Westside Elementary School

School Information

School Name: Westside Elementary School
School Address:  740 West Center Street
                        Springville, UT 84663
School Phone:  (801) 489-2800
Principal Contact:  Susan Huff
Contact E-Mail:  susan.huff@nebo.edu

Demographics

Number of Students:  840(including preschool)
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:   399 (50%)
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  15%
Percent of Special Education:  14%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  (75%)
• Black  (1%)
• Hispanic  (21%)
• Asian/Pacific Island  (2%)
• Multi-Racial  (1%)

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends – for example, three consecutive years or the first, third, and fifth years. The data report should always include the most recent school year and should always offer a basis of comparison.

Each year our school has made Adequate Yearly Progress under No Child Left Behind. We compile and study student data to look for trends over time and to identify areas where we can celebrate a job well done, as well as look for areas for improvement. Eight years ago Westside was the lowest performing school in Nebo School District. We are a Title I school with high poverty, the largest number of English language learners in the district, and high mobility. Our standardized test scores in 3 rd and 5 th grades continue to improve, but we looked at comparisons to other schools to draw meaning. We are one of 8 Title I schools in a district with 22 schools. This year in every 5 th grade subtest we exceeded national, state, and district averages. Our students scored 12 percentile points above district average in mathematics and 5 percentile points about district average in the composite score. Third grade students exceeded all national and state averages and either met or exceeded the district t averages. They scored 8 percentile points above district average in science. This general”checkup” indicates our students are performing well compared to other students in the district, state and nation.

As we analyzed our results of our state criterion-referenced tests, we found some interesting patterns. For 2006 our whole school proficiency level for language arts was 79% (state=80%; district 84%) and for mathematics 80% (state=78%, district 84%). Our subpopulation that has traditionally underperformed is our ethnically diverse group. However, in 2006 our Hispanic students’ average percent in language arts increased 7%; math increased 12% for this same group. For Limited English Proficient students, their language arts average increased 7%; their math increased 14%. All of this increase happened in these subpopulations, even with an increase in the actual number of students in each subgroup.

We track student progress in reading form ear to year. At the end of 2003 before we were doing any collaborative work as a learning community, only 81% of our first graders read on grade level, as measured by our district reading benchmark assessment. Last year 96% of our first graders were on grade level by the end of the year. Every grade level had increases in the percentage of students who were reading on grade level. Fifth grade students reading on grade level jumped from 57% in 2003 to 70% in 2006-great progress, but we still have some work to do here. Although our district has not yet provided schools with comparative data on this assessment, we are working to obtain this information so that all schools may have a basis for comparison.

L.A.	2006 (W.S./State)	2005 (W.S./State)	2004 (W.S./State)
1st	84/77	77/76	82/77
2nd	80/79	73/79	88/78
3rd	77/78	82/77	77/76
4th	87/80	78/79	86/77
5th	73/79	85/78	81/76

 

Math	2006 (W.S./State)	2005 (W.S./State)	2004 (W.S./State)
1st	86/76	76/74	82/74
2nd	85/78	82/76	93/75
3rd	81/76	86/76	82/75
4th	89/77	78/76	82/74
5th	72/75	78/75	75/73

 

Science	2006 (W.S./State)	2005 (W.S./State)	2004 (W.S./State)
4th	75/64	80/64	85/63
5th	63/68	50/64	59/62

 

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

Last year we had 7 students discontinue from special education because they met their IEP goals and were now on grade level. We think this is fabulous! WE also believe that our increased math scores can be at least partly explained by the addition of Reteach and Enrich groups in every grade level which provides additional time and support for students who need it.

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

The best indicator of success at Westside is our improved student performance. In addition, there is a tangible positive feeling tone at or school. High expectations for students and staff are apparent. It is a great place for kids!

Every year we conduct an Indicators of School Quality survey of our students, staff, and parents to measure their perceptions of how we are doing as a school. The reported perceptions of each of these groups are very favorable.

At the end of each year, teachers are surveyed to see what they would like to see continued, stopped, and started. The number one thing teachers want to continue is grade level collaboration meetings. Teachers see the benefit of their collaborative work.

Westside Elementary has become a model site for many schools to visit and learn from. This year we have had many observation visits from schools both within and outside our district to observe grade level teams in collaboration and learn more about our school transforming to a professional learning community. State Legislators and our State Superintendent of Public Education also visited our school this year.

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

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

In September, January, and May each teacher administers a district common reading assessment to all students to determine reading level. Students are inversely ranked by grade level according to the assessment results, and interventions are planned. Individual teachers monitor students below grade level through weekly running records. Each student’s reading level is tracked on our school assessment wall. Each student is represented by a card with his number and the interventions received on the front of the card; the student’s name, along with reading level and date of assessment are listed on the back of the card. Each grade level is represented by a different color; individual teachers are distinguished by different colored dots on the front of the card. As students improve, teachers move their cards up on the assessment wall Celebrations are shared in collaboration; teachers share strategies they attribute to the improvement.

For math, teachers give frequent common assessments that reflect the state standards. Teachers meet weekly to review assessment results and group students for reteaching who did not meet the standard.

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

At Westside we use three-tiered approach to instructing and intervention. Tier 1 is all students receive high quality core curriculum instruction taught by highly qualified teachers using research-based materials and instructional practices including differentiation. Tier 2 is for students who need additional time and support to master content standards, as determined through common assessments and progress monitoring. This is accomplished in math through Reteach and Enrich groupings after the common assessment is given. Students on the entire grade level who need more time and support are grouped to receive additional instruction and proactive through additional instruction by one of the teachers on that team. In addition to Reteach and Enrich groups, other Tier 2 interventions include the following: buddy reading with a peer, cross-grade buddy tutors, English language instruction with an ESL technician, parent volunteers as tutors, Title I tutors for one-on one intervention or booster groups, grandma helpers as tutors, take-home leveled library books for proactive, speech interventions, before school math club, before school homework lab, parent training classes, high school internship tutors, Spanish reading volunteers, teacher adaptation of centers, parent alert notes, and Reading Recovery for 1 st grade students. Tier 3 is intensive instruction delivered by special education teachers for 30 to 80 minutes per day.

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

Information of r teachers is communicated through weekly Faculty Notes which includes a school calendar for the coming three weeks. This leaves the bulk of weekly faculty meetings for school-wide staff development. Out staff development is focused on the specific needs of our school. We have used a variety of resources for group study. Last year all of our staff read and discussed On Common Ground, by DuFour, and DuFour. We have also read and discussed Collaborative Analysis of Student Work, by Langer, Colton, and Goff. WE have studied ideas from Learning by Doing, by DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Many, along with Rick Stiggins’ Classroom Assessment for Student Learning:Doing it Right-Using it Well. Short articles that everyone reads have also helped increase our collective learning as a school. This year we are studying Reading with Meaning in lower grades and Strategies That Work in upper grades.

The principal regularly attends grade level collaboration meetings, along with the Title I Staff Developer. This was especially important in the beginning years of our work as collaborative teams so that teachers could be mentored in how to function effectively as teams. Now four years later, our grade level teams have well-established norms and patterns of behavior that focus on students learning. The school-wide common collaboration agenda developed by our teachers helps keep t4eams focused on student learning.

List awards and recognitions your school has achieved

2006 Exemplar Reading Program Award (school award); awarded by International 5eading Association-one of 20 awarded in the nation

2005 Utah Exemplary Reading Program Award (school award); awarded by Utah Council of International Reading Association.

2004 Utah Elementary Reading Principal of the Year; awarded by Utah Council of International Reading Association