IV. Principal Update:
Ms. Capitulo was pleased to report that 73% of parents responded to the Learning Environment Survey.
Ms. Capitulo shared the key points of the SLT’s homework discussion from the last meeting with teachers at the March staff meeting. The information was well received and some parent members noted that teachers have already responded. Teachers reported that they do not want to give the children excessive homework and want parents to talks to teachers about making adaptations – teachers want to work collaboratively with parents.
The Quality Review is finished. Preliminary feedback from the reviewer highlighted the school’s strengths and areas for growth.
Ms. Capitulo thanked those who participated in the C-30 process for selecting the new Assistant Principal. She stressed that she takes the Level I process seriously. She has not yet decided who will be invited to the Level II interviews. She is in the process of asking the candidates for references.
The construction of the new playground has begun and we all hope that it is completed soon, although there is no completion date set yet. Construction will likely take a few weeks. We need to discuss a ceremony for its opening.
There has been a glitch with the computer program that admits children to Kindergarten, limiting admission to just 95 when actually there are 100 spots. So far there have been 105 applicants.
Upcoming dates and events: The next round of SWEET classes will begin April 23rd. The last day for Test Prep is April 24th, just before the ELA test.
VI.
Parent Association Update
The Mother-Son dance was a lovely evening, with 150 guests in attendance, including Ms. Capitulo’s and Ms. Gonzalez’s children.
The P.A. is currently working feverishly to get ready for the April 24th Earth Day Event and the International Dinner in June.
The P.A. is working on two urgent matters:
1) Stop Signs: The P.A. has been working with the principal to try and keep the stop signs located on Ascan Avenue near the school. The Department of Transportation told the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation that it planned to removed the stop signs. Both the principal and P.A. Executive Board have sent letters to Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Queens Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy, D.O.T Community Relations Director Steve Goslett, and Forest Hills Gardens Chairman Mitchell Cohen asking their assistance. We have also begun a letter writing campaign.
2) Elimination of 6th Grade: The D.O.E. is trying to truncate all the elementary schools in District 28 to 5th grade and move all 6th graders to middle schools. The Office of Portfolio Development will be meeting with principals next week and there will be a hearing/meeting on Thursday, April 29th with the C.E.C./D.O.E. (although the D.O.E. has yet to announce a time or place). The D.O.E. has yet to prepare an impact statement.
The P.A. continues to promote the arts. The Three Little Pigs will be coming to P.S.101 on April 23rd and the Little Orchestra Arialists program was oversubscribed with over 200 requests for the 185 seats we were given. In addition, the P.A. wanted teachers to know that they are welcome to participate in the Parents as Arts Partners grant.
A letter will be sent to Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz requesting grant money to 1) expand band-width at the school, 2) purchase much-needed laptops and computers, 3) replace the auditorium chairs, and 4) purchase a P.A. system for the gym.
VI. D.O.E. Changes to Progress Report
The D.O.E. will be changing its method for measuring progress beginning with this year’s ELA and Math test scores. Rather than focusing on the percentage of students making one year of progress, the D.O.E. will instead look at median growth percentiles in the hopes that this will make for a more accurate and stable growth comparison (similar to pediatric growth charts). A student’s growth percentile indicates the percentage of students, starting at the same place, that the student’s growth exceeded. Growth percentiles control for each student’s starting proficiency. They are expected to improve the year-to-year stability of the student progress measurement on the Progress Report because they adapt to each student’s starting level of proficiency each year. Both Colorado and Massachusetts use growth percentiles, and Colorado’s growth model has been formally approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Since New York State has expressed interest in exploring the Colorado model, the D.O.E. hopes that City and State measurements can move more closely into alignment.
Rather than all students with an IEP receiving a 0.2 adjustment in the proficiency rating, these scores will now be changed so that the adjustment factor for students in the self-contained classroom will be 0.25, CTT students 0.15, and SETSS students 0.10. In addition, students receiving a free lunch will receive a 0.10 adjustment times the percentage of students at the school receiving a free lunch. Elementary schools will also receive additional credit for the percentage of Self-Contained, CTT, and SETSS students that reach proficiency and the percentage of Special Education students, English Language Learners, and students in the bottom third who achieve the 75th growth percentile.
The D.O.E. also plans to update the peer groups for each school based on student proficiency and demographics for 2009/10.
School grades will be set on a strict curve so that 25% of schools will receive an A, 35% Bs, 25% Cs, 10% Ds, and 5% Fs. Any school in the top quartile in terms of absolute student performance cannot receive a grade lower than a C. Given the new scoring system, it will be much more difficult for P.S.101 to obtain an A.
VII. SLT Training
The key points in a recent SLT training session:
1) The SLT must conduct a needs assessment each year by analyzing available data. The SLT should be reviewing all data, including Inquiry Team Action Research and Periodic Assessment Results.
2) The SLT should review the Galaxy Budget, including purchases made by the school.
3) The SLT should be reviewing the CEP now.
