A Self Study For
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IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING © Copyright 2013 A Self Study for: St. Madeleine Sophie School 4400 – 130th PL SE Bellevue, WA 98006 Continuous School Improvement Focused On High Achievement Of All Students 2019 Page 1 | 132 Preface The completion of this St. Madeleine Sophie School Self Study document gives our entire community solid data and a clear direction for continued school improvement. The process of gaining input from our varied constituencies and completing a thoughtful analysis of our progress to date has allowed us to identify our strengths and areas for growth. The action plan will help us attain our goal of continuing to increase student learning. Our eighteen-month-long journey has given us a deeper appreciation of the value of data-driven instruction focusing on our Student Learning Expectations. Examination of our assessment procedures and tools continues to help us align our curriculum outcomes with solid evidence. We take this opportunity to thank all those connected to the school and parish who devoted considerable time and talent working on all facets of the Self Study. Our teaching and support staff, our School Commission, the parent community, and parish leadership groups are all to be especially congratulated for their tremendous support, active involvement and constant patience during the undertaking. In particular, we express deepest appreciation to our retired founding pastor, Fr. Jim Picton and the original Task Force for their vision and planning. Together, they dreamed of establishing a school where none had existed and set about creating the framework and soliciting the resources necessary to open our unique venture. In continuing this mission, we remained blessed to be guided by the wise and thoughtful direction of Loretta Wright Sursely, our newly appointed Pastoral Coordinator. Likewise, we extend our gratitude to Chairperson Dr. Catherine Muzzy, Ed.D., Principal of The Parish School of St. Edward the Confessor, Dana Point, CA for her positive guidance and support of our Improving Student Learning document. We are also grateful to Kristin Dixon, Superintendent of Schools for our Archdiocese of Seattle and the entire staff in her office for providing excellent assistance and feedback during our accreditation process. Finally, we acknowledge the heavenly assistance of the many who played a role in creating and supporting this school and who have earned their eternal reward. They daily intervene on our behalf, serving as our “guardian Seraphs,” and their uplifting and grace-filled presence remains with us always. Page 2 | 132 Serve Lead Love Learn Matthew Mark Luke John St. Madeleine Sophie Schoolwide Learning Expectations In FAITH, As a person who - Can demonstrate a value for diversity and work to become an advocate for justice. - Name and appreciate the abundance of my daily blessings. SERVES, I… - Attempt to reach out to others by sharing my gifts of time, talent and resources. - Actively demonstrate involvement in my faith community and neighborhood. - Commit to a lifestyle that models my faith journey. As a person who - Work collaboratively with others for the betterment of the whole. - Accept responsibility for my actions and myself. LEADS, I… - Listen actively and critically to become a proactive problem solver. - Commit to seeking peaceful resolutions of conflict. - Base my decisions in Gospel values. As a person who - Can demonstrate compassion, acceptance, empathy and respect for others and for all of creation. LOVES, I… - Seek to affirm a positive image in others and myself. - Am emotionally aware, self-disciplined, and committed to a healthy lifestyle. - Reach out to others, forgive hurts, mend relationships and heal wounds. - Develop a relationship with God. As a person who - Can demonstrate my knowledge of the beliefs, history, and practices of my faith. - Commit to the goal to master or exceed our school’s curriculum standards. LEARNS, I… - Take responsibility for my own learning. - Apply the organizational, study, and time management skills that best fit my style of learning. - Strive to show creativity and independence. - Develop self-discipline, self-confidence, and self-motivation. Page 3 | 132 MISSION STATEMENT - ST. MADELEINE SOPHIE SCHOOL Building lives of promise. Living lives of faith. St. Madeleine Sophie School is dedicated to providing the highest quality education in an environment of Catholic faith and moral values. We seek to develop Christian leadership by promoting active service in the wider community. Our graduates will be equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities of life-long education in a diverse and complex world. St. Madeleine Sophie School is entering the fifteenth year of a journey to become recognized as the premier Catholic parish PK-Grade 8 program on the Eastside. Our academic goal is the mastery of skills enabling students to achieve their greatest potential for success in high school and beyond. We strive to be a faith-based educational community that is as welcoming and responsive as possible to the needs of all parish families who exhibit the desire to attend. As space is available, enrollment is opened to the larger community. From the earliest meetings called to envision our new school, it was clear that an intention to invite a diverse community was of highest priority. "As a Catholic school ministry of St. Madeleine Sophie Parish, we welcome and embrace the children of this faith community, never intentionally turning them away because of economic, social, or educational need." -School Commission Statement on Inclusion In order to best serve this rich diversity of students, special emphasis is given to recruiting staff who are skilled in teaching students within a broad range of learning abilities. So, too, we are committed to administering a tuition plan in such a way that no parish family with a legitimate desire for a Catholic education will ever be turned away for financial reasons. Most importantly, St. Madeleine Sophie School is the extension of the broad mix of quality ministries at which the parish excels. The program has been created to complement and enhance the community’s outreach to parish youth and collaborates with the parish leadership’s faith formation goals, giving parents an additional resource to aid in their role as the primary educator of their children. STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY St. Madeleine Sophie School was founded on the premise that each person has a unique and dynamic relationship with our Creator. Thus, our goal is to stimulate within the child a growing awareness of this relationship both as an individual and as a member of the Church community. The result of this awareness is a child encouraged to become a creative and responsible member of society. We acknowledge that each child has his/her own time and place of learning and a method and motivation for the things he/she will learn. Furthermore, the sense of wonder and love of life is inherent in every child and must be nurtured. Our commitment, then, is to facilitate an on-going self-education within the child and to provide a creative environment with opportunities for individual self-direction and decision-making. As a Catholic school, we strive to become a community of believers where parents, staff and students seek to grow in the knowledge and love of God and one another. In our pursuit of academic success, instruction emboldened by Catholic values functions as the underlying reality in which the students' experiences of learning and living reach their deepest meaning. Flowing from this understanding, St. Madeleine Sophie School operates with the goal of providing the Christian Educational Community necessary for such growth to take place. Page 4 | 132 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION A. HOW THE SELF STUDY WAS CONDUCTED…………………………………………………………..…..7 B. INVOLVEMENT AND COLLABORATION OF SHAREHOLDERS IN COMPLETING THE SELF STUDY ……………………………………………………………………………………..…. 9 CHAPTER 2 - CONTEXT OF THE SCHOOL A. SCHOOL PROFILE……………………………………………………………..………………….……..….…11 B. USE OF PRIOR ACCREDITATION FINDINGS…………………………………...………………….……19 CHAPTER 3 – QUALITY OF THE SCHOOL’S PROGRAM A. ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL’S CATHOLIC IDENTITY………………………………..………24 B. DEFINING THE SCHOOL’S PURPOSE………………………………………………………….…………28 C. ORGANIZATION FOR STUDENT LEARNING TO SUPPORT HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS……………………………………………………………….…32 D. DATA ANALYSIS AND ACTION TO SUPPORT HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS….…36 E. SLES AND STANDARDS BASED CURRICULUM TO SUPPORT HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS……………………………………………………….…………39 F. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY TO SUPPORT HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS…………………………………………………………………………………………….……43 G. SUPPORT FOR STUDENT SPIRITUAL, PERSONAL, AND ACADEMIC GROWTH.……............…47 H. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT HIGH ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS………………………………………………………...….……55 CHAPTER 4 – ACTION PLAN A. DESIGN AND ALIGNMENT OF THE ACTION PLAN WITH THE SELF STUDY FINDINGS……..59 B. CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR THE ACTION PLAN…………………………………..80 APPENDIX A & B……………………………………………………………………………………...81 AN IN-DEPTH STUDY IN SCIENCE.………………………………………………..……….....…116 Page 5 | 132 St. Madeleine Sophie School Staff 2018-19 Adler, Kasia Extended Care Director Balinbin, Amanda Teacher, Grade 3 Connell, Andrea Teacher, Grade 5 Connelly, Ryan Custodial Assistant Ehle, Todd Teacher, PE Helmer, Jennifer Office Assistant Heric, Kalli Teacher, Grade 1 Licitra, Meredith Teacher, Kindergarten Madden, Karen Teacher, PK Maguire, Terry Teacher, Science