Edmonds-Woodway High School · PDF file · 2017-05-05Edmonds School District School Improvement Planning Process Each Student Learning, Every Day! 9 Parent, Family, and Community

Edmonds School District

School Improvement Planning Process Each Student Learning, Every Day!

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Edmonds-Woodway High School

2016-2017 School Improvement Plan

Vision Statement

The Edmonds-Woodway High School community empowers students to achieve educational

excellence while demonstrating integrity and compassion through responsible citizenship.

Background

Edmonds-Woodway (EW) is committed to insuring that all students reach their greatest potential and

graduate college and career ready. As the largest comprehensive high school in the Edmonds School

District, EW gladly serves a diverse population of students through its many programs, including the

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), the Explore Program, and Life Skills Program. EW is home to

outstanding performing arts programs and a host of highly-competitive athletic teams. EWHS is also

home to the Edmonds School District’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Program which draws students

from across the District to participate in this rigorous college preparatory program.

EW serves an increasingly diverse student population as the demographics of our school community

changes (see demographic data). The school has sustained relatively high scores on State Assessments,

as a whole school over recent years, however an analysis of our disaggregated achievement data by

racial subgroups suggests that there is a pronounced gap in achievement between white and Asian

students and students of color, in on-time credit earning and on-time graduation. This gap is most

pronounced for our Latino, ELL and Special Education student populations. For our data analysis we

examined the percentage of students earning at least 5 credits each year by grade (see on-time credit

earning data) in school year 2014-2015. We also examined EW’s four and five year graduation rates.

Our Theory of Action

Our theory of action is grounded in three areas of research: mindset, intrinsic motivation and

assessment strategies. Our work on mindset, is based upon the brain research of Carol Dweck and the

concept of growth mindset. Our purpose in this area is to help students reach their greatest potential by

a developing growth mindsets about learning. To this end, through professional development we are

focusing on teachers developing and/or adopting instructional practices that support a growth mindset

within students. Our work on intrinsic motivation is based upon the work of Margery Ginsberg and the

Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Our focus on intrinsic motivation is

intended to support the development of culturally responsive teaching practices that will meet the

social, emotional and academic needs of all our diverse learners. Finally, our work on assessments aims

to support the effective use of both formative and summative assessments in our classrooms to improve

student learning.



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Thus, our theory of action is anchored in our belief that, if teachers use growth mindset instructional

practices in a culturally responsive manner, while employing effective assessment strategies, then all

students will experience high-quality classroom instruction and realize increased academic achievement

across all subject areas.

Strategies for Improvement

1. Develop instructional practices that encourage and support “growth mindset” thinking, as a way

to promote high achievement for all students.

2. Encourage, support and develop culturally responsive teaching practices through intrinsic

motivation.

3. Design, develop and use effective assessments in all classroom instruction.

Strategic Direction Focus Areas

Effective Learning for All Students, through the use of instructional practices that develop and

support a growth mindset for all members of the Edmonds-Woodway school community.

Equity of Opportunity, by meeting the social and emotional and academic needs of our diverse

student population through culturally responsive educational practices.

Graduates who a Ready for Life, by preparing all students to be College and Career Ready

through a rigorous, relevant curriculum.

Whole School Achievement Goal

1. Increase the percentage of students earning credits on-time (5 credits or more at each grade

level) by 3% each year, over each of the next 3 years.

2. Reduce the gaps in achievement between specific subgroups of students (Latino, Special

Education and ELL students) and white students by 3% a year, over each of the next 3 years, in

on-time credit earning, on-time graduation and extended graduation.

Addressing the Achievement Gap

To reduce achievement gaps between subgroups of students we will work to: increase the

percentage of Hispanic and special education students earning credits on-time and increase the

percentage of these same student groups graduating on-time.



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Our School Data



4

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Program Enrollment 2011/12 - 2016/17

Bilingual Services SPED Services 504 Plan F/R Lunch IB



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2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Washington State 76.6% 77.2% 76.0% 77.2% 78.1%

Edmonds School District 76.0% 74.2% 75.6% 82.6% 81.9%

Edmonds Woodway HighSchool

86.0% 84.0% 81.3% 86.8% 86.7%

70.0%

90.0%

Gra

du

atio

n R

ate

Adjusted 4-Year Cohort Grad Rate(2016 Estimated EWHS 4 Year Cohort Grad Rate = 88%



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0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

2015-16 SY Percentage of Rising 10th Graderswith 5 or more credits by subgroup

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%




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0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%


0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

2015-16 SY Percentage of Outgoing 12th Graderswith 22 or more credits by subgroup



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Changes in Credit Earning Rates:

2014-2015 School Year 2015-2016 School Year

Rising 10th Graders 83.4% 85.5%



Outgoing 12th Graders 86.6%

Summary of strengths or greatest progress based on the data:

The majority of our subgroups of students are earning credits on-time at significantly high percentages.

Our extended graduation rate is over 90%.

Prioritized areas of opportunity or greatest challenge based on the data:

1. Our Hispanic students, especially Hispanic males, are not earning credit at the same rate as comparison subgroups.

2. SPED students are not earning credit at the same rate as comparison subgroups.

Review and Analysis of Data

Check all data reviewed and analyzed that determined your Strategic Direction focus area(s) and your school

target.

State Assessments

☐District Assessments

☐School Assessments

☒Classroom Assessments

☐SAT/ACT

☐AP/IB/CHS/Tech Prep

☐CTE Industry Certification

☒Graduation Rate

☒Attendance Data

☒ Other: Credit Earning Data

☒Discipline Data

☐Staff Perceptual Data

☐Student Perceptual Data

☐Parent Perceptual Data

Strategic Direction Focus Areas

You may choose to select one or more of the other options in addition to Effective Learning for All Students.

Effective Learning for All Students

☒Equity of Opportunity

☐P-3rd Grade Early Learning

☒Graduates Who Are Ready for Life

Strategic Direction Indicators of Focus

Edmonds-Woodway will measure progress towards our Strategic Direction with the following Indicators:

On-time credit earning

On-time graduation rates

Extended graduation rates



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Parent, Family, and Community Involvement in this Plan

The Edmonds-Woodway High School Leadership body is made up of parents, teachers and students. This body will

regularly review this School Improvement Plan. In addition, the School Improvement Plan will be shared will our

Parent Student Organization and posted on our school website for community review.



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Department Goals

Department: English

Goal: Improve upon the students’ language proficiency and develop their analytical skills, with a focus on

meeting the learning needs of our culturally diverse student population.

We will measure this formatively by:

Scaffolding the lessons to support the internal and external assessments in the 11-12th grade, scaffolding the

lessons in 9-10th grade to incorporate the terminology, rubrics, and assessments of the 11-12th grade while at

the same time utilizing any parts of the Collections curriculum that would enhance the students’ skill set.

We will measure this summatively by:

Utilizing the material provided by the IB Language and Literature site, the corresponding InThinking site and

the additional supporting book (Oxford) in the 11-12th grade. In the 9-10th grade we will utilize a modified

(possibly) set of IB rubrics, initiate an introduction of the pertinent terminology needed for the SL and HL

classes, and employ a curriculum that focuses on the structure of Parts 1-4 ( in a modified version ) for the 9-

10th grade. This could include a compare/contrast essay, a literary analysis (focusing on cultural

considerations), Oral presentation that includes visual text, audio text as well as written text (both fiction and

non-fiction).

Action steps we will take to meet our goal:

We will collaborate on the alignment of the 9-10th grade curricula to support the 11-12th grade IB (SL and HL)

Language and Literature IB Program. We will plan a retreat for this first semester to discuss the above. As all

members of the English Department (exception: out two new hires) have had the IB training and can be

engaged in this process of defining the needed formative and summative measurements. Our PLC time will be

spent developing a suitable curriculum that reflects the needs of the SL and HL IB Language and Literature

curriculum. Explicitly develop support for students with learning disabilities, and the target Hispanic student

population: referrals to the Writing Center, Advisory, and identify outside organizations to mentor/support

this population. Determine and implement instructional strategies to meet the different learning needs of our

culturally diverse student population.

This is how we will utilize technology to meet our goal:

Clearly, the SL and HL programs in Language and Literature require the continual usage of technology.

Currently, we struggle with the available laptops and Chromebook. We would like to have (in English) a one-

to-one ratio so that our students can be successful. This is especially important in Parts 1, 2, and 3.



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Department: World Language Department

Goal: Increase oral fluency and sign production

Strategy: The World Language Department commits to increase oral fluency and sign production through a

variety of strategies such as: Interpersonal communication, Listening Activities (including authentic media),

watching signed conversations/presentations, Role Play, Vocabulary Enhancement, Storytelling, Simulation,

Classroom Presentations, Conversation Circles, Socratic Seminar, Interactive Presentations, Audio Diaries and

Personal Reflection. We will model a growth mindset regarding students’ ability to develop speaking and

signing skills in the target language and encourage students to do the same.


We will use the above strategies to formatively assess students on a regular basis, giving them feedback

towards reaching their speaking and signing goals.


Periodically we will give formal oral/signing assessments where students demonstrate increasing oral

fluency/signing production. For spoken languages, semester and year-end assessments will include a speaking

component. For ASL, expressive and receptive sign production will be assessed.


We will begin the year with a baseline assessment for each student, whether as part of a group presentation,

Q & A, Audio Diary and/or speaking/signing test. After the initial assessment, students will write a reflection

and collaborate with us on a speaking/signing goal for the year. Students will be encouraged to revisit their

goal as their skills develop.


We will utilize technology in order to increase fluency in the target language, including online textbook

recordings, Audacity, Canvas, Managebac, authentic media resources, etc.



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Department: Science Department

Goal: We will improve student achievement on assessments using various strategies to enhance student understanding

of academic vocabulary.


Exit Quizzes, Unit Quizzes, and/or pre- and post- Quizzes, anecdotal information from students


Unit Exams


- Decide as a department 8 command terms we will concentrate on teaching more deliberately this year.

(Explain, describe, analyze, predict, conclude, justify, evaluate, distinguish, compare)

- Develop activities to use in class to help students learn how to use these command terms including but

not limited to:

o Command term flashcards

o Command term Practice Prompts

o Better, Best, Worst examples

o Or other strategies as developed

- Compare student work in PLCs

- Strategies to improve content-specific vocabulary

Technology-This is how we will utilize technology to meet our goal:



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Department: Math

Goal: We will improve student achievement on assessments using various strategies to enhance student

ability to apply previous knowledge to novel problems.


Exit Quizzes, Unit Quizzes, and/or pre- and post- Quizzes, anecdotal information from students


Unit Exams


- Work in our PLCs to create novel problems to implement in each content class.

In-class problems for practice

Problems for quizzes and unit exams

- Help students build methods for approaching new problems.

Model to students the steps of writing down what you know/are given, identify what they are trying to

find, recognize patterns, identify necessary skills to solve it, etc.

Give feedback on students’ in-class practice problems prior to the quiz/unit exam.



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Department: Business, Marketing & Technology

Goal: Increase student understanding and integration of 21st Century Skill Standards and Common Core

Standards.


Pretests aligned with 21st Century Skills and Common Core Standards.

Benchmark assignments will identify areas of student subjective/objective growth potential of 21st Century

Skills and Common Core Standards.


Summative Post-tests compared to Pretests and Capstone Projects that are aligned with College and Career

readiness per District and State objectives.


All of our department will attend Common Core State Standards training to assist in developing curriculum,

assessments, and student growth goals.

Analyze Pre and Post Test data for directly and continuously improving student learning.

Work collegially to improve individual teaching methods and compare data to assist in classroom

differentiation.


Students will use the appropriate software to complete and enhance his/her learning outcomes.

Apply technology as a problem-solving tool for Pre and Post assessments utilizing current Industry Standards.



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Department: Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Goal: The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Department will use a variety of strategies to help students learn new

vocabulary in each unit, as measured by formative and summative assessments. This will allow students to

identify which learning strategies best improve their individual vocabulary growth; resulting in active

engagement in class, ownership of learning.


Exit tickets, vocabulary walls, vocabulary strategies, graphic organizers and activities within our classes


Vocabulary test within our all our classes as appropriate, Unit tests within our different subjects that include

vocabulary


We, as a DHH department, meet twice a month to discuss students’ successes and concerns. During these

meetings we will assess our vocabulary strategies and what is working and not and adjust as needed.


Laptops, Chromebooks, variety of vocabulary games, strategies on line, vocabulary videos, PowerPoints,

SMART Boards, Plickers, etc.



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Department: Family & Consumer Science

Goal: We will increase student awareness of career opportunities within our FACSE classes.


Exit slips and using career exploration websites such as Naviance and write a Career Report. We will also

invite career guest speakers into our classes.


- Invite guest speakers into the classroom

- Utilize our Advisory Board to expand our guest speaker resources.

- Develop collaborative assignments to expand potential career opportunities in appropriate career

fields within our classes.

- Compare student work in PLCs

Strategies to improve content-specific vocabulary



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Department: Physical Education

Goal: 100% of students shall demonstrate improvement in individual fitness measures of flexibility, cardio-

respiratory endurance and muscular strength/endurance.


Direct observation of students during warm-up.


Fitness-gram standardized tests for flexibility, cardio-respiratory endurance and muscular strength/endurance.


Facilitating the growth mindsets of

1. Fitness is fun and for life

2. The body adapts to the demands placed upon it

3. Repetition and consistency are key in maintaining/improving fitness levels

4. Add 2 summative test dates between the pre and post fitness test measures, with the expectation that

improvement should be evident

5. Meet individually with students who do not meet standard to assist in establishing realistic goals for

improvement and an action plan to meet the goals.



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Department: Learning Support

Goal: Use this year to gather baseline data and explore and implement strategies for increasing the

numbers/percentages of freshmen and sophomore IEP students who pass science and social studies.


Gathering data from last spring to determine how many IEP students failed science or social studies.


Comparing 1st semester grades this year with last year’s grades in science and social studies.


Strategically place para-educators in social studies/science classes, whenever possible.

Streamline the process of communication between general education science and social studies teachers and

learning support teachers.

Meet with science and social studies teachers to discuss/brainstorm modifications for students.

Continue to check grades and conference with our Academic Lab students.

Intentionally group academic lab students by social studies/science teachers to support them in their

assignment completions.

Review guidelines and procedures with all staff for awarding “S” grades.

Pair with science teachers during advisory to allow those teachers to assist students one on one or in small

groups.



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Department: ELL

Goal: For the current school year, students in ELL classes will increase their use of academic vocabulary words.


Possible ways we will measure according to the appropriateness of students’ English level will be recognizing

the meanings of some words, warm-ups, sentence creation, closes, demonstration of the word, using words in

conversation and discussion.


Analyzing test data.


Choose the academic vocabulary words for each level

Communicate list to staff

Use words in lesson objectives and assignments

Word walls

Teach the word using various SIOP strategies

Reinforce words throughout the year


Using various apps, programs and websites to practice vocabulary.



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Department: Visual Arts

Goal: Bring cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary information into curriculum in order to make classes more

relevant and engaging.


Critique – informal and formal

Think – Pair – Share

Quizzes

Exit slips

Daily/weekly sketchbook assignments


Assessment via google forms quizzes and tests. Data collected each semester can be analyzed

comparatively to check for learning and progress. Curriculum and lessons can be adapted for

semesters when students do poorly.

Projects

o Student use of the relevant concepts within the project.

o Rubrics and self-assessments

Portfolio


As a department, list assessment techniques to build into lessons

Communication with other departments

Technology

Community involvement


Slide shows and PP

Videos

Demonstrations via doc cam

Digital assessment via google classroom

Regular updates on Skyward

Tests and quizzes online

Google classroom



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Department: Social Studies

Goal: The Social Studies Department will work to enact reading strategies to help students increase

comprehension and analytical skills for a variety of sources – texts, graphics, photographs, artifacts, maps etc.

This fits into the broader Edmonds-Woodway goal of promoting a growth mindset by exposing students to a

variety of sources across all years of high school.


As a department, we shall share and explain strategies individual members of staff have developed for use in

their own classes, and the outcomes that have been observed.


Reporting backing to the department on strategies that have been tried. Staff members will report back at

staff meetings the ways in which they have used sources (secondary as well as primary) in their classrooms.


1. See above (sharing teachers’ strategies through small and large group collaboration). Deliberate effort to hear

and share on strategies within the department (IB/Honors v. regular).

2. Commitment to try out a variety of strategies and report back to the department.

3. Each member of staff will commit to using one new piece of software in the next 9 months, given sufficient time

and properly working computers.

The following is a list of technology we may use to meet our goals:

Canvas; Google Suite; Google Classroom and new Google tools in conjunction with Google Chrome. Examples

include Readability; KAMI; Scrible; Wordle; Dualless;



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Department: Music

Goal: To improve sight-reading skills through the use of SmartMusic software. Many students live in the fixed

mindset that they need to “hear how this song goes” before they can be successful playing it. Students that

learn to sight-read well can make the visual notation of music flow and sound like language as easily as a good

text reader can present a piece of text to a listener. The SmartMusic Software has a built in assessment and

feedback mechanism that makes learning to read rhythms easier and more sequential.


SmartMusic pretests (calibration tests)


SmartMusic has an automatic leveling system. Each student opens a “masked” test which they only have 30

seconds to study and then they must take it – they can’t back out of it. The whole goal is that students realize

that they are improving not necessarily reaching a specific benchmark but rather advance at least one level.

Each student has to accomplish at least the 50 percent to get admitted into that level. Once they reach 90

percent accuracy they are able to advance to the next level.


Get the SmartMusic platform active and accessible to all students (in our designated cohort). Establish a

schedule for tests to be digitally submitted either from home or practice room stations. Discuss and model use

of the software and how to have it aid personal practice and improvement.


See above! This goal is based on a software program which each student will need to use. They create their

own account, track their own progress, submit assessments and more all online. Teachers will be able to

collect playing samples via mp3 file or simply see numeric scores which the program creates.



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Action Plan

Learning Opportunities for Students

Description of the Learning Opportunity Schedule

As part of progress monitoring, what are you doing to help students who are still struggling?

After School Study Club

After School Math Study Club

Algebra Support

Volunteer tutoring options

Advisory

Credit retrieval – Math and ELA

Writing Center

Ongoing

As part of progress monitoring, what are you doing for students who are meeting or exceeding standards?

Honors classes

Advanced Placement Classes

International Baccalaureate Program

Ongoing

Describe how your school addresses the physical, emotional, and intellectual safety conditions that allow for effective teaching and learning to take place.

Advisory classes for all students

Counselor services

Administrator support

School wide lessons on Social and Emotional Learning

Ongoing

Learning Opportunities Provided for Staff Specific to the School

Target Description of the Learning Opportunity Schedule

Whole staff learning opportunities to support the focus and intentionality of this Goal.

Professional Development focused on:

Growth Mindset

Motivation & Culturally responsive Teaching

Effective Assessment Strategies

See attached PD Calendar and MMA Graphic

Small group, individual, voluntary learning opportunities to support the focus and intentionality of this Goal.

See Professional Development Plan

September – June 2016/17



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Professional Development Plan

Our goals for professional development are to:

1. Deliver professional development that our teachers find relevant and useful to their teaching practices.

2. Deliver professional development for teachers that is differentiated, based upon subject-area, curricular-focus and teacher competency.

We will pursue our goals for professional development using the following strategies:

Using inquiry cycles to drive change and improvement Aligning department work with SIP goals De-privatizing classroom practice

Our PD Plan has three areas focus: Growth Mindset, Intrinsic Motivation and Assessment and effective grading practices. Our work on mindset, is based upon neuroscience research, particularly the work of Carol Dweck and growth mindset as a way to help students reach their greatest academic potential. Our work on motivation draws on the research of Margery Ginsberg and the Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching and focuses on developing culturally responsive teaching practices. Our work on assessments is intended to support the effective use of both formative and summative assessments and learning best grading practices in classrooms.



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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURES

PLC’S with Cycles of Inquiry Classroom Visits/Walk throughs Whole Staff PD Differentiated PD (breakout sessions on early release days) Chromebook Training

INTENDED OUTCOMES FOR PD PLAN Increase teachers’ intentional use of instructional practices that support growth

mindset across classrooms. Increase teachers’ intentional use of instructional practices informed by the

Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Increase the use of best grading practices that promote mastery increased student

learning.

MEASURES AND INDICATORS Teacher survey Classroom walkthroughs (admin) Student survey through Naviance on Growth Mindset



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2016-2017 Action Steps

DOMAIN STRATEGY SCHEDULE

Supportive Learning Environment

Establish counselor-led group experiences with struggling student subsets

Use Advisory lesson to teach coping skills for stress management (include students in developing lessons)

Use Link Crew model to create stronger community connection

Advisory enrollment - can we set the registration for advisory by subject area, teachers can facilitate and request a student, piloting advisory system for academic support

o Pilot #1 - teacher selection, one teacher per area Data - focus group, pre and post

assessment Academic achievement

o Pilot #2 - student selected advisory Request form for students to complete Check student achievement

Use advisory for community building and connecting students to school.

In Progress

Family and Community Engagement

Increase communication with homes/families Continue Parent University - February 2017 Improve quality of communication that go out to families -

point people by department Increase teacher communication (regularly) to parents Involve more students and families more in the decision

making of our school. Create 9th grade Information Night

In Progress

Teaching and Learning

Create Extended Learning time for students (after school tutoring) more structure and systematic More student choice in instruction

Create time for guided practice during class time/lessons Create more choice in professional development

In Progress

Documents

Edmonds-Woodway High School · PDF file · 2017-05-05Edmonds School District School Improvement Planning Process Each Student Learning, Every Day! 9 Parent, Family, and Community