School of the Year, Magnet School of America Merit Award- School of Excellence, North Carolina Honor School of Excellence, International Spanish Academies School of the Year Award and Global Schools Network.
· Grants Received- Arts Teach, NC Donor’s Choose, AT&T, Time Warner, Target Corporation, Clorox Brighter Future, Jimmie Johnson Foundation, and Office Depot Racing.
· Community Involvement- Numerous artist residencies in special areas, Participation in off-campus events (musicals, art exhibitions, and dance performances), Martin Luther King, Jr. Contest, Young Author’s Contest, La Noticia, El Progreso Hispano, NC Dance Theatre, Charlotte Mecklenburg Fire Department, Bank of America, Sonny’s BBQ, Chic-fil-a, and Parent University.
· Partnership-Queens University, Compare Foods, and South Mecklenburg H.S.
*TENTATIVE* Revised Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Maximize academic achievement in a personalized 21st century learning environment for every child to graduate career and college ready.
Focus Areas: College and Career Readiness, Academic Growth/High Academic Achievement, Access to Rigor,
Closing Achievement Gaps
Goal 2: Recruit, develop, and retain a premier workforce.
Focus Areas: Recruitment, Professional Development, Retention, New Career Pathways, Leadership Development
Goal 3: Cultivate partnerships with families, businesses, and faith-based or community organizations to provide a sustainable system of support and care for each child.
Focus Areas: Family Engagement, Communications, Partnership Development, Philanthropic Foundation
Goal 4: Promote a system-wide culture of safety, high engagement, customer service, and cultural competence.