School Improvement Plan

Highlight 3-5 strengths of your school and how those strengths foster belonging, wellbeing and learning.

We know that creating a sense of belonging will have an overall increase in positive student behavior.  There are several ways we foster student’s belonging, wellbeing and learning. 

Inclusive and Supportive Environment:  Challenger actively promotes a culture where every student feels valued and respected, regardless of their background or abilities. Students of all abilities are a part of our student leadership safety patrol program.  Students who receive services in LRC II are included in general education classroom morning meetings, specialist classes and throughout the school day.  A buddy system was created where students who receive services in LRC II have peers from general education come into their class to escort them back and forth to their general education class.  Students from the general education classes take pride in this opportunity and it has had a positive effect in student’s overall sense of belonging.  Morning meetings take place in classrooms each day and emphasize kindness, respect, and acceptance, creating a safe space for everyone.  Classroom meetings lend themselves to holding restorative circles when there is an issue that needs to be addressed.  Challenger is proud to offer a breakfast program to all students at the start of each school day.  Teachers have reported noticing a difference in the attitudes of students when they start the day with a full belly and they are able to focus on learning.  This year, with a full time LAP teacher and part time Title I teacher, students receive Tier 2 Interventions. This provides additional support in reading and math to help all students reach grade level standards.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Integration: At the start of the school year, Challenger’s school counselor created a monthly schedule of social-emotional skills for students to learn about and practice using.  Teachers and the counselor provide lessons to students in the classrooms throughout the month.  Lessons are not directly linked to academics but encourage the growth of social emotional skills.  These lessons help students develop skills like empathy, self-regulation, emotional regulation, and responsible decision-making, which are essential for building positive relationships and personal resilience.  At the end of each month, awards called Challenger Achievements are handed out to students in each classroom for showing evidence of using the targeted skill.  The awards are handed out during lunch and peers celebrate along with the recipients.  All students in the school receive an award over the course of the year.

Community and Family Engagement: Challenger is one of a few walking schools in the district.  This gives us a unique opportunity to have more face-to-face interactions with families before and after school. We have taken advantage of this opportunity to involve families and the community in meaningful ways, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and support. Events like the Festival of Cultures and Family Math and Literacy Night, volunteer opportunities in classrooms, the VOICE Mentor Program, and Coffee with Kessler, where parents are invited to learn more about the school and have a chance to talk in a small group with the principal, provide open communication channels and help strengthen the bond between the school and the community.  Each year, there are several former Challenger students who come back to volunteer in classrooms and at evening events which keeps families involved at the school beyond their child’s elementary career.  There are parent volunteers present in school every day.  Every class has an Art Docent volunteer and throughout the week, Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) are engaged in classrooms, the lunchroom and on the playground.

Differentiated and Student-Centered Instruction: In all grade levels, teachers are using differentiated instruction to help ensure students are working on skills they need to meet grade level standards.  Teachers analyze data to identify and address individual student needs to make instructional decisions.  Differentiated instruction helps to make learning accessible and engaging for all and helps ensure that each student can progress at their own pace in ways that align with their strengths and needs.  Success blocks for reading and math allow students to work in focused groups based on skill level.  To meet the needs of all students, interventions in Tier 1, 2, and 3 are available with the entire menu of district adopted curriculum in reading and math. 

Describe 2-3 opportunities in the coming years your school can leverage for this school improvement plan and to address disproportionality?

Data-Informed Practices: There are several data points collected throughout the year.  Staff and Tiered Teams collect and analyze data on academic performance, discipline referrals, attendance, and social emotional assessments.  The data is disaggregated by different demographic criteria to help identify and address patterns of disproportionality.  One of the ways we are addressing this is through Math Intervention groups.  Diagnostic assessment data is analyzed to determine where students have an area of need.  Small groups receive targeted math instruction on a specific skill for 6 weeks using the program Bridges.  This allows students to have constant movement between groups to work on skills needed to meet grade level standards.  Data also shows there is a larger number of current third and fourth grade students who would benefit from additional instruction in reading.  To meet this need, we have implemented multiple Really Great Reading groups in those grade levels. These programs ensure all students, regardless of their background, have equal access to enrichment opportunities.  In addition to strong classroom instruction, we are fortunate to have a full time LAP teacher and part time Title 1 teacher to provide additional support.  These instructors are specifically working to help close gaps in achievement and engagement. 

Equitable Discipline Practices: This year, Challenger is working to build a stronger common understanding of expectations for student behavior and discipline practices.  Using restorative practices and other alternatives to exclusionary discipline allows us to address behavior concerns while keeping students in their classrooms.  This is especially important for students from marginalized backgrounds. Restorative practices like setting classroom agreements and classroom circles are used to build relationships or respond to problems.  Peer mediation and social groups, which focus on conflict resolution and other social skills, are being used proactively and provide another opportunity for inclusion.  Larger discussion circles across classes are utilized as needed. These practices can help improve overall school climate and give an equal voice to all.  Entering student data into SWIS consistently and analyzing the data helps teams make informed decisions.  All of these things are communicated to families to build support and share common information. 

Increased Family and Community Engagement: Engaging families and community members from all parent groups helps us gain a deeper understanding of the challenges students face.  There are several opportunities for engagement during the school year.  The PTA hosts several family events during the year that are either low cost or no cost.  They are attended by many staff members.  These social events allow everyone to engage with each other in a relaxed setting without the pressure of an academic focus.  This builds trust and relationships.  We have a special relationship with the students who receive services in LRC II at Skyline HS.  Students in special education, and some of their general education peers, visit with our students who receive services in LRC II several times during the year to socialize and complete projects in art and cooking.  Sometimes, the general education peers from Skyline lead activities.  Approximately 90% of families attend IEP meetings in person vs. online which provides another opportunity for family engagement.  Site Council and PTA meetings provide time to share information about school programs and receive feedback.  Gathering this feedback will give us information about what may or may not be working from a parent perspective. 

Based on previous School Improvement Planning & Tiered Fidelity Inventories, describe 1-2 systems, structures or practices recently introduced or expanded that shows promise for student achievement and will be continued? What impact are you observing? What data are you using to monitor impact?

During the 23-24 school year, all Challenger teachers committed to completing Esti-Mystery exercises each month.  Esti-mysteries are math activities that combine estimation with problem-solving and critical thinking. Students are challenged to use logical reasoning to arrive at a final estimated answer of objects through a series of clues. These activities improve estimation skills and the ability to make educated guesses.  As students narrow down their answer, they practice using deductive reasoning.  Since these exercises are completed as a whole class activity, students have the chance to verbalize their thought processes and use math vocabulary.  Peers exchange ideas and work collaboratively to have a deeper understanding of numbers in a meaningful way.  There are different exercises created for K-1; 2-3; and 4-5 to provide some differentiation but students have the choice to complete any esti-mystery.  This activity generated a lot of excitement.  Monthly themed objects were kept in the atrium at the center of the school.  Students stopped by the display on their own when walking by and discussing how many objects were in each of the jars.  Classrooms would come to look and discuss it together.  New clues were posted each week which brought a constant flow of traffic by throughout the month until the answers were announced.  i-Ready Math Diagnostic data showed a 30% growth in the number of students working at grade level in Numbers and Operations.  We are continuing this fun and interactive practice for the current school year and expect to see even greater results.

Having behavior support systems that are clear, fair, and equitable will help reduce bias in disciplinary actions. After completing the Culturally Responsive Tiered Fidelity Inventory (CR-TFI) and analyzing our scores, we noticed opportunities to update some structures and practices.  Several years ago, a student behavior matrix was created describing expected student behaviors based on four school rules and organized by different locations in the building.  Charts were created and posted around the building to provide students with reminders of expectations.  The student behavior matrix needs to be updated and refined.  The matrix will be reworked by the Tier I-PBIS team to include measurable statements students can understand that are also culturally sensitive and equitable.  A draft of the new matrix will be shared with PTA and Site Council to partner with families and get input about revisions to consider.  Once finalized, these will be the expectations for all students in the school.  After this is completed, new charts will be made and hung up around school in specific spaces outlined in the CR-TFI.  These changes will encourage stronger relationships within the school and foster a sense of belonging.  SWIS data is likely to show fewer behavioral disruptions and SAEBRS/MySAEBRS will show students feel like they are in a supportive environment.