Be provided with in-depth assistance in analyzing the assessment results including: student summaries by whole school, class, grade and student level and item analysis by grade Be supported in goal setting for student performance and implementation strategies for re-teaching essential standards Strategic Objective #3: 85% of all Holyoke children will be proficient readers by the end of third grade by 2014 Continue to improve implementation of best practices in literacy Define expectations for implementation of standards based balanced literacy model using readers/writers workshop Use formative and summative ELA assessments to identify strengths and areas of need and analyze data to plan instruction. Focus on making effective use of instructional time Focus on five elements of good teaching Develop a system to teach teachers how to improve their practice Increase focus on providing supports to struggling students Ensure ELL students and SWD have access to core literacy program Implement and monitor appropriate tier II and/or tier III intervention programs Increase the number of skilled teachers of reading available to students With support from DMC the district will use the budget cycle to develop criteria based staffing guidelines based on desired student outcomes Strategic Objective #4: Focus on literacy in grades 4-12 In grades 4 – 8 the initiatives and activities designed to focus on literacy will be identical to those in Strategic Objective #3 At the high schools in grades 9-12 HPS will on improving best practices in literacy Mirror the quarterly assessment process used by the Science Department with the ELA and/or Social Studies Departments to identify strengths and areas of need through the analysis of data to plan instruction Focus on making effective use of instructional time Focus on five elements of good teaching Increase the number of skilled teachers of reading available to students With support from DMC the district will use the budget cycle to develop criteria based staffing guidelines based on desired student outcomes Theory of Action The HPS Theory of Action continues to be a guiding framework for our improvement efforts: Holyoke Public Schools Theory of Action We believe that if we work as a cohesive system focused on: Improving the instructional core as the key variable in improving student achievement; Continuously advance rigorous instruction through a collaborative culture and continuous data analysis; and Involve all stakeholders in supporting a literacy-focused curriculum across core subjects and grade levels, then Every student will graduate from high school ready for college success without remediation and for career success as a citizen in a global society.
Ensure that systems and structures for instructional improvement target students with disabilities Ensure Improvement Plans target students with IEPs and set goals for improvement for struggling students Ensure observations and feedback are provided to all teachers including special education staff Special Education Director and staff work with ELA, Early Childhood and ELE Director to support implementation of instructional initiatives including participating in cross-training opportunities on WIDA sheltering techniques to ensure consistency across the district Special Education Director and staff monitor data (assessments and walkthroughs) and communicate needs to principals SPED Director and Principals Monitored via: As a member of the Implementation Team, the Special Education Director will be monitoring on a monthly basis that the AIP implementation specifically benefits students with special needs July 2012 June 2013 Strategic Objective 2:
SPED Director conducts joint walkthroughs with ELA, Early Childhood, and ELL Directors to inform planning and coordination Ensure that mild/moderate students have access to the most effective teachers Asst. Supt. ELL and SPED Directors Budget cycle June 2013
Observation and Feedback: Develop alignment between walkthrough and ed evaluation processes so that they reinforce the instructional best practices, core literacy program, and data cycles Professional Development Days: Ensure PD time is devoted to instructional best practices, core literacy program, and data cycles Directors w/principals July 2012 June 2013
Strategic Objective 4: Focus on Literacy grades 4 - 12 In grades 4 – 8 the initiatives and activities designed to focus on literacy will be identical to those in Strategic Objective #3 See above for all details (data will be collected on all for grades K-8) At the high schools in grades 9-12 HPS will: Focus on improving best practices in literacy Focus on five elements of good teaching Mirror the quarterly assessment process used by the Science Department with the ELA and/or Social Studies Departments to identify strengths and areas of need through the analysis of data to plan instruction Activities to Achieve the Outcomes for the Initiative Who will Lead? When will it Start? When will it be Complete? on Improving best practices in literacy Implement 5 best practice elements of good teaching that will be in evidence both during core instruction as well as when students are receiving ELL or special education services Agree on a set of best practices Communicate expectations to administrators and teachers and provide professional development and support Monitor implementation via observations Utilize quarterly assessment data cycle to focus teachers on using data to target priority standards for re-teaching (see Strategic Objective #2) Mirror the quarterly assessment process used by the Science Department with the ELA and/or Social Studies Departments to identify strengths and areas of need through the analysis of data to plan instruction Implementation Team ELA Director, Department Heads, HS principals September 2012 October 2012 Data cycle meetings (TBD) Oct. 2012 – agreement on 5 elements On-going PD at DILT SILT Department Meetings June 2013 Common Quarterly Assessments administered at the end of each quarter