Thomas Law Reed School (2020)

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

On August 16, 2004, Thomas Law Reed School opened its doors for learning as the first new school built in Reedley in over 41 years.  TL Reed is a K-8 school located in the predominantly residential, north central section of town.  The 630 students live within a three quarter mile radius of the Thomas Law Reed campus.  At Thomas Law Reed School, 29% of the total student K-8 population are English Learners (includes RFEP students) and 74% of the students qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch.  TL Reed serves an ethnically diverse population whom 85% are Hispanic.  TL Reed staff supports all students inside and outside of the classroom to towards the site Mission and Vision.

School Mission Statement:

Thomas Law Reed School is a community of life long learners dedicated to reaching our

fullest potential as learners, citizens, and leaders.

Vision:

•             We believe that all students can learn.

•             We believe that it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes for all students to learn.

•             We believe that working as a team of staff, parents, and students that every student can achieve at high levels.

 

TL Reed’s academic success is directly tied to the schoolwide implementation of Effective First Instruction, Response to Intervention (RtI), and Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  Since the use of the Smarter balanced Assessments (SBAC) in 2015, TL Reed has shown growth each year in the percentage of students Meeting or Exceeding Standards.  In 2015 on the English Language Arts assessment 44% of the students tested scored Meets or Exceeds Standards.  In 2019 this number has grown to 54.3% and the number of students scoring Does Not Meet Standards has decreased from 29% in 2015 to 23% in 2019.   In Math 33% of those students tested in 2015 scored Meets or Exceeds Standards, this increased to 50.9% in 2019.  The number of students scoring Does Not Meet Standard in Math has decreased from 38% in 2015 to 24% in 2019.

 

Collaborative work is part of the culture at TL Reed School.   Teachers are provided a minimum of 90 minutes every Wednesday for collaboration.  Collaborative work focuses on identifying essential standards, reviewing student data, and planning upcoming instruction.   TL Reed has also developed a systematic RTI system to support all students in Foundational Skills for literacy and reading fluency.  This is monitored through multiple, ongoing assessments and support that allows students to be grouped based on their specific need in learning to read.

 

PLC work is also evidenced through clear behavior expectations for all TL Reed students using Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions, PBIS.  There are ten members of the site PBIS Team that includes both classified and certificated staff members.  TL Reed has been a Fresno County Gold Medal school for six consecutive years. 

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

In Kindergarten through Fifth grade Collaborative Teams have identified essential Standards, created assessments calendars, and established appropriate support based on these results.  Grade level teams have used Smarter Balanced blueprints to identify Essential Standards.  This focus guides pacing and areas of focus in ELA and Math.   In grades Six-Eight, content area teams have shared best practices, created common rubrics for writing in each genre, and identified essential standards that will be built upon in each grade level. 

Grade level teams and middle school content area teams meet on weekly basis on Wednesdays for at least 90 minutes to analyze student data, identify areas of need for student learning, and plan upcoming instruction and assessments.

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

TL Reed believes that great first instruction is the key to students learning.  There is also an understanding that not all students learn at the same rate and in the same way.  This belief can be seen through class and grade level schedules to support all students in their learning.  In Kindergarten to Third Grade an extensive RTI model has been created to support all students in their development of Foundational Literacy Skills.  Students are grouped based on multiple assessments and provided instruction based on their needs.  Students with the largest gaps work with a classroom teacher as well as instructional aides in groups no larger than six students.

In grades Four and Five Tier II Intervention takes place in the classroom at designated times during the school day.  Students work with the classroom teacher and instructional aide on Literacy Skills as well as a focus on writing.  Writing support is modeled on the types of writing students will be required to produce on the Smarter Balanced Assessments in the Spring.

In grades Six-Eight Intervention takes place each afternoon and is provided for students in both ELA and Math.  Teachers identify students using multiple assessments including Scholastic Reading Inventory, SRI.  Students who demonstrate proficiency in ELA and Math receive Enrichment or can serve as cross-age tutors in lower grade levels on campus.

Tier III support for students comes from our Intervention Teacher.  Using the ongoing assessment results students needing the greatest support receive an additional two days a week with the Intervention Teacher focusing on Literacy Skills using a variety of tools including direct instruction with online resources.  Students work in groups of six or less and instruction is at the current level for each student.  Students monitor their growth on specific skills and can move in and out of Tier III Intervention as needed.

In multiple grade levels teachers also work with specific students after school in small groups.  Students receive targeted instruction to meet their needs.  Teachers use a variety of strategies and do not rely on a “One size fits all” approach during this Intervention time.

Summer Learning is another piece of the TL Reed RTI Model.  Summer Learning lasts for five and a half weeks, Monday through Friday from 8:00-11:45am.  Students are identified and invited based on need.  Summer Learning has a primary focus on Literacy as well as STEM activities to keep all students engaged.

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

Staff Collaboration has been a foundation of TL Reed School since it opened in 2004 and is part of the culture.  This is evidenced through the Wednesday Collaboration schedule and common prep times for each grade level.  Teachers meet to talk about student progress, assessments, and goals. 

Staff Collaboration has focused on creating uniform writing expectations at TL Reed.  On designated Wednesdays during the year each grade level submits writing samples, copies of rubrics, and student progress monitoring.  Teachers participate in a site-wide reflection on student writing and are able to see student progress from Kinder to 8th grade.

Grade Level Teams maintain all of their documents in shared Google folders.  Items in the folders include Team agendas, minutes, data, and goals.  Additional items such as yearly summative data is also a part of the folders.   Teachers use both formative and summative assessment results to compare best instructional practices.  Teachers also use common writing prompts, rubrics, and student progress monitoring to compare best instructional practices based on student results.

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