Longleaf Elementary School

 

School Information

School Name:  Longleaf Elementary
School Address:  4290 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32935
School Phone:  321-242-4700
School Fax:  321-242-4708
Principal:  Mrs. Marilyn Sylvester
Principal email:  sylvester.marilyn@brevardschools.org

 

Demographics

Number of Students:  688
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:   10.2%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  < 1%
Percent of Special Education:  Gifted 11%; other programs 16.3%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

- White:   85%
- Black:     2%
- Hispanic:  5.5%
- Asian/Pacific Island:  2%
- Other:  5.5%

 

Student Achievement Data:

The data from the Florida Department of Education shows that Longleaf Elementary is making significant progress towards the goal of all students meeting high learning standards.  Brevard Public Schools consistently scores above the state average in FCAT results, so we compare our scores to the district averages.  The trends show that our students consistently score above the district average.

Percent of Students Passing Statewide Assessment (Longleaf / Brevard Public Schools)

Grade: 3	2004-2005 (school/district)	2005-2006 (school/district)	2006-2007 (school/district)
Math	97/78	96/80	96/81
Reading	91/78	90/81	94/78
Writing	NA	NA	NA
Science	NA	NA	NA

 

Grade: 4	2004-2005 (school/district)	2005-2006 (school/district)	2006-2007 (school/district)
Math	91/72	94/78	98/77
Reading	92/81	90/76	97/78
Writing	88/78	90/79	90/81
Science	NA	NA	NA

 

Grade: 5	2004-2005 (school/district)	2005-2006 (school/district)	2006-2007 (school/district)
Math	79/65	87/66	92/70
Reading	88/77	94/77	98/82
Writing	NA	NA	NA
Science	NA	76/57	78/64

 

Grade: 6	2004-2005 (school/district)	2005-2006 (school/district)	2006-2007 (school/district)
Math	84/69	80/70	88/68
Reading	91/74	86/78	98/78
Writing	NA	NA	NA
Science	NA	NA	NA

 

Please comment on any aspect of the data that you believe is particularly significant.

In 2004-05 the bulk of our Professional Learning Communities, as in previous years, were implemented through voluntary book clubs with professional development opportunities that were more reactive than proactive.  For Longleaf, this was our baseline year. 

In 2005-06 we began weekly articulation meetings in which administrators worked with teacher teams to focus particularly close on interpreting data and working as to find trends (gaps and strengths) within grade levels.  We spent most of our professional development time working with teachers to implement and understand new assessment tools, including DIBELS.  With the establishment of a Literacy Leadership Team, we took our data and began to pinpoint target goals for the school.  From this, we began Vertical Team meetings during the final quarter of the year where teacher teams got together to prioritize learning and professional development goals for the coming year.  When you look at our testing data, it reflects the fact that we spent more time learning how to evaluate and laying the groundwork for exemplary practices than we did putting new strategies into place.  Although our scores stagnated (and in some cases dipped), we feel it was important to spend quality time in this “focus-shift” to make our next step successful.

In 2006-07 we made some significant changes.  Based on the work done the previous spring and our FCAT results, we established school-wide goals.  Every faculty member was involved in professional development towards these goals.  Articulation meetings turned into a more interactive and collaborative time.  At this point, however, these meetings were still driven by goals of the administration and reading coach.

- Data-driven intervention in reading:  professional development, collaborative planning and additional planning time was used to meet this goal, 94% of our students in the bottom quartile showed annual learning gains as compared with 2005-06 when only 71% of our students in the bottom quartile showed annual learning gains.  The percentage increase in students scoring at or above grade level went up by 4% in 3rd & 5th grades, 7% in 4th grade and 12% in 6th grade.
- Science inquiry:  professional development and collaborative planning to create a science classroom (lab) for school-wide use was used to meet this goal.  Although the percentage of students passing the Science FCAT only increased by 2%, the average scale score rose from 352 in 2005-06 to 368 in 2006-07, one of the highest scale scores in the district.

 

Please present additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact on students and/or teachers.

1. Positive Impact on Teachers:

- Teachers are working more collaboratively; sharing the load. The planning burden has been lifted from the shoulders of a few and dispersed among many.
- School climate is more upbeat than in previous years. Teachers are now empowered to choose topics that are meaningful to them personally and have a “stage” to share their exemplary practices with their colleagues. 
- Newer teachers now have a more formal support system through the PLC time.  Sometimes as a new teacher you don’t know what information you are missing. The dialogue opened through PLCs has made our newer teachers seem like veterans.
- Professional development tied directly to goals of the team is no longer pushed aside because there is no time for it.  The time is already built into their schedule. The best part is that many of our teachers are providing the professional development to their teammates as well as sharing with other grade levels.
- Overview days at end of each testing window or grading period gives teachers the opportunity to look at grade level trends and share planning strategies for intervention.  Teachers are making more effective, data-driven instructional decisions now because they aren’t doing it alone, at home, without colleagues to collaborate with.

2. Positive Impact on Students:

- More focused, data-driven instruction provides students with powerful, differentiated instruction.
- The collaborative culture being developed has brought the instruction a child gets in a given grade level more equitable.  The knowledge of a few has been shared with and implemented by many.
- Collaborative planning has also been used to create learning experiences with students without
excessive planning for teachers. An example is our 5th grade team planned a science blitz for the month before FCAT Science testing.  Each teacher took an area of science and planned interactive lessons and labs to do with students.  Less planning for the teacher was limited yet the students got a variety of detailed lessons and the excitement of “guest speakers”.

 

Please elaborate strategies you have found to be effective in the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

We use a variety of assessments, both formal and informal, to evaluate students throughout the year.  Time is built into PLC meetings at the end of each quarter or state testing window to review all data and make instructional decisions.  PLC, vertical team and other professional development goals also come out of this disaggregation of data.

- Some assessments that we rely on are: Scholastic Reading Inventory, DIBELS, District Benchmark Assessments (in all content areas), Running Records, Classroom performance observations, FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test), Diagnostic testing (PASI, PSI, & DAR), and Teacher needs surveys
- Each teacher is provided with a data notebook to keep records in throughout the year.
- Online reporting systems make data available from current and previous years for all students.
- Edline online grade reporting system provides a constant school-home connection.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

Teachers collaborate to share materials, strategies and sometimes students to provide the best intervention systems in reading, writing and math.  The following strategies have been implemented:

- Inclusion/co-teach model for students with Specific Learning Disabilities in grades 3-6.  This is the second year of implementation and has been extremely successful for those students. Additional planning time is given to these teams for data/intervention planning.
- Reading Teacher provides intervention support for students in 1st-3rd grades.  Most sessions are done in an inclusion setting as well.
- Bobcat Tutor mentoring program pairs students in 1st and 2nd grade with a volunteer that is trained to work one-on-one with student needing more confidence in their ability to read and write effectively.
- Intervention blocks have been piloted in two grade levels. All students receive intervention or enrichment in reading and writing.  Teachers in a grade level lead the groups with support staff assisting as well.
- Reading Coach models research-based practices for teachers as well as providing intensive
support for new teachers.  She also supports teachers in the disaggregation of data, assessment, and planning for intervention.  The Reading Coach also provides and coordinates much of the professional development relating to literacy.
- Literacy Leadership Team includes representatives from administration, primary, intermediate, ESE and activity teachers.  This team has been instrumental in providing the resources and structures needed to make the ideas of the faculty become reality.

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

Vertical Teams (established at the end of 2005-06) provided us with our first, true Professional
Learning Communities.  This process has made the gains in student achievement possible. The Literacy Leadership Team and a part-time Reading Coach are critical in the implementation process.

- Literacy Leadership Team guides these meetings by taking the data gathered from testing information and teacher input and uses it to create our goals.
- Agendas are driven completely by the needs from the above data and teacher ownership is evident
- By holding meetings once a month, our faculty is able to share common goals. 

Professional Learning Communities replaced our weekly articulation meetings at the
beginning of  2007-08.

- Grade level teams worked with administration and the reading coach to establish their personal SMART goals for the year based on data and desire to learn more.
- Professional development at each grade level has focused around their goals, and weekly “meetings” are entirely teacher led.
- Quarterly “review” meetings to share accomplishments, review new data and set new goals & timelines.

The Literacy Leadership Team then took those goals & school-wide data to determine School-wide goals for literacy. Additional school-wide training through vertical teams and professional development opportunities has taken place to support those goals:

- Thinking Maps
- Robust Vocabulary strategies
- Written Responses for improved comprehension

 

List awards and recognitions your school has achieved

- State of Florida A+ School- 2000 & 2002-2007
- Achieved Adequate Yearly Progress- 2003-2007
- Golden School Award - 1999-2007
- State of Florida Five Star School Award- 1999-2007
- Florida Department of Education STAR Award (Schools Taking Action for Reform)-2004
- EVA Award (Excellence in Visual Arts) - 2006-07