Cheshire Elementary School (2017)

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

Cheshire began our journey in 2010, as we opened our doors as Olentangy's 14th elementary school. Olentangy is the 8th-largest school district in the state of Ohio and is the fastest-growing school district in the state of Ohio as well as one of the fastest-growing districts in the United States. Olentangy gets approximately 800–1,000 new students every school year.

As we opened our doors, we collaboratively created our set of nonnegotiables that were there to lead us in becoming an amazing learning community for our students. Our nonnegotiables include: (1) connection to kids, (2) effective collaboration, (3) effective use of instructional time, (4) effective communication, (5) positive attitude, and (6) dedication to professional growth.

Over the last several years we have seen our collaborative practices lead our building to new heights. When Cheshire opened, lunch and recess duties were covered once a week, and teams were provided with 50 minutes of common planning time per week in addition to our weekly Wednesday staff meetings. Now, we have created a new schedule that allows grade-level teams 50 minutes of common planning time every day in addition to our weekly staff meetings. We value collaboration and utilize it to ensure students grow academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.

In order to ensure collaboration time is effective and organized, we created a Collaboration On-The-Go binder for every staff member. Teachers carry their binder to every collaborative meeting they attend. Each binder is divided into the following sections: (1) Cheshire Data—Building-Level Data and Classroom Data, (2) District-Level Data, (3) Collaboration Notes From Team Meetings, (4) Staff Meetings, and (5) District-Level Professional Development. Collaboration notes are submitted to the building principal every month. Teachers rotate taking notes each month within their team.  There is also a norm reader, agenda setter and time keeper.  The collaborative jobs keep meetings focused and purposeful.   

Our building has dedicated itself to building common language throughout the school in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. We have adopted Units of Study in Writing by Lucy Calkins and the Math Problem Solver II. These programs allow us to collect and analyze building-wide data to support student achievement and growth. Grade levels use both common formative and summative assessments to monitor student growth and achievement and drive instruction.

Every quarter, grade-level teams meet with the building principal, guidance counselor, intervention specialists, and literacy support coach for our Kids on the Bubble (KOB) Data Meetings.  During this half day, the team discusses all students and shares pertinent data within each grade level. We keep a running spreadsheet of all students, the team’s concerns, current interventions, and the team’s next steps to support each child.  We have critical conversations about instructional practice, analyze common assessment data, analyze AIMSweb data and plan out our next steps for our students.

We give AIMSWeb Universal Screeners in grades kindergarten through fifth grade in reading and math.  We give the probes three times per year to all students to ensure no students are falling through the cracks. The Intervention Support Team has led that charge. The data is collected and analyzed by teams to determine the best support necessary for each child.  We progress monitor all students through AIMSweb that are on our KOB list.

We administer the i-Ready adaptive diagnostic assessment three times per year in first grade through fifth grade.  i-Ready offers a blended learning component to learning for our students.  i-Ready helps to identify why students are struggling, measures a student's growth over time, and provides each student with their own differentiated path in which they can work at their own pace.  

This year we created a school-wide Data Dashboard in which teachers input their common assessment data by domain for analysis.  During our Kids on the Bubble (K.O.B.) Data Team Meetings, teachers analyze each student and target and determine next steps for enrichment and/or intervention.

The building has a shared leadership model in which all staff members contribute to the positive climate and culture that enhances our school community.

The building has worked together to create building-wide norms for collaborative time. This has helped to keep collaborative time focused and purposeful.

Our building is also strengthening our PLC by looking at things we can control vs. things we can't control.  Our discussions are focused on things we can control.  Discussing things we can't control follows a negative trend and wastes valuable time.

Our building has continued to excel year after year due to the collaborative practices set up within our building and the relationships teachers have made with one another. When we first opened in 2010, we were ranked 67th out of 778 elementary schools in the State of Ohio based on our Performance Index. This past year, our ranking was 15th out of 778 elementary schools.  The goal is always to do what is best for ALL KIDS!

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Grade-level teams meet at least twice a week to discuss students, curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Grade-level teams work together to create common formative and summative assessments. Teachers are consistently analyzing data and striving to provide “just right” instruction to each child. Our mission is to facilitate maximumn learning for every student.

As a building, we receive projection data from our Data, Research, and Accountability Department. Teachers work to ensure students not only meet their projections, but exceed their projections.

We give AIMSWeb Universal Screeners in grades kindergarten through fifth grade in reading and math. We give the probes three times per year to all students to ensure no students are falling through the cracks.

We administer the i-Ready adaptive diagnostic assessment three times per year in first grade through fifth grade.  i-Ready offers a blended learning component to learning for our students.  i-Ready helps to identify why students are struggling, measures a student's growth over time, and provides each student with their own differentiated path in which they can work at their own pace.  

This year we created a school-wide Data Dashboard in which teachers input their common assessment data by domain for analysis.  During our Kids on the Bubble (K.O.B.) Data Team Meetings, teachers analyze each student and target and determine next steps for enrichment and/or intervention.

A big focus at Cheshire is building common language in writing across all content areas. Teachers are utilizing the same writing rubrics for the different genres of writing to look for common themes in supporting our students in their ability to become dynamic writers.

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

Cheshire has five “No New Instruction” enrichment/intervention periods every week. Each period is dedicated to providing students enrichment opportunities to delve deeper into the content or the ability for students to receive a douple dip of intstruction. Since every grade level has a different enrichment/intervention period, intervention personnel (intervention specialists, literacy support, and the gifted intervention specialist) are able to provide an ALL hands on deck methodology in supporting all learners.

Data Team members from each grade level lead their team through an analysis of data and work with teammates to deliver thorough and purposeful support to ALL students. The team shares pertinent data to support the 25-minute Enrichment/Intervention Block that occurs daily.

The Intervention Support Team works together to fully implement Cheshire Reads and Cheshire Counts as well as looks at other avenues to assist our students who need a little extra support.

Every quarter, grade-level teams meet with the building principal, guidance counselor, intervention specialists, and the literacy support teacher/coach for a our Kids on the Bubble (KOB) Data Meetings. During this half day block of time, the team discusses all students and shares pertinent data within each grade level. We keep a running spreadsheet of all students, the team's concerns, current interventions, and the team's next steps to support each child. Based on data collected, grade levels target students that need even more intervention and provide students with a before or after school tutoring program.  During KOB, we discuss intstructional change, analyze AIMSweb data, i-Ready data, common assessment data, state assessment data and reflect on our collaborative practices.

We have four summer enrichment programs to keep students busy over the summer: (1) Principal's Summer Reading Program to encourage reading, (2) Just Jot It! to encourage creative writing, (3) Summer Brain Games to encourage students to stretch their minds across all content areas, and (4) Math Fact Frenzy, a program designed to improve students' math fact fluency.

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

As a building, we analyze our state report card data and look at trends within our data. We work as a team to create our annual Continuous Improvement Plan focused on student achievement, student growth, and gap closing. As input is gathered at the building level, the Building Leadership Team works to syntesize the feedback and finalizes the Continuous Improvement Plan.

The Building Leadership Team leads the building in our quest to be the best we can be in terms of district-level and building-level professional development. This team meets at least once per month.  The BLT organizes and plans job-embedded professional development for the staff every Wednesday.  Staff meetings focus on the following --- (1) Educational Article Reviews, (2) Best Practices Sharing Sessions, and (3) Vertical Alignment of Curriculum.

The Data Team is one representative from each grade level that shares pertinent data with the team to support the 25-minute Enrichment/Intervention Block that occurs daily. Staff members lead their team through an analysis of data and work with teammates to deliver thorough and purposeful support to ALL students. This team meets monthly.

The Intervention Support Team works together to fully implement Cheshire Reads and Cheshire Counts as well as look at other avenues to support our students who need a little extra push. This team has also been instrumental in collecting and analyzing AIMSWeb data. This team meets monthly.

The Caring Team works together to determine how Cheshire can give back to the school and local community through fundraisers, blood drives, food drives, coat drives, volunteering in the community, etc. We have such an outstanding community, and it is amazing to be able to push out of our school doors and make change happen that will positively impact our community. This team meets quarterly.

The Wild Theme Team works hand in hand with the building principal to set the theme, plan events to support the theme, and work to strengthen the bond throughout the school building.

Additional Achievement Data

OUR Data

 

Passage Rates

 

2010–2011

2011–2012

2012–2013

2013–2014

3rd-Grade

Reading

School – 90.8%

State –

79.9%

 

School – 92.3%

State –

79%

 

School – 97.8%

State –

81.4%

 

School – 97.3%

State –

81.0%

3rd-Grade

Math

School – 92.1%

State –

82%

 

School – 97.8%

State –

79.8%

 

School –  100%

State –

78.5%

 

School – 96.4%

State –

79.7%

4th-Grade

Reading

School – 92.6%

State –

83.8%

 

School – 95.9%

State –

83.3%

 

School – 98.9%

State –

87.7%

 

School –  100%

State –

85.7%

4th-Grade

Math

School – 94.1%

State –

78.1%

 

School – 91.7%

State –

78.4%

 

School – 94.4%

State –

77.7%

 

School – 97.7%

State –

78.3%

5th-Grade

Reading

School – 90.0%

State –

74.1%

 

School – 89.2%

State –

76.8%

 

School – 88.2%

State –

74.2%

 

School – 81.3%

State –

71.9%

5th-Grade

Math

School – 88.4%

State –

66.1%

 

School – 86.7%

State –

67.5%

 

School – 84.0%

State –

68.7%

 

School – 92.3%

State –

67.5%

5th-Grade

Science

School – 92.9%

State –

71.1%

School –  100%

State –

72.5%

 

School – 88.2%

State –

67.7%

School – 94.5%

State –

69.1%

 

 

 

 

 

2014–2015

2015-2016

 

 

3rd-Grade

Reading

School – 98.1%

State –

78.5%

 

School – 91.8%

State –

54.9%

 

 

 

3rd-Grade

Math

School – 87.4%

State –

66.3%

 

School – 91.8%

State –

65.8%

 

 

4th-Grade

Reading

School – 93.7%

State –

71.9%

 

School – 86.5%

State –

57.5%

 

 

4th-Grade

Math

School – 92.8%

State –

65.1%

 

School – 92.2%

State –

69.2%

 

 

4th –Grade

Social Studies

School – 95.8%

State –

72.0%

School – 94.2%

State –

75.8%

 

 

5th-Grade

Reading

School – 99.0%

State –

69.5%

 

School – 85.5%

State –

60.2%

 

 

5th-Grade

Math

School – 96.0%

State –

65.7%

 

School – 89.9%

State –

62.4%

 

 

5th-Grade

Science

School – 84.8%

State –

60.3%

School – 92.4%

State –

67.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance Index

School Year

Performance Index

School Ranking out of 778 elementary schools in Ohio

2010–2011

105.4

67th

 

2011–2012

107.5

34th

2012–2013

107.3

32nd

2013–2014

108.7

27th

2014-2015

104.0

41st (Includes zeros for students that opted out)

 

2015-

2016

106.9

15th

 

 

Value-Added Growth Measure

School Year

Value-Added Growth Measure

2010–2011

Above Expected Growth

2011–2012

Above Expected Growth

2012–2013

Above Expected Growth

2013–2014

Expected Growth

2014-2015

Above Expected Growth

 

 

 

Awards

 

2010–2011

(Based on Ohio’s Achievement Assessments)

Rated Excellent with Distinction by the Ohio Department of Education    

Ranked 67th out of 778 elementary schools in Ohio

2011–2012

(Based on Ohio’s Achievement Assessments)

Rated Excellent with Distinction by the Ohio Department of Education    

Ranked 34th out of 778 elementary schools in Ohio

2012–2013

(Ratings Based on Ohio’s New Report Card & Ohio’s Achievement Assessments)

Performance Index Rating - B

Indicators Met - A

Gap Closing - A  

Overall Value-Added Growth Measure - A

Ranked 32nd out of 778 elementary schools in Ohio

2013–2014

(Based on Ohio’s Achievement Assessments)

Performance Index Rating - A

Indicators Met - A

Gap Closing - B

Overall Value-Added Growth Measure – B

Ranking – 26th out of 778 elementary schools in Ohio

2014-2015

(Based on all new assessments to Ohio - PARCC for ELA & Math & AIR assessments for Social Studies & Science)

Performance Index Rating - B

Indicators Met - B

Gap Closing - A

Overall Value - Added Growth Measure – A

Honored by the Ohio State Board of Education with the Momentum Award, which recognizes schools that have received A’s on every value-added measure included on Ohio’s School Report Cards.

Ranking – 41st out of 778 elementary schools in Ohio (The State of Ohio factored in zeroes for every test that a student opted out of during the 2014-15 school year, which reduced our Performance Index and lowered our overall state ranking.)

2015-16

(Based on Ohio’s new state tests created by AIR in ELA & Math plus the AIR assessments that were created in Science and Social Studies during the 2014-15 school year.  Ohio eliminated PARCC assessments in ELA & Math in 2015-16.)

Performance Index Rating – B

Indicators Met – B

Gap Closing – B

Ranking – 15th out 778 elementary schools in Ohio

 

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