BES Title I Schoolwide Plan & Comprehensive Needs Assessment 2021-2022

Title I School Wide Plan Checklist

  Bethel Elementary School

Year   2021-2022

 

School Methods and Instructional Strategies –  Bethel Elementary School is implementing the following methods and instructional strategies that strengthen the academic program in our school:

 

Please check all that apply

	Essential Questions and Instructional Pacing Guide		Writer’s Workshop
	Guided Reading		Units of Primary Writing
	Reading With Meaning		Math Pacing Guide
	Strategies That Work		Math Investigations
	Comprehension Toolkit (Grades 3-5)		FCCR-Strategies and Materials
	Primary Comprehension Toolkit		Formative Assessment
	Systematic Sequential Phonics Program Please specify: Fundations		EC Inclusion
	mClass Dibels 8 & TRC		Title I Small Group Interventions
	StemScopes		Reader’s Workshop
	Heggerty Phonemic Awareness		LLI-Leveled Literacy Intervention
	Other: Literacy Focused Lessons (Max Thompson)

 

What Strategies will you use to meet these instructional goals?

 

Professional Development will be given on the above mentioned strategies. In addition, teachers will collaborate to share the strategies and methods they have learned from these trainings with all staff.  We will ensure integration of these instructional practices into our classrooms on a routine basis.  

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

 

Materials and presenters will be needed for each staff development.  If needed, substitutes will be provided for teachers during Professional Development activities.   In addition, we will need implementation materials for each of the above programs, including: books, flip charts, student materials, manipulatives, and other teaching aids. Substitutes will be provided for grade level teachers to have collaborative planning days throughout the school year. iPads and/or Chromebooks will be purchased for teacher and student use with instructional resources. 

 

We will also purchase StemScopes digital platform for grades 1-5.

 

Instruction by Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals

 

      √ Documentation from Human Resource Department provides documentation of compliance with ESSA requirements for teacher and staff qualifications.

 

High Quality and Ongoing Professional Development – High quality and ongoing staff development opportunities are provided for teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals. These staff development opportunities are designed to meet the needs of all students and staff as identified in the needs assessment. Some staff development is continued to meet the needs of new teachers and those new to a grade level. Others cover new topics for all teachers. The professional learning opportunities that our teachers are participating in are: 

 

Please check all that apply

	Math Foundations		Reading Foundations
	Writer’s Workshop Training		K-2 Assessment Training
	Units of Study for Primary Writing		Formative Assessment tools
	Writing Across the Curriculum		Developing Mathematical Ideas
	mClass Training		Reading Workshop
	Guided Reading		Investigations Training
	The Comprehension Toolkit (Grades 3-5)		StemScopes Training
	The Primary Comprehension Toolkit		Max Thompson Designing Literacy Focused Schools Training
	Migrant and ELL Professional Development		WRESA Professional Development sessions
	2nd Step Social Emotional Learning Program Training		Virtual Implementation Kit
	Backwards Planning (Max Thompson)		Fundations

 

What Strategies will you use to attract qualified teachers to high need schools?

 

High quality and ongoing professional development opportunities are provided for teachers each year.  Bethel Elementary teachers participate in the district wide staff development day held each year.  We also have staff development on site, such as book studies and Max Thompson’s training on “Designing Literacy Focused Schools.”  New teachers are given hands- on support through the mentor program and the use of instructional coaches.  

New teachers are allotted funds to help set up their classrooms.  Each grade level team has a day every 9 week period for long range planning.  A planning period each week is designed for grade level PLC’s so each team of teachers can analyze data and plan accordingly to meet students’ needs.

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

Materials and presenters will be needed for each staff development mentioned above.  Funding may need to be provided for some Professional Development conducted by organizations other than the school, or county. If needed, substitutes will be provided for teachers during Professional Development activities and grade level planning days.   In addition, we will need implementation materials for each program including: books, flip charts, student materials, manipulatives, and other teaching aids.  

 

Strategies to Attract Qualified and Highly Effective Teachers to High Need Schools – 

 

Please check all that apply

	Assigning a mentor to BT 1 and BT 2 teachers		Fostering a welcoming atmosphere
	Providing a supplement to all teachers		Having an attractive and inviting facility
	Allowing teachers to visit and observe other teachers		Coaching and Modeling in the classroom
	Scheduling common planning time and planning days
	Allocating funds to teachers to support classroom activities
	Lead teacher offers support and guidance in curriculum, resources and etc.

 

What Strategies will you use to attract qualified teachers to high need schools?

 

High quality and ongoing professional development opportunities are provided for teachers each year.  Bethel Elementary teachers participate in the district wide staff development day held each year.  We also have staff development on site, such as book studies and Max Thompson’s training on “Designing Literacy Focused Schools.”  New teachers are given hands- on support through the mentor program and the use of instructional coaches.  

Each grade level team has a day every 9 week period for long range planning.  A planning period each week is designed for grade level PLC’s so each team of teachers can analyze data and plan accordingly to meet students’ needs.

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

Materials and presenters will be needed for each staff development mentioned above.  Funding may need to be provided for some Professional Development conducted by organizations other than the school, or county. If needed, substitutes will be provided for teachers during Professional Development activities and grade level planning days.   In addition, we will need implementation materials for each program including: books, flip charts, student materials, manipulatives, and other teaching aids.  The principal also provides a Planbook.com subscription for all teachers for planning purposes.

 

Including Teachers in Decisions Regarding the Use of Assessments –     Bethel Elementary School includes teachers in the decisions regarding the use of academic assessments in order to provide information on, and to improve, the achievement of individual students and our overall instructional program. We have:

 

Please check all that apply

	Representatives on the system-level curriculum council		Grade level meetings to provide our staff with updates on current issues in curriculum and assessments
	Teacher Use of Formative assessment		Input into the K-2 Literacy and Math Assessments
	Input into the revision of the HCS Spring Benchmark Assessments		Representatives on the district-level committee that reviews Curriculum Pacing Guides
	A lead teacher who facilitates discussions regarding the use of student assessments for refining teaching, determining additional instructional and professional learning needs		Opportunities for our teachers to disaggregate student performance data to make appropriate educational decisions and track student progress
	Professional Learning Communities		MTSS Problem Solving Teams
	Other:		Other:

 

What Strategies will you use to include teachers in decisions regarding the use of assessments?

Regular classroom teachers will collaborate with administration during weekly Professional Learning Communities.  Grade level teachers will implement and utilize common assessments to determine student need and make plans for progress during these weekly PLC meetings.  Grade level meetings will continue to be held to increase teacher collaboration and to keep teachers informed on current updates and curriculum.  We have regularly scheduled MTSS problem solving team meetings to evaluate student data and work with teachers to determine the specific needs and interventions for students with academic or behavioral concerns.  Bethel Elementary teachers will participate in any county wide curriculum council opportunities and offer input on K-2 assessments.   

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

The school needs to provide adequate technology for teachers to collect data and use for assessments.  Various technology programs, such as IXL,mastery connect, and StemScopes, will need to be funded for students and/or teachers.  

 

Chromebooks and IPads have been and will continue to be purchased to help with remote learning as well as in the classroom.

 

Strategies to Increase Parent and Family Engagement–     Bethel          Elementary School recognizes the value of parent and family engagement in their child’s success.  We strongly encourage parents to be involved in all school activities. We utilize a written parent and family engagement policy that is revised annually with input from our stakeholders. We also revise annually our Home/School Compact which is distributed to all families at the beginning of each school year.   No more than 20% of the budget can be spent for food.  Some additional strategies used to increase parent and family engagement are: 

 

Please check all that apply  * Required Activities

	Promoting a climate and philosophy that values parental involvement		Including parents of all backgrounds/cultures on our School Improvement Team
	Designating a school Family Engagement Coordinator		Convening an annual public meeting(s) to explain Title I services
	Telephoning/messaging parents of struggling students to keep them informed of upcoming opportunities, meetings, etc.		Surveying parents to determine preferences for times and topics for workshops, meetings, and other useful gatherings
	Utilizing Blackboard Connect, a computerized phone system, to contact parents		Explaining the state standards and assessments
	Offering childcare for parent training sessions		Conducting parent-teacher conferences with each family
	Having a Spanish/English interpreter at all parent activities (if needed);		Providing limited refreshments at parent involvement activities (Max. 20% of budget)
	Conducting at least 2 Family Training/Learning Virtual and/or In person night sessions. Topics, which are aligned to our SIP and based on the needs assessments are: Literacy, STEM, Math		Sending home/checking out Book of the Month books aligned with 2nd Step program goals for use with students and parents together
	Other: School wide parent newsletters from admin at least 2X per month		Other: Utilizing Remind as a method of communication
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

To implement the above activities we will need materials to facilitate their implementation.  These materials include: materials for math games, materials for science experiments, notebooks for each student, leveled books on topics of interest, pencils, markers, Ziploc baggies, etc. Smore newsletter subscription for the parent newsletter. Book of the Month books will need to be purchased and instructional materials created to go along with those. 

 

Preschool Transition Activities – Bethel      Elementary School emphasizes and focuses on building and implementing effective transitional strategies to promote a positive transition from pre-K to kindergarten classrooms.  System staff and kindergarten teachers are working with local childcare providers, parents and community leaders to develop a Kindergarten Transition Plan.  Some of the goals and strategies included within the plans are:

 

Please check all that apply

	Increasing the percentage of students registering during the county-wide kindergarten registration process		Arranging two-way visits between preschools/ daycares and kindergarten classrooms
	Providing parents with literature about kindergarten		Providing learning packets to promote kindergarten readiness
	Sharing behavior intervention information between schools and centers		Providing kindergarten orientation with preschool children and teachers visiting kindergarten classes
	Informing the school nurse ASAP regarding student health problems		Staggered kindergarten enrollment
	School visits with parents prior to beginning of kindergarten		Scheduling a “Meet the Teacher” event prior to the beginning of school
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

Books will be purchased for Kindergarten orientation and introduced to parents as resources at these meetings.  Books will be used for student take home readers. These books will be used to teach concepts of print and foundational reading skills and to involve parents in their child’s reading education.

 

Activities for Children Experiencing Difficulty – Procedures are in place to ensure that students who experience difficulty mastering any of the proficient or advanced levels of academic standards are provided effective, timely assistance. Students are provided with a variety of opportunities for additional assistance/programs. These include: 

 

Please check all that apply

	Transportation for Foster Students		Appropriate accommodations (Section 504)
	MTSS referrals/interventions		Classroom modifications
	Vision, hearing, and dental screenings
	Assessment by/consultation with the school nurse
	Before and/or after school remediation		Incentives for attendance, academic achievement, and good behavior
	Psychological assessments		ESL instruction
	Speech and language therapy		Exceptional Children’s program consideration and placement
	Small group literacy instruction		Counseling services
	Referral for Title I Reading and/or Math		Summer learning packets
	After school tutoring by certified teaching staff		Summer school (academic and/or attendance)
	Services to Homeless students		Other:
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

Our School Improvement Team approved several changes to our Blue Paw program which works to reinforce our school wide attendance.  Materials may be needed for this incentive program or for other strategies the team develops. Certified teachers may choose to tutor students before or after school and be paid an hourly rate for their time as long as funds are available.  

 

Coordination and Integration of Federal, State, and Local Services – In        Bethel Elementary School, all federal, state and local services are coordinated.  Funding sources are blended to ensure that all children have significant opportunities for quality learning and academic success. We assess the needs of students and design appropriate personal educational plans for those who need additional support.  All personnel funded from various sources are utilized to promote student learning and success.  Funds from all sources are used to purchase needed supplies and materials to meet the needs of our students.  Personnel from all funding sources serve on school level MTSS teams.  We also blend funds to maximize professional learning opportunities for all school staff and parent involvement activities for all families.  We view the SIP as a working document and all available resources are utilized to implement our SIP.

 

What Strategies will you use to meet these goals?

We will monitor all budget sources to include federal, state, and local budgets.  Our Academic Needs Assessment will be utilized to ensure we prioritize additional support to the highest areas of need.  We will use all data sources to monitor student needs and ensure teachers have appropriate materials to meet those needs.

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

Federal money will be used for human resources to meet student needs.  Parent Engagement money will be used for STEM, Math, and Literacy Night materials and presenters.  Some federal money will be used to provide substitute teachers to be sure classroom teachers can attend professional development opportunities and plan collaboratively. 

 

Resources Used in Programs – Resources under Title I, Part A and other federal, state, and local government funds and local organizations are used to implement our schoolwide programs.  All funds are combined to address the components of the schoolwide plans to ensure that all students reach, at a minimum, proficiency on the challenging North Carolina academic standards and the Haywood County academic assessments.  Title I funds do not supplant activities that are funded from state and local sources.  Resources include, but may not be limited to:

 

Please check all that apply

	Federal Safe Schools funds		Federal Professional Development funds-Title II, Part A
	Federal Migrant-Title I, Part C		Federal and State Exceptional Children’s funds
	State LEP funds	X	State accountability funds
	4-H programs		Haywood County Schools  Foundation funds
	Local civic clubs’ grants: Elks, Kiwanis, Lions, Rotary		Boy and Girl scouting programs
	Local law enforcement funds		Local business partnerships
	Haywood County Public Schools Education Foundation grants		American Heart Association, Healthy Kids Challenge
	United Way of Haywood County		Soil and Water Conservation program
	Haywood County Health Department		Local faith-based funds
	Local PTA/PTO funds		Private donors
	Town of                         funds		Boys and Girls Club of Haywood County
	DARE, drug resistance education program		Arts Council funding
	Haywood County Parks and Recreation funds		Haywood Waterways
	Haywood County Recycling program
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:
	Other:		Other:

 

What Strategies will you use to meet these school reform strategies?

Build relationships with our community partners and utilize the resources they provide to meet the needs of our students.

 

What materials will you purchase and how is it related to your plan?

Materials provided by community partners will be utilized to meet the needs of our students.

 

 

Bethel Elementary School

Comprehensive Needs Assessment

2021-2022

 

1. Data:

The data that are most relevant to the assessment of our needs for this school year are all academic data points. Prioritizing attendance and discipline referral data for last school year (2020-2021) is irrelevant due to the nature of the school year and the influence of Covid 19. We had a much higher number of students with excessive absences last year due to mandatory quarantines and the inconsistencies of keeping accurate attendance records for students who were attending school via remote learning. We had several students who switched back and forth from in person to remote learning and that created attendance keeping difficulties as well. Behavior data is similarly skewed. We had fewer students on campus in person, students were socially distanced while at school in person, etc. so there were fewer discipline referrals than in a normal school year. 

 

The fact that social and emotional learning needs are more present now than in previous years is a widely known fact in our entire nation. We did not have an avenue at Bethel Elementary in which to collect that data quantitatively, so we are relying on our qualitative data and the obvious increased mental health needs of our students and families in that arena. We are implementing a school wide social/emotional learning program called 2nd Step this school year. 

 

Given all of those same Covid conditions and variables, the academic data comparisons pre-Covid to now are not as reliable as comparisons in the past. However, academic data are able to be viewed linearly and the Covid struggles can be factored into each individual students’ academic profile within each teachers’ classroom.

 

	2018-2019	2020-2021	Change
Reading Kindergarten	81% proficient	67% proficient	-14%
Reading 1st grade	44%	46%	+2%
Reading 2nd grade	62%	64%	+2%
Reading 3rd grade	76%	64%	-12%
Reading 4th grade	70%	65%	-5%
Reading 5th grade	55%	56%	+1
Math Kindergarten	79%	77%	-2%
Math 1st grade	81%	58%	-23%
Math 2nd grade	64%	37%	-27%
Math 3rd grade	89%	72%	-17%
Math 4th grade	76%	68%	-8%
Math 5th grade	68%	77%	+9

 

 

1. Data analysis:

Our School Improvement Plan and Title I plan show an academic goal to regain and surpass our percentage of students who were proficient in math before Covid. The math goal is an overarching school goal. Although our 5th grade students were more proficient in math this past year than pre-Covid, as an entire school our math proficiency has decreased significantly since 2018-2019. This trend is true if you compare grade levels and if you compare cohorts of students. The chart above obviously shows comparisons of grade level proficiency with differing groups of students but the following chart shows the trends of the student cohorts:

 

2018-2019 Math	2020-2021 Math	change
Kindergarten: 79%	2nd grade: 37%	-42%
1st grade: 81%	3rd grade: 72%	-9%
2nd grade: 64%	4th grade: 68%	+4%
3rd grade: 89%	5th grade: 77%	-12%

 

The reading scores between 2018-19 and 2020-2021 showed less fluctuation than the math scores. However, our Title I plan does target and address this year’s 2nd grade students’ reading (see 1st grade in the chart). That particular group of students had the largest percentage of non proficient readers at the end of this past school year (54% non proficient).  

 

1. Needs Identified:

 

Priority	Grade	Subject
1	Kindergarten	Reading
2	3rd grade	Math
3	2nd grade	Reading
4	2nd grade	Math
5	4th grade	Reading
6	3rd grade	Reading
7	5th grade	Reading
8	1st grade	Reading
9	5th grade	Math

 

These priorities are pulled straight from the end of year data in order of highest to lowest need. Kindergarten is the exception to that statement because this year’s kindergarten students were not in school last year so we always place them first in the priority list. It is interesting to note that 2nd grade is where great needs are in both reading and math. Those students were kindergarteners in March of 2020 when everyone got sent home; they missed an in person learning experience during the last three months of kindergarten and the first six weeks of 1st grade. 

 

1. How the needs will be met:

Title I funds are being used this school year to add a regular classroom teacher in 4th grade and a regular classroom teacher in 5th grade to lower class sizes. 

All of our students in 4th and 5th grades will get more individualized attention due to the fact that the class sizes have been kept at 20 or less. 

Part time Title I tutors have been secured to offer assistance to struggling students in the grades and subjects listed in the above chart. 

Full time teachers will tutor (remediate/accelerate) students outside of the regular hours of school during the school year. 

Through a variety of funding sources, we have purchased print and online reading and math resources that teachers and students utilize each day. We are still working on securing enough devices (iPads and Chromebooks) so that we can have a 1:1 ratio of students to devices. This is helpful both during the school day and at home during homework time and remote learning days.

See School Improvement Plan and Title I Plan for more details as to the school wide plans for continued improvement.