Teachers’ input drives draft strategic plan, staff say

Alo, a district staff presenter, told the board the draft strategic plan was built from teacher input gathered across the district and three schools, using start/stop/continue exercises and a 'what we should see' walkthrough tool to identify priorities.

"I told the staff this is our non-negotiable," Alo said, describing shared instructional elements the district will use to focus professional development and standards-referenced grading. The presenter said the group tied Marzano elements and High Reliability Schools levels to Cognia accreditation standards so the plan can both drive instruction and prepare for the district’s upcoming Cognia review.

Staff described a shorter, action-oriented plan (five to six pages) intended to be reviewed semiannually, with one-year, three-year and five-year goals. Year-one priorities include clarifying rubrics and scales so the district’s standards-referenced grading is consistent across classrooms; redesigning professional learning communities for more cross-curricular conversation; and targeted professional development, starting with an April 6 training day.

Board members questioned how the 'big five' standards that determine grade progression will be selected and scaffolded between grades. Alo said the district will review current standards, compare them to new state standards, and use PD and external consultants to build consistent proficiency scales.

The presenter said teachers’ ownership of the instructional framework should ease implementation: "they excited about it," Alo said, adding that staff will continue to refine the plan and prioritize three to four initial goals to avoid overreach in year one.

Next steps include a half-day work session the following Monday to refine one- and three-year goals and assign responsibility for the budget-related pieces of the plan.