Indiana Student Achievement Institute: Document 20
Merle Sidener Gifted Academy
Administrator Walkthrough
The administrator will conduct "walk throughs" with each teacher at least once a week during which the administrator will look for the following: student orientation to work, curriculum decisions, delivery of instruction, appropriate materials on walls, teacher expectations (TESA), cultural competencies and health/safety issues. The principal will provide mentoring to teachers as needed.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Low - continuation
Focus: General
Benchmark & End of Semester Assessments
Teachers will: 1) follow the IPS pacing/consensus maps for Math, Science, and Social Studies and the Language Arts, 2) implement benchmark assessments in Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies, and 3) implement end-of-semester assessments in Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Low - continuation
Focus: General
Cultural Competency Plan
Every teacher will join the D-CCAP Community Group. Classroom teachers' lessons incorporate cultural diversity. Spanish Classes - Grade2-5 Mandarin Chinese classes - Grades 6-8..
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: General
Data Based Instructional Decision Making
All teachers will use formative and summative assessment results to guide daily instructional decisions for intentional targeted reteaching, scaffolding, and effective interventions in all content areas.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Low - continuation
Focus: General
Elementary Student Data Folders
All students will keep data folders including acuity, DIBELS, benchmark assessments, and ISTEP based on grade level. Teachers will have conferences with students to discuss the students progress and plan for improvement each nine weeks.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: General
Evidence Based Conclusions in All Content Areas
All teachers will engage students in using evidence as a basis for conclusions. Teachers will model, provide guided practice, and opportunities for independent practice of the 5-5-3-3 strategies as a means to demonstrate evidence based conclusions. The students will daily engage these strategies in writing, discussions, investigations, debates, and other learning experiences in all content areas.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Medium
Focus: Specific
Implementation of Paced Curriculum
All teachers will implement the paced curriculum as designed in the given time frame in Math, Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts. Administrators will monitor implementation, and teachers who are not adhering to the pacing guide will participate in professional development activities.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Low - continuation
Focus: Specific
Planning and Preparation for Student Centered Classroom
Teachers in all content areas will utilize planning time to develop lesson plans and prepare materials. These plans will include student-led discussions, questioning, integrating technology, using manipulatives, modeling, exhibiting content knowledge, utilizing critical vocabulary, and participating in investigations to engage students in active learning.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Low - continuation
Focus: General
Reading Comprehension
Science, social studies, math and ELA teachers will utilize reading comprehension strategies to enable students to access challenging text. All teachers will use formative and summative assessment such as SRI and predictive scores to guide daily differentiated instruction.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: General
Response to Instruction (RtI)
Teachers will implement Response to Instruction including a tier 1 core and tier 2 and 3 interventions. The school will run reports using the IPS Data Warehouse for each child after each benchmark scrimmage and ISTEP assessment. The teachers will provide each student with immediate feedback after each assessment. The teachers will then provide individualized instruction in reading and/or math for students who do not meet a standard of mastery. Response to Instruction (RtI) will improve educational outcomes for all students in Reading and/or Math. Response to Instruction will meet the needs of all students at risk for failure in Reading and/or Math. Response to Instruction will promote a well-integrated system connecting general, compensatory, gifted, and special education in providing high quality, standards-based instruction/intervention that is matched to students’ academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs. RtI will enable educators to use instructional interventions in response to students' specific areas of need as soon as those needs become apparent. It will create an educational system that focuses on success for all learners by identifying struggling learners early.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: Specific
Rituals and Routines for Maximizing Instructional Time
Principals and Content Area Directors will expect to see teachers in all content areas using classroom rituals and routines that will set a learning environment that has clear structure, maximizes daily instructional time, and provides student engagement for entire classroom time.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Medium
Focus: General
Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement (TESA)
Using the TESA model, teachers will become sensitized to their achievement expectations of all students and interact with students on a more equitable basis with an emphasis on involving perceived low and perceived high achievers in the teaching and learning process throughout the school year.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: Low - continuation
Focus: General
F. Encourage Rigorous Curriculum: Curriculum Mapping
Teachers will use Curry and Samara software to develop individual maps in English/LA, Math, Social Studies, Science, Art, and PE for the school year. (Sidener has received approval from Joan Harrell in 2009 to pursue mapping with Curry and Samara.)
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: General
I. Focused Academic Area: Literacy in the Content Areas
Teachers of all content areas will daily implement and engage students in literacy strategies. These research-based literacy strategies include Discussion and Verbalizing Understanding, Questioning, Writing to Communicate Understanding, Making Thinking Visible, and Concept/Vocabulary Development. District Content Directors and Coaches will provide training in specific content areas through staff meetings, structured teacher planning time, or professional learning communities.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: Specific
U. Focused Student Group: Free and Reduced Lunch Student Group
During the 2011-2012 school term teachers will investigate and implement the use differentiated instruction strategies such as choice boards to offer students a way to make decisions about what they will do in order to meet class requirements. Choice boards could be used for a single lesson, week-long lesson or even a month-long period of study.
Impact Level: High Impact - Inside
Energy Level: High
Focus: Specific
X. Graduation Plan
School counselors will assist students with the initial development and annual review of the Indiana Graduation Plan. The Indiana Graduation Plan will be part of the student's permanent record, will include a core 40 program of study, and will acknowledge the importance of good citizenship, attendance, and diligent study habits. The plan will also lead to graduation and enable students upon successful completion to enroll in a post-secondary institution.
Impact Level: High Impact - Outside
Energy Level: Medium
Focus: General