• Attendance Rates
• 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)

  Key Challenge #1:  Attendance Rates

Student absenteeism is a concern and can erode a student’s ability to learn. Research has shown a direct correlation between good attendance and academic achievement.  Fortunately, our overall attendance rate has increased slightly: Attendance for the 2018-2019 school year was 93.75%, up 0.11% from the 2017-2018 school year. 

Despite many interventions during the 2018-2019 school year, trend data shows that a large number of students  - 95 out of 646 - have chronic absenteeism, which equates to being absent from school 18 days or more. A number of strategies have been employed to combat this problem, including school-wide efforts such as positive rewards for great attendance, small group sessions, and individual attempts by teachers, support staff, and the pupil personnel worker. These efforts are firmly rooted in cultivating a relationship with each student and his or her family to impress upon them that we not only expect but welcome the attendance of the child in school every day when the student is physically well enough to attend. (Indicators 2, 5, 6 and 10)

Key Challenge #2:  State Test Scores in Math and Reading

Our School Improvement Plan has been crafted to target the needs of the school as a result of our achievement on state testing. Gaps exist in the areas of mathematics and English/Language Arts. The 2018 results yielded that 24% of the students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded the benchmark in math. In the area of English/Language Arts, 29% of the students in grades 3-5 met or exceeded the benchmark established by the state.

In Language Arts, data analysis indicates that our students have difficulty with reading comprehension. This predominantly includes their ability to ask and answer questions, identify the central message or main idea of a text, and use strategies to unlock unknown vocabulary. 

To guide instructional decision making, teachers will work collaboratively to analyze data from mid-quarter common formative assessments and end-of-quarter benchmarks to target standards not yet mastered by students. Quarterly benchmark assessments have also indicated significant needs in writing. Students need explicit instruction in writing to improve their ability to organize their ideas in a clear and concise manner, to write in a structured way according to the purpose, and to use correct English language conventions (e.g., capitalization, spelling, grammar, punctuation).

Mathematics presents challenges in the area of basic fact fluency and problem solving. This is evidenced in student performance on quarterly benchmarks and state assessments. Students in grades 2-5 will be encouraged to use First in Math, an on-line mathematics program, to teach and reinforce the Very Important Facts (VIFs - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). Teachers at all grade levels will work collaboratively to plan lessons that allow students to make their math visible by using manipulatives and models. Research has shown that this will improve students’ problem solving abilities.  

• Socio-Economic Issues (employment, income levels, housing costs)
• Student Mobility
• Families in Crisis (mental, physical emotional, financial)
• Substance Abuse

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

Key Challenge #3:  Poverty and Students in Crisis

The poverty level and the impact of the social ills that plague our community have been on the rise for the past 12 years. In 2007, the percentage of students that qualified for free and reduced priced meals was 13.88%. For the 2018-2019 school year, the percentage was 42%. This dramatic increase has created great stress on families and their ability to provide for their children. Many students live with grandparents, relatives or friends due to their family’s economic status. As a result of the drastic increase in low-income families, the school qualifies for the free breakfast program for all students. We have also established a weekend food program for approximately 30 students; backpacks full of non-perishable food are sent home with students on Fridays. We have also partnered with community groups to provide food for families at Thanksgiving and gifts for children at Christmas. Cash donations have also been received from generous individuals to help offset the cost of field trips and school lunches. 

Our students come from diverse homes, and some have experienced traumatic events in their short lives. The school staff has worked diligently to circumvent the effects that these traumatic events have on children  by providing families with resources both in school and through outside providers. For example, we partner with Thrive Mental Health to provide in-school counseling for students. Minimizing the effects of traumatic events begins with loving the children entrusted to us, uplifting their spirits, and instilling hope in their hearts and minds. Mutually sharing our life stories will make us all stronger. (Indicators 2, 4 and 10)