1. + Figure 1. Woodside Avenue School (FLPTA, 2013) School
Culture & Climate Presentation: Woodside Avenue School,
Franklin Lakes Public Schools our vision for continued improvement
Cindy Cipriano Montclair State University
2. + By helping students grow into critical thinkers that
possess outstanding character, their lives will be rewarding as
they contribute positively to the world. Woodside Avenue School
Philosophy of Education Since opening its doors in 1972, Woodside
Avenue School has maintained a reputation of fostering a caring,
supportive educational environment that reflects the communitys
high value on education The Franklin Lakes community is described
as affluent. In 2012, the median house value was $867,200, and the
cost of living was 149.50% higher than the US average (Sperlings
Best Places, 2012). Median household income in 2011 was $140,493
(compared to the state average of $67,458) (City-Data.com, 2012) At
Woodside School, there is a student to teacher ratio of 9:1, and 0%
of students are economically disadvantaged (State of New Jersey
Department of Education, 2013) Elizabeth Barbagallo, Woodside
Parent, discussing the Woodside community (click for video)
Students, parents, and staff consistently state that they enjoy and
value Woodside Schools positive learning environment Community
support is impressive in that residents raise funds through
generous donations and fundraisers to help add additional programs
and resources to the school beyond the limitations of the Franklin
Lakes Board of Educations budget (Franklin Lakes Education
Foundation, 2014)
3. + At Woodside Avenue School we have a lot to be proud of!
According to the New Jersey School Performance Report for 2012-13:
Woodside Avenue Schools overall academic performance outperforms
72% of schools in New Jersey Woodsides student growth performance
outperforms 86% of New Jersey schools, meeting 100% of its
performance targets in this area Woodside students are meeting
progress targets under NJDOEs NCLB waiver in math and science, with
56% of students being advanced proficient in math, and 91% being
proficient and above (State of New Jersey Department of Education,
2013)
4. + As we move forward in our mission to continually progress
and grow, where can we improve? Although Woodside School
outperforms 72% of schools in the state, it lags behind schools in
its peer group in academic performance In language arts literacy,
our students had a school wide pass rate of 77.3, missing the NCLB
progress target of 85.3 25% of students at Woodside are only
partially proficient in language arts in grade 3, and 31% are only
partially proficient in grade 4 Of the three elementary schools in
Franklin Lakes, Woodside School scores the lowest in language arts
proficiency (State of New Jersey Department of Education,
2013)
5. A comparison of NJASK Language Arts Proficiency between the
Franklin Lakes Elementary Schools, FLOW Schools (Franklin Lakes,
Oakland, & Wyckoff Districts), District Factor Groups, &
the State of New Jersey Fig. 2 In 2013, the Franklin Lakes
Elementary Schools scored below district factor groups in grades
3&4, as well as below the other elementary schools in the FLOW
district. What factors account for this lag in language arts
performance? Figure 2. Franklin Lakes Public Schools. 2014.
Curriculum and instruction: NJASK test score presentations.
Retrieved from
http://curriculumand.districtweb.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us/modules/locker/files/get_group_file.phtml?gid=2146613&fid=23368261&sessionid=d1f5102f734
451461b73fc605fb5bc80
6. Fig. 3 By comparing more specific data, we see that the
special education population of the Franklin Lakes School District
has a significant impact on our overall NJ ASK performance scores
in Language Arts When special education classes are removed from
the data, Franklin Lakes lowest performing grade level (4th grade)
still outperforms other schools in the state by 14.9% and scores
below district factor groups by only 3.9% Our special education
students as a whole perform below district factor groups in 3rd and
4th grades, and below other schools across the state in 4th grade
What do we know about specific instructional challenges within our
3rd and 4th grade special education classes? What can be done to
help our students improve? Figure 3. Franklin Lakes Public Schools.
2014. Curriculum and instruction: NJASK test score presentations.
Retrieved from
http://curriculumand.districtweb.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us/modules/locker/files/ge
t_group_file.phtml?gid=2146613&fid=23368261&sessionid=d1f5
102f734451461b73fc605fb5bc80
7. + What do we know about Woodside Schools special education
population that is relevant to this data? According to the New
Jersey School Performance Report, 17% of Woodside Avenue Schools
student population had a disability in 2013 (State of New Jersey
Department of Education, 2013) Woodside Avenue School is the only
school in the Franklin Lakes School District that has self
contained special education classes Woodsides special education
classrooms consist of students from multiple grade levels with a
wide variety of ability levels. Students are frequently
mainstreamed into academic subjects, special area subjects,
homerooms, and grade-level events (i.e. birthday parties,
assemblies, field trips), creating instructional challenges for
teachers
8. + What are some of the challenges our special education
teachers are faced with? Each self-contained special education
classroom includes students from multiple grade levels with a wide
variety of needs. Within these classrooms: Students have many
different homerooms where they attend multiple events throughout
the week Some students are mainstreamed into academic subjects,
some are mainstreamed into special area subjects, and some are not
mainstreamed at all Scheduling challenges due to mainstreaming
within multiple grade levels, subjects, homerooms, and lunch
periods make it difficult to maintain a schedule or follow lesson
plans Teachers describe their classrooms as a revolving door of
students constantly entering and leaving throughout the day
Although special education teachers struggle with meeting the
instructional needs of their students due to frequent
mainstreaming, they recognize the social needs of their students
and are advocates in making sure they are involved with the general
school population
9. + Our plan to improve language arts proficiency for our
special education students for 2013-2014: Additional assessments
will be established to assist teachers with continuous review of
student progress and goal setting Teachers will be provided with
additional time and resources to guide them in analyzing assessment
data and planning instruction accordingly Teachers will continue to
differentiate for each child, focusing on smaller group instruction
based on the skill deficits that additional assessments reveal A
consistent DAP (data assessment portfolio) will be established for
each child, showing assessment results, progress, samples of
student work, and modifications used in the classroom. The DAP will
be given to future teachers as students progress through grade
12
10. + Proposed scheduling changes for Woodside Schools
self-contained special education classrooms (grades 3-5) for
2013-2014: In an attempt to increase instructional time spent with
students, while still providing them with the needed benefits of
mainstreaming, we seek to adopt a schedule similar to the
self-contained special education classes at Franklin Avenue Middle
School. Changes would include: All special education students in
grades 3-5 will be mainstreamed into music, art, physical
education, and library classes, however they will attend these
classes together as a group (i.e. all special education students
will go to music with Mrs. Corages 5th grade class, art with Mrs.
Henrys 3rd grade class, etc. ) Students in special education grades
3-5 will attend one lunch period as a group Special education
students will continue to have separate homerooms based on grade
level, and will attend all social events, assemblies, and field
trips with their homeroom These changes will be monitored,
revisited, and possibly revised throughout the year. A committee
will be formed consisting of general education, special area, and
special education teachers that can provide guidance regarding how
these changes are affecting student achievement, both academically
and socially
11. + References City-Data.com. (2012). Franklin lakes, new
jersey. Retrieved from
www.city-data.com/city/Franklin-Lakes-New-Jersey.html Franklin
Lakes Education Foundation. (2014). Franklin lakes education
foundation: Funding innovative education. Retrieved from
www.flef.net Sperlings Best Places. (2012). Best places to live in
franklin lakes, new jersey. Retrieved from
www.bestplaces.net/city/new_jersey/franklin_lakes State of New
Jersey Department of Education. (2013). NJ school performance
report. Retrieved from
www.state.nj.us/education/pr/1213/03/031580030.pdf Woodside Avenue
School [photograph]. (2013). Retrieved February 2nd, 2014, from
www.flpta.org