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.