McCormick Elementary School Narrative
As a Comprehensive Support and Improvement School, our school has made great strides in improvement in all areas, which was evident in that we moved this year from an unsatisfactory rating on our report card to below average. Our students, teachers, parents, and community are important to us. Every staff member in our school served on a School Improvement Team (SIT) and had a tremendous impact on creating a positive and safe learning community for our students. We truly believe that we are a “Team” where “together everyone achieves more.” We have implemented measures to ensure success and inclusion for all stakeholders.
We have worked hard to seek and honor feedback from our stakeholders. We sent out parent surveys for several different reasons throughout the year, and the feedback gained from these surveys has made an impact on the effectiveness of leadership. We implemented a Principal Pow Wow, which was an informal meeting every other month where parents and community members could come and have casual conversations with the principal and admin team regarding the school. Our Academic Culture SIT Team partnered with our School Improvement Council (SIC) in order to improve family participation in school activities. We put forth great effort to stay in touch with our community and families to keep them informed We had literacy night with guest authors, Christmas programs, academic celebrations, and our very first performance showcase presenting Alice in Wonderland! We also hosted an ice cream social and invited parents in for conferences regularly. We were even able to get our PTO reorganized and started back for the first time post-Covid.
This year we were excited to begin a new Science of Reading curriculum, Amplify CKLA. Alongside this curriculum, teachers and administrators also completed Volume 1 of the LETRS course to enhance our reading instructional practices, particularly in early literacy skills. Our teachers have continued to use high-quality instructional strategies, including the use of flexible groups for small group and intervention instruction. Our district is a Personalized Learning Lighthouse District, and our school has implemented many personalized learning strategies to improve student outcomes. We made some significant changes to our schedule to provide additional instructional opportunities which enhance the learning experience for all children. In addition to dedicating time for flexible groups and intervention, we were able to provide time for enrichment clubs daily for all students. During this time, students had the opportunity to participate in an enrichment club of their choosing. After every nine weeks, students could choose a new club to attend.
We have also enhanced the MTSS framework to include four interventionists for Tier 2 and Tier 3 students. The interventionists push into classrooms or pull students out to provide small group and one-on-one instruction. Additionally, teachers are supported by a Reading Coach and a Curriculum Facilitator, who assist teachers in examining data, differentiating instruction, and otherwise improving student outcomes. We will continue to use our data and feedback to drive instruction and adjust the practices and structures of our curriculum.
Our school and district are working diligently to improve Social and Emotional Learning for our students. Our guidance counselor delivers classroom lessons bi-weekly to all students. We have implemented a new PBIS system of support. We have hired a district Social Worker as well as another Social Emotional Support position to ensure that our students are receiving the support needed for success. We have trained all faculty and staff in the Bullying Prevention Program, OLWEUS, and have regular check-ins with students to identify and support students if bullying has been reported. We are using MTSS Teams, Data Team meetings, Grade Level Team meetings, and Leadership Team meetings to analyze SEL data to support our students' needs.
In an effort to develop our teachers professionally, we implemented professional learning communities (PLC) that have led to a greater level of teacher participation and ownership. We have integrated personalized learning and our new LETRS training into all of our faculty meetings and PLCs. Teachers were required to implement strategies with a small group of case study students and track progress throughout the course. Feedback from the course was positive. The leadership team plans to continue seeking teacher input in the planning of PLC cycles and the use of case study applications in the future. In addition to PLC, teacher leaders led sessions during faculty meetings focused on growth mindset, data notebooks, and classroom management. We will continue to grow teacher leaders through PLC and hope to have teachers lead even more sessions for their peers during the next school year. We were excited to share our personalized learning journey at the SCASA conference this past year.
As MES prepares to embark on the 2023-24 school year, which includes a year-round school calendar, plans are being made to continue to grow our students in all aspects in order to develop World Class Skills outlined by the State Department of Education’s Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
Angela White, Principal
