November 15, 2023

Dear Parents)

As a parent/guardian of a student in The School for Creative Studies, I am writing this letter to let you know that The School for Creative Studies has been designated as a Targeted Support & Improvement Additional Targeted Support (TSI-AT) school by the North Carolina State Board of Education. As stated in ESSA Section 1111(d)(2), North Carolina had to identify schools for targeted support and improvement. TSI-AT schools in North Carolina are those that have a subgroup that is under-performing.

The intent of this opportunity is to improve

educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction.

As a TSI-AT school, The School for Creative Studies is required to develop a comprehensive plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve student achievement. The plan will also include how our district will support us and monitor the progress of our school. The comprehensive plan will address the following areas that are highlighted below:

Classroom Management

  • Standards-aligned Instruction

  • Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

  • Instructional Leadership

  • Recruitment & Retention of Effective Teachers

  • Support for Grade-to-Grade Transitions

  • Implementation of a Tiered Instructional System (Intervention Support)
    Data-Driven Decision Making

  • Student Support Services
    Family and Community Engagement

We have set the following goals for The School for Creative Studies this year:

  • By June 2024 SCS will have an overall proficiency rate of 55% on the EOG or EOC
    Assessments which includes students with disabilities and our English Language Learners.

  • Improve communication and collaboration with families through two-way communication in English and Spanish.

  • Host one- or two-family engagement nights per quarter

Our students need to experience higher achievement levels, but it will require hard work on the part of staff, students, and families. Here are some strategies The School for Creative Studies will be implementing:

  • GUARD Time in which all Middle School students are tiered based on EVAAS and
    Benchmark data.

  • After School Tutoring and Intersession Camp

  • ESL- Elective Courses that are tiered based on ACCESS Testing data.

  • Implementing Small group Instruction for students in High School based on

    benchmarks, CDA's and Single Standard Assessments

Parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. Here are some ways we

Make sure that both you and your student are aware of academic expectations set for your student this school year. A list of learning objectives in student-friendly language is available from your student's teacher(s).

Call or Counselor Maria Meza-Keuthen, (maria_meza-keuthen@dpsnc.net Middle School

919-560-3535

ext.14234

Karen Rankins-Hinton, (karen_rankins-hinton@@dpsnc.net High School Counselor at 919-560-3535 ext. 14015 if you have questions or concems about your student or to set up an appointment to meet with a school

Make sure that your student is prepared and attends school each day.

Monitor your student's homework,

• foonor the prodross our stone is making and attend mobungs with your swoons loacher)

Keep track of our website and social media sites http://scs.dpsnc.net

: Join the SCS BISA:

https://thoscsptsa.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=tcuo&category=Memberships

Sounds like a lot but preparing our students so that they can succeed is not easy and is a group effort. Here are some resources available to help:

Graduation requirements: www.ncpublicschools.org/gradroquitements/

K-12 standards in academic subjects: wwww.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/

N.C. School Report Cards: httos://www.dpi.ac.gox/data.reports/school-report-cards

Student U: www.studentudutham.org/encoll

We're excited about this school year and are working to make it a success for your student.

Already, we have:

ESL. elective courses being taught by the ESL teacher.

Using goal setting charts and Data Dashboard to keep track with student data and progress made on Ready and Reading plus during GUARD timo.

• We have implemented a block schedule to provide more time for instruction for High School students and schedules are aligned to Durham Tech to provide more courses that are not offered at SCS.

Continuing with Afterschool tutoring and Intersession camp to provide additional support for our students.

If you have questions about the content of this letter, please contact Chaundra Clay at (chaundra_clay@dpsnc.nef) or [919-560-3535 ext. 143531.

Sincerely,

Chauncha Clay

Chaundra Clay, Principal