Georgia Department of Education s1

Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan

Title I Schoolwide Plan/ School Improvement Plan

West Central Elementary School 2014-2015

Revised and Submitted on July 25, 2014

School Name: West Central Elementary School

School Mailing Address: 409 Lavender Drive Rome, Georgia 30165 LEA Name: Rome City School System

LEA Title One Director/Coordinator Name: Sunita Holloway

LEA Title One Director/Coordinator Signature: Date:

1 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan

LEA Title One Director/Coordinator Mailing Address: 508 East Second Street Rome, Georgia 30161 Email Address: [email protected]

Telephone:706-236-5050

Fax:706-802-4311

West Central Elementary School Profile

West Central Elementary School was established in 1973 as one of eight neighborhood schools in the Rome City School System in Rome, Georgia. Presently, we serve 786 very culturally diverse students from economically disadvantaged homes in Pre-K through sixth grade. The demographics of our school are very dynamic; presently 14% of our students are white, 26% are black, 51% are Hispanic, 5% are multi-racial and 4% are Asian. Providing and meeting the instructional needs of many of the students from various cultures and backgrounds can present a challenge for the faculty and staff. Currently, 179 students have been identified as English Learners and 66 students have been identified as Students with Disabilities. Over 98% of our students have been identified as living in poverty based on our free and reduced lunch calculations. Our school is very transient in nature with over 400 students entering or withdrawing during the first semester of the 2012-2013 school year. West Central’s enrollment is larger than it has ever been, presenting a unique set of challenges for the faculty and staff. West Central Elementary is a Title I school with a Schoolwide Program. West Central was recognized as a Title I Distinguished School for eleven consecutive years. West Central's strongest attribute is the diversity found among its student body. The multicultural experiences that the students bring with them to school enhance the learning environment for all students. This diversity requires a highly qualified team of professionals working daily in a collaborative setting to create a variety of interventions, strategies, and modifications to address the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of the students. The teachers realize that the school must work as a team to provide an exemplary education for a sometimes challenging population. Rome City Schools’ Mission Statement, “All students will graduate from Rome High School prepared for college or work,” is an integral part of West Central’s daily motivation. In addition, we have established the following belief statements to illustrate West Central’s core convictions:  We believe in educating the whole child – academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.  We believe that all students are important and can learn.  We believe that education is the most important investment we can make in a child's life.  We believe that instructional time is valuable and must be protected.  We believe in rigor and high expectation for ALL students.  We believe that it is important to establish positive, on-going relationships with all stakeholders - parents, students, and the community.  We believe in preparing students for college, career, and citizenship by embedding critical 21st century skills into the learning environment.  We believe in the positive impact and effectiveness that instructional technology can have on teaching and learning.  We believe that all stakeholders should have the power and knowledge to make decisions that influence organizational practices, policies, and directions.

Teachers at West Central exhibit a large amount of ownership and pride in their classrooms and in the school as a whole. Teachers are constantly seeking to improve their instructional delivery by participating in on- site staff development, system-level staff development, and advanced degrees offered through the local colleges and universities. While working with such a large and diverse population of students can be challenging at times, the teachers at West Central continue to provide a safe, nurturing, and academically rigorous environment for all students who enter our building.

Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan

Planning Committee Members:

NAME POSITION/ROLE Leslie Dixon Principal Daphne Johnson Assistant Principal Jennifer Uldrick Literacy Coach Ruth Cipolla Literacy Coach Tish Fricks Math Coach Jennifer Wright Math Coach Ruth Miller Parent Liaison Jason Lewis Parent Caroline Threadgill Parent Jason Ross Parent Daniel Carpenter Parent Sherri Cromer Parent Tamekia Campbell Parent Quincy Nation Teacher Erin Hall Teacher LaSaunda Mullinax Teacher Brandi Hammonds Teacher Stephanie Dennis Teacher Kim Bussey Teacher/Business Partner Leigh Burell Teacher Stephanie Lewis Teacher/Parent Jenny Carpenter Teacher/Parent Noel Wilkinson Teacher Amanda Nash Teacher Susan Davis Teacher

4 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan SWP Components

5 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan *1. A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school that addresses all academic areas and other factors that may affect achievement. Response: A. We have developed our schoolwide plan with the participation of individuals who will carry out the comprehensive schoolwide/school improvement program plan. Those persons involved were . . .  Leslie Dixon, Principal  Daphne Johnson, Assistant Principal  Jennifer Uldrick, Literacy Coach  Ruth Cipolla, Literacy Coach  Tish Fricks, Math Coach  Jennifer Wright, Math Coach  Ruth Miller, Parent Involvement Coordinator  Quincy Nation, Teacher  Erin Hall, Teacher  LaSaunda Mullinax, Teacher  Brandi Hammonds, Teacher  Stephanie Dennis, Teacher  Kim Bussey, Teacher/Business Partner  Leigh Burell, Teacher  Stephanie Lewis, Teacher/Parent  Jenny Carpenter, Teacher/Parent  Noel Wilkinson, Teacher  Amanda Nash, Teacher  Susan Davis, Teacher  Tamekia Campbell, Parent  Sherri Cromer, Parent  Jason Ross, Parent  Caroline Threadgill, Parent  Jason Lewis, Parent  Daniel Carpenter, Parent

The ways they were involved were by serving on the Leadership Committee and Title I Steering Committee of the school which develops the Needs Assessment. These individuals represent their grade level or departments and contribute ideas from the teachers they represent as well as disseminate information to them after the meetings. Some of the teachers on the committee are also West Central parents or business partners in the community and submitted input based on their experiences in that regard as well. The parents on the committee were those who participated in the revision of the Schoolwide Program Plan.

B. We have used the following instruments, procedures, or processes to obtain this information: Information is collected throughout the school year from various sources, including feedback from parent surveys and parent meetings, analysis of data during department meetings, faculty meetings, and collaborative planning meetings; and the Professional Learning Needs Assessment. Data includes CRCT results, writing assessments and portfolios, DIBELS, GRASP, CogAT, SRI, MAZE, benchmark assessments, and formative assessments.

C. The purpose of Title I-C is to ensure that students who are migrant get what they need to succeed academically. At this time, our school has no identified migratory students. As a district, we use the occupational survey whenever a new student enrolls. We are part of a consortium with Abraham Baldwin 6 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan *1. A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school that addresses all academic areas and other factors that may affect achievement.

*2. Schoolwide reform strategies that are scientifically researched based, directly tied to the comprehensive needs assessment and academic standards. Response: Strategies for Math:  Heterogeneous grouping in lower grades with no self-contained EIP classes.  Continue weekly grade-level and monthly vertical departmental collaborative planning in grades K-6 facilitated by academic coaches.  Teachers and academic coaches will effectively use data from ongoing formative assessment to differentiate Tier 1 instruction and form flexible groups.  Continue to implement Read, Write, Talk school-wide in math workshop and skills instruction.  Academic coaches and administration will conduct professional learning in the areas of response to intervention, differentiation and learning styles.  Conduct monthly peer observations with feedback twice a month (facilitated by administration and academic coaches)  Academic coaches and system-level trainers will continue to provide Common Core training with a focus on the six shifts and Standards for Mathematical Practice.  Collaborative study and continued implementation of Story of Units, Number Talks (3-6) and Number Corner (K-2) facilitated by math academic coaches  Academic coaches will facilitate ongoing collaborative study and instructional planning of CCGPS with rigorous problem-based tasks aligned with CCGPS  Teachers and academic coaches will continue collaborative study and implementation of Contexts for Learning Mathematics.  Academic coaches will provide training on how to select or create appropriate forms of formative and summative assessment and how to make instructional plans to address student needs.  Title I Teacher will work with small groups of at-risk students in grades K-6 in deficient English Language Arts areas (identified by academic coaches and ELA teachers).  Dreambox Learning Computer Software will be utilized to create an adaptive independent learning path for each student based on assessment of foundational skills.  Academic coaches will support teachers by modeling, co-teaching, observing and providing feedback.  Implement Math 180 program to address deficit (grades 5-6) Strategies for Reading and English Language Arts:  Heterogeneous grouping in lower grades with no self-contained EIP classes.  Continue monthly vertical and weekly grade-level collaborative planning facilitated by academic coaches.  Teachers and academic coaches will analyze data from formative and summative assessments and effectively use that data to inform instruction.  Implement Read 180/System 44 program to address deficits of struggling readers (grades 3-6) (staffed by Title I teacher)  Continue to implement Read, Write, Talk school-wide in all subject areas.  Implement Differentiated Phonics in grades 2-4

7 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan *2. Schoolwide reform strategies that are scientifically researched based, directly tied to the comprehensive needs assessment and academic standards.  Academic coaches will continue to provide Common Core training with a focus on the six major shifts in instruction.  Conduct monthly peer observations with feedback (facilitated by administration and academic coaches)  Teachers and academic coaches will continue to create and implement units of study that embed close analytic reading of texts and rigorous tasks and embed numerous opportunities for writing, which includes using primary sources and text-based evidence to support arguments.  Academic coaches will provide training in the use of Lexile levels and how they impact student access to complex academic texts.  Implement SRI and MAZE assessment and use data to adjust instruction and effectively incorporate RtI.  Implement common lessons and activities in all grade-level science and SS classes on a daily basis.  Teachers and academic coaches will work together to align all performance tasks and activities to correlate with Common Core Standards.  Academic coaches and principal will conduct professional learning in the areas of response to intervention, differentiation, and learning styles.  Academic coaches will support teachers by modeling, co-teaching, observing and providing feedback.

Strategies for Parent Involvement West Central has made parent involvement a priority. We believe that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning and that by involving parents student achievement will increase. This year we plan to offer opportunities through meetings, trainings, parent conferences, and outreach to ensure that parents have an opportunity to be involved in their child’s education and are seen as equal partners in their child’s education.

2(a). Schoolwide reform strategies that provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advanced levels of student performance. Response: The ways in which we will address the needs of all children in the school particularly the needs of students furthest away from demonstrating proficiency related to the State’s academic content and student academic achievement standard are . . .

Focus 1: Math  Implementation of heterogeneous grouping in lower grades with no self-contained EIP classes.  Implementation of Number Talks (K-6) and Number Corner (K-2)  Implementation of CCGPS with rigorous problem-based tasks aligned with CCGPS through the use of A Story of Units from Engage New York  Implementation of Contexts for Learning Mathematics  Continued use of the Standards for Mathematical Practice in K-6  Use of formative and summative assessment and to make instructional plans to address student needs  Hire Title I Teacher to work with small groups of at-risk students in deficiencies as identified by academic coaches and classroom teacher.  An additional activity class called “Math Explorations” used to scaffold, remediate, or accelerate students in math skills and strategies as needed.  GRASP software will be used a math screening tool to assess students’ strengths and weaknesses and 8 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(a). Schoolwide reform strategies that provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advanced levels of student performance. provide appropriate assignments for remediation.  OAS will be utilized by teachers and academic coaches to create assessments that predict success and provide practice for the Georgia Milestones.  iPads will be purchased for Grades K-6 math to increase student engagement and to facilitate the implementation of CCGPS as well as the use of Dreambox Learning System.  Implementation of Math180 to help at-risk students in grades 5 and 6.

Focus 2: Reading/ELA  Implementation of heterogeneous grouping in lower grades with no self-contained EIP classes.  Implement units of study that embed close analytic reading of texts and rigorous tasks that assess student proficiency.  Implement units of study that embed numerous opportunities for writing, which includes using primary sources and text-based evidence to support arguments.  Use of Lexile levels and to determine how they impact student access to complex academic texts  Effectively use data from summative and formative assessments to inform instruction.  Implement Read, Write, Talk school-wide in all subject areas.  Implement performance tasks and activities to correlate with Common Core Standards.  The Read 180/System 44 reading intervention program will be implemented for at-risk students in grades 2, 3,4,5,6.  Title I Teacher will meet with at-risk students in K-1 daily to provide reading support and remediation.  SRI computer-based screener will be used to assess Grades 1-6 students’ reading comprehension skills.  LLI (Leveled Literacy Intervention) is a leveled reading program that will be used to help students with their fiction and non-fiction independent reading selections according to their assessed level.  OAS will be utilized by teachers and academic coaches to create assessments that predict success and provide practice for the CRCT.

Focus 3: Science and Social Studies Teachers continually revisit available assessment data for standardized tests and benchmark assessments to revise and align curriculum to ensure increased rigor and relevance of performance tasks based on standards and the elements of each standard.  Implementation of heterogeneous grouping in lower grades with no self-contained EIP classes.  Implement the use of a Science/Social Studies coach to model effective, hands-on best instructional practices.  Implement performance tasks and activities to correlate with standards  Science and social studies classes will incorporate Read/Write/Think into the curriculum. Students will read content-related articles, one (1) per unit from science magazines or current events magazines.  Teachers will incorporate PALS (peer-assisted learning strategy) into weekly lessons.  Students will read and summarize age-appropriate articles during each unit.  Students will improve science- and social studies-related vocabulary and content comprehension skills.  Close Analytic Reading of content-related material including primary source documents, Writing to Sources (expository and argument writing), and Reading Strategies in the Content Areas will be priorities  OAS will be utilized by teachers and academic coaches to create assessments that predict success and provide practice for the CRCT.

9 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(a). Schoolwide reform strategies that provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advanced levels of student performance.

Focus 4: RtI Reform Strategy  Students not meeting or marginally meeting standards are identified according to assessment data and are assigned to safety net instruction which occurs during school.  Provide 30 minutes of daily remediation in academic classes in order to remediate any deficits that are apparent during regular standards-based instruction.  On-site RtI training will be provided by SST coordinators.  On-site training in learning styles and differentiation will be provided by principal.  Homeroom teachers will keep progress monitoring records of RtI interventions for each relevant student.  Student data related to RtI will be posted in the academic coaches’ office and be updated regularly by homeroom teachers.  Students who are identified as at-risk through DIBELS, GRASP, SRI, MAZE, or other screeners will meet with academic teacher or coach during activity time to address deficits.  Read 180/System 44 will be provided to at-risk 3rd– 6th grade students as identified through SRI screener, DIBELS, and CRCT scores.  Math180 will be provided for at-risk students in grades 5 and 6 as identified through CRCT scores and GRASP data.  Implement SRI assessment and use data to adjust instruction and effectively incorporate RtI.

Focus 5: Technology – Reform Strategy  iPads, Smart Boards, Elmos, projectors, class websites, and student response systems will be utilized in the school in order provide additional support and student access for reading, math, ELA, Science and Social Studies  The Longitudinal Data System will be utilized by teachers to track students’ progress throughout their education and provide real-time student achievement, attendance, and enrollment data. Training will be provided for faculty and staff at the beginning of the school year.

Focus 6: Parent Outreach Events  Annual Title I Meeting – fall 2014 –We will discuss Title I expenditures, the Schoolwide Program Plan, the Parental Involvement Plan, and the School-Parent Compact. Student achievement data from the previous year will also be reviewed. The meeting will be announced in the monthly newsletter as well as on the school’s website.  Open House – August 2014 - We will invite parents to meet their child’s teacher, explore the classroom, and get a quick overview of class expectations and curriculum for the year.  Family Math Night – September 2014 - Learn how to make math fun at home!  Parent-Teacher and Student Conferences – October 2014 & March 2015 - Scheduled updates on their child’s progress  Trunk, Treat, and Read – October 2014 – Parents will be invited to accompany their child as he/she “trunk or treats” in our parking lot for candy and free books! Parents will learn ways to promote literacy at home.  Family Engagement Conference – TBA - Information will be sent home regarding this conference. Please contact Mrs. Ruth Miller if you are interested in attending this conference.  Family Reading Night – February 2015 - Learn how to make reading fun at home! Parents will be provided with literacy training to help their child become more successful readers. 10 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(a). Schoolwide reform strategies that provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advanced levels of student performance.  Focus on Student Achievement – March 2015 (RCS Board of Education Meeting) - Join Mrs. Dixon as she shares West Centrals’ most recent standardized test scores and tells board members and the community about steps the school is taking to make improvements.  Parent feedback will be solicited through the use of parent surveys administered twice a year.  Home visits will be conducted more frequently by teachers, counselor, administrators, and social worker.  Include tips for parents in the monthly newsletter – tips will focus on helping children succeed in Math and Reading  Translate written school-home communication into Spanish when feasible  Volunteer training for parents will be provided by Communities in Schools more often throughout the year in order to recruit more parents to help in the following areas: Trunk, Treat, and Read; chaperones for field trips; book fair help; shelving books in the library; Black History Program; International Day; and Field Day. 2(b). Are based upon effective means of raising student achievement. B. Response: Following (or in our appendices) are examples of the SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH supporting our effective methods and instructional practices or strategies. (Cite Research to support selected strategies.) INTEGRATED CURRICULUM West Central would like to move toward a more integrated curriculum in regard to collaboration among content-area teachers. Dr. Susan Drake and Joanne Reid have done extensive research for the partnership between the Literacy and Numeracy. In their research article, What Works? Integrated Curriculum, Increasing Relevance While Maintaining Accountability (September, 2010), it was determined that integration of the curricula greatly increased student achievement. Additionally, an integrated curriculum increases the relevance of the learning for the students and is beneficial for many areas that encompass education, such as literacy. Non-fiction materials were used more with this implementation. Students felt more drawn to use technology means to communicate, and writing became more relevant to all children. However, it seemed to especially appeal to the male population. In the math world, it was a more difficult to implement the basics of math; however, it offered students an opportunity to focus on problem-solving and make real-life connections, the basis for CCGPS and UDL.

DIFFERENTIATION RESEARCH SOURCES Teacher Keys Effectiveness System (TKES) Fact Sheets for Instructional Planning, Instructional Strategies, Differentiation, Assessment Strategies and Assessment Uses. (State of Ga.) Tomlinson, C. (2004). How do I teach them all: Academic diversity in today’s science and math classes. Eisenhower National Clearinghouse on Math and Science: ENC Focus www.enc.org Hall, T.(2009)Differentiated Instruction and Implications for UDL Implementation http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl

READ 180 A four-year U.S. Department of Education evaluation of adolescent literacy programs shows that students who were enrolled in their READ 180 programs significantly outperformed students who were not placed in READ 180 as part of the study. The data was made available as part of the Striving Readers report released by the U.S. DOE’s Institute of Education Services. http://read180.scholastic.com/pdf/research/2011_Read180_StrivingReaders_pr.PDF

11 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(a). Schoolwide reform strategies that provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advanced levels of student performance. MATH BEST PRACTICES Assisting Students Struggling With Mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for Elementary and Middle Schools http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/pdf/practiceguides/rti_math_pg_042109.pdf Institute of Educational Sciences What Works Clearinghouse, National Center for Educational Evaluation and Regional Assistance http://commonsensemath.com/images/pdfs/01%20Changing%20the%20way%20we %20teach%20math%20-%20Final%20Report%20ES.pdf The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. These practices rest on important “processes and proficiencies” with longstanding importance in mathematics education. The first of these are the NCTM process standards of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, representation, and connections. The second are the strands of mathematical proficiency specified in the National Research Council’s report Adding It Up: adaptive reasoning, strategic competence, conceptual understanding (comprehension of mathematical concepts, operations and relations), procedural fluency (skill in carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately), and productive disposition (habitual inclination to see mathematics as sensible, useful, and worthwhile, coupled with a belief in diligence and one’s own efficacy). http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice MATH180 Scholastic (2013) Math180 Research Foundation Paper. Scholastic MATH 180 is a revolutionary math intervention program for the Common Core. Designed for struggling students in grades 6 and up, the program builds students’ confidence and competence in mathematics, while providing teachers with comprehensive support to ensure success. MATH 180 builds conceptual understanding and fluency with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and integers through a carefully sequenced and paced progression of content. Instruction is organized into nine blocks of instruction, featuring high-interest career themes. The focused content helps students make connections while learning to think algebraically.

DREAMBOX LEARNING SYSTEM (Math) Piontek, J.(2013) Introduction To Blended Learning For Elementary School. Personalizing Math Instruction in the K-5 classroom. Dreambox is an intelligent adaptive learning system for students in Pre-K through grade 6. It is a multi-award winner and is considered to be one of the most advanced examples of 'adaptive learning' products. The system creates an independent learning path for each student based on assessment of foundational skills that align with Common Core Standards and our GRASP universal screeners. Skills are assessed based on how the student solves problems rather than on a single end-of-session assessment. The platform captures every decision a student makes while working within lessons. Dreambox supports the principles of the Universal Design for Learning. Primary students pick a character (avatar) from dozens of choices. With that character, they choose activities in four adventure themes (pirates, pixies, dinosaurs, and pets), with each adventure theme having an additional eight stories. They continue to work on their learning path regardless of the adventure they select. It is just presented in a different context. They also have choices within the adventures and are presented with multiple representations. Older students also select character avatars, and have opportunities to personalize their own space, play music, pick their own wallpaper and (as they solve problems) unlock mini-games. DreamBox's software can adjust for 60 different parameters of student behavior, such as the effectiveness of the strategy they use, the fluency in how quickly they answer questions, how many "hints" they use to get an answer and so on. The program uses "interactive virtual manipulatives" such as Rekenreks, ten frames, number lines, and bar models. It amasses data (an average of 50,000 data points per student per hour) and identifies hot spot problem areas. As a result, DreamBox shifts in real time the pacing and material presented within a lesson, as well as the sequence of

12 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(a). Schoolwide reform strategies that provide opportunities for all children in the school to meet or exceed Georgia’s proficient and advanced levels of student performance. subsequent lessons.

TECHNOLOGY Davies, R. & West, R. (2013) Technology Integration in Schools. Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology. 2014, 841-842. The findings of this study lead to the conclusion that future efforts should focus on providing students and teachers with increased access to technology along with training in pedagogically sound best practices, including more advanced approaches for technology-based assessment and adaptive instruction. Laptop use will help students build skills in information retrieval, information evaluation, reading comprehension, information processing and representation, and knowledge presentation. Providing laptops in the K-6 math classrooms will also facilitate the use of the aforementioned Dreambox Learning System.

READ WRITE TALK RWT was designed by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis (2007) to reinforce and enhance student literacy throughout the curriculum. The teaching and learning focus is on comprehension instruction, including monitoring comprehension, activating and building background knowledge, asking questions, inferring meaning, determining importance, and summarizing and synthesizing. These strategies support students and encourage them to learn and understand what they read. Understanding occurs when readers have an inner conversation with the text. RWT creates an environment that promotes that inner conversation as well as collaboration with other students in sharing their comprehension processes.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Militello, M., Schweid, J., &Sireci, S. (2010).Formative assessment systems: Evaluating the gap between intended use and product characteristics. Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability. 22(1), 29-52. Heritage, M. (2007). Formative assessment: What do teachers need to know and do? Phi Delta Kappan, 89(2), 140-145. Teachers’ regular use of formative assessment improves their students’ learning, especially if teachers have additional guidance on using the assessment to design and to individualize instruction. Through formative assessment, low-achieving students are identified. Programs to assess students at West Central include but not limited to: Brigance Inventory of skills, Diagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA) SRI, Basal Reader assessments, I Succeed math, Kathy Richardson, Comprehension Tool Kit, MAZE, GRASP, and DIBELS. These assessments were implemented to address comprehension, decoding, fluency, and number sense skills in the primary grades. Students in upper grades at West Central identified as at-risk are identified using a variety of screening tools. Some of the tools being used but are not limited to are: students scoring in level I on CRCT, teacher-made on-line assessments using OAS, ACCESS (a screener using the Language Assessment Battery for the ELL students), Scholastic Reading Inventory, GRASP, MAZE, Reading A-Z, DynEd, Reading Counts, Accelerated Reader, and DIBELS.

2(c). Use effective instructional methods that increase the quality and amount of learning time. Response: We will increase the amount and quality of learning time by the following: We will provide an After-School Tutorial Program for grades 3-6 in reading and math from January to April; we will provide a Summer Opportunity Program for students who need remediation. We will provide remediation in the areas of reading and math during at-risk students’ activity times.

13 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring. Response: Teachers must complete a field trip request form prior to field trip with documentation on how this field trip will apply to the standards taught for their particular grade level and must address the identified needs in the school-wide plan. No field trips will be funded by Title I. *3. Instruction by highly qualified professional staff. Response: Currently all teachers are highly qualified. At West Central, the principal uses Teach Georgia to screen applicants. Only those applicants who are highly qualified are considered for interviews. *3(a). Strategies to attract highly qualified teachers to high-needs schools. A. Response: We will provide instruction by highly qualified teachers who meet the standards established by the state of Georgia. (Use HiQ Report and school staff roster. Indicate how certification deficiencies are being addressed.)

West Central hosts a number of Berry College, Georgia Highlands, and Shorter University practicum students and student teachers each year. The administration attends recruitment fairs designed to recruit Highly Qualified staff. When interviewing possible candidates for available positions, the administration strives to hire those who best represent the qualities of a highly qualified teacher and who uphold the same mission and vision that has already been established at West Central. The current faculty participates in a wide variety of staff development throughout the year which focuses on individualizing instruction and meeting the needs of the student as an individual, not as just a member of class. The staff participates in the following activities:  Grade-level common and collaborative planning  Re-delivery of system trainings at faculty meetings and during monthly department meetings  Analysis of testing data  Yearly book studies facilitated by academic coaches  Staff development on Differentiation  System-wide staff development

*4. Professional development for staff to enable all children in the school A. Each spring a Needs Assessment survey is given to teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals to determine staff development that will address our identified needs for staff to enable all students to meet performance standards. The following needs were determined through the Needs Assessment:  Technology: QR codes, training on apps, Smartboard.

14 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring.  Integrating technology into future assessments to prepare students for standardized tests on computers and how to integrate accommodation into computerized assessments. West Central faculty participates yearly in a Needs Assessment to determine the areas of staff development that they feel they need more information and training based on our areas of strength and weakness from the previous year’s achievement data. Staff members meet with their grade-level teams to discuss our needs in regard to professional learning. The team leaders then send their top three suggestions to the PLAC representative. During the next faculty meeting, the PLAC representative displays all of the suggestions on chart paper around the media center with descriptions. The faculty members visit each chart to review the suggestions and then cast their vote for the areas of greatest need. The selected topics for professional learning are then submitted to the Chief Academic Officer and System Literacy and Math Coordinators. Staff members are also encouraged to attend the monthly board meetings held at the Central Office. There is an open line of communication between all levels of administration and staff. Teachers are invited to express their opinions and concerns during monthly leadership team meetings. Teachers are given the opportunity and encouraged to further their education and acquire professional learning units for certification purposes. Central office personnel keeps teachers and local administration informed of certification issues. System-wide meetings were conducted with paraprofessionals to address certification issues. We have aligned professional development with the State’s academic content and student academic content achievement standards of literacy, content literacy, and mathematics. Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA) Waiver “To complement the instructional materials that are being developed to assist teachers in the delivery of instruction for the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards, the state intends to employ the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the design of curricula so that methods, materials, and assessments meet the needs of all students.” Our aligned professional development is as follows:

Literacy:  Text Complexity  Reading Analytically  Writing about Reading  How to help struggling readers access complex texts  Writing Across the Genres of CCGPS 15 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring.  Lucy Calkins Common Core Writing Units of Study  Universal Design for Learning in the Literacy Classrooms  Thinking Maps  WIDA training for academic vocabulary development Content Literacy:  Science Writing Heuristic Model  STEM  Reading & Analyzing Complex Historical Texts such as Primary Source Documents  Writing Analytical Essays about Complex Historical Texts  Thinking Maps  WIDA training for academic vocabulary development Mathematics  Formative Assessment Lessons for Math  Universal Design for Learning in the Math Classroom  Increasing Rigor in the Math Classroom  Incorporating Writing in the Math Classroom  Implementing Higher Order Questions in the Math Classroom  Thinking Maps  WIDA training for academic vocabulary development

At West Central, collaborative planning, CCGPS training, and differentiation training are ongoing. These meetings are conducted both on-site to address grade level concerns, as well as during system-wide meetings on teacher in-service days. In addition, West Central faculty will continue to participate in the following professional development activities:  RTI (Response to Intervention)  SST (Student Support Team)  Needs Assessment  Writing in Math 16 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring.  Number Talks and Number Corner  Mathematical Contexts for Learning  Universal Design for Learning  iPad training  Peer observations (“Instructional Rounds”) twice a month  Book study for continuing development of depth, rigor, and relevance in math  Comprehension and Collaboration Inquiry Circles in Action professional text  Close reading of complex texts  Teacher Keys  Implementation of Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Writing  Readers/Writers/Math Workshop  Learning Styles  Engage New York units of study for math  Maximizing Parent Conferences  System 44 training  “Lifting the Level of Close Reading and Writing about Reading” Conference

C. Through Title I funds, West Central has hired two literacy and one and a half math coaches... The school level instructional coaches provide the majority of professional learning:  Provide job-embedded professional development through the use of the RCS Coaching Protocol which encompasses: modeling, co-teaching, observation and feedback.  Lead teachers in data analysis which in turn drives instruction.  Provide specific training to teachers around best practice instruction in literacy, content literacy, and mathematics. Best practices include Universal Design for Learning, higher order questioning, student collaboration, and standards based instruction.  Hold weekly meetings in order to assist teachers in planning rigorous instruction using their content specific units.  Support teachers in administering benchmark assessments such as: DIBELS Next, GRASP, SRI, OAS, etc.

17 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring.  Support teachers in providing strategies that support at risk students  Support teachers in providing differentiated instruction in the literacy, content literacy, and mathematics classrooms.

D. We have included teachers in professional development activities regarding the use of academic assessments such as Formative Assessment Lessons (mathematics), GRASP, DIBELS Next, Scholastic Reading Inventory, OAS/Benchmarks, and CRCT to enable them to make instructional decisions which will enable all students to make adequate academic gains.  GRASP  Scholastic Reading Inventory  DynEd  Read 180  System 44  Scholastic Reading Counts  Running Records  MAZE  DIBELS  GKIDS  ACCESS  GAA  PALS  Leveled Literacy Intervention  Informal Phonics Inventory  Informal Decoding Inventory  Developmental Reading Assessment  Math Readiness Inventory  CogAT *5. Strategies to increase parental involvement. Response: A. We have involved parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the comprehensive 18 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring. schoolwide program plan by . . . Parents were invited to attend a Steering Committee meeting in May 2014 to review the previous year’s achievement results as well as to brainstorm goals for FY14. During the Title I meeting on May 12, parents were invited to offer feedback on the following topics: Parent Involvement Plan, School-Home Compact, End of Year Evaluation, Schoolwide Program Plan, use of 1% Parent Involvement Title I funds, and to review the parent survey results. Surveys are administered to all parents during our Open House event in August and are available in the front office throughout the year. Another parent survey was administered in the Spring of 2014. Results from both surveys will be used to adjust procedures within the school, including the scheduling of parent activities. Monthly newsletters are sent home in English and Spanish to keep parents informed of any changes or events at the school. Parents are given weekly newsletters from teachers which contain information regarding ways in which they can become involved in their child's learning. Regularly scheduled PTO meetings are held where parents are given the opportunity to interact with teachers and express concerns for their child. Our Parent Involvement Policy was sent home with students in October, is posted on the school’s website, and is available in the front office upon request.

B. We have developed a parent involvement policy included in our appendices that  includes strategies to increase parental involvement such as outreach activities, Family Reading Night; Family Math Night; Trunk, Treat, and Read; Family Science/Social Studies Night; “Interpreting their child’s assessment data” Night  provides timely information about the Title I programs and opportunities for regular meetings, if requested by parents, to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their child, and respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible  describes how the school will provide individual student academic assessment results, including an interpretation of those results such as student reports (DIBELS, SRI, CRCT, CogAT, GRASP) that include a narrative explaining how to interpret those reports, availability of academic coaches at parent functions to explain/interpret data  makes the comprehensive schoolwide program plan available to the LEA, parents, and the public (internet, newspaper, newsletters). The Parent Involvement Plan includes a component that explains that the plan is available in the front office, on our website, and upon request. A copy of 19 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan 2(d). Address the needs of all children, particularly targeted populations, and address how the school will determine if such needs have been met and are consistent with improvement plans approved under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Response: Teacher teams meet regularly (at least once per month) to review data and make instructional decisions based on data. We use a data wall to track students and their progress throughout the school year. At Tier I, we will maintain specific running records for those students who are not meeting standards through formative assessment and performance tasks. We will universally screen and benchmark the students throughout the year to measure the retention of the curriculum to date and to give direction for small groups at both the Tier II and Tier III levels. Students who are responding to the interventions implemented at Tier II will be moved to Tier III. Students who are not responding to the interventions implemented at Tier III will be tested for placement in special education. 2(e). Must include documentation to support that any educational field trip used as an instructional strategy is aligned to the comprehensive needs assessment found in the schoolwide plan and must be connected to the support of assisting students to achieve proficiency or advanced status in relation to the State Academic content standards. Documentation must be provided during the budget approval process. Required based on FY12 US ED monitoring. the Parent Involvement Plan was sent home with each student in October.

A copy of the Parent Involvement plan can be found in Appendix A.

*6. Plans for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood programs to local elementary school programs. Response: Through an initiative with Bright From the Start, Head Start/Tallatoona Agency, and all Rome City Elementary Schools, parenting classes are provided by Mrs. Miller, Parent Liaison to help with the transition to our elementary school. In addition, an orientation is provided annually to inform parents of upcoming Pre-K students of the goals and mission of the school. Monthly parenting meetings are held to provide information on setting up a home conducive to learning. Pre-K students spend an academic day in a kindergarten class towards the end of the year to experience how kindergarten differs from Pre-K. We encourage the inclusion of pre-k parents in school activities and pre-registration.

Screenings are conducted for possible Special Education placements by our SLP and Special Education Teachers. Inclusion of Pre-k parents in school activities and preregistration testing is encouraged whenever possible.

6th Grade students visit the local middle school in the spring for a tour and orientation during the school day. Parents of 6th graders are invited to the middle school for a tour and orientation in the spring as well. Students with Disabilities are required to have a transition plan and meeting as a part of their IEP in preparation for the transition to middle school.

*7. Measures to include teachers in the decisions regarding the use of assessment to provide information on, and to improve, the performance of individual students and the overall instructional program. Response: A. Administrators and teachers are involved in analyzing testing data and using that data to develop the school improvement plan. These meetings take place during common collaborative planning, departmental meetings, and monthly faculty meetings. The data includes results from formative and summative assessments such as SRI, Scholastic Reading Counts, Running Records, DIBELS, GRASP, MAZE, CRCT, CogAT, System 44, Math180, and Read 180. Modifications are derived 20 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan based on student need. The Pyramid of Intervention is the vehicle used to organize the various modifications documented regularly by classroom teachers. Teachers analyze various assessment results and use anecdotal classroom evidence as well as progress monitoring to determine in which tier each student belongs. Strategies from Tier I, II, or III are implemented based on the results determined by the universal screeners used. Benchmark assessments, teacher recommendation, and a student's behavior are factors that are considered for placement for modifications. The intent of the Pyramid is to support all students. *8. Coordination and integration of Federal, State, and local services and programs. Response: A. This component requires a description of how the school will implement the programs listed above, a description of how Title I resources and other resources will be coordinated to support student achievement goals in the school improvement plan, and a listing of all state and federal programs consolidated in the school-wide plan. Academic coaches funded through Title I serve as instructional leaders and model best practices for teachers. They also facilitate collaboration among teachers and lead professional learning. The Parent Involvement Coordinator collaborates with teachers and the principal to facilitate parent conferences, arrange events that include parents, and to coordinate parent education events. The Title I Teacher collaborates with the academic coaches and teachers to create intervention plans for at-risk students in a pullout and push-in model. The Read 180, Math180, and System 44 programs are utilized to provide extra reading instruction to at-risk students.

8(a). List of State and local educational agency programs and other federal programs that will be included.

Response: PROGRAM How funds will be used Title I, Part A Two Literacy Coaches, one and a half Math Coaches, Title I Teacher, Title I Paraprofessional, Parent Liaison

Computer software, technology, supplemental resources and materials to support math instruction, Afterschool Tutorial Title II A – Improving Teacher Quality Professional learning materials and resources such as books, conferences Title III, Part A of ESEA, Language ESOL materials and resources such as DynEd, Instruction for Limited English Proficient assessments, and literacy materials and Immigrant Student Title I, C – Migrant Ed NA Title IV – Safe and Drug Free Schools NA Title VI-B, Rural and Low Income NA IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Act Desktop computers, IEP resources, literacy and math kits School Improvement Grant (SIG) NA School Nutrition Program Free and Reduced Lunch Pre K/DECAL Desktop computers, printers, and instructional supplies State funds (QBE) One principal, one assistant principal, one media specialist, one counselor, 58 teachers, and 5 paraprofessionals

21 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan State Funded Professional Learning Leader Keys training PTO Celebrations and rewards for teachers and students Community Partners Donations for Trunk, Treat, and Read GYSTC Star Lab, Family Math Night resources

8(b). Description of how resources from Title I and other sources will be used. Response: Academic coaches funded through Title I serve as instructional leaders and model best practices for teachers. They also facilitate collaboration among teachers and lead professional learning. The Parent Liaison collaborates with teachers and the principal to facilitate parent conferences when it becomes necessary and to coordinate parent education events. The Title I Teacher collaborates with the academic coaches and teachers to create intervention plans for at-risk students in a pullout model. The Read 180/System 44 program is utilized to provide extra reading and phonics instruction to at-risk students. Laptop computers will be utilized in math and literacy classrooms to provide intensive and engaging Tier I and II support for at-risk students. The Math180 program is utilized to provide extra math instruction to at- risk students in grades 5 and 6. These programs will support differentiated instruction and the increase of technology skills included in the Common Core State Standards. *9. Activities to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering standards shall be provided with effective, timely assistance, which shall include: Response: We are providing activities to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering proficient or advanced levels of academic achievement standards shall be provided with effective, timely additional assistance. Those activities are . . .  Read 180  RtI (with classroom teachers)  Support classes provided by Title I Teacher and Title I Paraprofessional  Small-group instruction  Math Explorations activity class  GRASP Tier I and Tier II Action Plans  Math180  Flexible skills group  Road to the Code  Sound Partners  Response to Literature  Summer Opportunity  DynEd  LLI  System 44  Dreambox  After School tutorial  Great Parents Academy  Earobics Students are assigned individual ID's to access OAS from their homes for additional practice. Read 180 and System 44 are utilized to provide remediation in comprehension and phonics to identified at- risk students. Math180 is utilized to provide remediation in math skills to identified at-risk students.

22 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan Students not performing at grade level are invited to attend a free afterschool tutorial program held twice a week by certified personnel to enhance reading and math skills during the months of January, February, March, and April. During the instructional day teachers provide instruction through small- group, whole-group, and individual conferences to scaffold or accelerate a student's learning as well as determine areas of possible remediation. Title I Teacher provides needs-based literacy instruction in small groups for students in grades K-6. ESOL teachers provide remediation through both inclusion and resource models. Timely assistance is provided due to teachers’ frequent progress monitoring as well as the academic coaches’ and principal’s regular examination of formative and summative assessment data (DIBELS, GRASP, SRI, Benchmark assessments). When a student is “flagged” by school personnel, a Tier II action plan is immediately implemented and monitored throughout the year or until the problem is corrected. 9(a). Measures to ensure that student weaknesses are identified on a timely basis. Response: Students are assessed throughout the school year at regular intervals (at least quarterly). The results of the assessments are analyzed by the academic coaches, principal, and classroom teachers. Any students who are below grade level or demonstrate deficits are then identified for remediation. 9(b). Periodic training for teachers in the identification of weaknesses and appropriate assistance for identified weaknesses. Response: Data analysis is used to determine the content areas that need the most attention. Specific strategies are developed once the individual student needs are identified. Common planning time is used to look at and discuss ways to differentiate instruction based on the data that has been collected through assessments. Departmental meetings also provide an opportunity for teachers to plan vertically and address individual student needs. Grade-level meetings in each content area are also used for teachers and academic coaches to identify at-risk students based on formative and summative assessments. 9c). Teacher-parent conferences that detail what the school will do to help the student, what the parents can do to help the student, and additional assistance available to the student at the school or in the community. Response: Parent conferences are conducted throughout the school year to address any difficulties that students are having. In addition, two days (in October and March) are set aside specifically for parent conferences. Students are dismissed early on those days to accommodate the conference schedule. During conferences, parents are provided with a written report of their child’s strengths and weaknesses as well as specific strategies and tools that parents can use at home to help. RtI, SST, and IEP meetings are held periodically, and parents are invited to attend those to discuss students’ strengths and weaknesses and to develop a plan. Conferences by phone are also frequently conducted to update parents on their students’ progress and address any concerns. 10. Description of how individual student assessment results and interpretation will be provided to parents. Response: Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment results are provided to the parent through the use of weekly communication folders, a school-wide mail-out, and at parent conferences. The school counselor and teacher are available for help with interpretation of the results. In addition, academic coaches are available during PTO functions and upon request to help parents interpret assessment results. When assessment results are disseminated, a letter explaining the results and any potential areas of concern is also included. 11. Provisions for the collection and disaggregation of data on the achievement and assessment results of students.

23 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan Response: Parents are invited to attend Title I informational meetings in which the principal provides a snapshot overview of achievement results. Parents are also invited to attend monthly board meetings which involve a Focus on Student Achievement for each school month by month. Test data is collected according to state guidelines that are provided by the system Test Coordinator. The State Department of Education provides the school with a disaggregation of the data. At the school level, the administrative team and teachers disaggregate the data to develop student profiles that help ensure that the needs of all students are being met. Data is collected regularly from school-wide formative and summative assessments such as DIBELS, SRI, GRASP, MAZE, benchmark assessments, 5th/3rd Grade Writing Test, CogAT, GKIDS, ACCESS, and CRCT. This data is disaggregated by teachers, academic coaches, and the principal into demographic subgroups and analyzed for patterns, anomalies, and possible deficiencies in instruction. Each teacher is given a copy of their class summary report. Teachers use the summary report to analyze the data on their class results. Teachers are asked to complete a class profile sheet which includes a breakdown of students who score level 1, 2, and 3 in reading, ELA, and math. Teachers look at the progress of the students over time. Teachers utilize the student information system (PowerSchool and LDS) report that shows how their students scored this year and the previous year. Data analysis is conducted at each grade level and is facilitated by the academic coaches. Teachers identify specific domain weaknesses and strengths. Root cause analysis is conducted on each identified weakness. Teachers create a plan of attack to address and correct the weaknesses. The WCE data team will be created this year and be comprised of grade, non-homeroom, and content level teachers. These teachers will collaboratively analyze data from multiple data sources that include District Benchmark, State Assessments, DIBELS, and other common formative assessments, identify strengths of learning and obstacles to student learning and determine instructional research-based instructional strategies that will best address their students and learning objectives. Teachers will meet monthly to analyze the effectiveness of the instructional strategies selected and implemented at the previous data team meeting by examining student performance data that was measured using common assessments. We will also use our data team to monitor progress of our lower academic functioning students. 12. Provisions to ensure that disaggregated assessment results for each category are valid and reliable. Response: Data for diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments is disseminated by the test providers and analyzed by multiple stakeholders (principal, counselor, academic coaches). The state assessments are given across Georgia. The validity and reliability have been established at the state level. The assessment results are disaggregated at the State level based on the Student Information System data that is uploaded by each school district. The Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Data Clerk is responsible for ensuring that students who are eligible for free/reduced lunch are marked in the Student Information System. The administrators, along with the school counselor, ensure that the student test booklets are properly coded to reflect the identified economically disadvantaged students. 13. Provisions for public reporting of disaggregated data. Response: Parents are invited to attend annual Title I informational meeting in which the principal provides a snapshot overview of achievement results. Parents are also invited to attend monthly board meetings which involve a Focus on Student Achievement for each school month by month. In addition, the School-wide Program Plan is available on the school website as well as upon request. 14. Plan developed during a one-year period, unless LEA, after considering the recommendation of its technical assistance providers, determines that less time is needed to develop and implement the schoolwide program. Response: This plan was developed and implemented during a one-year period.  May 12, 2014 – Title I Parent Input Meeting

24 Georgia Department of Education Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan  May 14, 2014 – Steering Committee Meeting  May 20, 2014 – Faculty Meeting

 May 28, 2014 – Data Retreat to formulate SWP  July 28, 2014 – Faculty Meeting to review data and draft of SWP

 August 1, 2014 – Submit SWP to LEA for approval 15. Plan developed with the involvement of the community to be served and individuals who will carry out the plan including teachers, principals, other school staff, and pupil service personnel, parents and students (if secondary). Response: Multiple stakeholders were involved in the development of the plan, including the principal, academic coaches, teachers, Parent Liaison, and parents. The Steering Committee is comprised of administrators, parents, and teachers. Meetings were held with the faculty on 5.20.2014 and 7.28.2014 regarding current levels of student achievement. A Steering Committee meeting was held on 5.14.2014 to examine student achievement data and determine greatest needs. A parent meeting was conducted on 5.12.2014 to disseminate student achievement information and to solicit ideas for improvement that could be used in the plan. 16. Plan available to the LEA, parents, and the public. Response: Information about the availability of the plan will be provided in the monthly parent newsletter in English and Spanish. The plan will also be available on the school’s website as well as in the school office upon request.The plan will also be distributed in the following ways: At the Annual Title I meeting in the fall of 2014 (via PowerPoint and distribution of paper copies) A Notification letter will be sent home indicating that the plan is available on the School Website (link to the plan) and that paper copies are also available. The monthly school newsletter and school website will also state that copies are available per request in the front office. 17. Plan translated to the extent feasible, into any language that a significant percentage of the parents of participating students in the school speak as their primary language. Response: Plan will be available in Spanish upon request. 18. Plan is subject to the school improvement provisions of Section 1116. Response: At this time we are not a Priority, Focus, or Alert School. If we were to become a Priority, Focus, or Alert school, we would look at our data to determine root causes that led us to that particular status. We would collaborate with our assigned advisor from GaDOE or RESA and put into place action plans that would help us move out of that status. We would follow the school improvement provisions of section 1116 of ESEA as amended by Georgia’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver.