VCMS Draft LCAP

Local Educational Agency (LEA) Name

Contact Name and Title

Email and Phone

Valley Charter School           

Carolyn Yaffe          

Executive Director

[email protected]          

818-810-6713

California’s 2021–22 Budget Act, the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and other state and federal relief acts have provided local educational agencies (LEAs) with a significant increase in funding to support students, teachers, staff, and their communities in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and to address the impacts of distance learning on students. The following is a one-time mid-year report to the local governing board or body and educational partners related to engagement on, and implementation of, these Acts.

A description of how and when the LEA engaged, or plans to engage, its educational partners on the use of funds provided through the Budget Act of 2021 that were not included in the 2020–21 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).

A description of how the LEA used, or plans to use, the additional concentration grant add-on funding it received to increase the number of staff who provide direct services to students on school campuses with an enrollment of students who are low-income, English learners, and/or foster youth that is greater than 55 percent.

A description of how and when the LEA engaged its educational partners on the use of one-time federal funds received that are intended to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts of distance learning on pupils.

A description of how the LEA is implementing the federal American Rescue Plan Act and federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief expenditure plan, and the successes and challenges experienced during implementation.

A description of how the LEA is using its fiscal resources received for the 2021–22 school year in a manner that is consistent with the applicable plans and is aligned with the LEA’s 2021–22 LCAP and Annual Update.

Local Educational Agency (LEA) Name

Contact Name and Title

Email and Phone

Valley Charter Middle School           

Carolyn Yaffe          

Executive Director

[email protected]          

8188106713

Valley Charter Middle School (VCMS) was founded in 2011 and currently services 240 students. Our work is framed by the five design elements below. Our student population reflects design element five, which is our commitment to building intentionally diverse schools. VCMS student data currently reflects the rich diversity of the San Fernando Valley. Our student demographic data is as follows:

Socioeconomically disadvantaged: 66.78%
White: 15.92%
Hispanic : 73.1%
African American: 3.46%
English learners: 17.99%
Students with abilities:17.64%
Foster Youth: Less than 1%

• Design Element 1: We value process over product. Learning is experiential, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and relevant to students’ lives.

• Design Element 2: Social-emotional development and self-advocacy are the foundational principles of student learning and personal growth.

• Design Element 3: We develop effective communicators who are able to connect with varied audiences.

• Design Element 4: Learning is a social process accomplished through authentically collaborative work.

• Design Element 5: We are committed to building intentionally diverse schools. Our core values and foundational principles are authentically realized through this diverse community.

The instructional program at Valley Charter Schools is designed to prepare students effectively for the next level of schooling and ultimately for college and career readiness. The design and selection of curricular materials are driven by a constructivist, project-based approach to standards mastery. We cultivate joy, curiosity and engagement in our classrooms and are intensely focused on developing life long learners.


Valley Charter Middle core program elements:

• Reading and Writing workshop for English Language Arts, from Teachers' College, Columbia University
• Project-based learning for math, using Engage NY curriculum as the foundation and a mastery-based approach to assessment
• Project-Based learning for Science using the SCALE integrated 6-8 science curriculum out of Stanford University
• Project-based learning for history using a teacher-developed curriculum that focuses heavily on analysis of information texts and document-based essays
• Advisory to support social-emotional learning
• Physical Education (including a robust, free after-school competitive sports program open to all students)
• Teacher-developed exploratory workshops
• Visual art/foreign language elective
• Dedicated intervention supports

The California dashboard has not been updated due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Some key successes this year include:

• Successful navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of multiple surges that deeply affected student attendance, staff attendance, and daily operations, VCMS remained open for in-person instruction throughout the year and kept our staff and students safe while on campus.
• While we do not yet have state testing data for the SY 21-22 school year, our internal iReady data demonstrates strong progress from the 1st to 2nd administration.
• SBAC data from SY 20-21 shows improvement in all categories with the exception of school-wide math.
• Successful launch of a 3-S Ayear initiative to adopt the reading and writing workshop curriculum out of Columbia University. This year the focus was on establishing writing workshop structures and providing our students the opportunity to publish 3-4 writing pieces.
• Successful implementation of iReady reading and math assessments. This year we were able to better understand student progress and needs through the administration and analysis. In the second semester, we used the iReady data to form "what I need" groups several times a week through more targeted intervention.
• Our Reading Intervention program for students reading below grade level supported many of our students in making progress towards or attaining grade level reading mastery.
• Successful implementation of some family and student engagement structures, including monthly grade-level newsletters, a robust social media presence to help keep families updated on key events at the school, and student-led conferences in the second semester.

The California dashboard has not been updated in two years due to the COVID 19 pandemic. While many of our students made significant progress based on iReady assessments, many of our students performance levels still remain below grade level. 7th grade math is a particular area of focus, as both progress and performance lagged, as well as reading and math progress for our English learners. The data reveals a need to continue our already established focus on raising student achievement overall and supporting our low-income students, Hispanic students, English learners, and students with disabilities to achieve grade level mastery in reading and math, thus narrowing the achievement gap.


This year, our student and family survey data reveals a need to address family engagement with the school, student engagement in their classes, as well as student and family sense of belonging.
Student attendance was an incredible challenge this year due to COVID-19.

Key steps to address these needs include:

• establishing a professional development plan that requires a more in depth analysis of iReady data and classroom data on a more frequent basis. This will allow for more focused and frequent progress monitoring of students by both teachers and administration so that needs can be addressed earlier/in an on-going manner through daily planning.
• ensuring that the assistant principal role at VCMS includes coaching cycles for all teachers and more intense support for new teachers, developing teachers, and teachers experiencing challenges facilitating student progress at appropriate rates
• establishing lead teachers who can mentor newer/developing teachers
• identifying an ELD teacher to support our English learners and own their progress monitoring
• hiring a Director of Family and Student engagement so support engagement across both schools
• increasing visibility of the academic work for families and the rigor and relevance of academic work for students to boost engagement

While attendance was lower this year than our targeted goals, this was due to the pandemic and circumstances outside of our control. We plan to utilize the group contact tracing approach next year to keep more students in school, in the event that there continues to be COVID-19 surges.

This LCAP fully addresses the eight state priorities with three overarching goals:

Goal 1 addresses student achievement, outcomes, and course access: VCMS students have equitable access to a broad course of study and teachers are well-prepared to accelerate learning in service of improved proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and math state standards for all of our students, including our significant sub-groups, as measured by the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and English learner reclassification rates.

Goal 2 addresses basic services - teacher credentialing, materials, and facilities: VCMS will maintain basic services (teacher assignment, access to appropriate materials, and facility maintenance) to ensure that students experience a safe and high quality learning environment.

Goal 3 addresses stakeholder engagement and participation: VCMS student and family survey data will be gathered from a diversity of families and reflect a positive school climate, high levels of school engagement, a strong sense of school belonging, high levels of confidence in next level preparedness, and high levels of confidence in school safety.

Valley Charter Middle School        

COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The leadership team for Valley Charter Middle School includes the Executive Director, principal, and assistant principal of curriculum and instruction. This team facilitates the needs assessment and provides initial plans for support and improvement. Draft goals and plans are presented to all teachers for feedback during faculty meetings and to families for feedback during Parent Faculty Council meetings. The draft LCAP is posted on the website and distributed to families prior to the public hearing at the board meeting and a survey for feedback and input is provided. Plans that require public comment and board approval are shared for review and approval at public hearings.

Valley Charter Middle School was identified for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) based on specific California dashboard results from the 2018-2019 School Year and we do not yet have official updated state-level data. The key areas for improvement identified through the dashboard include student growth and achievement overall and for specific sub-groups in English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as an increase in chronic absenteeism for several student sub-groups (more detailed information below). The identified subgroups include English learners, students with disabilities, Hispanic students, and socio-economically disadvantaged students.


In addition to the CAASP results reflected in the dashboard, the Executive Director and VCMS team reviews internal iReady assessment data, SY 20-21 SBAC data, comprehensive classroom observation processes to understand the quality of Tier 1 instruction, a comprehensive review of Tier 2 support, intervention, and monitoring structures, and a comprehensive review of overarching assessment structures and practices to ensure we have reliable data and there is an on-going, expected structure in place so that teachers can review and take action on this data. This review surfaced the following trends:

• The 18-19 state level data revealed that there has been a general overall decline in the number of students meeting or exceeding standards in in ELA and Math for all students and for specific sub-groups as demonstrated through SBAC assessments.
• Our Hispanic students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students with disabilities have, as sub-groups, experienced the sharpest decline and are generally performing below grade level in both ELA and Math.
• In Math, our white students also experienced a decline in meeting standards as demonstrated through the SBAC assessments.
• A review of Tier 1 classroom instruction identified opportunities to sharpen a focus on standards-based objectives, a need to increase checks for understanding during the class time, and a need to increase the student cognitive lift and put in accountability structures for students to demonstrate understanding, such as exit tickets aligned to the day's objective.
• A review of Tier 2 & 3 support and intervention structures revealed a need to create more formal expectations for assessment and targeted support in small groups, more training for subject area teachers, RSP, and Assistant teachers to support small groups, and more formal and frequent monitoring and adjustment structures so that we have a clearer picture and can take and adjust action immediately to support our vulnerable students.
• A review of assessment practices yielded a need for a clearer vision for overall assessment structures ( as well as a need for more explicit expectations and support for teachers in their daily, weekly, and unit assessment practices. Strengthening assessment practices to provide a clear picture of student mastery on standards to effectively inform Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction emerged as an area of focus.
• 20-21 SBAC data shows an improvement for all identified categories, with the exception of math overall and English learners.
• Strengthening family to school ties to support our chronically absent students.

As a note: although the dashboard identifies student suspensions as a "red" area, our internal assessment reveals that this was flagged in the dashboard because of a movement from 0 suspensions to 2 suspensions, which we do not believe accurately reflects an area for improvement.


ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Some key root causes revealed through our needs assessment include:

• A lack of clear and consistent expectations for Tier 1 instruction and an aligned observation, feedback, and coaching cycle to support those expectations
• While a school-wide assessment plan for iReady exists, there are not consistent structures to ask teachers to unpack data and utilize the information for subsequent and detailed plans. This is a key area of focus for the SY 22-23 school year.
• While there is a formal intervention structure for reading that has yielded progress for participating students, a school-wide plan for supporting English learners in Tier 1 instruction, as well as higher quality ELD supports, is a need for SY 22-23.
• Lack of staff facility to use data to drive instruction and school-level decision-making regarding systems, structures, and allocation of resources

In response to this root cause analysis VCMS has developed a professional learning plan that addresses teacher capacity development in relation to:

• Utilizing backwards planning to build unit assessments and unit plans
• Designing and delivering daily lesson plan that include the established VCMS look-fors: clear student-facing objective, articulation of a clear connection between the work of the day and the culminating unit project/assessments, student tasks that require cognitive lift, and an exit ticket to understand student mastery and inform the next day's planning.
• Building in Tier 1 support for English learners and students with IEPs through the use of scaffolds and targeted use of RSP and Assistant teachers
• Utilizing and analyzing i-Ready data as part of our school-wide assessment plan in ELA and math

EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS
To identify evidence-based strategies to improve student growth and achievement in ELA and math, the leadership team identified student needs through an examination of data and were provided training on how to utilize the What Works Clearinghouse an the CRRE website to determine what evidence-based strategies to adopt. The process used included identifying strands of need based on the assessment and researching/aligning intervention strategies to those identified needs.

The primary evidence-based interventions adopted for reading intervention include:

• Reciprocal reading- this is a method used to support students’ reading comprehension by utilizing a framework with four core questions that helps readers obtain meaning from a text.
• Wilson reading- this is a method used to address students who are significantly below grade level and need foundational reading skills.
• Orton Gillingham- this is a multi-sensory phonics technique that is practiced as a direct, explicit, cognitive, cumulative and multi-sensory approach for students.
• Literature Logs- this is a method used to support reading comprehension and language acquisition.

The primary evidence-based interventions adopted to address math needs surfaced through assessments include:
Use of the Response to Intervention framework for Elementary and Middle Schools:

• Screening to identify students at risk
• Explicit and systematic direct instruction strategies
• Focus on solving word problems through modeling and explanation
• Presentation of material in multiple ways: visual, verbal, and written
• An emphasis on basic math facts and fluency incorporated into each intervention session and assigned to students for individual practice

RESOURCE INEQUITIES REVIEW

The process for our resource inequities review included:

• An examination of our significant sub-group data (English learners, students with disabilities, Hispanic/Latino, and socio-economically disadvantaged) to examine performance against the general population.
• An examination of organizational and staffing structures to understand how we are allocating human resources and time to promote equitable access and outcomes for our students.
• An examination of our push-in special education model to understand whether our students with disabilities are experiencing full access and supports in regards to to grade level curriculum
• An examination of our disciplinary and suspension procedures to understand how well our disciplinary policies promote equity

This review revealed that all of our students, including those in our identified sub-groups, have access to qualified teachers, standards-based curriculum, and are receiving required interventions and support. Our findings also include a need (as identified above in the needs assessment) to strengthen our assessment and progress monitoring practices to ensure that we are understanding student current state, progress, and making adjustments as needed to accelerate student growth and achievement. We also identified a need to more regularly use department team time and special education meeting time to monitor progress and adjust structures.

In examining how our resources align to the data surfaced from the needs assessment, we have significant resources devoted to our students with disabilities, including a special education coordinator, two RSP teachers, resources for designated ELD teacher (although this position is currently unfilled due to national labor and teacher shortages), and Assistant Teachers assigned to core subject areas at each grade level to support the ability for targeted small group instruction. In SY 21-22, although we had resources allocated to an ELD teacher, we were unable to fill the position. We also had resources dedicated to a math intervention teacher, but this role did not get filled until January. For the upcoming SY 22-23 school year, we have identified an ELD teacher.

VCMS maintains a full-time a a reading intervention specialist whose priority is supporting English learners  and socio-economically disadvantaged students reading below grade level , a school psychologist, a part-time counselor, and has identified an ELD teacher for the upcoming year. In addition, we have redefined the school-level leadership team to include an assistant principal of curriculum and instruction to ensure an unwavering focus on increasing the quality of the student experience across classrooms in service of accelerating student growth and achievement. We have also allocated funds for a School Data Coach who is working with both VCMS leadership and teachers to develop and implement an assessment plan aligned with the findings above. In these ways we are dedicating additional resources to support school-wide quality while also targeting support for the students who fall into our most needy sub-groups, as identified through the California dashboard metrics.

The identification and progress monitoring of the progress of our "students of focus" is at the heart of how Valley Charter Schools will understand how effective the VCMS plan for improvement is and to make on-going adjustments to increase impact.

This past year, we adopted both IReady assessments and piloted the use of iReady instruction for our "what I need" (WIN) time for our students. VCMS will use the detailed individual student and summary data to monitor progress for overall achievement and significant sub-groups and special populations at each grade level and in core subject areas.

The structures in place to monitor progress include:

• A goal setting and progress monitoring cycle that includes three annual presentations to the Board of Directors.
• Data "step back" meetings between the Executive Director and school leader (s) every 8-10 weeks.
• Weekly special education team meetings, with progress monitoring for each RSP teachers load every 8-10 weeks.
• Monthly intervention team meetings to identify, progress monitor, and adjust.
• A robust SSPT process to ensure that students who do not qualify for other services but are struggling to make academic progress, have needs surfaced and addressed.
• Regular department meetings dedicated to analysis of internal assessment data (aligned to the school-wide assessment calendar)
• During check-ins with teachers, the principal and assistant principal will discuss observation trends, progress for students of focus, and determine next steps to increase impact
• Presentations in Parent-Faculty Council meetings 3x a year (aligned with interim assessment administration) to share current strategies/program and progress monitoring data and to evaluate effectiveness and discuss potential adjustments to elevate impact
• Review of Power School (student information system) data with parents during parent-faculty conferences to monitor impact at the individual student level with parents and set goals

School leadership and staff are engaged in an on-going discussion about program design and impact on student growth through weekly staff meetings, regular parent-faculty council meetings, ELAC meetings, 1:1 or team meetings with school leaders, and monthly board meetings. Families and students have also completed end of year surveys on their experience with VCMS. All written communication is sent home in both English and Spanish and a concerted effort is made to gather diverse perspectives, including from families of our English learners, students with disabilities, and socio-economically disadvantaged students to ensure we are meeting the needs of all of our stakeholders. In additional, formal processes utilized to gather feedback towards this LCAP include:

• VCMS Parent Faculty council meeting on May 17th, 2022: draft SY 22-23 goals were shared at this PFC meeting to orient families to proposed goals and rationale, and gather feedback.
• VCMS English Learner Advisory Committee(ELAC) meeting on May 17th, 2022: draft SY 22-23 goals were shared at this ELAC meeting to orient families to proposed goals and rationale, and gather feedback.
• In addition to being shared with faculty members at the Parent-Faculty council meeting on May 17th, the draft LCAP was shared with the VCS staff the week of June 6th, 2022 with a survey link for any responses.
• Valley Charter Schools' Board meeting on June 16th, 2022: Draft VCMS SY 21-24 LCAP presented for public comments. The draft LCAP was shared the week prior and the opportunity to provide public comment at this board meeting was shared in VCMS communication the week of June 6th, 2022 (prior to the board meeting).

TBD        

TBD        

Goal #

Description

1

VCMS students have equitable access to a broad course of study and teachers are well-prepared to accelerate learning in service of improved proficiency in English language arts (ELA) and math state standards for all students, including our significant sub-groups, as measured by the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and English learner reclassification rates.        

This goal addresses state priorities related to student outcomes and achievement, in particular for historically underserved and unduplicated pupils.  This goal also addresses student access to a broad course of study in service of preparedness. This goal also addresses student access to a broad course of study in service of preparedness.  Essential to access to a broad course of study is attendance in school, and therefore attendance, chronic absenteeism, and expulsion are metrics that we monitor as part of this goal. Increasing proficiency for all of our students, our significant sub-groups, and our special populations continues to be a priority to ensure next level readiness for all of our students regardless of race, ethnicity, designation (e.g, students with disabilities or English learners), or socio-economic status. While VCMS data sets have consistently remained above resident median schools performance, California dashboard data reveals that in both ELA and math, for students overall and with our significant sub-groups and special populations, our scores are below state averages.  Reclassification rates play a role in our understanding of our English learner progress towards grade level proficiency. While it is a challenge because VCMS receives many 6th graders who were not reclassified in their elementary years, our overarching goal is to reclassify all of our English learners by the end of 8th grade.        

Metric

Baseline

Year 1 Outcome

Year 2 Outcome

Year 3 Outcome

Desired Outcome for 2023–24

School-wide CAASPP ELA proficiency.       

34.80% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 44.23% met or exceeded ELA standards.

44.80% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

CAASPP ELA proficiency for economically disadvantaged students.       

18.05% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 36.25% met or exceeded ELA standards.

28.05% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

CAASPP ELA proficiency for Hispanic/Latino students.       

21.05%  met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 40.23% met or exceeded ELA standards.

31.05% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

CAASPP ELA proficiency for students with disabilities.       

12.73% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 20.93% met or exceeded ELA standards.

22.73% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

School-wide CAASPP math proficiency.       

23.20% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 16.67% met or exceeded math standards.

33.20% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

CAASPP math proficiency for economically disadvantaged students.       

6.02% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 11.76% met or exceeded math standards.

16.02% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

CAASPP math proficiency for Hispanic/Latino students.       

10.52% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 13.30% met or exceeded math standards.

20.52% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

CAASPP math proficiency for students with disabilities.       

7.27% met or exceeded ELA standards in SY 18-19.

SY 20-21 data: 11.76% met or exceeded math standards.

17.27% will meet or exceed ELA standards by 23-24.

English learner reclassification rates       

4.7% of our English learners were reclassified in SY 19-20.

SY 20-21 data: 15.38% of our English learners were reclassified.

Reclassification rates will increase to at least 15% by 23-24.

Percent of students who have access to a standards-based, broad course of study.       

100% of our students have access to a standards-based, broad course of study, per our local indicator reflection.

100% of our students have access to a standards-based, broad course of study, per our local indicator reflection.

Maintenance of percentage of students who have access to a standards-base, broad course of study, per our local indicator reflection.

Percent of chronically absent students       

15.4% of our students were chronically absent in SY 18-19, as compared to 10.1% for the state-wide average.

We do not have updated data from the CDE or LAUSD for this metric at this time.

Reduction of chronically absent rates from 15.4% to 12%.

School-wide attendance rate       

95.4% for SY 19-20

P2 attendance for SY 21-22 is 90.9%

Increase to 96.4% overall attendance rate.

Expulsion rate       

0% of students

0% of our students were expelled.

Maintenance of 0% expulsion rate

Action #

Title

Description

Total Funds

Contributing

1.1

Teacher Quality - On-going professional learning and coaching to improve the quality of the VCMS instructional program.       

To elevate all elements of our instructional program and accelerate student growth, the school embeds professional development into the weekly schedule.  Foci of this time include the backward design and implementation of standards-based instruction, differentiated instruction, effective partnership and planning between general education and special education teachers, learning acceleration strategies, and targeted support for our most vulnerable students.  In addition school leadership observes each teacher regularly and provides detailed feedback as part of on-going coaching and support to accelerate student growth.

No     

X

1.2

Access and support for students with disabilities       

To ensure that all our students with disabilities are assigned to the least restrictive environment and participate in the services required by their IEPs, Valley Charter Schools engages and collaborates with LAUSD's SELPA to provide special education support services.  VCMS also has also budgeted 2 full-time RSP teachers, 1 part-time Special Education coordinator, 1 full-time School Psychologist, and 1 part-time School Counselor to ensure a coherent, aligned, and supportive special education program.

No     

X

1.3

Electives and Physical Education program       

To ensure our students have access to a broad course of study that includes physical education and the integration of arts-based electives, VCMS will maintain a full-time physical education teacher, add an elective teacher (arts or foreign language),  and dedicate a portion of each teacher's course load over the course of each semester to teach an elective. VCMS will also partner with community-based arts organizations to provide arts-based experiences.  (TItle IV: $20,000)

No     

X

1.4

Math coach       

To support our math teachers' ability to design and deliver a coherent, standards-aligned math curriculum growth and support the growth and achievement for our unduplicated pupils and those performing below grade level, VCMS will maintain a math coach/consultant.

No     

X

1.5

Assistant Teachers in core classrooms       

To ensure strategic student support across core classrooms, VCMS will fund Assistant Teachers (AT). Having an AT assigned to each teacher is foundational to supporting growth and grade level mastery for our English learners, low-income students, and students performing below grade level.  ATs support strategic guided reading groups, small group work, math intervention, and 1:1 support designed by the teacher.

Yes    

X

1.6

Promotion of a data-driven instruction       

To promote data-driven instruction and student growth and achievement, VCMS will maintain the use of  the iReady assessment platform for all students to provide a clearer, more detailed picture of current levels and student growth to inform planning and intervention, continue to work with a school data coach to support teacher capacity in this arena. Professional development on a monthly basis will be dedicated to this work.

Yes    

X

1.8

No     

X

1.9

Reading Intervention Specialist       

To impact grade level reading mastery, VCMS will maintain a Reading Intervention Specialist to work with our most struggling readers, with priority given to our English learners and low-income students identified as not meeting grade level reading criteria.

Yes    

X

1.10

Viable, coherent, and aligned curriculum       

To ensure that VCMS has a viable, coherent, and aligned curriculum in core subject areas and across grades 6-8, we will be dedicating resources to workshops from experts in reading and writing workshop and project-based learning, as well as release time for teachers to engage in this learning and build curricula aligned to our defined instructional approach. Over the course of the year, there will be 44 total days of release time (~4 days per teacher) based on the scope and sequence designed with our various curriculum consultants. In addition, we will be holding a Summer Institute in 2022 to reflect on and refine curricula built over the the 21-22 SY.

No     

X

1.11

Expanded Learning Opportunity Program       

In order to support our unduplicated pupils through wraparound services that include extended care, homework support, and enrichment, VCMS will establish an ELOP program and offer it to all of our unduplicated pupils and provide access to at least 50% of those pupils.

1.12

English language development teacher/coordinator       

To support growth and achievement for our English learners,  VCMS will hire a full-time English language development teacher to design and deliver designated and integrated ELD services, coordinate ELPAC testing, and own  progress monitoring and communication with families.

No     

X

1.13

Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction       

To impact student growth and achievement for our unduplicated pupils and all of our students, VCMS is redefining the assistant principal role to focus on the quality of Tier 1, 2, and 3 instruction across classrooms and through our intervention program.

1.14

Relay Leadership Coaching       

To support the principal in ensuring instructional quality and coherence across classrooms towards the outcome of increased student progress and achievement, the principal will participate in the Relay Leadership program.

Yes    

X

Differences between planned actions and actual implementation of actions include:

• VCMS was unable to identify a highly. qualified ELD coach/interventionist this year so planned expenditures and actions related to this goal shifted.
• VCMS was unable to identify a highly qualified math interventionist until January 2022, so planned expenditures and actual expenditures do not fully align.
• VCMS was unable to institute an after-school tutoring program this year due to COVID, so planned actions/expenditures were shifted.
• VCMS was unable to identify an AP of curriculum and instruction until October of 2021 and the role ended up as a hybrid science role and AP because of the needs and talent pool at the time, so planned actions/expenditures were shifted.
• While VCMS did utilize reading and writing workshop consultants and release days as planned, we were unable to partner with PBL works during SY 21-22, so planned actions/expenditures shifted.

TBD       

Overall, the individual and collective actions related to Goal 1 have been effective in increasing the quality of the Tier 1 classroom experience and Tier 2 and 3 support in support of student progress and achievement.  While we do not yet have the state testing data for the SY 21-22 school year, the data from SY 20-21 reveals an increase in all metric categories with the exception of school-wide math proficiency. In addition, the VCMS iReady data from September to January of this school year demonstrates on-track progress overall for both ELA and math, although there were specific areas of need surfaced, specifically: 6th grade ELA, 7th grade math, and progress for English learners.

While progress was not made in regards to attendance, we attribute this to the COVID-19 pandemic and the several surges that deeply impacted student attendance.

The central strategy and the vast majority actions outlined in SY 21-22 will remain in place for the SY 22-23 school year as each action is part of a broader strategy to elevate the quality and impact of Tier 1 instruction across classrooms and Tier 2 and 3 supports.  A few key revisions in the upcoming school year include utilizing our ELOP program/funding as a key strategy to supporting our unduplicated pupils, increasing the scope of professional support our reading and writing workshops will be providing to teachers, increasing strategic release time for planning and revising for teachers, and providing additional professional learning for school leadership through the Relay Graduate Program to ensure effective instructional supervision towards established student goals.       

Goal #

Description

2

VCMS will maintain basic services (teacher assignment, student materials, and facility maintenance) to ensure that students experience a safe, well-resourced, and high quality learning environment.        

This goal addresses the state priorities related to basic services in service of a welcoming learning environment.  Qualified staff, appropriate student resources, and a clean, safe, physical environment are foundational to learning.        

Metric

Baseline

Year 1 Outcome

Year 2 Outcome

Year 3 Outcome

Desired Outcome for 2023–24

Percent of teachers assigned appropriately given qualifications and credentials.       

80% of our teachers are appropriately assigned per CalSASS and/or CTC regulations.

We do not yet have data from the state regarding this metric, but believe the only non-compliant credential in SY 21-22 is one missing EL authorization for a PE teacher; he is in the midst of procuring it for the upcoming year.

100% of teachers appropriately assigned per CalSASS and/or CTC regulations.

Number of identified instances where facilities do not meet the "good repair" (including deficiencies and extreme deficiencies) standard on annual facilities walk0through that informs local indicator survey       

0 identified instances where facilities do not meet the "good repair" standard.

0 identified instances where facilities do not meet the "good repair" standard.

Maintenance of 0 identified instances where facilities do not meet the "good repair" standard.

Number of annual suspensions.       

2 student suspensions in SY 19-20.

2 student suspensions in SY 20-21

Less than 2 suspensions per year.

Percent of students who have access to standards-aligned and appropriate texts, resources, and materials.       

100% of students have access to standards-aligned and appropriate texts, resources, and materials.

100% of students have access to standards-aligned and appropriate texts, resources, and materials.

Action #

Title

Description

Total Funds

Contributing

2.1

Repair and maintenance budgeting and tracking       

To ensure a safe, clean, and welcoming environment, VCMS will allocate funds for ongoing repair and maintenance in service of the school facilities.

No     

X

2.2

Facility maintenance staffing       

To ensure a clean, healthy, and safe school and classroom environment, VCMS will contract with janitorial services to address on-going cleaning, health, and safety needs and conduct quarterly walk-throughs.

No     

X

2.3

Credential monitoring and compliance       

To stay up to date on teacher licensing and certification requirements and ensure 100% qualified and appropriately assigned teaching staff, we will conduct an annual review of certification and assignment requirements as part of staffing plans for the upcoming year and update credential information and address any mis-assignments in CalSASS.

$0.00

No     

X

2.4

VCS Operations Manager       

To support operations, VCS will hire an Operations Manager; part of this role's time will be split across both schools to ensure high quality,  unified and effective operations in the Payroll, Purchasing, PowerSchool, Enrollment, School Lunch Compliance and Employee Onboarding.

No     

X

2.5

Student supplies       

To ensure all of our students, regardless of socio-economic background, have access to supplies and materials to engage in learning, VCMS purchases all student supplies for 100% of our students.

No     

X

This goal was generally carried out as planned, although our Director of Operations left her position at the end of the first semester (in January) and we did not replace her at that time.       

Not all of the funds for the VCS Director of Operations were utilized as planned because the person in the role left her position mid-year.       

The actions identified were effective towards the goal in that we had credentialed teachers, well-maintained facilities, and an effective COVID-19 response throughout the course of the school year.       

VCS revised the approach to network-level operations and changed the roles, responsibilities, and structure of the operations role to what is described above in the action related to the VCS Manager of Operations.       

Goal #

Description

3

VCMS student and family survey data will be gathered from a diversity of families and reflect a positive school climate, high levels of school engagement, a strong sense of school belonging, high levels of confidence in next level preparedness, and high levels of confidence in school safety.        

This goal addresses state priorities related to culture and climate, and student and family engagement.  Families and students are key stakeholders in fulfilling our mission and vision.  Creating a sense of belonging and investment for all family stakeholders is key to attracting and retaining families who believe in and support the Valley Charter mission and vision.  Student safety and sense of belonging are foundational to learning.        

Metric

Baseline

Year 1 Outcome

Year 2 Outcome

Year 3 Outcome

Desired Outcome for 2023–24

Student panorama survey questions related to positive school climate.       

81.2% of students indicated a positive perception of school climate.

48% indicated a strong positive perception of school climate.

maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Student panorama survey questions related to school engagement.       

50.4% of students indicated high levels of engagement.

26% indicated a strong positive perception of school engagement.

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Student panorama survey questions related to sense of school belonging.       

62% of students indicated a strong sense of school belonging.

38% indicated a strong positive perception of school belonging.

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Student panorama survey questions related to school safety.       

80.4% of students indicated a strong feeling of school safety.

63% indicated a strong positive perception of school safety.

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Family panorama survey questions related to school engagement.       

62.9% of families indicated high levels of

family engagement.

11% indicated a strong positive perception of family engagement (see note below in analysis regarding engagement questions being focused on in-person experiences).

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Family panorama survey questions related to sense of school belonging.       

78% of families indicated a strong sense of school belonging.

66% indicated a strong positive perception of school belonging/fit.

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Family panorama survey questions related to preparedness.       

64.3% of families indicated high levels of confidence in next level preparedness.

67% indicated a strong positive perception of preparedness/learning recovery.

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Family panorama survey questions related to school safety.       

73.7% of families indicated high levels of confidence in school safety.

80% indicated a strong positive perception of school safety.

Maintenance of or increase to 75% or higher positive perception

Action #

Title

Description

Total Funds

Contributing

3.1

Panorama Survey       

To root decisions in valid data and positively impact the stakeholder experience, VCS will partner with Panorama to gather valid survey data from families and students to accurately understand and address successes and needs in relation to stakeholder experience and perception data.

$2,500.00

No     

X

3.2

Robust mental health supports       

To support student mental health and social-emotional well being and embed additional supports to address chronic absenteeism, VCMS will hire a full-time School Psychologist;  this person will support school engagement, sense of school belonging, and help to advance structures to positively impact students' mental health and increase attachment to the school community.  This will increase attendance and ultimately, student growth and achievement. In addition, VCMS will continue to invest in a part-time school counselor to support additional students with mental health and their ability to engage with schoolwork and the school community.

No     

X

3.3

Director of Family and Student Engagement       

To support family and student engagement, outreach and recruitment,  VCS will hire a full-time Director of Family and Student  to develop and implement a strategic plan to impact engagement, connectedness, and satisfaction so that students and families  feel connected, well-informed, and are able to contribute to the school community in ways that are meaningful. This position will be split across both schools.

No     

X

3.4

Anti-bias collective       

To foster a sense of belonging for all families and students, the Anti-bias collective (ABC) will continue their work this year to ensure that an anti-bias lens is applied to teaching and learning, organizational practices, and family engagement. This funding will be utilized to pay for stipends for teacher leaders of the ABC to design and deliver professional learning.

No     

X

3.5

Dean of Students/Site Supervisor       

To foster a sense of belonging through a high-quality advisory program and effective systems and structures to help students meet behavior expectations, the Dean of Students role at the 6/7 site and the Site Supervisor role at the 8th grade site oversee Advisory and student behavior management. In addition, these roles will be responsible for creating fun, student-centered activities and incentives that foster a sense of connection and engagement with the school community.

There were not any substantive differences.       

There were not any material differences.       

Based on the baseline data and the year 1 metrics outlined above, it looks as if our family and student engagement dipped, rather than advanced, however this is a context/ explanation for this.  Last year (SY 20-21), we used the open-source Panorama questions as a starting point but tailored them to our school environment, and left some questions out in each category. Additionally, when we tallied the results for last year's LCAP, we made the calculations ourselves based on the google survey we had created and we counted "positive" as anything that was above neutral (e.g., if a student or parent indicated "somewhat" it was included in the continuum of positive responses).  This year (SY 21-22) we utilized the actual Panorama Survey wholesale, which means we used their questions, scale and calculations, which only includes fully positive responses.  This is an explanation for why the Year 1 outcomes do not fully demonstrate progress towards meeting targets; the baseline data and the Year 1 data are not apple to apple comparisons.  In addition, the family engagement section from Panorama was comprised entirely of questions about in-person experiences at schools, which were not possible for the vast majority of the school year due to COVID. For SY 22-23, the survey data will yield appropriate comparative data because we will be using the same questions and scale as SY 21-22.

As a result of the above explanation, our take-away is that while we still want to continue to improve on each of the categories we have outlined for student and family engagement, we do not believe the data this year accurately represents whether or not our strategies have been effective, particularly in relation to the family engagement question.

The central changes that we are making next year related to resources towards this goal are:

• Expand our part-time Community Coordinator role into a full-time Director of Family and Student Engagement to build and execute a plan related to student and family engagement. Within this broad action, we plan to implement the following strategies
• Maintain Dean of Students/Dean of Intervention roles that were introduced in January 2022 to support the design. and execution of an high quality Advisory program, infuse weekly school life with fun, student-centered activities, and support students in meeting the behavioral expectations of the school to foster a high quality learning environment across classrooms.
• Expand a part-time School Psychologist role to a full-time role
• Expand non-mandated counseling services by hiring a part-time school counselor for 10 hours a week

In addition, we plan to implement the following strategies within the broader actions outlined above:
Building a strategic plan that includes regular formal and informal opportunities for families to come together with one another and connect with school staff and the campus.

• Creating multiple opportunities beginning with right before the school year begins to for families to gather together in-person and meet with one another.
• Reestablishing an in-person Back to School Night (we had to suspend this in person this past year)
• Reestablishing the opportunity for in-person family conferences (this was inconsistent last year due to COVID-19)
• Creating more informal opportunities to families to provide feedback and input over the course of the school year
• Revising our Advisory curriculum so that students' sense of belonging is a stated goal and includes aligned activities, including community-building among and between students
• Continuing to focus our academic effort (as shared in Goal 1) on ensuring that on a daily basis students are experiencing standards-aligned, engaging, coherent instruction aligned with our mission and vision to maximize student engagement and next level preparedness.

Projected LCFF Supplemental and/or Concentration Grants

Projected Additional LCFF Concentration Grant (15 percent)

Projected Percentage to Increase or Improve Services for the Coming School Year

LCFF Carryover — Percentage

LCFF Carryover — Dollar

Total Percentage to Increase or Improve Services for the Coming School Year

0.00%

$0.00

The following actions are school-wide but consider the needs of our unduplicated pupils and will be effective in advancing goals established for these students:

• Goal 1/Action 1: On-going professional learning designed and delivered by school leaders and teacher leaders on a weekly basis. This will allow teachers to plan effectively for Tier 1 instruction and Tier 2 and 3 supports/interventions.

• Goal 1/Action 4: Math Coach. This coach will work with all math teachers to ensure a high quality math program is designed and delivered to all students, and that specific plans are designed to support English learners and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

• Goal 1/Action 5: Assistant Teachers (ATs) in each classroom allow the teacher to strategically group students for guided reading, small group intervention, and 1:1 support based on identified needs. A common structure is for ATs is to work with a group of students performing at grade level, therefore freeing the certified teacher to provide direct, small group support to English learners and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

• Goal 1/Action 6: Promotion of data-driven instruction, specifically the adoption and use of the iReady platform: Teachers will use iReady reading and math diagnostics and on-going assessments to guide instructional planning based on data; this data will allow teachers to understand and address learning gaps for our English learners and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

• Goal 1/Action 9: A Reading Intervention Specialist to provide direct instruction for students as eligible for reading services through assessment data and identification by the classroom teacher; priority for intervention is given to English learners and socio-economically disadvantaged students.

• Goal 1/Action 10: Intensive external expertise and release time for PD to ensure a viable, coherent, standards-aligned curriculum across grades and subject areas. This will allow teachers to plan effectively for Tier 1 instruction for all students and embed effective supports for our English learners and economically disadvantages students.

• Goal 1/Action 14: Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction: To impact student growth and achievement for our unduplicated pupils and all of our students, VCMS is redefining the assistant principal role to focus on the quality of Tier 1, 2, and 3 instruction across classrooms and through our intervention program.

Whole school programmatic design and intervention structures are created to ensure that grade-level aligned curriculum, robust assessment and identification and tracking systems are in place so that all of our students experience access to a standards-aligned curriculum and have the services, support, and interventions needed to grow and achieve grade-level mastery.

Using the formula provided by the state, Valley Charter Middle School must increase or improve services for foster youth, English learners, and low-income students by 17.96% as compared to services provided for all students.

At VCMS services for foster youth, English Learners, and Low-Income Students are being increased and improved in the following ways:

• Assistant teachers to support targeted small group and 1:1 intervention
• Professional Development focused on the quality of classroom supports and intervention for English learners and students performing below grade level (based on our assessment data, English learners and socio-economically students lag behind our other
• the adoption of the iReady platform and assessments to provide actionable information on our unduplicated pupils
• Allocating resources towards an Assistant Principal role to focus primarily on curriculum and instruction to improve the quality of instruction and intervention for our unduplicated pupils and all pupils
• Investing in consultants to support the design and implementation of reading and writing workshop and project-based learning to increase the quality of curriculum and differentiation of curriculum to ensure access for our unduplicated pupils and those performing below grade level
• Reading Specialist services, prioritized for our English learners and low-income students; this adds at least 30-60 minutes of instructional time a week for students receiving services
• English Language Development services, both integrated into Tier 1 instruction and also delivered in a Tier 2 setting; Tier 2 intervention adds at least 30-60 minutes of instructional time a week
• Through the use of a school data coach to support the design and delivery of professional development related to identifying, tracking, and supporting our unduplicated pupils/highest needs students
• Through expanding the School Psychologist role from part-time to full-time to support social-emotional needs of our most vulnerable youth
• Through maintaining a part-time school counselor to support social-emotional needs of our most vulnerable youth
• Professional development focused on language acquisition to improve the quality of Tier 1 instruction for English learners
• Integrated scaffolds and supports in daily classroom instruction to improve the quality of Tier 1 instruction for unduplicated pupils
• An increased focus in teacher team collaborations on identifying, supporting, and monitoring growth for students of focus using iReady data
• An Advisory structure to create a home within a home and have a dedicated Advisor to coordinate social-emotional and learning supports
• Weekly whole-school community meetings to create a sense of community and belonging, which is a key element to supporting our most vulnerable students
• An Expanded Learning Opportunity Program to ensure extended care for up to 9 hours a day and 30 additional days in the school year ; this will be offered to all of our unduplicated pupils, with access provided for at least 50%.

        TBD

Staff-to-student ratios by type of school and concentration of unduplicated students

Schools with a student concentration of 55 percent or less

Schools with a student concentration of greater than 55 percent

Staff-to-student ratio of classified staff providing direct services to students

        TBD

        TBD

Staff-to-student ratio of certificated staff providing direct services to students

        TBD

        TBD