CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 1

Current Reality and GSAPS for Dugan Elementary

Lauren Thomason

Kennesaw State University

September 2020
CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 2

Dugan Elementary is a government funded PreK-5th grade school. This school is located

in Northwest Georgia in Paulding County and situated in a suburban area. Connie Dugan

Elementary school is one of 11 elementary schools in the Paulding County School District on the

south side of the county. Dugan Elementary is a Title 1 school for the first time this year.

Currently, 53.3% of our students qualify for free/reduced lunch rates.

Dugan Elementary School currently has a population of 611 students. Due to Covid 19,

Paulding County School District allowed parents to make a decision on how they would like

their child to learn for the 2020-2021 school year. Parents had the option for their child to come

back to school for face to face instruction or learn digitally. They had to sign up for the first

semester which ends in December and then can reevaluate and make the decision again. Dugan

Elementary School had 400 students sign up for virtual learning and Paulding County created the

Paulding Virtual Elementary Academy, PVEA took teachers that would have been face to face

and made them virtual due to so many students signing up. 193 students signed up for virtual

learning and 418 students are face to face.

The school has 49 teachers and 12 of those teachers are teaching virtually this school

year. Within the school, there are two severe and profound disabled classrooms K-2 Autism

room, and 3-5Autism room. Currently there are 266 female students and 345 male students in the

school building. The demographic makeup of the school are as follows: White/Caucasian 56%,

Hispanic-8%, Black/African American- 29%, Multiracial- 7%, and 1% Asian or Pacific Islander

(Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, 2019). Dugan has a percentage rate of 29% of

students considered economically deprived. Students with disabilities makes up 15% of our

population and 2% are considered English Language Learners (Governor’s Office of Student

Achievement, 2019).
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Due to not having statewide Milestone testing because of Covid 19 and schools closing

for the last half of the 2019-2020 school year, I will be using the College and Career Ready

Performance Index, CCRPI score from 2018-2019. In 2019, Dugan Elementary scored above the

median for Georgia and the Paulding County School District, receiving a score of 82.9. On the

Georgia Milestone Report for reading, math, science, and social studies in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade,

Dugan is below average of the median score for Georgia and Paulding County. Dugan also falls

below the county and state reading levels for 3rd and 5th grade.

Connie Dugan Elementary is a public school that has 49 teachers, three administrators,

and three support personnel including, Title 1 coach, a counselor, and an Evaluation and

Assessment Coordinator. Each teacher is self-contained and teaches reading, math, writing,

science, and social studies to the same group of students all day. Three years ago, our

administration completely was changed up due to poor school performance. We received a new

principal and assistant principal. This 2020 school year, we received a new assistant principal.

Our school initiative is to integrate Bookworms into reading and writing and Do the Math into

our Needs based instruction math time. Our school received a literacy grant that helped us to

purchase Bookworms lessons and materials to increase reading and writing scores. This is year

three of full implementation of the programs and we have seen an increase in proficiency of

reading and writing. This will be the second year of implementation of Do the Math.

For the 2020-2021 school year, Dugan Elementary’s professional learning goal is to

collaboratively increase teacher knowledge and practice with technology resources and strategies

to effectively improve academic achievement during face to face instruction, blended learning,

digital learning days, and/or virtual instruction through active participation in a professional

learning community.
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Vision

The vision of Connie Dugan Elementary school is to build a strong foundation by

encouraging excellence and creating lifelong learners. Going into the school year of 2020-2021

the intent was to incorporate technology into teaching. However, with virtual learning starting at

the beginning of the year, that goal was fast tracked. Virtual teachers immediately had to begin

implementing strategies to use technology daily to reach students. The vision for technology this

year is to have an integrated blended classroom. Also, for teachers to collaborate and be on the

same page as the face to face teachers. For the face to face teachers, Mrs. Byers would also like

for them to have the same training the virtual teachers are receiving so they can integrate those

strategies into the classroom. Technology should not be something students get to use every

once and awhile but for it to be an organic part of everyday instruction. Mrs. Byers has every

teacher assigning homework, newsletters, and calendars in Canvas, which is the LMS program

Dugan Elementary uses.

Needs Assessment

Everything at Dugan Elementary is data driven. Professional learning based off of needs

is decided in a couple of different ways. One way is to look at the student achievement data.

Dugan holds several data meetings throughout the month where teachers and administrators look

at data with reading, writing, and math. Reading data day is based off of the reading inventory

we take 4 times throughout the school year. In grades K-2, they rotate through phonics groups

until they reach a group of fluency and comprehension or vocabulary and comprehension. Grade

level teams meet every 4 weeks for reading data days. Math data days are based off our school

wide program, Do the Math. Students are given a pre-test to decide what math group they will

start out in. Throughout the group, students are given checkpoints and post assessments.
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Teachers and administrators meet every six weeks to discuss each group and how they are

progressing. The final data meeting we have at Dugan is our writing data. Teachers bring writing

samples from students and share out what students are struggling with or doing great in. We

learn strategies to help the students struggling and ways to push our students who are doing well.

The second way that Dugan decides the needs for professional learning is by classroom

observations. Administrators have TKES walkthroughs or informal observations to see what is

going well in classrooms or what overarching need is seen throughout the school. Administrators

get together after every cycle of observation to discuss their findings.

As a team we decide where the need is based on the data and then receive professional

learning based off of those needs. As teachers and administrators, we can have perceptions about

what is going well and what is not going well but if the data does not show that then we have to

go back to the drawing board and figure out why it is not showing with student achievement and

what professional learning can be used to meet the needs of students.

Professional Learning

The major theme for professional learning is collaboration through professional learning

communities. Every week our PLC which is a grade level team meets weekly to plan lessons that

aligns to our county curriculum map. Every Thursday, our PLC also meets with administrators

for different types of professional learning. Depending on the need based on data. Often, we have

professional learning from our county on those day. For every first-year teacher, they receive a

mentor to learn from. Dugan has a book study for diversity and inclusion and meets once a

month after school. Workshops are provided during staff meetings on Mondays after school.

Workshops are sometimes provided by the county, administrators, program directors that we
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have adopted, or teachers. As discussed above, data meetings are also held to discuss student

data.

However, administrators do drill down and provide individual professional learning if

needed. If a teacher needs specific strategies to help them become successful, they decide what

type of learning is needed. It could be peer observations, use of the coaching cycle, and

additional observations to provide feedback.

Technology professional learning has been provided but not as frequent as other types

and often not for the whole school. This previous year due to Covid-19 our school received

professional learning on our LMS program, Canvas. Our school also has STEMscopes training

that teachers receive yearly to share improvements or changes. STEMscopes is a program our

school uses to integrate STEM with our science standards. They have lesson plans, videos, and

activities for students to complete at school or online. Our district also provides TechEds training

that one K-2 and 3-5 teacher attends. TechEds is a training that shares strategies on how to

implement technology into the classroom. TechEd leaders from each school come back and share

out what they learned. After completing TechEds teachers can then join Canvas Champs. Canvas

Champs meets less frequently but former TechEds get together to continue sharing ways to

implement technology into teaching. Our county also provides a TechStar program that teachers

can work through at their own pace in Canvas and ends with an observation by the county’s

technology leader. Our school encourages all teachers to complete the program to better their

teaching.

Alignment to School Improvement Goals

Dugan has a reading, writing, and math goal to improve achievement by 5% on the

Georgia Milestones, Reading Inventory, and Math inventory. The RI and MI is a universal
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screener and growth monitoring assessment that allows teachers to see where their students are

academically beginning in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Georgia Milestones is a state

summative assessment that students in grades 3-5. The Georgia Milestones provides data to show

how students are mastering state adopted Common Core Standards. Any professional learning

that is provided is always to support teachers to help better educate students and allow them to

reach those goals. While the over-arching School Improvement Goal is not related to technology,

it is encouraged in everything that we do.

Dugan has a backwards design for professional learning to align to our school

improvement plan. Administration and teachers look at what students need to master to help

students get to where they are supposed to be and then plan professional learning to help reach

our school improvement plan to grow 5% on assessments. Administrators and teachers have to

meet continuously throughout the year to discuss data and make decisions to support the

students.

Funding and Incentives

Professional learning at Dugan has several different funding pods but administration was

unable to share our specific numbers. Our local FTE budget, which isn’t the budget of choice for

professional learning but will be used if needed to help meet teacher’s needs. We also have Title

I funding, which changes from year to year. Teachers can make requests for additional resources

and trainings through the lead Title teacher. The professional learning budget supports subs for

teachers to attend trainings, purchase books, workshop registrations, mileage, lodging, meals,

and also contracted services (like a professional speaker).

Any planned professional learning goes back to our school improvement plan to increase

reading, writing, and math scores by 5%. Our school has adopted Bookworms, a scripted reading,
CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 8

writing, and math program to help increase scores. Teachers receive professional learning to

learn how to implement Bookworms into their classrooms throughout the year.

Diversity

Dugan has a Social Emotional Learning team which consists of one teacher on each grade

level that will receive on and off campus training that they will bring back to the school to share

out with staff. Our school also has a Diversity Equity and Inclusion team which meets once a

month to discuss diversity needs and concerns in our school. In 2019, Dugan became a Positive

Behavioral Intervention and supports (PBIS) school. The PBIS team receives training throughout

the year and also meets once a month to discuss trends in behavior.

The special education department receives their own training for specific needs that they

may have. Assistive technology training is typically the professional learning that they receive.

They have two programs, Teach town and Unique. They also receive training on technology

tools to help assist students with learning difficulties.

Collaboration

Every grade level is a PLC, a Professional Learning Community. All teachers will

participate in consistent professional learning communities focused on blended literacy

(reading/writing, face to face, and virtual) practices to enrich all learners. The PLC meets with

administration every Thursday. During this time, it could be discussing data, trainings that

administration feel might be needed, and also just discussing student/teacher needs to help meet

the school improvement goal. The PLC also meets on Tuesday without administration to plan

with each other and discuss data. Also, since each teacher in the PLC is on different committees,

we take that time to share out what was discussed at other meetings to remain on the same page.
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At the beginning of the year, teachers sign up for a committee that they would like to be a

part of. Those teachers stay on the committee throughout the whole year and attend

trainings/meetings. Our administration budgets for 4 planning days within the school year.

Teachers create curriculum maps, discuss data, and create content for the next nine weeks.

Everything at Dugan is aimed towards collaboration and working together.

Evaluation

Professional learning is evaluated by the plan, do, study, act. After each PLC meeting

administration looks for the practices being implemented into classrooms through observations.

Administration then meets to decide if the strategies learned were being applied in the classroom

and or if they needed additional support. Administration will then determine what to do next,

whether it be individual or groups as a follow up.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
The means by which teachers, administrators, and other staff acquire, enhance, and refine
the knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions necessary to create and support high levels
of learning for all students
 
Professional Learning Standard 1: Aligns professional learning with needs identified
through analysis of a variety of data

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident
CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 10

Professional learning Professional learning Professional Professional

needs are identified and needs are identified learning needs learning needs
differentiated through a through a collaborative are identified are identified
collaborative analysis analysis process using a using limited using little or
process using a variety of variety of data (e.g., sources of no data.
data (e.g., student student achievement data.  
achievement data, data, examination of  
examination of student student work, process
work, process data, data, teacher and leader
teacher and leader effectiveness data, action
effectiveness data, action research data, perception
research data, perception data from students, staff,
data from students, staff, and families).
and families). Ongoing  
support is provided
through differentiated
professional learning.
 

EVIDENCE: Professional learning needs are identified through multiple types of data. The
Georgia Milestones for grades 3-5 is used to compare our school to other schools in the
county and state and to help create our School Improvement Plan. We also use a universal
screener for reading and math called the Reading Inventory and Math Inventory that we take
four times throughout the year to track growth. Classroom assessments for each grade level
state standards are also used to track progress. Also, fluency data is used to create groups and
also to compare how our students are doing in comparison to other schools. Our school also
uses the input from the Parent Student Survey to provide insight into our School Improvement
Plan and how to help reach students, this can be found online at,
https://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/domain/412. For teachers, the TKES observations are used to
determine the data for teacher growth.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Dugan uses multiple forms of data to see where students are at
and to drive our school improvement plan. We have so much that it is sometimes not used to
drive instruction and only used for county purposes. I think limiting some of the data points
that teachers have to use and only focus on a few data points will help plan better instruction
to meet all student’s needs.
 
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Professional Learning Standard 2: Establishes a culture of collaboration among
administrators and staff to enhance individual and collective performance

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident

Administrators and Administrators and Administrators and Administrators and

staff, as a staff routinely staff routinely staff routinely
foundational practice, collaborate to collaborate to collaborate to
consistently improve individual improve individual improve individual
collaborate to support and collective and collective and collective
leadership and performance (e.g., performance (e.g., performance (e.g.,
personal construct construct construct
accountability and to knowledge, acquire knowledge, acquire knowledge, acquire
enhance individual skills, refine skills, refine skills, refine
and collective practice, provide practice, provide practice, provide
performance (e.g., feedback). feedback). feedback).
construct knowledge,  
acquire skills, refine
practice, provide
feedback).
Teachers conduct
action research and
assume ownership of
professional learning
processes.

EVIDENCE:  Collaboration at Dugan is a high priority. We have data teams that meet
monthly to discuss reading, writing, and math. We also have content specific committees that
has one teacher from each grade level to discuss trends and issues within each subject and
grade level. Dugan also has weekly PLC meetings with administration and grade level teams.
We also have individual mid-year and end of year conferences with administration.

RECOMMENDATIONS: I feel administration needs to be in the classroom more often than

what is required by our county. Providing feedback after each observation would be more
beneficial than reading comments posted. I feel that having a discussion will help teachers to
grow more in their teaching career.
 

 
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Professional Learning Standard 3: Defines expectations for implementing professional

learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident

Administrators, Administrators, Administrators, Administrators,

teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or
both consistently both regularly both occasionally both rarely, if ever,
define expectations for define expectations define expectations define expectations
the implementation of for the for the for the
professional learning, implementation of implementation of implementation of
including details professional professional professional
regarding the stages of learning. learning. learning.
implementation and
how monitoring will
occur as
implementation
progresses.

EVIDENCE: The professional learning at Dugan is very sporadic and is often times not
always for every teacher in the school. Teachers are supposed to redeliver the content, but I
feel that the purpose of the professional learning is sometimes lost in the redelivery or is not
redelivered at all. After professional learning not all expectations are explained and often
teachers do not implement what is learned into the classrooms.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Having expectations in our teacher handbook about redelivery

after trainings would be beneficial to Dugan because it will hold teachers accountable. This
could be completed in email or face to face with teachers.
 

 
Professional Learning Standard 4: Uses multiple professional learning designs to
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support the various learning needs of the staff

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident

Staff members actively Staff members actively Some staff Staff members
participate in job- participate in members are receive single,
embedded professional professional learning, engaged in stand-alone
learning that engages most of which is job- professional professional
collaborative teams in embedded, which learning that learning events
a variety of includes multiple makes use of that are
appropriate learning designs (e.g., more than one informational
designs (e.g., collaborative lesson learning design and mostly large-
collaborative lesson study, analysis of to address their group
study, analysis of student work, identified needs. presentation
student work, problem problem-solving   designs.
solving sessions, sessions, curriculum  
curriculum development,
development, coursework, action
coursework, action research, classroom
research, classroom observations, online
observations, online networks) to support
networks). Professional their various learning
learning includes needs. Professional
extensive follow-up learning includes
with descriptive follow-up with
feedback and coaching. feedback and coaching.
   

EVIDENCE: Professional learning is provided by the county but often not for all teachers or
professional learning that meets the needs of the teacher. The county does provide a few
whole school trainings but often with no expectations of what to do next.

RECOMMENDATIONS: I feel that providing teachers the opportunity to sign up for

professional learning that they are interested in would be beneficial to our school. Often
teachers go to a training because it is required and then do not implement what is learned into
the classroom. If teachers are given a choice on what they would like to improve they would
take more away from the learning and be more willing to share what is learned.
 
CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 14

 
Professional Learning Standard 5: Allocates resources and establishes systems to
support and sustain effective professional learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident

Extensive resources (e.g., Adequate resources Some Few, if any,

substitute teachers, (e.g., substitute resources and resources and
materials, handouts, tools, teachers, materials, systems are systems are
stipends, facilitators, handouts, tools, allocated to provided to
technology) and systems stipends, facilitators, support and support and
(e.g., conducive schedules, technology) and sustain sustain
adequate collaborative systems (e.g., conducive professional professional
time, model classrooms) schedules, adequate learning. learning.
are allocated to support collaborative time,    
and sustain effective model classrooms) are
professional learning. in place to support and
Opportunities to practice sustain professional
skills, receive follow-up, learning.
feedback, and coaching  
are provided to support
the effectiveness of
professional learning.
 

EVIDENCE: Often the resources at Dugan are hard to obtain due to our budget. If it is a
county wide initiative, then we often times receive what is needed to continue with the
initiative. Now that we are a Title One school, we should have more of a budget to buy things
that are desperately needed for teachers.

RECOMMENDATIONS: One recommendation is to allocate a budget for new teachers. The

budget could provide resources such as math manipulatives that they will use throughout their
teaching career.
 
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Professional Learning Standard 6: Monitors and evaluates the impact of professional
learning on staff practices and student learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident

Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and

evaluating the impact of evaluating the evaluating the evaluating the
professional learning on impact of impact of impact of
staff practices and professional professional professional
increases in student learning on staff learning on staff learning on staff
learning occurs practices and practices occurs practices occurs
extensively. Evaluation student learning sporadically. rarely, if ever.
results are used to occurs routinely.    
identify and implement  
processes to extend
student learning.
 

EVIDENCE: Monitoring the impact of professional learning is sporadic. Often this occurs

through TKES observations and data collection and very little feedback is provided.

RECOMMENDATIONS: I feel that by adding more informal observations so that teachers

can receive feedback more often would be beneficial for administrators who are monitoring
for implementation of professional learning and also for teachers that are implementing
strategies learned.
 

 
KSU ITEC Professional Learning Standard: Professional learning reinforces educators’
understanding and use of strategies for promoting equity and high expectations for all
students, application of research-based teaching strategies and assessment processes, and
involvement of families and other stakeholders in promoting student learning.

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

  Exemplary   Operational   Emerging   Not Evident
CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 16

Classroom practices Classroom practices Classroom Classroom

(e.g., considering of most teachers practices of some practices reflect
interests, reflect skill in teachers reflect little or no evidence
backgrounds, communicating high evidence of of teachers’
strengths, and expectations for each teachers’ training training in
preferences to student and in understanding understanding the
provide meaningful, adjusting classroom the impact that impact that
relevant lessons and activities to meet attitudes regarding attitudes regarding
assess student student needs. race, disabilities, race, disabilities,
progress, Respect for students’ background, background,
differentiating cultures and life culture, high culture, high
instruction, and experiences is evident expectations, and expectations, and
nurturing student through the social class of both social class of both
capacity for self- emotionally and students and students and
management) of all physically safe teachers have on teachers have on
teachers reflect an learning the teaching and the teaching and
emotionally and environment where learning process.  learning process.
physically safe students of diverse    
environment where backgrounds and
respect and experiences are
appreciation for a taught the school
diverse population is code of conduct
evident. There are (customs) to help
high achievement them be successful in
expectations for all the school context.
students and  
teachers. The
principal and other
leaders provide
professional
learning for
teachers lacking
understanding of
the impact that
attitudes regarding
race, disabilities,
background,
culture, high
expectations, and
social class of both
students and
teachers have on the
teaching and
learning process. 

EVIDENCE:  At Dugan we are a PBIS school, which stands for Positive behavioral
CURRENT REALITY AND GSAPS REVIEW 17

interventions and supports. This allowed for uniformed decisions about behavior and the way
to treat students equally. We also have a Diversity team that meets monthly and shares out
what they discuss and learn. The final thing that Dugan is adding this year is an SEL (social
emotional learning) team.

RECOMMENDATIONS: I would recommend adding in morning meetings before the

school day starts. This would allow teachers to do check ins with students and to discuss the
day ahead. This build a positive classroom community which will help students feel safe while
learning.
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References

Our School / About Dugan Elementary. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=1132

Byers, D. (2019). School Improvement Plan. Douglasville, GA: Dugan Elementary School

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RsnbJr3agEaPBBq942bDcaCA3hGDFtPl/view