Brevard Public SchoolsSchool Improvement Plan

2015 – 2016

Name of School: Area:

Principal: Area Superintendent:

SAC Chairperson:

Superintendent: Dr. Desmond Blackburn

Mission Statement:

To serve each student with high levels of support and provide opportunities to develop to their fullest potential

Vision Statement:

To have a culture of dedication, collaboration, and lifelong learning to serve all Gemini students by maximizing their potential and empowering them with the essential skills to learn, work, and succeed in the 21st century

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SouthGemini

Dr. Mark MullinsJoseph Loffek

Marianne Hamilton

Stakeholder Involvement in School Improvement Planning: Briefly explain how stakeholders are involved in the development, review, and communication of the SIP.

Gemini thrives on shared leadership and the involvement of all stakeholders including: students, teachers and staff, parents, and community members. Administration facilitates the development, review, and communication process to ensure that Gemini’s School Improvement Plan (SIP) aligns with Brevard County School’s Vision, Mission, and Strategic Plan.

Gemini’s SIP Development Process:

• Stakeholders conduct a prior year qualitative and quantitative data analysis. This occurs in May through August during Professional Learning Communities (Leadership Teams, SAC, and PTO).o Guiding Question: Did we meet our projected measurable outcomes?

▪ If so, what structures contributed to our success?▪ If not, what factors prohibited our success?▪ How do our results compare to similar demographical schools? ▪ What is our priority area of growth moving forward?

• Stakeholders determine whether to stay with current SIP goal or initiate a new goal based on qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

• Stakeholder teams take portions of the SIP to complete. For example, the IPST Team completes the MTSS/RtI (Part 2) section of the SIP.

• The SIP draft is shared through Google Docs so stakeholders can update and save their information and documentation as needed.

Gemini’s SIP Review Process:

• SIP Draft is presented to Leadership Teams, SAC, and PTO for review.• Input and feedback is gathered and revisions are made as necessary• Final SIP Draft (once approved by BPS) is shared with all stakeholders through Leadership Teams,

SAC, and PTO.• Quarterly SIP reviews occur through Leadership Teams, SAC, and PTO to ensure that SIP Action Steps

are being implemented according to Timetables. • Action Steps and/or Timetables are modified based on stakeholder feedback.

Gemini’s SIP Communication Process:

• Articulated through monthly Professional Learning Communicates and Meetings (SAC, PTO, Leadership Teams, District Meetings)

• Gemini’s Newsletter – GemiNews

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• Gemini’s Edline Webpage • Gemini’s PTO Webpage• Hardcopies available in Front Office• Reviewed with new hires and college interns throughout the school year.

Brevard Public SchoolsSchool Improvement Plan

2015-2016

Part 1: Planning for Student AchievementRATIONALE – Continuous Improvement Cycle Process Data Analysis from multiple data sources:

What are the areas of successful professional practices and what data shows evidence of improvements?

2014-15 Classroom Walkthrough Data:

● Learning Environment: 100% (14 out of 14) teachers observed had respectful student interactions, class expectations/behavior posted, and students were highly engaged.

2015 Instructional Culture INSIGHT Survey:

● Gemini receives “Top Quartile School” distinction based on teacher survey resultso Gemini’s overall index – 9.7 out of 10 o Leadership – 9.4o Learning Environment – 9.2o Peer Culture – 8.9o Professional Development – 8.5

2014-15 IPPAS Data – Distinguished Results

● 28 out of 34 teachers (82%) set instructional outcomes and aligns instruction with state-adopted standards

● 30 out of 34 teachers (88%) require students to understand and demonstrate skills and competencies

● 32 out of 34 teachers (94%) promote a flexible, inclusive, collaborative, and student-centered learning environment

● 31 out of 34 teachers (91%) create and maintain a safe and organized learning environment

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● 32 out of 34 teachers (94%) create a positive environment of respect and rapport

2014-15 BPS Parent Survey

● 40 out of 48 Parents (83%) rated their satisfaction with classroom instruction as excellent or good.● 44 out of 50 Parents (88%) rated their child’s learning for teamwork (working in groups, sharing

responsibility) as excellent or good.● 44 out of 50 Parents (88%) rated their satisfaction with a safe school environment as excellent or

good.

2015 May Gemini Teacher Survey

23 out of 28 teachers (82%) reported that they are fully proficient and fully or somewhat implementing standards-based instruction

What are the concerns with professional practices and how are they revealed with data?

2014-15 Classroom Walkthrough Data:

● Rigor – CWT Team used Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Questioning graphic to record observations of rigor. ● Level One (Recall) – 86 occurrences● Level Two (Skill/Concept) – 55 occurrences● Level Three (Strategic Thinking) – 33 occurrences● Level Four (Extended Thinking) – 25 occurrences

2015 Instructional Culture INSIGHT Survey:

● Career Progression – 7.2 out of 10o Only 16 out of 26 teachers (60%) reported that there are opportunities for them to advance

at their school● Common Core – 8.3 out of 10

o Only 14 out of 26 teachers (54%) believe that the Common Core will help prepare our students for college or career

● Student Growth Measures – 8.2 out of 10o Only 18 out of 26 teachers (68%) reported that our school has dedicated time for teachers to

analyze interim assessments and to re-teach content based on student performance

2014-15 IPPAS Data – Distinguished Results

● 20 out of 34 teachers (59%) design instruction using student prior knowledge and diagnostic student

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data coherent lessons● 17 out of 34 teachers (50%) maintain a climate of inquiry● 20 out of 34 teachers (59%) employ higher order questions● 15 out of 34 teachers (44%) deliver engaging, challenging and relevant lessons● 13 out of 34 teachers (38%) analyzes and applies data from multiple measures to diagnose student’s

learning needs, inform instruction, and monitor progress

2014-15 BPS Parent Survey

● 35 out of 50 Parents (70%) rated their satisfaction with technology integration as excellent or good● 33 out of 49 Parents (67%) rated their child’s learning of real-world issues (financial, environmental,

community, civic, health style) as excellent or good.● 30 out of 48 Parents (62%) rated their satisfaction of their child’s learning how to research (finding

books, articles, reliable online information) as excellent or good.

May 2015 Gemini Teacher Survey

10 out of 28 teachers (35%) stated that the are only somewhat proficient and somewhat implementing Rigor

8 out of 28 teachers (29%) stated that they are either somewhat proficient but not implementing or unfamiliar with Learning Scales for students

Gemini’s May 2015 Teacher Survey

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2014-2015 Gemini Elementary Student Data Analysis

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Benchmarks:

HFW – 55

LS – 26

Lower & Uppercase Letters – 26

First Grade BELLA Benchmark = 70%

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Running Records EOY Benchmark = 18

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Second Grade BELAA Benchmark = 70%

Running Records Benchmark = 30

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Third Grade BELAA Benchmark = 70%

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Fourth Grade BELAA Benchmark = 70%

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Fifth Grade BELAA Benchmark = 70%

Sixth Grade BELAA Benchmark = 70%

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2014-2015 FAIR-FS Student Data Analysis for Grades 3-6

AP1 – September 2014

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2014-2015 FAIR-FS Student Data Analysis for Grades 3-6

AP3 – May 2015

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What are the areas of successful student achievements and what data shows evidence of improvements?

In analyzing the 2014-15 KLS results for Kindergarten, it is evident that Gemini’s students made academic gains in all reported areas. We celebrate our Kindergarten students’ success in mastering 53.4 high frequency words by May 2015 when they only knew 9.4 when they entered Kindergarten in August 2014.

Disaggregating the 2014-15 Brevard English Language Arts Assessments (BELAA) for Grades 1-6 indicate that Gemini:

1st Grade students made a 3% academic gain in Conventions from 67% to 70% 2nd Grade students made a 6% academic gain in Conventions from 64% to 70% 3rd Grade students made an academic gain in all reporting areas: Reading Comprehension (RC), Writing (W),

and Conventions(C). o 7% gain in Reading Comprehension from 75% to 81% o 7% gain in Writing from 66% to 71% o 6% gain in Conventions from 59% to 77%

4th Grade students made a 6% academic gain in Conventions from 73% to 79% 5th Grade students made an academic gain in all reporting areas: Reading Comprehension (RC), Writing (W),

and Conventions(C). o 1% gain in Reading Comprehension from 78% to 79% o 8% gain in Writing from 75% to 83% o 7% gain in Conventions from 78% to 85%

2014-15 FAIR-FS Analysis for Grades 3-6:

Probability of Literacy Success (PLS). The Probability of Literacy Success score indicates the likelihood that a student will reach end of year expectations in literacy. For the purposes of the FAIR-FS in the 2014-2015 school year, reaching expectations is defined as performing at or above the 40th percentile on the Stanford Achievement Test, Tenth Edition (SAT-10)3. The PLS is used to determine which students are at-risk for meeting grade level expectations by the end of the school year. In addition to providing a precise probability of reaching grade level outcomes, the PLS is color-coded

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and the goal is to increase your “green” and reduce your “yellow” and “red”:

red = the student is at high risk and needs supplemental and/or intensive instruction targeted to the student’s skill weaknesses

yellow = the student may be at-risk and educators may consider differentiating instruction for the student and/or providing supplemental instruction

green = the student is likely not at-risk and will continue to benefit from strong universal instruction Gemini students in Grades 3, 5, and 6 had tremendous growth in their Probability of Literacy Success from September 2014 to May 2015.

GRADE GREEN YELLOW RED3 48% to 80% (+32) 52% to 20% (-32) 0 to 0 (N/A)4 68% to 67% (-1) 25% to 29% (+4) 7% to 4% (-3)5 66% to 72% (+6) 30% to 25% (-5) 4% to 3% (-1)6 49% to 60% (+11) 44% to 35% (-9) 7% to 4% (-3)

Reviewing the 2014-15 1st and 2nd Grade Running Records data illustrates a great increase in student’s fluency rates.

1st Grade – 5.5 WPM in August 2014 to 20.8 WPM in May 2015. The EOY Benchmark is 18 2nd Grade – 21.4 WPM in August 2014 to 29.9 WPM in May 2015. The EOY Benchmark is 30

What are the concerns with student achievements and how are they revealed to the data?

Disaggregating the 2014-15 Brevard English Language Arts Assessments (BELAA) for Grades 1-6 indicate that Gemini:

1st Grade students declined by 8% in Reading Comprehension from 84% to 76%. While they made a 4% gain in Writing from 63% to 67%, they are still below the expectation of 70%

2nd Grade had no change in Reading Comprehension from 74% to 74% 4th Grade had no change in Reading Comprehension from 77% to 77%. While they are above the expectation

in Writing (70% or above), they decreased by 2% in Writing from 81% to 79%. 6th Grade decreased by 6% in Reading Comprehension from 81% to 75%. While they exceeded the Writing

and Conventions expectation of 70% or above, they decreased by 2% in Writing from 86% to 84% and 1% in Conventions from 86% to 85%.

Our 2014-15 FAIR-FS Probability of Literacy Success (PLS) results for 4th grade indicate concerns because there was minimal student growth. Actually, the students’ PLS at grade level decrease by 1%.

GRADE GREEN YELLOW RED4 68% to 67% (-1) 25% to 29% (+4) 7% to 4% (-3)

What other areas of strength or opportunity are revealed in data from leading indicators?19 | P a g e

Gemini has outstanding student behavior. In 2014-15, only six students out of 510 (1% of students) received an out of school suspension. This success is attributed to many factors including the parental support and partnership with the school, teacher’s adept classroom management techniques, our character education program, peer mentoring and role modeling, social skills groups, district support (IPST, Staffing Specialist, School Counselor, and Behavior Analyst) and afterschool clubs and enrichments. Moreover, Gemini has a culture of excellence that fosters positive morale. This was articulated in the 2015 EDI Survey.

Gemini teachers value instructional time and student engagement as evidenced in Administrative informal and formal observations and collegial classroom walk-throughs and observations.

Analysis of Current Practices:

Describe action steps that have become non-negotiable, things that you will continue doing.

Gemini consistently strives for excellence, every day, for all students! Working collaboratively with stakeholders, Gemini has set structures and systems in place to ensure that our students are college and career ready. Our goal is to ensure that Gemini JetStars are life-long learners and have an equitable chance of competing with our nation’s best and brightest.

Through our Professional Learning Communities, we believe that a key element to our success is teacher collaboration. Gemini ensures that its teachers collaborate in various ways. Vertical Articulation Curriculum Teams measure our effectiveness based on results. They guarantee that all curriculum programs and best practices are assessed within their curriculum teams to measure their impact on student learning. These vertical articulation curriculum teams have teacher representatives attend national conferences like the Florida Reading Association (FRA), Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics (FCTM), Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC), and Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST). Teachers acquire new knowledge, describe outstanding programs, learn innovative teaching techniques, acquire the latest research findings, explore new materials and equipment, and attend “make and take” workshops. Our curriculum experts attend their conference with a laser focus for Gemini’s student’s specific needs. Then, these teachers bring their gained curriculum knowledge back to share with all Gemini teachers. All staff members and our School Advisory Council receive relevant and timely information on their effectiveness in achieving intended results. This important and timely analysis of student data across all grade levels in the areas of English language arts, math, technology, and science guide our shared learning and teaching strategies in specific curriculum sub-groups and reporting categories.

Teachers also convene regularly with their grade levels. Grade level teams are given a school-wide objective for each of six scheduled grade level collaboration days and administration attends individual

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team meetings. Teachers form Collaborative Mutual Accountability (CMA) teams and identify their Lowest 25% students. Follow up is conducted through weekly IPST or Child Study Team (CST) meetings and monthly “Kid Talk” (student data and progression) meetings with teachers, administration, and our guidance counselor. Our literacy coach and school psychologist are also invited to attend. Each teacher maintains and utilizes a student data notebook to track, monitor and share their Lowest 25% student’s progress based on assessment item analysis. Working together, administration and teachers will continue to strengthen our ability to analyze student results at the item level. To support this, Performance Matters Training (new student data management system) and Teacher Data Team (TDT) meetings have been scheduled in Gemini’s Professional Development Calendar. The intention is to provide teachers with more planning time to analyze and discuss assessments and student results to guide future instruction.

Moreover, professional development and sharing of best practices occurs consistently with embedded reflection and feedback. Our Media Specialist is instrumental in providing teachers with educational technology training and support. She also collaborates with teachers to ensure technology integration and 21st Century Skills. Gemini creates a Professional Development (PD) calendar to meet the needs of our teachers’ professional growth. While we continue to implement previously learned instructional strategies and prior SIP goals like Marzano’s high-yield strategies, higher order questioning, essential questions, and differentiated instruction, we move forward based on achieved measurable outcomes and observed teaching practices.

Leadership teams evaluated our 2014-2015 SIP school-based objective: The faculty of Gemini Elementary will ensure its Lowest 25% students achieve an annual learning gain and move toward closing the achievement gap. Teachers will collaborate to implement Differentiated Instructional strategies, delivering a laser focus with rigor on specific needs across all subject areas to increase student achievement. Based on the data illustrated in our rationale, Gemini teachers are routinely implementing differentiated instructional (DI) strategies, which are positively affecting student achievement. However, rigor is not being implemented or observed on a consistent or pervasive basis. Moreover, Gemini students articulate the correlation between DI and their success, but they are not aligning rigor to success based on their May 2015 survey results. This evaluation leads our school to believe that teachers require further professional development, implementation, collegial observations, reflection, and feedback on rigorous, Florida Standards Based Instruction (SBI). If teachers have a true, conceptual understating of SBI and rigor, students will achieve mastery of Florida Standards expectations.

With a school-wide implementation of these practices, we have focused our 2015-16 SIP goal on rigorous standards-based instruction. Gemini’s Florida Standards Leadership Team provided professional development on the new Florida Standards (LAFS and MAFS) in 2014-15, however Gemini continues to have a need for deeper knowledge on the “full-intent” of the Florida Standards, prioritizing standards, rigor,

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and learning scales. The new Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) testing site will be revisited with teachers, shared with parents and students in our school newsletter and website, and shared at our annual parent technology night. Our Media Specialist builds students’ keyboarding skills for the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), which requires students in grades 5 and 6 to type their responses. A kid-friendly computer software program, Garfield’s Typing, was purchased and installed on all computer lab and media center machines. Students in grades 2-6 practice within their scheduled media activity rotation.

Gemini has Classroom Walk-Through (CWT) Teams, consisting of four teachers per team. These teams will use forms and “look for” standards based instruction, rigor, student engagement, and higher-order questioning. Each team is scheduled to conduct at least one observation per semester. They will meet with the teachers being observed prior to the classroom walk-through and provide reflective feedback to our teachers afterward. The CWT also presents to all teachers and articulates Gemini’s teaching strengths and achievement toward the SIP goal. This qualitative data will be analyzed during each semester to make adjustments to our professional development and teaching practices.

As part of our Instructional Personnel Performance Appraisal System (IPPAS), our teachers write an annual Professional Growth Plan (PGP). They also conduct collegial observations where they examine best practices, share instructional strategies and have reflective conversations to improve practice. Our teachers welcome this collegial observation as they seek to identify distinguished elements for the three observable dimensions: Learning Environment, Instructional Delivery and Facilitation and Assessment. Gemini’s general education and ESE teachers observe each other while Activity teachers observe like teachers at other schools. Administration supports these collegial observations by scheduling specific observation days where substitute teachers rotate through the classrooms. This procedure prevents teachers from having to conduct their collegial observations during their lunch or planning time.

Gemini’s delivery of Exceptional Student Education (ESE) instruction has been evolving over the past two years. Last year our model in the primary grades (1-3) was primarily a pull out model. Even with this model, our ESE students continue to perform below grade level and make up the Lowest 25% student group. To insure that our primary students master the foundational reading skills and master the Florida Standards and be successful across the curriculum, we are serving our ESE students through an Inclusion model. The ESE Teachers maintain a collaborative relationship with the classroom teacher to focus on individual needs.

At the intermediate level (grades 3-6) the majority of ESE students are also served in the Inclusive setting. We will continue to use pull out services outside of the 90 minute instructional reading block to continue to meet IEP goals and work on specific skills, targeted skills based on student’s need.

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In May 2015, the ESE and IPST Teams collaborate, analyze ESE IEP minutes, and create a master schedule to best serve our ESE students. This schedule is shared with all teachers before they leave for the summer and again during our 2015-16 pre-planning week. We continue to monitor this schedule and make adjustments, as needed. We believe that our master schedule provides consistency throughout grade levels and ensures that all students, especially our ESE students, are included in all grade level curriculum, standards, and activities. We also maintain a school-wide SMART time in the master schedule to ensure that every student has 30 minutes of enrichment, Tier II or Tier III intervention, at least four days a week.

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Best Practice:

Based on research, as it relates to the data analysis above, what should be best practices in the class room?

Best Practice is essential to ensure that high quality, rigorous, standards-based instruction happens every day for every student at Gemini. In order to achieve this, we realize that we need to change our fixed mindset to a growth mindset. All too often, we can all get caught up with doing what is comfortable, rather than doing what is right. With a growth mindset, we learn that we have to stretch or struggle through the learning process. Gemini believes that creating and nurturing a growth mindset for our teachers, students, and parents will get all stakeholders well on their way to believing that children can achieve at high levels and fulfill high expectations. Carol Dwek, Ph.D., states, “The growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests or temperaments- everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” (pg.7) Parents and teachers changing their language from praising intelligence and ability, to praising and acknowledging the effort and the process will help students move away from the fixed mindset that says that qualities are “carved in stone.”

With our focus on Standards Based Instruction, teachers and students will work towards mastery while stretching themselves to meet the challenge. Our vision for Gemini’s students continues to be for them to be prepared with skills that will empower them to learn, work and succeed in the 21st Century. The Glossary of Education Reform states, “The goal of standards based instruction is to ensure that students are acquiring the knowledge and skills that are deemed to be essential to success in school, higher education, careers, and adult life.” By focusing on standards, teachers can use a multitude of varied resources to help each student demonstrate mastery. This ties in directly with Brenda Blackburn’s philosophy on rigor, which follows. Our instruction is not driven by curriculum, but by the standards that have been adopted! We must use the curriculum only as a resource to help achieve that goal. A core idea from Paul Bambrick Santoya states, “Effective instruction is not about whether we taught it. It’s about whether the students learned it.” (pg. 23)

Barbara Blackburn (2008) defines rigor as “creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels, each student is supported so that he or she can learn at high levels, and each student demonstrates learning at high levels” (pg.1).

At Gemini we agree with Blackburn and believe and support her statement, “Rigor is more than a specific lesson or instructional strategy. It is deeper than what a student says or does in response to a lesson. Real rigor is the result of weaving together all

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elements of schooling to improve the achievement and learning of every student.” Students learn best when we scaffold materials and instruction in varied modes (for example, visual, kinesthetic, and verbal), and when we celebrate each step of their individual success. Tiered activities allow student choice, vary the degree of complexity, honor personal interests, and encourage individual investigation. When teachers use varied resource options and encourage students to set personal goals to demonstrate their learning, they show respect for individual styles and prepare students to be contributing members of a group.

The journey toward creating an academic environment where rigor is the norm may seem more attainable when it is seen as a teacher’s commitment to the belief that every student possesses the potential for high level learning. Four tools to consider:

1. Questions and Responses – Push students to respond at high levels, ask extending questions, probe and guide to appropriate answer.

2. Scaffolding in Lessons – Ask guiding questions, chunk information, color code steps of a project, write standards as questions for students to answer.

3. Student Engagement – All students respond, all students discuss content in small groups, all students write a response in a journal or exit slip.

4. Talking with Teachers/Colleagues – Share how you make lessons engaging, how do you monitor student engagement, what support is needed to improve student engagement.

Final Thoughts and Action Planning

Recognizing rigor in classrooms is all about recognizing good instruction. It is important to look for instructional practices that expect students to learn at very high levels and that also gives students the support to achieve at high levels. It is also essential that teachers expect all students to demonstrate their learning at high levels. (Blackburn,B. 2008).

References:

Bambrick-Santoyo, P. with Peiser B. (2012). Leverage Leadership. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Blackburn, B. (2008). Rigor is NOT a Four-Letter Word. Larchmont, NY: Eye on EDUCATION

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Dwek, Carol S., Ph.D. (2008). Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. Randon House Inc., New York.

Glossary of Education Reform. (12/5/14). http://edglossary.org.

School-Based Goal: What can be done to improve instructional effectiveness?

Through a growth mindset educational approach, Gemini teachers will demonstrate instructional rigor through Florida Standards based unit design.

Strategies: Small number of action oriented staff performance objectives.

Barrier Action Steps Person Responsible

Timetable Budget In-Process

Measure

1. Time 1.Utilize Early Release Wednesdays and Thursdays for Teacher Collaboration, Teacher Data Teams, Unit Planning, and Professional Development

All Teachers

Administration

Literacy Coach

Teachers Collaborate and Plan Weekly

Monthly Professional Development

$0 Collaborative Agendas

Master Calendar

PowerPoint Presentations

Sign-In Sheets

Lesson/Unit Plans

2. Lack of Rigor in Instruction

1. Provide Professional Development on Rigor

2. Track and monitor Rigor

Teacher Leaders

Literacy Coach

Quarterly $0 Agendas

Power Points

Sign-In Sheets

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PD to Practice

3. Implement CWT peer observations and feedback

4. Model Lessons with Rigor

Administration

CWT Teacher Teams

Literacy Coach

Quarterly

Once per Semester

Oct. - April

$0

$1500.00

$0

IPPAS-ProGoe

Admin. Informal Classroom Obs. Sheet

CWT Schedule, Data Sheets

Presentation

Literacy Coach Schedule

3. Deficiency of Florida Standards (LAFS/MAFS) Instruction to the “full-intent”

1. Provide PD on Florida Standards, Prioritizing Standards, and Learning Scales

2. Review and Prioritize Florida Standards through grade level and vertical collaboration and feedback

3. After training of Understanding

Jennifer Julian

All Teachers

August 2015

October 2015

February 2015

Sept. 2015

October 2015

$50

$0

Agendas

Power Points

Sign-In Sheets

Priority Standards Charts

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by Design Stages 1 and 2, teachers will create UbD units for math and/or language arts.

4. Provide teachers with support and PD as they conduct student data analysis from multiple sources to diagnose students’ learning needs, inform instruction, and monitor progress.

UbD Team: Bliss, Julian, Loffek, and O’Brien

Jennifer Julian

Denise Coverstone

Kim Donovan

Marianne Hamilton

Teacher Leaders

August 2015

October 2015

February 2016

Sept. 2015-May 2016

$50

$0

Agendas

Power Points

Sign-In Sheets

Agendas

TDT Schedule

Student Tracking Sheets

Performance Matters Presentations and Reports

4. Buy-In of All Stakeholders

1. Provide Growth Mindset PD to Faculty

2. Purchase “Making a Splash” by Carol

Jennifer Julian August 2015 $0 Agendas

Power Points

Sign-In Sheets

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Reiley (one per teacher) and “Growth Mindset in the Classroom” by Mary Cay Ricci (one per grade level)

3. Teachers will Collaborate in Growth Mindset book studies and share Best Practices

4. Provide Growth Mindset articles in GemiNews for all stakeholders

Administration

All Teachers

Teacher Leaders

Cathy Austin

August 2015

Quarterly

Quarterly

$1000.00

$0

$0

Purchase Order

Invoices

Agendas

Gemini Newsletter

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EVALUATION – Outcome Measures and Reflection- begin with the end in mind .

Qualitative and Quantitative Professional Practice Outcomes: Measures the level of implementation of professional practices throughout your school. Use real percentages and numbers.

Where do you want your teachers to be?

Qualitative Data that will be evaluated from the May 2016 Teacher Survey:

Increase the response from 10 out of 28 teachers (35%) stating that they are only somewhat proficient and somewhat implementing Rigor to 15 out of 30 (50%).

Increase the response from 8 out of 28 teachers (29%) stating that they are either somewhat proficient but not implementing or unfamiliar with Learning Scales for students

Quantitative Data that will be evaluated from the 2015-16 IPPAS Evaluation Results:

Increase from 20 out of 34 teachers (59%) design instruction using student prior knowledge and diagnostic student data coherent lessons to 25 out of 35 teachers (71%)

Increase from 17 out of 34 teachers (50%) maintain a climate of inquiry to 23 out of 35 teachers (66%)

Increase from 20 out of 34 teachers (59%) employ higher order questions to 25 out of 34 teachers (71%)

Increase from 15 out of 34 teachers (44%) deliver engaging, challenging and relevant lessons to 20 out of 35 teachers (57%)

Increase from 13 out of 34 teachers (38%) analyzes and applies data from multiple measures to diagnose student’s learning needs, inform instruction, and monitor progress to 18 out of 35 teachers (51%)

Quantitative Data that will be evaluated from the 2015-16 Classroom Walk-Through Forms:

Rigor – CWT Team used Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Questioning graphic to record observations of rigor.

Level One (Recall) – 86 occurrences – decrease by 15% to 73 occurrences

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Level Two (Skill/Concept) – 55 occurrences – decrease by 10% to 50 occurrences Level Three (Strategic Thinking) – 33 occurrences – increase by 15% to 28 occurrences Level Four (Extended Thinking) – 25 occurrences – increase by 20% to 30 occurrences

What tools will you use to measure the implementation of your strategies? What tool will be used to measure progress throughout the year?

Gemini will use Survey Monkey to administer the teacher survey, the BPS Classroom Observation Instrument, Gemini’s CWT form and ProGOE to enter teacher informal and formal observations. All of these tools will be evaluated throughout the year to measure progress.

Qualitative and Quantitative Student Achievement Expectations: Measures student achievement.

Where do you want your students to be? What will student achievement look like at the end of the school year 2015-16?

We want students to meet proficiency and/or achieve an annual learning gain:

Kindergarten May 2016 KLS – 100% of students will master 55 High Frequency Words 1st and 2nd Grades – 85% of all students will score 70% or above as on the EOY BELAA 3rd – 6th Grades – 80% of students will score 95% or higher (green) on the FAIR-FS AP3 assessment in

May 2016

What tools will be used to measure progress throughout the year?

Assessments: KLS for Kindergarten, EOY BELLA for 1st and 2nd grade, FAIR-FS AP3 for grades 3-6. Performance Matters Data Management System Student Tracking & Monitoring Spreadsheet Student Data Notebooks

Part 2: Support Systems for Student Achievement(Federal, State, and District Mandates)

For the following areas, please write a brief narrative that includes the data from the year 2014-2015 and a description of changes you intend to incorporate to improve the data for the year 2015-2016.

MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS MTSS/RtI This section meets the requirements of Sections 1114(b)(1)(B)(i)-(iv) and 1115(c)(1)(A)-(C), P.L. 107-110, NCLB, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6314(b) and Senate Bill 850.

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1. Describe the process through which school leadership identifies and aligns all available resources (e.g., personnel, instructional, curricular) in order to meet the needs of all students. Include the methodology for coordinating the use of federal, state and local funds, services, and programs.

The IPST Team (also referred to as the Child Study Team or CST) analyzes IEP minutes and creates a master schedule for students and personnel, including ESE Resource Teachers and Instructional Assistants to serve individual student needs. The IPST team discusses intervention resources and the assistant principal makes purchases based on research, feedback from other BPS schools, and recommendations from the team. All available resources are evaluated for their effectiveness based on student academic gains or behavioral changes. A professional library and resource area was developed and is continually updated based on student and teacher need. Each topic and curricular section is labeled and organized for teacher ease of retrieval. A Phonics Lesson Library (PLL) was created by skill. Organized in large envelopes, all student and teacher materials are ready to go for instant implementation and use. Teachers also have resources in a grade level common pod area. During IPST meetings, these resources are recommended for academic and behavioral Tier II, Tier III and OPM measures.

Federal, state, and local funds are maintained in accounting strings. These balances are maintained by the school’s bookkeeper, which provides the principal with accounting reports. The principal coordinates the use of these funds based on input from the IPST and SAC teams. Supplemental resources, services and programs are coordinated by the assistant principal. PTO provides additional revenue from school-wide fundraisers to supplement ELA, math, science, and technology curriculum leadership team accounts. This vertical teacher team decides fund distribution (materials, parent nights, teacher conferences, etc.) based on current research and student achievement data. Academic Support Programs (ASP) are developed for the Lowest 25% students in reading, math, and science. Students attend one hour per week after school for 10-12 weeks. These funds are used to fund teacher salaries and student materials.

2. Describe your school’s data-based problem-solving process: including types of data used to monitor effectiveness of core, supplemental, and intensive instruction; and school based structures in place to address MTSS implementation.

In an attempt to meet the needs of ALL students, Gemini uses a process that focuses on the learner’s current skills or level of functioning and then designs interventions to assist the student in learning. Our problem solving model involves a systematic analysis of the student’s behavior and/or academic difficulties, consisting of five steps:

1. Define the problem (What is the problem?)2. Analyze the problem (Why is the problem occurring?)3. Develop a plan (What are we going to do?)4. Implement the plan (Carry out the intervention.)

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5. Evaluate (Did our plan work?)Problem solving occurs within Gemini’s school setting at all levels of the MTSS process based on the intensity of the presenting problem and the amount of resources needed to resolve the problem. The intent of the problem solving process is to resolve the problem using the necessary resources in the most natural (least artificial or least restrictive) fashion possible.

Gemini’s Child Study Team (CST) consists of: Joe Loffek (Principal), Jennifer Julian (AP), Denise Coverstone (Guidance Counselor), Drema Moody (Staffing Specialist), Renee Corbett (School Psychologist), Melissa Knoll (Behavior Analyst), Kimberly Donovan (Literacy Coach) Sue Melcher (Speech/Language Pathologist), Kim Bliss (ESE Teacher), Marianne Hamilton (ESE Teacher), Holly Hays (Gifted Teacher), and Nancy Craft (ELA Contact – Teacher), classroom teachers, parents and their invited guests. The team meets every Tuesday at 1:00pm. Teachers contact the Guidance Counselor or administration with student concerns. The school counselor schedules and creates the CST agenda and notifies teachers, parents, and sometimes students of their meeting day and time. When needed, substitute teachers are utilized to cover classes for teachers that are not scheduled during their planning time. During the meeting, the team analyzes data that supports the problem and recommends district and/or supplemental resources that align with the data’s needs assessment. Each team member brings a level of expertise and all ideas are shared with the team. Based on consensus, the team decides on specific intervention resources and an action plan is documented. During our five scheduled “Kid Talk” meetings throughout the school year, teachers and the Child Study Team collaborate to analyze student results and differentiate curriculum, instruction, environment, or behavioral plans to meet individual student’s needs. On-going progress monitoring (OPM) measures like DORF, RR, PSI are put in place so teachers can collect data points. A follow-up meeting is scheduled to evaluate the resources and data and its effectiveness on desired student change. CST meeting minutes are maintained by the assistant principal and school counselor and shared with each team member after every meeting.

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Gemini teachers receive on-going MTSS professional development throughout the school year. This training is provided during faculty meetings and grade level “Kid Talk” data team meetings. Gemini implements a school wide walk to intervention model known as SMART – Students Making Achievements through Responsive Teams. Each grade level’s SMART time (30 minutes at least four days a week) is documented on Gemini’s Master Calendar and teachers understand that this designated time is a non-negotiable.

With a SIP school based objective and focus on ensuring standards-based mastery for all students, each teacher receives a Student Tracking Data Notebook. This binder includes IPST Checklists, IPST Forms 1-8, individual student data (FAIR-FS, DRA, BELAA, Running Records, etc.), grade specific student progression flowcharts, resources and tools, and decision trees.

“Brevard’s Common Language for MTSS” is also shared with teachers and posted on our server for quick access. Parents are given the MTSS informational sheet and the MTSS purpose and process is explained by the team during meetings. This resource is also posted in our school newsletter, GemiNews, and on our school website. The link is: http://www.florida-rti.org/_docs/ParentResourceGuide_print_final.pdf

PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT: (Parent Survey Data must be referenced) Title I Schools may use the Parent Involvement Plan to meet the requirements of Sections 1114(b)(1)(F) and 1115(c)(1)(G), P.L. 107-110, NCLB, codified at 20 U.S.C. § 6314(b).

Consider the level of family and community involvement at your school and parent survey data collected. Respond to the following questions:

What are best practices that are strengths and how will they be sustained? 

Gemini is fortunate to have a very active Parent Teacher Organization and high parental involvement. Gemini volunteers contributed over 5,500 hours of service in the 2014-15 school year. This partnership benefits all students and contributes to their success! Gemini teachers work collaboratively with parents and involve them in classroom instruction, study trips, family nights, community service, and activity based fundraisers for technology. Gemini teachers keep an open line of communication with parents through their Edline Webpages, newsletters, telephone, email, and conferences. As reported in the 2014-15 BPS Parent Survey, 62% of the 50 parents that participated feel well informed, valued, and satisfied in their participation in the decision making at Gemini.

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88% of the reporting parents (44 out of 50) also rate their satisfaction with Gemini’s safe school environment as excellent or good.

Teamwork and Personal Character received the highest ratings as excellent and good when parents were asked to rate their child’s learning.

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What are areas of weaknesses and how are they being addressed? 

Gemini had a very low 2015 BPS Parent Survey participation rate. Of the 510 students at Gemini, only 50 parents replied to the online survey. The survey was advertised in several ways including our Gemini Edline page, Gemini Newsletter, Classroom Newsletters, PTO website, and posted on our marquee. In an effort to increase participation, Gemini will send home paper parent surveys this school year.

Parents believe that their child’s “Real-world issues” learning is a weakness. Gemini will address this by organizing a new afterschool Surf Rider Club. This club will allow all students, parents and community members the opportunity to tackle real-world issues that directly impact our beachside community. These initiatives will include a beach cleanup, oyster bed restoration, water and land conservation, and sea turtle protection. Moreover, Gemini’s Morning Mile, Jog-A-Thon, 5K Run, and Tennis Tournament promote a healthy lifestyle. Teachers contribute to the learning of real-world issues through Health standards and Healthy Body Systems instruction. Lastly, Gemini will collaborate with the Girl Scouts throughout the year to promote community support like collecting coats for The Genesis House and toiletries so students can create care packages to give to the homeless.

STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS (Required):

Address Elements of Student Survey Results found in the District Strategic Plan and describe how you will improve student perceptions of these indicators.

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Strategic Plan Indicators:

✓ Promotes 21st Century Skills 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.4.4, 1.4.5✓ Safe Learning Environment 2.2.3, 2.2.4, 2.2.5

The data for the Strategic Plan Indicators can be located on the following survey pages.

Elementary Student Survey:

✓ 21st Century Skills – Refer results pages 3 – 4✓ Online Safety – Refer results pages 4 – 6✓ School Safety – Refer results pages 6 – 7

In March 2015, 329 Gemini students in grades 4-6 participated in the 2015 BPS Elementary Student Survey Elementary. The student results reveal that 314 students (95%) have internet access at home, 284 students (86%) believe they have patience, understanding, and appreciation for others’ differences, 261 students (79%) want to achieve success, and 247 students (75%) feel comfortable with who they are and the decisions they make. The majority of our surveyed students’ state that they are often challenged to do their best at school, believe that their school work will help them later in life, and learned about online safety at school (306 students / 93%). 45 students (14%) have never received or sent hurtful or embarrassing texts or email, and 192 students (58%) have never friended, given personal information, or felt unsafe online.

In regards to bullying, 287 students (87%) state that they would tell an adult if they were cyber-bullied and 250 students (76%) have never been bullied at Gemini. As expected based on these results, 297 students (90%) report that they feel safe at Gemini.

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21st Century Skills student survey results are as reported below.

To improve our student’s internet safety and etiquette, all students will receive instruction during their media activity from the media specialist. We will also invite Lt. Tod Goodyear to Gemini’s STEM Night to educate parents on internet safety. With Gemini’s fully implemented school-wide Character Education program, the expected outcome is that all students will understand the difference between teasing and bullying, improve

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their personal character, and continue to feel safe at school.

Gemini’s focus on 21st Century Skills remains paramount. Gemini’s media specialist and BPS Tech Integrators collaborate with teachers and students to promote 21st Century Skills. Gemini also hosts numerous clubs like RotaKids, Student Council, and Surf Rider’s Environmental, Future Problem Solvers, and Code Craft to support 21st Century Skills.

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EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS (SB 850) Please complete 1 – 3

1. List any additional early warning system indicators and describe the school’s early warning system.

ELEMENTARY

●Attendance below 90 percent, regardless of whether absence is excused or a result of out-of-school suspension

●One or more suspensions, whether in school or out of school

● Level 1 score on the statewide, standardized assessments in English Language Arts or mathematics

●Other

Add any additional EWS indicators here.

● Students in Transition

2. This section captures a snapshot of the total number of students exhibiting a respective indicator or set of indicators during the 2014-15 school year. These data should be used as part of the needs assessment to identify potential problem areas and inform the school’s planning and problem solving for 2015-16.:

● The number of students by grade level that exhibit each early warning indicator listed above.

Grade Level K 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total

Attendance <90 21 23 18 19 22 22 14 139

1 or more ISS or OSS 1 0 1 0 0 1 3 6

Level 1 in ELA or Math N/A N/A N/A 2 NR NR NR 2

Course Failure in ELA or Math 0 0

Students exhibiting 2 or more indicators

0 2 1 3

3. Describe all intervention strategies employed by the school to improve the academic performance of students identified by the early warning system (i.e., those exhibiting two or more early warning indicators).

The school counselor prints monthly reports from AS400 and contacts parents of students with <90% attendance rate and explains the Failure due to Absences policy (9 or more unexcused per semester) and the correlation between attendance rates and student success. In addition, she follows the BPS truancy reporting

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procedures. The counselor works with the family and provides intervention strategies (alarm clock, car pool, etc.) as needed. Retained, Level 1 and course failure students go through the MTSS process and the team determines interventions per individual student. These strategies include Barton, BGL Journeys and Envision materials, Corrective Reading, Phonics Lesson Library, and Reading Mastery. Level 1 students also receive a parent letter in the beginning of the school year with specific student interventions. Students exhibiting 2 or more indicators are placed on our grade level Student Tracking and Monitoring spreadsheet and data is kept by the classroom teacher in their Student data Notebook. Intervention strategies and progress is evaluated at Data Team (Kid Talk) meetings throughout the year. Students with disabilities with an IEP are evaluated to ensure that their service minutes are accurate for student achievement. PMP’s are created for students not on an active IEP. They are shared with parents, updated, and monitored throughout the year. An ASP program is

also implemented to provide an hour of additional support in ELA and Math.

STUDENT TRANSITION AND READINESS

1. PreK-12 TRANSITION This section used to meet requirements of 20 U.S.C 6314(b)(1)(g).Describe the strategies the school employs to support incoming and outgoing cohorts of students in transition from one school level to another.

Incoming Kindergarteners to Gemini:

● Local preschools (As We Grow, Advent Lutheran, and Eastminster) are invited to Gemini. These preschool directors meet with Gemini’s Kindergarten teacher team and administration to review Kindergarten standards and readiness. Dates and times are also established so that the Preschool Directors, students, and parents tour Gemini in February. This reduces student/parent anxiety as they become familiar with Gemini’s facility layout, safety procedures, and classrooms.

● Gemini’s Guidance Counselor and Staffing Specialist meets with preschool’s ESE or IPST Teams to review incoming student’s IEPs and/or Behavior Plans to ensure that systems are in place for a smooth transition to Kindergarten. These systems can include Instructional Assistants, transportation, visual schedules, class/program placement, etc.

● Partnering with the Scott Center for Autism, interventions for incoming, identified ASD Kindergarteners are set up. Dr. Kim Spence is also invited to Gemini to assist with the transition from The Scott Center to Gemini.

● Gemini invites all parents and preschools to attend Gemini’s Kindergarten Orientation in April of the previous school year. Here, parents and community members are advised on successful transitional methods, standards and readiness for Gemini’s incoming Kindergarteners.

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tour Gemini prior to the new school year.6 th Graders that Transition to Middle School:

● Gemini’s 6th graders are zoned for Hoover Middle School. In March, Hoover’s AP of Curriculum and Instruction, Bill Macheras, is invited to Gemini to speak with students and review the courses and programs available to incoming 7th grade students.

● Gemini’s AP, Jen Julian conferences with Hoover’s Dean, Holli Zander to review student discipline and Behavior Plans for incoming 7th grade students.

● Gemini posts all Middle School Choice applications and Open House information in Gemini’s front office, GemiNews Newsletter, and on Gemini’s Edline Webpage.

● Gemini’s Guidance Counselor, ESE Teacher (Case Manager) and Staffing Specialist meets with ESE students and parents to review the outgoing student’s IEPs and/or Behavior Plans to ensure that systems are in place for a smooth transition to 7th grade.

● Gemini administers the Algebra 1 Honors Assessment to students that are unable to attend the assessment dates at Hoover. This partnership provides a convenience for families and ensures that all students have an equitable chance at course entry.

● Legal folders are hand delivered to middle schools.● Gemini’s 6th Grade Teachers and Administration meet with outgoing 6th grade

parents to discuss middle school programs, courses, and requirements.

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