The following information is posted as a requirement for the ARP ESSER application for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds.
- Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Describe how the LEA has identified or will identify the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning and well-being. Specifically, what methods (i.e., collecting and analyzing data and information from focus groups, surveys, and local assessment results) were used or will be used to identify and measure impacts in four key areas: (1) Academic impact of lost instructional time, (2) Chronic absenteeism, (3) Student engagement, and (4) Social-emotional well-being?
Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time –
Phoenixville Area School District (PASD) uses district-wide assessments three times per year through educational technology software including Exact Path, Fountas & Pinnell, and Classroom Diagnostic Tools. PASD participates in all state-required testing including PSSAs, Keystones, and WIDA testing so we can look longitudinally at our students’ progress. Teachers will be analyzing benchmark data three times per year and using this information to guide instruction and direct any necessary interventions.
Chronic Absenteeism –
Home and School Visitors, principals, and counselors closely monitor students who have struggled with absenteeism in the past and will monitor attendance this school year to see if any new students struggle with absenteeism. Attendance is monitored for virtual students at the elementary level and work completion is monitored as a measure of absenteeism at the secondary level.
Student Engagement –
Teachers collect student and family survey data at the beginning of the school year to learn more about students, families, and prior experiences with school. Teachers, Interventionists, Principals, and counselors work as a team to identify any students who may be struggling with engagement.
Social-Emotional Wellbeing –
PASD is implementing the Student Risk Screening Scale that will be administered to students three times per year. Counselors, Principals, and teachers will be monitoring students closely to make sure needs are addressed within the building or connecting students and families to outside resources.
Documenting Disproportionate Impacts
- Identify at least three student groups in the LEA that faced particularly significant impacts from the pandemic. For each, provide specific strategies that were used or will be used to identify and measure impacts.
Students from Low-Income Families –
Academic benchmarking data from school year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 will be used to identify and measure academic gaps. In addition, attendance data, extracurricular involvement data, parents and student survey data, and anecdotal data from classroom teachers, counselors, and home and school visitors will be used to identify and measure impacts from the pandemic.
English Learners –
Academic benchmarking data from school year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 will be used to identify and measure academic gaps. In addition, attendance data, extracurricular involvement data, parents and student survey data, and anecdotal data from classroom teachers, counselors, home and school visitors, and ELD teachers will be used to identify and measure impacts from the pandemic.
Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA]) –
Academic benchmarking data from school year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 will be used to identify and measure academic gaps. In addition, attendance data, extracurricular involvement data, parents and student survey data, and anecdotal data from classroom teachers, counselors, home and school visitors, and special education case managers will be used to identify and measure impacts from the pandemic.
Reflecting on Local Strategies
- Provide the LEA’s assessment of the top two or three strategies that have been most effective in supporting the needs of students, in particular specific student groups most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Include at least one strategy addressing academic needs and at least one strategy addressing social-emotional needs.
Strategy One –
Provide during and after school interventions and tutoring support. Interventions are provided to all students who are struggling and in need of additional academic support. In-school and outside-of-the-school day interventions are provided at the elementary level and tutoring is provided after school at the secondary level. In school year 2021-2022 tutoring will be a large focus with many teachers involved allowing us to expand beyond our typical offerings. Tutors are provided to all virtual students who are not assigned to a PASD teacher. Regardless of grade level, once per week these students will meet with the teacher to increase academic achievement and make sure virtual students are engaged with their programs.
Strategy Two –
Provide additional counseling services to students and training for staff and families. Additional counseling services will be available to support the social-emotional wellbeing of students. In addition, a variety of trauma workshops and trainings will be available for both staff and families.
Strategy Three –
Implement a Restorative Practices program throughout the district. A cohort of teachers will work to implement Restorative Practices in ways that are specific to the individual classrooms and circumstances to help restore engagement, address disproportionality, and provide power to the students in the classroom. We’ll be working with Restorative Practices in Action to assist us with this program.
Section II: Engaging Stakeholders in Plan Development
Stakeholder Engagement
- Describe how the LEA, in planning for the use of ARP ESSER funds, has engaged or will engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders.
PASD gathered a diverse group of faculty and administrators to create the Educational Taskforce. This group met throughout 2021 to provide input and guide the investment of ARP funds. Recommendations by the Educational Taskforce were shared with all staff and board members to solicit feedback and further discussion on the use of these funds.
Use of Stakeholder Input
- Describe how the LEA has taken or will take stakeholder and public input into account in the development of the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds.
PASD used family survey results from school year 2020-2021 to guide the development of the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds. In addition, the PASD Strategic Plan, which involved a large variety of stakeholders in its creation, was utilized as a base for developing the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds. We also used feedback from the Educational Task Force members to guide the use of funds
Public Access to LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds
- Describe the process for development, approval, and making public the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds. The LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds must be made publicly available on the LEA website and submitted to PDE within 90 days of LEA receipt of ARP ESSER funding, must be written in a language that parents/caregivers can understand, and must be provided in alternate format upon request by a parent/caregiver who is an individual with a disability.
A combination of Educational Taskforce recommendations, administrative recommendations, and PASD School Board meeting discussions have guided the development and approval of the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds. This plan will be posted to the district’s website and will be available in all languages and formats.
Section III: Using ARP ESSER Funds to Plan for Safe, In-Person Instruction
Plan for 20 percent Reservation to Address the Impact of Lost Instructional Time
- How will the LEA use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended school year programs?
PASD will use reserved funds to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through evidence-based efforts, including summer school, extended day intervention, and an extensive tutoring program. Summer school is offered to K-12 students who need extra support and Kindergarten Camp is offered to all incoming Kindergarteners. Summer school offers remediation and support to students, and specific programs for students with disabilities and English Learner students. Extended day interventions at the elementary level will continue to run at every building and provide literacy and math support in a small group setting. In addition, the Achieve Program at the middle school is an extended day program for students who have struggled academically in the past. Tutoring will be provided to all secondary in-person students in a large variety of topics, and to all virtual students K-12 once per week. In addition, additional virtual teachers will be hired and funding will support the Brandywine Virtual Academy to ensure high quality, differentiated education for virtual students. A combination of academic benchmarking data, attendance data, parents and student survey data, and anecdotal data from classroom teachers, counselors, and home and school visitors will be used to identify students who need extra support due to missing in-person instruction during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years or not consistently participating in remote instruction. The needs of these students and other students who have been disproportionately impacted will be addressed on a case-by-case basis with a team of people including teachers, counselors, and home and school visitors. The impact and effectiveness of these evidence-based interventions will be monitored on an ongoing basis utilizing a combination of class grades, benchmark data, and anecdotal evidence.
Plan for Remaining Funds
- How will the LEA spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds including for each of the four fields below, as applicable?
- Continuity of Services: How will the LEA use ARP ESSER funds to sustain services to address students’ academic needs; students’ and staff social, emotional, and mental health needs; and student nutrition and food services?
- Access to Instruction: How will the LEA use ARP ESSER funds to support the goals of increasing opportunity to learn and equity in instructional delivery? Consider regular attendance/chronic absenteeism data from the 2020-21 school year, including data disaggregated by student groups, in developing the response.
- Mitigation Strategies: How will the LEA use ARP ESSER funds to support prevention and mitigation policies in line with the most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the reopening and operation of school facilities and transportation services to effectively maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff? Consider the LEA’s Health and Safety Plan in developing the response.
- Facilities Improvements: How will the LEA use ARP ESSER funds to repair and improve school facilities to reduce risk of virus transmission, address environmental health hazards, and/or improve ventilation? Consider the LEA’s Health and Safety Plan in developing the response.
To address students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs PASD will provide extensive counseling services to students, utilize a social emotional screener to identify students in need, and provide trauma trainings and workshops for both staff and families. Equity teams were formed to take steps to access equity at the building and district level and to take action on student and building needs as determined by the team. Rejoining DVCEE will provide access to professional development on equity topics for faculty and administration. NCEE professional development for district leadership will improve access to instruction, school culture, and equity in instructional delivery. To help restore student engagement, address disproportionality, and provide power to the students in the classroom, PASD be working with Restorative Practices in Action to assist us with the implementation of Restorative Practices through the district. A significant proportion of ARP ESSER funding will be utilized to purchase technology to increase opportunity to learn and equity in instructional delivery. Student attendance data from 2020-2021 will be utilized to determine students and student groups most in need of additional technology support. Building and grounds work and supplies will be funded to respond to pandemic-related needs to mitigate the spread of disease and maintain continuity of services. The PASD Health and Safety Plan includes a number of mitigation strategies that will be implemented in 2021-2022 school year. Hand sanitizing stations will be added and maintained throughout the district. All daily cleaning in buildings and buses will be followed by disinfecting with mist sprayers to capture all areas. Doorknobs, handrails, and other high touch areas will be cleaned several times per day. PASD will start 2021-2022 school year at 3 feet social distancing and adapt to 6ft or no social distancing if directed by the CDC, PA Department of Health, and the Chester County Department of Health. Universal wearing of masks will be required at the start of 2021-2022 school year. Diagnostic and screening testing will be provided on-site, along with vaccination clinics for students, staff, and the community. Ventilation systems will be both monitored and filters inspected regularly.
For LEAs with one or more Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) school only
- Please verify consultation of the Evidence Resource Center in developing the LEA Plan for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds and provide a justification for any intervention that is not supported by tier 1, 2, 3, or 4 evidence.
We attended all trainings related to our ATSI middle school and are not participating in any interventions that are not district-wide and supported by tier 1, 2, 3, or 4 evidence.
20% Reservation Calculation
- Please enter your ARP ESSER total allocation and 20% reservation amount.
ARP ESSER Allocation - $3,302,396
20% Reservation - $660,479
Section IV: Monitoring and Measuring Progress
Capacity for Data Collection and Reporting
- LEAs must continuously monitor progress and adjust strategies as needed. Describe the LEA’s capacity and strategy to collect and analyze data (disaggregated by student group, where applicable), for each of the following measures:
Student learning, including academic impact of lost instructional time during the COVID-19 pandemic –
Data related to academic impact of lost instructional time is collected via academic benchmarking data, attendance data, parents and student survey data, and anecdotal data from classroom teachers, counselors, and home and school visitors. EdInsight data warehouse software allows us to analyze and disaggregate student academic data. Teachers, principals, counselors, and administrators all have access to and have been trained on the use of this software to monitor progress related to the loss of instructional time during the pandemic and adjust strategies as needed. Student data is disaggregated by all factors, including but not limited to gender, age, EL status, race, and disability.
On an annual basis teachers are surveyed about resources to ensure all students and teachers have access to up-to-date resources. New resources are allocated for each subject every sixth year at a minimum and technology is refreshed on an annual basis. All educators receive regular professional development on the effective use of resources and technology in their classroom. The district and individual buildings are analyzed through an equity lens to ensure that students are provided with equitable access and opportunity to learn.
PASD’s Human Resources Department is responsible for tracking and analyzing the number of jobs created and retained, including the two interventionists, two virtual teachers, and two instructional coach positions that are funded with ARP ESSER grant funds.
Disaggregated student participation in ARP ESSER funded programs will be monitored, along with student growth before and after program if applicable.