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In the 2000/2001 school year, each Boston Public School was asked to assess their progress in implementing each of the Six Essentials of the Whole School Improvement Plan. We determined our progress in implementation of each of the essentials using the following phases of implementation in the Whole School Improvement Continuum:
Our self assessment in each of the 6 areas of Whole School Improvement is as follows:
What is our progress in implementing Essential 1: Identifying an Instructional Focus?
The following evidence was used to determine this marking:
Literacy
- Scaled up the implementation of SFA. Teachers are now comfortable with the SFA approach to literacy. Classrooms are environmentally in step with program.
- Students and staff have incorporated SFA lingo into their own.
- SFA Implementation reports show Agassiz improving each year since '97-'98.
- School uses feedback from Literacy Coordinator and SFA staff reports to improve the implementation of the program.
- SFA reduced prototype of special needs students across the board.
- Teachers act as peer coaches and facilitators of component level meetings.
- A half-time Literacy Specialist will begin working with the 3rd grade students and teachers to address the Level 1 students.
Math
- The school acquired the services of a full-time Math Specialist to work with primarily 3rd grade Level 1 students and their teachers. This is part of the BPS's Transition Program.
- The Agassiz began to work with Mahesh Sharma during the '99-'00 school year. The primary emphasis was to support teachers and students in Grade 4 to be better prepared for the math portion of the MCAS.
- Dr. Sharma's work extended to the rest of the faculty via two workshops aimed at raising the teachers' awareness of the language of mathematics.
ILT (Instructional Leadership Team)
- The ILT continued to struggle in securing full grade level representation but it did manage to develop into a much more effective leadership body from the previous year.
- Coaching for the ILT was minimal due to work commitments on the coach's side. Guidance was provided to prepare us for the upcoming IDR process.
- The ILT dealt with instructional issues ranging from providing a pedagogical basis in the preparation of the school's schedule to monitoring the progress of the SFA program.
Literacy
- We have identified a set of goals based on the SFA Implementation Visit reports that deal with each component level not having any "1"'s and achieving "3"'s in areas that have remained at a status quo for two years.(The SFA rubric goes from 0-3).
- School-wide goals will be posted publicly.
- Each teacher will identify a set of individual goals linked to the over all SFA goals of the school.
- The SFA Facilitator and the Principal will monitor the progress of meeting the established goals using the SFA eight-week schedule.
- SFA teachers will use SFA data to assess students' progress on a continuous basis(4,6 & 8 week checkpoints.)
- All SFA teachers will receive training in the use and management of SFA data during the August, SFA training.
- Implementation of Cooperative Learning strategies during the teaching of math in all homerooms. This would be an extension of an SFA strategy. This implementation is scheduled for September, 2000.
- The Literacy Specialist will oversee the Reading Excellence assessment program in grades K-3 and provide guidance to an writing initiative
Math
- The Agassiz will be a Level II school as part of BPS' Math Plan.
- The Math Leadership Team will consist of representatives of grades K-5, the school's Math Specialist and the Principal.
- The Principal will join the MLT in the DMI training instead of the Lenses on Learning training.
- Dr. Sharma has been contracted to work with the MLT to develop and provide math professional development to all staff members during the 2000-2001 school year.
- Dr. Sharma will also be developing workshops for parents.
- The Math Specialist will continue to work with the Level 1 3rd grade students and their teachers via modeling lessons, providing tutorial and before/after-school programs and parent workshops.
ILT (Instructional Leadership Team)
- We will be hiring a Content Coach whose main responsibilities will be to: 1. Provide a focus to the ILT's agenda, 2. Develop the ILT's members leadership capacity and 3. Implement an LASW protocol for all Instructional Teams.
- All grade levels will be represented in the ILT.
- We will establish a standing co-chair position and institute rotating teacher facilitators for each meeting.
- The ILT will monitor the LASW sessions of each grade level through monthly reports generated at those sessions.
- Establish a meeting calendar for the whole school year.
- Post agendas, minutes and meeting schedule in the intranet.
What is our progress in implementing Essential 2: Looking at Student and Data in Relation to the Citywide Learning Standards?
- There is a great deal of variety in the protocols being used in Looking at Student Work (LASW).
- There is inconsistency in using the time allocated for Looking at Student Work.
- Some grade levels are Looking at Student Work effectively, i.e. using the information to inform/improve instruction.
- The time in reaching consensus in scoring students' work has decreased which indicates a deeper understanding and knowledge of the rubrics.
- We did not have a coach to guide us through this process in the last two years.
- The school has made a commitment to hire a content coach for the upcoming school year.
- The school's SSC and the ILT supported a faculty vote to dedicate the 18 hours of professional development to LASW.
- There will be a 90 minute LASW monthly session scheduled every month.
- The coach will provide LASW protocol training to all teachers via the Instructional Teams.
- The IT's will report their findings through LASW to the ILT on a monthly basis. These findings could become the basis for professional development activities.
- The LASW sessions will look at math & writing student work.
- P&D sessions controlled by the administration will be used for LASW training and for LASW sessions on a weekly basis. IT's will maintain a record of their meetings.
- Administrators assigned to the IT's will provide support/guidance to the LASW work of the teams.
- Grade level after-school LASW sessions' schedules will be posted on the intranet.
- The school will use data gathered from SFA, Reading Excellence assessments, formative math assessments as well as from all summative assessments to reflect on how they inform our instruction of students.
What is our progress in implementing Essential 3: Creating a Targeted Professional Development Plan to Improve Instruction in Core Subjects?
Literacy
- Success For All professional development is an on-going activity throughout the school year.
- Staff from the Success For All Foundation will teach summer workshops.
- Component level meetings are held every two weeks during the school year. The SFA Facilitator leads these workshops. This year we will have two Lead Teachers facilitating two of the three components.
- Nine (9) teachers attended the SFA national conference in Miami and returned to lead discussions and share latest developments in implementing the SFA model.
- SFA implementation visits (Fall and Spring) provided staff with feedback on current status and next steps to further improve the implementation of the model.
- Provided training on writing via The Landmark School to support writing across the curriculum in all grades. Not a successful activity.
- Supported individual and small groups of teachers to further their professional development by attending seminars, conferences, workshops. Eg. New England Kindergarten Conference.
Math
- Provided two workshops on the language of mathematics and MCAS preparation through Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
- The Math Specialist held meetings with all homeroom teachers during the year to train them in the use of the math student profile.
Literacy
- Plan the next level of SFA training during the summer of 2000 along with the other SFA schools.
- Scale-up the training for veteran SFA teachers while providing entry-level training to new teachers (summer and year-long).
- Principal, SFA facilitator and selected teachers to participate in national SFA conferences to further develop supervision and coaching skills, and to learn latest research-based developments in SFA to support the implementation of SFA at the school.
- All teachers will receive raining in one LASW protocol in the Fall of 2000.
- Train a cadre of four (4) teachers in grades K-3, in the READ assessments this summer.
- Continue to build capacity within the building by providing opportunities for groups of teachers to attend professional development activities.
- The ILT will develop a comprehensive professional development plan that addresses student learning based on formative and summative assessment information. Particular attention being paid to Level 1 students and what they will need to succeed. Oct.-Nov. 2000
- Our content coach will train all teachers in the setting and the writing of SMART goals by November 2000.
Math
- The Math Leadership Team will be trained in the use of the TERC Investigations curriculum materials and they will also be trained in the Developing Mathematical Ideas program.
- Coaching will be provided to the MLT as they implement the TERC materials in their classes.
- Dr. Sharma will be developing, with the MLT, a math professional development plan for all other staff members for the 2000-2001 school year.
What is our progress in implementing Essential 4: Learning and Using Best Teaching Practices?
Literacy
- Success for All component level meetings take place every two weeks and teachers share effective strategies.
- Meetings are hosted in different classrooms to give teachers an opportunity to share the way they have designed their physical environment that is so critical to an effective SFA program. They also highlight a particular practice that is working well in the program.
- New SFA teachers make observations in classrooms of more experienced teachers.
- "Imported" best practices from SFA Conferences and the onsite sharing of best practices by the SFA Implementation trainers enrich the teachers' repertoire.
- The SFA Facilitator will model lessons or part of lessons to share a best approach.
-
Our
goals
for moving to the
next phase
are:
Literacy
- The bi-weekly sharing of best practices in SFA classrooms will now focus on the skill that is being taught across the school (there is a schedule of skills to be taught during SFA, eg. cause and effect, sequencing.)
- Document these practices and share with Boston SFA schools' network.
- The school's SFA goals will be addressed via examining our best practices, one means of attaining our goal. As an example, how to improve the higher order questioning of students during the SFA period, what strategies to use.
- Development and implementation of strategies that address the needs of SFA students in Level 1 will be a priority.
- Success for All "Meaningful Sentences" to be shared via posting them on the intranet for other teachers' use. By October 2000.
- New SFA teachers will continue to visit the classrooms of more experienced SFA teachers. Visits will start in October, 2000.
- Establish a schedule, by October 2000, for veteran SFA teachers to visit each other's classrooms.
- Literacy Specialist will use weekly meetings with 3rd grade teachers to elicit and share strategies that address Level 1 student needs.
- Literacy Specialist will use data from Reading Excellence assessments, LASW information and teachers' own observations to point out "best practices" that would be effective in targeting students' weaknesses. By November 2000 when all READ assessments will be completed.
- Literacy Specialist, along with the SFA
Facilitator, will also work with Grades K, 1 and 2 to
address any Level 1 situations.
Math
- The Math Specialist will continue to model lessons for 3rd grade teachers involving established best practices and addressing grade level or classroom specific learning needs.
- The Math Specialist will use the weekly meetings with the 3rd grade teachers to review, highlight and reflect on how these practices have improved student achievement.
- Coverage will be provided for teachers to visit each other's classrooms to make peer observations during the implementation of the TERC Investigations curriculum and the implementation of the Developing Mathematical Ideas pedagogy. Starting in December 2000.
- Dr. Sharma's professional development plan will
also focus on sharing best practices collected over
the years.
All teachers will be invited to reflect on Best Practices via the use of the book The Skillful Teacher. Particular attention will be paid to the Chapter on Clarity. This information will be made available via the intranet by October 2000.
What is our progress in implementing Essential 5: Looking at Resources and Aligning Them with the Instructional Focus ?
- The school uses an all funds approach to supporting its teaching and learning agenda. Allocation of funds is determined by need. Primary sources of funds are BPS General Fund, Title I, Transition Program Ch. 636, Cohort I and Reading Excellence Grant.
- The school's academic focus will remain literacy but we feel we are well along and can become a Math Level II school, therefore, we seek to use some of the Cohort I funds to support a math coach
- All students at the Agassiz benefit equally from the current allocation of resources. Whenever a discrepancy is noticed, we address it, as has been the case with certain special needs cases.
- The school has a schedule that accommodates the largest number of common planning times possible.
- Our Resource Room teachers (with one exception) continue to teach SFA classes during the literacy block.
- Paraprofessionals are engaged in one-to-one tutoring for gr. 1 students on a daily basis.
- One BTU specialist (Geography)is teaching an SFA class.
- Funds have been used to further the establishment of classroom libraries, an initiative started by the school department.
- Bilingual teachers are teaching SFA English classes.
- No programs interfere the SFA literacy block.
- Use of 18 hours for LASW-90 minutes per month. Each Instructional Team will select a day and time after school for their LASW time.
- Use SY'00 Cohort I roll-over funds from coaching to support math coaching during SY'01.
- We are making literacy support plans based on the notion that we need to count on the Reading Excellence (READ) grant to provide the funds that might not exist via Cohort I. An example is the funding of professional development activities such as teachers attending the SFA National conference(April 2001.)
- Use READ grant to fund the half-time Literacy Specialist.
- The selection of areas that 5th P&D specialists (contracted from outside BPS) will work on will support our literacy needs. Example, substitute dance instruction with creative writing instruction.
- Perform a Resource Review as part of the IDR process (October 2000).
What is our progress in implementing Essential 6: Involving Parents and the Community in the Citywide Learning Standards and Assessments?
- Parents are fully informed, throughout the school year, of students' academic and social expectations. Teachers regularly send home newsletters detailing the monthly activities in which the students will be engaged. The principal also communicates with parents letting them of upcoming events such as testing, assemblies, awarding of grants, changes in staff, etc.
- All communication from the office to parents is in both Spanish and English.
- Teachers made frequent telephone calls to their students' homes with both good and bad news.
- Success For All "star" post cards were sent to the homes of children twice during the school year.
- Literacy workshops were held three times during the year.
- Parents are encouraged to express their opinions of the educational programs at the school and to seek clarification of BPS policies that impact their children.
- The school has one parent liaison through Cohort I.
- A pair of teachers prepared a manual for incoming Spanish bilingual kindergarten children and their parents to address the need to develop language. Training dates for the use of the manual have been scheduled for early fall.
- Bilingual parents meet once a month in the school with the Bilingual coordinator.
- The School Site Council still suffers from not having the number of parents involved that it should have.
- There is a parent representative on the ILT.
- Develop a Parent-School Compact by October 2000.
- Establish a standing committee during the 2000-2001 school year to oversee the parental/community involvement aspect of WSC by October 2000.
- Work with the Title 1 Parent Resource Center to implement outreach strategies that will give parents an opportunity to participate in an on-going dialogue and to receive training in literacy and math.
- Involve the CPC in supporting the reestablishment of an active SPC.
- Increase number of literacy workshops and implement math workshops.
- Make school information available, in both languages, via the Internet by October 2000.
- Establish a business partnership by November 2000
Summary of our Rankings in Implementing the Six Essentials
