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Spring Hill Elementary Quality School Improvement Plan
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Part 1: Profile
Introduction The following is a comprehensive look at Spring Hill Elementary School student performance data, school and community characteristics, school programs, stakeholders' perspectives on the quality of education, and charts that summarize data collected for this portion of the improvement plan. The profile committee reviewed our April 2000 improvement plan, designed a survey to garner faculty, parent, and student input, and gathered information to update our profile. Student Performance Data National, state, and district assessment instruments are used at Spring Hill Elementary School to determine the achievement and academic growth of students. National Measures: The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is administered to students in second grade to measure intellectual potential in three areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. This information is used to measure student abilities compared with student performance in both the classroom and on achievement tests. Information from this test is also used as one measure to determine qualification for the enrichment program. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is a norm-referenced test administered annually to students in third and fifth grades. It measures general academic achievement in reading, language arts, math, social studies, science, and sources of information. Results compare students to other children across the class, grade, school, system, state, and nation. We use results for evaluation, decision-making, and instructional improvements. We also use scores from the test administered during the fifth grade to determine eligibility for the President's Education Awards Program and as one measure to determine qualification for the enrichment program. The fifth grade math score is also considered in student placement in middle school math tracks. State Measures: The Georgia Kindergarten Assessment Program - Revised (GKAP-R) is a developmentally appropriate measure of skills obtained in kindergarten. Students are assessed throughout the entire year on structured test items as well as observations. This test is one measure used to determine readiness for first grade. The Curriculum-Based Writing Assessments are used to assess the writing skills of students in grades 3 and 5. The third grade teachers assess their students' writings based on multiple samples collected throughout the school year. Fifth grade students respond to an assigned topic in one of two genres, imaginative story or personal narrative. The tests of our fifth grade students are reviewed and assessed by readers at the state level. Students are rated on content/organization, style, and grammar usage/mechanics. Scores are reported in six stages. Stage 1 - emerging; stage 2 - developing; stage 3 - focusing; stage 4 - experimenting; stage 5 - engaging; and stage 6 - extending. Results provide diagnostic feedback to teachers, students, and parents about individual performance. The majority of
The Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) has been administered to students in grades 1-5 during academic year 2001-2002 and in 2003-2004, and is scheduled to be administered again this year. These tests measure student acquisition of the knowledge, concepts, and skills of Georgia's Quality Core Curriculum (QCC). Results are used to diagnose individual and program strengths and weaknesses as related to the instruction of QCC. For the past two years, the majority of our students has performed at the meets or exceeds level. The Georgia Alternative Assessment (GAA) is administered to students with disabilities who are unable to participate in regular education assessments. Students are evaluated on five of the eight curriculum domains (Communication, Daily Living/Personal Management, Motor, Cognitive/ Functional Academics, Social/Emotional, Community, Vocational, and Recreational) as identified in the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). District Measures: Accelerated Rader (AR) is a computerized self-administered reading comprehension assessment that tracks student progress throughout the year. Teachers use results to set goals and monitor the level and quantity of books each student reads. Standardized Tests for Achievement in Reading (STAR) provides a computerized norm-referenced assessment of student reading skills/levels. It is designed to complement AR. STAR uses adaptive-branching technology which automatically adjusts the difficulty of questions. STAR minimizes student frustration and allows student to quickly complete tests. The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is an individually administered test to assess accuracy rate, comprehension level, phrasing, oral reading fluency, and comprehensive skills and strategies. These components provide teachers with a system to observe, record, monitor, and evaluate student reading performances and needs. Writing Rubrics have recently been developed to provide a consistent and rigorous assessment of student writing. Nine-week Assessments in Math provide the opportunity for students to practice skills practiced in the preceding nine weeks. They were designed to act as a predictor of CRCT performance, to provide standardized ratings for report cards, and to determine areas of weakness that teachers can include in their spiral review. We also use the end of grade test for students entering public school from a home school setting to ensure appropriate grade placement. Student and Community Characteristics Spring Hill is a public, suburban elementary school located in the city of Fayetteville in Fayette County, Georgia. The Fayette County School System has 17 elementary schools, five middle schools, and five high schools, serving a community of approximately 96,000. The total student enrollment of the Fayette County district is approximately 21,314 students. Per pupil expenditures for these students are approximately $6,755. The education budget in Fayette County is supported mainly by state and local funds. Local support is mainly through property taxes. Approximately 70.80% of the budget is used for instruction. Spring Hill was established in September of 1995. Over the last nine years, the enrollment of Spring Hill has fluctuated from 575 to over 900 students. Our population has stabilized due to the opening of two additional elementary schools in our area. In the summer of 2003, Spring Hill was repainted and new carpet and tile was installed throughout the building. Construction is slated to begin this summer to add a wing consisting of six additional classrooms as well as dividing four existing classrooms in half to create resource rooms. Staff A combined faculty and auxiliary staff of 85 serve the students of Spring Hill Elementary. One principal and one assistant principal serve the population. One counselor and one media specialist are on staff. There are 43 teachers, 28 classroom teachers, four of which are shared/part-time employees, and 15 special area teachers; which include art, music, physical education, computer, gifted, remedial education, and special education. The entire staff consists of 78 females and seven males; 77 are Caucasian, five are African American, two Hispanic, and one Asian. The auxiliary staff consists of one secretary and one clerk, 14 paraprofessionals, five nutrition workers, and five custodians. The majority of the staff has been at Spring Hill five or more years. As of the 2004-2005 school year, we have 88 staff members. We now have six teachers who job share as classroom teachers, four in fourth grade and two in fifth grade. The faculty ranges in age from 24 to 57 years of age. The average years of experience for the certified teachers is 16 years, however 17 of the 28 classroom teachers have 10 years or more experience. The level of education includes 18 bachelor's degrees, 27 master's degrees, and eight specialist degrees. Two classroom teachers have received National Board Certification. Five faculty members are currently pursuing advanced degrees. The majority of the staff is involved in staff development activities after school hours and in the evening. All certified teachers are Integrating Technology (InTech) trained. Students and Community The enrollment of Spring Hill Elementary as of the fall of 2003 is 599 students. As of the fall of 2004, our student population has increased to 633 students. The tables below depict the distribution of male and female students by grade. The ethnic make-up of the student population is 74 percent Caucasian, 16 percent African American, and ten percent Hispanic, Asian, Indian and Multi-racial. An update based on December 2004 numbers reflect a total student population of 633 - 54 percent male and 46 percent female, and an ethnic makeup of 71 percent Caucasian, 18 percent African American, and 11 percent Hispanic, Asian, Indian and Multi-racial. The majority of families at Spring Hill have a combined income that is moderate to high. Many parents are college graduates or have post-secondary education. Careers range from technical and small business owners to professionals such as attorneys, teachers, doctors, military personnel and medical personnel. A new school calendar was instituted for the school year 2003-2004. The students now have one full week off in November and in February in addition to the two weeks in December for winter break and one week in April for spring break. The school year still consists of 180 student days. The average student-classroom teacher ratio is 21:1. Currently, 22 percent of the students are served in the enrichment program, twelve percent in special education that includes speech and language services, nine percent in remedial reading and nine percent in remedial math. One-on-one reading instruction is provided to first grade students by a trained reading paraprofessional. Less than one percent of the students qualifies and receives instruction in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) on a resource basis. We share an ESOL teacher with another school in the county. We have used native speaking parent volunteers to assist our ESOL teacher and homeroom teachers to more effectively communicate with limited English speaking parents. Special education students are served in speech and language, collaborative, resource, and self-contained environments. Two units with severe and profound intellectual disabilities are located at Spring Hill. Each unit has a certified teacher and a full time paraprofessional to serve these children. During the 2004-2005 school year, we gained a third self-contained unit serving students with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities. We currently serve eighteen students in this setting. School Programs
Fourth grade students have the chance to be involved as members of our Flag and Safety Patrols. Each morning, students raise the flag on the flagpole in front of the school. At the end of the school day, the flag patrol lowers the flags and properly fold and stow the flags. Our Safety Patrol are on duty in the hallways before and after school to assist in the safe arrival and dismissal of our students. Fourth and fifth grade students have several opportunities to participate in the fine arts through our orchestra program, the band program, art club, and chorus. Risk Watch, a safety awareness program, is taught by the classroom teacher around a monthly theme in grades K-3. All third grade students are involved in Mini-Society®, a program that teaches economic concepts through experience based learning. Students establish a community and businesses that grow entrepreneurial skills. The program has proved successful in exposing our students to the basic economic concepts of scarcity and opportunity costs. In addition, students participate in an interview process, which can lead to a civil servant job in the society. Four of our teachers piloted this program for Fayette County. Mini-Society® continues to be a dynamic and much anticipated part of the third grade experience. Media Center Throughout the school day, the students have access to the media center. Classes are scheduled on a flexible basis and vary in content from story reading to specific skill building. One media specialist and one paraprofessional staff the media center along with parent volunteers. There are currently 11,818 books in the media center available to students for check out. In addition, there are 810 leveled reading books and 2,154 trade books that the students check out for classroom instruction. There are 1,152 professional and parent books available for check out by staff and parents. We have 5,637 Accelerated Reader quizzes. In addition to the books in the media center, students and staff use periodicals, software, videos, and reference materials. We subscribe to forty-one different journals and periodicals. We have added online subscriptions to Enchanted Learning, Brain Pop, and Quia. Twice a year, we host a book fair. Proceeds are used to purchase books for the Media Center for use by students and teachers.
Student Support One counselor serves Spring Hill through classroom guidance, small group counseling, and individual counseling. The counselor is available throughout the day for parent and staff consultation as well. A variety of programs are offered through our student assistance program Children At Risk in Education (CARE). Second Step, a violence prevention/ character education program, is taught by each classroom teacher to all students. Rainbows, a grief and loss program, is offered to children in need. Six trained faculty volunteers facilitate Rainbows groups. Three community mentors visit with at-risk students once a week. Eighteen trained adult literacy volunteers work with remedial reading students once a week. Twenty-one fourth grade students are trained as school safety patrols and peer helpers. Parents have the opportunity throughout the year to attend parent education classes (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting-STEP) and other parenting seminars. A Student Support Team (SST), made up of an administrator, counselor, school psychologist, special education representative, the student's teachers and parents, meet regularly. These meetings are a function of regular education and are designed to give parents and teachers suggestions and intervention strategies for helping specific students with academic and behavioral concerns. In 1999, we formed a task force to address an identified need for
a school-wide behavior management plan. We wanted a plan that would
encourage students to make responsible choices for their behavior and
be consistent across the elementary years. We began the 1999-2000 school
year with a Code for Responsible Behavior. Each student has a Choice
Card, which provides a record of accountability for student behavior;
serves as a hall pass; and is a valuable communication tool between
school and home. Over the years we have made changes to our program.
Improvements made include matching the time frame with the report card
periods, and a different color card for each grade level. In the spring of 1999, Spring Hill implemented the first multi-cultural celebration. Guest speakers, cultural celebrations, and units of study were used to heighten the students' awareness of diverse cultures. This celebration continues every year. In addition, we have participated in the African American Read-in chain, sponsored by the International Reading Association, each February since 2002. This is a one-day event where we focus on literary works by African American authors. The cafeteria offers a choice of three entrees each day on the lunch menu. During the 2004-2005 school year, we began to publish the menu on a monthly instead of a weekly basis. Ten percent of the student population receives free or reduced lunch. The system average is eleven percent.
Community Outreach In keeping with our mission of preparing children for the future,
we often participate in community programs to support others in need.
A sample of outreach activities in which our school participates include:
an annual Canned food drive, support for the Sandy Creek High School
Star International Clothing Drive, Pennies for Patients to support the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, We also have planned and participated in friendly athletic competition with Sara Harp Minter Elementary School to raise money to assist a faculty member's family. In 2003 we played basketball and in 2004 we played volleyball. Parents from both schools operated a snack bar. Prior to the Christmas holidays, our counselor shares the book, Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story by Cynthia Rylant, with each classroom leading up to the kick off of a collection campaign. In 2002 we collected toys and gloves. In 2003 we collected mittens, scarves, and socks for a school in Appalachia in the North Georgia Mountains. In 2004, we collected diapers to support Fayette County families through the Department of Family and Children Services. These programs instill a sense of caring in our students and set a lifelong example of supporting others. After School Program (ASP) After-school care is offered to all parents through the After School Program (ASP). An average of 23 percent of the student population participates in this program. Many extra-curricular activities are offered to enhance ASP such as karate, jump ball, dance, keyboarding, and cheerleading. Transportation All students are provided bus transportation by the school district. However, some students are car riders and some are transported by day-care vans. Three lift buses are provided for our special needs students. Transportation changes can be made by a note to the teacher or a phone call to the office. Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) A very active Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) offers ongoing support to the students, staff, and families at Spring Hill. Significant funds are raised each year that are used to benefit the educational environment of the students. Such things as the primary playground, new computers, and Smart Boards have been purchased with PTO funds. Parents are encouraged to volunteer in a variety of ways. Parents volunteer in the office, media center, and classrooms, sell ice cream and Vita-pup during lunch, serve as reading tutors, and assist with whole grade-level hearing and vision screenings and many other ways. In addition to monetary support, the PTO has organized and implemented teacher appreciation functions on a monthly basis, a newcomers' get-together to welcome new family members to Spring Hill, family fun nights at the school, and an evening talent show.
Partners in Education Spring Hill has several active Partners in Education. Our list of
current partners includes: The community also uses the Spring Hill facility on nights and weekends for youth programs such as Scouts and recreation sports leagues. The building is used on a rental basis for drama productions, banquets, receptions, and various meetings. School Council In July of 2003, a Local School Council was established at Spring Hill. This council is made up of the principal, two certified teachers, two parents, two businesspersons and the school secretary. The purpose of this council is to bring communities and schools together in a spirit of cooperation. The council strives to solve difficult educational problems, improve academic achievement, provide support for teachers and administrators and bring parents into the school-based decision-making process. The council meets once a month to discuss issues and make decisions. In 2004, the council decided to expand membership by adding a third teacher and a third parent in order to add continuity as members rotate off the council. Student Safety Several new policies have been instated to assure the safety of our students. All personnel, both school and district, must wear an identification badge at all times during the school day. A large sign in our front lobby reminds visitors to our school to sign in and obtain a visitor's badge before entering our halls. All students are given a badge with Spring Hill identification when leaving our building for a field trip. The entire school has fire drills every month. Every staff member has a copy of the emergency plan and the duties and responsibilities assigned to each adult in the building. Copies of the Fayette County School System Emergency/Crisis Procedures are located throughout the building. Technology The Spring Hill website (http://www.fcboe.org/schoolhp/shes/home.htm) was created for students, parents, educators, and our community about five years ago. It serves as a communication tool through the use of announcements and a calendar. It provides information about programs in our school. The students' and teachers' pages include numerous resources for enhancing our curriculum. Many teachers have established class web pages using the Quia domain. We see this initiative as an additional communications tool between school and home. Students and parents can access these pages which include: class calendars, homework assignments, study guides, and review games and quizzes. Parent feedback has been very positive. Grade level teachers create and share ideas with their colleagues to use and share with their students and parents. As a result of the school improvement plan goal of strengthening the
writing process, a writing lab with 27 computers is available for student/classroom
use throughout the school day on a sign-up basis. Teachers can bring
whole classes or small groups into the lab depending on There are numerous instructional resources available to faculty and staff. Some of the newest resources include a fully stocked science closet, a book closet for the lower grades which includes leveled readers and other supplies, and recently purchased Smart Boards. A fully staffed resource center, located at the county office, provides materials and services to enhance classroom instruction.
Opinion Survey Parents, students, and staff were questioned using a survey developed
to identify strengths and weakness within our school. Items on the survey
were consistent with the school's beliefs and mission statement. Three
areas of evaluation were Instructional Programs, School/Parent/ Results are presented in percentages using the combined positive responses, "agree and strongly agree" from both parent and staff surveys. Instructional Programs indicated that parents and staff believe that
the school is doing a good job. Parents and staff agree that the educational
programs offered to the students are of high quality. In addition, parents
and staff believe that the curriculum areas meet the needs of the students.
In many Students/Parents/Community Relations is the area rated highest by parents as well as staff. Parents consistently responded that they feel welcome at Spring Hill and believe that they are given ample opportunities to volunteer in our school. Ninety-six percent of the parents responded that they are kept well informed through school newsletters, web pages, etc. The Learning Environment was rated high by both parents and staff. Parent surveys indicate that 97% believe that our school provides students and teachers with a safe and orderly learning environment, and 97% believe that their student feels safe at school. Both parents (94%) and staff (93%) agree that high expectations are held for student learning. The Student Surveys contained sixteen items with a "yes" and "no" response. Safety at school, use of technology, teacher effectiveness, classroom environment, and varied instruction were all addressed. Two parents from this committee were responsible for administering the surveys to a random sampling of students. Most questions were answered "yes". A few statements in which the majority of the students answered "yes" were: 1. I am learning many things at school.
1. I use the computer in my classroom. Report of the Profile Data The data collected for the profile is summarized in the following tables and graphs. " Parent Survey
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