plainfield nj dist descrip of prio. prob fy 08 title i

8/8/2019 Plainfield NJ Dist Descrip of Prio. Prob Fy 08 Title I

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DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED PRIORITY PROBLEMS FOR THE

DISTRICT IDENTIFIED DURING THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Description of Priority Problems:

STUDENT ACADEMIC NEEDS/

CORE CURRICULUM CONTENT STANDARDS

CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP

LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY AND READING, MATHEMATICS AND

SCIENCE

Target Population:

All students and the following subgroups: disabled students, racial/ethnic, LEP andGifted and Talented.

Targeted Schools(s):

Barlow, Cedarbrook, Cook, Clinton, Emerson, Evergreen, Jefferson, Hubbard Middle,Maxson Middle, Stillman, Woodland, Washington and Plainfield High School.

CAPA Findings (include standard and indicator numbers:

CAPA REPORT FOR HUBBARD MIDDLE

STANDARD 1:

Indicator:

1.1f. There is in place a systematic process for monitoring, evaluating and reviewing

the curriculum.

Finding:

Instability in leadership within the school, central office staff monitoring various aspectsof performance, and the adoption of the whole school reform program are cited by those

interviewed as potential reasons many curriculum guides have not undergone formal

revisions in many years. Teachers, coaches, supervisors, and the administrative teaminformally discuss the needs of the student population, relative to the current curriculum,

at the end of each teaching year in order to make necessary curriculum changes for the

following year. The district administers the Standard Proficiency Assessment (SPA) and

Target Assessment Process (TAP) regularly to gather data on students’ achievement.Teachers are expected to teach to the areas where students are in need of improvement.

Teachers’ pacing guides, America’s Choice sourcebooks, and data from standardized

assessment drive instruction. Some of these items undergo regular monitoring by staff

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members in varying positions within the district. Curriculum committees are formedsporadically to review the curriculum guides.

Recommendation #1, p.8

Process should be put in place to evaluate, revise, and consistently monitor the

curriculum. Teachers should be encouraged to use materials that are of high interest tostudents. More emphasis should be placed on career exploration and school-to-life

connections in all content areas.

STANDARD 2:

Indicator:

2.1e. Multiple assessments are specifically designed to provide meaningful feedback

on student learning for instructional purposes.

Finding:

The design of LAL assessments provides the opportunity for meaningful feedback;however, current uses of these assessments do not meet their full potential. In some

classrooms, there is a limited variety of assessments. Analysis of assessment tasks to

determine necessary instructional modifications occurs occasionally. Sometimes students

have choice of assessment. Where the administration of multiple assessments occurs,students’ skills and knowledge levels and not instructional effectiveness are measured.

Recommendation #1, p. 12

A variety of rigorous and authentic assessments should be used to measure student

progress. Assessments should reflect the actual learning experience. Students should begiven a choice in the type of assessment activities used for measuring progress and

should also have opportunities to self-evaluate and reflect on learning. Teachers should

collaborate more frequently, purposefully and effectively at all grade levels in the designand selection of authentic assessment activities, open response items and scoring guides.

Open response prompts and accompanying rubrics, reflecting state standards, should be

developed and shared during collaborative meetings.

Indicator:

2.1c. Students can articulate the academic expectations in each class and know what

is required to be proficient

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Finding:

In certain classes, a limited number of students can articulate what they need to know.Many students have no idea of requirements for proficiency. Students more readily

articulate LAL expectations; in other content areas, students generally noted

inconsistencies in expectations.


All teachers (general, special education, and ELL) should collaborate systematically in

the review of student work and the analysis of classroom assessment. This activity

should result in the identification of instructional and assessment issues that need

attention or modification. All teachers should receive training in analyzing student work,including projects, writing samples, reading fluency, and formal assessment.

Professional development should be scheduled to address protocols for the analysis of

student work. Assessments should be analyzed for impact on instruction. Studentsshould receive meaningful feedback that enables them to improve performance.

STANDARD 3:

Indicator:

3.1b. Instructional strategies and learning activities are aligned with the district,

school and state goals and assessment expectations for student learning.

Finding:

Instructional strategies and learning activities are aligned with district, school, and state

learning goals and assessment expectations for student learning. The LAL curriculum isaligned with district, school and state learning goals and assessment expectations for

student learning. Mathematics lessons contain applicable NJCCCS. Some activities

require students to complete functions similar to state assessments. There is evidencethat some of the learning activities offered in special education classes require students to

complete assessment tasks similar to those on state assessments.


Teachers should design and implement instructional activities that include opportunities

for student choice, real world applications, problem solving, and higher order thinkingskills. Teachers should work collaboratively to intentionally plan interdisciplinary

connections as part of instruction.

Indicator:

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3.1e. There is evidence that teachers incorporate technology in their classrooms.LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Finding:

There are computers and overhead projectors in most classrooms. There is limitedinfusion of this technology in the content areas. There is no regular or consistent use

seen in the classrooms. There is limited infusion of this technology into the content

areas. There is no regular or consistent classroom use of technology in the classroom.This is the first year of a concerted effort to train teachers in the use of technology and to

make students technology literate. Although there are computers in each of the special

education classrooms, there was little evidence that more than a few teachers havesignificantly embedded technology into their classroom practices


Professional development regarding integration of technology into classroom instruction

should be provided

STANDARD 4:

Indicator:

4.1a. There is leadership support for a safe, orderly, and equitable learning

environment (see culture audits, school opinion surveys, etc.).

Finding:

The district has a policy to support a safe, orderly, and equitable learning environment.The school has a discipline policy included in the students’ agenda; however, school

leadership team does not consistently enforce the discipline policy. Data maintenance

does not affect the environment. Tags to identify staff and visitors are required, but notenforced or monitored. There are neither telephones nor safety equipment in any

classroom.

Recommendation # 2, p.20

Teachers should be present in the hallways during transition between periods.


School leadership should create and sustain an environment that is safe and conducive tolearning and success. The school’s discipline policy should be enforced consistently and

rigorously by all staff. Staff should monitor all student activity in common areas on a

regular basis. Develop a security plan that reflects the needs of the Hubbard MiddleSchool. The plan should include an assessment of the needed schedule to effectively

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Patrol the school’s premises and ensure that the school environment is safe and secure for

parents, teachers, staff and students. The security plan should include the effective use of

electronic surveillance equipment both inside and outside the building. Safety equipment(e.g. metal detectors, surveillance cameras) should be investigated, as well as telephones

for individual classrooms.

Indicator:

4.1h. There is evidence that the teachers care about students and inspire their best

efforts

Finding:

There is a willingness by some staff to provide nurturing environment for students;

however, interaction between teachers and students often focuses on behavioral issues. Aschool-wide process to support a nurturing climate does not exist. There is no adult

advocacy program for students.

Recommendation # 3, p. 20

Provide teachers and staff with sustained professional development in conflict resolution

and team-building.


A plan should be designed and implemented to provide all teachers with common and

collaborative planning time that allow for review of student work and reflection on

instructional practices to improve performance.

Indicator:

4.1j. There is evidence that student achievement is highly valued and publicly

celebrated (e.g., displays of student work, assemblies).

Finding:

Some student work is displayed in hallways and classrooms; however, the work is notcurrent and does not include feedback (i.e. holistic scoring). Recognition of student

achievement is often informal or limited. Parents are aware of very few celebrations of

student success.

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Instructional staff should display quality student work. A process should be establishedto monitor implementation by the instructional staff regarding the following: (a) how to

display the work, with teacher commentary that reflects student’s needs; (b) consistent

use of rubrics in the display and rating of student work; (c) complete notation of the NJCCCS rather than a display of only the number; and (d) division of bulletin boards to

show student work progression.

Indicator:

4.1g. Teachers communicate regularly with families about individual students’

progress (e.g., engage through conversation).

Finding:

The district has a policy to distribute report cards following each marking period. The

school has attempted an initiative to increase parental involvement participation by providing initial report cards to parents at a parent meeting. However, this initiative has

met with little success resulting in report cards mailed to parents not attending a meeting.

Some communications between parents and teachers is by electronic mail; most

communication is by telephone and personal contact.


Expand the methods of communication between teachers and parents. Teachers should

communicate with parents on a monthly basis using all communication modes available

(i.e., phone, notes, home visits, letters, etc.). Communication should include studentaccomplishments in addition to praise for appropriate behavior and demonstration of

good character.

CAPA REPORT FOR MAXSON

STANDARD 1:

Literacy

Indicator:

1.2 The school requires all students to take courses with sufficient academic rigor to

prepare for post secondary education.

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Finding:

The school requires most students to take courses with sufficient academic rigor to prepare for post secondary education. English language arts periods vary in length during

the school’s four-day cycle. For three days, students have eighty-two minutes of ELA.

During a fourth day, students have a forty-minute session. Because the school was part of the America’s Choice Whole School Reform Model, ELA sessions consist of a reading

and/or writing workshop. Additionally, some teachers have been trained to implement

either Springboard or Read 180. Teacher proficiency with the program beingimplemented and teacher classroom management/organizational prowess therefore

determines the level of rigor in each classroom.

There are five common texts assigned at each grade level. In addition to these, studentsare encouraged to read through the school’s Twenty-five Book Campaign and Battle of

the Books. However, there is minimal tangible evidence of this focus on reading in the

environment. Furthermore, some classrooms have limited classroom libraries.

There is evidence that the district curriculum department is developing a curriculum to

unify the various programs implemented. Currently, the curricular documents do not provide teachers with clear planning direction. There are standardized assessments

assigned by the district for each grade level. Three learning communities are in the

school. It does not offer a consistent, rigorous curriculum that prepares all students to be

self-sufficient and productive members of society. The current curriculum does notcontain strategies or techniques for differentiating instruction. Classroom visits evidence

some opportunities for students to encounter strong intellectual challenges, make

connections to careers and situations to utilize the skills acquired in real-world context.

Some programs, based on learning community, expand learning opportunities throughout

the school and into the community. There is no evidence of a coordinated program toensure that students receive explicit connections that present post-secondary education

and careers.

Although there is no career education curriculum, unintentional references and

discussions about career opportunities occur during special education instructional

activities. Students have little opportunity to apply their learning to real life experiences.

Once special education students in the school reach fourteen years of age, a transition plan for post and secondary opportunities is developed in their Individualized Education

Plan (IEP).

English Language Learners’ courses and schedules are aligned with the courses of the

general student population of the same grade levels. Comparable materials in Spanish and

English give evidence of this alignment.

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In their classes, through problems and discovery, ELL applies skills and processes that

will prepare them for future academic attainments. Student interviews reveal lack of anLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

intentional and sustained effort across the school to make students aware of career

options for post secondary education.Bilingual and ESL teachers think that their students should be exposed to levels of

technology that would help them in future academic attainments. They suggested that a

LCD for all bilingual and ESL classes would be an important addition to introducestudent projects using Power Point presentations.


Teachers should be provided with in-service on using data analysis to adjust the

instructional program to meet multiple learning styles of the students.

Indicator:

1.3 The school leadership works with district supervisors and school faculty to

systematically evaluate and adjust the curriculum based on the evidence of student

achievement and to ensure that the district curriculum is effectively taught.

Finding:

The district is undergoing curriculum development. The role of informal student

performance data in making informed curricular improvement decisions is not evident.

Teachers indicate that pacing requirements often preclude student-centered instruction.

There is some evidence that administration sometimes addresses curriculumimplementation. The administrative staff is new to their roles and has not yet coordinated

teacher peer review of the NJ CCCS and local curriculum documents. Building

administrators review plan books. Comments regarding lesson plans do not consistentlymove teachers toward increased instructional proficiency.

There is little evidence within special education that curriculum issues and peer review of NJCCCS are addressed at the school level. Special educators are not a part of district

curriculum planning or design. The need for curriculum revisions is discussed informally

within the special education department. The required lesson plan is modeled after theformat recommended by the Secondary Education Initiative Team, NJDOE. A rubric

review is used as a way of monitoring submission and review of plans. Written feedback is provided on occasion.

There is no evidence that the school leadership engages in a systematic approach to

address curriculum issues in bilingual and ESL classes except for the language arts

meetings held by the coach with language arts teachers, including bilingual teachers.

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The latest approved Language Arts curriculum of 1999 is generic and rarely used by the

language arts bilingual and ESL teachers. Instead, they follow America’s Choices


components, pacing information from the central office language arts department or thereading program materials that they have for their classes.

Bilingual and ESL teachers follow a standard format provided by the school to writelesson plans. These are processed in computers and e-mailed to the Vice Principals. All

the bilingual teachers’ lesson plans have the NJCCCS that they address and the strategies

and skills selected for instruction. The Vice Principals give feedback about the plan books using a checklist with ratings of 0 to 2. Two is equivalent to “Appropriate”.


School leadership should work with the ELA department to develop a plan of

professional development for staff that will provide scaffolded training to further develop

their ability to meet individual student needs. This should include writing, reading, andholistic scoring to ensure the staff is able to move students toward reading and writing

proficiency. It should also include the establishment of classroom management to

support ELA routines and rituals

Indicator:

1.4 The school ensures access to a common academic core for all students including

special education and ELL students.

Finding:

In some classrooms, teaching and learning are neither challenging nor rigorous.Purposeful planning to accommodate students’ learning needs and styles is not

routinized. There is little evidence of planning to provide student-centered instruction

through small group instruction. Some teachers use traditional whole class instructionalstrategies that do not elicit higher order thinking and problem solving skills from all

students. Scheduling issues provide opportunities for cross-curricular/interdisciplinary

planning.

Students are aware of the curriculum standards and expectations for proficiency as

defined by the NJ CCCS or the New Revised Standards. There is evidence that the New

Jersey Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric is part of writing instruction. Most classroomsare literate environments conducive to learning; however, many are void of displayed

student work.

The Maxson Middle School ensures access to a common academic core for special

education students by implementing programs based on America’s Choice for language

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arts and the math basal, Connected Math. There are no traditional curricula to guide

instruction and no formal guidelines for modifications. Programs do not reflect the

challenge and rigor needed to assure preparation for success on state mandated tests. TheLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

design of the current draft of LAL curriculum has several components and will beorganized for easy use by staff. In its current format benchmarks, pacing guide, specific

assessments with infused technology are difficult to identify. Students have access to the

general education programs through the self-contained, pullout resource room and in-class support programs. Accommodations in the students’ IEPs are implemented in the

instructional setting. Textbooks are the same as those used in the general education

setting. There are few parallel texts at lower reading levels. There is no reading programs(e.g. Orton Gillingham) designed specifically for special needs students. The curriculum

standards in the content areas are sometimes identified and communicated to the students.

English Language Learners have access to the same academic core as the general school population. However, there are some academic programs such as Springboard where ELL

does not participate. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is another

program to support students’ academics and their desire to achieve. This program is being piloted with students from the general school population only. However, the

Bilingual/ESL department has a Saturday program in conjunction with Kean University.

This program, Project Adelante takes place at the university campus and all 6, 7, and 8th

grade ELL are eligible to apply and participate. Transportation from the school to the

campus is provided. All 6, 7, and 8th grade ELL are eligible to participate in this project

“Adelante”.

Read 180 is a language arts intervention program for students in 6, 7 and 8th grade. ELL

in bilingual and ESL classes are not eligible for Reading 180 because the program

requires a higher level of English proficiency that most of these students have. However,there are some ELLs who participate in it because they are in regular classes because

their parents opted out of the bilingual program.

Most bilingual and ESL teachers elicit higher order thinking and problem solving skills.

However, this is associated more to the manner in which teachers teach than to the

uniform implementation of the district curriculum.

There is a substitute in the bilingual social studies class. Although this substitute has been

there since February, no training has been provided in the areas of planning lessons or

following a program of instruction.

Bilingual and ESL teachers communicate their expectations for the students and the

objectives of the lesson to their students. In most cases, the curriculum implementation atthe bilingual and ESL classroom level is aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum

Content Standards (NJCCCS) at the appropriate grade level.

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This school year, central office personnel and the school leadership organized two

focused walkthroughs to monitor curriculum implementation in the general and bilingual

program classes.



Teachers should receive job embedded professional development in hoe to implement the

Connect Math program to students with special needs (e.g. scaffolding, reading in the

content areas).

CAPA REPORT FOR WASHINGTON

Literacy

STANDARD 1:

Indicator:

1.2. The school requires all students to take courses with sufficient academic rigor to


Finding:

Within some lessons and instructional materials there are opportunities to careers. Theschool also promotes some learning opportunities through a mentoring program and

extended day activities, as well as conducting an annual career day. An integrated,

intentional effort to provide ongoing post secondary connections is not sustainedthroughout the school year. However, the leadership team is incorporating these needs

into future planning agenda.

The newly adopted reading program for grades K through 3 contains activities, strategies,

and questions that foster higher order thinking skills and the application of knowledge, processes and life skills, However, the newness of the literacy material received, the

limited staff development in which they participated, and the vacancy created by

retirement of one of the reading coaches make the full utilization of these strategiesdifficult.

Special Education students participate in “career day” wherein members of the

community attend the school to discuss their occupations; there is no evidence that the

curriculum contains integrated career activities. There is no sustained career awareness program in place.

The literacy program in bilingual grades 4 and 5 is fragmented and based on insufficient

guided reading materials. Despite the dedication of some teacher this decreases the

academic rigor of the program and the preparation of the students for further academicattainments.

The ESL courses are based on the NJ English Language Proficiency Standards and have

the necessary materials for the successful implementation of the program.

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Develop plans and activities across grade levels that incorporate career awareness withinmany of the subject areas.


Indicator:



achievement and to ensure that the district curriculum is effectively taught

Finding:

The school leadership team works with a school level curriculum committee and district

office staff to continue to plan for training on assessment, student data gathering and

submission of lesson plans electronically. The leadership has initiated and the staff hasembraced the student data binders as a way of systematically tracking and reviewing

student progress and adjusting instruction to ensure those students’ needs are being

addressed. The leadership meets periodically with staff to review and discuss these data binders.

Special Education teachers are aware of the value of assessment data and act upon

analysis to adjust the individual teaching methodology. Teachers in self-containedspecial education classes do not have a common planning period. There are no formal

meetings scheduled for special education teachers. Some informal information sharing

takes place. There is evidence that the curriculum is evaluated and adjusted at the school.Special education teachers participate in the district professional development program,

may attend some outside sessions during schools, and are reimbursed for attendance at

activities on their own time.

Bilingual teachers in grade K through 3 do not follow the language arts/literacy

curriculum but the newly adopted literacy series, teaching to “the book”. The templatefor planning literacy distributed to teachers in grades K-3 does not require or contain a

box to list the NJCCC Language Arts/Literacy standards that they may address in their

lessons. Bilingual grades 4 and 5 use different material. They have some guided reading

materials form Scholastics and old leveled books from McGraw hills. Teachers at thesegrade levels follow the reading strategies from America’s Choice and select them as they

deem necessary.

All ELL teachers submit their plans weekly to the principal or vice principals. These

administrators use a checklist to provide feedback to the teachers as to the completion

and quality of these plans. Most lesson plans are processed in computers and many aresubmitted electronically.

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The school leadership and coaches should continue staff reviews and discussion of research on best practices related to the implementation of new programs to promote

serious inquiry about instructional implications.


Indicator:



Finding:

Within most classrooms, the instructional expectations and activities are communicatedto students. There are many initiatives in literacy across grade levels and while staff is

embracing new materials and approaches and demonstrate a growing knowledge, there

are still inconsistencies with implementation and what happens at key transitions pointssuch as Kindergarten to grade 1, grade 2 and 3, etc. For example, third grade students

who are currently in Harcourt Trophies series which is very challenging, will be

promoted into a fourth grade that utilizes an intervention program which is in its first year of implementation. It was pointed out that the fourth grade is not using the intervention

program (READ 180) is still following the America’s Choice guided reading model with

its related level books, writing components and assessments. There is some discussion of

best practices and staff feels it could use additional coaching and mentoring with the new programs. The discussion at this stage is still not translating into a consistent school wide

approach to literacy that enables students to effectively transition through each grade.

The lack of a current district literacy curriculum that ties in all core skills as per

NJCCCS, limits students access to a common academic core. Most staff indicates that

they have sufficient materials and supplies. There is some support and remedial programs, which are designed to assist those students identified with the greatest need at

a specific grade level. The school does offer an extended day program which provides a

wealth of opportunity for students to receive additional help with class or homework, aswell as sports, arts, recreational and cultural activities.

The majority of Special Education teachers plan books contain no mention to alignment

with the NJCCCS. Teachers rely on the veracity of the curricular programs (e.g.Everyday Math), to ensure alignment. Special education students are exposed to the

same curriculum as other students. In some classrooms the curriculum standard, lesson

objectives, and student expectations are not posted. There is a resource pull out program.Teachers generally expressed positive expectations for their students and communicate

this attitude to the children. There is no formal inclusion program for special education

students in the school.

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English Language Learners have access to the same academic core that the general

school population. The implementation of the literacy program shows variation between

the lower grades (k-3) for which Trophies/Trofeos have been adopted and grades four and five. In the lower grades, the implementation of a more structured and rigorous

literacy program is a challenge for students. Conversely, at the 4 and 5 grades, teachers

have to select the reading materials to implement guided reading from a limited number of leveled chapter books available to them.LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

In most bilingual and ESL classes the level of interaction and the work assigned to

students are not cognitively challenging. There is no clear policy as to the use of

languages and bilingual teachers switch form Spanish to English and vice versa at will asthe lessons progresses (e.g. separation of language instead of mixing languages even

within a single sentence).

There is no evidence of administrator walkthroughs focused on successful literacy practices. The school leadership monitors planning and the connection between

assessment and instruction but does not have a systematic approach to the monitoring of

implementation at the classroom level of the strategies the teachers select for their students.


Conduct vertical articulation meetings at the school level that will allow stakeholders to

be proactive and consistent in planning for the student’s academic needs.


Ensure that enough books are ordered for working with literature circles and response

groups.

Mathematics

STANDARD 1

Indicator:



Finding:

Everyday Math is designed for students to solve real world problems parallel to thoseexperienced on a regular basis. The program integrates opportunities for application of

skills, knowledge, processes and life skills that will prepare all students to be self –

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sufficient and productive citizens. Many teachers provide an intentional connection

between these tasks and their application for future use varies among classrooms. A

Career Day is scheduled annually. Special education students participate in “career day”wherein members of the community attend the school to discuss their occupations.


Indicator:



Finding:

The school provides a common math core for all students including special education and

ELL students through the use of Everyday Math. The math curriculum, as designed,

provides considerable opportunity for students to demonstrate multiple strategies. Someteachers continue to implement the curriculum using a teacher directed methodology with

disregard for both inquiry and the opportunities to differentiation available in Everyday

Math.

The majority of Special Education plan books contain no mention of alignment with the

NJCCCS. Teachers rely on the veracity of the curricular program, e.g. Everyday Math,

to ensure alignment. Special education students are exposed to the same curriculum asother students. In some classrooms, the curriculum standard, lesson objective, and

student expectation are not posted. There is a Resource pull-out program. Teachers

generally expressed positive expectations for their students and communicate this attitudeto the children. There is no formal inclusion program for special education students in

the school.


Ensure that all teachers deliver the math curriculum using the strategies and techniquesrequired by the curriculum by continuing regularly monitoring the curriculum

implementation and providing significant opportunities for professional development

follow-up, monitoring and coaching support for teachers.

Special Education

Language Arts

STANDARD 1

Indicator:

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1.1 The school conducts regular discussion to ensure that curriculum standards are

clearly articulated across all grade levels (P-12)

Finding:

Time is allotted for regular grade level meetings with formal and content varyingaccording to needs and issues, but not in a planned or focused manner. New literacyLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

program and approaches this year vary from Pre-K (ELAS), K-# (Harcourt Trophies),

and grade4-5 (READ 180 and Guided Reading). While the leadership team and literacy

coach continue working to prepare staff for curricular and assessment needs, themonitoring of key transitions points is insufficient since there is very limited vertical

articulation. The district literacy curriculum is outdated. Most staff uses the guides form

the former America’s Choice model. Vertical articulation within contiguous grades at the

school level is not in place. For example, bilingual third and fourth grade teachers do notmeet; second grade teachers are not aware of what is expected form their students the

following year when the NJASK3 is administered.

There is no indication (minutes, agendas) to indicate the school conducts regularly

scheduled meetings to evaluate/monitor Special Education curriculum. Although some

Special Education teachers collaborate informally, there is no evidence to indicate thatformal horizontal articulation takes place among the Special Education teachers. Fifth

grade special education students participate in a one-day orientation at the Middle School

prior to graduation.

The bilingual classroom teacher participates in grade level meetings and the Principal is

present as well. However, the ESL teachers who co-plan and co-teach with the bilingual

teachers are not present at any of these grade level meetings. In reference to verticalarticulation, the communication between Central Office and the school leadership is

affected via Literacy Coach and the district supervisors.

Mathematics

There is some documentation to facilitate regular, sustained horizontal math curriculum

discussion to improve math achievement at the building level. Teachers have common

planning time and meet formally once a week. Although there is some vertical

articulation, the opportunities are limited especially at the key transition points and withregard to the receiver school.

While the math program is provided for all students, intentional rigor in curriculumdelivery is evident only in some classrooms.

There is no indication (minutes, agendas) to indicate the school conducts regularlyscheduled meetings to evaluate/monitor Special Education curriculum. Although some

Special Education teachers collaborate informally, there is no evidence to indicate that

16



formal horizontal articulation takes place among the Special Education teachers. Fifth




present as well. However, the ESL teachers who co-plan and co-teach with the bilingualteachers are not present at any of these grade level meetingsLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08


Distribute and discuss with second grade teachers the specifications of the NJASK3 for reading and writing and item test samples. Explain the implications these have for

instruction.

Bilingual Education

STANDARD 1

Bilingual

Indicator:



Finding:

Time is allotted for regular grade level meetings with formal and content varying

according to needs and issues, but not in a planned or focused manner. New literacy

program and approaches this year vary from Pre-K (ELAS), K-# (Harcourt Trophies),and grade 4-5 (READ 180 and Guided Reading). While the leadership team and literacy

coach continue working to prepare staff for curricular and assessment needs, the

monitoring of key transitions points is insufficient since there is very limited verticalarticulation. The district literacy curriculum is outdated. Most staff uses the guides form

the former America’s Choice model. Vertical articulation within contiguous grades at the

school level is not in place. For example, bilingual third and fourth grade teachers do not

meet; second grade teachers are not aware of what is expected form their students thefollowing year when the NJASK3 is administered.

There is no indication (minutes, agendas) to indicate the school conducts regularlyscheduled meetings to evaluate/monitor Special Education curriculum. Although some

Special Education teachers collaborate informally, there is no evidence to indicate that

formal horizontal articulation takes place among the Special Education teachers. Fifthgrade special education students participate in a one-day orientation at the Middle School


17




present as well. However, the ESL teachers who co-plan and co-teach with the bilingualteachers are not present at any of these grade level meetings. In reference to vertical

articulation, the communication between Central Office and the school leadership is

affected via Literacy Coach and the district supervisors.


Mathematics

There is some documentation to facilitate regular, sustained horizontal math curriculumdiscussion to improve math achievement at the building level. Teachers have common

planning time and meet formally once a week. Although there is some vertical

articulation, the opportunities are limited especially at the key transition points and with

regard to the receiver school.

While the math program is provided for all students, intentional rigor in curriculum

delivery is evident only in some classrooms.

There is no indication (minutes, agendas) to indicate the school conducts regularly

scheduled meetings to evaluate/monitor Special Education curriculum. Although someSpecial Education teachers collaborate informally, there is no evidence to indicate that

formal horizontal articulation takes place among the Special Education teachers. Fifth




present as well. However, the ESL teachers who co-plan and co-teach with the bilingualteachers are not present at any of these grade level meetings


A system of vertical articulation, both from the ECC and Middle School should be planned prior to the start of the 2006-2007 school year.

CAPA REPORT FOR STILLMAN

Literacy

STANDARD 1:

Indicator :

18





Finding:

Regular grade level meetings provide horizontal articulation. However, many of thesemeetings focus on topics of technology, school goals, and general operation of the school.LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

In previous years, discussions focused on grade level instruction, strategies, and

implementation of new materials. The vertical articulation between the district office and

the school leadership occurs via the literacy coach and the language arts supervisor.However, vertical articulation is not in place within contiguous grades at the school level.

For example, third grade teachers do not meet with fourth grade teachers and second

grade teachers are not aware of the expectations that their students should meet the

following year with the administration of the NJASK3. They participate in meetingswhere they discuss disaggregated scores but they have not reviewed sample tests

available for training purposes.

Although general education teachers regularly participate in grade level meetings, the

current schedule allows only the self-contained special education teachers to attend these

meetings. The teacher is only able to attend for one of the three grade levels taught andmust obtain information relative to other grade levels informally and as time allows. The

resource replacement teacher receives students during these meetings, cannot attend, and

therefore does not participate in grade level meetings.


Distribute and discuss with second grade teachers the specifications of the NJ ASK 3 for reading and writing and item test samples. Explain the implications these have for

instruction on phonics, fluency, and comprehension at the second grade level.

Indicator:



Finding:

There is no revised Language Arts curriculum aligned with the NJCCCS. The revision is

dated 1999. The newly adopted reading program for kindergarten through grade threecontains activities, strategies, and questions that foster higher order thinking skills. The

teachers received a wealth of new literacy material that they may use as resources to

initiate centers within the classroom, divide the class into groups, and successfully proceed with guided reading instruction. However, the newness of literacy material

received, the limited staff development in which they participate in reference to the new

19



series, and the addition of other pieces for phonics and assessment, makes the full

utilization of these resources difficult.

First grade students participate in monthly community awareness programs that will

increase their understanding of the community they live in and all students do participate

in an annual career day program.


Special Education students participate in some activities that provide the opportunity for

authentic application of learning, but it is not systematically applied as part of the

curriculum. The curriculum does not offer opportunity for most special educationstudents to become productive and self sufficient citizens, however because the general

education literacy curriculum is offered to all students, including special education

students, it is limited in meeting the needs of those students with significant reading

deficits. These students need a supplemental reading program than emphasizes greater developmental instruction in reading, in terms of phonemic segmentation, sound symbol

relationships, decoding, encoding, advanced word analysis, and fluency. Resource

replacement children participate in the READ 180 program, but are pulled from much of the literacy instruction time for out of class support. Special education teachers were not

rained in the Leapfrog program. Leapfrog is not currently available in Spanish for all

Spanish speaking students. Although materials for ELL students are available in Spanish,the curriculum is not fully implemented for ELL students.


Continue kindergarten through grade three level meetings, which should focus on the

instructional elements of the new reading program and item analysis of diagnostics and

progress assessment scores.

Language Arts

Indicator:




Finding:

According to the Principal, the School management Team (SMT) is the tool to advanceinstruction in the school. Because, there is no updated language arts curriculum, the

teachers follow the newly adopted series, teaching to “the book” and incorporating the

NJCCCS language arts literacy standards in their lessons. Grade four and five usedifferent materials in fourth grade, READ 180 is the basic literacy program. Although

20



READ 180 is a supplemental program for struggling readers, all students in both fourth

grade levels tested for inclusion in this program.

The principal states that he checks plan books biweekly to review instruction.

Expectations are that teachers use a template provided by the district in conjunction with

the new series and they submit the plan electronically or as hard copies. Some plansdeviate from the format distributed by the district and are less specifics. At school level,

the literacy coach provides information to the principal about staff development needs


and curriculum adaptation. The school leadership relies on the information provided by

the coach for staff development. Although the principal engages in frequent classroomvisits and walkthroughs, there is limited verification that the information obtained leads

to effective teaching of literacy. There is no consistent monitoring of ELL curriculum in

the building.

All special education classrooms implement the district program. The administration

conducts classroom observations and reviews lesson plans in conjunction with these

observations, but provides very little feedback. There is only one special educationsupervisor in the district, who is currently assuming the role of director. Therefore there

is a vacuum in special education leadership regarding curricular issues in the district.

There is limited engagement by teachers in a systematic process to align and revisecurriculum at a grade level. All special education teachers indicate they have received

job embedde4d staff development in the implementation of the literacy and math

curricula, but not for all grade levels that they teach and little information on how to

adapt those curricula to the diverse needs of their students. The district has hired aspecial needs literacy coach; however special education teachers have had little

opportunity to take advantage of this resource.


Design staffs training for grades kindergarten through grade three to systematically

discuss, answer questions, and demonstrate the elements of the new reading program.

Indicator:



Finding:

Language Arts

The fourth grade students do not have a grade-level basic reading program. The

universal use of READ 180, an alternative for “struggling readers” for fourth grade

21



students denies access to a common academic core and may perpetuate the “struggling

reader” condition, decreasing their motivation to succeed. Furthermore, next school year,

third grade students who presently have a challenging reading program go the fourthgrade classroom that only utilize an intervention program for low-level readers.

Only one visit yielded dialogue between teacher and student as to expectations. There isa common academic curriculum available to all students; however, it does not


accommodate the learning needs of all special education students while maintaining highexpectations for high academic performance.

Approximately forty-five percent of special education students receive their education in

an exclusionary environment, with little opportunity to interact with the general education population. They receive all of their instruction in a small, overcrowded room with a

three year span of grade levels. The other 55% of the special education population

receive out of class support. The special education resource teacher and the ESL teacher share a room too small to house the eight students. All special education teachers, CST

members and the administration express the belief that most of the children pulled for

resource center services could receive their instruction in an ICS program and some of the students in the self contained class could be better served in a replacement/ICS

model.

The bilingual/ESL and regular groups utilize the same reading programTrophies/Trofeos. There are inconsistencies in the bilingual instructional implementation

practices of the curriculum. Therefore, it is not in alignment with the district, school, and

state goals and assessment expectations for student learning. Two ESL teachers providein-class support to grades K-5. One of the ESL teachers is a mentor to the other ESL

teacher and is the ESL site coordinator as well. The ESL teachers use Moving into

English


Build a schedule and design a procedure that allows weekly visits by the principal,

supervisors to kindergarten to grade three classes to monitor the literacy series

implementation and planning.

Mathematics

Indicator:




22



Finding:

One district mathematics coach for each grade level services Charles H. Stillman

Elementary School. One of the district math coaches is at Stillman as a home base. The

math coach position by design provides curriculum support, professional development,and peer coaching. Assistance is limited due to the number of schools each math coach

services and to the quality of contact each coach provides. The math coaches are non-


supervisory and are effective to the extent that classroom teachers invite specialists to

visit their classrooms and engage in a coaching relationship. Neither one on one nor small group tutoring is available during the school day for all students in need of

additional math support. The principal uses mathematics “look-fors” and observation

tools based on Everyday math as he conducts walkthroughs and formal observations.

Implementation of the approved district curriculum is in all special education classrooms.The administration conducts classroom observations and reviews lesson plans in

conjunction with these observations, but provides very little feedback to special education

teachers.


Continue to provide after school mathematics tutoring services by a certified teacher, for

students in need of instructional support at every grade level.

Indicator:



Finding:

The school provides a common math core for all students including special education and

ELL students with the Everyday math program. The math curriculum, as designed, provides considerable opportunity fir students to demonstrate multiple strategies. Some

teachers continue to implement the curriculum using a teacher directed methodology with

disregard for the opportunities for differentiation available in Everyday math. Fifty-five

percent of special education population receives replacement instruction through theresource room in mathematics. While resource materials are available in Spanish for

ELL students in regular classrooms, these students do not have access to Everyday Math

workbooks in Spanish.


Ensure that all teachers deliver the math curriculum using the strategies and techniques

required by the curriculum. Monitor the curriculum implementation on more regular

23



basils and provide significant opportunities for professional development and coaching

for teachers in need of support.


Special Education

Indicator:



Finding:

Regular grade level meetings provide horizontal articulation. However, many of these

meetings focus on topics of technology, school goals, and general operation of the school.

In previous years, discussions focused on grade level instruction, strategies, andimplementation of new materials. The vertical articulation between the district office and

the school leadership occurs via the literacy coach and the language arts supervisor.

However, vertical articulation is not in place within contiguous grades at the school level.

For example, third grade teachers do not meet with fourth grade teachers and secondgrade teachers are not aware of the expectations that their students should meet the

following year with the administration of the NJASK3. They participate in meetings

where they discuss disaggregated scores but they have not reviewed sample testsavailable for training purposes.

Although general education teachers regularly participate in grade level meetings, thecurrent schedule allows only the self-contained special education teachers to attend these

meetings. The teacher is only able to attend for one of the three grade levels taught and

must obtain information relative to other grade levels informally and as time allows. Theresource replacement teacher receives students during these meetings, cannot attend, and

therefore does not participate in grade level meetings.


All special education staff should have schedules that enable them to participate in grade

level meetings. Disseminate vital information form grade level meeting at scheduled

faculty meetings for articulation. Ideally, with a move to greater inclusion, specialeducation teachers could be more readily available to attend these meetings.

24




AYP Indicator Missed:

The following chart indicates the AYP missed by school.

Area(s) in which schools missed AYP= X

Reading/Lang. Arts Mathematics

School Proficiency

Target

Participation

Rate

Proficiency

Target

Participation

RateClinton X

Emerson X

Evergreen X

Jefferson X

Hubbard

Middle

X X

Maxson

Middle

X

Stillman X

Washington X

Plainfield H.S. X X

Causes of Selected Problem:

Need to put in place a process to evaluate, revise and consistently monitor thecurriculum which is designed to support the NJCCCS using scientifically-based high

quality standardized instruction

Need for teachers to work collaboratively to intentionally plan interdisciplinaryconnections as part of instruction

Inability to retained new teachers

High student mobility Need to provide opportunity for articulation across the grade levels

Areas to be Measured:

Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science

Measurement Tool:

NJASK4, GEPA, HSPA

25




Identification of Data Sources:

NEW JERSEY ASSESSMENT OF SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

(NJASK 4)

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS IN PROFICIENCY LEVELS

DISTRICT – 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2007

LANGUAGE ARTSYEAR NUMBER OF

STUDENTSPARTIALLYPROFICIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCEDPROFICIENT

PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2004 645 36.7 62.0 1.2 63.2

2005 561 43.1 56.5 0.4 56.9

2006 542 50.2 48.9 0.9 49.8

2007 529 44.8 53.7 1.5 55.2

General

Ed.

2004 484 24.6 73.8 1.7 75.5

2005 434 31.1 68.4 .05 68.92006 412 41.0 57.8 1.2 59.0

2007 406 34.5 63.5 2.0 65.5

Special

Ed.

2004 75 82.7 17.3 0.0 17.3

2005 70 90.0 10.0 0.0 10.0

2006 59 69.5 30.5 0.0 30.5

2007 74 81.1 18.9 0.0 18.9

LEP 2004 87 82.7 17.3 0.0 17.3

2005 58 77.6 22.4 0.0 22.4

2006 73 87.7 12.3 0.0 12.3

2007 89 66.3 33.7 0.0 33.7

26





(NJASK 4)


DISTRICT – 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2007

MATHEMATICS

YEAR NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFICIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

Total

Students

2004 647 53.3 36.5 10.2 46.7

2005 577 49.2 40.4 10.4 50.8

2006 554 43.0 41.9 15.2 57.1

2007 537 36.9 44.9 18.2 63.1

GeneralEd.

2004 485 45.6 41.6 12.8 54.4

2005 436 39.9 47.2 12.8 60.0

2006 410 31.5 48.8 19.8 68.62007 406 26.6 49.8 23.6 73.4

Special

Ed.

2004 76 77.6 19.7 2.6 22.3

2005 70 80.0 18.6 1.4 20.0

2006 59 76.3 23.7 0.0 23.7

2007 76 71.1 28.9 0.0 28.9

LEP 2004 88 75.0 22.7 2.3 25.0

2005 72 76.4 19.4 4.2 23.6

2006 87 74.7 21.8 3.4 25.2

2007 95 55.8 36.8 7.4 44.2

27





(NJASK 4)


DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

SCIENCEYEAR NUMBER OF



PASSINGRATE

TotalStudents

2005 576 53.5 45.1 1.4 46.5

2006 555 51.5 43.6 4.9 48.5

2007 536 48.9 38.4 12.7 51.1

GeneralEd.

2005 433 44.3 53.8 1.8 55.6

2006 409 43.3 50.6 6.1 56.7

2007 406 41.1 38.4 15.0 53.4

Special

Ed.

2005 72 73.6 26.4 0.0 26.4

2006 61 63.9 34.4 1.6 36.0

2007 76 67.1 26.3 6.6 33.9

LEP 2005 73 89.0 11.0 0.0 11.0

2006 88 81.8 17.0 1.1 18.1

2007 94 73.4 22.3 4.3 26.6

28




GRADE EIGHT PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT (GEPA)

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS IN PROFIENCY LEVELS

DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

LANGUAGE ARTS

YEAR NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFICIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

Total

Students

2005 518 57.1 41.7 1.2 42.9

2006 543 56.7 42.7 0.6 43.3

2007 556 68.9 30.6 0.5 31.1

GeneralEd.

2005 388 44.8 53.6 1.5 55.1

2006 411 46.2 53.1 0.7 53.8

2007 398 58.8 40.5 0.8 41.3

SpecialEd.

2005 80 92.5 7.5 0.0 7.5

2006 66 93.8 6.3 0.0 6.3

2007 93 95.7 4.3 0.0 4.3

LEP 2005 50 96.0 4.0 0.0 4.0

2006 68 94.2 5.8 0.0 5.8

2007 75 90.7 9.3 0.0 9.3

29






DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

MATHEMATICS

YEAR NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFICIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

TotalStudents

2005 535 67.3 28.4 4.3 32.7

2006 531 77.8 20.7 1.5 22.2

2007 570 71.8 25.4 2.8 28.2

General

Ed.

2005 393 58.8 35.6 5.6 41.2

2006 409 74.3 23.7 2.0 25.7

2007 404 63.4 32.7 4.0 36.7

Special

Ed.

2005 83 92.8 7.2 0.0 7.2

2006 60 06.7 3.3 0.0 3.3

2007 95 96.8 3.2 0.0 3.2

LEP 2005 59 88.1 10.2 1.7 11.9

2006 63 82.5 17.5 0.0 17.5

2007 81 85.2 14.8 0.0 14.8

30






DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

SCIENCE

YEAR NUMBER

OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFIECIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

TOTAL

STUDENTS2005 532 60.0 36.8 3.2 40.0

2006 534 54.9 43.8 1.3 45.1

2007 566 69.8 28.8 1.4 30.2

GENERAL

EDUCATION2005 391 49.9 45.8 4.3 50.1

2006 405 46.9 51.4 1.7 53.1

2007 401 61.3 36.7 2.0 38.7

SPECIAL

EDUCATION2005 82 86.6 13.4 0.0 13.4

2006 65 81.5 18.5 0.0 18.5

2007 95 91.6 8.4 0.0 8.4

LEP 2005 59 89.8 10.2 0.0 10.2

2006 66 78.8 21.2 0.0 21.2

2007 80 88.8 11.3 0.0 11.3

HIGH SCHOOL PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT (HSPA)


SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11

PROFICIENCY LEVELS

2005

LANGUAGE ARTSPartially Proficient Proficient Advanced Proficient Passing Rate

Total Students (350) 40.0 57.4 2.6 60.0

31



General Education (260) 24.6 71.9 3.5 75.4

LEP (44) 79.5 20.5 0.0 20.5

Special Education (48) 85.4 14.6 0.0 14.6

2006

LANGUAGE ARTS

Partially Proficient Proficient Advanced Proficient Passing RateTotal Students (392) 45.9 52.0 2.0 54.0


LEP (33) 97.0 3.0 0.0 3.0





SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11PROFICIENCY LEVELS

2007LANGUAGE ARTS

Partially Proficient Proficient Advanced Proficient Passing Rate

Total Students (309) 37.9 60.5 1.6 62.1


LEP (34) 82.4 17.6 0.0 17.6


MATHEMATICS

2005


Total Students (347) 65.4 32.0 2.6 34.6


LEP (44) 81.8 18.2 0.0 18.2


MATHEMATICS

2006Partially Proficient Proficient Advanced Proficient Passing Rate

Total Students (388) 63.4 34.5 2.1 36.6


LEP (31) 87.1 12.9 0.0 12.9

Special Education (55) 83.6 16.4 0.0 16.4MATHEMATICS


Total Students (307) 55.0 40.4 4.6 45


LEP (33) 75.8 24.2 0.0 24.2


32



SCIENCE2007


Total Students (300) 62.3 37.3 0.3 37.6General Education (219) 52.5 47.0 0.5 47.5

LEP (31) 87.1 12.9 0.0 12.9



Other Relevant Information:

NJASK3, NJASK6, NJASK7, GEPA and SPA

Rigorous assessments created by teachers, school and district which are aligned with

the NJCCCS. Students’ attendance

Teachers’ attendance

Person Responsible for Implementing Improvement:

Building administration and school based with support from other departments across the

district will be responsible for implementation

Priority Problem Codes: Population Letter and Problem Number

(A, D, G, J,) 1, 3a, 3b, 3c


HIGH QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY

Target Population:

Teachers, paraprofessionals, school administration/school staff


Barlow, Cedarbrook, Cook, Clinton, Emerson, Evergreen, Jefferson, Hubbard Middle,Maxson Middle, Plainfield High School, Stillman, Woodland, and Washington

CAPA Findings (include standard and indicator numbers)

33




STANDARD 1:

1.1f. There is in place a systematic process for monitoring, evaluating and reviewingthe curriculum.

Finding:

Instability in leadership within the school, central office staff monitoring various aspects

of performance and the adoption of the whole school reform program are cited by thoseLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08



at the end of each teaching year in order to make necessary curriculum changes for the

following year. The district administers the Standard Proficiency Assessment (SPA) andTarget Assessment Process (TAP) regularly to gather data on students’ achievement.

Teachers are expected to teach to the areas where students are in need of improvement.

Teachers’ pacing guides, America’s Choice sourcebooks, and data from standardizedassessment drive instruction. Some of these items undergo regular monitoring by staff

members in varying positions within the district. Curriculum committees are formed

sporadically to review the curriculum guides.



curriculum. Teacher should be encouraged to use materials that are of high interest to

students. More emphasis should be placed on career exploration and school-to-lifeconnections in all content areas.

STANDARD 2:



Finding:



determine necessary instructional modifications occurs occasionally. Sometimes studentshave choice of assessment. Where the administration of multiple assessments occurs,

students’ skills and knowledge levels and not instructional effectiveness are measured.

34





progress. Assessments should reflect the actual learning experience. Students should be

given a choice in the type of assessment activities used for measuring progress andshould also have opportunities to self-evaluate and reflect on learning. Teachers should

collaborate more frequently, purposefully and effectively at all grade levels in the design

and selection of authentic assessment activities, open response items and scoring guides.Open response prompts and accompanying rubrics, reflecting state standards, should be



Indicator:



Finding:






the review of student work and the analysis of classroom assessment. This activity

should result in the identification of instructional and assessment issues that needattention or modification. All teachers should receive training in analyzing student work

including projects, writing samples, reading fluency, and formal assessments.

Professional development should be scheduled to address protocols for the analysis of

students’ work. Assessments should be analyzed for impact on instruction. Students

should receive meaningful feedback that enables them to improve performance.

STANDARD 4:

Indicator:

4.1h. There is evidence that the teachers care about students and inspire their best

efforts

Finding:

35



There is a willingness by some staff to provide nurturing environment for students;

however, interaction between teachers and students often focuses on behavioral issues. Aschool-wide process to support a nurturing climate does not exist. There is no adult



Provide teachers and staff with sustained professional development in conflict resolutionand team-building.




collaborative planning time that allow for review of student work and reflection on

instructional practices to improve performance.

Indicator:



Finding:


school has attempted an initiative to increase parental involvement participation by providing initial report cards to parents at a parent meeting. However, this initiative has

met with little success resulting in report cards mailed to parents not attending a meeting.

Some communications between parents and teachers is by electronic mail; mostcommunication is by telephone and personal contact.


Parents need to be kept abreast of changes in the curriculum.



communicate with parents on a monthly basis using all communication modes available(i.e., phone, notes, home visits, letters, etc.). Communication should include student

accomplishments in addition to praise for appropriate behavior and demonstration of

good character.


36



provide teachers with clear planning direction. There are standardized assessments

assigned by the district for each grade level. Three learning communities are in the

school. It does not offer a consistent, rigorous curriculum that prepares all students to beself-sufficient and productive members of society. The current curriculum does not

contain strategies or techniques for differentiating instruction. Classroom visits evidence

some opportunities for students to encounter strong intellectual challenges, makeconnections to careers and situations to utilize the skills acquired in real-world context.

Some programs, based on learning community, expand learning opportunities throughoutthe school and into the community. There is no evidence of a coordinated program to

ensure that students receive explicit connections that present post-secondary education

and careers.LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Although there is no career education curriculum, unintentional references and

discussions about career opportunities occur during special education instructionalactivities. Students have little opportunity to apply their learning to real life experiences.

Once special education students in the school reach fourteen years of age, a transition

plan for post and secondary opportunities is developed in their Individualized EducationPlan (IEP).

English Language Learners’ courses and schedules are aligned with the courses of thegeneral student population of the same grade levels. Comparable materials in Spanish and

English give evidence of this alignment.

In their classes, through problems and discovery, ELL applies skills and processes thatwill prepare them for future academic attainments. Student interviews reveal lack of an

intentional and sustained effort across the school to make students aware of career

options for post secondary education.Bilingual and ESL teachers think that their students should be exposed to levels of

technology that would help them in future academic attainments. They suggested that a

LCD for all bilingual and ESL classes would be an important addition to introducestudent projects using Power Point presentations.


Teachers should be provided with in-service on using data analysis to adjust the

instructional program to meet multiple learning styles of the students.


Literacy

STANDARD 1:

Indicator:

38



1.2. The school requires all students to take courses with sufficient academic rigor to


Finding:

Within some lessons and instructional materials there are opportunities to careers. The

school also promotes some learning opportunities through a mentoring program andextended day activities, as well as conducting an annual career day. An integrated,

intentional effort to provide ongoing post secondary connections is not sustained

throughout the school year. However, the leadership team is incorporating these needsinto future planning agenda.

The newly adopted reading program for grades K through 3 contains activities, strategies,

and questions that foster higher order thinking skills and the application of knowledge,

processes and life skills, However, the newness of the literacy material received, the


limited staff development in which they participated, and the vacancy created byretirement of one of the reading coaches make the full utilization of these strategiesdifficult.

Special Education students participate in “career day” wherein members of the

community attend the school to discuss their occupations; there is no evidence that the

curriculum contains integrated career activities. There is no sustained career awareness program in place.

The literacy program in bilingual grades 4 and 5 is fragmented and based on insufficient

guided reading materials. Despite the dedication of some teacher this decreases the

academic rigor of the program and the preparation of the students for further academicattainments.

The ESL courses are based on the NJ English Language Proficiency Standards and have

the necessary materials for the successful implementation of the program.


Develop plans and activities across grade levels that incorporate career awareness within

many of the subject areas.


STANDARD 1

Indicator:




Finding:

According to the Principal, the School management Team (SMT) is the tool to advanceinstruction in the school. Because, there is no updated language arts curriculum, the

39



teachers follow the newly adopted series, teaching to “the book” and incorporating the

NJCCCS language arts literacy standards in their lessons. Grade four and five use

different materials in fourth grade, READ 180 is the basic literacy program. AlthoughREAD 180 is a supplemental program for struggling readers, all students in both fourth

grade levels tested for inclusion in this program.

The principal states that he checks plan books biweekly to review instruction.

Expectations are that teachers use a template provided by the district in conjunction with

the new series and they submit the plan electronically or as hard copies. Some plansdeviate from the format distributed by the district and are less specifics. At school level,

the literacy coach provides information to the principal about staff development needs

and curriculum adaptation. The school leadership re3lies on the information provided by

the coach for staff development. Although the principal engages in frequent classroomLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

visits and walkthroughs, there is limited verification that the information obtained leadsto effective teaching of literacy. There is no consistent monitoring of ELL curriculum in

the building.

All special education classrooms implement the district program. The administration

conducts classroom observations and reviews lesson plans in conjunction with these

observations, but provides very little feedback. There is only one special educationsupervisor in the district, who is currently assuming the role of director. Therefore there

is a vacuum in special education leadership regarding curricular issues in the district.

There is limited engagement by teachers in a systematic process to align and revise

curriculum at a grade level. All special education teachers indicate they have received job embedde4d staff development in the implementation of the literacy and math

curricula, but not for all grade levels that they teach and little information on how to

adapt those curricula to the diverse needs of their students. The district has hired aspecial needs literacy coach; however special education teachers have had little

opportunity to take advantage of this resource.


Design staffs training for grades kindergarten through grade three to systematicallydiscuss, answer questions, and demonstrate the elements of the new reading program.


Area(s) in which schools missed AYP

Reading/Lang. Arts

School Proficiency

Target

Participation

Rate

Clinton X

Emerson X

40



Evergreen X

Jefferson X

Hubbard

Middle

X

Maxson

Middle

X

Stillman X

Washington X

Plainfield H.S. X


Need to provide staff development on newly scientifically based programs i.e.LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Early literacy Initiative, Moving into English, Trophies/Trofeos, The Leap Frog

Program and READ 180 Need to provide ongoing and job-embedded professional development for high school

teachers in the following areas: Instructional Pedagogy, Lesson Study Groups,

Teaming, Advisories, Personalized learning, Differential Instruction, Using Data toDrive Instruction and Problem Based Learning

Need to train all teachers in the use of literature across the content areas

Need of articulation across the grade levels

Need to provide regular specific feedback for both experienced and new teachersutilizing the new Charlotte Danielson and ETS Improvement for Learning Tool of

Observation and Evaluation


Language Arts

Measurement Tool:

NJASK4, GEPA, HSPA

41






(NJASK 4)


DISTRICT – 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2007




PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2004 645 36.7 62.0 1.2 63.2

2005 561 43.1 56.5 0.4 56.9

2006 542 50.2 48.9 0.9 49.82007 529 44.8 53.7 1.5 55.2

General

Ed.

2004 484 24.6 73.8 1.7 75.5

2005 434 31.1 68.4 .05 68.9

2006 412 41.0 57.8 1.2 59.0

2007 406 34.5 63.5 2.0 65.5

Special

Ed.

2004 75 82.7 17.3 0.0 17.3

2005 70 90.0 10.0 0.0 10.0

2006 59 69.5 30.5 0.0 30.5

2007 74 81.1 18.9 0.0 18.9

LEP 2004 87 82.7 17.3 0.0 17.3

2005 58 77.6 22.4 0.0 22.4

2006 73 87.7 12.3 0.0 12.3

42



2007 89 66.3 33.7 0.0 33.7


GRADE EIGHT PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT (GEPA)PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS IN PROFIENCY LEVELS

DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007




PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2005 518 57.1 41.7 1.2 42.9

2006 543 56.7 42.7 0.6 43.3

2007 556 68.9 30.6 0.5 31.1

General

Ed.

2005 388 44.8 53.6 1.5 55.1

2006 411 46.2 53.1 0.7 53.8

2007 398 58.8 40.5 0.8 41.3

SpecialEd.

2005 80 92.5 7.5 0.0 7.5

2006 66 93.8 6.3 0.0 6.3

2007 93 95.7 4.3 0.0 4.3

LEP 2005 50 96.0 4.0 0.0 4.0

2006 68 94.2 5.8 0.0 5.8

2007 75 90.7 9.3 0.0 9.3



SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11

PROFICIENCY LEVELS

2005

43




Total Students (350) 40.0 57.4 2.6 60.0


LEP (44) 79.5 20.5 0.0 20.5


2006


Total Students (392) 45.9 52.0 2.0 54.0


LEP (33) 97.0 3.0 0.0 3.0






2007


Total Students (309) 37.9 60.5 1.6 62.1


LEP (34) 82.4 17.6 0.0 17.6



Rigorous assessments created by teachers, school and district which are aligned withthe NJCCCS.

Catalogue of district’s professional development offering for teachers and

paraprofessionals

Teachers’ and paraprofessionals’ attendance to professional development activities

Number of highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals in the district



district will be responsible for implementation.

44




(K, L, O) 5a



MATHEMATICS

Target Population:

Teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators/school staff



Barlow, Cedarbrook, Cook, Clinton, Emerson, Evergreen, Jefferson, Hubbard Middle,

Maxson Middle, Stillman, Woodland, Washington and Plainfield High School


CAPA REPORT FOR HUBBARD MIDDLESTANDARD 1:

Indicator:


the curriculum.

Finding:

Instability in leadership within the school, central office staff monitoring various aspectsof performance, and the adoption of the whole school reform program are cited by those



at the end of each teaching year in order to make necessary curriculum changes for thefollowing year. The district administers the Standard Proficiency Assessment (SPA) andTarget Assessment Process (TAP) regularly to gather data on students’ achievement.


Teachers’ pacing guides, America’s Choice sourcebooks, and data from standardized

assessment drive instruction. Some of these items undergo regular monitoring by staff members in varying positions within the district. Curriculum committees are formed


45





curriculum. Teachers should be encouraged to use materials that are of high interest tostudents. More emphasis should be placed on career exploration and school-to-life

connections in all content areas.

STANDARD 4

Indicator:


progress (e.g., engage through conversation).LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Finding:

The district has a policy to distribute report cards following each marking period. Theschool has attempted an initiative to increase parental involvement participation by

providing initial report cards to parents at a parent meeting. However, this initiative has

met with little success resulting in report cards mailed to parents not attending a meeting.Some communications between parents and teachers is by electronic mail; most




communicate with parents on a monthly basis using all communication modes available(i.e., phone, notes, home visits, letters, etc.). Communication should include student

accomplishments in addition to praise for appropriate behavior and demonstration of

good character

CAPA RECOMMENDATION FOR MAXSON

STANDARD 1Indicator:



Finding:

In some classrooms, teaching and learning are neither challenging nor rigorous.

Purposeful planning to accommodate students’ learning needs and styles is not

routinized. There is little evidence of planning to provide student-centered instructionthrough small group instruction. Some teachers use traditional whole class instructional

strategies that do not elicit higher order thinking and problem solving skills from all

46




planning.

Students are aware of the curriculum standards and expectations for proficiency as

defined by the NJ CCCS or the New Revised Standards. There is evidence that the New

Jersey Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric is part of writing instruction. Most classroomsare literate environments conducive to learning; however, many are void of displayed

student work.


education students by implementing programs based on America’s Choice for language

arts and the math basal, Connected Math. There are no traditional curricula to guide

instruction and no formal guidelines for modifications. Programs do not reflect thechallenge and rigor needed to assure preparation for success on state mandated tests. The


design of the current draft of LAL curriculum has several components and will be

organized for easy use by staff. In its current format benchmarks, pacing guide, specific

assessments with infused technology are difficult to identify. Students have access to thegeneral education programs through the self-contained, pullout resource room and in-

class support programs. Accommodations in the students’ IEPs are implemented in the

instructional setting. Textbooks are the same as those used in the general educationsetting. There are few parallel texts at lower reading levels. There is no reading programs

(e.g. Orton Gillingham) designed specifically for special needs students. The curriculum


English Language Learners have access to the same academic core as the general school

population. However, there are some academic programs such as Springboard where ELL

does not participate. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is another program to support students’ academics and their desire to achieve. This program is being

piloted with students from the general school population only. However, the

Bilingual/ESL department has a Saturday program in conjunction with Kean University.This program, Project Adelante takes place at the university campus and all 6, 7, and 8th

grade ELL are eligible to apply and participate. Transportation from the school to the

campus is provided. All 6, 7, and 8th grade ELL are eligible to participate in this project“Adelante”.


in bilingual and ESL classes are not eligible for Reading 180 because the programrequires a higher level of English proficiency that most of these students have. However,

there are some ELLs who participate in it because they are in regular classes because


Most bilingual and ESL teachers elicit higher order thinking and problem solving skills.

However, this is associated more to the manner in which teachers teach than to theuniform implementation of the district curriculum.

47



There is a substitute in the bilingual social studies class. Although this substitute has been

there since February, no training has been provided in the areas of planning lessons or



objectives of the lesson to their students. In most cases, the curriculum implementation atthe bilingual and ESL classroom level is aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum

Content Standards (NJCCCS) at the appropriate grade level.

This school year, central office personnel and the school leadership organized two

focused walkthroughs to monitor curriculum implementation in the general and bilingual

program classes.



Teachers should receive job embedded professional development in hoe to implement theConnect Math program to students with special needs (e.g. scaffolding, reading in the

content areas).


STANDARD 1

Indicator:



Finding:

The school provides a common math core for all students including special education andELL students through the use of Everyday Math. The math curriculum, as designed,

provides considerable opportunity for students to demonstrate multiple strategies. Some

teachers continue to implement the curriculum using a teacher directed methodology withdisregard for both inquiry and the opportunities to differentiation available in Everyday

Math.

The majority of Special Education plan books contain no mention of alignment with the NJCCCS. Teachers rely on the veracity of the curricular program, e.g. Everyday Math,

to ensure alignment. Special education students are exposed to the same curriculum as

other students. In some classrooms, the curriculum standard, lesson objective, andstudent expectation are not posted. There is a Resource pull-out program. Teachers

generally expressed positive expectations for their students and communicate this attitude

to the children. There is no formal inclusion program for special education students inthe school.

48





required by the curriculum by continuing regularly monitoring the curriculum

implementation and providing significant opportunities for professional developmentfollow-up, monitoring and coaching support for teachers.


STANDARD 1

Indicator:


special education and ELL students.LEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Finding:

The school provides a common math core for all students including special education andELL students with the Everyday math program. The math curriculum, as designed,

provides considerable opportunity fir students to demonstrate multiple strategies. Some

teachers continue to implement the curriculum using a teacher directed methodology withdisregard for the opportunities for differentiation available in Everyday math. Fifty-five

percent of special education population receives replacement instruction through the

resource room in mathematics. While resource materials are available in Spanish for

ELL students in regular classrooms, these students do not have access to Everyday Mathworkbooks in Spanish.



required by the curriculum. Monitor the curriculum implementation on more regular basils and provide significant opportunities for professional development and coaching

for teachers in need of support.



Mathematics

School Proficiency

Target

Participation

Rate

Hubbard

Middle

X

Maxson

Middle

X

Plainfield H.S. X

49




Need to provide staff development on newly scientifically based programs i.e.

Everyday Mathematics, Springboard Need to provide ongoing and job-embedded professional development for high school

teachers in the following areas: Instructional Pedagogy, Lesson Study Groups,

Teaming, Advisories, Personalized learning, Differential Instruction, Using Data toDrive Instruction, and Problem-Based Learning

Need to train teachers in the use of mathematics across the content areas

Need to provide regular specific feedback for both experienced and new teachersutilizing the new Charlotte Danielson and ETS Improvement for Learning Tool of

Observation and Evaluation


Mathematics

Measurement Tool:

NJASK4, GEPA, HSPA

Identification of Data Sources: NEW JERSEY ASSESSMENT OF SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

(NJASK 4)


DISTRICT – 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2007

MATHEMATICSYEAR NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFICIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

Total

Students

2004 647 53.3 36.5 10.2 46.7

2005 577 49.2 40.4 10.4 50.8

2006 554 43.0 41.9 15.2 57.1

2007 537 36.9 44.9 18.2 63.1

GeneralEd. 2004 485 45.6 41.6 12.8 54.4

2005 436 39.9 47.2 12.8 60.0

2006 410 31.5 48.8 19.8 68.6

2007 406 26.6 49.8 23.6 73.4

SpecialEd.

2004 76 77.6 19.7 2.6 22.3

50



2005 70 80.0 18.6 1.4 20.0

2006 59 76.3 23.7 0.0 23.7

2007 76 71.1 28.9 0.0 28.9

LEP 2004 88 75.0 22.7 2.3 25.0

2005 72 76.4 19.4 4.2 23.62006 87 74.7 21.8 3.4 25.2

2007 95 55.8 36.8 7.4 44.2


GRADE EIGHT PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT (GEPA)PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS IN PROFIENCY LEVELS

DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007




PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2005 535 67.3 28.4 4.3 32.7

2006 531 77.8 20.7 1.5 22.2

2007 570 71.8 25.4 2.8 28.2

GeneralEd. 2005 393 58.8 35.6 5.6 41.2

2006 409 74.3 23.7 2.0 25.7

2007 404 63.4 32.7 4.0 36.7

SpecialEd.

2005 83 92.8 7.2 0.0 7.2

2006 60 06.7 3.3 0.0 3.3

2007 95 96.8 3.2 0.0 3.2

LEP 2005 59 88.1 10.2 1.7 11.9

2006 63 82.5 17.5 0.0 17.52007 81 85.2 14.8 0.0 14.8



SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11

PROFICIENCY LEVELS

MATHEMATICS

51




Total Students (347) 65.4 32.0 2.6 34.6


LEP (44) 81.8 18.2 0.0 18.2

Special Education (50) 94.0 6.0 0.0 6.0MATHEMATICS


Total Students (388) 63.4 34.5 2.1 36.6


LEP (31) 87.1 12.9 0.0 12.9



HIGH SCHOOL PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT (HSPA)PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS IN PROFIENCY LEVELS

SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11

PROFICIENCY LEVELS

MATHEMATICS


Total Students (307) 55.0 40.4 4.6 45


LEP (33) 75.8 24.2 0.0 24.2





paraprofessionals

Teachers’ and paraprofessionals’ attendance to professional development activities




district will be responsible for implementation.


52



(K, L, O) 5b



SCIENCE

Target Population:

Teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators/school staff



Barlow, Cedarbrook, Cook, Clinton, Emerson, Evergreen, Jefferson, Hubbard Middle,

Maxson Middle, Stillman, Woodland, Washington and Plainfield High School


There are no specific recommendations for Science in the CAPA Report for Barlow


NOT APPLICABLE


• Need add another dimension to existing curricula by engaging students in activities

such as scenario writing, graphing problem solving, conducting surveys and future

forecasting

• Need to develop modules for the development of logical, higher level thinking skills

and social reasoning skills in the context of science

Need to train all teachers in the use of mathematics and science across the contentareas

• Need to provide regular specific feedback for both experienced and new teachersutilizing the new Charlotte Danielson and ETS Improvement for Learning Tool of Observation and Evaluation


Science

53



Measurement Tool:

NJ ASK 4, GEPA and scientifically based programs measurement tools which arealigned to the NJCCC




(NJASK 4)


DISTRICT – 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2007

SCIENCEYEAR NUMBER OF



PASSINGRATE

TotalStudents

2005 576 53.5 45.1 1.4 46.5

2006 555 51.5 43.6 4.9 48.52007 536 48.9 38.4 12.7 51.1

General

Ed.

2005 433 44.3 53.8 1.8 55.6

2006 409 43.3 50.6 6.1 56.7

2007 406 41.1 38.4 15.0 53.4

Special

Ed.

2005 72 73.6 26.4 0.0 26.4

2006 61 63.9 34.4 1.6 36.0

2007 76 67.1 26.3 6.6 33.9

LEP 2005 73 89.0 11.0 0.0 11.0

2006 88 81.8 17.0 1.1 18.1

2007 94 73.4 22.3 4.3 26.6

54






DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

SCIENCE

YEAR NUMBER

OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLYPROFIECIENT


PASSINGRATE

TOTAL

STUDENTS2005 532 60.0 36.8 3.2 40.0

2006 534 54.9 43.8 1.3 45.1

2007 566 69.8 28.8 1.4 30.2

GENERAL

EDUCATION2005 391 49.9 45.8 4.3 50.1

2006 405 46.9 51.4 1.7 53.1

2007 401 61.3 36.7 2.0 38.7

SPECIAL

EDUCATION2005 82 86.6 13.4 0.0 13.4

2006 65 81.5 18.5 0.0 18.5

2007 95 91.6 8.4 0.0 8.4

LEP 2005 59 89.8 10.2 0.0 10.2

2006 66 78.8 21.2 0.0 21.2

2007 80 88.8 11.3 0.0 11.3



SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11

PROFICIENCY LEVELS

55



SCIENCE2007


Total Students (300) 62.3 37.3 0.3 37.6


LEP (31) 87.1 12.9 0.0 12.9Special Education (50) 90.0 10.0 0.0 10.0




paraprofessionals

Teachers’ and paraprofessionals’ attendance to professional development activitiesLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08




district will be responsible for implementation


(K, L, O) 5c

Description of Priority Problem:

STUDENT ACADEMIC NEEDS – PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED

TRUANCY/ATTENDANCE

Target Population:

All students and the following subgroups: economically disadvantaged, youth at risk of

dropping out, LEP, substance abusers, perpetrators of violence.


Hubbard Middle, Maxson Middle and Plainfield High School

56



CAPA findings (include standard and indicator numbers):

NOT APPLICABLE


Language Arts: Proficiency Targets

Mathematics: Proficiency Targets


• Students’ intimidation outside the school

• Conflicts between African-American and Latino students

• Need to conduct informal walkthroughs in classrooms and hallways toassess students' behavior in the instructional settings, the hallways and cafeteria


• Need to create small learning communities in which core group of teachers and other adults know the needs, interests and aspirations of each child

well.


Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science

Measurement Tool:

GEPA




DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

LANGUAGE ARTS

YEAR NUMBER OFSTUDENTS

PARTIALLYPROFICIENT


PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2005 518 57.1 41.7 1.2 42.9

2006 543 56.7 42.7 0.6 43.3

2007 556 68.9 30.6 0.5 31.1

General

Ed.

2005 388 44.8 53.6 1.5 55.1

57



2006 411 46.2 53.1 0.7 53.8

2007 398 58.8 40.5 0.8 41.3

Special

Ed.

2005 80 92.5 7.5 0.0 7.5

2006 66 93.8 6.3 0.0 6.32007 93 95.7 4.3 0.0 4.3

LEP 2005 50 96.0 4.0 0.0 4.0

2006 68 94.2 5.8 0.0 5.8

2007 75 90.7 9.3 0.0 9.3




DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007




PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2005 535 67.3 28.4 4.3 32.7

2006 531 77.8 20.7 1.5 22.2

2007 570 71.8 25.4 2.8 28.2

General

Ed.

2005 393 58.8 35.6 5.6 41.2

2006 409 74.3 23.7 2.0 25.7

2007 404 63.4 32.7 4.0 36.7

SpecialEd.

2005 83 92.8 7.2 0.0 7.2

2006 60 06.7 3.3 0.0 3.32007 95 96.8 3.2 0.0 3.2

LEP 2005 59 88.1 10.2 1.7 11.9

2006 63 82.5 17.5 0.0 17.5

2007 81 85.2 14.8 0.0 14.8

58






DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

SCIENCE

YEAR NUMBER

OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFIECIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

TOTAL

STUDENTS2005 532 60.0 36.8 3.2 40.0

2006 534 54.9 43.8 1.3 45.1

2007 566 69.8 28.8 1.4 30.2

GENERAL

EDUCATION2005 391 49.9 45.8 4.3 50.1

2006 405 46.9 51.4 1.7 53.1

2007 401 61.3 36.7 2.0 38.7

SPECIALEDUCATION

2005 82 86.6 13.4 0.0 13.4

2006 65 81.5 18.5 0.0 18.52007 95 91.6 8.4 0.0 8.4

LEP 2005 59 89.8 10.2 0.0 10.2

2006 66 78.8 21.2 0.0 21.2

2007 80 88.8 11.3 0.0 11.3

59




NJASK6 and NJASK 7

Rigorous assessments created by teachers, school and district which are

aligned with the NJCCCS.

Data collected through the district’s software “ADMINPLUS” Individual schools attendance records


The Director of the Office of Security in the Plainfield Public Schools and the Plainfield

Police Department are responsible for the implementation.


(A, D, F, J, N, O) 31



EDUCATION REFORM AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Target Population:

All students and the following subgroups: disabled students, LEP, youth at risk of

dropping out, teachers, paraprofessionals.


Hubbard Middle, Maxson Middle and Plainfield High School



STANDARD 1:

Indicator:


the curriculum.

60



Finding:

Instability in leadership within the school, central office staff monitoring various aspects

of performance, and the adoption of the whole school reform program are cited by those

interviewed as potential reasons many curriculum guides have not undergone formalrevisions in many years. Teachers, coaches, supervisors, and the administrative team

informally discuss the needs of the student population, relative to the current curriculum,

at the end of each teaching year in order to make necessary curriculum changes for thefollowing year. The district administers the Standard Proficiency Assessment (SPA) and

Target Assessment Process (TAP) regularly to gather data on students’ achievement.


Teachers’ pacing guides, America’s Choice sourcebooks, and data from standardizedassessment drive instruction. Some of these items undergo regular monitoring by staff

members in varying positions within the district. Curriculum committees are formed





curriculum. Teachers should be encouraged to use materials that are of high interest to

students. More emphasis should be placed on career exploration and school-to-lifeconnections in all content areas.

STANDARD 2:

Indicator:



Finding:



determine necessary instructional modifications occurs occasionally. Sometimes studentshave choice of assessment. Where the administration of multiple assessments occurs,

students’ skills and knowledge levels and not instructional effectiveness are measured.


61




progress. Assessments should reflect the actual learning experience. Students should be

given a choice in the type of assessment activities used for measuring progress andshould also have opportunities to self-evaluate and reflect on learning. Teachers should

collaborate more frequently, purposefully and effectively at all grade levels in the design

and selection of authentic assessment activities, open response items and scoring guides.



Indicator:



Finding:







the review of student work and the analysis of classroom assessment. This activityshould result in the identification of instructional and assessment issues that need

attention or modification. All teachers should receive training in analyzing student work,

including projects, writing samples, reading fluency, and formal assessment.Professional development should be scheduled to address protocols for the analysis of

student work. Assessments should be analyzed for impact on instruction. Students

should receive meaningful feedback that enables them to improve performance.


A variety of rigorous and authentic assessments should be used to measure student progress. Assessments should reflect the actual learning experience. Students should be

given a choice in the type of assessment activities used for measuring progress and

should also have opportunities to self-evaluate and reflect on learning. Teachers shouldcollaborate more frequently, purposefully and effectively at all grade levels in the design

and selection of authentic assessment activities, open response items and scoring guides.



62



STANDARD 3:

Indicator:

3.1b Instructional strategies and learning activities are aligned with the district,

school and state goals and assessment expectations for student learning.

Finding:

Instructional strategies and learning activities are aligned with district, school, and state

learning goals and assessment expectations for student learning. The LAL curriculum isaligned with district, school and state learning goals and assessment expectations for

student learning. Mathematics lessons contain applicable NJCCCS. Some activities

require students to complete functions similar to state assessments. There is evidence

that some of the learning activities offered in special education classes require students tocomplete assessment tasks similar to those on state assessments.



Teachers should design and implement instructional activities that include opportunitiesfor student choice, real world applications, problem solving, and higher order thinking

skills. Teachers should work collaboratively to intentionally plan interdisciplinary


STANDARD 4:

Indicator:

4.1a. There is leadership support for a safe, orderly, and equitable learning

environment (see culture audits, school opinion surveys, etc.).

Finding:

The district has a policy to support a safe, orderly, and equitable learning environment.

The school has a discipline policy included in the students’ agenda; however, schoolleadership team does not consistently enforce the discipline policy. Data maintenance

does not affect the environment. Tags to identify staff and visitors are required, but not

enforced or monitored. There are neither telephones nor safety equipment in anyclassroom.

63




Teachers should be present in the hallways during transition between periods.


School leadership should create and sustain an environment that is safe and conducive to

learning and success. The school’s discipline policy should be enforced consistently and

rigorously by all staff. Staff should monitor all student activity in common areas on aregular basis. Develop a security plan that reflects the needs of the Hubbard Middle

School. The plan should include an assessment of the needed schedule to effectively

Patrol the school’s premises and ensure that the school environment is safe and secure for parents, teachers, staff and students. The security plan should include the effective use of

electronic surveillance equipment both inside and outside the building. Safety equipment

(e.g. metal detectors, surveillance cameras) should be investigated, as well as telephones

for individual classrooms.

Indicator:

4.1h There is evidence that the teachers care about students and inspire their best

effortsLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

Finding:

There is a willingness by some staff to provide nurturing environment for students;however, interaction between teachers and students often focuses on behavioral issues. A

school-wide process to support a nurturing climate does not exist. There is no adult



Provide teachers and staff with sustained professional development in conflict resolution

and team-building.



collaborative planning time that allow for review of student work and reflection oninstructional practices to improve performance.

Indicator:

4.1j. There is evidence that student achievement is highly valued and publicly

celebrated (e.g., displays of student work, assemblies).

Finding:

64



Some student work is displayed in hallways and classrooms; however, the work is not

current and does not include feedback (i.e. holistic scoring). Recognition of studentachievement is often informal or limited. Parents are aware of very few celebrations of

student success.


Instructional staff should display quality student work. A process should be establishedto monitor implementation by the instructional staff regarding the following: (a) how to

display the work, with teacher commentary that reflects student’s needs; (b) consistent

use of rubrics in the display and rating of student work; (c) complete notation of the

NJCCCS rather than a display of only the number; and (d) division of bulletin boards toshow student work progression.

Indicator:

4.1g Teachers communicate regularly with families about individual students’



Finding:


school has attempted an initiative to increase parental involvement participation by

providing initial report cards to parents at a parent meeting. However, this initiative hasmet with little success resulting in report cards mailed to parents not attending a meeting.

Some communications between parents and teachers is by electronic mail; most




communicate with parents on a monthly basis using all communication modes available

(i.e., phone, notes, home visits, letters, etc.). Communication should include student

accomplishments in addition to praise for appropriate behavior and demonstration of good character.

CAPA REPORT FOR MAXSON

STANDARD 1:

Indicator:

65





achievement and to ensure that the district curriculum is effectively taught.

Finding:

The district is undergoing curriculum development. The role of informal student

performance data in making informed curricular improvement decisions is not evident.

Teachers indicate that pacing requirements often preclude student-centered instruction.There is some evidence that administration sometimes addresses curriculum

implementation. The administrative staff is new to their roles and has not yet coordinated

teacher peer review of the NJ CCCS and local curriculum documents. Buildingadministrators review plan books. Comments regarding lesson plans do not consistently

move teachers toward increased instructional proficiency.

There is little evidence within special education that curriculum issues and peer review of

NJCCCS are addressed at the school level. Special educators are not a part of district

curriculum planning or design. The need for curriculum revisions is discussed informally

within the special education department. The required lesson plan is modeled after theformat recommended by the Secondary Education Initiative Team, NJDOE. A rubric


review is used as a way of monitoring submission and review of plans. Written feedback

is provided on occasion.

There is no evidence that the school leadership engages in a systematic approach to

address curriculum issues in bilingual and ESL classes except for the language arts

meetings held by the coach with language arts teachers, including bilingual teachers.

The latest approved Language Arts curriculum of 1999 is generic and rarely used by the

language arts bilingual and ESL teachers. Instead, they follow America’s Choicescomponents, pacing information from the central office language arts department, or the

reading program materials that they have for their classes.

Bilingual and ESL teachers follow a standard format provided by the school to writelesson plans. These are processed in computers and e-mailed to the Vice Principals. All

the bilingual teachers’ lesson plans have the NJCCCS that they address and the strategies

and skills selected for instruction. The Vice Principals give feedback about the plan

books using a checklist with ratings of 0 to 2. Two is equivalent to “Appropriate”.


School leadership should work with the ELA department to develop a plan of

professional development for staff that will provide scaffolded training to further developtheir ability to meet individual student needs. This should include writing, reading, and

holistic scoring to ensure the staff is able to move students toward reading and writing

66



proficiency. It should also include the establishment of classroom management to

support ELA routines and rituals

Indicator:

1.4 The school ensures access to a common academic core for all students includingspecial education and ELL students.

Finding:

In some classrooms, teaching and learning are neither challenging nor rigorous.

Purposeful planning to accommodate students’ learning needs and styles is not

routinized. There is little evidence of planning to provide student-centered instructionthrough small group instruction. Some teachers use traditional whole class instructional

strategies that do not elicit higher order thinking and problem solving skills from all


planning.

Students are aware of the curriculum standards and expectations for proficiency asdefined by the NJ CCCS or the New Revised Standards. There is evidence that the New

Jersey Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric is part of writing instruction. Most classroomsLEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08

are literate environments conducive to learning; however, many are void of displayed

student work.


education students by implementing programs based on America’s Choice for languagearts and the math basal, Connected Math. There are no traditional curricula to guide

instruction and no formal guidelines for modifications. Programs do not reflect the

challenge and rigor needed to assure preparation for success on state mandated tests. Thedesign of the current draft of LAL curriculum has several components and will be

organized for easy use by staff. In its current format benchmarks, pacing guide, specific

assessments with infused technology are difficult to identify. Students have access to thegeneral education programs through the self-contained, pullout resource room and in-

class support programs. Accommodations in the students’ IEPs are implemented in the

instructional setting. Textbooks are the same as those used in the general education

setting. There are few parallel texts at lower reading levels. There is no reading programs(e.g. Orton Gillingham) designed specifically for special needs students. The curriculum


English Language Learners have access to the same academic core as the general school

population. However, there are some academic programs such as Springboard where ELL

does not participate. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) is another program to support students’ academics and their desire to achieve. This program is being

piloted with students from the general school population only. However, the

67



Bilingual/ESL department has a Saturday program in conjunction with Kean University.

This program, Project Adelante takes place at the university campus and all 6, 7, and 8th

grade ELL are eligible to apply and participate. Transportation from the school to thecampus is provided. All 6, 7, and 8th grade ELL are eligible to participate in this project

“Adelante”.


in bilingual and ESL classes are not eligible for Reading 180 because the program

requires a higher level of English proficiency that most of these students have. However,there are some ELLs who participate in it because they are in regular classes because


Most bilingual and ESL teachers elicit higher order thinking and problem solving skills.However, this is associated more to the manner in which teachers teach than to the

uniform implementation of the district curriculum.

There is a substitute in the bilingual social studies class. Although this substitute has beenthere since February, no training has been provided in the areas of planning lessons or




objectives of the lesson to their students. In most cases, the curriculum implementation at

the bilingual and ESL classroom level is aligned to the New Jersey Core CurriculumContent Standards (NJCCCS) at the appropriate grade level.

This school year, central office personnel and the school leadership organized twofocused walkthroughs to monitor curriculum implementation in the general and bilingual

program classes.


Teachers should receive job embedded professional development in hoe to implement theConnect Math program to students with special needs (e.g. scaffolding, reading in the

content areas).



Reading/Lang. Arts Mathematics

School Proficiency

Target

Participation

Rate

Proficiency

Target

Participation

Rate

Hubbard

Middle

X X

68



Maxson

Middle

X X

Plainfield H.S. X X


Need to organize content area knowledge around core concepts that students are

expected to master, as delineated in national and local standards.

Need to create small learning communities in which core group of teachers and other adults know the needs, interests and aspirations of each child well.

Need for teachers to work collaboratively to intentionally plan interdisciplinary


Inability to retain new teachers

High student mobility

Drop- out rate

Areas to be Measured:Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science

Measurement Tool:

GEPA , HSPALEA: _Plainfield______________ County: __Union_39 Project Code: NCLB-__4160__-08




DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

LANGUAGE ARTS

YEAR NUMBER OFSTUDENTS

PARTIALLYPROFICIENT


PASSINGRATE

Total

Students

2005 518 57.1 41.7 1.2 42.9

2006 543 56.7 42.7 0.6 43.3

2007 556 68.9 30.6 0.5 31.1

General

Ed.

2005 388 44.8 53.6 1.5 55.1

2006 411 46.2 53.1 0.7 53.82007 398 58.8 40.5 0.8 41.3

SpecialEd.

2005 80 92.5 7.5 0.0 7.5

2006 66 93.8 6.3 0.0 6.3

2007 93 95.7 4.3 0.0 4.3

69



LEP 2005 50 96.0 4.0 0.0 4.0

2006 68 94.2 5.8 0.0 5.8

2007 75 90.7 9.3 0.0 9.3




DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

MATHEMATICS

YEAR NUMBER OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFICIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

TotalStudents

2005 535 67.3 28.4 4.3 32.7

2006 531 77.8 20.7 1.5 22.2

2007 570 71.8 25.4 2.8 28.2

General

Ed.

2005 393 58.8 35.6 5.6 41.2

2006 409 74.3 23.7 2.0 25.7

2007 404 63.4 32.7 4.0 36.7

Special

Ed.

2005 83 92.8 7.2 0.0 7.2

2006 60 06.7 3.3 0.0 3.3

2007 95 96.8 3.2 0.0 3.2

70



LEP 2005 59 88.1 10.2 1.7 11.9

2006 63 82.5 17.5 0.0 17.5

2007 81 85.2 14.8 0.0 14.8




DISTRICT – 2005, 2006 AND 2007

SCIENCEYEAR NUMBER

OF

STUDENTS

PARTIALLY

PROFIECIENT

PROFICIENT ADVANCED

PROFICIENT

PASSING

RATE

TOTAL

STUDENTS2005 532 60.0 36.8 3.2 40.0

2006 534 54.9 43.8 1.3 45.1

2007 566 69.8 28.8 1.4 30.2

GENERAL

EDUCATION2005 391 49.9 45.8 4.3 50.1

2006 405 46.9 51.4 1.7 53.1

2007 401 61.3 36.7 2.0 38.7

SPECIAL

EDUCATION2005 82 86.6 13.4 0.0 13.4

2006 65 81.5 18.5 0.0 18.5

2007 95 91.6 8.4 0.0 8.4

LEP 2005 59 89.8 10.2 0.0 10.2

2006 66 78.8 21.2 0.0 21.2

71



2007 80 88.8 11.3 0.0 11.3




2005


Total Students (350) 40.0 57.4 2.6 60.0


LEP (44) 79.5 20.5 0.0 20.5


2006


Total Students (392) 45.9 52.0 2.0 54.0


LEP (33) 97.0 3.0 0.0 3.0





SPRING 2005, 2006 and 2007 – GRADE 11

PROFICIENCY LEVELS2007


Total Students (309) 37.9 60.5 1.6 62.1


LEP (34) 82.4 17.6 0.0 17.6


MATHEMATICS


Total Students (347) 65.4 32.0 2.6 34.6


LEP (44) 81.8 18.2 0.0 18.2


MATHEMATICS

2006

72




Total Students (388) 63.4 34.5 2.1 36.6


LEP (31) 87.1 12.9 0.0 12.9


MATHEMATICS2007Partially Proficient Proficient Advanced Proficient Passing Rate

Total Students (307) 55.0 40.4 4.6 45


LEP (33) 75.8 24.2 0.0 24.2


SCIENCE2007


Total Students (300) 62.3 37.3 0.3 37.6


LEP (31) 87.1 12.9 0.0 12.9




NJASK3, NJASK6, NJASK 7 AND SPA


Students’ attendance

Teachers’ attendance


Building administration and school based with support from other departments across thedistrict will be responsible for implementation.

Priority Problem Codes: Population Letter and Problem Number(A, D, J, K, L) 42

73

plainfield nj dist descrip of prio. prob fy 08 title i

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