Ashley Ruggiero



Final Project Phase 3Ashley RuggieroEDU515: Measurement and MetricLakeview Elementary School is an urban school located in Waterbury, Connecticut. It is a comprehensive high school which serves about 1173 students, in grades K through three. Based on the data presented in the 2013-2014 Lakeview Elementary School Profile, it is evident that there are two major issues that are impacting Lakeview Elementary School. These issues are low student performance and attendance rate.As stated in the report, Lakeview Elementary School earned a challenged rating by the Connecticut Department of Education. This rating comes from the testing of all students in all subject areas. A School Performance Index (SPI) for the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) is the test performance of all subjects test. The range of scores is 0-100 points. The ultimate goal for a SPI is 88. The goal is generated from students performing at or above goal on the majority of tests. Looking at Lakeview Elementary Schools results, only 3 of 15 performance indicators were met, earning a performance index of 42.7. This is not much more of an improvement from previous years. 2009-2010 scored 40.8, 2010-2011 scored 41.5, and 2011-2012 scored 41.7. The scores at Lakeview Elementary are flattening, with very minimal improvements and are also drastically below the Connecticut goal. This issue is significant because students are not learning or getting the support they need in order to be successful. This is also an ongoing issue for the past 4 years and has yet to be addressed.Lakeview Elementary School also has a chronic absentee rate of 16.7%. Being chronically absent means missing 10% or greater of the total number of days enrolled in the school year. With the attendance rate only being 83.3%, performance of students cannot increase if students are chronically absent. Attendance rate is important because students are more likely to succeed in academics when they attend school constantly (GreatSchools Staff, 2016). Students are losing valuable learning time, causing them to constantly have to catch up on work. It is difficult for the teacher and class to build their skills if a child is frequently absent (GreatSchools Staff, 2016). Students will fall further behind. Students are also more likely to get in trouble with the law and cause problems in their communities (GreatSchools Staff, 2016). This is a significant issue that needs to be addressed in order for students to learn and be more successful.In order for Lakeview Elementary School to be a more successful school, a plan that addresses both low performance and attendance rate needs to be developed. From the data and the plan, Lakeview Elementary has an idea of tactics that is to improve how successful the school is. These tactics include developing curriculum to optimize learning, adopting a system-wide approach and even engaging the community. However, the tactics do not include specific information. In order to develop a strategic plan, information such as who is developing and creating the curriculum, system-wide approach or engaging the community is needed. It also does not include when each of these will be implemented. Therefore, Lakeview Elementary is in the Cynefin Framework’s stage, complicated. Leaders have sensed, analyzed and now needs to respond (Snowden, 2007).In order to address the low performance at Lakeview Elementary, a committee of interested teachers, and staff can be created. The leaders will then research and think of ideas to improve test scores. The leaders will then need to explain to the rest of the staff the plan for improving test scores. Not only explain the plan, but leaders will need to encourage staff to come together as school to do the plan. With improving test scores being a school wide goal, it is important that the leaders encourage all staff and teachers to be on board with the plan. For one, in order to improve test scores, it will be necessary to teach strategies to improve student study skills (Cox, n.d.). It is important to teach students to set their priorities and to set goals. Also, it is important to give students in-school reading practice (Cox, n.d.). This could be in the form of DEAR (Drop Everything And Read). With students having the opportunity to stop what they are doing and read for 15-20 minutes, it allows students to gain reading comprehension skills and they may not have this time at home. To improve student performance, Lakeview Elementary should also increase parent involvement. Research has found that students tend to do better in school when a parent is involved (Cox, n.d.). The best way to get parents involved is through volunteering. They can help directly in the classroom, as well as in the library, guest reader, or even in the cafeteria as a lunch monitor. Lastly, Lakeview Elementary needs to encourage and get students excited about taking the assessments. When students are excited and can feel the support by the staff, they are more successful. By doing these many ideas, Lakeview Elementary will have an improvement in test scores.In order to determine effectiveness of the plan, test scores needs to show improvement. In order to know if the plan is successful, ongoing data needs to be collected. The data will show whether or not the test scores are improving. The initial data has started, but needs to be continued. Once all of the initial data is collected, it will work as a baseline. From the baseline goals can be created and the school will do what they can to be successful.In addition to addressing the low performance, leaders at Lakeview Elementary need to develop a plan to gain a higher attendance rate. With such a low attendance rate, in order to address the issue, a committee can be created. People on the committee can include, principal, social worker, and interested teachers and parents. In this committee, the adults can research and brainstorm and ways to successfully improve the attendance rate. They will also create a goal for what the attendance rate should be. Although there is a committee to create the plan, with attendance rate being a school wide goal, it will be important that the entire school is on board with making the plan work.Research has shown that when the teacher is passionate about teaching and learning, students will understand that the teacher is there to help them succeed (Killian, 2015). When students feel as if they are being cared about, they will feel important and want to go to school. Staff and teachers can simply make relationships with the students. With this being part of the plan, it is important for all staff and teachers to make students feel important and successful. This is an important strategy that all staff and teachers will need to implement.In addition to making the students feel successful adopting a Social-Emotional Learning Program will be a strategy part of the plan. Many students with chronic absence issues suffer with personal issues. This could be struggles from home, not getting along with other students or even not believing in themselves. With a program, students will learn the coping strategies and then want to come to school. The social worker or school counselor can initially set up the program, and provide teachers and staff with the training they need. From there, it will be the staff and teachers job to continue to implement this strategy.When chronic attendance rates occur, the social worker can reach out to parents to let them know there has been a significant amount of absents and explain to parents the importance of having their child in school. Parents on the committee and in the community can also talk to other parents about the importance of bringing their child to school.In order to determine effectiveness of the plan, attendance rate needs to show improvement. More students need to be attending school. In order to know if the plan is successful, ongoing data needs to be collected. The data will show whether or not the attendance rate is improving. The initial data has started, but needs to be continued. More specific data needs to be collected as well. Data will consist of how many students are late or absent, which students are late or absent, how frequent and also what is the reason. Once all of the initial data is collected, it will work as a baseline. From the baseline goals can be created and the school will do what they can to be successful.ReferencesCox, Janelle. (n.d.). TeachHub. 5 Teaching Strategies to Help Boost Test Scores. Retrieved from Staff. (2016). Why attendance matters. Retrieved from , Shaun. (2015). Evidence Based Teaching. 10 Proven Ways To Improve School Attendance. Retrieved from , D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007).?A leader’s framework for decision-making.?Harvard Business Review. ................
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