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Current Reality and GAPSS for Paulding County High School

Chris Brock

PL & Technology Innovation

Kennesaw State University

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Vision

The vision of Paulding County High School (PCHS) is to collaborate with stakeholders

and build the foundation for graduating students to successfully compete in a global society.

According to the 2017/2018 school improvement plan, PCHS is currently working to achieve

four strategic goal areas: student success for all, communication and engagement, cultivating and

retaining quality professionals, and organizational excellence (PCHS School Improvement

Action Plan). The Paulding County High School vision and goals will be met by placing

emphasis on collaborative learning, differentiated instructional strategies and technology.

According to the current PCHS school improvement plan, professional development has

been designed to meet the needs of students and instructors, such as improving collaboration,

instructional practices and use of technology. Principal Greg Wilcox does not have a specific

goal for improving student and teacher use of technology. According to my interview with Mr.

Wilcox (personal communication, September, 2017), “the lack of a specific technology based

plan does not mean that the school is not using a wide range of technologies to meet the needs of

the students and the faculty” during professional development. Teachers, students and

instructional coaches have access to six traditional computers labs and seven mobile computers

labs. Each student and teacher has access to a Microsoft Office 365 account which provides them

with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive and other applications. Teachers use

technology daily during classroom instruction, to communication with parents and faculty, and to

collect data such as attendance and grades. Teachers have indicated that they are comfortable

using standard technologies such as Microsoft Office 365, Smartboards, and grade book

applications. Unfortunately, instructional coaches and teachers seem to be uncomfortable or

unaware of many 21st Century technologies that would enhance student’s ability to solve

problems, communicate ideas, and reinforce educational skills.

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According to the PCHS School Improvement Action plan the mission of the Paulding

County School District “is to prepare ALL students for success today and tomorrow” (2017). In

my interview with Principal Wilcox, he states that “the districts vison to prepare students for

today and tomorrow must start with preparing his current staff to meet the needs of 21st century

learners” (G. Wilcox, personal communication, September, 2017). Mr. Wilcox believes that the

he is currently receiving support from the school district, administrators, faculty and students in

his quest to meet the needs of the community, by providing a variety of professional

developments. He points out that while there is no specific plan to improve instructional

technology in the new school improvement plan, there are several technology based initiatives

included in schools academic agenda. This includes adding new computers and floating labs,

providing professional development led by EdTech and Canvas Learning Management System

trainers, and improving student literacy through digital technologies such as Universal Screener

and Achieve 3000.

Needs Assessment

According to the Paulding County School District Three-Year Technology Plan (2014),

“administrators will use online and software-based testing resources to disaggregate data in order

to focus instruction and teaching strategies to enhance learning for targeted subgroups”. Paulding

Country High school currently uses high stakes testing and Universal Screener to collect student

achievement data. Data collected from high stakes testing includes content mastery, student

growth rates, and Lexile scores. As a result of the Georgia End of Course testing data, the district

and PCHS has increased their focus on improving student literacy. To gain a better

understanding of student Lexile scores the county provided schools with an online resource

called Universal Screener to collect accurate and timely data on students reading comprehension
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levels. Last year, every student at PCHS was required to take the online reading assessment

twice during the school year. As a result of the data received from high stakes testing and

Universal Screener, PCHS will use professional development to train teachers on how to use

Universal Screener and additional reading strategies to improve student literacy.

During the 2016-2017 school year, the district and PCHS used a series of teacher surveys

to collect data in order to meet the technology and instructional needs of educators. At PCHS the

data collected from multiple teacher surveys has resulted in an increase in technology and

collabortive professional development. PCHS used county funds to purchase new computers for

all of our computer labs and added additional traditional and mobile computer labs to the school.

The current school improvement plan will provide teachers with professional development that

will be devoted to technology based instructional such as training on Canvas Learning

Management System (LMS) and EdTech training.

Professional Learning

Paulding County High Schools school improvement plan focuses on four types of

Professional Learning. Every educator is required to participate in a department, content,

instructional and district Professional Learning Community (PLC). Departmental PLC’s meet

monthly to discuss state, county and school initiatives. Content driven PLC’s meet twice a week

to discuss educational strategies and student data. Instructional PLC’s are led by our evaluation

and assessment coordinator and these weekly sessions focus on the goal and objectives of the

school improvement plan. District led PLC’s tend to focus on county initiatives that encourage

educators to develop best practices based on their content or specific training on new

instructional programs. The school will continue to use professional development to encourage
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collaboration between instructors and the infusion of best teachers practices into the delivery of

curriculum.

Although PCHS has developed a strong professional learning community at the school,

none of the PLC’s are led by an Educational Technology Specialist. Currently, PCHS doesn’t

have a dedicated Educational Technology Specialist at the school. Even if teachers are willing to

invest in new resources such as Universal Screener, Canvas LMS, EdTech, and Achieve 3000,

there is little or no daily technology support for educators. As a result of sporadic technical

support, many teachers continue to use the resources that they are comfortable using and not

instructional technologies that will improve student knowledge and understanding.

Alignment

At the center of our School Improvement Action Plan is student achievement. In order to

meet the school wide goals and objectives the entire faculty participates in a variety of

professional learning communities. The PLC’s provide administrators and teachers with the

opportunity to develop current and new instructional strategies in a collaborative setting. In order

to make sure educators are receiving instructional support, the school improvement plan requires

teachers to meet twice a week for content based PLC’s, once a month for department meetings,

once a week for instructional PLC’s, and yearly district professional development. Teachers are

required to sign in for all professional developments and provide lesson plans documenting

content centered PLC’s.

Funding and Incentives

Paulding County High School receives Title I, district and local school general funds to

support professional development. The school receives Title I funds based on the percentage of

free and reduced lunches served at our school. Professional learning is provided by school
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instructors such as our evaluation and assessment coordinator. Teachers are currently being

trained to use Universal Screener, Canvas LMS, Achieve 3000 and other digital resources.

Universal Screener was specifically purchased by the district to assess students Lexile scores in a

timely manner. Canvas LMS was purchased by the district to encourage teachers to build

websites to improve communication with students and parents. Achieve 3000 was purchased by

the school to improve literacy by providing students with differentiated instruction to accelerate

student reading and writing.

Diverse and Special Needs Students

Currently, PCHS is a Title I school with a population of 1,748 students. According to

school data, the population of PCHS consists of sixty-two percent Caucasian, twenty-seven

percent African American and eight percent Hispanic. Due to our economic and cultural diverse

community, our faculty must be aware and respectful of the various needs of our student

population. The 2016-2017 school improvement plan does not specifically address the creation

of a professional development that is designed to meet the needs of diverse learners such as

students with disabilities, English language learners or economically challenge students. Many of

the professional developments are based on instructional strategies such as differentiated

learning, but there is a need for a more diverse approach to implementing new instructional

practices.

Collaboration

As previously mentioned teachers are required to collaborate twice a week with their

specific content area, once a week for instructional strategies, and monthly with their department.

During specific content PLC’s, teachers share instructional strategies, analyze student data on

formative and summative assessments, and develop lesson plans for the next week. When
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meeting with instructional coaches, teachers engage in whole group, small group, and

individualized instruction. Most of the professional developments led by instructional coaches

consist of the school initiatives that specifically address the school improvement plan. Monthly

departmental meetings allow teachers to collaborate with other professional with in their area of

expertise. Most departmental meetings consist of a discussion on new educational resources and

professional development opportunities that are outside of our school building and specific to our

content.

Evaluation

At Paulding County High School, the impact of professional learning is evaluated using

monthly walk through data, district focus walks, PLC minutes, and high-stakes testing data.

During school and county walks, teachers are evaluated using the state of Georgia’s Teacher

Keys Effectiveness System (TKES). The TKES evaluation system focuses on ten performance

standards when evaluating teacher effectiveness. School and county walks usually focus on

certain standards in the TKES evaluation system. According the current school improvement

plan (2017), both walks are focusing on strengthening “teacher use of literacy strategies and

implementing the use of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level 2-4 tasks and questions within the

classroom”. Evaluators will include documentation from PLC minutes in every teacher’s

evaluation. According to the Georgia Department of Education Teacher Key Effectiveness

System (2013), student test scores on high stakes testing will make up thirty percent of an

instructors TKES score. District and school officials will use high stakes testing to evaluate the

overall effectives of PCHS.

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Georgia School Performance Standards

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

The means by which teachers, administrators, and other staff acquire, enhance, and refine the
knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions necessary to create and support high levels of
learning for all students

Professional Learning Standard 1: Aligns professional learning with needs identified

through analysis of a variety of data

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Professional learning Professional learning Professional learning Professional learning

needs are identified needs are identified needs are identified needs are identified
and differentiated through a using limited sources using little or no
through a collaborative analysis of data. data.
collaborative analysis process using a
process using a variety of data (e.g.,
variety of data (e.g., student achievement
student achievement data, examination of
data, examination of student work, process
student work, process data, teacher and
data, teacher and leader effectiveness
leader effectiveness data, action research
data, action research data, perception data
data, perception data from students, staff,
from students, staff, and families).
and families).
Ongoing support is
provided through
differentiated
professional learning.

EVIDENCE: PCHS and the district has provided teachers with multiple surveys regarding
professional development. Paulding County High School use data collected to from high
stakes testing and Universal Screen to create professional developments that meets the needs
of educators and students. (Interview with Principal Greg Wilcox, 2017)

RECOMMENDATIONS: A needs assessment is needed to address professional development

opportunities in the area of differentiated learning strategies to address the concern learners
such as diverse learners and special needs students.
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Professional Learning Standard 2: Establishes a culture of collaboration among

administrators and staff to enhance individual and collective performance

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Administrators and Administrators and Administrators and Administrators and

staff, as a staff routinely staff routinely staff routinely
foundational practice, collaborate to collaborate to collaborate to
consistently improve individual improve individual improve individual
collaborate to support and collective and collective and collective
leadership and performance (e.g., performance (e.g., performance (e.g.,
personal construct knowledge, construct knowledge, construct knowledge,
accountability and to acquire skills, refine acquire skills, refine acquire skills, refine
enhance individual practice, provide practice, provide practice, provide
and collective feedback). feedback). feedback).
performance (e.g.,
construct knowledge,
acquire skills, refine
practice, provide
feedback).
Teachers conduct
action research and
assume ownership of
professional learning
processes.

EVIDENCE: According to the PCHS School Improvement Action Plan (2017), teachers
collaborate twice a week to discuss content and once a week to work on instructional
strategies. Currently, administrators and teachers meet twice a month to discuss current school
issues. Once a month teachers meet administrators during faculty meetings and during
departmental meetings.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Administrators should be required to meet with different contents

specific PLC’s. Small group collaboration between teachers and administrations will show that
they are a actively engaged in the collaborative process.
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Professional Learning Standard 3: Defines expectations for implementing professional

learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Administrators, Administrators, Administrators, Administrators,

teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or teacher leaders, or
both consistently both regularly define both occasionally both rarely, if ever,
define expectations expectations for the define expectations define expectations
for the implementation of for the for the
implementation of professional learning. implementation of implementation of
professional learning, professional learning. professional learning.
including details
regarding the stages
of implementation
and how monitoring
will occur as
implementation
progresses.

EVIDENCE: The PCHS School Improvement Action Plan (2017) outlines the plan of action
for professional development for the 2017 and 2018 school year.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Specific areas need to be addressed with the current school

improvement plan. Areas of weakness include addressing the needs of diverse learners and
special needs students and the need for a technology coach to improve the effectiveness to
technology based professional development.
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Professional Learning Standard 4: Uses multiple professional learning designs to support

the various learning needs of the staff

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Staff members Staff members Some staff members Staff members

actively participate in actively participate in are engaged in receive single, stand-
job-embedded professional learning, professional learning alone professional
professional learning most of which is job- that makes use of learning events that
that engages embedded, which more than one are informational and
collaborative teams in includes multiple learning design to mostly large-group
a variety of designs (e.g., address their presentation designs.
appropriate learning collaborative lesson identified needs.
designs (e.g., study, analysis of
collaborative lesson student work,
study, analysis of problem-solving
student work, sessions, curriculum
problem solving development,
sessions, curriculum coursework, action
development, research, classroom
coursework, action observations, online
research, classroom networks) to support
observations, online their various learning
networks). needs. Professional
Professional learning learning includes
includes extensive follow-up with
follow-up with feedback and
descriptive feedback coaching.
and coaching.

EVIDENCE: According to the PCHS School Improvement Action Plan (2017), teachers are
participating in a variety of professional learnings based on the needs of students and the
faculty. The implementation of professional development is mostly based on a coaching
model.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Professional development should be offered based on small group

and the needs of specific teachers. This would give instructional coaches the opportunity to
differential learning for teachers and help develop more collaborative culture for professional
development.
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Professional Learning Standard 5: Allocates resources and establishes systems to support

and sustain effective professional learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Extensive resources Adequate resources Some resources and Few, if any,

(e.g., substitute (e.g., substitute systems are allocated resources and
teachers, materials, teachers, materials, to support and systems are provided
handouts, tools, handouts, tools, sustain professional to support and
stipends, facilitators, stipends, facilitators, learning. sustain professional
technology) and technology) and learning.
systems (e.g., systems (e.g.,
conducive schedules, conducive schedules,
adequate adequate
collaborative time, collaborative time,
model classrooms) model classrooms)
are allocated to are in place to
support and sustain support and sustain
effective professional professional learning.
learning.
Opportunities to
practice skills, receive
follow-up, feedback,
and coaching are
provided to support
the effectiveness of
professional learning.

EVIDENCE: Based on the current school improvement plan, PCHS has provide educators
with variety technology based resources and instructional strategies during professional
development. (PCHS School Improvement Action Plan, 2017)

RECOMMENDATIONS: Teachers need time to develop a better understanding of how to

implement professional development resources into their classrooms. Once technology
instruction has been presented to educators, there needs to be a technology coach on staff that
can continue to support the needs of educators. Teachers require more modeling of
instructional strategies that have been presented during professional development. For
example, how can Lexile scores be used to develop appropriate instruction in a Math or Art
class. A more long term approach to professional development would strength support for the
program.
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Professional Learning Standard 6: Monitors and evaluates the impact of professional

learning on staff practices and student learning

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and Monitoring and

evaluating the impact evaluating the impact evaluating the impact evaluating the impact
of professional of professional of professional of professional
learning on staff learning on staff learning on staff learning on staff
practices and practices and student practices occurs practices occurs
increases in student learning occurs sporadically. rarely, if ever.
learning occurs routinely.
extensively.
Evaluation results are
used to identify and
implement processes
to extend student
learning.

EVIDENCE: Based on the current school improvement plan, PCHS uses monthly walk
through data and district walk data to monitor the effectiveness of professional learning.
(PCHS School Improvement Action Plan, 2017)

RECOMMENDATIONS: Currently, PCHS has no method of collecting data from students or

teachers on the impact of professional development. Administrations should develop a survey
to analyze the effectiveness of professional development for students and teachers.
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KSU ITEC Professional Learning Standard: Professional learning reinforces educators’

understanding and use of strategies for promoting equity and high expectations for all
students, application of research-based teaching strategies and assessment processes, and
involvement of families and other stakeholders in promoting student learning.

Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

Exemplary Operational Emerging Not Evident

Classroom practices Classroom practices Classroom practices Classroom practices

(e.g., considering of most teachers of some reflect little or no
interests, reflect skill in teachers reflect evidence of teachers’
backgrounds, communicating high evidence of teachers’ training in
strengths, and expectations for each training in understanding the
preferences to student and adjusting understanding the impact that attitudes
provide meaningful, classroom activities to impact that attitudes regarding race,
relevant lessons and meet student needs. regarding race, disabilities,
assess student Respect for students’ disabilities, background, culture,
progress, cultures and life background, culture, high expectations,
differentiating experiences is evident high expectations, and social class of
instruction, and through the and social class of both students and
nurturing student emotionally and both students and teachers have on the
capacity for self- physically safe teachers have on the teaching and learning
management) of all learning environment teaching and learning process.
teachers reflect an where students of process.
emotionally and diverse backgrounds
physically safe and experiences are
environment where taught the school code
respect and of conduct (customs)
appreciation for a to help them be
diverse population is successful in the
evident. There are school context.
high achievement
expectations for all
students and
teachers. The
principal and other
leaders provide
professional learning
for teachers lacking
understanding of the
impact that attitudes
regarding race,
disabilities,
background, culture,
high expectations,
and social class of
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both students and

teachers have on the
teaching and learning
process.

EVIDENCE: Currently the PCHS School Improvement Action Plan (2017) does not address
the needs of culturally diverse and special needs students.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Administrators need to document the cultural diversity programs

that already exist at PCHS such as the Black History month, Hispanic History month, the
multicultural club, and others. Many of the instructional strategies covered during professional
development are designed to meet the needs of diverse learner and special needs students, the
school needs to document their evidence in the school improvement plan.

References
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C. Wilcox, personal communication, September, 2017

Teacher Keys Effectiveness System. (2013). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from
https://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Teacher-and-Leader-
Effectiveness/Documents/Finalized%20TKES%20Handbook%20with%20district%20fee
dback%20%202016-2017.pdf

Paulding County High School: School Improvement Action Plan, 2017

Paulding County School District: Three-Year Technology Plan, 2014