Martin Van Buren Elementary School

1
Martin Van Buren Elementary School

• The Story of our Success

2
Who We Are

• K-5 School in Indio, traditional schedule
• Population of the school 500 students
• 98 Hispanic, 96 poverty, 71 English learners
• 22 classroom teachers, 2 special education
  teachers, full time counselor, full time
  reading/ELD coach, full time P.E. Teacher
• All teachers fully credentialed and CLAD
  certified
• The school borders a farm labor camp and there is
  a homeless mission across the street from the
  school.
• Large percentage of parents are non-English
  speaking and do not have high school diplomas.

3
The Way We Were

• Year 4 PI with 16 proficient in ELA and 32
  proficient in Mathematics
• API 588
• Culture of Blame
• Little use of data analysis
• Lack of professional collaboration
• Lack of accountability for staff
• Dirty, cluttered, disorganized classrooms and
  campus
• Lack of structure and discipline
• Lack of focus on student learning
• No writing curriculum in place
• Teachers were not following core curriculum and
  unprepared for instruction
• Worksheets and packets were used frequently in
  classrooms as a substitute for instruction and
  sent home for homework
• All teachers had excellent evaluations

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Whats a Principal to Do?YEAR 1

• Internal Questioning Why were things the way
  they were?
• Began walking classrooms daily and providing
  feedback to teachers
• Changed the conversation
• Became knowledgeable about the Open Court reading
  program
• Required lesson plans (template provided) to be
  submitted weekly and all teachers were required
  to stand and deliver
• Staff meetings became focused on staff
  development
• Implemented Educational Book Clubs
• Implemented a writing program
• Teaching minutes were maximized- The day started
  with DOL and DOV on the LCD player so instruction
  began immediately
• Educated parents on what API and AYP means and
  how their children were performing.
• Developed an effective homework policy based on
  research and implemented daily at home reading
  (Readers are Leaders)
• Implemented full day kindergarten
• Completed the self assessment for the Academic
  Program Survey
• Attended the RCOE leadership training with the
  reading coach and leadership team
• Trained teachers on the use of the LCD players
• Implemented software programs (Waterford in
  kindergarten) and FastForWord students BB and FBB
• Evaluated every teachers and tied the evaluation
  goals to the school goals.
• Staff changes occurred after the first year.

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Results Year One

• API increased from 588 to 637
• AYP proficiency in ELA increased from 16 to 21

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Whats a Principal to Do? Year 2

• Principal and coach attended the Open Court
  Coaches Training for one week
• Focus on Direct Instruction, Fluency, and Step Up
  to Writing
• Implemented Intervention Programs
• Kaleidoscope as the Reading
  Intervention Program for BB and FBB students.
• After School Intervention SES, Road to
  Achievement, Success Maker Club
• Increased focus on instruction and discipline in
  classrooms
• Required clean and tidy classrooms and campus
• Room Environment checklist requirements
• Math and language Arts
  Focus Walls
• Initiated Polite Child and Virtues Program taught
  by the school counselor
• Began DATA ANALYSIS DAYS after each Trimester
• Increased focus on ELD
• New Curriculum Language for
  Learning (kindergarten) English Now levels 1-2
• Leveled ELD classes
• Focus on use of visuals and
  SDAIE strategies
• Ordered United Streaming and
  Brain Pop for use as Visuals and Background
  Knowledge
• Implemented Standards Plus
• Provided Grade Level Schedules

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Results Year Two

• API increased from 637-680
• AYP Proficiency in ELA increased from 21.0-27.7

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What's a Principal to Do? Year 3

• Staffed trained in Thinking Maps
• Implemented English Now Intervention
• Provided Amplification systems for all classrooms
• Trained and required use of LCD , Smart Slates
  and Overhead Projectors
• Fifth Grade Science Camp and visit to UC
  Riverside
• Highly Structured Practice and Checking for
  Understanding to be integrated into all lessons.
• ASES Program initiated
• Rewarded medals for students that moved up a
  level in CELDT, GOLD Medal for Reclassification

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Results Year Three

• API increased from 680 - 748
• AYP increased from 27.7 37.1

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Where We Are Now

• Our 2007-2008 CST Results at Van Buren
• API 797 (748-797)
• AYP 53.3 (37.1-53.3)

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Bumps in the Road

• Ineffective teachers who believed what they were
  doing was fine.
• Teachers that were reluctant to give up packets.
• Staff split between those happy with structure
  and guidance and those that were resentful and
  angry about being held accountable.
• Getting teachers to create neat and meaningful
  learning environments for their students.

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What We Have Learned

• Strong, effective leadership is essential to a
  schools success.
• The leader must be knowledgeable about curriculum
  and instruction and monitor classrooms daily.
• First good teaching eliminates the need for a
  great deal of intervention.
• Timely, quality, researched based interventions
  are implemented at all grade levels.
• Research based strategies must be used for EL
  learners.
• All lessons use the Direct Instruction Model.
• Teachers stick to the integrity of the Core
  Curriculum
• Students understand their goal is to be
  proficient and what that means.
• Use of data is essential
• Focus must be on learning, not teaching. Are the
  students learning?
• Hiring effective teachers is critical to a
  schools success. ( Do they have passion)

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Where Do We Go From Here?

• Adding Success maker Club to 3rd Grade
• 1st and 2nd grade teachers tutor 3 days a week/5
  students at a time
• SIOP training for all staff
• Implement READ 180
• Continuation of all previous programs
• More academic focus in ASES
• Continuation of monitoring classrooms and data
  analysis to inform instruction