School Innovation & Improvement Plan

• 2023-2024
• Fort Hunt Elementary School
• Region 3
• Larry Caines, Principal

English Language Arts Strategies

Outcome: By Spring 2024, all students in grades K-3 will meet their growth target or end of year benchmark at a rate of 79% (74% met growth or end of year benchmark 2022-2023) on PALS or iReady and/or a 5% improved proficiency level on the SOL (70% proficiency 2022-2023).

By Spring 2024, African American students in grades K-3 will meet their growth target or end of year benchmark at a rate of 60% (55% met growth or end of year benchmark 2022-2023) on PALS or iReady and/or a 10% improved proficiency level on the SOL (27% proficiency 2022-2023).

Strategy 1

Expand access to evidence-based tier 1 instruction as well as intervention for students demonstrating risk in a multi-tiered system of supports. 

Action(s):

• The master schedule will be structured to ensure that all students have access to daily word study and language comprehension lessons.
• FHES teachers will plan and implement interactive read-alouds of complex texts that include activities before, during, and after reading that are intentionally focused on oral language and vocabulary development.
• FHES teachers will utilize Lexia Core 5/Power Up to provide access to structured literacy to all students and will use the recommended Lexia lessons with direct teacher support to provide Tier 2 intervention.
• FHES will plan and host a family literacy night where students and families engaged in literacy content and strategies.
• With support from the MTSS team, FHES teachers will develop individual reading intervention plans using UFLI or OG, and monitor progress for students who require Tier 2 and Tier 3 support, during the monthly Academic CLT meeting.
• FHES teachers will attend OG professional development sessions to learn and implement small group intervention and progress monitoring strategies.

Strategy 2

Increase impact of tier 2 interventions for students demonstrating risk by using FCPS-recommended programs and practices with fidelity (e.g., Lexia, UFLI). 

Action(s):

• The master schedule will provide for a 30 minute, uninterrupted, separate intervention block, where UFLI will be utilized with fidelity.
• The coaching team will conduct professional development sessions with teachers on UFLI for small group intervention and progress monitoring.
• FHES teachers will do a Lexia 5-minute check in at every CLT; making sure face-to-face skill builder lessons are provided when needed.
• FHES teachers will create common assessments for each LA unit using Performance Matters and will create strategy groups during CLT meetings based on the data.

Strategy 3

Increase intentional use of scaffolds, supports and extensions in whole group settings (word recognition, language comprehension and writing). 

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will utilize the expanded FCPS word study lessons to explicitly teach morphology.
• FHES teachers will use CLT’s to plan word study; adjust intervention materials to address potential gaps in student word knowledge and differentiate the application to reading and spelling so all students can participate.
• FHES teachers will utilize decodable word lists, sentences and decodable texts to promote transfer of decoding skills and text.

Mathematics Strategies

Outcome: By Spring 2024, all student will meet their growth target or end of year benchmark at a rate of 77% (72% met growth or the end of the year benchmark 2022-2023) on EMAS or iReady and/or a 5% improved proficiency level on the SOL (75% proficiency 2022-2023).

By Spring 2024, all African American students will meet their growth target or end of year benchmark at a rate of 50% (45% met growth or the end of year benchmark 2022-2023) on EMAS or iReady and/or a 5% improved proficiency level on the SOL (49% proficiency 2022-2023).

Strategy 1

Improve teachers’ implementation of Framework for Engaging & Student-Centered Mathematics Instruction.

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will engage students in a mathematics community builder daily utilizing components from Building Fact Fluency Kits and/or the Sense Making routines in the PPG.
• FHES teachers will plan Rich Math Tasks and differentiated workshop structures during CLT meetings with the coaching team using the Framework for Engaging & Student-Centered Mathematics Instruction.
• FHES will plan and host a family math night where activities and components from the Framework for Engaging & Student-Centered Mathematics Instruction will be shared with families in order to build awareness of how math is taught and how they can support their students.

Strategy 2

Increase teachers implementation strategies related to Shift 4: from show and tell to share and compare.

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will use components of the Student Mathematics Profile to assess student work or engage students in self-assessment and goal-setting.
• FHES teachers will participate in labsites, which is a 3 part professional development series, on Rich Math Tasks, provided by the central office math team where they will support teachers in implementation through coaching and feedback cycles.
• FHES 3rd grade teachers will participate in CodeUp!, where they will collaborate with the ES Math CS/STEAM Resource Teacher to support tasks and deadlines that support E3, CS and STEAM integration in math instruction and attend professional learning where they explore the use of math tasks and computational thinking.

Strategy 3

Increase teacher implementation of explicit instruction and other components of effective mathematics intervention.

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will use the 6 Components of Effective Mathematics Intervention Practices to plan intervention groups during CLT meetings after analyzing data from common assessments created using Performance Matters.
• The master schedule will be structured so that teachers have 15-30 minutes daily to provide targeted intervention or enrichment using Ready Set Math, ST Math and AVMR 1 & 2 resources.
• The coaching team will conduct professional development sessions with teachers on how to use Ready Set Math and ST Math for targeted small group instruction and progress monitoring.
• FHES teachers will attend AVMR 1, AVMR 2, AVMR Fractions and Ready Set Math professional development sessions to learn and implement small group intervention and progress monitoring strategies.

Chronic Absenteeism Strategies 

Outcome: By the end of the 2023-24 school year, we will reduce our school’s chronic absenteeism rate to below 15% as evidenced by our school’s chronic absenteeism data.

Strategy 1

Strengthening messaging to staff, students and families around attendance to school. Each stakeholder should be able to understand how daily attendance matters, not only for academic success, but because school offers an opportunity to develop social and emotional skills such as listening, paying attention, problem-solving and self-regulation, all which are needed to grow and learn.

Action(s):

• The attendance team will have biweekly meetings to discuss students who need Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention.
• Teachers and the attendance team will have conferences with parents after 5 unexcused absences for students struggling with attendance.
• The attendance team and administration will conduct home visits for students who are absent more than 10% of the time.

Strategy 2

Increase opportunities for personalized early attendance outreach.

Action(s):

• Administration and the attendance team will ensure outreach for families regarding attendance during Back to School Night, through the school website and weekly news you choose newsletter to parents.
• Teachers and the attendance team will call parents after 3 unexcused absences for students struggling with attendance.
• The attendance team will Identify moderately chronically absent students (missing 10-19%) from the previous years data and will identify causes of absenteeism and assign appropriate interventions.

Strategy 3

Create a school culture of engagement & belonging for students and families. Every staff, student, and family will feel safe and connected to the school community.

Action(s):

• The attendance team will coordinate with school leaders and teachers to promote and maintain a positive school climate for students and families, through initiatives such as Fox Fest, Responsive Classroom, Second Step, the mentor program and weekly newsletters, in order to promote regular attendance.
• The attendance team will create an attendance plan with students and families who are absent more than 10% of the time and positive reinforcement strategies will be used, such as an incentive program.
• The attendance team will assign students mentors to check in and check out with students about attendance.

Science Strategies

Outcome: By Spring 2024, 75% of all students will score pass or pass advanced on the Science Virginia Standards of Learning Assessment.

Strategy 1

Strengthen the use of scaffolds to support students’ development of rigorous science and engineering practices.

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will partner with the ESOL teacher and will make adjustments to the science units by adding pictures, sentence stems, graphic organizers, concept maps, visible thinking routines and/or discussion prompts for students.
• FHES teachers utilize the 9 Critical and Creative Thinking Strategies during Science lessons to provide access to rigor for all students.
• FHES teachers will use CT time to plan scaffolds for vocabulary tailored to meet the individual needs of diverse learners, including ELs and SWDs.

Strategy 2

Increase opportunities for students to generate questions that drive inquiry-based learning.

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will use the FCPS Curriculum Resources and/or Planning and Pacing Guide to plan each unit of inquiry-based instruction.
• Students will make predictions before, during and after investigations.
• Students will self-reflect after investigations by referring back to their predictions and drawing conclusions.

Strategy 3

Expand the type and frequency of formative assessments to evaluate progress throughout units.

Action(s):

• FHES teachers will utilize the formative assessments in the PPG as part of the CT cycle to evaluate students’ progress on standards.
• FHES teachers will utilize a variety of meaningful formative assessments to inform instruction, including discourse, conferencing, writing in laboratory notebooks, writing conclusions and PBL’s.
• FHES teachers will utilize CT time to identify areas of growth based on formative assessments given throughout a unit of study.

Strategy 4

Increase content and/or pedagogy knowledge in science for all teachers (advanced, general, ESOL, special education).

Action(s):

• Teachers new to FHES will engage in the targeted Elementary Science professional development provided by OSS, where they collaborate and reflect on quarterly science units.
• FHES teachers will develop a deeper understanding of the science standards, participate in hands-on investigations and collaboratively plan best practices to support a variety of diverse learners during Science monthly professional developments and biweekly CLT meetings.
• FHES teachers will complete the asynchronous K-12 5E Science Lessons MyPDE course and the Virtual Learning Using the 5E Inquiry Model MyPDE course during CLT.

For additional information regarding this School Plan, please contact the Principal, Larry Caines.