Title I Schools In Need Of Assistance (SINA)

1. Title I Schools In Need Of Assistance (SINA) Red Oak Community schools Washington Intermediate Red Oak Middle School 2010 - 2012

2. Considerations for DINA Diagnosis/Design PhasesBased on the District Profile Overall Strengths • Teachers feel the administration is making efforts to address district concerns. • Over 40% of K-8 teachers have reading endorsements. • The district has committed time and resources to developing PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) which can provide a common framework for future school improvement efforts. Considerations for Further Study Curriculum: • There is a lack of aligned curriculum K-8, including specific guidance for mastery of grade-level expectations, definition of mastery, and assessment of student mastery. • There is not a consistent set of materials at each grade level to support instruction. Instruction: • There is not a systematic implementation of instructional strategies that have been part of professional development in the past. • There is little evidence that teachers are implementing learning from professional development consistently and with fidelity. Assessment: • There is no system for teachers and administrators to readily access data that reflects individual student performance, grade-level performance, co-hort performance and sub-group performance on district assessments Climate: • There appears to be variation in teacher perceptions regarding building culture/climate.

3. What is the SINA Program? • Schools who have not met required expectations through standardized achievement are indentified as in Need of Assistance by the federal legislation for No Child Left Behind • The SINA process lasts for a two year period of time. In Red Oak this began October 1, 2010 and will continue through 2012 • The SINA process will address the core subjects of reading and mathematics; will implement researched based strategies to show improvement; will implement increased teacher mentoring; and will involvement parents in the improvement process; and will provide for a peer review during the two-year improvement cycle • If successful, Red Oak Schools will educate all students to high standards; strengthen the internal capacity of each school; focus accountability on measurement results; and integrate quality educational practices with local decision making. • The SINA process has a completed ‘design phase’ found in the state mandated “action plan” • SINA requires a monitoring phase which includes professional development that develops the capacity of teachers. School Leadership Teams assure the delivery of needed interventions, facilitates support, collects data both formative and summative, and establishes a culture of continuous school improvement • The SINA process ends with monitoring: evaluating the effectiveness of what teachers have done; reports the monitoring results to the community and the Iowa Department of Education; and recommends adjustment for continuous improvement

4. Specific Building Goals: Washington: By Fall 2012, the percentage of non-proficient students in reading will be reduced by 10%. Middle School: By Fall 2012, the percentage of non-proficient low SES students in reading and math will be reduced by 10%.

5. Specific Action Steps: 1. Notification of Parents and C0mmunity 2. Audit, Diagnosis, and Design 3. Use student data for instructional decision making 4. Select curricular resources in reading using evidenced based research that are vertically and horizontally aligned with Iowa Core 5. Implementation of think-alouds K-8 6. Implementation of concepts based instruction 7. Parent Involvement

6. What Does SINA Mean to Red Oak High School and Inman Primary School? • Red Oak High School will soon receive middle school students who must have continued interventions for learning improvement • Teachers at all levels must become stronger in student data analysis and diagnosing for improvement • Proficiency levels must increase in grades 9, 10, and 11 as measured by the ITED testing program • Diagnosis and on-going monitoring must occur in levels beginning at Inman Primary continuing through the upper grades of the high school • Strategies for improving teacher capacity will begin at Inman Primary and flow through all levels at the high school • Communications about teaching and learning must be increased at all school sites through the district’s Professional Learning Communities initiative • There must be a common core language used throughout the school district to see all grades and subject disciplines improve

7. What does the SINA process mean for parents? • Parents must have knowledge of their student’s achievement level • Parents must become active partners in the school improvement process through initiatives at each school • Parents must have access in as many ways possible to monitor their child’s growth

8. Leadership Team Meeting Dates, Times and Focus:

9. Projected Professional Development for Staff - Dates, Times, and Focus: