Colorado's Unified Improvement Plan for Schools

Baker Elementary School UIP 2024-25

      
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Content


  • Document icons and definitions

  • Priority Performance Challenges
  • Root Cause
  • Major Improvement Strategies
  • Action Steps
  • Progress Monitoring
  • Trend Direction

Executive Summary


Priority Performance Challenges Root Cause Major Improvement Strategies
  • English Language Arts Academic Language
    		•
  • Student needs
    		•
  • Science of Reading training/focus
    		•
  • Social Emotional Needs
    		•
  • Focus on student's social emotional needs
  • Universal Screener for Social Emotional needs
    		•
  • School Wide Social Emotional Program implimentation
    		•
  • Family and Community Engagement
    		•
  • Family partnerships
    		•
  • Family and Community Engagement (Family Nights/Events)
    		•


    Access the School Performance Framework here: http://www.cde.state.co.us/schoolview/performance

    Access the Literacy Curriculum Transparency Dashboard here: https://www.cde.state.co.us/code/literacycurriculumtransparency-dashboard

    Improvement Plan Information


    Additional Information about the school



    Improvement Plan Information

    The school/district is submitting this improvement plan to satisfy requirements for (check all that apply):


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    Narrative on Data Analysis and Root Cause Identification


    Description of School Setting and Process for Data Analysis

    Baker Elementary is one of four elementary schools in the town of Fort Morgan.  We currently have roughly 300 students in first through fifth grades. We have two reading interventionists, five specials teachers instructing art, physical education, music, computers, and library skills, one English Language Development (ELD) instructor, 2 special education instructors the are content specific, reading and math, an Emotional Disability classroom and teacher needs classroom and teacher, and 15 teachers instructing students from grades one to five. We also have a support staff of one  full time counselor, a nurse, two secretaries, one speech therapist, five teacher assistants, four cooks, an instructional coach, and four custodians.  Currently, 76% of our students receive free or reduced lunch, which is an indicator of poverty.  We also serve 40 students who are on an Individualized Education Plan or IEP. These students are served by our special education staff as well as our general education teachers.  This is our seventh year of Baker Elementary serving elementary students. Previously, Baker was a 5th and 6th-grade school. We utilized DIBELS Next Math and DIBELS Reading scores for our students and used them to set our goals for the upcoming year. We have fully implemented NWEA testing for all grades, three times a year.

    Prior Year Targets

    Provide a summary of your progress in implementing the Major Improvement Strategies and if they had the intended effect on systems, adult actions, and student outcomes (e.g. targets).

    We saw success with all three targets. We we able to implement Character Strong in every classroom with fidelity. Our science of reading training in LETRS for every teacher has also shown to yield great results in out reading growth scores. Our MTSS and PLC processes are both strong and through which we are able to provide students with individualized supports and interventions. 


    Based on your reflection and evaluation, provide a summary of the adjustments that you will make for this year's plan.

    We will continue to use Character Strong and Capturing Kids Hearts in every classroom with fidelity. We will be changing our reading initiative slightly to include the training of as many teachers as possible in 95% RAP. Since our PLC and MTSS processes are in place and strong we will be shifting our third focus to be family and community engagement related. On our COMTSS survey this year that is the area we scored the lowest.  As a result, this will be one of our improvement strategies this year.

    Current Performance

    As of September 2024 Baker was given a Performance level plan by the state of Colorado with a score of 62.2/% points. This was up 8 points from our 2023 rating. We received 18.3/40 points (45.2%) on academic achievement with a rating of approaching. We got 43.9/60 (73.2%) on academic growth with a rating of Meets. Across all areas our achievement scores remain lowers in the approaching or does not meet categories. On the other hand our growth scores were in the ''meets'' category for all markers except SPED in ELA and Multilingual. Learners in math which were in the ''approaching'' category.  

    Trend Analysis

    Trend Direction: Stable
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Achievement (Status)

    Achievement scores have remained in the "approaching" or "does not meet" categories for multiple years now.
    Trend Direction: Increasing
    Performance Indicator Target: Academic Growth

    Academic growth is continuing to go in the right direction. Our growth scores have continued to increase for the last three years.

    Additional Trend Information:

    In 2024 our growth scores continued to increase over the past nine years since we became an elementary school.  The work we've done, the processes we have in place, and our low staff turnover rate have all played a vital role in our success. 

    Priority Performance Challenge and Associated Root Cause

    Priority Performance Challenge:  English Language Arts Academic Language

    Our students, in ELA (English Language Arts) are not efficiently processing academic language in their reading and writing to make expected progress. In ELA, we are not meeting all student needs.


    Root Cause: Student needs

    In ELA, we are not meeting effectively meeting and addressing student needs. 


    Priority Performance Challenge:  Social Emotional Needs

    We are implementing Character Strong School wide.

    Area of Focus: Social-Emotional/Trauma-Informed


    Root Cause: Focus on student's social emotional needs

    We are implementing Character Strong school wide in every classroom as a means effectively meet student's needs

    Root Cause Category: Social-Emotional/Trauma-Informed

    Root Cause: Universal Screener for Social Emotional needs

    We are utilizing the SEL universal screener Aperture three times a year to identify and meet student's needs.


    Priority Performance Challenge:  Family and Community Engagement

    This year our COMTSS survey results indicated that family and community engagement was one of our lowest areas. As a result we are going to work on strengthening our partnership with parents through a series or family nights and better communication on a school wide level.

    Area of Focus: School/District Culture


    Root Cause: Family partnerships

    We will plan three events for families over the year. Our Baker Bash, a winter family night, and a READ Plan night. The READ Plan night will be focused on better explaining READ plans to parents and providing families with reading material and activities to do at home.

    Root Cause Category: Family/community engagement

    Why were these challenges selected and what is the magnitude of the overall performance challenges:

    We are in a good place right now but success is a moving target and always something we are trying to improve. We feel that reading instruction, social emotional needs and family engagement are the three most important areas for us to work on this year. 

    How were the Root Causes were selected and verified:

    The task of identifying priority challenges and in turn, root causes and action steps began with grade level conversations in our professional learning communities. These conversations yielded great information in regards to where we were and potential changes that need to be considered. The process ultimately culminated with a professional development day devoted to the process of identifying performance challenges and subsequent root causes. This was an incredibly productive and at times tough session that yielded great results. Said results are listed below. This allowed us to make some changes sooner rather than later (i.e. looking at the use self report questions resulting in over-scaffolding). 

    Social Emotional Student Needs: We need to better assess and meet the social emotional needs of students.

    • Family Engagement: We need to work with families to better understand what the need and how we can help to make our family nights more mutually beneficial for both home and school.
      1. Cause: Lack of relevance for families 
    Action steps
    1. Baker Bash
    2. Winter Family Night
    3. READ Plan Night
    • Character Strong Implementation
    1.  Cause: Student's social emotional needs are not being met and we need to address them on a tier one level.
    Action Steps
    1. Work with staff to create non negotiable to done weekly in class 

    • English Language Arts: Priority Performance Challenge:   English Language Arts Academic Language

      Our students, in ELA (English Language Arts) are not efficiently processing academic language in their reading and writing to make expected progress. In ELA, we are not meeting all student needs.

      Cause: In ELA, we are not meeting effectively meeting and addressing student needs.

      Action Steps:

        1. Use available data to identify specific student gaps, such as language and vocabulary skill needs. 

        2. Develop a systematic approach to teach critical thinking within the context of ELA.  

        3. Explore professional development in the science of reading (multi-sensory, brain-based).

        4. Students can verbalize the ''Why?'' of their learning.  

    Additional Narrative / Conclusion

    Across all content areas, major improvement techniques will revolve around both our problem of practice and our three techniques being addressed through PLC work and instructional rounds.

    ''Our problem of practice at Baker is an overabundance of scaffolding (''I do'' or ''we do'') and not enough student practice. Students do not all have foundational skills required to master skills that are more complex. As a result, we over scaffold our lessons to keep pace. This, in place of extra time spent on foundational skills. This problem of practice greatly limits our ability in instruction to utilize any dialogic instruction, which lends itself to more active learning at the deep and transfer levels.''

    After much discussion with staff, data analysis, and time spent in classrooms, it became clear that we were scaffolding for students far too much and ultimately learning was remaining on the surface level. As a means to address this and work on changing instructional practices we have set out to work on rejecting self-report questions as outlined by Doug Lemov in Teach Like a Champion 2.0. In other words we are working as a staff to become more cognizant of the type of questions we are asking and focusing on those questions that give us the best information on whether students truly understand the material. Self-report questions are highly inaccurate and typically result in a yes or no response. In place of such questions teachers are working on creating targeted question (Lemov), a technique that focuses on creating quality questions throughout the lesson to provide better feedback from students on their level of understanding. The last technique of Lemov's that we are focusing on is Standardizing the Format, the idea here is giving students a specific place to do work and show answers which in turn helps the teacher locate what they are looking for quicker while checking for understanding.

    Action and Progress Monitoring Plans

    Major Improvement Strategy and Action Plan

    >

    Science of Reading training/focus

    What will success look like:

    		One area we are focusing on training for staff in the science of reading. Over the next two years we are going to work on providing science of reading training for all first-third grade teachers.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		We will be able t provide this training through grant fund since we are an ELG school. We have applied for and will receive money for this training over the next two years.

    Associated Root Causes:

    Science of reading: Explore professional development in the science of reading (multi-sensory, brain-based). Through ELG we are pursuing funds to train all first-third teacher trained in LETRS.

    Student needs: In ELA, we are not meeting effectively meeting and addressing student needs. 

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status
    Regular Instructional Rounds Conduct regular instructional rounds 09/03/2019
    12/18/2020
    		 School Leadership

    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status
    > >

    School Wide Social Emotional Program implimentation

    What will success look like:

    		Success will be every classroom utilizing Character Strong on a weekly basis and monthly counselor supports.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		Meeting the social emotional needs of students is an area we are lacking consistency in both implementation and support. Our plan is to work with grade level teams to support their implementation which will ultimately result in student success.

    Strategy Category:

    		Social Emotional Learning Supports

    Associated Root Causes:

    Focus on student's social emotional needs: We are implementing Character Strong school wide in every classroom as a means effectively meet student's needs

    Universal Screener for Social Emotional needs: We are utilizing the SEL universal screener Aperture three times a year to identify and meet student's needs.

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status

    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status
    > >

    Family and Community Engagement (Family Nights/Events)

    What will success look like:

    		We will know we were successful when after holding three separate events.

    Describe the research/evidence base supporting the strategy:

    		Our COMTSS survey results indicated this was our weakest area and the one we need to focus on this year.

    Strategy Category:

    		Family and Community Engagement

    Associated Root Causes:

    Family partnerships: We will plan three events for families over the year. Our Baker Bash, a winter family night, and a READ Plan night. The READ Plan night will be focused on better explaining READ plans to parents and providing families with reading material and activities to do at home.

    Implementation Benchmarks Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Benchmark Name Description Start/End/Repeats Key Personnel Status

    Action Steps Associated with Major Improvement Strategy

    Name Description Start/End Date Resource Key Personnel Status

    Progress Monitoring: Student Target Setting

    Priority Performance Challenge : English Language Arts Academic Language

    Priority Performance Challenge : Social Emotional Needs

    Priority Performance Challenge : Family and Community Engagement

    Attachments List

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