NL approves TSI plan for 2019-2020 school year

Northern Lehigh School District has a Targeted Support and Improvement Plan in place for the 2019-20 school year.

On a 6-0 vote, the school board on Monday approved the TSI plan. Directors Robin Distler, Robert Keegan Jr. and Michele Martineau were absent.

Dr. Tania Stoker told the school board that “our team has been working very hard to create this plan.”

In the fall, the district received the early warning designation of TSI from the Pennsylvania Department of Education based upon its PA Future Ready Index results for the 2018-19 school year.

The TSI status is specific to the high school special education population for the following indicators: Achievement (Math and ELA Combined), Regular Attendance, and Career Standards Benchmark.

Below is the manner in which the district is addressing these areas.

Achievement (math)

• The district is providing differentiated paths for students to arrive at the trigger course for Algebra I. For example, a student can take Algebraic Concepts (Fall ninth grade), Algebra IA (Spring ninth grade) and Algebra IB (Fall 10th grade). This allows for students to gain a deeper understanding of the content before taking the Keystone Exam in Algebra I. The district is also evaluating and revising the curriculum and resources they use for math courses in the high school. Lastly, the district is beginning to use Keystone Finish Line Books — Algebra I as practice over multiple semesters for Keystone Exams.

Achievement (ELA)

• The district has assessed and placed students into Read 180 or System 44 groups. These programs are designed to provide personalized, purposeful instruction to accelerate reading success.

Teachers conference with individual students about progress, and administration and teachers meet to discuss gains and challenges.

The district is also evaluating and revising the curriculum and resources it uses for ELA courses in the high school, and is beginning to use Keystone Finish Line Books — Literature as practice over multiple semesters for Keystone Exams.

Regular attendance

• The district has evaluated communication practices for regular attendance, and is in the process of revising attendance policies and the manner in which it codes tardies and absences to make it more uniform across the district. The district has formed an attendance support team. High school administrators are evaluating and revising Student Attendance Improvement Plan conferences with emphasis on individual student action planning and intervention.

Administrators have also met with the magistrate to discuss differentiated truancy responses plans to include academic and career planning. On an ongoing basis, the district is comparing last year’s attendance data to present levels and using this information to conference with students. The district will also be administering an attendance survey very soon to gather additional data that will inform practice.

Career standards

• The district is implementing a 12-week program of using Xello and teaching essential skills, on an alternating basis to students at the high school.

Xello is an online platform that helps students plan their unique journey by having them determine their learning style, reflect on their interests, and investigate career clusters and their career matches.

Students also relate their school subjects to on the job tasks, assess their time management skills, develop a cover letter and resume, practice their interview skills, and generally prepare for life after graduation using this online program.

The essential skills lessons focus on teaching goal setting, teamwork, leadership, agility, perseverance, and networking and are delivered through Dawg Dish, our in-house television channel, and a variety of engaging classroom activities.