AYP Announcement for Weathersfield School
Adequate
Yearly Progress, or AYP, is an accountability report given to each
school by Vermont’s Agency of Education based on the Fall 2012 NECAP
test scores in reading and math. The fall 2012 tests measured the
progress of students from the FY 13 school year. This report tells
whether or not a school has made adequate progress for various sub
groups of students including the school’s free and reduced student
population, students with disabilities, English Language Learners, all
students, and various ethnic origins of the student population. 100% of
our students in grades 3-8 participated. If a subgroup has a student
number of less than 40, AYP is not determined. We do have some
subgroups here at WS with a student population of less than 40.
Here are the WS results: Weathersfield School did not make AYP in reading for free and reduced lunch students –
2011
and 2013 are the only two years that WS students in grades three
through eight did NOT make AYP in Reading for free and reduced lunch
students
.
Weathersfield School did not make AYP in math for all students, white students and free and reduced students
this is the third year in ten years that WS students in grades three through eight did
not make AYP in Math for all students, free and reduced lunch students and white students.
However, last year we made AYP in all those categories!
Just
because we did not make AYP does not mean we are not an excellent
school and improving daily. True, the target was raised for us this
year and like most schools in Vermont, we did not make AYP. We did show
growth and improvement, but we did not meet the target set by the
federal and state government. We are NOT discouraged. We ARE
determined to continue in our quest to help each and every child to meet
high, challenging standards. Thank you to parents, teachers and
students for your hard work this past year. I am so proud of how we
tackled this as partners....we have made a difference!
Because
we did not make AYP in 2013, we are now a school in Year 2 of an
Improvement Plan. We will continue on with the excellent professional
development work we started last year to improve teaching and learning
and to ensure that our student scores show steady progress over time, as
they have to date. This data has been tracked over time and is
available to anyone, just ask! The WSSU has invested a great deal of
time and energy in writing a new English Language Arts curriculum, tied
to the Common Core Standards, complete with rubrics and assessments at
each grade level. The curriculum was rolled out at the WSSU Inservice
on August 23, 2012. The work of that cadre is ongoing as they revise
assessments and look at creating anchor papers at every level. We are
very excited about this and feel certain that this will have a huge
impact on increasing student learning! The same process is being
followed for math. We have a Common Core Math curriculum this year that
another cadre will refine and later develop matching assessments.
Here is a list of other professional development opportunities which will be the focus of our work in FY 14:
Professional Development Goals for the FY 14 School Year – Building Based and WSSU Supported
1. Instruction, Instruction, Instruction
2. ELA Curriculum, Rubrics, Assessments, and Materials
3. Technology – Grade K -4 Standards Based Report Cards
4. K- 12 Math Curriculum and Assessment
5. WS Schoolwide Improvement and Action Plan – Year 3
6. Building Developmental Assets in School Communities with our MAPP Partners
7. Act One - Protecting Children From Sexual Abuse
8. Professional Learning Communities – data collection, analysis and tiered instruction for remediation
9. Restraint and Support Training
10. Inform Data Collection System
11. Mentoring
12. Skillful Teacher Training
13. Streamlining the transition into public school from EEE, Pre - Schools, Home Care Providers and others
14. Next Generation Science Standards
15. Supplemental Services for at risk students
Our PLCs, (Professional Learning Communities) , are ready and poised to do the following this year:
1. Look at student work and data on every child/grade and school data, too; refine units of instruction as necessary
2. Providing supplemental intervention with clearly defined entrance and exit criteria
3. Support teachers through collaboration coaching, resources and problem solving
4. Review school climate surveys
5. Train in teaching and learning skills/strategies to maximize effectiveness
Required Action for WS in Year 2 School Improvement:
A. Must have SU and School Based Improvement Teams.
B. Must provide written notice to parents about not making AYP.
C. Must offer school choice.
D. Superintendent must sign off on assurances.
E. WS must offer supplemental educational services.
F. Review, revise and implement NEW school improvement plan
The
law requires schools to notify parents whose children are in a school
on an improvement plan that they have the option to transfer to another
school in the district if they are unhappy with the school, and that
transportation will be provided. In telling you this, I have met the
letter of the law, however, the only elementary school in the district
is the Weathersfield School, and so there is not another choice for K-8
students. In the Bennington School District, there are several schools
in the same district which makes this law more plausible for them, but
not for us
.
To
give this some perspective, 2011 marked the final target AYP increase
(before the 100 percent proficiency goal set for 2015) in Vermont. As a
consequence, the department has seen a significant increase in the
number of schools that did not make AYP. 214 schools are identified for
school improvement in one or more areas. 17 of those are new schools
entering their first year of school improvement. Additionally, 21
schools did not make AYP for the first time this year.
We
are a Title 1 Schoolwide School. If you would like a copy of our
Schoolwide Action and Improvement Plan, please call the school at
674-5400, and we will make a copy available to you. It is a three year
plan and written by a number of local people, in and outside of the
school community. We also have the plan on our school website. The plan
speaks to a comprehensive way to address student achievement and to get
parents, community and local businesses involved in the process. We
had 100+ volunteers work in our school of 230, K-8 students, last year.
Some read to children, some worked in the library, some went on field
trips, some coached sports, while others tutored children or helped in
the classroom. There is an endless list of ways volunteers can help
make a school better and we are thankful to have such a loving and
involved community!
We
encourage volunteerism and welcome anyone and everyone who cares to
join us in making Weathersfield School the very best school in the state
of Vermont! I think we are half way there!
Sincerely,
JeanMarie
JeanMarie K. Oakman, WS Principal
September 13, 2013
![Update to the forecast of cold temps tonight: the NWS has included much of the Champlain Valley in the frost advisory after a check of newest data. The areas that may avoid frost will be within a mile or 2 of Lake Champlain- elsewhere, protect those gardens/crops.
@[248418628553883:274:Meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin Fox 44]](https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s843x403/1240115_10152544319600663_834052523_n.jpg)
