HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILD BRIDGE BELIEVE Campus Name: Liberty High School Campus Number: 324 Principal: Monico Rivas School Support Officer: Dr. Harrison Peters Chief School Officer: Dr. Michael Cardona Becoming #Great All over 1 12:29 S6/21/2016 CHO OPML I M P R O V E M E N T P L A N 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 SIP Part 1: Background, Data Analysis and Needs Assessment MISSION STATEMENT The vision of Liberty High School is to provide the highest quality secondary education to immigrant students. Therefore, we will graduate students with a high school diploma and create a pathway to higher education. Mission and Educational Philosophy The mission of our school is to provide a setting for young adult learners where they will develop the linguistic and cognitive skills necessary for success in high school, college, and beyond. The following values make up our school’s educational philosophy: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. We are committed to providing a flexible schedule to address students’ needs. We recognize that English language proficiency to comprehend and communicate is fundamental to our students’ success. Faculty members are knowledgeable of content area and ESL methodologies allowing flexibility in accommodating different learning styles, ability levels, and providing students access to native language resources, if needed. We are committed to providing a challenging curriculum that prepares students to successfully master the TEKS in a variety of ways. We are committed to offering a three semester original credit school year. We recognize and celebrate individual student’s cultural differences. We value interacting with the students’ family system. We value involving the larger community and its resources in the development of the student. We will always reflect and respond to the ever-changing needs of our students. School Positioning Platform: Liberty High School is the preferred choice for newly arrived immigrant students who aspire to prepare for postsecondary education or to enter the work force by: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Offering the most effective high school language development program in HISD. Engaging students with a rigorous curriculum to master the TEKS Offering a flexible schedule (day, night, year-round) for students who work and have family responsibilities. Providing a safe and welcoming environment for learning Connecting students with available community-wide support services Increasing students’ opportunity for academic scholarships through extracurricular activities (UIL). 2 6/21/2016 12:29 PM SCHOOL PROFILE Liberty High School was founded in 2004 as a response to the need in our community for a high school that would provide intensive English language support, flexibility for working students, and a year-round school calendar that facilitated acceleration for newly arrived young immigrant scholars in our community. Many of the students who enroll at Liberty have few or no credits toward a high school diploma and have varying degrees of experience with formal education in their home countries. In order to meet the needs of this underserved and academically diverse population, the Gulfton community proposed to open a charter school with flexibility and innovative instructional methodologies. Now almost eleven years later, Liberty High School continues to serve newly arrived immigrant students who live in the heart of Gulfton in Southwest Houston and throughout our school district. In collaboration with members of the community, the faculty and staff of Liberty High School reaffirms their commitment to provide a high quality education to the newly arrived scholars in our community. Liberty High School (formerly Newcomer Charter) offers flexible scheduling, in the form of weekend, day, and night classes as well as a year-round academic calendar. To support the linguistic needs of students, Liberty integrates intensive English instruction across the curriculum. In addition to providing various forms of academic support, students have access to a social support system through an advocacy program and social services in the surrounding community. Furthermore, Liberty High School continues to embrace collaboration by building strong partnerships with the Houston community and beyond. The HISD Newcomers Charter High School (now Liberty High School) was approved by the HISD Board of Education on September 9, 2004, and opened on January 10, 2005. With 125 students enrolled on opening night, the school opened its doors exceeding the projected starting student enrollment of 75 students. Currently, Liberty High School serves 405 day and night students between the ages of 14 and 26 who are recent immigrants to the United States and who have no or few credits toward a high school diploma. In 2012, for the first time in the eight years since it opened its doors to the Gulfon community, Liberty started a day program for immigrant students of traditional high school age. Upon enrollment, students have expressed a strong desire to learn English and to continue with their education beyond high school. Many students also come to Liberty High School from throughout HISD when their work or family responsibilities require that they have a flexible school schedule to be able to continue with their education. Currently, our students come to us from several Latin American countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Columbia. We also have students from Ghana, Somalia, The Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Nepal, Iraq, Syria, The Ivory Coast, Liberia, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Burma, Bhutan and Eritrea. 3 6/21/2016 12:29 PM SHARED DECISION MAKING Organizational Structure Our campus Shared Decision-Making Model (SDM) will be designed to establish, monitor, and evaluate goals for budgeting, staffing, curriculum, planning, school organization, staffing patterns, and staff development. This model is aligned to state legislation and HISD board policy. The intention of the SDMC is to pull together our community in a constructive, organized, and unified body to enhance the education of all students. The SDMC is the shared decision-making body. Professional staff representatives will be elected by the faculty. The Principal will determine the number of classroom teachers; then, will assign half that number to schoolbased staff. This complies with 2/3 - 1/3 rule for professional staff. In addition, the committee will have one noninstructional staff, one business member, at least two parents, at least two community members and one student. The Council will meet monthly and as needed to discuss issues brought forth by the administration, staff, parents, or community. It will be supported by standing committees that address budgeting, staffing, curriculum, planning, school organization, staffing patterns, and staff development. Standing committees meet as needed. Parents are encouraged to serve on standing committees. The SDMC will function under the direction of the Principal. Members of the SDMC will attend SDMC meetings for the term of his/her office, monitor the implementation of the School Improvement Plan, address issues presented by the principal, present issues for discussion and recommend resolutions to the SDMC, create ad hoc committees by consensus of the SDMC, chair standing committees and ad hoc committees, submit minutes to the principal for committee meetings, and report the recommendations to the SDMC. The SDMC will be responsible for approving all professional development plans for the school. The Principal coordinates the process of shared decision making, facilitates communication for all stakeholders, considers issues and recommendations from the community, SDMC, and standing committees, and makes decisions based on those recommendations. Shared Decision Making Process Consensus is the ultimate goal of the SDMC. Agreement by all participants is not always possible or necessary for consensus. Consensus is a collective process that provides a forum for full dialogue on appropriate/applicable responses to issues. Members of the committees discuss and make recommendations to the SDMC. The SDMC reviews recommendations and reaches consensus. Sufficient consensus is defined as a willingness to settle an issue in favor of the majority. All points of view will be considered and general agreement must be reached before decisions will be implemented. If general agreement is not reached, further study of the issue will occur and alternatives will be presented until agreement is reached. After all alternatives have been explored, a deadlock can be broken by a majority vote. As issues come up for discussion, the chairperson is responsible for ensuring that all present have a legitimate opportunity to state their case. The principal retains the authority to exercise a veto over decisions made by the SDMC. Method of Communications Members of the school community may submit non-personnel issues for consideration through the shared decision-making process. Written issues or concerns will be submitted to any SDMC member or placed in the SDMC box located in the main office. A school community member may attend a meeting of any committee to discuss or present an issue. All meetings will be on the monthly calendar. The SDMC will deliver issues to 4 6/21/2016 12:29 PM appropriate standing committees for action. Communications from all committees is transmitted to faculty, staff, and parents. Membership Composition of the SDMC Number of Classroom Teachers Number of School-based Staff (Half the number of classroom teachers) 2 1 Number of Non-Instructional Staff 1 (Modify or insert additional lines as needed) Name of SDMC Member Tonya Fraga John Klein Ii Camelia Molina Joe Reyna Alfredo Gomez Pending appointment Pending appointment Manuela Garay Pending appointment Monico Rivas Ayat Bakora Number of Parents (at least 2) Number of Community Members (at least 2) Number of Business Members 1 Position (Term expires) Classroom Teacher Classroom Teacher School-based Staff Non-Instructional Staff Business Member Community Member Community Member Parent Parent Principal Student 5 6/21/2016 12:29 PM 2 2 NEEDS ASSESSMENT Narrative of Data Analysis and Root Causes (causal factors) School Processes Analysis - Brief narrative summary of our gaps and how we will get to where we want to be: Programs at Liberty High School are aligned with the mission and vision of our school. From its inception, Liberty HS has recognized the essential role that explicit instruction of literacy skills play in the academic outcomes of our students. For this reason, all of our teachers are not only knowledgeable about their content, but are also trained in the use of literacy strategies for ELL’s that develop students’ writing, speaking, reading, and listening skills. As our student body brings a variety of unique needs to the learning environment, we constantly look for ways to be responsive to their learning and socio-emotional needs by offering various types of supports. Our whole school academic program is structured to integrate content instruction with explicit English language practice in speaking, listening, writing, and reading. In every subject area, students are expected to learn subject specific content, and also work on increasing their English language proficiency every day. In each of the content areas, our full-time core and elective Lead Teachers work with our part-time faculty to map the curriculum for each course. In turn, teachers identify key areas of focus, the necessary depth of coverage for specific objectives, apply strategies for differentiating instruction, and determine pacing given the amount of time available to cover the TEKS. To accomplish this, instructors plan during common planning time, Saturday faculty meetings, and through the use of on line tools. All of our students participate in our advocacy program, which we consider to be a key part of our academic program at Liberty High School. Each student is assigned a caring adult who is an administrator or a member of the instructional staff. Students meet with their advocate twice per week to discuss relevant topics ranging from time management and developing their graduation plan, to balancing family and education successfully. Processes for intervention: Currently, more than ninety-four percent of our student body attending classes at night holds at least part-time employment and many students work more than forty hours per week. More than eighty five percent of our daytime students have been in the U.S. for two years or less. Root causes for areas of focus: 1. Increased proficiency in English is a key component for the academic success of students who are newcomers to the United States. 93% of the Liberty students are classified as English language learners as defined by TEA. Trend/Data: There is a strong correlation between English language proficiency, class passing rate, and performance on high stakes exams. 2. Yearly Academic Progress is a major factor leading to graduation. Full time and part-time students must earn at least 6.5 credits during the school year to graduate with their cohort. Our Reality: Students at Liberty High School attend school based on their availability while they balance full-time work and family responsibilities. The academic and social services support components of our school work with students throughout the school year to ensure that enough courses are taken and successfully completed every semester to make progress toward graduation. Trend/Data: Students who stay in school through their eighteenth credit and who have passed exit TAKS/STAAR are more likely to graduate. 3. Parent and Student survey feedback indicated that 94% percent are satisfied with the education being provided by their school. It is our goal to increase the overall satisfaction to 98% or more for the 2015-16 school year. Our Reality: Until August 2012, Liberty High School offered classes during the evening and on weekends. We planned and launched a day program with one hundred and fifty –five students. At its peak of enrollment during the 2013-14 school year, 224 day students enrolled in the day program. Another 245 students enrolled in the evening/night school program. Trend/Data: The day program will continue to grow and we will reach building capacity for both day and night programs during the 2015-16 school year. Our school will continue to adapt to the changing needs of our students and our community. 4. Since our students have many responsibilities outside of school (i.e. work and family), and because poor attendance is a major risk factor for dropping out and for graduation, we must continue to collaborate with families, and our community to help students overcome barriers that impact attendance. Our Reality: 94% of our night students work, 25 % of our students are parents, and our students have a high mobility rate. 30% of our daytime students work. Trend/Data: Attendance during the 2014-15 school year took the biggest dip during the second nine weeks each semester. 5. School location, proximity to a major freeway, and hours of operation require increased attention to school safety. The number of student discipline cases for school violence or possession of controlled substances will be less than 8% of all referrals. Advisement period will used to provide guidance to students about alternatives to violence and substance abuse. Our Reality: Our school is located a few feet from a major freeway, and classes meet from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Many of our students are new to the American education system and are unfamiliar with rules and guidelines in U.S. schools. During the 6 6/21/2016 12:29 PM evening, the majority of our students travel from work to school and have family responsibilities. Trend/Data: During the 2014-15 school year, 92% of all office referrals were due to minor classroom or campus infractions. Safety threats from outside of the school (from non-students) occurred during the evening hours. Given the multiple responsibilities that our students must balance every day, and the academic support needs of our students, our school’s plan for intervention takes a multi-pronged approach for providing student support. We believe that prevention is an important component of an intervention program. When our students enroll, they participate in an orientation facilitated by our counseling staff, Assistant Principal and the school Principal; the orientation acquaints students with the support programs that are in place at Liberty High School. This information is reinforced during follow up sessions with the counseling staff and with their advocate during advocacy class. In the area of academics, our school will implement a process for early intervention that begins with the classroom teacher and is supported by tutors, Lead Teachers and the school’s administration. Students who fall behind academically (due to absences or low skill level) will be required to participate in our schoolwide academic support program that has been developed by each department. As there is a strong correlation between attendance and academic achievement, our school’s intervention team (Persistence Committee) will support teachers by collaborating with students and their families to resolve emerging and existing attendance issues. The Persistence Committee meets on a weekly basis to monitor student attendance. Brief narrative summary of how we will evaluate our efforts: Common and Authentic Assessments. Liberty High School is a small school that understands the importance of having common standards that are understood by all students, parents, and teachers. The five Lead Teachers in the content areas collaborate with members of their department to develop learning targets that are measured every four, and nine week intervals, as well as every semester to measure student learning during key points in the school year. The formative benchmarks will be utilized to help our school and teachers provide timely interventions during the semester and our summative end of semester assessments will measure the overall level of mastery in each content area by our students. Lead Teachers in each core and elective area will review, and analyze the results of formative assessments with members of their department on a regular basis during PLC time to measure the academic progress of students throughout the school year. Teachers will be expected to use the results of benchmark assessments to make timely adjustments in pacing, content and concept coverage while adding support for students who are experiencing challenges to learning. Implementation and Monitoring Systems: The success of our academic and student social support systems depend not only on thoughtful planning, but also on consistent implementation and regular review. To have the highest possibility for success of our plans and goals this school year, every strategy and program will be reviewed on a regular basis (every grading cycle) to determine if it is moving student learning toward the expected outcomes. Our school will use a common lesson plan template that contains the essential planning elements for effective instruction for our student population. A common system for weighing grades has been established to ensure that grading practices are consistent with the mission and goals of our school. Classroom observations and benchmark results will help measure our progress throughout the school year. Improvement in the area of attendance and lowering of dropout rates will be monitored by the Persistence Committee on a weekly basis to adjust strategies as needed, and progress will be communicated to the staff and faculty. Our efforts to increase community involvement to forge partnerships for the attainment of our school goals will be monitored by the school principal by tracking the number of family members who participate in school related activities, and by monitoring the number of students who are connected to mentors and job opportunities. 7 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Narrative of Identified Needs Needs Assessment: During the past ten years since the opening of our school, we have given emphasis to the “what” and the ‘how” of our academic program by focusing on the essential skills students must learn to succeed in their classes and in the high stakes exams that are mandated by our state. By focusing on this approach, we have seen steady academic growth. As most of our students are learning English as a second language, we understand the significant correlation between English language proficiency and academic achievement. For this reason, we place high emphasis on the integration of language development objectives in all of the academic areas so that students are not only learning content, but are also building their English language skills across the curriculum. The “how” in our school involves focusing on the way in which we engage our students in learning experiences. We have adopted a lesson planning approach which engages teachers in the process of preparing learning experiences for students to learn content through explicit engagement in listening, speaking, writing, and reading every day in all classes. Furthermore, our school is utilizing the HISD Literacy Routines as school-wide strategies to help build the linguistic proficiency of our students in the English language while they learn content. Department Lead Teachers have analyzed the district curriculum to develop specific learning targets when planning “what” students will be learning in each of their classes. During this process, each department has identified high yield objectives that help guide instructional planning and the instructional focus in each course. Areas for Improvement: Our longitudinal school data has given clear indications that we must continue to be strategic about instructional planning, so that not only our teachers have a clearly defined instructional path for the school year, but also so that students have a well-defined understanding of the expected outcomes for each of the courses they take. Secondly, given the protracted amount of time our students have to build English proficiency to meet the graduation requirements, we must continue to build capacity within our faculty around the use of effective English literacy strategies that are to be used to teach content. Furthermore, we must continue to monitor the effective implementation of instructional strategies and give feedback to teachers while offering opportunities for refinement of skills during and after classroom visits. We are continuing to improve our process for providing timely academic support through effective analysis of formative assessment results and support services to accomplish “real time” intervention when students are not succeeding academically. A major area of focus at Liberty High School this school year will be to continue to improve our student support systems such as access to counseling in and outside of school and to adjust existing academic support systems to differentiate instruction based on the needs of our diverse population. Additionally, a major initiative during the 2015-16 school year will involve building collaborative relationships with a variety of stakeholders from our community to expand the support services currently being offered to our students on campus. Finally, we will seek employer partnerships with businesses that will support the academic aspirations of our students. 8 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Following the in-depth data analysis, needs assessment and development of the campus SIP, the campus must indicate on this table that any unmet or barely met accountability standards have been addressed: Performance Index Met? Y/N Unmet or barely met Subject(s) / Measure(s)? Student Group(s) Below Standard? Needs addressed in the following SIP Goal(s): No Yes n/a Yes Reading n/a n/a n/a Hispanic n/a n/a n/a Reading/literacy Goal 1 n/a n/a Goal 1 Index 4 No Reading Hispanic Reading Participation No 89% Reading Alt/Mod Math Performance Math Participation Math Alt/Mod 4 Year Graduation n/a Yes Yes n/a Yes 5 Year Graduation Yes n/a n/a n/a n/a As measured for alternative education campuses. As measured for alternative education campuses. Hispanic, Asian, ELL n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Reading/literacy Goal area 1 Attendance Goal area 1 Texas Accountability System I. Student Achievement II. Student Progress III. Closing Gaps IV. Postsecondary Readiness Federal System Safeguards Reading Performance 9 6/21/2016 12:29 PM n/a n/a Math /Goal area 1 n/a n/a Goal Area 1 Index 4 Goal Area 1 Index 4 STAFF DEVELOPMENT PLANS Date 8-10-15 Time Full Day Goal Area Welcome- Departments analyze campus student data from 2014-15 to set goals for their dept. to improve academic achievement. Use Professional Learning Cycles to guide professional development, instructional planning, assessments and intervention during the 2015-16 school year. Departments create department calendar with significant dates for assessments, dept. projects, field trips, etc. Planning documents completed by depts. will be uploaded to the server at the end of the work day. (Data sets prepared by R. Saldivar, and facilitated by M. Rivas and R. Saldivar) (Selected ELA and SS teachers attend QTEL Newcomer instructional strategies training at Lee from Aug 10-14). 8-11-15 Full Day Curriculum and Instruction (Map first 9 weeks of courses taught with integration of literacy components). Each department will use the HISD curriculum (if available for the content area) or TEKS from the TEA curriculum section to map the first nine weeks of curriculum for the classes they are teaching this fall. Lead Teachers will facilitate a discussion about essential planning components and completion of the templates. 8-12-15 Full Day Ed Plan overview and follow up dates for additional training/support (EdPlan overview facilitated by Mr. Reyna and Mr. Saldivar). Using backward planning process, identify objectives to be tested at the end of each course taught and create benchmark blueprints for first nine weeks in each class. Blueprints will be uploaded by dept. to the school server at the end of the day. (Facilitated by Lead Teachers, Mr. Rivas and Mr. Saldivar) 8-13-15 Full Day 8-14-15 Full Day Academic support schedule (create a plan for providing academic support to struggling students in class and outside of class throughout the school year. Use a department template to communicate the support that is available in your dept. to students and parents. Determine criteria for determining when tutorials are optional and when they are mandatory. Create lesson plans for first three weeks of school (in every course taught). (CTE will attend training off campus today) Identify topics for activity period. (Facilitated by Lead Teachers and supported by Mr. Saldivar and Mr. Rivas) Emergency preparedness plan, Sexual Harassment Policy, Child Abuse reporting, Anti-bullying, and Equal Employment Opportunity policy. All faculty and staff are required to attend this training. (Training facilitated by Ms. Lawlace) Advocacy – Goals and Curriculum framework for entire school year (Facilitated by S. Lawlace) Individual planning time after trainings 8-17-15 Full Day Introduce draft of campus School Improvement Plan and make 10 6/21/2016 12:29 PM recommendations for its completion. All faculty and staff will meet in room 108 to provide input for updates and recommendations for the 2015-16 School Improvement Plan. Time will be set aside from 2:00 – 3:45 for individual planning. (Facilitated by M. Rivas) 8-18-15 Full Day Faculty handbook, Employee Standards of Conduct and Dress, Teacher, Staff Appraisal and Development. All faculty and staff are required to be in attendance for today’s training. Time will be set aside for individual planning from 2:00 – 3:45 p.m. (Facilitated by C. Molina and M. Rivas) 8-19-15 Full Day Year 2 Power Up goals for Liberty High School – Discuss action plan for integrating technology across the curriculum, and identify technology tools which support academic language acquisition. Set expectations for the use of technology on campus. (Title I and counselor job alike training) (Facilitated by M. Rivas Lead Teachers) Time will be set aside for individual planning from 2:00 – 3:45 p.m. 8-20-15 Full Day Work by Dept. to integrate at least three technology tools into lesson plans starting on week two of the fall semester. Identify strategies to help your students build proficiency in the use of technology to your content area (i.e. word processing skills, use of data sheets, power point presentations, etc.) (Facilitated by Lead Teachers) Time will be set aside for individual planning from 1:45 – 3:45 p.m. 9-22-15 10-28-15 11-18-15 2-24-15 Early Dis. Early Dis. Early Dis. Early Dis. ELL instructional strategies/ intervention plans 11 6/21/2016 12:29 PM SIP Part 2: Goals & Objectives – Planning, Implementing, Monitoring Based on the Data Analysis and Needs Assessment, the following Goals and Objectives have been developed to address the identified needs: GOAL AREA I: Reading See: Campus Literacy Plan (a copy of the Campus Literacy Plan is kept with this template) The Liberty High School literacy plan aims to address the fundamental factors impacting student success with ELL students. As 93% of the students attending Liberty are classified as ELL’s, and the other 7% are former ELL’s, it is essential that all content area teachers contribute to the linguistic development of English language skills for success in high school and beyond. To accomplish this goal, the literacy plan focuses on developing students’ skills around the four key domains that are essential for learning the English language and to succeed academically. The four areas are writing, reading, listening (comprehension), and speaking. Specific strategies such as tiered questioning to check for understanding, online graphic organizers to assist with meaning making, and text features have been adopted to develop students’ skills around each of these domains on a campus-wide level. Teachers have been trained, and will continue to participate in professional development throughout the school year that will support the integration of language skill development in each of the content areas being taught in our school. In essence, the literacy strategies are the “how” of teaching and the TEKS are the “what” in each content area. Concurrently, the Liberty High School Literacy Plan will prioritize continuous improvement in meeting state standards. Liberty HS met the state standard for the 2014-2015 school year. We will continue to improve on our academic successes and address areas where academic achievement is critical. The 2015-16 Literacy Plan will specifically target the area of Reading for Index I. We will use the Powerful Practices to engage students in Authentic and Purposeful Reading and Authentic and Purposeful Writing on a daily basis. These practices support our students in meeting the language progress measure goal on STAAR. Our goal is meet the metric for the state progress measure on STAAR Reading for ELLs. Data obtained from walkthroughs, lesson plans and formative assessments during the school year will reflect effective use of the backwards planning process to inform instruction and interventions to ensure students are on track to meet EOC expectations. 12 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Milestones monitoring to be completed by Campus Intervention Team/SDMC/Leadership Fall Date of Review End of first nine week cycle ( October 23, 2015) Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Mid-Year Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of first semester (second cycle – January 9, 2016) Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of spring semester (fourth cycle – June 17, 2016) Spring 13 6/21/2016 12:29 PM GOAL AREA I: Mathematics Priority Need: Critical Success Factor(s): Goal: Strategy Data Disaggregation Academic conferences with student/family Required tutorials Fill content gaps to ensure success in Algebra 1. Data driven instruction, on-going monitoring of instruction, flexible scheduling to increase learning time. Meet AEA progress requirement for ELL’s and increase average STAAR score for students with previous score from 3319 to 3419. Objective Responsible Timeline Milestones/ Evaluation Pinpoint learning standards not met for targeted intervention. Develop individualized learning plans to address skill gaps early in the school year. Use team approach to establish collaboration between student, family, and teachers to meet passing standard on Algebra 1, Biology, English, and U.S. History EOC’s. Math Dept. , Campus data administrator, principal Spring and summer EOC results, spring TELPAS results, BOY benchmark results August 10 pre service week – conduct data analysis. Analyze benchmark results by class and dept. during PLC every three weeks. Daily observation/evaluation of student work , analysis of benchmark results to recommend further interventions Teachers in math, social studies, English, science, and non-core area depts., advocacy teachers Individual teacher planning time, PLC’s, advocacy advisement period. Meet with all students who have not passed Algebra 1 EOC by Sept. 8th. Meet with all students who are enrolled in Algebra 1 by the end of the fifth week of classes. Engage students in learning the necessary skills for success in Algebra 1 EOC Teachers in math dept., counselor, and administrative team Content tutors, math teachers working with identified students before, during, after classes, and on Saturdays. Schedule students during the first week of classes, and continue every week until next EOC administration. Review student tutorial sign in logs to determine level of participation. Evaluate results of benchmark assessments to determine progress toward passing standard. Use daily work, and benchmark assessment results to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted tutorials 14 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Resources Milestone Monitoring to be completed by Campus Intervention Team/SDMC/Leadership Fall Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of first nine week cycle (October 23 ) Mid-Year End of fall semester (first Saturday of Spring semester-January 9, 2016) Spring End of spring semester ( June 17, 2016 upon receipt of STAAR results) 15 6/21/2016 12:29 PM 16 6/21/2016 12:29 PM GOAL AREA I: Safety Priority Need: Critical Success Factor(s): Goal: Strategy Adapting to life in a new country and entry into a new school while learning a new language impacts students’ ability to transition successfully to the American system of education. Increased opportunities for input, effective communication with diverse segments of the community, accessible community services. Provide a safe learning environment as evidenced by number of level III discipline referrals, number of community volunteers, and student/staff feedback regarding school climate. Objective Bullying Prevention Establish a bully free campus Discipline Management Apply positive discipline strategies to manage student behavior. Drug, Tobacco, Alcohol Prevention Reduce the incidence of drug, tobacco, and alcohol possession/use on campus. Strengthen collaborative partnership with mental health providers in the surrounding community. Suicide Prevention Coordinated Health 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Programs Work with ECHOS, Neighborhood Centers, and other service Responsible Resources School counselor coordinates character development curriculum, advocates teach the curriculum to all students. Guest speakers are invited Teachers use positive behavior modification approach to foster student behavior that is conducive to academic success. Materials from Student Support Services Dept. , School Counselor, Advocacy Teachers. August 25 through the end of the school year. HISD Student code of conduct. Advocacy curriculum to help build positive relationships between teachers and students. Student orientation prior to start of school year and teacher training throughout school year. Administrative team, Advocacy teachers Embed drug, tobacco, and alcohol prevention curriculum in advocacy/advisory class School Counselor, HISD Student Support Services, and Community service providers. August 25 through the end of the school year. School counselor provides information to teachers, and staff about safe places to get help. Students have access to information on mental health centers in the community. 17 Counselor, Special Community based Populations organizations that Administrator, and provide health related Timeline August 25 through the end of the school year. June 3 through 2014-15 school year. Milestones/ Evaluation Referral review every four weeks to determine if prevention and intervention strategies are working. Evaluate types of discipline referrals sent to the office on a monthly basis to determine extent to which students and teachers are using win – win strategies to maintain a positive classroom climate. Monthly review of referrals and interventions related to drugs and alcohol. Evaluate the number of students who are referred or who selfrefer for counseling services, and who may want to harm themselves. Track the number of health services providers who gave on providers to build seamless access to health services for our students and their families. Assistant Principal coordinate with community health providers. services in the Gulfton community. Milestone Monitoring to be completed by Campus Intervention Team/SDMC/Leadership Fall Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of first nine weeks ( October 23, 2015) Mid-Year End of second nine weeks ( Beginning of spring semester January 9, 2016) Spring End of spring semester ( June 17, 2016 upon receipt of STAAR results) 18 6/21/2016 12:29 PM –site screenings for conditions that can impact school achievement. I.e. vision, hearing, speech, and emotional wellbeing. GOAL AREA I: Additional Goal Area(s) Goal Area(s) identified via TEA Accountability Ratings: Met Alternative School Standard Use the section below to provide details about goal areas identified above or provide additional goal areas applicable to your campus. Please add multiple goal areas as required. Student Achievement Student Progress Closing Gaps 4 Year Graduation 5 Year Graduation 19 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Postsecondary Readiness Attendance Special Populations Teacher & Administrator Quality Parent and Community Involvement GOAL AREA I: Attendance Priority Need: Critical Success Factor(s): Goal: Since our students have many responsibilities outside of school (i.e. work and family), and because poor attendance is a major risk for dropping out and for graduation, we must improve our attendance rate from 79.4% to 83.4%. Flexible scheduling, accessible community services, and increase attendance. Improve attendance rate from 79.4% to 83.4% Strategy Objective Student /Parent attendance agreement Students and parents have a clear understanding of attendance policies and consequences resulting from poor attendance. Student attendance conferences Motivate students to remain in school through graduation, and involve the greater family to achieve this goal. Advocacy teachers, classroom teachers, administrator or counselor during enrollment Student handbook, HISD attendance guidelines, advocacy period. August 1, and throughout school year until the end of the school year. Timely intervention at the onset of attendance issues to get students back on track as soon as attendance issues arise. Teacher planning time, Persistence Committee members, advocacy period. Starting during the first week of classes on August 25, ongoing every week through the end of the school year. Individualized telephone calls to students who accumulate two or more absences Advocacy teachers update contact information every two weeks and make initial contact. Make referrals to Persistence Committee. Motivate students to come to school on a regular and consistent basis Classroom teachers initiate contact and make referrals. Persistence Committee provides support for follow up Classroom teachers, advocacy mentors, Persistence Committee Teacher planning time, Persistence Committee members, automated call out system, district level attendance intervention specialists Starting during the first week of classes on August 25, ongoing on a daily basis through the end of the school year. Departments, recognition ceremonies, Persistence Committee. Funds from snack sales, compensatory education funds, partnership donations End of grading cycle recognition ceremonies, weekly competition for highest attendance by advocacy period. Incentives to promote strong attendance Responsible Resources 20 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Timeline Milestones/ Evaluation Weekly monitoring of absence excuse notes and unexcused absences. Weekly checks during Persistence Committee meetings. The committee will identify upward or downward attendance trends The Persistence Committee evaluates the outcome of telephone conferences with parents and adult students during its weekly meetings Evaluate impact of recognition on students with good attendance to determine if there is continuous improvement, and survey students with poor attendance to ask about impact of rewards on their motivation to improve attendance. Evaluate at the end of every nine week cycle. Milestone Monitoring to be completed by Campus Intervention Team/SDMC/Leadership Fall Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of first cycle ( October 23, 2016) Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Start of spring semester ( end of cycle two – January 9, 2016) Mid-Year Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Spring End of spring semester ( June 17, upon receipt of STAAR and end of spring reports) 21 6/21/2016 12:29 PM GOAL AREA I: Index 4 Index 4 Dropout Prevention/Graduation Rate Priority Need: Critical Success Factor(s): Goal: Strategy As Yearly Academic Progress is a major factor leading to graduation, our school must ensure students learn the content and skills necessary to earn course credit, and to graduate with their four year or five year cohort. Data driven instruction, curriculum alignment, flexible scheduling, and instructionally focused calendar. 85% or more of all students will earn at least 6.5 credits in a calendar year to graduate with their four or five year cohort. Objective Responsible Dropout Prevention: Academic and psychosocial supports Decrease factors within the control of the school that lead to dropping out. Campus Assistant Principal, Persistence Committee, classroom teachers Graduation rate: Flexible scheduling, academic supports, college and career counseling Increase the percentage of students who persist with their education leading to graduation Principal, Counseling staff, administrative team. Accelerate acquisition of English language proficiency to increase academic achievement and raise scores in high stakes exams. College readiness: Access to a rigorous curriculum to prepare for post-secondary education. Counselors, advocacy teachers, classroom teachers. Resources Classroom teachers, Persistence Committee members, HISD dropout prevention specialists, Compensatory education funds. Title I funds, State HS allotment, Advocacy class, College and Career Readiness Dept. August 25 through the end of the school year on July 31, 2015 State HS allotment, College and Career Readiness Dept. August 25 through the end of the school year on July 31, 2015 22 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Timeline August 25 through the end of the school year on July 31, 2015 Milestones/ Evaluation Weekly, monthly, and quarterly review of the number of students who are experiencing barriers to graduation Evaluate completion rates at the end of the fall, Spring, and summer sessions for total number of students who persist through graduation. Evaluate SAT, ACT, STAAR, and exit TAKS results for indicators of college readiness after each administration. Milestone Monitoring to be completed by Campus Intervention Team/SDMC/Leadership Fall Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of first nine week cycle ( October 23, 2015) Mid-Year End of fall semester ( first Saturday of spring semester – January 9, 2016) Spring Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of spring semester ( June 17, 2016 ) 23 6/21/2016 12:29 PM GOAL AREA IV: Parent and Community Involvement Priority Need: Critical Success Factor(s): Goal: Strategy Reinforce idea of the school as a community center. Increase Family and Community Engagement Increased opportunities for input, effective communication, accessible community services Increase number of parents who attend school related events and who serve on school-based committees. Increase number of partnerships with service providers and businesses in the surrounding community. Objective Resources Timeline Teachers, counselor, Title I coordinator, and community outreach coordinator. Teacher weekly conference time, advocacy class, Title I funds, at-risk funds. August 24 through the end of the school year. Establish partnerships Liberty serves as liaison with service providers in between families and the community. community-based providers to address non-academic student needs. School counselor, outreach coordinator, school principal. Community provider directory, at-risk funds, outreach visits. June 2015 through the end of the summer semester session in July 2016. Build partnerships with businesses in the community. School counselor, outreach coordinator, college access support office, school principal. Community volunteers, outreach visits. August 25 through the end of the summer semester in 2016. Outreach coordinator, advocates, school principal Directory of Non-profit organizations in the Gulfton community, school sponsors. August 25 through the end of the summer semester in 2016. Establish opportunities for students to work collaboratively with diverse segments of the community. Parents visit the school to learn about their child’s progress, to provide input, and to learn about services available to students and families. Responsible Local businesses and Liberty work together to offer students work, internship, and mentorship opportunities. Liberty High School students volunteer to participate in service projects around the Gulfton community. 24 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Milestones/ Evaluation Survey parents every nine week cycle to evaluate parents’ perception on the number of opportunities available to engage in school related activities. Conduct a needs assessment during the first four weeks of school and connect with service providers by the end of the first six weeks. Update needs assessment in January 2016. Conduct outreach visits by the end of the fourth week of school to meet with potential partners and update contacts every nine week cycle. Evaluate the level of participation at the end of every nine week cycle to determine upward or downward trends. Milestone Monitoring to be completed by Campus Intervention Team/SDMC/Leadership Fall Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? Date of Review Major intervention(s) Data reviewed Achievements? Challenges? On track? Modifications? End of first nine week cycle ( October 23, 2015) Mid-Year End of second nine week cycle ( review on first Saturday of the spring semester (January 9, 2016) Spring End of the fourth cycle ( June 17, 2016 upon receipt of “my voice” survey results) 25 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Special Funding Goals Goal Area: Title I Ten Components (standard language provided, update data) 1. Comprehensive needs assessment – All data were reviewed for all students and student groups. The results and conclusions of this review are reflected in the SMART goals and the Executive Summary for the next school year. The components of the campus needs assessment include the: establishment of a school wide planning team, clarification of the campus vision with a focus on reform, creation of the school profile, identification of data sources and analysis of the data. 2. School-wide reform strategies – The continued use of the student information system to identify and monitor student growth; the continued use of district Unit Planning Guides and the staff development which accompanies it; the use of Exemplar Lessons and the meeting by content and grade level to monitor; and develop instructional plans are part of our school-wide reform strategies. 3. Instruction by highly qualified teachers 100% of our teachers are certified for the position they hold. They have varying levels of experience, and support is given to less experienced teachers by their colleagues. Parents are notified if a teacher is not certified and the teacher must either be working toward certification or efforts continue to hire someone who is certified. 4. High-quality and on-going professional development – Lead Teachers who receive training during the summer and during the school year, provide on-site training and monitoring to assist in professional development. The Shared Decision-Making Committee identifies areas in which staff development is needed. Staff members participate in staff development offered by the District. Staff development may also be done on site by in-house instructional leaders and also by administrative district instructional support staff. 5. Strategies to attract high-quality highly qualified teachers – Recruitment and retention of teachers who are certified for positions for which they are appropriately certified is ongoing. We closely work with our district’s HISD Personnel officer and network with other principals to help in this effort; our own teachers also serve as recruiters. The result has been that 100% of our classroom teachers are appropriately certified for the position they hold. 6. Strategies to increase parental involvement – Family Math, Science and Literacy Nights are held to increase parents in the school’s programs. Open Houses, frequent telephone contact and weekly folder updates/newsletters are methods of recognizing parents as partners. In addition, parents are offered classes to meet their needs, for example ESL classes or STAAR information programs. 7. Transition from early childhood programs –NA 8. Measures to include teachers in the decisions regarding the uses of academic assessments – Ongoing staff development is available on site to analyze assessment data, whether national, state or teacher produced, to use in making instructional decisions. Grade level or departmental meetings and the SDMC provide forums to discuss assessment issues. 9. Effective, timely additional assistance – The use of formative and summative assessments allow for individual student progress to be monitored at the teacher level, building and administrative district levels so that interventions and assistance will be timely. Coordination and integration of Federal, State, and local services and programs – At the building level, federal, state and local services and programs are coordinated to best address student needs; this coordination of services and programs is reflected in the activities listed in the campus goals and activities. 26 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Goal Area: State Compensatory Education (standard language provided, update data) Total amount of State Compensatory Education funds: $60,709 Personnel funded with State Compensatory Education funds: List names here: NA Total number of FTE’s funded with State Compensatory Education funds: 0 Brief description of how these funds are utilized on your campus: Compensatory Education funds will be used to fund tutorials for students, professional development that will build capacity to work with at risk students, and for dropout prevention and recovery efforts. For Title I schools: These supplemental State Compensatory Education funds are used to enhance the Title I School Program at our campus. 27 6/21/2016 12:29 PM Goal Area: Mandated Health Services 1. Immunization Monitoring Person Responsible for monitoring immunization requirements, data entry, and state reporting requirements: Camelia Molina (administrator) and Yesenia Lopez (clerk) If your campus does not have a certified school nurse or screener, please explain how you will complete this on or before October 30, 2015 (include an estimate of number of students that must be screened): Ms. Yesenia Lopez will review all immunization records for compliance with state guidelines and Ms. Molina will contact community service providers to determine how students / families who are economically disadvantaged can get support to comply with immunization requirements. 2. Vision Screening at Grades: PK, K, 1, 3, 5, 7 Person Responsible for screening, data entry, completing referral forms, and submitting state report: Click here to enter text. If your campus does not have a certified school nurse or screener, please explain how you will complete this on or before December 4, 2015 (include an estimate of number of students that must be screened): Click here to enter text. 3. Hearing Screening at Grades: PK, K, 1, 3, 5, 7 Person Responsible for screening, data entry, completing referral forms, and submitting state report: Click here to enter text. If your campus does not have a certified school nurse or screener, please explain how you will complete this on or before December 4, 2015 (include an estimate of number of students that must be screened): Click here to enter text. 4. Type 2 Diabetes Screening at Grades: 1, 3, 5, 7 Person Responsible for screening, data entry, completing referral forms, and submitting state report: Click here to enter text. If your campus does not have a certified school nurse or screener, please explain how you will complete this on or before December 4, 2015 (include an estimate of number of students that must be screened): Click here to enter text. 5. Spinal Screening at Grades: 6, 9 Person Responsible for screening, data entry, completing referral forms, and submitting state report: Click here to enter text. 28 6/21/2016 12:29 PM If your campus does not have a certified school nurse or screener, please explain how you will complete this on or before February 1, 2016 (include an estimate of number of students that must be screened): Click here to enter text. 6. Medication Administration Person Responsible for administering medication including, but not limited to emergency care of students with diabetes, seizures, and life threatening anaphylaxis: Monico Rivas, Camelia Molina, Rene Saldivar, and Sally Lawlace (school administrators and school counselor) If your campus does not have a certified school nurse, please explain your rationale for not providing this service and how you will meet this ongoing student support need for the school year of 2015-2016: Due to our campus size and school budget, we don’t have a campus nurse; however, administrators and front office staff have been trained in first aid procedures and the school principal calls on nurses from neighboring schools to assist as needed to review medical records and to assist with other types of support as needed. 29 6/21/2016 12:29 PM SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2015-2016 Campus Name: Liberty High School Liberty High School was founded in 2004 as a response to the need in our community for a high school that would provide intensive English language support, flexibility for working students, and a year-round school calendar that facilitated acceleration for newly arrived young immigrant scholars in our community. Many of the students who enroll at Liberty have few or no credits toward a high school diploma and have varying degrees of experience with formal education in their home countries. In order to meet the needs of this underserved and academically diverse population, the Gulfton community proposed to open a charter school with flexibility and innovative instructional methodologies. Now almost eleven years later, Liberty High School continues to serve newly arrived immigrant students who live in the heart of Gulfton in Southwest Houston and throughout our school district. In collaboration with members of the community, the faculty and staff of Liberty High School reaffirms their commitment to provide a high quality education to the newly arrived scholars in our community. Liberty High School (formerly Newcomer Charter) offers flexible scheduling, in the form of weekend, day, and night classes as well as a year-round academic calendar. To support the linguistic needs of students, Liberty integrates intensive English instruction across the curriculum. In addition to providing various forms of academic support, students have access to a social support system through an advocacy program, the school counselor and social service providers in the surrounding community. Furthermore, Liberty High School continues to embrace collaboration by building strong partnerships with the Houston community and beyond. The HISD Newcomers Charter High School (now Liberty High School) was approved by the HISD Board of Education on September 9, 2004, and opened on January 10, 2005. With 125 students enrolled on opening night, the school opened its doors exceeding the projected starting student enrollment of 75 students. Currently, Liberty High School serves 405 day and night students between the ages of 14 and 26 who are recent immigrants to the United States and who have no or few credits toward a high school diploma. In 2012, for the first time in the eight years since it opened its doors to the Gulfon community, Liberty started a day program for immigrant students of traditional high school age. Upon enrollment, students have expressed a strong desire to learn English and to continue with their education beyond high school. Many students also come to Liberty High School from throughout HISD when their work or family responsibilities require that they have a flexible school schedule to be able to continue with their education. Currently, our students come to us from several Latin American countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Columbia. We also have students from Ghana, Somalia, The Republic of Congo, Burundi, Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Nepal, Iraq, Syria, The Ivory Coast, Liberia, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Burma, Bhutan and Eritrea. 30 6/21/2016 12:29 PM SIP APPROVAL 2015-2016 Campus: Click here to enter text. Principal: Click here to enter text. This School Improvement Plan for school name was developed according to the procedures described in this document. The final draft of the plan was submitted to the Shared Decision Making Committee on Click here to enter a date. as evidenced by the SDMC agenda. Through the SDMC the SIP was reviewed with parents, community members, and the professional staff. The plan was presented to the professional staff for a vote of approval by secret ballot on Click here to enter a date. . The plan received at least two-thirds approval. I attest that if this school is under a designation as Required Improvement, Focus, or Priority, an on-site needs assessment has been conducted in compliance with TEC §39.106(b) and recommendations were made by the intervention team when considered appropriate. In addition, these findings have been recorded and are available upon request. ________________________________________________ Principal __________________ Date Signatures below indicate review and approval of this document. ________________________________________________ PTO/PTA or other Parent Representative __________________ Date ________________________________________________ SDMC Teacher Representative __________________ Date ________________________________________________ School Support Officer / Lead Principal (DCSI) __________________ Date ________________________________________________ Chief School Officer __________________ Date ________________________________________________ Professional Service Provider (for IR, Focus, Priority) __________________ Date 31 6/21/2016 12:29 PM