Morris Schott Elementary

511 N. Boundary Mattawa, Wa 99349

SchoolImprovement PlanTemplate

School’s Mission Statement

“More Brain More Gain”

September 2012

Theten componentsofSchoolwideTitle I are embedded(in red)within thisSchool Improvement Plan template.Thoseschools intending tosatisfy requirements forSchoolwideTitleIwould complete thosesectionsin additiontotheother sections.Inthis document,SWPwillidentify SchoolwideProgramin a building receiving Title I, PartA.

TitleISchoolwideComponents:

Number1 -Comprehensive Needs Assessment Number2 -SchoolwideReformStrategies Number3 -Instructionby HighlyQualifiedStaff Number4 -Professional Development Activities

Number5 -Attract High-Quality, Highly-Qualified Teachers

Number6 -Strategies to IncreaseParent Involvement

Number7 -TransitionPlans forPreschools andBetweenGradeLevels

Number8 -TeacherIncludedinAssessment Decisions

Number9 -ProvideAssistance to Students Experiencing Difficulty Number10 - CoordinationandIntegrationofFederal Stateandlocal services

GuidanceforDeveloping theWrittenTitle I SchoolwidePlan,

Contents SchoolImprovement Plan (SIP)Template

Introductionpg. 4

GuidingPrinciples of SchoolImprovement Planning

Description of School Community andTeamMembersOverview of (Name ofSchool) Leadership/PlanningTeam Members ParticipatingStakeholders

District ReviewTeam Members

School Portfolio/SWP#1

PurposeofPlan

Shared Vision and GuidingPrinciples of(Name of School) CreatingthePortfolio

Description of Data Carousel

Summaryof(Name of School’s)Strengths Summaryof(Name of School’s)Areas of Concern Domains ofData

ImprovementGoals/SWP#2

SMART goal statements

Study Process/SWP#2

StudyTeams

StudyProcess Grid

StudyTeam RecommendationsStudyGroupReport Form

Action Plans/SWP#2

Instructional Program Description Action Plans/Action Plan Outline Professional Development-SWP#4

ParentInvolvement-SWP#6

Coordination/Integration of Programs-SWP#10

Response to School PerformanceReview(formerlyEducational Audit) Inclusion ofTeachers in Assessment-SWP#8

Implementingthe Plan/Timeline forPlanningProcess

Summary ofProgress

Monitoringthe Plan

Fiscal Requirement

AssessReadinessto

Benefit

Evaluate Plan’s Impact onStudent Achievement

Implementand

MonitorPlan

CraftAction

Plans

Nine Characteristics Of

High Performing Schools

CollectSortand

AnalyzeData

Build andAnalyze

Portfolio

SetandPrioritize

Goals

StudyandSelect

Research-based

Practices

Guiding Principles ofSchool Improvement Planning

Certain key principles have guided the process and the development of the improvement plan.

All members of aschoolstaff, and representatives or as manyotherstakeholders as possible, should participatein theplanningprocess.

Participants should review abroad databasethat includes information about student achievement, demography, learning environment, and perceptions about the school.

School improvement planningis a journeyof continuous improvement, and the plan is a road mapfor anongoingdiscourseon school improvement.

Regardless of the qualityofthe plan, the real improvement must occurin the classroom. Teachers must bewillingto be reflective about their practice and tenacious in their attempts to fine-tune theart ofteachingto meet theneedsof everystudent.

Readiness is aprimaryfactor and can haveamajor impact on staffcohesiveness, trust levels and perhapsmostimportant, student growth.

NineCharacteristics of High-PerformingSchools areresearch-basedcomponents of school improvement:

1. Clear and Shared Focus

2. High Standards and Expectations forAll Students

3. EffectiveSchoolLeadership

4. HighLevels of Collaboration and Communication

5. Curriculum,Instruction and Assessment Alignedwith Standards

6. Frequent MonitoringofLearningandTeaching

7. FocusedProfessional Development

8. SupportiveLearningEnvironment

9. HighLevels ofFamilyand CommunityInvolvement

Description of SchoolCommunity and Team

Members

OverviewofMorris Schott Elementary

Brieflydescribeyour school communityto providea context foryour school improvement plan.

Morris Schott Elementary School (MSE) is in its second year of being newly reconfigured school, located in Mattawa, a rural agricultural town. Morris Schott Elementary is one of three K-5 elementaries in the Wahluke School District. Previously this building housed grades five and six. This year it is a kindergarten through fifth grade building. The core team of principal, counselor, Instructional Coach, secretaries, and specialists were moved from Saddle Mountain Elementary (2-4 grade building) to Morris Schott Elementary. The teaching staff is comprised of teachers from the previous Mattawa Elementary School (K/1 building), Saddle Mountain Elementary School (2nd grade – 4th grade building), and Morris Schott Middle School (5/6 building). This building was built in the 1980s as a middle school building. In order to house younger students a lot of changes to the facility had to occur. Lockers were torn out in one hallway to create a kindergarten wing, bathroom doors had to be modified, steps had to be added to all sinks and drinking fountains, and all walls were painted. The biggest change was the creation of a library in the old staff room. A new wall had to be erected, shelves had to be reclaimed from around the district, walls had to be painted, and books had to be purchased and/or moved from the other two elementary school libraries. The entry to the building was also painted to make it more welcoming and inviting to students of all ages. The physical changes made to the building dramatically changed the school and community members “perception” of the “old middle school.” This building is now very well received by all students and staff and serves as an exciting place to learn and work.

Leadership/Planning TeamMembers

Listthe names of theleadership team members.

NameTitle

Missy Stevenson, Principal

NameTitle

Linda Achondo, Instructional Coach

NameTitle

Alisha AvalosSecretary

Cara MorrillAcademy

Amy MarlowKindergarten

Norine RobertsMusic

Name & Title

Summer Chavez/Parent and community member

Name & Title

Gil Favela- Parent and Community Member

.

School Portfolio

PurposeofPlan

The planning process and SWP is designed to help facilitate systemic change

inthe entireeducational programofa high- poverty school. Thepurpose ofthissystemic changeprocess is to increase the academic achievement of educationallydisadvantaged students by providing better services for allstudents. Every student receives 30 minutes of math and reading interventions and or enrichment four times a week. There are three ten week sessions that students receive instruction at their level.

The purpose of our school-wide plan is to enable us to meet the grade level goals that each teacher set with their students.

Academy services the lowest five percent of students based on the following data – MAP, DIBELS, and MBA and RBA.

Special education personnel are included in all building discussions, professional development, and part of RTI.

All teachers are trained in effective teaching strategies from the SIOP model which increase student learning specifically for our ELL population, as well as the 5 dimensions of teaching and learning.

All students have access to participate in the Wahluke Intramurals. This is an extension of services in reading, math, fitness, language, and the arts.

Students in grades four and five have been identified the previous spring to participate in the Highly Capable math program through the Raven and MAP assessments and teacher survey. Identified students receive their core math instruction from the Highly Capable teacher, who follows the pacing guide for each grade level and enhances instruction through the integration of technology and project-based learning.

Shared Vision and Guiding Principles of Morris Schott Elementary School

The vision statement of Morris Schott Elementary School is “Morris Schott Elementary School – More Brain More Gain”. The guiding principle of Morris Schott Elementary is that all decisions are guided by the question, “What is best for all students or what is best for the individual student?” We believe that all students can grow in their academic areas if given appropriate and effective instruction. One of our goals is to prepare students to become productive members of society and we work hard to ensure that our students not only receive academic instruction but social support as well.

As MSE staff we are committed to the following agreed upon norms and staff agree and review all community norms before each collaboration and ongoing expectation of school community.

Listening

We will be fully engaged when listening. We will ask clarifying questions when needed and give attention to everyone’s comment.

Time

We will respect start and end times and give everybody equal opportunity to share. We will communicate our absences and plan appropriate agendas.

Confidentiality

We will respectfully share information on a need to know basis and what is stated in the meeting stays in the meeting. We will stay positive, professional and avoid gossip. We will solve the solution within the PLC and set norms around what topics are to be discussed.

Participation

We will agree to be organized, and written and oral participation will be expected.

A verbal agreed upon response “I don’t have anything to add at this time.”

Decision Making

We believe all voices need to be heard when implementing and evaluating decisions and it is ok to agree to disagree.

Expectations

We agree to share workload equally, be professional, be fully engaged and know our purpose. We believe that agendas need to be sent out as early as possible and that team member leaders should be rotated.

All students have the right to receive a quality education that provides instruction for them to be successful. To support this belief, all students will receive a 90 minute reading block with an additional 30 minutes intervention or enhancement and a 90 minute math block with an additional 30 minutes of intervention or enhancement.

Data will always be used to make decisions on students regarding groupings, instruction in core, and instruction in interventions and enhancement.

Grade level and content teachers will share instructional strategies, student data, and make decisions together regarding their students.

The principal and Instructional Coach shall guide all data meetings (data wall, coaching cycles, monthly data meetings) and participate in classroom walkthroughs (CWT).

The success of all students is a priority for staff at MSE. Due to this belief, the success of all students will be monitored through Dibels Next, Math Benchmark assessments, and Reading Benchmark Assessments.
What We Do at Morris Schott Elementary School

2012-2013

Curriculum and Pedagogy Assessment of Student Learning

Learning Tools are utilized (S) Teacher makes in the moment adjustments (T)

Scaffolds and/or teaching strategies support student learning (T) Uses informal assessment effectively (T)

Uses Academic Language (S)

Student Engagement Classroom Environment & Culture

3:1 Ratio of interaction (T) Classroom routines and procedures are evident. (S)

90% plus students engaged (S) Physical environment conducive for all students. (S)

Whole Brain Teaching (T)

Whole Brain Teaching (S)

Purpose Community Building

Success Criteria and learning targets are posted, Staff agree and review all community norms

reviewed, and aligned to the current teaching.(T) before each collaboration and ongoing

Understand the learning targets for all the learning.(S) expectation of school community. (T)

Practice ongoing-regard (T)

KEY=Teacher (T) Student (S)

Assessment of Student Learning

Teacher makes in the moment adjustments (T)

Uses informal assessment effectively (T)

Classroom Environment & Culture

Classroom routines and procedures are evident. (S)

Physical environment conducive for all students. (S)

Community Building

Staff agree and review all community norms before each collaboration and ongoing expectation of school community. (T)

Creating aSchoolPortfolio

andConductingaComprehensiveAssessment of

Strengths andAreas ofConcern(SWP(#1)

(1)Demographics:

47.5% of students are male and 52.5% of students are female. 97% of students are Hispanic, 1.7% are white, 0.3% are American Indian/Alaskan Native, and % are two or more races. 90.2% of students receive free or reduced-price meals, 8.1% of students are in special education, 75.4% of students are in Transitional Bilingual program, and 27.4% of students are in the Migrant program.

There are 21 classroom teachers at MSE with 6.6 average years of experience. 13 teachers teach core academic classes.

(2)Context:

Morris Schott Elementary School (MSE) consists of grades kindergarten through fifth. There are currently 276 students in these six grades and there are 15 certified teachers with an Instructional Coach, Counselor and one full-time principal. MSE shares the Wahluke School District (WSD) campus with four other schools in a very rural, remote agricultural town of Mattawa in Grant County.

Due to the remoteness of the District majority of teachers live outside the school District and commute from neighboring areas such as Ellensburg, Tri-Cities, and Royal City.

(3)Student Achievement:

MSP data for current 4th grade students (51):

47.1% of students passed only the Math MSP, 39.2% of students only passed the Reading MSP, and % of students passed both the Reading and Math sections of the MSP.

MSP data for current 5th grade students (43):

38.3% of students passed only the Reading section of the MSP. 31.9% of students passed only the Math section of the MSP. % of students passed all sections of the MSP.

(4)Technology:

Computer lab with 30 student accessible computers

One classroom with a Smart board

Two classrooms share a classroom set of i-pads

Two classrooms have Clickers

All classrooms have document cameras

(5)Parent/Community Involvement:

MSE Webpage-updated twice weekly with school calendar, academic websites, and pictures of student learning

Parent outreach through Academy and preschool*

Family support specialist*

Parent Policy council*

Parent Advisory Committee meets once monthly*

District Newsletter*

District website including Facebook pages

Wahluke Parent Conference

Wahluke Enrichment Organization

Lions Club Partnership

Masonic Lodge Partnership

Desert Aire Partnership

Child Find

Parent Nights*

Parent Teacher conferences*

Open House

Home Visits*

*=These services are translated or interpreters are available.

(6)Cultural Competence

Donna Beagle Poverty Presentation

Poverty Book Study (Eric Jensen)

4 staff attend ELL courses thru Heritage University

SIOP Training

ELL Endorsed Staff members

Staff and Administrative book study on poverty

On campus ELL endorsement classes

Assessing StrengthsandAreas ofConcern

Strengths from Parent CEE:

Frequent Monitoring of Teaching and Learning

Collaboration and Communication

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Areas for Improvement from Parent CEE:

Effective School Leadership

Supportive learning environment

Strengths from Student CEE:

High Standards and expectations

Collaboration and communication

Frequent monitoring of teaching and learning

Areas for Improvement Student CEE:

Supportive learning environment

Effective School Leadership

Strengths from Staff CEE:

Curriculum

Supportive Learning Environment

Effective School Leadership

Areas for Improvement from Staff CEE:

Focused Professional Development

Parent/community involvement

Collaboration, Communication and Community

Demographic Data

47.5% of students are male and 52.5% of students are female. 97% of students are Hispanic, 1.7% are white, 0.3% are American Indian/Alaskan Native, and % are two or more races. 90.2% of students receive free or reduced-price meals, 8.1% of students are in special education, 75.4% of students are in Transitional Bilingual program, and 27.4% of students are in the Migrant program.

There are 21 classroom teachers at MSE with 6.6 average years of experience. 13 teachers teach core academic classes.

School Context Data

Morris Schott Elementary School (MSE) consists of grades kindergarten through fifth. There are currently 296 students in these six grades and there are 15 certified teachers with an Instructional Coach, Counselor and one full-time principal. MSE shares the Wahluke School District (WSD) campus with four other schools in a very rural, remote agricultural town of Mattawa in Grant County.

Due to the remoteness of the District majority of teachers live outside the school District and commute from neighboring areas such as Ellensburg, Tri-Cities, and Royal City.

At Morris Schott Elementary students have access to a variety of support services such as Tier II intervention, Tier III intervention, Academy services, Wahluke k-6 Intramurals, RTI, Instructional Coaching and Counseling Services.

Tier II intervention:All students receive 30 minutes of intervention or enrichment in reading and math four times a week.

Tier III intervention: Students identified through RTI are selected for additional services outside of their core and Tier II time. These services are provided for Math, Reading and Behavior. Currently 15% of MSE students are receiving Tier III instruction.

Academy services: Cohorts of students are identified to receive Math, Reading and Language support. The academy currently serves 31% of Morris Schott Elementary students in one or more of these areas.

Wahluke Intramurals: Co-Curricular activities such as art, fitness, guitar, book publishing, language and MSP prep are offered after school from 3:15-4:30, 9 days per month. Currently 13% of Morris Schott Elementary students are participating in intramurals.

RTI: Response to Intervention meets at Morris Schott Elementary meets each month to discuss students who teachers feel are not making appropriate growth. Data is used to determine the extra support services the student may need. This approach focuses on the whole child both academic and social-emotional information is considered. The team consists of LeeAnn Neary, Tier III specialist, Cara Morrill, Academy member, Linda Achondo, Instructional Coach, Robin Speck, Counselor, Missy Stevenson, Principal, and the classroom teacher. Parents are always invited to attend the RTI conference.

Counseling Services: The School Counselor provides group and individual sessions with students working on social skills. Services are coordinated with Grant County Mental Health. Students in the first grade receive Kelso’s choice training with plan to expand Character Education to all students in the upcoming years.

Instructional Coaching: Morris Schott Elementary students and staff are supported through instructional coaching in the following ways; model lesson plans, assessment of students, curriculum alignment and training, data meetings, SIOP training, and coaching cycles, and instructional coach attends Jim Knight trainings and participates in Jim Knight modules.

Student AchievementData

MSP data for current 3rd grade students (51):

39.2% of students passed the reading MSP. 23.5% of students passed at a level 3 and 15.7% of students passed at a level 4. 60.8% of students did not pass the reading MSP. 41.2% of students were at a level 2 and 19.6% of students were at a level 1.

47.1% of students passed the math MSP. 41.2% of students passed at a level 3 and 5.9% of students passed at a level 4. 52.9% of students did not pass the MSP. 19.6% were at a level 2 and 33.3% of students were at a level 1.