Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) 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.

English Language Arts 

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

Goal: By spring of 2023 all students will meet or exceed grade level benchmarks for phonological awareness and vocabulary as measured by PALS (K) and iReady (1-6) and/or meet grade-level standards as measured by the Passage Reading Fluency.  

Strategies:

1. Develop oral language skills through speaking and listening interactions.
2. Develop oral language skills through explicit language instruction and opportunities for talk in both the reading and writing blocks.
3. Increase time devoted to systematic, explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, and morphology in the language arts block.

Mathematics 

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

Goal: By the Spring of 2023, 100% of students will meet their grade level expectations in number sense as reported by EMAS (K) and iReady (1-6) and/or meet grade-level standards as measured by a Performance Based Assessment.

Strategies:

1. Develop number sense to increase student conceptual understanding and build computation fluency throughout the math workshop block.
2. Shift instructional focus from looking at correct answers toward looking for students’ thinking in daily lessons. 
3. Leverage academic language to increase student comprehension of math tasks and discussing their thinking.

Wellness 

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

Goal: By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, Lemon Road will utilize Morning Meeting and Closing Circle effectively with explicit links to the CASEL 3 Signature Practices to build relationships and teach self-management subskills, increasing schoolwide scores on the self-management topic of the SEL Screener by 15%.

Strategies:

1. Lemon Road teachers will host a daily Morning Meeting and Closing Circle daily. 
2. Implement the CASEL 3 SEL Signature Practices across Lemon Road with all stakeholders. 
3. Introduce the 5 CASEL Social & Emotional Competencies in counseling lessons and homerooms.

Portrait of a Graduate (POG)

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

Goal: By the end of SY 2022-23, 100% of students will meet proficiency on POG self-reflections scored with the reflection on POG skill use rubric. Students will reflect on one attribute as determined by grade-level CTs.

Strategies:

1. Collaborative teams will align content knowledge and skills with selected POG attributes and skills.
2. Provide support throughout the year for all staff to effectively implement and grow meaningful experiences surrounding POG attributes and skills for all students.
3. Develop an understanding with the community and adult stakeholders about why POG attributes and skills positively impact students within and beyond school.