CSSC Minutes, 2008, 10/6
OAKLAND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
Collaborative School Site Council Minutes
October 6, 2008, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Oakland Tech Library
Meeting:
Regular Monthly Meeting
Called by:
Rollie Katz, Chair
Facilitator:
Rollie Katz
Recorder:
Richard Fairly
Present:
(By-laws require 9 for quorum)
Parents
[√] Joanna Berg (1st year)
[√] Rollie Katz (2nd year)
[√] Jodi Murphy (2nd year)
[√] Phyllis Hall (alt., 2nd year)
[ ] Parent (alt.) (vacant)
Community
[ ] Lesley Johnson-Gelb (1st year)
Students
[√] Erick Friely (1st year)
[ ] Molly Katz (1st year)
[√] Devon King (1st year)
[ ] Leslie Luo (1st year)
[ ] Alexandra Grant (1st year alt.)
[ ] Le Tran (1st year alt.)
Principal
[√] Sheilagh Andujar
Classroom Teachers
[ ] James Beckett (2nd year)
[√] Keith Debro (1st year)
[√] Richard Fairly (2nd year)
[ ] Emmanuel Onyeador (2ndyear)
[√] Maryann Wolfe (2nd year)
[ ] Ashlee Sherman (alt., 2nd year)
[ ] Harry Pasternak (alt., 1st year)
Other School Staff
[√] Lamar Hancock (1st year)
[√] Joshua Fuchs (2nd year)
[√] Kanika Ajanaku (alt., 1st year)
[√] Nina Jacobs (alt., 1st year)
Other: Anika Hardy (Director, Family Resource Center)
ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING
Notes of Presentation and Discussion
Sheilagh Andujar convened the meeting and invited those present to introduce themselves.
Oakland Tech receives Title I funds each year. These funds come with strict rules about how they can be spent. The amount of funding depends on the number of low-income students at the school, identified as those who qualify for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program. The percent of low-income students at Oakland Tech exceeds the threshold for classifying the school for school-wide use of Title I funds. This means that the funds can be spent on programs that support all students in raising their achievement, not only low-income students.
$389,000.00 in Title I funds has been budgeted for Oakland Tech this year. In April 2008, the CSSC approved $248,000.00 of this amount for salaries and staffing costs, and $141,000.00 for non-labor costs and consultant costs as a part of the school’s 2008-2009 Single Plan for Student Achievement (site plan).
Oakland Tech is in Program Improvement status, beginning its fourth year. This status is determined at the state level on the basis of the 10th grade CAHSEE exit exam participation and results. In 2007-2008, the percent of African American 10th grade students scoring proficient in Math, and the percent of English Learner students scoring proficient in English-Language Arts was below the required percent. Also, the percent of African American 10th grade students, and the percent of Latino 10th grade students who took the exit exam was below the required percent (93% for both groups, compared to 95% that was required). Last year, there was a discrepancy between the school’s database of students and the state’s database of students. This resulted in the calculation by the state that indicated that the school was below the required participation rate.
The special education students may be tested in their classrooms, and each student can be tested in accordance with the requirements of their Individual Educational Plan (IEP).
The school has invested in an online CAHSEE preparation program, with the accompanying books, in order to give students another resource for preparing for the exit exam. This is available for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. The user IDs and passwords are distributed through the English classes. 10th grade Math and English teachers use the preparation curriculum in their classes as part of their assignments.
The school has developed a specialized program for 9th grade Algebra students who need specialized help. The program places two Algebra teachers in each classroom, and the six teachers who are part of the program meet together weekly to discuss student successes and challenges. The teachers work together to develop common lessons and assessments. The school has purchased specialized reading software, the Read 180 program, to assist 9th grade students who have very low test scores in reading.
Oakland Tech has Supplemental Educational Service providers who make their services available to students after school, either on-site or off-site.
Attendance overall is very much improved compared to last year. Students who had poor attendance last year have improved their attendance dramatically. Lamar Hancock has been the Student Attendance Compliance Officer for these two years. The school is able to collect ADA (Average Daily Attendance allocation of funds) for a student who is present in at least one class, and the school also measures the number of students who attend at least four classes in the school day.
The CSSC helps develop and modify the Single Plan for Student Achievement (site plan) and approves the plan each year. This plan sets out student achievement and school climate targets for the school year and describes the allocation of special (categorical) funds that are received from state and federal sources.
Parents are able to receive information about the school and its programs. The Family Resource Center is sponsoring several information nights for parents. The first will be held this Thursday, October 9, in collaboration with the TechniClinic. They will provide information about the school, about adolescent development and learning, about college admissions, about test scores, and other items that will be useful for parents and their students. The school is continually improving the ways that it provides information to parents. Attendance at Back to School Night was substantially higher this year than it has been in years past. Teachers have posted assignments and syllabi online, along with their grading expectations. Teachers are developing their use of online grading and online progress reports.
Recommendation: For 2009-2010, have the date of the Annual Title I Meeting set before fall registration so that all parents can be informed about it during the registration process. The Family Resource Center needs to be involved with the publicity effort. Also, the school’s automatic phone dialer system should be used to send this information to parents.
Those present reviewed the School Parental Involvement Policy. Several revisions were recommended to address the increased number of ways that the school can provide information to parents. These recommendations will be considered by the CSSC.
COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL MEETING
1. Call to Order, Welcome, Roll Call, Introductions
Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Rollie Katz. A quorum was established. All present introduced themselves. Lamar Hancock and Joshua Fuchs are the new representatives for other school staff, and Kanika Ajanaku and Nina Jacobs are alternates. They were elected by other school staff this month.
2. Reading and approval of minutes (Katz, Fairly)
• The minutes of the September 22, 2008, meeting of the CSSC were read and discussed. The spelling of Jodi Murphy’s name was corrected. There was agreement that the PTSA needs to elect one more parent alternate representative to fill a vacancy.
Lesley moved to approve the minutes, as corrected; second; carried.
Rollie will conduct the election of the parent alternate at the PTSA meeting. Phyllis Hall will announce the vacancy at the African American Student Action Planners. Sheilagh will see if the announcement can go out on the Automatic Phone Dialer.
NEW BUSINESS
3. Approval of Parental Involvement Policy and School-Home Compact (Katz)
Attachment: School Parental Involvement Policy, revised 10/6/2008, and School-Home Compact
• Having participated in the discussion of the School Parental Involvement Policy and recommended revisions at the Title I Meeting, there was no further discussion of the policy. The recommended revisions all concerned further ways in which information could be publicized to parents.
Jodi moved to approve the School Parental Involvement Policy, as revised, through September 30, 2009; second; carried.
4. Overview of stipends paid to teachers for collaboration in Professional Learning Communities (Andujar, Wolfe)
• Maryann Wolfe described the Lesson Study program that the Social Studies Department uses to development highly effective lessons through collaboration and observation of each others classes. Stipends are budgeted for the participating teachers to collaborate together after the school day on this professional development activity.
• Algebra teachers have formed a Professional Learning Community in which they develop common lessons and assessments and discuss the results of implementing the lessons in their classrooms. They gain an advantage in receiving feedback, insights, and suggestions from each other regarding the best classroom practices that produce increased student achievement. Stipends are budgeting for the participating teachers to collaborate together after the school day on this professional development activity.
• Other teachers are making agreements to work after school, and they are eligible to apply for stipends as well.
5. Discuss and modify 2008-2009 SPSA (Katz, Andujar)
• No modifications to the 2008-2009 SPSA were proposed.
6. Public Comment
• No public comment was offered.
7. Announcements
• Richard announced that there will be a parent information night with dinner on Wednesday, October 29, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. The purpose is to provide information about the school’s self-study and action plan for improving student achievement. The school will provide the dinner, and the PTSA will make the hospitality arrangements. Publicity will go to these groups:
• SOAR for 10th grade
• ELAC, with translators (headsets)
• AASAP
• PTSA
• Auto-Dialer
• Family Resource Center
• Will flu shots be available at the school? Melissa Brown at the TechniClinic may have information about this question.
• SSC/ELAC training will be provided by the district on several dates this fall.
8. Next Meeting Date
• The district is requiring a Community Engagement Meeting for the school. Jody London on the School Board is spearheading this effort.
• Sheilagh proposes that this meeting be held in conjunction with the November CSSC meeting.
• It is desirable to bring parent groups together for this information. Ideally, having more parents present than just the members of the CSSC would be beneficial.
• Begin the Community Engagement Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 10, before the PTSA meeting that will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The next CSSC meeting will remain as scheduled, on Monday, November 3, 2008, at 6:00 p.m.
9. Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
Lesley moved to adjourn; second; carried.
