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Performance Improvement Intervention Project

 * Organization: //Harmony//** //**Elementary School**//


 * Summary:** One of the biggest problems that Harmony Elementary School is experiencing is the low percentage of Students With Disabilities (SWD) that are meeting or exceeding the yearly Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (GCRCT) in math. The past two years have seen an increase of over 50% of the SWD students **not** meeting which has pushed HES close to not meeting AYP. Within the School Improvement Plan there is a measurable goal for students with disabilities: //Decrease the percentage of students with disabilities not meeting the standard by 2 percentile points annually respectively//**.** Unfortunately, this is not happening.

Harmony Elementary School is a distinguished Title I school that was founded in 2006. It is located in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of Pickens County, GA.
 * Background Information:**

The **mission** of Harmony Elementary School (HES) is to promote
 * S**//uccessful// **O**//utstanding// **A**//chievement// //for// **R**//esponsible// **S**//tudents// **(SOARS)**

· students, parents, and school personnel have the vision to see excellence and the courage, power, and strength to achieve it · learn together to soar as one · give flight to new heights of achievement
 * Goals:**

Pickens County has also established one goal for all schools: //Graduation for All!//


 * Clientele**: HES serves 740 students in grades K-5.

Sherry Mullins, Principal Beth Simonds, Assistant Principal Judy Cunningham, Learning Support Specialist
 * Key Personnel**:


 * Website**: []


 * Public Relations/Annual Reports:** The school website offers links to the School Improvement Plan and School Profile which contain student data and annual measurable goals. Annual AYP reports can be obtained from the Georgia Department of Education Site under the Data Reporting Tab: []

__**Performance Gap**__


 * The problem restated**: Students with Disabilities are performing below the annual measurable goals set for the school in math.


 * Annual Goal:** //Decrease the percentage of students with disabilities not meeting the standard by 2 percentile points annually respectively.//


 * Performance Gap**: The data below shows the annual goals and the actual results.
 * **Criterion Reference Test Mathematics SWD Students** ||
 * ** Year ** || ** Did Not Meet ** || ** Meets ** || ** Exceeds ** || ** Meets + Exceeds ** || ** HES Goal-decrease not meets by 2% ** || ** Performance Gap ** ||
 * 09-10 || ** 51.2% ** || 24.4% || 24.4% || 48.8% || ** 34.0% ** || ** -17.2% ** ||
 * 08-09 || ** 55.2% ** || 27.6% || 17.2% || 44.8% || ** 36.0% ** || ** -19.2% ** ||
 * 07-08 || ** 39.4% ** || 45.5% || 15.2% || 60.6% || ** 38.0% ** || ** -1.4% ** ||
 * 06-07 || ** 40.0% ** || 32.5% || 27.5% || 60.0% || ** N/A ** || ** N/A ** ||

__**Cause Analysis**__ I believe one of the major factors behind the development of this problem is the new state standards. There is a huge emphasis on performance based inquiry. Students with disabilities have extensive troubles with problem solving skills. I also feel that teachers need continued professional development on how to differentiate in the classroom in order to meet our students with disabilities.

I believe this gap exists because the state of Georgia has been in the process of changing the standards in all subject areas over the past eight years. Math standards were changed for grades K-2 in 2006 and then changed for grades 3-5 in 2007. Math teachers have seen a huge gap in mathematical knowledge between the old standards and the new standards. In two years the group of students entering fifth grade will be the first group to have received the new Georgia Performance Standards in math since Kindergarten. Hopefully we will see a close in the gap of mathematical knowledge.

__**Intervention Strategies**__


 * Intervention Strategies**

One low-cost strategy would be to use teacher collaboration in the classroom. The special education teacher and general education teacher can provide a co-taught environment to students with disabilities. This will ensure that students are receiving grade level instruction with additional support in the regular education environment. This will also help students learn from their peers. Teachers can initiate peer tutoring within the math class. The benefit of peer tutoring is that peer interaction can have high motivation and academic achievement for both students. The cost of using teacher collaboration and peer tutors is very minimal. The main cost is the time it takes to plan for collaborating teachers, and the time to meet with parents for their approval of their child participating in the co-taught environment. Another low-cost strategy and one that will be put into place during the 2010-2011 school year, an in-house professional development course on differentiation. This will require teachers to participate in the development over the course of the one and a half to two years. All development will be provided during faculty meetings and planning periods. There will be no substitute teacher costs. The cost of the program is $2500 and includes DVD’s and workbooks for all participants along with instructional manuals for administration.
 * Low Cost:**

A medium- cost strategy that would help in meeting the needs of students with disabilities is a mobile lap top cart. This would provide one-on-one computing for the students. Harmony has already purchased Success Maker math and reading for all students. This is a Computer Assisted Program that works with the students at their level giving them instruction and guiding them to solve problems correctly. This is a great program to assist students in math, but only having 4 computers in the classroom and 50 minutes a week on the computer lab, does not give students enough time to access it. By having the mobile lap top cart, students will have more time to access and successfully utilize Success Maker. The cost of the mobile lab is $17,000.
 * Medium Cost:**

I believe, one of the best strategies and of course the highest-cost strategy for Harmony, would be to hire a math coordinator for the school. The coordinator would be responsible for providing math support for struggling students and teachers, resources, and professional development classes. Many teachers at Harmony have attended math workshops, but there has been no follow-up. In fourth and fifth grade there is only one math teacher so they have no one to collaborate with on grade level. A school wide math coordinator would be a positive move in helping students with disabilities to meet state standards and become successful math students. The cost for a math coordinator ranges from $34,000 (non certified)- $63,000 (certified).
 * High Cost**:

__**Intervention Strategies Revised**__

Many students with disabilities struggle in the math classroom due to their lack of basic math facts. A researched-based program that has been successful in helping students develop basic math fact fluency is FASTT (Fluency and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching with Technology) math. This program assesses students, identifies fluency gaps and then establishes a fluency baseline. The program differentiates instruction to each individual student. Students work 10-minutes a day on FASTT to develop basic fact fluency that leads to higher-order thinking skills. This program costs $300 per computer license. At Harmony, there are four special education classrooms with three computers each. Ordering 12 computer licenses for those classrooms would cost $3600. This can be funded through Title-I funds. However, the school could purchase one license of $300 to pilot in a 5th grade math co-taught classroom. If the findings are positive and up to administration liking, the school could purchase licenses for each of the special education classrooms.
 * Low Cost:**

**High Cost:** I believe one of the best strategies and of course the highest-cost strategy for Harmony would be to hire a technology coordinator for the school. All classrooms in grades 2-5 have an LCD projector, laptop computer, and Interwrite tablet. Each grade level also has two sets of Student Response Systems. Having a technology coordinator on site will more than likely increase the use of technology within the classroom. The coordinator would be responsible for providing technology professional development and collaborating with classroom teachers on effective technology implementation in the classroom. The coordinator could also provide math support for struggling students through one-one-one computing and tutoring. Many teachers at Harmony have attended math workshops, but there has been no follow-up. In fourth and fifth grade there is only one math teacher so they have no one to collaborate with on grade level. A technology coordinator would be a positive move in helping students with disabilities to meet state standards and become successful math students. The cost for a math coordinator ranges from $34,000 (non-certified) - $63,000 (certified).

__**Justification**__ The strategy that will work best for the students with disabilities at Harmony Elementary at the current time will be the low cost strategy. Purchasing the FASTT Math software program will be beneficial for meeting the individual needs of the students. According to the developers of FASTT Math Hasselbring and Goin (2005), the FASTT Math approach when used consistently, has a very positive effect on developing mathematical fluency in both students with and without math difficulty. Although FASTT Math is effective for all students needing assistance with developing fact fluency, it appears to be especially effective for students labeled as at risk and as learning disabled. Using the FASTT Math approach will help meet the individual goals set in each of the students’ IEP (Individual Education Plan). This program also provides screening and diagnostic assessments along with progress and performance monitoring reports. All of these reports will be beneficial for both special education and regular education teachers in assessing the fact fluency development of the students. The only negative in this low end strategy is teachers making sure that students access the program everyday for 10 minutes. Teachers need to be willing to learn about the program and use the teacher guides for effective implementation and report gathering.

The medium cost strategy is another great strategy in helping students with disabilities meet the measurable math goal every year. Harmony just purchased a mobile lap top cart, but teachers have not been trained on its use as of yet. Once teachers have been trained, they will be able to check out the cart from the media center. This one-to-one computing will be beneficial for all students. Students at Harmony use Success Maker math and the laptop cart will enable students to use it more often than they are able to now. The only problem with the cart is the fact that there are 33 classrooms at HES so getting to check out the cart may take some time. It would be beneficial for Harmony to purchase another laptop cart so there is one for grades K-2 and one for grades 3-5.

The high cost strategy of hiring a technology coordinator for the school is definitely out of the question. There have been major budget cuts and everyone in the county had to take five furlough days, so no one is getting hired right now. However, if it were possible, hiring a technology coordinator for the school would benefit all teachers and would more than likely encourage teachers to implement technology within the classroom. The use of technology in the classroom would help reach out to students with disabilities by providing them with another avenue for learning.

__**Project Management**__ As project manager of this performance improvement intervention project, I will be responsible for implementing the intervention strategy of FASTT Math in my own classroom. I will first complete on-line training of the software program and then I will train the special education teachers in order for us to collaborate together on student progress. As we implement the software and begin having the students use it, I will collect data of student progress and provide feedback to the administration monthly. As a resource manager, I will utilize the FASTT math software to monitor the progress. I will create a spreadsheet of the students using the program and record the progress. This spreadsheet will then be shared with the special education teachers and administration. It will be important for the special education teachers and I to meet at least once a month to discuss the program and student progress. I believe through the use of this program and the collaboration between the special education teachers and me, we will begin to see a positive turn in student achievement on the yearly Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test.

__** Financial and Budget Information **__ Tentative budget: The cost for one FASTT Math computer license is $300. This includes the software, Teacher’s Guide, and a Fact Fluency Foundations Guide including optional assessments, lesson plans, and activities. Harmony could purchase the three computer licenses for the first year. One of the computer utilized will be in the 5th grade math co-taught classroom to use as a pilot program. The purchase of the product provides teachers with a wealth of professional development materials and online support.To purchase the software and to find more information about the benefits of FASTT Math, visit: http://www.tomsnyder.com/fasttmath/index.

__** Technical Information **__ All classrooms come equipped with desktop computers and each computer will support the FASTT Math software program. Product support and system requirements for FASTT Math can be found at: []

__** Project Assessment/Evaluation **__

This project will be evaluated first through the FASTT Math software program. The FASTT Math offers screening and diagnostic assessments, and performance and progress monitoring reports for each student. A summary report will be provided to the administration. To evaluate the effectiveness of this program for the intervention project, student data will be assessed after the annual Adequate Yearly Progress reports come back. Harmony will compare the yearly results to its school improvement plan to see if the annual measurable goals have been met. I believe that over a period of two to three years, Harmony will begin to see an improvement with its Students with Disabilities meeting yearly math goals.