Identify the school-based RtI Leadership Team.

Principal (Buddy Thomas): Provides a common vision for the use of data-based decision-making, ensures that the school-based team is implementing RtI, conducts assessment of RtI skills of school staff, ensures implementation of intervention support and documentation, ensures adequate professional development to support RtI implementation, and communicates with parents regarding school-based RtI plans and activities.

Assistant Principals (Randy Bruestle, Curriculum; Jason Looney, Administration and Director of Freshman Academy): Assists and facilitates the common vision for the use of data-based decision-making, ensures that the school-based team is implementing RtI, conducts assessment of RtI skills of school staff, ensures implementation of intervention support and documentation, ensures adequate professional development to support RtI implementation, and communicates with parents regarding school-based RtI plans and activities.

Teachers: ( Leila Maurer, English; Chloe Melton, Math; Jim Dunne, Science; Maribel Reyes, Science; Andy Baker, Social Sciences; Stephen Wilder, Law Academy; Renee Vaughn, Dean/ Curriculum Assistant; Lacy Emmerling, Dean/Curriculum Assistant). The teachers are Lead Teachers in their subject area, and the Deans are working on areas to improve their ability to assume the next level of leadership. This group provides information about core instruction, participates in student data collection, helps facilitate and deliver instruction/intervention, collaborates with other staff to implement interventions, and integrates materials/instruction within the framework of district Curriculum Maps, Learning Focus Strategies, and PS/RtI objectives.

Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Teachers (Linda Warren, ESE Facilitator; Denise Odum-Beede, VE): They are the facilitator and Lead Teacher for ESE and participate in student data collection, integrate core instructional activities/materials into instruction, and collaborate with general education teachers through such activities as co-teaching.

Academic Instructional Facilitator for Reading (Tammy Weller): The AIF develops, leads, and evaluates school core content standards/ programs and also identifies and analyzes existing literature on scientifically based curriculum/behavior assessment and intervention approaches. The AIF 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.

ELL Instructor (Neysa Hatcher): The ELL provides guidance for the ELL plan and 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 assistance for problem-solving activities including data collection, data analysis, intervention planning, and program evaluation; facilitates data-based decision making activities to improve instruction.

Technology Specialist (Robert Goodman): Our Network Manager develops or brokers technology necessary to manage and display data and also provides professional development and technical support to teachers and staff regarding data management and display.
Student Services Personnel (Guidance Counselors: Laquita Johnson-Looney and Jan Guard): The counselors work with the students and especially the Freshman Academy. They provide quality services and expertise on issues ranging from program design to assessment and intervention with individual students. In addition to providing interventions, counselors work with school social workers to continue to link child-serving and community agencies to the school and families to support the students’ academic, emotional, behavioral, and social success.

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

The Leadership Team will focus meetings on one question: How do we develop and maintain a problem-solving system
to bring out the best in our schools, our teachers, and our students?

The team meets three times a month to engage in the following activities: Review universal screening data and link to instructional decisions; review progress monitoring data at the grade level and classroom level to identify students who are meeting/exceeding benchmarks, and who are at moderate risk or at high risk for not meeting benchmarks. Based on the above information, the team will identify professional development needs based on progress monitoring and available resources. The team will also collaborate regularly, problem solve, share effective practices, evaluate implementation, make decisions, and practice new processes and skills. The team will also facilitate the process of building consensus, increasing infrastructure, and making decisions about implementation. The Leadership Team will use ConnectEd and Genesis as monitoring devices that will keep us informed of areas of concern we need to address. We will continue to have parent contact to increase attendance and decrease poor behavior. We will continue to analyze data frequently to assess the ongoing need of attendance and behavior.

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

The RtI Leadership Team meets with the School Advisory Council (SAC) and Principal to help develop the SIP. The team
provides data on the following: objective targets; academic and social/emotional areas that need to be addressed; setting
clear expectations for instruction (Rigor, Relevance, Relationship); facilitating the development of a systemic approach to
teaching (Gradual Release, Essential Questions, Activating Strategies, Teaching Strategies, Extending, Refining, and
Summarizing); and aligning processes and procedures.

Describe the data management system used to summarize tiered data.

Baseline data: Progress Monitoring and Reporting Network (PMRN), Assessment and Information Management System
(AIMS web), Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), IDEAS.
Progress Monitoring: PMRN, AIMS web, FastForWord, FCAT Simulation
Midyear: Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR), FastForWord
End of year: IDEAS, AIMS web, FCAT, FastForWord
Frequency of Data Days: twice a month for data analysis

Describe the plan to train staff on RtI.

Describe the plan to train staff on RtI.

Professional development will be provided during teachers’ common planning time, and small sessions will occur throughout
the year. Two PD sessions entitled “RtI: Problem Solving Model: Building Consensus Implementing and Sustaining
Problem-Solving/RtI” and “RtI: Challenges to Implementation Data-based Decision-making, and Supporting and Evaluating
Interventions” will take place in mid-August and in October.
The RtI team will also evaluate additional staff PD needs during the weekly 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: Writing (85% meeting state standards); the lowest 25% in math made AYP; 61% of our reading retakers and 63% of math retakers passed the FCAT; 98% of the student population tested; an increase in our graduation rate by 1%

Weaknesses: Reading in all AYP cells, grades 9-10; Math grades 9-10 in the Black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and students-with-disabilities cells. Science grade 11 in all AYP cells.

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 an FCIM, the 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 the school’s Reading Instructional Focus Calendar. 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.

A writing focus for the school is implemented school-wide with the Writing to Learn program. Content area teachers are required to engage their students in a specific number of writing activities throughout the instructional process every quarter. These writing samples are monitored by the school’s administration to ensure fidelity to the program. Staff consults on this process at every month’s Learning Communities so as to develop better practices for student achievement.

A focus on expository, persuasive, and narrative writing within the English Department occurs throughout quarterly student writing portfolio checks. Teachers and students collaborate throughout each of the nine weeks to develop and reflect upon these portfolios to ensure higher student achievement. School administrators participate in collecting and working with the English teachers to analyze these portfolios and to discuss areas for department improvement.

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

Reading teachers will continue to focus on building comprehension in their students, with a focus on improving their students’ abilities in critical thinking, including, but not limited to, skills inherent in reference and research.

Math teachers will focus on improving students’ skills in measurement, geometry, and real-world applications.

Science teachers will focus on improving their students’ content area acquisition through improving subject-area vocabulary and comprehension of the scientific process.

All teachers will continue to focus on improving students’ skills in drafting, revising, and editing through the use of a school-wide writing program, English portfolios, and adherence to district curriculum maps. (Reading across the Content Area)

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

Students are placed into intensive reading and intensive math classes based upon their FCAT levels. In addition, students are assigned to extended reading blocks based upon their performance on state-mandated fluency exams. Teachers align their instructional levels based upon both the district-mandated Curriculum Maps, as well as the students’ achievement data. Such data is gleaned from prior years’ AP exams, report card grades, FCAT achievement, SAT and ACT scores, and teacher-made assessments and recommendations.

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

At monthly Learning Communities, teachers from across all of our content areas meet and consult with one another to align their instructional strategies to meet the needs and interests of the students. Elective teachers are encouraged to incorporate literacy and math strategies as well as subject matter within their content areas. Students have the opportunity to become members of specific Learning Academies that comprise both elective and content-area classes so as to build contiguity and relevance within their major/minor area of study.

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?

In their freshmen year, students meet with our Guidance Department in order to choose their major area of interests. This is followed by ongoing individual meetings with the guidance staff to monitor their progress toward graduation. College and Career continually disseminates information to the students regarding scholarships, career and business forums, college applications and admissions procedures, etc. The student course selection process is influenced by teacher guidance and recommendation, the Guidance Department, individual student choice and interest level, PSAT and AP Potential scores and parent involvement.

Direct the Instructional Focus

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

Teachers are expected to consult and follow the district Curriculum Maps for their individual subject levels. Teachers will base their instruction upon the Sunshine State Standards. Common planning time is provided for teachers within departments so that teachers can align their instruction to flow from one grade to the next.

How are instructional focus lessons developed and delivered?

Focus lessons are developed by the school’s AIF, leadership team, and lead teachers to meet the needs of the students. These focus lessons coincide with the district’s Curriculum Maps. Focus lessons will be delivered to teachers throughout Learning Communities and departmental meetings.

How will instructional focus lessons be revised and monitored?

Student progress and data will be reviewed in order to determine student needs. Such data will be obtained from IDEAS, as well as other teacher tools, and ongoing progress monitoring tools such as the FAIR. Once teachers have this data they will analyze the information and determine the needs of the students. Then the instructional lessons will be revised to address these deficiencies. Administrative walk-throughs, review of lesson plans and formal and informal observations will be used to monitor the instructional focused 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.

Using the reading programs FAIR, Read 180 and Fast ForWord, student reading progress will be monitored. FCAT will be used to place students in intensive math and reading programs as necessary. District end-of-course exams and semester pre-test /post-test will be used to verify that students are placed in appropriate levels courses and to determine if student are making adequate progress.

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

Achievement thresholds will be set for each grade level and subject area as determined by assessment data. Students not reaching the threshold will be targeted for additional support (student tutoring, request parent involvement, placement in Nova Net /Virtual/Adult School programs) as well as continuous monitoring of student data. Formative benchmark assessments 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.

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 will meet monthly to review the most current progress monitoring data, and in turn, make instructional recommendations to include both interventions as well as enrichment strategies for subgroups of students, as well as individual students. These PLCs consist of department level meetings, individual grade level meetings, and cross-curricular meetings. PS/RtI meetings will assess data on an ongoing basis to identify required instructional interventions that are needed to increase student achievement.

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. The leadership team advertises and makes available opportunities for teachers to engage in professional development opportunities outside of the school campus. The administrative team will facilitate further implementation of the PS/RtI process through staff development.

Supplemental and Intensive Instruction/Interventions

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

READ 180, FastForWord in Intensive Reading courses; Intensive Math courses; Author’s Backpack, Writing Across the Curriculum

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 reading and/or mathematics, extended days, schooling over the summer, and reteaching.

Small class sizes; individualized instruction; small group instruction; computer-assisted instruction; after school tutoring

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

Our district has designed a Learning Focused Implementation Tool to be administered during the 2009-2010 school year to help identify areas of need for professional development.

Staff surveys; assessing FCAT data; district requirements; classroom observations; FAIR Data

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

Any student scoring a Level 1 or 2 or any student struggling with the Core instruction.

Students who score below grade level on FCAT reading and math; students who test as Level I and Level II on state-mandated assessments; students who fail to demonstrate mastery on end-of-course exams, midterms, and teacher-made assessments.

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

Ongoing progress monitoring, biweekly assessments, formative assessments, New Century Education progress charts, and FAIR.

Using the RTI team, data will be analyzed to determine ongoing learning gains of targeted groups needing improvement as determined by lesson focused plans. Sources for such data are FCAT, IDEAS, READ 180, FastForWord, Fair, pre/post tests and end of course exams.

Enrichment

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

For advanced students in need of accelerated learning in a department of juvenile justice environment we make of Virtual School and provide students with advanced reading opportunities through library purchases and round table discussions.

Learning Focused Strategies, CRISS, Kagan strategies within cooperative learning activities; academic academies; Honors and AP classes

Describe how students are identified for enrichment strategies.

The guidance counselor and ESE specialist work together with teachers to identify students most suitable for enrichment strategies.

Student interest; test data; teacher/guidance recommendations; parent requests; AP Potential