Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District Status of District Goals - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District Status of District Goals Year End Report 2014-2015

Mission Statement 2 The Blind Brook Rye Schools are the cornerstone of our community. Our mission is to prepare our students to be active, life-long learners who have the skills and confidence necessary to achieve their highest potential. We encourage our students to be curious, compassionate and strong in their ability to face challenges. We are committed to preparing our students to be reflective, adaptable citizens with an open world view. We aspire to instill integrity as a core value and to influence our students to be ethical and responsible members of society.

What are Goals? 3 Goals are the short-term milestones that are meant to keep us on track to accomplish our greater mission.

Blind Brook District Goals 2014-2015 4 ▪ Instruction ▪ Support Best Practice to Inform Instruction ▪ Professional Development ▪ Organization ▪ Continue Program Development Cycle ▪ Evaluate building space usage ▪ Redefine committee protocols at the school district level ▪ Culture ▪ Administer and analyze school community climate survey ▪ Present results of the middle school/high school drug and alcohol survey and develop an action plan to address needs ▪ Review academic integrity data and make recommendations as appropriate ▪ Continue with character education initiatives ▪ Infrastructure ▪ Implementation of Energy Performance Contract for Year I ▪ Investigate the Needs for Facilities Alterations to Enhance Safety and Security ▪ Review of Five Year Capital Facilities Plan

Instruction: 5 Support Best Practice to Inform Instruction ▪ Review teacher evaluation process ▪ With so much unknown at this time and without an Education Commissioner in place until two weeks ago, this District has not made a formal effort to negotiate changes to the APPR with either the teachers union or the administrators union. We are waiting for the Board of Regents and Legislature to provide necessary guidance with regard to the Education Transformation Act of 2015 as it will certainly inform collective bargaining discussions about the APPR in the future. ▪ A group of Regents stated last week, "What we seek is a well thought out, comprehensive evaluation plan which sets the framework for establishing a sound professional learning community for educators." Moving forward with review and revision of the APPR, an acceptable plan is exactly what is needed by all.

Instruction: 6 Support Best Practice to Inform Instruction ▪ Promote a deeper understanding of the Danielson domains and their components during: ▪ Pre- and Post-Observation Conferences ▪ Classroom Observations ▪ Discussions at Faculty Meetings ▪

Instruction: 7 Support Best Practice to Inform Instruction ▪ Collaboratively create exemplars of Danielson domains ▪ As part of the APPR process, teachers and Principals discuss exemplars that were observed and those that could be implemented to improve performance in planning, instruction, or professional responsibilities.

Instruction: 8 Support Best Practice to Inform Instruction ▪ Create and train the District data analysis team ▪ The District Data Analysis Team (DDAT) was created and attended training at SW BOCES by Mary Beth Wilson on what is data and how data can be used to guide instruction. ▪ The DDAT then met to discuss its first project. Since the centralization of data was being explored by the Technology Planning Advisory Committee, the team decided to examine the question of what information was needed by teachers to inform instruction. ▪ The DDAT developed a survey that was given to teachers at the April Superintendent’s Conference Day. The team is in the process of reviewing this data and will determine next steps from there.

Instruction: 9 Professional Development ▪ Restructure new teacher training ▪ A committee was formed this year to look at new teacher mentoring and training. The committee revised the responsibilities of the mentor coordinator position and put in place a process for teachers to annually apply for this position. The application process was used this year and a new mentor coordinator was selected by the committee. ▪ For next year, the committee will assist the mentor coordinator in revising the New Teacher University program that the district has set up to train teachers who are new to the district. ▪ A mentor pool committee was also established as per the Federation contract. This committee will work with the mentor coordinator to select mentor candidates from those teachers that apply for mentorship. The candidates who are selected will take a training course through the Edith Winthrop Teacher Center of Westchester.

Instruction: 10 Professional Development ▪ Provide training for K-5 teachers in new math program (EnVision Math) ▪ First year of implementation ▪ Received professional development from EnVision Math trainers ▪ Formation of K-5 Math Committee ▪ Continue work with literacy consultants K-8 ▪ BMPRSS ▪ Finalize reading calendars aligned with Common Core ▪ Explored various instructional strategies to deepen student comprehension, elevate “book talk”, and strengthen vocabulary instruction ▪ Examined reading assessments and analyzed results ▪ Next year the focus will be on grade level writing calendars ▪ BBMS ▪ School-wide literacy discussions have created a need to bring back the MS literacy consultant

Instruction: 11 Professional Development ▪ Continue Chromebook Training for MS faculty and students ▪ The seventh grade teachers received bi-weekly training sessions based on their feedback and requests for support regarding the use of the Chromebooks in the classroom. The seventh grade students received training sessions on areas identified by teachers as skill gaps. These sessions were run during activity period. The eighth grade teachers received bi-weekly training sessions introducing them to the Chromebooks as well as the tools that can be used on the Chromebooks. Individual training sessions were set up with teachers on an as-needed basis focusing on specific needs of the teacher. Ridge Street School and Middle School computer classes have integrated the teaching of Google Apps tools to help facilitate student use of these tools when the students receive Chromebooks.

Instruction: 12 Professional Development ▪ Continue co-teaching training in MS and HS ▪ We provided further co-teaching training to regular education and special education pairs of teachers throughout the 2014-2015 school year. The training was provided by Sheryl Goffman, Educational Consultant from PNW BOCES. Additionally, we provided training to ESL Teachers who will be required to provide Integrated Co- Teaching services next year to ELL students. ▪ The Co-Teaching Committee, a Federation Advisory Subcommittee, has been established to further support and evaluate Integrated Co-Teaching Services in the District.

13 Year 1 – Review and Write Year 2 – Revise and Implement Year 3 - Evaluation Year 1 – Review and Write Year 2 – Revise and Implement Year 3 - Evaluation The purpose of the curriculum review cycle was to move away from a "spotlight” on a particular subject area each year and to allocate resources across various subject areas.

14 BMPRSS ▪ Building-level Curricular Focus - Continued work in the areas of literacy and mathematics with an emphasis on incorporating Common Core standards into instruction and assessment ▪ Other Grade Level/Department Highlights: ▪ Kindergarten - Added activities to enhance nonfiction units integrating science and social studies topics; Continued “Seed -to- Plant” workshops off -site at Stepping Stone Museum. ▪ First Grade - Extended social studies “Long Ago” unit with inter -visitations from Square House. ▪ Second Grade - Implemented a new science unit - “Phases of the Moon” - with a culminating activity to the planetarium; Added research component to nonfiction unit; Continued experiments in the BMPRSS Greenhouse. ▪ Third Grade - Revised persuasive writing unit with more nonfiction texts; Revised multi- cultural units. ▪ Fourth Grade - Incorporated more hands-on science experiences; Enhanced Colonial Times study with a trip to Van Cortlandt Manor to experience life during Revolutionary Time Period. ▪ Fifth Grade - Created new STEAM class; Incorporated Next Generation Science Standards into science classes; Revised Renewable Energy Project to provide a solid foundation for nonfiction research projects. ▪ Specials - Reviewed and revised yearly scope and sequence in the areas of Art, Music, Instrumental Music, Technology, Physical Education, Health, and Spanish to incorporate Common Core standards.

15 BBMS English:  Teachers completed extensive analysis of NYS testing data to improve alignment to Common Core Standards.  Achieve 3000 reading program was implemented in 7th grade ELA and all remedial/AIS ELA classes 6-8.  Additional non-fiction units and lessons incorporated in all ELA classes 6-8.  Co-taught ELA classes were implemented at each grade level. Math:  Teachers completed extensive analysis of NYS testing data to improve alignment to Common Core Standards.  Continued discussions on the possible addition of lab time to Algebra 1.  The 6th grade math teachers worked with the elementary teachers to establish communications and address vertical alignment of curricula.