Siap Complete LT 2018

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SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTION PLAN

Evidence #6
School Improvement Action Plan
(SIAP)
Gardner-Webb University
Masters of Executive Leadership Studies
Lauren Traynham
The evidence for School Improvement is an action plan developed as a result of a

collaborative effort by members of the internal and external school communities by
conducting a comprehensive analysis of student achievement, an analysis of school climate
as measured by the TWCS, an evaluation of resources necessary for school improvement,
and a graphical organizer view of the relationships among data sources, school goals and
objects, and resources. The SIAP will be the cohesive plan that includes the following
series of projects: School Data Image Project, School Data Disaggregation Project, Teacher
Working Conditions Survey Analysis Project, Resource Allocation Evaluation Project, and
Graphic Organizer. The candidate will synthesize an action plan that addresses the
strengths and opportunities for improvement of the school and examine the relationships
among the data sources and the resource availability. The SIAP will be presented to the
school administration for feedback and possible restructuring of resources that will lead to
the implementation of the action plan.
Task 1 Description: Throughout the program, candidates have been collecting and analyzing data
concerning various aspects of the school community. This project requires that candidates,
working with a team of professionals, prepares key and specific academic data for the action plan
to be presented to the School Improvement Team, the culmination of the MELS clinical
experience. Understanding this, candidates are expected to demonstrate a high level of expertise,
leadership, use of digital tools, etc. in the process of presenting the content satisfying the
conditions of the prompt.
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Instructions: The candidate will lead a professional team of educators in an analysis of school
data that will help the team formulate a clear image of the school’s academic accomplishments
and opportunities for growth. A list of areas to be considered include, but are not limited to,
attendance, discipline, standardized test results, benchmark test results, and any other data that
team members believe are pertinent to student achievement. The format of the candidate’s school
data image is left to the candidate’s own innovation, creativity, and discretion. Candidates will
disaggregate the data by subgroups (utilizing EVAAS or other data analysis tools that measure
academic progress) to set appropriate academic goals and expectations to assure each student, at
a minimal, meets or exceeds expected growth. The School Data Project will be the foundation of
the School Improvement Action Plan (SIAP).
Background info and description of setting
RLOA is a South Carolina nonprofit corporation incorporated on March 16, 2011.
RLOA operates under the name of the Royal Live Oaks Academy of the Arts and Sciences
Charter School. RLOA is a public charter school under the terms of a Charter Contract with the
South Carolina Public Charter School District and Title 59, Chapter 40, Code of Laws of South
Carolina 1976, as amended (the “Charter Schools Act”). The Charter Contract was approved by
the State Charter School District in June 2011 and expires in June 2021, subject to renewal for
additional 10-year periods. Royal Live Oaks Academy applied for a transfer in 2017 of its
sponsorship from the State Charter School District to The Charter Institute at Erskine, Inc., a
non-profit corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of South Carolina, and affiliated
with Erskine College. On November 3, 2017, the governing body of The Charter Institute at
Erskine approved the RLOA transfer application and submitted a formal request to the governing
body of the State Charter School District for an approval of such transfer. On November 30,
2017, the governing body of the State Charter School District approved the transfer, which will
become effective on July 1, 2018.
Royal Live Oaks Academy based its decision to seek the transfer upon the potential
benefits that the new sponsor will offer to its sponsored charter schools, including, without
limitation, (1) professional development seminars for all levels of faculty and administrative staff
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at the Prospective Sponsor’s sponsored schools, which seminars would be offered free of charge
and would focus on curricula analysis, student development and other matters related to
classroom instruction, (2) research opportunities to address a number of topics germane to
charter schools, include analyzing test structures and timing, student retention models, teacher
certification practices, and the impact of extracurricular study and activities on student
motivation and performance, (3) sponsorship of a Student Service Corps for Erskine College
students with the goal of providing mentoring, tutoring, and other opportunities for Erskine
College students to serve the students of participating charter schools and (4) facilitating
centralization of services for responsibilities sponsored charter schools are required to bear, but
which, whether due to a school’s size, the frequency of the requirements, or other characteristics,
are susceptible to sharing staff or technology in a way that lessens the burden for any one
individual school.
The Charter Contract is the central governing document for Royal Live Oaks, providing
guidelines for administration, teachers, parents, students, and other members of the community
as to expectations from RLOA in terms of the academic performance and the required student
conduct. The Charter Contract establishes the school’s culture and helps to distinguish the
school’s “brand” in its service area of the public school market. The Charter Contract is subject
to termination by the charter sponsor as set forth in the Charter Contract or pursuant to the
Charter Schools Act.
Royal Live Oaks Academy’s vision is to create and sustain a cohesive community and its
stated mission is built around the ideal that “every child should taste success; no child deserves
to fail.” RLOA strives to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of the community’s
21st century learners to prepare them for citizenship, leadership, and success in a
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rapidly-changing world by providing an individualized, hands-on, engaged learning environment
where every child can succeed. RLOA prides itself on its belief that students will excel and
benefit from challenging experiential learning experiences provided through project-based
learning, Project Lead the Way, and the variety of other programs offered within the school.
RLOA believes students with 21st century skills will become community leaders, as well as
global leaders and seek to build these learners through community outreach.
Royal Live Oaks Academy commenced operations in 2011 and had its first school year in
2012-2013. Located in Jasper County, South Carolina. RLOA primarily serves students in the
tri-county area of Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper Counties, but it is authorized to serve students
throughout the State, thus empowering the school to be a multi-county solution for families
seeking a public school choice model. As a public charter school, there is no tuition charge for
students. Royal Live Oaks Academy is located in Jasper County, the southernmost county in
South Carolina, found in the “lowcountry” near the Atlantic Ocean. The school can be found in
the City of Hardeeville, which is geographically the only official city in the county. Jasper
County consists of roughly 25,000 residents, with Hardeeville making up nearly 4,789 of those
residents. According to data taken from the US Census Bureau, The Island Packet stated that
“Hardeeville posted the highest population growth rate of any municipality in South Carolina,
growing 53.4 percent from 2010 to 2014.”
RLOA serves a rural, high-poverty area where the majority of the public schools within
the area are considered “priority schools,” meaning they have failed to meet expected progress
on student achievement as measured annually by the South Carolina Department of Education.
Founders Les and Karen Wicks opened RLOA in an effort to provide these students with an
alternative to the education offered by traditional public schools in the area. RLOA focuses on
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the individual needs of students by striving to serve each student’s particular learning style in a
project-based curriculum and a small-school environment. Although RLOA’s students have
generally scored below average in standardized tests as compared to state averages, the student
body consistently outperforms students in Jasper County’s other public schools and exceeds
expected student growth as identified by the EVAAS system.
RLOA’s student body reflects the overall demographic and socio-economic
characteristics of the area in that the student population is roughly equally divided among
African-American, Caucasian and Hispanic students and approximately 90% of its student
qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. RLOA serves approximately 1,700 free meals each day.
The approximate number of students enrolled is 639. The breakdown of the student population
at the school is:
Ethnicity # of students
American Indian/Alaskan 3
Asian/Pacific Islander 2
Black/African American 208
Hispanic/Latino 261
White/Caucasian 153
Two or more races 12
The following table for the 2017-2018 school year, sets forth the total number of students, by
grade level, who are enrolled at RLOA as of December 1, 2017 and those who remain on the
waitlist after lottery.
Demand in the 2017-2018 School Year

Wait List
Grade Enrolled After Lottery
K 42 2
1 53 5
2 55 10
3 55 10
4 50 6
5 52 22
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6 60 22
7 61 16
8 59 12
9 59 0
10 50 0
11 36 0
12 20 0
Total 652 105
The school operates on an extended day program Monday through Thursday, releasing at noon
on Friday. High School students enrolled at Royal Live Oaks Academy attend 4 90-minute
semester blocks per day and one 50-minute yearlong block. In the middle and elementary
school, students attend yearlong classes with the exception of related arts which is on a rotation.
Royal Live Oaks Academy employs 37 certified educators with 45% holding advanced
degrees. The school employs 2 principals, 1 Chief Executive Officer, and 1 School Director. In
addition, the school employs the following people: one school counselor, one ESOL Director,
one administrative assistant, two academic K-5 coaches (math & reading), 5 ESOL teachers, 3
reading interventionists, one Special Education Director, one school resource officer, and 6
paraprofessionals. High school department teachers are broken down as follows: one science,
two English, two math, two social studies, one foreign language, two fine arts, one physical
education, and two career technologies.
The average student to teacher ratio is 20:1. Royal Live Oaks Academy opened in 2012
as a K-8 institution and has extended into a K-12 school since that time. In 2017, Royal Live
Oaks graduated it first senior class. The school is a TransformSC School and is in the process of
seeking AdvancED Accreditation.
Physical description & location
RLOA began its operations in 2011 and is currently located on the former site of the
Hardeeville Elementary School at 1398 Church Rd. in Hardeeville, SC. RLOA entered into an
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operating lease on July 2, 2012 with Jasper County School District for an initial term of ten
years, with an option to extend for an additional ten-year period. This leased facility offers the
least expensive available space and is centrally located in the tri-county area. Royal Live Oaks
Academy’s campus includes sixteen (16) modular buildings with 32 classrooms across the K-12
campus. The school currently has no on-site athletic facilities and utilizes the public
recreational department as well as facilities at the local district’s middle school.
In December 2013, Gray RE Holdings, LLC gifted approximately 26 acres of real
property on John Smith Road in Hardeeville, Jasper County, South Carolina to the county for the
purpose of establishing a public charter school on the site. Through USDA financing, Royal
Live Oaks Academy will construct an approximately 70,000 square foot facility on the donated
which will house kindergarten through twelfth grade in three (3) academic wings separating the
traditional elementary, middle and high school grades. A common area will serve as cafeteria
and assembly space and central “hub” for the academic spaces. With this physical growth,
increased enrollment is expected by RLOA. The floorplan of the school, expected to open in
2019 is seen in Appendix A.
Prompt: The candidate will lead a professional team of educators in an analysis of school data
that will help the team formulate a clear image of the school’s academic accomplishments and
opportunities for growth. A list of areas to be considered include, but are not limited to,
attendance, discipline, standardized test results, benchmark test results, and any other data that
team members believe are pertinent to student achievement. The format of the candidate’s school
data image is left to the candidate’s own innovation, creativity, and discretion. Candidates will
disaggregate the data by subgroups (utilizing EVAAS or other data analysis tools that measure
academic progress) to set appropriate academic goals and expectations to assure each student, at
a minimal, meets or exceeds expected growth. The School Data Project will be the foundation of
the School Improvement Action Plan (SIAP). The School data project should:
 clearly convey leadership of a collaborative team in analysis of school’s academic standing
utilizing multiple data sources.
 communicate findings to the School Improvement Team clearly and accurately.
 use subgroups to reflect on current status of academic progress and set appropriate academic
goals and expectations to assure each student, at a minimum, meets or exceeds expected growth
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PLC research
Collaborative professional learning is an essential aspect of today’s educational system.
This process comes in the form of professional learning communities, or PLCs. PLCs are the
practice of teachers and other educational professionals coming together through inquiry,
collaboration, reflection, and implementation to create or answer a specific, identified problem or
concern. According to Pirtle & Tobia, researchers have identified that professional learning
communities provide an “effective, learning-focused process that can foster improvement in
teaching and learning.” For PLCs to truly be effective, there are specific best practices that
should be followed throughout the process.
Professional learning communities should include qualified teachers and school
administrators who are personally invested in the work at hand, seeking to increase and improve
student and school success. It is imperative that administrators create an environment that fosters
collaboration. Research shows that despite evidence of educators knowing that working
collaboratively with other teachers is best practice, many teachers continue to work alone rather
than utilizing support from peers (DuFour, 2004). This is problematic when research has shown
that student achievement increases when there is collaboration among teachers. Data has shown
that teachers believe that personal learning communities promote and increase collaboration.
This is why PLCs are essential to education today and should commonly be used in schools.
(Adams, Ross, Vescio 2008). By utilizing PLCs school administrators will be encouraging
teachers to engage in professional relationships outside of their classroom by breaking the trend
of isolation.
Beyond the promotion of collaboration, PLCs must have a clear, meaningful objective.
According to Kriete (2013), “for collaboration, buy-in, and trust to take place, PLC meetings
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must have clear objectives.” In addition, these objectives must be student-centered and seek to
support student learning and achievement with a focus on results. Effective professional
learning communities focus on objectives and goals that can be changed at the school level,
rather than focusing on topics that are beyond classroom teacher control (Kriete, 2013). These
objectives and goals identified early in the PLC are what sets these meetings apart from
traditional staff meetings. The objectives of a professional learning community are focused on
ongoing improvement in learning and performance, from both educators and students. This
ongoing improvement is centered around data, reflection, and growth.
Data is a constant element of a professional learning community. To begin, data is the
primary source used to determine the focus of the PLC. This data is often taken from
standardized test results. As the PLC progresses new data is gathered, and teachers should use
that to reflect on the effectiveness of the PLC process so far (Provini, 2012). With a focus on
results, the data gathered throughout the process of the PLC is used to drive the actions of the
team. This data might be from a benchmark assessment or other gathered evidences of student
learning. If this is not occurring within the PLC, it is not likely it will be effective and encourage
student or educator growth. Rather than just analyzing and presenting data, teachers in a PLC
should take the data and work collaboratively to develop solutions by sharing best practices and
teaching experiences. This will also continue to help build a cohesive, supportive teaching
community, an important aspect of a PLC (DuFour, 2004).
Professional learning communities, when developed effectively, can help transform
student learning and the overall school community. When all team members dedicate themselves
to the process, the collaborative measures within the PLC will increase the likelihood that
student learning and success will expand. Ensuring that all team members are committed to the
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process is perhaps one of the largest challenges of the PLC for the administrator. However, when
the collaborative and nurturing foundation has been laid by the administrator, and teachers are
invested and ready to work hard in the process, the benefits of an appropriately built PLC are
innumerable.
PLC selection
The primary focus of our PLC at Royal Live Oaks Academy will be developing a high
school literacy program. End of course assessment scores at the high school level have been
consistently below average. The PLC will work collaboratively to create a literacy program that
will support the needs of high school students struggling in the area of reading comprehension in
the hopes that standardized test scores will increase. The PLC will consist of the following
Royal Live Oaks Academy team members:
1. Richard Fumbi, English Department Head
2. Robin Connolly, English I Instructor
3. Darus Williams, Middle School Director
The members of the PLC were selected due to their professional knowledge, skills, and strengths
as individuals. Each member of the team has a direct stake in the problem being addressed in
throughout the duration of this PLC. In addition, each member of the team is ready and willing
to dedicate themselves to the process to better the learning opportunity for all students in the
school.
PLC meeting
To begin, the team reviewed the purpose of PLCs in education and identifying the vision
for this particular PLC. The team had previously been in meetings where high school End of
Course (EOC) exam data was presented. In these meetings, it was evident that there is great
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room for growth in regard to student success on all EOC examinations. It was agreed upon that a
large need for our school is a literacy program that extends into the high school to support
student literacy skills and prepare them for standardized tests. This was concluded because all
members of the PLC agree that there is a direct correlation in student reading comprehension
skills and EOC pass/fail rates. After these items were discussed, the team spent the remainder of
the meeting identifying team norms, such as determining future meeting dates, how decisions
will be made, participation expectations, and confidentiality details.
The candidate has determined, with the assistance of PLC research and team member
input, the foundation that is necessary for this PLC to thrive. All members of the PLC have
decided to be open to all ideas from each team member, be prepared for each meeting, and to be
open with sharing concerns and problems as the PLC progresses. With the proper commitment,
understanding of the PLC process, and willingness to work hard it is expected that this PLC will
be effective to positively impacting student learning and educator growth.
Data collection strategies
To begin the data collection process the candidate and the PLC team chose to look at data
that would identify a source of problem for the overall test scores within the school. The
candidate then collected data from 2016-2017 school End of Course (EOC) scores for all
subjects (US History, English 1, Biology, and Algebra 1), and for college admissions tests
(ACT/SAT). For the EOC, this data was broken down into two sub groups per subject (Figure
1):
1. % of Students Who Passed
2. % of Students Who Did Not Pass

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No seniors or juniors at the candidate’s school took the SAT, so ACT data was collected instead.
Test scores were broken down based on subject tested and their score range (Figure 2).
According to this data, it was then determined necessary to investigate the possibility of an
underlying cause to the reason that the overall test scores in the school were not successful across
all subjects. The next set of data that was collected was taken from school MAP Assessment
reading scores for the Fall 2017-2018 beginning of year test. This data was taken and broken
down into the following overall groups (Figure 3):
1. % Met Overall
2. % Not Met Overall
The MAP Data was perhaps the most telling at the high-school level. As a charter school, we are
judged and deemed successful based on a variety of things. According to our charter
specifically, MAP scores play a direct role in that. As a school, our focus is on growth in which
we have been successful as a K-12 institution. However, at the upper level this is not as evident.
As the PLC Leader, the candidate held a preliminary belief there is a direct correlation between
the reading scores data from MAP Assessments and student success on EOC examinations
across all subjects. This data was then taken and compared further with the PLC team in which
it was agreed that there is a relationship between both sets of test scores.
Criteria and process for identifying the most pressing need
The candidate determined the process for collecting the data, the data was taken and
reviewed with the PLC team. Once the PLC team reviewed this data and specific needs were
identified, the most pressing need was determined. The data taken from the MAP scores in each
skill area were taken and broken down into the following overall groups based on student (Figure
4 and 5):
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1. % Met by Grade
2. % Not Met by Grade
3. % on Track (ACT College Readiness)
4. % not on Track (ACT College Readiness)
Once this information was broken down further, the candidate along with the PLC identified that
there is a weakness in student reading skills on the campus. Because of this data, it is the belief
of the team that student reading comprehension skills are impacting test scores across all subjects
area EOCs and other high stakes tests (ACT, SAT, and MAP scores).
Collaborative data analysis
Through looking at the data, the team determined that as a whole the school is not
producing students that are college and career ready based on EOC, ACT, and MAP scores. The
team overall felt concern of having the majority of students on the high school campus not
“college and career ready” according to MAP data and ACT College readiness tests. While EOC
scores are important, the data of the MAP and ACT tests are most concerning and indicative to
how well the students do on their EOC tests. Both sets of data were deemed by the team to be
correlated. The PLC team discussed concerns for how reading skills impact tests across all
subject areas, especially high-level content found in the sciences and social studies.
Most pressing need
After analyzing the data, the team collaboratively agreed that the most pressing need at
the school is the need for a literacy program that supports struggling readers and classroom
initiatives. Currently the school’s literacy program extends only from the K-8 classrooms. After
students have entered high school, interventions that were occurring are ended. The ultimate
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goal of the team is to develop a program to eliminate this need at the high school level. The PLC
team additionally collaborated to create the following SMART goal for the overall PLC:
By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, we will have created a ready to implement high
school literacy program that will support teachers across all subject areas.
Data presentation
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the percentage of students who either passed or failed their EOC. The only
subject areas in which the majority of students passed were US History and English 1. Typically
in South Carolina the English 1 and Algebra 1 EOC is taken in 9th grade, Biology is taken in
10th grade, and US History is taken in 11th grade. To get a score of “passing” on the EOC,
students must score 60% or higher. According to that data, our school would have a “failing”
average.
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Figure 2
Assessment: ACT (College Entrance Exams)

Historical Data (Performance by Raw Score Bands, Range of 1-36)
Number
2015 0-9 10-18 19-27 28-36
Tested
English 4 1 3
Math 4 4
Reading 4 3 1
Science 4 1 2 1
The chart above shows ACT for 4 seniors at the candidates school who took the college
admission test. On average, the students scored in the 10-18 range which is below the state
average of 18.7 in South Carolina and the national average of 21. Only 1 student scored above
the average in the subjects of Reading and Science.
Figure 3
Figure 3 shows the percentage of students who met or did not meet the standard per grade level
according to their MAP reading scores. The chart shows the results for the 9-12th grade students
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as a whole. According to the data, only 53% of students at the high school level are on grade
level for reading. This data supports the theory that other standardized test scores could be
directly related to these scores.
Figure 4
In Figure 4 you can see the breakdown of MAP Reading scores per grade based on the
percentage of students who met or did not meet the grade level norm. The largest area of
concern are the students who are currently in 10th grade. The current 9th grade class had the
highest percentage of students who were on grade level in reading.
Figure 5
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This data shows the number of students who were identified as "On Track" to being college and
career ready according to ACT standards. This data is determined based on their success on their
quarterly MAP test data. This data is quite interesting, because even though many students are
on grade level in reading, their skills in the various areas in which they are tested are not strong
enough to deem them college and career ready. Developing a program that can assist these
students in increasing those skills, is essential according to data. This data is only collected on
students in 9th and 10th grade.
Literature review
The candidate, along with the PLC team, concluded based on the data taken from
standardized and benchmark assessments that there were major pressing needs that needed to be
addressed at the high school level of the school. The need identified as the most pressing need is
the development of a high school literacy program that supports both teachers and students. The
literacy program would seek to support students who are identified as below grade level, but also
prepare all high school students become college and career ready.
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Literacy, specifically the ability the read, can single-handedly make or a break a student
when it comes to success both in school and later in life. To support this statement, the OECD
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) identified in their 2012 assessment
findings that 82% of students performed at Level 2 (OECD, 2014). At its most basic
understanding, Level 2 students are considered to be at the “baseline level of proficiency at
which students begin to demonstrate the reading level competencies that will enable them to
participate effectively and productively in life” (p. 195). Additionally, according to further data
collected by the 2009 Youth in Transition Survey, students not surpassing Level 2 face a much
higher risk of “poor post-secondary participation or low-labor market outcomes at age 19, and
even more so at 21” (p. 195). To further This data shows that we cannot just focus on
developing a culture of literacy in our school for struggling readers, but all readers at the
secondary level.
A major reason that we are failing to prepare students, and reading comprehensions skills
are becoming stagnant after 4th grade, could be due to a concept known as “aliteracy”. Brinda
(2011) stated that, “aliteracy,” is “parallel to apolitical, for people who were able to political but
chose not to” (para. 8). What this means is students at a certain point know how to read, but they
are choosing not to, specifically at the middle and high school levels. This could be due to
engagement, inappropriate curriculum, or ineffective teaching practices (Brinda 2011). Students
are choosing not to read because they are not engaged, and this directly impacts their literacy
skills, diminishing their ability to perform on appropriate academic levels for the rest of their life
(Brozo et. al, 2007). One major element in fighting “aliteracy” could be linked to drawing
meaningful connections to the academic content we are presenting to students. As educators, we
should constantly be assessing our students’ interest along with our teaching strategies to make
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sure we are supporting students in drawing meaningful connections to the content. Knoll
(2000) adds that “Adolescents at the secondary level may, in many cases, be going through a
period of change in their own lives which may obstruct or interfere with the academic goals” (p.
26). What would happen if we could take advantage of these changes and events, and provide
literature in our class that relates to that? According to Brinda (2011), students are not interested
in reading something that does not connect immediately with their interests. The strategies of
this PLC to create a literacy program that supports all readers at the high school level must keep
these things in mind.
It is essential that students who are below grade-level are receiving the required
intervention according to rTi frameworks. This school wide initiative is in the works to ensure
that all students who have not met grade level goals are being provided the resources they need
to succeed. While that is essential, the purpose of this PLC will be to present strategies that can
be utilized in the classroom by regular education teachers that are embedded in their day to day
classroom culture, as literacy must be supported in all aspects of the school to truly make a
difference. The first element of this literacy initiative is to train teachers to implement digital
resources across all subject areas in an effort to promote disciplinary literacy.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Education, disciplinary literacy is defined as:
“…the confluence of content knowledge, experiences, and skills merged with the ability
to read, write, listen, speak, think critically and perform in a way that is meaningful
within the context of a given field.”
McConachie et al. (2006), stated that many classroom teachers already have reservations
and concerns about implementing literacy instruction alongside their required content
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instruction, most commonly due to time restraints and pressures. The intention of the PLC will
be to develop strategies to support the content classroom teachers are responsible for, and that
will encourage the teacher to support the initiative. It is the belief of the PLC team that a
disciplinary literacy framework can do that. McConachie et al. (2006) identifies that the
framework is established in five specific principles:
1) Knowledge & thinking must go hand in hand.
2) Learning is an apprenticeship.
3) Teachers mentor students.
4) Instruction & assessment drive each other.
5) Classroom culture socializes intelligence.
When keeping these five principles in mind, teachers will be able to develop “rigorous,
inquiry-based instruction that integrates academic content and discipline appropriate habits of
thinking,” (McConachie et al., 2006). This supports research that says that students who are
engaged and drawing real-life connections to the content, will be able to increase their literacy
skills and understanding of the content. This will support the need to help students get on grade
level in reading, and help prepare students to become college and career ready.
The first element of this disciplinary based literacy initiative will be to implement weekly
scheduled reading times within all content area classes, both core and elective. The online tool
that the PLC team has deemed most useful for this is NewsELA. NewsELA is an online reading
resource tool that allows teachers to assign content relevant non-fiction texts to students at the
discretion of the teacher. This resource also allows teachers to differentiate instruction by
changing the Lexile level on the article and a student by student basis. When the Lexile level is
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changed, certain aspects of the article are changed as well (vocabulary, reading level, etc.), but
the content itself remains the same. Each student will take away the same information, but at a
level that is appropriate for their understanding. In addition, each reading incorporates both a
multiple-choice question set and an extended response question. These features will support the
initiative to effectively implement disciplinary literacy strategies to increase student
performance. According to educator Adam Schoenbart (2016),
“The website is filled with relevant and interesting non-fiction articles that can be sorted
by topic or grouped by thematic text sets. With the click of a button, a user can adjust the
Lexile level and differentiate the difficulty of the reading. There are also challenging
multiple choice questions that accompany each piece. The questions and overall word
count change as you switch between the 5 different levels.”
The PLC team feels this tool will provide more teacher buy-in as it contains relevant, interesting
articles that can be connected to content while also being user friendly. Teachers can track
student mastery of reading skills and monitor and track student performance on assessments.
This resource will also be useful as teachers are trained in the next element the PLC team has
deemed as a solution.
The next element of the literacy initiative will be in support of making sure all students in
grades 9-12 have the literacy skills to be considered “college and career ready.” The PLC team
feels it necessary to train and educate all high school teachers in using authentic Project Based
Learning (PBL) in their classroom according to the Buck Institute of Education Gold Standard.
Project based learning additionally supports the disciplinary literacy framework previously
mentioned. According to the Buck Institute of Education (BIE), PBL is “a teaching method in
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which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to
investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge.”
Ellison and Moje (2016) stated that, “research on instruction makes it clear that people learn best
when they are engaged in meaningful inquiry with a clear problem frame.” Taking it one step
further, “setting a purpose for reading serves both as a motivational tool and a tool for improving
comprehension” (p.28). This is a major reason why PBL has been proven successful in many
schools in which students have been identified as underperforming. In project-based learning,
the teacher-student role changes when the teacher “facilitates the learning process by providing
or helping acquire resources, monitoring group processes, and coaching students in the
metacognitive processes” (p.50). Metacognitive process includes: problem-solving,
collaboration, communication, reflection, and self-evaluation, all essential skills that are needed
to be college and career ready. The challenge or problems given to the student to solve, given
them a purpose to read and find a solution, especially when the problem is connected to them
personally. This fits the narrative that research has shown plays into student achievement and
enhancement of their literacy skills continuing into high school, without becoming stagnant.
Additionally, if we look at data from Archie E. Hill (2014), we see continued reported evidence
that PBL activities can increase literacy in struggling readers. In this research, Hill identifies
how interdisciplinary, project-based, multimodal (IPM) activities “help improve reading
engagement, which is critical to comprehension and reading achievement.” Hill identifies the
“importance of using IPM strategies to bridge the gap between in-school literacies and
out-of-school literacies to improve literacy development.” Furthermore, these activities are
effective and efficient in reaching across content areas to bridge the literacy gap (p.451).
Research shows that PBL can elicit motivation and increase cognitive processes, which will in
23
return develop and broaden the reading comprehension skills of the participants. Additionally,
there is a correlation between PBL and student engagement and motivation, thus allowing the
opportunity for the use of PBL in the classroom to assist in developing reading and writing skills
would be a best practice solution. The personal experiences that the researcher has had in using
PBL in the classroom previously, with non-reluctant readers, mirror the evidence contained in
this research. The data leads the candidate and the PLC team to believe that the methods will be
effective in the candidate’s school where a high number of students scored below grade level on
standardized assessments. The team is confident this method will allow the students to increase
their motivation to read and their overall comprehension scores and support their ability to be
college and career ready (The State of South Carolina: School Report Card, 2015).
Annotated Bibliography
“About Read 180 Universal.” Blended Learning Program- About Read 180,
www.hmhco.com/products/read-180/about-us.php.
This resource provides information to interested parties about the “Read 180” program
that was developed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Read 180 is a multi-faceted literacy tool that
seeks to help schools increase literacy skills in K-12 schools. This program would be good for
schools looking to spend money to implement a school wide literacy program. This program can
be implemented in a variety of methods including small group, whole group, and individualized
learning experiences.
Brinda, W. (2011). A “ladder to literacy” engages reluctant readers. Middle School Journal,
43(2), 8.
24
In this article, Wayne Brinda, assistant professor of secondary education at University of
Pittsburg, discusses the idea of the “ladder to literacy” and engaging reluctant readers as they
move into more complex reading at the middle level. The author highlights the importance of
utilizing reading materials that relate to the students on a personal level to help increase
motivation and engagement. This idea led Brinda to the discussion of the term “aliteracy.”
Aliteracy is summarized basically as being able to read, but choosing to not do so, for whatever
reason. Brinda summarizes the idea of the “ladder to literacy” and identifies each rung of the
ladder, and that each step in the ladder is equally important in the process. This article supports
and provides valid research as to why this concept is important and should be considered when
developing literacy programs to support high school students.
Brozo, W.G., Shiel, G., & Topping, K. (2007). Engagement in reading: Lessons learned from
three PISA countries. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 51(4), 304-315.
In this article, William G. Brozo, Professor of Literacy at George Mason University,
along with Gerry Shiel, a professor at St. Patrick’s College in Dublin, Ireland, and Keith
Topping, a professor at University of Dundee, Scotland, analyze data from the Program for
International Student Assessments (PISA) to provide educators methods for motivating students
for reading engagement. The authors look at the data from three English speaking countries, of
which the United States scored the lowest on average. Based on the data, the authors identified
broad suggestions for reaching specific groups of students in terms of engagement based on s ex,
race, and a variety of other demographic breakdowns. The authors identified the importance of
variety and including student-choice texts in their class. This article provided best practice
examples of what would work in engaging students and increasing literacy skills in upper level
students.
25
Education for all 2000-2015: Achievements and challenges (2nd ed.). (2015). Paris: UNESCO.
This resource provides evidence of achievements and challenges in regard to reading
comprehension and literacy. This is from a global perspective and showcases the challenges and
achievements of a variety of educational systems. This data is useful for identifying common
problems and seeing how other countries perform. In addition, the reports show the numbers of
illiterate adults and impacts on overall quality of life.
Ellison, T.L., & Moje, E.B. (2016). Extended—and extending—literacies. Journal of Education,
196(3), 27-24.
In this article, the authors look at the impact of the study by Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, &
Wilkinson from 1985 titled, Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission of
Reading or BNR. The authors stated that this study looks at extending literacy beyond the early
grades and encompassing literacy in all subjects as students increase in age. The authors look to
take the ideas from the BNR one step further through extending literacies into students’ everyday
lives. It was evident that the authors felt the need to bridge the gap between the outside and
inside school lives of students to the content to make it meaningful. This article identified the
importance of extending literacy initiatives beyond the lower-level grades and there are
takeaways from the article that can be implement in both middle and high school classes in the
form of Project-Based Learning.
Hill, A. E. (2014) Using interdisciplinary, project-based, multimodal activities to facilitate
literacy across the content areas. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(6),
450-460.
26
Archie E. Hill, a public-school teacher for Prince William County Public Schools in
Woodbridge, VA, details in his article the method for which he uses interdisciplinary,
project-based, multimodal (IPM) activities to increase and integrate literacy across all subject
areas. In the article, it was identified that these activities allow the students a creative and high
interest platform that apply, reinforce, and integrate their knowledge and learning across content
areas. The author also suggests that each part of the IPM is meant to engage the student and
develop their literacy skills. The idea that these projects are more engaging than traditional style
learning is supported by research completed in 2010 by Liu and Wang. Hill’s article also details
the idea of Concept Oriented Reading Instruction, or CORI, incorporates many ideas that are
found in project based learning, including: using content goals, student choice, hands-on
activities, using interesting texts, and collaboration for learning. These concepts are said to
increase student motivation and allow for reading engagement among students, which is also
supported by research by Guthrie and colleagues (1994). Overall, the article included takeaways
that would be implemented in a classroom that is looking to increase student engagement in an
effort to increase student performance.
Knoll, C. (2000) The relationship between motivation and reading comprehension. Masters
Theses, Paper 497. Grand Valley State University.
In this Master Theses, written by Christopher L. Knoll, a former graduate student at
Grand Valley State University, explored the relationship between motivation and reading
comprehension. This study consistently showed that students are more likely to comprehend
what they are reading when it is of interest to them. In the theses, Knoll identifies ways in which
motivation could be increased, such as increasing personal value in what is being read (helps
increase intrinsic motivation). Knoll also identifies that if teachers think they will have an
27
impact on reading comprehension performance on standardized tests, they will most have an
impact. There is relevant data in this article to support and provide best practice for literacy in
upper grades. The information is relevant to upper level teachers looking to increase reading
comprehension skills.
McConachie, S., Hall, M., Resnick, L., Ravi, A. K., Bill, V. L., Bintz, J., & Taylor, J. A. (2006).
Task, Text, and Talk. Educational Leadership, 64(2), 8-14.
This article provides best practice and information about the concept of disciplinary
based literacy. It gives examples and support behind the concept and the benefits of using this
practice in the classroom. There are many takeaways from this article that support using this to
promote overall literacy through teacher-based instruction in all classrooms, not just ELA. This
article would be beneficial for anyone seeking to incorporate literacy in their classroom outside
of ELA.
PISA 2012 Results: What students know and can do –Student performance in mathematics,
reading and science (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014), PISA, OECD
Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201118-en
This resource provides analyzed data of literacy trends across a variety of subjects from a
global perspective. This research allows countries to track the standard performance of
educational systems to monitor and track growth and identify needs. This resource provided a
snapshot into the number of global citizens who are able to read at an academic level,
showcasing that many people in the world can only read on a basic level. This resource is a good
option for someone seeking to compare how our students stack up globally and be able to
investigate best practices of the highest performing countries.

28
“ReadWorks.” ReadWorks, www.readworks.org/
This website provides information about the “ReadWorks” online library of literary
works for teachers and students. This resource provides leveled readers that can be used in the
classroom for support and instruction. While not as user friendly as other leveled readers, this
program has positives that can support even non-ELA teachers in providing reading content in
their subject areas that is relevant and meaningful for students.
“What Is Project Based Learning (PBL)?” What Is PBL? | Project Based Learning | BIE,
www.bie.org/about/what_pbl.
This website provides information about project-based learning and how to most
effectively implement this method of teaching. On this website you can find templates,
academic research, evidence, support blogs, and a variety of other resources to assist you in
learning about PBL. This resource would be beneficial for someone who is new to the concept
or seasoned in implementation.
Schoolwide Academic Performance & Behavior
For the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, RLOA was designated as a Palmetto
Silver school and also for achieving a rating of “5” for student academic growth on the
Education Value-Added Assessment System with respect to the applicable State tests. The
school was also identified as an EVAAS 5 school in 2016-2017. Overall, the scores at the school
are not perfect, however, the school is meeting growth goals, especially in comparison to the
traditional schools in the area. Figures 6 through 8 below show the historical standardized tests
scores of the school.

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Figure 6. Assessment: Royal Live Oaks Academy SC EOC (D or above equals passing)
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Algebra --- 61.1% 60.0% 54.4% 23.5%
Biology --- --- 50.0% 78% 42.3%
English --- 72.2% 75.0% 72% 58.6%
US History 44% 53.9%
Figure 7. Assessment: SC PASS RLOA (Humanities)
Historical Data By Subject and Grade Level (Met or Exemplary)
Science 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
3 38.1% 50.0% --- --- ---
4 63.8% 37.3% 38.2% 18.9% 33.3%
5 44.0% 44.0% 25.0% 33.9% 26.4%
6 34.8% 61.5% 37.0% 44.4% 24.6%
7 56.8% 42.3% 57.7% 61.5% 33.3%
8 71.4% 54.5% 57.7% 41.5% 37%
Social Studies 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

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3 61.9% 36% --- --- ---
4 76.6% 82.4% 72.7% 60.4% 64.8%
5 3% 48% 28.8% 46.4% 60.4%
6 40% 66.7% 51.9% 55.6% 65.6%
7 43.2% 38.5% 53.8% 51.9% 43.1%
8 50% 45% 51.9% 52.8% 50%
Figure 8. RLOA Assessment: Math and English Proficiency
Historical Data PASS VS ACT Aspire.
Writing 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
3 51.1% 48.1% 6.0% --- ---
4 62.5% 66% 26.9% --- ---
5 54% 69.4% 9.6% --- ---
6 52.2% 70.4% 23.1% --- ---
7 70.5% 58.5% 36.5% --- ---
8 62.5% 72.1% 31.4% --- ---
ELA 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

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3 70.7% 64.2% 10% 39.1% 38.2%
4 70.2% 76.6% 25% 9.6% 38.9%
5 74% 66% 28.8% 16.1% 23.1%
6 56.3% 52.8% 23.1% 42.6% 23.4%
7 75% 55.8% 40.4% 27% 27.4%
8 63.2% 59.5% 35.3% 22.7% 34.7%
Math 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
3 38.1% 34% 33.3% 41.3% 36.4%
4 66% 51% 29.1% 3.8% 27.8%
5 44% 42% 25% 12.5% 19.6%
6 35.4% 39.6% 27.8% 27.8% 16.4%
7 52.3% 46.2% 17.3% 13.4% 21.5%
8 64.1% 52.4% 7.7% 13.2% 17.4%
Additionally, each year the school utilizes NWEA MAP Testing to assess student growth in both
Math and ELA. This data is based on the individual student and assesses personalized growth
goals. It is important to note that for some students, their growth goal does not mean that they
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have reached grade level expectations. The historical scores for that assessment can be seen in
Figure 9 below.
Figure 9. Assessment: NWEA MAP
Historical Data: Percentage of Students Meeting or Exceeding Individual Growth Goals
ELA 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
K 25.0 50.0% 44.1% 55%
1 42.1 40.0% 45.5% 40%
2 30.7 35.9% 55.6% 64%
3 39.2 42.3% 68.6% 53%
4 56.5 56.9% 62.5% 49%
5 33.0 63.3% 46.1% 64%
6 34.7 55.3% 56.3% 53%
7 53.6 66.7% 55.4% 58%
8 36.3 72.3% 61.4% 59%
9 47.0 36.7% 61.0% 52%
10 33.3% 67.3% 47%
11
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Math 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
K 45.0 69.8% 67.7% 59%
1 65.0 60.0% 50.0% 54%
2 50.0 31.6% 63.9% 50%
3 52.9 43.1% 45.3% 36%
4 45.4 54.2% 21.6% 17%
5 36.3 58.3% 66.2% 67%
6 65.2 56.8% 52.3% 47%
7 28.5 76.1% 58.1% 50%
8 54.5 64.4% 69.8% 62%
9 47.0 75.0% 55.2% 40%
10 66.7% 83.4% 60%
11
Overall, students have been achieving growth rates within the school, but there is still a long way
to go in regard to pulling every child to grade-level. Teachers participate in yearly PD
opportunities that allow them to understand Best Practice instructional strategies and working
with children poverty.

34
Overall, Royal Live Oaks Academy has typical behavior issues. The majority of
incidents are in relation to insubordination or failure to comply to requests. Only 1% of students
were identified as being expelled or given Out of School Suspension that was based upon violent
and/or criminal actions. In the past year, only four on campus fights have occurred. All K-12
Teachers follow the CHAMPS as a method for classroom management and behavior, which
along with consistent parent contact, has played a great role in minimizing negative and/or
disruptive behaviors.
Special programs & instruction
RLOA was previously selected as a TransformSC school, which provides the school with
partnerships between statewide educators and corporations. RLOA is the only Project Lead the
Way (“PLTW”) school in Jasper County, which allows students from kindergarten through high
school to experience engineering and robotics instruction. PLTW is a provider of Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (“STEM”) education curricular programs used in middle
and high schools across the United States. STEM education helps students develop
critical-reasoning and problem-solving skills. STEM education programs like the one offered by
PLTW engage students in activities, projects, and problem-based learning, which provide
hands-on classroom experiences. Students create, design, build, discover, collaborate and solve
problems while applying what they learn in math and science. They are also exposed to STEM
fields through professionals from local industries who supplement the real-world aspect of the
curriculum through mentorships and workplace experiences.
Additionally, in an effort to serve the special education population, Royal Live Oaks
Academy provides a variety of programs. According to standards set within IDEA, RLOA
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provides its qualifying students with necessary support programs to provide them with a “Free
and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).” These programs include the Exceptional Children’s
(EC) program, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), Title I, and Section 504. All services and
programs are based on the needs of each individual student based on their overall performance
and current abilities. Special education services are provided once they have been determined by
the appropriate documents, such as an IEP. At Royal Live Oaks Academy, approximately 6.9%
of its students identified as having disabilities and utilizing special education services, such as
one on one resource time with the Special Education Department staff. Additionally, 5% of
students have been identified as Gifted & Talented and have been provided specialized learning
opportunities such as participation in the Young Scholars program. The largest population of
special services is the LEP students who receive ESOL services. According to the most recent
school survey, approximately 42.4% of students receive these services. At Royal Live Oaks
Academy, the school seeks to continually provide the appropriate services for each student based
upon their individual needs as learners.
Focusing specifically on the students with IEPs, there are a variety of learning
environments that may be chosen based on the student’s needs. For example, EC students may
be placed into regular classrooms with accomodations only needed from the regular education
teacher, a resource room with direct instruction from the Special Education teacher, or a blended
setting where the student spends time in both SPED and General Education classes.. The smallest
population of services provided at RLOA are those in a self-contained classroom with significant
behavioral/cognitive challenges. The largest number of students participate in resource services,
where they visit the special education teacher during a designated time to work with students on
specific skills and and content.

36
The 42.4% of LEP students at RLOA currently receive ESOL services in a variety of
methods. Each year the students are tested and assigned a level based on WIDA screening.
Based on their scores, students are then identified with the services that they need. Because this
is the largest population of special services provided at the school, the ESOL department
comprises a large number of aides and teachers to support these students (and families).
Students receive a variety of different instructional methods including small group pull-out, one
on one, and full curricular instructional classes for first year “newcomers.” Some students also
receive in-class support from ESOL Specialists in their regular classes, such as English 1 and
Algebra 1. Additionally, we have 9% of our ESOL population are at the “monitored” level,
where they have graduated the ESOL program but are monitored as required by Federal law for 4
years after leaving the program. Figure 10 below shows the breakdown of levels, based on
grade:
Figure 10. LEP by Grade Level

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Title I provides financial assistance to schools who have a large population of students
who are identified as “high-poverty.” These funds are utilized to ensure that these schools can
provide the resources and support to meet the academic achievement standards and close
achievements gaps in these “Title 1” schools. Royal Live Oaks Academy currently has close to
90% of students on free and reduced lunch, which is the main qualifier for receiving Title 1
funds. At Royal Live Oaks Academy, these funds are used to provide a variety of resources to
our K-12 students. Examples of how these funds have been utilized previously include: hiring
instructional specialists, hiring paraprofessionals, professional development opportunities, and
supplemental materials and supplies (computer programs, consumables, etc.). Additionally,
“Parent Academy” classes have also been provided every Thursday evening throughout the
school year based on a variety of topics.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is intended to protect the rights of
individuals with disabilities. According to Ed.gov, “Section 504 requires that school districts
provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to qualified students in their jurisdictions
who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life
activities.” There are currently fifteen students who have a 504 plan across the K-12 campus.
Many of these 504 plans require accommodations that allow the student to be able to have
accommodations on assignments or tests. Overall, this is a very small population of the school,
only making up 2% of the student body.
The last special program and/or service provided by RLOA is the Young Scholars
program. Most students in this program have been identified is Gifted & Talented, but some of
the students have been placed in the course based on test scores, academic performance, and
parent request. Students who participate in the Young Scholars program experience a full course
38
of project-based learning instruction that allows for differentiation, challenging critical and
creative thinking opportunities, higher levels of rigor, and accelerated content presentation.
Young Scholars instructors use curriculum adapted from William & Mary to guide the course
and create engaging, hands-on projects. Approximately 90 students in grade K-12 participate in
the Young Scholars program at RLOA.
Scheduling
In South Carolina, the SCDOE requires 180 days of instructional time. In Figure 11
below, the academic calendar of Royal Live Oaks Academy shows the instructional dates within
the school for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year. Additionally, the calendar shows holidays,
makeup days, teacher work days, and breaks. In the past, the school has extended the school day
on Friday to make up any missed instructional days due to weather or other unforeseen
circumstances.
Figure 11. RLOA Academic Calendar

39
Royal Live Oaks Academy has adopted a modified block schedule at the high school level. This
schedule best fits the needs of the curriculum and instructional methods that are utilized at the
school. Students will have 4 semester classes in the fall and spring that are 95 minutes each, and
then one year long “skinny” class that is 50 minutes in duration (Figure 12). The school operates
on an extended day program that begins at 7:45a and ends at 4:00p Monday through Thursday.
40
On Friday, students are released at noon. For K-8 students, all classes are yearlong with the
exception of Related Arts, which rotate at the middle school level (Figure 13 through 15) .
Figure 12. RLOA High School Schedule

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Figure 13. RLOA Middle School Schedule
42
Figure 14. RLOA Elementary School Schedule
Figure 15. RLOA Elementary School Related Arts Schedule

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To be able to effectively create the high school schedule, our school counselor works with
students in 8th through 11th Grade to discuss their Intended Graduation Plan (IGP). During
these meetings, students work with the school counselor to develop a plan for completing all the
necessary courses that will be needed to graduate. Students at the high school level have the
opportunities to identify electives they would like to participate in, and this guides the electives
that are offered each year. At the school, both the counselor, PowerSchool Coordinator, and
administrators build the schedules for students. As a charter school, we do not have the access to
programs that develop schedules for the school. This sometimes is more difficult than using a
computer-based program. Priority classes are required core content areas, such as English,
Math, Lab Sciences, and Social Studies. After this, priority is given to career-based courses,
such as the PLTW course offerings.
To obtain a high school diploma in South Carolina, each student must accumulate 24
credit hours for graduation. At the high school level, this is a driving factor in scheduling and
course offering. Additionally, the needs of special services are assessed. Across the K-12
campus special programs, such as those found within our Special Education and ESOL
Departments, are taken into consideration and factored into the schedule. Once all of this
information is gathered, the Chief Academic Officer and Guidance Counselor proceed in
developing a Master Schedule. The administrative team meets to review the schedule and
discuss any issues or concerns. Students are then placed in the classes and given schedules based
up the most pressing needs. For example, Seniors who need a class to graduate will be given
first priority in classes at the high school level. The team looks to keep classes at no more than
25 per class, ideally staying below 20 in each class. Once these details are worked out, the
PowerSchool Coordinator inputs the information into the system and develops teacher rosters
44
and student schedules. Changes at the beginning of the year (or any other special circumstances)
must be discussed with the Chief Academic Officer and/or Guidance Counselor for approval,
such as adding or dropping a class.
Non-instructional responsibilities & duty rosters
Per typical school operations, teacher and staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy are given
additional duties and responsibilities in addition to classroom instruction. Non-core instructional
staff are utilized for morning and afternoon duties. During dismissal and in the morning,
classroom teachers are expected to be with their class and monitoring our Driveline App for
dismissal. Other responsibilities that classroom teachers are given consists of lunch duty. All
K-12 teachers have lunch duty during the school week. All teachers are informed of their lunch
duty and administration completes a roaming lunch duty to ensure teachers are attending. Lunch
duty rosters are provided at the beginning of the year. An example of the high school lunch duty
can be seen above in the previously shown Figure 12. In Figure 16 below is the overall duty
schedule, not including the duties of high school teachers at lunch. Additionally, all middle
school teachers attend lunch with the students.
Figure 16: K-12 Duty Rosters

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Teachers are also expected to be at their door during transitions and K-5 teacher must transition
with their students. Overall, teachers are not requested to complete an overwhelming amount of
additional responsibilities. Currently, there is not requirement on the attendance of after school
events, with the exception of schedule PTO meetings which are broken down by school
(elementary, middle, and high).
Budgeting & school improvement council

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A major part of the budgeting process for Royal Live Oaks is a direct product of
recommendations made by the School Improvement Council (SIC). The overall purpose of the
SIC is to evaluate current performances within the school and look for ways to best utilize funds
and resources to improve the school. According to the South Carolina School Improvement
Council Handbook,
“An effective School Improvement Council (SIC) is one that harnesses the energy created
when parents, students, and community members partner with their school’s principal and
teachers to achieve results that better the education – and educational environment –
provided by their school.”
Every school in South Carolina is required by law to have a SIC comprised of parents, teachers,
students (grades 9-12), and community member representatives. The team meets on a monthly
basis and one of the tasks the SIC accomplishes each year is to evaluate and provide suggestions
for the yearly budget and how that is utilized.
Typically, to begin the process, the budget is assessed from the previous years. Programs
and services that were not utilized or are no longer being used are removed. Next, each
school-level director communicates with teachers on programs and materials that will be needed
for the following school year. Title I resources and resources using special funding take priority.
Each school level director then meets with the Chief Academic Officer and Executive Director to
present the requests. Items are either accepted or denied. Once this is completed, the SIC and
the school board reviews the budgets for suggestions or amendments. As a public charter school,
the number of approvals is not typical to that of a traditional public school as there is no district
that has to micromanage the budget. This happens directly at the school level. Once all parties
47
have agreed on the budget, a final account is submitted and approved for the following academic
year.
Building efficacy and empowerment among staff
Teacher efficacy as summarized by Hoy (2000), is a “teachers’ confidence in their ability
to promote students’ learning.” It has also been identified as one of the most essential elements
of education in regard to promoting successful student learning outcomes. Teacher efficacy is
built from Bandura’s (1977) concept of self-efficacy, in which he identified it as a key factor of
learning and motivation. Teachers must be willing themselves to grow and adapt their own
methods to create a sense of efficacy in their position, which will support the needs of students in
the classroom. As administrators, we must seek to build efficacy from the early years of a
teacher’s educational experiences to be most effective and to allow that efficacy to truly establish
itself (Hoy, 2000).
While self-efficacy or teacher efficacy alone can make a change in a single classroom,
school leaders must seek to improve the overall culture of the school. This can be achieved
through collaboration and communication among professionals. A concept known as Collective
Teacher Efficacy, or CTE supports the same idea self-efficacy, and is based around the belief that
teachers within a school feel that the efforts of each member of the faculty will have a positive
impact on student learning (Brinson & Stiner, 2007). According to Calik et. al (2012), “teacher
beliefs about their self-efficacy and collective-efficacy that has been discussed in various
research in recent years were counted among the most important variables that determines
teacher performance and effectiveness in schools.” This is why as administrators and school
leaders, we must place the utmost importance on assisting our teachers in developing this sense
48
of efficacy in their profession and promote professional collaboration among staff to increase
collective efficacy.
Research states that efficacy among professionals is able to grow through the empowerment
of teachers. In layman's terms, teacher empowerment is allowing teachers to form the decisions
that impact their work and their profession on a day to day basis (Whitaker & Moses, 1990).
School leaders must provide educators with the resources that they need to be successful and
allow them to take ownership of the problems and concerns they have within the school. This is
the foundation of teacher empowerment. According to research, teachers who have a sense of
ownership in their work are more effective at their jobs. According to Whitaker & Moses, in
most states teachers do not feel empowered in their positions. Integral decisions such as the
textbooks they use, school goal setting, and curriculum is not a topic of discussion for most
teachers. It is an afterthought they are presented once the decision has been made. We must ask
why. Who better to help make these decisions than those who implement them in the classroom?
The empowerment of teachers will not be easy or quick, and school leaders must be willing
to transform their role from that of “watchdog” to that of “facilitator” (Whitaker & Moses). One
way that this role can be transformed is by how professional development and community
building opportunities are presented. Identifying teacher leaders within the staff who can assist
in this process is essential. Creating a culture where growth is promoted, feedback is genuine
and substantial, and a reflective process on teaching is encouraged will develop a foundation that
supports both teacher empowerment and efficacy. This concept could best be summarized an
applied in what is known as a Reflective Action Protocol (Awkward, 2017). According to
Awkward (2017), RAP is a “cyclical process of reflection--self-assessment, observation of
instruction, discussions of those observations, and discussion about concrete ways to strengthen
49
planning, instruction, and student learning--that repeats over time.” This process not only
supports teacher empowerment, but our other concept of Collective Teacher Efficacy, and
developing professional learning communities within our schools.
Results-oriented professional development
Professional development research has suggested that teachers do not simply take what is
presented to them in a typical workshop and effectively implement it within their classroom.
Many teachers actually view professional development Effective professional development, that
will show true results, was defined by Darling-Hammond, Hyler, and Gardner (2017), as
“structured professional learning that results in changes in teacher practices and improvements in
student learning outcomes.” In order to create a culture of effective professional development in
schools, research states that is should be collaborative, offer feedback and reflective
opportunities, sustained over an ongoing period of time, use curricular best practices as models,
and provides opportunities for expert coaching (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, & Garnder, 2017).
A research study by Blackmon (2013), identified that teachers feel that professional
development is most effective when they are allowed to collaborate and work with peers who
have mastered the content of focus. Research further showed that “non-credit workshops
provided by school districts or outside consultants was perceived by teachers to be the most
ineffective form of professional development,” (Blackmon, 2013). Combining the knowledge
taken from both studies, and ensuring that professional development is created around student
needs and achievement, school leaders can create professional development opportunities that
teachers will begin to see as beneficial, rather than a waste of their time.
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One effective professional development model that is inclusive of the aforementioned
elements is that of a Professional Learning Communities, or PLC’s (Darling-Hammond, Hyler, &
Gardner, 2017). PLC’s must be organized and purposeful, however, for them to be truly
effective as well. School data and trends, monitored and analyzed on an ongoing basis, must be
the foundation of the PLC (Pirtle & Tobia, 2014). PLCs have additionally been shown to support
collaborative efforts of the school, and help increase the Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE)
within the school. Research on teacher collaboration by Ronfeldt et al. (2015), identified that,
“when teachers and schools engage in high-quality collaboration, it leads to better achievement
gains in math and reading for students. In addition, teachers improve at greater rates when they
work in schools with better collaboration quality.” Created professional development
opportunities that promote this is essential to school success.
Recruitment, placement, and mentoring of school staff
When looking at teacher recruitment, placement, and mentoring we must always keep in
mind the ultimate goal. It is important to view the end goal, not just the forefront goal of
recruiting and hiring effective teachers. The end goal in any school is to seek to improve and
establish student learning and educational outcomes, and this can be achieved through placing
the right teachers in our classrooms. When recruiting teachers, we must understand that highly
qualified and experienced does not always mean effective and appropriate screening must take
place to vet incoming teachers (Goe, 2010).
During the recruitment process, school leaders must be upfront and forthcoming with the
culture of the school to make sure the candidates will fit. Often times, school leaders look to
showcase the best aspects of the school, rather than showing the candidate the struggles and
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opportunities for growth that school is looking to achieve. This could make the candidate enter
into a job that they are not prepared for. One way to ensure a more fully encompassing look at
the school is to include teachers in the recruitment process (Peterson, 2002). Additionally,
according to Peterson, a valid teacher selected system should:
● Include specific, clearly delineated selection criteria
● Fit into a larger conceptual scheme of good education
● Be agreed upon by local teachers, administrators and personnel-selection researcher
● Not leave out important ideas about teaching and learning
● Attempt to predict good teaching
● Reliably document and use candidate information
● Compare favorably with other district hiring systems.
● Preclude negative side effects, such as the exclusion of particular teaching styles.
Following a specified formula and set of expectations during recruitment, including allowing
teacher leaders to participate in the process, will provide the biggest opportunity for hiring the
most qualified teachers. Additionally, relationships with local colleges and universities (and
neighboring districts) improves the recruitment of teaching candidates into schools (Peterson,
2002).
Now the hard part is done, right? No. After the recruitment of teachers takes place, they
must then be placed and mentored. Teacher retention issues are plaguing our educational system,
especially in rural areas. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, teacher turnover
costs about $5 billion dollars each year. That is $5 billion dollars schools could be using in the
classroom to support student learning. We must ensure that we are providing the appropriate
support to candidates in the jobs in which they are being placed. One way to do that is through
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the use of teacher mentors, induction programs, and effective professional development
opportunities (Recruiting and Retaining Turnaround Teachers, 2014). Providing these supports
have been proven to have the highest impact on retaining our most effective teachers, new and
seasoned. Additionally, the Reform Support Network identified that, “A systemic approach has
program supports aimed at retaining successful teachers across the board, while a tailored,
individualized approach aims at keeping individual teachers who are crucial to a successful
school turnaround.” Research additionally showed that encouraging and promoting a
collaborative community within the school is one of the most effective ways to support new
teachers (Battersby & Verdi, 2015).
Approaches to/for evaluation of school staff
One major argument in today’s world of education is that of mastery vs. growth. Many
proponents of education view growth as more important than mastery, for both students and
teachers. For example, in South Carolina the evaluation process for ADEPT and SAFE-T was
based very much on a pass/fail system. As the state is progressing forward, they have adjusted
their evaluation system to include the new 4.0 rubric for teacher evaluation which is based very
much upon the growth and development of highly-effective teachers.
According to Carabaugh, Marzono, and Toth (2017), the teacher evaluation model a
district may choose to implement, should use methodologies that support teacher growth as they
make “instructional shifts necessary to support students in rigorous, standards-based
classrooms.”
In a growth evaluation model, reflection and revision is at the forefront. This supports
the previous research of the usefulness of PLCs and collaborative communities within school.
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The focus of principals should be in what will create a sense of CTE within the school, and not
just seek growth for an individual teacher. Additionally, in order to provide adequate reflective
and revision opportunities, school leaders must ensure that observations occurring in the
classroom are purposeful and effective, and observers are giving timely and constructive
feedback (Education First, 2014). According to an Education First series on Teacher Evaluation
models, having multiple evaluators and observations per teacher improves their reliability (see
Figure 17 below).
Figure 17. Teacher Evaluation Model Reliability
This process of creating and sustaining viable and effective observations that enhance evaluative
measures of growth will not be easy. According to Luczak, Rubalcaba, & Sullivan (2014), one
thing that must happen to create authentic observations is ensuring that observes are qualified
and trained. These trainings include establishing consistency in how teachers are observed (i.e.
rubrics, frameworks, etc.) and providing high quality examples of what to look for within the
classroom. The rubrics and frameworks that are utilized should be based on best practice and
support the overall goals of the school. Research supports that with the appropriate efforts and
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execution, the payoff will result in improvements in teacher instruction and overall student
performance (Luczak, Rubalcaba, & Sullivan, 2014).
Teacher leadership and decision-making
There are two types of schools in our public educational system, those that encourage and
support their teacher leaders, and those that do not. Those schools that support and encourage
teacher leadership are shown to be more effective and conducive to learning and student success.
When a school encourages teacher leadership, teachers are supported and enhanced in a holistic
manner ranging from authentic professional development opportunities to allowing their
involvement in the decision-making process. When this happens, according to Türkoğlu, Cansoy
& Parlar (2017), and teacher leaders are given the opportunity to plug into decision making
process that will ensure positive changes in the school. This is due in part to teachers
establishing ownership in their profession, and they begin to feel supported as experts within
their career. Teachers will begin to infect change into the school that supports student learning,
socialization within the school, and the overall cooperative environment of each member within
the school.
In the book “Drive” by Daniel Pink, he discusses what motivates individuals. One major
component in what is discussed is giving individuals the opportunity of autonomy. When taking
that and placing it into this concept of teacher leadership, we are able to motivate teachers
through providing them the autonomy they need to transform their school and classroom.
Additionally, in the book, we see that research shows that it is more efficient to lead through
autonomy than through compliance. Pink can be quoted as saying,

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“With compliant behavior, you're doing what someone told you to do the way they told
you to do it. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's different from engagement. With
engagement, you're doing something because you truly want to do it, because you see the
virtues of doing it.”
This can be translated directly into developing teacher leadership with the school. Teacher
leaders must be given the opportunity and the autonomy to make decisions that impact their
classrooms (Pink, 2009). Teacher autonomy allows teachers to best mold their classroom to fit
student needs, and then be able to take that and share and support other teachers in doing the
same. Allowing teachers to make decisions that support their classroom and peers, is essential in
empowering teachers. When this begins to happen within schools, collaborative communities
are also able to flourish. Engagement translates into achievement, and engagement stems
directly from giving teachers autonomy (Sehrawat, 2014).
Best practices for teacher empowerment and leadership
Through the researched best practices in the literature review, the candidate identified a list
that will be used to collect data in regard to teacher empowerment and leadership at Royal Live
Oaks Academy. This list for data collection includes the following topics:
● Teacher is given and accepts opportunities for growth
● Teacher is given autonomy as a teacher leader
● Teacher has a sense of self-efficacy
● Teacher has a positive impact on student learning
● Teacher has a positive impact on school culture
● Teacher is involved in decision-making and empowerment

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The list was adapted from research that was established by Short & Rinehart (1992) through
the School Participant Empowerment Scale assessment. This research fit perfectly in what the
candidate seeks to determine from the faculty and staff within the school she is employed.
Figure 1 shows the teacher empowerment survey adapted by the candidate to distribute to
members of the faculty and staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy. The survey (Figure 18) is based
on information gained from the questions on the SPES survey present in Figure 19 below.
Figure 20 identifies the walk-through observation tool the candidate will use to measure
teacher efficacy. The tool assesses teacher effectiveness in the implementation of the school’s
use of project-based learning. This rubric was taken from the West Virginia Department of
Education’s PBL database, and serves to show the difference in above average project-based
learning instruction, and above average PBL instruction. This checklist will support informal
observation walk-throughs where the South Carolina Department of Education 4.0 Teaching
Rubric (Figure 4) will be used for all formal classroom observations. Both checklists support a
project-based learning environment and classroom culture.
Figure 18. RLOA Teacher Empowerment Survey

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Figure 19. School Participant Empowerment Scale sample created by Short & Rinehart to
establish teacher empowerment perceptions.
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Figure 20. Organization walk-through observation tool that will be utilized to assess teacher
effectiveness in project-based learning instruction within the classroom. Rubric was taken from
the West Virginia Department of Education.
Data collection strategies and methods
Educational leaders must be at the forefront of changes in our educational system. The
constant assessment of what is working (and what is not), the perceptions and beliefs of his or
her staff, and those with vested stakes in the school, must be utilized and used to drive the
direction of the culture of the school. An excerpt taken from “Seven Habits of Highly Effective
Principals” stated that,
“If there is a single tool a principal should have, it is a mirror. Looking in that mirror, the
principal can find the person who more than any other is both responsible for and
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accountable for the feelings of satisfaction and productivity among staff, students, and
patrons.”
It is up to school leaders, specifically the principal within the school, to determine the attitudes
and perceptions of teachers. One way to best identify the perceptions and feelings about teacher
empowerment and efficacy is through the surveying of the faculty and staff within the school.
The candidate, taking into consideration input from the PLC team, created a schoolwide teacher
survey to gauge empowerment and efficacy among those employed within the school for
classroom walkthroughs.
The candidate generated a teacher empowerment survey based on research collected from
Short & Rinehart (1992) through the School Participant Empowerment Scale assessment. The
goal and purpose of the teacher empowerment survey is to collect data from the faculty and staff
to gauge their perceptions on the items identified in the following list within their position at
Royal Live Oaks Academy:
1. Teacher is given and accepts opportunities for growth
2. Teacher is given autonomy as a teacher leader
3. Teacher has a sense of self-efficacy
4. Teacher has a positive impact on student learning
5. Teacher has a positive impact on school culture
6. Teacher is involved in decision-making and empowerment
Royal Live Oaks Academy, as a chartered project-based learning school, uses the South
Carolina 4.0 Rubric for classroom observations along with a project-based learning instructional
assessment for informal walkthroughs. These tools assess the effectiveness of the teacher in the
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classroom in creating a student-centered learning environment. The candidate has had
numerous opportunities to discuss these tools with administration in her current position within
the school.
Building efficacy and empowerment among staff
It is essential that school leaders promote and allow growth among the faculty and staff to
achieve the highest level of teacher empowerment and efficacy. One way that this happens is by
providing the resources and opportunities that promote and encourage the faculty and staff within
the school to grow. 70% of the faculty and staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy believe they are
given opportunities to grow professionally. Additionally, 22% of those surveyed were neutral in
this topic, leaving the question of if these teachers lean more towards “agree” or “disagree” in
regard to being given opportunities to grow professionally. This is detailed in Figure 21 below.
Figure 21
One major component of empowerment comes from encouraging and seeking out the
faculty and staff in day to day decisions within the school. This was an area in which the
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candidate’s school seemed to have the most deficiencies. For example, only a little over half
(51.8%) of the staff feel that they are empowered to make decisions about the programs and
curriculum utilized within the school (see Figure 22 below). Additionally, Figure 23 shows that
only 11% of teacher respondents felt that they have a say in budget matters that impact student
learning. If those who experience learning with students first hand everyday are not offered the
opportunity to assist in decisions such as these, is that the most effective practice?
Figure 22
Figure 23
Results-oriented professional development

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School leaders should seek to provide professional development opportunities that are
both impactful and results-oriented. Additionally, in an effort to increase teacher empowerment
and efficacy, school leaders should provide opportunities to faculty and staff to lead professional
development in areas in which they excel. Research supports that teachers feel more connected
to professional development opportunities when it is done by someone from the school who can
provide ongoing support and troubleshooting. Figure 24 below shows that 55.5% teachers from
the candidate’s school feel that “professional development at the school is ongoing and
engaging.” This means that 45.5% of teachers on staff feel that professional development
opportunities are not ongoing or engaging. This could directly impact those teachers’ ability to
grow and provide the best support to their students. Additionally, only 40% of teachers perceive
that other teachers have had the opportunity to lead professional development sessions (Figure
25).
Figure 24
Figure 25.
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When comparing this response to the data from the walk through, there could be a direct
correlation between teacher success in implementing new concepts, such as PBL, and making
sure that leaders are providing ongoing and engaging support to teachers, rather than a “one and
done” style professional development session. This could mean there is a disconnect between
the teachers and the presentation of the concepts and the ongoing support being provided.
School leaders should ensure that concepts presented during PD should be monitored and revised
as needed when it is taken back to the classroom, until the teachers have mastered the skill or
concept. This can be better achieved when the master of the content is available on campus to
coach and observe teachers, and already have an established relationship with the faculty and
staff and an understanding of the students and school culture.
Recruitment, mentoring, and placement of school staff
To truly create a school that is effective at recruiting, mentoring, and placing staff, there
are a variety of elements that must be present. The most important of these elements stems from
the idea that school leaders must provide opportunities for growth and development to teachers
while also providing them with professional courtesies that show trust and support. Figure 26
below shows that 85.1% of the faculty and staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy feel they are
respected as a professional.
Figure 26.
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This supports the belief that currently within the school, there have been relationships developed
between administration and the faculty and staff that are positive and encouraging. Because
teachers do feel this sense of professional respect, there is a higher chance that growth can occur
from classroom walkthroughs, which hopefully leads to the retention of highly skilled teachers.
One area in which the school could look to improve is by utilizing teacher leaders as
mentors, rather than just staff. Currently, only 21% of the teachers feel that they have been given
the opportunity to formally mentor a teacher (Figure 27), whereas 55.5% of teachers said that
other teachers come to them for advice (Figure 28). If we encourage teachers to constructively
lead their peers, that could further encourage retention of highly-skills teachers and support
mentoring efforts of teachers within the school.
Figure 27.
Figure 28.
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The candidate has discussed with the leadership team within the school how they can look to
utilize teacher mentors to support new teachers and underperforming teachers. Leaders at all
level of the school believe that this is a concept that can be utilized to support teachers at Royal
Live Oaks Academy.
Approaches to/for evaluation of school staff
Best practice for teacher evaluations models place major importance on both classroom
instruction and the teacher’s ability to positively impact the school culture as a whole. The most
effective evaluation models used in schools measure both aspects of teaching. When teachers
are evaluated with such models they are able to receive the most constructive and effective
feedback that allows for growth and achievement.
Data from the survey shows that 85.2% of the teachers at Royal Live Oaks Academy
have seen school leaders in their classroom for formal observations (Figure 29). Additionally,
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88.% of teachers said they see school leaders in their classroom for informal observations or
walkthroughs (Figure 30).
Figure 29.
Figure 30.
This data correlates directly to the responses of teachers in feeling a sense of effectiveness in
their teaching ability (Figure 31). This could be due to the fact that the teachers receive
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constructive feedback upon completion of observations and meet with administrators to discuss
both strengths and weaknesses that are observed (Figure 32).
Figure 31.
Figure 32.
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When teachers are given feedback that is supported by researched-based tools, such as those
showcased in appendices the teachers are able to use that data to adapt and change their
instruction and grow as a professional. The data collected in the teacher survey given to the
faculty and staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy supports the leadership team’s belief that they are
effectively completing observations and providing teachers with constructive feedback.
Teacher leadership and decision-making
The best schools and leaders employ their teachers to lead and take part of the responsibility
to make the school successful. School leaders must understand and be confident in their
delegation of roles to teachers that will increase the overall success of the school. When this is
accomplished, the empowerment of staff members can ultimately lead to increased success in
student performance and overall school culture.
At Royal Live Oaks Academy, the largest discrepancies in empowering and encouraging
teacher leaders comes in the area of professional development and school decisions, such as
budgets and curriculum design (see in the Figures above). The aforementioned data does not
correlate with the data seen in Figure 33 and 34. The majority of staff members feel that they are
effective at their job and confident in their teaching abilities (Figure 33). Additionally, Figure 34
shows that teachers feel that they have a positive impact in the success of their students.
Figure 33.
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Figure 34.
If we have teachers on staff who are confident in their skills and abilities, and it is correlating to
the data obtained during teacher observations, we should develop those staff members as teacher
leaders to help increase the overall success of teachers and students on the campus.
Another trend shown in data collected from surveys, is that teachers do not feel that they
have a say in their new colleagues that are hired each school year (Figure 35). If as a school
leadership team, we are treating teachers as professionals, they should be extended the courtesy
of helping hire the brightest and best teacher candidates for the school. The candidate has had
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the opportunity to sit in on interviews during the Spring interview process and been able to
discuss with administrators’ possible ways to vet and choose the best candidates for the school.
Figure 35.
Connecting teacher empowerment and leadership
The candidate collected data using two different methods in an effort to create a needs
assessment analyzing teacher empowerment and leadership. To begin, the candidate created a
survey that was distributed to the faculty & staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy (K-12) that assess
teachers based on a specific list of topics. The candidate then analyzed the data taken from the
questions on the survey in respect to the list generated. The largest discrepancies provided in the
data were in the area of decision making and empowerment, both in their classroom (curriculum)
and schoolwide decisions (budgets & hiring).
The candidate’s second data collection method was the utilization of walkthrough
observations using the school-supported rubrics. This was an extended process that took the
largest amount of time. After completing observations, the candidate met with school leaders to
discuss the observed data. During this meeting, the candidate was able to see previous teacher
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observation assessments that had been completed earlier in the year. This allowed a more
well-rounded assessment of teacher performance. The largest areas of improvement the
candidate and the leadership team identified for the school as a whole was the appropriate
implementation of student-centered lessons to generate more engagement, more real-world
centered activities, and the inclusion of higher-level thinking that would increase critical and
creative thinking skills. Additionally, the team identified that the teachers needed to increase
their usage of authentic project-based learning units.
From these two collected sources, the candidate and the leadership team were able to
identify areas of weakness within the school that were most impactful to teacher empowerment
and leadership. Encouraging and promoting teacher-teacher mentor relationships was an area
that the team looked to make improvement for the next year. In addition, the leadership team did
see a need to include teacher input on budget and hiring efforts in the school.
A vision for positive school environment
School leaders, regardless of the current success of their school, should always be
looking for ways to maintain and improve the overall culture found within the school. When
positive school cultures have been established within a school, one would expect exceptional
performance from both students and teachers. The current school climate within Royal Live
Oaks Academy shows that there are positive things happening within the school, however, the
candidate feels that are adjustments to be made that could transform the school culture and
increase the overall satisfaction of the teachers, students, and parents.
Principals can seek to increase a positive culture and environment within the school by
identifying and developing clear goals and objectives. These goals and objectives should be
clearly communicated and openly discussed with all stakeholders within the school.
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Additionally, principals should encourage and develop leaders from within the school to help
achieve these goals and objectives through collaborative communities and appropriate mentoring
opportunities.
The largest deficiency, and the main focus of the growth for Royal Live Oaks Academy,
will deal with these aforementioned topics. Data used to determine the most pressing need in
regard to teacher empowerment and effectiveness was collected through the utilization of both
the Teacher Empowerment Survey and the teacher observation tool. In addition to these tools,
discussions with administration and the PLC team helped guide the candidate in identifying areas
for growth and improvement within the school. It is the goal of the candidate to create an
environment where teachers from within the school will be utilized more efficiently and
effectively to help grow the community and establish a positive school culture.
The vision for Royal Live Oaks Academy is to establish teacher leaders within the staff,
and support those teachers in taking leadership positions such as mentoring young teachers,
instructional coaching of all staff, leading professional development courses, and leading and
presenting at PLCs. An important aspect of teacher leadership to keep in mind was best stated by
Harrison and Killion (2007),
“Teachers exhibit leadership in multiple, sometimes overlapping, ways. Some
leadership roles are formal with designated responsibilities. Other more informal roles
emerge as teachers interact with their peers. The variety of roles ensures that teachers
can find ways to lead that fit their talents and interests. Regardless of the roles they
assume, teacher leaders shape the culture of their schools, improve student learning, and
influence practice among their peers.”

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Teachers have the largest single impact on the success of a school and their attitudes and beliefs
can make or break the culture found within the school. School leaders must seek to create and
nurture a culture where teacher leaders are empowered to achieve and excel. If school leaders
can achieve this and truly develop teacher leaders, Royal Live Oaks Academy should see growth
in both school culture and overall student performance.
Documentation to support identified needs
The candidate, with input from administration and the PLC team, gathered data and
conducted a gap analysis that helped identify an area for growth within the school. Data was
gathered through a survey that was set up by the candidate and through a walk-through
observational form that assesses the effectiveness of teachers within the classroom. Upon
analysis of the data the candidate was able to accurately identify areas for improvement that did
not display best practice application. These areas include: mentoring new teachers, effective
instruction within the classroom that utilized project-based learning, and collective efficacy.
Data collected identified that teachers on staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy felt that they
were not afforded appropriate opportunities to work with each other in a collaborative setting to
help establish collective efficacy within the school. When these collaborative opportunities are
not provided, we also are unable to effectively mentor new teachers and utilize teacher leaders on
staff. Because of this, the PLC team feels that there is a direct impact on new teachers and their
ability to effectively manage their classroom and provide high quality instruction. The PLC team
further feels that these reasoning are leading to higher rates of teacher burnout, thus resulting in a
larger turnover rate within the school, from both new and veteran teachers. Furthermore, the
PLC team identified a need for developing project-based learning instructional skills to all
teachers to help establish a sound foundation of the instructional method. It has been identified
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that this should be established through ongoing professional development and small group
coaching from the PBL Instructional Coach.
List of strategic indicators of success
The PLC team has identified a list of strategic indicators that will help in identifying to success
of the school in providing growth in the areas of need. These indicators include:
1. All teachers on staff utilizing best practice instructional strategies, specifically utilizing
Project-Based Learning.
2. Utilizing teacher leaders to provide professional development.
3. Utilizing teacher leaders to mentor new teachers.
4. Providing professional development opportunities that are effective and ongoing, with
follow through and feedback.
5. Providing 100% of teachers on staff collaborative opportunities for learning and growth
via PLCs.
The ongoing growth in the areas identified above can be assessed by surveying teachers in both
informal (discussions and meetings) and formal (walkthrough rubric tool & teacher
empowerment survey) methods. Utilizing the tools already generated by the candidate will allow
for consistency in data collection measures.
Specific short-term and long-term goals and objectives
The first short-term goal for school leaders is to increase the number of teachers who
hold leadership roles within the school (mentors, coaches, department heads, etc.). To achieve
this goal, qualifiers must be identified to determine the staff members who would be fit this role.
Once this has been established, these teacher leaders can be utilized to achieve our other
short-term goals. The next goal of focus will be to provide ongoing results-oriented professional
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development opportunities. To be ongoing, we must have opportunities for teachers to work
with knowledgeable persons about the specified topics even after the PD session has occurred.
This can be achieved by utilizing teacher leaders on campus who have mastered the skill or best
practice. The third short term goal will be to increase the use of authentic project-based learning
utilized within all classrooms on campus to 75% to increase student content knowledge, critical
and creative thinking skills, inquiry skills, and engagement. This can be achieved by providing
professional development to support teachers, allowing for collaborative opportunities, and
providing ongoing coaching and feedback.
Long term goals for the school include:
● Adoption of authentic project-based learning in 100% of classrooms on campus to
increase student content knowledge critical and creative thinking skills, inquiry
skills, and engagement.
● Recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers that remain with the school
and decrease the teacher turnover rate.
● Achieving test scores that consistently exceed the state average.
Each of these long-term goals will be dependent upon the success of our short term goals. The
candidate feels that if the short-term goals are consistently assessed and adjusted, the long term
goals will be achieved.
Activities to address identified goals and objectives
Each of the goals established by the candidate and school leaders are entwined and
connected. The first activity that must take place is to establish and identify teacher leaders
within the school who will assist with mentoring and coaching other teachers. Once this is
established, these teachers will be used to provide professional development, specifically lead by
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the teacher who has obtained the role of, “PBL Coach.” These trainings will begin in the
Summer of 2018 and extended into beginning of year Professional Development courses. The
next activity that will take place is the establishment of PLCs that support teacher collaborative
and will help develop the “collective efficacy” within the school. During these PLCs lead
teachers will organize and establish topics and routines that are data and results-oriented. Do this
will allow lead teachers to establish ownership of their trade and help improve teacher
empowerment. During these meetings, staff members can also assess their performance and
communicate with school leaders on areas for growth or concern. Each of these activities
support the short-term goal of increasing the best-practiced, research based instructional method
of project-based learning.
The next activity will be to set up new teachers with mentor teachers that were
established when teacher leaders were identified. These teacher mentors will meet at least once a
week with their mentee for both formal and informal meetings. During these meetings that
mentor should help the mentee in identifying areas for growth and help provide best-practice
methods to increase classroom instruction and management. This area is of dire importance
when looking at the reasons for teacher turnover and helping prevent the teacher-shortage
epidemic. While 1st-year teachers will already be required to participate in monthly induction
meetings, providing these teachers with additional support will only benefit them.
To determine the aforementioned activities are effectively being provided, the candidate
and school leaders understand that follow through and check-ins on their end must be
established. These will come in the form of both formal and informal walkthroughs and will be
documented through either the PBL Checklist or the South Carolina 4.0 rubric, depending on the
purpose of the walk-through. The candidate will work closely with the Leadership Team in
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establishing teacher leaders, identifying teachers who need mentors, and identifying the areas of
need for appropriate professional development opportunities provided to the staff.
A plan to communicate progress with vital stakeholders
Communication is the single most influential component of organizational success. Even
if an organization believes that effective communication has been achieved, that skill could be
easily broken or lost. In “The Advantage” by Patrick Lencioni, he stated that,
“The problem is that leaders confuse the mere transfer of information to an audience with
the audience’s ability to understand, internalize and embrace the message that is being
communicated. The only way for people to embrace a message is to hear it over a period
of time, in a variety of different situations, and preferably from different people.”
This thought resonated with the candidate and helped establish the plan for communication with
vital stakeholders. The key component? Consistency.
The first method of communication to vital stakeholders will be to hold weekly staff
meetings in which the goal and objectives of growth for both teacher empowerment and student
achievement will be addressed. These meetings will be help by the candidate or another school
leader. All K-12 school leaders have agreed upon the goals and pledge their support behind
them. This will ensure that there is consistency on all fronts to help achieve the established
goals. Additionally, lead teacher meetings will be held to identify and establish their purpose in
helping achieve the goals. These will be carried into the established PLC teams within the
school and help encourage a system of alignment across the K-12 campus in regard to high
quality instruction and expectations. Other forms of communication that will be utilized as
necessary are one-on-one meetings with individual teachers to discuss individual concerns or
performance issues.
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Communication across all levels will be consistent in expectations and presentation of the
school goals. If these areas are consistently addressed at all levels, by multiple leaders within the
school. the likelihood of success of these goals will be increased due to effective communication.
Specific timeline of activities
The specific timeline of activities for this plan begins now. Teachers are aware of the
plan for growth within the school based upon their responses on the teacher empowerment
survey. Teachers are ready and willing to begin adjusting and adapting to the upcoming changes
that are being implemented to increase student success. The various timelines for activities to
achieve the goals and objectives can be seen below:
● By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, the leadership team and candidate will
finish the data collection process on teacher walkthroughs and surveys.
● During the Summer of 2018, the leadership team and candidate will analyze all
data and identify necessary professional development topics and the most
pertinent areas to address for growth and efficacy.
● During BOY professional development, teachers will complete a project-based
learning workshop in which they will write one project using the BIE planning
tools.
● By the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, teacher leaders will be
established at each level of the school. These teacher leaders will be notified and
given specific roles they will be taking on this school year. These will be based
on the individual strengths and abilities of each teacher.

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● During the Fall of 2018, teachers will be tasked with completed a variety of
professional development opportunities and utilize new skills and methods within
their classroom, with documentation.
● During the Fall of 2018, teachers will join a PLC.
● Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, walk throughs will be utilized to
assess and coach teachers to increase their effectiveness and high quality PBL
instruction.
● In the Spring of 2019, staff members will complete surveys to reassess their
feelings of teacher empowerment and efficacy.
● A plan will be established based off the reassessment of teacher empowerment
and efficacy of the staff and will be adjusted accordingly.
Plan for stakeholder involvement and buy-in
Perhaps the largest obstacle the candidate and leadership team will face in achieving the
goals and objectives outline, will be gaining buy-in from teachers. While many teachers
identified their desire to grow as a professional, many staff members have failed to buy-in to
previous attempts to increase efficacy and empowerment within the school. One way the
candidate seeks establish teacher buy-in, is to effectively communication and establish personal
connections to the improvement plan for each teacher. Many teachers have the attitude of, “How
is this going to impact my classroom?” The effectively gain their support and dedication, the
candidate will seek to communicate with teachers on how these goals and objectives will benefit
and support their classroom and their students. The candidate will also seek to give teachers a
“voice and choice” in the process to encourage ownership. This can be taken one step further by
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providing teachers with tasks and leadership opportunities that are directly connected to the
process through having successful teachers lead PLCs, PDs, and become teacher mentors.
Additionally, the candidate will work closely with the leadership team to ensure timely and
appropriate implementation of each activity. By directly investing each team member in the
process, the chance of buy in will increase.
Specific roles and responsibilities for this action plan
The major roles and responsibilities of this action plan will involve teacher leaders and
school leaders. The action portion of the plan will greatly depend on teachers, which is why
teacher buy-in is essential. School leaders will be responsible for completing assessments of
teachers through the formal and informal walk through evaluations. These evaluations will guide
the action plan as the year progresses and identify areas that need to be adapted and adjusted
based on the ongoing collection of data.
As this data is analyzed, school leaders will provide appropriate PD and collaborative
opportunities to teachers. Teachers and instructional coaches will participate in these activities
and that will drive their classroom performance. PDs will be led by those identified by the
leadership team as “masters” of the topic. These instructional leaders will then assist in
providing ongoing support and direction to their peers to improve the collective efficacy of the
school. Each teacher and leader will also participate in ongoing PLCs to help establish this sense
of school wide efficacy and collaboration.
The assigned PBL Coach for the school will lead project-based learning workshops to
coach and support teachers in the required instructional strategies for the school. These
workshops will support topics found within project-based learning that have been deemed
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necessary based on observations and inquiry from teachers. The PBL Coach will also complete
weekly walkthroughs of classes to identify any teachers who may need one-on-one support.
The candidate will participate in each aspect of this process as the Director of High
School and PLTW. The candidate's position will require that she complete consistent
walkthroughs and work with teachers by providing support and guidance as necessary. The
candidate will work with other school leaders to ensure that this plan for growth and student
achievement is successful.
Formative and summative assessment criteria
To measure the success and productivity of the action plan, an assessment system must be
developed. To formatively assess this process, Royal Live Oaks Academy, as a chartered
project-based learning school, will us the South Carolina 4.0 Rubric for classroom observations
along with a project-based learning instructional assessment for informal walkthroughs. These
tools will be utilized to assess the growth of each teacher throughout the process which will
allow school leaders to measure teacher buy-in and efficacy in regard to the established action
plan and goals. Through this data, the leadership team will be able to identify the necessary
topics to cover in staff meetings, PLCs, PD, and individual meetings with teachers. Like
utilizing data from tests to monitor and adjust student instruction, that is how we will determine
what needs the teachers have and tailor our meetings to make them results and goal oriented.
These walkthroughs should also identify areas where mentors can help their mentee in growing
and performing as a first-year teacher.
At the end of the process, the final judgement of success will be based on student growth
and performance. This will serve as summative evaluation of the action plan process. We will
gain this data through the completion of South Carolina state examinations including the EOC,
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SC Ready, and SC Pass. The candidate and leadership will additionally able to assess growth
through MasteryConnect TE21 Benchmarks (6-12) and MAP tests (K-5). These growth of these
scores will be the true determinant of success for the action plan established by the candidate.
Formative Summative
Specific Persons Resources Indicator
Timeline Assessment Assessment Goal
Activity Responsible Needed of Success
Method Method
Short
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PLCS and 100% of the
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increase takeaways
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ng the action stakeholder
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meetings, data
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87
Short term-
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through participate
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then end Research in organized
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and through through of teachers
n team, the Support along through leadership
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candidate, the with Teacher effective roles by
of Teacher of the hs of skills leadership
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expectations strategies PLCs, PDs,
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mentor and mentoring
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providing
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teachers.
Conflict resolution
The candidate and CAAP team analyzed data taken from a variety of sources to
determine how effective conflict resolution is across the campus. The team first looked at
common issues on the campus and teacher perspective in regard to student behavior. The top
concerns in regard to student behavior are cell phone violations, refusal to obey, and disrupting
class. Most issues found on the campus are minor incidents. On campus at Royal Live Oaks
Academy, only .5% of students being suspended for violent or criminal offenses (Figure 36).
Figure 36. Out of School Suspension for Violent/Criminal Offenses from School Report Card
Furthermore, the CAAP team looked at data for the 2017-2018 RLOA District survey to further
assess the teacher feelings in regard to student behavior. Those are seen below in Figure 37.
Figure 37. Teacher Perspective on Student Behavior and Expectations.

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Royal Live Oaks Academy encourages all students and teachers to promote a respectful culture
across the campus, and teachers utilize concepts found within the text “Discipline with Dignity.”
The school has recently begun the process for utilizing Restorative Practices across the campus
in an effort to change the behaviors of students while teaching skills and coping strategies to
combat negative behaviors. This is a direct result of evidences taken from the previous year
survey and is being implemented in an effort to support staff members and encourage healthy
relationships between students, staff, parents, and administrators. In an effort to support the
restorative practices and “Discipline with Dignity,” teachers and students must be provided with
a detail discipline matrix each year. This is found inside the Student Handbook and is reviewed
with every student each year at the beginning of the academic year. In the handbook, various
levels are laid out for the student for every potential offense, and potential consequences.
Overall, the areas of most concern for the CAAP team were in regard to conflict
resolution between staff and students. Data taken from the survey showed that student-student
conflict resolution was not a major concern and most students felt as if they got along well with
their peers. The majority of students had no concerns in regard to bullying or altercations.
Task 2 Description: On the surface, this task may seem repetitive, but it is not. The OMA,
SCIP, and CAAP contributed to the foundation required to complete this task in an informed,
professional manner, but it is essentially the final layer of the analysis that is essential to arriving
at the appropriate conclusions before attempting to change the school’s most significant
plan—the School Improvement Plan. The key to this assignment is not locating and analyzing
the data, it is forming a display that contributes to the communication of these findings to the
team that creates the School Improvement Plan. Again, the task requires leadership of a team
and focuses on the creation of a visual display and how that display will aid in the
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communication process. It is suggested that the required video features sharing the findings with
the team, an administrator, or some other group/person who might have interest. That experience
should provide insight into the reflection that is also required.
Instructions: The candidate will lead a team of professional educators in an analysis of the
elements of the Teacher Working Conditions Survey (TWCS) and/or other data that are used by
the School Improvement Team to draft, monitor, and revise the School Improvement Plan. The
candidate will create a visual display that identifies data sources and clearly identifies findings
from each source. The Teacher Working Conditions Survey Analysis Project will include the
visual display outlined above, a reflection on the usefulness of the display related to student
achievement and school goal attainment, and Video evidence that findings were presented to
peers.
Prompt: The candidate will lead a team of professional educators in an analysis of the elements
of the Teacher Working Conditions Survey (TWCS) and/or other data that are used by the School
Improvement Team to draft, monitor, and revise the School Improvement Plan. The candidate
will create a visual display that identifies data sources and clearly identifies findings from each
source. The Teacher Working Conditions Survey Analysis Project will include:
 The visual display outlined in the Task 2 directions (above)
 Video evidence that findings were presented to peers
 A reflection on the usefulness of the display related to student achievement and school goal
attainment.
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the SIAP needs assessment is to identify weaknesses in the overall culture
and climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy. To identify these weaknesses, the candidate
established the SIAP team and focused their data analysis on Royal Live Oaks Academy Teacher
Survey from the 2017-2018 academic year. The SIAP teamed focused their analysis on five key
areas: empowerment, time, leadership, resources, and facilities. In analyzing these findings, the
SIAP team will be able to determine an area of need at RLOA, along with a plan for
improvement, that will allow the overall climate at the school to improve for both employees and
students.
List of Participants
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In an effort to establish the most accurate analysis of the data and needs at RLOA, the
candidate organized a SIAP team. The candidate utilized Mr. Darus Williams, Middle School
and Athletic Director, Ms. Robin Connolly, English Teacher, and Mr. Richards Fumbi, English
Department Head. All members of the team worked together to analyze the data. This began by
identifying the questions that fell under each of the five established categories. This allowed for
more effective analysis and led the team to determine the areas in most need of improvement.
Recommendations
The candidate and the SIAP team analyzed the findings and established a list of
recommendations for the area that had the largest number of concerns, resources. After in-depth
investigation, it was determined that many teachers were more specifically referring to
technology resources (iPads, access to computer labs, Chromebooks). For multiple years, the
access to technology across the campus has greatly diminished due to wear and tear on the
current technology on campus. Currently, the K-5 campus has 1-1 access to Chromebooks in
every classroom, however in the middle and high school campus, most cottages share
Chromebook Carts. Each cart contains roughly 25 Chromebooks. Because there is a large push
this year in the area of Project-Based Learning (PBL), the SIAP team has determined that
increased access to the Internet is essential on the middle and high school campus. According to
Thirteen.org,
“In PBL, technology can be used to access information, analyze information, organize
information, interpret information, and represent information for others. Through the use
of technology, students can gain some control over the learning process. With the
Internet, for example, teachers now can give students first-hand access to information that
previously would have been controlled solely by the teacher.”

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If technology access, in regard to both the devices themselves and reliable access to the Internet,
is not accessible to students during their PBL projects, we limit the amount of in-depth inquiry
they can effectively pursue without the teacher moving out of the role of a facilitator. Access to
technology allows the project process to be truly authentic and generates more learning
opportunities at the hands of the students.
Additionally, in an effort to further support PBL and teachers, the SIAP team determined
that it would be necessary to looks for ways to establish more collaborative opportunities
between teachers. This will allow for teacher growth through professional dialogue
opportunities, cross-curricular collaboration in the development of lessons, and increased vertical
alignment opportunities.
The SIAP team also included improvements to the facilities through assessing the
maximization of space by looking at areas of decreased and increased enrollment and the
classroom spaced being utilized at each level. The SIAP team also looked to increase teacher
empowerment through allowing voice and choice in regard to PD opportunities and the
development of a mentor program at the school.
Student Achievement
RLOA serves a rural, high-poverty area where the majority of the public schools within the area
are considered “priority schools,” meaning they have failed to meet expected progress on student
achievement as measured annually by the South Carolina Department of Education. Founders
Les and Karen Wicks opened RLOA in an effort to provide these students with an alternative to
the education offered by traditional public schools in the area. RLOA focuses on the individual
needs of students by striving to serve each student’s particular learning style in a project-based
curriculum and a small-school environment. Although RLOA’s students have generally scored
below average in standardized tests as compared to state averages, the student body consistently
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outperforms students in Jasper County’s other public schools and exceeds expected student
growth as identified by the EVAAS system. For the last three years the school has been identified
as an EVAAS 5 school, the highest rating possible based upon student growth and teacher
achievement.
Student Diversities
RLOA’s student body reflects the overall demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the
area in that the student population is roughly equally divided among African-American,
Caucasian and Hispanic students and approximately 90% of its student qualify for free or
reduced price lunch. RLOA serves approximately 1,700 free meals each day. The approximate
number of students enrolled is 639. The breakdown of the student population at the school is:
Ethnicity # of students
American Indian/Alaskan 3
Asian/Pacific Islander 2
Black/African American 208
Hispanic/Latino 261
White/Caucasian 153
Two or more races 12
The following table for the 2017-2018 school year, sets forth the total number of students, by
grade level, who are enrolled at RLOA as of December 1, 2017 and those who remain on the
waitlist after lottery.

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Demand in the 2017-2018 School Year
Wait List
Grade Enrolled After Lottery
K 42 2
1 53 5
2 55 10
3 55 10
4 50 6
5 52 22
6 60 22
7 61 16
8 59 12
9 59 0
10 50 0
11 36 0
12 20 0
Total 652 105
Staff Diversities
Royal Live Oaks Academy currently employs 45 certified educators with 45% holding advanced
degrees. The total number of employees at the school include 79. The school employs 2
principals, 1 Chief Executive Officer, and 1 School Director. In addition, the school employs the
following people: one school counselor, one ESOL Director, one administrative assistant, two
academic K-5 coaches (math & reading), 5 ESOL teachers, 3 reading interventionists, one
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Special Education Director, one school resource officer, and 6 paraprofessionals. High school
department teachers are broken down as follows: one science, two English, two math, two social
studies, one foreign language, two fine arts, one physical education, and two career technologies.
The gender and ethnicity/race breakdown for employees is for the entire K-12 campus is below:
Gender Breakdown
Male Female
20 59
Race/Ethnicity
Caucasian 40
African American 20
Hispanic 7
Other 12
Royal Live Oaks Academy employs a large number of teachers from an organization known as
“FACES.” This number accounts for the large number of teachers listed in the “other” column
and are from a variety of countries, including but not limited to Kenya, Jamaica, and the
Philippines.
Analysis of the School Environment
The candidate and the CAPP team developed a traditional style survey and interview
questions in an effort to collect qualitative and quantitative data that fully assess the environment
at Royal Live Oaks Academy. The survey administered can be seen previously in Figure 38. The
purpose of the survey was to allow the candidate and the CAAP team to identify areas of
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improvement in regard to the overall environment at Royal Live Oaks Academy. The question in
this survey were taken from the areas identified in the CAAP Task 1. These areas include
resource, facilities, empowerment, leadership, and time. To elaborate on those five areas and
further assess the questions answers during the survey, the CAAP team created an interview that
was administered at random to teachers across the K-12 campus. The interview questions can be
seen previously in Figure 39. The SIAP team determined that the survey will allow the team to
gather qualitative data that elaborates on the answers to the 2017-2018 survey previously
administered and assessed by the candidate’s CAAP team and the current survey presented to the
staff. The overall results from the survey can be seen below in Figure 40.
Data Analysis
The analysis of the data collected through the surveys and interviews enabled the SIAP
team to determine a more accurate picture of the current climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy.
Overall, the data was very useful and consistent with the date previously collected in the
2017-2018 state survey issued to Royal Live Oaks Academy. Data from the previous year
survey was based upon 22 teachers completing the survey. The SIAP team analyzed data taken
from a survey created by the candidate’s previous CAAP team, in which 28 teachers participated.
The SIAP team determined that this, along with new teachers at the school and those staff
members no longer employed, could account for the discrepancies in data.
Data from both survey sets continue to show that the area of most concern are those in
relation to “resources.” According to the CAAP team survey, on 14.2% feel that they have the
necessary resources available to them to enhance student learning. Figure 41 below shows the
exact breakdown for this question.
Figure 41. Teacher CAAP Survey Results

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When looking at the data from the interview questions in comparison to the survey, the
largest area of concern in regard to resources is in the area of technology. One statement taken
directly from an interview with a lead teacher and teacher coach was that,
“Technology, by far, is the greatest deficit we have as an institution. Since we do not have
many other resources available, having computers with Internet access is essential to
implementing PBL with fidelity since PBL often requires research.”
As a result of the survey results previously attained, the SIAP team is working diligently with the
Leadership Team to determine a solution to this issue. At the beginning of this academic year,
Chromebooks were reallocated based on need. Currently all learning cottages now have one full
Chromebook cart, but the Leadership Team is aware that this only temporarily fixes the solutions
as classrooms still have to share the Chromebooks within the cottage. The SIAP team
determined that the purchase of more technology will be essential to combat these feelings that
the staff currently has in regard to this topic. Other resources that were identified in the
interviews that caused discontent among the staff were the lack of support staff members at the
high school level in regard to interventionists to support RTI efforts. The SIAP team determined
that it may be necessary to adjust schedules of the interventionists at the middle school level to
help support high school teachers as needed.

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The second area of concern the SIAP team assessed was “time” and led to an assessment
of the facilities. Overall, the majority of teachers feel that they are provided adequate time
within the class, however their concerns come when it comes to collaborative and planning
opportunities. The number of teachers who felt they had enough time allotted for planning and
collaboration still outweighed those who did not, with 61% of teachers feeling satisfied (Figure
42).
When looking at the data from the interview, most who were not satisfied with the amount of
time that is given feel that this was due in part to not having the appropriate facilities and space
for planning during the allotted time. The SIAP team was able to draw the connection between
the discontentment with facilities and the feeling of not having enough time after collecting the
data from the interview questions. As the numbers at the school increase, the facilities have
remained the same. Figure 43 shows the response to the survey in regard to facilities.

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The SIAP team feels that this will change once the new campus has been completed and teachers
have more space available to them. This is most impactful at the high school level where no
teacher is able to be in their classroom during planning. According to an interview response
from a high school teacher, “space for planning and for each class to have a room and time to
actually do all of the things that administration requires” is the largest problem in regard to
facilities and time. To combat this problem, the leadership team has already worked to establish a
designated area for teacher planning that has multiple computers available to teachers and space
for grading and planning.
The next area assessed by the SIAP team was “empowerment” and “leadership.”
Overall, according to the interview data and survey, teachers feel empowered to teach how they
see fit and do what is necessary to help students achieve success in their classroom. According
to the survey from the interviews, multiple teachers stated the autonomy and empowerment they
received from administrators was one of the best parts of working at Royal Live Oaks Academy.
Their discontentment in regard to leadership stemmed from the lack of input they felt they were
given into how their time was used and decisions that were made outside their classroom,
according to qualitative data collected in the interview. One teacher stated in his interview that,
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“In regard to decision making, I feel that where possible, administration needs to include
the voice of teachers during the decision-making process. This does not mean that
teachers make the final decision, but they at least need to be heard before a decision that
impacts them is made. Again, this is something that cannot always occur but often, it
can.”
Overall, data from the survey showed that teachers are very satisfied with the amount of support
and feedback they are given from administrators. The SIAP team determined that the leadership
team should continue to empower teachers inside the classroom and continue to help them grow
through the feedback provided from observations and walk-throughs. The SIAP team also
determined that the leadership team should seek teacher input more often in the decisions that are
being made on campus in regard to how time and facilities are used. Figures 44 and 45 below
show the breakdown of teacher responses in the survey in regard to the questions that assess
leadership and empowerment.

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Overall, the staff and Royal Live Oaks Academy provided insightful data that allowed the SIAP
team to determine that the school is on the right track, but that there are areas of improvement
that must be addressed with fidelity. Figure 46 below supports this idea, along with the data
collected from the survey and interview process and shows that teachers are confident enough in
administration to truthfully answer the questions to help improve the overall environment at the
school.
Vision and mission
The vision and mission stated for Royal Live Oaks Academy was established during the
development of the Charter that was written during the planning stages of the school. The
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mission was developed by school founders, Les and Karen Wicks. The mission and vision
statements can easily be located on the school website. The vision statement simply states that,
“we seek to create and maintain a cohesive community,” while the mission statement says:
“Every child should taste success! No child deserves to fail! Royal Live Oaks Academy
provides an individualized, hands-on, engaged learning environment where every child
can acquire the secrets to success for college and careers (Royal Live Oaks Academy,
2018).”
The vision statement is simplistic and to the point. It supports the idea of cultural competency by
seeking to support and develop a cohesive community, which encompasses a variety of cultures
and ethnic groups. The mission statement is impactful and promotes the ideals that the school
seeks to educate every child that walks through its doors, not a specific group. The word
“individualized” found in the mission statement supports the idea that the school seeks to look at
each child and their needs. While the terms “culture” and “ethnicity” are not explicitly stated in
either the vision or mission, both statements could be argued as supportive in regard to a
culturally competent school.
School leadership
Royal Live Oaks Academy, a public K-12 charter school, is led by one Executive
Director, one Chief Academic Officer (CAO), and three school level Directors. The Executive
Director of RLOA primarily handles all matters dealing with financials and budgeting, human
resources, project management of the new campus construction, and highest tier student issues.
The CAO deals with all things K-12 in regard to curriculum development, student-teacher
management, and campus culture and development. Each school level director, one for each
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campus, deals with the day to day dealing with students, staff, and teachers. They are
additionally responsible for teacher observations, professional development, and maintaining
school culture and safety. Two of the school level Directors are new to the position. In addition
to the Executive Director, CAO, and school level Directors, RLOA employees one Project-Based
Learning Coach, one Math Coach, and one Reading Coach. The academic coaches’ primary
responsibility is to assist with the development of teachers and supporting their curriculum
needs.
The SIAP team analyzed data collected by the 2017-2018 RLOA Teacher Survey to
assess the current feelings of the leadership team and it was determined that overall, the staff is
satisfied with the Leadership team. Data showed that only 3.6% of the staff felt that
administrators did not adequately support them or encourage growth (see previously Figure 44).
While this data does support that many of the teachers, there were areas identified within the data
that should be assessed for growth, such as resources and decision-making empowerment (see
Figure 41 and 45).
Teacher quality
Royal Live Oaks Academy employs 37 certified teachers with 45.9% of those teachers
holding advanced degrees. This number is up from the previous from where only 40.5% held
advanced degrees (Figure 47). Additionally, no teachers at the school hold National Board
certification. The 2017 South Carolina School Report Card also shows that 70% of teachers
returned that academic year, largely increased from the previous year at only 52.6% (Figure 47).
This is well above the state average, but consistent among charter schools and schools in high
poverty areas.
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Figure 47. Teacher Experience & Education from 2016-2017 School Report Card
When looking at data taken from the 2017-2018 State Teacher Survey, the majority of teachers
feel that they and their peers are providing instruction and opportunities for student learning that
is appropriate and high-level (Figure 48).
Figure 48. Teacher Beliefs on Student Learning Experiences
Parental involvement and support
In previous research and analysis completed by the candidate and the CAAP team, it was
determined that many teachers are not satisfied with the home-school relations at the school,
with only 63.7% being satisfied (Figure 49). 89.5% of parents identified they were satisfied with
home-school relations (Figure 50). However, the CAAP team determined that with only 19
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responses on the survey this in itself could further support the lack of involvement and support
that teachers feel.
Figure 49. Teacher Satisfaction with Home-School Relations
Figure 50. Parent Satisfaction with Home-School Relations
Overall, previous data and analysis completed by the CAAP team shows that there is some
dissatisfaction and room for improvement when it comes to home-school relations. The team
previously developed an action plan to improve the relationships and increase support and
involvement from the general community as well.
Conflict resolution
The candidate and CAAP team analyzed data taken from a variety of sources to
determine how effective conflict resolution is across the campus. The team first looked at
common issues on the campus and teacher perspective in regard to student behavior. The top
concerns in regard to student behavior are cell phone violations, refusal to obey, and disrupting
class. Most issues found on the campus are minor incidents. On campus at Royal Live Oaks
Academy, only .5% of students being suspended for violent or criminal offenses (Figure 51).
Figure 51. Out of School Suspension for Violent/Criminal Offenses from School Report Card
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Furthermore, the CAAP team looked at data for the 2017-2018 RLOA District survey to further
Royal Live Oaks Academy encourages all students and teachers to promote a respectful
culture across the campus, and teachers utilize concepts found within the text “Discipline with
Dignity.” The school has recently begun the process for utilizing Restorative Practices across the
campus in an effort to change the behaviors of students while teaching skills and coping
strategies to combat negative behaviors. This is a direct result of evidences taken from the
previous year survey and is being implemented in an effort to support staff members and
encourage healthy relationships between students, staff, parents, and administrators. In an effort
to support the restorative practices and “Discipline with Diginity,” teachers and students must be
provided with a detail discipline matrix each year. This is found inside the Student Handbook
and is reviewed with every student each year at the beginning of the academic year. In the
handbook, various levels are laid out for the student for every potential offense, and potential
consequences.
Overall, the areas of most concern for the CAAP team were in regard to conflict
resolution between staff and students. Data taken from the survey showed that student-student
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conflict resolution was not a major concern and most students felt as if they got along well with
their peers. The majority of students had no concerns in regard to bullying or altercations.
Student achievement
The CAAP team, along with the candidate, looked at a variety of evidence in regard to
student achievement. The first area assessed was in terms of End of Course Assessments and SC
Pass & Ready scores. Overall, the school scored below the state average in all areas. Figures 6
through 9, previously displayed earlier in the SIAP, showcase current and historical test scores
for the school. For the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, RLOA was designated as a
Palmetto Silver school and also for achieving a rating of “5” for student academic growth on the
Education Value-Added Assessment System with respect to the applicable State tests. The
school was also identified as an EVAAS 5 school in 2016-2017. Overall, the scores at the school
are not perfect, however, the school is meeting growth goals, especially in comparison to the
traditional schools in the area.
Additionally, each year the school utilizes NWEA MAP Testing to assess student growth
in both Math and ELA. This data is based on the individual student and assesses personalized
growth goals. It is important to note that for some students, their growth goal does not mean that
they have reached grade level expectations. Overall, students have been achieving growth rates
within the school, but there is still a long way to go in regard to pulling every child to
grade-level.
The next area that was assessed in regard to student achievement was graduation rates.
The first graduating class of Royal Live Oaks Academy was during the 2016-2017 academic
year with a 100% graduation rate. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the school also had a
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100% graduation rate. The school has had a focus on promoting college and career readiness
through providing courses that promote career pathways, such as Engineering & Computer
Science.
Data organization
The purpose of the SIAP team was to evaluate qualitative and quantitative data collected to
determine the overall culture and climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy. The data collected
assessed five areas in regard to culture and climate:
● Empowerment
● Leadership
● Resources
● Facilities
● Time
Throughout the SIAP, the teams looked at a variety of different areas in regard to the collected
data. These areas included an analysis of the climate, school environment, and cultural
competence. From these analyses, the team was able to develop a list of recommendations based
upon the most pressing needs in regard to the area identified above in the five key areas. These
recommendations can be seen in the graphic below.

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Determining the climate
The candidate, along with the members of the SIAP team, was tasked with analyzing the
climate of Royal Live Oaks Academy. The team met multiple times to assess and evaluate the
data in an effort to determine and conclude the overall school climate at RLOA. Each member
of the team individually analyzed the results from the survey and presented their thoughts on
what the data said about the current climate at RLOA. The survey and data collected allowed the
candidate and SIAP team to develop conclusions about the current climate within the school.
Additionally, the candidate and SIAP team utilized information obtained for a survey generated
by the candidate for previous coursework that was exceptionally useful for this task.
Previously mentioned data in the SIAP shows that close to 95% of teachers feel that the
administration does a good job at communicating clear instructional goals for the school. One
of the largest areas of concern that stood out during analysis of the data is that nearly 55% of
teachers in the school feel that there are not sufficient amounts of supplies available for
classroom and instructional use (Figure 53).
Figure 53. Teacher Perspective on Materials and Resources

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If teachers continuously feel that they do not have the supplies and materials they need to be
successful, this could ultimately impact authentic and high-level instruction. However, all
administrators on the team felt that this was the first time they have been notified of these issues,
which could mean that staff members do not feel confident in their ability to talk to school
leaders and express their concerns and problems openly. The other areas in which there seemed
to be deficits were in regard to student behavior. Many teachers identified that they did not feel
that students behaved well in the hallways, lunchroom, or on school grounds (Figure 54).
Figure 54. Teacher Perspective on Student Behavior
This speaks to issues that the teachers may have with addressing student behaviors and managing
expectations but could also spotlight concerns they have with how discipline issues are addressed
when it makes its way to the front office through a referral. Figure 55 shows that 54.6% of
teachers are not satisfied with the social and physical environment of the school.
Figure 55. Teacher Perspective on Social and Physical Environment

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The majority of this discontentment comes from the lack of space and overall appearance of the
current temporary school. These needs and negative perceptions will hopefully change once
RLOA’s new campus is completed.
These are all integral components of what make a school successful, and all members of
the SIAP team feel that it is necessary to address the issues with fidelity and urgency, especially
when it comes to communication and instruction. Each member of the team agreed that they can
see how and why teachers expressed concerns in these areas and openly discussed options for
improving the overall climate within the school.
Improving the school climate
The data that was gathered and analyzed by the candidate and analysis team determined
that the largest area of concern in regard to school climate dealt with student behavior and
instructional supplies and materials. The team further analyzed that their lack of awareness in
regard to these two areas meant that there was an overall concern of effective and open
communication between the staff and leadership team. The team worked collaboratively to
establish the following goals to improve the overall climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy:
● School Leaders will effectively and consistently communication schoolwide expectations,

vision, and mission to all parties.
● School Leaders will consistently communicate expectations for student behavior and
expectations to students and staff members.
● School Leaders will encourage open and constructive communication in regard to their
performance from teachers and staff on an ongoing basis.
● School Leaders will provide teachers and staff with an outlet to express concerns and
issues anonymously or in person.
● Teachers will be given the opportunity to request instructional supplies and materials at
the discretion of the School Director.
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To successfully meet the needs of teachers and students and increase the overall climate of
the school, school leaders must look to develop relationships with teachers that show that “we
are all on the same team.” Developing open and clear communicative pathways will allow for
higher change of teacher buy-in and support. When school leaders do not maintain these clear
and open lines of communication between staff and teachers, leadership can quickly turn into a
dictatorship (Schoolrunner, 2016). Going even further, Schoolrunner suggested that school
leaders regularly talk to teachers to ask how they can support them. Their blog post stated that,
“teachers can be unaccustomed to asking for help” and school leaders should keep that in mind
when developing teacher-leader relationships. Wong (2013) also stated that school leadership
should keep in mind that we often all fall into the trap of “being too busy” and not making time
to communicate with teachers is detrimental to student success, our ultimate goal. Furthermore,
school leaders should understand that relationships can always be repaired with consistency and
dedication (Wong, 2013). Once the communication with teachers have been developed, it will
help communication with parents and students grow as well. School leaders must understand
that they cannot do it alone and must solicit the help of teachers to ensure true efficacy in
communication within the school. In Wong (2013), it is stated that helping administrators and
teachers see the links between their interests (student success), it will begin to promote their
ability to work as a team.
If the schoolwide initiative to increase communication skills and methods across the
campus is embraced, other issues identified as problematic by teachers in the state survey could
be diminished. Recommendations for improvement in the areas of communication will include
utilizing the follow resources as both teachers and school leaders:
● Social Media Platforms

● BlackBoard Connect
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● School Website
● Remind
● Individual Teacher Websites (Google Classroom)
● Traditional Face to Face, Phone Calls, and Emails
The school climate analysis team is confident that with the improvements in school
communication, the other concerns will improve as well.
All in all, the overall climate based on teacher perceptions at Royal Live Oaks Academy is
positive. Most teachers expressed enjoyment in their job and working with their colleagues, and
their overall satisfaction with school leaders. The groundwork and foundation is there to be
successful, school leaders must now focus on developing the weaknesses that are most
threatening to the overall success of teachers and students. Once the measures have been taken
to improve the most important areas of concern, the team is confident in improvements to the
overall school climate.
Conclusion
The candidate, utilizing the data collected during the analysis, was able to develop a
recommendation to improve the school overall. The SIAP team agreed to the findings and the
candidate presented the information to school leaders. The presentation of the findings can be
found at the following link: https://youtu.be/iQ_ge7FEdUw The main area of concern related
most greatly to the availability of resources and consistency in leadership. The SIAP was able to
provide these recommendations in an effort to improve the overall environment at Royal Live
Oaks Academy that will allow continued growth across the campus.
Task 3 Description: This task requires a few competencies that have been the focal point of
candidate development of late, so it is essential that candidates show growth in the aftermath of
the SIAP and SIAP reflection. Delegation, leadership, systems thinking, empathy, and a few
other key competencies are to be showcased here, while the open-endedness of the assignment
allows for demonstrations of advanced technology, personal ethics and values, and customer
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focus might be other competencies that could prove to be valuable tools. In other words, the data
is consistent and factual, but how the candidate leads the focus group and reasons for the
decisions the group makes could reveal more than lies on the surface. Awareness of leadership
style and a narrator that analyzes the candidate’s ethics, personal responsibility, and judgement
could assist in demonstrating the complexity and depth of the leadership required.
Instructions: The candidate will assemble a team of stakeholders representing both internal and
external school communities for the purpose of conducting a focus group on the findings of the
School Data Project and the Teacher Working Conditions Analysis Project. A report of the
findings from the focus group will be submitted as an artifact for the School Improvement
Action Plan.
Prompt: The candidate will assemble a team of stakeholders representing both internal and
external school communities for the purpose of conducting a focus group on the findings of the
School Data Project and the Teacher Working Conditions Analysis Project. The purpose of the
focus group is to receive feedback on the findings of the data-gathering projects and to formulate
suggestions that will evolve into recommendations to the School Improvement Team for
adjustments and additions to the School Improvement Plan. A report of the findings from the
focus group will be submitted as an artifact for the School Improvement Action Plan.
Introduction
This SIAP team, led by the candidate, gathered data from the employees of the
candidate’s school in an effort to assess the overall climate, culture, and working conditions of
Royal Live Oaks Academy. The SIAP team analyzed the data that was collected to determine
inconsistencies in the areas of time, resources, leadership, empowerment, and facilities. The
team then presented the information to a group of external and internal stake holders in an effort
to address the inconsistencies found during the analysis. The team included community
members and staff members of Royal Live Oaks Academy who were tasked with addressing the
inconsistencies by providing achievable recommendations.
Needs assessment
The success of schools can be made or broken by the simple concept of effective
communication. Research and best practice states that this effective communication must exist
between all parties involved in the education of students, including parents, teachers, students,
and administrators. It is important for school leaders to be able to honestly and continuously
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assess their communication efforts with each stakeholder and make adjustments when necessary.
According to schoolrunner.org, when miscommunication occurs, it can “lead to confusion,
frustration, misunderstandings, lack of goodwill, decrease morale, and a general breakdown in
the flow of idea, thoughts, and actions.” Schools cannot afford to let this happen and effective
leaders must look for ways to assess their relationships with parents, students, and teachers,
along with their relationships with each other, and how effective communication can be used to
foster and build those relationships. The school leader greatly impacts school communication,
and when ineffective communication occurs, the students are the ones left with a disadvantage
(Schoolrunner, 2016).
To conduct the needs assessment of communication at Royal Live Oaks Academy, the
candidate utilized a team of teachers and administrators to determine the gaps that existed in the
communication between the stakeholders (parents and students) and the school. Members
included Darus Williams, Middle School Director, Robin Connolly, High School English
Teacher, Richards Fumbi, English Department Chair, and the candidate.. The team used data
collected from 2017-2018 SC Department of Education survey generated in March 2018 that
collected responses from teachers, parents, and students. The team also used previously
collected information from a teacher survey generated by the candidate that assessed some
components of communication. The team met multiples times over the course of a month to
assess the results of the data collected and determined any weaknesses in regard to
communication needs.
Analysis of findings
As the candidate and team reviewed the data that was collected by the school, there were
no major gaps that stood out in regard to communication when looking at the responses to the
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questions in the state survey. The candidate and the SIAP team held many roundtable
discussions that reviewed the survey as a whole, but also more specifically analyzing the number
of participants in the survey. This particular piece of data taken from the survey is evident that
there is room for improvement in communicating with parents. Only 19 parents completed the
survey in a school that has nearly 650 students. These surveys were completed when parents
checked in for conferences, which tells the candidate and SIAP team that the number of parents
actually attending face to face conferences is low. Through informal data gathering, we also
determined that the majority of parents who completed the survey were from our ESOL
community, in which communication is very strong due to the leadership within our ESOL
Department. This leads the SIAP to believe that there is area for growth when it comes to
non-ELL parents and students.
Data collected previously in the SIAP, seen in Figures 49 and 50, from the parents who
did complete the survey show that 89.5% are satisfied with the home-school relationships. In
regard to teachers, only 63.7% are satisfied with home-school relations. Additionally, according
to the survey, only 60% of students were satisfied with home-school relations. However, 94.2%
of students feel that their parents are informed with how well they are doing in school and 91.4%
of students feel that the school informs their parents about programs and activities at the school.
This sample size was also small, as it only included 11th grade students. This information is
summarized below in Figure 53.
Figure 53. Student Survey Responses

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Additionally, the SIAP team took the opportunity to analyze external communications.
The team determined that as a charter school, external communications and community partners
are essential to their success. When looking at research, building relationships with community
partners is critical. Wong (2013) says, “partnerships speak volumes, advocate for your work, and
create greater visibility and credibility for what you do.” If charter schools want to solidify their
place in the community, and develop those ties, community partnerships are essential, and it all
begins with effective communication and common interests. The SIAP team determined that the
school should look to develop and build relationships with organizations and businesses in the
community that could be mutually beneficial and support student success both during and after
school.
The SIAP team also identified that in regard to teacher communication, there is an overall
sense of effectiveness in regard to teacher-administration communication. For example, Figure
54 shows that close to 95% of teachers feel that the administration does a good job at
communicating clear instructional goals for the school.
Figure 54. Teacher Responses for Clear Communication

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However, teachers feel that parent-school relationships could be improved. Data from the survey
shows that 41% of teachers feel that parent interest in schoolwork and performance could be
improved (Figure 55) and 54.5% feel that parent involvement could be improved, specifically in
regard to volunteering and helping in the school/classroom (Figure 56).
Figure 55. Teacher Perspective on Parent Involvement
Figure 56. Teacher Perspective on Parent Involvement
Methods of communication
The goal of any public school is to provide a high-quality education that will prepare
their students for the future. Castleman & Skillman (2017) states that, “the core business of
schools is to educate, but education requires that we effectively engage constituents.” Engaging
constituents, or parents and students, goes hand in hand with communication, and strengthening
communication leads to better outcomes for students and has been proven to increase
engagement from parents at next to no costs. Research also says that the “costs of ineffective
communication can be profound.” There are a variety of simple ways in which school leaders
can look to improve communication, including using the method most used by the audience,
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using language the audience can understand, and providing a clear and achievable call to action
for the audience during communication (Castleman & Skillman, 2017). Kraft (2017)
summarized that when assessing communication within schools, leaders should focus on the
frequency and quality of school-home communications, individualizing the messages, and
providing guidance to parents on how to support and enhance student learning both in and out of
school. There are a variety of best practice, researched methods that have been shown to
increase effective communication within schools but knowing the “constituents” is key to
implementing the best practiced options for individual schools.
Currently, Royal Live Oaks Academy utilizes a variety of methods for communicating
with parents, most commonly Blackboard Connect. Blackboard Connect allows the school to
send out messages to parents with updates and reminders, such as PTO meetings or Open House,
through a variety of mediums including phone calls, text messages, and emails. This is a great
way to provide information to parents, however, it does not enhance relationships through
communication which is an area of improvement needed for the school, especially since it deals
with a large number of high-poverty families. According to Moore (2014), “it is essential that the
initial communication between the school and home be positive.” Too often the first time that
many parents hear from schools, especially those in low-socioeconomic communities, is when
the child has misbehaved or to inform parents of negative academic performance and to request a
conference. It is imperative that schools located in these communities establish inviting and
supportive relationships right away, often beginning with the teacher (Moore, 2014).
One way that Royal Live Oaks will seek to establish better relationships with their
parents is through the utilization of weekly parent-teacher communication. This can take place
in a variety of methods, one specifically being social media. Research shows that more than
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50% of American internet users are spending time on social media platforms such as Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter, and parents are more likely to visit social media platforms on a daily
basis than their child’s classroom. Teachers can take advantage of this by setting up their own
professional accounts on these websites, with access given to parents, to share class news,
pictures of students in action in the classroom, special events, and even share articles with useful
information for promoting learning at home. This also allows for opportunities for teachers and
parents to connect more easily on a platform in which they are familiar. Because parents have
instant access to these platforms from their mobile devices, which are quickly replacing home
landlines and desktop computers, they are more likely to see posts or messages and respond
(Harris, 2017). Royal Live Oaks Academy already communicates to its parents in less
personalized methods, but having teachers utilize this resource would be another effective form
of communication that could further develop that essential relationship between the parent and
the school.
Royal Live Oaks Academy looks to further keep in contact with parents during the next
academic year by having teachers contact at least 2 parents each week from their class with
positive feedback and encouraging words. One of the largest areas we have seen verbal
complaints or parents in the office is for lack of communication or updates are their child’s
performance. Research has shown that providing positive reassurance to parents about student
performance, especially those who have previously had difficulties in the classroom, promotes
student success and growth. Another platform we will utilize is for consistent parent-teacher
communication to link the parent to the classroom is Remind. Remind is an app that allows
teachers, parents, and students to communicate freely and safely. Parents and students can sign
up and join a teacher’s class with a registration code. Once they have signed up, it prevents the
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teacher and participants from seeing actual cell phone numbers and records message history.
This gives some parents and teachers a peace of mind, knowing the safety precautions the app
has in place. This app can be utilized to send whole class messages, small group messages, or
individual messages. The participant can choose to get the notification to their email, through
text, or through the messaging app directly. If a parent does not have a smart phone, but can
receive texts messages, it is a great alternative to using an app only platform.
The school also looks to promote communication within the community to build
partnerships that will be benefit students. One way that this will happen is through social media.
Promoting the good and positive things happening within the community by sharing them for the
community to see could allow for partnerships with other organizations who see the positive
things happening at the school. Additionally, the school will seek to improve their face to face
communications with outside organizations through developing the schools volunteer and
community service efforts, guest speaker program, and guest lecturer’s during PBL projects.
The school will continue to promote events and recognitions in the local news outlets and utilize
their current social media platforms more effectively and consistently.
Overall, RLOA has the ability to improve communication through these platforms at no
fiscal cost to the school. The key to improvement for RLOA will be in the areas of consistency
and effectiveness. Those are areas in the past, besides in the ESOL department, that have been
determined by the SIAP teams as the areas that need the most improvement. Providing teachers
and school leaders with the knowledge to utilize the platforms will be important too.
Short term & long term goals

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The overall short-term goal for working on effective communication for the school
identified by the candidate and the SIAP team is:
To improve communication channels between all parties (parent/teacher, teacher/student,
parent/school, etc.) that are effective, consistent, and authentic through the use of social
media (Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram) and maintain current communication methods
(BlackBoard Connect & Remind).
This goal will be achieved through the utilization of a variety of platforms. The first platform
will be social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Both the school leaders and
teachers will utilize these platforms to connect all relevant parties to the school. Posts to social
media will include classroom events, activities, and projects along with special events such as
Literacy Nights and PTO meetings. These posts should seek to be engaging and showcase the
high quality events happening at the school. Next, the school will continue to update the school
website with updated school policies, information, and events to keep consistent. The next
platform, BlackBoard Connect, will continue to be utilized to reach parents as a schoolwide alert
system, and individual teachers will utilize Remind (or other similar app) for class-level
messages and reminders. This communication may happen, weekly, bi-weekly, or daily
depending on the party. In addition, this will include the development and expansion of
community partnerships. This will happen through continue to happen through social media
outreach, community service efforts, and face to face meetings with organizations. The ultimate
outcome of this goal will lead to better school to home relations and increased parent
engagement and support, ultimately resulting in higher student achievement.
The long-term goal for the school identified by the candidate and the SIAP team is:
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To increase parent/school/community engagement and support by nurturing meaningful,
student-centered relationships through effective communication, meaningful events, and
community outreach that will increase opportunities for all students within the school.
This goal will be achieved through the utilization and implementation of a variety of events. For
example, the community has recently decided to do away with the town’s annual Catfish
Festival. Since this was a community event that citizens that all socio-economic classes and ages
looked forward too, the school will work to develop an event during the same time to provide an
opportunity for community fellowship. By hosting this event, the school will fill a community
void and allow for the development of community partnerships. Additionally, if the short-term
goal of increasing effective, meaningful communication is achieved, it will result in more
successful school level events in the future, such as Open Houses, STEAM/PBL Night, Literacy
Night, PTO Meetings, and Fall and Spring Festivals. PTO meetings will occur one a month,
STEAM/PBL Nights will occurs in both the Fall and Spring Semesters to showcase student
work, and Literacy Nigh will be held in the early spring. Because event attendance in the past
has be sporadic and inconsistent, the SIAP team determined that building attending for those
events will benefit parents and students and develop authentic relationships to gain parent
support and engagement. Each of these things will lead to the overall success of the students.
Determining the climate of the school
The candidate put together a team to analyze the climate of Royal Live Oaks Academy.
To conduct the needs assessment of communication at Royal Live Oaks Academy, the candidate
utilized a team of teachers and administrators to determine the gaps that existed in the
communication between the stakeholders (parents and students) and the school. Members
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included Darus Williams, Middle School Director, Robin Connolly, High School English
Teacher, Richards Fumbi, English Department Chair, and the candidate. The team met multiple
times to assess and evaluate the data in an effort to determine and conclude the overall school
climate at RLOA. Each member of the team individually analyzed the results from the survey
and presented their thoughts on what the data said about the current climate at RLOA. The data
collected from the survey candidate and SIAP team to develop conclusions about the current
climate within the school. Additionally, the candidate and SIAP team utilized information
obtained for a survey generated by the candidate for previous coursework that was exceptionally
useful for this task.
As previously mentioned, Figure 54 shows that close to 95% of teachers feel that the
administration does a good job at communicating clear instructional goals for the school. One
of the largest areas of concern that stood out during analysis of the data is that nearly 55% of
teachers in the school feel that there are not sufficient amounts of supplies available for
classroom and instructional use (Figure 57).
Figure 57. Teacher Perspective on Resources
If teachers continuously feel that they do not have the supplies and materials they need to be
successful, this could ultimately impact authentic and high-level instruction. However, all
administrators on the team felt that this was the first time they have been notified of these issues,
which could mean that staff members do not feel confident in their ability to talk to school
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leaders and express their concerns and problems openly. The other areas in which there seemed
to be deficits were in regard to student behavior. Many teachers identified that they did not feel
that students behaved well in the hallways, lunchroom, or on school grounds (Figure 58).
Figure 58. Teacher Perspective on Student Behavior
This speaks to issues that the teachers may have with addressing student behaviors and managing
expectations but could also spotlight concerns they have with how diSIAPline issues are
addressed when it makes its way to the front office through a referral. Figure 59 shows that
54.6% of teachers are not satisfied with the social and physical environment of the school.
Figure 59. Teacher Perspective on Social and Physical Environment
The majority of this discontentment comes from the lack of space and overall appearance of the
current temporary school. These needs and negative perceptions will hopefully change once
RLOA’s new campus is completed.
These are all integral components of what make a school successful, and all members of
the SIAP team feel that it is necessary to address the issues with fidelity and urgency, especially
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when it comes to communication and instruction. Each member of the team agreed that they can
see how and why teachers expressed concerns in these areas and openly discussed options for
improving the overall climate within the school.
Recommendations for improvement
The data that was gathered and analyzed by the candidate and analysis team determined
that the largest area of concern in regard to school climate dealt with student behavior and
instructional supplies and materials. The team further analyzed that their lack of awareness in
regard to these two areas meant that there was an overall concern of effective and open
communication between the staff and leadership team. The team worked collaboratively to
establish the following goals to improve the overall climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy:
● School Leaders will effectively and consistently communication schoolwide expectations,

vision, and mission to all parties.
● School Leaders will consistently communicate expectations for student behavior and
expectations to students and staff members.
● School Leaders will encourage open and constructive communication in regard to their
performance from teachers and staff on an ongoing basis.
● School Leaders will provide teachers and staff with an outlet to express concerns and
issues anonymously or in person.
● Teachers will be given the opportunity to request instructional supplies and materials at
the discretion of the School Director.
To successfully meet the needs of teachers and students and increase the overall climate of
the school, school leaders must look to develop relationships with teachers that show that “we
are all on the same team.” Developing open and clear communicative pathways will allow for
127
higher change of teacher buy-in and support. When school leaders do not maintain these clear
and open lines of communication between staff and teachers, leadership can quickly turn into a
dictatorship (Schoolrunner, 2016). Going even further, Schoolrunner suggested that school
leaders regularly talk to teachers to ask how they can support them. Their blog post stated that,
“teachers can be unaccustomed to asking for help” and school leaders should keep that in mind
when developing teacher-leader relationships. Wong (2013) also stated that school leadership
should keep in mind that we often all fall into the trap of “being too busy” and not making time
to communicate with teachers is detrimental to student success, our ultimate goal. Furthermore,
school leaders should understand that relationships can always be repaired with consistency and
dedication (Wong, 2013). Once the communication with teachers have been developed, it will
help communication with parents and students grow as well. School leaders must understand
that they cannot do it alone and must solicit the help of teachers to ensure true efficacy in
communication within the school. In Wong (2013), it is stated that helping administrators and
teachers see the links between their interests (student success), it will begin to promote their
ability to work as a team.
If the schoolwide initiative to increase communication skills and methods across the
campus is embraced, other issues identified as problematic by teachers in the state survey could
be diminished. Recommendations for improvement in the areas of communication will include
utilizing the follow resources as both teachers and school leaders:
● Social Media Platforms

● BlackBoard Connect
● School Website
● Remind
● Individual Teacher Websites (Google Classroom)
● Traditional Face to Face, Phone Calls, and Emails
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The school climate analysis team is confident that with the improvements in school
communication, the other concerns will improve as well.
All in all, the overall climate based on teacher perceptions at Royal Live Oaks Academy is
positive. Most teachers expressed enjoyment in their job and working with their colleagues, and
their overall satisfaction with school leaders. The groundwork and foundation is there to be
successful, school leaders must now focus on developing the weaknesses that are most
threatening to the overall success of teachers and students. Once the measures have been taken
to improve the most important areas of concern, the team is confident in improvements to the
overall school climate.
Funding and resources needed
The candidate along with the members of the SIAP team created short-term and
long-term goals to improve communication and relationship gaps between internal and external
stakeholders. Figure 60 below provides the expected funds and resources necessary to
successfully implement the activities and events to reach both the short-term and long-term goals
identified by the SIAP team. In addition to fiscal resources, the candidate has identified
necessary resources to successfully achieve the goals set by the SIAP team through the
implementation of a variety of tasks.
Figure 60. Fiscal Resources for Recommendations

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When looking at the main components of the short-term goal, the usage of social media
to reach parents and community members, there is no fiscal buy-in that must happen. Research
has shown that the likelihood of parents seeing information on social media platforms is higher
that them actually making an appearance in the classroom. Social media outlets, such as
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are all free platforms that allow two-way communication to
parents and community members without taking away funds that can be used in the classroom on
instructional supplies and resources. Additionally Remind, an app that allows for text and app
based cellular communication between parents and teachers, is also free. The only other
resources that will be needed to support the short-term goals identified by the SIAP team are
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resources and trainings that would be supplied by staff members already employed by Royal
Live Oaks Academy. For example, employees who have previously used social media as a way
to communicate with our external resources, such as the candidate, will be used to help other
teachers become familiar with the platforms and how to use them effectively in an educational
setting. Additional examples can be seen above in Figure 10.
In regard to the long-term goal “to increase parent/school/community engagement and
support by nurturing meaningful, student-centered relationships through effective
communication, meaningful events, and community outreach that will increase opportunities for
all students within the school,” there will be fiscal commitments that must be made and
considered in the school budget. Most of the events that will be hosted by the school to achieve
this goal are cost free, such as STEAM/PBL Night and PTO events. These events exist more as
a showcase to spotlight student work and food and refreshments will not be provided. In regard
to the Fall & Spring Festivals, these also require no monetary commitment from the school
budget. The funds used to host these events typically come from parent and classroom donations
as each class typically creates a “booth” in which they are responsible for. Outside organizations
often make donations to support these events. The largest event that will be utilized next year to
support the growth of the relationships between the school, community, and parents is literacy
night. This event will be at a cost and typically utilizes Title I funds that pay for supplies and
resources that are used in each classroom for their showcase. Additionally, money is utilized
from the school’s Special Events budget to provide light refreshments to participants. This is all
factored into the school operating budget for the 2018-2019 school year, approved by the
Executive Director and School Board.

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Additional resources that will be needed to make these events successful include a large
number of teacher and parent volunteers. During Literacy Night and the STEAM/PBL Showcase
all hands are on deck when it comes to teacher participation. All teachers are expected to
participate in the event and provide resources from their class to showcase during events. During
other events, such as PTO Meetings, specific groups (Middle School, High School, Related Arts,
etc.) are assigned dates at the beginning of the year that they are responsible for attending and
presenting at. To make these events successful will require strategic marketing to parents and
community members so they are aware of when they will be happening. This will be part of the
social media posts that teacher utilize, the Remind messages sent, and the BlackBoard Connect
blasts. Reporters from local newspaper outlets will also be utilized to help showcase the events,
both before and after. For all events, administrator attendance is required. Overall, these events
require high levels of effective communication and team work to be successful, and buy-in from
all parties involved.
Breakdown of findings
The candidate, along with members of a strategically selected team, analyzed the cultural climate
at Royal Live Oaks Academy utilizing data that was collected is the district generated 2017-2018
Royal Live Oaks Academy Teacher Survey. The members identified on the Cultural Advocacy
Action Plan Team included Precious Barr, School Counselor; Amy Kaufman, Director of
Elementary; Darus William, Director of Middle School, and the candidate. The focus of the
analysis was taken from the following five categories:
● Empowerment
● Leadership
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● Facilities
● Resources
● Time
To determine the most pressing need in regard to the purpose of the Cultural Advocacy Team,
they took the questions of the survey and placed them in appropriate categories based on the 5
areas previously mentioned. The team took time to reflect individually on the data that was
standing out in the survey. After this was done, the team discussed which areas stood out the
most in regard to opportunities for improvement. Because of the discrepancy in this survey
utilized in South Carolina schools, and the areas identified by North Carolina Board of
Education, there were a lack of questions in regard to the area of “time.” One of the largest areas
in which teachers at Royal Live Oaks Academy were most unhappy were in regard to facilities
(Figure 61 and 62). This is a previously identified weakness that school leaders are aware of and
is being addressed in the development of a new school campus.
Figure 61. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Facilities)
Figure 62. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Facilities)

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Additionally, the data collected from the district provided survey showed that teachers feels that
another area in which they are not satisfied with is student behavior. These numbers can be seen
in Figure 63 below.
Figure 63. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Students)
While teachers are unsatisfied with student behavior, it does not directly connect to their feelings
on leadership. As Figure 64 shows that the majority of teachers on campus feel that school
leaders hold high expectations for students and teachers across the campus.
Figure 64. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Leadership)
Overall, it appears that the staff perceptions of leadership are positive. However, the team did
discuss that there should be a closer correlation between the behaviors of students and the
expectations held by school leaders. There may be areas of improvement in the training of
teachers in regard to classroom management and duties and responsibilities between classes.
The next area that was analyzed by the SIAP team was empowerment. Overall, the
teachers are satisfied with the level of empowerment they receive. Figure 65 below supports that
by showing teachers responses to two of the questions categorized under teacher empowerment.
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Figure 65. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Empowerment)
Resources were an area of improvement that teachers identified as one of the most need.
According to the survey data, this was the area where the majority of the questions pertaining the
topic (resources) teachers expressed dissatisfaction. Figure 66 below highlights some of these
areas.
Figure 66. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Resources)
The final area that was assessed by the SIAP team was in regard to “time.” Overall, the teachers
within the school are satisfied with their time both in the classroom and outside the classroom
(Figure 67). There was one area in which time was directly related, and that is shown in Figure
68 below. A large number of teachers do not collaborate or plan with other teachers. This could
be directly related to a lack of time or opportunities to do so.
Figure 67. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Time)

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Figure 68. 2017-2018 District Survey Results (Time)
Overall, the SIAP team determined that there are areas of improvement in regard to all 5
category areas. Some are more prominent than others and will require a higher level of
improvements. However, the analysis of the survey allowed the SIAP team to identify potential
areas of concern and gaps and issues within the school.
Recommendations
The candidate and the SIAP team analyzed the findings and established a list of
recommendations for the area that had the largest number of concerns, resources. After in-depth
investigation, it was determined that many teachers were more specifically referring to
technology resources (iPads, access to computer labs, Chromebooks). For multiple years, the
access to technology across the campus has greatly diminished due to wear and tear on the
current technology on campus. Currently, the K-5 campus has 1-1 access to Chromebooks in
every classroom, however in the middle and high school campus, most cottages share
Chromebook Carts. Each cart contains roughly 25 Chromebooks. Because there is a large push
this year in the area of Project-Based Learning (PBL), the SIAP team has determined that
increased access to the Internet is essential on the middle and high school campus. According to
Thirteen.org,
“In PBL, technology can be used to access information, analyze information, organize
information, interpret information, and represent information for others. Through the use
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of technology, students can gain some control over the learning process. With the
Internet, for example, teachers now can give students first-hand access to information that
previously would have been controlled solely by the teacher.”
If technology access, in regard to both the devices themselves and reliable access to the Internet,
is not accessible to students during their PBL projects, we limit the amount of in-depth inquiry
they can effectively pursue without the teacher moving out of the role of a facilitator. Access to
technology allows the project process to be truly authentic and generates more learning
opportunities at the hands of the students.
Additionally, in an effort to further support PBL and teachers, the SIAP team determined
that it would be necessary to looks for ways to establish more collaborative opportunities
between teachers. This will allow for teacher growth through professional dialogue
opportunities, cross-curricular collaboration in the development of lessons, and increased vertical
alignment opportunities.
Additionally, the SIAP team included improvements to the facilities through assessing the
maximization of space by looking at areas of decreased and increased enrollment and the
classroom spaced being utilized at each level. The SIAP team also looked to increase teacher
empowerment through allowing voice and choice in regard to PD opportunities and the
development of a mentor program at the school.
The summarized recommendation of the SIAP team can be seen below in Figure 69.
Figure 69. SIAP Recommendations 1

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Analysis of the School Environment
The candidate and the CAPP team developed a traditional style survey and interview
questions in an effort to collect qualitative and quantitative data that fully assess the environment
at Royal Live Oaks Academy. The survey administered can be seen previously in Figure 38.
The purpose of the survey was to allow the candidate and the SIAP team to identify areas
of improvement in regard to the overall environment at Royal Live Oaks Academy. The
question in this survey were taken from the areas identified in the SIAP Task 1. These areas
include resource, facilities, empowerment, leadership, and time. To elaborate on those five areas
and further assess the questions answers during the survey, the SIAP team created an interview
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that was administered at random to teachers across the K-12 campus. The interview questions
can be seen below in Figure 39 earlier in the SIAP. The SIAP team determined that the survey
will allow the team to gather qualitative data that elaborates on the answers to the 2017-2018
survey previously administered and assessed in Task 1 and the current survey presented to the
staff. The overall results from the survey can be seen previously in Figure 40.
Data Analysis
The analysis of the data collected through the surveys and interviews enabled the SIAP
team to determine a more accurate picture of the current climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy.
Overall, the data was very useful and consistent with the date previously collected in the
2017-2018 state survey issued to Royal Live Oaks Academy. Data from the previous year
survey was based upon 22 teachers completing the survey. For the survey developed by the
SIAP team, 28 teachers participated. The SIAP team determined that this, along with new
teachers at the school and those staff members no longer employed, could account for the
discrepancies in data.
Data from both survey sets continue to show that the area of most concern are those in
relation to “resources.” According to the SIAP team survey, on 14.2% feel that they have the
necessary resources available to them to enhance student learning. Figure 13 below shows the
exact breakdown for this question.
When looking at the data from the interview questions in comparison to the survey, the
largest area of concern in regard to resources is in the area of technology. One statement taken
directly from an interview with a lead teacher and teacher coach was that,
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“Technology, by far, is the greatest deficit we have as an institution. Since we do not have
many other resources available, having computers with Internet access is essential to
implementing PBL with fidelity since PBL often requires research.”
As a result of the survey results previously attained, the SIAP team is working diligently with the
Leadership Team to determine a solution to this issue. At the beginning of this academic year,
Chromebooks were reallocated based on need. Currently all learning cottages now have one full
Chromebook cart, but the Leadership Team is aware that this only temporarily fixes the solutions
as classrooms still have to share the Chromebooks within the cottage. The SIAP team
determined that the purchase of more technology will be essential to combat these feelings that
the staff currently has in regard to this topic. Other resources that were identified in the
interviews that caused discontent among the staff were the lack of support staff members at the
high school level in regard to interventionists to support RTI efforts. The SIAP team determined
that it may be necessary to adjust schedules of the interventionists at the middle school level to
help support high school teachers as needed.
The second area of concern the SIAP team assessed was “time” and led to an assessment
of the facilities. Overall, the majority of teachers feel that they are provided adequate time
within the class, however their concerns comes when it comes to collaborative and planning
opportunities. The number of teachers who felt they had enough time allotted for planning and
collaboration still outweighed those who did not, with 61% of teachers feeling satisfied.
When looking at the data from the interview, most who were not satisfied with the amount of
time that is given feel that this was due in part to not having the appropriate facilities and space
for planning during the allotted time. The SIAP team was able to draw the connection between
the discontentment with facilities and the feeling of not having enough time after collecting the
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data from the interview questions. As the numbers at the school increase, the facilities have
remained the same.
The SIAP team feels that this will change once the new campus has been completed and teachers
have more space available to them. This is most impactful at the high school level where no
teacher is able to be in their classroom during planning. According to an interview response
from a high school teacher, “space for planning and for each class to have a room and time to
actually do all of the things that administration requires” is the largest problem in regard to
facilities and time. To combat this problem, the leadership team has already worked to establish a
designated area for teacher planning that has multiple computers available to teachers and space
for grading and planning.
The next area assessed by the SIAP team was “empowerment” and “leadership.”
Overall, according to the interview data and survey, teachers feel empowered to teach how they
see fit and do what is necessary to help students achieve success in their classroom. According
to the survey from the interviews, multiple teachers stated the autonomy and empowerment they
received from administrators was one of the best parts of working at Royal Live Oaks Academy.
Their discontentment in regard to leadership stemmed from the lack of input they felt they were
given into how their time was used and decisions that were made outside their classroom,
according to qualitative data collected in the interview. One teacher stated in his interview that,
“In regard to decision making, I feel that where possible, administration needs to include
the voice of teachers during the decision-making process. This does not mean that
teachers make the final decision, but they at least need to be heard before a decision that
impacts them is made. Again, this is something that cannot always occur but often, it
can.”
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Overall, data from the survey showed that teachers are very satisfied with the amount of support
and feedback they are given from administrators. The SIAP team determined that the leadership
team should continue to empower teachers inside the classroom and continue to help them grow
through the feedback provided from observations and walk-throughs. The SIAP team also
determined that the leadership team should seek teacher input more often in the decisions that are
being made on campus in regard to how time and facilities are used.
Overall, the staff and Royal Live Oaks Academy provided insightful data that allowed the
SIAP team to determine that the school is on the right track, but that there are areas of
improvement that must be addressed with fidelity. Previous data collected in the SIAP, along
with the data collected from the survey and interview process, and shows that teachers are
confident enough in administration to truthfully answer the questions to help improve the overall
environment at the school.
All evidence to support this data can be found in Figures 41-46 earlier in the SIAP.
Vision and mission
The vision and mission stated for Royal Live Oaks Academy was in established during
the development of the Charter that was written during the planning stages of the school. The
missions was developed by school founders, Les and Karen Wicks. The mission and vision
statements can easily be located on the school website. The vision statement simply states that,
“we seek to create and maintain a cohesive community,” while the mission statement says:
“Every child should taste success! No child deserves to fail! Royal Live Oaks Academy
provides an individualized, hands-on, engaged learning environment where every child
can acquire the secrets to success for college and careers (Royal Live Oaks Academy,
2018).”
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The vision statement is simplistic and to the point. It supports the idea of cultural competency by
seeking to support and develop a cohesive community, which encompasses a variety of cultures
and ethnic groups. The mission statement is impactful and promotes the ideals that the school
seeks to educate every child that walks through it doors, not a specific group. The word
“individualized” found in the mission statement supports the idea that the school seeks to look at
each child and their needs. While the terms “culture” and “ethnicity” are not explicitly stated in
either the vision or mission, both statements could be argued as supportive in regard to a
culturally competent school.
School leadership
Royal Live Oaks Academy, a public K-12 charter school, is led by one Executive
Director, one Chief Academic Officer (CAO), and three school level Directors. The Executive
Director of RLOA primarily handles all matters dealing with financials and budgeting, human
resources, project management of the new campus construction, and highest tier student issues.
The CAO deals with all things K-12 in regard to curriculum development, student-teacher
management, and campus culture and development. Each school level director, one for each
campus, deals with the day to day dealing with students, staff, and teachers. They are
additionally responsible for teacher observations, professional development, and maintaining
school culture and safety. Two of the school level Directors are new to the position. In addition
to the Executive Director, CAO, and school level Directors, RLOA employees one Project-Based
Learning Coach, one Math Coach, and one Reading Coach. The academic coaches’ primary
responsibility is to assist with the development of teachers and supporting their curriculum
needs.
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The SIAP team analyzed data collected by the 2017-2018 RLOA Teacher Survey to
assess the current feelings of the leadership team and it was determined that overall, the staff is
satisfied with the Leadership team. Data showed that only 3.6% of the staff felt that
administrators did not adequately support them or encourage growth. While this data does
support that many of the teachers, there were areas identified within the data that should be
assessed for growth, such as resources and decision-making empowerment (see Figures 41
through 46).
Teacher quality
Royal Live Oaks Academy employs 37 certified teachers with 45.9% of those teachers
holding advanced degrees. This number is up from the previous from where only 40.5% held
advanced degrees (see Figure 47). Additionally, no teachers at the school hold National Board
certification. The 2017 South Carolina School Report Card also shows that 70% of teachers
returned that academic year, largely increased from the previous year at only 52.6% (see Figure
47). This is well above the state average, but consistent among charter schools and schools in
high poverty areas.
When looking at data taken from the 2017-2018 State Teacher Survey, the majority of teachers
feel that they and their peers are providing instruction and opportunities for student learning that
is appropriate and high-level (see Figure 48).
Parental involvement and support
In previous research and analysis completed by the candidate and the SIAP team,
displayed graphically in Figures 49 and 50, it was determined that many teachers are not satisfied
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with the home-school relations at the school, with only 63.7% being satisfied. 89.5% of parents
identified they were satisfied with home-school relations. However, the SIAP team determined
that with only 19 responses on the survey this in itself could further support the lack of
involvement and support that teachers feel.
Overall, previous data and analysis completed by the SIAP team shows that there is some
dissatisfaction and room for improvement when it comes to home-school relations. The team
previously developed an action plan to improve the relationships and increase support and
involvement from the general community as well.
Conflict resolution
The candidate and SIAP team analyzed data taken from a variety of sources to determine
how effective conflict resolution is across the campus. The team first looked at common issues
on the campus and teacher perspective in regard to student behavior. The top concerns in regard
to student behavior are cell phone violations, refusal to obey, and disrupting class. Most issues
found on the campus are minor incidents. On campus at Royal Live Oaks Academy, only .5% of
students being suspended for violent or criminal offenses (Figure 70).
Figure 70. Out of School Suspension for Violent/Criminal Offenses (SRC)
Furthermore, the SIAP team looked at data for the 2017-2018 RLOA District survey to further

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Royal Live Oaks Academy encourages all students and teachers to promote a respectful
culture across the campus, and teachers utilize concepts found within the text “Discipline with
Dignity.” The school has recently begun the process for utilizing Restorative Practices across the
campus in an effort to change the behaviors of students while teaching skills and coping
strategies to combat negative behaviors. This is a direct result of evidences taken from the
previous year survey and is being implemented in an effort to support staff members and
encourage healthy relationships between students, staff, parents, and administrators. In an effort
to support the restorative practices and “Discipline with Dignity,” teachers and students must be
provided with a detail discipline matrix each year. This is found inside the Student Handbook
and is reviewed with every student each year at the beginning of the academic year. In the
handbook, various levels are laid out for the student for every potential offense, and potential
consequences.
Overall, the areas of most concern for the SIAP team were in regard to conflict resolution
between staff and students. Data taken from the survey showed that student-student conflict
resolution was not a major concern and most students felt as if they got along well with their
peers. The majority of students had no concerns in regard to bullying or altercations.
Student achievement
The SIAP team, along with the candidate, looked at a variety of evidences in regard to
student achievement. The first area assessed was in terms of End of Course Assessments and SC
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Pass & Ready scores. Overall, the school scored below the state average in all areas. Previously
references Figures 6 through 9, showcase current and historical test scores or the school. For the
2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, RLOA was designated as a Palmetto Silver school and
also for achieving a rating of “5” for student academic growth on the Education Value-Added
Assessment System with respect to the applicable State tests. The school was also identified as
an EVAAS 5 school in 2016-2017. Overall, the scores at the school are not perfect, however, the
school is meeting growth goals, especially in comparison to the traditional schools in the area.
Additionally, each year the school utilizes NWEA MAP Testing to assess student growth
in both Math and ELA. This data is based on the individual student and assesses personalized
growth goals. It is important to note that for some students, their growth goal does not mean that
they have achieved state level expectations. Overall, students have been achieving growth rates
within the school, but there is still a long way to go in regard to pulling every child to
grade-level.
The next area that was assessed in regard to student achievement was graduation rates.
The first graduating class of Royal Live Oaks Academy was during the 2016-2017 academic
year with a 100% graduation rate. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the school also had a
100% graduation rate. The school has had a focus on promoting college and career readiness
through providing courses that promote career pathways, such as Engineering & Computer
Science.
Recommendations
The SIAP team, along with the candidate, took into consideration the data collected from
walk-throughs, interviews, and school surveys in an effort to identify the areas in need of the
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most improvement in regard to the culture at Royal Live Oaks Academy. This data analysis
established the foundation for the recommendations of the SIAP team for cultural improvements.
The first area the SIAP team determined in need of improvement was in regard to teacher
empowerment and voice. The data from teacher surveys and interviews determined that teachers
are satisfied with the amount of support and feedback they are given from administrator, but they
do not feel like they are empowered to make decisions and give input into important decisions
that impact their classrooms. It is the recommendations of the SIAP and the candidate that
teachers be given input in decisions that impact the daily operations of their classroom and
schedule. The SIAP team feels that this will be better received and implemented given that two
of the school-level administrators are new. The SIAP teams feels that with new administrators,
teachers will be more willing to give input when it is encouraged to be given from the beginning
of the relationship with the leader. The SIAP team also suggests that teachers be provided more
opportunities to collaboratively meet with their peers and leaders, which will encourage input
and feedback naturally.
The second area the SIAP team determined needed to be improved upon is cultural
awareness between teachers and students. With nearly 75% of the campus made up of ELL
students and African American students, the SIAP teams feels that it is important to encourage
more authentic relationships and understanding between students and staff. While a large
number of the staff members are diverse themselves, it is even more important for the staff to
receive cultural awareness professional development to promote cultural competency on the
campus. Additionally, as previously mentioned, the SIAP team feels that the school should
continue to develop the use the restorative discipline practices and “Disciple with Dignity”
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strategies. These programs and concepts will continue to build relationships between students
and promote a culture of positivity and acceptance.
The third area of improvement that the SIAP team feels should be addressed is in regard
to student achievement. While the school has done a good job historically ensuring that students
are meeting growth goals, schoolwide state test scores are still below the state average. It is the
recommendation of the SIAP team that teachers begin increasing the level of rigor and
expectations found within the classroom. Based on data collected through classroom
walk-throughs it is evident that many staff members are teaching to the lowest tier in their
classroom and not differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all students. The SIAP team
feels that because some staff members have lowered expectations based on previous test score
data, it is continuing a cycle of low-test scores by staff members not challenging their students
and upholding high expectations for students. The SIAP team has recommended the use of
teacher-student portfolios to monitor growth and differentiation in all classrooms for all students,
not just the low achieving students.
The next are the SIAP team feels needs improvement is in regard to parent and
community involvement. Because a large number of parents and guardians at the school
maintain inconsistent and long work hours, the SIAP team recommend the use of a variety of
communication tools to reach parents. In the past, the primary source of communication was
Blackboard Connect. However, the flaw with that system is that many times the contact numbers
for parents are disconnected or incorrect. The SIAP team determined that many of the parents,
even after changing contact information, maintain the same social media accounts. It is the
recommendation of the SIAP team that all events and important information be posted to the
school website, social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram), and through
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BlackBoard Connect in an effort to reach a larger audience. Additionally, the SIAP team
recommends that staff members invite community leaders and parents into the classroom when
showcasing projects and other classroom events. This will lead to more opportunities for parent
volunteers and communication.
The final area in which the SIAP team recommends improvements is in regard to teacher
quality. As a charter school, it is common to experience higher levels of teacher turnover and
shortage. Over the past few years, Royal Live Oaks Academy has seen an increase in the
number of teachers who return each year. It is the recommendation of the SIAP team that the
RLOA Leadership team continue to strengthen the relationship between staff members and
school leaders. It is important that school leaders maintain open, honest, and respectful
communication and provide adequate support and feedback to the staff. Communication among
school leaders has increased greatly over the past year, and the SIAP team feels that it is
necessary to continue to increase the effectiveness of communication while also providing
support. The SIAP team feels that it is also necessary to provide ongoing professional
development opportunities that are tailored to meet the needs of the staff.
Royal Live Oaks Academy overall has done an effective job at promoting cultural
competencies in the vision and mission of the school and its daily operations. The location of the
school in itself is culturally diverse and that flows directly onto the campus of Royal Live Oaks,
in the form of both staff and students. The SIAP team feels that it could perhaps be more
explicitly stated in the vision and mission how they are meeting the needs of this culturally
diverse population to increase the overall cultural competence of the school.
Summary
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The candidate, alongside a highly qualified team of staff members from Royal Live Oaks
Academy, created a cultural advocacy action plan. The purpose of the SIAP team was to
evaluate qualitative and quantitative data collected to determine the overall culture and climate at
Royal Live Oaks Academy. The data collected assessed five areas in regard to culture and
climate:
● Empowerment
● Leadership
● Resources
● Facilities
● Time
Throughout the SIAP, the teams looked at a variety of different areas in regard to the collected
data. These areas included an analysis of the climate, school environment, and cultural
competence. From these analysis’, the team was able to develop a list of recommendations
based upon the most pressing needs in regard to the area identified above in the five key areas.
These recommendations can be seen in Figure 72 below.
Figure 72. Analysis Recommendations for Cultural Analysis Action Plant

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Conclusion
The SIAP team, along with the candidate, utilized the data collected throughout the
climate, environment, and cultural competence analysis to develop a Cultural Advocacy Action
Plan for Royal Live Oaks Academy. The largest area of concern determined by the SIAP team
was in regard to time and resources. These two areas had the largest areas of improvement as
determined by both the qualitative and quantitative data collected. Overall, the SIAP team
determined that the majority of the staff were satisfied with the culture and climate currently at
the school. There were clear areas of improvement, and the SIAP team was able to determine
areas of refinement to produce a positive change in the school climate and culture at Royal Live
Oaks Academy.
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Task 4 Description: This task builds upon the candidate’s ability to locate, identify, and secure
available resources for meeting existing goals and finding lacking resources for current or future
endeavors. While the prompt does not specifically instruct the candidate’s degree of
involvement, it is assumed that the final task before the proposal to the School Improvement
Team is one of considerable substance and quality. Fiscal resources should be detailed and
specific, for example, and human capital should be specifically aligned with personnel strengths,
availability, and degree of commitment. In other words, the candidate is left to decide what is
important or needed, what is available or affordable, and what steps must be taken to realistically
support the recommendations to the School Improvement Team.
Instructions: The candidate will develop a document that specifies availability of resources to
support the School Improvement Plan. Utilizing the data collected and analyzed during the
School Data Project, Teacher Working Conditions Survey, and Focus Group projects, the
candidate will identify resources available and resources required to develop and implement the
SIAP.
Prompt: The candidate will develop a document that specifies availability of resources to
support the School Improvement Plan featuring a plan to acquire needed resources. Utilizing the
data collected and analyzed during the School Data Project, Teacher Working Conditions Survey
Analyst Project, and Focus Group Project (SIAP Tasks 1-3), the candidate will identify resources
available and resources required to develop and implement the SIAP.
Introduction
The SIAP team met to discuss the actions plans necessary to achieve the requirements of
the school improvement action plan. The team assessed each area by looking for justifications of
the analysis, the specific activities required, and the resources (fiscal and human) needed for
achievement. The SIAP team first looked at analysis and action plan for student learning
(AAPSL). Overall, the team determined that there was a gap in student achievement,
specifically in regard to test scores. The team then looked at the analysis and action plan for
teacher empowerment and leadership (APTEL). There were a number of needs identified in
this analysis. The first was to create efficacy and teacher empowerment by allowing them to be
able to choose how materials are presented in their class, in the form of PBL units, which would
also lead to increased EOC scores. Next, the team determined it would be necessary to increase
teacher retention by identifying teacher leaders and empowering them to support younger,
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inexperienced teachers through mentoring and leading PLCs. The SIAP team then reviewed the
data collected from the stakeholder-community involvement plan (SCIP). The data showed there
was a great need for increased communication and parent/community involvement. The team
provided a variety of opportunities to close this gap, including the use of social media platforms.
The final analysis was the cultural advocacy action plan (CAAP). The team looked at qualitative
and quantitative data from five core areas: leadership, empowerment, resources, time, and
facilities. Each area assessed was identified with an area of improvement.
The SIAP team organized each analysis, along with their required activities and resources
which are outlined in the chart established below. Each analysis, activity, and resource will
provide an established overview of what will be needed to support the goals of the school
improvement action plan, which ultimately supports student growth and achievement. The chart
below summarizes this information.
Goal (Analysis) Activity Fiscal and Human Resources

Needed
AAPSL Fiscal: none
Human: All teacher will attend

required PBL trainings and
Disciplinary Literacy trainings.
Integrate PBL & Disciplinary All teachers will implement
Literacy into all classrooms. these activities in their
By then end of the school year, classroom.
the school will see an increase in Provide ongoing professional
the percentage of passing scores development for PBL and PBL Coach will provide
on End of Course examinations Disciplinary Literacy. ongoing training and support.
and Spring MAP & TE21
assessment scores. Professional Development for Richards Fumbi and Robin
NewsELA. Connolly will assist in training
for NewsELA.
Ongoing coaching and support
provided by the PBL Coach. School coaches, leaders, and
other necessary employees will
conduct on-site walkthroughs
and observations to support the
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efficacy of PBL being
implemented across the school.
AAPTEL Analyze the results of the

2018-2019 RLOA Teacher
Survey provided by the district.
Establish and identify teacher

leaders within the school who
Adoption of authentic will assist with mentoring and
project-based learning in coaching other teachers to Fiscal: $100/ per day/ per
100% of classrooms on increase the retention of quality substitute (as needed)
campus to increase student teachers.
content knowledge critical Some costs may apply to
and creative thinking skills, Teacher leaders and professional development
administrators/coaches will opportunities, but these will not
inquiry skills, and
provide ongoing professional be assess until later in 2019.
engagement. development to support PBL
initiatives and increase teacher Human: SIAP team to analyze
Recruitment and retention retention. survey results
of high-quality teachers that
remain with the school and Establishment of PLCs, led by Leadership and staff to lead and
decrease the teacher teacher leaders, that support participate in professional
turnover rate. teacher collaboration and will development
develop “collective efficacy”
within the school. RLOA Leadership team to
Achieving test scores that establish teacher leaders &
consistently exceed the state Set up new teachers with a teachers to serve as teacher
average. mentor to meet weekly to utilize leaders/mentors
as a resource and point of
reference for any issues or Substitute teachers to cover
concerns they have. classes for professional
development opportunities that
Utilize resources to promote extend outside of built-in
accurate data to benchmark professional development days.
students and drive teacher
instruction (MAP, Teachers to serve as PLC
MasteryConnect, TE21) leaders.
School leaders will monitor the

progress of the aforementioned
activities by utilizing both
formal and informal
observations utilizing the PBL
checklist and SC 4.0 Rubric.
SCIP Royal Live Oaks Academy will

utilize social media platforms to
grow communication between
the school and outside
stakeholders/community. These Fiscal: Blackboard Connect-
$1,600/yr
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platforms include FaceBook, Event Costs (minus community
Twitter, and Instagram. support)- $2000 (estimated)
To improve communication
channels between all parties RLOA will continue to use mass Human: RLOA staff will utilize
(parent/teacher, teacher/student, communication services the social media services to
parent/school, etc.) that are provided through BloackBoard promote classroom events and
effective, consistent, and Connect services and Remind. projects.
authentic through the use of The SIAP team believes
social media (Facebook, continuing to utilize a variety of RLOA staff will utilize
Twitter, & Instagram) and communication methods will Blackboard Connect or Remind
maintain current increase the likelihood of as necessary.
communication methods parents receiving messages.
(BlackBoard Connect & Ms. Moore, Technology
Remind). Community businesses and Coordinator, will handle
organizations will be invited to schoolwide social media posts.
To increase open house events, to participate
parent/school/community in school PBL projects, and School level administrators will
engagement and support by athletic events. handle school-specific posts and
nurturing meaningful, mass messages.
student-centered relationships The school will work with
community leaders to develop Community leadership and
through effective businesses/organizations will
communication, meaningful an event to replace an annual
festival that no longer exists to work with the school to promote
events, and community events and athletic teams.
outreach that will increase provide the community with an
opportunities for all students opportunity for fellowship. RLOA staff will promote and
within the school. attend events as required and
The school will increase events
in which parents and community encourage student attendance.
members are invited to,
including a PBL Showcase,
STEAM Night, and Literacy
Night.
CAAP Fiscal:
$5,590 for new Chromebooks

(Title 1)
$22,385 for Engineering

Reassignment of classroom Laptops (PLTW Grant)
spaces based on student
numbers (i.e.- provide more Human:
cottages for HS classes because
middle school enrollment is School leaders must assess class
down). rosters and current room
assignments to develop a
Asses the data, both qualitative Improve access to technology schedule that most effectively
and quantitative, to identify gaps and internet across the K-12 utilizes space.
in leadership, time, resources, campus to support PBL.
Technology Director will
empowerment, and facilities at Provide “voice and choice” to purchase new technology to
Royal Live Oaks Academy teachers on professional
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development opportunities and increase the number of devices
teacher leaders leading PD. available across the campus.
Development of a revamped Teacher leaders will lead

teacher mentor program. profession development sessions
that are requested by peers.
Increase the amount of time
available to teachers for Chief Academic Office will lead
collaborative planning and and develop a new mentor
meetings. program for new teachers.
School leaders will work

collaboratively to increase the
number of collaborative
opportunities for teachers.
Conclusion
It is the belief of the candidate, along with the SIAP team, that the goals outlined in the
chart will lead to the increased student growth and achievement. The SIAP team provided
explicit activities and resources that will be needed to have a chance at seeing improvements in
student growth and achievement, which is the overall goal of Royal Live Oaks Academy. This
will be further outlined in an action plan next.
Task 5 Description: The prompt seems rather simplistic compared to the others, with fewer
specifics and directives to guide the candidate. There is a strong element of creativity in this
activity, one that requires the candidate to condense information, package it persuasively into a
graphic organizer that summarizes the findings from the first four tasks of the SIAP and links
these conclusions to student achievement.
Instructions: The candidate will produce a graphic organizer that clearly illustrates the data
collected and analyzed, the major strengths and opportunities for improvement identified by the
stakeholders, and the relationships that each of these have with specific areas of student
achievement.
Prompt: The candidate will produce a graphic organizer that clearly illustrates the data collected
and analyzed, the major strengths and opportunities for improvement identified by the
stakeholders, and the relationships that each of these have with specific areas of student
achievement. The candidate will produce a graphic organizer that clearly illustrates:
 the data collected and analyzed
 the major strengths and opportunities for improvement identified by the stakeholders
 the relationships that each of these have with specific areas of student achievement.
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The candidate created a graphic organizer that aligned each of the recommended
activities established by the action plans created by the candidate and SIAP team. The organizer
contains all necessary information for the activities identified by the SIAP team including but not
limited to resources, persons responsible, and indicators of success. If these activities are
implemented with fidelity, it is the belief of the candidate and SIAP that Royal Live Oaks
Academy will see growth in the area of student success overall.
The specific activities identified were developed as part of the recommendations and data
collected during the AAPTEL, AAPSL, CAAP, SCIP, and OMA. Each analysis was broken
down into specific activities, some overlapping, which were summarized in the graphic organizer
below. Each analysis effectively makes up the findings and recommendations of the SIAP that
was developed by the candidate and SIAP team.
Specific Activity Timeline Persons Resources Formative Summative Goal Indicator of Success
Responsible Assessment Assessment
Implement PBL teaching Beginning RLOA teachers, PBL Training Formative Classroom Short term- Increased scores on state
methodologies across all 2018-2019 K-12 PBL Coach, Materials assessments in observations of Have teachers assessments and college &
grade and subject areas. RLOA generated with the form of teachers, with create a PBL career readiness directed by
Leadership Team guidance from project rubrics feedback from unit for each increased literacy skills
The Buck and mid-year PBL Coach and class that will supported by PBL.
Institute. benchmarks. administrators be implemented
in the 1st 9
Weeks.
Long term-
100%
implementation
of PBL across
all grade levels
and classrooms.
Implement Disciplinary Beginning RLOA teachers, Access to Formative Classroom Short term- Increased scores on state
Literacy across all grade 2018-2019 9-12 Teacher NewsELA assessments in observations of Most teachers assessments and college &
and subject areas. Coach, RLOA the form of teachers, with will utilize career readiness directed by
Leadership Team Training weekly feedback from NewsELA at increased literacy skills.
Materials NewsELA data curriculum least once a
and through coaches and week.
schoolwide administrators
benchmarks and Long
assessments. term-100%
implementation
of NewsELA to
increase
disciplinary
literacy across
all grade and
subject areas.
Train teachers and staff on Beginning RLOA teachers, Training: Teachers Classroom Short term- Increased scores on state
PBL and NewsELA 2018-2019 K-12 PBL Coach, Ongoing PBL include observations of Teachers assessments and college &
Curriculum and NewsELA NewsELA and teachers, with created projects career readiness directed by
Coach, RLOA support/trainin PBL regularly feedback from and assigned increased literacy skills
Leadership Team g in classroom curriculum NewsELA supported by PBL.
instruction. within their
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Technology coaches and regular
resources to Students administrators instruction.
access training participate in
materials and more hands-on, Consistent
documents real-world feedback on Long term-
activities lesson plans and 100%
through PBL projects. implementation
and relatable of PBL and
non-fiction NewsELA in
readings the classroom.
through
NewsELA.
Administration of the Spring of The candidate in Google Form # of surveys Increased Short term- Improved results from future
teacher empowerment 2017/2018 and conjunction with Survey created completed by student success Identify surveys administered as
survey 2018/2019 school school level by candidate the staff vs. the on standardized immediate areas check-in points.
year leaders number of staff tests as a result of need and
members who of improved improvement Increase the number of
were given the teacher and teachers who are identified
survey empowerment implemented at as teacher leaders.
initiatives least one.
Long term-
Overall increase
in teacher
empowerment
across the K-12
campus in all
areas.
Identify and establish 2018/2019 school RLOA teachers, Historical Observational Overall growth Short Term- Increase in the teacher
teacher leaders within the year and beyond K-12 RLOA teacher data collected in student Increased retention rate each year by
school who will assist with Leadership Team performance from performance growth in keeping high performing
mentoring and coaching data. administrative across grade previous years teachers through building
other teachers. observations levels through scores on them professionally and
Walkthrough and increased formative and supporting their professional
observation walkthroughs teacher summative needs.
data from will be used to empowerment assessments
school leaders. identify teacher and teacher (MAP, NWEA,
leaders and moral based on and state tests).
continue to periodic
develop other surveys. Long Term-
teachers. Overall growth
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
high-quality
teachers.
Development of Pre-School 2018, RLOA teachers, Identified gap Teachers will Overall growth Short term- 100% of the teaching staff is
Professional Development with sessions K-12 RLOA areas participate in in student Provide teachers observed utilizing the
Needs for Teacher beginning for the Leadership Team the professional performance with strategies taken from
Empowerment and 2018/2019 and staff Researched development across grade professional ongoing professional
Efficacy academic year data of opportunities levels through learning that learning.
methods that before the new and will increase
will Spring of 2019 improved overall efficacy.
improvement instructional
identified gaps strategies and Long term-
knowledge. 100% of the
staff are
utilizing the
strategies taught
during PD to
increase
efficacy and
push student
success on
standardized
test scores to
over a 70% pass
rate schoolwide.
Provide ongoing 2018/2019 school RLOA teachers, Professional Observational Overall growth Short Term- Increase in the teacher
personalized professional year and beyond K-12 RLOA Development data collected in student Increased retention rate each year by
development to support Leadership Team, topics from performance growth in keeping high performing
PBL initiatives and teacher identified teacher administrative across grade previous years teachers through building
retention leaders observations levels through scores on them professionally and
and increased formative and supporting their professional
walkthroughs teacher summative needs.
will be used to empowerment assessments
159
identify teacher and teacher (MAP, NWEA, 100% of the teaching staff is
leaders and moral based on and state tests). observed utilizing the
continue to periodic strategies taken from
develop other surveys. Long Term- ongoing professional
teachers. Overall growth learning.
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
high-quality
teachers and an
increase of
student success
on standardized
tests to over
60% pass rate.
Staff participation in the 2018/2019 school RLOA teachers, Professional Observational Overall growth Short Term- Increase in the teacher
ongoing professional year and beyond K-12 RLOA Development data collected in student Increased retention rate each year by
development opportunities Leadership Team, topics from performance growth in keeping high performing
led by coaches and teacher identified teacher administrative across grade previous years teachers through building
leaders. leaders observations levels through scores on them professionally and
and increased formative and supporting their professional
walkthroughs teacher summative needs.
will be used to empowerment assessments
identify teacher and teacher (MAP, NWEA, 100% of the teaching staff is
leaders and moral based on and state tests). observed utilizing the
continue to periodic strategies taken from
develop other surveys. Long Term- ongoing professional
teachers. Overall growth learning.
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
high-quality
teachers and an
increase of
student success
on standardized
tests to over
60% pass rate.
Establishment and 2018/2019 school RLOA teachers, Professional Observational Overall growth Short Term- Increase in the teacher
implementation of PLC’s, year and beyond K-12 RLOA learning data collected in student Increased retention rate each year by
led by teacher leaders Leadership Team, topics, data from performance growth in keeping high performing
from administrative previous years teachers through building
identified teacher across grade
classroom observations scores on them professionally and
leaders observations, and levels through formative and supporting their professional
student data walkthroughs increased summative needs.
will be used to “collective assessments
identify teacher efficacy” and (MAP, NWEA, 100% of the teaching staff is
leaders and teacher morale and state tests). observed utilizing the
continue to based on strategies and data analysis
develop other Long Term- taken from ongoing
periodic
teachers. Overall growth professional learning in
surveys. PLCs.
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
high-quality
teachers and an
increase of
student success
on standardized
tests to over
60% pass rate.
Walkthrough Observations Spring 2018 and to Leadership team PBL Assess rubric Student growth Short term- Student growth on test scores
continue into the & the candidate Observation and checklist on state teachers are
2018-2019 school Checklist and data to identify assessment utilizing
best-practice
year Carolina 4.0 teacher through
instructional
utilization of effective best strategies,
160
Teaching best practice practice including PBL,
Rubric strategies classroom to instruct
identified in strategies students
PLCS and 100% of the teachers are
professional observed implementing PBL
development Long term
and other strategies from the
–Adoption of
PLCs and PD sessions.
authentic
project-based
learning in
100% of
classrooms on
campus
Identifying Teacher Mentor Beginning Summer The List of 1st Logs of Student growth Short Term- Placing high quality,
Teams and Development of 2018 through then administration Year Teachers meetings and on state Increase the successful teachers into
Teacher Mentor Program end of the team, the or Teachers data collected assessment number of leadership roles by
teachers in successfully leading PLCs,
2018-2019 School candidate, the Identified as through through
leadership PDs, and mentoring new
Year teaching staff Needing Extra walkthroughs of effective best positions teachers.
Support along skills and best practice through
with Teacher practices classroom mentoring and Increasing the number of
Mentors; discussed in strategies coaching. teachers who return to the
Guidelines mentor school each academic year.
and meetings Long term-
Increase teacher
expectations
retention by
for mentors
increasing
collective
efficacy and
providing
opportunities
for
collaboration
among teachers.
Teachers and staff will Fall 2018- Communicatio Tracking of Increased Short Term Success of this will be
communicate with parents Administrators will n Logs Staff support and Goal- See an indicated by the increased
and community member communicate Administrators communication relationships increase in the communication between
expectations to Communicatin number of stakeholders and the increase
using social media, logs. between internal
teachers & staff Technology g Using parents who in relationships with external
(Facebook, Twitter, Technology and external attend school community
Instagram) and other forms Coordinator stakeholders.
Fall 2018- Training events. members/volunteers.
of technology (Remind, Teacher Presentations
Teachers
Blackboard Connect, etc) Development on Long Term
to develop relations Utilizing Staff Goal- To see an
through effective Technology to increase in
Communicate student success
communication
Effectively through the
open
Fall 2018 through communication
Spring 2019- of parents and
Teachers will teachers.
utilize the tools and
strategies
throughout the year
to connect with
community
members.
Fall 2018 through

Spring 2019-
Administrators will
check in with
teachers and
provide support
where needed.
Spring 2019-
Reflection on the
methods used
throughout the
year.
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Administrators and staff Fall 2018-Spring Administrators Contact info Monitoring of Increased Short Term Success of this will be
will communicate with 2019 for local news interactions on support and Goal- See an indicated by the increased
news outlets and post on Administrators and Technology outlets social media relationships increase in the communication between
social media to promote Coordinator number of stakeholders and the increase
other school outlets for between internal
school events and other parents who in relationships with external
special acknowledgements personnel will Teachers school posts and and external attend school community
to the community. share upcoming attendance at stakeholders. events. members/volunteers.
events and special Staff school events.
acknowledgements Long Term
to the school Goal- To see an
contact at the increase in
Jasper Sun Times student success
through the
Fall 2018-Spring open
2019 Designated communication
social media of parents and
manager will share teachers.
pertinent and
interesting
information on
designated social
media platforms.
Host community events to Fall 2018- Classroom Monitoring of Increased Short Term Records of attendance from
connect stakeholders. Welcome Back School Personnel Project attendance at support and Goal- See an the events should correlate
Event (Planning, Examples school events. relationships increase in the with growth in community
Presentation of number of partnerships and
between internal
Fall 2018-Spring Projects, etc.) Student Work parents who relationships between
2018- Samples and external attend school stakeholders.
PTO Meetings & Parent/Communi stakeholders. events.
SIC Meetings y Volunteers Funds for
Refreshments Long Term
November 2018- Student Leaders Goal- To see an
Fall Showcase Funds for increase in
Supplies & student success
Spring 2018- Materials through the
Literacy Night open
communication
April 2018- of parents and
Spring Showcase teachers.
May 2018-
Talent Show
Reassignment of classroom Beginning Spring Administrators Current Assessment of Overall Short Term Increase in the overall
spaces based on student 2019 enrollment classroom usage increased Goal- To create teacher satisfaction survey
numbers (i.e-provide more numbers; based on morale based a more effective score in the area of Facilities
cottages for HS classes current teacher assignment of compared to the CAAP
student numbers off teacher
because their overall schedule classroom survey responses from the
enrollment is up and in the class. survey data, and space. previous year.
middle school enrollment is teacher efficacy
down). with consistent, Long Term
useable space. Goal- Create
enough space in
a the building of
Increase in
a new school to
student test avoid teachers
scores as a losing their
result more classroom
effective during their
teaching planning time.
through an
increase in
teacher morale.
Improve access to Beginning Late Administrators Laptops/Chro Monitoring of Increased Short term- Increase in the overall
technology and internet Fall/ Spring 2019 mebooks the number of student success Minimize the teacher satisfaction survey
across the K-12 Campus to Technology classrooms that on standardized number of score in the area of
support PBL. Coordinator shared Resources compared to the
do not share tests as a result
Chromebooks CAAP survey responses
Chromebooks of improved across the K-12 from the previous year.
and technology resource campus.
resources. availability to
Long term-
Become a 1-1
162
teachers and school and
students. eliminate any
shared
technology.
Provide “voice and choice” 2018-2019 School Administrators List of PD Tracking of the Increased Short Term- Increase in the overall
to teachers on PD year and beyond options professional efficacy and Increased teacher satisfaction survey
opportunities and teacher Staff development empowerment growth in score in the area of
leaders leading PD. previous years Empowerment compared to
options among teachers
scores on the CAAP survey responses
provided to resulting in formative and from the previous year.
teachers and the more effective summative
ones they teaching and assessments
choose to student success (MAP, NWEA,
attend. as a result of an and state tests)
increase in based on
teacher
overall school
empowerment.
culture.
Long Term-
Overall growth
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
high-quality
teachers and an
increase of
student success
on standardized
tests to over
60% pass rate.
Increase the amount of 2018-2019 School Administrators Teacher Tracking of the Increased Short Term Increase in the overall
time available to teachers year and beyond Schedules logs for time efficacy and Goal- To teacher satisfaction survey
for collaborative planning teachers spend empowerment increase score in the area of Time
and meetings. cross-curricular compared to CAAP the
collaboratively among teachers
planning and survey responses from the
planning and resulting in teacher previous year.
meeting. more effective effectiveness
teaching and based on
student success collaborative
as a result of an planning and
increase in PLCs.
overall school
Long Term-
culture. Overall growth
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
high-quality
teachers and an
increase of
student success
on standardized
tests to over
60% pass rate.
RLOA will increase the 2018-2019 School Administrators 4.0 Rubric Tracking of the Increased Short Term Increase in the overall
amount of constructive year and beyond feedback efficacy and Goal- To see an teacher satisfaction survey
feedback given to teachers provided to empowerment immediate score in the area of
PBL Checklist
to encourage growth and increase in Leadership compared to the
teachers after among teachers
celebrate successes as the teacher/leadersh CAAP survey responses
result of more effective Informal informal resulting in ip relationship from the previous year.
observations. Observation observations more effective resulting in a
Logs and document teaching and more positive
of the supports student success school culture.
provided. as a result of an
increase in Long Term
Goal-Long
overall school
Term-
culture. Overall growth
in teacher
empowerment
and satisfaction
measured by an
increased
retention rate of
163
high-quality
teachers and an
increase of
student success
on standardized
tests to over
60% pass rate
Task 6 Description: The candidate is asked to reflect and find evidences in the SIAP that
demonstrate competency development. This is significant because the candidate must have
reflected on the internship three times for each competency over the span of the six artifacts. It
is a focal point of this program that completers leave knowing where they are competent, where
they are developing competency, and how to utilize resources to overcome obstacles caused by
weaknesses. This is an ongoing process that will not end when candidates complete the
program; in fact, it is the beginning of the process. The competency process in the MELS
program did not make candidates competent or not; the process made candidates aware of their
competencies through a process of reflection. It is the intent of the MELS faculty that candidates
never forget the process or lose the practice, because it is at the core of growth and essential to
sound leadership.
Instructions: Candidates reflect on the SIAP/MELS experience by critically assessing personal

development by fusing course content with the clinical experience in relation to the 21 NC
Standards for School Executive Competencies that were evidenced by the candidate. Candidates
must cite sources and clinical experiences that influence a self-analysis of each competency
addressed throughout the SIAP or overall MELS experience.
Prompt: Candidates reflect on the SIAP/MELS experience by critically assessing personal

development by fusing course content with the clinical experience in relation to the 21 NC
Standards for School Executive Competencies that were evidenced by the candidate. Candidates
must cite sources and clinical experiences that influence a self-analysis of each competency
addressed throughout the SIAP or MELS experience.
Communication (Competent)
The candidate communicated via email and face to face with the Chief Academic Officer
of the school to gain the approval for the creation of a professional learning community (PLC).
The candidate successfully gained permission to begin the PLC through providing the CAO with
the purpose and details of the PLC. Through this communication, the candidate was able to
effectively develop a PLC that was supported by school leadership, and she was able to gain
support for a key figure who will later be key in ensuring the success of the action plan.
164
Additionally, the candidate communicated on a regular basis with the PLC team via email and in
face to face meetings. This ensured the successful development of an action plan that is built
upon a foundation of data, research, and best practice. Evidence of this competency can be seen
in the appendices.
Change Management (Competent)
The candidate worked with the PLC team to effectively develop and action plan that
would initiate a change in the school. To do this, the candidate had to lead the PLC team in
seeing the vision for change and its purpose. Leading the PLC team in supporting this change
helped the candidate in confidently presenting the action plan to administration and gaining their
support for implementing the plan. Each of these things supports the competency of change
management and will help the candidate in gaining staff buy-in to the changes presented in the
action plan for the benefit of the students.
Conflict Management (Competent)

During the SCIP and OMA process, the candidate displayed an ability to deal with
conflict management by pre-identifying potential areas of concern for teachers when utilize new
communication methods in their classroom. For example, all teachers are not comfortable
utilizing social media as a platform for communication, The candidate identified that a way this
may be eased is by training teachers during professional development days and showing them
how to communicate effectively. Additionally, not all school leaders felt that social media was
an appropriate form of communication. The candidate was able to provide evidence and
effectively guide the opposing administrators to see the benefits and how this could be a
cost-effective method of communication to distribute information to external stakeholders.

165
Creative Thinking (Competent)
While completing Evidence 3, the OMA, the candidate utilized creative thinking by
creating a master schedule that was both effective and met all local, state, and federal laws and
regulations. This required a high level of creativity and problem solving by looking at what was
currently there and finding ways to combat all needed improvements. The candidate had
previously identified a need in the school, and that was considered when putting together a
schedule that would be need those needs (literacy and the development of college and career
ready students). Because the candidate’s school is smaller, it requires even more creativity when
it comes to looking at how the needed courses will fit with the number of teachers and the
amount of space the school currently has.
Customer focus (Competent)
The candidate, along with the leadership team, met before they left for the summer to
establish and determined the answers to the “5 Essential Questions” that were intended to keep in
mind that we are here to serve the students. In the development of the answers to these
questions, the candidate gave input and effectively communicated her understanding of this
concept. In addition, the candidate was able to effectively show her knowledge of the students
on the school’s campus by identifying their unique needs and changes that can be made to meet
their needs. This was shown in the development of an action plan that emphasized the use of
PBL and the new alternative Friday schedule.
Delegation (Competent)
At the beginning of the course, the candidate identified members of the high school team
who she felt would be fitting for participation in identifying and determining an action plan to
166
benefit Royal Live Oaks Academy. The team worked together to look at data, and each
candidate was asked to assess the data and identify needs they saw and what they found
interesting about the data. The team then had an open communication session in which the team
presented their individual findings. At this point, the team was asked to complete homework in
which they identified an individual S.M.A.R.T goal that would be used to develop a team
S.M.A.R.T goal that would guide the PLC team throughout its duration. During the next PLC
meeting, the team was each asked to analyze best practice options that could be used in the
action plan to support student needs. Each team member was then expected to discuss their
thoughts and provide both pros and cons of each best practice discussed. Examples of these
experiences can be seen in the appendices.
Dialogue/inquiry (Competent)
The candidate led the PLC in each meeting and began this by developing a foundation in
which each candidate feels comfortable speaking in the group. By beginning the process with
simple “ice-breakers,” even though candidates knew each other, helped allow each candidate to
gain a little insight to teach team member as an educator. The ice-break that was chosen was
“Two Truths & a Lie: Teacher Edition.” This allowed the candidates to become more familiar
with teaching styles and beliefs. This allowed a foundation to be built in which each person was
comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions. Each meeting began by allowing the teachers to
communicate freely about their week before the official meeting began. This also supported and
promoted a level of comfort that encouraged sharing within the meeting. Additionally, it allowed
for experiences to guide ideas that were generated during the PLC. Promoting and setting the
foundation of communication and inquiry was essential in the growth and productivity within the
PLC and the development of the action plan. The candidate also went outside of the PLC team
167
to discuss the action plan with teachers would be most resistant to the change in an effort to
determine what they would need to be convinced that this would benefit their students.
Emotional intelligence (Competent)

The candidate displayed Emotional Intelligence through the development of both the
SCIP and the OMA tasks. The candidate communicated with both teachers and school leaders to
combat identified problems within the school. Because of the candidate’s ability to communicate
both openly and tactfully with stakeholders, a solution that fit all parties was able to be
developed. Additionally, the candidate was able to put aside her own beliefs and compromise to
meet the overall needs to the school when she felt that other programs may be more effective
when looking for solutions to communication problems.
Environmental awareness (Competent)
The candidate was given the opportunity to participate in the budgeting process for the
academic school year. In this process, the candidate got to see different trends and issues
impacting charter schools this congressional year. Additionally, the teacher worked with a state
organization to help inform students and parents about these issues through celebrating National
School Choice Week. Part of this week including educating students and parents on charter
school funding. With this opportunity, the teacher was also able to work with high school
teachers on identifying “must-haves” and “wants” for the next school year, and see if those items
would fit into the budget.
Global perspective (Competent)

During the development of the OMA, the candidate showed evidence of being aware of
the needs of the global economy and developing students who were ready to effectively serve in
168
college & career roles. The candidate identified that there is currently a need within the school
to develop college & career ready students more effectively. The candidate worked with
administrative leaders to develop an alternating Friday schedule that incorporated hands-on
activities that would build literacy skills, critical thinking skills, and leadership skills. The shows
that the candidate understands the importance of developing students to meet the needs of the
global community.
Judgement (Competent)
The candidate took the data that was available from school resources and analyzed that
data to determine the most pressing need. From personal experience and conversations with
colleagues that candidate was already aware that literacy was an issue within the school. Prior to
reviewing the data in depth, the candidate knew that this would be something that could possibly
be considered the most pressing need. After taking and analyzing the data, there were many
opportunities that could have been deemed most important to the success of the school, but the
candidate used research and peer support to effectively make a decision to focus on building a
literacy program that would in return support the learning for the largest number of students on
campus. This showed that sound judgement was used throughout the process, and that many
perspectives were considered before a decision was solidified.
Organizational ability (Competent)

Through the development of the OMA and SCIP there were many opportunities in which
the candidate displayed organization. The candidate effectively worked with leaders at Royal
Live Oaks Academy and met their scheduling needs while also effectively organizing meetings
that ran smoothly and efficiently. These meetings were ongoing and many different things had to
be considered when planning the meetings, especially since these meetings took place over the
169
course of an extended break. Additionally, the candidate displayed organizational ability when
developing a master schedule that could be utilized at the school for the OMA, and when
developing the marketing plan presented in the SCIP.
Personal ethics and values (Competent)
School administration requested that the candidate participate in the interview process for
multiple positions open within the middle and high school. During this process, confidentiality
was required as it required that the candidate not identify to other staff members what position
the candidates were interviewing for. Additionally, the candidate was able to give perspectives
and points of view that established that the candidate was just and fair and provided no bias to
the situation. Additionally, the candidate was asked to sit in on a process in which a middle and
high school teacher has to switch course loads. This information had to be kept at a confidential
level until parents and other pertinent parties had been informed. The candidate was chose to
participate in this process to give a fair, unbiased opinion into the situation.
Personal responsibility for performance (Competent)
The candidate had identified a weakness in the overall culture at the high school level,
including in her own classroom, in regard to inconsistencies in expectations and behaviors. The
candidate took the time to meet with the school’s Career & Guidance Counselor to identify how
they could take the K-8 CHAMPS program and utilized a similar concept in the high school to
help in moving towards a more consistent and appropriate program. The candidate worked with
the counselor to develop the program that is included as part of the K-12 action plan for the
2018-2019 school year. This shows that the candidate has a sense of personal responsibility for
the overall performance at the high school level.

170
Responsiveness (Competent)
While working with administration to help gain certification status for a teacher, it was
determined that the previous person in charge did not complete tasks that were required. The
candidate took the initiative to help the teacher gather all necessary information, present this to
the Chief Academic Officer, and implement a quick response to a difficult situation. The
candidate was able to ease the anxieties of the teacher and insure that it was handle in a quick
and efficient manner. This helped establish a relationship with the teachers that shows trust and
respect.
Results orientation (Competent)

When developing the SCIP, the candidate showed resulted oriented thinking by
identifying a solution to the communication problems within her school. The candidate
developed a policy of implementation for utilizing social media for community and external
stakeholder outreach that will hopefully help build resources and the overall culture of the
school. The candidate led the team in making the decisions and was able to effectively show
how social media campaigns can effectively reach school stakeholders.
Sensitivity (Competent)
The candidate was able to utilize sensitivity when communicating with the SCIP and
OMA teams. It is important to understand and perceive the verbal and non-verbal cues presented
during communication. The candidate was able to appropriately address areas of concern that
were brought up, and address areas of improvement with tact. The candidate utilized appropriate
language and data supported statements to identify the areas of need to school leaders. This
ensured that conversations would be both meaningful and purposeful.

171
Systems thinking
The candidate attended a SIC meeting in which the needs of the school was addressed.
This meeting allowed the candidate to see the opinions of many different stakeholders, including
parents, teachers, and administrators. Through this meeting the candidate gave input and ideas,
and openly listened to the input from others in attendance. Additionally, the candidate also
participated in discussions in relation to vertical alignment and how having a system in place for
the K-12 campus would benefits all students and teachers. Each of these events allowed the
candidate to gain a multi-person perspective which greatly impacted the development of the
action plan and looking at how it could be useful to multiple grades, not only high school. This
showed that the candidate was thinking outside of just the success of the high school, but also
about the success of the K-8 campus as well.
Time management (Competent)
The candidate was a part of researching and building an action plan based on the needs of
the school, while also effectively maintaining the candidate’s responsibilities as a teacher and
special program coordinator. The candidate assisted in making sure all leadership meetings
remained on task and kept the end goal in mind. Often times the leadership team may go off on
tangents and not always be the most productive in terms of what needs to be accomplished in
that particular meeting. The candidate made sure that an agenda was followed, and all topics
followed the overall purpose of the meeting. This showcased the candidate’s ability to
effectively manage time.
Technology (Competent)
172
During the SCIP, the candidate utilized technology as a means to effectively increase
communication within the school. The candidate researched and provided evidence to the fact
that social media is turning into an effective communication platform for schools when
delivering information to external stakeholders. The candidate showcased her ability to utilize
technology creatively to solve a schoolwide problem.
Visionary (Competent)
The candidate met with administration to present an action planned developed by the
leadership team. The candidate took the initiative to take all of the ideas and goals of each team
member and develop a matrix that was presented during the June board meeting. During the
meeting, the candidate presented the parts of the action plan that she would personally be
responsible for (PBL & Teacher Compacts). All parts of the action plan were presented (goals,
plan, needs, etc.), and meeting participants then discussed the action plan along with concerns
and questions. The board warmly welcomed the contents of the action plan and look forward to
assisting in the implementation of the plan in anyway they can.

173
References
Adams, A., Ross, D., & Vescio, V. (2007, March 02). A review of research on the impact of
professional learning communities on teaching practice and student learning. Retrieved
January 20, 2018, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X07000066
Brinda, W. (2011). A “ladder to literacy” engages reluctant readers. Middle School Journal,
43(2), 8.
Brozo, W.G., Shiel, G., & Topping, K. (2007). Engagement in reading: Lessons learned from
three PISA countries. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 51(4), 304-315.
DuFour, R. (2004, May). What is a “professional learning community”? Schools as Learning

Communities, 61,8. 6-11.
Education for all 2000-2015: Achievements and challenges (2nd ed.). (2015). Paris: UNESCO.
Ellison, T.L., & Moje, E.B. (2016). Extended—and extending—literacies. Journal of Education,
196(3), 27-24.
Hill, A. E. (2014) Using interdisciplinary, project-based, multimodal activities to facilitate

literacy across the content areas. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(6), 450-460.
Klotz, M. B. (2006). Culturally competent schools: Guidelines for secondary school principals.
National Association of School Psychologist Journal, 6, 11-14.
Knoll, C. (2000) The relationship between motivation and reading comprehension. Masters
Theses, Paper 497. Grand Valley State University.
Kriete, R. (2017, August 10). How to Make the Most of Your Professional Learning Community.
Retrieved January 27, 2018, from
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Mata, W. (2015). “The importance of technology in the classroom.” Centre technologies.
Retrieved from
https://centretechnologies.com/importance-of-technology-in-the-classroom/
McConachie, S., Hall, M., Resnick, L., Ravi, A. K., Bill, V. L., Bintz, J., & Taylor, J. A. (2006).
Task, Text, and Talk. Educational Leadership, 64(2), 8-14.
Miller, R. (2011, May 25). The Importance of Culturally Competent Teachers. Retrieved from
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-miller/the-importance-of-cultura_b_787876.html
N.a. (2016) Administrator & teacher communication. Schoolrunner. Retrieved from

https://blog.schoolrunner.org/communication-between-school-leaders-and-teachers/
reading and science (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014), PISA, OECD Publishing.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201118-en
Pirtle, S.S., & Tobia, E. 2014. Implementing effective professional learning communities.
SEDL Insight, 2, 3. Retrieved from
http://www.sedl.org/insights/2-3/implementing_effective_professional_learning_commu
nities.pdf
reading and science (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014), PISA, OECD Publishing.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201118-en
“Project Based Learning.” The internet in Action. Retrieved from
https://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/iia/p3_nav1.html
Provini, C. (2012). Best Practices for Professional Learning Communities. Retrieved January 27,
2018, from
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http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/best-practices-for-professional-learning-commu
nities.shtml
Royal Live Oaks Academy Vision and Mission. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.rloacs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1249958&type=d&pREC_ID=1
475380
South Carolina State Report Card. (2017). Retrieved from

https://ed.sc.gov/data/report-cards/state-report-cards/2017/view/?d=4701&s=015&t=H&
y=2017
The power of blended learning: Maximizing instructional time, Accelerating Student

Achievement. (2016) Houghton Mifflin Harcout.
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df
“What Is Project Based Learning (PBL)?” What Is PBL? | Project Based Learning | BIE,
www.bie.org/about/what_pbl.
Why Cultural Competence? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/39783.ht
Wong, T. (2013). Building bridges. Library Media Connection, 32(2), 30-31. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.scsl.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=ff48
417c-b0c6-4350-b212-d5b17e5ef4bc%40sessionmgr4007
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Appendix A
PLC Meeting Evidences Week 1
The email above shows communication between myself and our Chief Academic Office, Brian
Morse, seeking approval and support of implementing the PLC team and our topic.
177
The image above is during PLC meeting #1. In this image we are talking about “team norms”
and discussing our beliefs and ideas for the PLC Team. From L to R: Robin Connolly, Lauren
Traynham, Darus Williams, and Richards Fumbi.
178
The image above shows the agenda for the team’s first official PLC meeting. You can see that a
variety of items were discussed throughout the meeting. The purpose of this meeting was to
establish team norms, go over goals for the PLC, and develop an overall foundation for the PLC.
179
Appendix B
PLC Meeting Evidences Task 2
The image above is the meeting agenda for the 2nd PLC meeting of the team. In this
meeting the primary focus was dissecting data and identifying the need in which we see most
pressing for the school. During this meeting a PLC SMART Goal was also identified.
The image above is during the 2nd PLC meeting. We were looking at school test data for
the ACT, EOC, and MAP assessments. During this meeting we identified the most pressing need
for our school and reflected on the data through a collaborative process.
180
Appendix C
PLC Meeting Evidences Task 3
Above, the candidate can be seen leading the PLC meeting with participant Robin
Connolly, Darus Williams, and Richards Fumbi. In this meeting, the candidates looked at a
variety of resources that could be used to help students develop their literacy skills at the high
school level.
181
The picture above shows the agenda that the candidate presented members of the PLC
team at the beginning of the meeting. The goal of this meeting was to identify that resource that
best works for the candidate’s school.
Appendix D
Action Plan Resources
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the elements that encompass an authentic PBL unit from the design and teaching
practice perception. Certain elements must be present for the unit to be considered authentic,
and high quality and those are identified in the table above. (BIE.org)
182
Figure 2
183
Figure 2 above shows the layout for the Project Design Template that can be accessed through
the Buck Institute of Education. Following this concept, while also understanding the “Project
Design Elements” seen in Figure 1, will help teachers develop project that will be most
beneficial and effective for learners.
Figure 3
184
185
Figure 3 above shows the rubric that is used during what is known as “Critical Friends” where
teachers share their projects layouts with other teachers and administrators to receive
constructive critical feedback on their idea. Teachers may also choose to assess their projects
themselves during the planning process to see where they need to improve, and where they have
strengths.
186
Figure 4
187
188
Figure 4 above shows the rubric that will be used when observing PBL lessons in the classroom.
These assess the project from many different perspectives. The rubric was generated by the Buck
Institute of Education.
Appendix E
PLC Meeting Evidences Week 4: PLC Meeting & Presentation
PLC Meeting Agendas are shown above. During these meetings, the action plan was
developed and solidified. Issues and concerns were noted and each team member gave input as
to how they felt the action plan could best be developed and implemented.
189
In the image above the PLC team is discussing the development of the action plan in their
meeting on 2/22/18. At this meeting, the action plan was finalized and the team was celebrated
for their hard work during the PLC process and the development of the action plan.
190
Appendix F
Literacy Imitative Presentation to Administration
191
192
The above images showcase the presentation that was presented to administration in an effort to
seek approval for the action plant the PLC team created. The presentation included the plan
(summarized), the research and data that helped develop the plan, and provided many
opportunities for open discussion to progress the develop and finalization of the plan.
193
Appendix F
2017-2018 Royal Live Oaks Academy Responses
194
195
Appendix G
Responses from 2018 RLOA School Environment Survey (CAAP Survey)
196
197
198
199
200
Appendix H
Interview Question Samples
201
202
203
204
Appendix I
Meeting agenda from the final CAAP meeting where the team determined necessary
recommendations for improvements to the culture and climate at Royal Live Oaks Academy.
205
Appendix J
South Carolina 4.0 Evaluation Rubric

206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
Appendix K
PLC Meeting Agenda

216
Appendix L
Teacher empowerment survey sent to the faculty and staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy.
217
218
219
220
Appendix M
Observation and walkthrough rubrics utilized by the school.

221
Appendix N
Email sent to staff requesting their completion of the staff empowerment survey generated by the
candidate.
222
Appendix O
PLC Meeting Agenda for the Discussion of the Gap Analysis

223
Appendix P
Walkthrough Observation Rubric Example for a PBL Observation

224
Appendix Q
Calendar Invite Sent to School Leaders for Meeting

225
Appendix R
Presentation the candidate used to present to school leaders.

226
Appendix S
Royal Live Oaks Academy New Campus Sketches

227
Appendix T
Below is the presentation that the candidate used when discussing schedule changes for next year
with the administrative staff at Royal Live Oaks Academy.

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1

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTION PLAN

The evidence for School Improvement is an action plan developed as a result of a

Background info and description of setting

RLOA is a South Carolina nonprofit corporation incorporated on March 16, 2011.

become effective on July 1, 2018.

classroom instruction, (2) research opportunities to address a number of topics germane to

Charter Schools Act.

benefit from challenging experiential learning experiences provided through project-based

growing 53.4 percent from 2010 to 2014.”

on student achievement as measured annually by the South Carolina Department of Education.

project-based curriculum and a small-school environment. Although RLOA’s students have

expected student growth as identified by the EVAAS system.

RLOA’s student body reflects the overall demographic and socio-economic

at the school is:

waitlist after lottery.

Demand in the 2017-2018 School Year

education, and two career technologies.

seeking AdvancED Accreditation.

Physical description & location

recreational department as well as facilities at the local district’s middle school.

In December 2013, Gray RE Holdings, LLC gifted approximately 26 acres of real

2019 is seen in Appendix A.

Collaborative professional learning is an essential aspect of today’s educational system.

collaboration, reflection, and implementation to create or answer a specific, identified problem or

communities provide an “effective, learning-focused process that can foster improvement in

should be followed throughout the process.

Professional learning communities should include qualified teachers and school

ongoing improvement is centered around data, reflection, and growth.

Data is a constant element of a professional learning community. To begin, data is the

community, an important aspect of a PLC (DuFour, 2004).

Professional learning communities, when developed effectively, can help transform

Royal Live Oaks Academy team members:

1. Richard Fumbi, English Department Head

2. Robin Connolly, English I Instructor

3. Darus Williams, Middle School Director

will be made, participation expectations, and confidentiality details.

be effective to positively impacting student learning and educator growth.

Data collection strategies

1. % of Students Who Passed

2. % of Students Who Did Not Pass

down into the following overall groups (Figure 3):

2. % Not Met Overall

Criteria and process for identifying the most pressing need

2. % Not Met by Grade

3. % on Track (ACT College Readiness)

4. % not on Track (ACT College Readiness)

Collaborative data analysis

Most pressing need

Assessment: ACT (College Entrance Exams)

the average in the subjects of Reading and Science.

directly related to these scores.

highest percentage of students who were on grade level in reading.

students in 9th and 10th grade.

understanding, Level 2 students are considered to be at the “baseline level of proficiency at

engagement, inappropriate curriculum, or ineffective teaching practices (Brinda 2011). Students

meaningful connections to the academic content we are presenting to students. As educators, we

these things in mind.

resources across all subject areas in an effort to promote disciplinary literacy.

within the context of a given field.”

framework is established in five specific principles:

1) Knowledge & thinking must go hand in hand.