Stanton Turnaround Plan (08.08.12)

7/31/2019 Stanton Turnaround Plan (08.08.12)

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Approved by State Board of Education 8/9/12

Connecticut State Department of EducationCommissioners Network

Turnaround Plan Application2012 - 2013

COVER PAGE

Name of District: Norwich Public Schools

Name of School: Stanton Elementary School

Name of Turnaround Plan Contact Person: Abby I. Dolliver, Superintendent

Phone: 860-823-4245

Fax: 860-823-1880

Email: [email protected]

Address of Turnaround Plan Contact Person: 90 Town Street, Norwich CT 06360

Name of Superintendent: Abby I. Dolliver

Signature of Superintendent: Date:

Name of Board Chair: Dr. Yvette Jacaruso

Signature of Board Chair: Date:

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Part Three. Commissioners Network Turnaround Plan

Please complete sections I through VIII and respond to all subsections. Please use the samenumbering for all responses to all sections and subsections.

Responses must be formatted as

single-spaced pages with normal margin sizes, and

Times New Roman size 12 font.

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Section I: Notice of Intent

Please indicate the authorization you have received from the CSDE regarding this application(check one):

X On the basis of an initial selection by the CSDE, this application presents a Turnaround Plan for consideration by the CSDE for implementation in 2012-2013 school year.

-or-

On the basis of an invitation to apply for a planning grant, this application describes planning activities that will support the development of a fully responsive Turnaround Plan for futureconsideration by the CSDE.

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Section II: Executive Summary4


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1. John B. Stanton Elementary School in Norwich is a Pre K grade 5 school of approximately418 students. At least 300 students (75%) are eligible for free/reduced price meals. About 80students (20%) are not fluent in English and approximately 45 students (11%) are identified ashaving special needs. Compared to a state average of 987 hours, the school provides 956 hours of instruction during the school year.

Class sizes in the primary grades are similar to the state average; however, class sizes in the upper grades exceed the state average. Many students in the lower grades are children who areeconomically disadvantaged and/or not-fluent in English. The time students spend inEnglish/Language Arts (546 hours) exceeds the state average, however, time spent in Mathematics,Science and Social Studies is considerably less than the state average. In 2011-2012, Stanton had162 new student entries, 69 student withdrawals and 318 students continued from the previousyear. Teachers at Stanton have fewer years teaching experience (11.6) and fewer have their Masters Degree (66.7%) compared to a state average of 80.8%. In this turnaround plan just over 50% of the staff have been reassigned and replaced.

The Stanton School community is committed to supporting the familys role in the education of itsstudents. The school has formed a School Governance Council (SGC) and there is a ParentTeacher Organization (PTO) at Stanton. However, parent and family involvement has been limiteddue in part to parent work schedules, transportation and language barriers.

2. The Stanton School Turnaround Team is comprised of the following representatives: WilliamLinski (teacher), Thomas St. George (teacher), Elizabeth Hanlon (parent), Jerry Browning (parent),

Alexandria Lazzari (administrator), Steven Adamowski, Commissioner's Representative (ex-officio), and Abby Dolliver, Superintendent of Schools (ex-officio). This team represents manyyears of experience and expertise and a commitment to school improvement. The team members

biographies and resumes are attached.

3. The Stanton School turnaround plan is a two-year process. Year one of the plan provides for both a structural development of focused, immediate interventions to improve student achievementand intensive review and planning for implementation of a whole school redesign model in Years 2and 3 in partnership with the School Governance Council (SGC). Year 1 includes the following

implementation: fidelity to Positive Behavior Supports, additional instructional time, pilotingSingapore Math, piloting a core and Tier II intervention reading program, strengthening theeffectiveness of the data teams to include literacy, math, and behavior, and hiring a newadministrative literacy specialist. During year 1 the Norwich Turnaround Committee (NTC) willcreate a whole school redesign that builds upon and strengthens the structural foundation createdwith a full implementation in year 2. The redesign will include a pedagogical or content theme-

based school of choice and a differentiated talent strategy.

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The Turnaround Committee will use the following processes to determine the school-wide themeduring Year 1:

Engage the School Governance Council in parent surveys and parent research.Engage local community partners in research.The turnaround Committee will research effective theme-based schools of choice to

meet the needs of Stanton School students.Engage the lead partner in the process. The factors included in the decision-making

will be student need, community involvement, parent interests and teacher expertise.The theme chosen will effectively close the achievement gap.

The ultimate goal is for Stanton School to be the highest performing school in the district and fullyenrolled by creating a sustainable, replicable plan that ensures student achievement and

preparedness through the alignment of district curriculum with the Common Core Standards,differentiation of instruction and programming for vertical scale movement of all students,improvement of teacher practice, and promotion of authentic family and community involvement.

Stanton School will strengthen family and community connections by: hiring a parent-familyliaison to conduct outreach; hiring para-educators who speak Haitian/Creole, Chinese, andSpanish; establishing a satellite office in the Greeneville and other neighborhoods; providingtransportation to parents, and; actively engaging the School Governance Council.

Stanton School will strengthen its focus on improving the school environment through theimplementation of the Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS) with fidelity in Year I. All

teachers will be trained in PBIS. A PBIS Tier II/III specialist will be engaged for Year I. A pre-and post-audit of school climate will be conducted by the School Governance Council.

The role of the principal will shift more toward educational instructional leadership and schoolimprovement. The principal will work closely with teachers and data teams to focus on studentacademic growth. An Administrative Literacy Specialist with a strong background in instructionand effective teaching strategies will be added to the leadership team of the school. A standards-

based teacher and administrator evaluation system will be developed. Professional developmentopportunities for teachers will be expanded, with a focus on academic and social growth and use of

data-driven decision-making. An executive coach will be assigned to assist the principal.

Stanton School will increase instructional time for all students during and after-school beginning atthe start of the second trimester (approximately November 30, 2012). Teachers at Stanton Schoolwill be engaged in professional development for an hour per day beginning August 29, 2012through the end of October 2012. The total number of additional hours by Year 3 is 300.Additional instructional time will include all Stanton students.

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Year 1 123 hours: includes one hour per day for all students from November toJune with no additional instructional time on early release and vacation days.

Year 2 211.5 hours: includes 171.5 additional hours between September and June(including one extra 7.5 hour day) and 40 hours of summer instructional time.

Year 3 300 hours: to include additional school year and summer instructional

hours and days.

Stanton School staff is committed to increasing student achievement by increasing parentengagement, achieving fidelity to the PBIS program, improving classroom instruction,implementing tiered instructional supports, and effectively analyzing data to inform instruction.Teacher and administrator capacity to achieve goals as outlined in the turnaround domains will bestrengthened by an intensive embedded professional development model. The turnaroundcommittee will monitor, review, and evaluate the effectiveness of the plan and revise as necessaryto ensure continued progress towards improved student achievement.

Section III: School Description

Norwich Public Schools Vision

The Next Generation Norwich Education System is a fully integrated community educationalenvironment for all our citizens throughout their lives in any facet they desire.

John B. Stanton Network School Mission Statement

Our mission statement for Norwich Public Schools states we will provide each student with arigorous, effective teaching and learning environment where equity is the norm, excellence is thegoal, student health and safety is assured and achievement cannot be predicted by race or other

demographics.

In an environment rich in academic rigor, culturally relevant practices, and with strongadult/student relationships, John B. Stanton School will focus on building effective home-schoolcollaborations that will ensure high expectations and elevated achievement for all students in order to close the achievement gap. This collaboration will build strong, respectful relationships

between our school and families, developing a strong sense of community and sharedresponsibility for decision-making within the school while we monitor and adjust to meet thechanging needs of our students and their families to achieve student success.

1. According to the Commissioners Network Instructional Audit conducted at Stanton School on

July 10 11, 2012, the reviewers noted that school performance on the CMT indicates a highnumber of students who require intervention in literacy and mathematics. This observation issubstantiated by the following CMT test results for the school:

2012 CMT results:

Grade 3Math: 54.5% at or above proficiency

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Reading: 47.3% at or above proficiencyWriting: 55.2% at or above proficiency

Grade 4:Math: 55.6% at or above proficiency

Reading: 43.1% at or above proficiencyWriting: 53.9% at or above proficiency

Grade 5:Math: 71.4% at or above proficiencyReading: 62.9% at or above proficiencyWriting: 76.4% at or above proficiency

Ethnicity Grade 3 MathBlack/African American: 51.6% at or above proficiencyHispanic/Latino: 66% at or above proficiency

White: 76.1% at or above proficiencyAsian: 82.9% at or above proficiency

Ethnicity Grade 3 ReadingBlack/African American: 50% at or above proficiencyHispanic/Latino: 52% at or above proficiencyWhite: 60.3% at or above proficiencyAsian: 65.7% at or above proficiency

Ethnicity Grade 4 MathBlack/African American: 48.7% at or above proficiency

Hispanic/Latino: 52.9% at or above proficiencyWhite: 80.7% at or above proficiency

Ethnicity Grade 4 ReadingBlack/African American: 43.4% at or above proficiencyHispanic/Latino: 50% at or above proficiencyWhite: 73.8% at or above proficiency

Ethnicity Grade 5 MathBlack/African American: 45.9% at or above proficiencyHispanic/Latino: 56.9% at or above proficiency

White: 87.1% at or above proficiencyAsian: 100% at or above proficiency

Ethnicity Grade 5 ReadingBlack/African American: 44.3% at or above proficiencyHispanic/Latino: 62.1% at or above proficiencyWhite: 76.7% at or above proficiencyAsian: 87% at or above proficient

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ELL Grade 3 Math: 45.5% at or above proficiencyELL Grade 3 Reading: 24.4% at or above proficiencyELL Grade 4 Math: 32.4% at or above proficiencyELL Grade 4 Reading: 18.9% at or above proficiencyELL Grade 5 Math: 33.3% at or above proficiency

ELL Grade 5 Reading: 27.3% at or above proficiency

The School Performance Index (SPI) for 2011- 2012 as reported by the State Department of Education is 55.4. The SPI target for 2012-2013 is 56.9.

While the school has developed a schedule that includes a 90 minute literacy block plus a 40-minute enrichment period for literacy intervention, observers stated in the Network audit that theteachers do not demonstrate the level of literacy understanding to effectively intervene and that themodel does not effectively meet the needs of struggling learners and lacks sufficient time for small

group instruction. The audit further states: During the intervention block, paraprofessionals andtutors support the lowest performing students. It was stated by staff that typically a tier II studentremains in tier II for the entire year. This is not the outcome of the Scientifically Research-BasedInterventions (SRBI) model that is desired. Staff indicates a lack of resources and training as amajor inhibitor to implementing SRBI. There is no SRBI in mathematics or behavior as indicated

by all stakeholders. In order for ongoing improvement, a high quality core curriculum and SRBImust be implemented with fidelity to improve student achievement.

2. Stanton School has been involved in a number of reform efforts that have included acommitment of time and resources through an active professional development program. Wehave initiated the following programs and strategies:

The development and implementation of well-balanced literacy instruction and mathinstruction programs. We recognize that there has been some lack of understanding onthe part of some staff of the components of well-balanced literacy instruction/mathinstruction.

The transition of Grade Level Equivalencies to Common Core State Standards. Fluency: Teachers and support staff have provided instruction, practice, and progress

monitoring for students on a daily basis for those students who did not meet the OralReading Fluency district benchmark. SRBI has been implemented at all grade levels. The School Governance Council has been formed

Obstacles to success:

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Once student assessments were analyzed staff did not have enough support andknowledge on what specific needs were for each grade level or sub-group.

Staff did not have enough support and knowledge on what specific interventions wouldmeet the identified needs of students nor the professional development for those

interventions to ensure that they could be administered with fidelity. Inconsistencies arose with interventions and there was a lack of follow-through withinterventions/progress monitoring.

There was a lack of programs and services for English Language Learners. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) strategies were used inconsistently. More professional development was required to effectively differentiate instruction. There was a lack of formalized protocol in the areas of student attendance and truancy. There was a lack of follow-through with district-wide protocol. There was a lack of incremental benchmarks to determine literacy proficiency to inform

instruction.

Stanton has a number of strengths that can be built upon, including the following: School-Wide Data Teams: Strong grade-level instructional data team leaders were able

to dissect building needs but had difficulty implementing everything at one time. Grade Level Instructional Data Teams: Data team cycles were strong in discussing

effective teaching strategies and monitoring student progress. The continuedimplementation of SRBI from previous year was successful.

Strong leadership and follow-through with district expectations . An instructional and administrative staff committed to change.

Section IV: The Turnaround Team and Stakeholder Engagement

The mission of the Stanton Turnaround Committee, in collaboration with the Commissioner of Education, Stanton School Governance Council, families, staff and community, is to monitor andsupport the robust turnaround plan that is iterative and meets the changing needs of all students, sothat they may grow and progress, while at the same time closing the achievement gap.

The Stanton Turnaround Team is comprised of the following representatives: William Linski(teacher), Thomas St. George (teacher), Elizabeth Hanlon (parent), Jerry Browning (parent),Alexandria Lazzari (administrator), Steven Adamowski, Commissioner's Representative (ex-officio), and Abby Dolliver, Superintendent of Schools (ex-officio). This team represents manyyears of experience and expertise and they are highly committed to school improvement. Bios and

resumes are attached.

Partner organizations and technical assistance providers will address shortcomings identified in the Network Audit, in the following manner:

Family and Community Connections: The audit stated that family and community connection atStanton was poor. Staff reported limited professional development on implementing PBIS andexpressed some interest in implementing the Responsive Classroom model. Furthermore, it needs

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to be acknowledged that while the student population at Stanton is ethnically diverse, some staff isin need of professional development in cultural awareness and diversity. Consultants affiliatedwith the University of Connecticut, Neag School of Education and Eastern Connecticut StateUniversity will provide support and technical assistance in areas related to parent engagement,school climate, cultural competence, teacher evaluation re-design and school environment.

Expansion of the role of the School-based Health Center, as described elsewhere in thisapplication, will also address needs related to family and community connections and schoolclimate issues.

School Leadership: While the Network audit found that there is a high level of confidence in the principal at Stanton, reservations were expressed regarding her ability to implement the

Turnaround Plan without additional administrative support. The principal has strong skills and acommitment to the use of data to inform instructional decisions. The Turnaround Plan calls for thehiring of an Administrative Literacy Specialist to enhance the instructional leadership in the

building and increase the capacity of literacy instruction of teachers. In addition, the district willhire an executive coach to assist the administration in implementing the Turnaround Plan.

LEARN will provide facilitation, consultation, report writing, support for Superintendent and theTurnaround Committee.

Teachers and Support Staff: The Network Audit pointed out that teachers have expressedconcern with a lack of focused professional development in any one discipline, such as literacy or math instruction. The teachers also expressed the desire for further training in PBIS along with aneed for additional in-class assistance from highly-qualified interventionists. While class sizeshave increased, the teachers ability to deliver high quality small group instruction and SRBI-tieredinterventions remains compromised.

A consultant will be employed to assist staff in implementing PBIS with fidelity in Year 1. TheTurnaround Team will evaluate the effectiveness in creating a positive school climate.

Curriculum and Instruction: The Network Audit concluded that Norwich Public Schools havea comprehensive curriculum aligned with state standards. The greatest needs evidenced in theinterviews were instructional leadership, focused ongoing professional development, resources and

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training to implement SRBI with fidelity and updated literacy materials. The TurnaroundCommittee will research and investigate curriculum and materials for purchase in order to create acomprehensive, more effective common-core based reading and math program. Additional tieredinterventions will be researched and implemented. As part of the process of building a robustreading/language arts and mathematics curriculum, there will be a focus on improvement in tiered-

interventions. Stanton School will pilot Singapore Math, a core and tier II reading program duringthe fall of year 1. In order to align district curricula with Stanton School initiatives the Director of Curriculum & Instruction will be involved with the research and selection of materials. The corecurriculum and tiered interventions will be selected based on how well they align with theCommon Core and support vertical alignment with the middle grades. A curriculum consultant,from a local university will be employed to assist the school in creating the strongest possiblefoundation for reading/language arts and math instruction during Year 1. Teachers will engage in

professional development in instruction and curriculum implementation during the additional hour added to the school day from September until the start of the second trimester (approximately

November 30, 2012). Research clearly demonstrates that additional time without effectiveinstruction and programming has little or no correlation to improved student achievement. Students

will benefit exponentially as a result of additional effective instructional time and clearlyarticulated curriculum in November of year 1.

The consultant will also assist the administration and faculty in maximizing the use of theadditional instructional time that will be added to the school schedule in Year 1. Additionalinstructional time will be added to the school day in Year 2 to support the value-added curriculumand design model. Appropriate professional development and support will be provided to teachers,support staff and administration.

Use of Data: At Stanton School there are data teams at all grade levels and each grade level has ateam leader. While the school has a strong emphasis on the use of data to inform decisions, staff have not had the resources or training to adequately meet the student needs identified in the data.As was pointed out in the Network audit, the district does not utilize any academic database tosupport performance analysis, leading to inefficient use of instructional time by the principal andteachers.

Stanton School staff will use Northwest Education Association MAPS (NWEA MAPS) as benchmark assessments during the school year to monitor student performance. The use of acomputer aided assessment model will assist teachers in analyzing data and informing instructionto achieve vertical scale movement for all students. Stanton School staff will use a blendedassessment model of MAPS and CMT data as summative data to create instructional plans for year 2 of the Turnaround plan.

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The administrative team comprised of the newly hired Administrative Literacy Specialist (092 andReading certification) and principal will model effective data driven decision making strategiesthrough the monitoring and evaluating of grade level data team meetings. The team will providespecific feedback to teachers in order to create an effective DDDM process for improvedinstruction and subsequent improved student achievement.

1. The Turnaround Team, including ex-officio members Abby Dolliver and Dr. StevenAdamowski, and Alexandria Lazzari, Principal of Teachers Memorial Middle School havehad extensive experience in school reform and improvement. William Linski and Tom St.George, our teacher representatives, have participated in a number of school improvement

practices and they possess a clear vision and understanding of teaching & learning. Our parent representatives, Beth Hanlon and Jerry Browning bring a strong commitment tochange to the committee. The team as a whole works well together and they are committedto the mission of the Norwich Turnaround Committee (NTC.) They are anxious to

implement the plan and to do so with fidelity. The Turnaround Committee members biographies and resumes are attached.2. Consultants and partner organizations have been and will be carefully selected based on

their specific expertise and experience in the areas of need and components of theTurnaround Plan, specifically, their experience in the areas of family and communityconnections, school climate, school leadership, teacher training, curriculum and instructionand data-based decision making.

3. Resumes of the individuals who will be responsible for implementation of the TurnaroundPlan, including Abby Dolliver, Superintendent of Schools and Christie Gilluly, Principal of Stanton Elementary School are attached. The new Administrative Literacy Specialistsresume will be forwarded upon receipt.

4.Resumes and biographies of Turnaround Committee members are attached. Requests for curriculum vitae (CV) of other individuals associated with the planning andimplementation of the Turnaround Plan have been requested and will be forwarded toConnecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) upon receipt by the Superintendent.

5. A description of consultations with relevant stakeholders in the development of the plan,including meetings and phone conferences with recommended potential partners by theSuperintendent and key stakeholders have occurred in order to find the best match andservices available to meet the needs of Stanton School. These consultations haveincluded; Connecticut Education Association(CEA), MASS Insights, UCONN, SusanLeddick of PKR, Inc.; Norwich Board of Education, LEARN, Dr. Steven Adamowski,Michelle Rosado at CSDE, State Education Resource Center (SERC), Eastern ConnecticutState University (ECSU), McCrel and UCLA CENTER X Office of Policy andManagement.

6. Letters of support from a number of the stakeholders are attached.

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Stanton Turnaround Plan Year 1 Outline

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Family Engagement + Positive Climate + Excellence in theLearning Environment = Student Success


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Section V: Goals and Objectives:

1. Quality and Effectiveness of Family and Community Connection to School Goal: UsingJoyce Epstein research as a framework, Stanton School will increase the quality andeffectiveness of the family and community connection to the school through the creation of

a meaningful, welcoming, accessible environment, through the engagement of parents andthe community in the educational process, and through the enhanced communication with parents and families. Objectives: Create a welcoming and accessible and meaningful school environment that becomes a part of the community as measured by a 50% increasein welcoming indicators. Gain commitment from and engage parents and community in theeducation of their children as measured by 100% of families committing to the Parent Compact, 100% of families completing the welcoming indicators survey, and 100% of

families participating in their childs education. Increase communication with parents and community as measured by 50% increase on parent satisfaction surveys and type of community involvement in the school. Teachers engage five parents monthly based oninventory data. Years 2 and 3 objectives will reflect improved baseline levels and

progressive growth indicators.2. Quality and Effectiveness of School Environment Goal : Stanton School will increase thequality and effectiveness of the school environment by fully and consistently implementinga shared set of student expectations and consequences, by making the school environment awelcoming and safe environment for students, parents, teachers, and staff, by promotingstudent and family ownership of environment, and by increasing student attendance and

punctuality. Objective: Stanton School staff will establish and implement a shared set of student and adult expectations through thorough implementation of research-based and evidence-based systems as measured by a 75% decrease in student referrals. StantonSchool staff will make the school a welcoming and safe environment as evidenced in a 50%increase in welcoming indicators. Stanton School will increase student and parent

ownership of the school environment indicating success through students growth onacademic and social effort rubrics, 100% decrease in tardiness measured by baseline data,and 80% decrease in absenteeism (following newly regulated CSDE guidelines). Years 2and 3 objectives will reflect improved baseline levels and progressive growth indicators.

3. Quality and Effectiveness of Schools Leadership Goal: Stanton School will increase thequality and effectiveness of leadership within the school by adding an AdministrativeLiteracy Specialist to the administrative team and expanding their roles as instructionalleaders, engaging staff in leadership and accountability practices, and engaging familiesand community in the participation in and leadership of the school. Objectives: Teacher instruction will improve due to administrative monitoring and subsequent specific feedback

given based upon the following observable teacher actions: classroom instruction(walkthroughs and formal evaluations), data team meetings (observations and review of data team meetings), lesson and unit plans review, assessment administration, and

subsequent data analysis reports. (Year 1) The principal at Stanton School will engageteachers, families, and community in the turnaround efforts and accountability asmeasured by leadership training for SGC and PTO. The administrative team with teacherswill create a learning walk protocol and schedule (to include peer observation) for full implementation in Years 2 and 3. The Principal of Stanton School will be a 12 month

Principal beginning in Year 1.

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4. Quality and Effectiveness of the Schools Teachers and Support Staff Goal: Stanton willensure that teachers and support staff are effective through the use of performanceevaluations, and job-embedded professional development informed by the teacher evaluation plan. 50% of all certified staff at Stanton School will be new for the 2012-2013school year. Objectives: Teachers must demonstrate that they meet the Connecticut State

Standards, use effective teaching strategies, and that students are learning as evidenced byachieving the SPI targets in Years I, II, III as provided by CSDE. Implement a standards-based teacher evaluation system in Year 2 aligned with state guidelines. Embedded

professional development will be on-going to increase teacher capacity in instructional strategies that result in improved student achievement . Teacher lesson plans will includeimplementation of learned strategies from professional development 100% of the time asevidenced by a positive administrative lesson plan review.

5. Effective Use of Time Goal: Students at Stanton School will experience an increase of instructional time, during which high quality, standards-based instruction aligned withcommon core standards and students needs is provided. Objectives: Stanton School will increase the time in high quality instruction by increasing the instructional day for each

student by 1.0 hour per day beginning at the start of the second trimester (approximately Nov 30, 2012) for a total of approximately 123 hours of increased instructional time for students. Instructional time will increase by adding afterschool classes and summer school classes in order to promote the vertical scale movement of all students as measured by ablend of CMT assessments and district benchmark assessments (MAPS). Additional instructional time will be added in years 2 and 3 for total aggregate growth of 300 hours.

6. Quality and Effectiveness of Schools Curriculum and Instructional Program Goal: Studentscores in language arts and math will increase as a result of curriculum/instructionalalignment, professional development, coaching, creation and implementation of studentsuccess profiles, alignment of extended-day programs with daily classroom instruction,shared lesson plans, and teacher collaboration. Vertical scale movement for all studentswill be completed over three years. Objectives: Student achievement will increase inlanguage arts as evidenced by the DRP scores and Oral Fluency Scores and progress onindividual student MAPS assessment as reviewed 4 times per year. Administration and teachers will develop a common lesson and unit plan template. Grade level data teammeetings will occur during the school day to ensure teacher collaboration. All Literacyand Numeracy curricula and the effective teaching strategies will be assessed by

November1, 2012. Appropriate core and tiered reading/math curriculum will be obtained and/or created by December 2012. Selected piloting of programs will commence in

January 2013. An Accelerated Academy will be researched in Year 1 to meet the needs of students at or above goal. A pilot program will be implemented during the after school program in world language acquisition. Summer school will include world language programs. Full implementation of Accelerated Academy will occur in Year 2. By the start of the second trimester (November 2012) the turnaround Committee will revise the plan toinclude whole school redesign model for implementation in Years 2 and 3.

7. Effective Use of Data to Inform Decision-making Goal : Teachers will effectively analyzedata to inform instruction and create student achievement goals. Objectives: District benchmark assessments will be created from NWEA MAPS. Teachers professional objectives within the teacher evaluation protocol will be in SMART goal format and reflect

student baseline data and projected student growth goals. Teachers will submit lesson

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Section VI: The Turnaround Plan

1. The Family and Community Connection

Goal : Stanton School will increase the quality and effectiveness of the family and communityconnection to the school through the creation of a meaningful, welcoming, accessible environment,through the engaging of parents and the community in the educational process, and throughenhanced communication with parents and families.

Current Status: Stanton School hosts monthly PTO meetings and family activities. Whenstudents are involved, attendance is about 60 -80 families; at other times, the attendance is 6-8families. 47% of our students are enrolled in our School-Based Health Center; 30% of our studentsattend the afterschool BRIDGES 21 st CCLC program which promotes parent connection throughevents, talent shows, and pot-luck suppers. Attendance rates at these events range from 20-35families. The Principal contacts families biweekly via School Messenger informing families of

upcoming events and PTO meetings. 100% of parent/guardians come when invited to an individual parent/ teacher meeting, 90% of families come to parent-teacher conferences in the spring.Stanton Parent/School Compact has a Parent/Guardian Pledge of Volunteering at school if it is

possible for them.

To enhance communication with families, we will use our current technology based studentinformation system to its fullest capacity along with full implementation of the parent portal in

place. Our chosen system will ensure portals for families to access their student information suchas attendance and achievement, standards-based report cards, and teacher classroom web pagesincluding common lesson plans. This goal clearly will address the Use of Data (section 7) toinform instruction to identify specific needs of individual students and groups and (section 6)

Curriculum and Instructional Program as it drives instruction. The school will make its web pagesmore accessible to parent by adding sections in Chinese, Haitian-Creole and Spanish. Teacherswill create biweekly webpages monitored by the administration which provide information onwhat is happening in class and how parents can support their childs education at home and atschool.

To make the school more accessible, Norwich will provide services at a satellite office in theGreeneville and other neighborhoods as appropriate. The Satellite Office will be piloted in aspecific neighborhood Year I for 2 hours per week in order to better facilitate the school to homeconnection. Growth to additional neighborhoods in subsequent years will be determined in Januaryof Year I. Here is where we can also show families how to use the parent access center from the

satellite office base as well as answer parent or family concerns about their childs progress. The principal and other support staff will be there to help answer questions in an effort to ensure positive student achievement. There will be an available computer so that at other times parentswill be able to access student information, their email system, and the Norwich Public Schoolswebsite or to communicate with their students teacher any time the Adult Education facility isopen. Not only can parents communicate with their teacher, but they can also reach the School

Nurse, Student Based Health Center, and BRIDGES (Afterschool Extended Learning Program).

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The district will provide transportation from a variety of neighborhoods to Stanton School on a predictable regular basis.

The environment will become more welcoming through a process of engaging parents in auditingwhat currently exists. By engaging the School Governance Council in the Welcoming

Walkthroughs model, parents will assess the welcoming-ness of the school as well as makerecommendations about how this can be improved (year 1). It is anticipated that parents will takea major role in this process. Stanton will engage parents and the community in a studentmentorship program, a research-based strategy identified by researcher, Robert Marzano (years2/3).

In an effort to increase parent engagement an interest inventory survey will be administered toassess the collective resource pool of all parents/families and adults associated with a schoolcommunity as well as the assets and traits of the community itself.

The purpose of the inventory is to create the opportunity for meaningful and purposeful

contributions by parents, families and the community in the schools curricular and extra-curricular activities. The inventory assesses six resource factors: assets, skills, professions, interests,relationships and the environment and aligns them to the schools programs and needs.

A family liaison will be hired to provide support, services, and advocacy for families. The liaisonwill assist families in accessing the school staff and programs and help families overcomeobstacles to their childs achievement. The liaison will make actual home visits, and help facilitatecommunication between home and school and serve as the support staff at the Satellite Office.Monthly parent events will be coordinated and implemented by the family liaison.

Due to family constraints regarding transportation and phone availability, the family liaison and

satellite office will serve as a strong connection between staff and families.

Objective and StrategiesYEAR 1

Indicators of Progress/Success

In order to create a welcoming, accessible, and meaningful school environment that becomesa part of the community through the following actions, the district will:Hire a parent-family liaison to provide servicesand develop programming for families

Liaison is added to the schools staff and program descriptions are published vianewsletter and through schools web site

Ensure that all documents and signs aretranslated into multiple languages 100% of documents are translated maintaineddigitally for future revisionsConduct a minimum of two parent-teacher conference nights in neighborhood across thecity including Greeneville

100% improved attendance of parents basedon baseline data

Create a satellite office in Greeneville and other neighborhoods for 2 hours per week. (Year I, II,III)

Parent use of the satellite program; 2 - 4 parents will attend each week

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Create a welcome program for new families,including registration and follow-up visits

100% improved parent attendance based on baseline data

Engage parents and families in decision-making,

including needs assessment for parent classes or workshops, school-based resources, PTO, SGC,and Turnaround Plan

100% improved parent attendance at school

activities based on baseline data

Provide transportation for parents to school for events, family dinners, volunteering or other opportunities

Printed transportation schedule for parents

Create summer immersion programs for Haitian-Creole and Spanish students

100 % students attend Year 2

Survey parents on their time, talents, andinterests in supporting the school and their child

Parent survey on environment. Post surveywill find a 50% increase from baseline data inwelcoming indicators

Create a system, using Epsteins six pillars, tomeasure and expand parent and family participation

Parent involvement template created andmonitored

Administer a parent inventory to assess their interests and skills

100% of parents complete survey asadministered by classroom teachers

Use the parent inventory data to engage parentsin meaningful and purposeful ways

100% of volunteer parents apply their ownstrengths

In order to gain commitment from parents and community and engage them in the educationof their children, the district will:Create a School/Family Compact through theSchool Governance Council to encourage

parents to make a vital promise of cooperation,volunteerism, and support of students (JudyCarson, SDE)

Principals report to the School GovernanceCommittee

Decision-making roles of parents clarified

Implement School/Family Compact Pledgewhere each family will volunteer at the schoolfor 10 hours a year, assist children withhomework activities, attend parent conferencesand events

100% of parents complete compacts

Teachers engage 5 parents monthly based oninventory data

Develop a community/business mentor programand engage community in tutoring andhomework programs at the school viaBRIDGES program (Year 2 Implementation)

Maintain names/number of communitymembers; Establish baseline and set target for year 3

Engage the professional community to sharework and experiences with students

50 students tutored by community membersYear 2

Use the national model, The First Day Back atSchool, to increase excitement and energy aboutattendance

Improved student attendance by 100% as based on baseline data

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Use books and materials that relate to familiescultures and experiences, in coordination withELL Center.

Review analysis of present literature used-Report created

Provide parent workshops and home materialswhich support classroom instruction (Milken Foundation Reading Research Program)

Workshop brochure created

In order to increase communication with parents and community, the district will:Use a parent portal within the studentinformation system that allows access to student

progress

Parent access (hits) parent portal-improved100% based on baseline data

Create teacher websites for each classroom thatwill be monitored and updated by an additionalmedia support (also supports the library with re-

shelving and circulation), additional techsupport to help with scanning in homework weekly, updating forms and letters

100% of teachers will create and updateclassroom web pages

Ensure that web pages and linked documentsare accessible in a variety of languages

Web Page completion

Translate monthly grade level newsletters intoSpanish, Chinese, and Haitian-Creole

Grade Level Newsletters completed

Parent Survey administrated three times per year through hard copy and electronic means

100% complete; Improved parent satisfaction based on baseline data

2. The School Environment

Goal : Stanton School staff and administration will increase the quality and effectiveness of theschool environment by fully and consistently implementing a shared set of student expectationsand consequences, by making the school environment a welcoming and safe environment for students, parents, and teachers, by promoting student and parent ownership of environment, and byincreasing student attendance and punctuality.

Current Status : Stanton staff has participated in Positive Behavior Intervention Supports training

(PBIS). In May 2012, results from the principal, 10 teachers and 15 students on the School-wideEvaluation Tool (SET) suggest that expectations are clearly defined and that the system of rewardsis being fully implemented (100%). Responses are somewhat lower with 88 90% reporting thatexpectations are taught and data are used to make discipline decisions. While these responses areadmirable and represent 45% of the teachers, the principal finds that verbal reports from teachersdo not coincide with the reported data. Data on truancy, absenteeism, and tardiness is alarming.Some 60/410 or 15% of students are chronically absent, missing between 16 and 36 days of schooleach year. There is no data on tardiness. The data indicate that there are 240 School-Wide

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Information System (SWIS) office referrals for disrespect. Forty-seven truancy meetings wereheld in 2011-2012. The audit reports based on principal input that there is a public perception thatthe school is not welcoming, with some parents reporting poor staff attitudes toward students and

parents.

Stanton School staff has implemented Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, a research-basedstrategy for creating a common set of expectations and consequences for those students who do notmeet those expectations. Staff reported that although PBIS was implemented in the school year 2009-2010, fidelity to the process has not been consistent school-wide. In the first year, the PBISschool team will revisit the agreements with staff and develop methods to ensure that every staff member implements the strategies. One concern is that, in this model, students are not exposed toa social skills curriculum. The turnaround Committee will evaluate the effectiveness of PBIS. Inaddition, an effort rubric (Robert Marzano) will become part of each students weekly self assessment.

The environment of Stanton School will be audited by parents and members of the School

Governance Council, using the Welcoming Walkthrough Model. Parents will makerecommendations using that model which will be implemented. Welcome signs in Haitian-Creole,Spanish and Chinese will be posted as well as other welcoming indicators.

A family liaison will be hired to assist families in overcoming obstacles that hinder studentsuccess. The family liaison will address attendance, tardy and truancy issues and create andimplement proactive interventions for families and students to increase attendance and decreasetardiness.

There are no governance or legal issues to overcome for this goal.

Objective and Strategies Year Indicators of Progress/Success

During PBIS training and implementation, Stanton School staff will establish a shared set of student and adult expectations by:Reviewing expectations andconsequences and monitoring theimplementation of them

1 100% of staff will implement expectations andconsequences

Providing to staff ongoing data onreferrals and engaging them in

designing and implementinginterventions

1 Increase in positive responses by 100% to climatesurvey based on baseline data

Strengthening the implementationof PBIS with fidelity

1 PBS indicators improved as evidenced on baselinedata in SWIS

Using the Turnaround Committeeto evaluate the effectiveness of PBIS in creating a positive school

1 Completed Program Evaluation Report withappropriate data

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climate and improved studentachievement

Stanton School staff will make the school a welcoming and safe environment by:

Training and implementing anaudit of the current climate by theSchool Governance Council; thewelcoming walkthroughs modelwill be used

1 Decrease in unexcused absenteeism to 2%, truancyrates to 0%, and unexcused tardiness to 0%Welcoming Walkthrough Report-Positive Responsesimprove 100% based on baseline data

Promoting feedback from parentsand community through parentliaison, Family Resource Center,and School-Based Health Center (SBHC)

1 The reading and math achievement rates of truant,absent, and tardy subgroups will increase by 15%over 3 years; Improved student achievement basedupon baseline data obtained from MAPS assessment

Increasing the percentage of students enrolled in the SBHC andreceiving both mental and physicalhealth services

1 Attendance of parents at school activities will bemaintained and improved based on baseline data by100%

Stanton School will increase student and parent ownership of the school environment by:Communicating with parents thekey elements of this curriculumand engaging them in the process

2 Increase in effort among students

Developing a student effort rubricas part of instruction (Marzano)

1 Establish baseline data

3. Effective Leadership

Goal : Stanton School will increase the quality and effectiveness of leadership within the schoolthrough expanding the administrative teams roles as instructional leaders, engaging staff inleadership and accountability practices, and engaging families and community in the participation

and leadership of the school.Current Status : Current practice in this school of 410 students finds the principal spendingsignificant time engaged in issues of urgency rather than significance. She is responsible for busand transportation, after-school building coverage, data entry and management, discipline, and allreporting. Some support exists. For example, school team teacher leadership is strong. Teachersare doing what is expected, but, for students to achieve, teacher leadership roles need to beexpanded with higher expectations, greater commitment, and increased rigor set. Currently the

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principal spends about 1.5 hours of the 6-hour instructional day in supporting student achievementand about 2 hours in supporting discipline. Findings in the external audit reveal a need to balanceinstructional leadership and school management. There is a need for instructional expertise to leadchange and implement an effective and robust SRBI plan. Currently, there is a teaching AssistantPrincipal at Stanton School. And as identified in the audit, this model is deficient for the needs of

Stanton School.

As a result and as identified in the audit, the first goal is for the principal to increase her role as aninstructional leader. Additional staff will be hired to assume the day-to-day management tasks aswell as the tasks that require focus, time and specific expertise. This will include anAdministrative Literacy Specialist with a strong background in curriculum and instruction,additional literacy and math instructional coaches, and a Family Liaison staff member.

Currently the principal calculates data regarding student achievement manually and individually.The data-entry time involved reduces her ability to provide meaningful, timely and disaggregateddata to teachers on a monthly basis. The purchase of a technology-based, data collection and

assessment system and the addition of a data management staff member will enable the principal tohave meaningful data available quickly and work with data teams and teachers to address studentconcerns.

To ensure consistent, high quality instruction in every classroom Stanton School staff anticipates peer observations in order to share effective teaching techniques and feedback for all staff. The instructional teams will implement a common unit and lesson templatewith grade level lesson plans. With the collaboration necessary to develop these plans, datateam facilitators will ensure that teachers share effective strategies. Teachers,administrators and coaches will be expected to model and demonstrate lessons for their

peers, thus expanding the collaboration and shared leadership for large-scale improvement

and student success. Teachers will create, monitor, and evaluate student success plans thatwill include the appropriate tiered interventions for vertical scale movement of all students.This leadership role will be supported by the employment of five additional interns (thedistrict currently supplies one) and 8 Tier II Residents to provide instructional support inevery classroom. Qualifications for the teaching resident responsible for Tier IIinterventions are:

Minimum Bachelors DegreeAspiring teacher Completed district professional development

The enhanced role of family and community in school participation and leadership will begin in

Year 1 through detailed reports of the initiatives going to the School Governance Council for their input. The goal of increased student achievement will be promoted through the increased familyand community involvement and a shared common language describing success in school. Theguidance from this group will inform the efforts of the proposed school-community liaison, theleadership team, the data team facilitators and the school-safety monitor. In Year 2, therecommendations of the SGC will be reviewed and considered. In Year 2, the strategies for expanding the PTO leadership board will be increased.

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The primary constraint in engaging teachers in turnaround efforts and accountability is theadditional time, effort, and tasking required. Much of this can be addressed through hiring of anintern for each grade level, freeing up teachers to increase data team time, act as student casemanagers of instruction, and coordinate learning among and between afterschool and summer opportunities. Research indicates that additional instructional support in each classroom increases

student achievement. Staff and union representatives were engaged in discussions on June 26, July5, 9, 10, 12 th to further process the needs and understandings necessary to turn the school around.A memorandum of understanding has to be negotiated with the Norwich Teachers League and

Norwich Schools Administrators Association. These agreements will be negotiated after theacceptance of the plan by the Commissioner. The district legal representation has been involved inthe process to date. The teacher and administrator representation have been present at meetingsalso.

The turnaround committee will ensure that the identified partners will work in a cohesive way tosupport the principal and her development by:

Providing additional professional development for administrative team.

Adding additional planning time. Engaging executive coach in full implementation of process. Securing lead partner and coordinating transformation reform initiatives. Adding additional administrative resource by hiring administrative literacy specialist. The Turnaround Committee will determine benchmarks that will indicate successful

acquisition of instructional leadership skills; monitoring of these benchmarks will occur quarterly and adjustments to the parameters/goals for the Executive Coach will be made toensure appropriate professional development for the Principal. Furthermore, decisionswill be made in February of 2013 regarding the progress towards the ultimate leadershipcapacity needed to attain and sustain necessary appropriate student achievement andauthentic turnaround implementation.

Furthermore there will be weekly leadership team meetings at the school to ensure smoothcommunication and tracking of benchmarks, goals, tasks, and needed adjustments.


Stanton School will increase instructional leadership time and focus and skills by theadministrative team. The administrative team will:Meet with school data team leaders1 hour per grade level per week

1 Student achievement will increase toachieving SPI targets in year 1, 2 and 3 as

provided by the CSDE. Improved studentachievement based upon baseline dataobtained from MAPS assessment

Data team minutes collected

Common Formative Assessment datadocumented and reviewed byadministrative team

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Observe the 22 teachers, including4 specials, at least one time per month and provide instructional

feedback

1 Provides descriptive feedback to teachersof data team minutes/lesson

plans/observations/walkthroughs

Meet with Executive Coach 1 Executive Coach for Principal on board

Implement a standards-basedteacher evaluation system whichmonitors practices at StantonSchool as required by CT statute

1 Common lesson Plan template

Review lesson and unit plans fromteachers-Administrator to providefeedback to teachers

Observation/Walkthrough templatescompleted

The Principal will be employed asa 12-month administrator

1 Contract to be negotiated

The District will secure a highlyexperienced consultant who willsupport the principal weekly in her instructional leadership

professional development

1 10 collaborative units per grade level will be developed each year

The district will secure anAdministrative Literacy Specialistresponsible for overseeinginterventions designed for students

1 Administrative Literacy Specialist hired-August 27, 2012

The principal at Stanton School will engage teachers in the turnaround efforts and accountability by:

Developing a common lesson plantemplate and lesson plans per gradelevel to ensure quality contentaligned with standards

1 Data team minutes

Increasing the amount of common planning time with the instructionaldata team leader taking theleadership role

1 All students will have an individuallearning plan; each week, at least 10students will have an updated case review

by a teacher with subsequent actions

Instituting a program withinstructional coach and teachers tomodel lessons and give feedback for each other

1 Data team minutes

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Having teachers assume roles asstudent case managers through thehiring of additional Tier II

Teaching Residents (Tier IIInstructional Specialists,Interns/Tutors) to supportclassroom instruction

1 School leadership team will set biweeklygoals for teacher implementation. Allstudents will have an individual learning

plan; each week, at least 10 students willhave an updated case review by a teacher with subsequent actions

Expanding the decision-making participation of the school datateam, also called the leadershipteam to all members

1 Data team meeting minutes-alignment of curriculum/instruction with district andstate standards (common core)

4. Effective Teachers and Support Staff

Goal: The administrative team will ensure that teachers and support staff are effective throughthe use of performance evaluations, the reassignment of staff, and job-embedded professionaldevelopment informed by the teacher evaluation plan. The redesign for Year 2 will include adifferentiated Talent Strategy with a tiered professional model of accomplished (master) teachersmentoring associate teachers within the classroom.

Current Status : During the 2011-2012 school year staff at Stanton consisted of 22.5 teachers;16.5 of these are core classroom teachers and they are supported by 4 special subject teachers and2 special education teachers. All teachers are evaluated yearly, using the district teacher evaluation

plan. In anticipation of turnaround work, three teachers have transferred. The current teacher student ratio (2102-2011) is 22 in the lower grades and 24 in grades 3 - 5; there are 6 para-educators assigned to the schools and one ELL para-educator speaks Spanish. Fifty percent (50%)of all certified staff at Stanton School will be new for the 2012-2013 school year. This newteaching staff for Stanton School was selected through an interview process. The recent auditrevealed a need for a teacher evaluation system that focused on teacher behavior that will result instudent achievement. Tier II interventions were not being done successfully by a certified teacher.Furthermore the interventions were not being delivered with fidelity. There is a need for

professional development related to parent engagement, cultural competence, and effectiveteaching strategies.

Being mindful of the stresses associated with change and the need to keep teachers/staff engaged inthe turnaround process to benefit students, the plan addresses teacher/staff overload by providingadditional supports such as:

Additional professional development prior to the implementation of additional instructionaltime and any other determined strategies;

Increased planning time (individual/common) during school hours;

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The creation of a blog for professional discourse for staff; Time during the school day to observe other teachers; The creation of a professional learning community for collaboration and support; Clearly defined goals, objectives and implementation scope and sequence for

transformation process; Two professional development opportunities outside the scheduled teacher year (as is sited

in the Norwich Teachers League Contract for years II and III); and Monetary incentives through the Talent Strategy to be determined in Year II.

The Turnaround Committee is developing a vision for a talent strategy for Year II, which includesthe following objectives:

To prepare teachers better, hire the best, and incentivize them to work where they areneeded most.

To support teachers so they can succeed, and develop them throughout their careers so thatthey, and their students, keep improving.

To use data to accurately assess and evaluate teacher performance. To align talent strategy with TEAM modules. To create triad configurations of grade level teams at Stanton School (as a result of the

Network School opportunity) where at least one veteran teacher is teaching with at leastone new/less veteran teacher. Also there will be collaboration among the preschool andkindergarten classes/teachers allowing for veteran teachers to work with newer teachers.

To create a strong foundation in teachers in year 1 by forming the accomplished (master)staff from the present Stanton staff through the transformation process.

To collaborate with the SDE and consultants to define the standards for master teachers. To create a collaborative learning community for teaching professionals to share standard

effective practices

To create a recognition/reward system where master teachers share expertise.

A goal of the plan is to have 100% of Stanton teachers be proficient as evidenced by the teacher evaluation plan. The Turnaround Committee plans to reach the 100% goal by:

Providing adequate professional development. Aligning the teacher evaluation plan with the State model. Engaging in a collaborative coaching culture with staggered implementation of initiatives. Appropriate benchmarks for implementation and improvement as needed. Increasing administrative support through the hiring of ALS. Using the teacher evaluation process give intensive assistance according to State of CT

regulations, to teachers consistently performing below standard. Working with the Lead Partner Entity to guide the teacher evaluation committee at Stanton

and elsewhere throughout the district.

The Year 1 (2012-2013 academic year) interview process for Stanton School included input from ahiring committee composed of: rising master teachers who already work at Stanton School, theStanton School Principal, and a Literacy Coach. Once high-quality candidates were identified for Stanton School by the hiring committee, the Turnaround Committee identified a representative to

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meet with prospective candidates along with the Superintendent to confirm the high-qualitycandidates commitment to, understanding of, and general fit for the Stanton Turnaround model.Based on that interview, hiring decisions will now be made for Stanton. All candidates for vacantteaching positions at Stanton, including external candidates and within-district transfers, willundergo the same interviewing process in Years 2 and 3, including the interview by a

representative from the Turnaround Committee and the Superintendent on the high-qualitycandidates willingness, ability and enthusiasm for working at Stanton as it undergoes Turnaround.


Student achievement will be measured by achieving the SPI targets in Years I, II, III as provided by CSDE:Demonstrate that they meet theConnecticut State Standards, useeffective teaching strategies, andthat students are learning

1, 2, 3 Improved student achievement based upon baseline data obtained from MAPSassessment

100% Teacher proficiency as evidenced by newly drafted teacher evaluation plan

Assist consultants andadministration in theimplementation of a standards-

based teacher evaluation systemwhich monitors practices atStanton School as required by CTstatute; working with localuniversities to facilitate the process

1 Revised teacher evaluation plan basedupon CSDE guidelines and templates.

Plan and implement a TalentStrategy Plan inclusive of criteria

1,2 Talent Strategy Plan defined

Engage in professionaldevelopment opportunities basedon data derived from teacher evaluation plans, NWEA MAPS,classroom observations, and

professional development based onindividual teacher needs

1, 2, 3 Professional development planimplemented that includes, but not limitedto: PBIS, Effective Teaching Strategies,Use of MAPS assessment and data todrive instructional practices, ParentEngagement (Joyce Epstein)Lesson Plan (aligned with current districtinitiatives)to reflect implementation

professional development activities;Template in place by January 2013

5. Effective Use of Time

Goal: Instructional time will increase at Stanton School. Teachers at Stanton School will participate in one additional Professional Development day. The additional instructional time will

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provide for the implementation of appropriate interventions to ensure vertical scale movement of all students.

Current Status: According to the latest Strategic School Profile (SSP) for Stanton School, studentsreceive 956 hours of instruction per year compared to a state average of 987. This includes 181

hours of instruction per year in Mathematics compared to 198 for the state; 45 hours of instructionin Science compared to 95 for the state; and 45 hours of instruction in Social Studies compared to86 for the state. There is an obvious need to increase instructional hours for students at StantonSchool. Reading and writing across the curriculum, especially in social studies and the integrationof math with science instruction could be better addressed if hours are increased in these subjectareas. The net result of the current status of hours of instruction is that students are performing

below their peers within the district as well as within the state. After analyzing the percentage of students meeting state goals in grades 3, 4, and 5 at Stanton School on last years CMT, thefollowing is evident:

Grade 3 25.4% of Stanton School students met state goals in reading compared to 37.2% for the

district and 58.4% for the state. 23% of Stanton students met state goals in writing compared to37.5% for the district and 61.1% for the state. 39.7% of Stanton students met state goals inmathematics compared to 46.2% for the district and 63% for the state.

Grade 4 33.8% of Stanton students met state goals in reading compared to 40.8% for the districtand 62.5% for the state. 23.9% of Stanton students met state goals in writing compared to 39.4%for the district and 65.5% for the state. 35.2% of Stanton students met state goals in mathematicscompared to 44.1% for the district and 67% for the state.

Grade 5 32.8% of Stanton students met state goals in reading compared to 41.4% for the districtand 61.4% for the state. 37.8% of Stanton students met state goals in writing compared to 46.4%

for the district and 66.8% for the state. 37.7% of Stanton students met state goals in mathematicscompared to 49.5% for the district and 72.5% for the state. 29.3% of Stanton student met stategoals in science compared to 31.9% for the district and 59.9% for the state.

These results clearly indicate that Stanton students are under-performing in core academic areascompared to other students in Norwich and throughout the state of Connecticut. The turnaround

process will close the achievement gap.

Presently, the NTC is reviewing three time usage models; Differentiated, Focused Area of Need,and a Balanced Schedule. A time schedule will be determined by the final approval of this plan,anticipated to be August 9, 2012. Generally speaking, the total number of additional hours by Year

3 is 300 . Additional instructional time will include all Stanton students.Year 1 123 hours: includes one hour per day for all students from November to June with no additional instructional time on early release andvacation days.)Year 2 211.5 hours: includes 171.5 additional hours between September June (including one extra 7.5 hour day) and 40 hours of summer instructional time

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Year 3 300 hours: to include additional school year and summer timeinstructional hours and days.


Stanton School will increase the time of high quality instruction by increasing the instructional day for students and staff. Stanton School staff will:Increase the time in high quality instruction

by increasing the instructional day for eachstudent by 1.0 hours per day beginning in

November 2012

1 Students will be achieving SPI targets inYears I, II, III as provided by the CSDE.Improved student achievement based upon

baseline data obtained from MAPSassessment

Added instructional time utilized to promote vertical scale movement for allstudents (intervention/enrichment)

Increase the instructional time by auditing thein-class activities and programs and extractingactivities which do not effectively supportstudent learning

1 Hours of instruction at Stanton will bemore closely aligned with state hours.Currently Math, Science and Social Studieshours are well below state averages

Increase opportunities for learning in thesummer and afterschool by adding additionalclasses which are aligned with Norwichcurriculum, are based on student need, andalso support student learning

1

2(Summer

2013)

Number of summer and after schoolopportunities will increase

Participate in one additional professionaldevelopment day and five hours a week for the first trimester-core reading/mathcurriculum development/training-PBIS, datadriven decision making, student success plancreation-student case manager training

1 Attendance at professional developmentwill be 100%Lesson plan templateTeacher ObservationsData Team Minutes

6. An Effective Curriculum and Instructional Program

Goals: Student achievement will increase as evidenced by the DRP scores and progress onindividual student district assessment benchmarks (MAPS) as a result of curriculum alignment,improved instruction, embedded professional development, and student success profilecoordination by teachers, alignment of extended-day programs and curriculum, shared lesson

plans, and teacher collaboration. A core and Tier II reading program will be piloted and acquiredduring Year 1.

Current Status: School CMT scores in language arts and math have been flat and low from2008-2011. In 2011-2012, the data showed that, as a whole school (grades 3, 4, and 5), grades 3

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and 4 showed a slight decrease in math (about 7%) with grade five showing a minimal 5.2%increase; grades 3 and 4 remained about the same in reading scores, but grade five showed adramatic 15% increase. Writing scores increase in grades 3 and 5. Stanton School has beenselected as a 'focus" school because of the black subgroup scores. In 2011-2012, Grade 3 black subgroup scores increased in reading (6.3%) and in writing (5.6%). Grades 4 and 5 showed

dramatic gains in math (13.7% and 16.5%), in reading (19.9% and 19.8%) and in writing (12.1%and 9.8%). Most vertical scale scores and matched cohort comparisons showed growth in math,reading, and writing. The exceptions to this were: Grade 3 to Grade 4 in math and writing; Grade3 to 4 Black in writing; Grade 4 to 5 Black in math; Grade 5 Special Ed. in math. It should benoted that 38% of students in Grade 3 scored Below Basic on either math and/or reading. OneGrade 3 class had 74% of students score Below Basic on either math and/or reading. Thisaccounted for 60% of all Below Basic scores in either math and/or reading in Grade 3.

47% of students in Grade 4 scored Below Basic on either math and/or reading. One Grade 4 classhad 54% of students score Below Basic on either math and or reading. This accounted for 36% of all Below Basic scores in either math and/or reading in Grade 4.

31% of students in Grade 5 scored Below Basic on either math and/or reading.

Presently Stanton School does not have a program for students at or above goal. Furthermore, Norwich Public Schools does not have a Gifted/Talented program for any students.

Student achievement will increase in language arts as evidenced by the DRP scores and progresson individual student MAPS assessment as reviewed 4 times per year. Administration andteachers will develop a common lesson and unit plan template. Grade level data team meetingswill occur during the school day to ensure teacher collaboration. All Literacy and Numeracycurricula and the effective teaching strategies will be assessed by November 1, 2012. Appropriate

core and tiered reading/math curriculum will be obtained and/or created by December 2012. Mathand literacy interventionists will be hired to assist teachers in the implementation of core and tieredcurriculum/assessment as well as embedded coaching. District curriculum will be fully alignedwith common core standards. Selected piloting of programs will commence in January 2013. AnAccelerated Academy will be researched in Year 1 to meet the needs of students at or above goal.A pilot program will be implemented during the after school program in world languageacquisition. Summer school will include world language programs; full implementation of Accelerated Academy in Year 2.

The increased instructional and professional development time as well the additional classroomsupport of the Tier II Teaching Residents (Tier II Instructional Specialists, Interns/Tutors), willallow for teachers to collaborate in authentic, data-driven, instructionally-based discourse for improved teacher self-efficacy and capacity, and subsequent improved student achievement.

The Turnaround Committee will address the needs of the lower performing subgroups through: Collaborating with the district Bi-lingual ELL coordinator. Analysis of LAS links assessment data to inform instruction. The creation of Individual Learning Plans which will include appropriateintervention strategies.

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Professional development activities for teachers in SIOP (Sheltered InstructionObservation Protocol). Utilizing additional resources from the Bi-lingual ELL implementation. Locating one of the district bi-lingual centers, with its additional resources, inStanton School. Adding .5 certified special education teacher to complement the current 1.5 specialeducation teachers allowing for smaller group-size instruction. Student support servicestaff will also have additional time to serve students and engage in professionaldevelopment.

The appropriate integration of technology in each classroom is a strategy included in the plan.Research demonstrates (Robert Marzano) that interactive white boards significantly improvedstudent achievement with proper teacher professional development and full fidelity andimplementation. Staff will be trained during the summer of 2013 and the program will reach fullimplementation by the end of Year II. Specifically, this technology will be used to:

Motivate and engage students.

Provide appropriate instructional interventions.Assist in the delivery of effective teaching strategies and new curriculum.

Staff will be trained as follows:Summer Professional Development.Full implementation and installation complete by the end of Year 2.

The paramount goal is for Stanton School to be the highest performing school in the district andfully enrolled by creating a sustainable, replicable plan that ensures student achievement and

preparedness through the alignment of district curriculum with the Common Core Standards,differentiation of instruction and programming for vertical scale movement of all students,improvement of teacher practice, and promotion of authentic family and community involvement.


Student achievement will increase, achieving SPI targets in Years I, II, III as provided by theCSDE. Stanton School staff will:Provide quality instruction through theimplementation of a core and tieredliteracy/math program

1-3 Student achievement improved

Develop a common lesson plan templatewith shared lesson planning across grade

1-3 DRP scores will reflect improvedacademic growth equal to or greater

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levels; Monitoring will be done through thereview of lesson plans, data team minutes,walkthroughs, observations

than state averages by the end of Year 3

Improve instructional practices by adding aninstructional-literacy coach who will trainteachers and assist the AdministrativeLiteracy Specialist in the following: dataanalysis practices, implementation of Tier IIinterventions, guidance to teachers to createIndividual Learning Plans, professionaldevelopment to strengthen core instruction,conduct peer observation and feedback,support data team sessions and provideassistance and oversight with assessment of

Tier II reading students. Math and literacycoaches will meet with parents to providethem with materials for home and create at-home learning materials.

1-3 Data team minutes

Lesson Plan review

Hire full time literacy coach-createschedule

Assessment Data including OralReading Fluency, DRP

Will meet the needs of specific students byhaving teachers take on the role of casemanager for student learning for each andevery student in their classes; A studentsuccess profile will be created and updatedregularly, increasing the number of studentsover the first three years

1-3 The school administration, throughtheir revised teacher evaluation reportsand walk-through reports, will providedocumented evidence of improvedinstructional skills

Student success plans reviewed

Case reviews monitored

Utilize data for instructional decision-making; data will be managed by a

proposed data manager using a technology- based, data management and assessmentsystem; 10 Tier II Teaching Residents (Tier II Instructional Specialists, Interns/Tutors)will support teachers in this process; A

paraprofessional who is proficient inHaitian-Creole will provide language-basedsupport to students and communication withfamilies

1-3 Student profiles will be created andreviewed in light of improved academic

performance

Hire Data Manager

Hire Tier II Teaching Residents (Tier II

Instructional Specialists, Interns/Tutors)

District to purchase student informationsystem to support data warehouse-and

parent portalSupport an increase in student instructional time(summer school and after-school programs) bydeveloping a mentor-instructor relationship with

1-3 Results of data analyses will bediscussed by teachers at team meetingsand these data will be used to inform

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program teachers and by aligning instructionwith, and being responsive to, daily schoolinstruction and student needs

instructional plans for individuals andgroups of students

Will increase math instruction knowledge and practices as a result of coaching and professionaldevelopment provided by a math coach

1-3 Data Team Minutes

Lesson plan reviewTeachers will integrate various subjects as theycreate interdisciplinary content aligned withstandards

1-3 Improved academic performance will be documented

Lesson plan-integrationEngage in ongoing professionaldevelopment in the following areas:literacy, numeracy, areas identified throughteacher evaluation, shared lesson and unit

planning, data team work, instructional andcurriculum practices to align to CommonCore, student assessment, and reflective

practice

1-3 CMT math scores will improve toachieving the SPI targets in years 1, 2,and 3 as provided by CSDE

Workshop evaluations and feedback tothe administration will indicate teacher satisfaction with the results of PD

The turnaround committee in collaborationwith the school team will use the months of Sept., Oct., and Nov. 2012 to collect datafrom the MAPS, Data Team Meetings, andInstructional Observations to determinewhat additional or new reading and mathinstructional models are needed to ensure

the improvement of student achievement.Specifically, research-based models (Coreand Tier II reading and math programs)such as: Literacy How, ImagineIt, ReadingStreet, and Singapore Math will be piloted

1 Report created to document research oncore math and literacy curriculum.Purchase, implement within timeline.Appropriate core and tieredreading/math curriculum will beobtained and/or created by December 2012; Selected piloting of programs

will commence in January 2013; TheTurnaround Committee will analyze theresults of the MAPS and Data Teammeetings, consult with curriculumexperts and determine the need for additional instructional strategies

An Accelerated Academy will be researchedin Year 1 to meet the needs of students at or above goal

1 A pilot program will be implementedduring the after school program inworld language acquisition

Summer school will include world languageofferings

2

Summer

2012

Hire appropriate staff for worldlanguage offering

Full implementation of AcceleratedAcademy in Year 2

Accelerated Academy modelresearched and evaluated; Attendance atthe after-school Academy will correlatewith the number of at or above goalstudents

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Stanton School will be a fully enrolled(Year 1) school of choice (Year 2)

1,2 Enrollment reports indicate 100%enrollment capacity

Create (Year 1) and implement (Year 2)

redesign to reflect appropriate research- based models (pedagogy or content theme based or combination)

1,2 Fully articulated and implemented

redesign

7. Effective Use of Data to Inform Decision-Making and for Continuous Improvement

Goal : Stanton School staff will increase their capacity to analyze data to inform instruction andensure the vertical scale movement for all students. The management of data will improve throughthe purchase of a new data system.

Current Status : Stanton School staff has implemented the use of data-driven decision-makingteams, which meet on a weekly basis. Data team leaders, for the most part, are committed andcapable, according to the principal. What is missing are (1) assessments aligned to the CommonCore State Standards and (2) a teachers and principals ability to quickly and efficiently assessstudents, input data, and disaggregate and analyze the data. Teachers ability to act upon theanalyzed data varies. New guidelines require professional development to be designed and

provided to teachers based on data from the teacher evaluation system. Currently teachers andadministrators use multiple Excel spreadsheets to manage data. As reported in the audit, this is acumbersome method and does not allow for easy analysis or integration. A technology-basedsystem will need to be acquired to track (1) student data for instructional decision-making and (2)

teacher evaluation data for designing professional development.


Student achievement will improved due to effective use of data to inform instruction. Stanton School staff will:Utilize a blend of CMT assessments anddata from a technology-based, CommonCore-aligned system to analyze and informstudent achievement; Stanton School willimplement the NWEA MAPS

data/assessment system; All data teams will be effective in analyzing literacy, math, and behavioral data

1-3 Student achievement will increase byachieving SPI targets in years 1, 2, and3 as provided by the CSDE; Improvedstudent achievement as evidenced by

baseline MAPS data; Data team

minutes

Create Specific, Measureable, Attainable,Reasonable, Timely (SMART) goals for

professional objectives.

1-3 Professional objectives to includereflect student baseline data and

projected student achievement goals.Create/Utilize lesson plan template 1-3 Lesson pl

Stanton Turnaround Plan (08.08.12)

Documents

Transcript of Stanton Turnaround Plan (08.08.12)