COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT of the entire school (including the needs of migrant children) with information about the academic achievement of children in relation to the state academic content standards.
Describe the process utilized to conduct the comprehensive needs assessment for this school.

Apollo Middle School is a 6-8 STEM Magnet school which also houses Hispanic Unity Before and After School Program as well as 21st Century Learning program, both in place to increase learning gaines, foster and tend to the "whole child" with additional instructional time, assistance with coursework, hands on activities that are STEM and Project Based, also there is technological enrichment and physical education activities in both programs. 

In order to plan for the needs of the students an after careful review of our FSA/ EOC scores, our Curriculum Leadership Team (CLT) comprised of administrators, Department Chairs / Teacher Leaders meet at the end of the school year and, again, at the beginning of the school year to review achievement data.  The results are developed into data charts and graphs in order to prepare teachers and formulate plans to overcome challenges and weaknesses of students.  Along with curricular data, the CLT also reviews attendance and behavioral records and identifies barriers to stent achievement in order to formulate plans to overcome these challenges.  

The CNA forms the foundation for the development of of the School Improvement Plan.

In August, prior to pre-planning, the CLT convenes to  make whole-school curricular decisions.  The data is disaggregated in order to identify the patterns and trends amongst our Teaching Teams, subgroups such as ELL, ESE and Free/Reduced Lunch.  Tables and graphs are created in order to study the data at the school, grade, teacher and student level. This Comprehensive Needs Assessment includes student academic achievement results in all core subjects and subgroups including race; gender; economically disadvantaged; students with disabilities (SWD); English Language Learners (ELL); and lowest 25th percentile in all tested areas.  

In August, two weeks before teachers return, Core Content Areas will work with district personnel to develop and plan for students to increase rigor and achievement in all classrooms.  Druing planning week, when teachers return, the Comprehensive Needs Assessment is presented to them by discipline, by grade level, by teacher.  Teachers work together during planning week to develop yearly professional growth plans that are aligned with state standards, the CARE Cycle for BEST practices, actions and steps or strategies that will be used throughout the year to improve student achievement.  
The Development of Enrichment activities are based on progress monitoring, and throughout the year include reviews of BAFS I and II, FAIR Testing, USA Test Prep, Canvas.  

Changes to instruction; push-in and pull-outs support, as well as before and after school tutoring.  Apollo has Reading for ALL 7th and 8th graders.  Reading and Language Arts are 70% combined with the use of instructional tools, content and teaching strategies.
As part of the continuous improvement model, the leadership team which consists of administration, support staff, and grade level chair persons, along with teachers, meet periodically to review ongoing data and make adjustments in student programming as needed.  

Monthly SAC Meeting and the School Improvement Plan is monitored through department reports that to help students move forward and progress toward mastery.  Parents also receive information regarding assessments and our needs at our Annual Title I Public Meeting/ Open House and at our monthly and at our monthly Title I Family Nights that are aligned to each core subject area.  These nights are planned in conjuction with our 21st Century Learning Parental Involvement events and our Social Emotional Learning up

Instruction by HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS in all core content area classes
List instructional staff and paraprofessionals that are NOT highly qualified (instructional staff only).

100% of our Teachers are Highly Qualified,
100% of our Paraprofessionals are Highly Qualified

ATTRACT HIGH-QUALITY, HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS to the school.
Describe strategies that will be used to attract high-quality, highly qualified teachers.

pollo Middle School work together with the district's Human Resources Department to attract and secure highly qualified teachers through comprehensive interview process that includes ensuring appropriate certification.  The teachers are supported as they grow professionally by utilizing Induction Coaches assigned by Broward county (these have replaced to former New Educator Support System (NESS), Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) that are sustained with the district's new CARE Packages, support from Instructional Resource Leaders (Reading/ Literacy Coach, ESE Department, ESOL Liaison and Support, etc...), District trainings offered by District Personnel and in-school staff development supports ongoing professional growth.  Other school based personnel including counselor, social worker, and psychologist provide academic and behavioral resources to support the teachers' efforts.  

In order to promote a positive workplace environment, Apollo Middle School strives to uphold sociable opportunities that connect teachers and the academic foundation of this learning based school.  The Administration also recognizes and celebrates the the successes of instructional staff and paraprofessionals through quarterly events set aside for Teacher Appreciation all facilitated and supported through our in-house Community support rep.  

Title I, Part A
Title I funds provide additional teachers to assist students, particularly low performing students.

Title I funds at Apollo Middle School provide additional opportunities for teachers to assist students, particularly for those teaching lower performing students.  

Staff Development funds are used to develop a comprehensive professional training programs, workshops, courses etc. to improve delivery of instruction through a variety of PLC's designed to move teachers to mastery and improve students achievement.  Title I funds pays for substitutes to cover teachers so that teachers can co-teach, model, and participate in professional development on and off campus.   

Parental Involvement Parents are used to fund monthly academic nights that provide with new skills to support learning at home.  These nights include, but are not limited to, information nights designed to provide parents that we could not reach in previous years, nights that are dedicated to meet the needs of Non English speaking parents and to parents and students with Disabilities. 

Title I, Part C- Migrant
(Migrant-Title I schools have been advised if Migrant students attend their school)

We currently do not have migrant students attending. 

Title I, Part D
Neglected and Delinquent

Students identified as neglected and/or delinquent are immediately connected to a school social worker through the Student Services Department who will provide support and community resources. We have additional support services on-site including counselors from Memorial Health Service and a family counselor to support our SWD population.

Title II
(District professional development)

Apollo teachers participate in district-developed trainings in critical content and academic standards training.
When possible, all professional development is implemented on Teacher Planning dates in order to maintain coverage for teacher training at the district level in the areas of Florida State Assesments, Content Area Reading, Clinical Educator and Marzano Strategies. 
Also, district mandated trainings on Enrichment tools, BASIS, SEL, Positive Behavior Plan, Canvas, etc.  
Lastly, TIF funded professional development that provide teachers with substitutes and tools to engage students, analyze data and integrate/ differentiate instruction is also implmented.  

Title III
(ESOL)

English Language Learners (ELL) receive reading and developmental language arts instruction by a certified ESOL and reading teacher. They receive additional support from ESOL aides who provide one-on-one and small group language support in mainstream classes.  At our monthly parent nights, district personnel attend to provide language translations and information to parents in their home language.

Title X- Homeless
(Homeless- All Title I schools may complete with this statement)

Teachers and staff members are responsible for helping to identify homeless students and referring them to the Homeless Education Program offered by the District. The purpose of the Homeless Education Program is to identify homeless students, remove barriers to their education, including school enrollment, provide them with supplemental academic and counseling case management services as well as linkages to their school social worker while maintaining school as a stable environment for students.

Supplemental Academic Instruction (SAI)

These funds will be utilized to fund an fifteen to eighteen-week Saturday Academy to assist struggling students. Funds will also be used to provide additional before, during and after school tutoring for students struggling in content area courses.  

Violence Prevention Programs

Apollo Middle School implements the County Student Code of Conduct and follows the District Discipline Matrix. Our school enforces the District’s Anti-Bullying Policy and has a zero tolerance for bullying and violence. Bullying prevention programs are supported through Peer Counseling/Conflict Mediation programs, guest speakers and student assemblies. Additionally, all teachers receive training on the district’s Anti-bullying policy.  All teachers are trained in "Dating Matters" and classes are taught by all social studies teachers to help students develop safe and healthy relationships. Parents are also trained throughout the school year.

Nutrition Programs

Nutritional programs and health education are an integral part of our Unified Arts Program, specifically through the Physical Educational curriculum.  Our school also implements an agricultural instruction component to ESE and After Care curriculum where students are able to design, plant, and grow vegetables and flowers to learn about sustainable agriculture.  Through this initiative, students learn where fresh food comes from and how fruits and vegetables play a key role in nutrition and healthy living.

Housing Programs

N/A at the middle school level

Head Start

N/A at the middle school level

Adult Education

N/A at the middle school level

Career and Technical Education

Apollo Middle School is a STEM Magnet School that provides the opportunity for students to examine careers in the fields of aviation, engineering, science, technology and math.
We also offer two new programs, VE Institute, which allows students to create and operate a virtual company producing a real service or product.  Students perform all functions of traditional corporate departments and are paid a "virtual" salary based on the job classifications and as part of the couse, they must use their salary to provide adult living expenses.  The second course is NAFA, which is National Academy of Finance, where students learn entrepreneurship, as well as basic financial management.
Technical education is embedded throughout the curriculum across all disciplines. Select STEM students will receive middle school Microsoft certification upon completion of three years at Apollo and will then continue with this program when they enter McArthur High School.

Job Training

In conjunction with Career and Technical Education:
Through our LEEO Program (Linking Education and Employment Outcomes), students in grades six and seven who attend these classes receive mentoring by community business and IT professionals who work closely with the program.  At the end of a three year period, our LEEO students who successfully pass their exams in WORD, EXCEL, and PowerPoint, earn Microsoft "Middle School Industry Certification."   These students enter our feeder, McArthur HIgh, to continue their LEEO studies and receive on-the-job training and support through the program. 
Also, imbedded in our 8th Grade Social Studies curriculum is the JA Biztown curriculum.

Other

Through our LEEO Program (Linking Education and Employment Outcomes), students in grades six and seven who attend these classes receive mentoring by community business and IT professionals who work closely with the program.  At the end of a three year period, our LEEO students who successfully pass their exams in WORD, EXCEL, and PowerPoint, earn Microsoft "Middle School Industry Certification."   These students enter our feeder, McArthur HIgh, to continue their LEEO studies and receive on-the-job training and support through the program.
Also, SEL Curriculum.  SEL is an effective framework that integrates educating people on how social, emotional and physical attitudes, responses, feelings, and awareness support growth in all facets of life that extend further than the classroom and higher than self-awareness.  SEL is the acquisition and processing of knowledge that is standards-aligned, comprehensively infused with content currently in use in classrooms.  SEL fosters positive self-actualization, relationships and the development of well-rounded individuals for our society.  Specific to Elementary and Secondary education in Broward County, drawing from needs-based surveys, found:

• Teachers and students needed to participate in more training and lessons that address how socially, emotionally and culturally responsive our classrooms and common areas are.
• The caveats that accompany the ideas the drive the purpose and mission of SEL are the academic focus of RtI and other interventions that our school implements for the purpose of student health and growth. 
• Strengths for all schools implementing SEL are the task forces, committees and teachers that are cooperative and collaborators that integrate professional development weekly in order to respond to student needs immediately using current resources/technology.

Pre-School Transition

N/A at the middle school level

Parent Involvement Goal:
Based on the analysis of the parent involvement data, identify and define an area in need of improvement.

Parents of non-English speaking students did not attend the Title I Family nights at the rate of other subgroups.  Therefore, Title I and SAC allocated funds to conduct information nights that are staffed with volunteers to help facilitate learning sessions for parents of children that do speak English.  All of our school communication has also been translated to meet the needs of these parents as well as all of our Parent Link communications are issued in several languages to accommodate the parents.  This is so that parents can understand how to be involved in their child's education.  
Parents and Students with Disabilities did not attend the Title I Family Nights at the rate of other subgroups.  Although the total number of parents attending these events was high, we would like to increase the numbers even more.  This year we realized the highest number of parents attending and participating in our monthly Title I Family Nights. Although these activities represent the wide diversity of our school, we feel we can improve the attendance of our parents of Students with Disabilities.  Often, students forget to take home flyers or do not encourage their parents to attend.  Next year, we will more fully involve our ESE Coordinator in the recruitment process as well as provide flyers for her office to hand out as parents come in for weekly conferences and staffings.  Additionally, we will enlist the assistance of our ESE Specialist and ESE Support Facilitators to encourage and remind students to attend and offer students some incentives for participating with their parents. Finally, we will work as a team to personally call and invite parents of Students with Disabilities to attend each of our month activities.