the international school yangon · bahan township, yangon ... the international school yangon...

Interim Progress Report Rev. 8/15

The International School Yangon

INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL INTERIM

PROGRESS REPORT

20 Shwe Taungyar Street

Bahan Township, Yangon

Myanmar

Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges

International Interim Progress Report

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CONTENTS

I: General School Data ....................................................................................... 1

II: Brief School Description .................................................................................. 1

III: School Accomplishments or Major Recommendations Progress ................... 4

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I: General School Data • Name of School: The International School Yangon • School Address: 20 Shwe Taungyar Street, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar • Telephone, fax, and email: (tel.) 95-1-512-793, (fax) 95-1-525-020, [email protected],

[email protected] • School Director: Deron Marvin (Interim Director) • Enrollment: 699 (Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12)

I I: Brief School Description

• Type of School:

Private, coeducational international day school

• Organization, governing structure, and financial base:

ISY is governed by the parents and guardians of its students. The International School Yangon Association, which includes all parents and legal guardians of registered students, elects eight members and up to three (3) appointed members of the Board of Management with the Ambassador of the US Embassy or his/her designee serving as one appointed member of the Board. The US Embassy is the sponsoring organization for ISY in the country and contributes to the mission of the school through bureaucratic/organizational and teacher visa support and assists with obtaining small grants from the U.S. State Department to help with operation costs. ISY is a non-profit organization that derives its financial base from school tuition fees.

• Students served:

ISY serves expatriate and local students whose parents are employed in the diplomatic community as well as in local and foreign businesses and non-governmental organizations. There is a large representation of students who attend ISY through their entire K-12 education affecting a low turnover of students compared to other international schools (average 7% turnover rate). Students come from 34 different countries where Myanmar students lead the overall percentage of students at 35% followed by US 17%, South Korea 9%, India 7%, Japan 4%, Thailand 3%, China 3%, Singapore 2%, Malaysia 2%, Australia 2%, the UK 2%, Taiwan 2%, the Netherlands 1%, Canada 1%, and France 1%. Countries represented by less than eight students comprise the remaining 8% of students from: Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Vietnam. There is a large representation of students who attend ISY through their entire K-12 education (Myanmar and foreign business primarily constitute this group).


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• Faculty: The ISY faculty is comprised of 87 full-time teachers and 3 part-time teachers who come from 14 different countries: United States 49%, Myanmar 15%, Australia 7%, Canada 7%, France 5%, India 4%, Taiwan 4%, New Zealand 2%, Singapore 2%, United Kingdom 2%, Mexico 1%, China 1%, Germany 1%, and Malaysia 1%. There is also a low teacher turnover rate (6-7%) compared to most international schools.

United States 49%

Myanmar 15%

Australia 7%

Canada 6%

France 5%

India 4%

Taiwan 4%

New Zealand 2% Singapore

2%

United Kingdom 2%

Mexico 1%

China 1%

Germany 1%

Malaysia 1%

Nationalities of ISY Teachers SY 2015-2016

Myanmar 35%

USA 17%

South Korea 10%

India 7%

Japan 4%

Thailand 3%

Singapore 2%

Malaysia 2%

China 3%

Australia 2%

UK 2%

Taiwan 2%

Netherlands 1%

Canada 1%

France 1%

Other Nationalities 8%

ISY Student Nationalities with Eight or More Students


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• Curricular program:

The International School Yangon provides an American, standards-based curriculum where a comprehensive range of academics and activities are offered. In the high school, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program is offered. At the elementary level, EAL (English as an Additional Language) is a part of the instructional program, and in the middle school a small percentage of students participate in the Intensive Studies course that serves both EAL students and those students requiring middle school transitioning support. At the high school level, no EAL support is offered. French and Mandarin are offered as Language B programs schoolwide, and Burmese is offered as a Language A program starting in high school. Guidance and counseling services are provided schoolwide including college and career preparation support.

• Major changes or conditions impacting the school improvement process since the last visit/report:

− The school increased its enrollment in the school year 2014-2015 from 536 to 679 students in August 2013. Approximately 25 teachers were hired to accommodate this increased enrollment. Enrollment for this school year (2015-2016) is 698.

− Housing costs have tripled in Yangon since the April 2014 Self-Study bringing a 6-fold increase in teacher housing costs since 2012.

− To prepare for construction of the renovated campus facility, school buildings were demolished in August 2014 (library, theatre, multi-purpose room, and secondary classrooms).

− In December 2014, the ISY Board halted all construction to revise the construction and renovation action plan.

− The construction project was changed to a phase-by-phase approach due to budgetary reasons, thereby extending the overall timeline of the project.

− In January 2105, the Board reassigned management of the project from the school Director to a Board committee.

− The ISY director, Steve Plisinski, resigned from his position effective July 1, 2015 and Elementary School Principal, Deron Marvin, was hired by the Board to serve as director for the 2015-2016 school year. A search is currently underway for a long-term director.


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I I I: School Accomplishments or Major Recommendations Progress

ISY Mid-Year Action Plan Update and Status September 2015

Goal 1: Continue to establish a consistent, comprehensive standards-based/learner outcome-based assessment system to provide a balanced, accurate representation of student achievement.

Related Tasks:

1. Continue to develop assessment literacy across the school to ensure that assessment impacts student learning.

In support of the continued development of assessment literacy across the school, the following measures have been taken which are in alignment with the ‘evidence and means’ markers outlined in the action plan.

• A group of new and returning teachers attended the Assessment Training Institute in Portland, Oregon in the summers of 2014 and 2015. We will continue to send new teachers to the ATI to help orient them to our assessment practices at ISY.

• In August, 2014, all new and returning teachers were oriented to the implementation of the ISY Assessment Policy and the assessment principles and practices promoted in that policy and how they are important to student growth and learning.

• In September, 2014, the Secondary Principal introduced the concepts supporting the new standards-based report card at a parent coffee venue.

• The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator provided orientation sessions of the new assessment and grading practices to all Grade 6 – 10 students (August 2014).

• The Secondary Principal met with each student grade group before the first reporting period to review the new reporting procedures in the secondary school (October 2014).

• The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator provided an orientation session of the new assessment and grading practices to secondary parents (September 2014).

• Consultant and assessment and grading expert, Ken O’Connor, provided professional development to all faculty in both large and small group settings (September 2014).

• Ken O’Connor provided a parent learning session on ISY’s assessment and grading practices (September 2014).

• The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator provided a learning session to secondary faculty on developing quality assessments and using scoring tools in the assessment process (October 2014).

• Teachers are using set-aside collaboration time (Monday afternoons, prep time, and early release days) to look at and assess student work together to foster the consistent application of


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grades; to unpack their standards and put learning outcomes in student friendly language; to develop common assessments; to develop scoring tools such as rubrics; and to develop student tracking tools (school years 2014/15 and 2015/16).

• The principals and the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator continue to work with teachers in small groups and individually to support their implementation of sound assessment and grading practices as reflected in the ISY Assessment Policy.

• In March 2015, ISY administered to all teachers an assessment practices self-evaluation to use the data to inform next actions to help implement the practices and principles outlined in the assessment policy.

• The secondary principal and curriculum coordinator met with teacher groups (subject groups and grade levels) to gather information about assessment progress and needs.

• In August, 2015, all families in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 10 received grade level curriculum guides that describe standards-based learning and assessment and includes the essential standards and indicators that students are assessed upon in each course/subject.

• Information about ISY’s schoolwide assessment and grading practices was posted on the school’s web site (May, 2015).

• For school year 2015-2016, assessment focus is on fine tuning assessment practices to include a focus on feedback practices, developing authentic or engaging assessment tasks, moderating/looking at student work to apply grades consistently, and aligning assessment tasks with higher level thinking/DOK levels to provide opportunities for students to achieve at the higher levels.

• Nicole Vagle, educational consultant and author of Design in Five: Essential Phases to Create Engaging Assessment Practice will visit Yangon in February 2016 to help teachers improve their practice around creating engaging, high quality assessments.

• Grade level and subject area groups have established assessment goals and how they plan to meet these goals for school year 15-16.

Next Steps to accomplish during the school year 2015-2016:

− Include assessment, grading, and report card questions in parent and student perception surveys to be sent out this school year.

− Analyze documentation (types of assessments, assessments aligned to standards and indicators, assessments matched to learning target types, rubrics, other grading tools, student anchor papers) on Atlas as a way to help determine to what degree sound assessment practices are being implemented.

− Further determine and execute ways to measure success of sound assessment practices (survey data, performance data, etc.)

− The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator will meet with grade level and department coordinators throughout the year to assist with group assessment goals’ implementation.


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2. Develop an instrument to assess student achievement with respect to the ESLRs.

• ESLRs were added as unit goals to the Atlas unit-planning template and aligned to assessment tasks SY 2012-2013.

• Communication regarding student progress on the ESLRs is provided on the elementary school report card SY 2013-2014.

• Rubrics were created in Fall 2014 for each ESLR for grades Pre-k to 2 and grades 3-5. Teachers may use these to help assess students’ progress with attainment of the ESLRs.

Next steps school year 2015-2016:

− Revise this task statement to reflect more of an all-encompassing, evidence-based schoolwide approach to the implementation of the ESLRs to ensure that these mission-based skills of student success are built into assessments in order to monitor student progress in relation to the ESLRs.

− Develop schoolwide performance indicators for the performance areas of the ESLRs.

− Secondary students will self-assess and reflect upon their progress with the ESLRs. This self-reflection will be incorporated in the middle school student-led conferences.

3. Ensure that all subject areas develop common assessments and evaluate student work to promote alignment of assessments to learning outcomes and to ensure grades are applied consistently.

• Collaboration time has been set aside beginning SY 2014-2015 (Monday afternoons and half-day student days) and continuing SY 15-16 for teachers to evaluate student work together and develop common assessments.

• More emphasis and time (along with ‘looking at student work’ protocols) will be specifically designated for moderating student work during SY 15-16.

Next steps 2015-2016:

− The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator will meet with teacher groups and view anchor papers added to documented units (on Atlas) to assist with and determine progress with evaluating student work collectively.

− Outline and distribute protocols for scoring student work samples to identify anchor/exemplar papers that have been collaboratively moderated to be uploaded on Atlas for schoolwide access.

− Refine the purpose, end goals, and expectations of common assessments going forward.

4. Develop, organize and manage a uniform approach to gathering evidence of student achievement and growth pre-K-10.

• Middle school portfolios: Their purpose, procedures, and resources have been established and implemented as of September 2014.


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• The identified purpose of portfolios in both the elementary school and middle school is to reflect student achievement and growth.

• All external assessment data (including the ISA and MAP) is stored in a central location and analyzed to monitor student growth and achievement. Individual student and schoolwide trends and findings are used to improve learning and are reflected within schoolwide action items and within instruction in the classroom.


− Include/align the ESLRs with the elementary and middle school student growth and achievement portfolios.

− Ensure that K-8 teachers facilitate ongoing selection and reflection of student work across the school year (as opposed to waiting until May to reflect on all work).

− Investigate providing teachers with division-wide digital standards-based/learner outcome-based grade/record book to help track and monitor student learning and progress (currently teachers are using a variety of grade books).

Goal 2: Develop systems to support and enhance student learning.

Related Tasks:

1. Establish a systematic process and cycle to review, develop, implement, and improve the ISY curriculum.

• The ISY Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Review Cycle (CIARC) document was created and dispersed to all faculty beginning SY 14-15.

• During SY 14-15, the subjects under review met in committees to review their respective programs and established recommendations for improvement before year’s end.

• Collaboration time and the assessment focus has been combined with the development, implementation, and continuous improvement phases of the CIARC.

• An overview and purpose of the CIARC was communicated to ISY families via its weekly newsletter and on the ISY web site.

• The outcomes of the review process was shared with ISY families in the weekly newsletter.

• School year 15-16 sees the continuation of the implementation of CIARC.

• Two Understanding by Design unit development and Atlas refresher training was provided for teachers SY 14-15 and will be provided for new teachers SY 15-16.

• The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment coordinator and principals discuss/(ed) progress and status of the CIARC, especially in regard to subjects under review through the course of the school year in their weekly Principals’ Curriculum Meetings.


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− The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator and/or principals will regularly review units of instruction documented on Atlas for quality and completion.

2. Enhance the schoolwide climate of collaboration in order to strengthen classroom practices that will in turn strengthen student learning.

• The Monday professional development and faculty meeting schedule identifies every other Monday as collaboration work time as well as the ½ day professional development sessions. All teachers have printed copies of this document and it is located on MAIN in the folder “ISY Calendars.”

• Collaboration sessions have listed and intended outcomes.

• Beginning SY 15-16, grade level or subject-area coordinators keep minutes, and they are reviewed by the principals and curriculum coordinator to monitor progress.


− Establish schoolwide collaborative team goals and norms.

− Ensure consistency of documenting and communicating outcomes of collaboration time.

− Gather feedback from teachers as to the effectiveness of collaboration time, focus, intended outcomes and procedures.

3. Develop a schoolwide synchronized system of procedures for students who require academic or emotional support beyond the classroom.

• An action plan was created and implemented for creating a formalized and well-developed guidance program SY 14-15.

• International schools counseling standards were adopted SY 13-14.

• An inclusion policy was drafted that outlines procedures for providing social, emotional, and academic support for students SY 14-15.


− Establish plans and procedures for implementing the inclusion policy.

Goal 3: Integrate writing, research, critical thinking, and creativity into curriculum and assessments.

Related Tasks:

1. Further integrate writing and research into the curriculum to equip students with the skills necessary to be proficient gatherers, organizers, synthesizers, and evaluators of information and ideas.


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• The ISY Scope and Sequence of Research Skills and the research standards for all grade levels were included ‘Essential Curriculum Documents (2014-2015)’ provided to all staff at the beginning of the school year.

• The librarian met with elementary school teachers to remind and show teachers how to access the ISY subscribed information databases that provide sources of information for students for research (SY 14-15)

• Grade 4 and 5 teachers met with the Elementary School Principal, librarian, and the Curriculum Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator to further discuss databases, and the instruction of research skills (evaluating the credibility of sources, taking notes, and compiling bibliographies) (SY 14-15).

• Writing and research were added to the secondary social studies curriculum, including the assessment, grading, and reporting on said skills (SY 14-15).

• All secondary staff have access Turn-It in accounts as a way to ensure academic honesty.

• Writing and research were added to the secondary science curriculum, including the assessment, grading, and reporting on said skills (SY 15-16).

• The librarian, curriculum coordinator, and elementary technology teacher met to discuss the importance of teachers and students knowing how to access and use the school databases and how students should search for information beyond open Google searches (August 2015).

• The librarian gave an orientation to all faculty with regard to using school databases (August 2015).

• The curriculum coordinator provided MLA guides to G2-12 teachers (September 2015).

Next steps SY 2015-2016:

− Form a cross-disciplinary committee to coordinate a plan to improve research skills at ISY.

− Provide professional development to faculty on the instruction and assessment of research standards/skills across disciplines.

− Ensure all-faculty knowledge of the MLA format for citation—the uniform approach to citation for students up to grade 10.

− Provide Turn-It In training to secondary staff.

− The Rubric Review and Development Committee will review and revise the schoolwide argument and informational writing rubrics which contain success criteria for research skills. These rubrics would be used consistently schoolwide to ensure consistent application of grading of research.

− Moderate, collaboratively, research writing and identify anchor papers per grade level beginning in grade 3.


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2. Embed creativity and critical thinking into the curriculum, instruction, and assessments so that students learn how to continuously think critically, create, and innovate to be prepared for the challenges of society and the workforce.

• ISY was a member school of EdLeader 21 for SY 14-15, a professional learning community of leaders committed to 21st century education that provides our school with tools and resources, networking, and systems implementation ideas by which to help us implement our ESLRs.

• ISY hosted an EARCOS weekend workshop with consultant Greg Curtis on Jan. 24-25, 2015 for interested ISY and EARCOS region teachers which focused on understanding why it is important that all students are equipped with skills of creativity and critical thinking (for successful achievement in all subject areas), what those skills encompass, and how to bring these skills alongside instruction and assessment.

• The EARCOS workshop presenter/consultant worked with the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Coordinator and principals in helping them plan strategically for incorporating critical thinking, creativity, and the ESLRs into student learning and schoolwide programs.


− Create a specific plan for implementing creativity, critical thinking, and the ESLRs for SY 15-16.

− Develop indicators of success for the ESLRs (and critical thinking and creativity) by grade bands: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.

− The Curriculum Coordinator will attend the November 2015 workshop with Doug Reeves titled, “Leading Creativity: How to Value, Nurture, and Encourage Creativity by Leaders, Teachers, and Students

Goal 4: Develop and implement plans to ensure quality purpose-built facilities that support the curriculum, co-curriculum, security, safety, and health needs of ISY students.

Related Tasks:

1. Develop and implement plans to comprehensively update the campus facilities.

• With the relocation of pre-kindergarten through grade 1 students to the ECIC (Early

Childhood Interim Campus) as of the start of the 2014-15 school year and the receipt of

initial permits, the ISY campus development and expansion project commenced in the

summer of 2014.

• Sections of the school were demolished and two buildings were rented to accommodate

the construction project. Classrooms were reconfigured and relocated. An Interim Sports

Center (ISC) has been built around 500 meters from the main campus.

• ISY hired a Director of Development as of August 2015.

• Emphasis is currently being place on fundraising and exploring options for financing the project.


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• The ISY Board Construction Committee determined that due to construction costs and current

lack of funding, the school construction project would be completed in phases over the course of

several years. Phase 1 is to be completed December 2016 which would allow the pre-kindergarten

to Grade 1 students to return to the main campus as well as to bring all other classrooms back to

the main campus.

2. Develop and implement plans to enhance health, safety, and security on campus.

• An ISY Campus Access Policy was created.

• A comprehensive ISY Security Action Plan was revised, updated, and published.

• Health and safety standards were adopted, and a Workplace Health and Safety Handbook was established.

• Standards of conduct and evaluation procedures for ISY security officers were established.

• Earthquake and fire safety plans have been updated.

• A child protection policy was drafted. An expert in the field of child protection is to deliver professional development and training to all faculty and staff September 2015.

• An ISY Security Officer manual was completed.

• Protocols and procedures for the ISY Medical Office have been developed.

• ISY received a soft-target grant from the US government. This grant provided security cameras and an (Radio Frequency Identification) RFID system.


− Participate regularly with the US Embassy in its crisis management drills.

− Implement a consistent series of fire and earthquake drills.

− Align the schoolwide health curriculum to prioritize student safety and abuse prevention.