A Proposal by:VCS Teachers and Administrators

Made to: Valparaiso Community Schools Board of Education

For implementation in the 2011-2012 school year

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Valparaiso Community Schools

Mission: Valparaiso Community Schools provides a safe and supportive educational environment maximizing the learning potential of each student.

Vision: Valparaiso Community Schools will be at the forefront of education innovation driving from excellence to preeminence.

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• Kindergarten is not required in the State of Indiana

• School systems are required to provide a kindergarten program

• In 2003, 25% of students in Indiana attended full day kindergarten

• In 2010, schools reported that 81% of students in Indiana attended full day kindergarten (Dana Jones, IDOE)

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Offers Full Day Kindergarten

• Union Township• Duneland• Portage• Hebron• East Porter• St. Paul’s• Immanuel• Porter Township

No Full Day Option

• Valparaiso

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Offer Full Day Kindergarten• West Lafayette • Carmel Clay• Adams Central• North West Hendricks• Northwest Allen County• North Spencer County• Westfield-Washington• Center Grove

No Full Day Option• Zionsville• Hamilton Southeastern

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Indiana Reading Plan

• 90 Minute Block for Reading Instruction• 3rd graders not reading on grade level (as

determined by a State test) will be retained • Starting in the 2011-2012 school year these

retentions will be mandatory unless exemption is met– Previously retained twice– Case conference determination– LEP score of Level 3 or less in the Reading Domain

• Mrs. Erin Utesch– Assistant to the Principal, Flint Lake Elementary

School– Title I Teacher

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• 5-year olds ready for longer day• Structured environment• Less frustration/stress • Immersed in language– Read aloud– Reading instruction – Self-directed activities for long-term learning

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB12_FullDayK.pdfhttp://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report4.pdf

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB12_FullDayK.pdf

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• 5-9% fewer retentions– Carried through primary grades– Better use of resources • 19% FDK start-up costs recovered through decreased

retentions

• Fewer Title I & Special Education placements

http://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/fulldaykbenefits.htmlhttp://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report4.pdf

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• 14 dimensions of classroom behavior– Students in FDK rated higher in 9 areas, equal in

others• Improved: independent learning, originality, classroom

involvement, productivity in work with peers, reflectiveness, attendance and willingness to approach the teacher

• Decreased: withdrawal, anger, shyness, and blaming behaviorhttp://www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-05-01.pdf

http://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/fulldaykbenefits.htmlhttp://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Recent_Research_All/

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/full.day.kinder.p.k12.3.html#What

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High Ability Students•More in-depth instruction•Long-term projects•Development of student interests•Academic challenges

http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/district/registration/pdfs/AllDayK/AllDayKResearch.pdfhttp://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB12_FullDayK.pdf

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At-Risk and Disadvantaged Learners•Proven to surpass ½ day counterparts by end of a FDK year•ECLS-K data: Full-day kindergartners showed a 22 percent advantage in their math score gains and a 32 percent advantage in their reading score gains. (controlling for poverty status and their initial abilities)

•Close achievement gap before fully existshttp://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/-the-answer-sheets-guest.html

http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report4.pdfhttp://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/docs/fulldaykreport.pdf

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• 23 studies: significantly greater achievement than students who attend ½ day– FDK accounted for 60% of the variance in outcome measures related to student achievement.

• 17 percentile point advantage on cognitive achievement tests while in Kdg• 15 percentile point advantage remains in grades 1 and 2• Advantage still indicated in grades 3, 5, 7, 11

http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report4.pdfhttp://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/fulldaykbenefits.html

http://www.ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/PB_Spring_2005_Full_Day_Kindergarten.pdfhttp://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Recent_Research_All/

http://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/fulldaykbenefits.html

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Carmel Clay Findings

• Skills mastered by May in the full-time program exceeded those in the alternating day program by an average of 6.6%. Math composite gains affected 75% of full-time students vs. 37% of part-time students.

• The earlier mastery of letters and sounds seemed to positively impact reading and writing skills in the full-time program.

• Teacher observations noted increased confidence levels, creativity, and interaction with peers in the full-time program.

• A random selection of parent surveys reflected 100% parent satisfaction.

http://www1.ccs.k12.in.us/district/kindergarten/exploring-options

• Mrs. Beth Krutz– Principal, Central Elementary School– Leader of the Kindergarten Team

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Pre-Kindergarten Inventory of Demonstrated Skills (Pre-KIDS)

• At Round-Up all future students were given this assessment.

• Purpose: insight on skills of incoming students• Skills: following directions, mathematics,

language, and reading

Pre-Kids Assessment Data

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Survey Results 2011

• 108 completed surveys (as of 5/9/11 at 7 PM)• Survey of in-coming kindergarten parents• Would you support a mandatory full day

kindergarten program?

• Support strongly 67.3%• Support somewhat 12.1%• Oppose somewhat 7.5%• Oppose strongly 13.1%

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Survey Results

• If a full-day and half-day kindergarten is offered next year, which would you most likely choose for your child?

• Full-day 80.2%• Half-day 19.8%

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Survey Results

• If half-day kindergarten is offered at a school other than your home school and you were required to provide transportation, would you still choose this option?

• Yes, I would transport my child to half-day kindergarten. 12.3%• No, I would have my child attend full-day

kindergarten. 87.7%

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• District Expenditure (ADM + Grant)– Challenge: Stress to the General Fund if needed

• Title I Expenditure (ADM + Grant + Title I)– Challenge: Decreases in Title funding and not all students

qualify for Title I funding

• Parent Tuition (ADM + Grant + Tuition)– Challenge: Not an equal education for all

• Combination (ADM + Grant + Title I + Tuition)– Lessens General Fund/Title I Stress– Provides equal access to a high quality education

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Proposal for 2011-2012

• District Funded (ADM + Grant—no additional cost to the General Fund)

• FDK for all Valparaiso Community Schools students at their home school

• 4 Sections of FDK at Flint• 3 Sections of FDK at Central (due to

enrollment size)• 2 Sections of FDK at:– Cooks, Hayes, Memorial, Northview, Parkview, TJE

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Central: Divide Kindergarten Room into 2 (1871 Sq/Ft Total), Music Room (658 Sq/Ft), Music and Art share space

Cooks: Kindergarten Room (1357 Sq/Ft) and Computer Lab (959 Sq/Ft)

Flint: 4 Rooms in the Kindergarten Pod (1147 Sq/Ft, 1121 Sq/Ft, 1137 Sq/Ft, 913 Sq/Ft)

Hayes Leonard: Kindergarten Room (1157 Sq/Ft) and Computer Lab (948 Sq/Ft)

Locations to Consider

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Memorial: Kindergarten Room (1129 Sq/Ft) and Art Room (1003 Sq/Ft), Music and Art Share Space

Northview: Kindergarten Room (1158 Sq/Ft), current 3rd grade room (943 Sq/Ft)

Parkview: Kindergarten Room (1250 Sq/Ft), Art/Music Room (1227 Sq/Ft), Art and Music move to the computer lab

Thomas Jefferson Elementary: Kindergarten Room (1247 Sq/Ft) and 5th grade room (981 Sq/Ft)—rooms moved and conversion of the computer lab

Locations to Consider

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Portable Classrooms vs. Computer Lab– Cooks Corners – Hayes Leonard– Northview– Parkview– Thomas Jefferson Elementary

Cost for portable vs. Cost for computer lab

Alternate Locations Considered

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• Currently 8.5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) teachers

• Proposal is for 19 FTE teachers for kindergarten

• Increase of 10.5 FTE teachers• 2.5 FTE Reallocated from Secondary Level• 8.0 FTE increase staffing from General Fund

Staffing

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• Need 8.0 FTE • Kindergarten Grant potential of $1049.46 per

student in addition to ADM• 425 students generate $446,020.50• $55,752.56 for each of 8 teachers from the

grant dollars• Cost for 1 teacher at a Bachelor’s Degree with

zero years of experience is about $45,000-$50,000 with benefits included

Staffing Solutions

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Curriculum

• Written by the FDK teachers• Common Core Standards only• Specials scheduled like grades 1-5• Donna Battista, Kindergarten Teacher at

Parkview Elementary• Elaina Miller, Kindergarten Teacher at TJE • Laura Van Houten, Kindergarten Teacher at

Hayes Leonard Elementary

• Morning Schedule

• 8:30-8:50: Arrival (school starts at 8:45)– Teacher greets students– Students unpack and hang up belongings– Table Tasks (activity related to previous learning)– Students choose a book to read or a puzzle to

solve

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• 8:50-9:10: Opening Exercises– Pledge of Allegiance– Good morning song– Math Calendar Activities– Weather (Math)– Morning Message (English/Language Arts)

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90 Minute Reading Block

• Next year, the State of Indiana will require a mandatory 90 minute uninterrupted English/Language Arts Block. It must be comprised of these 5 scientifically based components of reading:

• Phonemic Awareness– Sensitivity to sounds in spoken words

• Phonics– The relationship between sounds and letters

• Fluency– Automaticity in reading letter names, letter sounds and reading words

• Vocabulary– Understanding the meaning of words

• Comprehension– Understanding the text being read

90 Minute Reading Block

• The framework models both whole class and small group instruction. Whole class instruction provides an efficient and equitable way to initiate instruction.

• Small group instruction enables teachers to focus on specific skill needs and intensifies instruction based on student progress.

• 9:10-10:40: 90 Minute Reading Block (as required by the IDOE)– Large Group and Small Group (Leveled Learning)– Comprehension Activity– Word Work– Vocabulary Development– Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Lesson– Guided Reading Lesson/Language Experience– Writing– Fluency

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• 10:40-11: Sensorimotor Activities/Physical Activities– Activities connected to English Language Arts and

Math

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• 11-11:30: Math Block (part 1)– Large Group Math Instruction

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• 11:30-12:30: Lunch and Recess

• 12:30-1:00: Read Aloud

• 1:00-1:10: Snack Time– Connected learning to English Language Arts/Math

• 1:10-1:40: Math Block (Part 2)– Small, leveled group instruction

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• 1:40-2:40: Inquiry Based Learning– Small, leveled groups– Child’s choice and teacher’s choice– Teacher choice would be a lead Social Studies,

Health, or Science project

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Inquiry based learning is an in-depth investigation of a real world topic worthy of kindergartners’ attention and effort. It is the application of skills and standards acquired earlier. Inquiry based learning is carried out by both large and small groups of students.

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It offers first hand research and documentation of findings in a variety of ways. Kindergartners have an opportunity to apply math, language skills and knowledge, increasing their curriculum connections between the subjects. The inquiry is not unstructured. There is a beginning, middle, and end. The teacher is an organizer and consultant guided by kindergartner’s thoughts and questions.

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Throughout the inquiry, kindergartners may draw, discuss, write, collect data, count, and measure, calculate, predict, construct models, draw diagrams, make graphs, record observations, read for information, sing songs, or share plays. The topics of study have direct connections to local, people, places and events.

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There are five structural features to inquiry based learning: discussion, fieldwork, representation, investigation, and display.

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Phase 1: Beginning Phase 2: Developing Phase 3: Concluding

Discussion Prior experience, current knowledge, word web

Prepare /review field work, questions for specialist, learn from other sources

Prepare to share the story of the inquiry. Assess and evaluate

Field Work Talk about experiences with others

Going out to investigate, interview experts

Evaluate the work with others outside the classroom

Representation Draw, write, construct models, drama to share prior experience or knowledge

Field sketches, notes, math diagrams, maps to represent new learning

Summarize the story of the study to share with others

Investigation Create questions based on current knowledge

Investigate, research, ask further questions

Think about new questions

Display Share knowledge and experience

Share documentation

Summary of learning

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Some concluding documentation might be a book, bulletin board display, celebration, models, demonstrations, drama, environmental project to school grounds, interviews, museum, news report, video presentation, parade, service project, photo gallery, report, presentation, thematic door, puppet show, digital story, Skype interview, Information station.

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• 2:40-3:10: Special– Art, Music, PE– Computer Lab– Library

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• 3:10-3:15: Dismissal Prep– End of the day song/evaluation of the day– Bags packed– Lines formed– Sharing time– Dismissal

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Timeline

• May 17th presentation to the board • Pending board approval:– May 18th—post Full Day Kindergarten positions– Week of May 24th—order kindergarten furniture– Week of May 24th—create a facility work plan to

adjust existing space– May-June-July—revision of curriculum– June—delivery of furniture to buildings– June—hire new FDK teachers

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• Curriculum Costs (Rainy Day)– Approximately $9000 per additional classroom for

materials, supplies, and the curriculum used– $9000 x 9 = $81,000

• Purchase of furniture (Qualified School Construction Bond--QSCB $1.2 million)– Approximately $8,300 per classroom– 9 classrooms of furniture– $74,700 total cost in furniture

Financial Impact

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• Payment for teachers to write full day curriculum (Title IIA)– 19 teachers x $60 per day = $1140– Divide teachers by subject area to work– 10 days of work to cost $11,400

Financial Impact

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• Computer Lab (QSCB of $1.2 million)– Rolling Computer Lab: $39,000– Additional Electrical Outlets to charge: $8,000– Additional Network ISTEP+ needs: $10,000– Additional Outlets for ISTEP+: $12,000– Misc. Parts for spare laptops: $8,000– Cost per classroom: $77,000– Needed at Cooks, Hayes, Northview, Parkview, TJE– $77,000 x 5 = $385,000

Financial Impact

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• Portable Classrooms– Needed at Cooks, Hayes, Northview, Parkview, TJE– Innovative Modular Solutions:

• Cost for modular building with restrooms, delivery, foundations, set-up, deck assembly and utility connections:– Budget Series: $84/sq.ft– Value Series: $97/sq.ft

– These would be turn key and ready for occupancy inspections

– Cost for 1 at 1100 Sq/Ft is $92,400 for the Budget Series and $106,700 for the Value Series

Financial Impact

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Valparaiso Community Schools

Mission: Valparaiso Community Schools provides a safe and supportive educational environment maximizing the learning potential of each student.

Vision: Valparaiso Community Schools will be at the forefront of education innovation driving from excellence to preeminence.

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• It’s not about having a full day of kindergarten, it’s about what our teachers can make happen during that full day

• It’s about having time to address the standards more effectively while meeting the diverse learning needs of students with differing abilities

• It’s about providing every opportunity for Valparaiso learners to be successful from the moment they enter our doors

• It’s about EACH student

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• http://www.ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/PB_Spring_2005_Full_Day_Kindergarten.pdf• http://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/fulldaykbenefits.html• http://www.doe.in.gov/primetime/docs/fulldaykreport.pdf• http://www1.ccs.k12.in.us/district/kindergarten/exploring-options • Project-based Inquiry for Young Children: First steps To Research for Grades Pre-K-2, Colleen

MacDonell.• http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/mf_PB12_FullDayK.pdf• http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report4.pdf• http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-05-01.pdf• http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Recent_Research_All/• http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/full.day.kinder.p.k12.3.html#What• http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/district/registration/pdfs/AllDayK/AllDayKResearch.pdf• http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/-the-answer-sheets-

guest.html• http://www1.ccs.k12.in.us/district/kindergarten/exploring-options• http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v6n1/bellous.html