Education Writing assignment 3 MR

Strategic School Plan

by

SAMPLE

EDL 0735

Community Engagement and Management of Schools

Nova Southeastern University

September 24, 2022

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Introduction

Somerset Academy Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school accredited by

Cognia. Somerset Academy Charter School’s campuses are located in Pembroke Pines, Florida in

Broward County. This school has been open since 1997 and we house four distinct schools on

two separate campuses: Elementary, Middle, High, and an Arts Conservatory. However, for

the purposes of this project, the high school demographics will only be reviewed. In the high

school, we serve 1,395 students in 9th through 12th grades, of which 679 are males and 716

are females. We are a large suburban charter school comprised of a population of

approximately 60% Hispanic, 20% Black, 11% White, 4% Asian and 2% other ethnicities. Our

subgroups are comprised of 4% Gifted, 8% Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and 7% English

Language Learners (ELL). We are not a Title 1 school. Although, 30% of the high school

students are on free or reduced lunch.

Based on the 2021-22 school’s performance data, we are currently an “A” rated school

by the Florida Department of Education. The schools on our campus have been designated a

high-performing charter school for many years. According to the data from the 2021-2022

Florida Department of Education’s Accountability Report (FLDOE, 2022), the students achieved

64% in the area of English/Language Arts, in which 58% of the students made gains. The lowest

25% made 49% gains in ELA. In mathematics, the students made 51% achievement, in which

60% of the students made learning gains. The lowest 25% of high school students made 59%

gains in math. For the purposes of this plan, the 9th grade intensive reading students will be the

target group.

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Organizational Vision

After the FSA English/Language Arts data was reviewed, the need to assist our students

in the lowest 25% in this area was evident, especially those in the 9th grade intensive reading

classes. These students made 49% gains as compared in math, where they made 59% gains.

The benefits of being proficiently literate is of the upmost importance for student success while

in school and after they graduate. Literacy is the gateway for all subjects and professions;

therefore it is vital that students learn to ready fluently and are able to comprehend and

analyze what they read. To ensure that all students access their education equitably, school

leaders must create a shared vision to reach their goals. As discussed in the Florida School

Leaders: William C. Golden site, a shared vision is one that “defines, inspires, and bonds them

together in a common cause…a shared covenant that bonds together leader and follower in a

moral commitment" (FLDOE, 2013).

At Somerset Academy, our vision statement reads “Somerset Academy promotes a

transformational culture that maximizes student achievement and the development of

accountable, global learners in a safe and enriching environment that fosters high-quality

education.” Additionally, our school’s mission statement is: “Empowering students to explore

global learning opportunities to promote and enrich their communities and the communities

we serve.” Through these statements, the school holds itself to the high standard to teach all

students through equitable means and an inclusive educational setting that will meet the

learning needs of all learners. By creating a strategic plan that targets the needs of the students

in the lowest 25% and incorporates the school personnel in an aligned mission and vision of the

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levels” (Gurley, 2014). Gurley states that for school leaders to be effective in initiating an

action plan, the leaders must explicitly “develop, articulate, implement, and steward a clear,

shared vision among school personnel” (Gurley, 2014).

Positive School Culture

Over the past several years, Somerset Academy has proven itself to be a premier school

of choice for the residents of Pembroke Pines and the surrounding areas. By developing an

environment that fosters high-quality education, successful academic achievement among

students, a safe learning environment for all stakeholders, a diverse student population, and a

place that nurtures independent thought, parents have increasingly chosen our school for their

children. Moreover, the campus is a very safe place that has installed video cameras in every

classroom, hired a team of security guards that monitor the hallways/surrounding areas in each

building, plus has a collaborative discipline team that works with administration, the guidance

department, and our social workers to deal with student behaviors in an equitable manner yet

providing our students with the mental health support they need. Additionally, the school

employs a strict uniform and identification badge policy to ensure that all students are properly

identified at all times. The school also has a single point entry to the campus and employ two

Broward County School Resource Officers. According to May and Sanders (2012), school that

has a positive climate is “associated with and predictive of academic achievement.” Therefore,

a school where students feel safe, supported, and cared for, often “move in the right direction”

(May & Sanders, 2012).

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As previously mentioned, the high school includes 1,395 of varying ethnicities and socio-

economic backgrounds. Therefore, it is important to allow students to have a voice at our

school through club and extracurricular activities. This provides students with a positive outlet

to express themselves and find a social niche to support them. In turn, by providing these

opportunities for our students, the students have a positive school outlook which translates

into academic achievement. Furthermore, we encourage parents to be school volunteers,

members of the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO)/School Advisory Committee (SAC)

and encourage involvement from our community partners to support our school initiatives.

Over the course of the school year, we have initiated parent workshops that deal with a

plethora of topics that affect students as well as parents; topics range from identifying signs of

suicidal ideation to academic programs to how to complete financial aid forms for college. The

school’s positive climate is essential to students and parents having a place at our school and

feeling safe in this educational environment.

Plan of Action

Based on the 2021-22 FSA English/Language scores, the overall high school student

levels (64%) were higher than both the State (50%) and Broward County (51%) (FLDOE, 2022).

However, the 9th grade intensive reading students used for this plan did not meet proficiency

(75% of the students in this group did not pass the FSA ELA exam). This group consists of 90

students in four intensive reading classes who are taught by two intensive reading teachers.

There are 45 females and 45 males in these classes. The students’ demographic information

includes the following ethnicities: Hispanic – 57%, Black -25%, White -12%, Asian -2%, and

Multiracial – 2%. Based on the data collected, 35% of the students are from low-socioeconomic

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status, receiving free/reduced meals. Moreover, 17% of the students are in the ESE program,

while 18% are English Language Learners (ELL). From the 90 students, 31 students scored an

FSA Level 1 and 37 students scored a Level 2. These scores indicate the presence of knowledge

gaps and English language skills deficits. Also, one must acknowledge another mitigating factor

which was the COVID pandemic. Although some of these students continued to receive their

education through either in-person or remote learning, it is difficult to say if all accessed their

education free of interruption or unfavorable conditions that may have caused the gaps in

learning or English language acquisition. However, it is interesting to note that although these

students may not have met the Level 3 of proficiency, 79% of the target group made some sort

of gain.

According to Krenek (2018), action plans are important for several reasons including

providing focus on the area to improve, engaging stakeholders to give feedback, and creating

efficiency. This Action Plan will consist of three areas that will detail the strategies meant to

improve the educational outcomes on the FSA ELA exam for the 9th grade intensive reading

students. The plan will take place over the course of the school year in the intensive reading

classes. Students will be placed in the intensive reading course depending on the score they

obtain on the FSA ELA exam. The curriculum for that course is the READ 180 program which is a

research-based blended learning program that consists of explicit direct small-group

instruction, whole class discussions, independent reading, and a digital computer application

that is individualized per student. The program’s aim is to target the following literacy areas

phonics, fluency, and comprehension. The program includes built-in progress monitoring

assessments meant to be given at certain times throughout the curriculum that provides the

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students/teachers with Lexile scores and diagnostic data. The second part of the action plan is

to provide professional development to the staff in differentiated instruction to meet the needs

of our diverse learning community, specifically students with disabilities and students in the ELL

program, within all of their courses. Smale-Jacobse et al. explain that differentiating instruction

is rooted in the “deep respect for students, acknowledgment of their differences, and the drive

to help all students thrive” (Smale-Jacobse et al., 2019). Therefore, it is imperative that all

teachers implement differentiated instructional practices to allow students to gain

understanding of concepts in various ways. Thirdly, the action plan will include on-going,

periodic progress monitoring to ensure the plan is being implemented with fidelity and all

stakeholders are doing their part to achieve the shared vision of improving academic

achievement with this target group. The intensive reading teachers will be expected to

administer formative assessments during each quarter and collect data from the READ 180

program. This information will be shared with the Literacy Team as well as the students. By

sharing this information, the teachers provide the necessary feedback to the students so they

can clearly see where they need to make corrections. In addition, teachers can have

meaningful discussions with their students to pinpoint the areas they need to improve and to

celebrate success in the areas they have mastered. Additionally, by sharing the information

with their colleagues on the Literacy Team monthly, the intensive reading teachers can

exchange ideas on how to tackle areas of weakness and share best practices of

strategies/lessons that have worked. Moreover, by tracking the data, the team can make data-

driven decisions that should result in better outcomes for these students by the formal state

assessment time.

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Assessment Survey

Scale

The extent to which…

Rate from 1 to 5. 1 = NEVER

5 = ALWAYS

Clear school mission …staff understand, agree with and are committed to the mission and goals of the school.

1 2 3 4 5

Participation in decision making

…staff perceive the school leadership team involve staff members when making decisions.

1 2 3 4 5

Providing individual support …staff feel that the school’s leadership is approachable and supportive.

1 2 3 4 5

Encouraging improvement of practice

…staff are encouraged to improve and refine their practice.

1 2 3 4 5

Staff collegiality …staff can obtain assistance, advice, and encouragement and feel accepted by their colleagues.

1 2 3 4 5

Safe and orderly environment

…the policies and rules in place help to create and maintain a safe and orderly environment.

1 2 3 4 5

Home-school relations …there is a good relationship between eh parents and school staff.

1 2 3 4 5

Parent/caregiver involvement

…parents and caregivers engage with their child’s education and whether the teachers are actively seeking to involve them.

1 2 3 4 5

Expectations for success …the teachers and principal have high expectations for the success of the students.

1 2 3 4 5

Overall wellbeing …staff are in a healthy, comfortable state.

1 2 3 4 5

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Job satisfaction …staff find working at the school satisfying and enjoyable.

1 2 3 4 5

Teaching efficacy …teachers rate their ability to teach well, particularly in difficult or trying situations.

1 2 3 4 5

Teacher collective efficacy …teachers perceive the teaching staff of our school are able to teach well.

1 2 3 4 5

(National School Improvement Partnerships, 2019)

Action Plan

The action plan will be conducted in a safe learning environment on campus while

following all safety protocols and guidelines. The purpose of the action plan is for students in

the 9th grade intensive reading class to exhibit improvement on the FSA ELA exam by

implementing the following strategies: teach the READ 180 Curriculum in the intensive reading

class with fidelity, provide quarterly professional development opportunities for staff to learn

about differentiating instruction, and be consistent with progress monitoring including meeting

monthly with the Literacy Team and parents. By employing these strategies, the team will be

able to assess if the plan is working by analyzing all available data and meeting periodically to

gather feedback from all stakeholders.

Strategy Barriers to Implementation

Assessment of Weakness

Methods of Intervention

Process to Identify Weakness

Intensive Reading Courses

Students need to stay motivated in the class (attendance incentives, behavior incentives, etc.)

Utilize data from: FSA scores, READ 180 diagnostic assessments, and Lexile scores.

Intensive reading teachers that know how to explicitly teach reading skills. Provide professional

Weekly informal student assessments. Periodic READ 180 assessments. Monthly student Data Chats.

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Provide alternate resources to prevent boredom (provide texts of interests, use multi-media resources, etc.)

development on how to use the curriculum (READ 180). Encourage parents to meet with teacher monthly to discuss student progress. Incorporate ESE and ELL strategies.

Classroom/teach er observations. Evidence of monthly parent meeting.

Strategy Barriers to Implementation

Assessment of Weakness

Methods of Intervention

Process to Identify Weakness

Professional Development

Teacher resistance to attend professional development workshops. Teacher resistance to apply strategies/best practices in the classroom.

Utilize data from: FSA scores, READ 180 diagnostic assessments, and Lexile scores. Administer Assessment Survey to staff.

Provide quarterly professional development opportunities for the staff. Encourage the staff to apply learning models in their classrooms and share feedback.

Quarterly Professional Development workshops on differentiated instruction, best practices. Teacher evaluations, classroom observations. Assessment Survey Results

Strategy Barriers to Implementation

Assessment of Weakness

Methods of Intervention

Process to Identify Weakness

Progress Monitoring

Teachers must collect data consistently to make data- driven decisions Teachers should revise plan if it is not working

Utilize data from: teacher observation, FSA scores, READ 180 diagnostic assessments, and Lexile scores.

Utilize data collection tools (observations, notes, data charts). Utilize software programs to analyze data (READ 180, FSA Scores, etc.)

Monthly Literacy Team meetings to share data and feedback.

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Conclusion

In keeping with the vision and mission statement of Somerset Academy High School to

educate their students “in a safe and enriching environment that fosters high-quality

education,” the action plan will target the students in the 9th grade intensive reading class that

mostly compose the lowest 25% of students that took the FSA ELA exam in 2021-22. By

implementing the reading program throughout the course of the school year in the intensive

class, providing professional development for all teachers in differentiated instruction, and

consistently monitoring the students’ progress, students should make gains in the FSA ELA

exam. Moreover, by working collaboratively with the intensive reading teachers,

administration, Literacy Team, students, and parents the feedback collected from all

stakeholders can be used to revise the plan to include areas for improvement.

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References

Florida Department of Education. (2022). Florida school accountability reports. FLDOE Accountability & Reporting. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.fldoe.org/accountability/accountability-reporting/school-grades/

Florida Department of Education. (2013). Leadership essentials: Vision for learning. Florida School Leaders: William Cecil Golden School Leadership Development Program Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.floridaschoolleaders.org/fslPortal/wcgProgram.aspx

Gurley, K. (2014). Mission, vision, values, and goals: An exploration of key organizational statements and daily practice in school. ResearchGate. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272018338_Mission_vision_values_and_goa ls_An_exploration_of_key_organizational_statements_and_daily_practice_in_schools

Krenek, M. (2018). 3 reasons why you need strategic planning in education. APQC. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.apqc.org/blog/3-reasons-why-you-need- strategic-planning-education

May, J. J. & Sanders, E. T. W. (2012). Beyond standardized test scores: An examination of leadership and climate as leading indicators of future success in the transformation of turnaround schools. Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1028857

National School Improvement Partnerships. (2019). School organizational climate survey. NSI Partnerships. Retrieved September 24, 2022, from https://www.nsipartnerships.com.au/surveys/school-organisational-climate-survey/

Smale-Jacobse, A. E. Meijer, A., Helms-Lorenz, M., & Maulana, R. (2019). Differentiated instruction in secondary education: A systematic review of research evidence. Frontiers. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02366/full