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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-11-06 School Council - Wood End Elementary MinutesN Fq O� r Town of Reading 1y0 � b Meeting Minutes TO -WH CLERK REA�f IRG,M SPS, . '9,moRe�� Board - Committee - Commission - Council: NOVI0 P-2 441.: School Council -Wood End Elementary Date: 11-06-2017 _ Time: 3:15 PM Building: School -Wood End Location: Conference Room Address: 85 Sunset Rock Lane Purpose: Monthly Meeting for 2017-18 Year Session: General Session Attendees: Members - Present: Ellen Commito, Andrea Freeman, Joanne King, Lynda Michel, Melissa Murphy & Elena Raffia Members - Not Present: Casey Moulton Others Present: .. Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Joanne King Topics of Discussion: The second monthly meeting of the Wood End Elementary School Council was held in -the Conference Room of the Wood End Elementary School on November 6, 2017. Call to order: A quorum of members being present and the meeting having been duly convened at Wood End School'by principal, Joanne -King called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m. and proceeded with business. Public Comment: None. Review and Acceptance of Minutes: Members reviewed draft minutes from'the October meeting. There were no corrections or additions. Dr. King moved that the minutes from the October 2"d meeting be accepted. Ms. Raffa seconded the motion. The members then voted unanimously to approve the minutes. Vote: Minutes Accepted 6-0-0 New Business: As this was the second meeting 'for School Council this year, Dr. King reviewed the documents sent to members in advance Open Meeting Guidelines and Conflict of Interest Law. Signed documents will be sent to Laura Gemme, Town Clerk, once all are received (missing Casey Moulton). Page I 1 i School improvement ]Plan: Dr., King reviewed the draft of the 2017-.18 School Improvement Plan for Wood End with the Council members. The document presented for approval focused on two goals: Goal 1: To focus our energy and effort -in identifying and implementing evidenced based . instructional practices and interventions which will close the achievement gap with our students, in particular, our students in the high needs group (i.e. special education,. English Language Learners, economic disadvantage). _Strategic Initiative/Objective: • Implement block scheduling, academic intervention blocks, a Multi -Tiered System of Support (MISS),. mentoring program, CICO, and DCAP to'address behavioral and academic needs of all students. . Mrs. Michel explained the student mentoring program and the check-in/check-out system of _support. Students receiving this level of intervention have been identified through a student connectedness survey given to all students at the beginning of the year. Students who did not feel a connection with at least one adult in the school were flagged. In addition, the Student Risk Screening Survey completed by teachers also provided information about students who need a more intensive level of support (tiered support systems).. Home-school communication is essential for these intervention programs to be successful. Parents of students identified as benefitting from this support would be communicated with during parent -teacher conferences in the coming weeks. This goal focuses on using data gathered from early warning indicator systems, classroom observations, MCAS results, grade -'level state standards and assessments, and Open Circle to provide supports during intervention: blocks and throughout the day for identified students. Goal 2: To improve literacy instruction for all students, by providing teachers with time and training, timely supervision and coaching, evidenced based Tier 2 student interventions, grade.level progressions, clear expectations and pacing chart. Strategic Initiative/Objective (Curriculum Implementation) • Implement MA Curriculum Frameworks in ELA-in all classrooms, with particular focus.on grade -level expectations, for all students. Instruction for students will include the Units of Study in writing (writer's workshop) and small group instruction in reading to provide targeted skills -based instruction based on the identified needs of students to improve literacy'skills. The F&P Benchmarks, DIBELS, MCAS, and common measures will be used to monitor student progress and align instruction in.the. classroom. More details of the School Improvement Plan can be found on the school's'website: http://www.readinci.kl2.ma.us/woodend/ School Building Budget Update: Dr.. Doherty will be attending the upcoming PTO meeting on November 9th to provide budget information to families. This will include information about the proposed FY19 budget as well as information about the possible override question. The sound system in the cafe is in need of -repair, and the speakers may need to be replaced. This could be a significant cost and. the operating budget. may not cover the expenses. Dr. King will ask Facilities Dept. to provide an estimate for repair., Page 1 2 The skylight on the second floor need to be replaced due to cracking, leaks. This is a structural issue and the Town has approved additional funds for replacement windows. Mrs Murphy asked if there was any way to sue the builder since the school is only 12 years old. Unfortunately, the warranties have. expired. Know Atom science materials are very expensive and have taken about 20% of the school's operating budget to purchase. Dr. King is looking at ways to -cut costs in this area including reducing the amount of consumables ordered. A question was raised about reducing the number of units taught in grades 3-5, but Know Atom will only provide the units in full. Kindergarten for 2018-18: Members asked about other options for next, year's kindergarten class: half-day classes, full-day classes, integrated programs. Dr. King explained that the integrated program is not ideal, but offers an alternative if the class size is appropriate. This would keep students within their neighborhood school, reduce class size in the afternoon, and provide a half-day option for families. The majority of families choose full-day programs, but student placement is determined by the Superintendent based on'available space and class size. The cost of full-day kindergarten is prohibitive for some families. An informational meeting was held on November 1st for all incoming kindergarten families. Dr. King reported it was a well -attended meeting and the class size for the incoming students seemed quite barge compared to prior years. The deadline for applications is December 15th. Adjournment There being no further business, the School Council adjourned at 4:15 p.m. with plans to reconvene on December 4, 2017. Respectfully Submitted, Joanne King, Co -Chair . Page 1 3 Reading Public -Schools School Improvement Plan Wood End Elementary School 2017-2018 Reading Public Schools Mission: Preparing Reading's Youth to Be Respectful and Productive Citizens of a Global Society Wood End Wildcats are Responsible, Respectful, Engaged, Honest & Safe Wood End Elementary School Improvement Plan 2017-18 M: To focus our energy and effort in identifying and implementing evidenced based instructional practices and interventions which will close the achievement gap with our students, in' particular, our students in the high needs group (i.e. special education, English Language Learners, economic -disadvantage). Strategic Initiative/Objective: • Implement block scheduling, academic intervention blocks, a Multi -Tiered System of Support (MTSS), mentoring program, CICO, and DCAP to address behavioral and academic needs of all students. Monitoring Progress Process Benchmarks. What will be done, ,when, and by whom? Process Benchmark Person Date Status Responsible All teachers will have a professional practice and/or student Principal 10/31/17 In . .learning goal -associated with one of the four focus areas for Progress the district (SEL, Closing the Achievement Gap, Literacy, or Math Instruction) Using Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS), SRSS/SIBS, Principal 11/30/17 In grades, and discipline data, schools will develop a list of at Progress risk students, develop interventions for those students, and monitor progress on a regular basis. Formative assessments to monitor student progress more Teachers 6/20/18 Ongoing regularly K-5. Student centered classrooms with reduced amount of Teachers 6/20/18. Ongoing - teacher -talk K-5 .Lessons aligned to standards and students held accountable Teachers 6/20/18 Ongoing for grade -level work K-5 Align. math and literacy to power standards Teachers 6/20/18 Ongoing K=5 Progress monitoring systems, aligned to standards (i.e. Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing Assessing Math Concepts for K-2, pre/post assessments for Teachers narrative, information, opinion writing, and F&P K-5 benchmarks) Grade -level meetings will take place every-3.weeks; Principal 9/15/17 Ongoing discussions will include all students — looking at grade level trends, expectations, standards Effective instructional practices identified through Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing observations and walk-throughs; provide time for teachers to observe in other classrooms (school and district -wide) Intervention blocks established for Grades K-5 to provide Principal 8/28/17 Met academic support -for all students ` Wood End Wildcats are Responsible, Respectful, Engaged, Honest & Safe PD for paras to provide effective support; coaching and Principal 11/7/17 In modeling LC - .Progress All staff will have a student learning or professional practice Teachers 10/31/17 In Provide, additional support from reading specialist and Reading 10/10/17 Ongoing tutors to identified. students (Tier 2) in addition to Specialist 6/20/18 Ongoing classroom teacher, instruction (double dose) Team DCAP staff development and PD to promote best practices Principal 12/15/17 Ongoing in all classes All elementary students will receive at least 30 minutes of Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing. social emotional learning weekly through their Open Circle Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing lessons Behavioral. Utiliieall-school time for Open Circle each week to provide Principal 8/28/17 Met consistency and include para educators Coach Based on our school data, we will implement Tier 2 and 3 Leadership 6/20/18 Ongoing interventions matched to needs of students (mentoring or Team -CICO) Principal 9/30/18 A clear decision-making process for determining student Leadership 6/20/18 Ongoing access for Tier 2 and 3 interventions will be developed for Team, students with regular progress monitoring; 'establish entrance and exit criteria Measuring Impact Early Evidence of Change: Changes in practice, attitude, or behavior you should begin to see if the initiative is having. its desired impact Early Evidence of Change Benchmark Person Date Status Responsible - All staff will have a student learning or professional practice Principal 10/31/17 In .goal that aligns with one or -more of the four focus areas Progress Identify at least one evidence based intervention strategy to Leadership 6/20/18 Ongoing address the achievement gap in literacy (i.e. LLI) , Team Building. Leadership Team meets 2,x monthly or equivalent to Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing refine T2/3 interventions and monitor universal support systems Ensure through observation and review of schedules that Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing Open Circle curriculum is being implemented, with .100% Behavioral. fidelity Health Coach Regular review at data team meetings of grade -level data, Principal .6/20/18 Ongoing ODRs, PAWS There will be a decrease in in the achievement gap between Principal 9/30/18 the general population of students and the high needs group Teachers on state and local assessments K-5 Wood End Wildcats are Responsible, Respectful, Engaged, Honest & Safe Resources Supporting Implementation The staff and financial resources allocated to support this initiative Resources Professional Development time and subs — regular education and special education Comprehensive data collection review and analysis calendar Time and resources to provide intervention blocks for struggling students — academic intervention time in schedule for Grades K-5 Leveled Literacy Intervention Program for use with students reading below grade level Additional PD.and coaching in the use of Applied Math Concepts (AMC) assessments to provide small group skills -based instruction, K-2 oal 2: o improve literacy instruction for all students by providing teachers with time and training, timely supervision and coaching, evidenced based Tier 2 student interventions, grade level progressions, clear expectations and pacing chart. Strategic Initiative/Objective (Curriculum Implementation) • Implement MA Curriculum Frameworks in ELA in all classrooms, with particular focus on grade -level expectations for all students. Monitoring Progress Process Benchmarks: What will be done, when, and by whom? Process Benchmark J Person Date Status Responsible All K-5 teachers have 60 -minute uninterrupted block for Principal 8/28/17 Met reading instruction five days per week, and a 60 -minute block for writing at least 4 days per week. Academic intervention blocks established for Grades K- Principal 8/28/17 Met 5 to provide tiered support in math/literacy to all students Grades K-5 Teachers will be utilizing Units of Study for Principal 6/20/18 In Writers Workshop and provide instruction at least -4 days Progress per week Utilize common assessments K-5 to monitor student Teachers 6/20/18 In . progress - F&P Benchmarks, DIBELS, and pre/post Progress assessments for writing Utilize Leveled Literacy Program (LLI) to provide small Reading Specialist 6/20/18 In group intervention for struggling readers Progress Use staff meeting time to provide coaching and training Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing to use F&P Literacy Continuum to identify grade level Literacy Team expectations, reading progression, and targeted instruction Establish methods for staff to capture and report Principal 6/20/18 In results of assessments, progress monitoring online Data Coach Progress Wood End Wildcats are Responsible, Respectful, Engaged, Honest & Safe Grade -level teams utilize data from MCAS results and interventions to determine growth/success and identify appropriate use of academic support times Principal 6/20/18 In Progress Collaborate with Reading Specialist about trends, strengths, Principal 6/20/18 In areas of need, in an aggregate way to he inform feedback Principal 6/20/18 Progress to teachers Effective instructional practices identified through Principal 6/20/18 In . teacher observations and walk-throughs;.provide time Progress for teachers to observe in other classrooms (school and Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing district -wide) Measuring Impact. Early Evidence of Change: Changes in practice, attitude, or behavior you should begin to see -if the initiative is.having,its desired impact Early Evidence of Change Benchmark Person Date Status Responsible Observations of teachers would see evidence, of increased Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing differentiated instruction strategies within classroom Observation of teachers would include evidence of teacher " Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing collaboration ,Increased level of consistency across classrooms as seen on Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing common assessments, especially in Writers Workshop Decreased numbers of students referred for special Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing education testing through implementation of effective SST interventions Identified students are receiving appropriate interventions Principal 6/20/18 "Ongoing during academic intervention blocks in addition to literacy Teachers blocks K-5 Tier 2/3 interventions provided have data that indicate Principal 6/20/18 Ongoing successful instruction, improvement of student achievement Reading Specialist There will be a decrease in in.the achievement gap between Principal 9/30/18 the general population of students and the high needs group on state -and local assessments Resources Supporting Implementation The staff and financial resources allocated to support this initiative Resources .Units of Study in Writer's Workshop for Grades K-5 — materials and teacher manuals F&P. Benchmark Assessments, DIBELS Monitoring System Leveled Literacy Intervention Program & Materials Time & district funding for substitute coverage — instructional rounds, observations, PD Professional Development • Data Teams — data analysis Wood End Wildcats are Responsible, Respectful, Engaged, Honest & Safe • Lesley Literacy Institute • F&P Benchmark Assessments' • Units of Study for Reader's:Workshop at Teachers College Revised 11.19.2017 Wood End Wildcats are Responsible, Respectful, Engaged, Honest & Safe