Collaborative Team Meeting (CTM)

The Springdale School Board met on April 12, 2022

The Springdale School Board met on April 13th, 2022 to vote on the issue.

The district conducted a survey in March to ask district parents, students and staff if they agreed with implementing Early Out Wednesdays in support of establishing weekly Collaborative Team Meetings for teachers. Out of 3,004 responses, 45.2% strongly agreed, 21.8% strongly disagreed, 14.1% agreed, 7.8% disagreed and 11.1% were neutral with the policy.

Springdale Schools  

   Early Out Wednesday

A graphic containing text with the schedule for CTM Wednesdays. The schedule is laid out in text on the page below.

School Board approves professional development time for all teachers

The Springdale Public Schools School Board voted 7-0 Tuesday, April 12, 2022, to approve weekly Collaborative Team Meeting professional development time for all district teachers.

Collaborative Team Meetings will be implemented on Wednesdays beginning in August and will allow all district teachers to be part of a Professional Learning Community. The communities will provide educators with time to work together to focus on student achievement and data that shows which students are progressing academically and which may need additional support.

“A key to student success is fostering great teachers,” said Jared Cleveland, Springdale Public Schools Superintendent. “Teachers thrive in an environment that cultivates a community of learners where individuals can collaborate and try new ideas in a safe and supportive environment.”

Some Springdale Schools teachers have participated in Collaborative Team Meetings in support of district Professional Learning Communities for about eight years.

Once implemented, core elementary school teachers will go from some having approximately 45 minutes a week of Collaborative Team Meeting time to 80 minutes a week. Encore teachers will go from having no collaborative time to having 80 minutes a week. Middle, junior high and high school teachers will go from some teachers having one Collaborative Team Meeting a day and some having no collaborative time to all teachers having 80 minutes of collaborative time a week.

District students will be released early on Wednesdays under the new policy. The district is working with the After School Program to provide extended child care for elementary and middle school students enrolled in the program on Wednesday at no additional cost to families. The district is also working with other after-school care programs. Plans to address transportation and staggered release times are under development.

The student instructional school day will increase by 10 minutes, while the length of teacher contract days won’t change as part of Early Out Wednesdays and the implementation of weekly Collaborative Team Meetings.

The additional 10 minutes will be added to the beginning of the day or the end of the day. Tentatively, elementary students will be in school from 7:45 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. and will be dismissed on Wednesdays at 1:50 p.m. Middle school students will be in school from 8:05 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will be dismissed on Wednesdays at 2:10 p.m. Junior and senior high students will be in school from 8:40 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. and will be dismissed at 2:45 p.m. on Wednesdays. The schedules were determined in response to survey feedback and transportation needs.

The district conducted a survey in March to ask district parents, students and staff if they agreed with implementing Early Out Wednesdays in support of establishing weekly Collaborative Team Meetings for teachers. Out of 3,004 responses, 45.2% strongly agreed, 21.8% strongly disagreed, 14.1% agreed, 7.8% disagreed and 11.1% were neutral with the policy.

Springdale Public Schools is the largest school district in Arkansas with an enrollment of about 22,000 students and approximately 3,000 staff members.

Full Schedule for Students and Staff

Schedule:

Elementary

Middle

JH/HS

Teachers

7:45 - 3:15

8:00 - 3:30

8:35 - 4:05

Students (M, T, Th, F)

7:45 - 3:10

8:05 - 3:30

8:40 - 4:05

Students on Wednesdays

7:45 - 1:50

8:05 - 2:10

8:40 - 2:45

CTMs on Wednesday

1:55 - 3:15

2:10 - 3:30

2:45 - 4:05

April 2022 Collaborative Team Meeting

Frequently Asked Questions

Will students lose instructional time?

a. No. Instructional time will remain the same in a few cases but for most it will be an increase.

What will happen on Wednesday’s with athletes/students with after school activities?

a. Supervision for students will be provided during this time.

Who will create the agenda for the CTM?

a. The district will create the framework and the CTM members will create the agenda following a PLC/CTM model.

b. Individuals new to the CTM process will be given guidance and will spend the first few meetings setting up protocols that create an efficient and effective CTM.

What about faculty meetings?

a. Faculty meetings will occur as usual. This means teachers will attend their CTM and then transition into a Wednesday faculty meeting.

What are the benefits of early out Wednesday?

a. Teachers will receive ongoing growth opportunities that will have a direct impact on student achievement.

b. Many teachers have not had the opportunity to receive ongoing peer professional development and this time will allow this to occur.

c. This may be a time parents can have their child attend appointments, therapy, etc without losing instructional time.

Why not late starts instead of early outs?

a. This time aligns with Faculty Meetings where opportunities to extend learning can occur.

b. The District has partnerships with local after school programs that can help by starting a little earlier on Wednesdays. Students must be enrolled in The After School Program in order to attend. For the students that are enrolled on a regular basis, ASP will not charge an additional fee.

Can teachers’ children stay at school with their parents?

a. Teachers’ children may enroll in the ASP. Principals will make every accommodation afforded to them to offer different opportunities that meet teachers needs.

As an employee, what if I schedule an appointment during CTM?

a. CTMs are part of your contracted work day. If you have to miss due to a scheduled appointment, you will need to enter a half day absence into Frontline.

Where will my child go at the end of the day on Wednesdays?

a. Parents/guardians may pick up their student(s) and buses will run at the end of the instructional day.

b. Many after school programs have agreed to start earlier on Wednesdays to accommodate CTM time.

c. The After School Program (ASP) will start when the instructional day ends with no additional cost to families that are enrolled on a fulltime/part-time basis. Students must be enrolled with ASP (Up to 13 years of age) to attend this program. The After School Program does offer a drop in program, to learn more about that click on the enrollment link to the right. Families that need to enroll for one day only will follow the same enrollment process.

d. CCLC Programs are working on plans to start their program early on Wednesdays when they meet.

After School Program

Call the After School Program:
(479) 756-5077

ASP Links

Locations

  • Bayyari Elementary

  • Elmdale Elementary

  • George Elementary

  • Harp Elementary

  • Hellstern Middle School

  • JB Hunt Elementary

  • Knapp Elementary

  • The Early Childhood Center

  • Monitor Elementary

  • Shaw Elementary

  • T.G. Smith Elementary

  • Sonora Elementary

  • Turnbow Elementary

  • Tyson Elementary

  • Walker Elementary

  • Westwood Elementary

  • Young Elementary

  • Rollins Elementary

For families with children at locations that ASP does not offer a program, typically those locations have an unaffiliated after school program in place. Refer to your child's front office for more information.