Westlawn Elementary School

School Information

School Name:  Westlawn Elementary School

School Address:  3200 Westley Rd.
                        Falls Church, VA 22042
School Phone:  (703) 241-5100
School Fax:  (703) 241-5197
Principal:  Kim Dockery
Principal E-Mail:  kim.dockery@fcps.edu

Demographics

Number of Students:  575
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:  47%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  47%
Percent of Special Education:  16%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  (17%)
• Black  (3%)
• Hispanic  (51%)
• Asian/Pacific Island  (24%)
• Other  (5%)

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends – for example, three consecutive years or the first, third, and fifth years. The data report should always include the most recent school year and should always offer a basis of comparison (for example, state scores, national scores, similar SES schools).

Scale: % passing

Westlawn	2003–2004/State Average	2004–2005/State Average	2005–2006/State Average
English	92%/79%	84%/81%	92%/86%
Math	93%/83%	80%/84%	83%/77%

Source: VA Dept. of Education, 2005–2006

 

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.

Westlawn continues to work to focus on closing the achievement gap, significantly narrowing the gap with subpopulations of students.

 

Please present any additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact upon students and/or teachers.

The Westlawn journey to create professional learning community is a continuing effort to create a culture where teacher and student dialogue is about student learning. The creation of a school culture where student achievement drives our mission has allowed us to create a school climate where common mission, vision and goals are demonstrated by a shared language across grade levels and specialty areas.

 

Please elaborate upon strategies you have found to be effective in any of the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

• The use of frequent common assessments and the beginning of Assessment FOR Learning strategies that involve student ownership of their learning have helped focus accountability for all students.
• Westlawn teachers utilize district tools for frequent monitoring and create their own benchmark assessments on a frequent basis to monitor learning.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

• While different teams have utilized different strategies for spiraling intervention, deliberate attention has been paid to frequent intervention within the school day as well as frequent monitoring of learning after intervention.
• Sharing data, observing successful teaching with coaching and modeling has meant that students are not just taught material again in the same way but that efforts are made to try multiple strategies in ensuring mastery of content.

3. Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students.

• Teachers meet frequently with efficient meeting skills, rotating leadership to work as highly functioning teams.
• Lesson study techniques are utilized to increase the skills of all teachers in approaching instruction.
• Collaborative creation of common assessments provides uniformity in expectations.
• The school plan is developed by all members of the staff divided into 5 vertical teams.
• Vertical team dialogue means everyone is responsible for student outcomes with more defined vertical articulation.

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

In 2005 Westlawn received the “Boyer Best Practice Award” for Differentiation