SAC September 2018 Minutes
ALLIES School
School Accountability Committee
Quarter 1 Meeting
2018-2019
Date: 9/19/2018
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Blended Learning Lab
MINUTES
In attendance: Jenny Betzmer, Chairperson; Mary Ellen McCluggage, DAAC representative/staff representative; Rebecca Thompson, Director
- Welcome & Introductions – (Jenny Betzmer, 5:00)
- SAC Updates (Jenny Betzmer, 5:01 - 5:10)
- Meeting Dates for 2018-19 were reviewed and approved
- By-Laws were approved. There was discussion about the requirements of reviewing and re-approving bylaws and whether that needed to be done yearly.
- The need for more participation in SAC was discussed. The committee still needs a Secretary and a Community Representative. Next year, the committee will also need a new chairperson.
DAAC Updates (DAAC Rep: Mary Ellen McCluggage (5:10 – 5:15)
- At the most recent DAAC meeting, there was discussion of issue 3B which will be on the November ballot. The proposed action would refinance existing debt and provide greater funding for D49 schools with minimal impact on individual property taxes. D49 is the 3rd lowest funded district in Colorado Springs and will experience significant enrollment growth in the near future.
- PTA Update (Jenny Betzmer, 5:15 – 5:20)
- Misty Hull, PTA President, was unable to attend, so updates were provided by Jenny Betzmer, PTA Treasurer. The PTA had a successful first meeting with strong parent participation. Fundraising projects are in place while spending projects are still being discussed. The PTA will work with Odyssey on the annual Fall Carnival in October.
- Director Report (Mrs. Thompson, 5:20 – 5:50)
- Director Thompson previewed and highlighted information from an upcoming presentation to Primary Literacy presentation to ALLIES stakeholders regarding school performance and the school performance plan. She noted student DIBELS data indicated growth in numbers if not in the color bands used by DIBELS to indicate level of intervention needed.
- She also highlighted changes that have been made to best support students, including: tweaks to schedules, lower student:teacher ratios in ELA and Math, and a cultural focus on physical exercise and growth mindset.
- Director Thompson also discussed CMAS data and rankings. 26 of 60 students took the CMAS test last spring, and the 4 who did not take the test had parental refusal signatures, bringing the school to a 100% Accountability Participation Rate. Despite this, ALLIES was given a Low Participation rating, and a Request to Reconsider this rating may be pursued.
- ALLIES made good overall growth, coming in 7 percentile points higher than the District and 5 percentile points higher than the state.
- ALLIES students ranked in the Does Not Meet category in both ELA and Math.
- ALLIES achieved an overall rating Priority Improvement, but with an increase of 2%, ALLIES would have scored in the Improvement Category.
- Director Thompson also discussed the fact that data for students at ALLIES has to be contextualized given students’ learning characteristics. Further the school will always have 4th grade students in the first year of the Take Flight program, a time at which stagnation or regression are not uncommon.
- Creation of a Google Drive folder for ALLIES SAC was discussed.
- Meeting Adjourned - 6:00 p.m.
Meetings for 2018-19:
ALLIES SAC: September 19, November 28, February 20, April 17
DAAC: August 28, September 25, October 23, December 4, January 22, February 26, March 12, April 23, May 14