2009 – 2010

School Improvement Plan (Phase II)

For

Cathedral School

In June 2009, Mrs. Maureen Sherr and In June 2009, Mrs. Maureen Sherr and Mrs. Angela Salezze (advisory member)Mrs. Angela Salezze (advisory member)

participated in participated in The Governor’s Academy for Urban Education The Governor’s Academy for Urban Education

at Muhlenberg College.at Muhlenberg College.

Conducted by top education professionals Conducted by top education professionals from across the state, the program aligns from across the state, the program aligns

school curricula with Pennsylvania’s school curricula with Pennsylvania’s academic standards in reading and math, academic standards in reading and math, and the National Council of Teachers of and the National Council of Teachers of

Mathematics’ standards, and demonstrates Mathematics’ standards, and demonstrates effective ways of coping with educational effective ways of coping with educational

issues in schools.issues in schools.

In 2009, Cathedral School was one of only two

Catholic schools in the state

to be accepted into this prestigious program.

Our teachers used the knowledge they gained to develop

Phase II of the

School Improvement Plan(SIP)

for Grades K through 8.

Phase II of our School Improvement Plan has two

basic goals:

Phase II of our School Improvement Plan has two

basic goals:

To develop numerous strategies for math problem-solving.

Phase II of our School Improvement Plan has two

basic goals:

To develop numerous strategies for math problem-solving.

To develop critical reading skills across all content areas.

We will further develop the plan school-wide by using

specific activities to attain our math and literacy objectives:

MATH AND READING COMPREHENSION

By integrating classroom activities across the curriculum:

MATH AND READING COMPREHENSION

By integrating classroom activities across the curriculum:

Activating and connecting to background knowledge

Monitoring their comprehension and repairing misunderstanding

Questioning Inferring

Visualizing Determining importance of text

Summarizing

MATHEMATICS

By integrating classroom activities that will guide

students to

Activate and connect to background knowledge

Question Infer

Visualize Summarize

Because our students have diverse abilities, we will support

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

this year by using alternative assessments.

Alternative assessments use many sources of evidence, including

Observation and questioning strategies Essays Speeches Projects Demonstrations/oral presentations

Problem-solving activities

We will measure our progress under Phase II of the SIP throughout the year

in three distinct ways:

We will measure our progress under Phase II of the SIP throughout the year

in three distinct ways:

Pre-testing in September, to establish academic baselines for each of our students.

We will measure our progress under Phase II of the SIP throughout the year

in three distinct ways:

Pre-testing in September, to establish academic baselines for each of our students.

Alternative assessment throughout the curriculum.

We will measure our progress under Phase II of the SIP throughout the year

in three distinct ways:

Pre-testing in September, to establish academic baselines for each of our students.

Alternative assessment throughout the curriculum.

Administering the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) in the Spring, to formally evaluate our students’ progress compared to 2008-2009 data.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

We fully expect that Phase II of our School Improvement Plan – with its focus on Math Problem-Solving Skills and Reading Comprehension – will result in continued improvements by our students (at all levels) in these critical areas.

According to Kathryn Au, International Reading Association president, the requirements for student success include three components:

Rigorous goals that raise the bar for academic performance

Assessment to monitor students’ progress toward meeting these goals

Professional development that helps teachers provide students with instruction needed

Phase II of Cathedral School’s School Improvement Plan is in alignment with these three components for student success and is driven by state and Diocesan standards of education, further promoting academic excellence.