IV. Principal Update:
Parents continue to use the school’s website as an effective means of communication. The website had 218,000 hits in March, up from 108,000 hits in November and 177,000 hits in February. Parents are looking at the school calendar and class newsletters. Mr. Sansaricq has launched his own webpage – all cluster teachers now have webpages.
Ms. Capitulo was pleased to report that 73% of parents and 93% of teachers responded to the Learning Environment Survey. Raffle winners have been picked and there were two additional ice cream parties given for classes with 100% response rates.
Progress on the new playground is proceeding rapidly. Workers have begun putting up the playground itself today.
TV Turnoff Week was a great success. Events held at the school that week were widely attended. The Art Fair – which looked very professional -- sold 250 framed pictures of children’s artwork, with 400 parents attending. Game Night was enjoyed by parents and children alike, with 200 participants.
The school also held its Recycling Assemblies to promote the school’s new effort to recycle paper and plastics. The children had wonderful presentations and singing performances, and children were shown an informative video from the NY Department of Transportation.
The school has many exciting upcoming events that the children are working hard on. The 4th and 5th graders are enjoying ballroom dancing. The ballroom dancing showcase with be held Monday, June 14th. 6th graders are practicing their lines and songs as they prepare to perform Beauty and the Beast on May 20th. Students in all grades will have a chance to compete in a variety of fun and unique activities on various Field Days in upcoming weeks. Ms. Gonzalez plans a fun-filled summer evening for Grades K-2“Under the Boardwalk” on Thursday, May 27th. Lastly, the school will hold Kindergarten orientation on Wednesday, May 26th.
Superintendent Jeannette Reed and DOE representative Sandy Ferguson met with Ms. Capitulo and other principals last week to discuss “Middle School Choice.” The DOE would like to make all schools in District 28 K-5 schools and centralize the middle school application process.
VI.
Parent Association Update
Ms. Reed noted in a conversation at a President’s Council’s meeting that many principals in the K-6 grade schools wanted to keep 6th grade. Most elementary schools in District 28 are K-6 schools.
The P.A. held its first Earth Day Event which was attended by parents, teachers, and members of the community at large. It was a great learning experience – not a money-maker but a very successful community event.
The P.A. gathered 450 letters from parents, teachers, staff, and community members urging the D.O.T. to keep the stop signs located on Ascan Avenue near the school. (The D.O.T. has threatened to remove them because of the complaints of one resident.) These letters were sent to politicians and the DOT. Both Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi have proposed legislation (in the City Council and in the State Legislature) requiring stop signs or traffic lights at intersections near schools.
VI. D.O.E. Changes to Progress Report
Ms. Capitulo has met with various candidates for Assistant Principal at a different building, having the candidates conduct classroom observations and type up the strengths and areas for growth in the lessons they saw. Ms. Capitulo met again with the candidates and has selected the next Assistant Principal, whom she believes to be nurturing and enthusiastic, with a strong knowledge of content and capable of conducting good workshops. The appointment is in the process of being finalized.
VII. School-Wide Data Review
Independent Reading Levels:
For the entire school:
|
November |
March |
| Males |
2.92 |
3.16 |
| Females |
3.10 |
3.32 |
| Students with IEPs |
2.20 |
2.41 |
| ELLs |
1.47 |
2.24 |
While male students on average were approaching standard in November, they were slightly above standard by March. The greatest gains were made by ELL students.
Writing Continuum:
Kindergarten: 99 students are meeting benchmark
1st Grade: 100 students are meeting benchmark (all but 1 ELL student)
2nd Grade: of 112 students, 86 have met the benchmark
3rd Grade: of 82 students, 28% have met benchmark and 72% have not
Fewer students achieve benchmark as they move up through the grades because the material becomes more difficult and the criteria changes. Students must meet all the criteria to master a level. The teachers are having the children do small moments every Friday to help practice. They are also trying to use on-demand writing continuum benchmarks in the personal goals for the children.
The data is not yet available for grades 4-6, although it was noted that the teachers are very organized with the data.
Scantron:
The school’s goal was to raise achievement on the Scantron test for reading by an average of 90 points from the first test taken in the fall to the February test, but the school managed to exceed this score, jumping an average of 112 points. Strong gains were made by AIS students (up 192 points), Extended Day students (up 127 points), and special ed. students in the Inquiry Team (up 152 points). It is easier for students in the lower grades to make significant progress than those in the higher grades.
The National Percentile Ranking of PS101 Students on the Scantron Reading Test
Grade 2: 55%
Grade 3: 50%
Grade 4: 51%
Grade 5: 36%
Grade 6: 71%
There was some concern expressed over 1) the weak ranking of Grade 5 (partially explained by the high percentage of students with IEPs as well as the fact that this class was the “guinea pig” class for balanced literacy) and 2) the average ranking for all the students.
The Scantron tests did show strong gains in children’s ability to read and understand non-fiction, a goal of the school and of the Inquiry Team.
The Acuity Predictive given in February: For Reading
| READING |
L1 |
L2 |
L3 |
L4 |
| grade 3 |
3% |
14% |
68% |
15% |
| Grade 4 |
3% |
14% |
67% |
16% |
| Grade 5 |
1% |
14% |
63% |
22% |
| Grade 6 |
0% |
8% |
54% |
38% |
|
|
|
|
|
| MATH |
L1 |
L2 |
L3 |
L4 |
| Grade 3 |
2% |
9% |
50% |
39% |
| Grade 4 |
3% |
8% |
37% |
53% |
| Grade 5 |
1% |
8% |
54% |
37% |
| Grade 6 |
0% |
6% |
30% |
63% |
The teachers are focusing on the areas where the children’s performances were the weakest. In math, students seemed to have some difficulty with visual problems.
The SLT began a preliminary discussion of the merits of keeping 6th graders of PS101 versus moving them to middle school. While the D.O.E. is suggesting moving all 6th graders to middle school increases their “choice,” in reality by trying to truncate the elementary schools to K-5, the D.O.E. is actually reducing choice. Right now, 6th graders at P.S.101 have the choice of attending P.S.101 or Russell Sage for 6th grade, but under the D.O.E.’s renewed effort to eliminate 6th grade from elementary schools in District 28, the “choice” of staying in elementary schools would be eliminated. Students would only gain the possibility of acceptance into one of the new “choice” schools, although the chance of admittance is quite small.
Some thought that moving 6th grade might free classrooms for other purposes, although it was pointed out that classrooms at P.S.101 are not overcrowded. Another argument for moving 6th grade is that middle school has better science labs.
The Duke study was brought up (it is the only large scale study that actually compares the behavior and academic performances of 6th graders kept in elementary school with those who attend middle school). The study found that 6th graders in middle school have significantly more behavioral problems and lower test scores than 6th graders who stay in elementary school – and these negative effects persist until at least the 9th grade.
Another possibility is exploring the possibility of returning P.S.101 to a K-8 school. Some thought the Forest Hills Gardens’ Corporation would not allow for the change, although a parent member who is on the Gardens’ Board stated that this would likely not be a problem as long as the school maintained the architectural style of the Gardens.
Parents stressed that they wanted the choice of keeping their 6th graders at PS101.
