Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
SCHOOLWIDE/SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE
School Name: Kennedy Elementary School
Principal Name: Ryan Butcher
District Name: Barrow
School Year:
2015-2016
School Mailing Address: 200 Matthews School Road, Winder, GA 30680
Telephone: 770-867-3182
District Title I Director/Coordinator Name:
District Title I Director/Coordinator Mailing Address:
Email Address:
Telephone:
ESEA WAIVER ACCOUNTABILITY STATUS
(Check all boxes that apply and provide additional information if requested.)
Priority School ☐
Focus School ☐
Title I Alert School ☐
Principal’s Signature:
Date:
Title I Director’s Signature:
Date:
Superintendent’s Signature:
Date:
Revision Date:
Revision Date:
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 1 of 19
Revision Date:
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
SWP Template Instructions
● All components of a Title I Schoolwide Program Plan and a School Improvement Plan
must be addressed. When using SWP and SIP checklists, all components/elements
marked as “Not Met” need additional development.
● Please add your planning committee members on the next page.
● The first ten components in the template are required components as set forth in Section
1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
● Please submit your School Improvement Plan as an addendum after the header page in
this document.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 2 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
Planning Committee Members
NAME
MEMBER’S SIGNATURE
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 3 of 19
POSITION/ROLE
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
SWP/SIP Components
1.
A comprehensive needs assessment of the entire school, (including taking into account
the needs of migratory children as defined in Section 1309(2)) that is based on information which
includes the achievement of children in relation to the state academic content standards and the
state student academic achievement standards described in Section 1111(b)(1).
The following events will occur to ensure that a comprehensive needs assessment process is completed:
● January
o Principals receive an overview of the stakeholder planning process.
o Surveys made available using multiple means to all stakeholders.
o Schedule March stakeholder meetings.
● February
o Invitations to attend March planning meeting sent to all stakeholders using multiple
means.
o Prepare stakeholder presentations using school level data.
o Close surveys.
o Data from stakeholder surveys provided to schools by Title I office.
● March
o Hold school level stakeholder planning meetings.
o Maintain documentation of meetings.
● April
o Submit meeting documentation to Title I office.
o Begin revision of SIP/SWP
● June
o Completed school level plans uploaded to Google Drive for peer review at System
Leadership Summit.
o System Leadership Summit – tuning protocol used to improve SIP/SWP.
o SIP/SWP due by end of the month for review by Executive Cabinet.
● July
o Executive Cabinet request revisions/approves SIP/SWP
o Plans shared with all stakeholders using multiple means.
2014 CCRPI Points
● Achievement: 48.2
● Progress: 15.9
● Achievement Gap: 6/15
● ED/EL/SWD Performance: 3.9/7.3
● Exceeding the Bar: 1
● School Climate Rating: 3 stars
The strongest areas of achievement were:
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 4 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
● Reading meets/exceeds: 93.9%
● Writing meets/exceeds 5th grade: 90.7%
● ELA meets/exceeds: 88.8%
The achievement areas most in need of improvement were:
● Percent of 3rd graders with Lexile =/> 650: 64.4%
● Percent of 3rd graders with Lexile =/> 850: 70.1%
● Percent exceeds CRCT: 59.2%
● Percentage of EL students with positive movement: 76.6%
● CRCT Science meets/exceeds: 78.6%
The following student percentages of growth (in descending order) were experienced:
● CRCT Math: 74.7%
● CRCT Reading: 63.8%
● CRCT Science: 61.1
● CRCT ELA: 60.4%
● CRCT Social Studies: 57.7%
The following red flags were received by subgroup:
● Asian/Pacific Islander: N/A
● Black: ELA, Reading, Math, and Science
● Hispanic: None
● Multi-Racial: ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies
● White: ELA, Reading, Math, Science
● Economically Disadvantaged: ELA, Math, Science
● English Learners: None
● Students with Disability: ELA, Reading, Math, Science
The strongest areas from stakeholder surveys were:
● School provides an environment that helps students learn 96.3%.
● Staff is responsive and helpful when we discuss my child’s academic progress 96.3%.
● The school communicates with me on how I can help my child at home 95%.
The areas from stakeholder surveys most in need of improvement were:
● Academic achievement of economically disadvantaged, special education, and black students, as
well as English learners.
● Professional learning in the areas of reading, writing, and math strategies.
● Improving higher order thinking skills and determining appropriate interventions for at-risk
students.
● Providing opportunities for parents to be actively involved in their child’s progress and keeping
parents informed.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 5 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
The following priorities were established as a result of the comprehensive needs assessment
process:
● Improving literacy and math.
● Meeting the diverse needs of students and improving the academic achievement of
various subgroups of students (especially black, multi-racial, white, and special
education).
● Improving family engagement.
2. Schoolwide reform strategies that:
● Provide opportunities for all children to meet the state’s proficient and advanced levels of
student academic achievement described in Section 1111(b)(1)(D).
The following schoolwide reform strategies will provide opportunities for all students to meet
and exceed academically:
● Students in grades 3-5 will use Study Island on a weekly basis to measure progress in
math skills, ELA skills, science skills, and social studies skills.
● Students in grades K-2 will use Reading Eggs to measure progress in phonemic
awareness and reading fluency.
● All teachers will incorporate guided reading into their weekly lesson plans.
● Teachers will use Fountas & Pinnell leveled readers on a weekly basis with students.
● Students in all grades will earn points in the Accelerated Reader Program based on the
results of their STAR assessment given at the beginning of the year.
● Students in grades K-3 will use Myon Reader on a weekly basis to measure and monitor
lexile reading level
● Periodic mock writings scored by grade levels based on county rubrics.
●
Use effective methods and instructional strategies that are based on scientifically based research
that:
o strengthen the core academic program in the school.
o increase the amount and quality of learning time, such as providing and extended
school year and before- or after-school and summer programs and opportunities,
and help provide an enriched and accelerated curriculum
o include strategies for meeting the educational needs of historically underserved
populations
● All grade levels will participate in mock writing assessments. These will be on a rotating
weekly basis. As grade levels turn in their samples, grade levels will collaboratively
score on county provided rubric to ensure rater reliability. Teachers will also provide
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 6 of 19
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
feedback to student's that gives specific standard-based language to help students identify
strengths and areas to improve.
Each Math Teacher will incorporate a math vocabulary acquisition device
Additional specials teacher will develop a rotating 6 week program that will include
instruction in STEAM, Science, Writing through keyboarding skills,and Reading.
Students will have more opportunities to engage in STEAM activities that enhance the
instructional program through two school wide STEAM challenges and the additional
specials teacher.
Co-Teaching in all grade levels providing a smaller group setting for struggling students
and offers more opportunities for differentiation based on the needs of individual
students.
Cognitively Guided Instruction provides opportunities for students to see the way their
peers approached and solved problems offering models to follow.
Instructional Conversations K-5 with English Language Learners provides rituals and
routines for students during interactions with peers.
Study Island and Reading Eggs offer additional practice for struggling students.
Response To Intervention
Include strategies to address the needs of all children in the school, but particularly the needs of
low-achieving children and those at risk of not meeting the state student achievement standards
who are members of the target population of any program that is included in the schoolwide
program which may include:
o counseling, pupil services, and mentoring services;
o college and career awareness and preparation, such as college and career
guidance, personal finance education, and innovative teaching methods, which
may include applied learning and team-teaching strategies; and
o the integration of vocational and technical education programs; and
● Implement a mentoring program that meets with highest risk students as identified
through Tyler Pulse. The mentoring program will use faculty/staff members and
community members.
● Weekly video program that spotlights potential careers for students.
● Weekly presentations from community members in the Media Center.
● Counseling to support critical thinking and problem solving.
● Response to Intervention
● Address how the school will determine if such needs have been met; and
● Are consistent with, and are designed to implement, the state and local improvement plans, if
any.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 7 of 19
●
●
●
●
●
3.
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
students in grades 3-5 will have a 3 percentage point increase in meeting expected or high
growth in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies on the CCRPI
90% of students in all grades will have a 100 Lexile point increase or be “at” grade level on a
grade level reading assessment
90% of students in grades 1-5 will meet or exceed as defined by grade level rubric (average of
all 5 writing samples)
60% of SWD students will meet or exceed on the Math section of the Georgia Milestones
Assessment
65% of SWD Students will have 100 Lexile point increase or be “at” grade level on a grade
level reading assessment
Instruction by highly qualified professional staff
A highly qualified professional staff provides instruction at Kennedy Elementary School. All
administrators, support personnel, teachers, and paraprofessionals hold clear, renewable, Georgia
certificates. Generally, the Barrow County School System hires only personnel that are fully certified and
highly qualified as established by the federal and state personnel standards. 100% of the teaching staff at
Kennedy Elementary School is highly qualified for the grade level and subject area taught.
The quality of the staff is further reflected in the educational degrees and years of experience of teachers.
30.7 percent of the staff holds Educational Specialist’s Degrees (ED.S); percent have 42.3 Master’s in
Education (M.Ed.) degrees; and 26.9 percent have Bachelor’s Degrees (B.S.). The staff has an average of
11 years experience.
Data Source: https://gaawards.gosa.ga.gov/analytics/saw.dll?dashboard
4.
In accordance with Section 1119and subsection (a)(4), high-qualified and ongoing professional
development for teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals and, if appropriate, pupil services
personnel, parents, and other staff to enable all children in the school to meet the state’s student
academic achievement standards.
Instructional Coach along with Digital Coach will oversee implementation of professional
development plan for teachers that will include the following
● Teachers and administrators will participate in weekly professional learning on best
practices of writing.
● Teachers will participate in quarterly professional learning on guided reading strategies.
● Teachers and administrators will participate in professional learning on STEAM
activities.
● Teachers and administrators will participate in professional learning on technology.
● Teachers will participate in Cognitively Guided Instruction training.
Assistant Principal will oversee the implementation of paraprofessional professional
development
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 8 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
● Paraprofessionals will be made aware of PDNOW.
● Paraprofessionals are also invited to attend any professional development offered to
certified staff.
The Principal will oversee the implementation of parent development:
● Parents will be invited to PACT meetings in which they will be taught strategies to assist
their student with grade level specific skills.
5.
Strategies to attract high-quality highly qualified teachers to high-need schools.
The Barrow County School System’s Human Resources Department posts vacancies on the Teach
Georgia website (www.teachgeorgia.org) and on the system’s website (www.barrow.k12.ga.us). All
system personnel receive emails announcing any vacancies. District and school personnel attend various
college job fairs and give interested persons information about the employment/educational opportunities
in Barrow County. The school system sponsors a new teacher induction program. New teachers are
assigned a building-level mentor who meets with them regularly, observes in their classroom, and
provides feedback. The new teachers also observe in the mentor’s classroom.
Factors that attract and contribute to the high retention rate 88.8% of highly qualified teachers at Kennedy
Elementary School are the modern, well maintained, and attractive facility, as well as supportive
administrators and colleagues. Other factors include a safe learning and working environment, welldisciplined students, classes with adequate instructional materials, and 21st century technology to support
teaching and learning. The staff works in data-driven, collaborative teams and shares leadership
responsibilities through the highly functional school leadership team. The overall climate of the school is
professional and collegial.
6.
Strategies to increase parental involvement in accordance with Section 1118, such as
family literacy services.
Research has shown that parents play a critical role in the development of a child’s education,
and parent involvement in schools has positive effects not only on the children, but also on
teachers, administration, and the overall school/learning environment.
In recognition of the positive benefits of parent involvement in school, Kennedy Elementary
School has developed a Parent Involvement Policy and initiated a School-Home Compact. The
compact is a voluntary agreement between the school, the home, and the child, that defines
goals, expectations, and shared responsibilities of each partner for student learning.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 9 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
The faculty and staff of Kennedy Elementary School are committed to student success and
realize that in order to reach the goal of high achieving students, partnerships with parents are
essential. We involve parents annually in the planning, review, and improvement of our
comprehensive school wide Title I Plan by: soliciting their feedback at scheduled meetings;
inviting them to attend planning meetings and serve on planning teams; and posting the draft
plan for review. The school fosters a parent-friendly environment and attempts to involve parents
by communicating regularly with them through a variety of methods
The following strategies will be used to increase parental involvement:
● Invite parents in for Parents Academically Communicating With Teachers (PACT)
meetings. Meetings will be held in October, November, January, and March.
● Offer two phone and or face to face conferences. Two conference days will be offered to
all parents at the school during the school instructional day. Substitute teachers will be
provided for teachers to meet with parents during the day.
● Use paper and web based resources to remind parents of upcoming events.
● Use of monthly newsletter that contains ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies family
activities.
● Parents are expected to allot 25 min a week for their child(ren) to complete Study Island
and/or Reading Eggs.
● Parents are expected to allot 20 min a week for their child(ren) to read at home.
● Kindergarten Family Fun Night and Kindergarten University
● Dragons Love Tacos Night for Kindergarten and 1st grade students and parents focusing
on doing read alouds with children.
● Georgia Milestone Parent Meetings to familiarize parents with the format and
expectations of the Georgia Milestone Test.
● Overview of available computer programs parent meetings including Study Island,
Reading Eggs, MyOn, and GOFAR.
● STEAM night for parents to participate in a STEAM activity with their child.
7.
Plans for assisting preschool children in the transition from early childhood programs,
such as Head Start, Even Start, Early Reading First, or a state-run preschool program, to
local elementary school programs.
The transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten at Kennedy Elementary School has proven to be an
important element in determining a student’s future social adjustment and academic success.
Therefore, the faculty and staff work diligently to support young students and their parents
during this transitional period.
The Title I Parent Coordinator, Barrow County Pre-K Director, and a Kennedy Elementary
School kindergarten teacher hosts a kindergarten readiness workshop each winter. The purpose
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 10 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
of the workshop is to inform parents of the readiness skills needed for kindergarten, provide
suggestions for age appropriate readiness activities, and answer parent questions about
kindergarten curriculum. The workshop is open to all parents of upcoming kindergarten students.
The school invites Georgia Pre-K classes, daycare centers with four year-olds, and Head Start
Programs to visit the school and tour the facility. Visiting children spend time in actual
kindergarten classrooms and complete an instructional activity.
The Pre-K Special Education teacher gives copies of the school Student Handbook, Kindergarten
report card, Positive Behavior Rules, and the Kindergarten list of sight words to the directors of
all day care centers.
During Pre-Kindergarten registration, Kindergarten teachers screen upcoming students for
readiness skills. At risk students or students with no prior Pre-K experience are flagged so the
school can begin making scheduling and intervention accommodations for them. Upcoming
kindergarten students, visit the school in the spring with their day care/ pre-k center or Head
Start Program to tour the school. Parents are welcomed to attend this event. During the visit, Prek students complete a make and take project with a kindergarten class.
In addition to transitioning preschool children into the school from early childhood programs,
every grade level has an Orientation the week before school begins so students can meet their
new teachers. The administration holds assembly sessions to discuss various school procedures
(e.g., parking, pick-up/drop-off, lunch, schedules, etc.).
Kindergarten University is offered to all upcoming kindergarten parents to inform them of what
their student should know before the school year starts, what they will learn during the year, and
what they will know once the year is complete.
8.
Measures to include teachers in the decisions regarding the use of academic assessments
described in Section 1111(b)(3) in order to provide information on, and to improve, the
achievement of individual students and the overall instructional program.
Teachers at Kennedy Elementary School are included in decisions regarding use of academic
assessments as follows:
● Teachers use and disaggregate a variety of formative and summative assessment data,
including assessment results from the following: standardized tests, the Georgia Online
Formative Assessment Resource (GOFAR), Benchmark tests, teacher-made tests, Universal
screeners, DIBELS Next, MyOn, and reports from Study Island and Reading Eggs. Having
access to these types of data supports teachers in making decisions about how to improve
individual student performance as well as make improvements in the overall programs at their
grade levels.
● Teachers by grade-level are currently using benchmark-testing results to inform instruction.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 11 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
● Teachers are using Tyler Pulse and/or the State Longitudinal Data System to track
longitudinal data on state mandated assessments. Teachers can access the programs to view
current as well as previous years’ data. The programs have a feature that breaks down
standardized test data into performance by domains and by specific subgroups.
● Team meetings with instructional coaches and with each content group are held after
benchmark tests. All teachers review the benchmark test results, from All In Learning, to
complete an item analysis, and revise unit assessments (if necessary). Any changes made to the
units are approved by the instructional coaches, and all grade level teachers receive copies of the
newly revised units.
● The principal, assistant principal and instructional coach conduct monthly focus walks to
monitor implementation of standards-based instruction, use of technology to support student
learning, and professional learning practices. Results of the awareness walks are discussed
during grade level meetings and during leadership team sessions. Thus, teachers are provided
access to the data collected by the instructional team.
● Processes for disaggregating school, classroom, teacher, and individual student data are
frequently monitored by the administration and instructional coach. Monitoring occurs to ensure
that teachers utilize data that can be helpful in making decisions about individual students’
performance.
9.
Activities to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering the proficient or
advanced levels of academic achievement standards required by Section 1111(b)(1) shall be
provided with effective, timely additional assistance, which shall include measures to ensure that
students’ difficulties are identified on a timely basis and to provide sufficient information on
which to base effective assistance.
Kennedy Elementary School recognizes the urgency in responding to students who experience
difficulty mastering standards. Student progress is reviewed on an ongoing basis so that students’
academic programs may be revised as needed. Providing additional assistance enables struggling
students to meet Georgia’s content standards and student performance standards. Assistance
provided to students experiencing difficulties includes:
● Identifying and addressing students’ difficulties in a timely manner:
● Students who have failed a state assessment or have borderline academic performance are
scheduled into the Early Intervention Program (EIP)
● Universal Screenings are given to all students.
● Benchmark assessments are administered at least three times per year and students failing
an assessment are provided interventions by their teachers.
● The district’s Title I Family Involvement Coordinator provides timely assistance to
parents of struggling students.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 12 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
● Behavior Intervention Plans are written and monitored for students who need this
service.
● Frequent progress monitoring occurs, and prompt RTI intervention strategies are
implemented based on formative and summative assessment data that reveal students
who need assistance in meeting standards. Once determined that a student is struggling,
teachers and parents meet together to determine interventions based on a four-tiered
approach developed by the Georgia Department of Education called the Pyramid of
Interventions.
● Inclusion classes for Students with Disabilities are co-taught by regular classroom and
special education teachers to ensure that students are being taught the state academic
content standards.
● Instructional coaches provide teachers with support in selecting appropriate strategies
and interventions to help with struggling students when needed.
● Teacher-parent conferences are held that detail what the school will do to help the student;
what parents can do help the student; and additional assistance available to the students at the
school or in the community.
● In order to describe what the school will do to help a struggling student, teachers are
expected to initiate conferences with parents at times convenient to parents. During such
conferences, teachers give concrete examples of what the parents can do at home to assist
the student in his or her deficit area.
● Teacher-made resource packets may be provided to parents during conferences, along
with a list of web resources
● Parents are given specific suggestions on how they can help their child at home. The
suggestions may include a list of strategies, approaches or tools that can be used at home
to assist in the area of need.
● PACT Meetings are held with parents to discuss student progress on specific skills and to
share strategies with parents to support their student.
● Information is shared about additional assistance available to the student at the school or in
the community:
● The system’s social worker and a Special Education Parent Liaison and the school’s
counselor, psychologist, and school nurse assist families in many ways (e. g., obtaining
doctor appointments and glasses for children, providing information on PEACH CARE,
identifying counseling providers, tutoring services, and community resources).
● When parents are unable to come to the school, the social worker, psychologist, and
parent mentor make home visits.
● A Parent Liaison assists families with special needs children by connecting them to
community resources (e.g., medical, behavioral, respite care, support group meetings,
child advocacy, and parents’ rights).
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 13 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
● The public library offers a summer reading program and year-long activities to promote
the love of reading and learning.
● Kennedy Connection Newsletter offers additional Reading, Math, Social Studies, and
Science activities to promote at home learning.
● Instructional programs, Study Island, Reading Eggs, GOFAR, and MyOn, can be
accessed at home via the school’s website.
10.
Coordination and integration of federal, state, and local services and programs, including
programs supported under this Act, violence prevention programs, nutrition programs,
housing programs, Head Start, adult education, vocational and technical education, and
job training
The Barrow County School System integrates federal, state, and local services and programs.
Federal Title programs include Title I-Part A, Title II-Part A, Title III, Migrant Education, and
McKinney-Vento Homeless. State Funds: QBE (Quality Basic Education) funds are used to fund
programs and staff as required by the QBE statute (e.g., salaries, management and operations,
professional learning, transportation). SPLOST (Special Local Option Sales Tax) funds are used
to supplement QBE funds to buy supplies and textbooks, as well as provide funding for
renovating schools.
Local Funds: Local funds are expended to pay salaries for support personnel, supplements for
teachers, and instructional supplies for music, art, band, and physical education. SPLOST (Special
Local Option Sales Tax) funds are used to supplement QBE funds to buy supplies and textbooks,
as well as provide funding for renovations at the schools.
State Funds -QBE (Quality Basic Education) funds are used to fund programs and staff as
required by the QBE statute (e.g., salaries, management and operations, professional learning,
transportation).
Title I Funds: Title I funds are used in a supplementary manner to provide intensive academic
support services in order to improve student achievement in meeting state and federal standards.
Specific items that are being paid out of our Title I budget include: Monies have been spent in
order to hire a Parent Involvement Coordinator who oversees all parental involvement activities
for the system. An instructional coach for each school is paid from Title I funds. During
curriculum meetings with instructional coaches, teachers are able to request supplemental
instructional materials. During the summer Leadership Retreat, requests are considered and Title
I allotments are reflected in the Continuous Improvement Plan.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 14 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
Title II –Part A – Funds are used for professional development support needed to fully and
effectively implement school and system improvement strategies and goals as determined by a
comprehensive needs assessment process. Funds are allocated to pay for faculty and staff
members to attend professional learning workshops and classes, professional consultation, travel,
dues and fees for staff development, and supplies.
11.
Description of how individual student assessment results and interpretation will be provided to
parents.
Kennedy Elementary School uses a variety of methods to interpret and provide individual student
assessment results to parents:
● Parents receive written notice that their child’s state assessment scores are available for
review from the classroom teacher. Parents are encouraged to schedule a conference to discuss
the results with the teacher, counselor, or an administrator. Parents may also call the school and
discuss their child’s assessment results.
● The Principal and selected staff provide parents with a general overview of the assessments
used to measure student progress at each grade level, the proficiency levels students are expected
to achieve, and explanations of how to interpret results once they are received at home. These
overviews are provided in the Principal’s Monthly Newsletter, at the annual fall Title I meeting,
Open House, parent workshops, PTO, and School Governance meetings.
● Teachers communicate directly with parents through telephone calls, parent conferences,
student agendas, social media, and email as they monitor student progress.
● PACT meetings are held to inform parents of important grade level skills, student
achievement and progress on the skill, and how to support their student.
● Individualized data sheets will be sent home to parents every 6 weeks. Students will progress
monitor their individual progress on specific grade level skills throughout the 6 week period.
● Information is shared with parents on how to access the Georgia Online Formative
Assessment System (GOFAR).
● Teachers utilize Tyler Pulse and SLDS to scan benchmark tests and generate reports for
parents. The reports indicate a child’s strengths and weaknesses and mastery towards grade level
standards.
● Parents have access to Parent Link, a web link for parents to view students’ grades and
attendance. Teachers update grades weekly.
● Parents are encouraged to attend designated parent-teacher conferences. The school sends a
letter home for parents to indicate whether they will/will not be able to attend or if the conference
needs to be rescheduled. Teachers keep a log of contacts, and every effort is made to speak to all
parents concerning their child’s progress at these two important junctures in the school year.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 15 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
12.
Provisions for the collection and disaggregation of data on the achievement and assessment results
of students.
Kennedy Elementary School has well established procedures for collecting and disaggregating
data on the achievement and assessment results of students.
● The school system testing coordinator ensures that all state level testing data is collected
according to state guidelines.
● The Georgia Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement
provide student population performance data for each of the core subjects at all grade levels to the
school system, the school, and the public.
● The school uses Tyler Pulse and the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) to analyze state
assessment scores by item analysis of test domains for specific subgroups and individual students.
This data is used to examine individual student strengths and weaknesses, instructional weakness
in grade levels, and to identify professional development needs.
● The school uses SLO data (pre and post) and Benchmark data to guide instruction for all
students. This data is used to examine individual student strengths and weaknesses, instructional
weakness in grade levels, and to identify professional development needs.
● The system testing coordinator, principal, and instructional coach review school wide
disaggregated state assessment data by grade levels and content areas.
● Grade level/departmental teams review and analyze state assessment data for all subjects at
their grade level and determine performance needs of student sub groups.
● At the end of the year, teachers use individual test reports to analyze the performance of
students and compare class performance to grade level scores by subgroups. Teachers determine if
their students meet school targets for each subject.
● Teachers revised instructional units based on state instructional frameworks, state assessment
data, and trend data.
● The School Improvement Plan is updated based on an analysis of all data sources.
13.
Provisions to ensure that disaggregated assessment results for each category are valid and
reliable.
The state mandated assessments, Georgia Milestones and Georgia Alternative Assessment, meets
reliability and validity requirements, and is therefore, statistically sound and research-based.
Testing at Kennedy Elementary School is carefully administered to ensure valid and reliable
results. All certified teachers and support personnel (e.g., media specialist, counselors
instructional coach) are trained to administer the state assessments. Paraprofessionals are trained
to serve as proctors. Caseload managers, counselors and ELL teachers meet individually with
teachers to ensure accommodations are made for students with an IEP, 504 plan, or TCP.
14. Provisions for public reporting of disaggregated data.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 16 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
Disaggregated test data is made available to the public using a variety of methods and in a number
of published documents, including:
● The Georgia Department of Education website: www.doe.k12.ga.us.
● The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement website: www.gaosa.org.
● Kennedy Elementary School’s Balanced Score Card:
http://www.barrow.k12.ga.us/kes/performance.html
● Barrow County School District’s Balanced Score Card:
http://www.barrow.k12.ga.us/performance.html
● Local newspapers, the Barrow Journal and Barrow County News.
● The School Governance Team and parents receive data presentations from the Principal.
● Data walls are created at the school to show postings of three years of comparative
achievement data.
15.
Plan developed during a one-year period, unless the LEA, after considering the
recommendation of its technical assistance providers, determines that less time is
needed to develop and implement the schoolwide program
Kennedy Elementary School’s initial Title I School Wide Plan was developed over one school
year. The plan is updated at least annually by a diverse group of stakeholders in adherence with
requirements for continued school wide status.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 17 of 19
16.
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
Plan developed with the involvement of the community to be served and
individuals who will carry out the plan, including teachers, principals, other school staff,
and pupil service personnel, parents, and students (if secondary).
A diverse group of stakeholders was involved in the annual update of the school wide plan,
including individuals who carry out the day-to-day implementation of the plan. The Leadership
Team is comprised of the following: Ryan Butcher (Principal), Dr. Gale Jordan (AP), Mark
Vickers (Instructional Coach), Amanda McClenny (Counselor), Jodi Sorrells (Gifted/Digital
Coach), Christine Harris (Kindergarten), Candice Stephens (First Grade), Christina Prickett
(Second Grade), Carl McCoy (Third Grade), Kim Ham (Fourth Grade), Hanna Chupp (Fifth
Grade), Nicole Mays (Special Education), Laura Griffith (EIP). Other stakeholders in the annual
update of the school wide plan included the School Governance Team consisting of the following:
Matt Sorrells (Parent), Kristen Allen (Fifth Grade Teacher), Dana Ballard (Fourth Grade Teacher),
Joe Goodman (Community/Parent), Jennifer Jones (Parent), Cindy Ellington (Gifted Teacher),
Gloria Foley (Community). In addition, the following system employees are consulted: Parent
Involvement Coordinator, Federal Programs Director, and other members of the system Teaching
and Learning Department.
Various teams and groups meet in order to design, implement, and monitor the Title I School
Wide Plan:
● Leadership Team representatives, who serve as liaisons between the team or department and
grade levels, meet monthly to gather pertinent information from teachers and paraprofessionals
during meetings concerning professional learning needs and Title I program requirements.
● The Instructional Coach meets with grade level teams regularly to discuss grade-level
concerns.
● Grade or department planning groups meet regularly to talk about student progress.
● Grade-level/departmental teams meet monthly before school.
● The School Governance Team is actively involved with the development of the Continuous
Improvement Plan which is congruent with the Title I plan.
● Stakeholder surveys are completed and the data analyzed each year as part of the
Comprehensive Needs Assessment process.
● Copies of the Title I plan are provided to parents and community members in the school lobby
and on the school web site.
17.
Plan available to the LEA, parents, and the public.
A copy of the School Wide Plan is readily available for parents and stakeholders, upon request,
from the following sources:
● The Director of Federal Programs and the Title I Parent Coordinator have copies of the plan
on file.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 18 of 19
Georgia Department of Education
Title I Schoolwide/School Improvement Plan
● Copies are available at the school in the Principal’s office and in the Media Center.
● The School Governance Team and the PTO are provided access to the plan.
● The plan is available on the school’s website, http://www.barrow.k12.ga.us/kes/, via the Title
I Page link.
● The school’s leadership team and teachers receive copies of the plan in order to focus their
school improvement efforts.
● The local newspapers,are utilized to publish pertinent information about the availability of the
Title I School Wide Plan for review.
18.
Plan translated, to the extent feasible, into any language that a significant
percentage of the parents of participating students in the school speak as their primary
language..
Our school ensures, to the extent possible, that information related to school and parent programs,
meetings, and activities will be sent to the home in the primary language spoken in the home.
Strategies that we use include:
● The school system employs a Family Engagement Specialist who is able to translate
documents and act as an interpreter for multiple languages.
● Messages are sent to parents in their native language using the Parent Link calling system
19.
Plan is subject to the school improvement provisions of Section 1116.
Kennedy Elementary School is not currently designated as a Title I Priority, Focus, or Alert
School. If our school receives such a designation, we will abide by the requirements of the School
Improvement provisions of Title I Section 1116. Nevertheless, data will be gathered, analyzed
and shared with all stakeholders for the purpose of improving the academic achievement of our
students.
Georgia Department of Education
April 2015 ● Page 19 of 19