McDeeds Creek Elementary (2022)

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

McDeeds Creek Elementary School was opened in August 2019 and was built on the foundation that all children can and will learn at high levels. The staff (working at a hotel due to the school building not being ready to open in August 2019) formed each grade level's guaranteed viable curriculum and set goals for each grade level PLC for 80% proficiency in all subject areas (as determined by the NC EOGs). Each team of teachers has been trained (or being trained) in the PLC Process and meets regularly to analyze and dig deeper into the 4 Questions of the PLC process. Although eagerly awaiting to give EOGs (even during a pandemic) so the school could get baseline data and see how they were performing in regards to every other school in the district and in the state, EOGs were not given across the state. Other schools celebrated- McDeeds Creek was saddened. They wanted to see results- they wanted feedback- they wanted to compete and see the growth that occurred with children in their 1st first year at McDeeds Creek. 

In 2020, McDeeds Creek was visited by multiple teams from NC DPI and was applauded by the effective PLC process in place in every grade level. The school was commended on their impactful CORE instruction and purposeful planning for Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. This school was also recognized as a National Showcase School for Capturing Kids' Hearts and being highlighted as a "school to watch" because of the culture and climate in the school building. This was the same time that McDeeds Creek was recognized for having the highest scores on the NC Teaching Working Conditions Survey within in the Moore County Schools district and being commended for recruiting and retaining what the principal refers to as "the best of the best for children." 

In 2021, the administration team completed over 1,000 documented walkthroughs. These walkthroughs provided the school improvement team with data as well as the community with data that could describe what was happening in every classroom at McDeeds Creek. This, in turn, allowed the administration team and SIT to form a professional development plan that would then be implemented across the district. "PD in PJs" was applauded by the district office because McDeeds Creek made videos of instructional strategies being implemented in classrooms: learning targets (unpacking & aligning), small group instruction,  feedback (purposeful and immediate), etc. These videos became the way in which McDeeds Creek would train new hires and new staff members in hopes to further expand on "this is how we do business at McDeeds Creek." 

In October 2021, McDeeds Creek was awarded the North Carolina Whole Child School Award (through NCASCD), because of the systems and processes in place to make sure that all children are learning at high levels. At McDeeds Creek, relationships and community are everything. For example, a relationship was formed with Kiwansis members and leaders in the community causing the school to open a K-Kids Club with the largest membership "in the Carolinas." The children have been commended for working closely with other servant leaders to hold canned food drives, collecting funds for the local no kill animal shelter, a diaper drive (for struggling Moms in the pandemic), collecting donations for the UNC Children's Hospital, collecting 3,500 socks for the Boys & Girls Home of Lake Wacamaw, raising over $3,000 for Childhood Cancer Awareness (3 years running today), Teddy Bear Drive (for children in the local orphanage), etc. Each month the K-Kids launch a service project of their choosing and target the project with the support of the entire community. McDeeds is known for "going big or going home" and even causing the Kiwansis Club to have to have a "lift" in order to pick up the 8,000+ cans that were donated at the last canned food drive. 

On a side note, McDeeds Creek Elementary School completed their first round of EOGs in May of 2021. Prior to starting any test, every "test taker" started their day in the gym and was loved, supported, encouraged, and celebrated. As they were released to go to their testing locations, every kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classroom (as well as children in the Baby Bulls Daycare) lined the hallways with signs of encouragement, poms, and horns and cheered children on as they would complete what had never been completed before at McDeeds Creek- End of Grade Tests (EOG). 

In August 2021, Dr. Capps was notified that, although scores were still being normed and being compared across schools and subgroups, McDeeds Creek Elementary led the district in almost every test and measure on the EOG. If the school was not the leader, McDeeds Creek was slightly/eagerly behind the other school inching their way to the top. At McDeeds Creek Elementary School you will hear "you are loved" and "we are in this together" constantly throughout each classroom; however, you will also hear that "the best is yet to come." Having opened during a historic pandemic and only being in the midst of our third academic year, McDeeds Creek has set the bar for high for "all means all" and "whole child learning" while raising our next generation of servant leaders. 

 

 

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

At the beginning of every year, a full day of professional learning is dedicated to the McDeeds Creek Guaranteed Viable Curriculum. Once defined, posted in our PLC room, the work begins unpacking each standard, creating the CFA, determining what instructional strategies are best, and then reporting back to the team to determine next steps for interventions and possible "re-groupings" amongst each team. The first year of developing McDeeds Creek Guaranteed Viable Curriculum was the most difficult because we had so many teachers in our building that had never done this process before. Then COVID turned every classroom into a virtual classroom at the end of this first year attempting to show mastery with all children in regards to our Guaranteed Viable Curriculum. This required each team to come together and "re-group" for the following year and identifying the standards that they did not feel comfortable with during that COVID year and could not guarantee that all children mastered the skill virtually. In turn, these standards where then added to the next grade level's expectations in hopes to close gaps quickly and to vertically align as a school. In Year 3, teachers have now created virtual Guaranteed Viable Curriculums that allow them to manipulate and move standards around in regards to pacing. This has now "ignited" a new level of vertical alignment because now everyone is able to see what is happening in each grade level. Year 3 also has allowed us to fine tune our Guiding Coalition and their leadership with the PLC process, MTSS, and making sure that our core instruction is strong and we are immediately responding when children are showing signs of not responding to core instruction (which has cause grade levels to start grouping children differently and even sending children to the next grade level if they are ready for further enrichment). 

**See attachments

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

Prior to teaching each standard from our Guaranteed Viable Curriculum, teachers preassess children to determine what they already know. These assessments are analyzed as a team and the extension group may immediately be pulled to advance to the same standard in the next grade level (or even teach the particular standard if they have the skillset needed to mentor another student). The preassessment data is used as baseline data and is shared across the grade level team. After teaching the skill, children are provided the same assessment, again, and data is collected as a team. The team then determines what is working, what is not working, and how we will respond as a team. Several grade levels have created "rotations" where children may visit another teacher (with excellent results), get taught the same skill but in a different manner, and then report back to the assigned teacher to determine whether or not they have truly mastered the skill. These "rotations" are becoming the norm and they change constantly based on each teacher's data and the strengths that each team may encounter each skill. Every grade level is provided an hour of PLT time daily as well as a 45 minute intervention block daily*. 

*See attached master schedule. See attachments in regards to the unpacking of each standard.

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

Our school was founded on the fact that we would be a high performing, collaborative team that were focused on all children meeting or exceeding grade level expectations. Our 1st year as a school, we focused heavily on school culture, morale, collaboration, getting "naked" with your data, and being open to feedback (just as the administration team models every day). We also pride ourselves on the fact that we are growing and learning every day- we have started "She Glows, We Grow" where teams of teachers visit specific teachers and we learn ways to enhance instruction through them. For example, 6 teachers in our building were wanting more support in small group instruction. In turn, this team of teachers was provided coverage and they visited 4 teachers' classrooms, was able to see small group instruction in action, effective data collection, specific research based instructional strategies, and were able to "unpack" what they saw while also uplifiting and encouraging the teacher they were observing. This also provided administration the time to model collaboration, taking risks, and that it was OK not to have all of the answers. 

Other important items to note:

-every Thursday is dedicated to each PLT meeting in our PLC room with administration, EC support, and possibly the part time interventionist/academic coach. It is truly "all hands on deck" during this time. 

-data is analyzed at every PLT meeting and our support staff (Guidance Counselor, Social Worker, EC, etc.) is in communication if a home visit needs to be done ASAP or if an intervention needs to be provided that has not already been implemented.

-norms have been set for each PLT and they are reviewed and honored at each meeting. 

-Each PLT reports back to the guiding coalition and the school improvement team for vertical alignment concerns and possibly revisiting the Guaranteed Viable Curriculum.

-We opened our very own daycare/preschool (not state funded or recognized by our school district other than being a private daycare) in hopes to provide early intervention to children in need. As of today, our "Baby Bulls Academy" has been able to provide kindergarten level instruction to 4 year olds and the 3 year old program already knows their letters and sounds. This group meets with our Kindergarten PLT- these teachers are also "teachers in training" and working to become certified teachers at the same time. 

-At McDeeds Creek we invest in our people. As of today, we have sent over 25 teachers/staff members to PLC Solution Tree training across the country. Our next cohort will attend the PLC Institute and RTI at Work Conference. We are firm believers that we are all growing and learning every day and if we invest in each other, we are investing in children at the same time. 

Although Dr. Capps wanted to immediately start with the PLC process and "hit the ground running" when opening McDeeds Creek, she realized the school needed to walk before they could run. A culture of collaboration, love for children, and a love for learning had to be established first.

June 2020- Recognized for having the highest composite score in the district and state on the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey.

April 2021 Capturing Kids' Hearts National Showcase School (proof that we were headed in the right direction with our culture- we were awarded this after one year of implementation and during a pandemic).

May 2021 Recongized by the NC Department of Instruction for being a model school for collaboration, the PLC process, and a culture centered around student success.

November 2021 North Carolina Whole Child School Award Recipient (only 3 schools recognized in the state of North Carolina).

December 2021 Finalist for Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase School (TBD in April 2022)

January 2022 Nominated as a North Carolina Lighthouse School and will be notified in February if our school wins this award.

April 2022 Capturing Kids' Hearts National Showcase School

May 2022 Recognized as a National K-Kids Distinguished Club 

 

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