Temple Middle School2014 – 2015 Flexible Learning Plan (FLP)

1. Using school level disaggregated data, identify and explain the areas of need that will be addressed by the FLP offered at each school:

Core content area(s) Mathematics Subgroup(s): Students with Disabilities and Black Students Graduation rate(s) N/A

Note: The LEA must identify the measurable performance goals and outcomes to be met.

The Temple Middle School Leadership Team collected and organized the student achievement data for 2013-2014. The data was analyzed longitudinally over a period of four years (2011-2014) and trends were identified. Comparisons to state, RESA, and district averages revealed that Temple Middle scored lower on the CRCT in math. In addition, students with disabilities scored lower in all subjects, with the lowest scores being in math, when compared to scores across the district.

The trends included that students with disabilities’ scores have improved over the last three years in all subjects; however, less significant gains have been made in math than in other subject areas. This is reflected in the following meets/exceeds data results from 2011-2014:

CRCT Meets/Exceeds Percentages Students with Disabilities

At the conclusion of the 2013-2014 school-year the meets/exceeds percentage for students with disabilities were significantly lower than other subgroups. The 2013-2014 CRCT scores revealed that the students with disabilities subgroup continued to score below the overall scores for all students at Temple Middle School as follows:

24 percentage points below on the Reading CRCT 30 percentage points below on the ELA CRCT 39 percentage points below on the Math CRCT 28 percentage points below on the Science CRCT 36 percentage points below on the Social Studies CRCT

With Math remaining the subject area with the largest achievement gap, the FLP program will again focus on Math during the 2014-2015 school year.

2011 2012 2013 2014Reading 48% 43% 64% 69%

ELA 34% 43% 52% 58%Math 5% 21% 34% 35%

A comparison of the percentages for the meets/exceeds group for all core subject areas and for all subgroups on the 2013-2014 CRCT is as follows:

2013-2014 CRCT Disaggregated PercentagesAll SWD ED Asian Black Hispanic Multiracial White

Reading 93% 69% 90% 100% 90% 88% 90% 93%ELA 88% 58% 85% 100% 84% 90% 84% 89%Math 74% 35% 66% 100% 63% 69% 82% 74%Science 73% 45% 67% 100% 59% 77% 60% 77%Social Studies

71% 35% 65% 100% 63% 72% 71% 73%

As a root cause analysis was performed, the G.R.A.S.P. data that was collected throughout the 2013-2014 school-year indicated that students with disabilities at Temple Middle have a continued lack of needed requisite skills to successfully perform in the math classes. G.R.A.S.P. is a comprehensive, user-friendly system that assists educators in identifying students in need of intervention, provides initial diagnostic information about students’ specific needs, and tracks the progress of individual students. Also, observation walkthroughs indicated a need for increased and more effective differentiated instruction in the classrooms. In addition, it was determined that a need exists for an increase in monitoring and tracking more specific data of the FLP students and communicating this information with the students and parents.

Measurable Performance Goals:

The FLP program will begin the first day of school for Carroll County Schools, August 18, 2014, and will continue through the last day of school, May 22, 2015. CRCT goals will be evaluated based on both the first CRCT administration as well as the retake CRCT tests.

By 2015, Temple Middle School will increase meets/exceeds Math performance on the 6-8 Georgia Milestones for participating FLP students as follows:

Subgroup 2013 Target 2014 Target 2015 TargetALL 86.8% 88.1% State AverageSWD 69.8% 72.9% State AverageBLACK 79.8% 81.9% State AverageASIAN/PACIFICISLANDER

95.6% 96.0% State Average

HISPANIC 91.3% 87.8% State AverageWHITE 92.0% 92.8% State AverageMULTI_RACIAL 89.3% 90.3% State AverageED 79.1% 83.5%` State Average

Performance goal for FLP Program - All students will meet or exceed the math state average on the Georgia Milestones Assessment.

Performance goal for FLP program - 80% of the FLP students will meet “proficient status” on the GRASP universal screener for math.

Performance goal for individual students - The FLP students will score at a minimum of 75% on the benchmark assessment in late February or early March.

2. Describe the multiple educationally related selection criteria by core content area served with the weighting that will be applied to the criteria per school to determine the rank order list of eligible students by greatest academic need.

Students will be identified for service by applying Federal Rank order (as approved in the Georgia Elementary and Secondary Act [ESEA] Waiver) to the Academic Rank order. All students will first be ranked based on a Multiple Selection Criteria Rubric Form (MSCR) that was developed by the Focus Team. Students will then be place into the Federal Rank order in which they qualify. Students’ academic ranking within each of the federal ranking orders will be determined by the total score derived from the multiple educationally related selection criteria formula for the core content area addressed. The educational criteria will include the prior year’s Math CRCT scores and the yearly average in the core subject area from the previous school year.

Weighting of each criterion follows: Math CRCT scores will be weighted using the following scale: 650-699 = 9 points; 700-749 = 8 points; 750-799 = 7 points; 800-820 = 6 points; above 820 = 0 points. Math CRCT-M scores will be weighted using the following scale: 200-234 = 9 points; 235-269 = 8 points; 270-300 = 7 points; 300-315 = 6 points; above 316 = 0 points. Mathematics yearly average will be weighted using the following scale: 90-100 = 1 point; 80-89 = 2 points; 70-79 = 3 points; below 70 = 4 points. This information will be maintained on an excel spreadsheet.

The MSCR is as follows:

The Academic Rank Order Multiple Criteria Rubric reflecting both CRCT and CRCT-M performance is provided below:

FEDERAL RANK ORDER I

FEDERAL RANK ORDER II

FEDERAL RANK ORDER III

_____Did Not Meet and Special Education Student

_____ Did Not Meet

_____Met

_____Did Not Meet and English Learners_____Did Not Meet and Free/Reduced Price Lunch

Core Content Area: MathematicsCRCT Performance: CRCT-M Performance:

650-699 9 Points 200-234 9 Points700-749 8 Points 235-269 8 Points750-799 7 Points 270-299 7 Points800-820 6 Points 300-315 6 PointsAbove 821 0 Points Above 316 0 Points

Yearly Average:90 to 100 1 Points80-89 2 Points70-79 3 PointsBelow 70 4 Points

TOTAL Points: _____ 13 Possible Points

FEDERAL RANK ORDER I

FEDERAL RANK ORDER II

FEDERAL RANK ORDER III

_____Did Not Meet and Special Education Student

_____ Did Not Meet

_____Met

_____Did Not Meet and English Learners_____Did Not Meet and Free/Reduced Price Lunch

Georgia Alternative AssessmentEmerging Progress 8 PointsEstablished Progress 5 PointsExtending Progress 0 Points

Teacher/Administrator Recommendation:HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5 PointsCriteria for 6 Points – Student scored Emerging Progress on GAA and/or student is demonstrating little achievement/progress on targeted instructional activity (aligned to standard) based on portfolio samples (less than 25% of samples)RECOMMEND 4 PointsCriteria for 4 Points – Student scored Established Progress on GAA and/or student is demonstrating some achievement/progress on targeted instructional activity (aligned to standard) based on portfolio samples (26% - 50% of samples)RECOMMEND 2 PointsCriteria for 2 Points – Student scored Established Progress on GAA and/or student is periodically demonstrating achievement/progress on targeted instructional activity (aligned to standard) based on portfolio samples (51% - 75% of samples)DO NOT RECOMMEND 0 Points

TOTAL Points: _____ 13 Possible Points

As students enter Temple Middle School throughout the year, the orientation procedure will include using the multiple selection criteria form and the Federal Rank Order category for each new student. Students in Federal Rank Order I and II will be scheduled into the FLP tutoring class. Students enrolling from out-of-state or home schooling will be ranked as equitably as possible by using tests mandated by other states or cumulative assessments from the adopted mathematics textbook.

Students in Federal Rank Order I and II will be served in Connections Math daily and in addition, will be tutored twice each week during after school sessions. Students in Rank Order I and II will have access to additional tutoring for FLP students on Saturdays at TMS from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM on 16 Saturdays.

Federal Rank order documentation will be the CRCT summary which identifies all subgroups except for Economically Disadvantaged. The School Food Service Nutrition status report will be the documentation used to identify the Economically Disadvantaged .subgroup. Academic rank order documentation will be maintained on an excel spread sheet reflecting the multiple selection criteria for each student enrolled in TMS.

If students are skipped for service, documentation will be maintained that provides evidence of why they were skipped. This documentation will be written parental refusal of service (opt-in/opt-out form), assessment information supporting student success, withdrawal information for the student, or documentation indicating the student was skipped based on the student’s IEP for students who are administered the Georgia Alternative Assessment.

3. Describe the scientifically research based strategies that the LEA will implement to ensure that supplemental academic intervention time is designed to support students meeting academic performance goals.

After screening with the G.R.A.S.P., skill gaps will be identified for each student. In determining how to address these skill gaps, the research will be considered. There is a growing professional consensus that coverage of fewer mathematics topics in more depth and with coherence is important for all students. Milgram and Wu (2005) suggested that an intervention curriculum for at-risk students should not be oversimplified and that in-depth coverage of key topics and concepts involving whole numbers and then rational numbers is critical for future success in mathematics. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum Focal Points (2006) called for the end of brief ventures into many topics in the course of a school year and also suggested heavy emphasis on instruction in whole numbers and rational numbers. This position was reinforced by the 2008 report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMAP), which provided detailed benchmarks and again emphasized in-depth coverage of key

topics involving whole numbers and rational numbers as crucial for all students. USA Test Prep, an online math program that is aligned to the Georgia Common Core Standards, will be used to reinforce mathematical concepts and provide an ongoing assessment of student progress. The program also generates easily interpreted visual reports for teachers, parents, and students, which will be provided in colored graph forms to clarify and encourage parent and student motivation to work toward their established goals.

Instruction during the intervention should be explicit and systematic. This includes providing models of proficient problem solving, verbalization of thought processes, guided practice, corrective feedback, and frequent cumulative review. Studies have shown that explicit and systematic instruction can significantly improve proficiency in word problem solving and operations across grade levels and diverse student populationsFuchs et al. (2008). Instructional materials will be systematic and explicit. In particular, they should include numerous clear models of easy and difficult problems, with accompanying teacher think-alouds. To be considered systematic, mathematics instruction should gradually build proficiency by introducing concepts in a logical order and by providing students with numerous applications of each concept. Explicit instruction typically begins with a clear unambiguous exposition of concepts and step-by-step models of how to perform operations and reasons for the procedures. The teachers will think aloud (make their thinking processes public) as they model each step of the process. They should not only tell students about the steps and procedures they are performing, but also allude to the reasoning behind them. Manipulatives and use of supplies such as student dry erase boards and an interactive promethean board will be used to support explicit instructional strategies.

Students will be provided with opportunities to solve problems in a group and communicate problem-solving strategies. For students to become proficient in performing mathematical processes, explicit instruction will include scaffolded practice, where the teacher plays an active role and gradually transfers the work to the students. During guided practice, the teacher should ask students to communicate the strategies they are using to complete each step of the process and provide reasons for their decisions. Teachers will give specific feedback that clarifies what students did correctly and what they need to improve. They will provide opportunities for students to correct their errors. Corrective feedback can also include reteaching or clarifying instructions when students are not able to respond to questions or their responses are incorrect.

Instructional materials will include a cumulative review in each session. Cumulative reviews provide students with an opportunity to practice topics previously covered in depth. This review can ensure that the knowledge is maintained over time and helps students see connections between various mathematical ideas.

Instructional strategies will include systematic explicit instruction on solving word problems, using the problems’ underlying structure. Research demonstrates that instruction on solving word problems based on underlying problem structure leads to statistically significant positive effects on measures of word problem solving Xin,

Jitendra, and Deatline-Buchman (2005). Students will be taught about the structure of various problem types, how to categorize problems based on structure, and how to determine appropriate solutions for each problem type. Also, visual representations such as number lines, number paths, strip diagrams, drawings, and other of pictorial representations help scaffold learning and pave the way for understanding the abstract version of the representation. Teachers will use such abstract visual representations extensively and consistently. Manipulatives will be used expeditiously, and the focus will be to fade them away systematically to reach the abstract level. Technology will be utilized to support, reinforce, and differentiate the instruction for the skills that are being taught. Specifically, skill based applications on iPads for mathematics , use of an interactive promethean board, and IXL Learning on Chromebooks (web based program for math skills) will be embedded in the lessons to meet individual student needs.

Scaffolding, preview of upcoming instruction, individualized instruction, small group instruction, tutoring, explicit and implicit instruction, educational technology, active learning, advanced organizers, graphic organizers, and Thinking Maps are an array of research based strategies that will be used.

Thinking Maps are eight common visual-verbal learning tools, each based on a fundamental thinking process, and used together as a set of tools for showing relationships. Each Thinking Map has a basic visual starting point. Thinking Maps give all students and teachers a common language for meaningful learning, for transferring thinking processes, integrating learning, and continuously assessing progress. The consistency and flexibility of each Thinking Map promotes student-centered and cooperative learning, concept development, reflective thinking, clarity of communication, and continuous cognitive development.

Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Stuebing, K., Fletcher, J. M., Hamlett, C. L., & Lambert, W. (2008). Problem solving and computational skill: Are they shared or distinct aspects of mathematical cognition? Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(1), 30–47.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2006). Curriculum focal points for prekindergarten through grade 8 mathematics: A quest for coherence. Reston, VA: Author.

National Mathematics Advisory Panel. (2008). Foundations for success: The final report of the national mathematics advisory panel. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

Xin, Y. P., Jitendra, A. K., & Deatline-Buchman, A. (2005). Effects of mathematical word-problem-solving instruction on middle school students with learning problems. Journal of Special Education, 39(3), 181–192.

4. Describe the program delivery model that the LEA/school will implement. The description must address the delivery schedule (when, where, how), hours of service, student/instructor ratios, progress monitoring, plans to address program modifications when applicable, transportation services, etc.

Note: Due to required Remedial Math occurring during the Connections blocks at Temple Middle School, the school will implement an after-school and a Saturday FLP program.

Temple Middle School will implement a program of individualized instruction for small groups of 15 - 20 students. The program will occur at Temple Middle School after school on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm and during a oneBeg hour period at Saturday School on 16 Saturdays. Providing FLP instruction afterschool and on Saturdays ensures FlP is supplemental to the CCGPS classroom, Title I service, Remedial services, SpEd services and ELL services. In addition to FLP services, FLP students will also receive remedial math services daily during a connections class period. The connections math class period is 55 minutes, which provides a total of 425 minutes of remedial math instruction outside the regular math class for FLP students each week. Six Temple Middle School math teachers will provide the 90 minutes of after school FLP math tutoring on Monday and Tuesday of each week, excluding holidays when students are not at school. Two or three Temple High School math teachers will contract to substitute for any of the six TMS math teachers if they are unable to tutor at any of the afternoon or Saturday sessions. Beginning on August 25, 2014 and ending on May 12, 2015, the FLP consists of a total of 102 hours of after school FLP math tutoring with an additional 16 hours of FLP math at Saturday School, which is a combined total of 118 hours of FLP math tutoring outside the regular school day. Transportation will be provided through Carroll County transportation department for both afternoon and Saturday School sessions.

Saturday services will begin at 9:00 AM and end at 12:00 PM with FLP students attending one hour of FLP math, providing an additional 16 hours of instruction outside the school day. The Saturday classes will be held at Temple Middle School and bus transportation will be provided for students. Temple Middle School math teachers will provide instruction for the Saturday tutoring sessions. Class sizes will range from 15-20 students and will address individual deficits and support grade level CCGPS through remediation based on weekly assessment data and GRASP data.

The identified FLP students served during connections will be invited to participate in the FLP on 16 Saturdays, from September through April. These dates are as follows:

September 6, 2014September 20, 2014October 4, 2014October 18, 2014November 1, 2014November 15, 2014December 13, 2014January 10, 2015

January 24, 2015February 7, 2015February 28, 2015March 7, 2015March 21, 2015March 28, 2015April 18, 2015April 25, 2015

A sample of the FLP schedule on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday:

Monday4:00-5:306th Grade FLP Math

Tuesday4:00-5:306th Grade FLP Math

Saturday School9:00-12:00(1 hour – FLP Math)

Monday4:00-5:307th Grade FLP Math

Tuesday4:00-5:307th Grade FLP Math

Monday4:00-5:307th Grade FLP Math

Tuesday4:00-5:307th Grade FLP Math

Monday4:00-5:308th Grade FLP MathMonday4:00-5:308th Grade FLP Math

Tuesday4:00-5:308th Grade FLP MathTuesday4:00-5:308th Grade FLP Math

Monday4:00-5:308th Grade FLP Math

Tuesday4:00-5:008th Grade FLP Math

This schedule assures FLP services are supplemental and do not supplant other services required for FLP students.

Initial individualized learning plans will be developed for each student being served in the FLP program based on deficits identified from the 2014 CRCT. In addition, skill gaps in computational fluency and math concepts and applications will be identified from the G.R.A.S.P. universal screener. Progress monitoring will occur through utilization of the Georgia RESA Assessment of Student Progress (G.R.A.S.P.) as a universal screener with three administrations during the school year and GRASP math concepts and applications probes given every other week to monitor progress and determine skill gaps to guide instruction. A district created benchmark exam will be given in late February or March as another means of monitoring student progress.

The connections math teacher will track progress of students on these assessments. If students are not progressing academically, the principal, connections math teacher, FLP teacher, Federal

Program Director, and School Improvement Specialist will meet to determine program modifications that need to be made.

Temple Middle School will ensure compliance with Title I laws and regulations by attending all FLP training sessions provided by the Georgia Department of Education or the Carroll County School District and by following guidance provided at these training sessions. In addition, Temple Middle School will follow the Carroll County Title I requisition process for all FLP purchases. TMS administrators will also maintain an on-going dialogue with the Carroll County Title I Department to assure their understanding of Title I laws and regulations is clear and accurate. TMS will also ensure compliance by operating the Georgia Department of Education approved FLP plan with fidelity.

5. Describe the professional development (PD) that the LEA will provide for the FLP instructional staff/contractor to ensure that:

Instruction is tailored to the needs of participating students Instructional strategies are effective in helping at-risk students achieve success

Professional learning is required for FLP instructional staff only that will focus on instructional strategies for FLP math, progress monitoring and formative assessment. All professional development activities will be related to identified skills/strategies necessary to increase the student achievement of the FLP students. Teachers of the FLP students will attend a Thinking Maps training session for math to promote student-centered and cooperative learning, concept development, reflective thinking, creativity, clarity of communication, and continuous cognitive development to improve student achievement.

On a bi-weekly basis the district instructional coach will work individually with the FLP math teachers in providing professional development for identified areas of need with specific instructional strategies. For example, the instructional coach will observe on a continual basis the FLP teacher in the classroom to identify areas that need improvement or additional strategies that might be effective. The instructional coach will then model the strategy for the teacher during class, allow the teacher to practice the strategy as the instructional coach observes and then the instructional coach will provide the teacher with feedback. This will be an on-going practice with the teacher and instructional coach.

In addition, Dr. Rebecca Wilson, an instructional specialist consultant, will work individually with the FLP teachers on instructional strategies for under-achieving students. This will include modeling, observing and providing feedback for these teachers. These sessions will occur August 26, September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15, January 27, February 25, and March 24 for 8 hours each day

The District/school has the following procedure in place to assure this professional learning is for FLP teachers only:

Prior to a teacher attending professional development, the teacher must submit a professional leave request form.

The leave form provided information related to the event, the location, the funding source for the activity, and an agenda of the activity.

This form is first submitted to the school principal When a professional development activity is requested through FLP funding, the

principal reviews the activity to assure it is in the content area the FLP teacher is providing service and that the teacher is being paid through FLP funds.

This form is then submitted to the Director of Federal Programs When a professional development activity is requested through FLP funding, the

Director of Federal programs reviews the activity to assure it is in the content area the FLP teacher is providing service and that the teacher is being paid through FLP funds.

The Director of Federal Programs then verifies the professional learning activity is in the FLP budget.

After all factors are verified, the Director of Federal Programs electronically approves the leave request and an email is generated to the teacher requesting professional leave as notification that the leave has been approved.

Agendas, sign-in sheets, etc. are maintained for all FLP funded professional leave and these are maintained for monitoring purposes. In preparation for monitoring, all required components (Teacher is a FLP teacher, professional leave is in the content area in which the teacher provides service, and the activity is in the budget) is reviewed again.

6. Describe the procedures the LEA will implement to ensure that the instructional goals of the FLP students are aligned with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards.

Under the direction of the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, building administrators selected teacher leaders from across the district to develop interim and summative assessments that are aligned with the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS). These assessments will be used in conjunction with those assessments that are developed by the state. The district instructional coaches assisted the teacher leaders in choosing benchmark items from the online assessment system and ensured that the benchmark assessment is aligned with the CCGPS in preparing for the Georgia Milestone EOG. In addition to daily work, grades, bi-weekly G.R.A.S.P. probes and formative assessments, a pre and post common assessment is given for each Math Unit.

Building administrators review lesson plans each week and complete walkthrough observations each week. The FLP students’ regular math teacher, connections math teacher, and FLP tutor plan collaboratively and fluidly during the course of each week through the use of Google Drive.

7. Describe the procedures that the LEA will implement to maximize the enrollment and attendance of the students with the greatest need for the FLP?

The LEA has maximized enrollment and attendance by providing the opportunity to participate in the FLP program during two tutoring sessions after school each week and at 16 Saturday School sessions. Transportation is provided to ensure that students have the opportunity to attend the after school sessions and Saturday School sessions. If the parent submits an opt-out on the opt-in/opt-out form, the parent is conferenced with in person or via a telephone call to explain the importance of the student’s participation in FLP and encouraged to reconsider the

decision to opt-out. Parents are contacted if a student enrolled in FLP does not attend the tutoring sessions and asked to come in for a conference with the principal if the student continues to not attend these tutoring sessions. Attendance is taken each session by the teacher and posted on the attendance spreadsheet on the Google Drive for monitoring attendance. The school secretary will input FLP attendance data into Infinite Campus to monitor hours of instruction. Snacks are provided for the afternoon sessions by the school nutrition program and breakfast/snacks are provided by business partners each Saturday to promote attendance. As new students are enrolled, their incoming data is assessed for FLP status.

8. Describe the procedures the LEA/school will use to monitor the implementation of the program and the tracking of all required data (assessment, program cost, etc.). The procedures must include the person(s) responsible for monitoring the implementation of the FLP plan in the LEA’s schools.

The persons responsible for monitoring the FLP include:

Director of Teacher and Learning Principal Assistant Principal Director of Federal Programs Special Education In-School Coordinator Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESA) Representative Parents of FLP students Classroom mathematics teachers Instructional Coach

The Carroll County School System’s Directors of Teaching and Learning will conduct walk through observations during FLP instructional time periodically. The Director Federal Programs and the Director of Middle Schools and Secondary Education may perform these walkthroughs. The building administrators will perform observation and evaluation walkthroughs at least three times a month. Data talks are conducted during collaborative math planning for administrators and teachers to discuss the weekly data and any interim or summative data that becomes available.

Math unit assessment results will be submitted via Edusoft to the Department of Teaching and Learning and with the Federal Programs staff each nine weeks to monitor student progress. The building administrators will be responsible for monitoring implementation of the FLP plan on a continual basis and reporting any difficulties or issues in the program to the Director of Federal Programs.

All requisitions are approved by the Director of Federal Programs. Requisitions for the FLP plan will carry account-identifying numbers. The finance department will provide a monthly financial report and be used to track expenditures. In addition, all employees in the Carroll County School District receive an annual training on Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. The school building administrators and school leadership team will conduct walk-through observations during FLP

instructional time at least once each week. District walkthrough will occur at least once each month. These walkthroughs may be performed by the Director of Federal Programs, as well as the Director of Middle Schools and Secondary Education.

The Director of Federal Programs will provide a calendar of FLP documents and activities that must occur to meet compliance requirements. All required FLP communication with parents will be approved prior to distribution. On site visits will be made from the District Office to observe the FLP instructional program and to review monitoring folders provided by the Director of Federal Programs.

10. LEA’s are required to evaluate outcomes of their FLP interventions. Describe the LEA’s evaluation plan. The evaluation plan must address program goals, program effectiveness, measurement instruments, administration, and include an analysis for each school implementing FLP program implemented in the LEA:

A. List and describe the effectiveness target(s) or overall quantifiable goal(s) of the program. (What are the measureable outcomes that the intervention is designed to improve?

The effectiveness target over the next year for the FLP students is to increase math performance by way of progress monitoring through formative assessments, a benchmark assessment, unit tests, and the Georgia Milestone state assessment in order to reach a proficiency target in math for all students of the state average in 2015. Meeting this target will narrow the achievement gap between the FLP students and higher performing subgroups. An increase in math achievement for the Economically Disadvantaged subgroup will also influence the SWD subgroup because of a significant overlap of FLP students in the SWD and ED subgroup. This may result in a significant decrease in the percentage of these students failing the Georgia Milestone Assessment at the end of the three years, resulting in Temple Middle School being able to exit the Focus School status in the spring of 2015.

B. List and describe the assessment instrument(s) that will be used to measure each program target/goal.

A comprehensive benchmark is given in late February or early March to determine the students’ mastery or non-mastery of the standards covered at that point in time. The assessment is generated collaboratively by district-wide teacher leaders and are aligned with the mathematics CCGPS.

The Georgia Milestone Assessment will be administered in the spring and is designed to measure how well students adopted curriculum including the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) in mathematics. The assessment yields information on academic achievement at the student, class, school, system, and state levels. This information is used to diagnose individual student strengths and weaknesses as related to the instruction of the state adopted curriculum.

USA Test Prep is a web-based program and is accessible to students at school and at home. The program provides review that is aligned to the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards and shows progress for each student at the element level. Teachers can view student progress, track their weak areas, and monitor student activity.

USA Test Prep is designed to track student achievement and identify skill deficits. The program will be used at least twice a month.

Georgia RESA Assessment of Student Progress (G.R.A.S.P.) provides three screeners during the school year and probes to address the skill deficits identified by the screeners. G.R.A.S.P. also provides a tracking component to progress monitor the student.

IXL is a computer based program that is used to assess the students' understanding as they practice math skills. The program generates detailed performance reports that provide data on grade-level proficiency, trouble spots, and progress toward meeting established goals. 

C. Include a plan/procedure(s) for administering assessment instruments and for collecting and maintaining data. (A timeline for assessments must be provided. How will the LEA/school maintain student assessment information to ensure confidentiality?)

Nine week benchmark – the Mathematics comprehensive benchmark will be administered in late February or March by addressing content that is aligned with the CCGPS and the content addressed in the FLP plan. The student data will be uploaded into Edusoft in order to provide disaggregated data. The Principal, math teachers, and FLP tutor will analyze and determine if interventions being implemented are effective, adjust lesson plans, monitor, and maintain data.

Weekly SAFE’s (Short And Frequent Evaluation) are informal assessments administered on Wednesday or Thursday of each week that are used in a diagnostic manner to determine if students are successfully mastering skills that have been the focus of instruction. The SAFE data are shared with the connections math teacher and the FLP math teacher on Monday of each week to inform/adjust their instruction. Utilization of this data allows teacher teams to focus on specific skill gaps of students.

Annual CRCT test scores in the area of Mathematics are administered in the spring each year. Data is returned by the state and is maintained at the school and district level.

Georgia RESA Assessment of Student Progress (G.R.A.S.P.), a universal screener, is used to identify skill gaps in computational fluency and math concepts and applications. A fluency quiz is given every Friday and a math concepts and applications probe is given every other Wednesday to monitor progress and determine skill gaps to guide instruction in the math connections class. Students will have S.M.A.R.T. Goals (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Based, Time Bound) formed to monitor progress and a self-monitoring tool to graph their fluency scores each week. The math connections teacher will collect and maintain this data.

Each CCGPS math unit is typically covered in 4 - 5 weeks.  Grades 6-8 will take the Unit 1 pretest on Monday, August 11, 2014, with the Unit 1 posttest scheduled for September 4, 2014. Weekly SAFE’s are administered each Wednesday or Thursday in the regular ed math class to determine the level of mastery of the content covered that week. If a student has not completed work or makes less than 70 on the weekly SAFE in the regular math class, Saturday School (9:00 am – 12:00 pm) is provided for remediation. In addition, the students participating in the FLP may attend the regular math remedial class if needed, but will also attend the FLP Saturday math class for one hour.

D. Include the LEA’s/school’s data analysis plan. (How will the LEA/school determine program effectiveness based on the program goals and measurement instruments listed above?)

The program effectiveness will be determined by an analysis of the students’ academic progress in math by monitoring and tracking their G.R.A.S.P. universal screener scores at three intervals during the school-year, benchmark score, USA Test Prep standards mastery reports, and CRCT results. A Short Term Action Plan (STAP) is developed initially in collaboration with the School Improvement Specialist that describes program goals, strategies, activities, person(s) responsible, timeline, status, and evaluation components for the identified FLP students. The program effectiveness is determined by the goals of the STAP being met through utilization of the above described measurement instruments. Each FLP student has an Individualized Plan that includes a monitoring component of data. These data include GRASP screeners that are administered three times during the school-year and GRASP probes, which are administered every bi-weekly to determine student progress in mastering skills. A benchmark assessment is also included in the data analysis to determine student deficiencies and areas of growth.

E. Include a description of the procedures that the LEA/school will implement to collect, analyze, and report participant feedback.

All students served through the FLP plan will complete an online survey in the computer lab at school at the end of the second semester using Survey Monkey to provide participant feedback. A paper copy of the survey will be sent home to the parents of students to ensure that all parents have the opportunity to participate and provide feedback since all parents do not have access to the Internet at home. The FLP teachers and the school administrators will also complete surveys to provide customer satisfaction feedback. An analysis of the surveys will be correlated according to respondent type by the Director of Federal Programs and provided to the school principal, who will then present this information to parents and other stakeholders at the required Annual Title I Meeting, the required FLP Parent Meeting, and the annual Focus School’s Cluster Annual Report Night, which is held every year to provide student achievement information to the stakeholders in the community. Stakeholders will be informed of the importance of their feedback at each of these meetings. The results of the surveys will also be posted on the school website and Facebook page.

F. Describe the LEA’s/school’s plan for informing parents/guardians of participating students’ progress toward the student’s academic goals.

The G.R.A.S.P. universal screener will be given to the students participating in the FLP to establish a baseline of their math skills in computational application and fluency. They will take the universal screeners at two additional intervals during the course of the year in order to measure their progress. G.R.A.S.P. probes will be provided for the students every other week to determine the students’ progress on

fluency of skills. In late February or March a district created benchmark assessment will be given to all students to measure their progress on standards mastery and USA Test Prep will provide additional progress monitoring on standards mastery each week. IXL will be used for skill mastery and will be used during the tutoring sessions with students and parents encouraged to continue the work at home.

There will be multiple ways of informing parents/guardians of participating students’ progress. Individual parent conferences will be held on the Saturday morning following distribution of progress reports at the end of each 4 ½ week period. A compilation of the students’ progress will be provided for the parents at these conferences. More frequent communication with the parents will include use of the daily agendas to provide information regarding progress or a lack of progress regarding the student’s performance in math each day. Email or phone calls, if the parent does not have email, will provide a continual format for informing parents of progress or barriers to the student’s progress.

G. Describe the LEA’s school’s plan for informing stakeholders regarding results of the program evaluation, effectiveness of the program, and ongoing program improvement(s).

The achievement results of the students participating in the FLP will be collected and analyzed throughout the school-year to determine the effectiveness of the overall program. The data collected during the year will include pre- and post- unit test scores, a third nine-weeks benchmark score, G.R.A.S.P. universal screeners given during the fall, winter, and spring, USA Test Prep progress monitoring reports, and the CRCT scores in the spring. An analysis of these various assessment results will be used in determining the effectiveness of the FLP.

The attendance data of the students participating in the FLP tutoring classes will be collected monthly. Any issues with attendance of the participating students will be addressed by daily phone calls to parents when a student is absent and with letters beginning on the fifth absence. If further absences continue, conferences with the parent(s) and student will be scheduled with an administrator, counselor, and social worker. The attendance data will be collected, analyzed, and considered in the final program report that will be released to stakeholders. Attendance data will be aggregated for the school and disaggregated by grade levels.

Surveys provided by the district office will be utilized to collect information regarding the parents’ experience and satisfaction with the FLP. The input from the survey results will be taken into account in the process of determining the effectiveness of the program and ways to improve the program.

The effectiveness of the program will be determined by continuously monitoring student progress and making adjustments in instructional strategies at each 4.5 week intervals accordingly. The overall effectiveness of the program will be determined by the district/school level administrators as the various types of end-of-year data are

collected and analyzed. These data include spring G.R.A.S.P. scores, USA Test Prep end-of-year progress reports and math CRCT scores. As the FLP is implemented, lessons learned that promote student progress in academic achievement, attendance, and motivation will be noted. Plans will be collaboratively developed for on-going improvements by school administrators, FLP teachers, connections math teacher, regular ed math teachers, and parents based on the lessons learned and stakeholder input.

The program evaluation will be conducted after CRCT results are received by the school, allowing for a comprehensive collection of student data to be included in the analysis. A final report will be provided by the school principal that includes a composite visual representation of student progress by grade level and a written summary of the year-end results.

The FLP summary report will includeo Overall achievement results for all students participating in the FLP

program GRASP performance Benchmark performance CRCT performance

o Attendance Data for participating FLP students o Customer satisfaction survey results

Parent Student Teacher/Administrator

o An overview of the effectiveness of the program for the yearo Lessons learned during implementation of the programo Program modifications that will be recommended to the FLP planning

team for the FY16 FLP plan

The summary report of the FLP will be released to stakeholders at the LEA Annual Title I meeting at the board office in the summer and the principal will provide the information through a presentation at the required Annual Title I meeting, which will also be held in the September of 2014. The evaluation results will also be presented at the FLP plan revision meeting with parents, at the 2014 Open House meetings, and the Temple Cluster Annual Report meeting. All stakeholders will be invited to attend these meetings in multiple ways to include school messenger callouts, emails, newsletters, newspapers, flyers, school marquis, school website, Facebook, and invitations. These stakeholders include students, parents and community business partners and dignitaries.