Disaggregated Data

Fourth Grade

Trace Crossings

Irondale Community

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Non-Poverty)

80.6%

62.3%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Poverty)

57.1%

35.6%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Non-Poverty)

68.7%

68.9%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Poverty)

42.9%

48.5%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(White)

81.1%

58.9%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Black)

63.6%

33.7%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(White)

74.6%

65.9%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Black)

42.4%

46.6%

Strategies observations

Trace Crossings implemented

strategies such as iStation,
Title1, iExcell,
Multiplication.com

Irondale implemented
strategies such as compass
learning, AR and Star
Reading, and
iKeepbookmarks.

Professional Development

Trace Crossings uses

Edcamp as a means for

Teachers were required to

attend professional

profession development. The

teachers also have
opportunities to attend
professional development in
the area like Learn Tech
Inspire Learning Conference.

development days throughout

the school year. They had to
be signed off by a member of
administration. Teachers are
a part of professional learning
communities at school. They
are also ARI and AMSTI
trained.

Reading program

Trace Crossings uses a

balanced approach to reading
for all grades, including a
reading coach. They do not
use a specific reading
program.

Irondale uses programs like

AR and STAR,
iKeepbookmarks, and
Wonders Reading to improve
reading. They also work
closely the librarian to make
the library accessible to all
students.

Math program

Investigations

Investigations

Math resources

They use iStation, STEAM

facilitator, Math coach, Title 1
Team, and resources on
Investigations website.

Irondale uses the math

resource Compass Star. The
link is attached to their
website.

Reading Resources

They use Daily CAFE,

Reading Coach, Title 1 Team,
and resources from their
balanced approach
curriculum.

Irondale has a scholastic

book room, librarian, and
extensive library.

Strengths

Trace Crossings have several

strengths such as lots clubs
that promote literacy such as
Readers Theatre Club, lots
of aids like Math and Reading
Coach. They are also the only
STEAM school in the state of
Alabama, and have many
resources through Hoover
City Schools.

Irondale promotes character

development to their students
through their motto ICS,
intentional, considerate, and
successful. The school has a
strong community and family
feel. Students are able to
better learn in this secure and
encouraging environment.

Weaknesses

A few weaknesses are that

the students are often pulled
out of class therefore they
miss class time. They also
have a lack of ELL teachers
for the amount of ELL
students that are in the
school.

A few weaknesses are that

students behavior often
hindered class time and
performance. The school also
did not have a lot of extra
support staff apart from the
teachers and administration.

School initiatives

School initiatives that Trace

incorporates is STEAM
curriculum which promotes
science and math for both
boys and girls. They also
promote Art and Music
education for all the students.
They also have SPIN in the
mornings where students
who are interested in specific
areas can go and work in this
area such as music or
broadcasting.

Irondale really pushes

helping others. Dr. Yeager
constantly reminds his
students to be on the lookout
to help others rather than
looking out for themselves.
The question Have You
Helped Anyone Yet? is
posted in the hallway to
encourage student to help
others. Also literacy nights
and library improvements.

School Improvement Plans

STEAM. School push for

student involvement in math
and science. Parent
involvement in STEAM
learning.

They worked towards

growing student respect
towards others. They brought
in professionals to teach the
teachers how to be more
effective in giving number
talks.

How are they informing

parents?

They inform parents through

each teachers website,
school newsletters, the Trace
Crossings website, and
Hoover City Schools website.

They inform parents through

newsletters that are sent
home weekly. They can also
find information through the
schools website.

How are they involving

parents?

They involve parents through

Career day, by having parent
helpers in the classroom and
field trips, and by holding
PTO meetings and events,
and parents come into read
with students.

Parents are provided

volunteer opportunities
through the classroom and
through the PTO. Parents
have the opportunity to serve
on PTO leadership, field trips,
and in the classroom.

Accountability resources
(global scholar, etc.)

Trace Crossings uses Global

Scholar, istation, and iExcell
as accountability resources to
keep up with student data.

There are many parent

resources online for parents
stay connected and informed
about what is going on at the
school. These websites
include: iNow/Chalkable,
paypams, and common core
flip books.

Support of Math Coach

The math coach works with

students of all levels to
improve students and brings
students out of tier 2 and 3
and into tier 1.

Irondale did not have a math

coach.

Support of Reading Coach

The reading coach pulls

individual students and
groups of students to develop
their reading scores and
promotes an enjoyment of
reading.

Irondale did not have a

reading coach.

Support of Counselor

The counselor works with

individual student in small
groups to develop
appropriate social and
behavioral skills. She also
speaks with teachers about
student behavior and helps
decide behavioral plans.

The counselor did a lot of

work with the students at
Irondale. The students were
able to go to the counselor at
any time. Each class also had
a designated time to go to her
class and learn about working
with others and
communicating effectively.

Support of Principal

The principal supports the

teacher and provides
opportunities for professional
development, resources in
the classroom, behavioral
issues in the classroom, and
parent conflicts.

Dr. Yeager was very involved

in the school and wanted
what was best for the
students at Irondale. He
made morning
announcements every day
and would leave them with
words of encouragement
pushing them to be the best
they could be in school and
their community.

Title 1 Team Support

They work with students who

are a tad below grade level to
bump them up to grade level.

Irondale did not have a Title 1

support team.

How do these teachers work

together to share data?

In their team meetings, the

teachers meet and discuss
data about grade level
scores, class scores, and
individual student scores.

The teachers share data in

team and staff meetings to
discuss grade level scores,
class scores, and individual
student scores.

Do they have regular data

meetings?

The math coach, STEAM

coach, reading coach, and
Title I teachers meet with the
grade level classroom
teachers once a week.

The teachers meet on a

weekly basis and share data
during this time.

Plan of Action
Trace Crossings Elementary School
Trace Crossings Elementary school has a wonderful reputation for preparing students
from all different backgrounds to be successful in whatever they may choose. In their fourth
grade data, we noticed several interesting things when comparing poverty vs. non-poverty as
well as Blacks vs. Whites. In Math, 42.9% of the students that lived in poverty exceeded the
academic standards versus 68.7% of students that lived in non-poverty that exceeded the
academic standards. This data tells us those students from lower income families score much
less than students who are not from lower income families on the ACT aspire. These students
may be from high stress environments where parents spend much of their time out of the home,
therefore students are not able to properly prepare and practice for classroom assessments. We
also found similar data in Reading; there was a 23.5% gap between the Poverty and Non-poverty
students. According to research by the National Library of Medicine Children from low-income
families often do not receive the stimulation and do not learn the social skills required to prepare
them for school. Typical problems are parental inconsistency (with regard to daily routines and
parenting), frequent changes of primary caregivers, lack of supervision and poor role modeling.
Very often, the parents of these children also lack support (Ferguson, Bouvaird, & Mueller,
2007). This research directly relates to these students who live in poverty and reasons why less of
them exceed the academic expectations versus students from Non-Poverty areas. Our data from
Reading and Math scores between Blacks and whites also showed a pretty large gap. In reading,
white students scored 18.2% higher than black students similar in math where white students
scored 32.1% higher than black students. Overall the students scored lower in Math than in
reading on these test.

Trace Crossings plan of action has already begun through their implementation of
STEAM learning and activities. The school has a STEAM room as well as a maker studio and
science lab. They also have a STEAM coach who helps teachers implement activities related to
STEAM in their classrooms. This is a very large initiative in this school to improve test scores
among all students no matter gender, socioeconomic status, or race.
Our improvement plan would be to first identify these students who need extra help in the
area of reading. This can be done through analyzing student work samples and then planning for
further differentiation in teachers lessons. While teachers should be differentiating in their
lessons many do not; if teachers thoroughly analyze student work and find out which students
really need the most help, they will be able to better teach these students. According to the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, teachers should modify their
instruction to meet students' varying readiness levels, learning preferences, and interests (Willis
& Mann, 2000). One size does not fit all in teaching and by making sure teachers are doing this
through our plan of action, we feel we will see some form of progress whether it be in one child
or many. Teachers can differentiate through the use of Choice board reading activities, groupings,
stations, and problem based learning. The school through the use of principal observations of
lessons where teachers then have to explain or account for their differentiation in the class can
assess this.
Another part of our plan of action would be to set high expectations and goals. As noticed
in our classrooms at Trace many of our teachers would not expect the same out of certain
students as they did others. When these students do poorly on formative and summative
assessments, the teachers make excuses such as Oh he is ELL or Oh she has a learning
disability. While these things may be true, the teacher should still teach and expect the same out

of these students especially if the teacher is properly differentiating. In Teach Like a Champion,
the entire first chapter gives us strategies for ways to set high expectations for students. A few of
theses strategies are No Opt Out, Right is Right, and Stretch It. All of theses strategies cause
teachers to make sure their students are always trying, digging further into their reasoning, and
making sure students answer a question 100% correctly (Lemov, 2010). High expectations for
student achievement cause students to work harder, succeed in challenges, and overall increase
their knowledge. There is not an exact way for the school to make sure teachers are setting high
expectations except to give the teachers the resources and knowledge of how to effectively do
this.
The last part of our plan of action is to get parents more involved in the school and
classroom. We plan to do this in many different ways. We first plan to increase our teacher parent
communication through having the teacher send home positive notes about several students each
week and in return ask for a positive note from the parents. This will begin to set up a trusting
relationship between the parent and teacher and so when a problem does arise the parent will
know that the teacher has the student's best interest in mind. Another way we plan to do this is by
having the teachers set expectations for the parents at the beginning of the school year. The
teacher can have signup sheets for specific ways the parents can volunteer on the website as soon
as the year begins. This will create an open door policy and a welcoming environment for all
parents. Teachers can have a parent come in once a week to organize the book shelf, copy papers,
bring the students new pencils and erasers, do an inventory check, read to the students, and many
other things. According to the National Education Association, ...students with involved parents
earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs, be promoted, pass their
classes, and earn credits, attend school regularly, and have better social skills, show improved

behavior, and adapt well to school (2002). We feel that if we can get parents involved even
further these students test scores will improve not only in Reading, but also in all subject areas.
In conclusion, our action plan focuses on three areas to improve mainly reading scores,
but hopefully all scores in all subject areas. We want our teachers to analyze student work thus
causing them to better differentiate, set high expectations for all students, and increase the
parental involvement in their classroom. All of these active steps are considered best practice in
the area of teaching and supported by extensive research.

Plan of Action
Irondale Community School
Irondale Community School is known for its community and close knit environment.
However, when we looked at the fourth grade data we noticed several interesting things when
comparing poverty vs. non-poverty as well as Blacks vs. Whites in the school. In Math, 68.9% of
the students that lived in poverty exceeded the academic standards versus 48.5% of students that
lived in non-poverty that exceeded the academic standards. This data lead us to the conclusion

that the students in poverty scored lower that the students who came from a socioeconomically
stable environment on the ACT Aspire test. This could be a result of the childrens parents not
being around to provide them support, lack of proper materials, or stress from the environment.
We found similar data when it came to reading scores. 62.9% of the students that lived in poverty
exceeded the reading academic standards versus 35.6% of students that lived in non-poverty that
exceeded the academic standards. That is a 27.3% gap between the two groups of students.
Based on this data it is clear that poverty has an effect on students academic achievement. The
data that was collected for black/white students also displayed a significant gap. In Math, 65.9%
of white students exceeded the academic standards, whereas only 46.6% of black students
exceeded the standards. In reading the gap was even more significant. 58.9% of white students
exceeded the reading academic standards, whereas only 33.7% of black students exceeded the
expectations. Overall, students at Irondale performed better on math tests than they did on
reading.
Irondale is currently making efforts to improve their library and recently implemented a
scholastic book room in hopes of improving reading scores through helping students develop a
love for reading. The school has hosted literacy nights where students have the opportunity to
share their writing and discuss books they have been reading. Nights like these and the efforts
made in the library are in hopes of promoting overall literacy in the schools. Irondale has also
been implementing a Have You Helped Someone Today? initiative. This initiative was
implemented to create community and a positive school environment. When there is a positive
environment in schools students are more likely to want to attend school and feel safe to learn
and grow.

The first piece of our plan of action would be to include behavior incentives in all
classrooms. This seemed to be a big area that leads to a lot of distraction from academic progress
in the classroom. Many teachers had trouble being consistent with their students. Students would
oftentimes get in trouble and receive a consequence in one classroom, but when they would act
out in another classroom, for example Art or Music, they would not receive the same form of
discipline. Students need consistency when it comes to discipline so they know what they are
doing wrong and how they are able to fix it. It can be very confusing for a student who is
receiving a consequence from one teacher and being ignored by the other teacher. Getting all
teachers on the same page will help improve behavior in all subject areas, thus improving test
scores overall. Economists and educators research studies have demonstrated the contribution of
a range of non-tested outcomes, including disruptive class behaviors, emotional stability, and
persistence, to educational achievement and labor market outcomes (Blazar, 2015).
The last part of our plan of action is to increase communication between the parents and
the school. We plan to do this in many different ways. We first plan to increase our teacher parent
interaction through having the teacher send home positive notes. This also can go hand in hand
with discipline. Most of the time teachers will send home a note if they had a bad day or got in
trouble. Sending a positive note home will allow the students to receive praise at home and at
school. This will also show the parents that the teachers care about the students individually and
want what is best for them. This will begin to set up a trusting relationship between the parent
and teacher and so when a problem does arise the parent will know that the teacher has the
student's best interest in mind. These notes of encouragement could suggest to parents that they
could be working on certain subject areas that interest that student. Informing parents about what
their child is interested in or what they are good at could help the parents show more

involvement in their childs academic success. We feel that if we can increase communication
even further between the parents and teachers these students test scores will improve in all
subject areas.

Parent Letter
Trace Crossings Elementary School
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Shortly before school ended for the year, your child took part in the 2015 ACT Aspire
Test, the new computer-based tests for English language arts/literacy and mathematics
that replaced the former paper-based tests for these subjects.
These new exams are part of Alabamas comprehensive plan for supporting high-quality
learning at every school. They are based on Alabamas new, more challenging
academic standards, which are designed to help all students graduate ready for college
and to pursue a career.

These tests include a wider variety of questions than the multiple-choice tests they
replaced, requiring students to explain how they solve problems, think critically, and
write analytically. These skills take time and effort to master, but our students will need
them to succeed in the long run.
In our school district, we see these tests as an academic check up. Like class
assignments and report cards, they are one gauge of student progressone way to
provide you and your childs teachers with information about your childs work toward
the high goals we have set for our students.
The student score report enclosed with this letter shows your childs achievement on
these new tests. Please take a few moments to review it. Youll notice that along with an
overall score for each subject, there is also information about how your child performed
in different skill areas associated with English language arts/literacy and mathematics.
Also, below is a breakdown of our above average scores in the fourth grade for reading
and math for the ACT Aspire for students in subcategories, which are noted in the chart.
We believe it is important for you to see how we are doing within certain subgroups and
how we are improving our schools scores yearly.
Subcategories: Fourth Grade

Percentages

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Non-Poverty)

80.6%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Poverty)

57.1%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Non-Poverty)

68.7%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Poverty)

42.9%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Caucasian Students)

81.1%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Minority Students)

63.6%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Caucasian Students)

74.6%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Minority Students)

42.4%

Our schools are still adjusting to these new standards and the tests that go with them.
We know that many if not most students will need to make significant progress to reach
the challenging new goals we have set. Thats why no student or parent should be
discouraged by test results, which will not be used to determine whether a student
moves on to the next grade.
Like the new learning goals they were designed to measure, these new tests are much
too different from the old exams to make any comparisons between old scores and new.
Thats why this years scores are better thought of as a starting pointa baseline for the
progress we expect students to make over time.
These results are also being provided to your childs school, who will use them to help
set learning goals for students this year. We invite you to take an active part in those
discussions. If you have questions or concerns about your childs progress, please call
the school office at (205) 439-2700 to arrange a conference with your childs teacher.

Sincerely,

Carol Barber, Principal

Trace Crossings Elementary School

Parent Letter
Irondale Community School
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Shortly before school ended for the year, your child took part in the ACT Aspire, the new
computer-based tests for English language arts/literacy and mathematics that replaced
the former paper-based tests for these subjects.
These new exams are part of Alabamas comprehensive plan for supporting high-quality
learning at every school. They are based on Alabamas new, more challenging
academic standards, which are designed to help all students graduate ready for college
and to pursue a career.
These tests include a wider variety of questions than the multiple-choice tests they
replaced, requiring students to explain how they solve problems, think critically, and

write analytically. These skills take time and effort to master, but our students will need
them to succeed in the long run.
In our school district, we see these tests as an academic check up. Like class
assignments and report cards, they are one gauge of student progressone way to
provide you and your childs teachers with information about your childs work toward
the high goals we have set for our students.
The student score report enclosed with this letter shows your childs achievement on
these new tests. Please take a few moments to review it. Youll notice that along with an
overall score for each subject, there is also information about how your child performed
in different skill areas associated with English language arts/literacy and mathematics.
Also, below is a breakdown of our scores in the fourth grade for reading and math for
the ACT Aspire for students in subcategories, which are noted in the chart. We believe it
is important for you to see how we are doing within certain subgroups.
Subcategories: Fourth Grade

Percentages

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Non-Poverty)

62.3%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Poverty)

35.6%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Non-Poverty)

68.9%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Poverty)

48.5%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Caucasian Students)

58.9%

2010-2011 Reading Scores

(Minority Students)

33.7%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Caucasian Students)

65.9%

2010-2011 Math Scores

(Minority Students)

46.6%

Our schools are still adjusting to these new standards and the tests that go with them.
We know that many if not most students will need to make significant progress to reach
the challenging new goals we have set. Thats why no student or parent should be

discouraged by test results, which will not be used to determine whether a student
moves on to the next grade.
Like the new learning goals they were designed to measure, these new tests are much
too different from the old exams to make any comparisons between old scores and new.
Thats why this years scores are better thought of as a starting pointa baseline for the
progress we expect students to make over time.
These results are also being provided to your childs school, who will use them to help
set learning goals for students this year. We invite you to take an active part in those
discussions. If you have questions or concerns about your childs progress, please call
the school office at (205) 379-4200 to arrange a conference with your childs teacher.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Yeager, Principal

Irondale Community School
References
Blazar, D. (2015, December). Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students' Academic Behaviors
and Mindsets [PDF]. Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Differentiating Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved May 07, 2016, from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/curriculum-update/winter2000/DifferentiatingInstruction.aspx

Ferguson, H., Bovaird, S., & Mueller, M. (n.d.). The impact of poverty on educational outcomes
for children. Retrieved May 07, 2016, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528798/

Research Spotlight on Parental Involvement in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved May 07, 2016, from
http://www.nea.org/tools/17360.htm