Coronado Elementary (2017)

  1. PLC Story
  2. PLC Practices
  3. Achievement Data
  4. Awards
  5. Resources

Coronado Elementary School is a K-3 school located in St. Johns, AZ. We have worked towards becoming an effective Professional Learning Community for several years. Our PLC story begins when Coronado became a Reading First school.  As a Reading First school, we established grade level meetings, utilized DIBELS data to drive instruction, established goals, and implemented tiered reading instruction. Additionally, we continually engaged in school-wide professional development to establish a growth mindset at Coronado. This was a huge change as teachers began working more collaboratively and less in isolation.  

After the grant was over we were probably more PLC light for a few years.  We continued to meet in teams for reading and tried haphazardly with math and writing.  At the end of school year 2012, we adopted a more rigorous reading and math curriculum to prepare students for the switch in our state standards and a new state test on the horizon. Additionally, we arranged our school schedules to allow for common planning time, and core subjects in the first part of the school day. The other major components altered were a re-teach and enrich time for math, common formative assessments and quarterly benchmarks for math and reading.  We saw a dramatic improvement in our scores and went from a C school to an A school. We maintained this status for two years.  We then adopted a writing curriculum in 2014-15 that seamlessly builds concepts from grade-to-grade, and allows teachers to integrate writing into other subject areas. When our curriculum vertically aligned in all subject areas, we were able to collaborate easily as a school and provide students with a comprehensive education. We were also better equipt to provide quality intervention and utilize a RTI model across all grade levels. The state test changed in the 2015 school year and was more rigorous than the previous assessment. 

As the principal, I knew we were doing well but needed something more to prepare us for the new state test. Therefore, we adopted the PLC philosophy at our school by first creating a vision and mission together as a staff. Staff received ongoing, monthly PLC training and became committed to working collaboratively to help students succeed. We now regularly discuss and implement the three big ideas of a PLC: a focus on learning, building a collaborative culture, and a focus on results. We develop SMART goals each year as a school and teams, and regularly monitor progress on these goals. Our efforts have paid off as we have seen growth in the past three years with the new state test. 

Much of our professional development at Coronado takes place in staff meetings and in grade level meetings.  The principal introduces, models, and instructs on the attributes of an effective PLC. Staff members are free to share ideas, ask questions, and bring their own expertise to discussions. Administration attended a PLC Summit, and later sent teachers to this weeklong training. This past summer, Joe Cuddemi came to St. Johns and trained the whole district on effective PLCs. 

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Coronado uses 3 main assessments for monitoring student learning. 

DIBELS is used to establish benchmark data three times a year with a progress monitoring schedule for students depending on skill level.

Common Formative Assessments are used each week to monitor student mastery of the academic standard that was taught in reading and math. We use the Common Formative Assessments provided by Beyond Textbooks, which are used district wide. However, the formatives are reviewed and changed if deemed necessary by the grade level teams.  All students are given the same formative assessment in each classroom.  If the teachers feel that a question needs to be changed it is done as a consensus of the whole team. Students are given a 5 question assesmment on the standard taught. Students that achieved mastery of the content are enriched on that standard the next week.  Students that do not reach mastery are re-taught on that standard the following week.  During the established re-teach and enrich time, students are grouped based on their performance.  All students take another Common Formative Assessment following enrich/re-teach lessons to see if they improved or kept mastery of the standard. 

Galileo benchmark tests are given each quarter to 2nd and 3rd graders on  computers. This was a staff agreed upon component for our testing to only have the 2nd and 3rd graders do Galileo benchmark testing. Each benchmark assesses what was taught to the students that quarter. 

Formative assessments and Benchmark scores are recorded by each teacher in an Excel spreadsheet using Google Docs.  All teachers on a team can see each other's test scores and have discussions about them openly and respectfully. Teachers utilize this data to guide their instruction and determine best practices for their students. The spreadsheets also allow teams to determine if they achieved their team SMART goal.

 

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

Coronado's reading program is structured in a tiered level support system.  Ongoing data collection on assessments tracks students’ progress, and drives instructional practices and instructional decisions.  Math is structured in a tiered level support system with weekly formative assessments being used to enrich or re-teach students.  Students at the school who have difficulty mastering proficient or advanced levels of academic standards are served as teachers use a modality of teaching techniques to ensure proficiency. In all grade levels student data is discussed and analyzed to group students and re-teach and enrich them by the grade level team.  We use two different models. In our K-2 classrooms, extra time and support is given by the individual classroom teacher and interventionists. The lower students are serviced by the most highly qualified person. In 3rd grade, extra support is provided by the team; for example, students are shared across the classrooms during our Re-teach/Enrich time in math. Students are grouped based on the previous week's Common Formative Assessment. The 3rd grade team decides which teacher will be teaching which group. This is done in a grade level PLC the previous Friday. Intervention time is built into the master schedule for each grade level. (See Master Schedule in Resources section) A reading teacher is available at the school and provides remediated reading in a push in/pull-out program. This teacher also provides services to the regular classroom teacher to assist in a skills-based inclusion model for reading remediation though the use of classroom aides. Furthermore, this teacher works in cooperation with the Special Education resource teachers, and English Language Learner teachers to assure the needs of the Special Education and ELL students are met. Mathematics and /or Reading/Writing remediation for Special Education students are met through a skills based inclusion model and through mandates as defined in the respective student’s Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Defined English Language Learner students receive supplemental instruction if their respective state defined AZELLA combined score is less than at the proficient level. Since we are a school-wide Title I school, all students receive assistance through re-teaching in the classroom and in small groups, along with one or more of the following on an “as needed basis”.

The school utilizes the following programs to enhance its goals:  

  • Beyond Textbooks
  • Galileo
  • Harcourt Trophies Reading Program a SBRR reading program
  • Phonics for Reading a SBRR intervention program
  • Excellence in Writing program
  • DIBELS
  • School Wide Title I School
  • BCSCR after school reading program
  • Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) strategies
  • Ten Marks Math
  • Essential Skills Computer Program
  • Barton Reading and Spelling Program
  • Read Naturally Program

Arizona College and Career Readiness State Standards

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

Coronado Elementary Vision Statement

 At Coronado we do what is best for every child to create a platform for success in a safe and fun environment.  High expectations are met through:

  • Individual ownership in learning, accountability and professionalism.
  • Rigorous curriculum focusing on the whole child and the goal of everyone becoming lifelong learners. 
  • Working interdependently through collaboration, unified goals, and open communication of ideas.
  • Supporting the belief that together everyone achieves more through dynamic encouragement, positive attitudes, respect and trust.

Through focusing on these principles and beliefs, students are better today than they were yesterday and will be better tomorrow because of what we are doing today.  

When and how developed (process)

This vision was developed in school year 2015-16 as a staff. The principal collaborated with the teachers about their vision for the school. He compiled their ideas and presented the ones that were most important. A draft of the vision statement was then created and submitted to teachers, parents, staff and community members for approval. 

Date of last review

The vision statement was last reviewed in August of 2017.

School Mission Statement

“What’s Best for Kids?”

When and how developed (process)

The Teachers and Principal developed this statement together in school year 2015 -16 along with the vision statement.

Date of last review

The mission was last reviewed in August of 2017.It is discussed at every team meeting and staff meeting. It is used to make important decisions at the school.

The school PLC meets once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. The school PLC discusses important school decisions, reflects on goals, studies best practices, and engages in quality professional development. The teacher leadership team meets prior to the meeting to discuss pending agenda items for the meeting.  There is a set aside date and time for weekly grade level PLC's. Our district set each Friday as an early release day to provide necessary collaboration time in schools. School ends at 12:15 pm. Each grade level team meets every Friday at a set time, established by the team. 

Currently each team is made up of teachers. We continue to seek for ways to include para-profesionals. The time set up for this is between 12:30-2:00 pm. The meetings usually take between 45 minutes to an hour. Individual prep time is after 2:00 pm. The principal makes visits to teams through drop ins and schedules time with them each month. These monthly scheduled team meetings include the principal and the reading specialist. (See Master Schedule in Resource section in the Friday tab)

In all PLC meetings, discussions are centered around: data, instructional strategies, materials used, how teachers checked for understanding and re-taught a standard, unwrapped documents, student misconceptions, and any professional development needs. Each PLC meeting begins with celebrations and success stories. Meeting times are utilized to make decisions collaboratively.

At Coronado, the Mission, Vision, Collective Commitments, Goals, and proficiency levels were all established by the teachers and the principal as equal participants. The principal, along with input from the teacher leadership team makes master schedules, PLC framework, and assessment schedules. The instructional core of classrooms are made by the grade level PLC's and individual teachers.

 

Additional Achievement Data

Coronado Elementary AzMERIT Data: 3rd Grade

State of Arizona AzMERIT Data: 3rd Grade

 

2015 % Passing

2016 % Passing

2017 % Passing

 

2015 % Passing

2016 % Passing

2017 % Passing

Math

ELA

Math

ELA

Math

ELA

Math

ELA

Math

ELA

Math

ELA

All Students

44%

45%

53%

33%

68%

54%

   All Students

42%

40%

45%

41%

47%

43%

Female

48%

57%

45%

31%

64%

67%

Female

41%

44%

45%

45%

46%

47%

Male

40%

32%

67%

37%

73%

41%

Male

42%

37%

46%

38%

 

48%

40%

Hispanic

29%

29%

36%

21%

58%

42%

Hispanic

32%

28%

35%

30%

37%

33%

White

52%

50%

54%

41%

81%

65%

White

55%

56%

60%

57%

62%

59%

American Indian

67%

83%

73%

27%

33%

33%

American Indian

23%

18%

24%

20%

22%

19%

 

2013: Recognized by the Governor's office as a school that made significant growth from school year 2012 to 2013. A series of books was donated to the school by the AZ state governor's office. 

 
State letter grade went from a C to an A from 2012 to 2013. 
 
2014: Maintained an 'A' letter grade from the State. 

**Letter grades have not been given in our state since 2014.  We are a K-3 school and the state has not produced a grading system for K-3 schools.

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