1. Brent 2015-2020 Strategic Plan Working Group 2: Advancing the Potential of Every Student Recommendations to the Steering Committee January 26, 2014 Team Members: Parents—Corinne Colgan, Maia Fisher, Bridgette Garchek, Jill Reedy; Brent Staff—Amy Harding-Wright, Sara Ewbank; Steering Committee Liaison—Nazanin Ash 1

2. WG#2 Objective and Scope Objective: To be a highly effective, inclusive school Maximize the potential of every student through differentiated instruction delivered largely in the classroom – Differentiation is for students at, below and above grade level – Pull-outs/specialists predominant use is to support students with the greatest challenges Scope: The working group was asked to 1.Understand Brent’s current approaches to differentiated instruction 2.Evaluate Brent’s current performance/results 3.Identify strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement 4.Examine best practices, including those at comparable schools 5.Develop options/recommendations, short- medium- and long- term actions, and resource needs 2

3. Guiding Principles Brent’s approach to differentiation is inclusive, and strategies to advance all students are understood and accessible by the entire community All students have the opportunity to grow and advance through productive struggle in an nurturing environment Excellence means that the Brent community is advancing the whole child: academic, social, and emotional development that produces confident, self-reliant and self-motivated students Approaches are nimble and evidence-based Resources are reliable and optimized to ensure availability of the support ecosystem every year for children, teachers, and parents—no one should have a "lost year“ Mandates and strategies must be funded and supported 3

4. Differentiated Instruction: Current Approaches Students rigorously assessed through a number of DCPS mandated and Brent-selected assessment tools Use Response to Intervention (RTI) to identify and support students with learning and behavior needs with specific interventions Brent’s curricula allow for classroom-based differentiated instruction through small groups/guided reading Starting at grade 3, students can test for placement in above-grade-level math Special education is distinct category with specific and dedicated support (out of scope) 4

5. Current approaches: Response to Intervention (RTI) Response to Intervention (RTI) is Brent’s approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. – Rigorous assessment to determine specific needs – Multi-tiered support—specific academic and/or behavioral interventions, delivered in-class, through teacher; and/or pull-outs with specialists – Other support with student and family as needed – Intervention intensity determined by needs – Reassess every 6 weeks to see if interventions effective, adjust as necessary – Goal is to address needs quickly and re-integrate with grade-level core curricular/developmental approaches 5

6. Current approaches: Brent has no formal enrichment program 6 No formal process to identify advanced students, with exception of grade 3-5 math No formal enrichment program – However, above grade-level math is offered to Grades 3-5 No dedicated personnel for enrichment Curricular approaches allow for differentiation in the classroom, but scope limited – No use of specific enrichment curricula such as Junior Great Books, project-based learning – Staff time is stretched with providing intervention with highly limited current resources

7. Current Approaches: Resources for Differentiated Instruction 7 Differentiated Learning Continuum Enrichment for Above Grade Students Intervention for Struggling Students Differentiated Instruction for all Students Teacher-initiated in classroom techniques; Technology: Xtra Math (Grade 2-5), IXL (math) (Grade 1-5) Above Grade Math RTI in classroom, RTI pull-out (Science teacher dedicates 33% of time to Math) Responsive Classroom Not Applicable Social Worker (.5 FTE), Psychologist (.5 FTE) Notes: Special education needs staffed separately; Partnerships such as Everybody Wins, Proving What’s Possible/Summer Math Academy, and War College all contribute to differentiation but are not formal differentiated learning programs Math Behavior Reading/Writing Teacher-initiated in classroom techniques; Technology: Edmodo (written expression) (Grade 4-5) No explicit enrichment RTI in classroom, RTI pull-out with specialists ; Burst program (reading); Technology: Ticket-to-Read (Grade 2-5); Reading Specialist 1 FTE & 1 FTE BURST

8. Performance: Brent student performance significantly below comparison schools 8 Brent Stoddert Mann Eaton Math Reading Writing Below grade levelAt or above grade level SY13-14 Grades 3-5

9. Brent has more below grade level and fewer advanced students 9 Below grade levelAdvanced Math Reading SY13-14 Grades 3-5

10. > 1 year below grade level Within 1 year below On grade level Within 1 year above > 1 year above grade level Beyond CAS data, internal assessment tools indicate that a significant number of Brent students K-5 would benefit from additional support 10

11. Our students are not growing (advancing) as quickly as similarly achieving counterparts 11

12. Students and teachers struggle with behavior issues in the classroom 12 Behavior is the #1 challenge identified by teachers and tied for #1 by parents No dedicated crisis-management staff—daily needs for behavior intervention fall to limited front-office personnel, with limited opportunity to deliver long- term behavior support and interventions Half-time social worker and half-time psychologist means insufficient development of behavior management plans and inconsistent delivery of support services—simply no constant presence for behavior support Hardest first on students with behavior challenges—behavior issues mean time out of class, not receiving sufficient academic support or behavior support Hard on teachers balancing wide variety of mandates in the classroom with limited time, affects classroom dynamics Evaluation of behavior challenges through gender lens may identify additional needs/findings

13. Mann Brent EatonStoddert Why?: Brent’s demographics do not suggest unique challenges 13

14. But (1) Brent’s prioritization of resources (time, money) differs Brent prioritizes “whole child” with full-time music, arts, science, language, and physical education – Comparable schools choose.5 language, and/or.5 arts, and/ or.5 music, and/or no explicit science program – Dedicate resources and academic time instead to core curriculum and academic support – Pull out struggling students for intense intervention before returning students to regular routines--at Brent, we prioritize inclusion For example, at Mann, students not yet at grade level by 2 nd grade or new to the school and below grade level are pulled out for up to six weeks of intense intervention before returning to regular classroom routines/programs Comp schools have explicit strategies for prioritizing specialists’ time: e.g. getting students to grade level by 2 nd grade as gap accelerates after 2 nd grade PTA funds at other schools highly prioritized for academic support and enrichment: Mann puts a high-quality teaching aide in every class and uses gold-standard (and more expensive) intervention curriculum; Eaton, Stoddert, Maury fund enrichment personnel 14

15. And (2), most significantly, Brent does not have enough resources 15 Brent is significantly under resourced (people, funding) versus comparison schools – With 23% below grade level in reading and 24% below grade level in math, Brent has just 1 full time reading specialist, 1 full time literacy support person, and 30% of the science teacher’s time for math support – Behavior is the #1 challenge identified by teachers and tied for #1 by parents, but Brent has only a half-time social worker and half-time psychologist--no consistent presence to implement behavior plans and support daily behavior management needs in the classroom – In contrast, Stoddert has 14% below grade level in reading and 15% in math, but 7.5 specialists for academic support; plus a full time social worker, full time counselor, and half-time psychologist for behavior needs – Mann has 10% below grade level in reading and 6% in math and about 80 fewer students, but has 3.5 full time academic support staff and a high-quality instructional aide (PTA funded) in every class to ensure teacher support At Brent: Bulk of academic interventions and behavior management is the responsibility of teachers in the classroom with extremely limited support

16. Best practices at comparable schools: What made them successful? Varying philosophies and practices for differentiation – Inclusion-emphasis High quality teacher’s aides/“partner teachers” for every teacher to support and more fully implement differentiation with a team in the classroom Specialists available as needed for acute/distinct needs (academic or behavior; enrichment) – Pull-out emphasis Large number of specialists to tailor “pull-out” programs for special needs such as reading support, enrichment/advanced studies, English Language Learners But all strategies fully resourced, with significantly more support staff dedicated to intervention and enrichment – Goal for any model: system of support to meet student needs, fund mandates – Commitment to academic performance and school’s philosophy for differentiation drives decision-making for staffing, resources, structure, and other priorities – All models had a shared emphasis on differentiated professional development – Schools aggressively pursue additional resources for differentiated learning through grants/PTA/DCPS 16

17. Strengths, Challenges & Gaps: Findings Strengths – Well-defined school-wide system to assess and identify needs for intervention (RTI) – Rigorous assessment: Brent knows its students really well, can plan very specific intervention needs and assess progress – “Whole child” philosophy—Brent’s range of full-time specials and field experiences are distinguishing characteristics – Developed and leverages partnerships for struggling students – Small class sizes and curricular choices allow for easier differentiation Challenges – Brent has struggled to make school-wide progress There is a higher load of struggling students than comparison schools, acute challenges in grades 2-4 – Though volume of behavior issues remains relatively low, challenge with systematic behavior management exist for issues – Has not clearly prioritized academic performance/reconciled whole-child, inclusion philosophy with need to close academic gaps Students have an absorptive capacity; Brent committed to specials and full Brent experience for all students – Teachers responsible for delivering majority of academic and behavioral interventions with limited time and support staff Gaps – Inclusive School: Community commitment to and understanding of the mission and vision of Brent as an inclusive school is sporadic – Behavior: No consistent staffing resources are dedicated to responding to acute behavioral challenges/crises – Intervention: Constrained resources limit the ability to fully implement intervention; current classroom approaches, delivery and support is inconsistent and best practices are not developed and implemented widely/consistently – Enrichment: No formal program to identify and serve advanced students; no staffing resources are dedicated to enrichment – Resources: Brent cannot meet differentiation goals within the current resource levels, even if re-prioritized to address gaps; significant additional resources are required to close gaps and support student needs Brent has made strong foundational investments in best education practices and is early on its path to greatness—can learn lessons from more mature schools and be the best 17

18. Recommendation Overview: Build Brent’s Support Team 18 TO BECOME A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE INCLUSIVE SCHOOL, IMMEDIATELY: 1)Reprioritize existing resources—time, specialists, professional development, funding (including PTA) −Address the most acute intervention gap to hire a full-time behavior technician as the first response to building a full support system for behavior; 2)Ensure best practices applied consistently; target professional development to gaps AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE ADDITIONAL STABLE RESOURCES TO: 3)Strengthen the intervention/enrichment support system while maintaining current class sizes; −Put high-quality teaching partners in every classroom, beginning with 1 rotating aide per grade for grades 1-4 to support individualized attention, intervention/enrichment 4)Pursue participation in DCPS’ School-Wide Enrichment Model (SEM) program to benefit all students, led by a dedicated staff member; 5)Seek full-time social worker and psychologist for long-term behavior intervention (potentially DCPS funded and cost free to Brent if enrollment exceeds 400) RECOMMENDED RESOURCING METHODS (most stable to least stable): A.Strongly consider pursuing DCPS funding and staffing support through a deliberate growth strategy that maximizes DCPS resources and limits stress on grades 1-4*. Estimates indicate that for SY15-16 Brent is 20-30 students below DCPS’s threshold for attaining significant additional resources. B.Strengthen private fundraising strategies (e.g. PTA funding, grants): Mann, Eaton, Stoddert all use private funding to support services and enrichment *To meet these criteria, the most strategic approach is to add an early childhood education (ECE) class

19. Short-Term Recommendations: SY 14-15 Behavior Reprioritize PTA funds to hire a behavior tech as soon as possible to address SY 2014-2015 challenges. Intervention Audit teacher’s commitments; eliminate unnecessary assessments, duties, and other requirements that would allow additional time for interventions. Enrichment Begin systematically identifying above grade level students. Find out cost and other requirements to becoming a SEM school; pursue. Reprioritize PTA funds to support Brent teachers to use the summer to develop a pilot program for integrating a school-wide enrichment approach such as Jr. Great Books into the core curriculum and/or to develop enrichment extensions for the current curriculum and/or to leverage field experiences and project-based learning to provide enrichment opportunities for all students Cross-cutting Begin cultivating a relationship with American University or other graduate program in education to create a feeder system for hiring high quality instructional aides (this has been successfully done by Mann ES). Orient professional development toward inclusion, behavior management and differentiated learning. Be sure that the language of inclusion is prominent in the school’s mission, vision, and belief statement; Capitalize on available parental audiences (website, BTSN, Open House Visitation Days) to speak to the value of inclusion. Identify staff expertise in behavior management and differentiation, and implement peer mentoring. In an effort to prevent summer slide, engage a parent group to find available summer intervention and enrichment options. Improve communication with parents and engage parents in extending academic support for their children/for the school. Resources About $32,000 required immediately for behavior tech Strongly consider increasing Brent’s enrollment by 20-25 students through ECE to exceed 400-student threshold and maximize additional DCPS resources and support staff Develop a fundraising plan and strategy to increase PTA/grant funds by 50-100% Cost summer pilot program. 19

20. Mid-Term Recommendations: SY15-16 Cross-cutting Redirect school budget and PTA funds to hire as many high quality instructional aides as possible for SY 2015-2016, ideally 4, one shared instructional aid per grade for 1 st through 4 th – Most flexible staffing resource to address wide range of needs—behavior, academic intervention and enrichment; frees up teacher time with more staff available for lunch/recess duty Identify and connect with administration and teachers at other schools that similarly value inclusive practice. Share resources and support. Enrichment Run the pilot program designed over the summer in certain grades to determine whether a school-wide enrichment approach such as Jr. Great Books and/or enrichment extensions and/or more project-based learning can be easily integrated into the Brent curriculum. Support teachers to do additional curriculum development during Summer 2016 for full roll- out in FY 16-17 If secure additional resources, hire an enrichment coordinator Leverage parent expertise to deepen enrichment opportunities Funding $125,000 required to support 4 high quality instructional aides $50,000 to $80,000 required to support enrichment coordinator Engage a parent group to identify and apply for grant funding for differentiated learning and enrichment programming. 20

21. Long-Term Recommendations: SY16-20 Cross-cutting Actively pursue funding for and hire additional high-quality instructional aides with a goal of having one in every classroom from 1st through 4th grades. Instructional aides will serve both to support differentiated learning in the classroom and share the burden of teachers’ other duties (lunch & recess) to further ease time constraints of classroom teachers. (Mann has successfully funded an instructional aide in every classroom, most of whom are pursuing a master’s in education at American University.) With DCPS support, hire a Dean of Students charged with both managing differentiation (intervention and enrichment) and behavior plans. Enrichment Expand the school-wide enrichment approach and/or enrichment extension and/or project based learning pilots to the rest of the school. Hire a SEM coordinator and become a SEM school. Funding $300,000-$400,000 required annually to support steady state, including $50,000 to $80,000 required to support enrichment coordinator 21

22. Recommendations: How identified? Identify critical gaps Deep dive on each gap – Teacher survey – Parent survey – Interviews with comparison schools – Team research Deep understanding of issue Identify set of possible solutions Assess through lens of what’s probable and favorable at Brent (e.g., we love our specials, so we’re not likely to be a “pull-out” school with intervention/enrichment blocks) 22

23. Critical Gaps and Potential Solutions: #1 – Inclusive School Critical Issue: Lack of consensus around the value of being an inclusive school in which the maximum number of interventions possible are provided in the general educational environment. Overly fragile belief among stakeholders that academic diversity and differentiated learning are good for students and the school. Considered solutions: Be sure that the language of inclusion is prominent in the school’s mission, vision, and belief statements. Capitalize on professional development opportunities (through Responsive Classroom and otherwise) that promote inclusive practices. Capitalize on available parental audiences (website, BTSN, Open House Visitation Days) to speak to the value of inclusion. Without exception, combat any suggestion that homogenization is preferable to inclusion. Identify and connect with administration and teachers at other schools that similarly value inclusive practice. Share resources and support. Stock the professional library with resources related to inclusive practices for teachers. Increase communication with parents and Springboard on the differentiation system and how parents can build on it. 23

24. Critical Gaps and Potential Solutions: Issue #2 – Behavior Critical Issue: Lack of resources for behavior intervention stands in the way of all differentiated learning. Teachers and other staff regularly defer core responsibilities to respond to behavior crises; one surveyed teacher noted that Brent needs “more serious behavioral support” because responding to major behavior problems takes “a significant amount of time teachers could be using to work with struggling students or those needing enrichment.” 58% of surveyed teachers identified behavior as the most difficult area to address through intervention and 63% identified hiring a behavior tech as one of the top two resources in which they would like to see Brent invest. 32% of surveyed parents identified behavioral issues in the classroom as a reason their children are not meeting their full educational potential at Brent and 56% would like to see Brent invest in behavioral interventions or a behavioral specialist. Considered solutions: Identify best practice differentiation/intervention and standardize amongst classrooms. Hire a full-time behavior tech to assist teachers throughout the school during times of student crisis; prevent behavior crises when predictable; and serve as a consistent presence for children requiring behavioral interventions. Secure a full-time psychologist and/or social worker to conduct behavior assessment/implement plans. Hire a full-time dean of students who could manage behavior crises and implement behavior plans. Prioritize professional development for behavior management. Identify staff expertise in behavior management and implement peer mentoring. 24

25. Critical Gaps and Potential Solutions: Issue #3 – Academic Intervention Critical issue: There is insufficient teacher time and instructional time to fully implement academic interventions. 90% of surveyed teachers identified time as the number 1 or 2 greatest challenge to meeting the needs of struggling students. Considered solutions: Hire additional high quality instructional aids to support in classroom differentiated learning. Sustain current number and type of software applications used for interventions, but obtain more hardware for classrooms. Identify best practice differentiation/intervention and standardize amongst classrooms. Identify staff expertise in differentiation and implement peer mentoring. Audit teacher’s commitments; eliminate unnecessary assessments, duties, and other requirements that would allow additional time for interventions. Prioritize professional development on differentiation. Hire additional specialists to support push-in or pull-out intervention sessions. Hire staff to do lunch and recess duty creating more instructional and planning time for teachers. Allow teachers to vote on adding 15 minutes of instructional time to the school day.* Add an intervention/enrichment block for all children.* 25 *Not included in final recommendations

26. Critical Gaps and Potential Solutions: Issue #4 – Enrichment Critical issue: There is no school-wide system to assess, identify, and fulfill needs for enrichment; limited resources, including teacher and instructional time, have precluded its development. 84% of surveyed teachers ranked time or lack of access to specialists as their number 1 challenge in meeting the needs of advanced students. 83% of surveyed parents would like to see Brent explore engaging consistent methods for identifying advanced students and 84% would like to see Brent explore adding advanced/enrichment programs to the curriculum. Considered solutions: Systematically identify above grade level students. Hire additional instructional aids to support in classroom differentiated learning. Hire additional specialists to support push-in or pull-out enrichment sessions. Hire a School Wide Enrichment Model (SEM) coordinator and become a SEM school. Incorporate a specific enrichment approach such as Odyssey of the Mind or Jr. Great Books into the core curriculum that would be available to all students. Develop enrichment extensions for the current curriculum. Leverage museum magnet school and project-based learning to provide enrichment opportunities for all students. Prioritize professional development on differentiation. Identify staff expertise in differentiation and implement peer mentoring. Allow teachers to vote on adding 15 minutes of instructional time to the school day.* Add an intervention/enrichment block for all children.* 26 *Not included in final recommendations

27. Critical Gaps and Potential Solutions: Issue #5 – Resources Critical issue: Brent’s financial resources are highly constrained and insufficiently prioritized Brent needs an additional $340,00-580,000 to implement any of the best practice models identified at comparison schools Brent administration with PTA support has only about $300,000 in discretionary resources to hire staff, currently used to fund 1 reading specialist, 1 BURST staff, 1 specials teacher, and media tech/librarian After budget support for staffing and supplies, Brent PTA has an additional $100,000 in discretionary resources, currently allocated to a wide variety of community needs, including professional development for teachers and high quality aides, before-care through Springboard, field trip subsidies, school events, and grounds maintenance Considered solutions: Aggressively prioritize current $100,000 in PTA discretionary resources for support staff—behavior tech/aides require about $30,000 each; specialists about $95,000 each. Could fund behavior tech and 2 aides with current budget; or 1 additional specialist Gain an additional $100,000 in discretionary resources, plus potentially a full-time social worker and/or psychologist from DCPS if push enrollment over 400 by adding 20-25 students to Brent’s current enrollment* Gain an additional $100,000 in discretionary resources, plus a teacher and an aide, plus potentially a full-time social worker and/or psychologist from DCPS if push enrollment over 400 by adding 20- 25 students to Brent’s current enrollment through the addition of an early childhood class (ECE) Re-prioritize existing funds to enhance differentiation instruction by reducing specials and/or other current priorities* Aggressively pursue fundraising and grants to secure an additional $100,000-$200,000 Leverage parent expertise in building Brent’s support team 27 *Not included in final recommendations

28. Issue #5 – Resources (cont’d) 28 Enrollment over 400 students through ECE nets Brent: – +~$100K in discretionary resources (a 30% increase in current discretionary resources) – Potentially +~$90K increasing both social worker and psychologist to full time (currently 0.5 FTE each) 1 – Brent also receives one full time teacher and one full time aide 2 NOTES: 1.Other growth schools have experienced this addition; 2.No DCPS-funded classroom staff is provided if additional students are spread throughout K-4. How Brent grows matters. If going over 400, we should do so only by adding an ECE class; this is the only way to secure from DCPS (cost free to Brent) a dedicated teacher and an instructional aide for additional students and limit further stress in our areas of challenge. 2