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Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School

School Information

School Name: Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School
School Address:  2200 York Drive, Woodbridge,VA 22191
School Phone: 703.494.3220
School Fax: 703.497.4774
Principal: Lillie G. Jessie
Principal E-Mail: jessiel@pwcs.edu
Web Address: http://vaughanes.schools.pwcs.edu/

Demographics

Number of Students:  604
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 55.6%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 35.2%
Percent of Special Education:  8.5%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

  • White: 12.5%
  • Black: 36.8%
  • Hispanic: 37.8%
  • Asian/Pacific Island: 6.8%
  • Other: 6.1%

Student Achievement Data:

< = A group below state definition for personally identifiable results
- = No data for this group
* = Data not yet available

 
Grade 3
 
Reading
Writing
Math
History
Science
2005-06
80
-
93
93
91
2006-07
69
-
87
78
83
2007-08
77
-
83
89
84

 

 
Grade 4
 
Reading
Writing
Math
VA Studies
Science
2005-06
89
-
67
80
-
2006-07
89
-
78
83
-
2007-08
95
-
91
94
-

 

 
Grade 5
 
Reading
Writing
Math
U.S. History
Science
2005-06
89
85
82
61
83
2006-07
77
83
78
52
77
2007-08
93
90
90
69
92

 

 
Overall Reading Performance (school/state)
 
All
Black
Hispanic
White
Students with Disabilities
Dis-advantaged
Limited English Proficient
2005-06
86/84
82/73
84/76
94/89
56/64
85/73
85/72
2006-07
80/85
80/76
74/72
89/90
48/62
72/73
65/67
2007-08
85/87
81/78
86/81
94/91
56/67
84/77
83/79

 

 
Overall Writing Performance (school/state)
 
All
Black
Hispanic
White
Students with Disabilities
Dis-advantaged
Limited English Proficient
2005-06
85/89
89/86
77/82
95/92
</61
78/81
73/78
2006-07
83/89
83/86
81/82
94/92
64/61
80/80
63/78
2007-08
90/89
90/87
84/83
100/92
</61
89/79
74/78

 

 
Overall Math Performance(school/state)
 
All
Black
Hispanic
White
Students with Disabilities
Dis-advantaged
Limited English Proficient
2005-06
81/76
78/62
77/66
90/81
59/53
77/62
70/65
2006-07
84/80
82/68
84/71
87/85
71/58
76/67
77/70
2007-08
89/84
84/73
89/75
97/88
61/65
85/73
90/75

 

2007 Comments

This was a challenging year for the school division and for the state. The requirement that Limited English Proficient students "read' the Standards of Learning (SOL) test made it challenging for many schools. We were one of the schools to make AYP. This I attribute to the PLC that exists in my school. The interdependence that Dr. DuFour talks about became a reality for us. The new AYP requirements were compounded by personnel issues at my school. We had several individuals on sick leave and not present at grade levels for various reasons. The 3rd grade staff had some of the highest scores, yet they had one teacher on leave during the month preceeding the SOLs. They came to me and said..."we do not want a substitute replacing Mrs._________. We will take her kids...give each of us five of her students". The students were divided into the remaining teachers' classrooms. One of the 3rd grade teachers, new to Vaughan, made the following comment: "This would have never happened in my former school for the following reasons:
1. We would have never thought to take another person's students. There was no sense of "our" kids in my school...only "your"kids.
2. We would have no information on the students of the teacher who is leaving (At Vaughan the team meets weekly, share data from common assessments, they know where each teacher is pacing wise and how the students are performing.
3. We did not have the level of trust that exists in this school that allows us to share ideas and students when necessary.

All of the above are elements of a PLC. We had a situation at another grade level requiring members of the teaching and support staff to intervene. Yes, the principal and the asst. principal had to support instruction instruction also. We were forced to review our mission statement: Excellence for All...Whatever It Takes! We laughingly said..."We are at the "Whatever It Takes!" part of our mission. There is absolutely nothing like having the school-wide interdependence that comes with a PLC. There is a quote in Assembly Required by Larry Lezotte..."No one of us is as smart as all of us". This I think is a quote to live by.

  • Data presented supports that we have been able to close the achievement gap as defined in the Standards and Poors national recognition received last year.  One variable in the report was the factor of improved achievement in both the subgroups and the majority population. This was accomplished.
  • School goals are established for each grade level that corresponded with our mission, which is in the abbreviated form, “Excellence for All…Whatever it takes!”  Each grade level has goals that support the 5 year plan and the mission of the school. Some of our grade levels have a 100% pass rate as a goal since they think it better supports the school’s mission.
  • “Excellence for All” is the first part of our mission statement; therefore we developed strategies directed at the improvement of the percentage of students who passed at the *advanced level on the SOLs.  Building a professional learning community is “process”.  It is a reflective process. There are always areas needing improvement.  We are still working to improve 5th grade social studies.  Changes in the content and measurement of this goal have forced us and others in the school division to re-look at our instructional strategies.

Please present any additional information that indicates your efforts to build a Professional Learning Community have had a positive impact upon students and/or teachers.

  • Teachers have bought in to the PLC process.  Initially, there was heavy resistance to data driven instruction.  Now you hear comments such as “I could never go back to traditional methods,” One teacher said “Teaching without data to guide your instruction is like trying to get dressed in the dark.”
  • The “school-wide” collaboration has been the most beneficial.  You hear comments such as “our kids” instead of “your” kids.  This became evident this year when we had teachers leave their classrooms for medical reasons in middle of the year.  There was never a thought by the affected team of teachers of a substitute taking over the classes this late in the year.  Instead, the remaining teachers were willing to take additional students in their classrooms.  They assumed responsibility for direct instruction.  The substitute was provided but assumed a more remediation/assistant role to the team.
  • Data chats are held weekly by grade levels. Common formative assessments are used. The entire school shares data at least three times a year.  Simulation tests are given at the SOL testing grades approximately 6 weeks prior to the test.  The entire school responds if one grade level or a teacher is having difficulty achieving the goal.  It is not unusual to see teachers taking on the responsibility of teaching another person’s classroom.
  • A climate of “interdependence” exists in this school. We experienced some challenges with our 5th grade writing scores this year (2006-7).  Many staff members including the principal assisted.  Members of the office staff, including the principal’s college-aged daughter shared school published memoirs.  The students’ prior 4th grade teachers also assisted. Our internal assessments indicated we were looking at a pass rate in the lower quartile one month before this intervention.  Our writing test scores for 2006-7 came in recently, indicating a 90% pass rate once adjustments are made.

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis

  • Monitoring is done on a weekly basis with individual grade levels.  These data chats or Day of Dialogue (DOD) are organized by teachers. A common assessment is used by the school at each grade level.
  •  Teachers engage in collaborative planning 3 days a week, individual planning 1 day a week and data sharing with the principal, 1 day a week. 
  • Monitoring with the specialists or subgroups is done on a monthly basis.
  • School-wide data monitoring is done quarterly.  This is done in a celebratory format call data luncheons and/or data dinners. 
  • Staff members are provided with the time to collect, disaggregate, and display their own data. They use the PLC questioning format for presentations: 
    • Are the children learning?
    • How do you know?
    • What are your plans for those not learning?
    • What are your plans for those who already know it?
  • Summative assessment information is shared at the end of the school year in the form of a “Brag” session, with the entire staff in attendance.
  • Principal/Assistant Principal interaction with students is another form of monitoring that allows us to acquire “real data”.
  • Climate and culture monitoring is done resulting in weekly celebrations of the success of all staff members. Small successes are rewarded frequently and publicly. Celebrations of student success are done in the form of numerous awards, announcements and pep rallies.
  • The adult monitoring process is the same but there is an emphasis on identifying teachers in need of support earlier in the instructional process. In 2006-07, we made AYP because the “interdependence” that is a part of being a PLC was tested. That experience made us more cognizant of teachers whose instructional strategies were not aligned with the standards. We provided support earlier in the school year in 2007-08.
  • The most important strategy that changed for us in 2007-08 was the emphasis on student efficacy and meta-cognitive skills or thinking while reading and thinking on paper that was visible to the observer. Students were taught test taking strategies that included self monitoring of their performance during the actual test. Their monitoring was documented on scratch paper and rewarded (ex. trip to the ice cream truck). Not only did WE KNOW WHICH STUDENTS PASSED… STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO TELL YOU IN PRECISE TERMS THEIR PERFORMANCE LEVEL. Dr. DuFour talks about the importance of “collective efficacy”. When it is implemented at the student level high performance becomes the product.
  • Special education performance improved in 2007-08 but was adversely affected by the absence of personnel at crucial times during the school year. This has become a SMART goal for us this year. Unfortunately we are without that service again this year. We are providing more support and systematic monitoring. We have data indicating higher levels of performance is taking place. The positive aspect is our low number of student classified as special education students. We believe that all students can learn at high levels, therefore identification of students in this category are few. The number of special education students is so low that it is not counted in the state data.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

  • Block scheduling allows for daily interventions (core extension time) by each grade level.
  • An award-winning six-week Saturday Strategic Learning Institute is provided for students not meeting the objectives during the in-school intervention time. More than 150 parents and students attend  and participate in a graduation from this institute.
  • An “Early Bird” computer lab program is provided for remediation and enrichment.

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that f ocus efforts on improved learning for all students.

Each grade level has norms and agendas for its weekly meetings.

Teachers chair the weekly data chats.  The principal is invited as a participant and not the presenter of data.  We have found that teachers respond when they “own” data.  They take pride in their presentations.

Each grade level assigns individuals to be responsible for key content areas, presenting lesson plans, input for monthly calendars and monitoring pacing.  An additional assignment is that of Data Analysis Lead.

Common instructional calendars and pacing are in place.  Monthly calendars are posted for each grade level.

Leadership from within is promoted.  Opportunities for teacher growth within the system are promoted.

Awards and Recognition Received by School and Principal

  • Virginia Title I School of Distinction, 2009
  • Governor's Board of Excellence Award
  • Prince William County 2010 Human Rights Award by the Human Rights Commission for Universal Human Rights
  • Standards and Poors School Evaluation Service identified Vaughan among 69 schools in the state of Virginia that had significantly  narrowed the achievement gaps between the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years
  • School of Excellence Award, 2001, 2002, 2008
  • 2005 Business Partnership Award-First elementary school to open a student-run bank in Prince William County Schools
  • Virginia Governor’s School Board Award-Saturday Strategic Learning  Institute, 1997
  • Principal selected as Principal of the Year, 1996-97 (Data driven activities preceded PLC)
  • Principal received the Washington Post Distinguished Principal Award, 1996
  • Principal introduced PLC to principals in Prince William County at 2001 Principals Administrators’ and Supervisors’ Conference
  • Principal presented PLC at Solution Tree’s Washington D.C. National Summit, 2005
  • Principal selected as a consultant for the Virginia State Department of Education’s Academic Review Team, 2004-present
  • Principal selected as an Associate for Solution Tree
  • Principal selected as a member of the School of Education Advisory Board for Virginia Tech University

We were selected as a School of Excellence again in 2008. This local award was given to only 29 of 88 schools in the school division. We attribute this to our focus on excellence and our mission which is “Excellence for All…Whatever It Takes”. We are a school of celebrations! We celebrate high student performance. This resulted in our having an increase of 91 students scoring at the advance level on the Virginia Standards of Learning. Students in the prestigious 500 and/or 600 club, which means they performed at this advance level are publicly recognized with certificates and special arm bracelets and club status.

The principal was published in three of Solution Tree’s books on PLC this year . Two were anthologies, The Collaborative Teacher and the Collaborative Administrator. Mrs. Jessie is also a contributing principal in Dr. DuFour’s most recent book, Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work™.