Executive Summary
Houston Elementary School Spartanburg School District Seven
Mr. Mark Hendry, Principal 1475 Skylyn Drive Spartanburg, SC 29307
Document Generated On February 12, 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
1
Description of the School
2
School's Purpose
4
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
5
Additional Information
6
Executive Summary Houston Elementary School
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning.
The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis.
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Executive Summary Houston Elementary School
Description of the School
Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves?
Houston Elementary School is one of seven elementary schools in Spartanburg School District 7. Demographics for 2015-2016 reflect a total of 335 students from grades kindergarten through fifth who attend Houston with 67% African American, 32% Caucasian, .5% Hispanic, and .5% Other. Approximately 93% of our students receive free and/or reduced meals. In addition, 119 of our students live outside of our attendance area but attend Houston as part of the district's choice option. We have 12 students from grades 3rd-5th that have qualified for the gifted and talented program. Speech services are provided to 37 students (15 are choice) and 30 students (15 are choice) receive special education services. Currently, we have 71 staff members which include the following: (1) Assistant Principal, (1) Guidance Counselor, (1) School Nurse, (1) Reading Coach, (1) Part-time Reading Interventionist, (20) K-5 Regular Education Classroom Teachers, (1) Media Specialist, (2) Self-Contained Special Education Teachers, (1) Physical Education Teacher, (1) Art Teacher, (1) Music Teacher, (1) Part-time Technology Integration Specialist, (1) Technology Support Specialist, (1) Part-time Rehabilitative Behavior Health Service Lead Counselor, (1) RBHS Counselor, and (6) Teacher Assistants. Class sizes in our regular education K-5 classrooms range from 15-18 students per classroom. Currently we have 3 teachers who are National Board Certified, 31 with masters' degrees, and 18 with gifted and talented endorsement. We are fortunate to be located in relatively close proximity to several local colleges and universities such as Converse College, Wofford College, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg Community College, and Spartanburg Methodist College. Partnering with these institutions of higher learning has provided us with several opportunities to enhance the educational experiences of our students. We have received teacher interns from these schools. In partnership with Converse College we have hosted the Athena Gifted and Talented Summer Program which serves elementary-aged children from across Spartanburg. Houston is fortunate in that the district's gifted and talented program, Odyssey, is housed at our school. Each week 3rd-5th grade students from Pine Street Elementary, Jesse Boyd Elementary, Mary H. Wright Elementary, Chapman Elementary, and Cleveland Academy of Leadership are transported to Houston for the Odyssey program. Local churches and organizations have reached out to us to provide assistance with school supplies, clothing, and food. Specifically, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church provides a school supply bag for each student, and it distributes the bags to our children during our Meet the Teacher event held at the start of the new school year. In partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Spartanburg, we participate in the Terrific Kids program. Each month students are recognized for displaying outstanding character and work habits in the classroom. The children receive a certificate and Terrific Kids bumper sticker to display on their parents' vehicle. We are actively involved in giving back to our community through our participation in Relay for Life, the United Way, Safe Routes to School, and the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart program. We have experienced a few significant changes during the past three years. One of these changes has been the grade configuration at Houston. We were serving students in grades PreK-6 in 2011 and are now serving students in K-5. Another significant change was the Seven Ignites initiative that began in 2013. Students in grades 3-5 now have access to iPads during the school day. Technology integration has transformed many of our teaching practices and increased student engagement. Lastly, Houston has a new principal and assistant principal that began at the start of the 2014-15 school year. The issues related to poverty pose the greatest challenge for the community we serve. However, while we acknowledge that these issues exist, we continue to hold our students to high expectations and standards.
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Executive Summary Houston Elementary School
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Executive Summary Houston Elementary School
School's Purpose
Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students.
Each elementary school in Spartanburg School District Seven has a specific focus area. We are proud to be a Problem Based Learning School through our partnership with CERTL, Wake Forest University. In Problem Based Learning, students solve real-world problems to gain knowledge and integrate the new learning with existing knowledge. PBL problems place our students in real life roles. Problem based is collaborative and highly interactive. Our students develop interpersonal life-long learning skills and become self-directed learners. PBL motivates students to learn and solve problems that will prepare them for excelling in a global society. The vision of Houston Elementary is to become a Palmetto's Finest School in the school year 2017-2018. To achieve this we are working diligently to increase student achievement, improve the school's culture, develop professional learning communities, and provide effective professional development opportunities for our teachers. Our academic goals are as follows: (1) to be above the state average in all subject areas of the state assessment for 3rd-5th grades, (2) to have seventy-five per cent of our students achieve or exceed their fall to spring target score on the Measures of Academic Progress assessments in reading and math, and (3) to increase the percentage of students scoring at the "Ready/Exceeding" ACT Aspire levels and "Met/Exemplary" PASS levels in each subject area by 10% each year. Our focus areas are as follows: (1) to continue to implement Problem Based Learning in all K-5 classrooms, (2) to provide daily Number Talks during mathematics instruction, (3) to implement a balanced literacy model for reading and writing instruction, and, (4) to increase the use of technology to enhance instruction and increase student learning. The Mission of Houston Elementary School is To Inspire and Empower Our Students To Reach Their Fullest Potential. At Houston, we believe… -Students, faculty, staff, teachers, parents, and the community share the responsibility for the success of each student. -All students will be provided educational opportunities that maximize their learning potential. -A supportive learning environment enables students to become skilled problem solvers, effective communicators, and people who respect differences and commonalities of all people. -A balanced curriculum focuses on the skills needed for student success at each level of learning. -Appropriate continuing staff development enhances teacher performance and student progress. -Positive relationships and mutual respect among students and staff members foster students' self- esteem. -A safe and physically comfortable environment promotes student learning.
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Executive Summary Houston Elementary School
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement
Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years.
Houston Elementary prides itself on having a reputation as a warm and friendly environment and family atmosphere. This was substantiated when we received the Red Carpet School Award for the period of 2010-2013. We are continuously striving to be a school that encourages and values parental and community involvement. In partnership with Chick-fil-A, we host a Family First Breakfast once a month before school where parents eat breakfast with their child at our school. In addition to breakfast, we provide a special guest speaker who delivers a positive message that enhances family relationships. Understanding the importance of parental involvement, we launched a new initiative called IVTAY, which stands for I Volunteer Ten (hours) A Year. Our goal is for our parents to commit to volunteering 10 hours of service to our school each year. The initiative was well received, and we continue to increase our parent volunteer numbers. To increase the support of our community, we are hosting community days at our school to share our vision to become a Palmetto's Finest School. Local businesses and organizations will be invited to come and tour our facility and visit classrooms to learn about the great things happening at our school. Another notable achievement at Houston has been our All Star Reader Program. The Houston All Star Reader Program was started to inspire our children to read an additional 20 minutes per night. Incentives are provided as students accumulate minutes read. Our students are proud to wear their All-Star Reader necklaces and charms to show their reading accomplishments. The program has been very successful in developing a deeper love and passion for reading. At Houston we believe in celebrating our students. Each morning begins with our broadcast of the morning news show where we feature a Spotlight Student of the Day. The morning news show also features a weekly segment where students are celebrated for receiving a Student Recognition Notice. We have baskets available for teachers and staff to place a recognition notice for students who display outstanding behavior, great character traits, and excellence in the classroom. "Shout Outs" are also given to students and staff each afternoon by the administration to recognize students who give their Husky best. We will continue to strive for improvement in the areas of reading and math achievement as well as increasing parental and community involvement.
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Executive Summary Houston Elementary School
Additional Information
Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections.
The students at Houston are provided with numerous opportunities to grow academically, socially, physically, and artistically. We believe in maximizing every minute of the school day. We begin each morning as early as 7am with EMAP, or Early Morning Activity Program, for our 3rd-5th grade students. Our physical education instructor provides energetic, aerobic exercise time in the gym through the use of technology and music. Teachers arrive early to the media center each morning to read stories to our K-2 students. We provide "Wake Up and Read" time for second graders who have been identified as below grade level readers. They come to the computer lab to receive computerassisted reading instruction with the assistance of programs such as Classworks, Tumblebooks, and Starfall. The extra time help continues after school hours through our outstanding after school program, A.C.E. The Academy for Creative Expression is a comprehensive program that not only features homework/tutoring assistance for students but also many enrichment activities such as karate, dance, art, drama, computer, and sports/fitness. We are proud to offer many other extracurricular programs and activities for our students such as Chorus, Running Club, Girls on the Run, Student Council, and Safety Patrol. Students and parents enjoy participating in the annual Walk to School/Bike to School events as part of our partnership with Spartanburg's Safe Routes to Schools organization. Students are provided with regular classroom guidance lessons that focus on character education and development. Students attend weekly Chinese, French, and/or Spanish classes beginning as early as kindergarten and continuing through fifth grade. The fifth graders are also able to select and attend music classes each week which include Strings, Band, and Chorus. This year 34 of our fourth and fifth grade students performed at the district office, local churches, and our school. Each year we have several students whose artwork is submitted to local and state art shows, many of which receive awards. Houston is proud to be a professional learning community. The master schedule has been created to provide weekly PLC time for each grade level. PLC time is dedicated to improving instruction and student achievement. It is used to analyze student data and to discuss student progress and effective teaching practices and interventions. We also use this time to share ideas for effectively implementing PBL, Number Talks, balanced literacy, and technology. Each month there is a scheduled meeting designated for our district's lead math teacher, technology integration specialist, and reading coach to share best practices with our teachers. Teachers also receive professional development during afternoon school faculty meetings, monthly PD Tuesdays, and through various local and state conferences. We are proud to be a part of Spartanburg School District 7's one-to-one initiative. Although it is only in its second year of implementation, we are proud of the tremendous progress we have made thus far. The district has provided a Technology Integration Specialist and Technology Support Assistant at our school. Our 3rd-5th grade students have access to iPads throughout the school day and will soon be able to take them home to extend their learning. The students are actively engaged in their learning through the use of their devices. We believe that this engagement will improve student achievement while preparing our students for college and beyond.
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