Identify the school-based RtI Leadership Team.

ALL MEMBERS WILL MAINTAIN THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE INFORMATION SHARED IN PS/RtI LEADERSHIP TEAM MEETINGS.

Principal: The Principal provides a common vision for the use of data-based decision –making, models the Problem Solving Process; supervises the development of a strong infrastructure for implementation of PS/RtI; ensures that the school-based team is implementing PS/RtI; conducts assessment of PS/RtI skills of school staff; ensures implementation of intervention support and documentation; ensures and participates in adequate professional learning to support PS/RtI implementation; develops a culture of expectation with the school staff for the implementation of PS/RtI school wide; ensures resources are assigned to those areas in most need; and communicates with parents regarding school-based PS/RtI plans and activities.
Assistant Principal of Curriculum: Assists Principal in providing a common vision for the use of data-based decision-making, assists in the development of a strong infrastructure of resources for the implementation of PS/RtI, further assists the principal in the assessment of PS/RtI skills, implementation of intervention support and documentation, professional learning, and communication with parents concerning PS/RtI plans and activities.
Selected General Education Teachers: Provide information about core instruction; participate in student data collection; deliver Tier 1 instruction/intervention; collaborate with other staff to implement Tier 2/3 interventions; and integrate Tier 1 materials/instruction with Tier 2/3 activities.
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Teachers: Participate in student data collection, integrate core instructional activities/materials/ instruction in tiered interventions; collaborate with general education teachers.
Academic Intervention Facilitator: Develops, leads, and evaluates school core content standards/programs; identifies and analyzes existing literature on scientifically based curriculum/behavior assessment and intervention approaches. Identifies systematic patterns of student need while working with district personnel to identify appropriate, evidence-based intervention strategies; assists with whole school screening programs that provide early intervening services for children to be considered “at risk,” assists in the design and implementation for progress monitoring, data collection, and data analysis, participates in the design and delivery of professional development; and provides support for assessment and implementation monitoring.
School Psychologist: Participates in collection, interpretation, and analysis of data; facilitates development of intervention plans; provides support for intervention fidelity and documentation; provides professional development and technical evaluation; assists in facilitation data-based decision making activities.
PS/RtI Behavior Representative (PBS): Participates in collection, interpretation, and analysis of data; facilitates development of intervention plans; provides support for intervention fidelity and documentation; assists with professional development for behavior concerns; assists in facilitation data-based decision making activities.
Speech Language Pathologist: Educates the team in the role language plays in curriculum assessment, and instruction, as a basis for appropriate program design; assists in the selection of screening measures; and helps identify systematic patterns of student need with respect to language skills.
Guidance Counselor: Provides quality services and expertise on issues ranging from program design to assessment and intervention with individual students. Communicates with child-serving community agencies to support the students’ academic, emotional, behavioral, and social success.
Technology Specialist: Develops or brokers technology necessary to manage and display data, provides professional development and technical support to teachers and staff regarding data management and graphic display.

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

The PS/RtI Leadership Team will focus meetings on how to improve school/teacher effectiveness and student achievement using the Problem Solving Model.
The PS/RtI Leadership Team will meet at least once per month (or more frequently as needed) to engage in the following activities:
o Review school-wide, grade level, and teacher data to problem solve needed interventions on a systemic level and identify students meeting/exceeding benchmarks as well as those at moderate or high risk for not meeting benchmarks. This will be done at least three times per year or more frequently if new data is available.
o Help referring teachers design feasible strategies and interventions for struggling students by collaborating regularly, problem solving, sharing effective practices, evaluating implementation, assist in making decisions for school, teacher, student improvement.
o Facilitate the process of building consensus, increasing infrastructure, and making decisions about implementation.
o Focus on improving student achievement outcomes with evidence based interventions implemented with fidelity and frequent progress monitoring.
o Intervention teams also foster a sense of collegiality and mutual support among educators, promote the use of evidence-based interventions, and support teachers in carrying out intervention plans.

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

The PS/RtI Leadership Team met with the School Advisory Council (SAC) and principal to help develop the SIP. The team provided data on: Tier 1, 2, and 3 targets; academic and social/emotional areas that needed to be addressed; helped set clear expectations for instruction (Rigor, Relevance, Relationship); facilitated the development of a systemic approach to teaching (Gradual Release, Essential Questions, Activating Strategies, Teaching Strategies, Extending, Refining, and Summarizing); and aligned processes and procedures.

Describe the data management system used to summarize tiered data.

Baseline data is gathered through August and September. FAIR data is processed through the Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network (PMRN). Ninth and tenth Grade instructional data is gathered from the previous year’s FCAT scores.
Progress Monitoring data is gathered mid-year and toward the end of the year. FAIR data is processed twice more through the PMRN. Other Progress Monitoring data is collected as needed for classroom or student progress. This information may be obtained by probes, Quick Reads, Fluency checks, etc.
Diagnostic Assessment data is gathered through the FAIR and others to be provided by the State for Math and Science
End of Year data is gathered through FAIR, SAT 10, and FCAT.
Data is discussed and analyzed at least monthly at the PS/RtI Leadership Team Meetings.

Describe the plan to train staff on RtI.

Professional learning will be provided during the teachers’ common planning time and sessions will occur throughout the year. The PS/RtI Overview will be provided in mid-August/September. The District has five other mini-modules that will be provided throughout the year.
The PS/RtI Leadership Team will evaluate additional staff Professional Learning needs during the monthly PS/RtI Leadership Team 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?

Strengths: The percent of 9th grade students meeting high standards in Math increased from 62% to 72%. The percent of 9th grade students making learning gains in Math increased from 72% to 78%. The percent of students in the Lowest 25% subgroup in 9th grade Math making learning gains increased from 71% to 78%. The percent of students in the Lowest 25% subgroup in 9th grade Reading making learning gains increased from 45% to 52%. The percentage of AYP categories satisfied increased from 67% to 87%. In Math, only the FRLP subgroup did not make AYP while all others that were applicable in Math did make AYP. The percent of students below grade level in reading dropped from 87% to 80% for the Black subgroup. The graduation rate increased for every subgroup. In 9th grade Reading, the clusters of Words/Phrases, Main Idea/Authors Purpose and Comparisons all showed more than 65% of available points earned on average. In 10th grade Reading, all clusters showed more than 50% of available points earned on average. In 9th grade Math, the clusters of Geometry, Algebraic Thinking and Data Analysis all showed more than 60% of available points earned on average. In 10th grade Math, the cluster of Number Sense showed more than 55% of available points earned on average.

Weaknesses: The percent of 9th grade students meeting high standards in Reading decreased from 45% to 43%. The percent of 9th grade students making learning gains in Reading decreased from 52% to 51%. Across the 10th grade, all report card categories showed decreases or remained constant. The most notable decreases in performance were for the Lowest 25% subgroup in 10th grade Math making learning gains, which showed a decrease from 84% to 67% and the percent of 10th grade students making learning gains in Math which decreased from 82% to 72%. The percent of 11th grade students meeting high standards in Science decreased from 32% to 23%. No subgroups met AYP in Reading. In 9th grade Reading, the cluster of Reference/Research showed less than 50% of available points earned on average. In 9th grade Math the cluster of Measurement showed less than 50% of available points earned on average. In 10th grade Math the clusters of Geometry and Data Analysis showed less than 50% of available points earned on average. In 11th grade Science, the clusters of Physical and Chemical Sciences and Life and Environmental Sciences both showed less than 50% of available points earned on average.

Instructional Calendar Development

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

As an initial step towards implementing FCIM Auburndale High School will focus on the area of reading. The district has created reading curriculum maps that are accompanied by a course timeline. The course timeline is the starting point for each school’s Instructional Focus Calendar. The district has also developed a timeline for Reading Comprehension Mini-Lessons which will serve as a basis for Auburndale High School’s Reading Instructional Focus calendar. AHS teachers will weave the mini-lesson themes into their classroom curriculum in order to give the students the lessons in context, leading to a higher level of comprehension and application of reading strategies. The implementation of the reading mini-lessons will be monitored by the AIF, school leadership team, and administration. Monthly PLC (grade level/department/team) meetings will be held to adjust the pacing of the mini-lessons.

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

Reading: Our Focus Calendar has Vocabulary in Context as its main thrust throughout the entire school year. In addition to Vocabulary in Context, the remainder of the Focus Calendar will cover (in this order) Organization Patterns, Text Features, Author’s Purpose and Perspective, Main Idea and Details, Cause and Effect, Validity and Reliability of Sources, Compare and Contrast and finally Synthesize Between Two Passages.
Writing: Our Writing Program will be spearheaded by our 10th grade English teachers and will be infused in our content area classes. Each month, teachers in the content areas will be able to view a model writing lesson demonstrated by our English teachers, or view samples of expected student work from which they can develop their content-based practice from. The focus will be on the mechanics of writing.
Mathematics: The focus calendar for mathematics will consist of 22 weeks of focus lessons and mini-assessments to be taught to all 9th grade Algebra 1 students and those 10th grade and above in Intensive Math Classes. The focus lessons will include modeled practice and individual student practice in the 5 strands in the following order: Number Sense, Measurement, Algebra, Data Analysis and Geometry.
Science: Science teachers in the 11th grade will focus on concepts included in the Physical Science curriculum, with a spiraled review of Biology and Earth/Space Science concepts.

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

Disaggregation of FCAT data and monthly data PLCs (grade level/department/team) will use the data from FAIR and other progress monitoring tools to identify student needs and provide appropriated interventions. Classroom walk-throughs and data from prior FCAT tests will be used to help identify teachers which may need additional professional development to help increase student performance. Every effort will be made to place the best teachers with those student most at risk.

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

The school offers students elective courses in art, business and technology, and has two career academies. Many of these courses focus on job skills and the Medical Academy and BrightHouse Telecommunications Academy can both lead to industry certification and/or college credit.
A daily focus of the school is for teachers and students to ask each other, “is this relevant and rigorous?” to ensure that students are known, valued and inspired to learn.

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?

The school offers students elective courses in art, business, technology, physical education, child care, foreign language, music and agriculture, along with the two Academies – Health and Telecommunications. Students are encouraged to select a Major Area of Interest in the 8th grade, and select courses from those majors for their 4 years of high school. They can at any time select a different Major Area of Interest and pursue courses in other fields they find interesting. Every year, students meet with their guidance counselors to discuss what they have taken and what they might like to do in the future. In addition, each spring AHS holds an orientation night during which all elective courses and extra-curricular activities are showcased for parents and students. It is after this night that the registration process begins for the next school year, and students select up to three elective classes to participate in.

Direct the Instructional Focus

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

Aligned and prioritized curriculum maps and timelines are used in all core areas. Teachers implement the EATS model for planning and delivery of core curriculum which includes essential questions, activating strategies, high-yield teaching strategies, summarizing and then re-teaching as necessary. The district-wide Monthly Reading Comprehension Focus will be used as the basis of the reading mini-lessons.

How are instructional focus lessons developed and delivered?

Model instructional focus lessons were developed by master teachers and are posted within the district curriculum maps for all to use for core instruction. Collaborative PLCs will use the EATS model for creating additional acquisition lessons. Best practices, coaching and support for using Learning Focused Strategies will be provided by the principal, assistant principal of curriculum, and leadership team. Reading comprehension mini-lessons will be interwoven in all areas of curriculum. The AIF will work with the leadership team to schedule the pacing of the mini lessons as well as the time of delivery during the monthly PLCs dealing with curriculum and instruction. The mini-lessons are organized by strategy.

How will instructional focus lessons be revised and monitored?

Vertical teams and articulation centered on high quality student work and the results of mini-assessments will guide further revisions or refinements of the instructional focus lessons. Classroom walk-throughs will be used to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the lessons.

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.

FAIR, READ 180, and Fast ForWord will be sources of ongoing formative assessments and data in Reading. We are going to implement the formative assessments provided by the State in Math and Science when they become available.

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

Achievement thresholds will be set for each grade level in the area of Reading. Students not reaching the threshold will be targeted for additional support as well as monitoring. Formative benchmark assessments in other subject areas are consistently used: school-wide and in all core areas. They are given frequently and used for monitoring student progress, as well as for planning and instruction.

Maintenance

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

Dates for ongoing assessments and spiraled review are built into the instructional focus calendar at the conclusion of each month’s comprehension focus. Additional learning opportunities will be offered to struggling students through after school tutorial sessions and academic work details on Saturdays.

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.

PLCs (grade level/department/team) will meet monthly to review the most current progress monitoring data. They will make instructional recommendations to include both interventions as well as enrichment strategies for subgroups of students, as well as individual students.

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.

The administrators and the leadership team facilitate PLCs with staff members/teams which address data, student work, instruction and curriculum. The administrators and the leadership team schedule coaching and monitoring visits to classrooms on a regular basis. Classroom walk-throughs will be utilized to observe interventions in practice.

Supplemental and Intensive Instruction/Interventions

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

Core: All level 1 and level 2 disfluent 9th and 10th grade reading students, based on MAZE scores and FCAT scores, are scheduled into a double-block reading class for a total of 110 minutes of reading instruction every day. All level 1 and level 2 fluent 9th and 10th grade reading students, based on MAZE scores and FCAT scores, are scheduled into a single block reading class for a total of 55 minutes of reading instruction every day.
Supplemental: At least 45 minutes each day of the double-block reading class is spent in the computer lab working on Fast ForWord. All level 3-5 fluent reading students in the 9th and 10th grade, based on MAZE scores and FCAT scores, are scheduled into either a single block reading class or an Advanced Placement Human Geography (9th) or Advanced Placement World History (10th) class. All 9th grade students taking a regular Algebra 1 (not Honors level) math class are also scheduled into a consecutive period of intensive math with the same teacher to extend the time to teach Algebra and to build in time for FCAT skills practice.
Intensive: All level 1 and level 2 11th or 12th grade math students who did not pass the FCAT are scheduled into a single block intensive math class every day. All level 1 and level 2 disfluent 11th and 12th grade reading students who did not pass the FCAT are scheduled into a double-block reading class. All level 1 and level 2 fluent 11th and 12th grade reading students are scheduled into a single block reading class or in a class with a CAR-PD endorsed teacher who utilizes reading strategies in the content area.

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

Multiple opportunities for researched based extended learning activities including: extended time for math and /or reading, extended day, summer school, accelerating and previewing, as well as re-teaching.

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

The Learning Focused Implementation Tool will be administered at the start of the 2009 – 2010 school year to help identify areas of need for professional development. A survey of staff professional development desires was also conducted at the end of the last school year.

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

Any student scoring a Level 1 or 2; a student with an ASP; or a student who is struggling with the Core Academic instruction.

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

Ongoing progress monitoring, mini-assessments, formative assessments, student data chats, and FAIR.

Enrichment

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

Students who have exceeded mastery levels in core academic areas are typically placed in Advance Placement Classes. For example, high achieving 9th grade students are placed in AP Human Geography rather than a Reading class. This course is taught by a Reading Endorsed teacher so that they still receive instruction relevant for the FCAT Reading test, but also applied to a more rigorous content area. High Achieving 10th grade students are placed in AP World History.

Describe how students are identified for enrichment strategies.

FCAT results, in addition to student progress in a specific course, as well as assessment results that demonstrate consistent proficiency/mastery are used to determine placement in higher level courses and academic programs. Teacher recommendation is also taken into consideration.
Letters are sent to the students and their parents and an informational AP Parent Night is held in the spring. The parents are counseled on the expectations for the student in the higher level course, as well as the need for their continued parental involvement.