Kenwood Leadership Academy

2016-17 School Improvement Plan

Building Leadership Team
Haley Aarhus
Lindsey Cliburn
Stace James-Colbeck
Lisa Ihringer
Becky Rasmussen
Jillian Schulte, Magnet Coordinator
David Brandon, Principal
Ann Buckley, Instructional Design Strategist

Professional Development Facilitator for School Improvement:

Kathleen Ziegler
kziegler@cr.k12.ia.us

Date:

Building Leadership Team Functions,

Structures, & Processes
Functions of the Building Leadership Team:

Help principal set and communicate direction of the building.

Take actions and build PL based upon data connected to need.
Monitor SIP implementation.
Ensure maximum learning.
Take the lead on Title requirements.
Support district building and goals.
Serve as a conduit to the grade level teams.
Help identify and monitor six week improvement cycles.
Review and approve TQ and Enrichment applications.
Serves as one voice supporting the work.

Our BLT Structures & Processes:

Leadership (Describe how you selected the chair and their duties)
Leadership will be shared among the BLT team members. We will designate a
person as: Time Keeper, Note Taker, and Facilitator. All team members will
be expected to add their feedback for their various grade levels/positions. In
addition to adding feedback they will also be expected to be the contact
person for their grade level.
Facilitator- Guides the team through the agenda, starting conversations and
organizing the agenda.
Note Taker-Will record bulleted notes on the SIP template to summarize the
meeting. In addition to notes they will also send the notes out to the whole
staff.
Time Keeper/Task Master- Responsible for
keeping the team on time and on task. This position will redirect the team
and make sure the meeting starts and ends on time.
Meeting Frequency/Times (Enter the exact day/time and locations that
meetings will be held.)
Meetings will be held one time per month or more as needed. All meetings
will be held in the Kenwood conference room before school. Additional
meetings will be scheduled throughout the year after school hours to allow
for more collaboration time to respond to the SIP plan and staff needs.
Communication (Describe the communication responsibilities of the BLT
and its members include the methods you use, frequency, etc.)
Minutes will be recorded by the note taker position during the meeting. They
will share the bulleted minutes with all staff via e-mail. All meetings notes
will also be shared in One Drive and linked on the KenwStaff Canvas page.
Each grade/subject will have a representative. The representative will be
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asked to gather input from their team on agenda items. Agenda items should
be submitted at least two days prior to the meeting to the BLT facilitator
Input (Describe how you methodically gather input how, what, when, who
and why. This can be done in this section or embedded in the plan.)
The BLT team will review the Core math assessment and FAST assessment. In
addition to the The FAST Assessment and Core math assessment will be
reviewed 3 times per year to look at low performing students and content
areas. They will then determine additional resources needed to assist
students with making progress toward the expected level of proficiency. In
addition to monitoring academic data the BLT will also monitor the responses
from the student, staff and parents culture surveys. The BLT will report the
data to the different stakeholder groups and create responses to their needs
based upon the collected information.
Data (describe how you methodically gather and use data how, what,
when, who, and why. This can be done in this section or embedded in the
plan. Add dates for BLT analysis of data to the calendar portion of the SIP)
The BLT team will be looking at the individual student proficiency, skills and
trends across the grade levels. In addition to the academic data they will also
look at the culture survey data.
Decision-Making Protocol (Describe how the BLT makes decisions and
holds itself accountable for enacting the decisions made)
The BLT team will use both a working consensus and democratic protocol
depending on the decision. Working consensus- We probe the issues until
everyones opinions are understood, especially opposing opinions. The
decision is made when two-thirds of the group say they can live with that
decision. Democratic- We discuss the options sufficiently that people
understand the consequences of the majority vote. We establish the ground
rule that loser support the decision, even though it was not their choice.
Then we vote and count.

Telling Our Story with Data

The graphs below visually display Iowa Assessment scores in Reading in
Mathematics. Each graph is labeled to highlight its intended purpose.

Making Our Vision and

Commitments Visible

District Vision & Mission:

Excellence for All;
To develop 21st century learners and productive, responsible citizens.
Our Vision for Student Learning at ELEMENTARY:
Students learn from one another. They are confident, respectful, responsible,
and accountable learners who share leadership with their entire community.
Our students set their own goals, build upon their strengths and work to
improve their weaknesses. Their desire to learn and contribute as individuals
and as a team leads them to be curious, well-rounded lifelong learners who
are self-motivated and enjoy collaboration. Students leave Kenwood
Leadership Academy read to accomplish all their Wildy Important Goals
(WIGs).
Self-Efficacy/Resiliency/Student Ownership: evidence of students
problem-solving, setting and energetically pursuing individual goals, taking
risks when learning
Academics: each student have a passion and curiosity for the learning
process, skills necessary for academic and career success
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Social/Emotional/Behavioral: students listening to and following

directions, exercising self-control, self-regulating and monitoring their
behavior, and accepting consequences while utilizing and reflecting upn the
7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
21st Century/Employability Skills: : each student problem solving,
dependability, a strong work ethic, as well as ownership of work and self.

Our Vision for each member of the ELEMENTARY staff Educators

support a student centered learning environment that is safe, engaging and
leadership focused. The established routines and expectations are shared
and understood across the school community. Educators are solution seekers
and problem solvers with a laser focus on student growth and nurturing
leadership and stewardship. Collaboration and teaming across grade levels
and disciplines is a foundation for the schools overall achievement. All
educators recognize and support that learning and leadership go hand-inhand in the entire school environment.
Leadership comes to life from the front office to the classroom, the cafeteria,
the gym, and the playground. Students and educators respect and contribute
to the inviting, positive atmosphere. Choice and a strengths based approach
to personalized learning supports all students leadership development. At
Kenwood Leadership Academy the paradigm is shifted to an experiential
teaching and learning experience. Students have opportunities to work
across grade levels to grow, lean and achieve. The learning community
develops a positive school climate through the Leader in Me foundation. All
spaces in the school are learning spaces. Educators offer highly engaging
standards based instruction that allows students to acquire knowledge and
skill through project based learning. There is a focus on collaboration and
team work while developing students leadership, self control, independent
thinking, positive behaviors and appropriate social interactions. Educators,
students, and families are all involved in the learning community. Everyone
recognizes that this foundation of leadership sets students on a positive path
for middle school, high school and life.
Each adult at ELEMENTARY:
Is primarily focused on student learning
Maintains professionalism through appearance and interactions on a
daily basis
Recognizes that failures are opportunities to learn and grow while
seeking assistance from peers and showing a willingness to ask for and
accept help
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Possesses a positive attitude when interacting with students, parents

and staf
Seeks and supports colleagues while focusing on the continuous
learning of each staf member
Educators support a student centered learning environment that is
safe, engaging and leadership focused.
Collaboration and teaming across grade levels and disciplines is a
foundation for the schools overall achievement.

Moving
Forward
Equity Focus: Implementation of building-wide Lead Time
Expected Adult
Outcomes/Behaviors

Measure(s) of Adult
Implementation
(include timeline)

Staff will work under the

guidance of the Lighthouse
Team to continuously review
and implement the 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People
with all students
Staff will take part in their
own self-reflection of the 7
Habits as well as learning
opportunities throughout the
school year
All adults working at Kenwood
Leadership Academy will
attend Leader in Me
professional learning
opportunities throughout the
school year

The building counselor and

magnet coordinator will do
monthly walk throughs to
monitor the implementation of
Lead Time
Staff attendance will be taken
at Leader in Me professional
learning opportunities
Adults will complete a building
level survey to monitor the
paradigm shifts in staff
thinking (survey to be
determined * ideas- IDI
Cultural Competence, LIM
Survey or other)

Describe your plan of action to achieve this: All staff who work at
Kenwood Leadership Academy will participate in the core Leader in Me
training. In addition to the core trainings all staff will be invited to participate
8

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in other leadership focused training around our school theme. Through these
reflective conversations with both the staff and students our hope is that we
begin to shift our paradigms (mindset) around leadership, student potential,
change efforts, student motivation and developing the whole child. These
shifts in thinking will be evident by observations of the school culture as well
as measured using a survey that needs to be determined that will be used as
a growth measure along with the other data sets that we currently have.
Building Assets We Will Utilize: All staff, ODR data, Franklin Covey
Consultant
Assistance Requested from District PL Office: Our district contact to
participate in the trainings with us throughout the year to increase their
knowledge of Leader in Me and the paradigm shifts.

Instructional Focus #1: Clear learning targets and closure

Expected Adult
Outcomes/Behaviors

Classroom teaching staff will

implement learning targets for
each lesson that are articulated
and understood by each
student
Teachers will articulate both the
content and language
component of the learning
target
Teacher will have purposeful
closure at the end of their
lessons including a student selfreflection component
Teachers will assist students in
goal setting and monitoring
their goals through the use of
leadership binders

Measure(s) of Adult
Implementation
(include timeline)

Danielson Framework- 3a & 3d

used as guidance during 6
week observation/co-planning
cycles
9 Steps to Learning TargetsLearning Targets by Connie
Moss and Susan Brookhart; p. 13

Describe your plan of action to achieve this: Teachers will post and
embed clear learning targets into daily lessons focusing on the content,
language and closure of the learning targets. In conjunction with this focus
teachers will utilize the Danielson Framework and 9 Steps to Learning targets
as guides to drive the observation and co-planning cycle. In addition to these
teacher behaviors students will be tracking their own learning on the ELA
and Math district assessments. Student progress will be tracked by individual
students along with grade level and building progress will be posted in
common areas.
9

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(inclu
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ELA and
assessm
Student
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feedbac
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Building Assets We Will Utilize: Observation/co-planning cycle, Leader

Binders, Data walls
Assistance Requested from District PL Office: Continued conversations
around the best way to move our staff forward focusing on collective teacher
efficacy and the observation and co-planning cycle.

Instructional Focus #2: Student ownership of their learning

through goal setting
Expected Adult
Outcomes/Behaviors

Teachers will assist students

in goal setting and monitoring
their goals through the use of
leadership binders
Adults will assist students with
individual goal setting,
classroom and building goals.
(ie. unit assessments,
attendance, reading minutes,
personal goals)
*The building may start with the
focus of attendance and reading
minutes to get the structure in
place

Measure(s) of Adult
Implementation
(include timeline)
Leadership binders
completed frequently
(checked monthly in grade
level teams)
Data boards completed for
grade level and classroom
goals (Data boards updated
monthly)

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Student Outc
(includ
Students
communi
Student l
are comp
meaningf
learning
Students
their lear
family an
Students
articulate
blogging
goal setti
integratio
achieving
personal

Describe your plan of action to achieve this: Teachers will assist

students with tracking their own learning and reflecting upon their progress.
In addition to tracking their learning teachers and students will post their
growth allowing the whole school to celebrate student learning and making it
a priority in the building. This will be done through the use of individual
leadership binders, classroom data walls and building data walls
Building Assets We Will Utilize: Leadership binders and data walls
Assistance Requested from District PL Office: None at this time

Timeli
ne
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The following calendar includes major assessments and professional learning

days. Use this calendar to create a timeline for the actions and work outlined
in this SIP. This calendar will be used throughout the year.
Focus

Dates

Assessments

BLT

Professional Learning
See Professional Learning
Calendar

Preservice
8/22- 8/26
8/29- 9/2

9/2 1st-3rd QSI

Due (4th-5th
Optional)

9/5- 9/9
9/12- 9/16
9/19- 9/23
9/26- 9/30

9/23 ELA
Performance
Benchmark Due
9/30 FAST Due
10/3 Full Day Building
Designed PL
10/14 Conference
Planning/Prep.

10/3- 10/7
10/1010/14
10/1710/21
10/2410/28
10/3111/4
11/711/11
11/1411/18
11/2111/25
(Thanksgi
ving)
11/2812/2

10/28 Staff Progress

Reporting

11/22 1-5
Narrative Prompt
(Unit 2)

12/5- 12/9
12/1212/16
12/1912/23

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12/16 K Narrative
Prompt (Unit 3)
12/20 ELA
Performance
Benchmark Due
and 1st-3rd QSI
Due (4th-5th

12/22 Staff Progress

Reporting

Optional)
Winter Break
1/3- 1/6
1/9- 1/13
1/16 Teacher
Planning/Preparation
1/17 Full Day Building
Designed PL

1/16- 1/20

1/23- 1/27
1/30- 2/3

1/27 K-5 District

Core Math
Assessment Due
2/3 FAST Due

2/6- 2/10

2/10 Conference Planning/

Prep

2/13- 2/17
2/24 Staff Progress
Reporting

2/20- 2/24
2/27- 3/3
3/6- 3/10
Spring Break
3/20- 3/24
3/27- 3/31
4/3- 4/7

4/14 Staff Progress

Reporting

4/10- 4/14
4/17- 4/21

4/24- 4/28

5/1- 5/5
5/8- 5/12
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4/28 1-2 Opinion

Prompt (unit 5)
and 3-5
Informational
Prompt (Unit 5)
Due

5/15- 5/19

5/22- 5/26

5/19 FAST & ELA

Performance
Benchmark Due
5/26 K Narrative
Prompt Due (Unit
6) & K-5 District
Core Math
Assessment Due

5/29-6/2

Plan on a Page

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6/2 Full Day (1/2 each

Planning/PL)

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