Shared Decision Making Plan 2022-2023

Mission Statement

The mission of the Dodge Elementary Shared Decision Making Team is to assist in the development and implementation of our continuous school improvement (specifically student achievement and character development) and increase meaningful parental involvement in the process!

Operational Principles

o We will make the students of Dodge Elementary School the number one priority in all of our decisions and dialogue

o Strive for consensus so we can publicly support every decision before our respective constituent groups. Honest, respectful and civil dialogue will get us there.

o Set agenda together at the end of each meeting. All members should feel free to alert us if we appear stalled, and encourage us to move along.

o Maintain confidentiality about individual statements made at meetings. All members will actively contribute to the work of the team. Discussions and planning will always come from a growth mindset.

Our School Improvement Plan is specific to the areas that our school needs to improve upon. The data results from individual grade level teams are targeted to Dodge Elementary's overarching goals. Our focus is to continue to improve student achievement, character development and social emotional learning. As the grade level teams update their progress and challenges throughout the school year, we will alter our goals dependent upon the needs and results of our students. We will provide professional development and support one another to ensure that solutions come forward. The literacy, math and wellness teams monitor the impact of their efforts through discussion and sharing at monthly meetings.

The data that we are looking at, is the first logical data from 2021 because the state assessment has not occurred due to COVID19 since 2019, hence the emphasis on utilizing multiple measures internally.

Even though our students performed extremely well, with approximately 80% receiving a 3 or 4 on the New York State ELA assessment, our team noticed that our school needs to continue to improve on comprehension skills and expanding upon their responses while using appropriate information. Using the data from multiple measures, it is essential that vertical teaming needs to occur, because we have not had the critical conversations across grade levels due to COVID. Post data of the varying assessments and measures will be used to compare progress, as well as expectations of incoming and exiting a grade level. This has been a constant goal at Dodge and we have improved our assessment scores in mathematics by over 25% over a 8-year span, due to the constant communication and intentional laser like focus.

Across all grade levels we will be focusing on multi step word problems with varying readability and complexity dependent upon student needs. The reason that this a focus of Dodge Elementary is because we have continued to notice a trend on different assessments in grades 3-4, as well as other grade level data that indicates that our students are not transferring the information from concrete to abstract at the proficiency that we are expecting, therefore we have made a calculated decision to make this an area that we will focus on across all grade levels. Additionally creating vertical team moments and meetings, to discuss gaps and previous learning.

Through the use of the reading benchmarks, in which our school establishes based on the cohorts of students, our school will identify trends based on the post assessments in reader's and writer's workshop. Data will be collected often throughout the year to analyze the progress of our students and their work. We are focusing on all students and trying to find ways to maximize each students learning experience.

Dodge is fully implemented in Lucy Calkin's Reader's and Writer's Workshop for the 5th year and is a project school, teaming up with Columbia University's Teacher College. Staff developers will be coming to Dodge Elementary 10 times for the 5th consecutive year to provide hands on staff development to help with furthering our knowledge of the workshop model, as well as ways to further our teaching, which we thoroughly believe will help our students be stronger readers and writers.

Knowing that many assessments historically utilize text levels that are above grade level with a strong emphasis on comprehension, we will continue to raise our expectations. Without comprehension, reading is simply following words on a page from left to right while sounding them out. While people read for many different reasons, the goal is to derive understanding of what the writer is trying to convey and make use of that information; whether for fact gathering, learning a new skill, or for pleasure. Together, we are continuing to emphasize the importance of comprehension and how it makes a difference in the reader's confidence and ability to grapple with more complex text.

Every classroom is equipped with the Lucy Calkin's leveled library. Also, we are placing our students in Response to Intervention groups focusing on specific skills and strategies that individual students need based on their immediate and long-term needs. We have used multiple forms of data to properly place children in appropriate groups based on specific needs of individual children. The groups are also fluid dependent on growth of individual students. By having fluid groups, the instruction will continue to be individually based and focused.

Reader's workshop libraries in every classroom provide children with appropriate leveled text that are at the student's instructional and independent level. By adding substantially to the book room and in the classrooms our children and classroom teachers will have more titles and genres to choose from allowing instruction to take multiple avenues. Readers who experience only one kind of book may develop a narrow range of strategies for processing text. Instead, we want young readers to use their skills in a flexible way for many different purposes.

 Dodge Elementary School has school wide rules and expectations for both children and adults. This year, our focus is more on the three mantras, that we live by at Dodge, which is to be safe, be kind and work hard. This is emphasized for all Dodgers! We have revamped some of the language that we utilized and simplified expectations to make them more focused, so they are easier to understand in child friendly language.

September 7, 2022  2:30-3:30
December 7, 2022 2:30-3:30
March 1, 2023 2:30-3:30
June 7, 2023 2:30-3:30

1.) All meetings will be held in person unless restrictions change.


2.) Meeting minutes will be shared with SDM members and the entire school staff via e-mail and posted via Dodge Elementary's webpage for community members and parents.

3.) Additional meetings will added within the group depending on the needs of the team and the discussions that take place. For example, planning for the Dodge Dash and Dining with the Dodgers required the team to hold several meetings throughout the summer months. We were able to work with local businesses to help in the support of this event that brings the community together.

4.) Highlights/accomplishments will appear on the website to also keep parents up-to-date.

5.) If you have any item that affects the 2022-2023 School Improvement Plan, contact a committee member.

 Successes

Successes The SDM team has had a tremendous amount of success in improving the climate and culture of Dodge Elementary School. The Dodge Dash and Dining with the Dodgers event was well attended by Dodge families and staff (close to 750 attendees, as a way to celebrate the beginning of the school year, and all our hard work thus far. Additionally with over 2000 people attending the Country Fair, was another success and very well received.
 
However, this year since, our communication with parents is via electronic devices, we have created a weekly newsletter focusing on the culture and climate of the inner workings at Dodge than is in a video format. This positive and upbeat climate and culture has directly impacted student achievement through the following items:
 
 A building wide mission statement was created at the beginning of this year, as well as our core values that all Dodgers have. 
 
Communication across all grade levels that is consistent through every committee and grade level meeting.




To meet and update our Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely goals as they are assessed and met. More importantly, our team is always looking to learn and grow.
To continue to gain insight and knowledge of teaching and supporting students that live in poverty as well as those with specific social, emotional, and academic needs.


Each team gathered data from a variety of sources including but not limited to:

1.) NYS summative assessments
2.) District benchmark and summative assessments
3.) Common team-level pre-assessments and post-assessments, formative assessments and summative assessments
4.) Trend data over time (over the calendar year and throughout previous years)
5.) Observational and anecdotal data collected over time

Each team will report out periodically at team meetings, which will drive their next set of instructional decisions for groups and individual students.


SDM Team

Stakeholder GroupNameDates of Term
Charles Smilinich Principal Ongoing
Nicole Mayers Assistant Principal Ongoing
Sue LaDuca Support Staff 2021-2024
Justina Pelonero Support Staff 2021-2024
Karen Chirayth Teacher 2021-2024
Jen Perna Teacher 2020 - 2023
Ellen Schaab Parent/Community Member 2020-2023
Lindsay Mang PTA President 2021-2024
 Questions
#QuestionScore
1. Our SDM Team has established a process insuring that our School Improvement Plan is focused on strengthening student achievement and character development/wellness. 5
2. Operational Principles guide our meetings. 5
3. Our team has agreed on procedures for holding efficient and effective meetings. 5
4. All SDM members have equal opportunities to share creative, innovative ideas. 5
5. Each member of our team takes responsibility for doing his/her fair share of work. 5
6. We communicate SDM plans and progress with all stakeholder groups. 5
7. We collaborate with the entire school community to meet our SDM goals/plans. 5
8. We celebrate and publicize our SDM success. 5
9. Our team is most proud of: The building wide consistency of the data team goals, which has created a laser like focus in the building on instruction and learning, as well as a strong sense of a team.
10. One way that we could improve: Is to make sure that the lines of communication are always open.

 School Goals

Dodge Elementary School
Shared Decision Making Goals
2021-2022

Mission: We are a community that puts kids first. We are all in!

1.) All students will have consistent language in literacy through the Teacher's College Readers and Writers framework.

2.) To refine and enhance our response to intervention and student response team meetings.

3.) To continue to build a positive, welcoming, inviting and uplifting environment that is conducive and inclusive for learning and instruction.

4.) To assist and support students with social, emotional and academic challenges building wide. Additionally, further build our social emotional learning and mindfulness initiative, via peace corners, professional development, being aware and building stronger relationships.

5.) To be systematic and consistent in our thinking, learning and teaching by stressing common language through grade level and vertical team meetings.

6.) To celebrate learning and successes, whether it be inside of school or outside of school.