Comet Trail Middle School

Galaxy County Schools

Grades 6-8

1. Areas of obvious strengths:
1. Average daily attendance is consistent and high
2. Small percent of students eligible for free or reduced meals
3. Exceeds state average for % of population identified as gifted
4. Decrease of disciplinary detention
5. Small number of students placed in OSS
6. Decline in number of incidences involving physical violence
7. Norm referenced test scores consistently increasing
8. 75% meet or exceed in the areas of Reading and ELA on the CRCT
9. 68% meet or exceed in Math on the CRCT
10. Consistent improvement on the 8^th grade writing test
11. Diversity in race/ethnicity of students
12. Students are active learners
13. Safe, caring and supportive learning environment
14. Parent involvement
15. 2-way communication between school/home/parents
16. Appropriate educational programs and learning experiences
17. School climate and culture
18. Data driven and appropriate staff development
2. Targets for improvement efforts:
1. High school completion rate
2. Tardiness to class
3. Declining test scores for student in lower quartile of ITBS
4. OSS students and level of achievement
5. Relevant and real life experiences not provided to students
6. Student intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and accountability
7. Shared governance
8. Character Education
9. Curriculum Mapping
10. Adequate technology
3. Most critical targets for improvement efforts:
1. Shared governance will produce support and ownership of the policies, procedures, curriculum and goals of the school.
2. Adequate technology in the learning environment will produce motivation and provide relevant experiences for students. It will also provide teachers a needed resource to teach content and alleviate "housekeeping" tasks.
3. Curriculum mapping will align the school’s goals, beliefs and mission with the curriculum allowing the school to provide appropriate learning experiences that will improve test scores, reduce negative student behavior and improve the perceptions of all stakeholders.
4. Mission Statement:

• Student learning is a priority at CTMS and the primary focus of the decision-making process.
• Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process, a process that incorporates a variety of learning activities congruent with differences in learning styles.
• CTMS is committed to continuous improvement as a means of encouraging and enabling students to become confident, self-directed, life-long learners.
• A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes learning.
• All students can learn.

1. Goal Statement:

• Disaggregate test data
• Establish target domains
• Identify interventions/actions
• Establish benchmarks
• Data driven staff development

• Review the school’s mission and beliefs
• Develop a shared vision
• Establish leadership teams, PLC, school and student councils
• Define desired results for student learning

• Conduct a needs assessment
• Data driven staff development related to technology
• Provide instructional technology—hardware and software

• Mission statement and beliefs guide curriculum decisions
• Appropriate scope and sequence
• Involve Stakeholders
• Disaggregate test data

8. Most crucial to the improvement of student learning and school performance.
1. 30% are not at or above the expected grade level in math

Majority of students performing on target on the 8^th grade writing test

2. Shared governance
3. Infuse technology into the teaching and learning experiences

Align the curriculum with the school’s mission and beliefs

4. Data driven staff development, release time, team planning, collaboration, funding
5. Initiate during the summer to plan for resources and staff development. Collaboration, team planning will be on-going. Release time when needed.
6. Design teams and PLCs will assist in directing the implementation of technology and aligning the curriculum. The administration will establish shared governance structures throughout the school. All stakeholders will monitor the changes.
7. Decrease in the number of students not at or above the expected grade level in math. Increase in the number of students exceeding on the 8^th grade writing test.