Waterfront School Turnaround Plan

8/7/2019 Waterfront School Turnaround Plan

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AppendixB.Turnaround Model

Wa terfront E lem entary #95

Buffalo City School District


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New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010

Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

APPENDIX B: TuRNAROUND MODEL

Directions: Please complete the foliowing form for each persistentlywill implement a Turnaround Model. When completing this,quality responses. .Tier I or Tier II school within the LEA thatModel Implementation Plan Rubric to ensure

LEA: Buffalo City School DistrictSchool: Waterfront Elementary #95Grades Served: Pre-K - 8Number of students: 945

drawn for the school listed above. IncludeReview visit, with any additional information

Joint Intervention TeamReport

June 2010there is alignment between the New York State (NYS)

Standards and the District written curriculum, there are gaps betweenthe State curriculum and the "taught" curriculum. Thecurricrilum is prescriptive. Teachers indicated that verticalalignment is difficult to address because there is no scheduled

common planning where they can meet to review curriculumalignment and modify, if necessary, the content being taught andinstructional nracti .

Wateifront Elementary School #95


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New YorkState Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010


Pacing calendars and scope and sequence documents are in place andare used . It-was observed in these documents however, thatmany offer little enrichment instruction beyond what is inthe lesson.

II. Teaching and Learning~ ~ ." " J "' '' ' including the use of specific~.............,and groupings were notevident in

observed was whole group with few opportunitiesvolved modeling, scaffolding or think-a louds. Insecona Language (ESL) classes where the push-inteachers were providing content instruction, not

.~;;u.;;....development, which is the purpose of having a push-infor this subgroup of students. Additionally, one of the ESLis often absent for long periods of time.

U~L.lV.u,W. t ime is lost in grades 7 and 8 classes when transitionstake place. Students in these grades do not always proceed to class inan orderly manner. There is no sense of urgency on the part ofstudents to arrive at class ontime.

III. School Leadershipll. The school Principal and the APs plan grade level meetings to discuss

instruction and student achievement; however there to be no



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New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

IV. Infrastructure"Student Success

systematic comprehensive plan intended to address the many needs ofthe identified population.

~u.,-,.u-''-' that the majority of teachers have incorporatedthe scope and sequence documents into their lessoncomplain about the prescriptive curriculum;

of classroom practice suggest that many,V~U"ULlJ F> the curriculum. The lack of fidelity isclassrooms and confirms the earlier

oetween the "written" and "taught"

,UI.IUU-'-'-'O and ELLs remain at-risk and continue toState assessments. These students often have otherthem to remain identified and frequently struggle tolevel in ELA and mathematics.

suspension rate is high; there was an increase from 101 into 1,023 in 2008-09. Also, in the 2008-09 school year, 244

LUUL~ULowere suspended for five or more days. A section of the facility is designed as an open-space teaching area.

Observations indicated that a suitable learning environment was notin place. Noise is a major factor, and the presence of it impactsteacher ability to provide acceptable instruction.

V. Analysis and V. Collection, Analysis and Utilization ofDataUtilization ofData

Waterfront Elementary School #95


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-New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010

Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 Most teachers do not use results of data in the construction of lessonplans or consistently in classroom practice.

evidence that the data analysis results are specificallywith disabilities and ELLs or the.other identifiedreported that they are bombarded with data, butapplying the data to instructional practice.

VI. ProfessionalDevelopment

,",PTV"TTnT" and review of the teacher evaluationsstaff who are responsible for instructing students withperformance on N Y S .assessments and who do not exhibit

skills needed to promote student academic achievenient areto participate in targeted PD.

PD that focuses on action research, peer review, and mentoring wasnot evident. .VII. DistrictSupport There is a need for additional ESL resources because of the

increasing number of new students arriving who have varying. of with



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'",-"


Twenty-four percent of the students are ELLs, with fifteen differentlanguages spoken by the students. There are many childrenwho or no formal education.

Describe how the Turnaround Model addresses the majorrtn"~..''''" PK - 8 school located in downtown

students currently attending the schooL8 magnet school in the city of Buffalo.concept to Under reconstruction in 2007, this

s 21st Century classrooms. The interior was renovatedand kindergarten classrooms. Interactiveas a district meeting facility.

Description of Actionsfor ModelImplementation

Buffalo City School District'sBuffalo, just one block from City HalLOriginally constructed in theThe architect, Paul Rudolph,concept was modified to meetand two additions were built,Whiteboards wereThe school and 11 part-time teachers. Twenty percent of the

eachers have been at the school fewer than three years. All teachersstaff transferred in the 2008-09 school year due to involuntaryor desire to work with a particular administrator.low population of students with limited English proficiency.

School has had an influx of English language learners (ELL). Whereasin the single digits throughout the early 2000s, it doubled from 8% inthe 2010-11 school year the ELL population increased to 24%. More than 15spoken by students at the school.

international population and characteristics of the school, Waterfront is pursuingan International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and IB MiddleSchools 'in the IB are committed to international



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Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965education through a core curriculum designed to develop critical thinking skills, second-language skills, andunderstanding of other cultures. With an integrated approach to learning focusing on concepts rather than content,and using formative and surnmative assessments, IB . the emotional, social and academic developmentof each student at Waterfront School.Buffalo City School District (BCSD) will needof the school'sEl.L population and tomodel, therefore, best addresses theleverage human capital and retaineffective instruction of students withSchool. Likewise, .the Turnaround modelexpertise in or a willingnessFurthermore, the Turnaroundwork with the IB programme.school, as well as theprogramme itself,development

minded teachers dedicated to serving the needsof the school's new program. The Turnaroundassessment because it allows the District toexpertise or a desire to gain expertise in the

UH.,l.\..v.:>L growing population at Waterfrontnew talent into the school, those withinstruction with limited English proficiency.

to retain or place staff with experience in or a desire to,a.-,.u.L"U evaluation required to become an authorized IBand professional development, and the rigorousthat all teachers will participate in professional

Waterfront using an interview process based on Turnaround leader

nr...."pn turnaround organizations like Mass Insight and Public Impact, the~Ul)ermtlen(len.ts,and Associate Superintendents first met to craft a set ofbe used during the principal and assistant principal screening/interviewprocess to s level of critical competency for turning around. persistently lowest-achievingschools. From 29,2011, Community Superintendents and the Lead Community Superintendent

iriformally met principals and assistant principals to discuss the screening process and recruitcandidates. The . screening process then began on March 30 and the assistant principal screeningprocess began on April 4, 2011. (See attachment - Principal and Assistant Principal ScreeninglInterview ProcessTimeline.) After the Community Su erintendents and Lead Community Su erintendent screened the principals



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New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965and assistant principals, the Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent met with the proficient principal andassistant principal candidates. The interview process for external candidates will run from April 25, 2011 - June30, 2011. All principals and assistant principals will staff by July 1,.2011. The principal selected to runWaterfront School is now in the process of screening . for her new building.The new principal for Waterfront School washas served successfully as an elementaryschool from Restructuring Year 1 to a .an assistant principal for four years .. implemented an IB Primary Yearsaccreditation. This entailed '-VJ ..LJ.I-L'-WCLJ.F.,

6, 2011 to implement the Turnaround model. Shefor the past seven years, moving her previousBefore becoming a principal, she also served asthe new principal successfully initiated and

for her school receiving Primary Yearsand authorization.. During thein and initial training. During theinitial application, hosted a consultant, ensured teacheratanon in the classroom all the while. .During the final

V.LJ. ;:,UH


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New York State Education Department, LEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of,1965mind, ,District leadership, under the guidance of the Deputy Superintendent, compiled a list, of critical teachercompetencies for the Turnaround schools.

and outside candidates were interviewed in thewell matched to the needs of the students. Finalwith Turnaround schools being fully staffed with no

Once this process was complete, Communityof newly identified Turnaround schools to n' lTArTYIidentify teachers who would continue to teachcompetencies to ensure the selection of aof all prospective candidates from each(See attachment ~Teaching Notificationsthis process. This screening processresponses for assessing the competenctlikewise, taught a lesson forof professional learning nnlnntTl

and Associate Superintendents met with the facultiesf the screening process that would be implemented to

(no more than 50%). Using the locally developedively in a Turnaround environment, a screeningduring the window of April 5 - April 15, 2011The new principal participated fully in

specifically formulated to elicitthe Turnaround model; candidates,reviewed a written sample and a list

had participated in for the past two to three years.

I .

monitored in English language arts (ELA), English as a Second Languageso that in lesson presentations the learning objectives, i.e., whatbe able to do to succeed are not replaced with learning activities, e.g.,reading circle, writing an essay. Objectives that set the purpose for learning shouldlanguage meaningful to students. Further, .the literacy coach and the building

who is the leader for mathematics instruction, should provide effective strategies forareas on State assessments where students do notperform well.

The Principal should adjust the agendas at grade level and staff meetings so that implementation of theWaterfront Elementary School #95


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' _ ' _ 'New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965curriculum is addressed through pacing calendars. Use of the pacing calendars should be one of the,topicsdiscussed at such meetings and an action plan should be developed and implemented to ensure that allcurriculum topics are being addressed The Principal should examine the manner in are using the pacing calendars and the degreeto which they are f ollowing the scope and documents. The introduction of curricular maps for thetargeted areas wouldfacilitate more grade levels for identified subjects and subgroups.Once the curriculum mapping is in should review lesson plans to determine the statusof units as outlined in lesson professional (PD) in the appropriate use of thisstrategy.

I. Curriculum (Actions)Waterfront School will International Baccalaureate (IB) World School,

gramme, New York State LeamingStandards, and therevisiting existing Curricula to ensure that there isStandards.

education, andbestIB

are committed to providing rigorous, internationalalign local curricula with the m philosophy and research-based

v.uUV,J.LU' ....VJ,.L, delivery of instruction, and assessment, The revised's LEP students by enabling students to develop solid listening,in enhancing their first and' second language acquisition and English(ill languages spoken by the majority of the LEP population) will afford

Likewise, the ESL coach will work closely with teachers and otherilignment of ESL and other curricula.reputation in the U.S. among parents, school districts, and state and federalan effective model for accelerating student achievement and improving

under-performing' The core of the 'IB curricula is designed to develop critical thinking skills,second-language skills, and an understanding of other cultures in 'order to prepare students for success in a complex



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. _New York State Education Department

LEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

and increasingly interrelated global society and economy. The IB programme promotes the education of the wholeperson, heart as well as mind, while emphasizing the importance of connections across subject areas anddisciplines. The IB curriculum represents best practices schools around the globe, and ensures quality throughcriterion-referenced internal and external and schools.IB authorization typically takes three to fivereceive official IB training and will bePYP (grades PK-:5). Teachers willand problem solving. Teachers willthat is tailored to Waterfront's .specificwhile congruent with theand writing of theIB curricula.

ves a multi-step application process. All teachers will,~"_llUJ.H pieces for both the MYP (grades 6-8) and

that promote critical thinking, active inquiry,development as they map a curriculum

with local and New York state standards,~ate:rtrc:mtwill facilitate the collaboration

coaches is to bring the taught curriculum in lineGrade level meetings will be focused planningon:instructional practice in order to respond to andweekly to plan the meetings, which are facilitatedappropriate. The building administrator will monitorclassroom visits and review of weekly lesson plans for curriculum

...............u.'v ..... ,UL>, the school leadership team will provide faculty withthe consistent construction of objectives andimplementation ofinstructional aids. Part of the formal observation process will

teachers to discuss lesson alignment with the written curriculum. This;p."'J.~"'u. to the objective and that the objective is the driving force behind theteachers will be provided by coaches, consultants, and content area specialists.teachers from the Offices of Elementary and Secondary Education will be in the

that all teachers have worked with their content area departments.Finally, Race to the Teams will assist schools to. implement the Common Core Learning Standardsand to align instruction to the new standards and curricula, as well as supporting schools to implement the State'scomprehensive assessment program and adapt to more rigorous performance-based assessments. Network Teams

sessions wheremeet the needsby buildingimplementation of



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.New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965will train Inquiry Teams to examine current state standards and analyze the similarities and differences betweenthose and the Common Core Learning Standards. Likewise, Network Teams will work with schools to findpractical ways to implement the Standards in 'strategies for English language learners andstudents with disabilities. .II.Teaching and Learning

Recommendations: The Principal should instructassessments. This techniquestudents; assessment should be

identified subgroupsstrategy should be donegrade level meetings and

rrrt rvrt rt t strategies based on the results of Stateto provide intervention for strugglingneeds and to modify lessons for

who are not. An evaluation of this instructionalinstructional coaches should address these results inactionfor teachers to implement.

. the formal required observations, should look forare focused on language development and implicitthinking and problem solving skills. Because of the large ESLwith th e District staff responsible for this area to seek more. results of the ESL cohort in order to provide appropriate

. The Principal should also review lesson plans and monitor theit is being used appropriately and require that staff adhere to its

and the grades 7 and 8 teachers should be visible in the corridors during transitionstudents are moving quickly to their classrooms. The administrative staff shouldaccountable for their actions during transition and apply consistent

II.Teaching and Learning (Actions).



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""",/New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

A coherent and research-based program of professional development will be outlined and revisited each year asnecessary to support the effective implementation of Waterfont's Turnaround model. Instructional and.noninstructional staff will take part in professional that enhances their abilities to implement themodel and accelerate student achievement.' competency will continue to be schoolwideprofessional development priorities. All will advance high-quality and standards-basedteaching and learning.As part of Race to the Top, the BCSDstudent improvement. Teams will workdynamic and student-focused, analyzingadjustments to instructional practices basedinstructional improvement.grades: K, 1, and 2. This "'-'UU'-'L.time to provide individualized

capacity to support schools for continuousTeams to make the instructional cyclequantitative and qualitative), making. resources that will assist insize be hired for each of the followingthe classroom atmosphere and provide teachers moreinstructional approaches and assignments.

A full-time, onsitelanguage .L,-,a.~l'- ''llIcollaborative

to teachers as they provide instruction to English. The coach will assist ESL teachers in developingwith staff development activities at the school sites, anddata. The coach will provide support to ensure all required

ptmcation, and all other tasks, are completed in accordance withESL coach will monitor the effectiveness of the ESL program,

.F.~.u.uv.,~~with the IBprogramme. Of special note is the role of thein ESL to understand their role in working with ELL students.will receive training in the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SlOP)

Model, a framework for improving the academic achievement of English learners.Developed by Dr. MaryEllen Vogt and Dr. Deborah Short, the SlOP Model helps educatorsteach both content and language skills inways that are proven to be more effective for English learners.Teachers will that affect second language acquisition in order to teach content while developingstudents' academic and social language. Moreover, the ESL and literacy coach will become certified trainersthrough the SlOP Coaching and Implementation training, which hel s coaches develo the capacity to su ort their



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teachers' implementation of the SlOP Model, learn how to use the protocol in coaching sessions to improveclassroom instruction, and identify features of the Model that may pose implementation challenges. SlOP trainingwill be offered schoolwide in late June, and follow up . will be provided later in the year. The ESL coachand some members of the central office M will be certified as trainers to be sure that newhires can be brought up to speed.A vital component of the IB program isto gain competence in a modern J.


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-.. . , _ . . . . .New York State Education Department

LEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965Teachers should be reminded constantly to adjust their practices to meet the needs and learning styles ofthe struggling students who have been identified by either their performance on the State assessments orDistrict provided measures of accountability. educational practices of staff should be thePrincipal's number one priority.

III. School Leadership (Actions)The new principal of Waterfront wasleader critical competencies. As aleadership teams, distributing responsibun

an interview process based on Turnaroundact alone, but will develop and rely onthe district and the community.

Part of her leadership teamManager (SAM). The Nprincipals to assume most uv,~-L'~'to situations that arise during aleadership' .allow the more time to visit classrooms, supervise/support the

time and grade level meetings. Substituteto provide the continuance of effective school operations when the

have a strategically planned schedule for ongoing walkthroughs,support to teachers. The administration will attend all grade level meetings

comprehensive lesson plans with delivery of explicit instruction. Theprincipal strategies to develop and increase teacher and administrative leadereffectiveness, , transparent and equitable evaluation system for teachers and the administrativeteam, using data as a significant of performance, using data to evaluate instructional programs,promoting the data to progress monitor, ensuring teacher and administrative team involvement inthe design and of the model, providing high quality, job embedded professional development, andproviding mechanisms for family and community engagement: The principal and assistant principals forinstruction will follow a schedule and use a s readsheet to visually dis lay accountability of classroom visits. This



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. New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010

. Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965document will be reviewed and discussed at the weekly administrative team meeting. Shorter daily debriefingmeetings will be held to collaborate and discuss progress of the plan and make any necessary changes (ongoing).

The administrators will develop and .goals, clear objectives, arid achievableEducational Plan (CEP) will speak towill be fully supported by the AssociateSchool Improvement (seedesign, evaluate and monitor

llJ.L,a.L.lVl.lc:U plan that contains long and short termidentified subgroups. This Comprehensivestudents in a systemic manner. This work.specifically the newly hired Director ofbe to work with school teams as they

Joint walkthroughs with school administratorsscheduled on a monthly basis. Teams will use theconducting classroom observations (See i:1LLi:ll_;lll;;\1

office Teaching and Learning administrators arealkthrough Tools and collect low-inference data when

Intensiveand orderlystudent

that the team is able to balance the need for a safedirect changes that must occur to ensure improvedprincipals will be involved in monthly PLA articulation meetingscontinual use of data, classroom observation and walkthroughs,The meetings will help develop skill sets and the knowledgeof teaching. The principal will learn to combine pressure and

~lllt:;llL;:' in teaching and learning outcomes as identified in the JIT report. Allcoach; as the new principal at an ill school, the principal will receivewill high quality, relevant onsite professional development for school leaders

Schools of the Northeast (GillS). The principal will also attend ill leadership

Recommendations: .


I


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Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 The Principal and the staff should implement strategies for students at risk, not only to address the skillsand concepts that are lacking as evidenced by their test scores but also to offer them opportunities to. become a community where their academic as their social needs are met. Results of Stateassessments should be carefully analyzed plans should be developed that directly addressthe deficiencies of at risk students. and administration can help to diminish the stigma

attached to these students by rich cultural experiences, programs and materialsdesigned to meet their unique needs

The results of the tmniementattexamined to determine its . Intervention Supports (PBI) model should beshould be proactive in addressing thebe accountable for providing thelass rooms. and APs should aggressivelymodel. Data associated with the use of the modelTeachers should have high expectations for students,their classroom management skills. Occasionally8 students to remind them about their responsibility

afocused plan for increasing parental support.,,,,.vv. efforts to decrease the number of suspensions.le in the open space teaching area. The open space should be

Teachers assigned to this area should receive in-servicefor teaching in this type of space as well as managing behavior in

'.WlTTn should be conducted by the Principal to determine if the learningthe learning styles of the identified subgroups. This research should bethe goal of improving teaching and learning for students who are assigned to this

IV.PBIS was initially implemented at Waterfront in September 2010. The.model has a history of successfully assisting

WaterfrontElementary School #95


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' _ _ 'New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010 ,Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965schools in improving the emotional, social and academic success of -students. The BCSD, Erie I BOCES, and anumerous participating community partners have made a long-term commitment to its success. The PBIS programaddresses high rates of problem behavior that ,',.,f-OMOpractices; lack of supports for staff to addressinterventions; negative school climates andstudent data to facilitate decisions regardingnotably the SST '- is critical. Data "~~VvJL"L"meetings. The SST (comprised ofthe data is to be used in decision H~L~-L~the measurement tool to assess .software system for collecting andschools with accurate, v.L.L.L .....L.... . '"thought-out decisions about

with learning; ineffective and inefficient disciplinaryvior; lack of general and specialized behavioral

'C"T,F"OIroT1'vemanagement. The collection and evaluation ofSchool-Wide Positive Behavioral Support teams -the model will be shared at grade level and facultylUU"....l.J.l and teachers) provides guidance in how

School-Wide Information System (SWIS) asand measure outcomes -,a web-basedThe purpose of SWIS is to provide

".l.l".l.l.lL""".l~to interpret data in making wellsupport and student referral.PLA schools, the District will hire a PBIS coach toevaluation and reporting procedures. The coachto provide feedback to school level teams regardingcoach act as a liaison, attending district level meetings andtrain the guidance counselor at each school to be an internal PBIS

Site Based Management Teams (SBMT). A conimittee of schoolthe Office of Family, School and Community Relations and the Associatefor this training. The selected training( s) will provide' training to staff toduties and responsibilities of the SBMT and its important connection

'->"re.n1-c will also be encouraged to enroll in the Buffalo Public School Howard Lewisa variety of courses designed to build the knowledge, skills, and resources of

~.l.l.l',\.LL"'H'S education, to increase student achievement and to build parent efficacy.Continuous improvement planning will address the needs of all students, by subgroup population, each year. Thecoaches will be an im ortant resource to increase the ability of teachers to collect and analyze assessment data to



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-ew York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

.differentiate instruction.Waterfront has a large and rapidly growing ELLIESLstudent body because one of the fundamentalstudents are taught to understand and appreciateperspectives, values and traditions of other i

,UJ.CI'UV.L.l. The IB program will support the multiculturalthe IB programme is "intercultural awareness." IBcultures and personal histories, and to be open to the

should be a primary focus for theshould be given tofurtheron the appropriate' use of data. The Principal should leadthe District directors to explain its relevance for.set the expectation that the teachers include inadministration should monitor the use of data

ne specific strategy that involves data from the State assessment"o>u.v ities, and develop, in conjunction with the literacy and'on the relevance of data and its use in the planning andmini-workshops can be held during grade level meetings, faculty

days. After a number of strategies have been tried, the Principal shouldthe results with staff. If the strategies prove effective, they should be

tnerrutmmistranon should regularly monitor their use.v.

been created to enable a direct link between student achievement data and otherrelevant data having an impact on student success, including teacher attendance and professional development. There ository is continuing to grow both in sources of data and in dis lays of data to different stakeholders. This



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Ensure efficient and timely data flow from Follow a timeline to provide specificand review. Establish a communication nrr,Tnr'n Establish a training protocol thatdata driven decision-making. Develop methodologies that aresuspension, attendance, and nrr,n_,.J

schools.accountability cohorts to principals for verification

warehouse is part of the overall data plan inplace to support the unique needs of the Persistently Lowest-Achievingschools. The focus of the plan is to:

of student performance, such as

changes in accountability.creating leaders within schools to facilitate

The plan outlined below worksIntervention Team (JIT) review.

eSIS and other district databases to mine thegood information about student needs, includingto ensure the school has the .data to make decisions to address

professionalbegun and willbeing completed.

Warehouse will allow for the use of additional data elements to allow staff tomaking links between other data elements and learning. .The warehousestudent information to student achievement, but information on teacherand attendance as welL Professional development on this Warehouse has2012, with the specific dates dependent on the successful technological phases

Goal 3: Enable Data To Be UnderstandableProfessional Develo ment 0 ortunities are designed to facilitate data-driven discussions at the District and School



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Training NeedsTraining on the multiple sources ofdata sources, will be provided. Thesewill allow for. the development teachersessions offered by the --" ''''F,H./,UU

including both summative and formativeLUU,I,;LC;U in a coaching model format, which

. training, planning, and workshopsame staff, to be determined.

level. These sessions will instruct staff how to comprehend the data, both structurally and semantically, and readilydetermine how the data may be used for their specific needs, either for student learning decisions or teacherappraisal.Goal 4: Be Responsive to User NeedsPerspectives of others, whether data "VJ.~~U-


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Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary; and Secondary Education Act of 1965culture of the school. Teams will learn to build afoundation, identify a student learning problem, verify the causesof the student learning problem, generate and monitor solutions to the problem.. and achieve results. Data teammembers will become data literate, learning to UJ.~'~".L.>L!summativedata points. Members will learn tocommunicating a vision, building support,improvement. Data team members will also2011 begins the Race to the Top Networkempower school teams to make use ofStandards. The Network Teams,additional, specific focus on the English

and respond to data sources, including formative anddata driven dialogue and lead for sustainability bysystems to sustain a culture of continuous

to data in a culturally proficient way. In addition, Julyin tandem with Research for Better Teaching, will.ementanon of the new Common Core Learning

the school's Inquiry Team, will provide anschooL

Data Team training and '""'111"' ' ' .common planning time, "V


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- - New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010

Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965performance of ELLs and students with disabilities on State assessments and develop a plan wherebyteachers can collaborate' and focus on improving student performance. Staff should develop afocused plan(to be incorporated into the CEP) that include . methodologies and strategies to be implemented.The plan should have an evaluative process what works and what does not and should bemodified if the process is not meetingits

The administration should requireexhibit competency. This shouldassure the long term use of thetargeted PD in the areas in which they do notusuu.uoru and monitored by the administration to

The administration XYII"""the APs should thenelements of staffshould lead to the

pecmc to the curriculum as well as PLO to help teachers infuseinstruction, use effective instructional methods, and use data

that havephilosophydocuments, andpractices.

Baccalaureate (IB) will involve the entire staff in IB trammg,~o:rdiJ[lat'Dl.Teachers will begin by attending IB Category 1 training. The1 workshops is to provide professional development and assistance for schools

for IB candidacy. Teacher participants will gain an understanding of the basicof the program including the mission statement, learner profile, curriculumin IB programs. They will also gain an understanding of program standards and

After attending IB Category 1 training, teachers may attend Cate ory 2 and 3 level worksho s.The overall



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purpose of Category 2 and 3 level workshops is to provide a forum for. experienced IB educators, focusing onprogram delivery. These workshops place an emphasis on assessment, teaching and learriing methodologies, andexploring best practice in the classroom. Teachers engage in discussion and activities aimed at sharingpedagogical techniques such as: best practice in teaching and learning methodology, and finding,sharing, developing and using resources.To ensure that teachers are able toconsultants will coach teachers toability to ask higher level thinking

inquiry based lessons in all curriulum areas, IBusing explicit instruction and to increase their

mathematics programs and to ensurecoaches teachers in strengthening their

through job-embedded professional development.building administration and district level staff willwill then be individualized based on this data (hours

teachers by deepening their content knowledge andof mathematical content. The mathematics coach will also paynew to the building, supporting their practice as they growstrategies for working with LEP students.

- one for the elementary and one to work with the middle school -'''''IJ '''.I.J.Ju..I..


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New York State Education DepartmentLEA School Improvement Grant Application, FY 2010 .Under 1003 (g) ofthe Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 A full-time, onsite ESL coach will provide support and training to teachers as they provide instruction toEnglish language learners with varying levels of English proficiency. The coach will assist ESL teachersin developing collaborative relationships students' classroom teachers, assist with staff

development activities at the school sites, teachers in analyzing student achievement data. Thecoach will provide support to documentation for enrollment, testing, parentnotification, and all other tasks, are accordance with guidelines from the state and localdistrict. The ESL coach will of the ESL program, paying special attention tothe curriculum alignment with special note is the role of the ESL coach inhelping teachers not certified' in working with ELL students ..

Finally, a District team of subj Coaches will also assist teachers inplanning and of . equipment such as Interactive WhiteBoards, scientific , all aimed to engage teachers andstudents in hands-on make concepts come alive with images, movement, and

' . L < u , u . . L L < . " E > periods and will model lessons during regular and writing of IBcurricula, which are written

and the NYS Learning standards ..I " \T \ , . , , " ' , ' \ " provided by the coaches, PLO is available as.delineated

Teachers are strongly encouraged to attend and areMultiple training opportunities will also be offered on siteduring the instructional day and after hours for. compensation.(18 required hours) and Superintendent Conference Days is mandatory.

the Books Foundation, lP Associates, and Voyager/Cambium Learning Groupand consultations with teachers on a regular basis. Furthermore, lesson plans will"tr"tn1r" and returned with feedback reflecting the degree to which each teacher'sconsistent with the district's curriculum, and the degree to which each teacherlevels among the students by differentiating instruction.

b. Organizational ProfessIOnal Development -across classrooms within a school .Beginning in Se tember 2011, rofessional develo ment at Waterfront will focus on im lementation of the IB



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Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 .philosophy and the delivery of content using explicit instruction, as well as infusing literacy across thecurriculum, and data-driven, differentiated lesson planning and differentiated delivery of instruction geared tomeet the needs of each student, including students .

instruction and other instructional areas .district support staff will train teachers onbe trained to drill down into the data,ongoing training will focus onhoused on the website. Over the i:)UJ.Hll~

structional strategies related to using data to informreports. The administrative team, coaches, anddiagnose student reading difficulties. Teachers willinformed instructional decisions. Furthermore,

curriculum and using the district resourcespractices for working with students ofmplementir ig the PBlS model.

Furthermore, participation inteachers will work with .consultants. Grade level meetmzsdata to plan,Specificdata to "'''~.''1r1

(GLM) is mandatory for all teachers. During GLMs,administrators, district content specialists, andcoaches and administrators train teachers to usein order to respond to the needs of all learners.

including the NYSESLAT, and formative assessment

to provide quality instruction to students while teachersst-conrerences with administrators.

implement the district's literacy program and to ensure the highest qualityEssentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) trainer willto schedule on-site professional learning opportunities in literacy for all

LETRS instructor will deliver training on research-based literacy content includingspelling, writing, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Moreover, teachers attraining in the ELL module of LETRS. LETRS is a professional development

opportunity noted reading researcher, Dr .. Louisa Cook Moats, the consultant advisor with SoprisWest Educational Services and Vice President of the International Dyslexia Association. Dr. Moats specializesin the im lementation of school-wide interventions for im roving literacy. She directed the NlCHD Early



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Reading Interventions Project in Washington, DC and as. a Distinguished Visiting Scholar, worked on theCalifornia Reading Initiative.Inaddition, teachers at Waterfront will receiveModel, a scientifically-validated frameworkDeveloped byDr. Jana Echevarria, Dr.teach both content knowledge andlearners. Teachers will understand

the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SlOP)the academic achievement of English learners.

Dr. Deborah Short, the SlOP Model helps educatorsthat are proven to be more effective for Englishacquisition in order to teach content whileESL and literacy coach will become certifiedhelps coaches develop the capacity touse the protocol in coaching sessions tomay pose implementation challenges.

will be certified to train SlOP so that new hires can be

a schedule of classroom visits, always looking togained by attending PLOs. Results will be discussedShorter debriefing meetings will be held to collaborate and

''''''''>TV changes (ongoing).Northeast (GIBS) will serve as a support for implementing IB.principal and staff during the candidacy phase. GIBS will provide

. . development for school administrators, teacher leaders, and counselors.......LUV~.,L .. ~V~ and evaluation that supports effective implementation of IB secure assessmentsaterfront progresses through the authorization process

VIT. District SupportRecommendations:


. ._../


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Although the District assigned additional staff to this school to meet compliance requirements, there is stilla need f or additional support for the ESL ore ESL staff should be assigned to this school toaddress the ever increasing number of arrive with little knowledge of the English language.

Contracted translation services for thethe ESL students currently receiveState assessments. It appears thatat this school would be beneficial since many ofServices(AIS) and yet do not perform well onacquisition rather than academic intervention.

VII. District Support (Actions)An important component ofDepartment of ElementaryElementary, who will overseedirectly to thedata in order toexpectationsinstructional

schools is the creation of aAssociate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning,

schools. The Associate Superintendent, who reports~P11Cl1Palf Waterfront to review student achievementthe principal for follow-through, and set explicitbut not limited to, methods of practice for

school improvement, and use of student performancegaps in the principal's leadership and for ongoing monitoring

plans, informal advising, and coaching interventions. The...",,,,u.,,,.,., will also provide regularly scheduled learning experiences

~U.L'' ' '~' ' ' '-' ' ' ' ' ' ' 'meetings, and by.attending conferences as a team.

Associate Superintendent and the Department of Elementary Turnaround'supports to turnaround schools so that building administrators can sharpen theirTherefore, the Department of Elementary Turnaround will provide essentialpressures and district offices so that ~ssential personnel and resources can be fundamentally

shifted as part of support for the turnaround process; The Office of Shared Accountability is creatinga new Data W (Appendix B) and increasing research aides and coaches to support teachers andprincipals in learning how to make data to inform decisions. The Offices of Human Resources and Finance willwork with the Associate and PLA rinci als to allow for increased flexibility in creating the school budget and



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Under 1003 (g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965hiring staff. The Associate will work to triangulate the services of all central office divisions to supportimprovements in teaching and learning in the PLA PK-8 schools.Under the direction of the Superintendentcontinually review multiple data sources topersonnel in relationship to their efforts inAssociate will work closely with thesupports. Specific to this school is theThe District will hire an additionalaides who speak the native languagesincreased LOTE staff.

Superintendent, the Associate Superintendent willffectiveness of each central office department and itsachievement. illthe case of Waterfront School, thein the Multilingual Education to align practices and.......L~.L.u .VL.L services and hire additional ESL staff.

to support instruction. Additional bilingual.......C,.Lu.v will likewise. be hired, as well as

A SIG staff developer andgrant, coordinating the workdata to monitor implementationcapacity of the to do

support the schools. The director will manage themonthly meetings with the coaches, and collectingprocess at each school. The director will build thewalkthrough team and facilitating the CEP peer

at the direction of the Director (based on data collectedLikewise, the SIG staff developer will help facilitate-

curriculum alignment and mapping, Both the SIG director andof supervision within the school.


Waterfront School Turnaround Plan

Documents

Transcript of Waterfront School Turnaround Plan