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Our double dose program has been in place for six years. The goal of double dose is extending the school day for students who need additional time, focused instruction, and/or re-teaching. Identified students are invited to attend classes taught by a certified teacher beginning one hour before school starts or immediately after school.

Describe specific programs in place to ensure that families are involved in the success of your school and students.

The most successful tool that we have for engaging our families and community members is communication. We provide a weekly E-Communication to each of our families with information regarding school events and other items of interest. Hard copies of the information are sent to the families who prefer that method of distribution. We also have a school translator who helps us communicate with our Spanish parents and provide documents in Spanish. Each teacher also provides a monthly newsletter to keep the parents informed about curriculum and classroom events. We provide two school-wide performances involving every student. These two events draw a large number of parents and provide a great opportunity for the parents to visit the school. We also hold a Parent Math Night, several literacy events, an art show, and a Kinder Fair to inform parents and students about kindergarten. We have a "You, Me, and a Book" program to provide books for parents to read with their students every day.

What are your school’s top two goals for the next year?

Our first goal will be to align our writing curriculum across grade levels. There is a greater focus on writing in our new state standards. In addition, writing is now being tested in each grade beginning in third grade rather than just in fifth grade. This requires a strategic plan to ensure that our students are ready to complete the required writing passages. We are beginning in kindergarten to teach our students writing skills so that they will be able to write an opinion and informative essay when they reach third grade and an argumentative essay by sixth grade.

The writing tests are completed on the computer so we are also focusing on the students learning the necessary computer and keyboarding skills so that they are prepared to type their essays within the recommended time frames. We want the students to be able to have a fair chance at showing their writing skills and not be hampered by a lack of computer skills or keyboarding experience.

What is the single most important factor in the success of your school that others could replicate?

Certified teachers teaching double dose classes before and/or after school is the most important factor for our success. Some students need additional time to learn and master standards beyond the time available in a regular school day. The groups are fluid and students attend only as long as they need the extra help. The teachers teach the students at their own grade level so they are experts at teaching the concepts and communicate regularly about each of the students during collaboration meetings with their PLCs. One goal of this program is to pre-teach concepts so that the students have more confidence when the concept is taught in their class. Students are better prepared to participate during initial classroom instruction. Parent support is key for this program’s success.

Describe the program or initiative that has had the greatest positive effect on student achievement, including closing achievement or opportunity gaps, if applicable.

Our double dose program has been in place for six years. The goal of double dose is extending the school day for students who need additional time, focused instruction, and/or re-teaching. Identified students are invited to attend classes taught by a certified teacher beginning one hour before school starts or immediately after school. Students may be invited to attend for literacy and/or math instruction. The teachers teaching double dose are members of the grade level team. During weekly collaboration, the curriculum for the week and the students attending are reviewed. The model is to pre-teach the curriculum as much as possible. This program has been effective because the teachers are able to teach to mastery and there are few interruptions before and after school. Students have more confidence as learners and have adopted an “I can” instead of an “I can’t” attitude. Movement in and out of the double dose class is fluid; however, some students benefit from it all year.

Explain how Title I funds are used to support your improvement efforts.

Reading at grade level is essential for students to be successful in school. We use a large percentage of our school funds to address this problem. We provide an additional all-day kindergarten session to address the students with the greatest academic needs. To help increase reading levels in first grade, we use funds to provide extra Reading Recovery instruction. We have highly qualified aides (many are certified teachers) assigned to each grade level to provide one-on-one and small group instruction. We avoid having split classes to provide more time focusing on grade level curriculum. Finally, we provide stipends for teachers to teach double dose before or after school to give students the additional time they need to master the standards.

Describe how data is used to improve student achievement and inform decision making.

The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is administered to every student in kindergarten through sixth grade to determine the instructional reading levels for the students. The parents of students scoring below benchmark are contacted after each assessment.

The SAGE test is an adaptive test given three times during the year to help pinpoint each student’s learning levels for language arts (including writing), mathematics, and science. Teachers set goals with each of their students before each test is given. Most of our students are very motivated to achieve the goals that have been set and are taking the test seriously.

Common assessments are used at every grade level. The teachers have worked together to create the common assessments and are continually reviewing them to ensure that they are the best measures of student learning. Based on common assessments, students are invited to double dose sessions, given additional instruction, or provided with enrichment learning.

Describe your school culture and explain changes you’ve taken to improve it.

Central Elementary’s culture is built on a foundation of respect, trust and a strong belief in Professional Learning Communities (PLC). One of the greatest strengths at Central Elementary is our dedicated staff and their willingness to effectively collaborate. Each grade level has a strong team of teachers who puts student needs first. They collaborate during the summer focusing on curriculum maps, identifying best teaching practices, creating common assessments, and integrating curriculum to make better use of teaching time. Teams also collaborate every Monday afternoon throughout the year. Conversations focus on student data and how to improve student learning. Collaboration happens continually through informal conversations in the teacher workroom, lunchroom, halls and classrooms. We address any issues that may impact our culture so that we can keep our focus on student achievement and growth.

• Category 2

  Selected in 2014

• Grades: pre k - 6
  School Setting: suburban
  Town Population: 34,988
  Student Enrollment: 595
  Student Demographics:
  

  Black/African American: 2%
  White/Caucasian: 79%
  Hispanic: 14%
  Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 3%
  Asian: 1%
  Native American: 1%
  Other: 0%
  

  Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:24.6
  % Reduced Lunch: 56%
  % ELL Learners: 11%
  Founded: 1893
• PRINCIPAL:
  Vicki Carter
• CONTACT:
  95 North 400 East
  Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
  801-610-8104
  vcarter@alpinedistrict.org