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Currently, CMS is concentrated on positive change by improving school culture and increasing academic performance. CMS has just completed its second year of implementation of a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) reward system. LPSS supports its 22 elementary, 12 middle, and 6 high schools with its commitment to focus resources to data-driven decision making, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and technology (CMS, 2017). Area(s) of Positive Achievement or Progress with Data to Support the Area The Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) has established a system of accountability for all public schools in its Louisiana’s Elementary and Secondary Education Plan Pursuant to the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
One specific measurement developed in Louisiana’s ESSA, the Achievement Index (AI), was referenced in Carencro Middle’s SWP (2017).
Louisiana’s Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) is the source of standardized achievement data used in Louisiana’s ESSA accountability calculations. The AI is calculated based on points assigned to the academic achievement level earned by each student in ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies in third through eighth grades (Louisiana Believes, 2017).
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A review of the CMS SWP reveals that LEAP data from the spring of 2017 shows positive achievement in several areas.
English Language Arts (ELA) has the highest school-wide AI value of 59.7 with eighth grade scoring the highest at 66.8 AI points. This assessment also marked three years of school-wide growth in mastery (proficiency) of standards within the 504 subgroup in mathematics and science. Similarly, students with disabilities in the seventh grade also doubled in percent mastery from 15.4% to 30.8% over the same three-year period.
CMS has identified the consistent use of Springboard ELA curriculum over the three-year period and consistent provision of 504 accommodations and instruction in special education math as two factors that led to this success (CMS, 2017). A second assessment, NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), was used to assess students in the fall of 2017.
Students in the eighth grade had the largest percentage of students scoring at or above the grade-level normative scores in mathematics (30%), reading (33%), and language usage (31%). CMS has identified increased familiarity with online testing as a factor contributing to this strength (CMS, 2017). Area(s) Where Improvement Is Needed with Data to Support the Area The SWP also identified several areas where improvement is needed based on the spring 2017 LEAP and fall 2017 NWEA MAP assessments. Most notably, the school-wide AI in mathematics dropped from 55.0 points in 2016 to 46.2 in 2017. Students in the eighth grade had the lowest grade-level AI at 42.9 points which was 14.5 fewer points than recorded during the 2016 LEAP administration.
Two subgroups, Hispanic and white, showed a decrease in the number of proficient students. Specifically sixth grade Hispanic students dropped from 85.7% (2016) to 60% (2017) in ELA and 62.5% (2016) to 40% (2017) in mathematics. A review of data over three years has shown that the school-wide white subgroup has decreased in proficiency from 77.6% (2015) to 67.2% (2017). CMS has identified inconsistent math instruction and lack of differentiation for individual student needs as two key factors leading to these academic deficiencies (CMS, 2017).
The second measure of student performance, NWEA MAP, shows students in sixth grade have the lowest number of students scoring at or above the expected grade-level norms in mathematics (13%), reading (23%), and language usage (22%). CMS recognizes that one factor leading to this weakness is the presence of more new teachers who are not familiar with the importance of progress monitor testing (CMS, 2017). Key Strategies to Achieve Goal(s) CMS has identified three evidence-based strategies as part of its reform initiative: data-driven decision making, Response to Intervention (RTI), and job-embedded professional learning communities (PLC).
Data-driven decision-making will be increased through the use of technology by both students and staff (CMS, 2017). LPSS is moving towards equipping each student with a Chromebook as part of a one-to-one initiative. With increased access to technology, teachers will be able to give formative and summative assessments to students using online platforms which will allow immediate (or near immediate if hand grading of responses is required) access to student performance data. The ability to have data almost instantly will enable teachers, administrators, and support staff with the ability to make data-driven decisions on a near day-to-day basis during PLC meetings.
Teachers will have the necessary data to collaborate with peers in the development of instructional lesson plans, common assessments, and revisions to instruction while being supported with help and guidance from the instructional strategist and data liaison. Increased performance in ELA and mathematics through RTI is a major focus of CMS. The school employs a full-time teacher and paraprofessional to serve students who are in the RTI process in the areas of reading or mathematics (CMS, 2017).
A combination of one-on-one, small group, and computer-based learning is used to remediate students in RTI. Teacher schedules include two dedicated class periods given to teacher planning and group PLC meetings (CMS, 2017). PLC meetings are held in the strategy room where the instructional strategist and data liaison may offer assistance. LPSS supports its schools by providing the additional instructional staff necessary to enable all teachers to have access to this time during an eight-hour workday.
Assessments Used to Determine Progress on Strategies CMS values data from four different assessment sources as both formative and summative measures of academic progress monitoring throughout the 2017-2018 school year. These online platform resources include NWEA MAP, iO Insight, iO Assessment, and PBIS Rewards (CMS, 2017). The NWEA MAP assessment is given to students three times per year as a progress monitoring instrument in the areas of reading, mathematics, language usage, and science. This data will be used by ELA, mathematics, and science teachers, the instructional strategist, and the data liaison to guide instruction and identify at-risk students. The collaboration will occur during PLC meetings that occur daily throughout the school year (CMS, 2017) LPSS supports data-driven decision-making through the availability of iO Insight and iO Assessment (CMS, 2017).
iO Insight serves as a warehouse for data from many sources such as LEAP, NWEA MAP, and information uploaded from the school’s student information system. iO Insight is also the home of a virtual data wall where queries can be performed based on specific, user-selected criteria. A dashboard allows the user (teachers, support staff, administration, etc.) to monitor user-created group progress over a period of time. The use of iO Assessment to administer formative and summative assessments allows classroom teachers standards-based data because the platform aligns content items to state standards.
Teachers can then track mastery of standards on a student by student basis or based on teacher-created groups. PBIS Rewards is used as a method to reward students for positive behavior and academic growth throughout the school year (CMS, 2017). Through the use of this program, any staff member can immediately reward students by giving tokens. In turn, students accumulate tokens that can be used in a variety of ways. Teachers are encouraged to create their own classroom rewards as well. For example, teachers can reward students for weekly perfect attendance or for showing mastery on a skill by skill basis.
The PBIS team can then use the data generated through the PBIS Reward system to determine whether or not the school-wide PBIS program had a positive effect on school attendance, discipline, and achievement. Evaluation of the School/District Improvement Plan Carencro Middle School’s SWP addresses the need for reform within the school based on data from several sources. The ideas contained within the SWP (2017) include strategies for data-driven decision making, response to intervention, and job-embedded PLC meetings. However, a decline in the school-wide AI resulted in the school’s performance level decreasing from a “C” to a “D” rating. More than ever before, now is the time for change to occur within the school. The increase in availability of technology for both teachers and students can be used to promote academic achievement within the school if used properly. Teachers, support staff, and administrators must be properly trained in the use of this technology.
And, this training must be ongoing so that teachers may learn to use data in daily decision making. Teachers must also be able to assist students in the use of the new testing platforms. The RTI process should be evaluated for evidence of academic success. If properly implemented, students participating in RTI should see growth in academic achievement. AI and the percentage of proficient students cited in the SWP (2017) do not suggest that all the students who need additional assistance are being served.
The school day may need to be revised so that all students can attend thirty minutes of remediation or enrichment as indicated by formative and summative data. CMS has a great advantage with job-embedded PLC meetings. However, lesson plans and PLC sign-in sheets are the only monitoring instruments used to determine the effectiveness of these PLCs. This isn’t real data. CMS has the technology, computer programs, and support staff needed to make PLCs a time of productive work where teachers can use data to drive decision-making.
Analysis of School Improvement Plan. (2021, Dec 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/analysis-of-school-improvement-plan-essay
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