School Improvement Plan (SIP) Guidelines

and Template
Overview

The goal of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) process is to create a strong plan to raise student
achievement at your school. Your SIP should outline the work you will do this year to meet the end-of-
year student achievement goals outlined in the district’s SY15-16 Accelerated Improvement Plan (AIP).

An effective SIP will:

 Build off of previous work in your school, including last year’s SIP
 Be based in an analysis of data about your school’s performance
 Reflect school-specific needs identified through this data analysis and be aligned to the priorities
outlined in the AIP
 Be regularly updated throughout the year if student work suggests that progress is not on track

Process

There are 4 steps to the SIP process:

1. Set goals aligned to the AIP: Set student learning goals that meet the final outcomes in the AIP.
2. Use data to determine school-specific strengths and weaknesses for each AIP objective: Review
your school’s SIP, its implementation, and your school’s student results from last year to identify
components that worked well and others that were challenging. Use this information to update your
school’s strengths and focus areas for the upcoming school year with an emphasis on assessing your
school’s progress related to the objectives in the AIP.
3. Develop strategies/actions to address focus areas: Develop strategies/actions and specific activities
to address the reasons that students struggle, which you identified in Step 2. Include a small set of
benchmarks to help you assess whether you are on track to meet your end-of-year goals along the
way. Among other benchmarks, you should include those that are in the AIP.
4. Implement and adjust throughout the year: Implement the SIP, and continue to use the plan as a
“living” document throughout the year. If student data suggests that a strategy/action is not
working, the SIP should be revised and updated to reflect the steps you will take to ensure students
learn. Instructional liaisons will meet with each principal twice monthly to provide frequent
monitoring and support to ensure schools are on track to meet their benchmarks in November,
February, and May and to discuss what mid-course corrections may be required.

Shared ownership of the SIP is an essential part of the school improvement process. You are encouraged
to develop your SIP in collaboration with your staff, such as your School Instructional Leadership Team
(SILT). Members of the SILT may include:
 Principal
 Teaching Learning Specialist (if applicable)
 One teacher from K-2 and 3-5 (elementary schools), or from each content area (secondary schools)
 A special education teacher
 An ELL teacher
 Member of the guidance team

1
Please submit a draft of your SIP to Jason DeFalco by Thursday, October 1. Feedback on SIPs will be
provided by Friday, October 16.

Overview of the AIP

As mentioned above, your SIP should be aligned to the district’s plan to raise student achievement. This
plan is articulated in the AIP. The four objectives in the AIP include:

 Integrate efforts around planning, instruction, and assessment (Objective 1): The district will
provide teachers and school leaders with focused professional development and resources to plan
and deliver lessons aligned with rigorous curriculum, to measure the impact of instruction on
student learning, and make adjustments to instruction based on data, as needed.
 Develop robust student support systems (Objective 2): The district will develop systems to identify
and support students with a range of unique needs, including social-emotional, special education,
and ELL needs.
 Increase the rigor of instruction (Objective 3): New Bedford Public Schools will continue its work to
increase the capacity of principals to serve as effective instructional leaders through professional
development at bi-monthly Principals’ Meetings and supports from the Office of Instruction. A major
focus of this work will be on helping increase the rigor of classroom instruction by delivering training
to school staff during the additional 20 hours of PD this year.
 Engage parents as partners (Objective 4): Teachers and principals will engage families as partners in
their child’s education, identifying venues to reach unengaged parents, and collaborating with
engaged parents to support their child. The district will develop proactive communication plans for
critical district activities to keep the community informed and include community input when
possible.

How to use this template

The rest of this document includes a template you can use to write your SIP. The template includes the
four components that are required for your SIP. Instructions for each section can be found at the
beginning of the relevant section.

2
 School Improvement Plan
School Year 2015-2016
School: Charles S. Ashley School
Principal: Wendy Weidenfeller

Section 1. Set goals aligned to the AIP

Instructions: Analyze EOY Galileo data from last year to help set your end-of-year goals for the current
school year. You must set three student learning goals, which are aligned to the student learning goals in
this year’s AIP:
1. By EOY, the district will realize at least a 40% reduction in students not proficient or advanced in ELA
and Math for grades K-5, and in ELA and Math for grades 6-12
2. BY EOY, the district will see at least 10% of students in warning move into needs improvement in ELA
and Math
3. By EOY, the district will see at least 10% of students in proficient move into advanced in ELA and
Math

Note: Since EOY PARCC scores might not be available yet, please use EOY Galileo scores from last year as
a substitute baseline proficiency level for planning purposes. You should have a system to revisit your
student data throughout the year, as we get data from BOY Galileo, PARCC, MOY Galileo, and other
assessments.

(a) Describe the goals you have for student outcomes, in terms of approximate number of students
that you need to move to meet each of the three goals listed above.

Goal 1:
By EOY, the school will realize at least a 40% reduction in students not proficient or advanced in ELA
for grades K-5.

EOY ELA Galileo: 125 students were not proficient or advanced in ELA for Grades 2 – 5. Our goal by
2016 EOY ELA: that number will be reduced by 40% which is 50 students. Fifty students will move
into proficient or advanced.

By EOY, the school will realize at least a 40% reduction in students not proficient or advanced in Math
for grades K-5.

EOY Math Galileo: 76 students were not proficient or advanced in Math for Grades 2 – 5. Our goal
by 2016 EOY Math: that number will be reduced by 40% which is 31 students. Thirty-one students
will move into proficient or advanced.

Goal 2:
BY EOY, the school will see at least 10% of students in warning move into needs improvement in ELA

EOY ELA Galileo: 21 students were in the Warning category for EOY ELA. Our goals by 2016 EOY ELA:
that number will be reduced by at least 10% which is 3 students. Three students will move from
Warning to Needs Improvement.

3
BY EOY, the school will see at least 10% of students in warning move into needs improvement in Math.

EOY Math Galileo: 33 students were in the Warning category for EOY Math. Our goals by 2016 EOY
Math: that number will be reduced by at least 10% which is 4 students. Four students will move
from Warning to Needs Improvement.

Goal 3:
By EOY, the school will see at least 10% of students in proficient move into advanced in ELA.

EOY ELA Galileo: 106 students were in the Proficient category for EOY ELA. Our goals by 2016 EOY
ELA: that 10% of students in proficient move into advanced which is 11 students. Eleven students
will move from Proficient to Advanced.

By EOY, the school will see at least 10% of students in proficient move into advanced in Math.

EOY Math Galileo: 58 students were in the Proficient category for EOY Math. Our goals by 2016 EOY
Math: that 10% of students in proficient move into advanced which is 6 students. Six students will
move from Proficient to Advanced.

This numbers will be adjusted when BOY Galileo data is available.

(b) Describe the process or system you will use to revisit student data throughout the year and track
progress toward your goals as new data become available.
Here are some examples for tracking student data that could be helpful resources:
 Putting every student name on a post-it and tracking them across achievement levels based on the
most current benchmark assessment data
 Tracking proficiency levels on unit assessments by grade level or classroom
 Tracking number of students demonstrating mastery by standard to help identify what parts of the
content need revisiting
You can find data wall systems online, for example:
 Photos and samples: http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/what-a-data-wall-looks-like/
 DESE guidance, see section 6.2.2T) http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/ucd/ddtt/toolkit.pdf

4
Once BOY Galileo data is available, each classroom will select the students that will be their “forty
percenters” based on data. There will be a data wall in the principal’s office divided into grade and
subject (ELA and Math). Student data will be placed on name cards with their BOY Galileo data.
Students data will be updated as unit assessment data becomes available. The SILT will analyze unit
assessments to track the number of students demonstrating mastery by standard to help identify
what parts of the content need revisiting. Teachers will do the same with their classroom data.

All teachers track their data through the use of data binders. Students in Grades 3 – 5 also track
their own data.

5
Section 2. Use data to determine school-specific strengths and weaknesses for each AIP objective

Instructions: School leaders must analyze data in order to create a school-specific plan to meet the
student learning goals established in Section 1. This section is intended to help you look at student work
in a meaningful way and to help you identify your school’s strengths and the areas you will focus on this
year to improve student outcomes.

Focus on analyzing your school’s progress on work related to the four objectives in the AIP, as these are
the key levers that the district believes will lead to change. Not every objective may be a focus area for
every school. The district’s four objectives are outlined on page 3.

Answer questions (a) and (b) in the space provided. Potential data sources to use to answer these
questions include:

Student performance data:

 PARCC/MCAS item  DIBELs  Formative  Examples of student
analysis, if available  Galileo assessments work
 Final exams

Instructional data:
 Observation data  Feedback to
on curriculum and teachers
instruction

Student indicator data:

 Student attendance  Disciplinary data  Graduation/dropout  Mobility
 IEPs and 504s  SPED referrals data  Course failures
 Intervention data

Teacher data:
 Teacher attendance  Teacher evaluations  Tiering of teachers  TELL
Massachusetts
survey

6
 (a) What progress did your school make last year in student learning?

Ashley Grade 2 ELA Galileo Results Summary: In

Grade 2,
Grade 2 MOY MOY EOY EOY Ashley School
(48 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary did not meet
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual its EOY target
of reducing
Advanced 5 2 0 students not
proficient or
Proficient 18 23 29.25 17 19 33 25 25
above by
Needs
Improvement 24 25 18 40%.
Warning/ (Actual
Failing 1 25 18.75 4 29 15 5 23 decrease was
by 17 %.)

Ashley Grade 3 ELA Galileo Results

Summary: In
Grade 3 MOY MOY EOY EOY Grade 3,
(64 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary Ashley School
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual made
progress but
Advanced 4 3 4 did not meet
its EOY target
Proficient 21 25 34.75 26 29 40.6 29 33 of reducing
Needs students not
Improvement 36 32 24 proficient or
Warning/ above by
Failing 3 39 29.25 3 35 23.4 6 30 40%.
(Actual
decrease was
by 21%.)

7
Ashley Grade 4 ELA Galileo Results

Grade 4 MOY MOY EOY EOY Summary:In

(63 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary Grade 4,
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual Ashley School
did not meet
Advanced 3 0 2 its EOY target
of reducing
students not
Proficient 20 23 33 19 19 39 24 26
proficient or
Needs above by
Improvement 33 35 34 40%.
(Actual
Warning/
Failing 7 40 30 9 44 24 4 38 increase was
by 7%.)

Ashley Grade 5 ELA Galileo Results

Grade 5 MOY MOY EOY EOY Summary:In
(67 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary Grade 5,
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual Ashley School
did not meet
Advanced 4 2 4 its EOY target
of reducing
students not
Proficient 33 37 44.5 35 37 49 28 32
proficient or
Needs above by
Improvement 23 25 28 40%.
Warning/ (increase was
Failing 7 30 22.5 5 30 18 6 34 by 13 %.)

8
Ashley Grade 2 Math Galileo Results
Summary:
Grade 2 MOY MOY EOY EOY
In Grade 2,
(48 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary Ashley
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual School did
not meet its
EOY target
Advanced 22 6 15 of reducing
students not
Proficient 21 43 44.25 17 23 45 22 37 proficient
or above by
Needs 40%.
Improvement 4 21 5
(Actual
Warning/ increase
Failing 1 5 3.75 4 25 3 6 11 was by 120
%.)

Ashley Grade 3 Math Galileo Results

Summary: In
Grade 3 MOY MOY EOY EOY Grade 3,
(64 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary Ashley
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual School did
meet its EOY
Advanced 13 39 37 target of
reducing
students not
Proficient 27 40 46 10 49 49.6 16 53 proficient or
Needs above by
Improvement 17 11 6 40%.
(Actual
Warning/
decrease was
Failing 7 24 18 4 15 14.4 4 10
by 57 %.)

9
Grade 4 Math Galileo Results

Grade 4 MOY MOY EOY EOY Summary: In

(64 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary Grade 4,
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual Ashley School
did not meet
its EOY target
Advanced 11 7 19 of reducing
students not
proficient or
Proficient 11 22 32.5 13 20 38.8 12 31
above by
Needs 40%.
Improvement 31 33 24 (Actual
increase was
Warning/ by 21 %.)
Failing 11 42 31.5 11 44 25.2 9 33

Grade 5 Math Galileo Results

Summary: In
Grade 5 MOY MOY EOY EOY Grade 5,
(67 BOY Summary MOY Summary Summary EOY Summary
Ashley School
students) BOY Summary Target Actual Actual Target Actual Actual
made
progress but
Advanced 11 18 35 did not meet
its EOY target
Proficient 24 35 43 22 40 47.8 8 43 of reducing
students not
Needs
proficient or
Improvement 19 13 8
above by 40%.
Warning/ (Actual
Failing 13 32 24 14 27 19.2 14 22 decrease was
by 29 %.)

10
Kindergarten DIBELS
Summary: In
BOY Target MOY EOY Kindergarten, Ashley
Composite School did meet its
Benchmark 32 39.6 34 43 EOY target of reducing
Below Benchmark 10 4 4 students not at
Well Below Benchmark 9 8 2 benchmark by 40%
Repeated Subtest First Sound Fluency (Actual decrease was
Benchmark 38 40.6 37 by 68%.)
Below Benchmark 4 5
Well Below Benchmark 9 4

First Grade DIBELS

BOY Target MOY EOY

Composite Summary: In First
Benchmark 38 45.6 31 37 Grade , Ashley School
Below Benchmark 13 8 6 did not meet its EOY
target of reducing
Well Below Benchmark 6 17 12 students not at
Repeated Subtest: NWF-Correct Letter Sounds benchmark by 40%
Benchmark 42 45 40 43 (Actual decrease was
Below Benchmark 13 12 7 by 3%.)

Well Below Benchmark 2 4 5

Repeated Subtest:NWF-Whole Word Read
Benchmark 38 41.8 39 45
Below Benchmark 19 8 4

Well Below Benchmark 0 9 6

11
Second Grade DIBELS

BOY Target MOY EOY

Composite Summary: In Second
Benchmark 45 46.6 46 46 Grade , Ashley School
Below Benchmark 3 1 3 did not meet its EOY
target of reducing
Well Below Benchmark 1 2 1
students not at
Repeated Subtest: Oral Reading Fluency-Fluency
benchmark by 40%
Benchmark 43 44.2 44
(Actual decrease was
Below Benchmark 5 3
by 0%.)
Well Below Benchmark 1 2
Repeated Subtest: Oral Reading Fluency-Accuracy
Benchmark 44 45 44
Below Benchmark 4 3

Well Below Benchmark 1 2

Repeated Subtest: Oral Reading Fluency-Retell
Benchmark 47 47.4 45
Below Benchmark 1 0

Well Below Benchmark 1 2

12
(b) What did students struggle with last year? Why? Please consider data by grade level and subject.
Questions to consider include:
 Where are the strong classrooms and grades? How can you use them to lift up other grades and
classrooms?
 What grades/classrooms are of the most serious concern?
 What does your data suggest are the reasons why students are struggling?

Literacy K-2 Decoding and Fluency are strengths in the grades K and 2. Kindergarten made a 68%
reduction from BOY to EOY in DIBELS composite score. First grade made a 3% reduction from BOY to
EOY in DIBELS composite score. Even though Second grade made a 0% reduction from BOY to EOY in
DIBELS but did have a high proficiency rate (96%) for BOY composite score.
By Grade Level:
Kindergarten:
RF.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables and sounds
d. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme
words.
RF.2: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

First Grade:
RF.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables and sounds
d. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme
words.
RF.2: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Second Grade:
RF.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Literacy comprehension is an area of concern across all grades, but especially in grades 2-5. Across all
three grade levels, there was a slight increase from BOY to EOY [ 4% Grade 2, 12% Grade 3, 5% Grade 4
and – 7% Grade 5]

By Grade level:
Grade 3:
RAR.1: Read closely, make inferences cite specific textual evidence to support conclusions.
RAL.4: Determine or clarify meaning of unknown words and multiple mean words.
RAR.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.

Grade 4:
RAL.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language
RA.R.2: Determine central ideas of themes, summarize key supporting details and ideas.
RAR.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.

Grade 5:
RAL.4: Determine or clarify meaning of unknown words and multiple mean words.
RAR.1: Read closely, make inferences cite specific textual evidence to support conclusions.

13
RA.R.2: Determine central ideas of themes, summarize key supporting details and ideas.
RAR.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.

Even though there was an improvement from BOY to EOY in Math Galileo [ -13% Grade 2, 21% Grade 3,
14% Grade 4, 13% Grade 5] this increase was only slightly above or below the district average.

Grade 3:
NBT.A.2 Number and Operations in Base Ten (Use plan value understanding and properties of
operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.)
OA.B.5 Operations and Algebraic Thinking (Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship
between multiplication and division.)
MD.B.3 Measurement and Data (Represent and Interpret Data)

Grade 4:
OA.3 Operations and Algebraic Thinking (Use the four operations with whole numbers to solve
problems.)
MD.C.3 Measurement and Data (Geometric measurement understand concepts of angle and measure
angles)
GA.1 Geometry (Draw and identify lines and angles, and classify shapes by properties of their lines and
angles.)

Grade 5:
NF. A Number and Operations-Fractions (Use equivalent fractions as a strategy to add and subtract
fractions.)
NF.4 Number and Operations-Fractions (Apply and extend previous understanding of multiplication and
division to multiply and divide fractions)
OA.A Operations and Algebraic Thinking (Write and interpret numerical expressions)
OA.B Operations and Algebraic Thinking (Analyze patterns and relationships)

Through data analysis of each grade level the following trends have been identified:
 Determine central theme and summarize key supporting details
 Deep analysis of characters, events, ideas and how they develop and interact over the course of
the text.
 Making inferences.
 Problem Solving
 Fractions
 Operation and Algebraic Thinking

This shows that students are not utilizing the close reading strategy to delve into the text. Higher order
questioning also needs to happen to assist this “deep dive”.

14
Section 3. Develop strategies/actions to address focus areas

Instructions: Based on your analysis of student needs in Section 2, especially question (b), identify 2-4
focus areas for your school to pursue this year. These focus areas should be high-impact levers that you
believe will drive student achievement, and should be aligned to the AIP. In the space below, list each
focus area and the specific strategies and activities you will complete as part of this focus area to raise
student achievement.

Once you have developed these focus areas, identify one benchmark that you will use to measure
student progress by November 1, February 1, and May 1. These benchmarks should be based on student
work—not adults’ actions. They will be used as part of the focus areas that you discuss with your
instructional liaison. You do not need a benchmark for each individual focus area.

(a) List your school’s primary focus areas and 1-3 secondary focus areas for this year. At least one
should be ELA/literacy-focused and at least one should be math-focused. These focus areas could be
either general (e.g., improve reading comprehension, improve writing) or standard-specific (e.g.,
improve narrative writing).

Primary Focus Area:

 ELA

2-3 Secondary Focus Areas:

 Math
 School Culture/Family Engagement

#1 Primary Focus Area: [Deeper analysis of comprehension]

Activities Person(s) Responsible By when

Utilize Units of Study and Curriculum Maps to plan effective Teachers September -
lessons focusing on Priority Standards ongoing
Build conceptual understanding through the use of Teachers September -
concepts maps throughout weekly stories ongoing
Provide close reading strategies with the emphasis of Teachers September -
annotating text in non-fiction genres ongoing
Identify research-based practices for vocabulary instruction Teachers September -
and incorporate into daily lessons (Frayer Model, 7 steps to SILT ongoing
vocabulary)
Provide daily writing instruction aligned to the district Teachers September -
Writing Guide/expectation utilizing the Writing to Source ongoing
resource
Develop Writing Centers in each classroom and monitor Teachers September -

15
students’ daily writing through conferences ongoing
Assign appropriate interventions during daily 30 minute Teachers October -
intervention block. ongoing
Utilize the common formative assessments as it aligns to Teachers October -
the Curriculum maps and create reteach plan when needed ongoing
Teachers will track student progress through the use of data Teachers September -
notebooks. Students in Grades 3 -5 will also track their ongoing
individual progress as well.
K-2 Teachers will use mCLASS (DIBELS) to enhance and K-2 teachers September -
monitor oral reading fluency. ongoing
Collect and analyze unit tests from Reading Street to assess Teachers October -
for school wide trends/patterns to measure progress SILT ongoing
Principal
Provide interventions and reteach plans based on Teachers October -
assessment data (Writing CFAs, weekly and unit Principal
assessments)

#2 Secondary Focus Area: Improve conceptual mathematical understanding

Activities Person(s) Responsible By when

Provide training on math instruction and assessment and Principal August -
using enVisionsMath to teachers during PD days, staff Math Director ongoing
meetings, and embedded professional development days TLS
Execute lessons utilizing the three step (Problem based Teachers September –
learning, Guided Practice, Assess/Differentiate) process ongoing
Embedded mathematical practices in daily lessons Teachers September –
ongoing
Utilize common problem solving process across grades Teachers September –
(Second – Fifth grade) KNSA strategy ongoing
Teachers will analyze student performance on Galileo Teachers October -
(Grades 2-5) benchmarks utilizing the various reports SILT ongoing
(Intervention Alert, Class Development Profile) and Principal
topic/benchmark Assessments from enVisionsMath

Teachers will track student progress through the use of data Teachers September -
notebooks. Students will also track their individual progress Students ongoing
as well.

#3 Secondary Focus Area: [Improve school culture)

Activities Person(s) Responsible By when

Create guidelines about Tier I, II, III behaviors to set Principal November
consistent expectations about teachers’ role in PBIS PBIS committee
(behavior management handbook)
Collect monthly discipline data to see trends/patterns to Principal October –

16
problem solve high volume settings. SAC ongoing
PBIS committee
Class discussions regarding Bullying SAC November
Prevention/Intervention curriculum
Establish monthly assemblies that highlight students Principal October –
(Ashley All Stars) exhibiting school-wide expectation ongoing
(Respect, Responsibility, Safety and Kindness) monthly
Update website regularly with important school Principal September –
information for families weekly
Gather data on family attendance data at school open Principal October
houses and outreach to families that did not attend
Set optional open house date with principal for families that Principal November
did not attend September Open House
Provide an informational night for families on the new math Principal October
program enVisions2.0
Provide two family events to (November Literacy Night and Principal November
March Math Night) increase family involvement Teachers and March
Partner with PATHS (Parents and Teachers Helping Principal October -
Students) to coordinate family events to increase family ongoing
engagement

(b) How will you measure student progress along the way? Please list at least one way you will
measure student progress by November 1, February 1, and May 1.

What I will see by Nov. 1 to know that
students are on track to meet the
end-of-year goal
Benchmark
Focus 50% of classroom observations a week on observing
literacy instruction in grades 3-5 and 50% of observations on
literacy instruction in grades K-2. Provide specific, actionable,
and growth-producing feedback to teachers on how to
improve instruction.
Focus 50% of classroom observations a week on observing
math instruction in grades 3-5 and 50% of observations on
math instruction in grades K-2. Provide specific, actionable,
and growth-producing feedback to teachers on how to
improve instruction.

Weekly learning walks with district liaison that focus on

targeted grade levels. Provide specific, actionable and growth-
producing feedback to teachers on how to improve instruction.

17
 Galileo MOY Goal:
By MOY, the school will realize at least a 20% reduction in
students not proficient or advanced in ELA and Math for
grades K-5.

What I will see by Feb. 1 to know that
students are on track to meet the
end-of-year goal
BY MOY, the school will see at least 5% of students in
warning move into needs improvement in ELA and Math
By MOY, the school will see at least 5% of students in
proficient move into advanced in ELA and Math

Galileo EOY Goal:

By EOY, the school will realize at least a420% reduction in
students not proficient or advanced in ELA and Math for
grades K-5.
What I will see by May 1 to know that
BY EOY, the school will see at least 10% of students in
students are on track to meet the
warning move into needs improvement in ELA and Math
end-of-year goal
By EOY, the school will see at least 10% of students in
proficient move into advanced in ELA and Math

Note: This year, Office of Instruction liaisons will meet with principals twice monthly to conduct learning
walks with an emphasis on monitoring and supporting the implementation of SIPs, including how well
teachers are implementing key strategies from recent trainings. Liaisons will help principals develop and
execute plans to provide extra support to teachers, as needed.

18
Section 4. Develop a targeted PD plan to support SIP

Instructions: Identify 2-3 instructional focus areas that are aligned to your school’s SIP. Then, outline goals for teacher practice and how you will
monitor changes in teacher practice. Lastly, build out a targeted PD plan to serve as a road map for providing training to teachers in your
building. Where appropriate, indicate what support will be needed from the Office of Instruction for each PD activity.

(a) What are the changes in teacher practice that need to occur to reach the goals set out in this plan?

Focus area What exemplary practice will look like Current strengths in teacher Desired changes in teacher practice
after PD (describe for teachers and practice related to this focus related to this focus
students)
Building Application of Mathematical practices, Several grade levels have the Teacher questioning leads to deeper
conceptual higher order questioning based on structure of effective lesson student understanding. Utilizes math
understanding in mathematical practices, application of (problem based learning, guided models for problem solving (bar
Math real-world problems. Students practice and then independent diagrams)
questioning each other and give reasons practice). Use of Math centers and
for their answers. Students able to think hands-on manipulatives
reasonably about their answers instead of
following procedural steps.
Deeper analysis Variety of strategies that incorporate the Teachers use the “close reading” Utilizes a variety strategy to deepen
Informational following: strategy and annotate text. Many student understanding of
(non-fiction) text search for connections between what students write their questions or informational text.
students know and the new information use the “Tarzan Note” strategy to
in the text. summarize reading
• ask questions of themselves, the
author, and the text.
• draw inferences during and after
reading.
• distinguish important and less
important ideas in a text.
• synthesize information within and
across texts.
• monitor understanding and adjust
misconceptions.

19
Writing Daily writing in every classroom with the Writing centers and writing folders Feedback is focused on topic
Instruction establishment of Writing Center and have been established this year. development rather correcting every
aligned to Writing Folders. Each folder contains There are some teachers can convention in the students’ writing.
Common Core student work aligned to the district daily model an exemplar conference Teachers have a clear understanding
writing routine and expectations. with students. of the three different genres of writing
Teachers conference with several (opinion, informative/explanatory,
students a day to focus on writing narrative, research).
“glows” and “grows” to improve writing
(focused and targeted). Students improve
writing pieces based on feedback at
conference. Feedback is based on
improving topic development rather than
conventions. Students are writing a
variety of writing pieces that align to the
Common Core (opinion,
informative/explanatory, narrative)
writing genres as well as Research
simulation.

20
(b) Outline, by topic and by month, the PD programming and sequencing that will help your staff make the necessary changes in practice.
This section should be a year-long plan for teacher learning, analogous to a year-long plan that you might make for units and lessons when
teaching a class. Each focus area is like a unit, where individual PD sessions and meetings are the lessons within that should build skills on top of
previous lessons.

EXAMPLE
Focus area 1: Using data to inform instruction
Instructional Checks for understanding
strategy:
Meeting
Oct. PD session 1
Oct. PD session 2
Oct. SILT meeting
Oct. TCT meeting
Nov. PD session 1
Nov. PD session 2
Nov. SILT meeting
Nov. TCT meeting
Dec. PD session 1
Approximate dates: Oct – Dec (approx 10 weeks)
Learning objectives for teachers Support needed
Introduce the purpose of using checks for understanding
Explore 4 different styles of checks for understanding, analyzing strengths
and weaknesses of each
Review results of baseline walkthrough looking for checks for Would like Liaison to do learning
understanding to determine current strengths and weaknesses walk and join SILT meeting
(optional) Teachers share strategies to check for understanding
Explore what points in the lesson are most important to check. Teachers
bring upcoming lesson plans and incorporate checks for understanding at
key points
Explore tradeoffs between speed vs. simplicity, getting a deep answer
from few students vs. shallow answer from many students, etc
Discuss differences between content areas and prepare guidance to Literacy and Math director
teachers specific to content support for how to use checks for
understanding with Reading
Street and enVisions
(optional) Teachers share strategies to check for understanding
Discuss how to use the data from checks for understanding to adjust mid-
lesson. Teachers bring an upcoming lesson and add a plan to adapt and
respond based on a check for understanding

21
Focus area 1: Deeper analysis of comprehension
Instructional Deeper analysis of Non fiction text Approximate dates: January – March (10 weeks)
strategies:
Meeting Learning objectives for teachers Support needed
Jan. PD session 1 Close reading with emphasis on annotating text
Jan. PD session 2 Utilizing the Scholastic Comprehension Tool Kit: Introduce strategies to
Monitor Comprehension and Activate & Connect

Jan.. SILT meeting
Feb. . TCT meeting
Feb. PD session 1
Feb.. PD session 2
Feb. . SILT meeting
March TCT meeting
March. PD session 1
Analyze Unit 2/3 Reading Street assessments/Writing CFAs Literacy director to attend SILT
Teachers share student work on reading comprehension informational
text.
Utilizing the Scholastic Comprehension Toolkit: Introduce strategies to ,
Ask Questions, Infer & Visualize
Utilizing the Scholastic Comprehension Toolkit: Determine Importance
Review results of MOY Galileo in Reading Informational (RI) standards
Teachers share student work on reading comprehension informational
text.
Utilizing the Scholastic Comprehension Toolkit: Summarize & Synthesize

22
Focus area 2: Deeper analysis of comprehension
Instructional Writing Instruction aligned to Common Core Approximate dates: April– June (10 weeks)
strategies:
Meeting Learning objectives for teachers Support needed
April PD session 1 Discuss research writing projects. This is not in Writing to Sources. Choose
a grade specific research project
April. PD session 2 Research projects writing strategies
April. SILT meeting Analyze Writing CFA data
May. TCT meeting Teachers share student writing on Writing to Sources with teacher
feedback
May. PD session 1 Conferencing with students; giving growth producing feedback
May. PD session 2 View exemplary classroom of student conference and how to incorporate
strategies into classroom
May. SILT meeting Analyze Writing CFA data
June TCT meeting Teachers share conferencing notes with grade level
June. PD session 1 Review reflection of writing process and set up for following year

23
Focus area 3: Improve conceptual understanding of Math
Instructional Problem solving, Mathematical practices, Approximate dates: October - December
strategies:
Meeting Learning objectives for teachers Support needed
Oct. PD session 1 Components of a Math lesson: Problem based learning, Guiding practice, Math director to consult with
and Assess/Differentiate principal prior to PD
Oct. PD session 2 Problem Solving Strategies: Bar Diagrams
Oct. SILT meeting Analyze October Performance Assessment
Oct. TCT meeting Teachers share math assessment and pacing of program
Nov. PD session 1 Mathematical Practices: Habits of Minds Practices 1 and 6; Reasoning and
Explaining Practices 2 and 4
Nov. PD session 2 Mathematical Practices: Modeling and Using Tools 4 and 5; Seeing
Structure and Generalizing: Practices 7 and 8
Nov. SILT meeting Analyze Topic assessment
Nov. TCT meeting Teachers share student work
Dec. PD session 1 Differentiated instruction in envisions program

24