Tuesday, March 1, 2011

O.B.I.Y.T.C. - Our Best Is Yet To Come!- The Plan

O.B.I.Y.T.C.
Our Best Is Yet To Come!

2011 Strategic Plan for 4th Grade Student Achievement

The Problem
Our school did not make AYP on the 2010 TCAP.  Our students must improve their performance on the 2011 TCAP in order to make “Safe Harbor” next year. 

The Proposal

Crawford and Smith would like to propose a team-teaching strategy that sets high academic goals, provides immediate feedback, involves parents, school support staff, and the community in order to ensure our students’ success.

The Plan
Given a timeframe of  24 “instructional days,” we will implement a no-holds-barred intervention that will specifically target deficient skills as determined by Think Link test data in order to provide remediation, instruction, and enrichment opportunities for each student based on his/her instructional needs.  Parent meetings will be held four times during this intervention for the purpose of informing parents of the strategic plan and enlist their support and commitment to help at home.

The Process
Beginning on Tuesday, March 1 and continuing through Friday, April 8, Smith and Crawford’s classes will meet together in one classroom with the option of pulling out students for small group instruction.  We will commit to planning together and modifying
plans according to student needs as necessary.  Plans, goals, and strategies will be shared with grade level colleagues, Literacy Coaches, and administrators as well as parents.  Content will also be shared on our school website.

The Proof (Assessment)
Feedback on student progress toward goals is essential for this intervention’s success.  For this reason, we have planned the use of formative as well as summative assessments in a variety of formats.  Our primary formative assessment data is the Think Link Test C.  The results from this test have been used to diagnose areas of weakness for students in general and individually.  Additionally, we will provide formal and informal assessments in class.  Teacher observation, anecdotal notes, student journals, tickets out the door, class participation, homework, quizzes, in-class assignments, and formal tests will provide daily and weekly feedback to all stakeholders. 
Students will be assessed DAILY and will be provided with immediate feedback.  Daily assessments may include Tickets of the door, in-class assignments, games and contests, teacher notes, quizzes and in-class questioning and note taking.

Students will be given a WEEKLY Think Link probe that specifically targets his/her areas of weakness.  Results will be shared with the students in a Student-Teacher conference.  If necessary, goals will be modified and progress toward goals will be documented. 

Midway through the program, students will be given a summative assessment of his/her progress toward goals.  This assessment will not be taken on the computer but rather on paper in a format similar to the TCAP.

At the conclusion of the intervention, all students will be given a summative probe that addresses areas of weakness as well as other skills deemed essential for success on the TCAP.

Additionally, students will be provided with purposeful homework 3-5 times per week.  The goal of homework assignments being to provide additional practice working on a skill prior to being formally assessed.  Homework will be graded and returned to the student for corrections as needed.

Enrichment opportunities will be incorporated through technology via skill-focused websites, modified assignments, research opportunities, listening stations, and through the use of apps via iTouch and smart phone technology.

The Payoff (Rewards, Incentives, etc.)
Highly engaging lessons and presentations will serve to keep the students fully engaged in the content.  Special time with “team” groups will be used such as breakfast clubs, lunch bunch, and after-school book clubs.  Students will be provided with incentives such as stickers, awards, peer recognition, teacher recognition, bonus points, special privileges, phone calls and notes home, extra recess time, etc.

Of course, the biggest payoff will come in the form of student achievement as measured by the TCAP, but the gratification for that accomplishment will be delayed.

The Parents (Family Engagement Plan)
Because the success of our students is contingent upon the support of their families, we intend to bring the parents on board by providing four opportunities for them to learn ideas, strategies, and resources that may be used at home to support their student.

We will also post resources on our website and send home printed newsletters with additional ideas.  Students will be rewarded with special prizes for involving their parents in their progress toward meeting their goals.  Parents will also be rewarded with small door prizes and refreshments for their attendance.

The People (Community Engagement Plan)

Community resources will be implemented in this intervention as well.  Education students from the University of Tennessee will be used as small group leaders and tutors.  Community leaders will be brought in to share the importance of academic success.  Parents, family members and other adults will serve as support staff in working with students and preparing materials for use in class.  Administrators and other SMG teachers are also welcome to lend a hand in our efforts to make huge strides toward academic success.

The Pupils (Student Expectations)
Participation in this special project is a privilege.  Student participation is not mandatory,  Disrespectful, threatening, or violent behavior will not be tolerated.  Should a student act in such as way as to prevent other students from learning, he/she will be placed on probation.  Additional offenses will result in the use of Teacher Exchange, PAC, office referral, detention, and the offending student’s parents will be notified.

Students are expected to come to school prepared to learn.  Mentally, students understand that for 24 days their focus must be on the challenge ahead of them.  They are expected to come to school ready to fully participate in class.  Physically, students need to be rested and fed prior to coming to school.  If a student has not had breakfast, a light breakfast will be provided for him.

Students are expected to be prepared with a sharpened pencil and wide-ruled notebook paper.  All other supplies will be provided.

The Purpose
The purpose of this intervention is to ensure student success on the TCAP and to bring our school off the targeted list for AYP.  Ultimately, our goal is to increase student confidence, ability, and academic achievement, as well as inspire an unquenchable thirst for learning that will last far beyond the test.

The Paperwork
See Attachments for Calendar, student goals, targeted skills, and list of “bubble” students

The Pictures
We will document our journey through a student created “playbook” complete with pictures and journal entries

The Potential (Goals)
Our goals is to bring a minimum of 10 students from Basic to Proficient as determined by a summative think link probe and ultimately by the 2011 TCAP test.

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