19
1 METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA School Improvement Plan In Accordance with Public Law 221 2013-2016 Belzer Middle School

Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    6

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

1

METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

School Improvement Plan

In Accordance with Public Law 221

2013-2016

Belzer Middle School

Page 2: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

2

School Name: Belzer Middle School

School Address: 7555 E. 56th St.

Indianapolis, IN. 46226

School Telephone Number: 317- 964-6200

School Fax Number: 317- 543-3355

School DOE Number: 5277

School Corporation Number: 5330

______________________________________________ __________________

Principal Signature , Mr. Troy Knoderer Date

______________________________________________ __________________

Superintendent Signature , Dr. Shawn Smith Date

______________________________________________ __________________

School Board President Signature, Mrs. Kathy Varie Date

Page 3: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

3

Table of Contents

Section Page

Community Profile

Introduction

Description of the School Community

Description & Location of Curriculum

Safe & Disciplined Learning Environment

Trend Data on Student Population by Subgroup

4

Vision & Purpose

District Mission & Vision Statement

School Based Purpose/Major Initiatives

5

Governance & Leadership

School Improvement Team/Committee

Description of Decision Making Process for Teaching & Learning

Graph of Leadership Structure (Admin., Teams, Chairs, Committees, etc.)

6

Documenting & Using Results

Assessment Descriptions by Grade

Description of Ongoing Data Review Process

5 Year Trend Data on Student Achievement & Attendance by Subgroups

Summary of Data: Skill Strengths & Skill Weaknesses

7

Teaching & Learning

Student Achievement Goals (Based on Data)

Benchmarks for Progress Monitoring

Instructional Strategies Cultural Competence & Technology as a Tool for

Learning

13

Resources & Support Systems

Professional Development Plan

15

Stakeholder Communication & Relationships

Parent Involvement & Participation

Description of Stakeholder Input Opportunities with Timeline

Description of Stakeholder Partnerships & Programs

16

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Description of the Continuous Improvement Review Process

District Continuous Improvement Goals

18

Page 4: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

4

Community Profile

Introduction

The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township (MSDLT) is located in the northern

section of Indianapolis, Indiana and Marion County. It is a dynamic community with broad

diversity in cultures, religions, ethnic groups, races and socioeconomic levels. MSDLT has been

an educational leader in Indiana for the past forty years.

MSDLT offers a comprehensive educational curriculum with special activities and programs

geared to provide enrichment, exploration, and instructional and differentiation that allows the

district to meet the needs and goals of each individual student support for students. Parents have

always played an active role in the operations of the district.

In addition, MSDLT provides quality education in award winning schools built on a foundation

of outstanding educators, administrators, school board members, and supportive parents. Our

vision is "Superior Schools in a Supportive Community."

Belzer Middle School is a fully accredited urban school in M S D Lawrence Township located in

Indianapolis, Indiana. The school opened in September 1963, operates with a traditional

schedule, and serves 1163 students in Grades 7-8.

The purpose of the School Improvement Plan is to evaluate the effectiveness of our initiatives,

develop goals based on data analysis, establish priority for improvement, identify strategies, and

create an action plan for deployment.

Description & Location of the School Curriculum

MSDLT evaluates curriculum in conjunction with the state textbook adoption process. The goal

of the program evaluation, curriculum/standards revision and textbook adoption cycle is to

provide an educational program that enables all students to learn and achieve to the highest

possible level. A curriculum guide for each level is available on the website, teacher workrooms,

principal offices and in conference rooms. All standards are posted on the district website.

School Website: http://belzer.ltschools.org/

District Website: http://www.MSDLT.k12.in.us/administration/inst/inst.html

Safe & Disciplined Learning Environment

Operational procedures are established to maintain a safe and secure learning environment at

Belzer Middle School. Based on our analysis of discipline data, we have determined the

greatest area of improvement opportunity is in improving our processes for identifying and

Page 5: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

5

correcting student behavior issues in the classroom. Also, we expect to see a reduction in the

office referrals for Black and Hispanic students.

MSDLT Mission Statement

The mission of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township is to empower all

students with the knowledge, skills, compassion, and integrity needed to contribute and succeed

as self-directed, life-long learners in a competitive global community.

District Improvement Initiatives to be address in this school improvement plan:

1. School Equity Transformation - “To achieve excellence and equity in education by

reducing and eliminating racial academic achievement disparities.”

2. Deploy Professional Learning Community teams to increase collaboration and improve

learning and teaching.

3. Increase deployment effectiveness and fidelity of Inquiry/Authentic Learning in all

content areas.

4. Increase deployment effectiveness and fidelity of basic and critical reading and writing

skills, including building student vocabulary

Governance & Leadership

The system provides governance and leadership that promote student performance and system effectiveness.

(AdvancEd, Standard #2)

2014-2015 School Improvement Team/Committee

Role/Title Name

1. Principal, Chair Troy Knoderer

2. Assistant Principal Stephanie Shelton

3. Assistant Principal Chauntee Smith

4. Athletic Director Mike Connors

5. Math Teacher/Math Area Coordinator Tracy Tew

6. Social Studies Teacher Tim Harris

7. Literacy Coach/Language Arts Area Coordinator Dianna Kennedy

8. Language Arts Teacher Ron Gerbrandt

Page 6: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

6

Leadership Structure

The following matrix organization chart reflects the school’s approach to managing specific

school improvement initiatives and the integration into the school’s PLC grade-level teams. The

benefit of this approach is it ensures integration of the three district initiatives: Equity, Inquiry

and Project Based Learning, and Response to Instruction (RtI). In addition, there are school-

specific areas of focus that teams have been created to lead.

Counselor Principal AP

Area Area Area Area Area Area Area

Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator

English Math Science Social Sc. Performing PE/Health Unified Arts

Department Department Department Department Department Department Department

PLC PLC PLC PLC PLC PLC PLC

Interdisciplinary Grade Team Facilitator

PLC Teams 7th

8th

Team Facilitator

Team

Equity Team Facilitator

Team

Authentic Team Facilitator

Instruction &

Inquiry

Team

School Improvement Team

System Integration Team (composed of team leaders)

Response to

Instruction - IC

Information Flow

Page 7: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

7

Documenting & Using Results

The system enacts a comprehensive assessment system that monitors and documents performance and uses these

results to improve student performance and school effectiveness. (AdvancEd, Standard #4)

School Assessment Descriptions—Middle School

Instructional

Area

Assessment

Purpose

Assessment Title & Content

Area

(please briefly note what the

assessment measures)

Grades -

Courses

Timeline

Administered

Language

Proficiency

Screening LAS Links English Proficiency

Placement Test

7 - 8 Within 30 days of

enrollment at the

beginning of the

year or within 2

weeks of student’s

enrollment during

the school year,

Language Progress

Monitoring

LAS Links English Language

Proficiency Test

7 - 8

(Levels 1 –

4)

Winter

Reading,

Math, Social

Studies

Formative Acuity Reading Common

Assessments and Benchmark

Assessments (Predictive)

7 – 8 and

Algebra I

3 times per year

Reading Progress

Monitoring Scholastic Reading Inventory 7 – 8

All students

Aug, Dec, May

Math Screening

and

Progress

Monitoring

STAR Math 7 – 8

Students in

intervention

Beginning, middle

(for some), and end

of year

Math Progress

Monitoring

Daily Math Review quizzes 7-8 Every two weeks

Language Arts Progress

Monitoring

Unit of Study mini-lesson

assessments

7-8 Every two to three

weeks

Reading,

Social Studies,

Science

Summative

and

Progress

Monitoring

Achieve 3000 Levelset

Ongoing data Achieve data

collection

7

Students in

intervention

Beginning, middle

and end of year -

ongoing

All

Disciplines

Formative –

Progress

Monitoring

Mini-Assessments (PLC –

created)

7 - 8 Ongoing

Writing Progress

Monitoring Common Scoring Guides 7 - 8 Quarterly

Special

Education

Reading and

Math

Progress

Monitoring

SRA assessments/STAR reading

and math

Students

enrolled in

Spec. Ed

intervention

Ongoing

Page 8: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

8

All disciplines Summative Common Assessments (PLC –

created, modeled after ISTEP

sample items

7 - 8 Quarterly

LA, Math, SS Summative ISTEP+ Applied Skills (Open

Ended Response)

7 – 8, SS 7

only

Early spring

Summative ISTEP+ 7 – 8, SS 7

only

Late spring

Summative Algebra I End-of-Course

Assessment (ECA) 7 – 8 taking

Algebra I May

Summative ISTAR Special

Education

students

student who

do not take

ISTEP+

Spring

Description of Ongoing Data Review Process

Student achievement data analysis is an important part of the ongoing PLC process. Each PLC

analyzes formative data from student work/common assessments in their classrooms. In

addition, PLCs utilize standardized tests like Acuity, Star and ISTEP for additional information.

Teachers then will adjust instruction based on the analysis of the data.

ISTEP Passing Results 2010-2013

Language Arts

Belzer Results

Percent passing

ISTEP

2010 Results 2011 Results 2012 Results 2013 Results 2014 Results

7th 8th 7th 8th 7th 8th 7th 8th 7th 8th

African-

American

46 44 61 44 55 60 60 61 54 63

Hispanic 51 49 57 55 64 52 58 81 56 54

White 79 80 82 84 88 79 85 90 78 87

Page 9: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

9

Math

Belzer

Results

Percent Passing

ISTEP

2010 Results 2011 Results 2012

Results

2013 Results 2014 Results

7th 8th 7th 8th 7th

8th 7th 8th 7th 8th

African-

American

57 49 68 56 76 79 84 78 78 84

Hispanic 55 46 65 63 84 78 84 86 83 79

White 86 86 86 89 93 90 96 95 97 93

Social Studies – 7th

grade

Belzer Results

Percent Passing

ISTEP

2011 Results 2012 Results 2013 Results 2014 Results

7th

grade 7th

grade 7th

grade 7th

grade

African-

American

35 50 61 56

Hispanic 33 64 46 63

White 71 82 86 85

Language Arts: School-wide

Belzer Results

Percent passing

ISTEP

2010 Results 2011 Results 2012 Results 2103 Results 2014 Results

African-

American

52 56 58 61 57

Hispanic 47 53 58 69 55

Page 10: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

10

White 78 83 83 87 83

Math: School-wide

Belzer Results

Percent passing

ISTEP

2010 Results 2011 Results 2012 Results 2013 Results 2014 Results

African-American 52 62 78 82 81

Hispanic 53 64 81 85 81

White 85 88 91 95 95

Analysis and Implications

Over the last four to five years, the achievement level (percent passing) has increased in every

racial sub-group in both math and language arts.

African-American Language Arts: +9

African-American Math: +30

Hispanic Language Arts: +22

Hispanic Math: + 32

White Language Arts: +9

White Math: +10

Implications

Continue and improve the following practices in 2014-15

Reader’s/Writer’s workshop with a focus on units of study, common assessments and

data collection.

5 Easy Steps in math with focus on daily math review; data collection every two weeks;

Building-wide vocabulary instruction with a focus on the Belzer school-wide vocabulary

list;

Develop building-wide strategies for vocabulary acquisition and informational text

comprehension through the Literacy Leadership Team;

Continue and expand double-period opportunities in math and language arts;

Continue the focus on racially responsive practices with a focused, intense emphasis in

language arts.

Continue the implementation of Achieve 3000 (in addition to other literacy-based

activities) in science, social studies and language arts intervention classes;

Continue and expand the system for academic intervention and support.

Page 11: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

11

Continue the social studies and science focus on content area reading, data analysis and

higher order thinking.

Student Growth Data:

In addition to pass rates, growth data is a factor in a school’s overall letter grade rating. Growth

data compares a student’s current year ISTEP performance to all other students in the state of

Indiana with the same previous year ISTEP score. A score of 50 or above is high growth; a score

of 49 or below is low growth. Below is a comparison of Belzer student growth data from 2013

7th

grade Language Arts

Growth percentile

2013 2014

African-American

students

56.0 40.0

Hispanic students 67.0 50.0

White students 58.0 43.0

Overall percentile 59.0 46.5

7th

grade Math Growth

percentile

2013 2014

African-American

students

82.5 77.5

Hispanic students 86.5 82.0

White students 83.0 82.5

Overall percentile 83.0 79.5

Each student is also placed in a high, typical or low growth category based on their ISTEP score

compared to other similar scoring students across the State. High growth designation is for

students who scored at the 66th

to 99th

percentile. Typical growth students scored 36th

to 65th

percentile, and low scoring students were 35th

percentile and below.

7th

grade Language

Arts

% of students in

growth category

2011 2013 2014

High 32.3% 44.5% 29.8%

Page 12: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

12

Typical 34.9% 32.1% 30.4

Low 32.9% 23.4% 39.2

7th

grade math

% of students in

growth category

2011 2013 2014

High 65.5% 72.1% 66.7%

Typical 21.2% 19.5% 22.7%

Low 13.2% 8.5% 10.6%

8th grade language arts

% of students in

growth category

2011 2012 2014

High 37.9% 43.4% 37.6

Typical 32.0% 30.5% 30.9

Low 30.1% 26.1% 31.5

8th grade math

% of students in

growth category

2011 2012 2014

High 36.2% 40.2% 50.1

Typical 31.4% 31.8% 40.1

Low 32.4% 28.0% 19.8

Page 13: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

13

Learning and Teaching

The system provides research-based curriculum and instructional methods that facilitate achievement for all

students. (AdvancEd, Standard #3)

Goal Area #1: Excellence for All Students

1. Students Passing ISTEP: The school goal for 2014-2015 is to increase the pass

percentages compared to 2013 Spring ISTEP+ results in language arts, math and social

studies.

7th

grade language arts pass rate on ISTEP will increase from 63% to 80%.

8th

grade language arts pass rate on ISTEP will increase from 71% to 80%

7th

grade math pass rate on ISTEP will increase from 85% to 90%.

8th

grade math pass rate on ISTEP will increase from 85% to 90%.

7th

grade social studies pass rate on ISTEP will increase from 65% to 80%.

2. Students Scoring Pass+: Over the last two years, the percentage of students scoring

Pass+ in language arts and 8th

grade math has not significantly increased as it has in 7th

grade math and social studies. Therefore, this Pass + goal is specific to language arts and

8th

grade math:

The percentage of students scoring Pass+ on 7th

grade language arts ISTEP will

increase by 5 percentage points from 13% to 18%.

The percentage of students scoring Pass+ on 8th

grade language arts ISTEP will

increase by 10 percentage points from 8% to 18%.

The percentage of students scoring Pass+ on 8th

grade math ISTEP will increase by

10 percentage points from 14% to 24%.

3. Students Passing and scoring Pass+ on the Algebra ECA: In 2012-13, 97% of

students passed the Algebra end-of-course assessment with 63% scoring pass+. The goal

for 2014-15 is:

100% of students will pass the Algebra ECA

75% of students will score Pass+ on the Algebra ECA

The percentage of students of color enrolled in Algebra will increase from 24% to

36%.

4. Students Passing 7th

grade Social Studies ISTEP: In 2010-11, 48% of 7th

grade

students passed the social studies ISTEP assessment. In 2012-13, the pass percentage

increased to 67%. The goal for 2014-15 is:

80% of 7th

grade students will pass the social studies ISTEP assessment.

Page 14: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

14

Goal Area #2: Reduce the Racial Achievement Disparities

The pursuit of equity in all aspects of the school is a foundational principle. Reducing racial

achievement disparities is the overarching objective of MSDLT. Although significant progress

has been made in every Belzer racial subgroup, there is still much work to be done. The goal for

the 2012-13 school year is:

1. The percentage of students of color passing ISTEP will increase by greater than 10%.

2. The percentage of students of color scoring Pass+ on ISTEP will increase by greater than

10%.

Common Improvement Strategies and Practices

The following strategies will be deployed school-wide in support of the equity and academic

achievement goals:

1. Professional Learning Communities:

The MSDLT PLC process will be broadly and effectively deployed in every PLC team.

All teachers are expected and required to collaborate and participate in PLC teams

Every Belzer PLC will adopt the following purpose statements:

o Commit to a collaborative process of school improvement;

o Examine achievement data through the lens of race;

o Focus on instructional practices.

Teachers will create and use mini assessments (Daily Math Review and Language Arts

Unit of Study assessments) to track progress and identify student errors.

Teachers will collaboratively examine student assessments to identify and correct student

errors.

Teachers will implement with fidelity the most-effective instructional strategies identified

by their respective PLC teams.

Student achievement data from pre and post mini assessments will be recorded, reported

and used to improve teachers’ learning of student errors so that those errors can be

eliminated.

All PLC teams will document the instructional practices for the units of study they are

improving.

A Literacy Leadership Team will be established to develop school-wide common

language and practice for vocabulary acquisition and informational text comprehension.

Page 15: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

15

Vocabulary Acquisition

Every teacher at Belzer will focus on improving the deployment and fidelity of the

reading instruction through an emphasis on vocabulary acquisition. Instruction will

include time each day to build student vocabulary based on Robert Marzano’s research

and a variety of strategies.

A school-wide list of directional vocabulary terms (with additional content area terms)

will be implemented through each PLC. Terms like: evaluate, explain, determine,

compare/contrast, support, and analyze will be included. PLCs will evaluate students’

vocabulary acquisition by analyzing the products created by students in each classroom.

School-wide instructional practices will be developed by the teacher members of the

Literacy Leadership Team. Teachers will be trained in how to implement the selected

strategies.

Reading and Writing Instruction

The language arts PLC will develop racially responsive units of study around a common

philosophy/belief system of authentic, engaging reading/writing instruction;

The language arts PLC will continue to develop and implement elements of the reader’s

and writer’s workshop including: mini-lessons, guided reading/writing, teacher modeling,

conferencing, authentic/independent work and ongoing assessment.

The language arts PLC will become more data driven by creating and administering

common assessments and progress monitoring assessments in their units of study.

A system of reading/writing intervention will be developed and deployed that will focus

on detailed assessment and targeted instruction focused on identified student weaknesses.

Specific intervention classes will continue to be offered for special education, ESL and

general education students.

The language arts PLC will continue to apply a lens of race and rigor to the development

of units of study.

The science and social studies PLCs will continue to develop literacy-based lessons and

assessments within their respective units of study.

Language arts, science and social studies teachers will increase the rigor of student

reading assignments by utilizing the Pre-AP/Laying the Foundation instructional

materials.

Math Instruction

The math PLC will continue implementation of Daily Math Review (bellwork) with

mini-assessments every two weeks to determine student skill acquisition.

The math PLC will continue implementation a school-wide problem-solving process

focused on multi-step problem solving.

Page 16: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

16

Vocabulary frequently used in problem-solving will be emphasized in the school-wide

vocabulary list of directional words.

Social Studies Instruction

The social studies PLC will continue to implement quarterly benchmark common

assessments and analyze the data to drive instruction.

Social studies (and science) teachers in 7th

grade will utilize Achieve 3000 as one method

of integrating literacy into their instruction

The social studies PLC will continue to develop units of study that focus less on discrete

fact and recall and more on analytical reading, writing and thinking.

Technology as a Tool for Learning

Several different types of technology applications will be utilized to enhance and promote

student learning.

All teachers will utilize Canvas as a learning management system;

Social studies and science teachers will utilize Achieve 3000 for non-fiction reading.

This program will be utilized in the language arts intervention classes as well.

Teachers will utilize interactive whiteboards.

Social studies teachers will also utilize Active Expression electronic responders on a

weekly basis.

In each unit of study, students will receive immediate writing feedback through use of

the Writing Coach technology application.

Indicators of Success:

The growth in student achievement will be determined by the progress each student makes based

upon mean score improvement on progress monitoring and common assessments. See page 7

and 8 for a list and timeline.

Page 17: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

17

Resources & Support Systems

The system has the resources and services necessary to support its vision and purpose and to ensure achievement

for all students. (AdvancEd, Standard #5)

Language Arts

Professional Development Plan

Professional Development

Description

Participants Learning &

Implementation

Timeline

Annual Student Data Review to

Monitor PD Implementation

“How will you know what impact

the PD is having on

achievement?”

Readers/Writers Workshop

Development

LA teachers –

literacy coach

Twice weekly

with daily

observations by

Principal

Progress Monitoring Data and

unit of study common

assessments

Achieve 3000

implementation in science,

social studies and LA

intervention

Sci/SS/LA

teachers/

literacy coach

As needed Ongoing Achieve Data, monthly

reports

PLC Team collaboration Grade level or

Content Teams

Twice weekly Progress Monitoring assessment

results; student work

Building Student Vocabulary

(Marzano)

All PLCs Twice Weekly Ongoing formative assessments

through student work

Culturally Responsive

Strategies

All PLCs Twice Weekly Ongoing formative assessments

through student work

Math

Professional Development Plan

Professional Development

Description

Participants Learning &

Implementation

Timeline

Annual Student Data Review to

Monitor PD Implementation

“How will you know what impact

the PD is having on

achievement?”

Math – Daily Math

Review/multi-step problem

solving

Math PLC Twice weekly Formative mini-assessments,

common assessments

Algebra 1 Alg. PLC Twice weekly Formative assessments, common

assessments

Page 18: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

18

Stakeholder Communications & Relationships

The system fosters effective communications and relationships with and among its stakeholders.

(AdvancEd, Standard #6)

Description of Parent and Family Involvement & Participation to Support Goals

The staff at Belzer Middle School will communicate with parents and families in the following

ways:

Weekly phone messages from the principal;

Bi-weekly e-mail communication of grades from teachers;

Public pages (calendar and lesson plans) on My Big Campus;

Follow-up phone calls and e-mails as needed.

In addition, the staff of Belzer Middle School will be personally available for parents and

families during the following times:

Back to Belzer Night,

Parent/Teacher Conferences,

Tuesday mornings for parent conferences,

Other times scheduled as needed.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

The system establishes, implements, and monitors a continuous process of improvement that focuses on student

performance. (AdvancEd, Standard #7)

Description of the Process for Continuous Improvement

Preparation and management to an Action Plan

Periodic progress reviews will be conducted by the principal to ensure strategies and practices

are being effectively deployed with fidelity.

Documentation of Core (Common) Practices

As grade level PLC teams identify practices that have had excellent success with Black and

Hispanic students (and thereby improving learning of all students), the practices will be

documented as Core or Common Practices on the school server or quality system website.

Page 19: Belzer Middle School - ltschools.org

19

Fidelity of the PLC Process

The principal is responsible for the effectiveness and fidelity of the PLC process at the school.

Evidence of attendance and participation at the PLC team meetings as well as observations from

classroom instruction will be provided during the management reviews.

Deployment Fidelity of the Instructional Practices

The principal and PLC team members are responsible for the effectiveness and fidelity of the

instructional practices at the school. Evidence from PLC team meetings as well as observations

of classroom instruction will be provided during the management reviews.