School Improvement Plan (SIP) Analysis

School Improvement Plan (SIP) Analysis

A school Improvement Plan or as it famously known SIP, is a unique, annually updated strategy that seeks to meet a school’s goal and to ensure the school is constantly improving. A SIP served as the driving force behind changes made within a school’s framework. A SIP’s key aim is to ensure all students’ achievements are raised, as thus, an SIP is vital to any school with a progressive mindset/goal/target. A good SIP considers a school’s SWOT, that it, it uses the school’s Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats in setting an improvement target and the desired implementation plan. The current paper is a formulation of Schafer Elementary School’s School Improvement Plan whose fundamental objective is to help the perpetuate Schafer’s students’ success.

Schafer Elementary School is a Title 1 school located in Lombard, Illinois. Schafer is a public school with a student population of about 461 students; in both PK-5 grades. Though Shafer Elementary School has an above-average performance, only a small percentage of its demography has performed well in test proficiencies given to its students (22% of students in math and 27% in reading). Moreover, the student population seems to exceed the teachers’ population by far; the student-teacher ratio is 14 to 1 (GreatSchools.org. n.d.). Based on its performance, the AYP required Schafer Elementary School to create a SIP per the rules and regulations of the Federal No Child Left Behind Act to help the school improve its overall performances (Meyers and VanGronigen, 2019).

School Improvement Plan Report for Schafer Elementary School

Vision, Mission, and Goals

• No shared vision, mission, and goals of the Schafer Elementary School. Neither of any 2 elements is shared.
• Shafer’s vision, mission, and goals have no multiple measures of data
• Shafer does not have any focussed equitable access, opportunities nor outcomes for all its students.
• The vision, mission, and Shafer’s goal do not guide nor foster in the decision-making process of the school, its undertakings, or associated outcomes.

Data Analysis

Evaluation/ assessment procedures

The assessments are done through map reading, ISATs, R-CBM, and MAZE tests and AIMS web benchmarks. The assessment scores and tests outcome varies from one grade to the other and from subject to subject, wealth disparity, and from test to test, among others as outlined below. As per the SIP, Shafer’s scores are used as a measure of the school’s weaknesses in this scenario, because of its poor performance.

The following trends were also observed;

• Only 3% of the students in 3^rd grade received a 3 or 4 on reading response. The 3^rd graders’ scores coupled as attaining lower grades than the set state averages in all the 4 standard readings.
• The 5^th graders’ LEP students dropped from 75% meeting standards in 2008 as 4th graders to 54% meeting standards as 5th graders in reading.
• The performance of low-income 5^th-grade students have cons
• The achievement of low-income grades in 5^th grades seems to have consistently decreased for the last three years.

From the above records, it is clear that Schafer Elementary School’s students are struggling with their reading, most students are below-average performers. Notably, low-income students seem to be the most affected student population with the reading issues, especially from grades 3 to 5. Sadly, thou this a school-level performance, Schafer Elementary School’s performance is a typical reflection of the weakness crisis that the locals, the entire district, and even the state may be undergoing.

Objectives

            The stated objectives align with the Schafer’s low achievement; the statement itself is an indicator of the recorded achievement. For better analysis, the SIP took specificity into great consideration as stated in the objective statement below;

1. Reading Comprehension for low-income students
2. Vocabulary Achievement for Economically Disadvantaged students

• Social-Emotional Learning for economically disadvantaged students

In formulating the SIP attention was taken in ensuring the plan was SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Reliable and Timely).

Demography affected by the recorded weaknesses

Based on the data collected, the majority of the students have reading problems. For instance, 42.4% of the students’ population had an LEP whereas 42.4% came from low income earning families.

Key Factors

            The weaknesses at Schafer Elementary School can be attributed to both home and school factors/environments. From home, most parents have an LEP (Limited English Proficient) and/ or low income, therefore, with these two incidents, the parents cannot afford to enhance their learning similarly to their children. With limited resources and materials to study at home, the students are left struggling as they try to accommodate both ends. When it comes to school, the Guided Reading has been inconsistent, the Houghton Mifflin reading is ineffective, and Academic Vocabulary development was a barrier to many affected students, making them struggle all the more. Additionally, the students have no Professional Development to help them improve on their week points.

Having determined the fundamental causes of the recorded weakness and their undeniable implications on the student’s achievement plan, the school will set up a counter and preventive measures. Professional Development programs are being put in place and teachers fidelity observed. While some factors are hard to control, the school is prioritizing the factors that can be controlled and influenced over those they have little or no control over.

Strategies and Activities of the Action Plan:

            In understanding the SIP, the following Action Plan is taken into consideration.

• There must be a strong relationship between key factors, activities, and strategies to be undertaken.
• Technology, a vital element in the SIP, will be integrated to ensure the plan is updated and can compete effectively in the digital world.
• Action Plan emphasizes on students’, parents’ and teachers’ wellbeing and achievement progress.
• Objectives are clearly stated
• Sufficiently addressing students’ weaknesses.
• How the SIP will affect other school activities.

Overall Plan:

Schafer takes advantage of shared vision, mission, and goal to emphasize what each student is expected to do or how to perform. By creating SMART objectives, makes it easier to meet the set objectives. Additionally, with competent leadership, the data collected will be utilized in ensuring the plan is effectively implemented, resources are availed and all procedures are followed as outlined. With all plans in place, then the school would have fulfilled their part of the deal. Besides their internal role, Schafer Elementary School has taken upon itself to fulfill its social role to the society by supporting the needy students in the best possible way they can. It is Schafer’s delight to ensure the achievement gap between the students is narrowed down and that each student progresses towards success.

Does this plan have a chance to successfully improving student achievement?

This plan does have a chance to successfully improve student achievement.  The plan will have to be carried out with fidelity for the students to show growth.  Every aspect is covered in the SIP.  They will include teachers, families, and students. It shows how all the stakeholders will be involved and what they are required to do so that the plan can be successful. They have provided resources to allow the necessary changes to happen.

Teamwork is a major component of school success.  Is there evidence of teamwork in the SIP?

Teamwork is a major component of school success is noted in the SIP. As stated on page 40 of the SIP, Schafer Elementary School has developed a well-rounded team that includes administration; the principal and the assistant principal, they have a reading specialist, ELL interventionist, special education resource teacher, music teacher, a teacher representing each grade level k-5th, a parent and a differentiation and writing coach.   There is evidence in the SIP that indicated the team worked together.  The team at Schafer Elementary School reviewed the assessment data and looked for patterns and strengths and weaknesses.  This was done over some time. The individual and grade-level teams also analyzed student data which helps them to make instructional decisions and help to promote the school improvement performance. The parent was an active participant and her contribution was used in developing the plan.

How well did the school establish a critical relationship among its problem areas or weaknesses, the presumed causes of these weaknesses, and the plan for improved student achievement?

The school did an exceptional job of putting a plan together to improve student achievement.  They identified the problem areas or weaknesses and the causes of why they were happening.  Based on the data that was retrieved and the data that they will continue to collect, they were able to make a plan for moving forward to ensure that all students are successful. The school will have a big focus on the lower socio-economic group and the LEP’s to ensure that they can be successful as well. The school had problems in Reading.  They have developed a plan which focuses on these areas. They addressed the barriers that interfered with student learning, they have also developed a socio-emotional curriculum that will help to reduce those barriers. Teachers will be given professional development to ensure proper teaching is done with the curriculums and that it is done with fidelity. The administration will conduct walkthroughs and review lesson plans to ensure that activities and strategies are being done with fidelity.  If these are all implemented properly, done with fidelity, and some barriers are broken, student achievement will be increased.

How is technology integrated into the plan?

Through the use of technology, data will be able to be utilized and organized into groups that focus on specific student needs. Teachers will utilize Ruby Payne’s DVD series on Meeting Standards from the reading specialists to improve the student’s reading achievement.  The school will use Study Island which is an online program used to improve instruction and boost student outcomes’

How is the technology used to prepare, implement, and collect/analyze data used in the plan?

Technology is used to collect and analyze the data that is used in the plan.  Several of the assessments are computer-based and the data is used as part of the SIP. By using Study Island, the data that will be obtained from the program will allow the teachers to develop differentiation for the students to meet their specific needs. Having the programs on the computer will make collecting data easier and more beneficial.

Conclusion

Conclusively, a School Improvement Plan’s key aim is to ensure all students’ achievements are raised. By using Schafer Elementary School’s reading weakness and deficiency, the school can utilize the above SIP to increase the students’ success, its goal, and strategies. However, no matter how strong and efficient a SIP can be, it can never be effective if necessary resources are input or when it’s not implemented as needed. Therefore, Schafer Elementary School needs to create a strategic team to help them implement the SIP. Most importantly, though the school’s SIP achievement focus on improving the reading comprehension for low-income students, vocabulary achievement for economically disadvantaged students and social-economic learning for economically disadvantaged students, teachers, parents, fellow students and other facilities such as the library will be handy in ensuring the set goals are met. Finally, with coordination, proper implementation, and adequate support, Schafer’s SIP will prove to be beneficial to the targeted student, the institution fraternity as a whole, to the education sector and all the stakeholders. It will serve as a measure of an Adequate Yearly Progress. For the SIP to be competitive all century-long, then a continuous cycle of evaluation, planning, and improvement has to be incorporated (California Department of Education, 2015).

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References

Guidance for a Quality Improvement Process. (2015, October 29). Retrieved July 17, 2016, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ba/as/implemetation.asp

1. (2009) Schafer Elementary School Improvement Plan [PDF]. Northern Illinois University

Meyers, C. V., & VanGronigen, B. A. (2019). A lack of authentic school improvement plan development. Journal of Educational Administration. Retrieved on July 10, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-09-2018-0154

Explore Schafer Elementary School in Lombard, IL. GreatSchools.org. https://www.greatschools.org/illinois/lombard/4024-Schafer-Elementary-School/.

California Department of Education.2015. https://www.cde.ca.gov/.