Mary Morrisson
Elementary School
Executive Summary and Outlook
For the 2012-2013 School Year
“We are simply seeking to bring into full realization that American dream- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of
equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of land where men no longer argue that he
color of a man’s skin determines the content of his character, the dream of a land where every man will respect he
dignity and worth of human personality.”
–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., July 19, 1962
from The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.
Overview
We are honored to work at Mary Morrisson Elementary School, a place named for an amazing woman.
Did you know Mary Morrisson was a suffragette? She stood for equal rights and values for humans
everywhere. She worked especially hard for women to be recognized as equals. She improved the
quality of life for many people. We celebrate her contributions to society in this 50th anniversary of our
school.
Mary Morrisson is an exceptional elementary school serving mostly military families. We are honored
to have such motivated learners as a part of our community. We strive daily to offer the best instruction
in a safe, respectful and responsible environment. Our school is proud of our many traditions such as
Back to school BBQ, Annual Fall Festival, and many free family events.
Summary – Student performance Data
At Mary Morrisson we strive to meet the needs of all of our diverse learners. We do this with a focus on
data analysis, team intervention meetings and a strong PBIS philosophy. This focus can be seen in every
classroom in our building. From the grade level teachers, to our specialists, to our lunch staff and bus
drivers, we instill our PBIS mantra of being Respectful Responsible and Safe. This year the MM data
and intervention teams plan will not only look at our CMT results, but will also look towards digging
deeper to identify those students who are ready to move the next level. This falls in line with the new
Connecticut accountability system in place.
The results of the 2012 showed growth in all areas at Mary Morrisson. While there are still a gap
between our Lower and Higher income students there have been gains in the last three years.
This Executive Summary demonstrates Mary Morrisson’s Performance Data in several ways:
A. Student Performance (Proficient and Goal) Across all Subjects – percentage of
students scoring proficient or Goal 2010-2012.
B. Vertical Scale Score – Demonstrates average growth per student over the course of three
years in a cohort model.
C. Subgroup Performance - Students Eligible for Free and Reduced across all subjects 20102012.
This data helps us gauge our current level of performance and determine next steps for striving to meet
the goals set forth in both the district and Mary Morrisson Improvement Plans.
Mary Morrisson School Improvement Goals and Objectives:
GOALS:
1. Increase reading proficiency for students in all grades by a minimum of 15% over a 3 year period as
measured by CMT’s.
2. Increase mathematics proficiency for students in all grades by a minimum of 15% over a 3 year
period as measured by CMT’s.
3. Students will behave respectfully, responsibly and safely as measured by a 5% reduction in office
referrals over each of the next 3 years.
SUBGROUP OBJECTIVES:
1a. Increase reading proficiency in free and reduced subgroup by a minimum of 15% over a 3 year period
as measured by F & P Benchmark Assessment and CMT’s.
2a. Increase mathematics fluency in free and reduced subgroup by a minimum of 15% over a 3 year
period as measured by Math Expressions Unit Assessments, MAP and CMT’s.
A. Student Performance (Proficient and Goal) across all Subjects
Mary Morrisson has demonstrated improvement on our CMT scores in all grade levels as demonstrated
by the increase in both students performing Proficient or better and Goal or better in three consecutive
years in the areas of Math and Reading.
With the implementation of Math Expressions
we have seen steady growth in our math scores.
(Average 8% growth per grade in students
performing Goal or better.)
Grade 3 in particular has consistently performed
well above the Groton average in both students
performing at the proficient and goal level.
With the continuation of Math Expressions, the
SRBI process and our data analysis we continue
towards our SIP goal to increase student
achievement 15% by 2014.
Math
2010-2012
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
89
87
85
64
2010
67
2011
72
2012
Reading continues to be our focus at MM. We
have focused our SRBI time on Reading and
have been working towards developing new
strategies for instruction.
Over the last three years our scores have
continued to move in a positive direction, most
impressively in the area of children achieving
goal (increase of 8%).
Reading
2010-2012
74
80
70
76
67
60
52
56
55
50
40
30
20
10
0
2010
Writing continues to be a focus at Mary
Morrisson. With the implimentation of the
new LEAD21 program we are hopeful that
student writing scores will improve. While
our average writing prompt score was
proficient our students seem to have gaps in
the area of grammar.
Lead21 has a more thorough editing and
revising component that has been lacking in
the past. Our classroom teachers recognize
this and continue to strive to fill those gaps.
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2011
Prof Goal
2012
Writing
2010-2012
91
81
78
64
61
48
2010
2011
Prof Goal
2012
B. Vertical Scale Score
The state of Connecticut defines vertical scale scores as an indicator of improvement on the standard CMT
from one year to the next. The purpose of the vertical scale scores is to explain how students perform on
the state tests of math or reading in one grade compared to the next grade even though the tests each
year are different and contains content that is progressively more difficult.
Mary Morrison demonstrated growth in both math and reading as demonstrated by the scores of our 2010
cohort. In math the average growth was 56 scaled points and in reading the growth was 41 scale points.
This growth is encouraging and with the strengthening of our tier 1 instruction we anticipate this growth
will continue and grow within the next three years.
C. Subgroup Performance
While our Free and reduced population in Grades 3-5 does not always equal the minimum 40 students in order
for the state to track their progress, We at MM feel it is important to have a pulse on all of our subgroups.
We take pride in our scores for our free and Reduced students and strive to improve their achievement levels
each year. This is reflected in our 3 year School Improvement Plan.
Our scores indicate a fairly steady percentage of students who are free and reduced performing at proficient or
better. Since the data is presented in a cohort model the slight fluxuation in our percentages may be attributed
to our transient population. None the less, we continue to focus on this population and strive to increase these
percentages through our data analysis and intervention models.
Mathematics
Subgroup
Free/Reduced Meals
Full Price Meals
Reading
Writing
Percent
At/Above
Proficiency
Percent
At/Above
Goal
Reading %
At/Above
Proficiency
Reading
%
At/Above
Goal
2010
88
61
67
45
86
44
2012
2010
2012
85
83
94
71
65
71
65
67
89
55
58
72
78
76
94
63
49
63
Year
Writing %
At/Above
Proficiency
Writing %
At/Above
Goal
The vertical scale scores for this population show more promising growth. Our students who meet the
requirements of the subgroup have shown steady progress from grades 3-5. In the particular cohort
presented in this model students who qualify for free and reduced made an average growth of 47 points in
their vertical scores. While we continue to work to improving these scores they fall well within the average
of the district (519 in grade 5) and above the state average (502 in grade 5) in the same category.
A. Review of any new initiatives of the past school year
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3 new teachers were hired in grades K, 3 and the ESLP program due to the influx of our
student population this year.
ELSP program moved from NEA to MM in December 2011. The transition has been
successful and we look forward to a full year in 2012-2013.
We are in year 2 of our PBIS implementation. We are just beginning the implementation of
the tier 2 behavior intervention check-in/out system this year.
Lead 21 has been smoothly implemented in K-5 and our teachers are feeling more
comfortable with the materials
Fundations is implemented K-2; we are in year 3 and seeing tremendous growth in our
students who have been introduced to this program.
New report card was implemented with stellar success.
Full Day Kindergarten is implemented for all 78 students. The students are adjusting well to
the change.
Moved out the entire building and reopened on time with cleaner and more organized new
settings. A special thanks to the entire staff and support staff for working so hard to get the
building ready in time.
We have miraculous teachers and support staff
Outlook for the 2012-2013
The Mary Morrisson School Data Team (SDT) wrote a three year School Improvement Plan (SIP) that
mirrors the District Improvement Plan. The MM SDT is constantly monitoring the SIP as a working
document to help drive various professional development offerings, school events, and school goals.
A. Student performance date on CMT
We are looking forward to the new testing system with Smarter Balance. We want to be ready for
the new demands of the Common Core. We feel that incorporating the Lead 21 series into our
Language Arts instruction is an important step in the direction of higher standards.
We will continue to strive for improvement in all of our students. Our expectations are that they
will improve each day with structured classes, supportive environments, and outstanding teachers.
B. New implementations:
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We are currently implementing Lead 21 at K-2 level and we are excited about the
possibilities. The students are engaged in the topics being presented and the teachers are
engaging in meaningful conversations about the data.
 Our new iPads are exciting and will be a new area to explore with hand held devices.
 Will start a Principal of the Day incentive based upon teacher recommendations
 Will start a Math Masters incentive for students to increase Math fluency. We will hold
monthly celebrations for students and parents.
 We continue to provide our staff with ongoing embedded professional development in Math
for the common core
 We will continue to pursue after school sports such as tennis, technology club and after
school homework help.
 We are beginning the implementation of the tier 2 behavior intervention check-in/out
system this year.
 We are adopting a submarine attached to the Groton Sub base through letters and social
exchanges.
C. Challenges:
Significant challenges remain with regard to adequately meeting the needs of our special needs. Our
transitional students come to us often from self-contained programs with optimal services provided
and we are doing what we can to address their educational needs with limited staffing including a
part time assistant principal.
Our transitions from last year included 96 students who entered our school during the school year.
Each year we have close to 100 students who will enter our school, and 100 who will leave us.
Incorporating more time for Science instruction remains important to keeping students engaged in
classroom and the real world around them. There is simply not enough time to give students what is
appropriate in this discipline.