Barry Tatum Virtual Learning Academy Export Export
Goals
G 1 Ready Graduate
For the 2019-20 school year, the district will increase the percent of students meeting the ready graduate indicator by 10%.
Performance Measure
The Ready Graduate Indicator provided by the Tennessee Department of Education will be the performance measure the Wilson County School System uses to evaluate this goal. In addition, the school district will also develop an internal system to track Ready Graduate students throughout the school year. Benchmark dates will be set around the ACT and the end of each nine weeks.
Sections
- College & Career Readiness
S 1.1 ACT
The Wilson County School System will increase the percentage of students earning a 21 or higher on the ACT.
Benchmark Indicator
- ACT practice tests
- ACT prep classes focused on areas of need
- ACT grouping for targeted enrichment
A 1.1.1 ACT Prep Course
The average ACT composite score for our current seniors, based on their Spring 2018 test score, is 20.6. Of those students, 53% scored below a 21. In an effort to improve our composite ACT scores, all juniors and seniors will be part of an ACT Prep Course prior to taking the ACT. The seniors will take the prep course during the fall semester, and the juniors will take it in the spring semester. The prep course will be part of either RTI time, or incorporated into a class as schedules allow. Students will be exposed to questions from previous ACT tests, as well as taught strategies for success on the ACT. Teachers will use available data to address specific areas of need for each student to improve individual test scores.
We are including a small amount of funds to be used to purchase ACT prep material if needed. We purchased materials last year and have access to old tests, so we may not need to purchase anything new. If the need arises, we wanted to have some funds earmarked for ACT prep.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cory Freeland, School Counselor | 2020-03-31 |
|
S 1.2 Early Post-Secondary Opportunities (EPSOs)
The Wilson County School System will increase Enrollment in Early Post-Secondary Opportunities (EPSOs) . EPSOs for Wilson County will include Advanced Placement courses, Dual Enrollment courses, and Dual Credit courses.
Benchmark Indicator
- Explore Dual Enrollment opportunities that are available for our students
- Make both parents and students aware of opportunities available
- Identify students who would especially benefit from participation in Dual Enrollment classes
A 1.2.1 Dual Enrollment
The graduating class of 2019 successfully completed a total of 27 hours of dual enrollment credit. The same class received $234,000, in scholarship monies to attend colleges, universities, and other career preparation programs/institutions. We atribute the success of our students' enrollment and completion of DE courses to two factors: the Tennessee Hope Scholarship, which pays for some DE courses each semester of both the junior and senior years of high school, and to our students lack of intimidation by college level courses. Many of the DE courses are similar in design to their high school courses and our students possess the drive and self-motivation it takes to be successful in DE courses.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Cory Freeland, School Counselor | 2020-05-22 |
A 1.2.2 Advanced Placement classes
While we recognize the value of AP classes, we have found that our students are more apt to take DE courses than AP courses. From talking with our students and their families, we attribute this, at least in large part, to their being more focused on earning college credit through DE becuase it provides real college classroom experiences that will only strengthen their college readiness. Also, many students meet the minimal requirements for graduation early and look to fill voids with rigourous and challenging coursework to benefit them during their college careers. Advanced electives courses are limited for our online students, thus DE has become an advantageous alternative. We will continue to stay abreast of AP opportunities that are available to our students and make our students aware of these as they become possible.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Cory Freeland, School Counselor | 2020-05-22 |
S 1.3 Goals for Students with Disabilities
The Wilson County School System will include Ready Graduate goals in all IEP meetings at the high school level for students on a regular diploma pathway. This will allow the district to prepare students for post-secondary opportunities while simultaneously increasing the district's Ready Graduate Indicator on an annual basis.
Benchmark Indicator
- Identify aptitude assessments available for college and career affinity for students with disabilities
- Encourage students to seek out opportunities available to them as well as funding sources for same
- Bring in guest speakers and arrange field trips as possible from a variety of career programs and branches of the military
A 1.3.1 Ready Graduate Goals for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities will be evaluated via a variety of methods to determine their aptitude for college and career. The interests and abilities of students will be included in these evaluations. The goal will be to determine the best post secondary options for each individual student's needs. The branches of the military as well as career colleges will be included in the options that are explored with these students. Specific help for students with specific needs (homeless, DCS custody, health concerns, etc.) will also be explored, so that students have a true picture of what options they have. Our goal for these students is to provide them opportunities to have success in life beyond high school and be able to be a productive member of society.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Katie Ingram | 2020-05-22 |
G 2 Mathematics Growth and Achievement
For the 2019-20 school year, the Wilson County School System will achieve a level 4 TVAAS score or higher in numeracy and meet, or exceed, the district AMO. Data will come from the TNReady assessment, with proficiency data and TVAAS data being made available the summer of 2020 after the spring 2019 TNReady assessment window.
Performance Measure
TNReady scores and TVAAS scores will be the performance measure the Wilson County School System uses to evaluate this goal.
In addition, the district will monitor STAR math scores (three times a year Aug, Jan, May) and TE21 Benchmark Assessment Scores (3 times a year for K-8 schools, 2 times per course for high school students - dates to be set by Deputy Director of Testing and Accountability at a later date and will be public on the district's testing calendar).
Sections
- Academic Achievement & Growth
S 2.1 Academic Focus Period
The Wilson County School System will work with schools to improve the structured time in the school day to focus on specific math skills, math standards, and/or math enrichment activities as determined for all students in each school.
Benchmark Indicator
- Form a committee of teachers to develop an RTI focus program to develop math skills for all students
A 2.1.1 Mathmatics Focus Time during RTI
An RTI plan is being initiated for the school year to include a focus on the most immediate needs of students as identifed in their math and english classes. Students who need intervention in math will be placed with specific math teachers during the RTI period for re-teaching and support in areas of deficit. At the beginning of the school year students will be placed based on TVAAS projections and prior performance on EOC assessments.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Maranda Nave, Math Lead Teacher | 2020-05-22 |
S 2.2 Rigorous Student Opportunities
The Wilson County School System will continue to provide more opportunities for STEM, Advanced Placement math courses, PreAP math classes, math contests, project-based learning, and academic, math themed clubs as appropriate for each grade band. Opportunities will be provided from June 2019 through April of 2020.
Benchmark Indicator
- Look at options for increasing rigor for all math students
A 2.2.1 Rigorous Student Opportunities in Math
Because of the nature of the online program, a rigorous and intense math enrichment program would be hard to implement. Students are not on campus unless they are failing and/or need help in their classes.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly Willhite | 2020-04-01 |
S 2.3 Parental Involvement
The Wilson County School System will offer a district level math night for parents. This event will take place prior to November 2019.
Benchmark Indicator
- Engage parents in all aspects of the online program including the initial kick-off and continual communications throughout the school year
A 2.3.1 Parent Involvement
Communications is key in an online program. Parents are called and/or emailed to communicate about their students' progress. Struggling students can come in and take advantage of the help of a teacher in person as opposed to the online format. Students who are failing are required to come in one day per week for remediation.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly Willhite, Math Teacher | 2020-05-01 |
G 3 ELA Growth and Achievement
For the 2019-20 school year, the Wilson County School System will achieve a level 4 TVAAS score or higher in literacy and meet, or exceed, the district AMO.
TNReady scores and TVAAS scores will be the performance measure the Wilson County School System uses to evaluate this goal.
In addition, the district will monitor STAR ELA scores (three times a year Aug, Jan, May) and TE21 Benchmark Assessment Scores (3 times a year for K-8 schools, 2 times per course for high school students - dates to be set by Deputy Director of Testing and Accountability at a later date and will be public on the district's testing calendar).
Performance Measure
TNReady scores and TVAAS scores will be the performance measure the Wilson County School System uses to evaluate this goal.
In addition, the district will monitor STAR ELA scores (three times a year Aug, Jan, May) and TE21 Benchmark Assessment Scores (3 times a year for K-8 schools, 2 times per course for high school students - dates to be set by Deputy Director of Testing and Accountability at a later date and will be public on the district's testing calendar).
Sections
- Academic Achievement & Growth
S 3.1 Effective Literacy Practices
The Wilson County School System will continue training teachers around the integration of standards while using effective questioning and task alignment and refine teacher knowledge units (selecting texts, sequencing questions, and aligning rigorous tasks). Training will take place from June 2019 through October 2020.
Benchmark Indicator
- Develop an RTI plan that includes individualized student interventions in an effort to raise overall EOC and TN Ready scores
A 3.1.1 English Support Program through RTI
An RTI plan is being initiated for the school year to include a focus on the most immediate needs of students as identifed in their math and english classes. Students who need intervention in ELA skills, and especially in reading,will be placed with specific teachers during the RTI period for re-teaching and support in areas of deficit. At the beginning of the school year students will be placed based on TVAAS projections and prior performance on EOC assessments.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Jennifer Beavers, English Teacher | 2020-05-22 |
S 3.2 College Career Readiness
The Wilson County School System will increase the percentage of students in grades 3-12 that meet the College Career Readiness benchmarks in Achieve 3000. By increasing this percent the district hopes to increase ACT scores due to the fact students are proficiently reading more complex texts.
Benchmark Indicator
- We will focus on colleg and career readiness by focusing on improving reading skills which translates to all aspects of the ACT, success in college and in career
A 3.2.1 Preparing Students for College and Career
Our teachers will utilize the vast resources of Achieve 3000 to help student's raise their lexile levels. Reading comprehension using complex texts with a focus on evidence found in the text to answer questions will be a focus. All students will have specific assignments in Achieve that is tailored to their performance, so that the assignments are sufficiently challenging. Reading complex texts with a high level of comrephension is a key to success in college and other post secondary programs.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Pamela Walker, Assistant Principal | 2020-05-01 |
G 4 Safe and Healthy Students
For the 2019-20 school year, the Wilson County School System will provide safe and healthy supports for all students in order to provide social and emotional supports so that students are both capable and available to receive high quality instruction on a daily basis.
Performance Measure
Discipline referrals, attendance reports, nurse reports, and reports from local social service providers (ex. referrals to Youth Villages) will be the performance measure the Wilson County School System uses to evaluate this goal. These results will be run and analyzed on a quarterly basis and at the conclusion of the academic school year.
Sections
- Climate and Access
S 4.1 Social and Personal Competencies
The Wilson County School System will build awareness in schools around the social and personal competencies and how to embed these practices into daily instruction. This will be accomplished by providing various professional development opportunities throughout the summer of 2019 and through the end of the first semester (December 2019).
Benchmark Indicator
- Our focus will be meeting the needs of our students from a social and emotional standpoint to ensure that they have the tools they need to be able to achieve academically.
A 4.1.1 Social and Personal Support for Students
Teachers have had training in Social and Emotional issues that impact education during the Summer of 2019, and prior to the return of students. A PD day was held at the school in late June specifically for the staff, to focus on the needs of our unique students. Several presenters were brought in to speak on a variety of issues, including the Child Find Law, the value of relationship building with students, Juvenile Justice, Department of Children's Services, legal issues impacting students such as elicit drug use, gangs, and youth violence. Some teachers were able to attend a conference that dealt with SEL, and an SEL presentation was part of the back to school professional development day in August, prior to the students' first day.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Pam Walker, Assistant Principal | 2019-08-30 |
S 4.2 ACEs / Trauma Informed Training
Develop and understanding of ACEs and how they impact attendance, discipline, social interaction in a variety of settings, and academic achievement. ACEs training will be provided in the summer of 2019, with repeat sessions available throughout the 2019-20 school year.
Benchmark Indicator
- We will evaluate students daily as they enter the school looking for signs of disturbance. We will engage a variety of counselors to assist our students, as well as train our faculty and staff to be aware and have some skills to be able to talk with students who are experiencing the affects of trauma.
A 4.2.1 ACEs and Trauma Informed Practices
ACES training and becoming a trauma informed school are nothing new to us. Many of our students are in the online program because they have social or personal issues that prevent them from being able to attend a traditional school setting. Some are with us because of health concerns. Our staff participated in ACEs training on our back to school PD training as re-delivered by one of our Assistant Principals. We are a small school in size, and that gives us a unique setting to better know our students and be able to help them with their specific needs. It also allows us to know our students in a more personal way and to know all the students enrolled in the school. Understanding the issues that our students face and having empathy for them is a key element in their success.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Pamela Walker, Assistant Principal | 2019-08-30 |
G 5 Educator Support
For the 2019-20 school year, the Wilson County School System will recruit and retain highly effective teachers.
Performance Measure
Retention reports (annual), TEAM evaluation data (each semester), and LOE data and TVAAS data (when it is available in TNCompass) for educators will be the performance measure the Wilson County School System uses to evaluate this goal. The timeline for evaluating this data will occur in the parentheses listed in the above sentence).
Sections
- Educators
S 5.1 Educator Support Plans
The Wilson County School System will implement strategic plans of support for educators demonstrating ineffective practices leading to below-expected student outcomes. The goals will be completed in 60-90 day cycles and include reflective feedback supports and professional learning opportunities as needed.
Benchmark Indicator
- Develop a plan for professional development to support educators in areas specific to the needs of online educators.
A 5.1.1 Identify Educators who need Targeted Support to Develop Skills
We realize that not all teachers are equiped with the skills to work within an online setting and with students they only see occassionally. We will provide targeted supports to help our teachers develop their skills to be able to adjust from the virtual environment to the days when students are present. Our teachers have to have the greatest time management skills in order to work with the variety of classes and students. Targeted training will be provided as needs are identified.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Shaun Caven, Principal | 2020-04-01 |
S 5.2 Partnerships with Local Universities
The Wilson County School System will strengthen partnerships with local universities to highlight high-need staffing areas and collaborate on recruitment of students/future teachers in these hard to staff areas. These partnerships will be ongoing annually.
Benchmark Indicator
- Cumberland University
- Tennessee Tech University
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Work with their education programs to identify potential candidates for employment at TVOLS
A 5.2.1 Partnering with Local Universities
We are fortunate to be located very near a variety of colleges and universities that train educators. We will work with those in an effort to secure appropriate teaching staff to fit our unique needs.
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Pamela Walker, Assistant Principal | 2020-03-02 |
S 5.3 Early Recruitment
The Wilson County School System will begin recruitment efforts earlier in the year to allow principals to fill vacancies before candidates accept jobs in other districts. Recruitment efforts will begin in March, which is earlier than the school district has started in past years.
Benchmark Indicator
- Prticipates in the Wilson County Schools career fairs.
A 5.3.1 Early Recruitment of Teachers
We understand that finding the right candidate and the right time is a challenge in any school. We will work with our WC School support staff to identify and hire high-quality teachers who will be best suited to the unique environment of an online program .
| Person Responsible | Estimated Completion | Funding Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Lowery, Assistant Principal | 2020-01-01 |