Fox Road Elementary School

1. Differentiation Growth Fox Road Elementary School January, 2012 Thinking Community

2. Who are we? • Our students hail from about 50 different countries and speak about 35 native languages. • Several staff members are bi- or multi-lingual • We have 6 National Board Certified Faculty members • 42% of our faculty have graduate degrees • All Fox Road Teacher Assistants are Highly Qualified, and the majority have a Bachelor’s degree • We implement a Schoolwide Title I program, allowing us to use this funding to support the learning of all students at Fox Road Fox Road is Where the World Comes Together!

3. What do we offer? Strong, Differentiated Instruction in all core subject areas (Reading, Math, Social Studies, and Science) • Rigorous and Relevant. Curriculum delivered is aligned with county’s curriculum pacing guides. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a regular part of our instructional planning and implementation, meaning that we work to provide instructional opportunities and activities that foster critical thinking skills in our students. • Engaging LEVEL IV opportunities are provided in grades K-5 that afford opportunities for students to apply what they have learned in more complex ways. • Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP): A guide for teachers to ensure students who are learning English are able to absorb the curriculum. Teachers may integrate visual tools within their classrooms, explore the meaning of vocabulary terms, or use other creative methods to support student learning.

4. Fox Road’s Reading Initiatives • Research-based small group guided reading instruction. This practice provides an opportunity for students to further develop the specific skills they need to further their decoding, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development. Guided reading instruction is differentiated in accordance with the instructional needs of the students in each group. Groups are flexible and change according to the needs of the students. • The Daily Five. This approach is intended to foster stamina for literacy. Students work at stations practicing the skills of reading independently, reading with a partner, listening to reading, writing, and word work.

5. Fox Road’s Math Initiatives • Math Expressions. These research-based curriculum materials are intended to help students learn math and math concepts to deeper levels than just rote memorization.; they must apply what they learn. • Math Talk. Students engage in discussions of mathematics with their peers, explaining and applying the skills and concepts, and using math vocabulary appropriately. Students often learn quite well from one another, and Math Talk capitalizes on this fact. • DevelopingStudent Leadership Skills. Students are given opportunities to guide their classmates, strengthen their math skills, and develop leadership within the classroom.

6. Science and Social Studies • Hands-on Science. Use of our science kits as our primary instructional materials is intended to help students construct meaning from their investigations and demonstrations. So, rather than reading a text book and memorizing information, students engage in activities that allow them to explore, experience, talk about, and write about science. • Project-based Social Studies. Students apply their literacy, math, and media/technology skills to their studies often resulting in performance-based assessments such as group projects and presentations that demonstrate what they have learned.

7. We offer Data-driven InstructionFox Road Teachers analyze data to support student achievement. • AIMSweb Universal Screening. This web-based tool allows us to compare Fox Road students’ reading and math skills to a national sample. Teachers use this information to better understand the needs of their classroom and to make sure that students who need extra support are quickly identified and assisted. • Progress Monitoring. Each week, teachers administer brief assessments to students who receive interventions in reading or math. These provide insight into whether interventions are working and inform teachers if changes need to be made to further support a student’s academic achievement. • Common Formative Assessments. Assessments are given throughout a quarter to all students on a grade level to determine if they understood what was taught to them. • Digging Deeper Assessments. These brief assessments allow teachers to determine root causes for learning difficulties and then address them with specific, targeted intervention strategies for individual students. Progress monitoring is done to ascertain the effectiveness of the interventions.

8. We are developing 21st Century Professionals. • Instructional technology:Each classroom has an interactive LCD projector (BenQ) and a document projector. All classrooms have Internet access. We have two student computer labs and computer /Internet access in our Media Center. In addition, our Intervention and Special Education teachers use SMART boards to support their instructional programs. Use of technology such as the BenQ or SMART board brings touch screen interaction to our students and classrooms. Our intent is to better engage students in their learning, thus resulting in increased academic growth and proficiency. We are focused on creating a sustainable technology refresh/replacement plan for the years ahead. • Responsive Classrooms:This approach is intended to build and foster a caring school community. Students begin their day with a Morning Meeting that helps them get to know one another, by name, and helps them share experiences and make stronger connections to their learning. • A school-wide focus on building 21st Century Skills. Including Leadership; ethics; accountability; adaptability; personal productivity; personal responsibility; people skills; self-direction; and social responsibility Global awareness; financial, economic, business, entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; and health awareness.

9. We offer a Faculty and Staff who work together to support student achievement. • Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) These weekly grade level/team meetings rely on the collaboration of teachers to ensure that students’ needs are being met. Teachers work to answer 3 basic questions: Did the students learn it? If so, what do we do next? If the students did not learn it, what do we do next? PLTs allow teachers to work together and use data to make decisions regarding student learning and academic progress. • 2 Math Coaches. Support teachers as they implement our Math curriculum and foster differentiation for students • 1 Literacy Coach. Supports teachers as they implement our Literacy curriculum and foster differentiation for students • 2 SIOP Coaches. Support teachers as they implement strategies to help our students who are learning English (These strategies tend to help ALL students) • Regular Collaboration with Support Staff. Classroom teachers, teacher assistants, and intervention teachers work closely with special education, ESL, Intervention, and AG teachers to develop plans for academic achievement.

10. Fox Road School Improvement Plan Goals • By 2012, cohort EOG reading scores for FRES students moving from grade three to five during the 2010-13 school years will improve by 25% proficiency as measured by the NC End-of-Grade reading tests, and all sub-groups will demonstrate high growth. • By 2012, cohort EOG math scores for FRES students moving from grade three to five during the 2010-13 school years will improve by 15% proficiency as measured by the NC End-of-Grade math tests, and all sub-groups will demonstrate high growth. • By June 2012, Kindergarten through fifth grade students in all sub-groups will improve their year-end unassisted writing sample scores to within 10 percentage points of the WCPSS average as measured by year-end unassisted writing assessments. • By June 2012, 50% or more of Fox Road students and their families will attend at least two school-wide events per school year. • By June 2012, the percentage of certified faculty members who indicate that Fox Road is a good place to work and learn will increase from 73.6% to 85% as measured by an in-house partial Teacher Working Conditions survey.

11. Support for Students • Academic Growth for all students • Differentiated instruction • Building Community • Thinking

12. We offer a Comprehensive Counseling Program for all students. • Two full-time School Counselors on staff. • Weekly Small Group offered in grades K – 5. • Topics include Social Skills, Changing Families; Impulse Control, Bullying, Stress & • Anxiety, Grief, Successful Classroom Behaviors. • Classroom Lessons provided 2x/month in grades K-5. • Lessons are designed for students to master competencies in the domains of • academics, personal social, and career development. • Offer ongoing programs to connect families with community resources. • Holiday Help, Shoes that Fit, Backpack Buddies, referrals to community support • agencies. • Coordinate Special Programs. • Student Ambassadors Program • EOG Academy • Various Service Learning Projects • Career Fair and Career Cafe

13. Positive Behavioral intervention and Supports (PBiS) At Fox Road we areSWIFT! Stay safe Work like it matters Interact peacefully Focus on responsibility Treat others with respect • Classes and students earn tickets when the demonstrate behaviors that are SWIFT. These tickets may be used to purchase items at our school store. • We honor SWIFT students 4 times a year in fun school-wide celebrations.

14. We offer a strong partnership with our parents and our local community. • Community Involvement Committee Includes our PTA and focuses on encouraging families to volunteer and be a part of our school. • School Wide Family Nights • Fall 2011 Open House including information about NCLB/ESEA and Fox Road’s achievement data (October) • English and Spanish spoken events with opportunities to receive books and take home games to assist families supporting their child’s reading or math skills. • November 2011 event “How to Help Your Children Succeed at School” • February 2012 event “Reading Jamboree “ • March 2012 event “’Twas the night before EOGs…. “ • Three local churches, The Summit, Crossroads Baptist, and Harvest Bible, regularly provide support and help through with their resources and volunteerism. They provide the food for our Backpack Buddies Program, help with Family Nights, help teachers with administrative tasks, and help our families with resources when needed.

15. We offer a Variety of Extracurricular Experiences for our Students. • Math Olympiad (international math problem solving competition) • Fox Road News Crew • Energy Club • Art Club • Recorder Club • Instrumental Strings • Chorus • Step Team • Ladies of Excellence • Helping Hands • SWIFT Foxes Running Club • Literacy Dogs

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