Identify the school-based RtI Leadership Team.

A. Principal: William Orr
B. Assistant Principals: Stephanie Davis and Anthony Jones
C. School Psychologist: Evelyn Hernandez
D. Guidance Counselor: Teresa Holcombe
E. Department Heads: Jennifer Kritch, John Vecellio, and Andrew Burgess
F. Reading Coach: Shelley Stewart
G. ESE Specialist: Stephanie Morrison
H. LEP Coordinator: Shelly Kress

Describe how the school-based RtI Leadership Team functions (e.g. meeting processes and roles/functions).

This year will be spent developing and forming the Hillsborough High School RTI team.

Describe the role of the school-based RtI Leadership Team in the development and implementation of the school improvement plan

This year will be spent developing and forming the Hillsborough High School RTI team. However members of the team will work together to review school data and incorporate teacher input in developing the School Improvement Plan. The School Improvement Plan is the document that will guide the framework for the development of the RTI team.

Describe the data management system used to summarize tiered data.

This year will be spent developing the Management System and process to review and utilize the data to make improvements in student learning. Currently, data used to address student learning includes: District semester exams, FAIR, and FCAT scores.

Describe the plan to train staff on RtI.

This will be a two phase process. The primary RTI Leadership Team will be encouraged to participate in Staff Development training in RTI. Once trained, they will share this information with faculty and staff in Faculty Meetings.

Data Disaggregation 2008-2009 FCAT Data

What strengths and weaknesses were identified in the 2009 data by grade level, subject area, and clusters/strands?

Reading
* In grades 9, 49% of the Standard Curriculum Students scored a Level 3 or above. This was 1% below the district average.
* In grade 10, 45% of the Standard Curriculum Students score a Level 3 or above. This was 2% over the district average.
Math
* In grade 9, 68% of the Standard Curriculum Students scored a Level 3 or above. This was 6% below the district average.
* In grade 10, 71% of the Standard Curriculum Students scored a Level 3 or above. This was 5% below the district average.
Science
* In grade 11, 46% of the Standard Curriculum Students scored a Level 3 or above. This was 6% over the district average.
Writing
* In grade 10, 81% of the All Curriculum Students scored a Level 3.5 or above. This was 1% below the district average and 5% above the state average.

Instructional Calendar Development

What is the process for developing, implementing, and monitoring an Instructional Focus Calendar for reading, writing, mathematics, and science?

* District level staff will be supporting both Reading and Math teachers in providing :
* A Mini-Lesson is a 10 minute lesson on one skill that stills need mastery or reinforcement. The mini-lesson can last one day or span over several days.
* A Mini-Assessment is a short (4-5 questions) assessment on the skill that is receiving the focus.
* The Mini-Lessons and Mini-Assessments usually take no more than 10 minutes per day, as teachers are also responsible for teaching the district “regular” curriculum.
* The data used to develop the Mini-Lesson includes 2009 FCAT data, 2009 district-level baseline assessments, school-based pre-assessments, district-level midyear assessments, district-generated content assessments, FAIR data, and daily class work performance, FAIR data and daily class work performance.
* The areas of Language Arts, Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies will meet weekly to discuss methods of instruction to improve student performance.

Which instructional Benchmarks will be given priority focus, based on need, for each content area (reading, writing, mathematics, and science)?

Based on the beginning of the year data, the following skills or benchmarks will be given priority order. However, these skills and benchmarks might change based on on-going progress monitoring data.

The following skill or benchmarks will be given priority order:
Reading: 9th and 10th grade – Details, summarizing, and main idea
Math: 9th and 10th – Number sense, measurement, problem solving
Science: 11th grade – Scientific Thinking, vocabulary…
Writing: 10th grade – Supportive details, expressing an opinion, and persuasive techniques

What is the process to ensure instruction is based on individual students’ needs, as opposed to the master schedule?

The district used an automated scheduling system, SILK, to ensure there are enough intensive, regular, advanced, honors, and AP courses according to student ability based on FCAT scores. Teachers will implement differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all learners.

How does the school incorporate applied and integrated courses to help students see the relationships between subjects and relevance to their future?

At our high school, students can select electives in the areas of Art, Band, Chorus, Orchestra, Journalism, Drafting, Computer Technology, Welding, Web Design, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Information technology, Construction Technology… Many of these course focus on job skills.

How does the school incorporate students’ academic and career planning, as well as promote student course selections, so that students’ course of study is personally meaningful?

Each year, our school offers an elective fair that exposes them to the curriculum of the elective course. Students meet with counselors on an annual basis for guidance in filling out their Course Selection sheets for the following year. These Course Selection sheets are sent home for parent review and signature.

Direct the Instructional Focus

How are lesson plans and instructional delivery aligned across grade levels and subject areas?

* Subject Area Departments will meet on Tuesdays after school weekly.
*Discuss “regular” District-Level Curriculum Guides/Calendars
*Using the District-level Curriculum Guides/Calendars, align daily lesson plans across the members of the grade level or subject area to ensure all students are receiving the same viable curriculum.
*Identify Common Formative Assessments (25-50 questions) every 9 weeks to check progress across a grade level or subject specific course.
*When building effective lessons for the core curriculum the following model is followed:
1. Teacher explicit instruction
2. Teacher modeled example
3. Guided practice
4. Check for understanding

How are instructional focus lessons developed and delivered?

A Mini-Lesson is usually:
*A specific skill/concept that has been taught before
*A specific skill/concept that needs periodic review in order to ensure mastery
*A specific skill/concept that students have some understanding but have not fully mastered
*A specific/concept skill that needs reinforcement
*A specific skill/concept that needs “maintenance” in order to ensure mastery
Mini-Focus lessons are developed by district-level personnel.
All Mini-Lessons have the following components:
*Direct instruction
*Includes teacher modeling and examples
*Actively involves students in the learning
*Provides guided and independent practice
*Includes a check for understanding
A Mini-Lesson is a 10 minute lesson on one skill that stills need mastery or reinforcement. The mini-lesson can last one day or span over several days.
A Mini-Assessment is a short (4-5 questions) assessment on the skill that is receiving the focus.
The Mini-Lessons and Mini-Assessments usually take no more than 10 minutes per day, as teachers are also responsible for teaching the district “regular” curriculum.
The Mini-Focus lesson will be taught the first 10 minutes of the class period. This will occur before the regular lesson is taught.

How will instructional focus lessons be revised and monitored?

*Administration monitors the delivery of the regular curriculum lessons and Mini-Lessons through administration walk-through.
*Based on the progress monitoring data (Common Formative Assessments and Mini-Assessments), discuss the effectiveness of the regular lessons and Mini Lessons. If needed, revise the regular curriculum lessons and re-teach accordingly.
*Department meetings will discuss alternative teaching strategies and lessons for student who continue to show non-mastery. .
*Do the aligned lesson plans based on the District Subject Area Calendar/Guidelines.
*Do the Common Formative Assessments.
*Do the Mini-Lessons.
*Do the Mini-Assessments.
*Do the effective teaching strategies researched and discussed meetings.
*Do teach using alternative/different teaching strategies for students who continue to show non-mastery within the Mini-Lessons and core curriculum.

Assessment

Describe the types of ongoing formative assessments to be used during the school year to measure student progress in core, supplemental, and intensive instruction/intervention.

The following is a summary of the assessment used to measure student progress in core, supplemental and Core Curriculum
• State Level/ District Level
o FCAT-released tests
o Schools follow a district calendar for Baseline and Midyear Assessments
o District generated assessments by the Office of Assessment
o Subject-specific assessments generated by District-level Subject Supervisors in Reading, Math, Writing and Science
o FAIR

• Common Assessments (Given every 9 weeks)
o A Common Assessment is a diagnostic tool and not used for grading purposes. It covers a “chunk” of instruction or a series of skills/benchmarks.
o A Common Assessment is an evaluation given to all students across a specific subject. It covers all of the skills taught within a certain time period. The purpose of the Common Assessment is to assess students’ knowledge of the core curriculum. The results of the Common Assessment are used to:
o Determine if the lesson plans and teaching strategies used to teach the core curriculum were effective or need to be modified.
o Determine which skills need to be taught with alternative strategies.
o Determine which skills need to be re-taught within the core curriculum
o Determine which students need Differentiated Instruction within the classroom and which students might need Supplemental Services.
o A Common Assessment can is district generated test provided by content supervisors. In the area of Language Arts/Reading, Common Assessments are given in the core curriculum every 9 weeks.
o In the area of Math, Common Assessments are given in the core curriculum every 9 weeks.
o In the area of Science, Common Assessments are given in the core curriculum every 9 weeks.
o In the English, Math and Science areas, the Common Assessments are usually 25-50 questions in length.
o In the area of Writing, writing prompts will be given monthly.
Mini-Assessments (Given after instruction on one specific skill.)
o A Mini-Assessment is a diagnostic tool and usually not used for grading purposes.
o Mini-Assessments are given after the Mini-Lesson has been taught
- Tests just one skill area.
- Usually 4-5 questions in length.
o The purpose of the Mini-Assessment is to:
- Determine student mastery of skill level
- Determine effectiveness of Mini-Lessons
- Determine if alternative strategies need to be used to teach the Mini-Lessons.
Supplemental/Intensive Instruction
• Students receiving Supplementary Services (Tier 2) and Intensive Services (Tier 3) will use all the assessment tools listed above.
As students progress through Supplementary Services and Intensive Instruction, the assessment process will increase in duration in order to provide more immediate feedback to determine if the alternative teaching strategies are working.

How are assessments used to identify students reaching mastery and those not reaching mastery?

In Reading it is recommended that 75-80% of the students master a Common Assessment or Mini-Assessments before a teacher moves on to another targeted area. The students not mastering the targeted skills (the other 20-25%) will receive differentiated instruction within the classroom using alternative teaching strategies. After re-teaching using alternative strategies, re-assessment will occur to ensure mastery. Students who demonstrate mastery will be involved in enrichment/advanced instruction.

Maintenance

How is ongoing assessment and maintenance of Benchmark mastery for each grade level and content area built into the Instructional Focus Calendar?

• Maintenance helps reinforce skills and knowledge until they become a part of the student’s knowledge base. Maintenance is a school-wide learning strategy and is ongoing.
• Based on the results FAIR Testing and FCAT data skill strands are targeted and reinforced by individualized reteaching.

Describe the process and schedule for teams to review progress monitoring data (summative and mini assessments) to identify the required instructional modifications that are needed to increase student achievement.

• As stated earlier, Departments will meet weekly. When assessments have been given, data analysis occurs at the next Department meeting. The focus of the meetings center around how to use the data to modify and improve instruction and determine grouping of students for differentiated instruction. Data is examined at each of the meetings (Common Assessment, Mini-Assessment, Chapter tests, student work and district-level assessments.) After the data is analyzed, the discussion moves to what needs to happen in terms of instruction as a result of the data.
• Minutes are taken during the meetings and posted on Internal for the entire school staff to review.

Monitoring

Describe the Principal’s and Leadership Team’s roles as instructional leaders and how they will be continuously involved in the teaching and learning process.

• Principal, Assistant Principal(s) and Instructional Coaches monitor the components of the Florida Continuous Improvement Model through classroom walkthroughs, and attending Leadership Team meetings.
• Where necessary, Instructional Coaches will assist teachers with providing instruction or core lessons or Mini-Lesson by modeling to whole groups or providing support in small group or one-on-one support.
• The Leadership Team, along with Administration and Instructional Coaches ensures teachers are using some type of monitoring system for individual student progress. The student progress monitoring system tracks the process of teaching, assessing, re-teaching and re-assessing. Monitoring of practices currently taking place in our school include:
- Teacher-student data chats every month (All Reading and Math Teachers)
- Word Wall (All core curriculum classes)
- Data Notebooks (Read 180 and I Can Learn)
- Student Portfolios (Kept by English and Reading Teachers: English II, Critical Thinking Skills, Reading I, Advanced Communication Method)

Supplemental and Intensive Instruction/Interventions

Identify the core, supplemental, and intensive instruction and interventions.

The core program (Tier 1) is classroom based instruction on the essential standards. It involves a viable core curriculum that embeds monitoring for all students. Within the core program, teachers use interventions such as researched based instructional strategies, flexible grouping for differentiated instruction and frequent progress monitoring to maximize student learning. These interventions are in addition to classroom learning, not in place of classroom learning.
This year our school is focusing on the following strategies, materials and techniques in our core program:
• Common Assessments (used for diagnostic purposes) every 4-9 nine weeks in the core areas.
• Use of Mini-Lessons and Mini-Assessments
• School-wide academic recognition programs every nine weeks
• Building effective lesson plans with the following components:
1. Teacher explicit instruction
2. Teacher modeled example
3. Guided practice
4. Check for understanding
• Higher order questioning (Read and Think Deeply) CRISS strategies
• Cornell Notes
• On-going progress reports to parents utilizing Edline

How are supplemental and intensive instruction/interventions and tutorials structured to re-teach non-mastered target areas?

Supplemental Programs (Tier 2)
Tier 2 involves immediate and powerful targeted interventions systematically applied and monitored for any students not achieving. In our school, Tier 2 begins in the classroom and then moves on to supplemental programs outside of the classroom. These interventions are in addition to, not in place of classroom learning.
Supplemental programs used in our school include:
• On-going progress reports to parents utilizing Edline
• ELP tutoring after school Monday - Thursday
• Reading and Math pullouts for Critical Level 2 and 3 students
• AVID elective
• Developmental Reading

Intensive Programs (Tier 3)
Intensive Programs (Tier 3) are tailored to individual needs. Most often they involve specially designed instruction or classes, small groups and one-one-one tutoring at a frequent duration and longer intervals of time. Again, they are in addition to, not in place of classroom learning
Intensive Reading and Language Arts (as a double block) as well as Intensive Math and Algebra 1 (as a double block).

How does the school identify staff’s professional development needs to improve their instructional strategies?

• Data analysis at the beginning of the school year of teacher’s past year data and current student data
• Teachers’ reflection on the Action Steps within the School Improvement Plan
• Teachers’ reflection on the Professional Development listed in the School Improvement Plan
• Teacher needs and requests through IPDPs
• Administrative walk-throughs and conferences with teachers
• Instructional Coaches walk-throughs and conferences with teachers
• District-level personnel walk-through and conferences with teachers
• Teacher survey of needs

Which students will be targeted for supplemental and intensive instruction/interventions?

As a result of progress monitoring, students who consistently demonstrate poor academic progress will be identified and receive supplemental and intensive services based on their needs.

How will the effectiveness of the interventions be measured throughout the year?

Assessments used in the core programs will also be used in the Supplemental and Intensive programs. In addition, these programs will also utilize the following assessments ….
• Tier 2 will assess every 3 weeks to determine if alternative interventions are working
• Tier 1 will assess weekly to determine if alternative interventions are working
• Our school has created a student communication form/folder that will be used by both core and supplemental/intensive services teachers. The core teachers will indicate on the form the student’s areas of weaknesses. The supplemental/intensive teachers will provide feedback on the types of intervention used and the progress monitoring results. This will result in students receiving instruction on areas of weakness only (instead of skills they have already mastered).
Strategies that are not working will be discontinued and replaced with alternative interventions. Attendance and behavior will be addressed to see if they are a barrier to progress.

Enrichment

Describe alternative instructional delivery methods to support acceleration and enrichment activities.

The district uses a variety of instructional delivery methods to support acceleration and enrichment activities:
• At all levels, classroom teachers differentiate instruction so that students who have mastered skills have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge base.
• Assignments are differentiated (Examples: PowerPoint presentation, designing a brochure, creating a reenactment…)
• Within the core curriculum, students who have mastered material receive additional instruction with new materials to expand their knowledge base while students who have not mastered the material receive alternative instruction.
• Honors and Advanced Placement Courses are offered in both academic and elective courses. These courses provide higher level instruction to expand their knowledge.

Describe how students are identified for enrichment strategies.

• FCAT scores are used to schedule students into advanced and honors classes.
• The district uses an automated scheduling system, SILK, to ensure that all students are placed appropriately into advanced and honors classes
• Student performance on assessments
• Student performance on class work
• Teacher recommendations
• Counselor recommendations
• Use of programming sheets to give students and parents the opportunity for input
• When needed, one-on-one conferences with students and parents