Hallman 2010 School Improvement Grant Application

8/7/2019 Hallman 2010 School Improvement Grant Application

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Section III: School Application Template

Hallman Elementary School

School Application Check List

# Template Component Completed 1 School Cover Sheet 2 School Grant Abstract 3 Planning Personnel ListedSIG-LT 4 School Need Check List & Need Narrative Answer (4.1) 5 School Capacity Check List & Capacity Narrative Answer

(5.1)

6 (6.1, 2, 3, 4, 5): LEA & School Support to Fully Implementthe Intervention Model

7 School Improvement Goals 8 Results Measurement Narrative

9 School Annual Timeline of Intervention Activities 10 Budget Information/Justification


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1. SCHOOL APPLICATION COVER SHEET FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANT

Name of SCHOOL for which funds are sought:

Hallman Elementary School

Mailing Address:

4000 Deerhaven DR NE

Salem, Oregon 97303 Name of District Superintendent:Dr. Sandy Husk

Telephone:503-399-3001

Name of School Principal:Steve Lush


Email address:[email protected]

District Superintendent (Printed Name):Sandy Husk


Signature of District Superintendent:(previously submitted)

Date:

School Principal (Printed Name):Steve Lush


Signature of School Principal:(previously submitted)

Date:

The school, under authorization from the district, agrees to comply with all requirements applicable tothis School Improvement Grant program, including the requirements and the conditions that apply tothe selected intervention model.


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2. SCHOOL GRANT ABSTRACTDescribe the schools overall VISION for improvement over the three-year period of the grant. Addressthe schools vision for improvement as the school implements the selected intervention.

Hallman Elementary School will provide a safe and orderly environment; an environmentin which the expectation will be that all students achieve at high levels in literacy andmath. Hallman will be a school where students develop the skills and knowledgenecessary to be successful at the secondary level, and ultimately, will be ready forcollege and career. In order to realize this goal in the next three years, administrators,teachers, and district level staff will prioritize the development of capacity building andsystems design at Hallman Elementary School. The foundational strategies that willguide our capacity building include:

Leadership: Using a model of strong instructional leadership. Effective Instruction: Hiring, retaining and developing committed, knowledgeable, and

skilled staff that work together in collaboration. Student Engagement: Creating a safe and orderly environment that cultivates and

inspires students to learn at high levels. Rigorous Curriculum and School Systems of Support: Developing school-wide

academic systems, programs and interventions that ensure a rigorous Guaranteed and

Viable Curriculum for each student, eliminating any achievement gapall resulting inhigh levels of learning and achievement.

During the first year of the School Improvement Grant (SIG), Hallman staff will develop capacityin knowledge and instruction and content (aligned to standards and scientifically basedpractices). Literacy will take the priority. The second year, instructional techniques will be fullyimplemented and refined. Assessment and teacher observation data will be used to supportimplementation and provide feedback for refining actions. As literacy systems and resultingstudent data improve, a focus on math will begin. The third year, adaptations will be made toimprove the overall effectiveness. Assessment and teacher observation data will continue to beused and increased attention to math will be allocated.

The following actions are identified as key strategies that will help us meet our goals:1. Ongoing collaboration through planned and scheduled Professional Learning Community

(PLC) teams will create an embedded system of continual focus on improvement inteaching and learning. The focus for our PLC work will involve:

a. Standards Alignmentb. Effective Instructional Delivery in Literacy and later, Math (for both English

speaking and Spanish speaking students and students of poverty)c. Data Analysis

2. The development of a comprehensive system of tiered interventions and supports forstudents who struggle academically and behaviorally. Included with this strategy is thedevelopment of a comprehensive assessment plan to screen, diagnose and monitorstudent performance on an ongoing basis. Summative data will be analyzed each year,and used to evaluate and recalibrate systems of support (school level, teacher level,student level) based on student outcomes.

3. A school-wide system of support and engagement will be instituted that promotespositive student behavior throughout the school. This will result in a shift from behavioralmanagement of students from the administrator to classroom teachers, instructionalassistants, and the counselor, ensuring the administrator has the needed time to focuson instructional leadership.

This transformation of Hallman Elementary will require focus and commitment from thedistrict, school staff and community support who all share in this vision. Our approach isdetailed below.


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School Improvement Grant Leadership Team (SIGLT):

# Name Role Signature

1. Julie Cleave Teacher Leader, Grade 3-4 Teacher (previously submitted)

2. Aline Bouhey Intermediate Rep, Grade 5 Teacher

3. Bridget Crorey Intermediate Rep, Grade 3 Teacher

4. Rita Gray Primary Rep, Grade 1 Teacher

5. SanJuana Coronado Primary / Lit-Squared Rep, Grade 1 BilingualTeacher

6. Michele Ford Specialists Rep, Library Media Specialist

7. Gaylene Kihs Classified Employee Rep,School Office Manager

8. Juan Trujillo Classified Employee Rep,Community-School Outreach Coordinator

9. Angelica Gloria Instructional Coach

10. Steve Lush Principal

StakeholdersList any additional stakeholders that were consulted and worked with in the development of this School Application.Briefly describe their role in that planning process.

All of Hallmans school community was involved in learning about the SIG and was involved in helpingdirect the development of the vision and plan. Hallman staff, both licensed and classified, met numeroustimes to discuss and give input. A SIG Leadership was created with representation from each schoolemployee group, licensed: primary, intermediate, specialist, bilingual and classified: outreach coordinatorand office manager as well as principal and instructional coach. Meetings with parents and communitypartners were held to share the opportunity and plans for pursuing the grant. District level staff includingthe Assistant Superintendent, Assessment Coordinator, Technology Director, Instructional Services andCurriculum staff, including representation from both of the employee associations and others weredirectly and actively involved in developing the Hallman application and providing the support necessaryto the Hallman SIG Leadership Team. Hallman also had direct support from Ron Speck, Director ofElementary Education, Robin Romero, Coordinator of Instructional Services and English LanguageAcquisition (Title I and bilingual services), Shawna Moran, Curriculum Specialist-Literacy and LesliFicker, Curriculum Specialist-Math. Community partners and organizations and other key stakeholderswill be further involved in developing and implementing this vision and supporting Hallman students andstaff every step of the way. Please see following list of dates.

3. PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSList the key personnel who will be working to develop the plan for the School Intervention, and how eachwill be involved. Suggested categories include: Parents and other community members, licensed staff,classified/support staff, administrators, LEA staff, Title I staff, etc. Work toward collaboration as theplan, actions, and associated budgets are developed.


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3.1 HALLMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SIG PLANNING/STAKEHOLDER INPUTDATE STAKHOLDERS MEETING PURPOSE

3/17/10 All Hallman staff Ron Speck, Director of Elem Ed Mary Cadez, Assistant Superintendent - HR Robin Romero, Director Instructional Services

Initial meeting with all staff members to announceopportunity for SIG

3/29/1 Hallmans School Systems Leadership: Julie Cleave, teacher leader Cindy Franks, primary team leader Joana Cruz, intermediate team leader Angelica Gloria, instructional coach Gaylene Kihs, office manager Steve Lush, principal

Initial Planning: Placed parking lot bulletin board up instaff break room to gather initial ideas, concerns andquestions from all staff members

3/30/10 District SIG meeting Director of Elem Ed Director of Instructional Services Hallman Instructional Coach Hallman Principal Jane Killefer, Teacher Association President

Attended all day SIG workshop provided by ODE forinformation and initial planning

3/31/10 All Hallman Teachers General information about SIG, timeline presented andopportunity to join SIG planning committee4/2/10 Hallmans School Systems Leadership SIG update and timelines discussed4/5/10 Hallman SIG Planning Committee (members listed in

previous section) Initial Meeting4/6/10 Hallmans School Systems Leadership SIG update and next steps4/7/10

Hallman SIG Planning Committee Kristen Duus, Director of Tech and Info Services Melisa Gardner, Coordinator of Instructional Tech

All-day planning session: vision setting, identifystudent/school obstacles, identify what Hallman is currentlydoing, and identify possible solutions from input gatheredfrom stakeholders, and explore possible role of tech

4/8/10 All Hallman Teachers SIG update, vision setting and opportunity for input4/8/10 Sandy Husk, Superintendent

Salam Noor, Assistant Superintendent -Instruction

Mary Cadez, Assistant Superintendent - HR Principals from the four SIG schools Representatives from licensed and classified

associations SIG grant writer

District perspective on SIG and create commonunderstanding with district leaders representing keystakeholder groups

4/8/10 Parent Teacher Club meeting: Hallman parents Met with parents to explain Hallman SIG and collect inputfrom Hallman parents4/12/10 School Systems Leadership SIG update and next steps4/13/10 All Hallman Classified Staff Vision setting and input for classified4/14/10 Hallman SIG Planning Committee Vision setting, identification of Place all staff input into4/19/10 Assistant Superintendent HR

Director Elem Ed Hallman Principal

To discuss staffing and staff evaluation implications of SIG

4/20/10 Systems Leadership SIG update and next steps4/22/10 Director Elem Ed

Patti Hoffert, district AVID coordinator Met to discuss Hallmans possible involvement with AVID

4/23/10 Grant Writer Review current input and direction for the application4/26/10 day Hallmans Systems Leadership SIG update, input on proposed plan for extended learningfor both staff and students4/27/10 District SIG meeting Met with all key district stakeholders to discuss progress ofLEA application4/28/10 ERW Staff Meeting Final input for SIG application4/29/10 SIG Planning Committee Review draft SIG application4/30/10 Final draft application submitted to grant writer5/5/10 Final application submitted to district5/7/10 Final application submitted to ODE5/15/10 Received ODE feedback on application6/15/10 Revised application submitted to ODE


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4. SCHOOL NEED CHECK LIST: This set of questions pertains to the schools NEED for SchoolImprovement Grant Funds to implement the intervention selected. To help you formulate your answersto question 4.1, please consider and mark the following (include this when you return the application.)

Foundation for Change:

1) Assessment and Data Collection

a) The district/school has identifiedthe sources of data/assessmentsthat will be used to establish aneed for implementation funds forthe intervention selected.

Great extent: A balanced assessment plan will be implementedat Hallman. The recent adoption by the district of PearsonsDevelopmental Reading Assessment (DRA 2 nd Edition) hasprovided us with a valid and reliable reading assessment tool.Critical formative reading skills are measured with the DRA2including phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabularyand comprehension. The DRA Spanish companion (EDL2) isutilized for Spanish speaking students. This assessment will serveas a source of screening data to determine students on track or atrisk, diagnostic information used to tailor interventions, andprogress monitoring data will be used to gauge student interventionefficacy. The district formative assessment (Edusoft) will also beused. This assessment will be administered twice annually inreading and math and is aligned to state standards. Other sourcesof data will come from sources such as: observations, commonassessments (school or teacher created or provided by curricularmaterials) English Language Development assessments tomeasure proficiency gains in listening, speaking, reading andwriting. Other sources will be analyzed as well like attendancerates and patterns, student behavior, and staff, student, parent andcommunity surveys. In addition to analyzing student level data, theschool leadership team will use the new Oregon K-12 LiteracyFramework School-Level Matrix to rate the current status Hallmansliteracy approach on a systemic level each year. The results will beused to identify and prioritize the focus of improvement in the areasof goals, assessment, instruction, leadership, professionaldevelopment, and commitment.

Current data indicate the following:

OAKS Reading data exhibits a pattern over the past three years in reading with a trend of approximately 50% of 3 rd graders meeting standard. The data for fourth grade is less consistent, with 44% meeting in 07-08, 62% meeting in 08-09 and 65% meeting

(pending) in 09-10. The gap widens considerably in 5 th

grade with 22%, 39% and 41% meeting standard on OAKS in 07-08, 08-09 and 09-10 respectively.

OAKS Math data exhibits a consistent trend with fewer than half of 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th grade students meeting criteria for the past three years.


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b) The district has helped theidentified school pinpoint the

reasons for the persistently low-achieving status.

Great Extent: With district support, Hallman staff has identified arange of contributing factors to the status of student performanceas indicated through OAKS and district data. These factors includeseveral changes in leadership in a short time span (5 principals in 9years of existence) , a high rate of staff and student mobility (1 out of20 current classroom teachers has been at Hallman since the opening ofthe school 9 years ago and about 20% of the schools students leave eachyear while another 20% enter each year) , varying degrees of teachertraining and commitment, inconsistent/incomplete implementationof school and district initiatives and curriculum adoptions, a lack ofa K-5 articulated curriculum aligned to standards, and a history ofinconsistent monitoring of instruction. These factors, combinedwith the at-risk population we serve, have all played a role inHallmans persistently low-achieving status.

c) The district shows clear support forthe changes required at theidentified school for the selectedintervention.

Great Extent: The Salem-Keizer School District Office of theSuperintendent, Elementary Education Office, Curriculum,Instruction & Assessment Department along with the InstructionalServices Team are all committed to supported Hallmans Grant

Processes and Implementation. In addition, commitment to theseefforts is demonstrated by the districts plans to hire a SchoolImprovement Coordinator in the Office of Elementary andSecondary Education to support the plan over the course of thefollowing three years.

2) Leadership and Decision-making

a) Plans are under way for modifyingdistrict structures and/or practicesin the first year of implementationof the selected intervention.

Great Extent : The district is planning to hire a SchoolImprovement Coordinator in the Office of Elementary andSecondary Instruction, which will function as a TurnaroundCoordinator for the SIGs. In addition, the district has committed toaddress the following components :

A district-wide comprehensive assessment plan that includesmeasures for screening, diagnostics, progress monitoring andsummative data collection and analysis has recently been finalizedand will be communicated to district principals in June 2010. Datastudy activities will be presented to district leadership (principals andcoaches) to foster a data culture at the district, school and classroomlevel. Valid and reliable measures have been selected and will befully utilized. District assessments will be administered withstandardized protocols across schools and classrooms. Screening

data will assist schools in identifying students who may needadditional instructional support at the onset of each school year.Diagnostic data will assist in determining the nature of interventionsand progress monitoring methods will be defined and implemented inorder to gauge student growth toward critical reading benchmarks.Summative data will be reviewed by district leadership and supportactions will be afforded accordingly.


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Development and articulation of a district supported ElementaryReading Intervention Framework (aligned to tiered service deliverymodels) including levels of learners and associated levels of support(advanced, on-level, moderately below level, far below level) alongwith research-based intervention recommendations is in process. Thisreading intervention framework will include specific research testedintervention to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverselearners (ELLs). Hallman elementary school will have the opportunity

to be an early-implementer of this framework District will provide on-site support to Hallman leadership and

teachers to foster expectations of commitment to all SI Grant Activitiesand Interventions. This may include attendance at staff meetings,classroom walk-throughs and attendance at data study meetings.Regular site visits at each elementary school are made by the districtElementary Directors.

The district will support the SIG with the larger community of parents,business partners and the school board.

The district will provide, through the Curriculum/Instruction andAssessment Department, guidance in selecting research based (andstandards-aligned) reading interventions that are responsive toculturally and linguistically diverse learners.

District and/or external consultant support is available andencouraged. The district adheres to a standard of QFIC (quality, fidelity, intensity

and consistency). Opportunities will be afforded to Hallman staff to visit and observe

other schools implementing similar programs with success and/or toparticipate in Professional Development opportunities that align to theHallman SIG.

The Hallman principal and coach will continue to participate in districtsponsored Leadership Trainings (McREL).

An executive mentoring relationship has been established for theprincipal and of Hallman.

The Instructional Services (Bilingual) Department will provide twice

weekly site visit support for the Literacy Squared (Biliterate Model)classrooms.

b) District and school leaders haveinvolved a diversity of othereducators and people from thecommunity when implementationplans for the selected interventionare discussed and adopted.

Moderate Extent : Hallman parents, teachers, instructionalassistants and specialists have been a part of the discussionsaround planning for the SI Grant. The office of the Superintendent,the Elementary Education Office, the Instructional Services(Bilingual) Department and the Curriculum/Instruction andAssessment Departments are in alignment and have been involvedin the planning process and are willing to support Hallmans plans.The district will further support Hallman, the School Board, parents

and business partners as the process continues.


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3) Curriculum and Instruction

a) The district will help theidentified school identifyexisting curriculum andinstruction that will be modifiedto meet intervention goals.

Great Extent : Hallman is currently working with district personnelin the Curriculum/Instruction & Assessment Department to researchand select a comprehensive Scientifically Based core literacyprogram that aligns to the district Literacy Model. Hallman is

considering the 2011 edition of Reading Street and thesupplemental materials My Sidewalks that will align instruction tostate standards in a systematic way across K-5 classrooms.Reading Street includes a Spanish component that can be utilizedwith the Literacy Squared (Biliteracy research classrooms). Plansto set up a scope and sequence of focus for instruction in academicliteracy strategies to meet the needs ELLs will be developed by theInstructional coaches in collaboration with the English LanguageAcquisition (ELA) Department that will focus professionaldevelopment and teacher practice and looking at student work willguide the use of instructional materials. An intensive readingintervention will also be selected to meet the needs of students far

below grade level to affect catch-up growth. Hallman will gothrough a similar process to select a Scientifically Based programfor math that will align with district standards (district standardsincorporate all Oregon State 2007 Mathematics Standards) andState Blueprints.

b) Scientifically based researchstrategies that strengthen the

core academic program arebeing used as a basis forplanned intervention efforts.

Great Extent: In the first year, Professional Development will beplanned for K-5 teachers to deepen their understanding ofscientifically based reading instruction and instructional delivery(aligned to the district Literacy Model, State Standards and the NationalReading Panel outcomes) . This training will serve as a foundationthat will be furthered through initial and ongoing program-specifictraining and support provided by the selected publisher. Guided

Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) strategies and EnglishLanguage Development will continue to play a role in the Hallmanmodel. Teachers will receive training in how to provide effectivedelivery of ELD and Sheltered Instruction using GLAD and theIntegrated Academic Language Framework with ongoing supportfrom the ELA department. Literacy Squared (Dr. Kathy Escamilla, 2008) professional development will occur on a monthly basis assupported by the English Language Acquisition department.


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In the second and third year there will be continued effort inproviding Professional Development for all teachers to deepen theirunderstanding of scientifically based instruction and pedagogy inliteracy and beginning in math. (Connected to the district LiteracyModel and aligned to State Standards) . This training will serve as afoundation and will continue with ongoing program-specific training

and support provided by the selected provider. Hallman is alsointerested in pursuing professional development surrounding theunique needs of students at risk (poverty) as well as learning moreabout instructional engagement and motivational strategies. TheAVID program will become an integral part of the model in thesecond year of Hallmans Transformational Model. The AVIDprogram is well supported by the district through a district AVIDcoordinator.

With each of these areas of focus, teachers at Hallman will meetweekly in PLCs facilitated by instructional coaches to look atstandards, research, evidence of student learning and focus on theimplementation of effective strategies that develop literacy andnumeracy. Teachers will participate in monthly lesson studieswhere they are led in the process of designing instruction withspecific outcomes in grade level teams. Then peer visits arescheduled for teachers to collaborate together. This will includereceiving peer feedback on instructional practice, discussing waysto collect evidence of student learning, and the opportunity toobserve other effective teachers.

Research has found that the development of Professional LearningCommunities and use of instructional coaches provide job-embedded professional development lead to better implementationof effective practices and more effective instruction that lead tostudent learning.

Instructional coaching is grounded in current research and clinical knowledge on leadership anschools as professional communities of practice. Recent research on professional developmensuggests that it is most effective when it includes components that arebased in the school andembedded in the job and when it increases teachers theoretical understandings of their work(Miller 1995). Supports for improved teaching and learning are also more effective when they tailored to needs identified by teachers and when their approach to learning iscollaborative and inquiry-based (Darling-Hammond and McLaughlin 1995).Coaching provides such supportsthrough an array of activities designed tobuild coll ective leadership and continuously improve teacher ins tructional capacity and student learning. These activities, ideally,coalesce in ways that create internal accountability due to the embedded nature of the work andpeople engaged in it (Barr, Simmons, and Zarrow 2003; WestEd 2000). A well-designed and supported coaching program weds core elements of effective professional development with the essential goals of professional learning communities in ways thatadvance both school and systemic improvement .

Annenberg Institute for School Reform (2004).Professional Development Strategies That Improve Instruction.


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c) The district will help the school

identify instructional practicesthat are not effective, with theintent of changing to match therequirements of the selectedintervention.

Great Extent : District support will be provided to supportteachers in their instructional practices. Ongoing walk-throughswith district administrators, specialists and school leaders areplanned monthly (Instructional Rounds).Hallman elementary school has a new Instructional Coach. Theon-site coach participates in district-led ongoing coaches trainingand a Coach-Level Professional Learning Community. The

expectation is that the coaching process continues a part of theculture at Hallman. Hallman is planning to hire two additionalInstructional Coaches to support the implementation of theirtransformational model. One in the area of literacy, one for mathand the third to serve as a specialist in English LanguageDevelopment and strategies for English Language Learners.These two coaches will work with the existing Instructional Coachto increase the knowledge and skill of Hallmans staff to meet theeducational needs of their students.


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d) The district is helping theschool develop plans foradministrator and teacherprofessional development tomatch the implementationactions of the selectedintervention.

An assistant principal will be hired in order to allow the principal tofocus his time to serve as an instructional leader in leading thedevelopment and improvement of professional and instructionalpractices and effective school systems. The assistant principal, inpartnership with the principal, will assist in all areas with a focus inthe areas of developing a Safe and Orderly environment, student

engagement and Parent Involvement.Hallman leaders will use a variety of observational tools gearedtoward different instructional strategies in order to support andprovide differentiated feedback to educators. Tools will include: Reading and Writing district feedback tool Literacy Based ELD, and Literacy Squared Observation

Checklist and feedback tools. (K. Escamilla and ELA dept.) Essential Features of Instruction Checklist (University of

Oregon) Program-specific tools and other self-reflection/feedback tools

(as available)

Great Extent : The district will help ensure that all staff,administrators, teachers and instructional support staff, receivehigh quality training through a week-long professional developmenttraining in August 2010 and ongoing professional developmentthrough PLCs, district staff, outside consultants, and coaching toensure the successful implementation of planned strategies andactions. Specific examples in development include:

Publisher provided initial and ongoing professional development forboth teachers and coaches for selected research-based corereading program aligned to standards is in a planning stage.

The school coach will apply to the Oregon Department ofEducations Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework training in July2010 in order to help coordinate all systems tasks/steps toward acomplete school wide model.

Professional Development will be planned for K-5 teachers todeepen their understanding of scientifically based and readinginstruction for Comprehension, Vocabulary, Fluency, Phonics/WordStructure Analysis and Phonological Awareness (with attention tothe distinctions between these reading elements and theassociated research-based instruction for English only and English

Language Learners). This training will align to the district LiteracyModel, State Standards and the National Reading Panel outcomes.

Teachers will receive training on student engagement through theuse culturally relevant practices based on the research supportfrom J. Cummins, K. Escamilla, and D. Macedo. This will beprovided by the ELA department and invited consultants.

In the second and third year, Professional Development will beplanned for K-5 teachers to deepen their understanding ofscientifically based mathematics instruction with support from thedistrict curriculum and instruction department and possibly an

outside provider.


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Hallman will increase the staff work day. Licensed staff will receivean additional hour four days per week (+147 hours/year) thatprovides additional instructional time to students as well as timedaily for professional development, collaboration and/or planning.(Classified staff may have their work day increased depending on needand how many hours they currently work .) Specialists and otherlicensed staff not assigned to regular classrooms will be given timefor collaboration as well and they would be used to support literacyand numeracy to students by providing instructional support,tutoring or enrichment groups. The extended work day will alsoprovide an opportunity for teachers to provide strategicintervention/tutoring groups after the regular student day. (Current8hr work day: 8:00-4:00 Extended full-time work day: 7:30-4:30.)

Hallman also plans to maintain the option of hiring staff anadditional hour beyond the extended work day to provide evenmore intensive support and tutoring for students who need this typeof intervention. (Additional compensated time for professionaldevelopment, increased instructional/intervention time, andfamily/community involvement: additional tutoring 4:30-5:30, planning andattending parent/community events, teaching classes and workshops atproposed Parent University, and others.)

Hallman will increase the staffs workdays by five in August of2010, 2011, and 2012 for Professional Development and to planimplementation of the strategies outlined in the SIG. Theseadditional hours will permit for some concentrated staff to plan,develop and implement a tiered service delivery model in readinginstruction using standards-based and high caliber first teachingalong with scientifically based interventions designed to facilitatecatch-up growth, meeting the needs of all students.

4) Human Capital (Personnel)


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a) District and school staff hastaken into consideration theneed for parental involvementfor implementation of theintervention selected?

Great Extent : Although Hallman staff recognizes theyreresponsible for the academic success for each of theyre students,research confirms that parental involvement in a childs literacy andeducation plays a significant role in a childs success in school(Baker, L. (2007); Halle, Kurtz-Costes & Mahoney, 1997; Morrow & Young.

(1997); Feiler. (2003). Hallman will work to build an effectivepartnership with parents by improving communication with andinvolvement of parents in the school and in the education of allstudents through regular meetings, development of parent leadersin schools Parent Teacher Club and site council, events andactivities, use of parents as volunteers and mentors, etc. Hallmanwill do this to build parent knowledge, skill and capacity to providebetter support and education for their children.

More than 90% of Hallman students live in poverty according toFree and Reduced lunch counts. In order to better meet the healthand educational needs of our students and their families, SIG fundswill provide full-time support for locating and establishing health,

employment, and social services for students and their families. Inorder to provide sustainability for these supports, this person will beresponsible for forging relationships and collaborative partnershipswith community and government organizations that will sustain thesupports after SIG funds have expired, not contingent on a full-timesupport person. At this point, current staff would be able tomaintain support for students and families.

b) District and school staff has

identified the sources and typesof outside technical assistancethat will be needed toimplement the selectedintervention?

Moderate Extent : The district and school staff will accesstraining from external sources for technical assistance foradministrators and teachers at the planned July PLC conference(Solution Tree) and August professional development conference(Eric Jensen). That training is intended to enhance the capacity forimplementation of professional learning communities throughoutthe academic year. Other sources of technical assistance are inthe process of being selected: Reading Street in fall for literacy,McRel for school leadership, Donna Beagle for follow up onpoverty, SolutionTree, Turnaround Schools and/or others forcontinued PLC support and others for on-going, embeddedprofessional development.


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c) Is there an understanding atthe LEA/district level that theremay be staffing changes tosupport implementation of theselected intervention?

Great Extent : The district and school community understand thatstaffing changes may occur in order to accomplish the goals of thetransformation for Hallman. District leadership and school staff arecommitted to building capacity in all stakeholders and support thereassignment and/or realignment of resources, including staff.Those staff members that stay understand their commitment toHallman and the Transformation Model including commitment tothe Required Activities, the selected Permissible Activities, andother common commitments and expectations. (Extended learningtime for both students and staff, all teachers will work in effectivecollaboration, modified evaluation system that takes into accountstudent progress, accept the belief that all students can learndespite any obstacle and that you, as an educator, has the capacityto make that happen, etc.) Newly assigned staff members toHallman will be made aware of the commitments necessary to workthere. This is all to ensure the most well trained teachers areproviding effective instruction to some of the most intensive studentpopulations in the state.


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d) Will the district be able toprovide curriculum andinstructional resources for

implementation of theintervention selected?

Great Extent : The district has a newly developed ComprehensiveLiteracy Model that addresses many aspects of instruction,includes intervention, assessment, planning and a standards focus.The language associated with this model has been sharedextensively with Hallman staff and will now be tied purposefully toHallmans plan of adding a tiered service delivery model (inalignment with the Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework). The twomodels (State K-12 Framework and Salem-Keizer ComprehensiveLiteracy Model) enhance one another; the district is eager tosupport us in these efforts and will work to support Hallmans staffin understanding that they are not competing, but complementarysupports. The district will also support the professionaldevelopment and on-site support of Literacy Squared andintervention model for an approach for Literacy Instruction thatsimultaneously develops students literacy in first and secondlanguages.

U.S. teachers need to learn to make more explicit and direct cross- language transfers for English Language Learners especially for those languages that share common orthographic systems. Genesee& Riches (2006) Second language literacy is greatly enhanced if learners are literate in [their first language]. August & Shanahan (2006), Slavin & Cheung(2003)

In addition, the district is currently developing a ReadingIntervention Framework. District staff has expertise in the area ofscientifically based reading instruction/ intervention and haveexpressed a commitment to support Hallman in their planning andimplementation. Hallman will be an early-implementer of thecontent developed through the districts in-progress InterventionFramework. The districts Balanced and ComprehensiveAssessment Plan (screening, diagnostics, progress monitoring,formative and summative data collection activities) will beimplemented at Hallman combined with a data-culture throughregularly scheduled PLC data-study work.

In the second and third year, this focus on literacy will continue withthe additional focus on mathematics. Many of the same structuresand systems that will prove to increase literacy will also be used toincrease numeracy. (PLCs, job-embedded professionaldevelopment, use of instructional coach, application of latestresearch and best practice on effective instruction, parentengagement, expert external technical support, district resources,etc.)


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e) Is the selected intervention

implementation supported inthe district budget?

Great Extent : Yes, the transformational model is included in thedistrict budget. District will provide assistance to Hallmanstransformation through support and assistance from followingdepartments: Elementary Education, Curriculum and Instruction,Assessment, English Language Acquisition (ELA), and HumanResources (HR). (Examples would be: District level SIG coordinator,Leadership development and professional coaching provided toHallmans principal and assistant principal, Curriculum and ELASpecialists providing guidance in selecting of materials and programs andproviding professional development, Common Literacy Model and districtCore Standards provided to guide and focus development of Hallmansliteracy program and improvement of instructional practices, HR providingpoint person and assistance in development of Hallmans evaluationprocesses for staff and leadership, etc.)

5) Student Support

a) District and school staffs haveidentified all changes that willaffect students when theselected intervention isimplemented.

Moderate Extent : District and school staff have identified allchanges that will affect students, including a change in school dayschedule, implementation of new literacy and mathematicsmaterials/programs, a plan to enhance student engagement andbehavior and specific math support plan. Our plan is designed tobe rolled out systematically over time, with the priority given toliteracy instruction first.

b) District and school staffs havepaved the way with studentsand their parents for theimplementation of the selectedintervention actions.

Small Extent : A presentation on the SIG was held April 8, 2010with about 50 parents in attendance. Parents were given anoverview of the SIG and an opportunity to give input. After anoverview, parents were split into groups of four-five to discuss whatthey would like to see for their children and for Hallman. Parentfacilitators lead the discussions and took notes for each group.They then reported to the whole group. Another presentation willbe held in August 2010 to discuss the approved activities andactions of the SIG.

6) Budgeting


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a) District and school fiscalplanning has occurred (e.g.,reallocation of funding,concentration of funds toparticular interventionexpenditures, etc.) to supportthe implementation of theintervention selected?

Moderate Extent : The district and school are committed toproviding support in the development, implementation, andevaluation of the Hallmans SIG and to support student learning inliteracy and math. The commitment requires substantial support inallocating staffing, supplies, curriculum, and professionaldevelopment for staff at Hallman as well as some freedom fromcertain policies and procedures that might otherwise hinder theimplementation of the proposed interventions. (Policies andprocedures that might limit or restrict modifications to scheduling,length of employee work day/year, employees evaluations, studenttransportation, etc.)

b) District and school staffs haveidentified HOW these fiscalchanges will have an impact onstudent achievement with theselected intervention?

Moderate Extent : Together the district and school staffs haveidentified the desired improvements in student learning as a resultof the transformation plan. Some of these targets includeincreased student success on state and district assessments(OAKS, ELPA, EduSoft, DRA, and EDL), and improvedengagement and attendance rate.


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4.1. EVIDENCE OF NEED

Using the data analyzed, including the previous needs inventory, explain why the school has a needfor School Improvement Funds to implement the intervention selected. Incorporate multiple sourcesof data into the analysis of need of the Tier I or Tier II school identified in the LEAs application.Establish a clear relationship between the specific needs of the Tier I and Tier II school identified inthe LEAs application and the selected intervention. Include the needs of both the LEA and the

school in relation to the intervention model.

Significant Problems and ChallengesStudents and staff at Hallman face significant problems and challenges. They do so in anenvironment that is culturally diverse with students who are economically challenged. More than 65%of Hallmans student population speak a language other than English at home (English LanguageLearners) predominately Spanish. Hispanic students make up the majority of the population with85%, white students make up the next largest group with 10%, The remaining 5% would includePacific Islanders, Native Americans, African American students and multi-ethnic students. More than90% of Hallman students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Migrant students would account for 11% of the schools population and 11 % qualify for Special Education services.

Many migrant students have interruptions in attending school as their families relocate temporarilythroughout the year for seasonally available agricultural work or routinely leave the state to visitfamily. Many of Hallman students live in one of the many apartment complexes in Hallmans NorthEast Salem neighborhood where there is a large number of low income housing and state subsidizedhousing options. This can also lead to student mobility as families move to and from apartment eachmonth. This school year 96 students have left Hallman, more than 20% of its current enrollment, and88 students are new to Hallman after the start of the year. This school year, 57% of Hallmans 5 th grade class has been at Hallman for less than two years. In terms of daily attendance, Hallmanaverages a 92% attendance rate.

Violence and gang activities are also concentrated in the neighborhood surrounding Hallman. Theft,crime and vandalism occur in and around the neighborhood on a regular basis including to Hallmansschool building and property. (As an example, in 2009 a shooting took place at Northgate park located inHallmans neighborhood, less than a half mile south of the school, where two young men were injured and onelost his life. Many Hallman students live near and play at that park. Two of Hallmans students appeared beforethe Grand Jury in that case as witnesses.) Families in the county experience a high unemployment rate.The rate for September 2009 when the current academic year began was 11.7% for the county. Themajority of the states largest correctional facilities are in Salem. Given the neighborhoods highamount of low income housing, the percentage of students with one or more incarcerated parents isrelatively high compared to other areas in the city of Salem and across the state.

State Test Scores and Other AssessmentsOAKS Reading data exhibits a pattern over the past three years in reading with a trend ofapproximately 50% of 3 rd graders meeting standard. The data for fourth grade is less consistent, with44% meeting in 07-08, 62% meeting in 08-09 and 65% meeting (pending) in 09-10. The gap widensconsiderably in 5 th grade with 22%, 39% and 41% meeting standard on OAKS in 07-08, 08-09 and09-10 respectively.

In addition, recent adoption by the district of Pearsons Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2nd Edition) has provided us with a tool to obtain diagnostic and benchmark data that aligns with thetrends shown through OAKS. Mid-year DRA and EDL data indicate that approximately half ofstudents, K-5, are meeting the mid-year benchmarks in critical reading skills (comprehension,fluency, phonological awareness and phonics).


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OAKS Math data exhibits a consistent trend with fewer than half of 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th grade studentsmeeting criteria for the past three years.

This pattern is troublesome; approximately half of Hallman students are meeting reading or mathproficiency standards by grade 3. An increasing achievement gap in reading is evidenced throughgrades 4 and 5; a trend in which those students who may have achieved benchmark status in grade 3

are not maintaining a grade-level trajectory and one in which the gap is widening for those studentsperforming below benchmark.

Student BehaviorAlthough the majority of Hallmans 470 students dont display behaviors that would warrantsuspension or referral to the school office, there are many areas (school busses, assemblies,recesses, etc.) where general group behaviors can become a problem. In these situations wherethere is little structure and/or increased numbers of students to supervise, groups of students can bea challenge to manage students and maintain order. In the classrooms this can become an issue,taking away from valuable instructional time. There are approximately 5 behavior issues referred tothe school office each day, each averaging more than 30 minutes of time to resolve. (Time spent for

investigation, counseling, consequences, documenting, and communication) As well as another 30minutes to and hour checking in with other students and reinforcing positive behavior. Although mostall students reported feeling safe at school on a recent 5 th grade student survey, 63% reported beingbullied at some point and 70% reported that the use of profanity is an issue at Hallman. Researchshows that a key element in effective schools is providing a Safe and Orderly Environment. Dealingwith behavior and management in a reactionary way is an interruption to student learning andinstruction. Much of the responsibility and time spent on behavior issues fall on the principal. Thisprevents him from spending his time as an instructional leader, observing classrooms, supervisingand evaluating staff, analyzing data and school systems, researching, providing constructivefeedback to students and staff, meeting with staff and other activities directly related to improvedacademic achievement for students. Most of all, students who spend time out of the classroom or arein a state where they are distracted are not attending to their learning, and many times the students

around them are not focused on learning.Academic Program NeedsIn addition, Hallman has been identified as the only Tier 1 elementary school in the state, has beenthe lowest performing elementary school out of the 45 elementary schools in the Salem-Keizer schooldistrict for a number of years and will be entering its second year of Program Improvement status inthe 2010-2011 school year. Inconsistency of key programs (School opened in 2001 and initially offering abilingual strand, in 2004 it went to English only and accepted a Reading First Grant. Hallman stoppedparticipating in the Reading First Grant after four years and once again offered a biliteracy strand.) Otherfactors that affect Quality, Fidelity, Intensity and Consistency of Hallmans academic program includeseveral changes in leadership in a short time span (5 principals in 9 years of existence) , a high rate ofstaff mobility (1 out of 20 classroom teachers has been at Hallman for more than 8 years) , varying degreesof teacher training and commitment, inconsistent/incomplete implementation of school and districtinitiatives and curriculum adoptions, a lack of a K-5 articulated curriculum aligned to standards, ahistory of inconsistent monitoring of instruction, and a lack of professional collaboration among staffmembers as described by DeFours and Eaker.

Evidence of Needs Cited Require ActionFor all the data evidence provided, it is imperative that Hallman Elementary School use theTransformational Model to move this school toward better outcomes for students by:

Using a model of strong instructional leadership. (Leadership)


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Hiring, retaining and developing committed, knowledgeable, and skilled staff that workstogether in collaboration. (Effective Instruction)

Creating a safe and orderly environment that cultivates and inspires students to learn at highlevels. (Student Engagement)

Developing school-wide academic systems, programs and interventions that ensure arigorous Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum for each student, eliminating any achievementgapsall resulting in high levels of learning and achievement. (Rigorous Curriculum and

School Systems of Support)

Doing all thisunderstanding the needs of our diverse population, never using thechallenges or obstacles students may encounter as an excuse for them not achieving at highlevels.

Key Strategies to Address Cited NeedsThe data indicate the following needs in the area of reading: Primary students will read on grade level and be on-track (positive trajectory) to meet state

standards by third grade.

Once students are on-track to meet grade level standards, a careful monitoring and instructional

system must be developed to maintain positive learning trajectories (especially as the readingdemands increase as grades increase shifting from learning to read to reading to learn in theintermediate grades).

Instructional interventions must be systemically in place across grades in order to address theneeds of students struggling to meet standard. These interventions will be aimed at affectingaccelerated (catch-up) growth for students below grade level.

Based on these analyses, Hallman has identified the following as new actions needed for ourTransformational Model in order to build a strong and sustainable system in literacy now, andincreased focus on math (once literacy systems are fully rooted) to increase student achievement: Implement a Tiered Service Delivery Model in reading by selecting and implementing research-

based core, supplemental and intensive interventions. Extend Literacy Squared instructionalstrand through 5 th grade, Scope and sequence to support Academic Literacy instructionspecifically for ELLs in utilizing materials Reading Street 2011 to guide standards-based and bestpractices initial teaching (direct instruction, modeled instruction, guided and independentpractice). Supplemental and Intensive Intervention selection process are underway with districtsupport and will be linked to student needs as shown through data.

Literacy Blocks will be a minimum of 150 minutes (protected time) across K-5 grades with moretime afforded for English Language Learners, strategic and intensive students.

Provide professional development to all K-5 teachers in reading instruction with a focus onreading comprehension, analysis, fluency, vocabulary and phonological awareness, phonics/wordstructure that effectively meets the linguistic and language acquisition needs of ELLs

Provide initial publishers training for selected materials in reading and ongoing support fromliteracy coaches and external sources for further implementation.

Refine our application of the district comprehensive assessment system including screening,diagnostics and progress monitoring.

Refine our culture to include a What it Means to be a part of the Hallman Team andCollaborative Data Study through a PLC Model with time built in to our schedule toaccommodate this goal.


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Use the Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework self-evaluation rubrics on an ongoing basis to evaluate

current levels of implementation of our system with a focus on Goals, Assessment, Instruction,Leadership, Professional Development, and Commitment. Send coaching staff to attend statesponsored training for the use of the K-12 Literacy Framework.

Put into place a quality embedded and external teacher, staff and leadership evaluation processthat includes student progress as part of the process. This will be developed over the first year of

the grant in collaboration with staff, district and employee associations with full implementation atbeginning of second to year. Included are steps to recruit and hire staff that can join in and furtherthe Hallman vision, and steps to reassign employees who are unable and/or unwilling to furtherour efforts or participate.

Hire an assistant principal to assist in the systemic changes and to offset school management,allowing the principal to focus on effective instructional leadership. Assistant Principal will alsohelp establish a safe and orderly environment that cultivates and inspires students to learn at highlevels and provide additional support for instructional leadership and supervision and evaluationof staff through the three years of the Transformational process.

Hallman will also hire two Instructional Coaches who will facilitate the development of staff byincreasing staffs knowledge and skill around teaching and learning, facilitating the developmentof effective PLCs and help to Develop school-wide academic systems, programs andinterventions that ensure a rigorous Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum for each student,eliminating any achievement gapsall resulting in high levels of learning and achievement.

The main focus of Hallmans efforts will be on improving students literacy and mathematics skills(see SMART Goals below). Technology will play a part in improving instruction and learning inthese areas as well as provide support for Hallmans large number of English Language Learnersand students of poverty.

Hallman will use SIG funds to ensure that each classroom is equipped with a networkable digital

Digital Gaps Facing Special Populations( Hallman students: 90% in poverty, 85% Latino, 65% ELL) Children in low-income families are half as likely to have a computer as children in households withannual incomes over $75,000, are a third as likely to have Internet access, and a sixth as likely to haveaccess to broadband.

Home Internet access among children ages 7 to 17 varies widely by ethnicity. Just 41% of NativeAmerican youth, 43% of African American youth, and 44% of Latino youth have access; comparedto 75% of Asian American youth and 80% of white youth.

Of school children, ages of 7 to 17, only 29% of those in households with annual incomes of less than$15,000 use a home computer to complete school assignments, compared to 77% of those in householdswith annual incomes of $75,000 or more.

The Childrens Partnership (2008)

As the gap between rich and poor in the United States continues to grow, the ability to benefit from the opportunities delivered through computers and the Internet can help

a generation of young people move out of poverty. Digital opportunity for kids is the equity issue of the 21st century.

Information Technology Making a Difference inChildrens Lives: An Issue Brief for Leaders forChildren.The Childrens Partnership (2008)

Under the right conditions, technology: Accelerates,enriches, and deepens basic skills, Motivates and engages students in learning, Helps relate academics to the practices of today's workforce

Increases economic viability of tomorrow's workers,Strengthens teaching, Contributes to change in schools, and Connects schools to the world .

Lemke and Coughlin (1998 )


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projector and documents camera. Professional development and observation will ensureeffective implementation in teaching and learning where teachers and students can moreeffectively share text, graphs, student work, realia, note taking, and other information. It canbecome a way to enhance modeled, shared, and guided lessons in literacy, math and EnglishLanguage Development and a tool in building background knowledge, frontloading informationthat leads to improved comprehension and student engagement.

Creating a safe and orderly environment that cultivates and inspires students to learn at highlevels is a priority as well as to improve instruction. In year two, Hallman will implement theproven AVID program for grades 4 and 5 as well as explore the possibility of participating inSchool-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (SWPBIS). Both of these programs orframeworks provide a foundation that guides selection, integration, and implementation of thebest evidence-based academic and behavioral practices for improving important academic andbehavior outcomes for all students.

Parent and Community involvement is important in addressing each of these areas of needs.

Evidence shows a strong connection between parent and family involvement in schools and children's academic achievement, attendance, attitude, and continued education. (Henderson & Berla, 1994; Hickman, 1996)

Parents will be more involved as Hallman improves communication and opportunities to connectwith Hallman. Hallman will do this through monthly Parent Teacher Club meetings, Cafecitos(regular informal gatherings with parents and principal to talk about school, students, and the community) ,home-visits, events and activities, and recruiting volunteers (expand Book Buddy Program) .

Just as the economic issues of some of the homes Hallman students come from prevent studentsand their families having access to technology, from being involved in the school and fromaccessing certain health and social services in the community, another issue is a studentsaccess to books. Studies show a direct link to acquiring reading skills and a childs access tobooks. Many Hallman students simply to not have access to literature or printed materials awayfrom school. They lack the personal libraries at home and the ability to access public libraries.

It is unnecessary to urge young people to read more and understand the importance of reading because,given the chance, they do in fact read quite a bit, and they certainly do understand the importance of reading. A number of studies confirm that given access to comprehensible and interesting reading material, children and adolescents take advantage of them. More access to reading results in more reading; this result applies to books in the home, classroom libraries, school libraries and public libraries (Krashen, 2004).

In fact, sometimes a single, brief exposure to good reading material can result in a clear increase in enthusiasm for reading (Ramos and Krashen, 1998; Cho and Krashen, 2002).

"Reluctant" readers are often those who have little access to books .(Worthy and McKool. 1996)

The real problem Perhaps the most serious problem with current literacy campaigns is that they ignore, and even divert attention from , the real problem: Lack of access to books for children of poverty .

Access and poverty Research consistently shows that children who live in low-income neighborhoods have little access to reading material in their public libraries, in their schools, and at home. After investigating access to reading material in different neighborhoods, Neuman and Celano (2001) concluded that that ... children in middle-income neighborhoods were likely to be deluged with a wide variety of reading materials.However, children from poor neighborhoods would have to aggressively and persistently seek them out" Stephen Krashen. Literacy Network News . (2007)

During the summer and at long breaks, Hallmans library will be open to students for literacyactivities and access to books. This will allow students access to books during breaks when theynormally would have no access to printed materials. The bookmobile will be staffed by a


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Hallman staff member and community outreach coordinator. A variety of books and resourceswill be available for Hallman students and their families. There is also the opportunity to developpartnerships with other community organization to offer support and resources as well. (S-KCoalition for Equality, Mano a Mano, etc.)

If more access leads to more reading, and if more reading leads to better reading, writing,spelling, grammar, and a larger vocabulary (for overwhelming evidence, see Krashen, 2004), this means that the first step any literacy campaign needs to take is to make sure children have access to

plenty of books. Stephen Krashen. Literacy Network News . (2007)

5. SCHOOL CAPACITY CHECK LISTPlease rate the extent to which the following capacity elements are observable in your school. Use youranswers for the narrative required in Question 5.1 and following.

The next questions pertain to the schools capacity to support implementation of the interventionselected. For the purposes of this application, CAPACITY is defined as the ability of the organization tofulfill the functions needed to implement and sustain the intervention successfully.

1) Human Capacity: Refers to the knowledge, understanding, and commitment of individuals in the LEA/district.

a) Is district staffknowledgeable about therequirements forimplementing theintervention selected?

Great Extent: The offices of the Superintendent,Elementary Education, Instructional Services andCurriculum/Instruction and Assessment are aware of andfully intend to support the SI Grant actions at Hallman.

The District Program Assistants in the Curriculum,Instruction and Assessment department have expertise, inboth scientifically based instruction and content in readingand math, and will be afforded as supports to the Hallmanstaff.

External ongoing support is provided to Hallman and otherdistrict schools for the implementation of the researchproject Literacy Squared through the University ofColorado. 2010-11 will be the second year of the LiteracySquared implementation and Hallman will have 10classrooms involved in this research.

b) Is the Tier I school staffreceptive to the selectedintervention?

Moderate Extent : The Hallman leadership team,teachers, specialists and instructional assistants arereceptive to the planned intervention because theyunderstand that changes are necessary in order toincrease student achievement and that any change thatpromotes further student growth is a positive step.


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c) Is the Tier II school staffreceptive to the selectedintervention? N/A

d) Do local school boardmembers understand the

requirement of the selectedintervention?

Great Extent : Yes, School Board members understandand support the planned intervention model that will guide

the transformation of Hallman Elementary School.

e) Is there a written Vision forthe districts interventionimplementation?

Great Extent : Yes, the districts strategic plan focusesextensively on improving instruction to support academicachievement. Strategic plan goals such as thecomprehensive K-12 literacy model including the programmodel for Ell supports differentiation for all students, corestandards and quality curriculum, formative assessmentsand the frequent and systematic use of data all of whichare integral to the Transformation Model. In addition, thedistrict is working with Chalkboard on the CLASS project to

review and revise the evaluation model for Salem-Keizerschools including licensed and classified staff. This alsosupports the tenants of the Transformation Model.

f) Is district leadershipcommitted to complete andfull implementation of theintervention selected?

Great Extent : District leadership is committed to thecompletion of every facet of the Transformation Model Planfor Hallman elementary and fully prepared to provide anymethod of support in order to ensure the success of theplan.

2) Organizational Capacity : Refers to relationships among individuals both within the LEA/district and with individuals outside the district to support intervention implementation (i.e.,collaboration, networking, partnerships, and culture).


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a) Will teachers receiveprofessional development tobuild their capacity forimplementation of theselected intervention?

Great Extent : Eleven Hallman teachers will also attend asummer (July 26-28, 2010) PLC Institute to learn about PLCcollaboration as described by DeFours and Eaker.Hallman will create a comprehensive ProfessionalDevelopment plan ensuring on-going embedded supportfor the implantation of researched-based instructionalpractices, programs, and systems that matter most toimproved student achievement. This will be supported,facilitated and provided by Hallman instructional coaches,district specialists and external providers.

Mathematics and Literacy Professional developmentconsisting of research-based reading instruction (centeredon phonological awareness, phonics, word-structure analysis,fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) will preface initialprogram training. Ongoing program-based professionaldevelopment and coaching will ensue with support frominstructional coaches.

Professional development consisting of research-basedreading instruction centered on effective practices fordeveloping literacy and language for ELLs withunderstanding of best practices comprehension,vocabulary and word-structure analysis, fluency,phonological awareness, phonics, student engagement andbiliteracy.

b) Do teachers have theopportunity to network withothers to learn about andshare interventionpractices?

Great Extent : The proposed intervention actions includechanges in the instructional day to afford teachers regularand ongoing PLC team time to network and collaboratewith one another on issues pertaining to implementation ofreading, math, language, data-study and collaborative

planning.PLC time will be integrated on a weekly if not daily basis.As such, teachers will be afforded the opportunity toobserve one another and teachers at other schools withsimilar instructional approaches and demographics. Coachled data-study sessions will co-exist within this structure.

It will also be an expectation that each grade level team willtake a day each month to collaborate, model lessons foreach other with opportunities for peer feedback and/or visitother effective schools and effective teachers, facilitated byat least one instructional coach, literacy, math or ELD.


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c) Has the district partnered

with external organizationsfor support withimplementation of theselected intervention?

Moderate Extent : The district has partnered with Dr.Kathy Escamilla from the University of Colorado. She andher team provide training, support and monitoring of herapproach to English Language Acquisition throughbiliteracy, called Literacy-Squared. Hallman currently has 6classes K-2 implementing her approach and plans to add 4

more next school year to include grades 3-5. The districtalso has partnered with Dr. Barbara Flores from CaliforniaState University San Bernardino to provide training andsupport for literacy instruction for all students, especiallystruggling readers and English Language Learners. Shehas visited Hallman 4 times this school year. Hallmanwould like to consider hiring her as a consultant 2010-2011to provide more intensive training in her Mini-SharedLesson protocol.

d) Has the district created ashared understanding of theselected interventionimplementation across thedistrict?

Moderate Extent : Staff members at the district andschool have communicated details of the planned

interventions. Several presentations have been made tokey stakeholders including Leadership (district wide), ILContent meetings (Principal), school staff, School Board,Budget Committee, community groups, and key school-community leaders. Local media (newspapers) providedextensive coverage on the SIGs and the transformationmodel while working with district leadership and staff.Inside 24Ja district publication provided an article onSIGs and the transformation model and its benefits to us asa district. District leaders also covered this on school visits.

Structural Capacity: Refers to the functional elements of the system such as LEA/district policies, procedures, and practices to support implementation.

a) Has the district adoptedlocal policies orrequirements for selectedinterventionimplementation?

Great Extent : The school board is unanimouslysupportive of the districts vision and commitment for thismodel. There is no need to develop policy for theimplementation since the Salem-Keizer Board governancemodel delegates authority to the superintendent toimplement appropriate strategies and instructional modelsthat support he districts goals and strategic plan.

b) Are the selected interventionimplementation actionscoordinated with otherdistrict standards-basedschool improvement efforts?

Great Extent : The adopted Salem-Keizer 2009-10 (and2010-11) Strategic Plans address the areas of StudentAchievement, Leadership Development, and PublicEngagement. The combined efforts of a variety ofdepartments will further support he SIG implementationplans.


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c) Will the district have thecapacity to monitorintervention implementationpractices in schools?

Great Extent : The district will have in place, as part ofthis Transformational Intervention Model, a district SchoolImprovement Department, with a Turnaround Coordinatorwho will monitor and support the work in the SIG identifiedschools, and call for changes as required. In addition,level directors, departmental leaders, curriculumspecialists and the office of data and assessment willsupport progress toward the identified goals.

d) Is there recognition ofstudent involvement in theactions called for with theselected intervention?

Moderate Extent : The integrated data system will helpHallman monitor student achievement and ensure studentsuccess as a part of the Transformational Model as well asincreasing student engagement through studentinvolvement in the extended instructional day, tutoringopportunities, and the schools Enrichment Academy, andimproved school attendance.

Material Capacity: Refers to the fiscal and material resources available to support

implementation in the district.

a) Are resources allocated toprovide time for teachers towork together on theimplementation of theintervention selected?

Moderate Extent : Hallmans leadership team will meetfor two days in summer to collaboratively develop details ofthe implementation in order to ensure a successful launchof the intervention strategies in the fall. Principal andCoaches will meet for 1-2 days with the districts EnglishLanguage Acquisition department Elementary Coordinatorfor support in outlining scope and sequence forprofessional development and instructional focus for Ells.In addition, the proposed intervention actions includeinstructional day changes that will permit teachers tocollaborate weekly in PLC (grade level) teams to develop

systems of continual improvement by ongoing monitoring ofdata, instructional practice, student learning, and adjustinginstruction and academic interventions to ensure studentachievement. SIG funds will also provide one day a monthfor grade level teacher teams to work on the above PLCwork as well as opportunities for peer feedback andobservation of effective practices in other schools.

b) Is current district staffingsufficient to supportimplementation of theselected intervention?

Great Extent : The goal is to build capacity amongadministrators, teachers and staff to better manage student

behavior, to align curriculum, instruction and assessment tostate and district standards, deliver a well articulated K-5curriculum with QFIC and staff the highly needed supportsfor students to improve literacy and math skills. Byproviding supportive services at Hallman in increasedinstructional coaching, administrative support for studentsand families, and monitoring of students progress, Hallmanstaff will be building capacity that is sustainable.


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c) Is there an understanding atthe LEA/district level thatthere may be staffingchanges to supportimplementation of theselected intervention?

Great Extent : The district and school communityunderstand that staffing changes may occur in order toaccomplish the goals of the Transformation Model atHallman elementary school. District leadership and schoolstaff are committed to building capacity in all stakeholdersand support the reassignment and/or realignment ofresources, including staff.

d) Will the district be able toprovide curriculum andinstructional resources forimplementation of theintervention selected?

Great Extent : The district supports the Hallman plan topurchase core, supplemental and intensive resources thatare aligned with Oregon State Standards and the districtComprehensive Literacy Model.

e) Is the selected interventionimplementation supported inthe district budget?

Moderate Extent : Yes, the Transformational Model isincluded in the school/district budget through the EnglishLanguage Acquisition Specialists, Curriculum/Instruction &Assessment Department.

5.1. EVIDENCE OF CAPACITY

Describe the schools capacity to carry out the selected intervention model. Indicate the process youwill use to determine that the school has the capacity to fully and effectively implement the requiredactivities of the intervention model selected. Please refer to the School Capacity Checklist and addressall areas listed.

_________________________________________________________________________

HUMAN CAPACITY: Refers to the knowledge, understanding, and commitment of individualsin the LEA/district.

Hallmans principal and teachers are dissatisfied with the performance their students havedemonstrated on district and state tests in reading, writing and math. They are alsodissatisfied with student attendance rates, number of office referrals, number of classroomdisruptions caused by student behavior, and any achievement gaps seen with ELLs, studentsof poverty, special education students. Along with district administrators, both groups areeager for change if it is based on evidence of best practices and implemented under strongleadership.


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ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY: Refers to relationships among individuals both within theLEA/district and with individuals outside the district to support intervention implementation(i.e., collaboration, networking, partnerships, and culture).

Hallman teachers will receive several opportunities for professional development duringsummer conferences (PLC conference July 2010, working with students of poverty workshop August 2010,and professional development week August 2010) and workshops as well as regular feedback from

instructional leader and coaches (weekly and monthly meetings to review , and in PLCs duringthe academic year. Professional development will be ongoing, embedded and focused,facilitated by the instructional coaches, district curricular specialists, and external providers.Teachers will be required to model lessons in front of peers, receiving feedback and will haveopportunities to visit other effective schools and observe other effective teachers. Thiscomprehensive network of summer trainings and training held throughout the year,consultations with university researchers such as Dr. Flores and Dr. Escamilla and consistentconsultation with instructional coaches and school administrator will ensure that theorganization builds capacity to improve instruction at Hallman, leading to improved studentachievement.

STRUCTURAL CAPACITY: Refers to the functional elements of the system such asLEA/district policies, procedures, and practices to support implementation.

Aligning curriculum across all grade levels, aligning curriculum with district and stateframeworks and standards, and working with district leaders, school leader and instructionalcoaches, teachers and students is a comprehensive and ambitious plan. School-wide systemsand structural alignment are key to ensuring that all students, regardless of socio-economicmeans, language or other obstacles, gain the skills and knowledge they need to be successfulat the secondary level, leaving Hallman reading, writing and understanding mathematics atgrade level. The district is prepared to support school-based efforts by helping to monitorprogress, analyze school-based data and assist with the development of instructionalstrategies to ensure student success at Hallman.MATERIAL CAPACITY: Refers to the fiscal and material resources available to supportimplementation in the district.

The district is fully committed to these strategies and partnerships and recognizes the need forchange at Hallman. Hallman leaders and staff will have full access to all district resources toensure the success of the plan. The district providing Hallmans current Instructional Coach,providing an English Language Acquisition Specialist, and support with the implementationLiteracy-Squared approach all demonstrate the commitment of the district and school planningteam in this educational plan to change Hallman policies, practices and culture.

6.1 SCHOOL SUPPORT TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE INTERVENTION MODELDescribe actions the school has taken, or will take, to:

1. Design and implement interventions consistent with the final requirements.


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Hallman has plans to engage the internal and external school community in an ongoing process ofimplementing the transformational model designed to improve student success at Hallman ElementarySchool. Communication sessions with parents (monthly), students (monthly), staff (weekly), district(monthly), and community members (quarterly) will take place on an ongoing basis and will provide aprocess for stakeholder input and evaluation of the interventions. School staff and district staff hasexamined multiple sources of data in the process of identifying the specific components included in thetransformation plan.

While the district and school have already began the work of curriculum alignment to core standardsand developing common assessments to guide instruction; this plan will provide for acceleration ofthese important aspects of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. The plan is designed to buildcapacity in school instructional leaders (principal and instructional coaches) around these components,as well as develop the knowledge and skills among instructional staff to implement highly effectivepractice in every classroom with QFIC.

School and district staff has devoted many hours in identifying research-based strategies that meet theimprovement needs of Hallman. Staffing included in the grant proposal will add to the ongoingtechnical and systemic support to ensure the success of the intervention strategies and theirsustainable effects. (Additional staffing includes assistant principal, community resource assistant, and

instructional coaches for literacy and math.)While the intervention strategies and the tiered intervention model that are proposed will have a schoolwide effect on all students, the populations predicted more than others are the at-risk students whooften live in poverty and/or are English Language Learners. By analyzing data on student attendance,academic performance, and behavior, students with the highest needs for support will be identified andsupported by school staff and the strategic interventions they employ to meet the unique needs of theseindividual students.

Hallman has strategically aligned a plan to align general fund dollars, Title I budget, and SIG support inorder to ensure maximum focus on the goals of the transformation plan. The alignment of resources inthe school and district to support this plan for improvement is very strong and supported by school,district and school board leadership.

Plan Summary

The Transformational Model Intervention plan for Hallman Elementary School involves theimplementation of a tiered service delivery model in reading instruction using standards-based and highcaliber first teaching along with scientifically based interventions designed to facilitate catch-up growth.Connections between the Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework and the District Literacy Model will bedeveloped as complementary systems that can work together to build a powerful, effective andsustainable system that meets the needs of all learners. The application of a comprehensiveassessment system that includes a process for screening students early to identify students at-risk,diagnostic measures to pinpoint specific areas of deficiency, the implementation of targetedsupplemental and/or intensive reading interventions followed by progress monitoring measures to trackstudent growth will ensure a checks and balances system that guarantees no single student fallsthrough the cracks without tailored and appropriate supports. The regularly scheduled and coach-facilitated Professional Learning Team meetings will create the venue by which student data ismonitored and a data-culture becomes firmly rooted.

In order to implement our planned system, teacher, principal and coach professional development willensue. The principal and coach will continue to participate in district sponsored sessions. The principalwill also receive training and coaching around effective leadership: McRel, PLCs, leading InstructionalRounds, and effective supervision and evaluation of staff. The Instructional Coach is applying for thestate-sponsored July 2010 TOT session on the Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework. Teachers will be


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afforded professional development on: research based instruction in standards-based critical readingelements of phonological awareness, phonics/word structure analysis, fluency, vocabulary andcomprehension. Initial program training will be delivered August 25, 2010 by Reading Streetspublisher with follow up from district specialists, schools instructional coaches and will work to find anexternal provider of literacy training, adding it to Hallmans comprehensive professional developmentplan. Initial school-wide training on issues related to educating students of poverty is planned August 23and 24, 2010 with follow up through the hiring on an external provider (possibly Donna Beagle).

Ongoing coaching support via technical coaching through the coaching cycle (planning, observing,modeling, and debriefing) will ensue. Regularly scheduled Professional Learning Team meetingscentered on data study and essential PLC questions (What do we want students to know or be able todo? How will we know they learned it? What do we do if the dont? What do we do if the do?) areincluded in this Transformational Intervention.

Methods planned to monitor the successful implementation of the Transformation Intervention atHallman are multi-faceted. Student progress monitoring and formative data will help us track studentgrowth over the course of the year. Interventions will be recalibrated on an ongoing basis to ensuremaximum student success. Classroom observations will be conducted through Principal InstructionalRounds on a weekly basis. Coaching cycle actions (planning, modeling, observing and debriefing) willsupport powerful first teaching and QFIC implementation of interventions. A variety of observational

tools will be used including the district created literacy feedback tool, the districts Literacy Modelcontinuum, the General Features of Instruction checklist (measuring research-backed instructionalmethodology developed by the University of Oregon), program specific tools and district evaluationtools. External school support will be provided through on outside organization not yet determined witha focus on a systematic and differentiated literacy instruction training and support. Intermittent (2xannually) self-audits will be conducted using the state K-12 Literacy Framework School Level Matrix inthe following areas of focus: Goals, Assessment, Instruction, Leadership, Professional Developmentand Commitment. Summative (year-end OAKS and DRA2-EDL2) data will be analyzed to measureprogress toward the stated goals increase in the percent of students meeting state standards in readingand math on a continuous basis, through the life of the grant, and after.

6.2 SCHOOL SUPPORT TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE INTERVENTION MODELDescribe actions the school has taken, or will take, to:

2. Recruit, screen, and select external providers, if applicable, to ensure their quality.School staff will work collabor

Hallman 2010 School Improvement Grant Application

Documents

Transcript of Hallman 2010 School Improvement Grant Application