Educational Improvement Plan

Fatimah Ali

School Building Leadership

Lehman College

 I.                   Problem/Issue Identification

In my school, the fourth and fifth grade classrooms have varying student achievement results on the yearly English Language Arts State Exam. As a Literacy Coach, I have had the opportunity to observe lessons and teacher pedagogy on a daily basis in both the fourth and fifth grade classes. I am also a member of our school’s cabinet, and am privy to additional information regarding walk-through oberservations, and formal observation results. Based on this, the problem identified is the inconsistency of pedagogical practices as evidenced by overall student performance scores on city and state exams.

Even though student performance is viewed as important, student progress holds even more importance. Our school, P.S. 105 has been rated as a “C” school on the New York City Report Card for the first time this year. This grade is directly related to our lack of progress. In addition, P.S. 105 has also been listed as a “School in Need of Improvement” by the state this year for the first time. Our school did not meet the state’s requirements with two specific subgroups; special education and ELLs. Although these two subgroups underperforming on the ELA State Exam is the reason we did not make our annual yearly progress, ineffective instructional practice is not only a concern for a particular subgroup. Instruction for English Language Arts needs to improve for every student in the fourth and fifth grade. In the past, professional developments have encouraged collaboration and suggested planning units of study together. However, nothing has made a significant impact on student achievement as measured by the New York State English Language Art Exam. Therefore, an Educational Improvement Plan is in order.

  In order to make the appropriate decisions for all our students, we must also consider the demographics of our school. The number of economically disadvantaged students for 2009-10 in the 4th grade was 44%, and the number of disadvantaged students in the 5th grade was 37% (NYC Report Card, 2009). In 2007-08, 71% of students were eligible for free lunch. In 2008-09, 76% of students were eligible for free lunch. In 2009-10, 76% of students were eligible for free lunch.

II.                Needs Assessment

Before any educational plan can be considered or implemented, multiple sources of data need to be reviewed and analyzed to best inform all instructional choices. Both formal data and informal data based on observations have been reviewed during this process. Teacher Data Reports, ACUITY Diagnostics, ACUITY Predictives, Grade wide formative assessments, and the English Language Arts State Exam results have all verified a need for better use of data in instructional practices. Information has also been collected from supervisors, the data specialist, testing data from students in teacher’s classes, and informal observation of teacher participation during professional developments.

Currently, teachers receive disaggregated ELA State data results on their current students as well as the results from their previous class. Although teachers are required to have data binders, the use and method of data to inform instruction varies tremendously depending on the teacher. From my discussion with the principal, we believe there is a direct connection between student performance, student progress, and effective use of data by the teacher.

 In 2008-09, only 3% of 4th graders scored a level 4, while 63% scored a level 3. In 2008-09, only 11% of 5th graders scored a level 4, while 59% scored a level 3. In 2009-10, 47% of 4th grade students scored at or above a level 3 on the ELA exam. In 2009-10, 41% of 5th grade students that scored at or above level 3. The percentage of 4th and 5th grade students that scored a level 3 or 4 on the 2011 ELA Exam was 41.9%. Based on the 2009-10 ELA State Exam data, only 22% of fourth grade students “understand written directions and procedures,” while 48% of 5th grade students can accurately “evaluate information, ideas, opinions, and themes in texts by identifying a central idea and supporting details.”

2011 ACUITY RESULTS School Wide

Comparative Data for Grades 4 & 5

Performance Levels English Language Arts Exam 2009-10

 III.             Timeline/Overview

 IV.             Organizational Chart

The following people are part of the implementation of the Educational Improvement Plan:

• Principal
• Assistant Principals     
• P.T.A.
• Literacy Coaches
• Resource room teacher      
• Intervention Specialists      
• ESL teacher
• Grade Leaders
• Classroom teachers (4th & 5th grade)/ Para’s
• Students
• Parents/Guardians

The level of collaboration between stakeholders varies from individual to individual. Some senior members of the staff seem to view themselves as more valuable than the newer staff members. This tension contributes to a certain uncomfortable dynamic between senior staff and younger members. Also, depending on your title, some people feel that because their position is more powerful, they are in some way “above” their subordinates. This can be completely counterproductive for the school culture and ultimately hinder any initiative from being properly implemented. In order to get things done, one must be savvy in navigating politics within the school, and that is easier said then done. The principal is approachable and supports any well thought out initiative that will increase student achievement. The PTA welcomes collaboration with teachers, and administrative staff. The out of classroom teachers don’t have direct access to information about initiatives as classroom teachers, and would therefore need planned communication to address this.

V.                Potential Problems

Resistance to change and a negative perception of change can be a potential obstacle. We can set up meetings, but cannot force teachers to actively participate. I, as a literacy coach cannot force them to plan curriculum with me, or to put in their effort. Union issues may arise if while giving feedback, the teacher believes it is evaluative instead of supportive. Other barriers to change include the open-mindedness of the individual teachers. Also, morale in regards to DOE initiatives is low. Teachers have a sense of distrust for any new initiative they are not familiar with. In the past, P.S. 105 had a good reputation, but there was no data to support that because there were only test scores that reflected the performance made by students, not their progress. Over the last six years, the birth of ACUITY- when the data was not favorable, teachers tend to blame the system. Teacher buy-in is always an ongoing issue. Also, lack of resources can be a potential barrier to accomplishing our academic goals. Without the proper tools, teachers cannot be asked to make changes. Lack of personnel is also a great concern when trying to implement an initiative. Also, time is a key component to consider when making any changes. Time must be set aside in order for an initiative to be taken seriously by the staff.

Sometimes the staff is unaware of a need for change, which affects their perception of a new initiative. Other times, there is no motivation to change. Another issue is the antagonism among “shareholders.” Without the sense of team, a new initiative is difficult to implement. Finally, the largest cause of a potential problem with the new initiative is the lack of vision. In a school building, it becomes easy to get caught up in small problems and lose sight of the macro view of reality. There are some fundamental steps and strategies that a leader can use when trying to implement an initiative. It is a leader’s job to lead and make their vision very clear. Having clear expectations and providing an explanation for the need for change to the most influential staff members and eventually to all stakeholder groups. Motivation is another important component to overcome possible barriers. Showing teachers how to work smarter, rendering the job less cumbersome and mutually satisfying will improve results.

VI.             Action Plan

Initially, meetings with the principal are used to identify the school’s specific areas of need. Teachers are supported based on their needs. Meetings with teachers and staff developers are scheduled based heavily on their student data and instructional effectiveness. The visitations are structured to include observations, modeling, and dialogue tailored to the specific need and personality of the teachers.

The main goal of my Educational Improvement Plan is to focus on how effectively teachers use data to inform their reading instruction. I am going to research how ELA data is being used in my building. Creating a more effective system in which teachers collect ELA data, will impact how they look at data, inferences they make from the data, and what interventions are made as a result. James Popham states in his book Test Better, Teach better, “Teachers will do a better job for their students if they devote serious effort to identifying the most significant things that can be taught in the time available (2003, p.37). According to Data Wise A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning, there are four main tasks to help you investigate instruction and articulate a problem of practice:

1. Link learning and teaching. With this particular learning problem, how does instruction impact what students learn?
2. Develop the skill of examining practice: How do we look at instructional data?
3. Develop a shared understanding of effective practice: What does effective instruction for our learning look like and what makes it effective?
4. Analyze current practice: What is actually happening in the classroom in terms of the learning problem, and how does it relate to our understanding of effective practice? (2007, p. 98).

There will need to be an expectation communicated to teachers about what is expected from them as they use data to inform their practice. First, there will be a school wide professional development defining data and explaining the essentials of using data to inform instruction. The follow up would include:

A. Communicate with staff

• Grade level meetings
• School wide professional developments
• Common Planning
• Professional Training Workshops
• Email/Memos

 B. Create a Data Analysis Team- the purpose of this team is to review school wide data to then determine what common assessments should look like, the frequency of these common assessments throughout the year, and what instructional interventions need to take place to address the identified trends/patterns in the data.

 C. School wide team- which includes teachers, coaches, AIS, administrators (K-5), data specialist, and technology teacher. They meet to decide what data they want to focus on, and create a standardized data collection template that can be used from K-5 and is passed on each year with valuable data on each student.

 D. Subcommittee - is grade specific, and decides/ selects dates to collect data and dates to interpret data. The team creates benchmark criteria and decides what grade specific data is brought to these meetings.

 E. Develop procedures/methods for screening data collection

• In class
• School wide on a single day
• School wide on multiple days
• Grade level data collectors

F. Promote Professional Collaboration

• Develop a structure for Teacher and Literacy Coach Articulations. See “Teacher and Coach Articulation” template.
• Develop a system for evaluating current data use- “Problem/Issue Identification” to determine and facilitate a discussion on how teachers are currently using data (see attached).
• Staff Developers create “Whole Class Re-teach” breakdown based on data analysis (see attached samples).
• Professional Developments highlight “Where we are Now?” (see attached PowerPoint samples).

VII. Budget

Funding Sources for implementation of the EIP would come from: Tax Levy, Title I, Title III. This would fund the following:

*Study Groups for staff members involved in the education of students using targeted instructional materials and resources.

*Additional professional development opportunities for teachers in ELA instruction.

* Workshops provided by Fordham University focusing on strategies for teachers to use during ELA instruction.

*Surplus of materials committed to ELA instruction for students.

 *Expanded use of smartboards to increase student engagement and academic performance. *Laptops for both student use and staff use.

 * Purchase of a variety of programs for student use: BrainPop, BrainPop Junior, Discovery, Reading A-Z, Uptown Education

 *Per session monies utilized for after-school and Saturday Academy for students and their parents.    

VIII. Reflection

I think change in schools is inevitable and most likely during the climate facing the educational field. However, I believe the rate at which any change can occur, depends partly on the level of resistance of the stakeholders in a particular school. I also consider the teachers at my school in the fourth and fifth grade, and their lack of vision for the school. This reality ultimately will effect the placed value on any initiative and the resulting long-term implications on student achievement.

My principal supports my plan mainly because it is directly aligned to his vision and goal for all teachers to actively use student data to drive instruction. I think that he may see parts of my plan as overly ambitious for the group of teachers on the 4th and 5th grade. The strengths of my plan are that it’s research-based, fosters collaboration among teachers, and facilitates the use of student data to close the achievement gap in English Language Arts for the 4th and 5th grade. The areas that still need more development include addressing the level of motivation and the difficult dispositions on the 4th and 5th grade, follow-through from administrators on professional development agendas through ongoing evaluation, and cultivating a deep understanding for teachers on why they should be invested in this initiative.

The process of designing this educational improvement plan has really taught me the importance of a school’s collaboration to the success of its students. I had to have many articulations with my principal to ensure that my educational improvement plan was totally aligned to the school’s needs and the reality of our school’s culture. I also have seen how important it is for leaders to capitalize on the individual talents of members of their staff. I gained much insight from my articulation with our school’s data specialist. Ultimately, the single most important thing I learned about developing any initiative is the need for shared decision making from all stakeholders.

 VIII.        Reference Page      

References

Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., Muranane, R. J. (2007).  Data wise. A step - by- step guide to using

assessment results to improve teaching and learning. (pp. 98-99).  Cambridge, MA:

Harvard Education Press.

Popham, W. J. (2003). Test better, test better. The instructional role of assessment. (pp. 37). 

Alexandria, VA: ASCD Publications.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works. research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. (pp. 72-83). Alexandria, VA: ASCD Publications.