Chapter 5

Schoolwide Action Plan

After reviewing the reports from the self-study groups and analyzing the student/parent surveys and student data, the leadership team has identified four major areas for schoolwide action plans.

Respect and Character

Area for Improvement: Improve the respect involved in the interpersonal relationships between student-to-student, student-to-staff, and staff-to-student and improve the students’ citizenship.

Rationale: Students who show respect will generate respect, while disrespect generates low self-esteem, hostility, and violence. Students with good character will tend to make good choices even when faced with difficult situations.

ESLR(s): Responsible Citizenship

Goals (Means of assessing, monitoring, and reporting progress):

a) Maintain an atmosphere of zero tolerance for disrespectful behavior and language. (Assess and monitor by listening to classroom/hallway chatter, reviewing discipline referrals, and by the annual student and parent surveys. Report at staff meetings and in the newsletter.)

b) Establish student workshops for anger management, anti-bullying, character education, and tolerance of others. (Assess and monitor by sitting in on workshops and interviewing students. Report at staff meetings and in the newsletter.)

c) Hold stakeholder roundtable discussions to study and find solutions for the respect and character issues in the school. (Assess and monitor by participating in discussions. Report at staff meetings, school board meetings, and in the newsletter.)

Responsibility:

a) All staff; Student representatives

b) Principal; Leadership Team

c) Principal; Leadership Team; Stakeholders

Specific Steps:

a) • Assembly to establish the issue of respect and character as priorities in the student body.

• Staff members to be especially vigilant for incidents involving disrespect and poor behavior.

• Principal/Assistant Principal to deal firmly with discipline involving respect and character while ensuring the student clearly understands the issue (zero tolerance).

b) • Assign staff to research programs for student workshops.

• Purchase materials. Schedule time and facilities.

• Identify students to participate in workshops.

c) • Schedule discussion times and facilities.

• Publish information regarding the roundtable discussions in the local newspaper and in the district newsletter.

• Hold the discussions. Review and revise the citizenship rubric as part of the discussion.

• Debrief with the leadership team.

Timeline:

a) Implement immediately. Review expectations for student behavior at the beginning of each school year. Review progress at the end of each grading period.

b) Research in the spring and summer of 2007. Implement during the school year of 2007-2008.

c) Begin in the spring of 2007 with follow-up discussions in the school year of 2007-2008.

Resources:

a) Time designated for discussion in staff meetings.

b) Financial resources will be needed to purchase materials and train staff. A classroom will be needed on a regular on-going basis.

c) Facilities for group discussions. Time designated for discussion in staff meetings.

More and Better Writing

Area for Improvement: Teachers in all classes will require significant amounts of challenging written work.

Rationale: Our students will be judged throughout their lives by the quality of their written communication.

ESLR(s): Effective Communicators; Life Skills

Goals (Means of assessing, monitoring, and reporting progress):

a) Written responses will be in complete sentences. (Assess and monitor by reviewing student work samples in staff meetings. Report at staff meetings.)

b) Establish periodic writing samples to be evaluated by the staff. (Assess and monitor by analyzing the disaggregated results of the writing samples. Report results at staff meetings, to the school board, and in the district newsletter.)

c) Establish uniform writing expectations for all classes. (Assess and monitor by generating and reviewing uniform writing expectations as a whole staff exercise. Report by publishing expectations in the district newsletter and reporting to the school board.)

Responsibility:

a) All Teachers

b) Principal; Leadership Team

c) Principal; Leadership Team; All Teachers

Specific Steps:

a) • Teachers will emphasize the expectation for complete sentences on all written work in each of their classes.

• Teachers will include the expectation for complete sentences on all written work in their syllabi for the classes for the 2007-2008 school year.

• Principal will randomly select students for the teachers to provide student work samples for the staff to review at each staff meeting.

b) • Schedule dates and class periods for all students to complete writing samples for baseline assessments and three to four follow-ups during the year.

• Schedule meetings for staff to assess the writing samples.

• Analyze the writing sample results and report findings.

c) • Staff to meet and establish uniform writing expectations for all classes.

• Publish uniform writing expectations in the class syllabi and district newsletter and report to the school board.

Timeline:

a) Begin immediately; Fully implement in the 4^th quarter of 2007 with reminder of expectations in the fall of the 2007-2008 school year.

b) Baseline sample to be taken in the fall of the 2007-2008 school year.

c) Committee to form in the spring of 2007. Expectations to be communicated to the staff at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. Teachers to include the uniform writing expectations in their course syllabi for the 2007-2008 school year.

Resources:

a) Time designated for review of student work samples at each staff meeting.

b) Time designated for staff to assess writing samples or compensation for staff to work outside school time.

c) Time designated in the spring of the 2007 school year for staff to develop uniform writing expectations for all classes.

Courses to be More Rigorous and Relevant

Area for Improvement: Make courses challenging, but appropriate, for all students.

Rationale: Our students need to be adequately challenged by the courses they encounter here in high school in order to be properly prepared for life after high school.

ESLR(s): Effective Communicators; Self-Directed Lifelong Learners; Life Skills; Responsible Citizens

Goals (Means of assessing, monitoring, and reporting progress):

a) Ensure all courses are standards based and aligned with the blueprints while stressing higher level thinking skills. (Assessed and monitored by each teacher as they modify syllabi and lesson plans to align with standards and blueprints, then each teacher’s syllabi to be reviewed by their peers. Reported by submitting syllabus and peer review for each class to the principal.)

b) Teachers will use varied instructional techniques that emphasize teacher-to-student, student-to-student, and student-to-teacher interaction. (Assessed and monitored by each teacher as they self-evaluate their lessons to ensure they are using a variety of instructional techniques. Reported in discussions during staff meetings.)

c) Teachers will encourage students to think on their own through varied activities that emphasize critical thinking skills. (Assessed and monitored in staff meetings through review of student work samples. Reported in discussions during staff meetings.)

Responsibility:

a) Principal; Teachers

b) Teachers

c) Teachers

Specific Steps:

a) • The staff will adopt, implement, and adhere to Robert Marzano’s Five Factors of School Level Effectiveness:

- Guaranteed and viable curriculum

- Challenging goals and effective feedback

- Parent and community involvement

- Safe and orderly environment

- Collegiality and professionalism

• Teachers will update the syllabi for each of their courses to show the courses are standards based and how they align with the blueprints.

• Principal will collect the syllabus for each class for review by staff.

b) • Teachers will review their copies of Wong’s First Days of School and Marzano’s Handbook of Classroom Instruction that Works.

• The staff will review the ideas from the above listed literature in staff meetings before and during the 2007-2008 school year.

• Teachers will participate in peer observations during the school year.

• Teachers will reflect on and present evidence of their uses of varied instructional techniques during staff meetings during the school year.

c) • Teachers will review Bloom’s Taxonomy and the use of key words and phrases in questioning and assignments that elicit critical thinking.

• The staff will examine samples of student work, including assessments, during staff meetings throughout the school year to gauge the quantity and quality of emphasis on critical thinking skills in all classes.

Timeline:

a) Immediately, with heavier emphasis in the 4^th quarter of 2007. Expectations to be reviewed in the fall of the 2007-2008 school year.

b) Immediately. Expectations to be reviewed in the fall of the 2007-2008 school year.

c) Immediately. Expectations to be reviewed in the fall of the 2007-2008 school year.

Resources:

a) Updated copies of standards and CST blueprints may be accessed at http://www.cde.ca.gov.

b) Extra copies of First Days of School and Handbook of Classroom Instruction that Works may need to be purchased in case some teachers don’t have a copy. Time for discussion needs to be allotted in the in-service meetings prior to school starting and in staff meetings during the school year.

c) Purchase copies of Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking from Edupress (ISBN 1-56472-047-0) at $4 each for each teacher. Allot time in teacher meetings throughout the school year for review of student work samples.

Reliable Technology

Area for Improvement: The technology that provides vital segments of many of our courses needs be more reliable and downtime needs to be minimal.

Rationale: Many of our courses, such as CyberHigh, Rosetta Stone, and the ROP business classes, are completely dependent on technology to deliver the course content. When the technology fails, the students sit idle which leads to myriad problems in addition to the lack of learning.

ESLR(s): Self-Directed Lifelong Learners; Life Skills

Goals (Means of assessing, monitoring, and reporting progress):

a) The general organization of the technology program should be reviewed and prioritized. (Assessed and monitored by the superintendent with the services of a third party expert. Reported at staff meetings and to the school board.)

b) The district technology director should have an assistant or other person who can handle common technology problems during periods of the director’s absence or times of high workload. (Assessed and monitored by the staff through the ongoing use of technology throughout the school year. Reported during discussion at staff meetings.)

c) Student assistants should be used effectively to manage simple technology needs such as installing software, fixing printers, and setting up new machines. (Assessed and monitored by the staff through the ongoing use of technology throughout the school year. Reported during discussion at staff meetings.)

Responsibility:

a) Superintendent; Technology Director

b) Superintendent; Technology Director

c) Principal; Technology Director

Specific Steps:

a) • Superintendent will obtain the services of a third party technology expert to evaluate the technology delivery system.

• Superintendent and Technology Director will establish priorities for technology tasks.

• Superintendent and Technology Director will establish a central technology information center to receive, review, and prioritize requests.

b) • Superintendent will evaluate the need, develop a job description, and hire an assistant as needed.

• The staff and the Technology Director will review the effectiveness of the assistant’s contributions to the technology program during staff meetings throughout the year.

c) • Student assistants for the Technology Director will be selected at the beginning of the school year.

• Students will be trained to perform common maintenance and repair tasks throughout the school year.

• The staff and the Technology Director will review the effectiveness of the students’ work during staff meetings throughout the year.

Timeline:

a) Spring of 2007 through summer of 2007.

b) Hiring process in the summer of 2007.

c) Immediately with current student assistants. Expectations to be reviewed in the fall of the 2007-2008 school year.

Resources:

a) Costs for a third party expert.

b) Wage and benefit package for a 10 month classified employee. Time in staff meetings with the Technology Director for discussion of the technology program.

c) Time in staff meetings with the Technology Director for discussion of the student assistants’ work.