COMMUNICATION ARTS IMPROVEMENT PLAN

In the fall of 2009, staff members authored a special services improvement plan that was created and approved with one goal in mind - to enhance student achievement in the area of communication arts.

Throughout this academic year, the special services teachers/aides have accompanied youngsters to the classroom for the delivery of lessons and so students may fully interact with classroom discussions and activities.  This plan has made it possible for each student to be exposed to the complete curriculum.  This concept, called class within a class, has made it possible for youngsters to receive extra assistance in class and/or in the resource room.

In addition, more tools have been utilized throughout the year to monitor individual student progress which, in turn, enabled teachers to target instruction to best meet individual needs.  Using McGraw-Hill educational resources, pupils were initially evaluated, and subsequently tested weekly on vocabulary, comprehension, and other vital reading skills.  They also completed McGraw-Hill MAP formatted evaluations at least once per quarter.

Finally, students completed their grade level assessments (MAP tests) in April and the end-of-year reading (Gates-MacGinitie) assessments during the month of May.  All of the data from these evaluations have improved the monitoring of students' progress and growth throughout the school year.