Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard I: Leadership and Governance
i.
Effective District Systems for School Support and Intervention:
Continuing Practices
 Math and Literacy Coaches
 Monthly Administrative
Meetings
 Evaluation Leaders
 Title I Summer Reading
Program
 Title I MCAS Support
 ELL MCAS Support
 ELL Summer Reading
Program
 Raising a Reader
 Footsteps to Brilliance
 BSRI
New Practices
1. Monthly Administrator Meetings (Principals & APs)
a. Principal Group Date Setting for the year (Summer 2014)
b. Assistant Principal Group Date Setting for the year (Fall 2014)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
ii. Effective School Leadership:
Continuing Practices
 School Improvement
Council
 PTA
 Classroom observations
 Peer observations
 Evaluation Team Leaders
 BBST
 CPI
 Emergency Response Team
 504 Coordinator
 Equity Coordinator
 ANet
 5DP
New Practices
1. Whelan School Committee Work (All Staff)
a. Create committees imbedded in the ELT Performance Agreement (Fall 2014)
b. Staff will select the committees they will participate in (Fall 2014)
c. ILT will oversee committee work (ongoing)
d. Schedule 5 Committee Meetings for the year (ongoing)
2. Professional Learning Groups (Principal, PLG Facilitators)
a. Reshape PLG to focus on Writing (Fall 2014)
b. Arrange for Weekly PLG meetings (ongoing)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard II: Curriculum and Instruction
i.
Aligned Curriculum:
Continuing Practices
 Daily Common Planning
 Math YLP Pacing guides
 EnVision Math
 Reading Street
 MCAS Modules/Prompts
 BSRI – Reading
 Tiered reading support
 Small group instruction
 Special Education Coteaching model
New Practices
1. Weekly 2 Hr Professional Development Block (All staff)
a. Encompass Data Meeting Cycles into PD blocks (Summer 2014)
b. Set calendar for weekly professional development focus (Fall 2014)
c. Ongoing support during PD from coaches and staff (ongoing)
2. Departmentalize Grades 3-5 (3-5 Staff)
a. Identify content area focus (Summer 2014)
b. Collaborate as a department at least weekly for curriculum planning (ongoing)
c. Vertical alignment (ongoing)
3.
Achieve 3000 (Expand to Gr 3) (All Gr 3 Staff)
a. Professional Development through Director Meetings & In-Service Training
(Fall 2014)
a. Vertical Team Discussions by trained staff during common planning
(ongoing)
b. Students utilizing online resource twice a week commencing 10/1 (ongoing)
4. Grade 5 1:1 lap tops (Grade 5 Teachers & Support Staff)
a. Professional Development through CP & In-Service Training (Fall 2014)
b. Monthly Check In with Technology Teacher (ongoing)
c. Staff identify resources to supplement lessons (ongoing)
d. Provide support during common planning (ongoing)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Effective Instruction:
Continuing Practices
 Tiered reading support
 Small group instruction
 Footsteps to Brilliance
 Raising A Reader
 Math interim assessment
for grades K & 1
 Continuous feedback
through the evaluation
system
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Lexia CORE 5
Grade K -1 iPads
Edwin Teaching &
Learning
ANSWER Key Routine
ANet Data Cycles
5DP
New Practices
1. Weekly 2 Hr Professional Development Block (All staff)
a. Encompass Data Meeting Cycles into PD blocks (Summer 2014)
b. Set calendar for weekly professional development focus (Fall 2014)
c. Ongoing support during PD from coaches and staff (ongoing)
2. Departmentalize Grades 3-5 (3-5 Staff)
a. Identify content area focus (Summer 2014)
b. Collaborate as a department at least weekly for curriculum planning (ongoing)
c. Vertical alignment (ongoing)
3.
Achieve 3000 (Expand to Gr 3) (All Gr 3 Staff)
a. Professional Development through Director Meetings & In-Service Training
(Fall 2014)
c. Vertical Team Discussions by trained staff during common planning
(ongoing)
d. Students utilizing online resource twice a week commencing 10/1(ongoing)
4. Grade 5 1:1 lap tops (Grade 5 Teachers & Support Staff)
a. Professional Development through CP & In-Service Training (Fall 2014)
e. Monthly Check In with Technology Teacher (ongoing)
f. Staff identify resources to supplement lessons (ongoing)
g. Provide support during common planning (ongoing)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard III: Assessment
i.
Student Assessment:
Continuing Practices
 Math Quarterly
assessments Grades K-1
 DIBELS Grades K-5
 Portfolio Assessments
 MCAS
 ACCESS
 Progress Monitoring
 XtraMath
 Grade 1 GRADE Test
 Grade 5 Science
Trimester Assessments
 Grade Level Teacher
Assessments
 ANet
 Footsteps to Brilliance
 Lexia Core 5
New Practices
1. Achieve 3000 (Expand to Gr 3) (All Gr 3 Staff)
a. Professional Development through Director Meetings & In-Service Training
(Fall 2014)
e. Vertical Team Discussions by trained staff during common planning
(ongoing)
f. Students utilizing online resource twice a week commencing 10/1
(ongoing)
2. PARCC Assessment
a. Familiarize teachers with PARCC Assessment (Coaches)
a. Plan lessons to prepare students for PARCC assessments (Ongoing)
b. Administer PARCC assessments (Spring 2014)
c. Grade 3, 4 and 5 will be assessed in ELA and Math (Spring 2014)
d. Create opportunities for students in grades 3, 4, 5 to have experience with
laptops (ongoing)
3. Piloting District Determined Measures (DDMs)
a. Each educator is required to select two DDMs (Fall 2014)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard IV: Human Resources and Professional Development
i.
Principal’s Staffing Authority:
Continuing Practices
 School Spring
 Interview Committee
 Job Fair
New Practices
1. None
Whelan School Improvement Plan
ii. Professional Development and Structures for Collaboration:
Continuing Practices
 Director’s Meeting
 Principal Meetings
 District PD
 Building Based PD
 Common Planning
 BSRI PD
 Co-teaching
 Leadership Team
 Peer Observations
 ANet Data Leadership
Team
 Daily Common Planning
New Practices
1. Weekly 2 Hr Professional Development Block (All staff)
d. Encompass Data Meeting Cycles into PD blocks (Summer 2014)
e. Set calendar for weekly professional development focus (Fall 2014)
f. Ongoing support during PD from coaches and staff (ongoing)
2. Departmentalize Grades 3-5 (3-5 Staff)
a. Identify content area focus (Summer 2014)
b. Collaborate as a department at least weekly for curriculum planning
(ongoing)
c. Vertical alignment (ongoing)
3. Whelan School Committee Work
a. Create committees imbedded in the ELT Performance Agreement (Fall 2014)
b. Staff will select the committees they will participate in (Fall 2014)
c. Schedule 5 Committee Meetings for the year (ongoing)
4. Professional Learning Groups (Principal, PLG Facilitators)
a. Reshape PLG to focus on Writing
b. Arrange for Weekly PLG meetings
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard V: Student Support
Tiered Instruction and Adequate Learning Time:
New Practices
1. Departmentalize Grades 3-5 (3-5 Staff)
c. Identify content area focus
d. Collaborate as a department at least weekly for curriculum planning.
e. Vertical alignment
Continuing Practices
 Co-teaching Inclusion
Model
 3 Tier instruction with
BSRI
 ERI - K
 Rosetta Stone (ELL
students)
 120 minutes
uninterrupted ELA K-2
 90 minutes uninterrupted
3-5
 90 minutes uninterrupted
math
i.
2. Professional Learning Groups (Principal, PLG Facilitators)
a. Reshape PLG to focus on Writing
b. Arrange for Weekly PLG meetings
Students’ Social, Emotional, and Health Needs:
Continuing Practices
 Daily Physical Education
 Wellness Committee
 Safe Routes to School
 Walking School Bus
 North Suffolk Mental
Health Partnership
 Urban Trail
 ELT Performance
Agreement
 Nurses Suite
 Polished Dental Partnership
 Social Workers
 Weekly health class
 Breakfast in the Classroom
 Morning Fitness
New Practices
1. Weekly 90 minute Enrichment Block Creation
a. Create Schedule (Summer 2014)
b. Grade levels determine focus for student motivation/engagement (ongoing)
2. Robotics Club Partnership
a. Grade 5 and RHS Robotics Club creation during Curriculum Plus Time (Summer
2014)
b. Compete with Paul Revere School in 1st Elem Robotics Competition in Revere
(Spring 2015)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard V: Student Support
ii. Family-school engagement:
Continuing Practices
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Family Math Night
Family Game Night
Family Fitness Night
Winter Wonderland
Family Movie Night
Kindergarten Library
Afternoon
Winter Concerts
Spring Concert
March on the Arts
Family Fall Bash
Grade 5 Walk-a-Thon
Walk to School (2xs a Week)
Uniform Swap/ twice a year
Character Parade
Grade level newsletters
New Practices
1. PJ Night for Kindergarten Students and their Parents
a. Kindergarten Teachers collaborate to plan evening (Fall 2014)
b. Notify Parents (Fall 2014)
c. Reflect on evening (Fall 2014)
2. Family Engagement Committee
a. Create Committee (Fall 2014)
b. Focus on ways to increase Parent Engagement (ongoing)
c. Student Work Gallery Opportunities (ongoing)
d. Incorporate increasing family engagement into Enrichment Opportunities
(ongoing)
3. Spelling Bee (Administration, Teachers, Community Partners)
a. Host a series of Spelling Bees to generate a school champion for students
in grades 1-5 (class, grade, school)
(Dec 2014-Feb. 2015)
b. Enter school Champion in Scripps Spelling Bee (Mar. 2015)
Whelan School Improvement Plan
Standard VI: Financial and asset management
i.
Strategic Use of Resources and Adequate Budget Authority:
Continuing Practices
 School based allotment
 ELT Grant
 Mobile Educational
Alliance Program
 Yellow School Bus
Grant
 Lots2Give
New Practices
1. STEM NCTL Learning Grant
a. Participate in Technical Assistance Session (ongoing)
b. Collaborate with Blue Heron (ongoing)
c. EIE training for gr 4 & 5 Science Teachers (ongoing)
d. Collaborate with McKinley ELT in training sessions(ongoing)
e. Collaborate with Whelan Afterschool in training sessions for afterschool
engineering activities (ongoing)