Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

Approval of minutes: In the absence of Mrs. Robledo, Mr. Sands called the meeting to order at 8:21 a.m. The minutes from October 10, 2006, were reviewed and approved.

Principal’s message: Mrs. Stroleny delivered a greeting for Mrs. Gonzalez who is on vacation. First Mrs. Stroleny reviewed the School Improvement Plan objectives. The faculty has approved the objectives. There is little freedom in writing the objectives because the standards are high; there is more freedom in writing the strategies. The first objective is reading, which is broken down by ethnicity groups; every group needs to improve with one hundred percent of Black students, one hundred percent of Hispanic students and ninety-five percent of White students scoring at or above the State mastery level. The next objective is math where all students are expected to score at or above the State mastery level. The math objective is not broken down by ethnicity. The third objective deals with science and, as in math, all students are expected to score at or above the State mastery level. This is a big jump because 80 percent met mastery in 2005-06. In math and reading there is less room for growth but science must increase by 20 percent. Science scores at Carver are significantly higher than the rest of the district. Mrs. Stroleny met with Mrs. Eva Moore, science department head, and they agreed that all eighth-grade science classes will begin with an FCAT problem. They have to follow a structured program to ensure that they achieve the objectives. Also, 16 students were targeted for science tutoring, which began on Nov. 13. The fourth objective is parental involvement, which must increase. Parent meetings have either been held or are planned to increase FCAT scores. Eighth-grade science and math parent meetings were in November and reading is planned for December. The meetings were very personalized and parents were informed specifically what to do to help their child improve. The fifth objective is school safety and is based on character education. We had freedom with this objective because discipline referrals are low at Carver. The sixth objective deals with technology and is extremely important for student achievement. We will review how keyboarding skills could be incorporated. The fifth objective is fitness and is the responsibility of the Physical Education Department. Teachers have already begun working toward this objective. The assessment is in March and only for students enrolled in physical education. Also, Mrs. Daniels’ cross country team was recognized as county runner-up. The eighth objective calls for an increase in club attendance. Instead of being in two clubs, students can only join one this year but the clubs are meeting every Friday and students are getting to do more things in their clubs. The ninth objective is a continuation of the previous ones; Carver will either maintain or decrease the number of students scoring level one or two in various FCAT categories. This is difficult here but we are working to meet this objective. We are aiming to reach 100 percent in reading, math, science, and writing. A parent asked what happens if we fail to meet the objectives and Mrs. Stroleny explained that teacher bonuses are given for being an “A” school. We can still be an “A” school if we do not meet all objectives, if the necessary points are earned. For being the highest-ranking middle school in Region IV, a five percent salary incentive was also distributed to teachers. Mrs. Stroleny then went on to inform that on November 13, the region held an instructional review of the language arts and reading program. The review team monitored many aspects including following the district’s reading framework required for reading classes; use of data (FCAT scores, district’s interim exams, MAZE, Gates) to guide instruction; lesson plans; instructional delivery; homeroom libraries; print-rich environment. The Literacy Team will meet this Wednesday and will review testing results, brainstorm on making homeroom reading more effective, and reducing plagiarism. Mrs. Stroleny said the instructional review went exceptionally well and there were just commendations and positive comments. Mr. Redmond took over Ms. Mongillo’s reading class to ensure the students don’s fall behind, because she is absent due to illness. Mrs. Stroleny continued her message by stating that we were required to give district interim exams for reading and mathematics Oct. 24 and 25. We downloaded results from Edusoft on Nov. 8 and provided them to language arts and mathematics teachers. The preliminary data looks good and will be used to guide instruction to ensure that the necessary gains are made. Mrs. Fernandez, math department chairperson, reviewed scores with her department. Reading scores appear better than from previous years. The FBI-Safe Online Surfing program is being provided through sixth- and seventh-grade social studies classes this November, December and January. Dr. Garcia is a Region IV finalist for Teacher of the Year. A committee is visiting today, as we speak. The Carver Magnet Fair for parents of eighth-grade students is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 16. Mrs. Broadmeadow commented that the time allows parents who work to attend. The fundraiser pick-up of products is Nov. 17. Spike-it-Up for sixth-graders is Nov. 22. Interim report cards go home Nov. 22. Final Exams are scheduled for Dec. 15- 20. There will be no December Meeting; the next meeting is Jan. 9. Mrs. Stroleny concluded the meeting by wishing all members Happy Holidays and good wishes for the New Year.

Adjournment: Mr. Sands adjourned the meeting at 8:55 a.m.