Asian

All MVCS students at grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments and the 3rd through 5th grade SOLs.

Systemic Alignment - Instructional Excellence - Student Accessibility and Support Strategic Resource Allocation - Family and Community Engagement

Projecct

☐ Developing a culture centered in student data literacy

Academic Disparities

☐ Talent and Gifted ☐ PreK-2 Literacy ☐ Students With Disabilities (SWD) Emotional Disabilities (ED) - Black Students

Low academic achievement of ELs in Science SOLs which continues to follow the traditional pass or fail system RELEVANT SCHOOL PROFILE DATA

Total Students= 857

Demographics

Latin X = 56% White = 36% Black = 3% Multiracial = 4% Asian = 1% EL = 46% SPED = 7% TAG = 8% FRL = 50%

Mount Vernon Community School (MVCS) is a K-5 dual language school (Spanish and English) with a L2 school quality indicator in science. As a dual language school, science and mathematics content is delivered in Spanish and assessed in English. MVCS is currently under academic review due to science academic achievement performance.

Science Academic Achievement: All Students

SY 2019: 57% Passing Rate SY 2018: 70% Passing Rate SY 2017: 70% Passing Rate

Cumulative 3 Year: 66% Passing Rate

The decline in the SY19 MVCS performance in science in, as well as the stagnant growth between SY17 and SY18, led the school leadership to assess how science is currently taught, the time spent on science instruction, and the need for changes in instructional time, planning and delivery.

The school administration identified the need for revising the school-wide master schedule, provide professional development to all teachers on aligning the written, taught and tested science curriculum, and provide learning opportunities for teachers in planning scientific investigations for students as expected in the Standards of Learning.

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are the main forum to set expectations, analyze student performance data and plan collaboratively. However, there is a need to communicate clear and explicit expectations regarding aligning the written, taught and tested curriculum to the Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework's Essential Knowledge and Skills, monitor, and provide feedback to teachers on lesson plans and lesson observations. There is a targeted need for actively monitoring science lesson plans and lesson delivery with a specific focus on ensuring student expectations and experiences correlate with the content and cognitive level. Relevancy of the content and hands-on experiences to meet the standard are needed in planning lessons and delivering instruction.

Even though K-2 science instruction does not have a summative standardized assessment at the end of the year, the school administration along with ACPS science and dual language program specialists see the need for developing quarterly tasks that allow school administration and teachers to monitor learning and mastery of science content.

MVCS has a supportive parent community. The school administration along with PTA have determined that ongoing fundraising efforts organized by the PTA, should align with the academic goals of the school. After-school /extracurricular activities will be focused on promoting science learning.

All MVCS students at grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments and the 3rd through 5th grade SOLs.

Mission

The mission of the dual language program is to provide an enriched bilingual, biliterate, and culturally competent educational experience for all students.

Vision

The MVCS Dual Language Program will be widely recognized throughout Northern VA for our students' high levels of academic achievement, bilingualism, and biliteracy, which are developed through rigorous, standards-based instruction in English and Spanish. Furthermore, the Dual Language Program will foster a culture of respect for diverse students' backgrounds and learning styles.

Core Values

● All students deserve to learn in an environment that celebrates their unique differences, values their contributions to the school community, and encourages them to grow as learners. ● All teachers are teachers of both language and content. ● Differentiation of instruction enables all students to access a rigorous and demanding curriculum. ● Collaboration is at the heart of our success as instructional teams and as a school community. ● Using various forms of assessment will produce the data we need to inform our instructional decisions.

1 SCIENCE STRAND I: TEACHING FOR LEARNING

2 MATHEMATICS

All MVCS students at grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments and the 3rd through 5th grade SOLs.

SMART Goal(s): All MVCS students in grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments, benchmark assessment data, and the 5th grade SOLs. SMART Goal(s): By the end of 2020-2021 SY, MVCS will increase Gap Group 1 (EL, SWD, FRL) and Gap Group 2 (Black students) performance from 43% to 48% as measured by, the VA Standards of Learning assessment in grades 3, 4, and 5.

● EL from 46% to 51% or higher ● SWD from 38% to 43% or higher ● Economically Disadvantaged (FRL) from 45% to 50% or higher ● Black from 43% to 48% or higher

Subgroup data will also show quarterly progress as measured by student performance in benchmark assessment data, MAP data, and monthly check-ins.

3.

4. READING

SPECIAL EDUCATION

SMART Goal(s): By the end of the 2020-2021 SY, MVCS will increase Gap Group 1 (EL, SWD, FRL) and Gap Group 2 (Black students) performance from 40% to 45% as measured by the VA Standards of Learning assessment in grades 3, 4, 5.

● EL from 31% to 36% or higher ● SWD from 36% to 41% or higher ● Economically Disadvantaged (FRL) from 34% to 39% or higher ● Black from 57% to 62% or higher

Targeted subgroup data will also show quarterly progress as measured by student performance data in benchmark assessments, MAP data, Fountas & Pinnell, and PALS data.

SMART Goal(s): By the end of 2020-2021 all MVCS students with disabilities will improve their raw pass rates in the areas of reading and math by 5%.

● Increase ELA raw pass rate from 36% to 41% or higher ● Increase Math raw pass rate from 38% to 43% or higher

ACTION PLAN

1. Essential Action/Research-Based Strategy: Teachers will align instruction in different content areas and across languages (Spanish and English) to maximize students' development of the 6 science process skills (Observing, classifying, measuring, communicating, inferring, predicting)

All MVCS students at grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments and the 3rd through 5th grade SOLs.

Evidence Driving This Essential Action: The stagnant growth and decline in science performance led the school administration and instructional coaching team to focus instructional efforts into building a culture around connecting language learning and science process skills. The 6 science process skills are critical in the bilingual education process. By incorporating the skills in the instructional delivery of the different content areas, students will be consistently exposed to the science thinking process and will be better prepared to understand science content throughout their elementary school experience.

Plan to Assess Progress: ● Active presence in PLC meetings, team planning, and PD offerings. Ongoing monitoring of student science performance data across the different grade levels. Use of quarterly science performance assessments. Teachers will be guided to analyze, reflect, and plan instruction around student science performance data. Extracurricular activities as well as community partnerships will be focused on supporting science learning. ● Administrators, teachers, and coaches will actively engage in data mining professional development. During these sessions, administrators and instructional staff will learn to analyze student data and deepen their understanding of the instructional rigor needed to ensure long term academic achievement.

Focus Area

[Grade Level/Student Group(s)/Educators] Strategic Plan Goal

[i.e. 1.1, 2.3]

Action Steps

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 3.2 Teachers will integrate the Expository Strand of GLAD strategies into collaborative unit plans and implement them with fidelity during virtual learning instruction.

Person(s) Responsible for Implementation Timeframe

(Beginning to End Dates)

Teachers, Specialists, Instructional Coaches Weekly

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2 Teachers will participate in community partnerships to increase the use of hands-on, experiential learning in science instruction during science instruction, current academic year intervention block, and third quarter science tutoring. Teachers, Central Office Specialists, Instructional Coaches Club LINK (Community Partner) Ongoing

Teachers will model and engage students in the 5 E's approach to science instruction in order to promote the development of investigative/ critical thinking skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and science. Teachers, Specialists, Instructional Coaches, GLAD Specialist Ongoing

Evidence of Progress/Completion

(Artifacts required)

Person(s) Responsible for Monitoring and Frequency

Evidence: Implementation of GLAD strategies in science content learning Artifacts: Teacher planning notes Administrator walk-throughs

Evidence: After-school tutoring programs will be supporting science instruction. Effectiveness of the after-school program will be reviewed throughout the school year.

Artifacts:Analysis of the effectiveness of after-school tutoring

Evidence: Use of 5 E's in lessons/activities Artifacts: Unit and lesson plans School administration GLAD Trainers Instructional Coaches

School Administration Instructional Coaches

School Administration Instructional Coaches

All MVCS students at grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments and the 3rd through 5th grade SOLs.

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2 Teachers will utilize Glad expository strategies in their unit planning in order to Integrate nonfiction texts into inquiry-based science instruction. Teachers, Specialists, Instructional Coaches Ongoing

Specialists will collaboratively plan and co-teach with general education teachers to increase the use of effective bridging activities and opportunities for academic language development in the virtual learning setting.

Teachers, coaches, and administrators will engage in lesson planning professional development driven by student performance data and led by the EL Office, science specialists, and MVCS accountability administrators. Teachers, content area specialists, dual language coach, GLAD specialist Ongoing

Administrators, Teachers, Specialists Ongoing

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2 Teachers will develop and implement lesson plans that are aligned in content and cognition to the Standards of Learning with a focus on hands-on scientific investigation and relevance to other grade levels, content areas, and/or real-life. Administrators Specialists Teachers Weekly

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2 Teachers will participate in professional development planned for aligning their instruction with the science curriculum. Administrators, Teachers, Specialists Ongoing Evidence: Use of non-fiction texts in science lessons. An increase in science academic vocabulary within a biliteracy framework Artifacts: Unit and lesson plans

Evidence: Beginning and End of Unit activities that provide language bridging for students Artifacts: Unit plans, classroom observations

Evidence: Specialists' participation in PLCs, planning meetings Teachers' participation in district wide and school priorities PD opportunities Artifacts: Lesson plans, classroom observations, PD sessions.

Evidence: Student learning objectives will include clear criteria to determine whether learners have met the objective. Lesson plans will include a section for vertical alignment. Hands on activities will be clearly described and listed in lesson plans Artifacts: Lesson plans, classroom observations.

Evidence: Teachers' participation in district wide and school priorities PD opportunities Artifacts: Sign-in Sheets; lesson observations School Administration

School Administration Specialists Instructional Coaches

School Administration

School Administration

School Administration

All MVCS students at grades K-5 will demonstrate growth in their science proficiency as measured by the administration of K-2 quarterly science task assessments and the 3rd through 5th grade SOLs.

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2 Administrators will establish a process to review and provide feedback on science lesson plans in order to ensure lessons are aligned to the content and cognitive level of the Standards of Learning. Administrators Specialists

Administrators will be conducting weekly science lesson observations to ensure alignment with the SOL in content, cognition, and scientific investigation. Administrators

K-5 Science 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 3.2 Administrators will follow VDOE recommendations regarding science academic review. Administrators, Weekly

Weekly

Ongoing Evidence: Written expectations to teachers; lesson plan feedback; Scheduled Observations Artifacts: Teacher Evaluation Feedback; Lesson Observation Notes

Evidence: Written expectations to teachers; lesson plan feedback; Scheduled Observations Artifacts: Teacher Evaluation Feedback; Lesson Observation Notes; Professional Learning notes and documentation.

Evidence: Master schedule, PD offerings, school priorities, allocation of resources to support science instruction Artifacts: Lesson plans, classroom observations, PD offerings. School Administrations

School Administrators

Administration Office of Improvement

2. Essential Action/Research-Based Strategy: Teachers will implement guided math instruction to increase differentiation and opportunities for cross-linguistic transfer.

Evidence Driving This Essential Action: Even though MVCS achieved accreditation in SY19, the black student sub group is still below the math performance benchmark. As a school we are to ensure all students in the dual language program are able to make cross-linguistic connections in content areas that are taught In the school's target language (Spanish).

Plan to Assess Progress:

● Active administrative and instructional coaching presence during PLCs, team meetings, PD offerings. Quarterly data presentations on student performance data. PD offerings in differentiated instruction. Courageous Conversations PD as part of our monthly school priorities meeting. Monitoring and evaluation of lesson planning, unit planning, and of the implementation of common assessments. ● Instructional coaches and teachers will engage in ongoing professional development needed for the effective development of quarterly science performance tasks. Central office specialists will support the school with the design of local assessments and the review of student performance data that will be collected through the administration of quarterly science performance tasks. ● Central office specialists will work collaboratively with the MVCS school administrative team in order to plan and implement professional learning sessions that will support science learning across content areas and language of instruction.

Inquiry