Apopka Memorial Middle School

School Improvement Plan

Year: 2007-08

PROFILE

Apopka Memorial Middle School evolved as a middle school in August, 1987 from the former Apopka Junior High School and earlier, the Apopka High School. Apopka High was established on the present site with grades 7 through 12 in the early 1950's.

The teaming concept is utilized to serve the needs of our students during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Apopka Memorial Middle School's student body is socio-economically and culturally diverse. According to August, 2007 Orange County Public School statistics, Apopka Memorial Middle School is comprised of 34% Caucasians, 27% African-Americans, 34% Hispanics and 5% students of other ethnic origins. Migrant students account for approximately 6% of our population with slightly over 10% of our students participating in the bilingual program. Over 30 students (56% of our migrant students) participated in an after school tutoring program. Forty-nine percent of our students utilize the free and reduced lunch program. Our plan for 2007-2008 includes extending our school into the community where we can articulate our curriculum, goals, rules, etc. with the diverse parent and community groups.

All students at Apopka Memorial Middle School are provided instruction which encourages achievement in academics, exploration and utilization of advanced technology, participation in social and service opportunities, and the development of physical, artistic, musical, and communication skills. We have analyzed the informal and formal data to determine our plan for student achievement. Approximately 16% of our students scored at Level I on the reading portion of the 2006 FCAT. Intensive Reading classes will be offered for those students. Intensive Math classes will also be offered to students who scored Level 1 in the Math portion of the FCAT. All students are given the DRP (Degrees of Reading Power) test, Edusoft Test, and practice FCAT tests during the year. This provides additional information to be used in monitoring student progress during the year and is used as a guide as we prepare for FCAT tests. These FCAT Reading, Math, Writing, Science and SAT 9 scores are also used to determine our class offerings for the next year.

Students with special needs are provided a variety of modifications in instruction and expectations which enhance their academic success. IDEA funds have been used to purchase professional resource materials to assist teachers in addressing the broad spectrum of needs of our exceptional education students. This allows us to provide inclusion opportunities for all of our exceptional education students into the regular classrooms. Special education classes are also offered for the following areas: social personal; learning strategies; gifted; and speech, language, hearing, and visually challenged.

Areas included in the School Improvement Plan are:

Mathematics – All students have been tested for advanced placement in mathematics. Intensive Math classes are provided for students scoring Level 1 on the Math FCAT from the previous year. SuccessMaker is utilized in our labs providing both math and reading practice on an individualized basis. An FCAT family Math/Science night will be held to familiarize parents with the FCAT and other math and science activities and skills. Additional math software will be purchased and our school will participate in the College Board Success program.

Reading - The DRP and Edusoft tests will be used to identify students for the Intensive Reading classes. Both of these tests are predictors of performance on the FCAT. Reading incentives, literature circles, and book talks will be used to encourage reading this year. An additional 25 minute Accelerated Reading period has also been added to each day. Furthermore, the School Literacy Council proposed the continuation of a Literacy Night to improve community involvement.

Writing – Monthly school-wide FCAT Writes days are held to familiarize all students with the process and the rubric for the test. Also, writing workshops for Kagan and Differentiated Instruction will be included in the language arts curriculum as well as the writing component from the League of Educational Excellence.

Parent Involvement – Parents will be encouraged to attend FCAT family nights and Fine Arts Night to become familiar with the FCAT and all of the fine arts activities at our school. In addition, FCAT information will be presented at School Advisory Council and Parent Leadership Council meetings.

Dropout Prevention - The student-teacher ratio for academic classes will be 22:1. In addition, the Grade Recovery Program will be offered to students that are experiencing academic concerns. Students who have not been successful in a class may also obtain “grade forgiveness” so that they can meet the legislative requirements in order to be promoted to high school. Furthermore, before and after school tutoring will be available to all students.

Safe and Orderly Environment - The Peer Mediation program will be continued. SAFE continues to provide referrals by staff, parents or students. The school will continue to instill respect in all students with the Bullying Prevention curriculum. This objective can best be accomplished by the involvement of students, parents, and the community. Our goal is for all students to experience success which ultimately enhances their self-esteem. In addition, this year the Positive Behavior Support Team will continue to provide positive reinforcement for student conduct.

Staff Development - The staff development plan supports the targets of the SIP. A variety of funding sources will be used to increase student achievement such as Eisenhower Funds, ESE, and the School Improvement fund. The staff development plan will include presenting teachers and staff with NESTS (Nurturing Exceptional Students To Succeed), Differentiated Instruction, vocabulary development, and gifted education. Training will also be offered for ongoing Thinking Maps skills, Write Traits, and College Board initiative. This will enable teachers to focus on curriculum which integrates various departments in order to improve student achievement.

Technology - Additional computers will be obtained to facilitate the Accelerated Reader and SuccessMaker programs. Computers will be added to the media center to facilitate Accelerator and research. Our goal is for all students to have access to the Internet.

VISION

The vision for Orange County Public Schools is, “To be the top producer of successful students in the nation.”

The vision of Apopka Memorial Middle School is, “To provide a safe and stimulating learning environment that prepares all students to be successful and to contribute responsibly in a global community.”

Apopka Memorial Middle School

School Improvement Plan

Year: 2007-08

Development of the School Improvement Plan

The district ENDS Policy, District Performance Goals, and the Comprehensive Academic Achievement Plan (CAAP) were all used to develop our school improvement plan. The plan is a tool for identifying and creating a desirable future for our students and school. The school improvement plan process will enable us to anticipate and manage the complex changes that we face. Furthermore, because our School Advisory Council is broadly representative of our school’s community, we are confident that our school improvement plan reflects a shared vision of success for all of our students.

We began the strategic planning process by developing and clarifying a vision statement for our school. Our vision statement expresses the "desirable future" we want to create and is presented on the previous page.

In order to assess the needs of our school, we collected and analyzed a great deal of data. From these data we identified a number of priority needs, which are stated in our plan. These needs formed the basis for our plan this year.

The mission of the Orange County Public Schools is, “To lead our students to success with the support and involvement of families and the community.” Based on this mission, we reviewed the District Performance Goals and built objectives around the goals that reflected the priority needs of our school. OCPS has also identified six supporting conditions to help accomplish the district’s mission. We reviewed and selected the supporting conditions that related to our needs assessment.

The purpose of the OCPS CAAP is to create curriculum consistency for all students and provide instructional strategies that meet the needs of our diverse student population. To make this happen, developmental, accelerated, and remedial strategies have been incorporated into this plan to ensure student achievement.

Our school improvement plan focuses on how we will work toward meeting the needs at our school. We used the results of our needs assessment as a starting point to select and develop four-year objectives. We used the needs assessment results to address budget, training, instructional materials, technology, staffing, student support services, specific school safety, discipline strategies, student health and fitness, including physical fitness, parental information on student health/fitness, and indoor environmental air quality. The SAC’s assistance was used to prepare the budget for next year so that it effectively supports the school improvement plan.

Annual objectives were developed to identify where we would be at the end of each year of our four‑year objectives or objectives based on the supporting conditions. Finally, action plans were written, which outlined the activities that needed to be completed in order to reach our annual objectives. These action plans are clearly defined activities that show what we will accomplish in working toward our objectives.

The four state education goals, Florida’s six priorities, as well as statutory requirements, were addressed in developing the plan. Not all goals and priorities are directly included in the plan since only the highest priority needs are included. Many other activities take place in the school that support the state goals and priorities but are not specifically mentioned in the plan.

Our school is committed to improving access to high quality instruction for all students. This includes increasing the percentage of African-American and Hispanic students enrolled in advanced level courses.

Once our plan was completed, it was reviewed by our community, the area superintendent, the superintendent, and the school board. This review focused on determining how much progress toward state goals and the district's mission would result from the implementation of the plan. When the school board approved our plan, they agreed that achieving the annual objectives would produce adequate progress toward meeting these important goals.

The actual implementation of our plan will be evaluated at two points during the school year. The first review of progress will be in December-January with the area superintendent. The mid-year progress review will determine if we are on schedule in completing the action plan activities that are written in our plan and data showing progress at the middle of the school year. The final progress report is made after the school year is over. At that time, we will determine if we accomplished our annual objectives. We will use those results to begin our needs assessment for next year.

Apopka Memorial Middle School

School Improvement Plan

Year: 2007-08

READING OBJECTIVE

District Mission: To lead our students to success with the support and involvement of families and the community.

Baseline Expectations

(Percent of Students)

Reading Performance:

Elementary: 85

Middle Schools: 65

High Schools: 60

Reading Learning Gains:

Elementary: 70

Middle Schools: 75

High Schools: 75

Reading Lowest 25 Percent Learning Gains:

Elementary: 70

Middle Schools: 75

High Schools: 65

Narrative to Describe Major Steps to Meet Baseline Expectations in Reading Within Four Years:

During the 2007-2008 school year, we will upgrade and expand our Accelerated Reader program, offer incentives for meeting reading goals, and implement book talks. We will also offer parent literacy activities which will not only promote parent involvement but will also enhance parental knowledge and support for both our students and our school.

Four-Year Objectives:

By July 2011, 65 percent of all students taking the FCAT Reading test at Apopka Middle School will score at Level 3 or above.

2. By July 2011, 75 percent of all students taking the FCAT Reading test at Apopka Middle School will make learning gains.

3. By July 2011, 75 percent of all students taking the FCAT Reading test at Apopka Middle School will make learning gains with the lowest 25% of students.

2007-08

Needs Statement:

1. In June 2007, 66% of all students taking the FCAT reading test at Apopka Memorial Middle School scored at Level 3 or above on FCAT Reading, an increase of 2% points. Needs assessment data indicated a need for a continuation of this growth.

2. In June 2007, 71 % of the students at Apopka Middle School made learning gains in reading. This is a gain of 3% points.

3. In June 2007, 73% of the lowest 25% of students at Apopka Middle School made learning gains in reading, a decrease of 2 points. Needs assessment indicates a need for improvement in this area.

2007-08

Annual Objectives:

By July 2008, 69% of all students taking the FCAT reading test at Apopka Memorial Middle School will score at Level 3 or above.

By July 2007, 74% of all students taking the FCAT Reading test at Apopka Memorial Middle School will make learning gains.

By July 2007, 76% of the lowest 25% of students taking the FCAT Reading test at Apopka Memorial Middle School will make learning gains.

2007-08

Mid-Year Progress:

Enter progress made at mid-year of 2007-08 here.

2007-08

Results:

Enter baseline data from 2007-08 here when it is available.

2008-09

Needs Statement:

Enter baseline data from 2007-08 for all three reading statements here.

2008-09

Annual Objectives:

Enter all three of the annual objectives for 2008-09 here.

2008-09

Mid-Year Progress:

Enter progress made at mid-year of 2008-09 here.

2008-09

Results:

Enter baseline data from 2008-09 here when it is available.

2009-10

Needs Statement:

Enter baseline data from 2008-09 for all three reading statements here.

2009-10

Annual Objectives:

Enter all three of the annual objectives for 2009-10 here.

2009-10

Mid-Year Progress:

Enter progress made at mid-year of 2009-10 here.

2009-10

Results:

Enter baseline data from 2009-10 here when it is available.

2010-11

Needs Statement:

Enter baseline data from 2009-10 for all three reading statements here.

2010-11

Annual Objectives:

Enter all three of the annual objectives for 2010-11 here.

2010-11

Mid-Year Progress:

Enter progress made at mid-year of 2010-11 here.

2010-11

Results:

Enter baseline data from 2010-11 here when it is available.

Do rules, regulations, policies, or laws at the state or district level prevent the school from accomplishing this plan?

Yes:

No:

If so, is a request for waiver needed?

Yes:

No:

Appendix F contains the form and procedures for requesting a waiver.

Apopka Memorial Middle School

School Improvement Plan

Year: 2007-08

Reading

Action Plan for 2007-08

			Status
			Completed	In Progress	Planned
Activities (End Date)	Funding Source	Position of Responsibility
1. Continue use of reading logs (including parent signatures). (August, 2008)	School Budget	Language Arts teachers, Media Specialist, AR Clerk
2. Provide reading incentives for achieving reading goals. (May 31, 2008)	School Budget	Language Arts teachers, Media Specialist, AR Clerk