Explain the activities in which your school will participate to increase your overall rating. Include specific details.

As evidenced in the SES Band Data, which content area(s) will be the focus for improving student achievement and why was this area chosen?

Based on Cypress Elementary School's FSA results from 2018, the content area of focus will be literacy.  In 2018, only 37 percent of third, fourth, and fifth grade students were identified as proficient in reading.

What specific BEST Practice(s) will be implemented or scaled-up to improve teaching and learning in order to increase performance within the SES Band?

PLCs will be  enhanced to improve teaching and learning in reading to increase student performance.  PLCs will focus on Balanced Literacy components through the use of the literacy continum. During our collaborative Thursdays, teachers will analyze data, plan instruction, and gather appropriate resources aligned to the Florida Standards. The RTI process will be  enhanced to ensure all students are provided the appropriate interventions.  Teachers and the school Leadership Team will meet biweekly to monitor student progress and make adjustments as necessary. Teachers will receive support from grade level facilitators to ensure that students needs are met. Staff trainings  will align to student achievement data and teacher need.  Professional development will be provided to teachers to improve and support the quality of teaching and learning in order to increase performance. Professional development will focus on literacy. Teachers will attend district trainings that will support the school's literacy initiative.

Describe in detail how the BEST Practice(s) will be scaled-up.

PLCs will be scaled up by the attendance of at least one support member and/or administration to support effectiveness of each grade level PLC and the use of time. Agenda will be determined based on data and specific grade level curriculum needs. Agenda will also include a time dedicated to  balanced literacy using the balanced literacy continum.  RTI will be scaled up through the implementation of  a clear and focused plan to ensure all students' needs are met.   Intervention programs will be taught daily by trained staff to ensure effectiveness of intervention and alignment to student need.  Data from daily interventions will be collected by interventionists and reviewed during CPST  to monitor student growth. Staff will be surveyed to determine what trainings is needed. Teachers will  attend district trainings relevant to their specific needs. The Literacy Coach will conduct trainings focused on the Balanced Literacy components, and interpreting BAS assessments. The Literacy coach will also model for teachers needing specialized assistance in the Literacy block. In additon, we revamped the  Instructional Focus Calendar (IFC) to meet the needs of our students

What specific school-level progress monitoring data is collected and how often?

We analyze all data collected:
BAS data is collected after every assessment window
i-ready reading and math diagnostic is collected after every assessment
School City summative and formative assessment data is collected at the end of each curriculum and discussed at monthly data chats
Acaletics Math monthly scrimmage

How does the school ensure the fidelity of students not progressing towards school and district goals?

If students are not making progress, they will go through the RTI process. Students in need of intervention will receive interventions from the classroom teacher, Instructional coaches or a resource teacher. Students will be monitored to determine if they are making progress or if the intervention needs to be changed to meet their needs.

 

How does the school ensure that all classroom instruction is accessible to the full range of learners using Universal Designs for Learning (UDL) for effective instructional design (planning) and delivery (teaching)?

Cypress Elementary School ensures that all classroom instruction is accessible to all of our  learners using Universal Designs for Learning (UDL) for effective instructional design (planning) and delivery (teaching) by implementing the UDL principles and conducting ongoing classroom observations that provides the school with data that supports a student-centered environment.  Curriculum coaches also ensure all classroom instruction is accessible to the full range of learners using the UDL principles.  Resources are provided to assist with supporting teachers with UDL and Personalized Learning.

How does the school ensure Tier 1 Standards-Based classroom instruction is being implemented properly and effectively?

Classroom walkthoughs by administration, district, staff, and Instructional Coaches allows us to determine if there is proper implementation of the balanced literacy components. In order to have effective and consistent implementation the same There is school wide training and all teachers are expected to attend. We also do grade level training on Thursdays when we have "curriculum conversation". 

Describe texts used for core, supplemental, and intervention programs at each grade level. How does the school ensure students have access to a balance of literary and informational text in a variety of mediums?

The school utilizes a variety of programs to meet student needs such as:

ELA- At Cypress Elementary the following programs are available:
Leveled readers, iReady, LAFS (Curriculum Associates), content area readers, Phonics for Reading, Super QAR, Fundations, Words Their Way, NewsELA, Accelerated Reader (AR), and LLI.

Math-Go math, Reflex, iReady, and Acaletics.

At Cypress Elementary, there is a book resource room with a plethora of leveled books across all of the genres that is available for the teachers to use with students. The literacy block also has  social studies and science content embedded in the instruction.