001your pictures. Kelly, are you ready? >> Go ahead and call this meeting to order. Uh we do have a quorum present. Meeting has been duly called. Appropriate notice has been given. Like to welcome everybody here tonight. And we'll go ahead and stand for the pledge. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> This time we have our public comment section. I checked the check-in sheet and I noticed there was none there. So, we can go ahead and move on to the approval of the agenda. I make a motion we approve the agenda for tonight. I'll >> second. >> Motion and second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Unanimous? We'll move on
002to our board work session. Miss Dwey. >> All right. First of all, thank you all. This is I think I've said it several times. Academics is the cornerstone of our work. It is the most important thing that we do. It is the lens that we have to look through with making decisions as far as our administration. That's number one. And so tonight, we kind of want to do a little more of a deep dive into some of that academic language that you've heard, some of the the programs and processes that you've approved um as far as expenses and we just want to show you what we're doing. The first thing tonight is school letter grades. So, we did have some celebrations over the past I guess was that a week ago? A week ago. Um
003it was the Friday following the board meeting. We had heard those were supposed to come out on Friday and sure enough they did. Um so I kind of want I want to take some time just to explain how those are done. So this is actually the slideshow that Miss Morgan and somebody may have been on the Zoom when we went to Hot Springs for the ASBA's fall leadership conference. This is part of this PowerPoint is from Hope Borsham who is the accountability in Little Rock and Desi. So, three priorities have been developed for Arkansas's new accountability system. This is the letter grade system. Achievement. We want students who are achieving on level three and four of the state assessment. So, that's saying they are not only level three, they are on grade level. Level level
004four would be above grade level. That's the easiest way to explain that. The next thing they're looking at is growth. So, it's growth for all students and then it's growth of that bottom 25%. That's your learners who are struggling the most. Are they growing like they should academically? So then the last thing is that success ready graduates and this is your high school campuses only. For us it's our 8th through 12th campus mountain high school careermies. So that's your 8th through 12th graders for us. A lot of this determines the grade configuration of your buildings as to where you'll be scored and we'll go into that in just a little bit longer in a little bit. So students graduating on time in four years and that is from the day that they enter ninth grade
005and then students demonstrated a post-secary readiness. You you've heard the three enlistment, enrollment and employment. This is this includes diplomas of merit and distinction which you'll begin to hear more about over the next few years. Those are those completers in very specific CTE pathways, career and technical education pathways. This is students who are achieving and receiving more than 12 concurrent classes, concurrent hours. Um, y I'm a little So if I say something that sounds crazy, please stop me. Like 12 concurrent classes, 12 concurrent hours. It would also be students who are achieving a an associates degree. Um, there are some other things that we I can get more specific with, but they're kind of giving us well, they are giving us a couple of years to catch up on this. I'll show you that in
006just a minute. I don't want to get too far ahead. So this is what elementary and middle school looks like. There are 900 possible points that an elementary or a middle school can get on their school report card achievement. So that would be you can get up to 100 points in proficiency on language arts, 100 points for for proficiency in math, 100 points for proficiency in science. So that percentage just translates to points. So that's the kids that are getting a three or four. Whatever percentage is in your building, that just translates to points. Growth for all students. Every student has a growth target. And they've calculated that over time. They even say they can use two different measures of accountability because you know we are transitioning to where all our kids are taking atlas
007which this year should Miss Lawrence this year our second graders that went to third grade should have a growth score because they took Atlas. So if you'll look the percentage that met their target in ELA or ELP and that's English English language proficiency. So those learners that are working um maybe they are from out of the country and speak a different language and they've joined us. This is are they growing as well. Percentage that met the target in math for growth percentage that met the target for science. So once again those percentages of proficiency or prof the students the percent of students who met their growth goal just translates into points and then growth of the lowest 25%. Exactly the same as above and that lowest 25% is determined based on the year before's atlas
008scores. >> So that appears that they count twice. You're exactly right. Actually, they could even count three times if they grew enough to become a three or four. Or let's say there's a school with very few students who are in that lowest 25%. Not few students, but few students who aren't meeting proficiency, a really high achieving school. So, you're exactly right. Growth is super important. Another piece we were talking about was a student, even an advanced learner, is going to count twice because they're going to reach achievement and >> they have to meet their growth target. I tell you what I'm going to do before we go to that. I'm going to go ahead and share with you Hackler's actual letter grade and how it was and how it came about. And I think you
009have a digital copy that I just shared with you. It's a good one. So, this is a letter grade simulator calculator. Does everybody have one? And then we've got extra that we can pass down to principles or Mr. Lutter if you'd like one. Um, so if you'll look at what I shared with you, this is the letter grade calculator for Hackler. So I took their actual scores that they received in each area. So Hackler score also is the score for your kindergarten and for Nelson Wilks. Feeder schools right now get the same score as the first school that basically takes the true atlas test, summitive test. So their score kindergarten and Nelson Wilks is exactly the same as Hackley. You'll also notice here in a minute the cut scores at the bottom. May be interesting
010to you to see, you know, how how far are we from an A? How far are we from a B? Even though elementary and middle school is calculated the same, the cut scores are different. So I'll share a middle school example with you in just a minute. Also at the top I want to point out in meeting target in total growth that excluding mobile says excluding mobile that's your highly mobile population. If a student is not on our campus registered and in class on October one they do not count. >> So that's another thing to to look at and think about. >> So if somebody moves in they don't count. Good or bad? >> Good or bad? >> They come out of this total, which I'd love for the good ones to count, right? The
011ones that are achieving. >> But this wasn't something that when the state was looking at accountability are kids that are moving in and out. I mean, you could have a kid come in and out three or four times and go to three or four. They're going to go three or four elementaryaries in between. And who do they count for as far as their achievement? That doesn't mean we don't have a score for them. just means they're not counting on the letter grade calculation. So down here on you'll see the N meeting target. So that's the number of students meeting their target and then that's the total in total. So divide the two and you get your percentage of course and then add those up and you'll get your total score at the bottom. They've really
012tried to simplify it and I think it's as simple as I've ever seen accountability be calculated. You do see just like Miss Partney pointed out the overall growth and then the overall growth [clears throat] of the lowest 25%. Those kids are more than they are being counted twice for sure no matter what because that 140 is in that overall growth number. If I look at growth of lowest 25% ELA English language arts it's 140. Those 140 kids are being counted in every category. They're being counted in overall growth and they're being counted in my end total for achievement. So you might notice, well, why are those numbers different, right? Why is that achievement number and that overall growth, why are those in totals different? Well, I mentioned to you before highly mobile. So actually when
013I looked this up today, the total students that tested was about 844. So 44 of those kids were not on our campus October one. But then if you look down, overall growth of ELA and ELP is 774. That is because you have kids in that kids that moved in before October 1 that maybe weren't in Arkansas the year before. So that's that's getting a little bit in the weeds, but if somebody asks, you'll know. Has to do with kids moving in and out. Also, the growth of the lowest 25%. I don't know what I was going to say there. Oh, science. Overall growth in science. Third graders do not have a science test until third grade. So, that's why that 535. Why that is so low? There's no way to judge their growth because score
014Okay, so that's the letter grade calculator for Hackler achievement section. >> Did I give you all the threes and fours? >> Like my numbers do not match. >> Here you go. I gave him the wrong sheet. >> I can tell by the look on his face, he's pretty confused. [laughter] >> Miss Pardon me. The top section that says achievement ELA achievement. >> Yes, ma'am. Those are our students that are threes and fours. Yes, ma'am. >> Correct. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And this is the percentage of growth. >> The percentage of students who showed growth. Yes, ma'am. >> So, our lowest 25% looks like they showed more growth. >> Wait till you see this one. >> Than our threes and four kids. >> Yes, ma'am. So, I'm going to go ahead. This is Kingston. You'll be
015able to see now, one of the things, Miss Partney, I'm gonna be able to share with you in just a minute. [clears throat] Our overall growth is an area that we need to take notice of. We're seeing a lot of growth in that lowest 25%. that even when we look at percentiles across the state, which we're going to be meeting with all the principles this week, >> um that is something that I think will they'll notice. >> Our NWA data showed that too, you know, 2021 and 2022. >> High achievement, low growth, high achievement, low. >> So that's it's it's not a new trend, but it definitely appears to be. So on middle school, >> this is exactly the same as far as how it's figured. >> Okay, the cut lines are different. >> Your
016cut lines are different. So you'll notice your A, I believe, at the elementary, and I'll show you more is 523. your uh low A is 519 on Kingston's on the middle school. So this is the letter grade calculator for middle school calculations are the same. Cut scores are a bit different. >> Why? >> I didn't make that rule. I don't know. >> It has to do with a bell curve. >> And if you look at number of middle schools, >> what what does a what does a small district that has K through 12 in one building. >> Okay. So, they're going to be I don't know about K through 12, K7, there's different and I could get on and show you, but there are multiple categories to show you where you would fall. So, if
017you are a P1 building, you're a feeder school. If you're a P5 building, you're an elementary. If you are a um 78, you're a middle school. I mean, it's there are tons of different configurations across the state of buildings and that determines where you fall. And I can't I can't speak to where everybody falls because I'll I'll get it wrong. But there is >> I'm amazed when I see the paragraph of different possible grade configurations just for elementary and then all the possible grade configurations for middle. So the cut scores weren't published until hey they had all the data and then they said bell curve hey where do we put the cuts at? So last year we had last year was a holding year for letter grades. 24 was a holding year. And what they
018did was they came out I'm going to say mid, it wasn't quite spring, so February, March, and said here is where your districts would fall if we were using this new accountability model. So they had almost a calculator that you could play with and they put your scores in and then they determined like you said they had the scores before the cut scores which folks will get 519 is not 90%. 519 of 900 is not a 90%. So this is not traditional as far as 90 to 100 is an A as far as percentage of points earned. So this is Kingston and you'll notice they have maintained a B. They did go up a little bit this year as far as points. And uh we actually have a tool where we can determine how many
019kids need to be in each category to get them to the percentage points, the points that they need to be an A for every single school. So that's kind of cool, too. All right. So high school. And like I said, our high school is 812. So our eighth graders actually count in our high school's letter grade. You'll see achievement just like the elementary percentage of proficiency. What's different here is the tests. ELA is going to test 8, 9th, and 10th grade. That'll be an end of that'll be a summitive exam. Principles, if I say something wrong, correct me. Um, in math, they're going to have an eighth grade. They're going to have a algebra end of course and a geometry end of course. So that's a little different science. They're going to have an eighth
020grade science. Then they're not going to have anything until they take biology. So they're only going to have two. So it's not like at Hackler where third, fourth, and fifth grade are taking a language reading test, a math test, and a science test. There are some kids that won't test at all in the 10th grade if they're advanced and they already had all their math done. They had their algebra, geometry, and biology taken. Well, they would take English with me. That's all they would take because you do have to take 10th grade English, I guess, if you got ahead and already had English too done. >> So, me. So then you'll see met growth target exactly like elementary just the tests are the eth 9th 10th end of course for language arts the math being
021eighth grade math algebra and geometry and then science being eighth grade general science and biology. Now here's where here's where things change a little. Everything is still based on 900 points. So, I've already shown you 600 of those points. Here's where the next 300 come from. They average together the growth of the lowest 25% in ELA, math, and science. So, they take all three have an average and that's your points here. Graduating in the four-year cohort, and this is what we call a lagging indicator. So, this will be based on the previous year. So, the scores that you're going to say see today for the letter grade for 25 2025, those are your 2024 graduates. And you're going to see a typo on what I'm going to hand to you because I used a calculator
022that was for 2023. But you'll see the 24 graduates. You'll also see this graduating with merit or distinction. And here's the note that I wanted to point out. The way they are calculating this is until 2027. So on the 2028 letter grade, I'm backwards on that. Until 2027, this is the method that they're going to use. It is percentage of graduate graduates completing three or more AP, IB or concurrent classes. So AP is are those advanced placement classes. We don't have any international baloria classes and this is concurrent credits. This all changes for the class of make sure I get this right. TW this for the class 26 counts this way but 27 does not. Is that correct Miss Russell? >> Okay. So what happens for the class of 27 which would be reported in
02328? I know I'm getting a little This list changes a little bit. It's percentage of graduates that finish 12 or more concurrent classes, 12 or more hours of concurrent classes. It's percentage of it's your number of kids and it's actually a number and then they take the percentage of your total graduates based on the number of total graduates. Um, this would be yes, it's great if you took three AP classes, but what did you score on your test? So, you have to be a scholar or a distinguished scholar or a which means you have to average a three or more on all of your tests. That's the simplest way to put it. Um, that was that list of names you all saw when they went over the AP kids that came. We only had a
024few that showed up, but there was a list of about 25 kids. Also, the H2 concentrators become H2 completers, and that's getting a little tricky. and we're going to be working on that. That is the CTE, the career and technical. You have to not only complete certain programs of study. Am I on the right track, Miss Carter? But you also have to take what's considered an industry certification. Am I right? And pass it. >> Demonstrate competency. >> You have to demonstrate [clears throat] competency. You don't just show up for the three classes. And this isn't all our CTE pathways. This is a very small group. I small. There's 12, 15, 18, something like that that are available. You just got to get kids in them and get the classes taken in the correct order. This
025this is something we're going to be working on. Uh we have a really good number right now, but I got some numbers based on what we would be if we were following the rules that will be in place. And we're going to meet in the next couple of days to look at that. So, here is and this is a celebration. And we knew it was going to be, but well, I felt like it was going to be. I didn't know. I was playing with numbers, but our high school has gone from a C to a B. So that means seven of our grade levels [clears throat] are sitting in a I started I thought, how can you? You've got six, seventh, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade all based on their test scores. Pass
026that. >> So you'll see here One of the things that um pass that one down too. One of the things that is they that we're doing well, we are seeing look at that overall growth in math. Just to highlight a few areas, 57% of our kids met where they need met what they needed to to grow, did what they needed to do to show growth in math, science, 53%. Super proud. It is very pale. It's hard to see that growth of the lowest 25%, but you can if you kind of hold your paper right, you can see the percentages in that column because they average to 56% overall with growth that lowest 25%. But guys, 60% of the kids in that lowest 25% grew in science. 61% grew in that lowest 25% in math. That's
027huge. And that's that's why they have a B. >> Okay. Last year we were a C. What was the score last year? >> I I don't have it with me. >> Okay. >> They're up a good 40 points. I think >> And I can I can get that to you. >> No, I just >> um they were a high C, but it was like you were 15. They were 15. I do know what it is. They were 15 points from a B. So whatever 457US 15 is because I knew with their achievement going up as much as it did, they had the points in achievement. >> They almost gain 40 points. >> They went way up. You'll see the graduation rate there, the 280 out of 304, 92%. and in progress towards merit distinction about
028half of those kids that number like I said is based on um the current rules that will be changing and being modified also that is the grad cohort of 24 that's a typo there at the bottom and then the progress towards merit and distinction of 24 because this is your 25 letter grade. So it's a lagging indicator one year before If and when you go on to the um Department of Ed has published these letter grades, one of the things you'll see is pending appeal, pending appeal, pending appeal by multiple schools in rules. This year can be a hold harmless rule, which means if your letter grade went down from where it was last year, you can appeal and more than likely you will receive the same letter grade you had before. So, I would
029assume, and I may be wrong, and this is live streamed, and if somebody knows differently, please tell me, if you see pending appeal next to a high school that has an A, they've received a B because you wouldn't need to appeal if your grade was higher, right? So, and if we were in that position, we do the same thing. If our letter grade had gone down, we would want to appeal that and figure out how to get it up as well. So, what I've done here is this is an example of the dashboard that is going to be available. It is not available yet, but I screenshotted what I had access to for you all. This is Kingston Middle School. So, let's say you want to know what mountain home. This is actually this high
030school. Which one did I do? >> Says mountain career, but I thought I did the Okay, so this is a mistake again. which is okay. It's okay. The front page is high school, but the rest of the pages are Kingston. >> This is um I messed up on this one. I I tried to fix this a couple of times and continue to uh mess it up. But this is the front page is Mountain Home Careermies and then I believe these are middle school. Is that right? But what's really cool, it doesn't honestly, you've got the numbers. What's really neat to be able to see is the percentile rank across the state. So you'll be able to see the ELA points just like I showed you with the number that achieved over the total number. This
031is Kingston's. >> And see that ELA was 39.3 points. And my goodness, they wanted to be higher than that. They were so disappointed by the achievement because they felt like it was going to be higher. But look where they rank in the state, a 66 percentile. You see the math 76 percentile and then science 70th percentile in achievement. You're going to be able to see that for every single category. So this is very telling. Growth, same thing. And I think this is this is also pen and then growth of your lowest 25th%. All right. So that is letter grades. Is there anything else? You know, one of the things when talking about I got to sit on a a Zoom at some point about what what people want to see in accountability across the state.
032We have a community that when you say there's I feel like if somebody told me there's 900 points possible and this is how many points they got and here's the nine categories. That's it. That seems simple. It's not. But when we were doing the school quality standards that did percentages based on attendance, which all of you in here know a kindergarten cannot a kindergartener cannot determine whether or not they get to school. And yet that was counting against achievement scores in letter grades for elementary schools. Um I feel like this is a very fair representation of the work that we're doing. growth is achieve. A kid may not be able to ever become achieving as far as a three or a four, but you know what they can do? Improve every single year. And this
033allows for our teachers and for our community to see that our kids are growing academically. And that's that's one of the things I love about this. clear as mud. >> I think a lot of the stakeholders are going to not understand how 900 possible points, >> but you get 480 points and that's a B or 500 and something out of 900 and that's an A. So, >> there's going to need to be some educating parents and stakeholders, I think, of what this means. That 530 points was an A out of 900. How does that work? Right. That's >> because I think from 80 to 90 etc. What's that new math? [laughter] >> That's probably if you want to look at a downside that would probably be I agree that that is a little bit like
034what. But now as far as the educator side of this, you know what you have to get to be considered a B or a school. >> Do you foresee the amazing numbers? >> Not for a while. I think the more schools that become A schools and B schools, I do think they'll >> that was that cut score can change year to year. So student as districts get into these numbers, where can we make a difference and everyone starts moving up? Well, that cut score is going to move too, right? >> But that means that we're all just getting better. Right. >> Right. That means that hey, keep moving the bar higher. >> The promise is it won't be for a while because of the way that the state how spread out. Um, it it truly
035is a bell curve. >> So, if we get a 480 next year, we won't be a C with a 480, right? The same score. >> I was just saying high school. >> Yes, sir. I don't I don't believe not next year. >> Hey, that that test score is not going to change. It's just an example. But hey, we we our score stayed the same year to year, but our grade letter dropped because >> test score changed >> over time. I could see it changing. >> Okay. Over time, >> not for a while. Okay. >> But they they're saying not for a while. But that's >> does the government talk? >> You know, you can't I think we've all said if you don't know where you're headed, how do you know how to get there, right?
036>> If you don't have a specific goal, how do you how do you know? Um that was another complaint was I'm telling you that trying to figure out that student quality that's hard. That's a page in itself. And then it was And so this shows this really does show the work that that our folks are doing especially in that growth in that growth of 25%. And that's not a secret either. We can look right now and there is a a way to find which of your kids is in your lowest 25%. Like everybody in this room has already got those kids identified or can identify them quickly. Um that to me is is really a thing as well. You >> know, we've talked previously about the attendance numbers factoring in and how that's really not
037fair because the district has no direct say in that. The students have no direct say in it. That lowest 25% is probably the attendance score is hidden in that number because those are the students that they're not showing up regularly. They're going to be the ones in that lower 25%. So, it's still needs to be improved if we can. How how do you do that? >> Absolutely. >> That's where that's hidden at >> one of the things as they begin to talk in the fiscal session of the in in Lorac >> attendance and how to calculate your daily membership, meaning how many kids, this is how many are enrolled and this is how many are showing up could at some point and does in some states affect funding. So that and and I do think
038there will be a new funding formula soon and it wouldn't I don't know how they'll calculate you know right now we're getting p our we budget based on last year's enrollment because how can you budget for the year ahead not knowing how many kids are going to show up in September or in August. So there's lots of things like that flying around just like you said Mr. Booth and I guarantee those states for that is a calculation part of the calculation for funding they're knocking on doors and getting kids officers are coming back in time. >> That's all you have for that right now? >> I do. That's all I have for this right now. >> We'll take a short break, grab a snack, and then we'll come back and we'll hear from our building
039principles, go a little deeper into this. we okay we are going to talk just a little bit about what's actually happening in the buildings now that we have the information um one of the questions we were asked from the school board is well what are you doing what are you doing different um what are you doing you have some areas now that that you know could be improved. What what's your action step? So, that's kind of what we're going to speak to tonight. Just try not to go too far in because we know there's um I I tend to talk a little bit too much. So, but a really good snapshot of what we're doing. I'm going to show you a couple of things that will hopefully um just give you a little bit of
040a picture. Our teachers [clears throat] are working in their collaborative teams which are by content area um to really nail down what we call essential standards or what do our students have to know from that grade in order to be successful in the next grade. That's just the easiest way to kind of to boil that down. And so the state department does guide us a little bit that atlas is testing us on they call them blueprint standards. Um, and that does give us a little bit more of an area to focus on. But really, if you ask our teachers, how are you choosing your essential standard? It's because like they cannot go to the next grade and not know this information. They have to know this and know it to mastery. And so, this is
041just a really good little graphic that it's we call our learning ladder. Um, but our teachers are really taking our students through the the simple idea of of an essential standard, working them through that standard until they get to the most complex part of the standard. And they stop a ladder is a good representation because they stop at certain intervals of time and and do like a checkpoint to see are they getting it. We call those learning targets. So if they're not getting it on the lower lung of the the ladder, they're not going to get the complex piece of the ladder. So they are checking for understanding along the way. They do that with what we call common formative assessments and then they work their way towards the end of the standard and that
042would be uh assessed with what we call a common sumitive assessment. All those pieces of information are what our teachers are working together um on their teams trying to decide, okay, if five students didn't get learning target two, what are we going to do for the five because the 20 got it. Um those are all the conversations they're having together, stopping the intervening if they need to. Um we have response days if they need an extra day of learning. There's a lot of complex learning even within the collaborative teams with the teachers. So that is guiding the work around um instructional decisions um how we're spending our instructional time, how we're working with certain groups of students who need small group instruction, different pieces like that. Um the next slide um is just a little
043bit of a snapshot y'all already got. Um before we click on the dashboard again this summer when teachers were working together on their flex days with their teams they were asked to put their work together and these two templates and what you'll see that uh curriculum pasting at a glance that's our academic calendar for the year and what they did is they grade out days that are not going to be instructional days like Thanksgiving uh the Friday after parent teacher conferences spring break Christmas All those things are grayed out. So what you're left with are our actual instructional days with the students and then they pace out on that calendar how their essential standards are going to run for the year. And when we put in our testing dates, what you know, you better have
044those essential standards covered before your summitive test. So it really does guide a lot of instructional choices when you look at it on a calendar. you don't have as many days as you want sometimes to get through the requirements. So, um the other piece is that uh curriculum, the map out right there, that's where they're putting their essential standards. You'll see when you click into certain teams of work on the dashboard, you'll see their learning targets, their resources, um different things like that. you you'll see there are CFAs and then to make one layer on top of that they work with the data wall on top of that but we have we've kind of held the data walls restricted just because there's a lot of student information on there. If you click on that word
045dashboard, um what you'll see is that just takes you right back to what we've already shared, but that is you can see our district at a glance um building by building and you can see their essential standards, their pacing guides, um their data walls are linked, they're closed, but that's that's the work. So, if you're saying, "Well, what are you doing?" That's a really long answer, but these are just the layers of work that are going on. Um, and all of those pieces really are what we would call tier one instruction. And so I brought our friends here. They're going to talk to you about just within their buildings. Um, what are we doing for the students that need more support? And this slide has just kind of at a glance um, every building has
046a little bit different um, strategy around that work and a lot of that has to do with their master schedule um, and the number of staff they have in the building. So, this is kind of at a glance by building, but what I thought is they could just have an opportunity to speak to their own building and just give you guys a little bit of an update on what that intervention piece is looking like for our students that might need a little bit more support. Um, kindergarten, I'll speak for Kevin. Um, they are they don't have a lot of data at the beginning at kindergarten. They are doing some atlas um screening and interims and summitives now which is new um but they don't have data to start the year with. They do dibbles at
047the beginning and they so their intervention is a little bit more what they would call point in time and so they may see a student needs a little bit of extra help maybe just um learning letters letter sounds but after you know three or four weeks of really intense intervention and classroom work they're ready to roll out of that they got it. So there's a lot of um trying to pinpoint exactly is it learning deficit or do they just need more time in that? And so kindergartens is a little bit different, but their certified teachers and their parents are all working on intervention and every pod in that building has an intervention time. Um Nelson, I'll let you guys go next. >> So we're about to speak. Um but we switched this up this year.
048Previously we had multiple times of intervention. This year we went with intervention blocks and a big change that we've had, we've kind of been able to share students and in our intervention time based off of the needs. Um, we have our certified teachers this year will be doing CR doing COD and eight for that intervention time and we have Paris and special teachers who are taking those students that need extension and doing lessons with that. So, we um we We did a lot of work frontloading this process um with the student data. We had a committee of both principles um Judy came to our meetings, Sarah Tribit, our dyslexia specialists, and we um looked at data for every single kid in our building and we hand place every kid based on their beginning of the
049year data of where they are where the best fit would be. So, we have um three teachers in our building running a new program called Build. So, we do anticipate getting good results from that. We're really excited to see what that's going to look like. We have um also a few certified teachers doing Apple Connections for our students who are identified characteristics of dyslexia, but then all of the other students who um are not scoring proficient at the beginning of in place in an intense intervention group with a certified teacher. Um, and they have placed within their pod based on their scores so that the discrepancy of scores within that group is very low. They're all working around the same range at the same point in time. Um, and we have identified the specific lessons
050that they need to be working on um to work to fill those gaps of instruction that we have and the deficits that we are seeing. And so we will see at some point that some groups are going to be able to move faster, some groups will need a little more um help, but we are going to re-evaluate that and redo that again. Um is what at about the six week mark of our start date. Um we also have kids who are on level and a little bit higher going to groups with our interventionists and we have been providing um higher level comprehension reading lessons with readaloud stories for those interventionists to do. Um but the thought behind that is that our certified teachers are doing the most explicit intense instruction with the kids that need
051it. Um, so they're running, most of the teachers are running two groups of four kids Monday through Thursday. >> Can you remind me what COD is again? >> Characteristics of dyslexia. >> Because I was ready to get my wallet out. [laughter] >> Sorry. >> Thank you. >> So that's Nelson Wils. Um, >> so Dibbles 8 is something that each year you all approve. >> Purchase of Dibbles. >> And we try to get away from dibbles, but information from Atlas was not um coming in a timely manner and our teachers were really needing some hard and dibbles has just been kind of tried and true. So we are doing that still on K1 and two. >> So it's still a valuable resource for >> Yes, we are very thankful for it. >> And it says dibbles
0528 certified teachers doing characteristic dyslexia and dibbles 8. It also comes with >> materials the intervention lessons for the decoding piece. They're using those >> and then you can progress monitor with within that too. The whole system is is really geared for checking to see if the students are showing progress or not showing progress. >> So students that are are moving more quickly, you'll get them. So these groups are fluid. They'll move out and get to a different group. >> Yes. >> And then the ones that are moving more slowly, you're making decisions on that. I mean, that's true. RTI. >> One of the things I've also noticed, you know, we've asked, what are you doing differently? I've been we've been asked that and that's a Wonderful question because that's how you get better, right?
053You do you got to switch things up. >> There's not an option. This is what we're doing in intervention. Um it's tried and true. It's researchbased. This is the materials we're going to use. >> And they have um Miss Clayton has helped and our kitchen talented teacher at Nelson Mils has helped supply those extension lessons for students that are going with either specialist teacher or an interventionist. So they're trying to extend their learning as well. >> And how often are you going to evaluate these students? >> This first, so it will be the first six weeks. Um we really wanted to give an opportunity for the decoding deficits for those students to fill those gaps and then we're going to reevaluate the six week mark. Now that's not to say that it was going to
054be every six weeks. we may decide that it needs to be more often than that. Um, but research shows that six weeks is about the correct mark to reevaluate. Um, especially at this age level, >> more questions for Nelson. >> All right, let's get one. >> Okay. Um, Hackler, um, we implemented a buildingwide intervention this year. Um, So we have students going all over the building which has been a huge undertaking um and definitely a team effort within our building. So we looked at students that also um needed COOD services and we looked at what teachers we had that were able to provide those with classroom teachers. Uh we do still have some paras providing that intervention as well. We also have paras coming from other buildings uh within the district to help with that.
055So, we're very grateful for that. Um, and we kind of took we looked at our our kids that needed the most intervention and worked up from there. So, um, we looked at, um, Atlas scores, who was level one. We looked when our third graders got on campus, we looked at beginning and end of the year for second grade and the beginning of the year for third grade, their dibble scores because we had those. Um and so there were a lot of data decisions that went into that. And so we have students in COOD intervention. We have students in we have 18 95% group which 95% group is the intervention program. We have 18 um students in third 18 groups um and we have six groups uh six students in each group. So we have three
056groups um in third grade. three groups in fourth grade and three groups in fifth grade. We've applied for the HIT grant. So, we are very very optimistic and hopeful that we get that because we already have students chosen for that intervention program and then uh we will move to our next level of students that need intervention. Right now, they are in intervention practicing needed skills. Um but we want to personalize that even more. Our students that are on or above grade level are going to extensions that um have been organized and planned by Miss Griffin and those are being carried out with our special teachers, our school counselors, anybody that is available um during this time um they are with students. We also have a really big um AR push within the building this year.
057So, our whole goal is to get more books in hand and student hands. And so, um, Miss Thompson, our new media specialist, has taken, um, a really big role in that and rolling that out for us. Just some things that we have done in the first few weeks of school. We've doubled all of our third grade students. We have um you guys we get approved for LL which is an intervention uh piece that we use um AR so star reader we've done those assessments on all students we've done I ready assessments beginning of the year assessments on all students and then we've completed um our beginning of the year atlas interums so it's been a very busy time of collecting data and making instructional plans for our students. >> Mean third graders are not on
058grade level >> for ELA. >> Oh >> well, we do it by content area, >> right? So we're just looking when I look at the most recent Atlas scores um which we have in um our literacy we have Third grade we have 46% no 49% at level one 36% at level two 12% at level three and 2% at level four for beginning of the year atlas testing. If we look at our which is our literacy um that we use as an intervention piece and it reports students um reading level and we look star reader. Those those two assessments correlate with each other. Um and the information on our third grade students there would be that we have about 50% on or above grade level and then 50% far below or below grade level. >> So
059if we had to take the evaluation for the reading test right now to see how many kids would advance through the fourth grade, how many would pass? >> You can't. It's a little That's the beginning of the year. >> So what you would if I was going to ask the qu I would say what's the how many would we have retained last year >> because you want to know end of year. >> Okay. How many would we last year? >> Well last year on the atlas assessment for third grade um at the end of the year. >> I do not have that. >> It's 70 kids now. Yes, but those would be >> then there would be exemptions. >> There would be exemptions for students that that have plans built around them. IEPs um characteristics
060of dyslexia, things like that. >> So I think what do we have? We half that. >> It would take Yeah, give or take it would have been around 15 this past year. 15 to 20 is what I looked at. That's a very rough number. Um, >> the only reason I knew that number off the top of my head was they had given they had written it they had given it to me at the co-op just a few days ago and I had used it to make some notes today because the number >> with once you take the good cause exemptions >> it's less than 10% >> because I heard St. Bid about 30%. >> I mean >> of course we were taken into the Delta area and >> I'd say that's the reason and I
061wasn't trying to be rude on the the beginning of the year. That Atlas interim data, it's that's where they took a test on where they're going to be at the end of the year. So, right now, they're not ready for end of year. >> Is about 30 students. >> Yeah. Um a few because that's a small 15 to 20 students. >> How many students >> around 250 >> and we had to we have training on what that third grade promotion piece. We actually did that. >> And so they do they call it third grade promotion now, not or fourth grade promotion, not third grade retention. >> And so our >> it's based on the reading or the ELA score, >> end of year. >> So that's writing too. So the whole the whole key piece
062and the reason we do so much documentation is you can do good cause exemption but you have to prove that that student has had intervention and is showing progress even if the progress hasn't gotten them to the level that you want them to be on. If they are showing progress then we are allowed to >> and you've been providing intervention for two years >> and you have to have documentation that it has been occurring and that you have >> consistent. >> Is your third grade doing two days of math or are they doing all five days in literacy? >> They're doing three days of literacy but everybody is doing literacy. There is no math at all. And then Thursday and Friday is two days of math and everybody everybody's doing math. So we have um
063>> I was just wondering about third grade in particular because of this >> possibility would we are are you all doing literacy all five days or are you doing math or I'm just >> asking about that. >> Yes. in this moment or four sorry four days of literacy and with the plan of eventually rolling to the three in two days. >> Okay. >> When we wrote the hit grant we also accounted for um more including more third graders than we did fourth and fifth. Fourth and fifth is still included um but we looked at our third grade numbers and intentionally included more to cover more students. Now you're doing three consecutive days. >> Yes, sir. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. >> Do you I'm just asking why not do Monday, Wednesday, Friday and do math Tuesday, Thursday
064because you drive me nuts. >> Well, I think the carryover, dayto-day carryover is probably better for them. The retention of it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, getting it each day opposed to skipping a day. Probably at that age group would be the appropriate >> [clears throat] >> Yeah. From spot to spot >> literacy on Friday. I'd like to get literacy done Monday, Tuesday. >> Yeah. Because they'd be done with it by the time you get to Friday. >> I assume though, if the data leads you, you'll adjust. >> Absolutely. >> Um some of the Thursday Friday was some we had some teachers that felt pretty strongly about making sure that math had an opportunity because >> Oh, and I I get it. original plan was was >> different and you know >> original plan looked a little
065different. A huge shout out to just our teachers because um when you are departmentalized for instructions, that's definitely your wheelhouse. And we absolutely have um math teachers saying, "Hey, what can I do? What can I do to support these students in literacy?" And then we also have math teachers or literacy teachers on math day saying, "Hey, what can I do? Give me something to do to um to help them in math." And so that's been very very encouraging. Uh and then there's been some other pieces of data that we've looked at just last week. Um and the students that we were looking at were already receiving intervention. And so that was just one more indicator that we had chosen the right students to get in the right intervention. So it is absolutely still evolving as
066we um continue to add more students and plan for them. [clears throat] But um when you take on that big of a task at the beginning of the year when 260 or 70 of your students are new to campus, it's a >> have some kinks to work out. >> Large undertaking. So it's been good. >> You mentioned the extension part. I'm sorry I missed that. Explain that ext the extension process one more time, please. >> So students are going to um special teachers, our school counselors. There's several um across the building and those activities have been planned by Miss Griffin and they are all revol involving chapter books that they are reading through and then doing activities. Um you can walk by our gym in the morning and see literacy circles all over the gym.
067Um so there's been some really neat things happening >> and those are students that don't need intervention. Is that right? >> Those are students that they're either on or above grade level. >> On or above Okay, that's that's what I missed. Okay. So the extension part is on or above grade level level students that are participating in the extension. Okay. >> And Miss Griffin is a GT specialist and and that differentiation and extension pieces in her wheelhouse. >> Gotcha. Okay. >> And then we we kind of had to do some of this in phases and then we will start those extensions with math as well. >> I left a lot of good stuff. >> You did. There's lots of written in many of the books that we [laughter] >> passing around. >> Thank you for
068the clarification. >> Sounds great. >> And you know, we all said this is a fluid idea if you know if at the end of a certain period of time we need to adjust it, we just But we can't look at the numbers we're looking at not try to do something different. Like that's just kind of where we all landed and our teachers really have We can't say enough about their flexibility just to to try something different because it's hard >> and also >> and their schedules are not easy. >> The flexibility to move students. If a student is if we have four students in a group and three are progressing and one is not, we now have the ability to move that student immediately to a group that better fits their needs. And that I
069mean we've already made those adjustments and so that's very encouraging as well. Okay, we ready to go on to Kingston. Mr. Smith is um doing football duty, but I have a text from him. Um so there, y'all can see on the screen they do win daily what I need. um they do have what they call content areas having priority weeks and I'll let my secondary principal speak to that a little bit in just a minute but they they are um you know there's a lot of different ways you can try to get your growth score to to increase. We have a lot of students that are just right on the cusp that with a little bit of support you really can tip into that next category. They do have a focus on that and all
070that's data driven with Atlas summitive data that they received. Um, and then they also have for their lowest cortile, they built some extra response days into their tier one instruction, which if you think about that learning ladder that I showed you, um, they realized if they were going to also target bubble kids during win, they were going to have to build in some more response time into tier one. And so they will stop, they'll slow down that essential standard work a little bit so they can intervene um on the grade level pieces that they need to. So that that's a strategy that they're working through um and then the bottom cile students are identified. They have that's very easy like Miss Dewey said it's very easy to to build a spreadsheet around that. Um and
071then like I said working on extra response days and um they do have dyslexia services built into their day that that usually is during their study skill uh piece of the their schedule. And um they also are doing ting. So, lots of things they're working on. Um, but that is where they started this year with intervention. And again, we're all trying to go back to that theory. You can't you can't be good tier one instruction. You don't need as much intervention if you have good tier one instruction. So, that's part of the idea, too. Any questions about Okay, let's move on to our golden nuggets over here with their [laughter] They're good grade. You want to go first, Miss Majors? So, the way we set up our RTI this year was we looked at our
072data from the spring, which we had looked at previously, and so saw that our literacy when you look at our data was was in need of support. I mean it all is that literacy is where we wanted to focus. So what we did was we broke it apart by strand um identified our lowest cile kids broke their needs apart by strand put them into groups. So I have five literacy teachers and then Mrs. Strider or also teaches groups. So they have these kids divided up and each of them are focusing on a particular um um like theme or something that they're working on skill set. So they they will be there for nine weeks until they take their next inter um so really intense. They go to place every day for nine weeks. Um intervention
073and then nine weeks when we get our new data back, we'll go back and look. Um some of them may need to shuffle inside of that and some of them may be ready to move out. U the rest of our RTI math and science have priority weeks. So they get them for two weeks in a row. So science gets the kids for two weeks and then math gets to pick and they get for two weeks. So they just rotate based on that. And we also applied for the hit grant for our eighth graders and our ninth grade. The way their scheduling works, it didn't quite work out as well. So we did that and we also offer them after school ting as well on Tuesday, Thursday. >> Any questions about how when is their priority?
074What are they using to choose the kids that >> um um so we have RTI scheduler and we have somebody that manages that for us and so they go in um like I said those literacy kids are locked but as a science teacher I can go in and see which kids are available and pick them based on um a common informative assessment that we've given in our classroom. So I can see okay like this kid doesn't know um this skill this essential standard. So I'll go in and pull a group and we will target that essential standard um and then I'll have them for two weeks and then at two weeks they go back in RTSuler um and then somebody at the back gets to pick and the kids um they know on you know
075when they come to school it automatically sends them an RTI does and it reminds them so in case they forget over the weekend where they're supposed to be they can go in and check their email and they have an email that says hey you're supposed to report to Mrs. RTI that one. >> Do they assess at the end of that two weeks that essential standard that they >> Yes. So they >> know this kid got it or >> they do um so they're placed there based on that CFA and then our teachers are really great to go in and they, you know, work on with those skills and then they have some type of like a mini exit ticket or a mini CFA that they go back and they just can they get this, you
076know, whatever the target is that we're working on and they they rotate them out. >> Are CFAs graded >> like for a grade? >> Um, depends sometimes. Um, so they give them like um our teachers are really great at doing like it's almost like a pre assessment. So they'll do the CFA just to kind of see where our kids are. So 60% of them already know this. So that kind of helps me gauge as a teacher where I need to target. And then we go back um the end of the unit and give it um and then it could possibly be great just to see if they um got the overall. >> So I was just wondering if they could replace after they had their intervention if they could possibly reassess and >> help their
077grade look more like a common >> they just needative assessment. Yeah, but it would target those same skills. >> Miss Russell, you want to kind of tag on? There's some similarities, but some differences. >> There are. So, high school looks a little bit different because we only have one grade level that's assessed with Atlas. So, every student in my building needs a little bit, you know, something a little bit different. So, RTI, we also use RTI. Um, and we have priority weeks. So, Every week is a different program week as to who gets to like I hate to use the word draft but that's kind of what it is. So like this week is open so anybody can draft it's like whoever gets to the kids first gets to draft them into their RTI sessions.
078>> It sounds kind of crazy but just kind of stick with me. Um this is the first year we're doing it like this but it has been highly successful because I have teachers fighting over kids. >> There money involved. >> There is [laughter] not Um, so last week >> teachers coming out earlier and earlier because of that. >> Um, but last week was a science priority week. So science teachers got to go in and pull out the kids that they needed first and then um, so like if I taught science, I would get to go in and get the kids that I for sure needed or wanted or um, a lot of what and again it depends on what what I teach. So if I'm teaching chemistry, it looks very different from like a biology
079class teacher that doing, you know, preparing for the atlas and doing CFAs. So, I can answer any specific questions you have about a specific area. Um, but that's one of the biggest things that we are doing differently this year is we have priority weeks and they are legit fighting over students. >> Not fierce, but like you know, good. >> Are the tested areas given priority to choose first? >> Yes. So, we have math, science, and literacy priority weeks. And that's the way. And this open priority week like we're in right now is for our um you know foreign language um CTE classes because kids believe it or not do struggle in those as well. Um we also admin so I have a session it's a study skills session. I have about 70 to 80 kids
080in it each each day. Um, and so it's just for kids who need maybe they don't they're not missing the skill, but they just need somebody to have their thumb on a little bit. >> Maybe they have missing assignments >> or they had a ball game a volleyball game late the night before and they just need to sit for a second and catch up. So, um, I'm running those three days a week. We have RTI Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Monday is an advisory period. But something new that we have done this year, it's not just them with their advisor. We are pulling them into Dunar every academy. We're pulling them in as a group to Dunar and also dishing out information. So like today for example, we did a bus evacuation drill. We talked to them
081about community service hours. I gave them a little, you know, pep talk about some disciplinary issues we were having. Um so it's another opportunity to not just target academics but like some other intervention pieces that because my kids, we're about to send them out in the world. So, there's some different pieces that students need and so we've been able to do that through advisory and that's worked really well. >> They have you have home monitors? >> We do have hall monitors to make sure kids aren't >> um somewhere else >> and so that's been really good. Um but we are it has been extremely successful. Kids are showing up and they're doing the work and I've been very pleased with with where we are. >> And it says two to three times daily. >> Weekly.
082Okay. >> So, two to three times. >> Okay. [clears throat] >> Thank you for catching that. >> Typo. >> Okay. We have also applied for hit grants. Um that the two we have identified in the 10th grade our bottom 25% and we're hoping to get a hit grant to help those geometry and literacy students. So we should find out hopefully very soon. should have already. >> We didn't >> because one of the things that we have found with our math students in particular, there's some basic algebra skills >> and so that's what we're hoping to target in geometry geometry students that are the lower 25%. >> They're talking about the hit grant. We were supposed to find out Friday. Uh we got an email that said, yeah, we don't know yet. high impact >> high
083impact tutoring grant that was in learn >> um and they said how many schools for how many million dollars applied it >> we had was it >> 16 for something for 18 oh it was >> what does what does that is it is it >> different there there's a list of vendors that you can choose from if you decide to request a hit grant um we chose amplify for hackler tied directly to dibbles and we wanted the progress wiring that could come from that. And then we chose Carnegie Math for eighth math and 10th math because they just come extremely highly recommended. Miss Trer and I spent a lot of time on Zooms with both companies. Um it was a lot more involved this year to apply for the HIT grant because they have more
084people applying. I'm very competitive. Um, and so the vendors have realized that we need help filling out all the requirements for the paperwork. So they will have teams that you can zoom with and they'll go over all the documents with you and help you write the grant correctly according to what the program will do for your students. So we did we just >> we're going to get it. It's going to be wonderful. >> Um, we just really really want the programs. I think they would be I think they would work perfectly with what we're already doing in the buildings. So hopefully any day we'll find out. >> Mr. Rose doesn't have anything on here, but he has changed his focus. He's really been working at his building with some different focus areas. Want to kind
085of >> Sure. Yeah. So ours is kind of a tail of two two worlds, I guess, two cities, but you got six We got 68 on one end of the building and 912 on the other. And so they look a little different. Um I did asked my teachers at the beginning of the year though with disseminating that data and breaking into all their test scores and thing. They did identify a lot of kids that just were right on the verge between level one and two, level two and three. So they went in and broke them apart and found the ones that felt like they could grow a few points. Now that being said, we do not get a letter grade at at our campus. However, uh our goal as an Ae program is to transition
086kids back to the regular campus at some point. So we are all under that same umbrella. So if I send a kid back to Kingston or to junior high or high school, the goal will be for them to be on grade level when they get there and continue that growth. Jeff told me once it's like breaking a wild horse. He's like, I'm going to break them and get them rained in for you and keep them and then that way you can take them and get them where you need them to be. So I'm pushing mine to do a little more than that. We're trying to break them. We're also pushing grade level curriculum day in day out. Uh my sixth grade and seventh They work closely, especially six and seven. They attend some of Mr.
087Smith's CT meetings over at his school. I'll make I'll make time for them to jump over there and sit in on those so they can stay up to date with their uh essential standards and be teaching the same thing. One thing I did last year is ensure through our last year of our grant that we had the same curriculum as everybody had districtwide. And I purchased that for as long as I could, some of them for six years. So I go ahead and pay it ahead while I had the money. But uh they they've a phenomenal job. In my sixth through 8th grade, they just grabbed hold and they asked they said, "Can we please have an RTI period at the beginning of the day?" That's the time when our kids are the most fresh,
088attentive, and and ready to work. And uh and so I make that work in their schedule. So that first first period of the day about 40 minutes is their RTI time. And two days a week they do literacy. Two days a week's math. if they sometimes it's a social science a lot of times it's kind of an extension actually for the whole group for instance last week they they kind of kind of challenged them when I seen some of things get posted that they were doing to come up with to keep pushing and they turned out a product of the invisible ink like on the back of the Declaration of Independence on on so they went through all that so so they're still trying to keep them engaged and push things like that. But the,
089you know, the the thing is my my ELA teacher, she came from a lower elementary background and she's using some of those skills. So when we were digging through the literacy scores, we had some scary low students in literacy. And she's like, I don't even know what to start, so I'm just going to dibble. So she dibbled all the sixth through eighth graders that she has. She didn't find two kids that that were on the kindergarten level, and interested in connection lessons with them twice a week during that literacy intervention time while the other two teachers are are pushing more literacy interventions through the the curriculum through ISL things like that through comprehension of reading skills things like that and then the other two days are math and look at already also so we collect
090that year data so they've been very data driven we've got active spreadsheets that maintaining and grab and data walls and they are constantly tracking that data. In the past, we've just tried to ensure that we grew in some area. I challenge to make sure they grow a level. Now, that may not mean we have them for the whole year. They could go back at the quarter or go back at Christmas, but our sixth through 8th graders will see the most testing of our kids and uh whether with us or back across the road as we say, we want to ensure that they're prepared to grow a level. And that's huge for our kiddos. school, we challenge them with more reading. I challenge my teachers to ensure they fall into those big three district commitments. And
091so you will see when doing whether it's manufacturing, whether it's literacy, whether it's math, you'll see that target and that concept. Miss Stewie said it earlier, it's easier to work towards something if you know what your goal is. If you know what your target is. So they have a current and active target tied to their essentials, but so the kids know what they're doing each day. And I feel like that's simple, but a powerful piece that they're doing. And And it's not just for fun. I told the teachers, if you're doing it just to leave it up there and it never changed the whole year, you might as well erase it because I need to make sure it's active and the kids know what they're talking and they do. Still, I'm not saying it's perfect.
092I still have some older ones that come to come to school asleep all day. It's not because they're not trying to get them to teach and and learn and grow. Critical reading class has been successful. Mr. Lynn does that not for ninth and tth grade. phenomenal work he's doing with those those kiddos and tracking that and growing on biology. Had great scores this year, this past year. >> Um they identified several kids even that was going to be seniors last year that were seniors last year and juniors that were reading a really low level. They got with Laura Strider. She came over and helped them get a plan of intervention. So we are still preparing those kids about to graduate which is another big focus we work with and Miss Russell is trying to keep
093them graduating on time. call me and say, "Hey, I've got some there's no way they're going to make it to the finish line if we don't if we don't really get over the top on meetings and send them over." So, they look a little different in high school, I'd say. We get some for some bad decisions, but also we get a lot that's falling way behind with credits, right? And we're afraid they're going to age out, so to speak, and we're going to lose them. So, it looks a little different. We really hone in on the sixth, eighth graders. that we're growing them as fast as we can just on the essential skills and get them to get get where they need to be so they're prepared to and we do a lot of extensions.
094We got family literacy. They come in and send the person in each week and work with their middle school kids on social skills. We've got a group that they work with each week and we got special guests coming and then we take our old ones out to other businesses and locations to try to put the car in front of them today. They get a little more motivated. You'll see some of these work places. >> It's a lot still its own LEA. >> Yes. It does not get a letter grade. >> But it does not get a letter grade >> because of the charter and because it's an alternative. There are only two LEAs. Is that right? And I mean two le >> charters >> in Arkansas that are their own LEA with the charters. >>
095How many students do you have? >> Well, we start out a little low, but we're growing rapidly. We started out [laughter] >> as good as that. >> Around 50ish to when we started the year. We're probably pushing up closer to 60 now. We've gained several. A couple of the area schools we have with have sent us a couple more things like that. when when you're talking about sixth through 8th grade, you're really concentrating on those uh students. Um how many of those on average, as you say, go get to go across the road, >> transition back? >> Yeah. >> Um I'll just count between. So last year, I'd say we transition back about half of them >> and we ended up running close to 20 last year. >> We had a lot of middle schoolers
096class. >> It's down. teachers or two and a quarter really all I had last year got two and a half this year. That's a lot you consider, you know, you think of the kids that come out of there most at that age are typically behavioral issues. The older ones we get a lot of credit deficient, but the young ones are all behavioral. So, we try to, you know, it helps the home classes, getting them out of the regular ed classes to to allow those kids to learn at a higher level, >> but also you're putting a lot of kids that have behavioral issues all in one room together sometimes. Do do you find that most of them are lacking more in reading than anything else? >> Not necessarily. Um >> sometimes your most advanced kid
097maybe we've had some gifted students. And I mean that's just >> we we've got Yeah. Just as a percentage right now, I'd say I'm only out of my ones I've got in middle school, there's probably only uh which I'm up to about 14 now. So there's probably three of them that's extremely low in literacy. So there other ones are just kind of across the board just behind two and three grade levels. That's my biggest struggle. Couple of them are really high like in science or really high in math but for the most part across the level most of them are about three two to three grade levels behind already at sixth and seventh grade. So it's tough to catch up teach on grade level and catch up especially some of those are kind of the
098one room school setting sometimes. So it's a lot of differentiation and that's what I didn't mention in high school you might see one teacher have about three three different classes going on in one classroom during one period. So, it's pretty unique. >> I'm super proud not of all of principles for the work they've done and the challenge of what are we going to do differently. I mean, they have they've stepped up to the plate for that challenge and thank you Mr. Rose. Thank you for the academic focus because that that's a challenge and you said it's a challenge a lot but it's fine watch them grow. It is fun and they get a little success. They know they can do more than it's really fun. It's probably as I don't know I've been in a
099regular building. It may be just as much or more rewarding to see those kids grow than whole building because you get so attached to them. >> So we have just a list of the things we've talked about. Was there anything in particular you wanted? >> No, I just this one of the reasons we did this because you guys have made a lot of um resource decisions to support some of our pieces we've talked about. And so this is just a reminder some of the things y'all approved over the last few months really um some programs and and things. And we still have some training. We have some bill training about to happen. Um and we have Alex is, if you're not sure what Alex is, that's a math program that goes with our secondary math
100classes and they can use it for lots of different things, but you can use it. It works extremely well for RTI intervention. So, >> well, Nelson looks using bill. What What is >> It's not the first time I've heard of this. >> Well, it's it's a >> I don't know. It's a little bit like a It's kind of an accelerated version of connections for a lack of a that's a very condensed explanation, but they do move at a little bit different pace. Um, but it does help. We're trying to offer what we realized is we're offering we were offering like one kind of a one node intervention system and we need to offer multiple. Some some it's the pace that's holding them back, some it's the skill itself. So we're trying to do some different
101things where there's options for how to move the kids. Is there anything you want to add? >> No, I have not been field trained but we did have yes and three teachers went um and so I think the thought behind offering other programs also when we're running Apple Connections um for tier one instruction and then we're also doing Apple Connections as the intervention that's not always being successful for every kid. So we have to >> other it's a like a K12 >> it it is >> and there is a foundations of the kindergarten has used some it's almost like a preconnections >> and there that's still available and then this would be we really wanted it's almost like a pilot year for build >> we wanted to see if we if we feel like we
102need more groups that are moving kind of in that direction if we bought enough for the building. So that this was a little bit of a pilot for that >> and it's highly recommended. Miss Trivet went to a training on it and she was really excited about after she did the training and she did a training with wasn't Vicky King but it was one of our >> somebody Sandy Shepard >> maybe Sandy um >> so we're kind of waiting to see what the results are rolling that out for their DNF schools >> and then 95% group that's our new piece we're trying that's primarily at at Miss Goodwin's building and that's another we have three teachers about to do a training day on 95 >> and so it's similar it's >> it's it's a scripted
103program um you get materials and it again it walks you through like it's very explicit what you're doing within the lesson and I mean it it is phonics based like it's but it's again a new look just it's presenting information a little bit different way. It's not as sensory based. Connections is very sensory based. This one is a little bit less sensory based. So, just again, this is a kind of we're trying some new things and we're going to kind of see what we feel like is is worth maybe investing a little bit more time and money into. >> We've been doing the same things just over and over and over again, and our results aren't changing. >> So, how many students are getting 95%? >> We have 18 each grade level. I have three
104teachers in each grade level. We can have six in a group. >> And that's the nice thing, too, because connections are limited to only four. >> And we liked that about 95% group. It lets you have more kids in a group. >> And we're looking we love >> Bill. So, the groups are >> certain students could move. We had We can do multiple like we can how many days to get through and then you can however many lessons you can start a new group. I think that we'll be able to do two groups >> within the the year >> with one teacher >> that gives you yard sticks. >> We're hoping it'll help us measure a little bit better. you know how we need to like I said is the pace are we moving too
105slow too fast like just there's going to be some choices within those programs >> but you're handpicking the students and using data so those are not likely to happen >> they should be I mean you would think they would move pretty close together the way they're placed >> the last thing and I'm not gonna spend too much time on this. I'll send it home with you all tonight. But one of the things figured out pretty quickly, we're asking our principles to do a whole lot of different things. We're asking them to shift the way they've been doing some things and and try some things differently. Well, that's not fair if I don't do some things differently, too. So, what we looked at was from what is my plan, right? What is the superintendent's plan? what
106are the expectations that you all should have of me and then underneath that we have Judy what are her what's what are her expectations based on my expectations and then the principles have done the exact same thing so it's kind of an umbrella of here's a deliberative plan of practice a very specific plan of what we're going to do and what we need to be looking at Judy falling under that the principles and assistant principles um because we're asking our teachers to do a lot too we're asking our teachers to things differently. We're asking our teachers to get out of their comfort zones. And how can we do that if we're not willing as administration to do the same thing? So, I did go ahead and link mine and Judy's plans. Judy linked her own,
107but I did. And then I have a copy of everyone, all our all our principles and administrators plans. Some of the things that I do think based on conversations that we've had that need to be looked at over the next few months, I would like to look at I've already visited quite a bit with um Hackler and Miss Goodwin about looking at schools within a school type arrangement, which is just basically physical locations of classrooms in her building and how she is monitoring that. And I think that's something that we're going to continue to discuss, looking at possible um you know, should we be looking at K2 buildings, possibly have two K2 centers? We've seen some things with transitions with our kids that that could it could really help. And um we're going to be
108having some more conversations about that over the next year or so. You know, if if Miss Goodwin's able to move her teachers around, is that not a catalyst for looking that push into those three school within schools. We've looked at this before. We've talked about this before. We called it um help me >> SLC, student learning communities. So, nothing changed except in our as far as what grade levels were in our buildings at that point, but the same four or five kids, four or five teachers had these kids and those kids went to these four or five teachers the next grade up. The alignment of that can be very beneficial and we see that in neighborhood schools. We just that's not what we have and that's okay. But what can we do with our current
109system to create some of that alignment? So that conversation we'll be having over the next little bit. Another conversation I'd like to have with high school is just scheduling. What does a seven period day versus a block schedule look like? What could be beneficial? So after I know I visited with all of you about that and that is something I'd like to set up a committee for at the high school and have get some conversation going about what that looks like and what the future you know where where we could head. We know that that just having that face to face with kids, just adding fa fast Friday added eight approximately 18 more student teacher um what am I trying to say face to face interactions you know it could add a lot of just
110seeing a kid opportunities just to check up on kids. So there are a lot of things besides academics we do have to look at with that. But at the end of the day, any decision that's made and I think I hope that I've shown that commitment to you is that it is best for our kids and we have teachers that will that understand that we're doing [clears throat] things for our students and what's best for them. So some conversation in the next few weeks about that and I have a feeling teachers especially at junior and high school will reach out to you all as that conversation begins because there are strong feelings both ways. Um, the other thing I think those were the two big things I wanted to mention to you all, but I
111will you have access to this these plans. I'll give them to you today as well. Um, we went ahead and made copies of those, but but I just hope you're starting to notice a shift a shift in the the culture of how we look at things. And you know what? Success breeds success. Miss Russell, tell your story about your kid that saw saw you so pumped up about your bee. >> So, I made an announcement as soon as she let me know that we had made our B. So, I get on the intercom, make my announcement, and the kids don't understand why I'm so excited about a B because it's not an A. And so, the kids are not they're not satisfied. They're not done. They want an A. So, we're chasing an A. Cool.
112>> And I feel like you're going to see that at all the buildings. Today was a third grade work day for literacy. Got a lot of work done. And I think our third grade teachers got to talk to some fourth and fifth grade teachers um who kind of said, "Hey, our kids can do this. Let's all get together and get to work." >> You know, there's one thing, and you and I have talked about this before. If we make a change, you guys make a change. And if it don't work, we back up and start. We punt. >> Back up and punt. If something doesn't work, >> you know, you know, you look at something and you got it all figured out and said, "This is going to be great." And it just flops. We've
113all been there. It happens to somebody, you know. So, don't be afraid to make changes is what I'm saying. because adjust because the world's moving faster than we unfortunately you guys didn't get to grow up in 50s and 60s. So you don't know what real life is all about. [laughter] You guys have got a lot harder >> than what we had it in the 60s and 70s. teaching school. Uh, you know, we had the same classes every day, same subjects every year. They advanced a little bit, but we didn't have the advanced classes. You know, chemistry is about as hard a class as I ever took in high school. And uh, and now you got to do calculus and everything else. You know, we didn't have that available. So, push. My daughter still hates copies.
114>> I'll say this. I think it was me that that asked you that question. Hey, what are we doing different this year so we can expect a different result this next year. So, >> this was a great, at least from my perspective, this was a a great look into that answer, a detailed look. And I, for one, I'm really excited about hearing these changes. like everything that y'all said made me excited and I can see I can see the vision. I can see where we're headed and yes, maybe something won't work just right. Hey, we'll reevaluate next year. But but I for one I'm really excited about these these things that we're doing different and I'm really excited to see the results next year come out. >> Sounds like we've got a pretty good plan.
115>> Yeah. >> Or you girls. >> And there's a lot of we all recognize the amount of work that's gone and it's so easy to sit back and keep doing things the way we've always done them. So, I thank y'all for that extra work, for putting the heads together, and hey, what can we do different? So, really appreciate it. >> Well, thanks for the resources you granted us. We've asked for some new things and y'all said yes. So, thank you for that. >> Well, there's going to be some hard decisions be made in the next year. The school board money is going to be tight and there might have to be some cuts. So I don't like cutting taking anything away from anybody especially that's you know it's like this is the only reason I
116come to school >> but you know we have to do what's best for the overall school body and uh >> achievement is not where we want it >> cut >> right exactly >> but you know there's there's going to be some hard hard decisions in the in the next six months last 12 months and uh so remember that when we're how we've supported you guys and if we come to you and say well we [laughter] got to cut this out don't be too mad you know Miss Dwey shared some things that hey we're going to look at it in the future such as block scheduling versus seven period you know one of the things I've asked Miss Dwey about a couple of times and to me because my kids are elementary um you hear a
117lot about summer slide right hey it takes nine weeks to get that kid back to where they were at the end of the last year and I'm not a professional educator so I don't know the unintended consequences the second and third order effects but one of the questions I've asked her is like can we is there any benefit to changing up our calendar where instead of having 12 weeks over the summer we shorten that summer period and we we still have the same number of contract days but we spread out the breaks maybe take a bigger break in the spring a bigger break in the fall I can see a lot of benefits to that where our kids aren't out of the classroom for such a big block of time those kids that are relying
118on breakfast and lunch, etc. They're not gone. I I can see a lot of benefits to it, but like I said, I don't know the unintended consequences. So, that's one of those conversations I'd like to have as well, too. Can we change our calendar so it makes certainly for the ed the elementary principles and those students is not well the transition in that summer slide where we're not till middle of October to get them back to where they were in May. >> Are you talking like more like a trimester schedule? trimester or something like that, right? So instead of 12 weeks for summer, I don't know, maybe six weeks for summer and we take a bigger block in the fall and a bigger break in the spring where we just don't have that large period
119where they're just not even thinking about what they've already learned, right? >> Actually that a little bit >> I have too. There's some data that actually supports that a lot though. Well, but the ret the retention is a lot better. Um, and there's a lot of carryover to that because of the slide. You know, they're more and actually in a trimester a lot of times they actually get more time off over the course of the entire year a little bit, but yet they did. >> Well, we also paid teachers this summer to do a little bit. And that's when I came back and asked Miss Stewie, why are we paying teachers to teach something in the summer to have an extension? Why are we not shortening the summer? The other that I know there was
120a reference that sometimes uh low-end kids are missing a lot. I'm experiencing a lot of people I know that high-end kids are missing a lot. They're taking vacations whenever they want. And even high-end kids, if they're out of class too much, that's going to hurt. It's just there's no way it can't >> hurt. Well, if you have longer breaks throughout the school year, maybe some of those vacation days can be restructured in the fall, in the winter, in the spring where it's not when everyone in the United States is taking their breaks. >> I will tell you this, state of Florida tried year round school several years like a longer break, longer fall break, right? >> It's not necessarily year round school. You just the same thing they it's you're in, you know, uh it's
121you just you're [clears throat] three ways instead of two ways and you're extending your your breaks. >> I did I mean I really did research this over the summer just because that's I'm weird like that. I like to do stuff. >> I I didn't find I didn't find the evidence to back it up to to do it. You might but I I didn't. >> So calendar I was surprised >> calendar conversation will be um I I have been looking at policy calendar [cough] start with PPC. It doesn't mean that I I plan on bringing a calendar to PPC. One of my priorities is to get some days in the summer and and this isn't a secret [cough] to anyone. We struggle to get days for our teachers to work together because there are quite a
122few what we consider contract flex days. [clears throat] Not just I'm sorry, not flex days. Yeah, contract flex time. Um [cough] five days built into our current calendar. If we could have a few of those days when our building principles could have teachers on site all together working today, we wouldn't have needed the day today that we had substitutes for in third grade. I'm just being very honest. They needed [cough] to work. But if that day could have been done at a different time, um I don't know how popular that would be. I'm guessing it probably won't be very popular. However, I I do plan on presenting a calendar to PPC this year, and I've talked to folks about that. That's not a secret. Um, and I don't mind pushing back the start date. I
123think we just have to decide what the priorities are or the priorities of the >> calendar does have to be voted on. PPC does have to present a calendar to you per policy. That doesn't mean you have to vote for the calendar that is presented to you, but that's it. just goes back [clears throat] and forth through PPC according to policy. >> Um, >> one of the problems >> that's how calendar is developed according to our policy. >> One of the problems of starting all this earlier and earlier all the time is your maintenance. You cannot get your maintenance done. You cannot [clears throat] get the everything done that it can only be done when there's nobody else in the school. >> Sure. >> Could that be done on a flexible schedule though? Why does
124it have to be the same summer? I mean, >> it'd have to be some type of rotation. >> Yeah. But but that can be created. >> Absolutely. I think it could be. Yeah, I think you could create a rotation where it would be the same once it >> rotates it once a year. It just may not be in July. >> Just be an adjustment to the timing of it. >> Well, one of the biggest problems in summertime is maintenance crew is >> it's just something to look at. I think our calendar ought to be as big a tool for our academic success >> for sure >> as anything else. >> But like Marcia says, she couldn't find anything that support it. >> I I mean I couldn't. >> But did you find anything that negated
125it? I mean [clears throat] >> I couldn't find anything >> two sides >> to really show gains that I went into thinking >> zero effect is a good >> is that right? Zero effect either way. I mean it's it's negligible that >> it it was mar I mean there were just tiny margins and it was subpopuls and you know some sub populations that we don't >> Were you looking at like schools in the US that do trimesters >> just that extended school year. >> Yeah. >> Um I I couldn't find I went in thinking oh this will be easy to find and it it wasn't. >> You have to watch too. One thing on [clears throat] on scheduling is testing. You have to make sure that you're done with the course >> before the April
126window. >> It would be interesting. Marian has that type of calendar. >> Do they still They did. Do they still do? They do. Um Texas can maybe is it >> Hot Springs did. >> Okay. >> Not sure what they have now. >> I'd have to look. But there are some schools that do have and it is considered year round. >> I like what they call that. research on it like school within a school. There's a large 2024 study on that >> but I couldn't find this. I'm >> if it can be found >> I thought it would but it just didn't show up. So that was weird. >> I think our education model is actually the only one that doesn't do a year. We're actually one of the few that have a traditional semester base
127all >> you know you talked about a committee you're looking at some of these things maybe this is something where >> I don't know a committee looks at it or is PPC who the ones who actually dive and look at it >> calendar it it is PPC I mean it that's how our >> they be the ones that would look and hey here's the pros and cons and here's the >> I can ask them absolutely >> like I and Miss Morgan I can we can get that conversation started >> that's any certified personnel so >> can all be there >> can they can even attend the meetings they just can't participate >> which you can offer of choices or calendars >> yes they can bring it to PPC yes you >> and then PPC usually
128puts out selects several and then puts it out to all certified personnel to vote And then I assume CPPC does the same thing. >> They gen CPPC generally will take the options from PPC and they both >> because a lot of our well quite a few of our classified are 247s which is a full year. So it's kind of like me let's just all come to school. I you know we're going to be here right? say whatever the calendar decision is, the only thing I feel strongly about, I'm going to be honest, and I think the people in this room would agree, is getting them some time >> with their people during the summer. And we do have schools across the state that have a week in the summer on their contract and those days
129were taken off through the year. >> Turning days, like personal days, >> unless you unless you're sick, we'll have personal day, but there's just a week or, you know, I was just going to try to get us a couple days kind of maybe gradually get to where and it's already I think we've already this major had already had just you've already had a little push back even on the idea so so we'll see >> taking days from >> the CT flex is what I would [clears throat] or flex >> putting them all together in the >> could or maybe just two of those five days that are currently CT flex it's um very hard to just be a couple of those days where our folks could work together and our teachers It's hard to do
130all the planning in the summer before you even have your current class of students. Like this time of year would be a great time for the teachers to have a work day together. >> And they could be work days built into the calendar even. You get maybe two days in the summer and maybe an October date. I've seen several schools that have had an October date recently. Dist several districts because they have all the data now. >> Would those be just like non student days >> like we used to have? >> Oh, okay. >> You could you could do that. You could do a couple in the summer. You could. There's all kinds of options. >> I know about uh >> like that calendar. >> No, ma'am. >> A work day wherever on campus. >>
131They would have to be >> together, >> but it would be required to be there. >> I remember back >> way back days, of course, uh we'd have Thanksgiving break, but the teachers had to attend school. contract. >> Yes, those are flex days. Flex flexible professional development days. Now, I think I believe that's what those two are. They're either that or what we consider contract flex time, >> which is a reported hours of work outside your contract that you're um anyway, that's just something I'd like to to discuss. The schedule, I'd like the same period day. Same as Miss Partney. Um, my research doesn't show it's it's a the day the schedules are are kind of like this too. You just you get the gains you see mainly are math and foreign language. However, we
132have a generation of kids that I don't know who was it that said kind of like a Tik Tok generation. Everything goes fast. So, there's options. >> Yeah, the Tik Tok attention span. >> Um, there's options and and there's nothing wrong with having discussions and You know, there's there's a reason the preacher only preaches 15 to 20 minutes on Sundays, >> but then you don't >> Well, I think about >> absences for really important events like bomb squad or or ROC. If you miss a day, it's like missing two days of instruction versus one period, you know. So, the student teacher I will invite when when we do get these committees, especially the sub period day committee, the PPC, Miss Morgan will represent you all, but um which you still can come and sit in
133the back. Um as far as the committee for looking at scheduling, I'm going to figure out a way to get everyone invited. I don't think everybody can attend that unless you just kind of sit there like a fly on the wall. Um the is not a board decision necessarily, but it's definitely something that is a pretty um a topic that I believe the board will be involved in. >> If nothing else, community can reach out to the board, >> community, teachers, >> that's a big voice, >> students, you know, how does how do folks feel and it's something we've been doing for a long time and change >> that would be very hard. >> That would be a really hard change for most people. Not saying Not good or bad either way. I'm just saying
134that it's very hard >> when you when you got these people who take two month vacations. >> This school calendar. >> Yeah. >> That you know, [cough] >> you know, it used to start after Labor Day and now we're [clears throat] starting the second week of August. So, in some ways we've been making the change just gradually. >> So, I don't know that it's really that big of a leap. Now I think getting out May what? 15th 16th. You talk about the student slide. Just a little little stunned that we're getting out so early. >> Well, just just the graduating people getting out early. >> Nobody wants graduation day is the last day of >> that's we we started after Labor Day. first first Tuesday after Labor Day and we got out by the 15th
135of >> of May. >> But did you take three weeks over Thanksgiving and Christmas like of a six week period? Three weeks of >> then you had a week of spring break. >> We didn't have spring break. >> That's right. >> So we've already started making the shift. I'm just saying we we've been doing it. We're just asking to what what would it look like a little bit more >> and then you're asking people to come in at the hottest time of the year. >> Today was pretty hot. >> It wasn't It [laughter] wasn't 100° hot. >> It wasn't 100° hot, guys. >> We're getting way off in the weeds here, guys. >> Yeah, we are. >> But you're you're talking about adding expenses to your >> to your budget. It's just something you got
136to look at. Let's just look at look at all the aspect. It may or may not be a good idea, but it's not an idea at all if you don't research. >> Well, I'm not against it. I'm just >> telling you things that >> Absolutely. >> unintended consequences. >> There's a lot. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. >> And I will I commit to you to taking that to PPC and we'll that discussion will happen and may even get a calendar put out to folks with that option. Let's just see what our teachers think. >> Question for you. The state law says you can't start school before a certain day. >> That's not a rule anymore. >> Oh, they did away with it completely. >> that's why everybody starts so early and gets out so early. You've
137got lots of options. It's the only rule that I per se the difference in a what does our calendar called? A we're on hour we're on hours but we're considered traditional less than it's either less than six or seven weeks of summer is considered a year- round calendar. It's just the name. It's the box you click in East. I just can't remember the exact number of weeks. I'd be interested to put it out there and see what the parents [clears throat] the parents of these kids would say, you know, just say, "Hey, if you had your choice, would you do this if you was going to get >> I'd like to see data that says when we made this change, our test scores improved by this much or I would rather see >> that." >>
138Absolutely. and then I can I can buy in because the only reason I'm here is for our students achievement safety and how to help you all need that. >> I'll see what >> the only reason >> I can't get a hold of I know we can get Marian fairly easily. I'm gonna look and see if those other >> thought might be one >> when >> it's um certain parts of the state. >> It'd be >> good if we could find with similar size and demographics. >> Sure, I can. >> It's going to be tough. >> Marian same size about but um because when I demographics >> demographics >> were the only points of change and we don't have the population that the biggest or any growth was show. I was surprised at what I researched
139and found. I thought I would be wrong, but >> I'll see what I can find and [clears throat] um report back to you. And then of course PBC is this week and we'll I'll go ahead and kind of put this out there to them and >> it's Wednesday. >> I guess >> 7 period day. I'll get back. We'll um continue that discussion as well. >> I've never heard anything from the PTO. >> I can work on that, too. >> Well, you'll have to wait till after December 7 because I'm busy right now. >> Is there anything else? >> Read over these in all your spare time and these plans of practice and let me know your thoughts. I would like to say lots of good ideas, lots of good investment time invested in this and
140I think you girls and gentlemen are doing a great job and like I say keep on keep on pushing >> open to move. I second. Okay, we're done. >> Thank you'all very much.