Jennifer Armenia

EDUL 6026

Term Project

School Profile Information was from Starlight Elementary School.

Areas of Strength:

Most parents are sup portative
Test scores have increased over the last 4 years
High attendance rates
The school is a safe environment for students
Teachers have support of administrators

Areas for Improvement:

Cheating is a concern for parents and teachers
The availability of technology is a concern for parents and teachers
Student behavior
Consistency in enforcement of discipline policies and procedures

Most Critical Targets for Improvement:

Reading test scores – even though test scores have increased over the last 4 years they need to continue to increase in order to make AYP. Reading test scores are a little bit lower than math test scores.
Student behavior – parents and teachers are both concerned with disciplinary policies
Ethical and moral responsibilities – both parents and teachers expressed concern of students cheating
Technology – parents and teachers both expressed concern that technology isn’t available in the classroom. It is important for all children to have access to technology. When teachers have access to technology it increases their effectiveness.
Parent involvement – parents expressed concern that it is difficult to be involved in activities at school and teachers expressed concern that parents are not active in all phases of the school’s operations.

Mission Statement

This mission of our school is to foster motivated students who are respectful, independent learners which will prepare them to be successful citizens in the future.

Beliefs:

We believe that all students will become responsible, educated citizens with high morals and values.

We believe that all students can learn through effective instructional practices.

We believe that all students’ education will be supported through home, school and community involvement.

Priorities for Improving Student Learning:

Students will improve reading abilities by incorporating reading across the curriculum and using a variety of sources to indicate that students are reading on grade level.

· Use test scores from the previous year to help determine a child’s weaknesses so those areas can be concentrated on for improvement.

· Sponsor a reading night at school. Provide parents and students with activities they can do at home to improve students’ reading abilities.

· Create a school wide reading buddy program by paring older grades with younger grades and have the students read together for 20 minutes every month. This will foster a friendship between older and younger students as well as providing older students with a time to “show off” to younger students and provide younger students a time to receive help from the older students.

· Create an incentive for students to read at home. This could be a reward for AR or a reward for keeping a reading log.

The evaluation of this goal can be through the use of test scores and well as the growth from the IRIs completed in the beginning, middle and end of the year.

Student discipline problems will decrease.

· Implement a school wide discipline plan for all teachers to use in their classroom.

· Every month provide a reward for students who do not have any discipline problems in school.

· Involve parents in creating individualized behavior plans for students who are chronic offenders.

· Provide chronic offenders with an in-school mentor.

The evaluation of this goal can be through parent and teacher surveys and the number of discipline referrals.

Students will become better citizens through the character development.

· Have the guidance counselor visit classrooms every month to teach a lesson on character development.

· Have a school wide character development program. Have a character word for the week program allowing classes to discuss the word of the week on the morning announcements.

· Purchase library books dealing with character development.

· Every month have the principal read a book to each class dealing with a character development trait.

The evaluation of this goal can be through parent and teacher surveys as well as the number of discipline referrals that deal with character development (lying, stealing, cheating, etc.)

Priorities for Improving the School:

Students and teachers will become more familiar with technology and use more technology in the classroom.

Teachers will be trained on technology and was to integrate technology into the classroom during staff development days.
Students will have scheduled computer time every week. This time will be during their activity period.
Teachers will utilize technology in the school by incorporating technology into their lessons at least 2 times a month.

The evaluation of this goal can be through teacher, student and parent surveys.

Parents will be more involved in school activities and in all phases of the school’s operation.

The school will have curriculum nights that focus on math, reading, science and social studies to involve the parents.
Parents will be invited to leadership meetings, school council meetings and any other activities that are conducted with involve planning activities in the school.
School wide monthly newsletters will be sent home to make parents aware of what is happening at school and how they can get involved.

The evaluation of this goal can be through teacher and parent surveys.

Most Crucial areas for improvement of student learning and school performance:

Students will improve reading abilities by incorporating reading across the curriculum and using a variety of sources to indicate that students are reading on grade level.

Benchmarks: All students will be given an IRI in the beginning, middle and end of school year. This will help to monitor the students’ growth in reading. CRCT scores will also be used to determine the students’ growth.

Changes to instructional practices: Teachers need to be teaching reading in small group format. If they don’t already do so, they need to be trained on this technique.

Resources: Leveled readers for teachers to use. These books can be placed in a central location in the school in order for teachers to share resources.

Time to accomplish change: Since this requires some teachers to change their teaching methods this goal may take 2-3 years to see an improvement.

Implementation and Monitoring: The principal and assistant principal will be responsible for implementing and monitoring the change. The principal and assistant principal should be in the teachers’ classrooms during reading instruction to monitor the change has taken place and teachers are using the techniques.

Progress data: The progress of this change will be measured through IRIs given at the beginning, middle, and end of school year. CRCT test scores will also be used to measure the progress toward this goal.

The students will become better citizens through character development.

Benchmarks: The use of discipline referrals, parent and teacher surveys.

Changes needed in the school’s organization practices: Implement a school wide discipline plan for all teachers to use in their classrooms.

Changes needed in instructional practices: The guidance counselor will teach character education lessons at least 1 time a month to each class.

Necessary Resources: Books with themes on character development for the library.

Time needed for change: This change can take place in one year.

Implementation and monitoring: All faculty members will need to implement this change. Teachers will have to implement the behavior plan, the guidance counselor will need to implement the classroom lessons and the principal will have to implement reading to each class every month. The principal will be monitoring the change take place.

Progress data: the number of discipline referrals can be compared to the previous year. Parent and teacher surveys can also be completed regarding the discipline and character development in the school and changes seen in students.