• Numbers of FARMS students
• LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students
• Title I Status
• Quarterly Assessments scores - English
• Quarterly Assessments scores - Mathematics
• PARCC Scores - Mathematics (Elementary grades 3, 4, 5)
• PARCC Scores - English/Language Arts (Elementary grades 3, 4, 5)
• Student scores on PARCC math assessment questions demonstrated difficulty with reasoning and modeling skills on PARCC assessment questions.
• Data indicates that Operational Number Sense within Base Ten is an essential area for school focus on improvement.
• Title I students indicate lower scores on quarterly assessments and PARCC assessments for reading and math.
• ELs, specifically our Hispanic students perform lower than other sub groups.
• African American students score lower than other student groups in math and reading.

Key Challenge #1: Numbers of FARMS students/Title 1 Status:

While the effects of poverty at Germantown Elementary have been historically present, the staff at Germantown create unique and innovative ways to meet the needs of our diverse community. The MSDE survey data shows that the percentage of families/students qualifying for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) was 74% in the 2018-2019 school year. Food insecurity and poverty can produce significant obstacles to student readiness for learning; reviewing the historical FARMS data shows that Germantown has always worked with families in need. Our Backpack Buddies program provides food over the weekend to many children in need. Our engaging after school clubs offer scholarships so ALL students can participate in extension programs. Our local business partners provide backpacks with school supplies and uniforms so all students are ready for learning. Our PTA raises funds and contributes toward lowering the cost of field trips for all students.  (Indicators 1,5,6,10)

• Socio-Economic Issues (employment, income levels, housing costs)
• Student Mobility
• Limited English proficiency for students and/or families
• Families in Crisis (mental, physical emotional, financial)

Key Challenge #2: Increasing number of  LEP students enrolled 

Our Germantown community is home to many Latino families, and we’re pleased to provide educational support for our increasing enrollment of English Language Learners. We often have families entering the United States for the first time, and no one in the family can speak English, which presents significant obstacles to accessing education, services, etc. Our school employees provide all documents in dual languages to best communicate with all families. Our district IWC (International Welcome Center) welcomes international families and provides an overview of school essentials. Our school has the support of a full time bilingual facilitator who provides information and outreach to families. Our staff monitors assessment data to determine areas of concern by grade level, standard, and essential indicators for all student groups to determine our academic focus for instruction. We have additional ESOL teachers to support our language learners across all grades. Title III funding provides additional parent information nights,  educating parents to best support their children with academics and social skills for learning success. Our Title I plan used quarterly assessment data to align funding for intervention supports with small group instruction.  (Indicators 1, 3, 5,6,10)

Key Challenge #3: Families in Crisis (mental, physical emotional, financial)

Lack of school readiness is detrimental to academic achievement. Research shows that brain development during a child’s first few years of life lays the foundation for later growth and learning capacity. Therefore, early experiences are crucial to language development and academic progress; yet our students often arrive at school with little exposure to vocabulary, literacy, and numeracy. More and more, our school families are experiencing significant trauma. The struggle to find adequate employment and housing causes stressful situations for many of our families.

The PPW (Pupil Personnel Worker) assigned to Germantown connects with families and offers many supports when housing, custody, or residential information is of concern.  Our bilingual facilitator provides information sessions for families to complete school informational forms and an overview of school practices. Our school offers the support services from Children’s Guild, a mental health agency housed at our school that works with many students. Germantown offers many MTT (Multi-Tiered Student Supports) that provide a caring environment under the guidance of our full-time school counselor.  Our counselor also facilitates small group supports with emotional and social skills to “lift up” all learners. Further, our school is a Restorative Practices school, providing a supportive and caring environment to build upon positive school experiences. CREW Connections provide small groups within our larger school body. These team CREWS are mentored by our caring staff and support positive energy with a focus on growing successes all learners. (Indicators 1, 2, 3, 4, 6,10)

 

• Socio-economic community issues (employment, income levels, housing costs)
• Significant changes over time in student/community demographics
• Significant increase/reduction in student enrollment numbers