Suffield Public SchoolsCSCI District and School Findings

Presented to the Suffield Board of EducationNovember 6, 2013

School Climate:

School Climate refers to the quality of school life as experienced by members of the school community: Students, School Personnel & Parents

It includes: – Norms, goals and values (e.g. mutual respect)– Relationships, Teaching & Learning and

Leadership practices– & Organizational structures and processes –

rules, regulations, and enforcement

(National School Climate Council, 2007)

School Climate Research Findings

I. Individual Experience: A positive school climate effect students’ self-esteem and self-concept

II. Risk Prevention and Health Promotion: Effective risk prevention and health promotion efforts are positively correlated with safe, caring, participatory and responsive school climate settings.

III. Academic Achievement: Student academic achievement is strongly correlated to a safe, caring and responsive school climate setting.

IV. Teacher Retention: Positive school climate is associated with greater teacher retention.

(For a summary of this research as well as a school climate research data base, see: www.schoolclimate.org/climate/research.php and/or Cohen, et. al 2009)

The School Climate Improvement Process: A five stage process of school improvement

Assessment & Improvement Process

1. Planning for Change: (Nov. – May)– Form a representative team/ establishing ground

rules– Leadership Commitment/ Fostering “Buy in”– Establishing a “no fault” framework/ culture of trust– Community Engagement/Outreach

2. School Climate Assessment/Evaluation– Measurement Process– Interpretation of Results

3. Action Planning (May – Sept.)– Drill down to key priorities– Research best practices/ evidence-based programs– Define action plans– Establish benchmarks and clear timelines

4. Program/Project Implementation5. Re-assessment/Re-evaluation

CSCI: Comprehensive School Climate

Inventory

Safety– Rules & Norms– Physical– Social-Emotional

Teaching & Learning– Support for Learning– Social & Civic Learning– Professional Relationships (school personnel only)– Leadership (school personnel only)

Relationships– Respect for Diversity– Social Support – Adults & Students– Connectedness/ Engagement

Environment

Benefits of Assessment

Leads to the establishment of a shared definition of school climate and a common language for discussion

Recognize school strengths to celebrate and leverage

Identify school needs to allocate resources effectively

Gain insight into perspectives of key stakeholders: student, staff, and/or parents

Establish benchmarks for improvement

Deliver the message: school climate is important!

Begin to engage the community in productive change – give people a voice

District Response Rates

Theory of Action Coherence Framework

Theory of Action: If we use data as a vehicle for examining school, classroom and individual student progress and create structures for teacher collaboration while implementing job embedded professional development, then interventions will be targeted in focused ways and student learning will increase.

Core Approaches Strategies Structures SRBI: Academic & School Climate CCSS Implementation SPS Mission/Beliefs

Quality Tier I: 21st Century Skills SPS Goals/Strategic Plan

Best Practice Instruction Desired Learning Outcomes Administrative Council

Workshop Model CT: SEED Council for T&L

Differentiation of Instruction Professional Learning Plans Literacy Council

Curriculum Audit Instructional Leadership Team

Data Teams Analysis to Action Partnering with Parents School Leadership Structures

Technology Integration School Improvement Plans

Professional Learning Communities Building a Collaborative Culture Student Data Management

Systemic Improvement Improved Student Learning

Intervention Tiers Academic Behavioral

Academic School Climate

Coherence

1: the quality or state of cohering: as

a: systematic or logical connection or consistency b: integration of diverse elements, relationships, or values

Coherence

Social & Emotional Security Support for Learning Aspiring excellence for all through:

– Standards Based Reporting; DI; FDK;

Case analysis to improve data collection & intervention

Reading Assessment & Intervention K-12

District-wide Areas For Improvement

Social-Emotional Security - Ranked lowest for all 3 populations

Leadership – 2nd lowest dimension for faculty– Coherence Framework: Theory of Action

Social and Civic Learning & Support for Learning - variability between population groups

District-wide Strengths

Safety Rules and Norms - consistently rated high across all populations

Social Support-Adults - rated in the positive range for all three populations

Social Support-Students– consistent in perception across all three populations

A. Ward Spaulding School

The ProcessSeptember 2013…The Climate Committee reviewed the data and identified social and civic learning as relevant goal work for 2013-2014.September 2013…The committee broadened its membership for equal representation of school community groups (paraprofessionals).September 2013…The committee identified its first setting for the social and civic learning goal work (the cafeteria) and implemented the STAR lunch ticket program.October 2013…The Climate Committee identified its second area in continue goal work (the playground) based on referral data.

As of October 31, 2014, the committee has convened on four occasions.

A. Ward Spaulding School

Climate Goal:

In order to improve the social and civic learning of all A. Ward Spaulding School community members, all adults and students will engage in a school-wide program that identifies and celebrates the traits of respect, responsibility, and kindness.

Data Used to Inform Goal Development: We looked at the individual questions asked in the Social and Civic Learning Dimension. While 92% of school personnel ranked this dimension as positive, 7% remained neutral. Similarly, 82% of parents responded positively with 18% neutral or negative. A more concrete and systematic positive behavior supports program would address that neutrality.Office referral data from 2012-2013 revealed that the majority of students were unable to identify and utilize appropriate listening skills and decision-making when involved in situations of conflict.

A. Ward Spaulding School

Parent Action Steps:Implementation of monthly Partnering with Parents meetings to orient families in Spaulding Stars Care program changesExpansion of the monthly Principal Newsletter to include a Spaulding Stars Care sectionDiscussion regarding the Spaulding Stars Care program at Meet and Greet, Open House, and Show and Tell venues

A. Ward Spaulding School

Staff Action Steps:Examination and expansion of the C.A.R.E.S. program to identify specific measurable and observable tenets of character (change of name to Spaulding Stars Care)Identification and creation of a visual that grounds the school culture in the program (“star”) without adult promptingProfessional development for paraprofessionals and duty clerks who supervise less-structured areas of our school campus (cafeteria and playground)Further identification of what respect, responsibility, and kindness look and sound like in those less-structured settingsCreation and display of posters in those areas outlining common expectations in language Creation and implementation of the STAR lunch ticket initiative (September 2013)Creation and implementation of the STAR recess initiative (November 2013)

A. Ward Spaulding School

Data to Document Efforts and Assess the Impact

Number, Location, and Nature of Office ReferralsSpring Climate SurveyAnecdotal Notes from Students, Parents and StaffData log containing the consistency of staff participation in the programEfforts and Results Related to Individual Teacher’s Climate Goals

McAlister Intermediate School

The ProcessWinter, 2013--Climate Committee met to review survey dataSpring, 2013--Climate Committee completed a Living in the U activity with Climate Survey DataSpring, 2013--Climate Committee led the same, Living in the U activity with the entire faculty

– The activity prompted rich discussion and reflection on teachers’ practices in the classroom and in the school in general

– We had to work deeply within the data in order to bring our group into owning the data, not to get defensive or to rationalize it

Spring, 2013—Administrators began to brainstorm potential positive behavioral supports and looked towards our school-wide discipline data to help us connect that data more deeply to specific interventions and programs.Fall, 2013—The Climate Committee has met twice thus far; we were able to connect the Climate Survey with our discipline data in order to devise the school-wide climate goal.

McAlister Intermediate School

Climate Goal:

In order to improve the social-emotional security of McAlister Intermediate School community members, all adults and students will preserve the dignity of each other through the consistent use of respectful language.

Data Used to Inform Goal Development: We analyzed the individual questions asked in the Social Emotional Security Dimension. We ascertained that although most students did not go out of their way to treat others badly, many students have:

– been teased (44% agreed or strongly agreed) – seen someone being teased (46% agreed or strongly agreed)– been left out and felt like they were not part of the group (36% agreed or

strongly agreed) We also used our school-wide discipline data from 2012-2013 school year and from the first several weeks of the 2013-2014 school year.

McAlister Intermediate School

Student Action Steps:Expansion of the McAlister Way to include expectations on all areas of the school, based on Bucketfilling and The McAlister WayThe McAlister Way presentation to all students in small groups by Mr. Ferraro and Mrs. Carpenter-SnowInstitution of Recess, The McAlister Way recognition programNext for Students--Expansion of Responsive Classroom to include discussion, modeling, reflection, and emphasis of our school-wide efforts with respectful language

Parent Action Steps:Institution of monthly Partnering with Parents meeting that fosters a dialogue between parents and administrators on topics such as The McAlister Way programExpansion of the monthly Principal Newsletter to include The McAlister Way articleDiscussion regarding The McAlister Way at Open House and during Parent Teacher Conferences

Teacher Action Steps:Professional Development with both certified and noncertified staff on positive behavioral supports and proactive and active supervision strategiesReview of roles and responsibilities during recess supervision, assignment of all staff members on a duty- specific location to learn about and monitorProfessional development to build capacity of certified and noncertified staff members relative to student problem solvingNext for staff—Develop coherence around our Climate Goal efforts, and work to implement the goal in the classroom

McAlister Intermediate School

Initial Data to Document Efforts and Assess the Impact

Number, Location, and Nature of Office ReferralsSpring Climate SurveyAnecdotal Notes from Students, Parents and StaffEfforts and Results Related to Individual Teacher’s Climate Goals

McAlister Intermediate School

Data to Document Efforts and Assess the Impact

Number, Location, and Nature of Office ReferralsSpring Climate SurveyAnecdotal Notes from Students, Parents and StaffEfforts and Results Related to Individual Teacher’s Climate Goals

District Wide Next Steps

Support school based plan implementation– Instructional Leadership Team Sharing

National School Climate Survey planned for the Spring of 2014

Repeat data analysis of local measures and survey results

Continued emphasis on school climate