State of the School Community Meeting

1. State of the School Community Meeting Valdez 12/10/13

2. Welcome • Introduce yourself to someone in the room you don’t know

3. Vision • Every child will thrive in academics • Every child will be bilingual and bi-literate • Every child will be engaged and challenged everyday …because these are the skills our students need to be successful in life and in college.

4. Innovation • The State of Colorado granted Innovation Status to Valdez in June 2010 • Our Innovation Status was renewed last year through a collaborative process by 100% teacher vote • Innovation allows us: • Programming decisions (dual language, math, Montessori, etc.) • More money • Better use of time • Attitude • The Right Teachers

5. Academics • Focused on thinking and conceptual understanding across content in all grade levels • Support for all students • Individual • Small groups in and out of the classroom • We know every child well

6. Dual Language • At Every Grade Level • All students are instructed in English and Spanish everyday • Native Language literacy first in ECE-1st grades • Concepts and ideas transfer across languages • Every child has “L2 time” everyday: • Opportunity to be with similar peers to do focused work on second language

7. Montessori: 3, 4, and 5 year olds • Morning (3s, 4s, and 5s): • Solid Montessori work block • Montessori Line Time • L2 time • All morning teachers go to the full yearlong MECR training • Afternoon: • 5s (Kindergarten): Workshop Model in math and literacy to support transition to 1st grade • 4s: combination of workshop model and Montessori works • Half day afternoon teachers have modified MECR training, coaching to support students

8. TCAP Status Scores March 2013

9. TCAP Growth Scores 2013 *too few students due to the number of 3rd graders who took TCAP in Spanish the previous year

10. School Performance Framework (SPF)

11. SPF Details • Goals: • Continue to have high growth • Increase status

12. Second Language: Spanish

13. Second Language: English • State ACCESS test • Administered K-5th grades • 157 Valdez students took the test in 2012-13

14. Attendance

15. Student Satisfaction

16. Parent Satisfaction

17. Teacher retention

18. Teacher Survey • Administered and compiled by HR • 28/32 Teachers completed it • Shared the results with teachers last week • 4 categories: School, Personal, Principal, Teacher

19. School Questions • We are headed in the right direction, I like working here, we focus on learning, we engage parents, people care about me • 3 Teachers (11%) Strongly Disagree/Disagree • 23-26 Teachers (83-93%) Agree/Strongly Agree Note: In this category, 3 teachers strongly disagreed or disagreed and between 23-26 teachers strongly agreed or agreed, depending on the question.

20. Personal Questions • I promote the values, I have important input, I collaborate with my colleagues • 1-4 Teachers (3.5-14%) Strongly Disagree/Disagree • 21-26 Teachers (75-93%) Agree/Strongly Agree

21. Principal Questions • The principal fosters constructive dialogue, feel safe talking to the principal, the principal talks to us openly and frankly • 4-5 Teachers (14-17.5%) Strongly Disagree/Disagree • 21-23 Teachers (75-82%) Agree/ Strongly Agree

22. Teacher Questions • We follow through on what we commit to, we are out in front in our professional learning, there is a culture of respect at this school • 1-4 Teachers (3.5-14.5%) Strongly Disagree/ Disagree • 20-22 Teachers (71-85%) Agree/ Strongly Agree

23. What we like best about working at this school… • Staff culture, kids, families, focus on kids, dual language, instructional focus, incredible support, collaboration, strong leadership, aligning practice with values, partner teacher

24. Most important issue impacting our school… • Importance of Spanish language/bridging parent community/equity, team building/supporting partnerships, teacher voice/leadership, dual language, collaboration, communication, facility/re-model (retaining families), parents not over-stepping role

25. Teacher reflections • Noticings: • A lot of people are happy here and feel strongly about it • Vision/values/collaboration scores are high • We want everyone to feel happy/respected • There is still work to be done

26. Written Feedback to use as next steps Teachers wrote concrete ideas on post-its to guide our next steps

27. Principal time

28. Next Steps • As outlined in our UIP, continue to work on… • Language • Rigor/Critical thinking • Every Child Succeeds/ Equity

29. Next Steps • Family Communication • Clear, frequent communication • Monthly newsletter • Office Hours 2X a month • Continue to team build • Munch and Mingles • Teambuilding PD including partnership support • “Fun Afternoon/Day” • Continue to support Teacher Leadership • Multiple committees to support Valdez work • Teaching and Learning Committee • Support Teachers in having concerns addressed • School Leadership • Union Representative • Work on feedback areas with teachers from survey

30. Exit Ticket • What is going really well at Valdez? • What is one “next step”?