SURN ACTION RESEARCH WENONAH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REBECCA J. WALTERS, PRINCIPAL

ABOUT WENONAH ELEMENTARY  Student population: 230 Grades K-5  Instructional staff: 37Support Staff: 9  Title 1 school; 90% free & reduced lunch; very transient student population  Waynesboro City Public Schools  1 PreK center; 4 elementary schools; 1 middle school; 1 high school; Adult Basic Education program; 1 alternative education program

Fall observation data Frequency of observational look-fors and low-yield practices in first round of student engagement observations (December 2014)  Indicators for high, active student engagement most frequently noted:  3. Engages in reading11/12  5. Engages in discussing text or other input10/12  9. Applies metacognition strategies10/12  Indicators for lower-yield practices for students most frequently noted:  L1. Completes worksheet and homework 10/12  L3. Responds orally 9/12  Indicators for high, active student engagement least frequently noted:  6. Engages in problem solving4/12  7. Creates products 3/12

Staff Development Plan  Book study for K-5 teachers: Visible Learning for Teachers  Focusing on concepts tied to current School Improvement Plan indicators for Wenonah Elementary School  Staff was divided into 3 learning teams looking at before, during, and after of visible teaching/learning – 3 sessions – January-April 2015  Grade level and individual professional learning focused on planning for higher levels of student engagement  Staff development ½ day – February 2015 Whole staff session on Engaging Students in Learning Focus on “What does student engagement look like?” and the use of total participation techniques to increase engagement  Staff share opportunity – focused on visual tools that support student engagement  Anchor charts, student-friendly learning objectives, question stems, word walls

Highlights of post-assessment data  Based on observational data and feedback provided to teachers, we noticed significant increases in the following indicators:  1. Engages in setting learning goals Most teachers are now posting student-friendly learning objectives and expecting students to be able to communicate their learning goals.  4. Engages in writing We have observed increased evidence of students engaging in note-taking and sustained writing  6. Engages in problem-solving Students working together to problem solve in math; word study sorting  8. Peer tutoring, cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, cooperative groups  We noticed positive changes in the evidence of lower-yield strategies:  L1. Completes worksheets and homework Worksheets are more engaging with authentic writing tasks and note-taking  L3. Responds orally Teachers are using more TPTs to seek feedback or student input (movement, dry erase boards)

Fall to Spring data comparisons -Most significant changes observed

Next Steps for Data: to be completed by the end of May  Share data with School Improvement Team and Division Improvement Team  During April SIT and DIT meetings  Share data with instructional staff  During May staff meeting  Complete professional book study  Continue to provide individualized teacher feedback through the evaluation process

Recommendations for Professional Development for  Embed principal-conducted student engagement observations into the School Improvement Plan for to keep a focus on increasing engagement  Consider offering opportunities for peer observations focused on student engagement – using the Indicators of Student Engagement Observation Protocol form  Plan professional development and follow-through centered on summer Copenhaver Institute - Engaging Students in Poverty