Omaha Public Schools
School Improvement Plan 2015-2016
Elementary School: Benson West
Growth Goals
Goal Area: Mathematics
Focus Skill(s): Number Sense
Strategy: Differentiated instruction with flexible grouping.
Gradual Release with skills groups during guided and independent practice.
Literacy Strategies (writing) in Math.
Measurable Objective (growth goal): The number of students meeting/exceeding standards on the NeSA-M in
grades 3rd-6th will increase by 5%. (An increase from 56% to 61% of students meeting/exceeding standards.)
Goal Area: Reading
Focus Skill(s): Comprehension/Summarizing
Strategy: Increase literacy strategies across all content areas by using flexible grouping.
Gradual Release with skills groups during guided and independent practice.
Measurable Objective (growth goal): The number of student’s meeting/exceeding standards on the NeSA-R
in grades 3rd-6th will increase by 5%. (An increase from 68% to 73% of student’s meeting/exceeding
standards.)
Goal Area: Writing
Focus Skill(s): Narrative Writing: Ideas, Organization, Sentence Fluency, Voice, Word Choice and Conventions
Strategy: Goal setting and descriptive feedback during small group/individual student conferences and vertical
planning.
Gradual Release with skills groups during guided and independent practice.
Measurable Objective (growth goal): The number of students proficient on the NeSA-W in 4th grade will
increase by 5%. (An increase from 60% to 65% of students’ proficient.)
Goal Area: Attendance (cannot be measured by this PD plan)
Focus: Instructional minutes lost
Strategy: Increased communication with families about attendance concerns, monitoring, conferences by
school counselors, and monthly administrative meetings
Measurable Objective (growth goal): Attendance rates will increase by 2%. (An increase from 93.8% to
95.8%)
Year-long Professional Development Plan
Week of:
Professional Development Topic
August

Procedures & Routines
August 5

Building SIP (1/2 day)
- Welcome Back/Team Building
- Share Benson West SIP Plan
- Minnesota Humanities: Increasing
Student Engagement through Absent
Narratives
Teacher Planning and Preparation (1/2 day)
Instructional Leadership Team
Curriculum Day: One day as assigned per school
by Curriculum Instruction and Assessment
(full day);
Curriculum Instruction and Assessment

August 6,

Person(s) Responsible
Instructional Leadership Team
August 7
August 10
August 11
August 24



August 27
September
September 10


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September 18
September 18
September 21
September 21
On the two days not assigned:
Building SIP (1/2 day)
- Procedures & Routines
- Staff Handbook
- Due Process
- Code of Conduct
- Discipline
- Break Out sessions
- Kahoo.it
- Math Gyrations
- Restructuring Guided Reading Groups
- OMG! I Don’t Like You!; Classroom
Management
Teacher Planning and Preparation (1/2 day)
Teacher Planning and Preparation (Full Day)
-Safe Walk Back to School (5:30-7:00)
Teacher Planning and Preparation (full day)
Staff Meeting
- SAT Process
Grade Level Meetings
- Student Data Review (InView, MAPP, NeSA)
Student Engagement
Grade Level Meetings
Custom test in Acuity
Talked writers workshop
F&P Benchmarks and set a growth goal
Staff Meeting (1/2 a.m.)
-Math Gyrations
Curriculum Day (1/2 day p.m.)
Minnesota Humanities: Story Circle
(1/2 SIP p.m)

Elementary TEAM Plan Time (1/2 day p.m)
All Certified Staff
Meg, Megan, Diane
Megan Schumacher
Miranda, Megan, Meg & Monica
Instructional Leadership Team
Miranda Mull and Amanda Hoops
-Rose McGee
-Instructional Leadership Team
-Miranda Mull and Amanda Hoops
Instructional Leadership Team
Cost
Week of Sept 21
September 28

October
Specialists: Art, Music, PE, Library
(follow building schedule)
Counselors: (follow building schedule)
Nurses: (full day)
Grade Level Meetings
 Goal Setting Sessions
Staff Meeting
Gender Identity Training
The Collaboration of Reading & Writing
Instructional Leadership Team
Ellen James
October 5

Staff Meeting
Flexible Guided Reading Groups Part II
Instructional Leadership Team
Jill Ridder and Nicole Hunter
October 8

Grade Level Meetings
Megan Schumacher
October 23

Instructional Leadership Team
October 26

Elementary TEAM Plan Time/Parent-Teacher
Conferences
Staff Meeting
-Writing PD
Week of October
26
November
November 9

Grade Level Meeting
-Goal Setting Sessions
Staff Collaboration
Staff Meeting
Writing PD Continued
Instructional Leadership Team
November 12
November 23


November 25
December
November 30December 4
December 7
January
January 4
January 7th
January 11
January 19-22
January 25
February
February 8
February 11
February 12


Grade Level Meeting
Staff Meeting
- Vertical planning and the “Ideal Student”
 Building SIP (1/2 day)
Honor Retreat @ NorthStar
Reflecting & Celebration
 Grade Level Meeting
-Goal Setting Meetings
 Staff Meeting
- Reflection and Celebration
Gradual Release
 Teacher Planning and Preparation (full day)
 Grade Level Meetings
 Staff Meeting
-Gradual Release (Part I)
 Grade Level Meetings
-Goal Setting Meetings
 Staff Meeting
-Gradual Release (Part II)
Student Engagement & Best Instructional Practices
 Staff Meeting
-Student Engagement Using Smartboards
 Grade Level Meeting
 Elementary TEAM Plan Time (p.m.)
-SIOP
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team
Megan Schumacher
Instructional Leadership Team
Youth Frontiers
Leadership Team
Megan Schumacher
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team
Eileen Heller
Carrie Cunningham, Megan
Schumacher, Noreen Abrahamson, and
February 25

April 25th
Elementary TEAM Plan Time/Parent-Teacher
Conferences
 Staff Meeting
-Framework for Understanding Poverty
 Engaging Students in Poverty
 Grade Level Meetings
-Goal Setting Meeting
 Staff Meeting
-Framework for Understanding Poverty
 Increase Literacy Strategies
 Staff Meeting
-Literacy Strategies in Math (Writing)
 Grade Level Meetings
 Elementary TEAM Plan Time (full day)
-Rachel Billmeyer 1/2 a.m.
- Teaming- Class split Lists
 Teacher Planning and Preparation (full day)
April 26th- 29th

May
May 9th


May 11th
May 23rd
February 29th
March
March 21st -25th
March 28th
April
April 4th
April 7th
April 22nd
May 24th
June
June 29 and 30
Meagan Young
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team
Miranda Mull
Megan Schumacher
Rachel Billmeyer
Instructional Leadership Team





Grade Level Meetings
-Goal Setting Meetings
2015-2016 Successes
Staff Meeting
-Show & Share of Year’s Successes
Grade Level Meetings
Building SIP (1/2 day)
Teacher Planning and Preparation (1/2 day)
Building SIP (1/2 day)
Teacher Planning and Preparation (1/2 day)

SIP Workshops
Curriculum Instruction and Assessment
Benson West Staff
Instructional Leadership Team
Instructional Leadership Team