Introduction to the C-SIP

The Continuous School Improvement Plan, C-SIP, is a document that contains our school’s plan of action for 2009 – 2011. More specifically, it identifies the areas our school plans to focus on in the coming school year, the performance goals we want our students to achieve, and how we are going to collaboratively meet them. All of our school’s goals and efforts have been synthesized into one easy-to-read document that covers all of the different areas on which schools are required to report.

See Guideline and Instructions document on how to complete this section

Mission

The Gatzert School Community collaborates and takes responsibility for the academic and social success of all students in becoming readers, writers, and mathematicians, who are life-long learners ready for college and work. We provide a safe, positive learning environment where our diversity is respected and acknowledged. Our theory of action is that the quality of instruction and focused intervention defines the rate and quality of student achievement.

Vision

To capitalize on our students' diversity to foster curiosity, academic achievement, and active citizenship!

What We Have Learned From Our Data

The first step in developing this C-SIP was completing a comprehensive needs assessment for our school. When doing so, we looked at our data across many dimensions, including core subject areas, school climate, family engagement, behavioral issues, and others in order to identify key issues. We also considered key questions, such as: What do we know about our returning and incoming students in terms of their strengths and weaknesses? Which areas are of greatest concerns? What do our trends look like over the last two to three years?

See Guideline and Instructions document on how to complete this section

Issue Summary		Description	How Our School Addressed the Issue in this C-SIP
1	If “other”:	47.5% of third graders scored below standard. 76.6% of fourth graders scored below standard. 51 % of fifth graders scored below standard.	Katherine Berg and Katie Hested will be math leads sharing ongoing math improvement strategies to staff throughout the academic year
2	If “other”:	42.5% of third graders scored below standard. 65.6% of fourth graders scored below standard. 62% of fifth graders scored below standard.	Full time literacy coach for support, consultation and professionial developement
3	If “other”:	50 % of fourth graders scored below standard.	Writers' Workshop implemented building wide with ongoing professional development
4	If “other”:	72 % of fifth graders scored below standard.	Not yet addressed
5	If “other”:	Families have little time during school day to participate in school activities due to work and/or lack of adequate childcare	Family Engagement strategies are aligned with each focus area to support academic acheivement

Major Focus Areas for Our School

Focus Areas are subjects or broad “themes”, such as mathematics, attendance, dropout and graduation rates, or post-secondary readiness. While our school works on numerous focus areas to varying degrees throughout the year, we decided to specifically target the following 3 – 5 focus areas over the next two years. All schools are asked to include mathematics as a major focus area since it is a district-wide focus. Further, all schools are instructed to include focus areas for any AYP area that was not met.

See Guideline and Instructions document on how to complete this section

#	Focus Area	Rationale for Choosing this Focus Area
1	If “other”:	Writing scores according to the 4th grade WASL have improved this last academic year however 57% of students still have not scored at Level 3 or 4, meeting writing standard.
2	If “other”:	Although Reading scores according to the DRA and WASL in K-3 grade are at least 50%, in fourth and fifth grade they drop to only 34% and 38% respectfully.
3	If “other”:	A high percentage of students that have scored Level 1 and 2 on the math WASL. At least 50% of students have not met math standard in third, fourth, and fifth grade.
4	If “other”:	Research indicates that the more families are directly engaged in their children's education the better the students will achieve academically
5	If “other”:	Describe your rationale here; 500 character limit

C-SIP and the District’s Strategic Plan

This C-SIP is directly related to the district’s strategic plan Excellence for All. Part of the purpose of the C-SIP is to help our school identify goals and strategies that will contribute to and support the district’s student performance goals as laid out in the strategic plan. The C-SIP specifically asks our school to describe how our focus areas and goals will support the Strategic Plan. This helps our school and the central office to work toward common goals.

Contribution to the District’s Strategic Plan

Our school’s major focus areas support one or more of the strategies in the district’s strategic plan, as described below.

Ensuring Excellence in Every Classroom

Gatzert is aligning curriculum in the area of Math and Balanced literacy. Teachers are collaborating with each other on a regular

basis in through Data teams and grade level meetings. Teachers are participating in Writer's Workshop PD.

Strengthening Leaders System-wide

All teachers and parapros at Gatzert Elementary School are Highly Qualified. All

The principal participates in ongoing professional development through the U of W's

Center for Educational Leadership focusing on Instructional Rounds.

Building an Infrastructure that Works Well

Principal received training for new recruiting and hiring process, Neogov.

School budget priorities align with district strategic plan, "Excellence for All".

Improving Our Systems

Data Teams are being instituted to systemitize ongoing grade level collaboration.

Performance management will be used to better communicate school improvement.

Engaging Stakeholders

Gatzert Families and community partners are involved in the development of C-SIP. They give input as stakeholders

and join us in our mission to improve the academic achievement of our school.

How our School’s C-SIP Addresses and Complies with the “Nine Characteristics of Effective Schools”

#	Characteristic	Section	How this C-SIP Addresses Each Characteristic
1	Clear and Shared Focus	Section 1: Overview	Our school has a mission and vision. Our school has analyzed relevant data and expressed insights, and determined student learning goals based on the data analysis and insights.
2	High Standards and Expectations	Section 1: Overview	Our school’s SMART goals for WASL areas are based on sufficient increase in student achievement to meet/exceed Uniform Bars or at least Safe Harbor. Our student achievement goals are data-driven.
3	Effective School Leadership	Section 3: Major Focus	Our school identifies lead responsibilities for every major goal area, including, among others, principal, instructional/content coaches, and classroom teachers.
4	Supportive Learning Environments	Section 3: Major Focus or Appendix	Our school addresses at least (1) non-academic student learning goal as part of a main focus area or included in the appendix.
5	High Level of Community and Parent Involvement	Section 2, 3 & 4: SI Review, Major Focus and Funding	Our school includes parent/community representation in the development of the C-SIP. Our school identifies community partners that engage with the school in support of student learning. Our school includes one or more strategies for family/community engagement for every SMART goal.
6	High Levels of Communication and Collaboration	Section 2: SI Review & CSIP Dev.	Our staff and parents/community collaborate in the C-SIP development and ongoing monitoring/adjusting. Our school shares C-SIP goals, strategies, and activities with school community at a parent meeting every Fall.
7	Frequent Monitoring of Teaching/Learning	Section 3: Major Focus	Our school’s goals include details of periodic monitoring/assessment of student learning throughout the year; these data determine needs for adjusting instruction, interventions, and support.
8	Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Aligned with Standards	Section 3: Major Focus	Each of our school’s academic goals is based on the standards of WASL and/or district-approved classroom-based assessments. If/when school misses WASL/AYP standard in any subject, we create a Major Focus SMART Goal for that subject which is part of our focus for the following year.
9	Focused Professional Development	Section 3: Major Focus	Each of our school’s goal area includes the professional development that will occur, in order to ensure effective goal implementation.

C-SIP Development Process

Spring

Our principal received initial data to support the C-SIP development process from the district’s Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA) and School Improvement (SI) Departments. The principal then began the process of engaging staff and parents to study student assessment data from classroom-based assessments to make initial revisions to C-SIP.

Summer

Our principal received C-SIP training and technical assistance at the Seattle Public Schools annual Summer Leadership Institute, used professional development time to further analyze data (including just-released WASL data), and continued to revise C-SIP.

Fall

Our principal and school team will complete the C-SIP draft and submit it to School Improvement Department and Instructional Directors for feedback. The C-SIP will be revised as needed. Principals and Building Leadership Teams will share the C-SIP revised drafts with staff and parents for further input and to build buy-in to successfully implement the plans.

Parent Notification / Communication

In October, copies of both our District Parent Policy (translated in the major non-English languages of district families) and School Parent Policy will be sent home with all students via newsletters or separate letters.

Ongoing

The peer review process will be completed by January to assess student performance and adjust C-SIP goals as needed. The process for revising the C-SIPs for the following school year will begin by spring of the current year.

Allocation of Funds for Professional Development (10% set-aside)

The district’s central office will provide instructional and content coaches in academic areas of need, as well as direction and ongoing support for strategically allocating our resources of staff, time and materials targeting focused areas for student growth
C-SIP Development Process (continued)

District Responsibilities

The district is responsible for providing ongoing technical assistance and support by developing the C-SIP framework. In addition, the district must:

Train principals and school teams on creating meaningful C-SIPs with relevant data and stakeholder input.
Assist schools in completing the C-SIP.
Provide instructional and content coaches in any academic subject not making AYP, with strategic and focused use of their time and expertise. Instructional coaches work directly with instructional staff and school leaders to improve instruction, engage all students, and maximize learning.
Train principals in the development of SMART Goals and how to use data to drive instructional decisions
Remind schools of OSPI’s and district’s deadlines for completion of tasks/submission of documents and compliance regulations.

Technology

We have a separate Technology Plan that addresses how we will use technology to enhance instruction and student learning. This plan has been developed and reviewed by our Building Leadership Team (BLT) and our Instructional Director. Our current Technology Plan covers 2007 - 2010, and it will be reviewed and updated by the start of the 2010 - 2011 school year.

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) - Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)

Spring 2009 outcomes are included in the table below. In spring 2009 our school did not make AYP for two years in a row. As a result, we are identified as a “School in Improvement” in Step .

Student Group	Proficiency Goal		Participation Goal		Other Indicator
Student Group	Math	Reading	Math	Reading	Other Indicator
All
American Indian
Asian/ Pacific Islander
Black
Hispanic
White
Limited English
Special Education
Low Income

Activities to Meet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Requirements of Step 2 Schools:

At the beginning of the year, families were notified that we are in Step 2 and they were offered the opportunity to transfer to another Seattle school that is not identified for school improvement. We notified families of opportunity to receive Supplemental Educational Services (SES) for low-achieving students who qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. We revised our C-SIP to focus on improving academic achievement for students not yet meeting standards – on WASL and other classroom-based assessments.

Title I Status

This school receives Federal Title I funds.

Title I “School-Wide Program”

Conduct Needs Assessment to Determine Our C-SIP Goals

At Grade-Level Team (GLT) meetings and in our Building Leadership Team (BLT) that includes parents and community, we analyzed student achievement data from WASL and classroom-based assessments. We then developed data-based SMART goals for student growth in all major goal areas.

Use Reform Strategies to Improve Student Learning

We assessed our progress in eliminating the achievement gap/education gap between students of different ethnicities to ensure that our goals addressed the needs of underachieving groups. We created a master schedule to maximize available student learning time especially in literacy and mathematics. We are studying and putting into place “best practices” in instructional strategies. Best practices include increasing students’ active engagement in their learning, and differentiating instruction based on students’ readiness, skill levels, and learning goals.

See Guideline and Instructions document on how to complete this section

Track “Highly Qualified” (HQ) Staff

Percentage of staff considered “highly qualified” (HQ) by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Rules: 100%

Our school has 25 highly qualified teachers and 12 highly qualified Instructional Assistants. This information was made available to all parents in the fall.

Correction plan

Not applicable since 100% of our teachers and Instructional Assistants are Highly Qualified

We have a correction plan: Describe your correction plan explanation here; 500 character limit

Title I “School-Wide Program” (continued)

Offer Professional Development that is High Quality and Ongoing

We have several days each school year where our staff participates in professional development (PD) based on our schools’ PD plans, and where our data indicate a need for enhanced instruction. The district also offers professional development activities throughout the year in which all staff are welcome to participate, including math, reading/literacy, and science. We have access to instructional / content coaches who provide peer-coaching in refining instructional skills and putting into practice the best use of our curricular materials.

Retain High Quality, Highly-Qualified Staff

We provide mentors/buddy teachers for those new to our school to help them with instruction and district requirements. We also provide many opportunities for professional development. These activities help new staff feel supported and maximize their skill base in order to best serve students.

Increase Parent/Family Involvement

Every major student learning goal (please see Section 3: Major Focus Areas) includes activities and strategies for increasing parent involvement.

Transition New Students and Families into Our School

We host a welcoming activity for incoming students and their families to tour the school and meet our staff and students. Preschooler's families are invited to tour the school in the spring. All incoming Kindergarten students are invited to a week long summer orientation in August of each year.

Involve Our Teachers in Decision-Making

Teacher representatives and parents participate in our Building Leadership Team. This group has decision-making authority in numerous areas of school leadership. We meet at least once per month, and our representatives report back to their grade level/department teams. They also bring issues and input to BLT meetings from their team members.

Assist Our Students to Meet Standards

Our C-SIP targets underachieving students in a number of specific areas of student learning (see Section 3:Major Focus Areas)

Integrate Federal, State and School-based Programs See Guideline and Instructions document on how to complete this section

We blend the following funds to provide extra learning time in small groups for students not yet at standard:

#	Funding Type	Course Subject	Description (optional)
1			America SCORES soccer/literacy program
2			Children's Literacy Project/Seattle University
3			Seattle Music Partners

FOCUS AREA #1:

Part 1: SMART Goals to Support Focus Area

A SMART Goal is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely. The reason we use SMART Goals in the C-SIP is that they are more likely to get results. We have carefully chosen metrics for each SMART goal, limiting the number of goals, where possible, to five in each focus area to maintain realistic expectations and to remain targeted in our efforts. It is important to note that while this C-SIP spans 2009 – 2011, all SMART Goals listed below are annual goals for the

2009 – 2010 school year. 2010 – 2011 goals will be revisited and established in the spring of 2010.

All Seattle Public Schools select mathematics as a major focus area since it is a district-wide focus. In addition, schools must include focus areas and write SMART goals for any area of the WASL in which they did not make AYP.

See Guideline and Instructions document on how to complete this section

SMART Goal Summary for this Focus Area
Increase the percentage of 4^th grade students meeting writing standard to at least 63% on the 2010 WASL.

SMART Goals

	Metric (What is being measured)	Grade	Additional Areas of Emphasis (Optional)			08-09 Actual %	09-10 Goal %	Lead Responsibility
			Ethnicity	Gender	Program	(From)	(To)
1	If “other”:					43%	63%	If “other”: Type lead here
2	If “other”:					22%	42%	If “other”: Type lead here
3	If “other”:					29%	49%	If “other”: Type lead here
4	If “other”: Type metric here					0%	0%	If “other”: Type lead here
5	If “other”: Type metric here					0%	0%	If “other”: Type lead here
6	If “other”: Type metric here					0%	0%	If “other”: Type lead here
7	If “other”: Type metric here					0%	0%	If “other”: Type lead here
8	If “other”: Type metric here					0%	0%	If “other”: Type lead here
9

Number of teachers: Five	Name of Principal: Greg Imel
Number of classified staff: One	Name of Head Teacher: Karmen Nordhougen .

Open House	PTA/PTSA Meeting
Family Night	Other parent/community meeting. Specify: Annual Title I Parent meeting

SPS Instructional Directors	School Improvement (SI) Department	Curriculum and Instruction (CI) Department Leaders
Instructional / Content Coaches	OSPI Staff	School Improvement Facilitator (SIF) through the School Improvement Assistance Program (SIAP)

Introduction to the C-SIP

Mission

Vision

What We Have Learned From Our Data

Issue Summary

Description

How Our School Addressed the Issue

in this C-SIP

Major Focus Areas for Our School

#

Focus Area

Rationale for Choosing this Focus Area

C-SIP and the District’s Strategic Plan

Contribution to the District’s Strategic Plan

Ensuring Excellence in Every Classroom

Strengthening Leaders System-wide

Building an Infrastructure that Works Well

Improving Our Systems

Engaging Stakeholders