VISION and MISSION STATEMENTS

The BEST Program provides a program that incorporates response to instruction/intervention-behavior for students from kindergarten through fifth grade which serves as the basis for correcting the problem behavior. Teachers and staff create an environment which reduces the occurrences of targeted behaviors and enhances academic progress through diagnostic and prescriptive teaching strategies, social skills training and behavior management plans. Program procedures and activities are based on beliefs that all students can learn, all students have value, and all students have a responsibility to conform to the legitimate rules of school and society.


PART I: CURRENT SCHOOL STATUS

SCHOOL PROFILE/DEMOGRAPHICS


Brief History and Background of the School

BEST is a behavioral and academic program for students in grades K-5. Students are assigned to BEST as a result of an expulsion or as a Tier 3 RtI intervention. There are 6 teachers assigned to the campus, and 1 lead teacher. Students are assigned to BEST at various times during the year. The number of students attending ranges from 20-75 during the school year. Students utilize the district's core curriculum in all subject areas with supplemental instruction in needed areas and the use of daily access to computers to practice reading and math skills.
Polk County School District used to enforce zero tolerance for all grade levels. As a result any student in grades K-5 who brought a weapon to school would be expelled and assigned to BEST. With the new zero tolerance language which allows the circumstances behind the act to be considered, there will be more flexibility given in the assignment of students in grades K-5.


Unique School Strengths for Next Year

Small class sizes consisting of 12 students to two adults.
Paraeducator support for each classroom.
Mental health counselor to provide individual and small group counseling to students and parents.
Daily computer access to New Century for math and reading supplemental instruction and practice.


Unique School Weaknesses for Next Year

Students are assigned to BEST and transition back to their zoned school at various times during the school year.

New teachers to the county, through they have had prior teaching experience in other states.


Student Demographics

We serve a diverse population of male, female, white, black, hispanic, multi-racial, and asian. The majority of students served are in grades 3-5.


Student Attendance Rates

Attendance averages 90% on a daily basis. Absent students receive a phone call from school staff on the morning of the absence as follow up.


Student Mobility

There is not a true mobility rate as students are assigned to the BEST program and are transitioned back as determined by the length of expulsion or the amount of time it takes the student to respond to the interventions.


Student Suspension Rates

Students are not suspended from the BEST program.


Student Retention Rates

No retentions at BEST.


Class Size

Average is 12:1 teacher and paraeducator


Academic Performance of Feeder Pattern

Students are assigned to the BEST program from all the elementary schools in the district.


Partnerships and Grants

Partnerships with Winter Haven Behavioral Health and Peace River to provide services to families.


STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA

Note: The following links will open in a separate browser window.

School Grades Trend Data

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Trend Data

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Trend Data

HIGHLY QUALIFIED ADMINISTRATORS

PositionNameDegree(s)/ Certification(s)# of Years at Current School# of Years as an AdministratorPrior Performance Record *
Principal Nancy Woolcock, Assistant Superintenent Educational Leadership
Masters in Exceptional Student Education 		1 2 As BEST is an alternative education site, the scores for the students are reported through their zoned school.

* Note: Prior Performance Record (including prior School Grades and AYP information along with the associated school year)

HIGHLY QUALIFIED INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES

Subject AreaNameDegree(s)/ Certification(s)# of Years at Current School# of Years as a CoachPrior Performance Record *
No coaches are assigned to the BEST program None None None

* Note: Prior Performance Record (including prior School Grades and AYP information along with the associated school year)


HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS

Description of StrategyPerson ResponsibleProjected Completion DateNot Applicable (If not, please explain why)
District only allows teachers who are certified and HQ to be hired. A quality counts survey is completed on line along with employment. Panel interviews are held with the requirement of proof of certified/HQ to ensure compliance Nancy Woolcock September 2009


Non-Highly Qualified Instructors

NameCertificationTeaching AssignmentProfessional Development/Support to Become Highly Qualified
None N/A N/A None


Staff Demographics

Total Number of Instructional Staff % of First-Year Teachers % of Teachers with 1-5 Years of Experience % of Teachers with 6-14 Years of Experience % of Teachers with 15+ Years of Experience % of Teachers with Advanced Degrees % Highly Qualified % Reading Endorsed Teachers % National Board Certified Teachers % ESOL Endorsed
7057043210000100


Teacher Mentoring Program

Mentor NameMentee AssignedRationale for PairingPlanned Mentoring Activities
Donna Grant Jeremy Fowler
Sue Montgomery
Larry Plapinger 		Lead teacher of the site Direct towards required professional learning activities. Serve as a person to answer questions and direct resources
Linda Newman All teachers Trainer from district for FAIR, Learning Focused Strategies, and curriculum maps FAIR training
LFS training
Curriculum maps training
Professional learning communities on LFS/curriculum maps



ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Coordination and Integration


Note: For Title I schools only

Title I, Part A

N/A


Title I, Part C- Migrant

N/A


Title I, Part D

N/A


Title II

N/A


Title III

N/A


Title X- Homeless

N/A


Supplemental Academic Instruction (SAI)

N/A


Violence Prevention Programs

N/A


Nutrition Programs

N/A


Housing Programs

N/A


Head Start

N/A


Adult Education

N/A


Career and Technical Education

N/A


Job Training

N/A


Other

N/A


Response to Instruction/Intervention (RtI)


School-based RtI Team

Identify the school-based RtI Leadership Team.

Nancy Woolcock, Assistant Superintendent, Learning Support; Donna Grant, Lead Teacher; Kirk Dobson, School Psychologist; TBA - Mental Health Counselor; and Linda Newman, District Reading Teacher


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

The leadership team meets on a monthly basis to review student progress and behavior plans. The lead teacher then reviews this information with the teachers. The team has developed a professional learning community to further instruct staff on RtI Behavior/PBS.


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

Donna Grant, Lead Teacher and Nancy Woolcock, Assistant Superintendent developed the plan.




RtI Implementation

Describe the data management system used to summarize tiered data.

Daily Point Sheets, News Century Math and Reading are reviewed weekly to assist with planning and direct teacher instruction.


Describe the plan to train staff on RtI.

1. An overview of RtI-Behavior/PBS was presented to staff during preschool.
2. Staff has received Learning Focus Strategies and curriculum map training during the summer and preschool.
3. An RtI Professional Learning Community has been formed.
4. As part of the Professional Learning Community staff will complete the Florida RtI project on-line course.
5. Staff is being trained on how to access, read, and utilize data.



School Wide Florida’s Continuous Improvement Model

Plan

Data Disaggregation 2008-2009 FCAT Data


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


Data for students at BEST are reported back to their zoned schools. The pattern that was noted with students at BEST is the return rate. The focus of the program this year is to provide a seamless transition back to the zoned school so that students do not need to return to the BEST site.


Instructional Calendar Development


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

Staff have been instructed in the use of curriculum maps. The district has provided the schools with a monthly focus calendar which the staff will follow.


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

Reading: Reference and Research, Vocabulary, Summarizing, Main Idea
Science: Adding investigative unit for each grade level.
Math: Repetition of basic facts - math fluency.


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

The classes at BEST have a lower student to teacher ratio, and each classroom is equipped with a paraeducator to provide support to the students. Students participate in a daily computer lab that provides math and reading practice at their instructional level.


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

The leveled behavior system incorporates freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior to provide opportunities for staff to talk to the students about high school and graduation.


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?

Outside speakers are brought in to speak with students about various careers.




DO

Direct the Instructional Focus


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


Teachers have been trained in LFS. Essential questions and student mapping are being incorporated into the lesson plans. Teachers are assigned to a subject area that they teach to the different grade levels each day. Every afternoon teachers come together to review the day's progress and spend on day a week developing collaborative plans.


How are instructional focus lessons developed and delivered?

Staff is currently receiving instruction in focused lessons. The lessons are being provided by the district curriculum coordinators to assist the teachers.


How will instructional focus lessons be revised and monitored?

Monitoring will take place during monthly classroom observations.




CHECK

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, New Century, and chapter assessment from text.


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

Results of assessments are reviewed and students are provided additional instruction in the area of need.


Maintenance


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

Curriculum maps provide the frameworks for instruction along with the monthly focus calendars being provided by the district. Teachers utilize these guides in order to direct their instruction to 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.

Weekly meetings with teachers to review student progress and make modifications to plans.


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.

Assistant Superintendent will conduct weekly walk through of classrooms. Weekly professional learning will be provided to teachers covering: What is a PLC?; RtI-behavior; Curriculum maps and the continued coordination of LFS strategies.




ACT

Supplemental and Intensive Instruction/Interventions


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


BEST is an intensive instruction/intervention site. Students are all on individual behavior plans where reinforcement is on going and students move to higher levels of less reinforcement to enable them to transition back to their zone school.


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

Students have access to a computer lab each day to practice and develop reading and math skills. Classes are small with both a teacher and paraeducator that provides the opportunity for re-teaching of non-mastered target areas.


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

BEST has not received professional learning in areas that the district had identified as high need, and that other teachers already had received. As a result, PLCs,LFS, PBS, Curriculum maps, and RtI were identified as areas of need for this year.


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

All the students at BEST are targeted for intensive interventions in the area of behavior. All students are provided supplemental academic instruction in reading and math daily, and those students needing intensive are provided direct teacher instruction.


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

The number of students that transition back to their zone school and remain at the zone school will demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions.


Enrichment


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

Students that attend BEST are either on level academically or require supplemental academic instruction.


Describe how students are identified for enrichment strategies.

Students that attend BEST are either on level academically or require supplemental academic instruction.




Professional Learning Communities

PLC Organization (grade level, subject, etc.)PLC LeaderFrequency of PLC MeetingsSchedule (when)Primary Focus of PLC (include Lesson Study and Data Analysis)
All Staff Nancy Woolcock
Linda Newman
Donna Grant 		Weekly End of the day after the students leave on the buses What is a PLC?
RtI and RtI-Behavior
Data and its use
Curriculum Maps


NCLB Public School Choice

Note: For Title I schools only


Pre-School Transition

Not applicable to BEST. Students that are assigned to BEST are in grades K-5.


Postsecondary Transition

Note: Required for High School- Sec. 1008.37(4), F.S.

BEST services students in grades K-5.



 

PART II: EXPECTED IMPROVEMENTS

 

Other Goals

 

FINAL BUDGET



Differentiated Accountability


School-level Differentiated Accountability Compliance



No Attached school’s Differentiated Accountability Checklist of Compliance



School Advisory Council



School Advisory Council (SAC) Membership Compliance

The majority of the SAC members are not employed by the school district. The SAC is composed of the principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, education support employees, students (for middle and high school only), parents, and other business and community citizens who are representative of the ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school.

No. Disagree with the above statement.

Measures Being Taken to Comply with SAC Requirement

BEST does not have a SAC and does not receive any SAC funds.



Projected use of SAC FundsAmount
No data submitted



Describe the Activities of the School Advisory Council for the Upcoming Year


N/A


SAC Members

 

AYP DATA



2006-2007 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report - Page 2 Polk LAKE ALFRED B.E.S.T PROGRAM 9231
Number of students enrolled in the grades tested:
 Read: 42
Math: 42   		2006-2007
School Grade1:		   Did the School make Adequate Yearly Progress? NO   
This section shows the percent tested and performance for each group used to determine AYP (Parts a and c2). This section shows the improvement for each group used to determine AYP via safe harbor (Part b2). This section shows the percent of students "on track" to be proficient used to determine AYP via the growth model.
Group Reading
Tested 95% of the students? 		Math
Tested 95% of the students? 		51% scoring at or above grade level in Reading? 56% scoring at or above grade level in Math? Improved performance in Writing by 1%? Increased Graduation Rate3by 1%? Percent of Students below grade level in Reading Safe
Harbor
Reading		 Percent of Students below grade level in Math Safe
Harbor
Math		 % of students on track to be proficient in reading Growth model reading % of students on track to be proficient in math Growth model math
  2007 Y/N 2007 Y/N 2007 Y/N 2007 Y/N 2006 2007 Y/N 2005 2006 Y/N 2006 2007 Y/N 2006 2007 Y/N 2007 Y/N 2007 Y/N
TOTAL4  100  Y  100  Y  8  N  18  N      NA      NA    87  NA 73  82  N 18  N    NA 
WHITE    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
BLACK    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
HISPANIC    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
ASIAN    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
AMERICAN INDIAN    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED  100  Y  100  Y    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES    NA    NA    NA    NA      NA      NA      NA     NA        


SCHOOL GRADE DATA

School District

2008-2009
  Reading
  		 Math
  		 Writing
  		 Science
  		 Grade
Points
Earned		  
% Meeting High Standards (FCAT Level 3 and Above) 0%  0%  %  %    Writing and Science: Takes into account the % scoring 3.5 and above on Writing and the % scoring 3 and above on Science. Sometimes the District writing and/or science average is substituted for the writing and/or science component.
% of Students Making Learning Gains 0%  0%        3 ways to make gains:
  • Improve FCAT Levels
  • Maintain Level 3, 4, or 5
  • Improve more than one year within Level 1 or 2
    		•
    Adequate Progress of Lowest 25% in the School? % (0)  % (0)      0  Adequate Progress based on gains of lowest 25% of students in reading and math. Yes, if 50% or more make gains in both reading and math.
    Points Earned         0   
    Percent Tested = 0%           Percent of eligible students tested
    School Grade           Grade based on total points, adequate progress, and % of students tested


    School District

    2007-2008
      Reading
          		 Math
          		 Writing
          		 Science
          		 Grade
    Points
    Earned    		  
    % Meeting High Standards (FCAT Level 3 and Above) 0%  0%  %  %    Writing and Science: Takes into account the % scoring 3.5 and above on Writing and the % scoring 3 and above on Science. Sometimes the District writing and/or science average is substituted for the writing and/or science component.
    % of Students Making Learning Gains 0%  0%        3 ways to make gains:
  • Improve FCAT Levels
  • Maintain Level 3, 4, or 5
  • Improve more than one year within Level 1 or 2
    		•
    Adequate Progress of Lowest 25% in the School? % (0)  % (0)      0  Adequate Progress based on gains of lowest 25% of students in reading and math. Yes, if 50% or more make gains in both reading and math.
    Points Earned         0   
    Percent Tested = 0%           Percent of eligible students tested
    School Grade           Grade based on total points, adequate progress, and % of students tested


    School District

    2006-2007
      Reading
          		 Math
          		 Writing
          		 Science
          		 Grade
    Points
    Earned    		  
    % Meeting High Standards (FCAT Level 3 and Above) 0%  0%  %  %    Writing and Science: Takes into account the % scoring 3.5 and above on Writing and the % scoring 3 and above on Science. Sometimes the District writing and/or science average is substituted for the writing and/or science component.
    % of Students Making Learning Gains 0%  0%        3 ways to make gains:
  • Improve FCAT Levels
  • Maintain Level 3, 4, or 5
  • Improve more than one year within Level 1 or 2
    		•
    Adequate Progress of Lowest 25% in the School? % (0)  % (0)      0  Adequate Progress based on gains of lowest 25% of students in reading and math. Yes, if 50% or more make gains in both reading and math.
    Points Earned         0   
    Percent Tested = 0%           Percent of eligible students tested
    School Grade           Grade based on total points, adequate progress, and % of students tested