Planning for School Improvement
Student: Dr. Freda Doster
This course was designed to guide the participant through the creation of a school improvement plan. Mock data was provided for schools in the "Galaxy School District". The following is taken from a school improvement plan written for the mock school in order to fulfill partial requirements for this course. The components of the school improvement plan listed below do not comprise the entirty of the school improvement plan:
Introduction
Starlight Elementary School is one of two elementary schools in the Galaxy County School System. A third elementary school is currently being planned. The Galaxy County School System was once part of a rural agricultural county but is fast becoming part of an extended suburban area. During the last 10 years, the system has seen a slow but steady increase in the student population of the county from 13,500 to about 15,000. The population served by Starlight Elementary School has reflected this same growth with an increase from 714 students during the 96-97 school year to 829 students during the 99-00 school year.
Current census data indicates that approximately 15% of the adults reported having earned at least a bachelor�s degree, with another 14% having attended a trade or technical school. However, it should be noted that 30% of those reported had less than a high school education. Approximately 25% of those surveyed reported household incomes which would place them below the poverty line. This statistic is consistent with those qualifying for free and reduced lunch at Starlight Elementary School.
The Galaxy County School System reports their racial/ethnic composition as follows: 58% Caucasian, 24% Afro-American, 15% Hispanic and 3% other. Again, this data is consistent with that of Starlight Elementary School whose 99-00 enrollment by race/ethnicity was as follows: 53% Caucasian, 23% Afro-American, 19% Hispanic and 5% other. Of the four groups reported, the Hispanic population has seen the greatest increase in the past five years.
Areas of Strength
In regards to discipline, it should be noted that less than 1% of the student population have been suspended from school each year, as reported for the past four years. In addition, teachers report generally good classroom behavior with a very small number of chronically misbehaving students.
In regards to student performance information, data obtained for the last four administrations of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for third, fourth and fifth graders indicate scores at or above 50% with increases in all subject areas for all grade levels. In particular, there was a significant increase in scores for Language Arts at grades 3, 4, and 5 from the 96/97 � 99/00 school years.
The State Writing Assessment for grade 5 a decrease of 7% of students in the �focusing� stage of writing, over a three year period. This is an area of strength as it translates into a 7% increase in the percentage of students in the next level of writing, the �experimenting� stage.
During the 99-00 school year the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) was administered to grade 4. The results indicated that 86% of students were meeting or exceeding expectations for reading, 88% were meeting or exceeded expectations for language arts and 82% were meeting or exceeding expectations for math.
Data obtained from Opinion Surveys, administered to both parents and teachers, revealed several areas of strength. In particular, the parent survey�s indicated that parents were in agreement on the following areas:
� Teachers genuinely care about students,
� There is a safe environment at the school,
� They are pleased with student learning,
� Teachers communicate with parents, and
� Students have positive feelings about their teachers.
Teacher survey�s indicated that teachers were in agreement on the following areas:
� The school has high academic standards,
� Teachers are pleased with the level of parental involvement,
� Teachers find it easy to communicate with parents,
� Teachers help students with their work,
� There is a safe environment at school, and
� Teachers feel supported by the administration.
Critical Targets for Improvement Efforts
A careful review of the data indicates three areas of improvement which focus on student performance. These areas include:
1) The ability to apply thinking and reasoning skills in the content are of Social Studies for Grades 3, 4, and 5.
2) The ability to apply problem solving skills in the content area of mathematics for Grade 4.
3) The ability to incorporate higher order writing skills for Grade 5.
The rationale for choosing these areas for improvement is based upon the need to continually accelerate students in a continuous effort toward student success and achievement while maintaining the belief that student learning should be the primary focus of all decisions impacting the work of the school.
In addition, a review of the data indicated two areas of improvement for overall school functioning. These areas included:
1) The need to implement a consistent and pervasive discipline plan to address chronically misbehaving students.
2) The need to better communicate with and involve parents of students who are chronically misbehaving.
The rationale for choosing these areas for improvement is based upon to need to build a community of learners where all students have the opportunity to learn in a safe and stress-free environment.
Improving Student Learning
Past and present performance on standardized tests and mandates from the Georgia Department of Education show the highest priority for improvement to be in the instructional areas of Grade 3, 4, and 5 Social Studies, Grade 4 Math and Grade 5 Writing. While students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 scored above the 50th percentile in Social Studies, there was no significant increase in performance over a four year period. In addition, although 65% of Grade 4 students met standards on the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) for Math, only 16% exceeded expectations. Finally, while the state Writing Assessment results for Grade 5 were commendable, they did reveal a need to increase students� higher order writing skills.
The review of student learning is focused on identifying the extent to which students currently demonstrate achievement of goals and to establish baseline data in order to monitor improvements over time.
Improving School Performance
In this section, the committee analyzed both the instructional and organization effectiveness of the school in order to identify both strengths and limitations. Targeted areas for improvement in instruction have been discussed previously. However, it should be noted that survey data obtained from parent and teacher opinion surveys revealed that opportunities for collaboration between home and school and the implementation of a consistent and effective discipline plan were limited.
The review of school performance is focused on identifying the extent to which the school currently demonstrates an achievement of goals and establishes baseline data in order to monitor improvements over time.
Action Plan for Improvement
Instruction at Starlight Elementary School must be designed to support the achievement of clearly defined desired results for student learning. Instructional strategies must incorporate sound research-based instructional strategies and must be data driven. Starlight Elementary School is composed of a community of learners who examine the continuous process of providing quality school improvement for effective instructional programming.
Reference: School Improvement: Focusing on Student Performance. (2002). National Study of School Evaluations, Schaumburg, IL.