Program Description (2020-2021)
During 2020-21, Collaborative Coaches, Enrichment
Specialists and Consultant Teachers will serve to increase Time on Task by
provided targeted Academic Intervention services to identified students in need
of further literacy and mathematical development. All students’ achievement
will be addressed through measures of growth, providing instruction to those
who are in need of academic support due to low performance, as well as those
who need to be challenge to move beyond grade level expectations. Teacher and
Principal Quality Improvement is largely at the elementary level being
facilitated by the Collaborative Coaches and Enrichment Specialists, who will
continue to provide professional development to teaching staff. They will
serve as consultants/members of school-based Inquiry Teams, providing expertise
in data analysis and assessment review. Collaborative Coaches were instrumental
in the redesign of district-wide assessments and will be facilitating, with the
assistance of the Enrichment Specialists, the design and implementation of
ELA-based Common Core units of study, embedding Lucy Calkins Writing Units of
Study. Overall, dollars will be maintained in this area, with particular
attention being paid to Teacher and Principal Quality Improvement as the
district continues to support Race to the Top promoted evaluation systems and
Data-driven Inquiry.
Class Size Reduction will continue to be supported by C4E
funds to ensure our K-5 classrooms are of optimal size. Reduced class sizes
also supports the Academic Intervention Services that have been implemented at
all levels, ensuring equal access to needed instruction. Overall, dollars
previously maintained in this area will continue.
Middle School and High Restructuring efforts will continue
to focus on supporting smaller learning communities. Professional Learning
Communities at the Middle Schools, with the inclusion of Marzano’s High
Reliability Schools (HRS) framework and Academic Intervention support, allows
for school-based inquiry teams to identify and address students in need.
The HRS program supports the lesson and unit design, aligning the Common Core
to support all students’ readiness for college and future careers.
Additionally, at the High School, Academic Intervention Services will be
delivered through a collaborative approach with literacy and the arts. Academic
Literacy and Art Teachers will partner to provide instruction that taps into
higher level thinking, reading and writing skills utilizing a Visual Thinking
Strategies curriculum and embedding the Reading Apprenticeship approach. A
Social Worker, Psychologist and an Art teacher will continue to be supported at
the High School to ensure that needed attention to sub-group populations and
graduating cohorts is provided through guidance and enriched opportunities.
Continued support for transitioning students into the 9th grade through teaming
provides opportunities for students at risk of school failure to transition
from 8th Grade to 9th grade within a supportive community. Overall, dollars
maintained last year will continue.
Each of the new and innovative programs that have been
selected will be adopting the practices that are outlined in the district’s
strategic plan for 2020-21. The plan establishes benchmarks, measured and
reported to the Board of Education quarterly, that assist staff in gauging
their instruction, classroom practices, student progress and classroom goal
setting.
Our students in poverty, both general education and special
education students across all ethnic groups, continue to be challenged.
Building-level Response to Intervention teams will be provided targeted
professional development to increase the support being delivered to these
students. Through the dollars being expended, efforts on all populations, K
through 12, are focused on providing targeted instruction.
Guidance and direction on providing challenging and
appropriate instruction for struggling readers, both identified with
disabilities and non-identified, will occur through embedded professional
development at the school level. Additional support is being provided to those
students in danger of not graduating through interventions (counseling, credit
recovery, participation in a Twilight School, a transition program for entering
freshman) at Binghamton High School. Improved alignment of Academic
Intervention Services provided throughout the course of the day will target
students in poverty, ELL students and Students with Disabilities.