PART 4: FINDINGS - SUMMARY EXPLANATION OF RUBRIC RATINGS Focus Standard 1.1

Focus Standard Meaningful and Challenging Curriculum

Rubric Placement Developing

Summary Explanation of Ratings   

1.2

Safe and Nurturing Learning Experiences

Developing

 

 1.4

Active & Different Types of Learning

Beginning

 

1.7

Students Know What They are Learning, Why, and How it can be Applied

Beginning



 1.8

Academic Intervention & Enrichment Support

Manzanita Community School School Quality Review 2013-2014

Developing



The school joined the Balanced Approach to Literacy (BAL) cohort this year and is receiving support through district’s PD to implement the program. In 70% of the observations conducted by the Team, learning built on students’ prior knowledge, skills, and experiences. Posted agenda of how the day was divided in every classroom was observed, but the writing, sharing, and assessing the objective for each specific subject was observed less often. The school utilized “The Responsive Classroom” approach to establish positive climate in all classrooms. The school developed a systematic approach to discipline that involved classroom interventions including the use of “buddy teacher” and “logical consequences” that was decreasing referrals and suspensions. The SQR Team noticed 36% of classrooms in which students managed their emotions to persist through difficult academic work. The SQR Team observed some evidence of active and different ways of learning in classrooms through the use of pair/share, visuals, posters, and manipulatives. During classroom observations, teachers were doing the “heavy lifting” of the lesson, engaging in direct instruction and delivering whole group modeling, without much time given to students to work in groups, to engage in conversations and practice the vocabulary/information learned and to revise and evaluate their thinking due to those group conversations. Although students could articulate what they were working on, their answers were typically the activity in which they were engaged and not necessarily how that activity related to the learning objective of the day. Students had their learning checked with immediate feedback regarding their progress toward the day’s learning objectives in 41% of the classroom observations. The school had several universal, targeted and intensive classroom and school wide strategies to support students that needed intervention. 42

 The school did not have systematic strategies to support students who excelled although several teachers provided additional work for those students who finished their work quickly. 1.10

Equitable Access to Curriculum

1.11

College-going Culture & Resources

Beginning

Undeveloped

2.2

Coordinated & Integrated System of Academic Learning Support Services

Developing

2.6

Inclusive, Welcoming & Caring Community

Developing

3.1

Collaboration

3.4

Professional Learning Activities

Manzanita Community School School Quality Review 2013-2014

Undeveloped

Beginning

 There were few supports for 4th and 5th grade students who did not attend the after school program. This was due to the fact that fewer teachers were providing intervention supports due to the extra demands of BAL implementation.  A qualified teacher had not been provided to the school during maternity leave for one SDC classroom.  The majority of students interviewed, with the exception of a few 5th graders, could not connect their learning in classes with college and/or careers.  The school acknowledged in its Self-Reflection that, “not all teachers are discussing college in morning meetings, connecting in-class learning and skills to college behavior and creating a college bound classroom.”  Manzanita Community had a broad menu of on-site strategies that responded to student/family need, including: A part-time nurse, a counselor-social worker, a psychologist, the Climate Committee, an intern from Asian Mental Health, Physical Education, Playworks, the Responsive Classroom Approach, etc.  There was a need for additional partnerships with outside sources to meet all the needs of students.  California Healthy Kids Survey for 2013 showed 75% of students felt safe all or most of the time at school although 36% also shared that they had been bullied physically or verbally while at the school.  Spanish-speaking parents shared they appreciated Spanish-speaking staff.  There was no system to incorporate new students and families to the school other than the classroom teachers.  The training demands of Balance Approach to Literacy (BAL) and other district initiatives (Common Core benchmark assessments, etc.) decreased the opportunities for regular collaboration among teachers.  Most worthwhile collaboration was carried out informally by some grade level teachers.  Teachers took advantage of district professional development opportunities, especially around the implementation of BAL.

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4.2

Working Together in Partnership

Beginning

4.5

Student/Family Engagement on Student Progress

Beginning

4.6

Family Engagement on Academic Expectations and Opportunities

Beginning

5.4

Vision Driven

Developing

5.5

Focused on Equity

Developing

Manzanita Community School School Quality Review 2013-2014

 The Literacy Coach employed by the school this year to support teachers in modeling and designing units using BAL divided her time between supporting teachers and providing intervention support to students.  Although EBAYC provided learning opportunities for all parents, most participation to these events was from the families of the 90 students that participated in the after school program.  Staff was trying to fill in the gap of the Family Resource Center coordinator after the school made a difficult decision not to fund this position this year due to other priorities.  Parents shared there were not as many events and opportunities to participate in as in the past.  Activities to engage families in the progress of students were limited and not systematic across the school and grade levels.  Parents of kindergarteners and first graders had more opportunities to engage in conversation with teachers because these students were released to parents-guardians-care givers.  Although many teachers called home on a regular basis, these phone calls were not consistent or systematic across all grade levels.  The Team found little evidence that the school engaged with families, not only about how their child was progressing academically and socially, but about the what, why, and “so what” of the academic program. This included teacher-student conferences and workshops sponsored by EBAYC, but they were not well attended.  The school’s vision promoted student learning and was grounded in high expectations for all. The school’s vision guided the school’s curriculum choice, assemblies, professional development opportunities, and school culture.  Although the principal and Instructional Leadership Team members knew and upheld the school’s vision, not all stakeholders knew what it was.  The following activities and structures addressed equity issues which historically affect African American, Latino, and high poverty communities: Joining BAL, ELD/ALD time four times per week, hiring a literacy coach, and adjusting the school’s discipline plan to reduce referrals and suspensions and allow students to have more instructional time in the classroom.  The implementation of BAL was impacting academic interventions by classroom teachers, especially in grades 2nd to 5th. 44

 The literacy coach’s time was divided between providing interventions and supporting teachers with the implementation of BAL. 5.6

Supports the Development of Quality Instruction

Beginning

5.9

Culture of Mutual Accountability

Beginning

5.10

Organizational Management

Developing

Manzanita Community School School Quality Review 2013-2014

 It was too early to determine how effectively BAL supported students in its first year of implementation.  School leadership was beginning to monitor the results of the various district benchmarks (SRI, Math and Science Writing Tasks, etc.) and to determine additional interventions and/or assessments.  School Leadership had developed clear goals for the different academic subjects.  These goals were not consistently carried through.  The implementation of BAL had consumed a great majority of time this year as staff trained and implemented the program. This affected interventions, collaboration, and accountability.  School leadership effectively leveraged district and community resources, grants and partnerships in service of all students.  Although the school had several supports to address socio-emotional issues, there was a need for more partnerships with local agencies to further support students who were not being serviced.

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PART 5: FINDINGS - FOCUS STANDARDS RATINGS CHART Quality Indicator

Focus Standard

Focus Standard

1 1 1 1

1.1 1.2 1.4 1.7

1

1.8

1 1 2

1.10 1.11 2.2

Equitable Access to Curriculum College-going Culture & Resources Coordinated & Integrated System of Academic Learning Support Services

Beginning Undeveloped Developing

X

2 3 3

2.6 3.1 3.4

Inclusive, Welcoming & Caring Community Collaboration Professional Learning Activities

Developing Undeveloped Beginning

X

4 4

4.2 4.5

Working Together in Partnership Student/Family Engagement on Student Progress

Beginning Beginning

X X

4

4.6

Family Engagement on Academic Expectations and Opportunities

Beginning

X

5 5 5

5.4 5.5 5.6

Vision Driven Focused on Equity Supports the Development of Quality Instruction

Developing Developing Beginning

5 5

5.9 5.10

Culture of Mutual Accountability Organizational Management

Beginning Developing

Meaningful and Challenging Curriculum Safe and Nurturing Learning Experiences Active & Different Types of Learning Students Know What They are Learning, Why, and How it can be Applied Academic Intervention & Enrichment Support

Manzanita Community School School Quality Review 2013-2014

Rubric Rating

Undeveloped

Developing Developing Beginning Beginning

Beginning

Developing

Sustaining

X X X X

Developing

X X X X X

X X X X X

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Refining