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School Improvement Plans (SIP) are developed specific to each schools needs.
Building Leadership Teams continually review progress and set goals for areas
of improvement.
Brooks Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
During the 2004-2005 school year Brooks' School staff evaluated data on the
academic levels of our student body. A School Improvement Plan (S.I.P.) was
developed that highlights the characteristics of our school, the people in it,
and the goals and activities we would like to accomplish this year.
Some of the strengths we identified are as follows:
· Providing an environment that is supportive of learning.
· Stressing educational excellence and sound character within our school-community.
· Celebrating a culturally diverse student population.
· Promoting high expectations for student behavior by teachers, parents,
and administration that support school-wide discipline policies.
· Displaying student work in classrooms and throughout the building that
represent our instructional objectives.
· Ensuring student understanding of concepts, through the use of multi-level
questioning, cooperative learning and an integrated curriculum.
· Conducting assemblies that support building goals.
· Utilizing a variety of strategies to meet the diverse needs of the
students by classroom teachers and specialists, including an inclusionary approach
to learning.
· Promoting a literacy rich environment at school and home.
· Continual support and cooperation of our parent community.
· Narrowing the achievement gap for two sub-groups by increasing the
percentage of students meeting and exceeding expectations, as reflected on the
ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) 2004.
· Increasing the percentage of students in the past two years who have
met and exceeded the state standards in the areas of Reading, Math, and Writing.
· Trend Data on The Terra Nova Test of Basic Skills indicate our students
have obtained at or above anticipated scores in all areas, with the exception
of Science in 2000 and 2003 at the second grade level.
· Continuing to promote initiatives that support our School Improvement
Plan goals and action plan.
The following goals for improvement have been identified:
· Improvement in the area of reading on the ISAT by 5% in the First
and Second Quartile.
· Improvement in the area of math on the ISAT by 5% in the First and
Second Quartile
· Improvement in the area of science on the ISAT by 7% in the First and
Second Quartile.
Activities to support improvement of these goals will include:
· Continue to build on established strengths and activities of our school
to promote improvement in all academic areas.
· Provide staff with information pertaining to the characteristics/format,
etc. of the ISAT science, math, and reading test.
· Conduct a science and math night for families.
· Continue to strengthen a student's ability to write extended responses
to questions in math and reading.
· Conduct a school-wide initiative to promote reading skills.
· Provide staff with in-service regarding the components of a balanced
literacy program. This would include implementation of newly purchased guided
reading material.
· Make every effort to provide students in need of extra help within
the regular classroom setting an opportunity to receive assistance by our support
staff.
· Initiate building activities that will promote the home/school connection
and its importance to building a community of strong learners.
· Provide staff development relating to sub groups not meeting expectations
on the ISAT.
· Continue to implement the use of the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment),
second-fourth grade, and ISEL (Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy) K-1, instruments
to further evaluate the success of students in the area of reading.
· Provide a greater number of opportunities for our students to practice
graphing across the curriculum through modeling and independent practice.
· Implement the activities established in our Action Plan (S.I.P.) Pre-K
-5th grade throughout the school year.
Chesebro Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
Chesebro's goal is to focus on reaching and teaching all students. We continue
to address improvement in the areas of science and social studies especially
in fourth grade .We will continue to strive to improve student achievement in
language arts, math, and writing. Specific activities planned for 2003-2004
are:
1. Increase by at least 5% students in the Meet and Exceeds areas in Science
and Social Studies while decreasing the percent of students in Academic Warning
and Below Average by:
a. Implementation of ongoing grade level collaboration discussions on ways
to integrate best practice strategies for increasing student understanding and
achievement in science and social studies.
b. Integration of 3M-Junior Achievement Program to enhance students understanding
of social studies in today's economy.
c. Providing staff development opportunities with NIU Physics Outreach Department.
2. Maintain or increase the percentage of all students meeting and exceeding
by at least 5% in the areas of reading, and writing while decreasing the number
of students in the Below Standards and Academic Warning areas by continuing:
a. The 4 Square writing program in all grade levels.
b. Staff development in 4 Square writing.
c. DWP writing calibrations.
d. The Before School Tutoring Program for reading and writing.
e. The America Reads Program.
f. The America Counts Program.
g. The establishment of a book room for reading materials.
3. Have at least 80-95% parent and community participation in our school
community with an emphasis on Hispanic family involvement by:
a. Continuing activities such as, Back to School Barbecue, Family Literacy
Nights, Grandparents Night and Santa's Breakfast.
b. Increasing attendance at Parent/Teacher conferences.
c. Increasing the communication of information going home in Spanish as well
as in English.
d. Increasing the school information on the school web page.
e. Continuing the information process through the Cheetah Newsletter.
f. Initiating Parent Orientation evenings at the Hispanic Community Center.
4. Provide staff development in the area of Reading that will address "How
children learn to read" by:
a. Surveying staff in the top two areas of concern when teaching reading.
b. Researching of articles, web sites and books.
c. Providing experts such as NIU professionals, KIDS, IRC reading videos and
workshops.
d. Implementing dialogue through staff meetings and in-services with expert
input.
Cortland Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
Areas of Success:
The students at Cortland School, as a group and as members of all reported
sub-groups, met the benchmarks of the Federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
and the State of Illinois Annual Yearly Progress (AYP).
Our score on the "Overall Performance - All State Tests" as reported
on the 2004 School Report Card was 79.3% as compared to the District at 66.9%
and the State at 62.4%. Our score on the "Overall Illinois Standards Achievement
Test (ISAT) Performance" as reported on the 2004 School Report Card was
79.5% as compared to the District at 70.4% and the State at 65.9%.
Students in second and fourth grade scored at or above their predicted ability
in all of the sub-tests of the TerraNova Test. Third grade students do not take
the ability section of the test so there is no comparison at that grade level.
Our 2003-2004 Goal 1 was to increase the percentage of third grade students
who meet and exceed State Goals in Reading on the ISAT by at least 5% over the
ISAT Reading scores as reported on the 2003 School Report Card. In the area
of reading, our scores increased from 72.9% to 80.0% which met our goal.
Our 2003-2004 Goal 2 was to increase the percentage of third grade students
who meet and exceed State Goals in Writing on the ISAT by at least 5% over the
ISAT Writing scores as reported on the 2003 School Report Card. In the area
of writing, our scores increased from 66.7% to 77.8% which met our goal.
Areas for Planned Improvement:
Goal 1: Our ultimate goal is to have 100% of the students meet or exceed the
State Goals in Reading. The 2004-2005 goal is to increase the percentage of
third and fifth grade students who meet and exceed State Goals in Reading on
the ISAT by at least 5% over the ISAT Reading scores as reported on the 2004
School Report Card. The benchmark for fifth grade students will be the results
obtained on the 2005 ISAT.
Goal 2: Our ultimate goal is to have 100% of the students meet or exceed the
State Goals in Math. The 2004-2005 goal is to increase the percentage of third
grade and fifth grade students who meet and exceed the State Goals in Math on
the ISAT by at least 5% over the ISAT Math scores as reported on the 2004 School
Report Card. The benchmark for fifth grade students will be the results obtained
on the 2005 ISAT.
Goal 3: Our ultimate goal is to have 100% of the students meet or exceed the
State Goals in Science. The 2004-2005 goal is to increase the percentage of
fourth grade students who meet and exceed the State Goals in Science on the
ISAT by at least 5% over the ISAT Science scores as reported on the 2004 School
Report Card.
Goal 4: Our 2003-2004 Goal 3 was to increase the individual student scores
at third and fourth grade in the areas of reading and math by 5% as measured
by the TerraNova Test. The 2002-2003 TerraNova Test results was designated as
our benchmark year. This goal was partially met during the 2003-2004 school
year and therefore will be a continuing goal for the 2004-2005 school year.
Details of the activities relating to the planned goals for improvements are
contained in our 2004-2005 School Improvement Plan (SIP) which is available
upon request.
Jefferson Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
Specific activities planned to improve academic success for the 2004-2005 school
year include:
Address the needs of Jefferson students reading below grade level.
· Increase ISAT scores in the area of reading at the 3rd grade level.
· Implement the following programs and apply data to instructional strategies:
Accelerated Reading Program including STAR Assessment
Individual Reading Inventory and Direct Reading Assessment
Phonemic Awareness Screening
· Administer reading evaluations for new Jefferson students to determine
reading strengths and weaknesses.
· Provide Title One support at all learning levels.
· Support and coordinate our building literacy efforts through the Jefferson
Reading Task Force and Building Leadership Team.
· Continue programs that have proven successful, e.g. D.E.A.R. time,
Guest Reader, Extended Day Tutoring and various reading incentive programs.
· Provide professional development opportunities in guided reading.
Provide support to students and staff to foster writing literacy.
· Focus on writing in all areas and increase writing opportunities.
· Provide professional development opportunities in writing instruction.
Improve overall student achievement in the area of social science.
· Increase emphasis on basic instruction.
· Jefferson teacher representation on District 428 Social Studies Curriculum
Committee.
· Support the solid implementation of the District 428 Social Studies
Curriculum.
Provide support to students and staff to foster student math improvement.
· Increase emphasis on math vocabulary and basic skill instruction.
· Continue support and solid implementation of the Everyday Math curriculum.
· Provide professional development opportunities in math instruction.
Provide programs that contribute and reinforce a positive school climate
focusing on RESPECT of self, others, and property.
· Implement Solution Thinking for Excellence for positive achievement
· Implement staff development that supports positive behavior and respect.
Provide programs and activities that support student learning and establish
collaboration with the Jefferson Elementary community.
· Continue to support Family Reading Night, Family Activity Night, Library
Night, School wide Reading Incentives to encourage home reading time.
· Implement Family Math and Science Nights.
· Support families with information that provides families support in
helping their children.
· Implement volunteers with the assistance of community volunteers and
partnerships.
Lincoln Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
On the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), our third grade students
scored strongest in writing. 97.8% of our students met or exceeded state standards.
This is 37.7% higher than the state average of 60.1% for third graders. Math
was our next strongest area with 95.6% of our students meeting or exceeding
state standards. Our overall score in math was 19.9% higher than the state average
of 75.7% meeting and exceeding state standards. Of special note was that 66.7%
of our students exceeded state standards in math. In reading, 84.4% of our students
met or exceeded state standards. This was a .4% decrease of our score from last
year but was 22.4% higher than state average for third graders. In fourth grade,
78% of our students met or exceeded state standards compared to 66.5% statewide.
In social science, 81.1% of our students met or exceeded state standards compared
to 62.9% statewide. Although we were strong in many areas, we will continue
to focus on those students not meeting standards and also trying to move more
students into the exceeds category. Specific activities planned for the 2003-2004
school year include:
Improve reading achievement by:
· Utilize response journals in the classrooms to focus on strategies
used for extended response to questions.
(i.e. Interpret text through analysis, evaluation and/or comparison and contrast.)
· Conduct quarterly multi-age reading sessions.
· Provide extended day tutoring sessions for students identified as being
at risk using the ISEL and DRA assessments along with teacher recommendations.
· Provide evening reading readiness activities for kindergarten students
and families.
· Increase book selections in library through grants.
· Utilize the Accelerated Reading Program with school wide incentives
at all grade levels.
· Provide small group instruction through the Resource Program and the
Reading Improvement Teacher.
· Conduct Family Reading Night partnering with the Family Enrichment
division of Community Coordinated Childcare.
Improve writing and language achievement by:
· Utilize the four square writing strategy in grades K-4.
· Schedule three writing prompts for grades 2-4 and two prompts for grade
1.
· Participate in District Writing Assessment in January for grades 2-4.
· Staff will score all third grade ISAT writing prompts using the state
scoring rubric.
· Third grade students will participate in the Martin Luther King Jr.
essay contest.
· Third and fourth grade students will continue pen pal letters with
children in Poland, Germany, Ukraine and England.
· Writing selections will be made for each student to include in their
writing portfolio.
Increase positive school climate by:
· Utilizing the Second Step Program, a violence prevention program at
all grade levels.
· Conducting monthly Awards/Recognition Assemblies for our students.
· Continuing the Random Acts of Kindness Program with our school community.
· Foster mentoring with our fourth grade/kindergarten buddy program.
· Utilize our weekly newsletter to highlight activities and encourage
parent volunteers.
· Recognize children for exceptional achievement and behavior with our
Star Student Program.
· Continuing the monthly McDonalds recognition lunch with students and
the principal.
· Continuing the classroom student of the week program.
· Continuing our school/community recycling efforts.
· Maintain our school web page to highlight school activities and provide
educational web sites.
· Continuing our guest/mystery reader program.
Littlejohn Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
Celebrations
· Third grade writing scores improved
· English Language Learners (ELL) science scores improved
· Truancy rate decreased
· Students without IEP's went from scores of 73.5% to 79.3% in science
· Math scores for our ELL students taking the IMAGE went from 27.3% to
76.9%
· Great increase in math and writing scores on the IMAGE
· Writing is a success due to four-square
Challenges
· Math scores dropped from 83.3% to 76.7% in 3rd grade
· Students without IEP's went from 78.3% in 4th grade Social Studies
to 69%
(overall from 77% to 62.3%)
· Increase in numbers of lower socio-economic students
· Minimal parent involvement with home-links to improve math skills
· Lower math scores overall
School Improvement Goals
1. The number of students who perform in the meets and exceeds levels will
increase by 5% in extended response, inferences, and comprehension on the ISAT
assessment.
2. Student scores will increase by 5% on the math extended response portion
of the ISAT and IMAGE assessments.
3. To increase our writing scores by 5% in the areas of organization and support
on the ISAT and IMAGE assessments.
4. To increase the number of parent and community participants at school functions
by 5%.
Malta Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
Malta Elementary School staff evaluated ISAT data on the academic performances
of our students. The school's overall performance jumped from 62.7% in 2002-2003
to 75.9% in 2003-2004. In addition, Malta Elementary's overall score was 9%
higher than the district's. Based on individual subject area data, reading,
writing, geometry, and Earth and Space science are identified as our focus for
additional improvement during the 2004-2005 school year.
2004-2005 Improvement Goals:
· 70% of the 3rd grade will score in the meets or exceeds category on
the ISAT reading test during the March, 2005 assessment.
· 77% of the 4th grade students will meet or exceed expectations on
the January DeKalb Writing Project direct writing assessment.
· Students will answer 76% of the multiple choice questions correctly
in the area of geometric concepts and 72% of the multiple choice questions in
the area of geometric relationships on the March, 2005 ISAT test.
· Students will answer 75% of the multiple choice questions correctly
in the area of Earth and Space Science and 60% of the multiple choice questions
in the area of science, technology, and society on the March, 2005 ISAT test.
Activities to support improvement of these goals include:
· Provide teacher training in the administration and interpretation
of ISEL and DRA testing
· Develop a process to incorporate the use of the Accelerated Reader
and Book It programs.
· Conduct a Literacy Night
· Utilize Guided Reading Materials in all grades
· Establish intermediate/primary reading buddies
· Incorporate the variety of supplemental materials available throughout
the Houghton Mifflin Reading Program
· Extended Day tutoring will offer an opportunity to receive additional
academic support in the areas of reading and mathematics
· Provide staff development opportunities on current best practices in
writing, mathematics, science, and the use of rubrics
· Present geometry concepts earlier in the year and reinforce geometry
throughout the year
· Adjust the time for teaching Earth and Space Science
· Assist students with an environmental conservation project
· Incorporate a science safety unit at the beginning of the year
· Expose students to how science is utilized within society
Celebrations connected to our goals:
· Accelerated Reader Recognition Program
· Quarterly Spirit Assemblies
· Brainstormers Writing Assembly
· Celebrate Writing Week
· Mystery Reader Program
· Guest speakers in the area of Science
Tyler Elementary School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
The 2004-05 Tyler Annual School Improvement Plan is under continual development
and review. The primary purpose of the school improvement process is to improve
student performance. Tyler Elementary students continue to perform well on the
Illinois Standards Achievement Test. Students in Grade 3 increased the percent
of students meeting and exceeding in the areas of Reading, Writing and Math;
as well as performing above the state average in all areas. In Grades 4 the
percent of students meeting and exceeding in Science and Social Studies was
above the state average; however there was a slight decline from the 2003 scores.
Although we are pleased with the accomplishments of our students we plan to
continue to research and implement instructional strategies that will assist
our students in being successful learners.
Specific activities planned for the 2004-05 school year include:
Improve overall student achievement in the area of literacy:
· Increase ISAT scores in the area of reading on the 3rd grade level
in the "Below Standards" category.
· Sustain or increase ISAT scores in the area of reading in the "Meets
Standards" category.
· Implement monthly muti-age reading activities throughout the year.
· Continue implementing the Accelerated Reader and STAR programs all
grade levels.
· Schedule 2 Brainstormer Assembly sessions throughout the year.
· Implement the Book It Program at the Primary Grade Levels.
· Continue Participating in Reading Incentive Programs throughout the
year.
· Host a Family Reading Night
· Implement an Extended Day Program that focuses on Reading Strategies.
· Develop a monthly school-wide reading strategies program.
· Provide staff development opportunities for all staff in the area of
guided reading techniques.
· Provide individual and small group tutoring through the America Reads
Program.
· Provide the DRA and ISEL tests to all students and use results to target
specific learning needs.
Improve overall student achievement in the area of social sciences:
· Increase improvement by analyzing current instructional strategies.
· Provide non-fiction reading opportunities for students in the areas
of science and social sciences.
Improve overall student achievement in the area of mathematics:
· Implement an extended day reading program for 2nd and 3rd grade students
that teaches math concepts through literature.
· Review the current strategies and activities; focusing on the areas
of algebraic patterns/ variables and geometric relationships.
· Plan and hold a multiage math day focusing on geometric and algebraic
concepts.
· Provide individual tutoring through the America Counts Program.
Implement programs and activities that will establish collaboration with
the Tyler School Community:
· Increase the amount of personal contacts with the students' parents/guardians
during the year to 100%.
· Increase the number of volunteers within the Tyler School Community
· Provide quarterly Family Activities throughout the year.
· Update the Tyler School website on a consistent basis.
Clinton Rosette Middle School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
The students at Clinton Rosette Middle School collectively scored significantly
better than the state average in the areas of reading and math. Student writing
scores continue to improve for the third year in a row. We are continuing support
academic excellence by focusing providing students with double periods of language
arts, or literature-based exploratory classes in addition to language arts classes
to support student success in reading. We provide our students with lunchtime
and before and after school tutoring opportunities, as well as provide supplemental
instruction after-school to identified students.
I. Areas of Success
A. Fifth grade math scores increased 8.3% last year.
B. Writing scores improved 5.4% last year.
C. The percentage of English Language Learners whose test scores indicate that
they are expanding or transitioning on the IMAGE math test improved from 19%
last year.
D. Reading scores of Latino students showed a 19.2% increase.
II. Challenges
A. Percentage of low-income students continues to rise, 33.5%.
B. Reading scores have declined by 2.3% in the last four years.
III. Areas for Planned Improvement
A. Student reading achievement will improve as demonstrated by a 3% increase
in the number of students meeting or exceeding on the ISAT test.
B. Continue initiatives designed to improve student writing.
C. Reduce behavior referrals in an effort to improve school climate.
Huntley Middle School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
Huntley Middle School students score higher than the state average on the ISAT
science, social science, reading, and math tests. Students also score above
the national average on the Terra Nova in all areas assessed. The scores of
the students in the subgroups identified by the No Child Left Behind law continue
to increase which is a positive indicator that the interventions that have been
implemented are successful.
To improve the assessment results for the Huntley Middle School students scoring
below state standards, the following goals and action plans have been developed
by staff members.
Increase the number of students from each subgroup in the meets and exceeds
category on the ISAT reading test by 5% by spring 2005.
Identify students who are performing below state standards. Provide small
group instruction to students during Exploratory Class.
Implement Bridges reading curriculum in self-contained special education classes.
Provide tutoring before and after school to students.
Provide students with strategies and practice with reading informational text.
Provide students with practice writing extended reading responses in their language
arts classes.
Require students to read at home a specific number of minutes/week.
Teach students study skills and test taking strategies.
Support literacy as they relate to music, Spanish, health, art, and physical
education.
Increase the number of students in the meets and exceeds category on the
ISAT math test by 5% by spring 2005.
Identify students who are performing below state standards. Provide small group
instruction to students during Exploratory Class.
Support math skills as they apply to science: measuring, metric conversions,
graphing and interpreting data from graphs.
Quarterly, have students practice writing an extended response for a problem
of the week.
Support math skills as they apply to social studies: graphing, population studies,
map studies.
Provide tutoring before and after school to students.
DeKalb High School
PLANNED IMPROVEMENT FOR THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT
DeKalb High School reports success in the following:
A. In all areas, the percentage of students meeting/exceeding standards on
the PSAE surpassed the average for the State.
B. In all areas, the composite score of DHS students on the ACT was equal to
or exceed the average for students in Illinois.
C. Enrollment in Advanced Placement courses saw significant increases for the
2004-2005 school year. In the spring of 2004 DHS students continued their pattern
of success of the annual Advanced Placement exams.
DeKalb High School plans to implement the goals of its School Improvement
Plan by taking the following steps during the 2004-2005 school year:
A. Develop appropriate strategies to meet the needs of academically at-risk
students, particularly those entering high school two or more years below grade
level in reading and math.
B. Increase the use of research-based, effective and engaging instruction to
meet the needs of and raise expectations for all learners.
C. Increase the use of data-driven decision-making in the design and evaluation
of curriculum and instruction.
D. Implement appropriate tutorial and/or support programs for students at risk
of academic failure.
DeKalb High School will implement school improvement goals at the departmental
level that will:
A. Increase the number of students in all categories meeting/exceeding Illinois
State Standards on the WorkKeys tests.
B. Increase the number of students in all categories meeting/exceeding Illinois
State Standards in English, mathematics, and science reasoning on the PSAE/ACT.
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