Evonie+Rash

//**Greetings All! I am Evonie Rash, a secondary education teacher in the subject of English. I currently teach tenth graders at my alma mater. I am a proud wife and the mother of 2 year old, extremely active twin girls. So as you can imagine, my life is pretty hectic. Furthermore, my matriculation throughout this course will be displayed for your viewing here. Please feel welcome to offer feedback, suggestions, and opinions. I hope you enjoy.**// **__Performance Improvement Intervention Project__** Greenville Weston High School
 * Organization: **

According to the state of Mississippi, each student must pass four test, Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U.S. History in order to obtain a high school diploma.
 * Summary: **

Ensuring that each member of the faculty is meeting state standards by being highly qualified, the school is slowly declining. Test scores are declining each year. This year, the school has become a priority school, meaning the Mississippi Department of Education is carefully watching the schools every move and are prepared to take further actions if deemed necessary. This means that Greenville Weston High School has to show growth, or improvement, this year. I am proposing that technological software is purchased in order to aid students in passing these required test which will move the school from its critical status.

__**Background Information **__ Located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the Greenville Public School District is composed of fourteen quality schools designed to serve grades ranging from Pre-Kindergarten through grade twelve. Each of our friendly campuses offers a unique approach to education. In addition to our traditional school campuses, we also have a state of the art vocational-technical center and a preparatory achievement center designed to assist students requiring a more innovative approach to instruction and career guidance.

Our student population of approximately 6,200, collectively, is exposed to an array of instructional supplements including Accelerated Reader, Barksdale Reading Institute, 21st Century Learning, PAES Lab, Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, vocational courses, and advanced high school classes. The faculty, staff, and administration of the Greenville Public School District are thrilled to accept the charge of educating your children, our future!


 * Vision:** Committed to Excellence for All


 * Mission Statement:** The mission of the Greenville Public School District is to provide the opportunity for all to achieve success.


 * Motto:** We can! We will! We must make MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
 * Slogan:** One Band - One Sound


 * Emblem:** The Geese

Formerly, Greenville High School, this institute of learning was founded in 1954. To date, Greenville Weston High School has:

Fulltime teachers: 109.7 Student/Teacher Ratio: 15.8 Eligible for discounted/free lunch: 1449 ( 83 %)**
 * Total Students (2008 - 2009): 1736

Greenville Weston High School ranks 202nd of 246 Mississippi public high schools.  Greenville Public Schools ranks 109th of 138 Mississippi school districts.

​ //**__ History and Background (Part 2)- Module 1 __**//

According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the school must be held accountable to certain standards. These standards are outlined below: **New School Accountability Standards** **Senate Bill 2488** establishes new school accountability standards.

**Section 1** · The State Board of Education (SBE) shall identify and reward Superior-Performing or Exemplary Schools based on students exceeding an annual growth expectation or (2) achieving a percentage of grade-level proficiency. · School incentives may be provided for Superior-Performing and Exemplary Schools and the SBE shall provide special recognition for schools so designated.

· No later than December 31, 2002, a program of development shall be established for schools not meeting accreditation standards. · Schools not meeting established growth expectations and grade-level proficiency standards will be labeled Priority Schools. · Within fifteen (15) days of designation, the SBE will notify Priority Schools in writing by certified mail. Within fifteen (15) days after notification, a Priority School will be assigned a seven-member trained evaluation team appointed by the State Superintendent and approved by the SBE. The evaluation team will consist of superintendents, principals, teachers, curriculum coordinators, local school board members, community members, parents, institutions of higher learning personnel, and other members with specialized knowledge //but shall not consist of employees of the State Department of Education (SDE).// · The evaluation team shall conduct an on-site audit, prepare a report, and submit the report to the State Superintendent within forty-five (45) days for approval. · The evaluation report shall identify personnel in need of professional development and the instruments used for evaluation must be validated for such purposes. · The evaluation report will first be presented to the principal, superintendent, and school board members. It will then be presented to the community at an advertised public meeting.
 * Section 2 **

· The evaluation team shall establish a local parents/citizens advisory council to provide input into the development of a school improvement plan and its evaluation. · The Priority School’s improvement plan shall be developed by the principal, superintendent, school board, and a majority of the teachers in conjunction with the parents/citizens advisory council. If the plan is not approved, the SBE may approve and implement the plan. · The SDE shall provide technical assistance in the implementation of the plan and ensure that a monthly report is issued to the local school board and the local parents/citizens advisory council on monitoring the plan.
 * Section 3 **

· Principals, teachers, and superintendents identified by the evaluation team as needing improvement shall participate in a professional development plan. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">Principals and teachers participating in a professional development plan shall be periodically and annually evaluated by the local school administration. They will be given two (2) years to improve. If after two (2) years the school continues to be a Priority School and the principal has been employed at the school for three (3) or more years, the principal shall be dismissed. If after two (2) years of participating in a professional development plan the teacher has not improved, the teacher shall be dismissed. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">If a central office deficiency exists in a school district having a Priority School, the superintendent shall participate in a professional development plan and be periodically and annually evaluated by the school board. If after three (3) years the school continues to be a Priority School, the SBE shall ask the Governor to declare that the office of the superintendent be subject to recall. The SBE may also make such a request if more than 50% of the schools in the district are designated as Priority Schools in any one year. Upon declaration by the Governor, an elected superintendent shall stand for reelection and an appointed superintendent shall stand for reappointment. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">After three (3) years of a district having a Priority School or 50% of all schools being designated as Priority Schools in any one year, the local school board members shall also be subject to recall or reappointment by a declaration of the Governor. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">The SBE may also seek emergency declaration by the Governor to initiate the conservatorship provisions of Section 37-17-6. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">The SDE shall make a semiannual report to the SBE identifying the number and the names of schools classified as Priority Schools. The SDE will also make reports on Priority Schools that have successfully completed their improvement plans to the SBE, the Legislature, and the Governor. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">The SBE shall direct and provide comprehensive staff development training for school administrators and teachers on the new requirements of this act and any assessment instruments used shall be made available for review. Prior to staff evaluations, pre- and post-evaluation interviews shall be conducted. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">By July 1 each year the SBE shall provide to the Legislature and the public at large a detailed accounting of funding and assistance provided to Priority Schools and the impact of such assistance.
 * Section 4 **

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">School board members selected after July 1, 2002, shall have a high school diploma or its equivalent. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">School board members selected after July 1, 2002, shall spend at least one (1) full day in a school in the district they represent without compensation. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">Any school board member failing to certify completion of a basic or continuing course of training shall be removed from the office by the Attorney General. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">On or before December 31, 2002, the SBE shall implement the performance-based accreditation system for school districts and for individual schools. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">The SBE shall develop a comprehensive annual report on the progress of any district assigned a conservator.
 * Section 5 **
 * Section 6 **

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">Sections 1-7 and 11 of House Bill 1134, which established an incentive grant program for improving schools, **are repealed** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">.
 * Section 7 **

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">Section 12 of House Bill 1134 was amended to state that the act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2000.
 * Section 8 **

**Section 9** · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">This section provided that Sections 4 and 5 of this act must be approved through the Voting Rights Act.

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; textunderline: none;">This act shall be effective from and after July 1, 2000, with the exception that Sections 4 and 5 shall be effective upon approval through the Voting Rights Act. For the 2008-2009 school years, the following chart depicts the data which contributed to the school being categorized as a school at risk of failing.
 * Section 10 **

** Subject Area Testing **


 * ** Subject ** || ** Number Tested ** || ** Mean Score ** || ** Percent Passing ** ||
 * ** Algebra I ** || 351 || 645 || 49 ||
 * ** Biology I ** || 344 || 337 || 89.2 ||
 * ** English II ** || 493 || 321 || 70.2 ||
 * **U.S.** **History** || 402 || 645 || 52.5 ||

A school shall be identified as a School At-Risk and in need of assistance if the school: (a) does not meet its growth expectation and has a percentage of students functioning below grade level, as designated by the State Board of Education; (b) is designated as a Failing School; or (c) is designated as At-Risk of Failing or Low Performing for two (2) consecutive years.
 * The Seriousness of the Issue **

In the event a school continues to be designated a School At-Risk after three (3) years of implementing a school improvement plan, or in the event that more than fifty percent (50%) of the schools within the school district are designated as Schools At-Risk in any one (1) year, the State Board of Education may request that the Governor declare a state of emergency in that school district. Upon the declaration of the state of emergency by the Governor, the State Board of Education may take all such action for dealing with the school district as is authorized under subsection (11) or (14) of Section 37-17-6, including the appointment of an interim conservator. If the State Board of Education and the Commission on School Accreditation determine that an extreme emergency situation exists in a school district which jeopardizes the safety, security or educational interests of the children enrolled in the schools in that district and such emergency situation is believed to be related to a serious violation or violations of accreditation standards or state or federal law, or when a school district meets the State Board of Education’s definition of a failing school district for two (2) consecutive full schools years, the State Board of Education may request the Governor to declare a state of emergency in that school district.

Reference: Mississippi Department of Education. (2009). Retrieved on December 31, 2009 from [].

In the Greenville Public School District, there lays a school, Greenville Weston High School that house 1,500 students. As a state mandated requirement, students are required to pass four exams, Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U.S. History, in order to obtain their high school diploma. Over the past years, test scores have drastically declined. In addition, students are getting frustrated with attending school for years, passing all their necessary courses, and not being able to obtain a high school diploma due to their constant failure of these exams. Therefore, they end up dropping out. As a trickling down effect, the school is being penalized. They are thrown a red flag due to the number of dropouts. They are thrown a red flag due to the low test scores. In addition; they are thrown a red flag for not meeting AYP (adequate yearly progress). All of these factors have played a part with this school being characterized as a failing school by the Mississippi Department of Education.
 * //__ Cause Analysis- Module 2 __//**

In my opinion, there are several reasons as to why this gap exists. The socioeconomic status of the vast majority of the population here in Greenville weighs heavily on the attitudes of both the parents and students. Survival is key. Everything else, such as an education, falls on the back burner and is not looked upon as important. Many of our students are first generation high school students. Therefore, the importance of an education is not stressed to the students. With this being said, this mentality affects the lack of parental involvement we have in this district. Parents are busy providing for the family. Therefore, time to be active in their children’s educational journey does not surface and exist. Coming from a small town, there are not many extracurricular activities for the students to embark upon. Therefore, they create their own fun. They organize gangs and frequently fight one another. They result to using and selling controlled substances and practice unsafe sex, which adds to the rise of teen pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases. Therefore, school is the last thing on their minds. Their brains are preoccupied with other issues. Students find it unbelievable to pass all their courses during their high school career, and still can not obtain a diploma due to them not passing their state test. Students are able to retest each of the failed test each time it is offered, this may be about 3 times a year. Therefore, students are growing frustrated due to them constantly taking and failing the tests. This causes them to dropout and grows a negative outlook on school and education. Students are not motivated. They are unconcerned with obtaining an education. They merely go through the motions of coming to school just for the sake of it. Parents are not involved, which adds to this problem. Therefore, they get into trouble, constantly get suspended, and become habitual skippers of school and classes. A combination of each of these scenarios, in my opinion, has contributed to the performance gap at my chosen organization, Greenville Weston High School.
 * Why does this performance gap exist?**

__//**Intervention Strategies- Module 3**//__



__//** Chosen Intervention Strategy- Module 3 **//__




 * __ Module 4- Justification __**



** Project Manager **
==== Project managers have many roles. These roles include managing tasks that are set forth and to ensure that these tasks are ran effectively, swiftly, and appealing to others. They keep the team on task and motivated and grounded with the shared vision and goals of the masses. ==== ==== As the project manager for my organization, there are many things in which I am responsible for. Considering the fact that a budget is already set forth for me, I must ration that and spend that accordingly and spend it effectively. It will be my responsibility to manage and ensure things are ran accordingly, teachers are trained with using the Read 180 program, and they are facilitating the program effectively with the students. It will be my responsibility to monitor the progress of the students to ensure the effectiveness of the program as well as to entertain and correct any suggestions or problems that may be relevant to the program. ====

** Resource Management **
==== The managing of learning resources adds another dimension to the manger’s role (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008). This role will ask of an individual to ensure the upkeep of the things needed. This means the upkeep of computers and other system requirements needed to keep the program running effectively. This will be assigned to the technicians in the district. ====

// **Delivery System Management** //
==== These people are going to be those that actually put the motion into play. These are the individuals who will work with the students and monitor them as they work through the program. These people will most likely be the teachers and educators in my chosen organization. ==== ==== // **Information Management** // The people in this capacity will monitor and keep data on the progress on each of these students. They will work hand and hand with the delivery system management to keep folders and to create learning plans and profiles for each child. In my organization, these individuals will be the academic coaches. ====

** __Proposed Budget__ **
** Greenville Weston High School ** = Total- 17,000.00 = || These computers will be housed in each of the computer labs (two) to add to the preexisting technology. ||
 * READ 180 **
 * Evonie Rash **
 * ** Resources ** || ** Budget ** || = Importance = ||
 * System cleanup and updates || ** 6,600.00 ** || Preexisting technology in each of the labs, the library, and all the teachers’ computers will be updated and cleaned. This will ensure that each computer in the school will support this program. ||
 * 20 Laptops || $850.00 each
 * Teacher Training || ** $2000.00 ** || Teachers will learn about READ 180, how to effectively use the program, hear of success stories, etc. ||
 * (6) English II Teachers || $25.00 an hour (after school tutorials) – 2 days a week and Saturday Sessions

= Total- $28,000 = || Facilitate and monitor students during tutorial sessions || Seminars during school twice a month
 * (2) English II Consultants || $100.00 an hour

= Total-$6,400.00 = || For Saturdays and twice a month during school ||
 * Workbooks for Program || ** $10,000.00 ** || Books must accommodate the program ||
 * (2) Academic Coaches || = No charge = || Help monitor students and offer assistance to the teachers ||
 * || = TOTAL- $70,000.00 = ||  ||


 * __Technical Information__ **

__Project Evaluation/Assessmen__ ** While evaluating the READ 180 program, there are many ways in which this program can be assessed or evaluated. To begin data from the Mississippi State Department of Education will be analyzed. This data will be the individual SATP results for each student. In addition, data from two newly purchased programs in our district, Scholastic Reading Inventory and the USA Teach Remediation Program, will ensure that students are placed in the appropriate instructional level and they receive reinforcement on skills of deficiency and will indicate the magnitude of progress. This organization. Classroom observations will be conducted and team meeting reports will have to be made. Site visit reports and test reports will be made available and discussed with each of the parties involved.

Teachers will administer unit test to evaluate student mastery. The academic coaches will be assigned to monitor English II teachers. Principal and assistant principals will conduct classroom observations weekly or biweekly. Teachers will assign homework and administer test to evaluate each student’s progress. In addition, teachers will review and print online reports of student progress.