ESSER III/School Innovation and Improvement Plan At-a-Glance

• 2022-2023

• Kent Gardens Elementary School

• Region 2

• Holly McGuigan, Principal

Background: The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) is a federal grant which requires that spending be used in specific areas.  Part of the Fairfax County Public Schools spending plan identifies funding to be used for Unfinished Learning and Student Academic and Social, Emotional, Mental Health (Wellness) Needs.  Schools have been given funding allocations to support the academic and wellness needs of students.  Schools are required to create plans in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Wellness highlighting the strategies they will use to support these areas using their ESSER III funding.  These strategies are shown below.

ESSER III English Language Arts Outcome

 Ensure students are making sufficient progress to be on grade level in English Language Arts.

Strategy 1  

• Develop and strengthen oral language skills through explicit language instruction and opportunities for talk in both the reading and writing instructional block.

Strategy 2

• Provide daily, systematic, explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, and morphology in the core language arts block.

Strategy 3

• Provide Tier 2 instruction as preventative intervention that targets the underlying difficulty impacting the student’s progress in literacy.

Strategy 4

• Provide writing instruction that is systematic, explicit, and includes active practice through both guided and independent writing opportunities.

Strategy 5

• Ensuring a culture of collaboration by using the CLT cycle and the four critical questions.

ESSER III Mathematics Outcome

Ensure students are making sufficient progress to be on grade level in Mathematics.

Strategy 1

• Teachers will begin to identify specific strategies or representations that are important to notice based on the learning intentions and strategically use observations, student responses to questions, and written work to determine what students understand.

Strategy 2

• Enhance Tier 1 mathematics core instruction by deepening staff content knowledge surrounding numeracy and operations.

Strategy 3

• Targeted, small group Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction, to reteach essential standards and close numeracy and fluency gaps using Building Fact Fluency, Do the Math kits, and targeted ST Math groups.

Strategy 4

• Ensuring a culture of collaboration by using the CLT cycle and the four critical questions.

ESSER III Wellness Strategies Outcome

Ensure students feel safe, included, and supported in the school environment.

Strategy 1

•  Set aside protected time to engage in required tier 1 practices schoolwide.

Strategy 2

•  Develop adults’ foundational knowledge regarding the rationale for required practices and tools to support their implementation.

Strategy 3

• Develop students' self-management and self-regulation skills through structured programming.

 

Portrait of a Graduate (POG)

All students will complete a POG Presentation of Learning (POL) by 2025-26.

Strategy 1

• The school will build an understanding with students, staff, and the community about why POG attributes and skills positively impact students within and beyond school.

Strategy 2

• Collaborative teams will align content knowledge and skills with POG attributes and skills.

Strategy 3

• Teachers will design and facilitate inquiry-based opportunities that elevate student voice and increase student engagement.