Melissa Ann Goulden
Hallsville East Elementary Principal 2016-2017
Designing Instruction and Intervention
Addressing the Needs of All Learners
The process is outlined below:
- Teachers begin to document needs of students and strategies they are utilizing to support that student from the beginning of the year.
- Once teachers see that the strategies they are using as a part of Tier I instruction are not meeting the needs of their students they complete the referral to RtI form.
- The campus administration team reviews the form prior to each nine weeks and builds an agenda for discussion at the next set of meetings.
- Teams come together along with interventionists, support staff, and administration to discuss students that are not making progress and make plans for a next step for each child. These steps could include Tier II interventions, additional strategies for use in the classroom as a part of Tier I instruction, meetings with other stakeholders, or some sort of testing to find out more information about the child.
- Agendas are reviewed prior to each RtI meeting along with additions to the referral to RtI form to update and prepare for the next upcoming meeting.
- Teachers update the RtI form with additional data prior to each meeting so that we can monitor progress of students that are a part of the discussion (Appendix H information/Running Records, DRA, CBA grades, Common Assessment grades, ISIP reports, teacher/interventionist observations, parent contact information, etc.)
When Tier II instruction is prescribed, the decision is made by the committee on which intervention is needed and progress is monitored to determine the impact of the intervention over the course of the coming months. Tier II Interventions include LLI, iStation for Reading and Math, Read Naturally, FastForward, and Math Intervention Groups.
Student behavior is also an important part of our RtI conversations. There is a behavior component of the RtI referral form and a portion of our agenda that is devoted to discussing students with behavior concerns. Teachers discuss the behavior concerns, trends that have been observed, strategies are shared and brainstormed, and behavior plans are developed as needed.
Sample of RtI Data Gathering (Click to View)
We began Vertical Teaming this year with our ESL Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and GT Teachers to discuss the needs of the students they serve and their needs for common planning. As a part of these meetings, we have discussed Trend Data, utilization of Common Planning and resources to meet their needs, and ways to incorporate their specialized knowledge into common planning for the benefit of all staff members. Click here to see a sample of an agenda from one of these meetings.
Overall DRA Data 2016-2017 (Click to View)
Growing Towards STAAR
Mock STAAR Data Results are below. You can view by clicking on the icons.
Attendance Goals and Incentives
- A hallway display shares our weekly attendance percentage for students and staff to see.
- Individual classroom teachers choose a goal for students to work towards for every day their class has perfect attendance. For example, if a teacher chooses extra recess they will spell out the word R-E-C-E-S-S with one letter for each day until the goal is reached.
- Each week students with perfect attendance are entered into a drawing for special snacks. 5 students from each grade level are chosen.
- Each 6 weeks students with perfect attendance are entered into a drawing. One student from each grade level is chosen and their family receives a $25 gift card to a local restaurant.
- At the end of the school year students with perfect attendance receive a spirit stick and are entered into a drawing. The student chosen from each grade level receives a $50 gift card to a local restaurant.
East Elementary Incentives for Teachers:
- Teachers with perfect attendance at the end of every month are entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card.
- Teachers with good attendance may request to leave early when needed and coverage is arranged (up to an hour and a half before contract) without being penalized.
Students with Attendance Concerns:
- PEIMS secretary contacts parents when a student is absent.
- Teachers contact parents when attendance is impacting attendance to discuss academic needs.
- Warning letters are issued when a student is approach 10 absences and/or tardies.
- Home visits are conducted when student attendance is a concern.
- Parents with students who have excessive absences are sent to truancy court.
Meeting the Needs of East Elementary Staff
Professional Development
- Modeling for Select Teachers by Interventionists: Guided Reading and Running Records
- Professional Development during Common Planning Time: Guided Reading and Intentional Problem Solving
- Faculty Learning and Data Conversations
- Culture Focus: Training Camp by Jon Gordon
- Campus Book Study: The Leader in Me by Stephen Covey
- Vertical Team Meetings for ESL staff, GT staff, and Special Education staff
Ongoing Professional Development Needs
- Continued use of Common Planning Time: Guided Reading, Writing Workshop, Intentional Problem Solving
- Resource support for Lucy Calkins Writing and Comprehension Toolkits
- Social and Emotional Needs of Students and East Families
- 7 Habits and Campus Wide Initiative for Leader in Me Strategies
Looking Forward to 2017-2018
Campus Goals
Continue to work to build a culture of excellence that believes in the work that we do and in the importance of being a family. To continue with our focus on building a culture of excellence our campus will begin the journey of creating Leadership Binders with our students to aide them in personalized goal setting that will also align with the goals of the classroom and the campus. The goals will be determined initially by our campus leadership team and classroom/individual goals will align accordingly.
Work with grade level teams to design instruction that provides an equitable and world-class education for each and every child. Our immediate focus is on a more aligned understanding of small group instruction and collaborative structures that will allow for more meaningful conversations and collaboration in the classroom among students.
Develop and deepen relationships with our students and our communities.
East
District
Parents
Stakeholders
Professional Goals
- Work closely with campus leadership at North Elementary to support our staff with developing an awareness of the need for us to adopt a 7 Habits of Mind mentality and to build a foundation that will lead to our students and families also adopting these same habits as life skills.
- To grow in my knowledge of assessment practices and support my staff in understanding how formative assessment should drive our instructional decisions in planning and in the classroom.
- To pursue further education with the goal to eventually work with student teachers in a college setting.
Melissa Ann Goulden
Email: mgoulden@gmail.com
Location: 114 Wood Duck Lane, Hallsville, TX, United States
Phone: 972-505-1512